Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)
Celebrity Silhouette
★★★★ +
Berlitz’s Ratings
Ship: 413 out of 500
Accommodation: 165 out of 200
Food: 301 out of 400
Service: 307 out of 400
Entertainment: 78 out of 100
Cruise: 300 out of 400
Overall Score: 1564 out of 2000
Celebrity Silhouette Statistics
Size: Large Resort Ship
Tonnage: 122,210
Lifestyle: Premium
Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises
Former Names: none
IMO Number: 9451094
Builder: Meyer Werft (Germany)
Original Cost: $641 million
Entered Service: Jul 2011
Registry: Malta
Length (ft/m): 1,047.2/319.2
Beam (ft/m): 120.7/36.8
Draft (ft/m): 27.2/8.3
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel (70,500kW)/2 azimuthing pods
Passenger Decks: 14
Total Crew: 1,210
Passengers (lower beds): 2,886
Passenger Space Ratio (lower beds): 42.3
Passenger/Crew Ratio (lower beds): 2.3
Cabins (total): 1,443
Size Range (sq ft/m): 182.9-668.4/17.0-155.0
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 1,216
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 30
Wheelchair accessibility: Best
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 12
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools: 3
Hot Tubs (on deck): 6
Self-Service Launderette: No
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: No
Library: Yes
Onboard currency: US$
Premium large ship with contemporary decor and style
Overview. Celebrity Silhouette is quite a sleek-looking ship, with two slim funnels, behind which, the ship recreates the great outdoors with the Lawn Club, an area with real Bermudan (not fake) grass. You can go putting, play croquet or bocce ball, or picnic on the grass, and it’s a nice place to walk barefoot.
The Ship. Celebrity Silhouette is a sister ship to Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Solstice. Resort Deck is where you’ll find several water-play areas: one within a glass-roofed solarium. However, the deck space around the two pools isn’t large enough for the number of passengers carried. For open deck privacy, try ‘The Alcoves’; these are garden cabanas for two to four persons, positioned on the lawn. They cost $149 per day on sea days and $99 on port days.
A favorite spot is Michael’s Club, an intimate lounge with classic English leather club chairs and a handsome fireplace, plus more than 50 types of beer, whiskies, and cognacs.
Part of the Lawn Club is an interactive Lawn Club Grill, while The Porch is a 48-seat eatery overlooking the lawn, for complimentary breakfast and lunches, plus specialty coffees, wine, and beer (at extra cost).
Near the Lawn Club entrance is the Art Studio, for art demonstrations and classes on various topics. Some are free; others cost extra.
Most of the entertainment rooms are positioned forward, while dining venues are located aft. There’s a wine bar with a sommelier; a jazz-age cocktail lounge; a bar with the look of an ocean-going yacht; Quasar, a bar with a nightly light show synchronized to music; and an observation lounge with a dance floor.
The two-deck library is a delightful open-ended space. The card room - located, unusually, in the center of the ship, with no ocean view windows to distract players - is open, and attracts noise from adjacent areas, so it’s almost useless as a serious card playing room. Fortunes Casino (non-smoking) has 16 gaming tables and 200 slot machines.
Celebrity’s signature Martini Bar carries over 100 varieties of vodka, as well as Martinis. There’s also a small alcove called Crush with an ice-filled table where you can participate in caviar and vodka tasting, or host a private party. It’s very noisy and congested, but can be a lot of fun.
Passenger niggles include lack of usable drawer space in cabins; inadequate children’s facilities and staff in school holidays; congestion when you exit the showlounge; and noise in all areas of the lobby when the Martini Bar is busy.
Gratuities are charged to your onboard account.
Families. Play areas include the Fun Factory (for 3-12-year-olds, featuring Leapfrog Schoolhouse’s educational programs); and ‘X Club’ - a high-tech teens-only chill-out room with coffee bar and dance club.
Accommodation. From suite-grade Penthouse Suites to non-suite-grade interior cabins, the accommodation is practical and comfortable, with price depending on size and location. In standard Interior and Ocean View cabins, there is little space between the bed and the wall, and usable drawer space is poor. So, if your budget allows, book a suite-category cabin for all the extra benefits - and a lot more drawer space.
The suite-grade categories are: Royal Suite, Celebrity Suite, Sky Suite, and Penthouse Suite. Most of the balcony cabins on Penthouse Deck and Sky Deck suffer from permanent shade because they are just under the wide deck overhang - the large suites surrounding the aft elevator foyers get much more sunlight.
