Silhouette 112325 & 112925 B2B

Silhouette 6 night- Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and 8 night- Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, Back to Back in Sky Suite 2125. Cruise 66 and 67. Captain's Club points 4301. 

Master Dimitris Petras | Staff Captain Marios Flerianos | CD Mike Gibbons  |Housekeeping Sasha | Room steward Dado | Butler “Tona” Tonatiuh | F&B Melvis Afonso | HD Deborah Poortier, HD Nikola Moconja | Marketing Director Bianca | Xchef Nishikant Thakur |Maitre’d Luminae Tasos | Restaurant Host Anurag | Waiter Armando |alternate waiters Vinod, Robin | Assistant waiter Aslam |Wine Steward Likta | GRM Antoinette | Suite Manager Mario Manevski | Retreat Consierge Nathaniel | Retreat Bartender Lorena, Rosie | Cleaner Jack from Mozambique | Servers in Retreat Amadou, Auggo.

Day 0 FLL

Although getting up at 1:30am sounds a bit early, since we got to bed early the night before, we were raring to go. Everything this morning went like clockwork. Our driver

showed up early and we made it to JFK in less than 60 minutes. It was a pleasure to have the Delta skycaps right there curbside, taking our bags. Once in the terminal, we proceeded through priority boarding and right up to the TSA security desk. That was a breeze at least for me. Randi got her usual pat down. Once past TSA, the Centurion lounge was visible and when it opened at 5 o’clock we went in. We chilled out and poured some coffee and oatmeal and relaxed almost until boarding time. Boarding the aircraft was also a pleasure. Our 7AM flight left on time. We had some yogurt and croissant on board and we landed early. We didn’t have to wait very long for our bags to magically appear at the luggage carousel. Just out the door to the left was the taxi stand where we got a SUV taxi to carry our six bags. The first stop was at Publix at Cordova Road to get our coffee creamers. Randi ran in and described the experience like she was on supermarket sweep, dashing for her creamers. Once back, we continued to the Ritz

Carlton on Fort Lauderdale Beach. I guess we got there about 11 o’clock and with the help of Diego at the front desk, we were able to check in right away. Monte took our bags up to the room and pre-

scheduled a taxi and bag pick up for the next day. We pre-planned meeting our friends, Eilene and Dan for lunch. Just as Randi was texting Eilene they magically appeared however Randi was texting the wrong Eileen, our neighbor, and asking her when she was gonna arrive. lol! Lunch was very nice with Dan and Eilene. We caught up on old times and new times at Con Murphy pub. After lunch we sat and reminisced in the hotel lobby until they excused themselves because they had a Peter Lemonjello

show to see that evening at their complex. We went back to the room and almost immediately fell out into a two hour nap. We decided to experience at least some of the nightlife in Lauderdale so we went

down to the Burlock Coast restaurant in the hotel and ordered a bottle of DAOU Cabernet. They have an interesting way of serving this wine. It is kegged like a beer and they poured into a carafe from a tap to serve

it. Mr. K. from Bulgaria was our server. We wound up ordering three things on the menu, a charcuterie board, which was delicious and old bay shrimp and a fish and chips platter. However, we were both full after the first two, so we canceled the fish and chips. After a very relaxing couple of hours on the restaurant’s deck having wine and apps, we took a stroll up the boulevard, which was noticeably very sparsely populated as compared to past trips. After a nice walk, we returned and slowly walked back to our room, where we called it a night. I was up for a couple of hours after 2 AM and during that time I was thinking if there was enough ice on the creamers, which there wasn’t, so I called room service to deliver some ice at about four in the morning. Once done, I was fell asleep until about 7 AM.

