Live-ish from Silhouette Dec 24 - Jan 4

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, travelor80 said:

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

 

Yes.  Apart from the fact that you never know what may be required by one of the countries you'll be visiting, Celebrity's own web site says this:

 

"Are photos or photocopies of the original vaccination card accepted as proof of vaccination?

No, at this time, we are not accepting photos or photocopies of the original vaccination card."

 

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

Edited December 28, 2021 by Turtles06

[zaxanon6]

22 minutes ago, Tatra603 said:

 

 

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

 

 

I don't see it on their website either; we booked 'Aruba Best Sites by Land and Sea' through Celebrity.

 

If you're looking at a private or non-ship tour, make sure to check if they will accept cruise passengers. At one point we were eyeing an Aruba tour through another company but they could not book because of how their contract with the cruise lines is set up. We are definitely interested in returning to Aruba to see more of the beautiful island.

[zaxanon6]

32 minutes ago, travelor80 said:

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.

I understand the concerns. We're not especially nervous but do try to take precautions more than some other folks. Right now, we're getting more worried about the US and making our way home from Florida (crowded airports, potentially cancelled flights, etc.) than the ship or remaining ports.

 

You will need your original vaccination card for getting on the ship; even if you have pictures uploaded in the app, they still look at the real thing, too. The documentation we received onboard seems to indicate that copies would be okay when going ashore in some of the ports. We're not willing to test that, though, so have been taking the real card. I'd recommend getting a plastic sleeve for it (easily found on Amazon) to protect it from getting bent, torn, or wet.

[zaxanon6]

Good morning from Bonaire! We arrived around 7a and were cleared at 7:30a. So far we've docked on the port side in every port.

 

We're headed off snorkeling soon, but the Captain just announced 1 crew member was symptomatic and tested positive. All close contacts were isolated and tested negative. I hope everyone currently on Silhouette and all the other ships at sea has a good day and stays safe.

[Beachin2]

18 hours 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).

Enjoying following along.  Are those speeds with the included surf internet package or the upgraded stream?

[asnaleah]

16 hours ago, travelor80 said:

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.

We are in the same boat, so to speak 😄. Trying to keep a positive attitude and hope to see you on board!

[asnaleah]

18 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

I don't see it on their website either; we booked 'Aruba Best Sites by Land and Sea' through Celebrity.

 

If you're looking at a private or non-ship tour, make sure to check if they will accept cruise passengers. At one point we were eyeing an Aruba tour through another company but they could not book because of how their contract with the cruise lines is set up. We are definitely interested in returning to Aruba to see more of the beautiful island.

I don’t see Aruba Best Sites by Land and Sea for the Jan 24 cruise.

[hcat]

On 12/25/2021 at 12:17 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

Merry Christmas, and thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us.   My wife and I were on the sailing two before yours (Dec. 3-13), so with @Stealthdog's thread and now yours, and to paraphrase him above, it's like a B2B2B.  😉

We'd never sailed out of Port Everglades before, and were surprised to see two Coast Guard gunboats driving all around our ship before we sailed, and then out in front once we did, barking at small boats to get out of the way.   A crew member told us this was standard for Port Everglades.  Welcome to South Florida!  🙃

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

Fairly  routine security since 9-11... sometimes we also se Natl Guard at airports.  

Awhile ago in NY they were collecting the NY Covid Health forms at airports.

 

We love Silhouette...enjoy!

[chucknmarilyn]

3 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

Good morning from Bonaire! We arrived around 7a and were cleared at 7:30a. So far we've docked on the port side in every port.

 

We're headed off snorkeling soon, but the Captain just announced 1 crew member was symptomatic and tested positive. All close contacts were isolated and tested negative. I hope everyone currently on Silhouette and all the other ships at sea has a good day and stays safe.

So excited to see you're in Bonaire! We are very hopeful we will get there too. We're on 1/24. Are you allowed to get off on your own?

[zaxanon6]

2 hours ago, Beachin2 said:

Enjoying following along.  Are those speeds with the included surf internet package or the upgraded stream?

That's Stream. It's noticeably slow at times, but definitely useable for Cruise Critic, uploading photos, catching up on the news, etc. We were even able to watch a video of Christmas Eve church service from home.

[zaxanon6]

5 hours ago, chucknmarilyn said:

So excited to see you're in Bonaire! We are very hopeful we will get there too. We're on 1/24. Are you allowed to get off on your own?

We're very excited to be here, too! I've been hearing about Bonaire for years and finally got here. We took a snorkeling trip from a small boat (Celebrity's Exclusive Sailboat Coast Cruise and Snorkel, run by Blue Bay Bonaire). There were only 10 passengers (their limit), and it was once again a really chill group. We sailed north between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire, tied up and snorkeled for about 45 minutes, and then sailed south past Silhouette before returning to the marina. I don't know where exactly we stopped to snorkel, but it was wonderful. The fantastic crew gave us drinks and snacks (melon, meatballs, and stroopwafel) during the sail south, and answered all kinds of questions about the island.

