Some Useful Facts From Our January 14-24, 2022 Celebrity Silhouette Cruise

[drychi]

Good morning everyone.  My wife Linda and I recently cruised on Celebrity Silhouette.  After looking at the recent posts we thought we would provide some facts from our cruise which may help future cruisers in these Covid-19 times.  We are experienced cruisers with both Celebrity and other cruise lines.  We are both retired, but in good health.  Our itinerary was Embarkation Day:  Friday, January 14, 2022, Two sea days, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, Two Sea Days, Dis-Embarkation Monday January 24, 2022.

 

Port of Embarkation/Debarkation:  Port Everglades Cruise Terminal No. 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

Airline Used:  Southwest

 

Flights:  St. Louis Lambert to Fort Lauderdale non-stop and return via a 50 minute no plane change stop in Baltimore.  We found Southwest Airlines on these dates to be on time and no issues with staffing or weather. Mask policies were followed and enforced in all airports and on all flights. My wife and I wore N95 masks in all airports, flights, and the limo.  I personally witnessed several incidents where people were either given a conforming mask or were asked to wear their mask properly by airline personnel.  

 

Transfers:  We used Fort Lauderdale Shuttle and Limo Service, Inc.  Their drivers and cars were on time, courteous, and easy to contact.  We used this service to and from hotels to airport and from ship to hotel.  The cost for each transfer was $99.00.  We had 2 adults with 2 luggage bags and a carry-on.  We would recommend them and will use them in the future.  We were aware that cheaper modes of transportation exist, but we appreciated just 2 passengers and driver in these covid times and appreciated the specific pick-up and drop off times and locations particularly at the airport.  We used Uber/Lyft drivers for all other transportation needs while staying in Fort Lauderdale.  

 

Hotels:  We stayed for four nights at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and one night at the GalleryOne Doubletree Suites.  We are Hilton Diamond members and were happy with our choices.  We have stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina several times before.  Since we were last there in January, 2020 they have re-modeled the lobby and closed the area where they normally served breakfast.  Instead, breakfast was served outside under a tent between the hotel and the pool area.  This worked okay unless it was raining, cold, or windy.  Unfortunately for us we had those conditions during part of our stay.  On those days we ate our breakfast in our room. The pool bar was open in the evenings, weather permitting, and you could get food via carry out to eat on tables near the pool or in your room.  Lunch and dinner were also provided by carry-out through the lobby bar area.  These dining arrangements were not ideal, but they worked once you understood the rules.  Hilton Honors members were given meal credits against their over-all hotel bill for each morning we stayed. Since our upgraded room was purchased with points we also had our resort fees waived.  As to the Doubletree Hotel, that was a one night stay post-cruise stay so that we could do some shopping at the Galleria (walking distance) and Sawgrass malls (Uber/Lyft ride) before returning to our home.  We arrived at the Doubletree very early, so could not get a room until almost 3:30 p.m. We went shopping after leaving our luggage with the hotel.   Evening meals were also done carry-out from an outside bar.  This hotel did have a breakfast service in a small dining room off the lobby.  This hotel seemed to be very under-staffed, but they tried to provide good service to us during our brief stay.  Of the two hotels, our normal Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel was the clear winner.  We will continue to stay there.   

 

Required Pre-Boarding Covid-19 Testing:  We ordered 3 proctored tests from Celebrity Cruises as a back-up plan.  When we checked in on January 10, 2022 we asked if the hotel provided this type of testing.  They did not, but the hotel recommended that we contact Instant Medical Care: Telephone: 954-200-6001 Open Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Address: 1328 SE 17th Street Fort Lauderdale, Florida. No appointment was necessary and the urgent care clinic was an easy 7 minute walk from our Hilton Hotel.  They are in one of the small shopping strips between the Walgreens and Embassy Suites Hotel on 17th street for those familiar with the cruise port area of Ft. Lauderdale.  Their staff was very professional.  We filled out a one page form, paid our fee of approximately $80.00 each, and each received a rapid covid test.  We waited in their small waiting room for approximately 15 minutes, got our written negative result in a form acceptable to Celebrity and went on with our day.  Total time spent on this was approximately 30 minutes.  We went on Wednesday morning for a Friday morning cruise and the entire experience was easy and painless. 

