Silhouette 042825 Repo to NJ ABC Islands

Silhouette 10 night + 1 night pre stay at the Renaissance Hotel Fort Lauderdale. Royal suite 1118. Itinerary: Fort Lauderdale, sea, sea, sea, Aruba, Bonaire Curacao, sea, sea, sea, sea, Cape Liberty, NJ Cruise #63. Captain club points 4130

Captain, Michael Sympouras; Staff Captain, Georgios Tsilouchas; Hotel Director, Deborah Poortier; Food and Beverage Director, Melvis Afonso. GRM, Fani Kechagia; CD , Mike Gibbons; XChef, Edward Gomes; Stateroom Attendant, Komang, Butler, Tari; Retreat Concierges, John Escoba, Mika, Mel, Rolando; Retreat Manager Julio; Bartender, Rosie; Retreat Set up and assistant waiter, Marivic; Matre’d' Luminae, Leo; Hostess, Lucia; Waiter, Nolan and Assistant, Kim took care of us for lunch on embarkation day. We also saw waiters Arya and Carlo from the Philippines. Carlo was our steady waiter, the rest of the voyage with Marivic and Kim assisting. 

Day 0 FLL

We went out to eat early last night at 5 o’clock so we could get to sleep at a reasonable time since we had to early rise in the morning. I guess we got into bed about 8 o’clock. Randi slept well but I got up at 11:30 and was unable to get back to sleep. I watched some TV until about 2:30 and then got up did some last minute packing and soon, our driver, Joseph Fordalisi showed up 15 minutes early at 4AM. We were ready, so we packed the car and headed to Newark airport. We dropped our bags off in the shortcut area, once we figured out how to use it, LOL, it worked very well. Next, was a trip through TSA pre-check without a problem. We walked to  the gate, got coffees and chilled out a bit. I also ordered a bagel if Randi’s meal on the plane didn’t work out. Glad we bought the bagel because it wasn’t a perfect breakfast for her because of onion possibly in the home fries. We boarded about 620 for our 704 flight. The flight was uneventful.

In fact, the plane landed about 15 minutes early. We grabbed our bags at the luggage carousel and snagged a cab to the

Renaissance Hotel close to the port, on SE 17th street. Unlike the Hilton Marina, in the past where we had a four hour wait to check in, we were in almost immediately!

Toniann said our room was ready at about 10:30 in the morning. After bringing up the luggage, we took a walk to Publix to get our coffee creamers. After the walk, Randi seemed a little bushed so we just chilled

out until Eilene and Dan arrived at about noon time. We had a lovely lunch with them at the

Boatyard, which is the closest restaurant and really good! Then we went back to the room to sack out for a while before dinner.

Dinner was also at the Boatyard, which we planned and it was great! We had the Bimini bread as an appetizer which has honey baked inside. I had the mahi-mahi while Randi had the snapper.

After a nice dinner, we went back to the hotel, hung out for a few minutes at the pool and then crashed for the night.

Day 1 FLL

We were able to sleep mostly through the night and got up at 7 AM. We decided to have breakfast in the hotel.

Randi ordered the buffet and I got lemon blueberry pancakes which were very good. After breakfast, we packed our bags, said goodbye Brittany, our room attendant, and checked out. Within 10 minutes we hopped on the Renaissance shuttle. Eight dollars a person got us and 4 others to the port in no time. Dave and Janet from Barnagat, NJ joined us. Getting through security at the port was not a problem nor was it a problem at the pier. The gangway on deck five was not working this cruise so they boarded us from deck two alongside the pier. That’s something that I don’t think we’ve ever done. Our first recognizable crew member was

John, the Concierge in the Retreat. We should be boarding about 1045 he told us. We met Rolando, Mel and Mika. We also met Patty and Bill, just north, of Atlanta, Georgia.

By 11am we were onboard. We dropped our carry-ons in the Royal Suite. The suite has been revolutionized since the last time we were on the ship. All the dark wood trim is gone, replaced with a light-toned, gray

and white motif. There’s a beautiful living room with a large TV, couch and chairs. There is a full wet bar, Keurig, and dining room table enough to sit four comfortably. Adjacent to this room is a small powder bath.

