Silhouette LIVE (1/12) w/ Side by Side: A Royal Week on Celebrity and MSC

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

3 hours ago, jcpc said:

Definitely do the status match.  I signed myself and my two traveling companions up and we are now entitled to a Voyagers Club discount (not a huge discount but every little bit helps!).  Since we are Zenith on Celebrity we were given Diamond status on MSC, which does come with a few perks.

 

I know exactly what you mean regarding the website.  While I had no problem whatsoever doing the status match for 3 of us, when I check pricing on the sailing that we are interested in (just so I have a ballpark figure of what we will have to pay for 2 Yacht Club balcony suites) I keep getting different pricing all throughout the day.  I find it very hard to fathom that the pricing changes that frequently all the time.  It's a difficult website for sure.  I'll let my travel agent deal with all these pricing discrepancies on Monday....LOL

 

Beware!  My TA almost fired me the first time she had to book YC for me.  Many TAs refuse to do bookings with them.

[jcpc]

36 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Beware!  My TA almost fired me the first time she had to book YC for me.  Many TAs refuse to do bookings with them.

Thanks for the heads up.  She was on an MSC cruise last week (booked as a full paying passenger - not a travel agent rate) because she wanted to experience the product in order to determine if she wanted to start booking MSC.  So she’s already had some experience booking her own cruise.  I had read somewhere to make sure you use a TA who knows all the ins and outs of booking with MSC.  Fingers crossed all goes well!

[reedprincess]

On 1/20/2023 at 4:41 PM, hopeless holiday booker said:

Hi.  Sorry to ask again but did you go to any of the shows and what were they like or does anyone else know?

The shows on MSC are mainly very musical and dancing. About 30 minutes long. And not really "themed" so to speak - mainly because with do many different cultures aboard, themes, etc don't always translate. Different shoe every night. 2 or 3 showings a night, depending on ship... 

And yes, there is reserved seating for Yacht Club guests, with a butler there to keep them open for YC guests. 

They open up to non-YC guests basically at show time . (Butler leaves, etc). They're not necessarily the best seats, but then - best is subjective.. 

[miched]

The behavior of other suite guests in the lounge also leaves much to be desired.

 

that may be true but I bet that those  guests  were more real genuine happy to see you than the servers or butlers.  

 

As one comic said “lock your wife and dog in the trunk of your car and see what one is the most happiest to see you when you let them out.”  🤗😱

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by miched

[GenerationX]

 

First catch up post is taking us way back to the Silhouette to share about my 2 lunches at The Porch.

 

I think this restaurant is only on Silhouette and perhaps Reflection?  

 

I think it may be my favorite lunch on Celebrity (with Le Grand Bistro on the E class ships as a close second) and getting to eat there again was one of the things I was most excited about when I booked this cruise.

 

This is a $30 cover charge specialty restaurant if not sailing in a royal or penthouse suite. Even if I’d had to pay the cover, the food and atmosphere would’ve made it worth the charge for me.

 

I had two lunches at Porch during the cruise.  The first day that I went, service was really slow. As in lunch from start to finish took almost 2 and a half hours.  The problem seemed to be understaffing as there were only 2 servers working and there were several walk-in tables, including a fairly demanding party of 8.  The next day Celebrity seemed to have fixed the issue by having an additional server working and turning away those who didn’t have a reservation once things started to get to a capacity those servers could handle.  Of course, this led to some people being cranky and complaining when they were turned away from walking in without a reservation.  The poor restaurant manager just couldn’t win either way.

 

The restaurant is located right by the lawn club and has beautiful views, especially on a sea day, but it isn’t too windy.  Like lawn club grill it is somewhat open to the elements though, so if going on a cool day, you may want to bring a jacket.

 

Each meal starts with a warm cheese garlic bread service that is totally worth the stomach real estate that it takes up before starting your courses.  

 

This cruise I thought the lobster bisque there was actually much better than the bisque at (much higher cover charge) Murano.  Pro tips: 

 

1-skip the baguette served on the side of the bisque and dip some of the aforementioned cheese garlic bread in the soup instead; and

 

2- be sure to dig deep in the bowl while eating because there are some nice sized chunks of lobster meat hiding at the bottom.

