Live-ish from Silhouette Dec 24 - Jan 4

[peanut head]

Are you aware of how many children/teens are on board--number and/or percentage?

[countess5]

I know this question is always asked........sorry!

 

Would you be able to post which nights are Chic nights? I believe it is the 3rd night but can't remember the second one. 😩

 

Thank you so much.......helps with the DW. 🤣

 

Cheers! 

[granddutchess]

Thank you so much for this thread.  We are sailing on this ABC cruise 1/24/22.  

[countess5]

We will be on board also as a second leg! 

 

This whole Covid deal is a bit stressful, but we did sail in October.

 

Having this thread is very helpful!  Thanks again!!!! 

 

Cheers! 

[zaxanon6]

2 hours ago, chucknmarilyn said:

I appreciate the posts. Can't wait to be on in a few weeks.

Can you tell me who is Captain? And CD?

Captain Michael Sympouras and and CD is Angela (sorry, I don't know her last name, but she's very funny)

[zaxanon6]

44 minutes ago, countess5 said:

I know this question is always asked........sorry!

 

Would you be able to post which nights are Chic nights? I believe it is the 3rd night but can't remember the second one. 😩

 

Thank you so much.......helps with the DW. 🤣

 

Cheers! 

I'm not sure if I'll be much help for a January or February cruise. Since this is the holiday cruise, Evening Chic is Christmas Day (day 2) and New Year's Eve (day 8). Your best bet would probably be to look in the daily planner in the app for the 'Evening Chic Officers Soiree' at around 8pm.

[zaxanon6]

We made it to Curacao! After all the worry about ships recently getting turned away, today has felt so normal. There definitely are masks and protocols, but... we are out traveling and exploring, seeing beautiful places and meeting new people. For those who are worried, I understand, but if you do decide to take the plunge, know that it does still feel very much like pre-pandemic.

 

We debated Celebrity tours vs. private tours for a while and finally settled on Celebrity tours for this cruise. With the uncertainty over whether the ABC islands would allow you to go off on your own, we didn't want to end up stuck on the ship if the rules changed at the last minute and all the Celebrity tours sold out. Today, we did 'Beauties of Curacao', which was very good. This was on a coach bus (not ideal but only option), and it was 80-90% full. We each got a squirt of hand sanitizer whenever entering the bus, and they made a seating chart (by cabin numbers) before we left to provide to the ship for contact tracing purposes. Once we left, people were able to move to empty seats nearby to get photos. We were supposed to wear masks both indoors and out in Curacao (instructions delivered on the cruise ship and by loud speakers on the pier), but several people took them off when we were outdoors at our stops. We had to bring ID and vaccination cards ashore.

 

If you're going to Curacao, Boka Tabla (or Shete Boka) is amazing. We had a 'calm' day with smaller waves and it was still incredible. According to our guide, January/February should be windier and even more impressive. We had about 30 min there and I think that's the minimum required. We didn't feel rushed but could have just sat and watched for longer. I don't know how much everyone wants to hear about ship tours; I can go into more detail about our other stops if desired (we circled the western half of the island) but Shete Boka was the best.

 

[Turtles06]

21 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

Captain Michael Sympouras and and CD is Angela (sorry, I don't know her last name, but she's very funny)

 

CD Angela was introduced on our early December cruise as Angela Clark (or Clarke), though I have seen someone else on another thread refer to her as Angela Kristensen.  (I hope someone knows which is correct!)  I agree--- she is really funny.  She does stand up better than the (truly boring) comic they had on our cruise.  We were so wishing she would just do her own show! 

[ela123]

2 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

CD Angela was introduced on our early December cruise as Angela Clark (or Clarke), though I have seen someone else on another thread refer to her as Angela Kristensen.  (I hope someone knows which is correct!)  I agree--- she is really funny.  She does stand up better than the (truly boring) comic they had on our cruise.  We were so wishing she would just do her own show! 

I think Clarke is her married name as she’s married to Dave the activities manager. 

[zaxanon6]

2 hours ago, peanut head said:

Are you aware of how many children/teens are on board--number and/or percentage?

The total passenger count apparently changes every day (or depends on who you ask). 😉 Today according to guest services, it's just over 1300 (not 1400 or 1000) and there are 130 children, so 10%.

[39august]

You mentioned masks in your Curacao report. Was this a Curacao rule, or are you being required to wear masks on board?  

[zaxanon6]

19 minutes ago, 39august said:

You mentioned masks in your Curacao report. Was this a Curacao rule, or are you being required to wear masks on board?  

Port rule. Masks are not required on the ship as of now. We received the letter below when we boarded. Masks are required in all of our ports (ABCs, Cartagena, and Bimini) at all times regardless of vaccination status.

[countess5]

17 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

I'm not sure if I'll be much help for a January or February cruise. Since this is the holiday cruise, Evening Chic is Christmas Day (day 2) and New Year's Eve (day 8). Your best bet would probably be to look in the daily planner in the app for the 'Evening Chic Officers Soiree' at around 8pm.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. 

 

Cheers! 