 

We were able to get off the ship without a Celebrity tour, though I cannot predict if this will change. (Someone's got a Magic 8 ball, right?) This was the first port where we were actually required to show our vaccination cards (or apparently copies were okay) on the pier as we left the ship.  Our guide said masks are currently not required outdoors on the island, but shops can ask you to wear them inside. We had to wear them on the bus to the marina, but not the boat.

 

Question for anyone else currently on Silhouette - did you hear the banging for hours last night? (2 to 6am-ish) Any idea what was going on?

Edited December 29, 2021 by zaxanon6

[zaxanon6]

Tonight was our first specialty restaurant meal in the Lawn Club Grill. Unfortunately, as we arrived, the Captain made an announcement that two passengers have tested positive for COVID. The restaurant was quite empty, with just 4 tables in use by the time we left. I really wanted to love the place, but probably will not be back. The open air experience at sunset and watching the island get dark was nice. Our sommelier was very good and attentive, but our waiter was very timid and seemed unsure of what was going on (maybe would be a better fit in another role?). I ended up with the plate where everything was overcooked, but everyone else's meals were okay. The hot chocolate chip cookie dessert was delicious, but so hot the ice cream was soup by the time half the cookie was gone. Basically we paid extra for lower quality food and service than we've been getting in the MDR. Hopefully Taste of Taj X will be better.

 

Throughout the meal, we kept seeing fireworks going off on land at random. There were little bursts for about 15 seconds at various locations for miles. I'm curious if this is a regular occurrence, NYE a little early, or something else. (Google wasn't helpful)

 

 

 

[travelor80]

Thanks for the update on your cruise and Covid cases. How are they handling them? Are they testing crew daily? When is the Indian dinner and when were you able to sign up. Beautiful photos.

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

The hot chocolate chip cookie dessert was delicious, but so hot the ice cream was soup by the time half the cookie was gone.

 

Pro tip:  ask for the ice cream on the side.  😉

 

3 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

Basically we paid extra for lower quality food and service than we've been getting in the MDR. Hopefully Taste of Taj X will be better.

 

The Lawn Club Grill has always been a favorite of ours, but we were disappointed several weeks ago as well.  I do hope you enjoy Taj X as much as we did!   

I hope the two guests are okay....

 

 

[zaxanon6]

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Pro tip:  ask for the ice cream on the side.  

That would have been better... The ice cream was actually boiling as it came in contact with the edge of the dish.

 

10 hours ago, travelor80 said:

When is the Indian dinner and when were you able to sign up.

The Taste of Taj X is New Year's Day. The app had two completely different days in different places, so it's probably hard to know until you're onboard. We were walking around the ship just after embarkation and you could sign up for any of the specialty restaurants outside of Oceanview. I do not believe you can sign up pre-cruise.

 

 

10 hours ago, travelor80 said:

Thanks for the update on your cruise and Covid cases. How are they handling them? Are they testing crew daily?

 

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I hope the two guests are okay....

I don't know a lot about the protocols. I think they are making announcements so it doesn't seem like they're hiding things, but also trying not to cause panic by going into too much detail. Both are appreciated. It's likely there will be more cases, but 3 out of 1300-ish guests plus hundreds of crew is not a crisis nor unexpected. According to one of the stewards, the crew member who tested positive is being cared for on the medical deck. We couldn't hear if the passengers are remaining onboard or were taken off in Bonaire, but also hope they are okay.

[babblinbabs]

Any info on Le Petit Chef @Qsine?  Looks interesting.

[zaxanon6]

Good afternoon! Today is a sea day as we sail west to Cartagena. We're back on Eastern Time (instead of Atlantic). I'm happy to have a cabin on the starboard side, as we are in the shade of the pool deck overhang all day. 😁

 

Today was another spa morning; had a restorative salt stone massage and am now feeling all moisturized and pliable. The spa staff is fantastic; I've been lucky to have great masseuses on Millie, Summit, and Silhouette. I spent yesterday afternoon in the Persian Garden and it was actually a little disappointing after having been on Reflection. Here it's half the size with half the heated loungers (which were totally filled up by 3:30p) and no cold room. The one free port day pass was plenty, and I would have been unhappy if I'd paid money. I consider this proof that the Captain's Club benefits do still have value.

 

Breakfast was in Oceanview with yummy french toast and crispy bacon. With the lower capacity onboard, we've never had trouble getting a table by a window at breakfast or lunch. Folks space themselves pretty well; no one is at side-by-side tables, but do sit back to back. There have been some oddities - like the terrible sandwich and a lack of drink servers - but it's not the chaos that it used to be.

 

Another positive case was announced with the morning announcements. They are now recommending all passengers wear masks when out and about on the ship. That was a comment from the CD during morning announcements, not a requirement put in writing. They're also recommending everyone use lots of sunscreen; I assume that one will be far less controversial. We've been wearing masks all along, as have many others, but many people have not (maybe 50/50?)

 

2 hours ago, babblinbabs said:

Any info on Le Petit Chef @Qsine?  Looks interesting.

