Celebrity Silhouette - Review - February 23, 2020 - March 6, 2020

[mchell810]

1 hour ago, Noreen411 said:

Scott kept banging his head on the lights above the table and had a little cut on his head from it.  Of course I’m amused and don’t see how he keeps banging his head since I haven’t.  So he showed me where his head is when he puts something on the table or gets something from it.

 

Sometimes it's good to be short 😜

    Looks like a yummy dinner at Lawn club.

[CaptCrunch]

Noreen, 

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this review.  We were on the Reflection with you and Scott in 2018 and were scheduled to be on this exact itinerary, but in April.   As you probably know, it has been cancelled and I am so sad about missing it.  I realize in the grand scheme of things missing a cruise and being fully reimbursed isn't really a big deal when so many are truly suffering with the loss of jobs, not being able to find groceries, illness and just the general uncertainty of the economy. 

 

Your review and accompanying photos have been the one bright spot in a really dreary and trying time.  It makes me very excited to cruise again! 

 

All the best to you and Scott - Stay healthy! 

[Noreen411]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

Following...love the photos.

Esp the food....

How was the gen condition of the ship?

Were the door handles indicative of things worn out? 

Hi

Not at all - the ship was in great shape.  I think it was just a fluke that we had that problem with the door handles, the knob, and the dangling light.  Everything was fixed for us right away so it wasn’t really an issue.

 

[Noreen411]

2 hours ago, mchell810 said:

 

Sometimes it's good to be short 😜

    Looks like a yummy dinner at Lawn club.

I usually call it “vertically challenged”.   I’m not that short - 5 ft 3.5 inches, but short enough that I didn’t bang my head on the light.  Scott isn’t that tall either he’s maybe 5 ft 9 inches.

 

Lawn Club was great; we really enjoyed it.

 

[Noreen411]

2 hours ago, CaptCrunch said:

Noreen, 

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this review.  We were on the Reflection with you and Scott in 2018 and were scheduled to be on this exact itinerary, but in April.   As you probably know, it has been cancelled and I am so sad about missing it.  I realize in the grand scheme of things missing a cruise and being fully reimbursed isn't really a big deal when so many are truly suffering with the loss of jobs, not being able to find groceries, illness and just the general uncertainty of the economy. 

 

Your review and accompanying photos have been the one bright spot in a really dreary and trying time.  It makes me very excited to cruise again! 

 

All the best to you and Scott - Stay healthy! 

Hi.  Great to hear from you.  I remember you (hopefully I remember correctly) - you also do fashion shows before your trips and you were at the helipad sailaway with us.

 

We were lucky that we went when we did - it was among the last “normal” cruises before things got so crazy.  When things eventually get back to normal (whatever our new normal is) I’m sure you’ll be able to get on a sailing then.  I totally agree that there are so many horrible things going on now that we should be grateful for the things we’ve normally taken for granted.

 

I’m glad I can bring some joy with the review.  That’s what I was hoping for.  Aside from doing it for myself, to bring some lighthearted fun to anyone who wanted to read it.

 

Stay safe and healthy.

[Noreen411]

Celebrity Today for Thursday 2/27/20

 

 

And a flyer delivered with the Celebrity Today

Edited March 29, 2020 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

Thursday 2/27/20 - Antigua

 

We went to the gym about 6:15.  It hasn’t been crowded in the gym.

 

When we got back to the cabin we used the jacuzzi, showered and got dressed.

 

Our breakfast was in the room waiting for us.  Blueberry pancakes for me and an omelet for Scott

 

 

We originally were planning to go to Turners Beach or maybe Rum Bum (I think that’s what someone recommended to us) Beach but we remembered that our last few trips to Antigua the beaches were rocky and rough.  We changed our plans and decided to skip the beach today.  We left the big beach bag and just took the little knapsack and my purse.  We figured we would browse around, maybe find some T shirts for Scott and some ornaments and just play it by ear.

 

 

 

I know a lot of people walk right past the photographers on the way off the ship but we started to take pictures with them most days.  We don’t get that many pictures of both of us so thought it may be nice to take them and maybe we’ll find some we like.  We did end up liking and buying a few.

 

We walked around the pier area.  We did a little shopping.  We even walked out of the immediate pier area.  Every few steps we were approached by taxi drivers or people trying to sell us things.  I know this is how they make their living but we are more comfortable looking at things and buying without constantly being asked.