 

Besides the bisque, I think the other star dishes for me were the pil pil shrimp (but only if you’re a big garlic addict like me, because it is EXTREMELY garlicky, sopping of its sauce with the garlic bread also highly recommended), mussel pasta and perfectly portioned for a solo cruiser ceviche served with house made chips.

 

As mentioned previously, I think the lobster roll at Ocean House on MSC beat this one out.

 

After a couple of courses, you might be tempted to skip dessert at this restaurant to avoid a heavy meal at lunch.  My personal opinion is that you’d be making a critical error if you leave without having some of the Oreo cheesecake purée garnished with soft baked chocolate chip cookie chunks.  I didn’t think there was a way to improve on Oreo cheesecake.  Apparently the solution is to purée it and then top it with caramel sauce and chocolate chip cookie chunks.

 

More to come later this weekend!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kroberst]

On 1/13/2023 at 12:44 PM, GenerationX said:

Me:  Hmmm, I had a steak and eggs breakfast and I have a sushi lunch reservation in a half hour. I’m gonna pass on whatever canapés this butler is starting to hand out on the retreat deck.

 

Celebrity Cruises:  Madam Charla, may I offer you a Kobe beef slider with truffle aioli?

 

Me:  On the other hand, moderation is for quitters. 😂

 

 

The spousal unit feels the same way, although he puts it "I'm all for moderation, as long as there is plenty of it!"  This is the first review of yours that I've read and enjoying it immensely, I hope I have the fortune to cross paths with you someday! Thank you for taking the time to do this. We get on Silhouette in 3 weeks ; )

[LisaDee]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:11 AM, GenerationX said:

Dear Poseidon, what have I gotten myself into with this cruise?

 

You are a gem of a writer 💫

 

As a fellow happily married woman who occasionally enjoys traveling solo, as well as a fellow lover of good food and adult beverages, I hope our paths cross on a cruise some day!

[h20cruzer]

Your review and pictures were just delightful!!! I really hate to see this come to an end😢

I do have 2 questions, when I heard garlic shrimp my ears perked up, however my question is were they spicy as well? I had some surgery a couple years ago and I can’t eat anything spicy to my dismay not even pepper, so I always have to ask that question was it spicy. Last question what airline are you flying home on with the short ribs?
Charla looking forward to your next adventure.

Norma

[sgmn]

Thank you for another two great reviews. I love it when I spot one of your blogs. You have a marvellous way of writing and I love your joie de vivre and positivity. 

Love your dresses too!

 

[GenerationX]

12 hours ago, h20cruzer said:

Your review and pictures were just delightful!!! I really hate to see this come to an end😢

I do have 2 questions, when I heard garlic shrimp my ears perked up, however my question is were they spicy as well? I had some surgery a couple years ago and I can’t eat anything spicy to my dismay not even pepper, so I always have to ask that question was it spicy. Last question what airline are you flying home on with the short ribs?
Charla looking forward to your next adventure.

Norma

Thank you!  
 

I didn’t think the shrimp was spicy, but I think my palate is a little more tolerant to heat because there’s sometimes dishes that I order where I don’t think it’s spicy at all but then my husband takes a bite and says “are you crazy?” and then chugs his water 😂

 

I would suggest maybe letting your server know about your dietary restriction and see if there is anything that they could do to accommodate just in case.  
 

Oh and the short ribs were the first class lunch on American Airlines. One thing I like is that they post the menus for your booked flights online 30 days before departure and let you pre-reserve your selections up to 2 days before.  It helps me decide whether I need to grab something in the airport before boarding.

[Shiba_Lover]

Thank you for taking the time to write this up.  It gives me something to think about.  We have a cruise coming up in 2 weeks on Summit in a Celebrity Suite.  I do think that the service on the E class ships in retreat is not as personalized as in the S class ships.  I'll see if I can confirm this - was last on Apex in a suite.  