Day 1 FLL

We went down to the same restaurant for breakfast since it was comped by AMEX. Laurel, our server was very pleasant to begin our morning. Breakfast was good and we went back to the room to chill out before our cab ride to the port. Usually a quick drive, there was quite a bit of traffic on the road, getting into the port, and a delay, entering the port itself. However, once through the delay, we breezed to the luggage drop off

area at terminal 29. Boarding was easy even though there was a coast guard inspection boarding delay. Later we found that they scored 100 on the inspection. We dropped our bags in the room, unpacked our carry-ons and picked up our stateroom keys. We met our room attendant, Dado, and proceeded to get our devices hooked up at the I-lounge. Next

we headed to Luminae for welcome aboard wine and Bronzino lunch. I had the borscht short rib soup which was delicious. We saw Armando a past waiter for us and Randi told our Maitre’d, Tasos, we would like to have

him as our waiter. There were not many other crew-members in Luminae that we knew from the past, except another waiter, Vinod. Onward to the Retreat to relax and chill out. Lorena was our bartender who we knew from a previous cruise on the Silhouette. She was there with smiles and welcomes. Anurag introduced himself to us as the restaurant host. He said call, if we want to make any specialty reservations. We met a nice couple to talk with. She was also wearing a G7. While talking we found out she was a family practice doctor. They live in Florida.

 

Later, we checked, but our bags were not by the door yet so we just chilled inside. Soon they arrived and we had them unpacked in a flash. we are pros. After getting dressed for dinner, we noticed

that the new Celebrity Xcel was also sailing away this afternoon. We walked the ship, checked out the stores and Randi found a casino machine that didn’t do her any justice. One of the store keepers came out and said better to try it on the third and fourth day. Probably good advice. We also fell for the art auction welcome

aboard raffle, but didn’t win. We parked in the Retreat for pre-dinner wine served by Amadou, from West Africa. Dinner in Luminae was very good. We both enjoyed the duck and a Caesar salad. We previously saw the show "Life" so we skipped it and headed back to the Retreat to chill out before bedtime. We talked with Jack for a bit. He is a cleaner in the housekeeping department and is from Madagascar.

Day 2 Key West

I had enough sleep by 5 AM and stayed in bed watching some TV. Randi woke up somewhere after six and I went to get us some coffee which we enjoyed on the deck as

we sailed into Key West. Very much looking forward to exploring Key West once again as it is one of our favorite ports.

We stopped at Kenos to get some locally made sandals and stopped in other stores. In one store we bought a shirt. In another trinket store, we bought a sign to hang up on our deck.

It wasn’t too hot and it was very nice out, but it was a very long walk so we took a break and grabbed a water and Gatorade, and sat on the bench before going back to the ship.

We walked over 12,000 steps. Our path was all the way up Duval Street and back on Whitehall. Next time I would go up and down Duval since it is more interesting. We headed back to the cabin to freshen up,

and headed to sushi so Randi could have her double dumplings. I also had dumpling appetizer and spicy tuna shrimp tempura roll. Then went to deck 5 lounge chairs with a cool breeze. Too

cool for Randi, so we headed back to our stateroom deck on the sunny side. Later, we went to the theater and were escorted to our seats to see mentalist, Edwin Todd. He was extremely good and

fascinating. He thought of phrases that people were thinking of and made one person think of a phrase that he was thinking of. Outstanding! Later, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in Luminae. Randi had a nice lamb loin and I

had a delicious Seabass with the side of pasta arrabbiata. We listened to some music in the ensemble lounge and also in the grand foyer and then said good night.

Day 3 Sea

Another beautiful day on the high seas, which were not actually high at all. Armando served up an enjoyable breakfast in Luminae. At 10AM,

we attended our scheduled, future cruise meeting in the Retreat and wound up booking a 14 night Norway cruise in Summer 2027 up to the Arctic Circle. Something quite different for us. On the way out we got talking to two guys who were guests at a wedding held today, attorney, Shane, and former Doctor turned writer Gray Taylor. Randi already downloaded Gray’s book called Baker Lake. When we came out a nice gentleman, we didn’t not know, Pastor Roy, asked what was behind the door called the Retreat? We went on to explain what it was all about. Next

was the Captain’s Club welcome aboard party. When we arrived, there was only one seat left because a lady was holding a seat for somebody else. I stood and Randi sat. Shortly thereafter, a concierge

came over and brought me a chair which was very nice, but the lady that was holding a chair should not have been doing so since they were holding it for non-Zenith member. The Captain, the

