Just back from Silhouette - Couple of questions/observations

[20165]

We just got off a 5day Silhouette cruise and overall it was great.  We actually booked another on Apex over the holidays.  There are some questions that i wanted to ask about some things we weren't use to or were different then our usual RCL, NCL cruises of late.

• I know that tipping is not required, but i usually tip above the standard for good drink or restaurant service.  RCL was a receipt you could write one in, NCL was cash, but i dont think i saw anyone tipping on the Silhouette and when i did a couple of times i was able to get some change, the service was outstanding.  Meaning the bartender at the martini bar had our drinks ready when he saw us walking up to the bar.  Is tipping different on Celebrity or are we just the oddballs that tip too much?
• Speaking of tipping, we went to the pursers desk 3 times during the cruise to break larger bills and they had absolutely no change.  They turned me away twice and the third time they could tell i was getting agitated so they scavenged up some $5-10s from the different counters.  Is that normal?  Ive never had an issue getting change on a cruise ship.  
• The ship was only 60% full which i thought was odd because the AI resorts we have been going to have been packed.  I think the NCL ship we were on last december was also pretty close to capacity.  Is that normal for Celebrity or were we just on a less popular itinerary?

Like i said, one of the best cruises we have had in a while.  It does remind me of Princess and HAL when we cruised them years ago.  And it was actually quite a bit less expensive than some of the mega ships we have been on of late.  Cant way to try the Apex next month and check out the infinite balcony.  Ive read through some of the posts about it on here and although it doesn't seem to be for everyone, i think it will be perfect for us because we rarely just sit on the balcony and would much rather reclaim that space for the room. 

[upwarduk]

1 hour ago, 20165 said:

The ship was only 60% full which i thought was odd because the AI resorts we have been going to have been packed. 

We were on Silhouette at the end of July and told the ship was 93% full. The following cruise was 100%booked  (but whether all got on is another thing, as passengers were still having to present negative COVID tests).

[39august]

We always tip bartenders and bar waiters with cash just about every drink. I see many others doing the same on our Celebrity cruises. We tip our room stewards and dining staff cash on the last night of the cruise.

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, 20165 said:

Speaking of tipping, we went to the pursers desk 3 times during the cruise to break larger bills and they had absolutely no change.  They turned me away twice and the third time they could tell i was getting agitated so they scavenged up some $5-10s from the different counters.  Is that normal?  Ive never had an issue getting change on a cruise ship.  

On ANY cruiseship you should be doing that at the Casino Cashier, not Guest Relations. That's not what they are there for. 

[D. B.]

Another place to break large bills is the Casino Cashier.

 It's good to ask crew members you may be tipping what currency they  would find most convenient.

  If your cruise has port calls most often in places that use Euros or Pounds or anything other than US Dollars it may be better for Them than US Dollars.

 When I ask, I usually find they would rather have the currency of the major port on that Itinerary.

 We were on Silhouette the end of September (Southampton to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands,They were rained out) and it was 95% full. Mostly Brits who were a good group to cruise with except they Walk on the Other Side just as they Drive so we had to adjust our way of passing people while walking around on the ship!

   

[JenfromNC]

On 11/9/2022 at 5:54 PM, 39august said:

We always tip bartenders and bar waiters with cash just about every drink. I see many others doing the same on our Celebrity cruises. We tip our room stewards and dining staff cash on the last night of the cruise.

You did not prepay tipping then or you do both?