Having second thoughts regarding cruising with Celebrity

[Caipi]

We've only been on one cruise yet, on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, and have booked another one on her as well, plus we have a booking for Celebrity Silhouette (Iceland Intensive).

However, reading all the topics / posts here I am getting almost afraid of cruising with Celebrity, and even consider losing the deposit. 

I mean:

-class system with lots of closed spaces on the ship?!?

(We did not feel any of that on QM2. You could even walk through the space on deck which was reserved for the suite guests.) 

-the coldest ship someone ever was on?

(I hate it when it's cold, and on QM2 it was cold enough, I got a serious cold + always had to run around in/with a pashmina or a cardigan)

-no forward looking open spaces for people in 'steerage'? 

(on QM2 we had the strange 'trail' on top of the ship,/above the staterooms on deck 13,/ the lookout on deck 13, and two observation decks on deck 11 and deck 7. And we loved being on one of this places when the ship was leaving a port.)

-abysmal food in the MDR + very long waiting times? (And we could only get 8:30 pm anyway, normally we eat at 6 pm...) 

 

And my husband does not especially like the interieur, he says it looks like an airport. 😄

 

What are your thoughts, and / or could you give me some advice?

Should I just stop reading topics / reviews about Celebrity Silhouette and see for myself? 🙂

[Alcairns]

I think you should stop reading the reviews and see for yourself. Reviews on here can be very negative. One reviewer will have had a great time another will say it was their worst cruise. 

[the penguins]

16 minutes ago, Caipi said:

We've only been on one cruise yet, on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, and have booked another one on her as well, plus we have a booking for Celebrity Silhouette (Iceland Intensive).

However, reading all the topics / posts here I am getting almost afraid of cruising with Celebrity, and even consider losing the deposit. 

I mean:

-class system with lots of closed spaces on the ship?!?

(We did not feel any of that on QM2. You could even walk through the space on deck which was reserved for the suite guests.) 

-the coldest ship someone ever was on?

(I hate it when it's cold, and on QM2 it was cold enough, I got a serious cold + always had to run around in/with a pashmina or a cardigan)

-no forward looking open spaces for people in 'steerage'? 

(on QM2 we had the strange 'trail' on top of the ship,/above the staterooms on deck 13,/ the lookout on deck 13, and two observation decks on deck 11 and deck 7. And we loved being on one of this places when the ship was leaving a port.)

-abysmal food in the MDR + very long waiting times? (And we could only get 8:30 pm anyway, normally we eat at 6 pm...) 

 

And my husband does not especially like the interieur, he says it looks like an airport. 😄

 

What are your thoughts, and / or could you give me some advice?

Should I just stop reading topics / reviews about Celebrity Silhouette and see for myself? 🙂

your comments and concerns are way off the mark.

On Silhouette the  vast majority of the space is open to all - including the forward facing Sky Lounge ( I think you have been confused by reading comments on E class ships).

Also lots of forward facing outdoor space for viewing as you leave port.

Food is subjective the worst food we have experienced was on the QM2. How bad was it? When the Chef's made their their usual "group appearance" in the dining room 50% of the guests stood up and booed.

At a full Q and A  session in the theatre with the Captain he received so many complaints that he simply put down the microphone and walked out.

It sounds as if you have booked Set Dining whereas Any Time/Select would suit you better

We have always found Silhouette, warm, friendly and with great service.

Relax and Enjoy

 

[C4HCG]

There aren’t lots of closed spaces on the Silhouette which is a Solstice class ship, some people do see that as a problem on Edge class. 
 

We have mostly found food in MDR to be fine, with the odd dish not that good. Same as any restaurant to be honest, can’t be 100% perfect.

 

Queuing we’ve never had a problem with, we do any time and if we turn up and can’t be seated, you get given a buzzer, you can go off and get it a drink and wait to be buzzed. Never been longer than 30 minutes, usually less.