Cruise Director and the Captain’s Club Concierge spoke. Chet and Carol were honored with over 7000 points. It was a very nice party. Lunch was in Luminae. Randi had a nice stirfry and I had the Cobb salad with ranch, which was delicious. Just next to us we met Jon and Nancy from Ontario Canada about to be Zenith and shared many similar views on

how the Captain’s  Club rules have broken down since Royals have been added to the mix. Randi and then I split up. She went to the casino. I went to deck five to watch the waves. This evening’s main event was the Officer’s soirée in the Retreat. The Chief Engineer was there along with the Captain and

we were able to get a picture with him. We also sat at a table of four with Nancy and John. We shared some of our cruising stories hints and tricks. When they left, we

snapped a picture with the Retreat Manager, Mario. He was very visible. personable and helpful through out the cruise. Tonight's dinner was at the Lawn Club Grill, which was very nice but a bit breezy. Randi

had a ribeye steak and I had the marinated red snapper. It was all very good. We stopped at the Grand Foyer to get a good Christmas picture by the tree and also passed by the Retreat to say good night and headed back to our stateroom for a well deserved rest.

Day 4 Grand Cayman

Today we were in Grand Cayman, but decided to stay on the ship primarily because this is a tender port we’ve visited many times. Relaxation was the order of the day. After a nice breakfast in

Luminae, we split up. I went to the meditation relaxation session in the sky lounge, and Randi went to read in the Retreat where I met her later. We stayed for a while before

going to the Retreat sundeck in the shade where we read and relaxed.  When lunchtime came, Randi had the turkey caesar wrap with a Sauvignon Blanc, and I had a burger with a corona. Life is good!

Dinner in Luminae was short ribs and tuna. Back then to the Retreat where I tried rabbit hole bourbon whiskey which was very good.

Day 5 Cozumel

It’s nice to be on a cruise ship for Thanksgiving. All the celebration with no mess. After breakfast, we went to future cruises to firm up that temporary booking and found that we saved $200 for the black Friday event. Then

we passed the time reading on deck five, the life boat deck. Although we arrived at Cozumel at about 11am we decided to wait for the crowds to disperse and

disembarked at about 12:30 where we easily disembarked and walked through the terminal area shops and the pain-in-the-neck vendors. I purchased a bottle of 1800 tequila and then

we walked back to the ship for lunch at Sushi on Five. We did a little reading in the room and then headed to the Retreat to relax. Thanksgiving turkey dinner was available. It was our choice. 

After dinner, we went to the ensemble lounge to listen to some nice folk music, Jim Croce style. Nice and relaxing and a good way to end the day.

Day 6 Sea

I brought back some coffee from the Oceanview Cafe but it wasn’t too warm nor too tasty but breakfast was in Luminae. I had apple pancakes with pork sausage. Yum! Randi went to the casino and I

went to Captain Club Concierge to find out about requirements for burial at sea. First they insist you must be deceased and have a death certificate to prove it. Second you must provide a certificate of

cremation and third you must provide proof that the urn is biodegradable. A call to the shoreside Concierge prior, will alert them of the planned event. Once on board you present all paperwork to front desk or chief Concierge. The environmental officer will advise a date and time in international waters that ceremony will occur. It can include music, flowers, poetry, and words spoken by family or crew. The ship will advise the exact location and time of the urn drop. The location coordinates will be provided to loved ones as a remembrance. Next was the

Captain’s talk about ship navigation and secrets with Staff Captain Mario. It was one of the best talks that I’ve heard. The presentation had great graphics, facts, secrets and comedy all in one. Very interesting! Following that was the Zenith lunch.

Kristina, the Captain’s Club Concierge was the host. At our table was Captain and Hotel Director Deborah. It was a nice lunch; lamb chops for Randi, mushroom risotto for me. 

Kristina impressively introduced everyone in the room by name who sat at each of the three tables. Back to the Retreat to chill out. Afterward in Luminae and on Armando’s recommendation we had two delicious filet minions.