I have not been to LPC yet, as I'm protesting that they got rid of Qsine (yes, I know it's probably futile) 😉. My mother tried it when she was on Edge in June and enjoyed it ("It was cute.") I've seen a couple threads in recent months with folks describing the experience.

Edited December 30, 2021 by zaxanon6

[zaxanon6]

It was nice to be back in the MDR tonight. The maitre d' dramatically wondered where we'd been last night when we walked up to the podium. It felt like returning to old friends; the bartender and sommelier know our orders by now, our waiters welcomed us back... This is what I love most about the dining rooms on a cruise. Our waiter wanted details about the dinner at Lawn Club and passed on the feedback. I wonder if they've been getting a lot of complaints? We were supposed to go to Murano later in the cruise but have cancelled; we've been there before and couldn't ask for better than the service and food we're getting in the MDR.

 

Dinner unfortunately started with another announcement from the Captain. Today there have been another 7 passengers and 2 crew that have tested positive, for a total of 9 passengers and 3 crew. And it's starting to impact on life onboard. They have officially spaced the tables in the MDR; every other one (side to side) has a sign marking it as unavailable. They are still seating guests back to back.

The crew is now required to double mask. Our waiter gave a very fatherly lecture to make sure we're careful in Cartagena tomorrow, and to wear masks for our safety. I feel it's really for his safety - this our vacation but the crew's livelihood. Two of the waiters were close contacts and had to be quarantined while waiting for test results (thankfully negative) but the other waiters had to pick up their 40 tables during that time.

 

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Exactly two years ago, I was on Reflection and remember dinner conversation about news of a new virus in China. We had no clue then how much this would affect our lives. I think this NYE at sea will be more subdued. Instead of a big party on the pool deck, they'd already planned to move things inside due to expected rough seas (according to our sommelier). Now it looks like that Grand Foyer celebration has become multiple parties of various types (silent disco on the pool deck, Latin celebration in the Sky Lounge, string group in Ensemble, band in the Foyer). Hopefully this keeps people a little more spaced out.

[TeaBag]

So sorry you did not enjoy Lawn Club Grill.  It is more than 2 years since we have dined there and I am sorry to hear it is going downhill.

[zaxanon6]

Good morning, but not from Cartagena...

 

We were supposed to dock at 5:15a. I was dozing for a while, occasionally looking to see if we were close to go take pictures. By 6:15, I was still seeing waves go by, so looked at the navigation channel - we were headed straight north at 15kts. We apparently pulled a U-turn in the harbor and left. I got a glimpse of the skyline in the distance...

[lovetocruisee]

10 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

Good morning, but not from Cartagena...

 

We were supposed to dock at 5:15a. I was dozing for a while, occasionally looking to see if we were close to go take pictures. By 6:15, I was still seeing waves go by, so looked at the navigation channel - we were headed straight north at 15kts. We apparently pulled a U-turn in the harbor and left. I got a glimpse of the skyline in the distance...

    I’ll be passing you in 4 days.  I hope I can go and not too many ports.    I think I heard that our CDC color changed 

Edited December 31, 2021 by lovetocruisee
missing word

[Beachin2]

7 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

Good morning, but not from Cartagena...

 

We were supposed to dock at 5:15a. I was dozing for a while, occasionally looking to see if we were close to go take pictures. By 6:15, I was still seeing waves go by, so looked at the navigation channel - we were headed straight north at 15kts. We apparently pulled a U-turn in the harbor and left. I got a glimpse of the skyline in the distance...

 

 

Doesn't sound promising.

[zaxanon6]

Just had an announcement from the Captain; as the pilot was coming onboard, Cartagena notified the ship that we would not be permitted to dock. Zero warning or communication until we had already arrived. We are on our way to Bimini (assuming Bahamas lets us dock) and will have 3 days at sea instead of 2. 

 

Overnight, there were 4 more positive cases among passengers (13+3 total). The Captain strongly recommends everyone wear a mask and take precautions aboard. We'll get an updated schedule of activities and NYE plans from the CD later in the morning.

[clojacks]

3 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

Just had an announcement from the Captain; as the pilot was coming onboard, Cartagena notified the ship that we would not be permitted to dock. Zero warning or communication until we had already arrived. We are on our way to Bimini (assuming Bahamas lets us dock) and will have 3 days at sea instead of 2. 

 

Overnight, there were 4 more positive cases among passengers (13+3 total). The Captain strongly recommends everyone wear a mask and take precautions aboard. We'll get an updated schedule of activities and NYE plans from the CD later in the morning.

In defense of the CDC, which could be dangerous on a cruise forum, this is probably the circumstances they foresaw…..numbers increasing every day, especially under haphazard mask compliance, even though every eligible person is vaxxed.

[kg1022]

Sorry to hear about Cartagena.  I’ll be going on my first Celebrity cruise on the Silhouette February 4th so I appreciate your updates on the conditions.  Our cruise is going to the southern Caribbean.  I did do Cartagena on Norwegian once and it was not my favorite port.  We had a very quick stop there where we were whisked into a coffee shop and then whisked back to the cruise ship.