There is also a separate bedroom with a walk-in closet and an on-suite

with jet tub and stall shower and a double sink. Outside is a nice deck

with a Jacuzzi, table and chairs and lounge. After seeing our suite, we went to get our devices connected, walked around a bit, then went to Luminae for lunch. Waiter Nolan and assistant Kim took care of us very well. We also saw Arya and former busboy

turned waiter, Carlo from the Philippines. He took over service for us for the rest of the cruise. We met some folks, also having lunch who suggested next time, stay at Embassy suites and use “trinityreservations.com.” Lunch was as good as I remember.

We returned to the stateroom to unpack which went rather well- No wrinkles with our new set of luggage! We now had time to walk around to see the revolutionized ship. We ended up in the

Retreat where we met Rick and Patty from Ft. Meyers. After cleaning up we watched the Silhouette sail away from the vantage point of our deck. Later in the Retreat, Glaiza served us goodies. Dinner in Luminae, with Carlos was awesome. He brought us a prime rib each and a filet to share. Both were excellent. Met some nice guys, Sean and Don from Ft. Lauderdale. They are passengers on board and they are also working from ship. Then, the casino was calling Randi while I went to the late night adult comedy show. After the show the night was over.

Day 2 sea

Got up at 6. We puttered  around until scheduled coffee and almond croissants were delivered at 7:30, then went to Luminae for breakfast.

Afterwards, I went to an astronomical presentation while Randi visited the casino and she won some.

Wine tasting was next where the varieties were champagne, white rose, pino noir and a blend. Didn’t like any of them. Lunch in Luminae served up a vegetable stir fry for Randi. I think I had the burger. A well deserved

nap followed. At 5:15 we went to the Retreat to meet the ship’s officers. While the Captain didn’t show, we had a good conversation with the food and beverage manager, Melvis

Afonso and the hotel Director, Deborah Poortier. We continued with cocktails in the Retreat before our 630 dinner in

Murano. Roy was our server and he was excellent as was the meal. Randi ordered Dover Sole and I had the Lobster. Roy didn’t like the way the fish was cooked. He was so

embarrassed. He said he had to get Randi another one. It would take about 5 or 6 minutes. You can tell he was upset and we tried to tell him it’s OK. It’s not a problem. Don’t worry about it, Randi 

said, not realizing that the people at the next table heard what happened.

After the cheese cart, they came over to our table and told us how great she handled this situation as other people would’ve been complaining. I heard the lady say, “you are a classy lady.” A night-cap in the Retreat followed, then it was time for lights out.

Day 3 sea

After a broken sleep for me, it was back to Luminae for another delicious breakfast. 11am was the Captain Club party. The highest cruiser had over 6000 points. About a dozen Zeniths including us were in attendance. We also met Zeniths, Kimberly and Bruce. We met Guest Relations Manager Fania, Captain Mike

and the Cruise Director, Mike was there. It was a fun and festive time with drinks, snacks and a band.

Lunch was at Sushi on 5 where Randi got her double order of dumplings. The dumplings must’ve brought her luck because

she was a winner in the casino this afternoon. While she was there, I

was looking at the future cruise presentation. Nothing new except for the XL and River cruises. We cleaned up. While Randi, went back to the casino. I went to the Retreat. Looking to try something new I tried Rabbit hole Heigold bourbon. It was good but sharp.

Next, we had the La Petite Chef meal and show at Qsine. Got there at 5:45 and the show started around 625. It was very good and we both had the Branzino. We each earned a

Superchef certificate. I tipped our server and headed back to the Retreat where I realized I lost my Celebrity wallet sleeve with my card and some cash.

Went back to Qsine but it was not there so went down to guest relations and wala- it was there. I can always trust my cruise friends! While in the Retreat, we met a lovely couple Lee and Jane from Toledo, Ohio; Very thankful, as are we to be blessed to be cruising as often as we do. Called it a night and probably got my best good sleep, almost all the way through the night.