[cangelmd]

On 12/26/2021 at 6:55 AM, countess5 said:

Jumping on board to follow, Thanks for posting.

We will take this route on our second leg January 24th! 

 

Cheers! 🍸

 

On 12/26/2021 at 12:22 PM, daydreamer16 said:

Thanks for posting your live updates! We join the Silhouette 1/24/22!

We are on that cruise as well, hope to meet you onboard!

 

Zaxanon, have you had any issues with being seated for dinner? Are you reserving a spot with the maitre d the night before or just going to dinner?

 

It sounds harsh, but there are a lot of competing pressures for seating people in the dining room. We want to be socially distanced, corporate wants to save money, the maitre d wants to use staff efficiently, the staff just wants to get the work done and maybe get a little extra tip. I think if you are really concerned, you either should not sail or eat in your cabin or outdoors while aboard. It is helpful to know what’s going on, just to plan what we feel comfortable with.

[stones902]

Thanks for providing this information!  We're on the next sailing following yours.

[Turtles06]

32 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

I think if you are really concerned, you either should not sail or eat in your cabin or outdoors while aboard. It is helpful to know what’s going on, just to plan what we feel comfortable with.

Celebrity’s web site expressly promises that “seating in public spaces such as dining venues . . . will be spread out.”  Yet on the Silhouette earlier this month, when we asked in the MDR (and we eat after 8pm) for a table not on top of another table, the host told us there was none and to come back in 20 minutes.  We could see that the MDR was quite empty, and we asked for the Maitre d’.  A gentleman came over, spoke to the host, and suddenly we were taken to the back half of the MDR, where there were numerous empty two-tops that were spread out, with tables blocked off between them.  We were seated immediately, as we should have been by the host when we first arrived.
 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs

[lovetocruisee]

25 minutes ago, stones902 said:

Thanks for providing this information!  We're on the next sailing following yours.

See you THERE 😁!!

Kevin

[cangelmd]

11 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Celebrity’s web site expressly promises that “seating in public spaces such as dining venues . . . will be spread out.”  Yet on the Silhouette earlier this month, when we asked in the MDR (and we eat after 8pm) for a table not on top of another table, the host told us there was none and to come back in 20 minutes.  We could see that the MDR was quite empty, and we asked for the Maitre d’.  A gentleman came over, spoke to the host, and suddenly we were taken to the back half of the MDR, where there were numerous empty two-tops that were spread out, with tables blocked off between them.  We were seated immediately, as we should have been by the host when we first arrived.
 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs

Agree completely that how you were seated is what SHOULD happen. I also think that what you describe - you called them on not seating you in a distanced fashion in a mostly empty dining room - shows a definite lack of training on how t9 handle the situation. I guess my point is multiple, what happens at corporate, whether we like it or not, and what happens on the scene at 7:30, are very liable to be different. Second, I think we all have to give a little, but you should be able to be seated in the fashion described in the Healthy ar Sea protocols - if others are willing to take more risk and they aren’t next to you that’s their own possibly poor judgment.

Just a question now, Turtles, what you describe sounds like a roped off, socially distanced area within the MDR. Would you have felt ok seated in the MDR without tables blocked off, if no one was within 6 feet of you? I ask, because I personally would feel safer in the big open area vs the small side alcoves, if both were relatively empty, but we don’t truly know what the air circulation is like, do we?

Bottom line is that sailing is going to be back t9 a higher risk activity at least through the end of January-February, and everyone should consider what they are willing to tolerate to vacation.

[Turtles06]

14 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Just a question now, Turtles, what you describe sounds like a roped off, socially distanced area within the MDR. Would you have felt ok seated in the MDR without tables blocked off, if no one was within 6 feet of you? I ask, because I personally would feel safer in the big open area vs the small side alcoves, if both were relatively empty, but we don’t truly know what the air circulation is like, do we?

 

Not roped off at all, nor in the small side alcoves.  This was on the upper level of the MDR, Deck 4, starboard side.  (We were told it was the same on the port side, but we'd had an even worse experience on that side asking not to sit on top of others, so I can't speak personally as to the port side.)  All of these two-tops were in the main, open and beautiful area of the upper level of the MDR, starting with tables along the rail where you can see the lower level.  Even prior to the pandemic, this area of the MDR had the most desirable two-tops imho. 

 

20 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Bottom line is that sailing is going to be back t9 a higher risk activity at least through the end of January-February, and everyone should consider what they are willing to tolerate to vacation.

 

I agree.  Quite frankly, I'm glad our cruise was in early December and we did not have to grapple with the "should we or shouldn't we go" now.

 

Good luck to all who are sailing now, and stay safe. 

[zaxanon6]

4 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Zaxanon, have you had any issues with being seated for dinner? Are you reserving a spot with the maitre d the night before or just going to dinner?

 

It sounds harsh, but there are a lot of competing pressures for seating people in the dining room. We want to be socially distanced, corporate wants to save money, the maitre d wants to use staff efficiently, the staff just wants to get the work done and maybe get a little extra tip. I think if you are really concerned, you either should not sail or eat in your cabin or outdoors while aboard. It is helpful to know what’s going on, just to plan what we feel comfortable with.