 

Boarding/Disembarkation Experience at Terminal 25: Our assigned boarding time was 11:30 a.m.  We are Elite Celebrity Club members.  Follow the clearly marked lines and the instructions of the numerous shore-side staff and you will probably experience the fastest embarkation you have ever had.  We had our negative Covid-19 tests, Xpress Pass, and passports ready to hand and went from curb to Oceanview in approximately 35 minutes.  Passengers on-board per the Captains Club hostess was 965.  Yes, we had more crew members than passengers onboard. Our dis-embarkation was also very quick.  Out of our room by 8:00 am and went to the Tuscan Grill to wait.  We were number 31 and were off the ship and picking up our luggage by 8:45 a.m.  

 

Condition of Celebrity Silhouette:  The ship was absolutely wonderful.  The crew was happy to see us, the ship was clean, and the weather was sunny.  What more could you want?  Our cabin was on deck 9 and was ready before the expected announcement at 1:00 p.m.  It was a deluxe veranda stateroom and the refurbished bed, bedding, and other refreshed parts of the room were much appreciated.  We met our cabin steward Fadel and he provided exceptional service to us throughout our entire 10 day cruise.  All of the public areas were being cleaned constantly and none were crowded or worn.  This was our 4th time on Silhouette and it was nice to see her looking in such good condition.

 

Entertainment on Celebrity Silhouette: Due to the number of persons onboard we never had to search for a seat in the theatre, casino, elevators, Oceanview, pool area, you name it.  What a unique experience for those of us who made the voyage.  We had the chance to meet the assigned Cruise Director, Lewis, on January 20th at the Captains Club Welcome event at the Sunset Bar.  He told us that he had received a telephone call at the end of last week asking him to come back from leave early and meet our ship in Fort Lauderdale by January 14, 2022 due to a sudden need for the current cruise director to deal with a family emergency.  He caught an airplane and made the ship just in time.  He had to quarantine onboard for the first few days of the cruise, but was able to start his duties via computer form his cabin.  His place was taken by his entertainment manager who also had just joined the ship a few days earlier, but was out of quarantine.  A good insight into how things are very fluid and day by day in our current situation. 

Once Lewis was out of quarantine he was very visible and approachable throughout the ship and presided over some of the best entertainment we have ever had on a cruise ship.  Here are the headliners we enjoyed:  Comedian Louis Ramey,  Musical Entertainers - NYC3 and The Boy Band Project,  Female Singers - Barbi McCulloch and Chelsea Coyne,  Saxophonist Oli Nez,  Male Singer - Stephen Barry, and Violinist - Juliette Primrose.  Stephen Barry was one of the best male vocalists I have ever heard on any cruise line.  The Celebrity orchestra, singers and dancers provided us with Groove and Reigning Rocks in the Grand Foyer and full productions of Cosmopolitan and Life in the theatre. 

The onboard live entertainment in the bars, lounges, and pool side included:  The Cardinals, C'est Si Bon, The Storytellers,  Vivace Strings, and Bryony Drake.

The activities we enjoyed included several forms of  trivia, the Solarium and pool decks, and of course the food.  I am not going to say much about the food because it is such a subjective subject matter.  We found the food to be plentiful, well-prepared, and presented beautifully in the main dining room and the Oceanview.  We enjoyed all of our meals and looked forward to each of our dining experiences.  The only specialty restaurant we went to was Qsine with our friends Jess and Janna.  If you have not experienced this dining experience onboard a Celebrity ship, please consider it.