Day 4 Aruba

It is overcast and gray as we’re sailing into the port, but we are excited to get on-land and stretch our legs but first breakfast in Luminae.  I guess we jumped ship a little after

9am. I posed for a quick picture. Quickly, we were advised by locals that today is Labor Day on Aruba. Most stores were closed except for the trinket stores. We picked up a “Aruba” magnet for one of the crew members. An “Aruba” plaque for our deck and while in the Renaissance mall a

Tommy Bahama shirt for me. Randi was able to finally get her hands around a Flamingo! (No birds were hurt in this process.) It was pretty warm this early, so we headed back to the Retreat for a cold drink.

Next, up to the Retreat Sun deck for lunch where we met up with Carlo our waiter who set us up in a nice cabana overlooking the beautiful Aruba scenery. After

bringing us something cold to drink, he brought Randi a BLT wrap with chips and me a turkey burger with fries. Later, back in the Retreat we met Gloria & Rob from Orange County. They were a very nice couple who were fun to talk to. Next was the Lawn Club Grille. Our server was Vladimir. We ordered a bottle of Jordon Cabernet and two ribeye steaks, which were delicious. Randi had to have her baked chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.

Afterwards, Randi went back to the casino and played for a long while on the same money while I went to see the comedian in the theater and then the late night show in Comedy Central. She joined me there and after the show we went to sleep.

Day 5 Bonaire

Today is the most relaxing day of the cruise because we rented an Alcove for the entire day. So after breakfast, we went up to the Lawn Club where it was all set

up for us. One of our servers in the Lawn club last night is our server today. Her name is Katrina. We had a bottle of sparkling water and Prosecco to start. Then we had a cheese plate a fruit plate and some wonderful resting. At 1 o’clock, we finally ordered some lunch. That took a while to

come. I had a pizza and a salad and Randi had a burger and salad before you know it, it’s nap time in front of the green lawn and ocean

breezes. I picked up a book  in the library about the Mets written by Art Shamsky and enjoyed reading it while we chilled out and rested. We enjoyed the Alcoves until about 430pm.

Later, while we were enjoying cocktails in the Retreat this evening the Captain addressed us ship-wide on the PA system that we had a technical issue they were trying to resolve so we wouldn’t be leaving right away. Next we went to dinner in Luminae. I would have to say it was the weakest dinner so far. They called it surf and turf, but what they served was scallops and pork bellies. Once again Captain came on saying that they now had shoreside working on the problem. After

dinner Randi casino-ed and I went to see a musical performer in the theater. I stayed for the late night comic but he was more dirty than funny so I met up with Randi and we went to bed.

Day 6 Curaçao

We got up early and had all intentions of attending Shabbat service at the Temple. I had previously been in contact with the Temple’s Secretary regarding requirements

to attend. We dressed appropriately and headed out over the floating bridge with our passports in hand. When we got there we found, what was supposed to be a 90 minute service was now 2 1/2 hours.

We decided not too stay. We grabbed a cold soft drink at one of the outdoor bars, rested and

walked some more. We found a magnet for crew member Marivic and two T-shirts for us. We headed to the ship and

had lunch in the Ocean view cafe. Randi had pasta. I had a sandwich. Now back to the suite to chill. This evening we had cocktails in the Retreat with Gloria & Rob from Orange County.

We had a 630 reservation for Tuscan Grille. Raj was our server in this beautiful restaurant and we got there early enough before sunset, so the

ship’s wake was mesmerizing. Randi ordered a rib eye and I had 3-meat lasagna. She commented she thought the steak was slightly better at the Lawn Club Grille.  We shared a bottle of Jordon with

our dinner. After dinner we meandered through the shops as we walked toward the theater. Tonight’s show was comedian magician, Bob Brizendine. The show started at 9 and we settled in and enjoyed the first 15 minutes before latecomers arrived. 2 couples walked in front of us. The first guy knocked over my drink on the shelf in front of us. When I mentioned to Randi that the show started 15 minutes ago the last guy in asked what I said so I told him. Obviously drunk he started going off and asked me to walk outside with him. I saw a crew member and asked him to remove him from the theater but the crew member unfortunately was weak and did nothing. Meanwhile this guy was loud and cursing as he walked up the aisle, so much so that passengers shouted at him to shut up and sit down. End of story! After the show we met Greg & Joan from Gainesville in the Retreat. We chatted a while over drinks and said good night.