 

 

After walking around and doing some shopping we decided to head back to the ship.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

Thursday 2/27/20 - Continued

 

Back on the ship we walked around the track outside a few laps.

 

We went back to the cabin and grabbed my kindle and headed up to the retreat sundeck.  We got ourselves comfortable in one of  the little huts.

 

 

One of the bartenders brought us bottled water.  A little later they came by with fruit skewers.

 

After a while, we got too hot in the little hut so went to the other side upstairs where the lounge chairs are.  It was so nice and breezy up there.  Scott took a nap.  I read my kindle.

 

They brought us a lunch menu so we ordered lunch which was brought to us at our lounge chairs.  This was so nice.  They kept coming around offering different things - cold towels, drinks, etc.  It wasn’t crowded when we were up there.

 

I ordered the Luminae burger.  Scott ordered the turkey BLT wrap.  We shared them.  Everything was very good but it was too much food.  We should have just ordered one thing to share.

 

We ran into our cruise critic friends on the sundeck and hung out with them.  They were also eating lunch at their lounge chairs.

 

We got restless after sitting out for this long so went back to the cabin to finish watching another movie we started about a cell phone controlling the actors life (I forgot the name of the movie). It was funny but predictable.

 

We went in the jacuzzi on the balcony and just hung out on the balcony too.  

 

We showered and changed but were casual again since we’re going to the Lawn Club Grill for dinner later.

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

Thursday 2/27/20 - Continued

 

We went to the 5:30 Thomas Kinkade art seminar/auction.  It was more interesting than we expected.  We wanted to do something different that we wouldn’t normally do.  They talked about how he started and about his various works.  They asked a question which I was quick to answer and received a prize ($100 off if we bought anything that night).  They also had some raffles also for money off if you buy anything.  We saw a nice Mickey and Minnie Mouse campfire painting that we liked.  Disney is our other favorite vacation.  We seriously considered buying it to put above the fireplace in the living room but ended up not getting it at this point.

 

We went to the Martini Bar which was very crowded so we sat at the Crush section.  I had a Tropitini and Scott had the same one he had yesterday - Sapphire London martini.

 

 

 

We went to the Lawn Club Grill for dinner.

 

A lady at the table next to us had a small pizza with mozzarella and tomato but no sauce.  It looked really good so we ordered it to share.  It was very good.  

 

I had the veal chop with a baked potato.

 

Scott had snapper and creamed corn.

 

We both had the cookie with ice cream dessert.

 

We were talking with one of the managers about how good this cookie dessert is and he said if we are having dinner elsewhere and want one he’ll have it sent down for us.  That was so nice of him to offer.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

Thursday 2/27/20 - Continued

 

We walked around the deck outside after dinner.

 

 

Oops - I realized I made a mistake in the days.  Today was the day we took the casual pictures with the photographer that I posted as yesterday.  I realized when I saw the outfit I was wearing today in the evening pictures.  

 

We went to the casino for a little while.

 

At 9pm we went to the theater for the show - Cosmopolitan.  This was a production show with the Celebrity singers and dancers.  This was good.  I’m glad we went.

 

Back in the casino, Scott hit a Royal Flush on a poker slot machine.   Bells were ringing for ages and he had to get hand paid for $1,000.  We were surprised this was a hand pay, usually that’s only when it’s higher and above the threshold for having to pay taxes.  I know it varies by state in the US but it’s normally around $1,200 or so.  He didn’t receive a W2-G (tax document) for this win so we are guessing maybe they wanted to have the bells ringing and give the hand pay since it looks good for people to see that.

 

I wanted to go see Frisky Feud but messed up the time.  I thought the show was at 11 but it really started at 10:30.  We went to Celebrity Central just before 11 to watch it but they were up to the last question.  It’s similar to the show Family Feud but not family friendly.  I’m sorry we missed it.

 

We went back to the casino.  Scott’s name was called for the spin to win wheel and he won $50 slot play.

 

We went back to the cabin a little before 2am.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Noreen411

[hcat]

 

 

58 minutes ago, Noreen411 said:

Hi

Not at all - the ship was in great shape.  I think it was just a fluke that we had that problem with the door handles, the knob, and the dangling light.  Everything was fixed for us right away so it wasn’t really an issue.

 

Good to hear...it's one of our fav ships!