 

Dont take the reviews here or anywhere else for that matter seriously. We have gotten lots of good advice on this Board, but also seen lots of overly negative posts that contradicted our own actual experiences. That’s not me saying go for it, as the good reviews here are also subjective.

 

 

[mrgabriel]

Silhouette is our favourite ship. We love sitting in the Skylounge at the front of the ship - day and evening. And we sail in a standard cabin - never felt that we couldn’t go anywhere although there are some separate dining rooms for different cabin classes. I think they have something similar on Cunard??
 

I’ve never found it too cold in interior spaces but I tend to run warm. I never wear a jacket in the evening. Temperature has a lot to do with where you are in the world. You will have temperature control for your cabin should you find it too warm or too cool.

 

i have to remind myself that this is Cruise CRITIC and there is plenty of criticism here. Some is warranted, much is simply just one loud voice. There’s an old adage that if someone has a good experience they tell a handful of people. If they have a bad experience they tell a hundred. Always take reviews with a grain of salt. Especially online anonymous reviews. 

[Thejuggler]

It appears the OP is looking at lots of Celebrity reveiws which aren't specific to the Solstice class ships.

 

Having been on Eclipse (Solstice class) and Apex (Edge class) on trips to Iceland, despite being older the Solstice class ship wins hands down, especially for a trip to colder areas.

 

 

 

 

[chemmo]

Having cruised on Celebrity to Alaska and Norway we were never cold! Yes, I used to wear a light cardigan in the evenings as we went to dinner but just as I would in any air conditioned restaurant or bar.

 

We loved our cruise on Silhouette. She has a beautiful forward facing lounge (Sky Lounge) and at the rear of the ship an area called the Mast Bar with lots of seating and a great place to watch a sail away. On cold weather cruises there are blankets available if you want to sit out.

 

Yes, there are three suite areas not open to you. A top deck area, one bar (Retreat Lounge) and one restaurant (Luminae). We were in a suite and didn’t particularly spend a lot of time in any of them. There are some great speciality restaurants (additional cost) to add to the mix of the MDR plus really nice options in the buffet if you fancy something really relaxing after a busy port day.

 

The dress code on Celebrity is more relaxed than Cunard but most guests follow the smart casual dress code which many prefer to formal dress. Guests are diverse including many from the USA, the UK and Europe. We never fail to enjoy interesting company.

 

Re dining…On boarding head to the MDR you will see the M’D at a podium. There will be a queue of guests wishing to change dining arrangements. If you speak to him he will do his best to swap you to early dining or select dining where you can then arrange to dine at 6pm nightly. Whilst he may not be able to do anything first night I am sure he will do his best to sort you out for the rest of the cruise.

 

Different lines have different strengths and weaknesses, different ambiances, different focuses. We love Celebrity as we feel it offers a lovely blend of being classy without being stuffy, being relaxing but with plenty to do if you want to.

 

Re reviews…’critic’ is in the name for a reason. Posters aim to give an overview of the good, the bad and the occasional ugly in their cruise experience…It can be easy to focus on the bad and ignore all the good. Personally, I would happily get on Silhouette anytime!

 

Your call…If you have real concerns that Cunard ‘fits you’ then stick with it but as the cruise you have chosen is (I assume itinerary driven) then perhaps this is a good time for you to try a different cruise line. Your cruise is not just about the ship it is about the places you are going to visit too.

 

[Caipi]

19 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Having cruised on Celebrity to Alaska and Norway we were never cold! Yes, I used to wear a light cardigan in the evenings as we went to dinner but just as I would in any air conditioned restaurant or bar.

 

We loved our cruise on Silhouette. She has a beautiful forward facing lounge (Sky Lounge) and at the rear of the ship an area called the Mast Bar with lots of seating and a great place to watch a sail away. On cold weather cruises there are blankets available if you want to sit out.