All grades of accommodation include: twin beds convertible to a queen-size bed, sitting area, vanity desk with hairdryer. Also standard in all cabins: 32-inch flat-screen TVs (larger screens in suites), Wi-Fi Internet access (for a fee), and premium bedding. However, although the closets have good hanging space, other storage is limited. The rather cramped bathroom has a shower enclosure, toilet, and tiny washbasin. In suite-grade accommodation there is more space, larger balconies and more personal amenities.
Some 130 ‘AquaSpa’-class cabins incorporate spa elements into the cabins, and allow access to the AquaSpa’s Thermal Relaxation Room and a Persian Garden (with aromatherapy/steam rooms) on the same deck, and other spa amenities. Occupants get assigned seating in Blu Restaurant. Facilities include: a choice of four pillows (conformance, body, goose, Isotonic); express luggage delivery; shoeshine; Frette bathrobes; dining and seating preferences in other specialty dining venues; and early embarkation and disembarkation. Bathrooms include a tub plus a separate shower.
Other accommodation grades are Veranda Class, Sunset Veranda Class, Concierge Class, Family Ocean View with veranda, Deluxe Ocean View with veranda, Standard Ocean View, and Standard Interior cabins.
Dining. Grand Cuvée is the ship’s 1,430-seat main dining room - included in the cruise price - is spread over two decks and has ocean views on the port and starboard sides and at the stern. The design is stunning and contemporary. Towards the aft section, a two-deck-high wine tower provides an eye-catching focal point (I’d like to have dinner inside it!).
Other dining options. Murano is an extra-cost, reservations-required, 70-seat dinner venue (with tablecloths), offering high-quality traditional dining with a French flair and gorgeous table settings. The cuisine and service are extremely good.
Blu is a 128-seat specialty restaurant, with tablecloths, exclusively for the occupants of AquaClass cabins. The room has pleasing, but rather cool decor.
The 144-seat Tuscan Grille, an extra-cost, tablecloth-less venue, serves Italian cuisine, Kobe beef and premium quality steaks, and has nicely curved archways - it’s like walking into a high-tech winery. Large aft-facing windows offer a great view over the ship’s wake.
Qsine is a 90-seat ‘fun-food’ venue. The food consists of multi-flavored, multi-colored, quirky small-bite items. The food is presented in many unusual ways - even on sticks - sort of ‘lolipop’ cuisine. It’s a delightful experience.
Bistro on Five (Deck 5, that is) is for coffee, cakes, crêpes, pastries, and more. The serving counter becomes congested at busy times.
Café al Bacio & Gelateria is a coffeehouse featuring Lavazza Italian coffee, situated on one side of the main lobby. Lines quickly form at peak times.
Oceanview Café and Grill is a tray-less, casual self-serve buffet venue. There are a number of food ‘islands’ and the signage is reasonable.
The AquaSpa Café is for light, healthier options (solarium fare), but the selections are uninspiring.
The Mast Bar Grill and Bar is an outside fast-food venue.
Entertainment. The 900-seat Celebrity Theater is the three-deck-high venue for production shows and major cabaret acts.
Colorful theme nights are held in the Observation Lounge (whose daytime bland and minimalist decor comes alive at night thanks to mood lighting effects). The 200-seat Celebrity Central hosts comedy, cooking demonstrations, lectures, and films.
An Entertainment Court showcases street performers, psychics, and caricaturists, and is in the center of the ship, linked to Quasar, a high-pulse, high-volume nightclub. The Ensemble Lounge is a big-band-era cocktail lounge with live music.
Spa/Fitness. The Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Sea measures 24,219 sq ft (2,250 sq m). It includes a large thalassotherapy pool under a solarium glass dome, complete with health bar for light food and fresh squeezed juices.
Facilities include 25 treatment rooms, including one designed for wheelchair passengers. There’s also an aerobics room, a gymnasium, large men’s and women’s saunas with a sizable ocean-view window, and a beauty salon.
An extra-cost (it’s free to occupants of AquaSpa-grade accommodation) unisex thermal suite contains several steam and shower mist rooms with fragrances such as chamomile, eucalyptus, and mint, and a glacial ice fountain, plus a calming relaxation area with heated tiled beds.