Welcome to the Silhouette PH...Cruising again at last!

[chemmo]

Greetings everyone, it seems so long since I was able to offer a live report!

 

As you can see from the title we are presently in the Silhouette PH (boarded yesterday) enjoying a staycation. Like most cruisers this is nothing like the cruise we initially had booked but following lifting and shifting, swapping and changing we had hit the point of cruise deprivation where itinerary wasn’t important we just needed to get back on a ship! We are a party of four. Ourselves, our son and his girlfriend (a first time cruiser). We are regular cruisers and in recent years have cruised almost exclusively with Celebrity. 

 

We arrived at the cruise port just before noon having overnighted in Southampton. No queues, plenty of staff checking guests in. Thank to the posts we had read on CC we had printed out all documentation as well as having digital versions. Needless to say it was the paper versions the staff preferred. I don’t know how others have felt in this difficult time but we have been almost scared of looking forward to this cruise in case something went wrong...All I know is I have never felt such a feeling of relief to complete the check in procedure!!! As we were being checked in a member of staff arrived to escort us on board. Whilst we know our way around the S class ships we really appreciated being ‘greeted’ and the practical help with our hand luggage (how did we manage to have so many items?). 

 

On arrival at our suite our son’s girlfriend was given the honour of opening the door. As requested a beautiful cake was waiting for her welcoming her on her first cruise. Sincere thanks to the shoreside concierge for passing on our request and the staff on board for arranging it for us! Before I move on I would like to also add our thanks to the Celebrity UK shore based team. Over the last difficult 18 months of swapping and changing they genuinely have shown real flexibility. The pay off is we feel happy booking future cruises as we feel confident that if circumstances change we will be looked after. 

 

Back to being on board! Champagne in the Retreat, lunch in Luminae, dinner in Tuscan. Tuscan is our traditional choice for our first night of cruising. We love to watch the wake of the ship and the port fade away as we sip our wine and enjoy our first meal. The ropes came off just as we toasted being on board....Service in all venues excellent. We have been welcomed on board by the suite manager and concierges, our room attendant and butler have run through our requests and we know we will be looked after. All staff may be wearing masks but you can see the genuine smiles in their eyes...

 

Our suite really is beautiful. We have cruised an S class PH before (Eclipse) but the Revolution changes are for the better. Much as I miss the piano (a very useful place to put a box of chocolates on)!  the additional room  adds to the decadence of light and space!!! We find the inside furnishings very nice. Balcony loungers are nice, table and chairs also nice but the two ‘comfortable’ chairs are a bit odd. Definitely nicer to look at than sit in! With iffy knees and back if I sat in one of them I would need hoisting out!

 

Well the sun is just rising, about to enjoy our first full day...I will report on our cruise and the ship experience and be happy to answer any questions. 

[upwarduk]

21 minutes ago, chemmo said:

As we were being checked in a member of staff arrived to escort us on board. Whilst we know our way around the S class ships we really appreciated being ‘greeted’

Now that is what was missing when we checked in on 06/08/21. 😱
In the distant past I remember being escorted to our cabin. 
This year my husband mixed up the digits of our room number and took us to 7102, instead of 7201.

As soon as we entered the room, I realised that we were in the wrong cabin. 7102 didn’t have  a balcony, which I knew we had booked, but it looked more like an ‘Infinity’ balcony on Edge. I really wonder if new cabins were added at ‘Revolution.’

Fortunately, I had our invoice with us, which stated ‘balcony’ so we gave the keys back to the steward and went to search for our cabin.

 

Chemmo,

Enjoy your cruise.🛳

Edited September 12, 2021 by upwarduk

[chemmo]

25 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Now that is what was missing when we checked in on 06/08/21. 😱
In the distant past I remember being escorted to our cabin. 
This year my husband mixed up the digits of our room number and took us to 7102, instead of 7201.

As soon as we entered the room, I realised that we were in the wrong cabin. 7102 didn’t have  a balcony, which I knew we had booked, but it looked more like an ‘Infinity’ balcony on Edge. I really wonder if new cabins were added at ‘Revolution.’

Fortunately, I had our invoice with us, which stated ‘balcony’ so we gave the keys back to the steward and went to search for our cabin.

 

Chemmo,

Enjoy your cruise.🛳

 

Thank you! 

 

 

[hawkesbaynz]

Enjoy. Look forward to joining next week. Out of interest will the Future Bookings Desk be able to give you the current 20% discount fares which are available on the US Site?

[Azulann]

Will be following your live report.

 What a wonderful introduction to the "first time cruiser" in your party. 

 

[Silkroad]

It’s lovely to see that you’re heading back to sea after so much upheaval and uncertainty. Thanks so much for taking us along. Wishing you and your family a delightful cruise.

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

Enjoy. Look forward to joining next week. Out of interest will the Future Bookings Desk be able to give you the current 20% discount fares which are available on the US Site?

I will try to find out...

 

Only 800 passengers on board this week so the ship is nice and quiet. Even with only 4 in a lift there are no queues...Hope you have a great cruise!

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Azulann said:

Will be following your live report.

 What a wonderful introduction to the "first time cruiser" in your party. 

 

Yes, it is also nice for us to enjoy seeing the ship through new eyes again! All those little things you take for granted when you cruise a ship class regularly (art work, tree, grass...) are refreshed by one of your party seeing the novelty in them.

