Celebrity Silhouette Review

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Celebrity Silhouette Review

We just finished a 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette.  The Silhouette is a beautifully designed ship that started sailing back in 2011.  It is very similar in style to the Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse and the Celebrity Reflection.

OUTSTANDING DINING OPTIONS

Currently unique on the Silhouette (also on the Reflection) is the Lawn Club Grill.  While the prices that Celebrity charges for the specialty restaurant is on the high side (currently $45 a person) the quality is exceptional.  Sure the Lawn Club Grill is a grill, but it is grilling very good quality of steaks and seafood.  You even have the opportunity to grill your own food under the direction of the Celebrity Chefs.  They have a great salad bar that you can start with.  You also have the option of enjoying a made to order flat bread pizza.  We enjoyed this restaurant the best and ate here twice.  There is nothing like being outside on the top deck of a cruise ship enjoying a great dining experience.

We also really enjoyed the Murano restaurant and ate here twice as well.  This restaurant offers very well prepared food and outstanding service.  Several of the menu items are prepared table side, and the staff does a great job working together to make the experience the absolute best for you.  Picture below of our waitress Roxanne at Murano.


Other dining venues that we tried include Qsine, Tuscan Grille and the main dining room.  There was a definite difference in our main dining room experience compared to the other venues, but for the most part we were very pleased with the food and service.

PLENTY OF SPACE FOR EVERYONE

The Silhouette is very well designed and handles 3,400 passengers well.  There are plenty of venues to absorb the number of people, and only on sea days around the main pool did we feel the crowds.   But even on sea days there was never a shortage of deck chairs.  The pool attendants did a great job cleaning off old towels from the chairs.  We saw very few chair hogs on our cruise.

The two outdoor pools are both open to families.  One pool is only a couple of feet deep, so depending on how many kids on your cruise there is a potential that both pools could be taken over by loud splashing kids.  There were few kids on our cruise, but the last two days they all seemed to be in the pool.  Picture below of of extra deck space on top forward deck.

SEVERAL DIFFERENT BAR OPTIONS

Most of the times we were able to walk up to the outside bars and get drinks.  But at times the bars lacked enough staff to serve everyone quickly and several times guests would sit there waiting for drinks and be forgotten in the crowd.  This was especially true at the Mast Bar.  We found the Pool Bar did a much better job of staffing, and normally there was only a short wait.  The mixed drinks on this ship were very inconsistent.  Sometimes they all felt like virgin copies of an actual drink.  Other times they seemed to be well prepared. 

The Martini Bar was a great place to try new Martini’s.  Of course you should have the premium beverage package for this or be prepared to spend a lot of money.  The staff here tended to be more playful and would do tricks as they prepared the drinks.   If you are unable to find a seat at the bar itself there is a nice lounge area around the bar.  Picture below of Martini Bar drinks.

SOME DOWNERS

Don’t expect great internet service on Celebrity.  It has always been lacking on all our Celebrity Cruises and this ship was no different.  The price for the packages is expensive and there are times when you won’t even be able to connect.  We had problems, especially on port days.

The Life Boat drill was painful.  Not only was it long and drawn out, but on our cruise everything was announced in three different languages.   We felt like jumping off the ship by the end of the drill. 

Disembarkation day on Celebrity is great for Celebrity but not so great for the passengers.  You are required to leave you cabin early, all the dining venues are closed early and you are not allowed to order room service.  It is a lousy way to end a good experience.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall we really enjoyed this cruise.  Celebrity still offers a great value for those of us looking for a great cruise experience without all the toys and gimmicks on the modern ships.  From the moment you step on board you are greeted with a glass of champagne, to the chocolate on the pillow at night, to the attentiveness of the staff, to the great shows, the great dining, the beautiful clean ship – this is the best way to cruise.  Picture below of show entertainers.


Steve Millay ACC 



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