 

Covid-19 Precautions Onboard and In Ports of Call:  Our cruise was a lucky one.  965 persons onboard and less than 1% had Covid-19 symptoms during the cruise.  This is a tribute to Celebrity, it's guests and crew.  I will confess I was not in favor of going on this cruise with the indoor mask policy in place.  I am glad I did.  My wife and I wore N95 masks inside the ship and in ports.  We double masked non N95 masks when outside on the ship.  The crew politely enforced the mask rules and for the most part our fellow passengers complied.  Non-compliance usually took the form of wearing the mask improperly around the mouth and not the nose in my experience.  Several times I saw passengers refuse to get into elevators which carried more than four or five persons or an unmasked person.  The crew was always masked every time we saw them.  The biggest issue for my wife and I was forgetting to put on our masks before leaving the cabin.  Fortunately, we caught this before we got more than a few steps away.  By the second day of the cruise, it became second nature. 

 

Our ship was allowed to dock in each of our scheduled ports of call.  We were allowed to get off in each port area except Antigua.  They would only allow Celebrity passengers on Celebrity shore excursions to get off the ship.  The other ports had various rules, but it  boiled down to stay in our clearly defined port areas or be on a Celebrity Cruise Excursion or Government Sanctioned Tour if you wanted to get beyond the pier area.  The rules for each port were clearly set out in the daily Celebrity Today and by announcements over the public address system.  

 

Is it pleasant to wear an N95 mask several hours per day?  No  Was it worth it to be at sea again?  Absolutely 

 

I hope you have gained some useful information pertaining to the current state of Celebrity Cruising from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in our Covid-19 world.    If you have any questions, we will be glad to try to answer them.  Happy Cruising to All!!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

[julia]

Great synopsis of your cruise, and quite informative!  Thx for sharing!

[scrapcreator]

Thank you for your detailed report. We are looking forward to our upcoming cruise on the Silhouette.

[SingBill]

Very useful information.  Thank you for sharing

[Beachlover1989]

We board Silhouette on Feb 14 and truly appreciate your detailed review!

[Ilikebigboats]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Edge (2/20)and I was wondering if ship excursions sell out? I would prefer to explore on my own, but I was wondering if I should prebook excursions if that is the only way to get off the ship! Thanks. 

[drychi]

I believe your safest way to get off in any Caribbean port is currently on a Celebrity Excursion.  The only independent exploration of islands allowed on our cruise was by Celebrity Excursion or Government Sanctioned Tour on some islands  which left from inside the pier area.  As to availability of excursions that will vary by port and passenger load. Happy Cruising!  Bob and Linda

[drychi]

I likebigboats, Linda just reminded me that Saint Maarten was allowing passengers to tour the island independently on the day we were there.  I stand corrected.  My memory is correct for other ports on that cruise.  I suspect this topic is frequently changing and I can only suggest that you either book a Celebrity Excursion if you really want to go on an island or take your chances with onboard bookings and island regulations applicable the day you visit their island.  Bob and Linda

[kathynorth]

Thank you for your trip report! 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thank you for your review. We board March 7. It will be our second cruise since they resumed. 

[Ilikebigboats]

2 hours ago, drychi said:

I likebigboats, Linda just reminded me that Saint Maarten was allowing passengers to tour the island independently on the day we were there.  I stand corrected.  My memory is correct for other ports on that cruise.  I suspect this topic is frequently changing and I can only suggest that you either book a Celebrity Excursion if you really want to go on an island or take your chances with onboard bookings and island regulations applicable the day you visit their island.  Bob and Linda

Thank you, I will book excursions before we board so that I don’t have to worry about it!

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for the well written and informative review. 

[DQGal]

2 hours ago, Ilikebigboats said:

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Edge (2/20)and I was wondering if ship excursions sell out? I would prefer to explore on my own, but I was wondering if I should prebook excursions if that is the only way to get off the ship! Thanks. 

Hi,  we will also be on the edge on the 20 th.  We've got our excursions booked,  still looking for something at Nassau. 