 

 

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

It’s lovely to see that you’re heading back to sea after so much upheaval and uncertainty. Thanks so much for taking us along. Wishing you and your family a delightful cruise.

Thank you!

 

 

[NCHPcruiser]

Enjoy your cruise!  As always I thank you for the commentary and taking us along with you!

[cruising diva]

We will be in the PH on the Silhouette in November. I know they redid the flooring in the suite. Could you please tell me what the flooring is now? Thank you in advance.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, NCHPcruiser said:

Enjoy your cruise!  As always I thank you for the commentary and taking us along with you!

Thanks, I always enjoy following the cruises of others and like to “payback” when I can! Whilst our travel exploits may be limited this cruise hopefully it may offer some insight for anyone considering a Silhouette cruise or about to try a suite for the first time.

[Lynnewob]

I hope you'll enjoy your time in the PH with your family and have a great time together.   We had 1611 in August and loved it.    

Agreed, those 2 chairs are an odd size.   We requested a couple of footstools for them and it made them more comfortable to sit in.   

 

[Cdresser]

Welcome back to cruising and thanks for taking us along with you!

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, cruising diva said:

We will be in the PH on the Silhouette in November. I know they redid the flooring in the suite. Could you please tell me what the flooring is now? Thank you in advance.

Carpeting islands in dining and sofa area...Wooden (effect?) flooring in between. Tiled in wet bar area and entrance. Carpet in bedroom, tiling in bathroom (as before). Practical and quite pleasing to the eye...

[chemmo]

4 hours ago, Lynnewob said:

I hope you'll enjoy your time in the PH with your family and have a great time together.   We had 1611 in August and loved it.    

Agreed, those 2 chairs are an odd size.   We requested a couple of footstools for them and it made them more comfortable to sit in.   

 

We are a range of sizes from me (petite) to our son 6’ and they really don’t suit anyone...Even with a footstool with no back cushion they are still rather odd...

[chemmo]

9 minutes ago, Cdresser said:

Welcome back to cruising and thanks for taking us along with you!

Thank you! Just so nice to be back on board!

[TeaBag]

We were supposed to be on the Silhouette, sailing to Iceland right now but it was cancelled, so thanks to you we are sorta sailing, although we were only in AQ.  I hope you have a great time and you are able to see the cruise through the eyes of a first time cruiser....very special for your son's GF to be in the penthouse on a lovely ship for her first cruise.

Where are you sailing to?

Bon Voyage.

[chemmo]

57 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

We were supposed to be on the Silhouette, sailing to Iceland right now but it was cancelled, so thanks to you we are sorta sailing, although we were only in AQ.  I hope you have a great time and you are able to see the cruise through the eyes of a first time cruiser....very special for your son's GF to be in the penthouse on a lovely ship for her first cruise.

Where are you sailing to?

Bon Voyage.

I don’t think any of us are on our initially planned cruises at present! Our ports of call are Liverpool, Belfast and Dover. All fairly easily accessible from where we live without taking a cruise....We quite simply are on board to enjoy the ship and the sea...A fabulous display of acrobatic dolphins  this afternoon was a real highlight of our cruise so far as we passed Lands End.
 

We dined in Murano's tonight...As always wonderful! We so enjoyed (after nearly two years without a cruise) the  ‘theatre’ of the table side service...Later we regrouped on the balcony to enjoy a rainstorm. One of the real advantages of the S class PH is it has both covered and more exposed balcony areas. The area by the jacuzzi (off the main bedroom) is the most covered. Tonight it was mild but some heavy rain...There was space for us all to sit outside enjoying the sights and sounds but able to  stay dry and enjoy a nightcap...

[Lynnewob]

10 hours ago, chemmo said:

We are a range of sizes from me (petite) to our son 6’ and they really don’t suit anyone...Even with a footstool with no back cushion they are still rather odd...

As you can see from this mad photo 😂, the chair is large.  I'm 5ft2 and needed a footrest for it to work but so did hubby at 6ft, so it is a rather odd size. 

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, Lynnewob said:

As you can see from this mad photo 😂, the chair is large.  I'm 5ft2 and needed a footrest for it to work but so did hubby at 6ft, so it is a rather odd size. 

 

Your picture says it all!

[hcat]

Whoever buys chairs for X probably does not sit  very much. Always seem to be form over function.. comfort issues.

 

They are odd in cabins, on balconies in the lounges and esp on EDEN!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[chemmo]

29 minutes ago, hcat said:

Whoever buys chairs for X probably does not sit  very much. Always seem to be form over function.. comfort issues.

 

They are odd in cabins, on balconies in the lounges and esp on EDEN!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

The furnishings in the suite are nice and comfortable on the whole...A few anomalies like an enormous bathroom but with only open storage - a drawer or two would be nice...A lack of plug points in the lounge area. However, nothing we can not cope with! Such a hard life!!!
 

 

[Silkroad]

How lovely to have a proper table on the veranda! I hope you’ll be able to enjoy some of your breakfasts al fresco. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

The furnishings in the suite are nice and comfortable on the whole...A few anomalies like an enormous bathroom but with only open storage - a drawer or two would be nice...A lack of plug points in the lounge area. However, nothing we can not cope with! Such a hard life!!!
 

 

That's odd.  We sailed in the PH on Equinox 2 years ago and there was plenty of drawer storage in the bathroom.