 

I might want to give another look at MSC.  It seems like the personal touches that the Retreat used to be.  If the experience is not the same - this might be a good choice going forward.  Although I am unsure how I would feel about staying in the yacht club area the whole time.....

[jcpc]

2 hours ago, ehall said:

Thank you for taking the time to write this up.  It gives me something to think about.  We have a cruise coming up in 2 weeks on Summit in a Celebrity Suite.  I do think that the service on the E class ships in retreat is not as personalized as in the S class ships.  I'll see if I can confirm this - was last on Apex in a suite.  

 

I might want to give another look at MSC.  It seems like the personal touches that the Retreat used to be.  If the experience is not the same - this might be a good choice going forward.  Although I am unsure how I would feel about staying in the yacht club area the whole time.....

@ehallMy experience is that Retreat service on M-class ships (Summit is an M-Class ship) is outstanding.  My experience is that Retreat service on E-class ships (I've sailed Edge several times and Beyond once) is DEFINITELY not personalized (sometimes actually borders on poor service).  So I think you will get great service on Summit.

 

My travel agent just returned from a 7-night cruise on MSC Meraviglia that departed from Port Canaveral.  While she and her husband did take all meals in Yacht Club area they definitely ventured to all areas of the ship (especially at night, where they attended the production shows that they both felt were excellent).  As I said she is a travel agent and she wanted to get a feel for the entire MSC experience.  She did say that bar service in the general areas of the ship was definitely not stellar (her exact words) compared to bar service in Yacht Club venues.  But she definitely did not run into the loud, boisterous, unruly passengers anywhere on the ship that seemed to be on Charla's sailing.  

 

I'm planning to try MSC Yacht Club sailing from NYC this fall (after sailing almost exclusively on Celebrity since the inception of Celebrity Cruise Line).

 

Apologies to Charla for intervening on her thread.

[GenerationX]

Oh my friends, today was a dark, dark day in Charla‘s walk-in closet.  Even the recent addition of a cruise purchased Gucci bag to the purse wing could not lighten the mood.

 

This morning I reached up on a shelf for my favorite pair of soft, flowy, oversized yoga pants and pulled them on only to find that they were neither oversized nor flowing.

 

Convinced that the only logical explanation was that my husband had taken a much slimmer mistress while I was away who had left her identical but smaller sized wardrobe in my closet, I started to search for the business card of my law school classmate who handles divorces.

 

Then I figured before doing anything drastic I should step on the scale and see if it just might be possible that I am personally responsible for this situation.  The number was a shock for all of us.

 

Speaking of scale shock, another celebrity pro tip:  

 

If you fly in for your cruise and plan to attend the chef‘s table dinner, be sure to leave suitcase space and checked baggage weight allowance for the Daniel Boulud cookbook that each guest receives at the end of the dinner. It weighs about 4 pounds and is tough to fit in a carry on if you plan to have much else in it.  And I believe if you’re attending the event with a spouse, you get TWO of them.

 

As for the chef‘s table dinner itself, despite a few hiccups, I really enjoyed the event. In fact, I had such wonderful dinner companions and conversation that I failed to get pictures of most of the food and wine, but sharing what I did below.  

 

The only course that I thought fell short was the Seabass. I think there may have been some sort of plating or delivery delay on this course because it was room temperature by the time it got to the table and was under seasoned.

 

Perhaps the reason that I was so vexed with those short ribs on American Airlines is because I had just had the impeccable ones at the chef’s table dinner a few days before.

 

I also did the additional $69 up charge for the wine pairings with each course.  If I hadn’t had onboard credit and casino winnings, I don’t know if I would have found the wines on the night I went to be worth paying out of pocket for if you already have the premium beverage package.  

 

The sommelier mentioned that some of the wines they usually pair were out of stock (alcohol supply chain strikes yet again) so she had to make some substitutions.

 

None of the wines tasted bad, it was just that some of them were nothing special bottles that go for $30-$40 at my local wine shop and it was surprising to see them at a premium dining event.  Now that I think of it, the “champagne” poured for the complimentary champagne welcome reception for the dinner was the basic Celebrity brand bubbly that aqua and concierge class get as part of their stateroom.  I was expecting at least Chandon, if not PJ or Veuve for such an exclusive, up charge event.