Day 7 sea

Kim greeted us as he did each morning with pastry. Huevo Rancheros are not served anymore for breakfast in Luminae, so we went with the eggs Benedict with avocado slices again. Afterwards, we went to the Retreat to read, but

bumped into Giulio, the Retreat Manager from Portofino, Italy. Such a nice guy to talk to, and he’s only 30 years old. He has many accomplishments under his belt. He speaks five different languages and moved up rather quickly in the seven years that he’s been with the company. We talked about things that interested us both.

Next for me was a Life at Sea talk. The Hotel Director, the HR director, the Food and Beverage Director and the Executive Chef were there fielding questions from the audience.

I caught up with Randi who was in the casino and we went to Sushi on Five for lunch.. I tried a red Italian wine, which is almost like a Pinot Noir. It was called Villa Antinori. It was

“alright.” Lunch was relaxed and ended about 150 so I went to the magician’s comedy matinee at 2PM, and Randi went back to the

casino. At 3:15 I went to a talk on social media Instagram reels which I found too preliminary for me. Met up with Randi after that. It wasn’t a good day in the casino.

Murano was the venue for dinner. She had lobster and I, venison. The venison was a fairly tender steak with no gaminess. I prefer it in a stew or stroganoff.

The Murder Musical Mystery in Celebrity Central was a dud. Five people followed a corny script, sprinkled in with audio music cues They played music along with the script. We got 21 out of 25 so we didn’t win. Time for candles and lights out.

Day 8 sea

After a terrible sleep for me, awakened by our personal alert alarms, we got up and had our coffee already provided by our Butler. Randi ordered an omelet in Luminae but she didn’t eat it. It was possibly contaminated with onions. Usually well taken care of, she couldn’t take the chance.

Arts and crafts was next in the Retreat. We made a macrame vase holder with Maria.

The Zenith lunch in Blu was scheduled to meet at 11:15. The Captain presided, over a table of about 35, along with the hotel Director, Staff Captain, HR officer, as well as others.

Stephan served us. We sat next to John and Linda from Chicago. Bruce was across the way. We talked about Broadway plays with him. He recommended Operation Mincemeat. Randi said she wanted

to see, Oh Mary. Lunch was beautiful!  Served was a Greek salad, charcuterie board and tomato caprese for the appetizer. Randi and I had lamb chops and a nice Merlot from Washington state, Kiona.

Later we received this picture. I went back to the suite to chill, and Randi went to the casino to chill.

This evening when we went back to the Retreat, we met Rob and Gloria again there, We brought some dry cleaner plastic sleeve with us for Rob’s tux.

I showed Concierge John a mock-up that I did for more signage in the Retreat. He said he liked it.

Dinner in Luminae- Carlos prepared 2 filet mignons topped with melted blue cheese. We got the chocolate sphere for dessert, but we were disappointed with the unevaporated alcohol flavor.

Afterwards we watched the band True Colors in the Grand Foyer with many people dancing to pop music. Fun!

Day 9 sea

I was up half the night because of my sleeping problems, but raring to go at

about 745. After breakfast in Luminae, Randi went back to the casino. I went to the suite to fill tip envelopes. Then, I was just chilling out in the Retreat until the 11 AM presentation regarding the Titanic. Pretty good talk by the Cruise Director.

Met Randi for Sushi on 5 lunch then did some reading on deck while Randi worked the slots to no avail.

The Retreat was next for cocktails. Always calm, always cool always good drinks and always some very nice people.

The Lawn Club Grill followed. It started as a very sunny, beautiful evening. I should have

brought my sunglasses to keep the sun out of my eyes. It ended up with the crew, closing the windows because it got cold and breezy and a little rainy.