 

Yes, there are three suite areas not open to you. A top deck area, one bar (Retreat Lounge) and one restaurant (Luminae). We were in a suite and didn’t particularly spend a lot of time in any of them. There are some great speciality restaurants (additional cost) to add to the mix of the MDR plus really nice options in the buffet if you fancy something really relaxing after a busy port day.

 

The dress code on Celebrity is more relaxed than Cunard but most guests follow the smart casual dress code which many prefer to formal dress. Guests are diverse including many from the USA, the UK and Europe. We never fail to enjoy interesting company.

 

Re dining…On boarding head to the MDR you will see the M’D at a podium. There will be a queue of guests wishing to change dining arrangements. If you speak to him he will do his best to swap you to early dining or select dining where you can then arrange to dine at 6pm nightly. Whilst he may not be able to do anything first night I am sure he will do his best to sort you out for the rest of the cruise.

 

Different lines have different strengths and weaknesses, different ambiances, different focuses. We love Celebrity as we feel it offers a lovely blend of being classy without being stuffy, being relaxing but with plenty to do if you want to.

 

Re reviews…’critic’ is in the name for a reason. Posters aim to give an overview of the good, the bad and the occasional ugly in their cruise experience…It can be easy to focus on the bad and ignore all the good. Personally, I would happily get on Silhouette anytime!

 

Your call…If you have real concerns that Cunard ‘fits you’ then stick with it but as the cruise you have chosen is (I assume itinerary driven) then perhaps this is a good time for you to try a different cruise line. Your cruise is not just about the ship it is about the places you are going to visit too.

 

 

Thank you. 🙂 I know about the SkyLounge, but it is not an outdoor space. (Which I meant with 'open' - sorry, I am hungarian.) And I know about the Mast Bar, but as you wrote it's rear-facing. 

My goal was especially to try a different cruise line. Although we liked QM2 a lot, I'd like to be able to compare it to another Line. So first I chose Celebrity and than the ship / an itinerary. (We've been to Iceland already, and loved it.) 

Edited October 7 by Caipi

[Lena11033]

Honestly you need to judge for yourself, some people like to look for the negative in everything.

 

I normally book regular balcony or infinite veranda rooms as I travel alone and never had a horrible cruise. Sure small things here or there could be improved (like someone forgot a drink) but that's down to human error or people having a bad day - it does not make a terrible cruise.

[Caipi]

17 minutes ago, Thejuggler said:

It appears the OP is looking at lots of Celebrity reveiws which aren't specific to the Solstice class ships.

 

Having been on Eclipse (Solstice class) and Apex (Edge class) on trips to Iceland, despite being older the Solstice class ship wins hands down, especially for a trip to colder areas.

 

 

 

 

I did that as well, but I read and watched lots about Silhouette especially. And I am able to tell the difference 🙂- I looked up the 3 classes beforehand and knew I wanted to choose an S-class ship and than I looked up the cruises for 2025 on those ships and booked one.  

[hcat]

OP.. Just take the cruise! You will most likely enjoy it. Do not overthink or worry based on posts from

unhappy customers who wanted everything  they knew they could not have based upon ship design and price point.

 

We have been on Cunard and most Celeb ships.  We are looking forward to a short Carib cruise back on  on Silhouette..  

 

X ships are not especially cold, but  bring a sweatshirt, sweater or shawl

ENJOY!

[gold1953]

LOVE this ship!!!    As for dining just call and say that it is not possible for you to dine late. They will change your time. I told them the truth which was I would be forced to eat at the buffet and yes I would have 

[Caipi]

39 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

LOVE this ship!!!    As for dining just call and say that it is not possible for you to dine late. They will change your time. I told them the truth which was I would be forced to eat at the buffet and yes I would have 

 

Thank you for the advice. Is it not possible that another option will be available again anyway? I do not understand how there was no anytime-dining or 6pm dining option for a cruise which was 10 months away...?!? (We are on a waitlist for 6pm, at least on the website, it's not mentioned in the app.) 

If we cannot change it somehow our plan is the buffet as well, we do not want to 'starve' until 8:30 or eat a meal more every day....