Edited March 29, 2020 by hcat

[sbt518]

5 hours ago, Noreen411 said:

Thursday 2/27/20 - Continued

 

...

We went back to the cabin a little before 2am.

 

 

I’m loving this review, we were supposed to be on the Silhouette right now so it’s nice to live vicariously through you. But I’m amazed at how you survive I so little sleep, up early at the gym and out until 2am! Making the most of your vacation.

[sgmn]

Great review, really enjoying it. We were meant to be on Silhouette in June to Norway but it looks like it won't happen now. So looking forward to it as it was to be our first Celebrity cruise. Maybe next year (though the exact same cruise is so much more expensive in 2021).

[CaptCrunch]

On 3/29/2020 at 4:28 PM, Noreen411 said:

Hi.  Great to hear from you.  I remember you (hopefully I remember correctly) - you also do fashion shows before your trips and you were at the helipad sailaway with us.

 

You definitely remembered correctly.  Still following along and I'm glad to see you two had such great luck at the casino.  

[Noreen411]

On 3/29/2020 at 10:25 PM, sbt518 said:

I’m loving this review, we were supposed to be on the Silhouette right now so it’s nice to live vicariously through you. But I’m amazed at how you survive I so little sleep, up early at the gym and out until 2am! Making the most of your vacation.

Thank you for the encouragement.  

 

I have never been a good sleeper.  My mother told me when I was a baby I never slept through the night.  I guess I’m afraid I’ll miss something.  Scott is similar that he doesn’t sleep much either.  Scott will take a quick nap here and there, but I’m not a napper either.  

[Noreen411]

On 3/30/2020 at 8:30 AM, sgmn said:

Great review, really enjoying it. We were meant to be on Silhouette in June to Norway but it looks like it won't happen now. So looking forward to it as it was to be our first Celebrity cruise. Maybe next year (though the exact same cruise is so much more expensive in 2021).

Thank you.

I’m sorry you won’t get to go in June, but maybe next year’s prices will come down.  We really enjoyed Silhouette.

Our first Celebrity cruise was on Reflection in 2018.  I wrote a review for that one too if you want to read our first timer impressions of Celebrity.

[Noreen411]

On 3/30/2020 at 4:37 PM, CaptCrunch said:

 

You definitely remembered correctly.  Still following along and I'm glad to see you two had such great luck at the casino.  

The casino was definitely fun.  Scott had better luck than I did.

[dreamer976]

The Royal Suite, great food AND winning big in the casino?  You must be living right! 😂

 

Loving your review. It sure is an extra treat, considering the state of cruising currently and for at least the near future, unfortunately.  I’ve been cruising for almost 20 years now (mostly with Royal Caribbean) and have my first Celebrity cruise booked for May 2021. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

 

Thank you, Noreen and stay safe. 
 

Ellen
 

 

[calicakes]

On 3/17/2020 at 4:48 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Unloading 150 plants one at a time in the Florida heat was thirsty work and our reward was a nice dinner and lots of cold beers on the water  at a restaurant called Little Bar. I can officially eat my own weight in peel 'n eat shrimp! 

We go down to Marco 1x a year and will be retiring in Naples in a few years.  You'll be happy to know that Little Bar is still there!! 

[Bimmer09]

17 hours ago, calicakes said:

We go down to Marco 1x a year and will be retiring in Naples in a few years.  You'll be happy to know that Little Bar is still there!! 

Yes, still there but according to my Man on Marco has closed until it's safe to open again.

It was my favorite spot on Marco for the seafood, a cold beer and Pelican watching.

It's been many years since I was there. A woman called Duffy was always my server and she was a gem.

 

I imagine the Florida fishermen who catch those great shrimp and groupers are having to cut back due to lack of demand by the restaurants. 

 

I also used to enjoy a German restaurant there called the Bavarian Inn. Very authentic food.

 

I'm sure when the time comes you'll be very happy in Naples!

Thanks for the comment and take care.

Norris

[calicakes]

Thanks for doing this review.  I like your writing style, its like mine, right to the point!! 

 

My wife is like Scott, she has quite the t-shirt collection too.  We always end up bringing a lot of t-shirts back with us.  We also are not light packers : )  Who won the poker game at the end of the cabin crawl?  Was the ship a lot less crowded than normal? 