 

That said, the wines chosen did pair well with the dishes served and refills were generously given.

 

The sommelier and executive chef also did an excellent job on their presentations about the dishes and wines.

 

Ultimately, I think on future cruises if both are offered, I’ll prefer to do the veuve clicquot dinner event to chef’s table.  But I’m glad I tried it and can’t wait to read my new cookbook…after I finish using it to do weighted squats to make my yoga pants fit right again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by GenerationX

[Elainemh]

Charla,  We have reserved Chef Table for our upcoming cruise.

Are any wines included or do you have to purchase a additional package?

At this time we only have the Classic Package.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Elainemh

[jerseygirl3]

14 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Oh my friends, today was a dark, dark day in Charla‘s walk-in closet.  Even the recent addition of a cruise purchased Gucci bag to the purse wing could not lighten the mood.

 

This morning I reached up on a shelf for my favorite pair of soft, flowy, oversized yoga pants and pulled them on only to find that they were neither oversized nor flowing.

 

Convinced that the only logical explanation was that my husband had taken a much slimmer mistress while I was away who had left her identical but smaller sized wardrobe in my closet, I started to search for the business card of my law school classmate who handles divorces.

 

Then I figured before doing anything drastic I should step on the scale and see if it just might be possible that I am personally responsible for this situation.  The number was a shock for all of us.

 

Speaking of scale shock, another celebrity pro tip:  

 

If you fly in for your cruise and plan to attend the chef‘s table dinner, be sure to leave suitcase space and checked baggage weight allowance for the Daniel Boulud cookbook that each guest receives at the end of the dinner. It weighs about 4 pounds and is tough to fit in a carry on if you plan to have much else in it.  And I believe if you’re attending the event with a spouse, you get TWO of them.

 

As for the chef‘s table dinner itself, despite a few hiccups, I really enjoyed the event. In fact, I had such wonderful dinner companions and conversation that I failed to get pictures of most of the food and wine, but sharing what I did below.  

 

The only course that I thought fell short was the Seabass. I think there may have been some sort of plating or delivery delay on this course because it was room temperature by the time it got to the table and was under seasoned.

 

Perhaps the reason that I was so vexed with those short ribs on American Airlines is because I had just had the impeccable ones at the chef’s table dinner a few days before.

 

I also did the additional $69 up charge for the wine pairings with each course.  If I hadn’t had onboard credit and casino winnings, I don’t know if I would have found the wines on the night I went to be worth paying out of pocket for if you already have the premium beverage package.  

 

The sommelier mentioned that some of the wines they usually pair were out of stock (alcohol supply chain strikes yet again) so she had to make some substitutions.

 

None of the wines tasted bad, it was just that some of them were nothing special bottles that go for $30-$40 at my local wine shop and it was surprising to see them at a premium dining event.  Now that I think of it, the “champagne” poured for the complimentary champagne welcome reception for the dinner was the basic Celebrity brand bubbly that aqua and concierge class get as part of their stateroom.  I was expecting at least Chandon, if not PJ or Veuve for such an exclusive, up charge event.

 

That said, the wines chosen did pair well with the dishes served and refills were generously given.

 

The sommelier and executive chef also did an excellent job on their presentations about the dishes and wines.

 

Ultimately, I think on future cruises if both are offered, I’ll prefer to do the veuve clicquot dinner event to chef’s table.  But I’m glad I tried it and can’t wait to read my new cookbook…after I finish using it to do weighted squats to make my yoga pants fit right again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to get too graphic, but being a nurse, those foam dishes don't sit well with me!LOL

[Daneenm]

On 1/15/2023 at 6:11 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks Joan -   I went ahead and booked Hyatt Place  also as both are refundable.    The other day I ran it by Iain and he poo-pooed it ... He may just have to live with what I choose.  LOL    If you say the rooms are nice I trust your opinion.

 

Coming from the West Coast we usually get in around 11:30 - 1:00 AM so in these times we are coming in 2 days early (which is really only one day early), just costs us an extra day. 