[broadwaybaby123]

Rather than reading reviews, you really should look at "Mighty Cruise Ships" on the Smithsonian Channel. Yes, it's a few years old but they take you on a full tour of the ship. It may not be your exact ship, but it will give you an idea of the design for Solstice class ships.

[Caipi]

12 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Rather than reading reviews, you really should look at "Mighty Cruise Ships" on the Smithsonian Channel. Yes, it's a few years old but they take you on a full tour of the ship. It may not be your exact ship, but it will give you an idea of the design for Solstice class ships.

I watched a lot of Celebrity Silhouette ship tours on YouTube, but I will look this up as well, thank you! 

PS. Of course I cannot watch Smithsonian Channel in Hungary and Mighty Cruise Ships is not on any of the 6 streaming services we have here, but I found a few episodes, including this, on a special site and will watch it soon. 🙂

Edited October 7 by Caipi

[Georgia_Peaches]

Silhouette is a wonderful ship. Never have I encountered your list of concerns when on board Silhouette. The atmosphere is relaxed and the crew are truly amazing. The class system thread that is currently up for discussion regarding roped off areas in the theater is just silly imo and way over the top. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide for yourself but I definitely wouldn’t cancel. 

[mrgabriel]

2 hours ago, Caipi said:

 

Thank you. 🙂 I know about the SkyLounge, but it is not an outdoor space. (Which I meant with 'open' - sorry, I am hungarian.) And I know about the Mast Bar, but as you wrote it's rear-facing. 

My goal was especially to try a different cruise line. Although we liked QM2 a lot, I'd like to be able to compare it to another Line. So first I chose Celebrity and than the ship / an itinerary. (We've been to Iceland already, and loved it.) 

I’m Canadian and when we sailed to Alaska I took pictures from the front of the ship - outside. I think it’s Deck 12 that is open on the Silhouette.  Very wet! 😆 

[Iamcruzin]

This class system is popping up on all main cruise lines and to be honest I always thought Cunard was the leader. We have never sailed in a suite and Aqua Class was the closest we came to being segregated from the steerage class as Blu is perk for that class. With that said I never feel like steerage class on Celebrity. What annoys me about these special venues is that nobody uses them. Michaels was empty the entire time on my resent sailing on Reflection and in the theater nobody showed up for the reserved seats. I know this because we arrived 10 minutes late to the 7:00 show and entered on deck 5 were the reserved section was and it was empty. To be fair the steerage seats were better on deck 4 which is where we sat every night after that. During the day on a sea day the retreat was also empty.  It seems like the only plus for booking a better room is the dining experience. Blu is a step up from the main dining room in both service food quality.

Edited October 7 by Iamcruzin

[mat5664]

couple of points.   One, if you read reviews of every cruise line and every ship you would find reasons not to go.  Maybe try and make up your own mind.

 

Secondly, Cunard operates a much more 'class' system than any other cruise line.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Michaels was empty the entire time on my resent sailing on Reflection and in the theater nobody showed up for the reserved seats.

Since the seating area is back from the main entrance and then wraps around to the right, it is possible you were unable to see if there were many people in the lounge.  We used Michael's quite a bit and though never full, there were always others in there as well.  I guess it could vary by sailing.

 

10 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

During the day on a sea day the retreat was also empty. 

I can imagine that the revolutionized Retreat deck would indeed be empty as there is limited shade, no bar, no water feature.  This space is indeed useless on S class ships.  On E class, it's an entirely different story.

 

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

To be fair the steerage seats were better on deck 4 which is where we sat every night after that.

Couldn't agree more.  We never take advantage of the roped off seating designated for Retreat guests.  We prefer to sit at a bar top at the back of the theater in order to make a quick exit.

 

13 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

With that said I never feel like steerage class on Celebrity.

