Cruise Ship Review: Feeling Like a Celebrity Onboard the Silhouette!
This Celebrity Silhouette Review refers to our trip taken in May/June 2023 from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords.
When we first started looking for our first ever cruise to visit the Norwegian Fjords, I had no idea what to look for in a cruise company. I popped “Norwegian Fjords Cruise” into my old friend Google and prepared to sift through the countless options. But Celebrity Cruises was one of the first that caught my eye. The itinerary, dates and price all seemed right. So I put away my planning notebook, closed the spreadsheet and took the plunge.
With no other cruise lines to compare to, we were able to enjoy the little Celebrity touches that made us feel special. And after a recent $75m refurbishment, this 12 year old ship felt as fresh as a daisy.
Easy Embarkation
Having travelled down to Southampton the day before, we only had to worry about travelling the short journey from a city Travelodge rather than facing the Bank Holiday traffic from Birmingham. Mr Fletche had booked parking at the port via AB Parking; around £120 for the week. We found the well-signposted car park easily and Mr Fletche was guided into a space by a host of staff. Within seconds of getting out of the car our suitcases were whisked away by porters, to be security-scanned and delivered to our stateroom. I worried about the seemingly flimsy luggage tags but they held firm throughout.
Having never cruised before, we were unsure what the check-in and embarkation process would entail. We had done most of the check-in admin on the Celebrity app beforehand. We’d uploaded photos for identification, answered all the health questions, and downloaded our boarding passes. A relay team of Celebrity Cruise staff handed us off from one member to another. We passed through security (similar to an airport), passport control and then finally onto the ship itself. Our selected check-in time was 12:30, but having arrived a little early (well, an hour early) we were pleasantly surprised to be onboard and gathered at our muster point to confirm safety guidance by midday. All in all, it took about half an hour from parking the car to stepping onboard. Much quicker than an airport!
We grab our Sea Passes from outside our State Room, and head straight to the Deck 14 Mast Bar for a glass of bubbly in the Southampton sunshine. Our check-in was easy, efficient, and a great start to our holiday!
Our Inside Stateroom
We decided not to splash out on a balcony cabin, which I do regret slightly as I ended up having to do a dishevelled dash outside for the early morning sail-ins, pulling on all my layers as I went. But at the same time, I enjoyed the camaraderie of the bleary-eyed 5:30am helipad sail-in to Olden. I just would have rather done it in my pyjamas. Our inside stateroom was a forward cabin on Deck 8, and I felt this was a great location as we experienced no noise from the public areas. Our closest elevators whisked us straight up to the Sky Lounge, or down to the Theatre. And close to our favourite lounging spot on sea days, the Hideaway.
Our stateroom was surprisingly roomy, with twin beds, a large wardrobe, a sofa (which naturally became a dumping ground for our clothes), flat-screen TV, a kettle for our morning cuppa, and a private bathroom. No windows meant no risk of sleep disturbance due to the late sunset/early sunrise; in fact our room was wonderfully dark. Celebrity actually have some of the largest inside cabins. The bathroom was small, but had a surprising amount of storage thanks to a glass-fronted wall-mounted shelf unit.
One thing that we wasn’t aware of beforehand was that – on Celebrity Silhouette anyway – odd number staterooms are on the port side of the ship, and even numbers on the starboard side. Which led to some confusion when trying to track down Ma and Pa Lee’s room.
The waterfall in the bathroom
Of course, it’s not all perfect. Mr Fletche notices a drip from our shower on the day we arrive. Our ever helpful room attendant makes note and promises that maintenance will visit when we are out the next morning. We return from Bruges and maintenance have indeed visited. Where there was once a drip, there is now a veritable gush. A towel has handily been placed in the shower tray to “help”. The towel is now sodden. The ever helpful room attendant smiles and promises that maintenance will visit. I’m getting a faint sense of de ja vu. We came to Norway to see amazing bodies of water, but didn’t expect to have one pooling in our bathroom.