We thought Hyatt Place was serviceable.  Since we, like you, came from the West Coast and arrived quite late we didn't mind.  To be honest, it is not somewhere I would stay if the location was my vacation destination.  Having said that, it was clean, the staff was friendly and the coach to the cruise port was fast and easy.

[Kteacher]

@GenerationX So thanks to you we booked our first MSC cruise 😂. We’re doing YC on the Meraviglia out of NYC this June. Looking forward to your next live review!

[Norwaylady]

Great review as always❤️ it’s a pleasure following you🤩

[podsnel]

What an awesome review- I really appreciate the comparison between the Retreat (of which I am a HUGE fan) and MSC's Yacht Club (which I have not yet sailed). It sounds like there are pluses and minuses to both- but both sound like wonderful experiences. Thank you for sharing so candidly, I hope our paths cross someday on the sea! 🙂

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 1/22/2023 at 3:13 PM, ehall said:

 

 

I might want to give another look at MSC.  It seems like the personal touches that the Retreat used to be.  If the experience is not the same - this might be a good choice going forward.  Although I am unsure how I would feel about staying in the yacht club area the whole time.....

 

If you don't want to run into the crowds in the GenPop (as Yacht Clubbers call the rest of the ship), wait until they have all gone ashore and then go explore the rest of the ship.  If you're going to the show,  you will be escorted by a butler.

[Buckeye94]

On 1/17/2023 at 11:20 AM, GenerationX said:

 

Frequent followers of my reviews know how much I love a good full body mirror.  So it’s saying something when I say this room has too much mirror for me.  The Italians must really enjoy looking at themselves. At all times. The entire wall across from the bed is a massive mirror.  I’m keeping this review rated PG so I won’t share my husband’s response when I sent him a photo of this about how he felt that this feature could actually [cough] “optimize” our [cough] “cruising experience”. 

 

But, how does it compare to the veranda design on the pre-revolutionized Infinity with its mirror wall at the foot of the bed and a sturdy bar instead of a headboard? 😂 Bow chicka wow wow, indeed! 😳 And, ouch when you're trying to read at night.

[boxkite]

Charla, two great cruise reviews!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments and pictures, we all appreciate your insights and thoughts.

 

Looking forward to your next cruise report!

[Redking]

On 1/22/2023 at 2:03 PM, GenerationX said:

 

First catch up post is taking us way back to the Silhouette to share about my 2 lunches at The Porch.

 

I think this restaurant is only on Silhouette and perhaps Reflection?  

 

I think it may be my favorite lunch on Celebrity (with Le Grand Bistro on the E class ships as a close second) and getting to eat there again was one of the things I was most excited about when I booked this cruise.

 

This is a $30 cover charge specialty restaurant if not sailing in a royal or penthouse suite. Even if I’d had to pay the cover, the food and atmosphere would’ve made it worth the charge for me.

 

I had two lunches at Porch during the cruise.  The first day that I went, service was really slow. As in lunch from start to finish took almost 2 and a half hours.  The problem seemed to be understaffing as there were only 2 servers working and there were several walk-in tables, including a fairly demanding party of 8.  The next day Celebrity seemed to have fixed the issue by having an additional server working and turning away those who didn’t have a reservation once things started to get to a capacity those servers could handle.  Of course, this led to some people being cranky and complaining when they were turned away from walking in without a reservation.  The poor restaurant manager just couldn’t win either way.

 

The restaurant is located right by the lawn club and has beautiful views, especially on a sea day, but it isn’t too windy.  Like lawn club grill it is somewhat open to the elements though, so if going on a cool day, you may want to bring a jacket.

 

Each meal starts with a warm cheese garlic bread service that is totally worth the stomach real estate that it takes up before starting your courses.  

 

This cruise I thought the lobster bisque there was actually much better than the bisque at (much higher cover charge) Murano.  Pro tips: 

 

1-skip the baguette served on the side of the bisque and dip some of the aforementioned cheese garlic bread in the soup instead; and

 

2- be sure to dig deep in the bowl while eating because there are some nice sized chunks of lobster meat hiding at the bottom.