Day 7 Turnaround Day

Didn’t sleep well at all. Finally got up at 7. After breakfast in

Luminae we went back to Retreat. Nathaniel was there as always to great us. We waited to be escorted to 9am Customs. We left the retreat at almost 930 and returned just after 10. Tried to get the Wi-Fi

connected but we had to go back to the I-lounge to have him manually do the second device each. In the Retreat we found Rosie, a bartender that we knew from a previous ship. Soon it was time for Luminae lunch, lobster roll, no roll for me and Sirloin for Randi. Our table neighbors were Rich and Marie from Sarasota Fl. My understanding wife knew

that I needed to get some sleep from a bad sleep last night so we took a nice two hour nap. After freshening up we headed to the Retreat to visit Rosie. We got to 

the Comedy show early. Darrell Joyce was pretty funny. Dinner was next in Luminae. Randi ordered Cod and I had the Butternut Squash spinach lasagna it was good but rich. For entertainment after dinner we went to deck 14 in the Sky

lounge and saw two shows, Truth or False and Finish the Song. They were fun to watch.

Day 8 Sea

After breakfast we walked a bit then split. I went to the open deck to write and Randi to the casino. After her contribution, we chilled out, reading in the Ensemble lounge. Lunch was excellent in

Luminae. Tasos, the restaurant Maitre'd was there to greet us. Randi had the Cod. I had the salmon, soft and tender in a delicious sauce. We wound up napping before meeting the

Captain again in the Retreat. Antoinette, GRM was also there along with two female officers, Chief Housekeeper and Assistant Revenue Manager. We passed on the “Broadway” production show as

we’ve seen it in the past. In the Retreat I tried Bumbu rum from Jamaica. It was pretty good! For dinner in Luminae, Randi had the red snapper and I ordered from the Daniel Boulud menu starting with the chilled corn soup and for an entrée, the duck leg confit “char siu,” I can describe as apricot sweet and

spicy with some Indian herbs. It was very delicious. The clocks moved ahead tonight. Randi suggested getting to sleep early to be on track for tomorrow. I agreed.

Day 9 Sea

Got up at 815, "new time" and went for a continental breakfast in the Retreat. There’s lot happening today.   We went to the

Captain’s club repeater party and sat with the other Zenith members. Mike, the Cruise Director lead off the festivities.

The Captain recognized the same top cruisers from last sailing. It was a nice get together and then we hurried to the

Blu restaurant, where the Zenith lunch was occurring and again hosted by Captain's Club Concierge, Kristina. There were three tables.

Here is a picture of our table. I had delicious branzino in an incredible sauce. Randi had the lamb chops again. We were honored to be seated with the Captain

and the Hotel Director Nikola. We both enjoyed his conversation and candidness. He was willing to talk about almost anything.

We also sat across from Alan from the UK. Not having a shot of him at the table, here he is in another venue. And next

to him was Brian Gold, from Thornhill Ontario, who unfortunately lost his wife in February. This is a picture of Brian from another event. Conversation was not a problem at this table.  When we finished, Randi went to the casino and I

went to listen to the band in the center foyer. They were very good. I was resting in the room when she returned and said she won! Her strategy was play a machine, win and move on to the next, then repeat. Back in the Retreat we talked a bit to Mario and Nathaniel. In Luminae I had pork loin. We had a nice conversation with Vicky and Michelle sitting next to us.

Day 10 Curacao

Welcome to Curacao! After breakfast in Luminae we set out for a walk through the port area and then up to and

across the Queen bridge that swings open. It was a comfortable walk with a lot of steps and when we got back it was time for

Sushi on 5. After a nice lunch, we went back to chill in the room. Cocktail hour was next in the Retreat and we each had chicken dinners in Luminae. Entertainment time was a game show in Skylounge with Alan as our Captain. Extremely smart, he

guessed correctly all 20 elements of the periodic table- a perfect score. Next was the Liars club in Celebrity Central. We may have seen this for the last time also.

Day 11 Bonaire

I was up and showered and sitting on our deck when Randi awoke. After a Luminae breakfast, we took a long hot walk pier side. 

Lunch was up on the Retreat sun deck. Turkey bacon wrap for Randi and and turkey burger for me. We fell

asleep on a lounge. After freshening up we went to the Retreat to see Rosie.

Randi ordered a chocolate martini and I had a monkey shoulder whiskey which has a smoky flavor. 

Our Murano dinner was next and delicious with tomato caprese and goat cheese soufflé to start.

Gete, our waiter prepared the lobster table-side and the Chateaubriand's that

we shared. It was delicious!! We skipped the cheese serving and had dessert, caffe latte bar croquant with fig and apricot and for Randi sorbet and gelato. Next we went the

Ensemble lounge to listen to the quartet but all the delicious food put us under the covers. I just want to end Bonaire with today's beautiful site!