[Ilikebigboats]

3 minutes ago, DQGal said:

Hi,  we will also be on the edge on the 20 th.  We've got our excursions booked,  still looking for something at Nassau. 

Hello fellow Edge cruiser! I’m usually such a planner, but with this trip I’ve done nada.🤪 Looks like we won’t be in Nassau long enough to do much, departs 2:00

[chemmo]

Thank you for the review.

 

I think it will be particularly helpful for those boarding soon who are worried about the impact on their pleasure of wearing masks indoors. Also very reassuring to hear that all staff and most guests are compliant.

 

We were on Silhouette in September (UK cruise) where masks were also required. Like you we found it no issue. As you say it soon becomes a routine and (also like you) we did feel safer with more stringent rules in place.

 

Back on board Silhouette in October, cannot wait!

[vms]

Thank you for your review!

 

Do you know where people were being quarentined onboard? I'm trying to guess the likelihood that my cabin will be switched to something else by Celebrity since I am currently booked in a cabin on deck 6 for my cruise at the end of March 2022.

 

[phillygirl2400]

Thanks for your informative review!

[Bill1314]

Thanks very much for your very informative review. It sounds great and we are very excited as we are on exactly the same cruise on Feb 25, and by chance are also staying at the Gallery one Doubletree post cruise. Just wondering the cost of Uber to the Sawgrass mall from the hotel please. We are from the UK and will have no hire car, so would have to rely on taxis to go anywhere. Thank you.

[dateacher]

Thanks for taking the time to post.  We are on the same cruise March 18 and we have also always stayed at the Hilton Marina.  Interesting how they handle the meals there. We always eat our one dinner at Kelly's Landing so never thought to eat at the hotel although I do like sitting around the pool bar. 

[granddutchess]

Thank you so much for this information.  Extremely helpful.  We will be sailing on the Silhouette at the end of March 2022. Looking forward to being on a cruise ship again.

[5:00_Somewhere]

Thank you so much for this report. It makes us feel even better about our upcoming cruise on the Reflection out of Ft. Lauderdale. 👍

[drychi]

Bill1314. I believe we paid a total of $60.00 US to take an Uber from The Galleria to Sawgrass Mall and a return to the GalleryOne hotel. We walked from the hotel to the Galleria. It is approximately 30 minutes by Uber from one mall to the other. We really like some of the stores at Sawgrass so that is where we spent most of our time.  The Galleria was also nice, but seemed smaller and more a typical mall than Sawgrass which is huge and partially outdoors. Enjoy. Bob and Linda

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by drychi

[drychi]

VMS. Cruisestitch who was live posting from our cruise says that the cabins on deck 3 from Guest Relations/Passport Bar to the Bow of ship were cordoned off for isolation rooms for crew and passengers.  I have always found her posts to be accurate in the past.  I have no personal knowledge on this topic. Look for her posts from her back to back cruises on Celebrity Silhouette on this board. Happy Cruising!  Bob and Linda

[Outofofficeon]

We are boarding 4 Feb. Thank you so much for such a clear and interesting report. Sounds amazing and we will all be in for a treat.  Hoping for a negative test on Wednesday before leaving UK 

[bjstrand]

Hello Sir,

my wife and I were also on the Jan 14 sailing with you. I agree with everything you wrote and will truly miss the spoiled feeling of being on a ship that was only 1/3 full. 

Second to last day our room attendant's roommate tested positive and he was quarantined also. We were originally told he had hurt his foot and required rest but we got the truth out from another attendant. I wish they had given us the straight story first. I felt the boat rolled a lot on the outbound trip but I wonder if that is a function of fewer people, supplies etc. or if that is characteristic of that class of ship. 

We had one independently booked island at St Kitts and Nevis as well as St Maarten. We had 4 people on the island tour and swim day. All very professional and safety first oriented. All the rest were with the ship and they tried really hard to keep us in our bubble as we traveled. No worries at all.