 

Besides the bisque, I think the other star dishes for me were the pil pil shrimp (but only if you’re a big garlic addict like me, because it is EXTREMELY garlicky, sopping of its sauce with the garlic bread also highly recommended), mussel pasta and perfectly portioned for a solo cruiser ceviche served with house made chips.

 

As mentioned previously, I think the lobster roll at Ocean House on MSC beat this one out.

 

After a couple of courses, you might be tempted to skip dessert at this restaurant to avoid a heavy meal at lunch.  My personal opinion is that you’d be making a critical error if you leave without having some of the Oreo cheesecake purée garnished with soft baked chocolate chip cookie chunks.  I didn’t think there was a way to improve on Oreo cheesecake.  Apparently the solution is to purée it and then top it with caramel sauce and chocolate chip cookie chunks.

 

More to come later this weekend!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this Charla.

 

We're just off the Eclipse in a Royal Suite and in my view the more limited number of locations for unlimited speciality dining on the older Soltice ships is a miss, especially for more casual dining. Only so many times you can eat at Murano, in our case four 😯

 

Just need to plan a cruise on Silhouette and max out on our RS on the Edge TP next year.

 

Thank you once again for a wonderful review, just playing catch up now.

[BelleEpoque]

On 1/18/2023 at 1:25 PM, GenerationX said:

My day so far:

 

After breakfast and ship walking I went to rehydrate at the one pool.

 

Today’s Yacht Club pro tip:  if you’re hurting for a pick me up, Hugo at the one pool makes a great latte AND he’s an amateur magician and if it’s not busy, he’ll show you a few tricks.

 

I was knocking back the waters when my butler showed up out of nowhere, mimosa in hand, to ask me what time I plan to head off the ship to the island so that he can escort me past any lines.

 

I wasn’t feeling a walk back to Le Muse for lunch so I grabbed a few things from the pool lunch buffet. The udon was good but I wouldn’t recommend if you don’t like spicy food. The chicken stir fry was also good and not as much kick.  The pork steak had ok flavor but was kind of dry and it seemed weird for it to be so thin and tough.  We Missourians have high standards when it comes to pork steak. 
 

There was also a fresh made pasta station that I didn’t try but smelled amazing cooking.

 

Once he saw that I was back on cocktails, Ashish came around with a much smaller (thank heavens) glass of his rum punch.

 

The yacht club manager Rafaello came by during lunch to see how everyone was enjoying the food and since it’s my first visit offered to take me on a golf cart tour of the island while we’re there.  So stay tuned for good intel!

 

We’re backing into port at Ocean Cay now so I’m off to change and pack my beach bag!

 

 

Ok, this sounds like too much fun and a much higher level of service than I’ve gotten in suite class on other lines, and for half the price. I also love the international vibe. The decor sounds a bit garish on your ship, but I think it has improved on some of the newer ships.
 

I think I might enjoy those deck parties a lot. I’ve heard that some MSC ships also have great parties in the indoor Promenade. 
 

We’re sailing in an Aurea (spa) suite on one of MSC’s newest ships, the World Europa, this July in the Med. Now I’m thinking I might upgrade further to Yacht Club. 

 

Then, we have a Yacht Club sailing on the Meraviglia over Christmas. I was happy to read earlier that the staff on your sailing said the Meraviglia has top-notch service in YC. I heard they also decorate her beautifully for the holidays. 

 

I’m late to this report but enjoying reading it with a glass of bubbly in hand. Especially as this is a particularly stressful week at work, it’s great to “escape” into your review. 

[GenerationX]

On 1/23/2023 at 1:02 AM, Elainemh said:

Charla,  We have reserved Chef Table for our upcoming cruise.

Are any wines included or do you have to purchase a additional package?

At this time we only have the Classic Package.

If you have the classic package, the sommelier can bring you any wines by the glass that are usually included in the classic package.  

A few of the guests at our table weren’t big wine fans and I saw her bringing them beer or cocktails too from the drink package.