Day 12 Aruba

Randi had an issue with her sensor that we fixed when we got up. Had a nice breakfast served by Robin this morning since Armando was in a disembarkation meeting. He was getting ready to go home to the

Philippines the same day we’re leaving. He would leave Sunday and plans to be home 6pm Tuesday. After breakfast we disembarked but realized we had a longer walk because this was not our “normal” pier. We walked

through the souvenir shops and up to the Renaissance Hotel where we did a lot of looking but no buying. We also stopped in Boolchands to take a first look for a replacement camera. We were shown a Canon G7X for $1200 but I needed to research more. On the way back we planned to get some munchkins

for Dado but they had none and had only large donuts with icing which would not make it back to the ship without melting. We chilled on the deck until lunch at Sushi. Later we stopped by the Retreat for happy hour

and we got to see one of the most beautiful sunsets ever with orange and gold rays on a blue sky background. There was also going to be a new blood moon event if there were no clouds so we went up to the Sunset

Bar for a moon viewing vantage. Randi ordered a Hugo spritz but was disappointed as it wasn’t like Rosie’s. After seeing the cloud obstructed moon and seeing we

were having a Hugo Spritz emergency, we went back to see Rosie. Ahh Hugo perfection! Dinner in Luminae was a udon dish for me and short ribs for Randi. After some post dinner entertainment in the ensemble lounge with the duo, we called it a night, but what a night it was. Around 2:30 in the morning Randi wasn’t feeling good and was sick. It wasn’t a full-blown onion allergy attack, but it was bad enough. Afterward, I was up for a while, but finally was able to shut off.

Day 13 Sea

Better, after a not-so-good night, we are headed to Luminae and mentioned to the maître'd the problem. Always receptive, he tried to find out anything he could. Breakfast was

good and then we split up for the casino and me to deck five. Randi lost but I won since I only wrote and read. No money lost. We got some

change, envelopes and an attention to detail card to positively review Jack, a cleaner. We put our tips together and went for a chicken and branzino

lunch in Luminae. We relaxed on the deck. The Retreat planned a special show with mentalist, Edwin Todd. The show

probably lasted 45 minutes and he performed one amazing feet after another. He used sleight of hand and magic and mental

conjuring. This evening we saw the-not-often-seen "green flash" at the very end of the sunset. I was lucky to capture as it only lasted about half a second. 

We had a nice dinner in Luminae. The crew set up another winter Christmas scene in the grand foyer. Very pretty!

Day 14 Sea

We had a good night’s sleep, and we got an extra hour because the clocks changed forward from the previous night. Randi almost lit the menorah! After breakfast we went back to the stateroom to pack the

bags which went rather smoothly. Then we split with Randi going back to win some money in the casino, and I went to a lecture on the Florida Everglades. I printed our boarding passes at guest relations and checked

into our flight tomorrow on Delta at 11:19 AM. Also I printed an invoice of our cruise. Next was lunch in Luminae. Randi ordered lobster roll no onions no roll. I had Cobb salad. Key lime pie was for dessert. Missed it in

Key West so it was especially delicious. I walked around taking various pictures of the ship while Randi visited the casino. Next I went to a lecture on the

Everglades. All Randi’s hard work paid off in the casino as she won again. We changed and headed to the Retreat and afterwards to Luminae where we had an amuse-

bouche ham and cheese to start. Randi enjoyed the Turbot and I the spicy sausage with the Buccianti. Early wake up, so early evening.

Day 15 FLL

We were up at 6 and were at breakfast by 630, this time served by Vinod, since Armando was busy doing some last minute packing.