 

Our next cruise( fingers crossed) is in December.  Our first suite experience.  I'll really, really need it after all this craziness we're all dealing with. 

[Shocked91]

On 3/15/2020 at 9:16 PM, Noreen411 said:

The month before the trip

 

On January 3, 2020 we received the email from the shoreside concierge about our preferences

 

 

 

We called a few days later to provide the information to the concierge and make our specialty dining reservations.  I keep a color coded spreadsheet that I use to keep track of our activities, dining, etc.

 

Scott decided to shave his head completely bald.  Before that he had a sort of military haircut like what he had when he was in the Marines with a little hair on top and bald on the sides.  The little hair on the top wasn’t that much anymore so I didn’t think it was that different when he had it all shaved off, but he thinks it’s a huge difference.  His bald head looks very cute.  And now he can shave it himself while we’re away too.  Before he was going every week for a haircut.  He tried to get it cut on a cruise once and they said they didn’t have whatever they needed to cut it the way he had it before.

Hi.We are in a Sky Suite we will receive these benefits.Thank you.

[Noreen411]

On 4/1/2020 at 6:00 PM, dreamer976 said:

The Royal Suite, great food AND winning big in the casino?  You must be living right! 😂

 

Loving your review. It sure is an extra treat, considering the state of cruising currently and for at least the near future, unfortunately.  I’ve been cruising for almost 20 years now (mostly with Royal Caribbean) and have my first Celebrity cruise booked for May 2021. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

 

Thank you, Noreen and stay safe. 
 

Ellen
 

 

Hi.  

 

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement.  We normally cruise with Royal Caribbean also; this is only our second Celebrity cruise.  I wrote a review for my first Celebrity Cruise (Reflection in 2018) and did a comparison to Royal Caribbean if you are interested in more cruise reading.

 

I’ll keep my fingers crossed also that you get to try Celebrity May 2021.

 

Stay safe

 

Noreen

[Noreen411]

On 4/2/2020 at 5:16 PM, calicakes said:

Thanks for doing this review.  I like your writing style, its like mine, right to the point!! 

 

My wife is like Scott, she has quite the t-shirt collection too.  We always end up bringing a lot of t-shirts back with us.  We also are not light packers : )  Who won the poker game at the end of the cabin crawl?  Was the ship a lot less crowded than normal? 

 

Our next cruise( fingers crossed) is in December.  Our first suite experience.  I'll really, really need it after all this craziness we're all dealing with. 

Hi.  Thank you for the encouragement.

 

I enjoy reading people’s reviews of cruises (and Disney World) since people can be on the same ship and have such different experiences.

 

Since our cruise was right before the pandemic became as widespread as it is now, our cruise was a pretty regular sailing.  If you didn’t watch the news you wouldn’t realize what was going on in the world.  Before we left I had a few people asking if we were sure we wanted to go, are we worried, but at that point if I remember correctly there were just a handful of cases in the US on the west coast. 

 

T shirts are a great souvenir since they get used.  Much better than all the silly trinkets I used to buy.  And ornaments are also great since you pull them out each year, remember where you were, hang them, but they get put away until the following year.

 

 I am always surprised by light packers who can just pack with a carry on.  I don’t know how they do it.  I know you can send laundry out but even with all our packing we sent laundry out a few times too.  

 

I don’t remember who won the poker game at the end of the cabin crawl.  I remember there was confusion over which hand beat the other.  Since Scott and I are both gamblers and familiar with poker we were able to advise which hand was the winning one; I am pretty sure someone had a full house.  

 

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your December cruise happens

 

Noreen

 

The suite experience on Celebrity is  wonderful.  This was only our second Celebrity cruise but Scott said (on our first Celebrity cruise) he always wants a Royal Suite on Celebrity because of how well we were treated and the size/layout of the room is perfect.

[Noreen411]

23 hours ago, Shocked91 said:

Hi.We are in a Sky Suite we will receive these benefits.Thank you.

Hi.

 

I’m sure someone who is more experienced with Celebrity will correct me if I’m wrong.  This is only our second Celebrity cruise and both were in a Royal Suite.

 

I believe the included specialty restaurants, alcohol cabin set up, beverage replenishment, and the special delivery arrival (even though that didn’t go as it should) are for Royal and Penthouse Suites.

 

All suites (including Sky Suites) get to use the Retreat Lounge, Retreat Sundeck and Luminae

 

Noreen