We have not had issues with seating for dinner in the MDR, but we do go early. It's a bit busier by the time we leave (7 or 7:30) but not much. The first 2 nights, it was much busier even early, and they did start filling the 'middle' tables. Days 3 and 4, it's been so empty they haven't even filled all of the 'outer' tables. We have sat at the same table with the same waiter every night so far; we just come back around the same time each night and request him. I'm not sure where all the other passengers went; they have folks from the specialty restaurants outside of Oceanview every day trying to get more reservations, so I assume they're not all full every night. 

 

I never liked how close together the 2-tops were even before COVID. If you want to be social, they're great, but if you want a private conversation or don't like your neighbors... It's very close quarters. I do 100% agree that they're walking a tightrope with competing desires. Our waiter mentioned that they are limiting his number of tables (at something like 28!) because more was too much for him to handle. That still seems like an incredible number to me, and may indicate they are minimizing staff to minimize costs.

[cangelmd]

3 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

We have not had issues with seating for dinner in the MDR, but we do go early. It's a bit busier by the time we leave (7 or 7:30) but not much. The first 2 nights, it was much busier even early, and they did start filling the 'middle' tables. Days 3 and 4, it's been so empty they haven't even filled all of the 'outer' tables. We have sat at the same table with the same waiter every night so far; we just come back around the same time each night and request him. I'm not sure where all the other passengers went; they have folks from the specialty restaurants outside of Oceanview every day trying to get more reservations, so I assume they're not all full every night. 

 

I never liked how close together the 2-tops were even before COVID. If you want to be social, they're great, but if you want a private conversation or don't like your neighbors... It's very close quarters. I do 100% agree that they're walking a tightrope with competing desires. Our waiter mentioned that they are limiting his number of tables (at something like 28!) because more was too much for him to handle. That still seems like an incredible number to me, and may indicate they are minimizing staff to minimize costs.

Thanks for your answer! Enjoy your cruise. I think we will make our specialty reservations and not worry overmuch about the other nights.

They have to be pinching pennies just to stay afloat (terrible pun very intended). And, I’m sure they keep hoping that eventually they will be able to return to full passenger loads, so some changes that seem to make sense from here in the peanut gallery actually aren’t worth it.

[Turtles06]

45 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

I never liked how close together the 2-tops were even before COVID. If you want to be social, they're great, but if you want a private conversation or don't like your neighbors... It's very close quarters.

 

Agreed.  We love Celebrity, but the placement of the 2-tops in the MDR is a real negative.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited December 28, 2021 by Turtles06

[zaxanon6]

Good afternoon from Aruba! The ship was cleared at about 8:30a. We have company here, the Mein Schiff 1 and the Freewinds. I think this is the only port where there will be other ships.

 

I can tell that everyone is ashore or busy because the internet is faster! Downloads are a blistering 2.5Mbps and uploads are 0.7Mbps (on one sea day, downloads were slower than that upload speed).

 

Once again, masks were required ashore and we needed to bring our vaccination cards. Today's tour was through Pelican Adventures; we drove to various sites on the northern end of the island on an open air bus and then sailed back to the harbor on a catamaran. The bus ride took me back to childhood - on the way to summer camp, we'd sit in the back rows and be overjoyed to go airborne from bumps. The catamaran ride was wonderful, with a very funny crew. There was an open bar onboard, but nobody was the party-hardy type. We just sat around and enjoyed the music, views, and sea air. There were about 15 people in the group, but the bus and boat could both have held at least twice that many.

[travelor80]

Thank you so much for your daily reports. We are on the Jan. 24th cruise and one day we are planning to go and the next day not. Have had this cruise for 2 years, all ship excursions--5 of them

and specialty restaurants are booked, have on board credit and really want to go. Will be interested to see if all ports will be open on your cruise. It is such a difficult decision. 

One question. We have proof of vaccination on our phones. Do we need to bring original vax card?

Thanks. Enjoy your cruise.

[Tatra603]

1 hour ago, zaxanon6 said:

Good afternoon from Aruba! The ship was cleared at about 8:30a. We have company here, the Mein Schiff 1 and the Freewinds. I think this is the only port where there will be other ships.

 

I can tell that everyone is ashore or busy because the internet is faster! Downloads are a blistering 2.5Mbps and uploads are 0.7Mbps (on one sea day, downloads were slower than that upload speed).

 

Once again, masks were required ashore and we needed to bring our vaccination cards. Today's tour was through Pelican Adventures; we drove to various sites on the northern end of the island on an open air bus and then sailed back to the harbor on a catamaran. The bus ride took me back to childhood - on the way to summer camp, we'd sit in the back rows and be overjoyed to go airborne from bumps. The catamaran ride was wonderful, with a very funny crew. There was an open bar onboard, but nobody was the party-hardy type. We just sat around and enjoyed the music, views, and sea air. There were about 15 people in the group, but the bus and boat could both have held at least twice that many.

 

 

Can I ask what is the name of that particular tour?

I just looked on the Pelican Adventures website, but couldn't see it.

Many thanks