Note to self, steak, not fish is the way to go up here. Even a burger would have been better! We finished our evening back in the Retreat, said good night to Rosie and went back to the stateroom.

Day 10 sea

After being up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night, I finally had some sleepy time tea, using the Keurig in the room, which put me to sleep til morning. After breakfast

in Luminae we packed up our bags. It was an effortless chore that needed to be done. Afterwards, looking for a place to go we headed to the Retreat Sun Deck,

where we sat down and chatted a bit with Jane and Lee at the bar. It was warm and very comfortable until an inebriated passenger tried to join in the conversation. So we went down to Luminae to have some lunch. After lunch, we passed by the entertainment court, where they had an indoor shuffleboard set up. It was cute to watch. We continued, throughout the day to tip the people who treated us so

well these past 10 days. In the evening, we had cocktails once again in the Retreat Lounge, and then set off to see a special variety show in the theater, which included previous multiple acts from the

cruise. Our last dinner in Luminae was a special dinner that Carlos prepared for us in conjunction with the Chef. He set us up with delicious Filipino food. One dish he called pork adobo. The other was a soup with bok choy in it. Both were good. He also gave me Sriracha, which is very very

spicy. The Sriracha reacted badly with me for a few days. Carlo brought out the chefs to meet us, This meal was a nice way to end our dinners on our cruise. Randi was tired and since we had to get up early anyway, we went back to the state room.

Day 11 NJ

We were both up just before the 6am alarm. We were almost home in New Jersey, passing by the Verrazano Bridge. We had our departing breakfast in Luminae

and said our goodbyes to the staff. When we went back to retrieve our bags in the state room, Tari our Butler was there. We thanked her. She grabbed our bags and took them to the Retreat Lounge where we waited to disembark. That was a little bit after eight. We chatted in the lounge for a little while while Randi checked on our car scheduled for 9 AM. After saying our goodbyes to new friends, we disembarked around 830 through the

express suite passage. After pointing to our bags for the porter to pick up, we passed through customs, which was just a face recognition with no passports needed. She set us up outside at position 10 and we let our driver know. Within five minutes he arrived and after a smooth ride home, we were back in the house by about 9:45 AM. That’s one of the perks of coming back home to New Jersey. Another fabulous cruise!

SURVEY ITEMS

Disappointed that the Wine List by the glass is more restrictive than before with less choices available. For example, Mer Sole is missing as well as Villa Maria

Disappointed that the BBQ Ribs are no longer available at the Long Club Grill.

Sad to see the Biscuits and Gravy, and the Huevo Rancheros are no longer available in Luminae. We had to ask for bran muffins which apparently are no longer standard on the danish tray. 

Found the bedroom makeup area lighting in the Royal Suite weak. Additional lighting would have been helpful. Although we didn’t ask, perhaps a separate make up mirror with lights would’ve helped. 

In the Retreat, it would be exciting to see some variety regarding happy hour hors d’oeuvres on the bar. 10 days with the same food could be considered less innovative and a little boring. Rosie the bartender was very personable in the Retreat. 

Would like to compliment Stephan waiter in the Blu restaurant for personally taking charge seeing over my wife Randi’s allergies in a very positive way during the Zenith lunch. 

Our waiter, Carlo in Luminae has been fantastic, helpful and one of the best we’ve ever had. Marivic was so attentive with a beautiful smile. 

Our state room attendant, Komang also was fabulous. The job was always done efficiently, effortlessly and transparently. Tari, our butler, always delivered our standard order of coffee and almond croissants on time. 

Have you considered another way to reach the Retreat Sun Deck; perhaps an elevator rather than stairs, especially for wheelchairs. 

The four Concierges in the retreat are on top of their game. Each one solved problems efficiently and to our satisfaction. 

All the personnel in the Alcoves we’re very helpful. Baron and Katrina, Vladimer and

Donny should have special mention but they were all fabulous.

John in the Retreat will go far. He is that good.  

Suite Manager Giulio spent over an hour talking with us about everything. We enjoyed his company. 

THE END