Aslam, the assistant also wanted to say goodbye. He always brought us anything we needed including pastries in the morning that we did not need! We headed to the

Retreat by 715 and exited the ship by 740. This was by far one of the poorest showings with luggage on the pier. The baggage was not in place yet so we were corralled on the side. When it finally was ready, it was in a relatively small area with no space to walk in and get around. When we eventually gathered all our baggage, there were no porters in sight. Randi was looking on one side and I was on the other. Finally a porter came, picked up the baggage and moved us through Customs in no time. Originally heading for a taxi we opted for shuttle van at $11 per person. More traffic at airport but we got to the terminal at 820 and we’re sitting for our 11:19 flight by 9am only to find out we were delayed till noon. We

finally took off at 12:20, headed for JFK. The ride had some turbulence but nothing dramatic. Upon landing at JFK, it’s a good 15 minute walk to the baggage claim area. Retrieving our bags was not as simple as in Florida, where we received them in minutes. Here, it took a good 20 minutes to get our bags if not more. Our next chore was the contact and find our driver. We strapped up the bags and loaded them into the elevator to level four where the parking area was and then he pulled up. His name was Mark also. The ride home wasn’t terrible with about 10 minutes of traffic. We were in the house somewhere between 530 and 6, and headed to Absolute Thai to have a quick meal before bedtime as Randi had to work the next day. All in all, nothing beats a cruise. We are now fully booked spring summer and fall through November 2027. Email me back for more details if you would like to join us.

On the Survey...

Positive

By the midpoint of our cruise, the ship looked beautiful trimmed with Christmas decorations, all around, including a winter wonderland in the area between the elevator banks along the grand foyer. Credit I assume would go to housekeeping department.

The ship was in wonderful shape, the food was outstanding, and so were the crew.

Crew mentions

• Sherwin in Sushi on 5 took good care of us.
• Waiter Armando simply was outstanding.
• Aslam would always have everything on hand for us and more.
• Room steward Dado I believe was the best room attendant we’ve ever had.
• Butler Tari helped by finding a makeup mirror
• Cleaner Jack, with his big smile was always a delight to talk with.
• Rosie the Retreat bartender made the best drinks on the ship hands down
• Likta made the job of wine sommelier look so easy in Luminae.
• Nathaniel Retreat Concierge handled the job exquisitely. He was the only Concierge working the room, where in the past I’ve seen a team of four.
• Kristina, the Captain’s Club Concierge was the host at the Zenith lunch. Kristina impressively introduced everyone in the room by name who sat at each of the three tables.
• Mario Retreat Manager was extremely visible and helpful to all his guests, possibly more than any other Retreat Manager.
• Entertainer Edwin Todd- He was extremely wonderful and fascinating. He thought of phrases that people were thinking of and made one person think of a phrase that he was thinking of. Then later he had an even better show in the Retreat. Outstanding!

Negative

Quoting below from the Celebrity Cruises website regarding evening dress code:

AT NIGHT

SMART CASUAL

Smart Casual attire is required for entry to main dining, specialty dining, and the Celebrity Theatre. Smart Casual means you look comfortable yet tasteful in a dress, skirt, long pants, or jean, and stylish top or button-down. Shorts and flip flops are not considered Smart Casual.

EVENING CHIC

Each itinerary features one to two “formal” nights we call Evening Chic. Evening Chic means you dress to impress, glamorous and sophisticated in your own way, with a cocktail dress, skirt, slacks, or designer jean, an elegant dress top or blazer—some guests even pack a tuxedo or gown for onboard photos. The Daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the correct attire each evening. If you do not wish to participate in Evening Chic, Smart Casual attire is acceptable for dining and theater

• The posted dress code did not stop some men from entering the main dining room throughout the cruise in shorts, baseball caps, and other inappropriate evening wear. Is it possible for Celebrity Cruises to mandate ship personnel to redirect those people not in compliance to dine at the Ocean View Cafe instead?
• The mens’ bathroom attendants did a great job in keeping the bathrooms clean. However, I believe that the air exchangers in certain mens’ rooms may need to be overhauled to improve removal what seems to be urine odors.
• Lastly, as Zenith Captain’s club members, we’ve sailed a lot of cruises. We’ve also sailed many times back to terminal 29 in Fort Lauderdale. This was by far one of the poorest disembarkations on the pier. The baggage was not in place yet, so we were corralled alongside the wall. When it finally was ready, it was in a relatively small area available, with relatively no space to walk in and get around. When we eventually gathered all our baggage, there were no porters in sight. Randi was looking on one side and I was on the other. Finally, one came, picked up the baggage and moved us through Customs in no time. I realize this may be out of Celebrity's hands, but the experience is usually excellent, and this time it was not.