Celebrity Silhouette Reviews

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We began our cruise at Cape Liberty, which is not a very nice port. The check-in went fairly quickly, but it is not a pleasant place to hang around. We were allowed onto the ship around 11:00am. Our stateroom was beautiful, very spacious. People complain about the storage, but we didn't even use the space above the bed. There was ample room to keep things. Our housekeepers were very professional and discreet, answering all our needs with a smile. It was nice to have shampoo and body lotion provided (which was not the case on Allure of the Seas unless you went to guest services and asked). We ate all our evening meals at the Main Dining Room, and the service and food were consistently excellent. Our waiter Hussein and his assistant Anne went out of their way to make every meal special. My gluten-free diet was accommodated in a spectacular way. Each night after dinner, I was presented with the next night's menu. I was invited to choose whichever items I wanted, and the chef would prepare the food gluten-free for me the following day. Just wonderful. In the breakfast buffet, there was always gluten-free toast available, and I found it very easy to keep healthy. Sushi was available every afternoon at the buffet, and was very fresh.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

My wife and I have been on many cruises. Most all have been very good, but this one has completely redefined what to expect from a PERFECT cruise. I admit that the port of Bayonne was difficult at best to get to, but the efficiency and organization of Celebrity's embarkation more than made up for that. From the very moment we were checked in, everything went right for the entire cruise. From previous reviews I had read about the Silhouette, I had some preconceived notions that there may be some issues. Not true at all. The crew were all truly, honestly happy, and completely accessible, from top to bottom. This was a relatively long cruise, but we were never bored. our cabin was on deck 12, concierge class starboard on the aft hump. I had read that this cabin may be subject to some noise being below the entrance to the oceanview cafe. We never experienced any noise whatsoever. The food overall was better than expected, and the variety was excellent. We ate for most meals in the main dining room, but the last several nights in the specialty venues. I found it very easy to negotiate deals for them. Murano was 1st class all the way, Tuscan Grill extraordinary, and Qsine insanely unusual and completely unlike any dining experience we have ever seen, all for pennies compared to any luxury dining experience we have ever had. The ship was impeccably clean and they even had attendants in all of the public restrooms at all times. Our cabin attendant was the best ever, and we have had some good ones! The shows were all pretty good, We do appreciate the live orchestra, and this one was major professional big time. The ship had several really good lecturers throughout the cruise, and none of the activities were corny like other cruise lines put on. The interactive in room entertainment was nothing short of high tech. On demand movies, account access, room service, even viewing and/or ordering all of your shipboard photos was all right there for you. and more. The ship is well layed out and getting around was fast and easy. I know this all sounds very sugar coated, but honestly if it wasn't this good, I can complain with the best! One small note: If you disembark in the EU anywhere, MAKE SURE to get your passport stamped by customs!! In Civitavecchia there was no one checking passports. We went right through the gate to the train station. No big deal, right? Well, the German polizia in Munich a week later didn't find it very amusing. After reconstructing and providing documentation as to all of our wherabouts throughout Italy, Spain, And Germany, and waiting for them to call for verifications, we were able to leave. This was not a fun way to spend a couple of hours before boarding a flight home.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