Exactly this.  I think Celebrity does a great job making all guests feel special, regardless of stateroom category.  IMO guests should keep in mind that Celebrity markets certain perks and experiences based on room category...much like booking first class on an air plane.  People wouldn't book it if the amenities were exactly the same across the board.

[Caipi]

57 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

I’m Canadian and when we sailed to Alaska I took pictures from the front of the ship - outside. I think it’s Deck 12 that is open on the Silhouette.  Very wet! 😆 

That sounds good, but according to the deck plan - which I looked up - again - before writing my post, it's the Spa Veranda, I suppose it's only for the Spa guests, isn't it? 

Edited October 7 by Caipi

[jelayne]

We have been on over 40 Celebrity cruises and have had a great time on each.  I would guess that I am not the only one who has never written a review. When something goes wrong people can be quick to tell anyone who will listen.  When things go good they not so much.  
At one point I managed a large Payroll department responsible for paying 3000 + employees, mostly hourly with varying schedules, overtime, etc.  If someone was shorted a hour they were quick to let us, their boss, my boss and anyone else know , but in 4 years only 2x did anyone call, write or tell there boss when their checks were consistently  accurate and on for months.

[TeeRick]

4 hours ago, Caipi said:

We've only been on one cruise yet, on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, and have booked another one on her as well, plus we have a booking for Celebrity Silhouette (Iceland Intensive).

However, reading all the topics / posts here I am getting almost afraid of cruising with Celebrity, and even consider losing the deposit. 

I mean:

-class system with lots of closed spaces on the ship?!?

(We did not feel any of that on QM2. You could even walk through the space on deck which was reserved for the suite guests.) 

-the coldest ship someone ever was on?

(I hate it when it's cold, and on QM2 it was cold enough, I got a serious cold + always had to run around in/with a pashmina or a cardigan)

-no forward looking open spaces for people in 'steerage'? 

(on QM2 we had the strange 'trail' on top of the ship,/above the staterooms on deck 13,/ the lookout on deck 13, and two observation decks on deck 11 and deck 7. And we loved being on one of this places when the ship was leaving a port.)

-abysmal food in the MDR + very long waiting times? (And we could only get 8:30 pm anyway, normally we eat at 6 pm...) 

 

And my husband does not especially like the interieur, he says it looks like an airport. 😄

 

What are your thoughts, and / or could you give me some advice?

Should I just stop reading topics / reviews about Celebrity Silhouette and see for myself? 🙂

I find it funny (sorry!) that these boards have you worried that Celebrity has more of a separate class system than Cunard and QM2.  Don't worry- it doesn't!

[Caipi]

34 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

This class system is popping up on all main cruise lines and to be honest I always thought Cunard was the leader. We have never sailed in a suite and Aqua Class was the closest we came to being segregated from the steerage class as Blu is perk for that class. With that said I never feel like steerage class on Celebrity. What annoys me about these special venues is that nobody uses them. Michaels was empty the entire time on my resent sailing on Reflection and in the theater nobody showed up for the reserved seats. I know this because we arrived 10 minutes late to the 7:00 show and entered on deck 5 were the reserved section was and it was empty. To be fair the steerage seats were better on deck 4 which is where we sat every night after that. During the day on a sea day the retreat was also empty.  It seems like the only plus for booking a better room is the dining experience. Blu is a step up from the main dining room in both service food quality.

 

When you read articles about Queen Mary 2 it's often stated that there's a lot smaller part closed to all guests than on other ships. (And in my opinion the restaurant for 'steerage' is the most beautiful of all.)

[Caipi]

7 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I find it funny (sorry!) that these boards have you worried that Celebrity has more of a separate class system than Cunard and QM2.  Don't worry- it doesn't!

 🙂

We did not feel any of a class system, we did not see places where we could not go if we wanted to, and everyone we spoke to was really friendly. (I only met people looking down on people in Facebook-groups, but I left those pretty soon.) And I didn't see this issue mentioned in Cunard topics either. 🙂 

Edited October 7 by Caipi