My sister and I decided to be adventuresome and the 2 week Trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the Celebrity Silhouette. We began our cruise out of Bayonne, New Jersey. When we pulled into the area where the cars were lining up with the passengers to embark, I was somewhat anxious that the process would take over an hour or more. But, to our surprise, the cars moved forward at a nice pace and within 15 minutes, we parked under a large canopy and started to unload our luggage. Before we knew it, a porter was by our side ready to help us with my wheel chair and our luggage. In a matter of minutes, we were through customs and security and on board. I was in 1022 (an accessible room) and my sister had a stateroom next to me. Our stateroom attendants were there within minutes introducing themselves and asking us if we needed anything. When we asked them to remove the partition between our two balconies, it was done in a flash. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of my stateroom and the size of the bathroom. Once we unpacked, we took off to have lunch with some of the cruise critic members that we had met online. I had rented a scooter from special Needs at Sea and was surprised to find that it was not working properly. Guest relations brought me a replacement. Thank God. The bed and pillows could not have been any nicer. We knew that the food in the main dining room was going to be mediocre based upon the reviews that we'd read, so we made reservations at the specialty restaurants for most of our meals. We found that Bistro on Five to be one of the best values. Also, the Tuscan Grill had 2 for one nights that we took advantage of as well. The food in these specialty restaurants could not have been better and the service was impeccable. We only saw one of the shows that featured a very talented man that was the runner-up to Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. Most evenings we found ourselves chatting with folks seated next to us at dinner. Everybody that we met were delightful and a lot of fun to get to know. We did venture into the 14Th floor lounge area and saw some of the guests and officer shows which had us in stitches.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Our cruise departed Bayonne, NJ on April 22, 2012. I have read so many complaints about this port, but considering we live 15 minutes from Bayonne, we cannot complain. We were in the port for such a brief time, that it's not even worth writing about. Incidentally, the staff are so efficient and we were processed very quickly. Rather than go into a lengthy description about Celebrity/Silhouette, here are my major comments: - There is still a language barrier - the staff who work on ships are, of course, from all over the world. However, we were misinformed several times and because we have traveled a considerable amount, we knew to ask more than once. I always keep asking, until I find someone who speaks fluent English. - The Silhouette is beautiful; new, clean, lovely. The specialty restaurants are great (we tried 3). Of course, this is optional/extra, but since it was our anniversary, we treated ourselves. - There is also much talk about 'nickel & diming" customers. Sorry to say that we agree about this. To pay $3.50 for a small bottle of water PLUS a gratuity fee, is ridiculous! On Royal Caribbean at least we received 'one' free bottle. - The tours sponsored by the cruise line were pretty good (not cheap). However, it is a coin toss as to whether or not you will get a good guide (it ended up 50/50 for us). - As far as transatlantic cruising - I don't think this is for us. The first 2-3 days at sea were not very pleasant - for us, really rough. We actually stayed in our room the second evening at sea. It was so rough that they postponed the first big show! It's just too "iffy" for us and was a kind of waste of time just getting to our destination. I realize many people don't feel this way, but I would prefer to just fly to where we can get the ship and sail from that port. Oh, one more thing - as we departed from Rome (to come home), this is the busiest, most disorganized airport we have ever been to. We were there also last year, but this year, it was just horrible! We flew on Delta/AlItalia; total chaos, very very long lines, and just not a pleasant way to end a trip.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Bayonne, NJ: Getting on and Getting off were very easy. I was pleased we didn't have the problems others had or Celebrity got their act together. We left out of Bayonne a few years earlier and it was a madhouse with people getting off ship at the same time. It pays to wait your turn. Bayonne parking was a ripoff for $228.00. They could have washed the car for that. But we were happy that Celebrity chose and will hopefully continue to use a port for our northern states. It was so much better than flying even though we had a 6 hour drive. The extra sea days were nice to have! The twelve days went too fast. Our room was great and our cabin was always in order and quickly done. No complaints. Bathroom was great and so was the shower water pressure. Plenty of storage there. The big screen was nice, but the internet was hard to navigate on it. Brought my own laptop but didn't use up the minutes, but it was nice to be able to use it in your room. We did bring a short clothes line for our bathing suit to dry on the balcony. You couldn't leave it there long, as they cleaned the decks above and your balcony got wet. Even though Celebrity heard it enough, there was not enough storage and I was living out of my suitcase, which fortunately fit under the bed. I'm wondering if all the Solstice ships have the same limited amount. If so, they should listen. It was hard to hang two tiers of clothes too. Yes, I brought too much but 12 days is a long time. They took our clothes iron from us. You can have curling iron, steamer but no small clothes iron. So we stayed wrinkled but that was freeing too. I think carpet colors in hallways and bedrooms stayed the same on the last few ships, and they should have changed that too....boring. Service was great everywhere. Too bad our politicians don't work on tips. Food was good and consistent in the cafeteria. The layout was good so there were no lines. But who needs Mexican and Indian everyday? While drinks were very expensive (red wine - $10 w tip, beer about $6), we had no desire to spend more in the restaurants that charge. There were too many, in my opinion. We did, however, eat most of our meals at Blu which was very good. They were not large portions but plenty. I didn't see any grand buffet or special midnight buffets on this trip, although you could get pizza & salad until midnight. I only gained 2-1/2 lbs. on this trip. I tried to stay away from the breads, which was hard to do. Their bakery items were very good. Desserts were small but that was good too. Casinos were not hitting. It is frustrating to lose all your money quickly, so it doesn't take long to say, no more nightly deposits. They could let you play a bit before they zing you. They tell you they pay out each day but I think the receipts used over and over as people move from machine to machine. Shows were good for most people, but we were not impressed. But that is us, so no complaints. It was nice to have some good movies on the tv in our rooms, but the same movies played in the theater. I wasn't crazy about the bands or singers on board. They were okay but nothing we wanted to make sure we stayed and listened. Celebrity had better groups in the past. We are sun people and liked to sit out. I think Celebrity should have two more towel stations on each deck. I think people would use them for their old towels when they were done. We always thought lounge chairs were saved by leaving a towel, and we never had a close seat near the pools. Pool butlers were there but they didn't pick up old towels either. The captain was great, and we enjoyed his talk about the ship as we pleasantly answered our questions. He was funny and his staff loved him. We loved the balcony, the food, the rest, and the entire ship. I guess we have to complain a little bit, but it was so minor. Each day, I was grateful for being on the ship and enjoying the sea. How mesmerizing the velvet waves can be! It's easy to find fault, but seriously, it was an awesome cruise! There were few announcements on this ship which is nice, but unless you carried your daily calendar of events, you didn't know how much was there. We probably could have use some more things to do after dinner. If you didn't want to drink, gamble to see a show, it was bedtime. (funny..you could get bored) Occasionally, they offered 2 for 1 drinks, but even bartenders didn't know the schedule. I guess they play that by ear. We did like to dress up for dinner and walk the ship. Sometimes the ship sold affordable items to take home like watches, jewelry, t shirts, which was good. They used to say how many pound of beef, chicken, flour that they used in the last newsletter. We didn't see one. The claim to fame for Celebrity was chefs cooking from scratch. I wonder how much a food service is used these days. I worry about salt and MSG and prepared foods, and would like to know that answer. Thanks to Celebrity and its crew! Another fine cruise at sea!!

Hide this review