Mr Fletche seizes hold of the situation. We pay a visit to Guest Relations. He thrusts a video towards them of the now incessant deluge which has threatened to disturb two nights sleep. Guest Relations are very apologetic. Maintenance will pay a visit. Where have we heard that before? Thankfully, this time it is actually fixed. And we receive onboard credit (for a future cruise) as compensation.
Lounging Around
Sea days mean finding the perfect spot to relax and enjoy everything the Celebrity Silhouette has to offer. Our favourite spot was The Hideaway. I was particularly fond of the funky egg chairs where one could curl up and sleep like a little kitten. It’s also handy for Cafe Al Bacio for a takeaway coffee and an endless supply of cookies. Just below the Hideaway is the Library, another ideal spot for relaxing.
The Celebrity Silhouette has two huge swimming pools, one outdoors (surprisingly busy at all hours considering we were sailing into increasingly cooler temperatures) and an incredible indoor solarium which is beautifully lit at night. Each lounger had a carefully folded towel, and there were plenty of areas where you could grab as many towels as you need.
There’s plenty of comfy outdoor seating, not only the loungers around the pool deck but particularly around the Sunset Bar. Sadly, a Norwegian cruise means that the weather isn’t always suitable for al fresco relaxation.
Cafe Al Bacio
This coffee shop and gelateria became one of our favourite spots. Not least because there were always complimentary cookies and decadent desserts available. I highly recommend the sugar-free peanut butter cookies if you’re trying to practice a little restraint in between meals. With our Classic package (see more about this below) most coffees and teas were included. Including some wonderful “Speciality” coffees, with a little added alcoholic extra.
There’s a second Bacio in the Oceanview Cafe which is perfect for a takeaway coffee on those early morning sail-ins.
Dining Around
Of course, you all want to hear about the food right? And it didn’t disappoint on the Celebrity Silhouette. From the main dining room to the more casual vibe of the Oceanview Café, and the al fresco Mast Grill for excellent burgers, there was always so much choice without paying for any of the specialist dining options. There’s even complimentary room service (tray fee of $9.95 applies).
Oceanview Cafe
We tended to stick to the buffet at the Oceanview Cafe for breakfast and lunch – and even one evening when we fancied something a little more casual. Honestly, it was one of the best buffet selections I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think I opted for the same thing twice. Cuisine from all around the world was showcased, and I can’t imagine anyone not finding something delicious. Vegetarians and vegans were catered for, and there was a large sugar-free/gluten-free choice which were certainly not taste-free. The Oceanview is also open between main mealtimes for snacks, and there’s even a late-night buffet if you get the munchies! It was sometimes a challenge to find a seat, and we often found ourselves walking round two or three times. But buffets tend to have a quick turnaround so we never had to wait too long.
The Grand Cuvee Main Dining Room
Our main dining room was the Grand Cuvee with it’s entrance on Deck 3. We were surprised on the first night to find a huge queue outside at our allotted 8:30pm dining time. Once the doors were opened, each group of passengers were shown to the table which would be theirs for the entire cruise. Our table was in the very first section so we missed out on sitting under the sparkling chandelier but it was a great location. We were a table away from the window, but this table was only occupied once during the week so I felt like we almost always have uninterrupted sea views whilst eating.
There was a different a la carte menu each night, although some classic dishes remained on the menu throughout. I enjoyed sampling different foods and almost every dish was delicious. We dined at the Grand Cuvee on five out of the seven nights onboard.
Speciality Dining ($)
There are a number of other speciality restaurants onboard the Celebrity Silhouette. These can be booked pre-cruise, or reservations can be made onboard. They do book up quickly though so pre-booking is recommended. The restaurants range from fine dining to specialist cuisines like sushi or French – there’s even the immersive Le Petit Chef which has 3D animated characters dancing around your plate!
Mr Fletche and I sadly missed out on booking a romantic dinner for two at The Porch seafood restaurant, but as a family we enjoyed an Italian steakhouse feast at the Tuscan Grille. It was definitely the nicest meal we had and would have been worth a splurge even if we hadn’t been able to use our onboard credit. My only complaint would be how dark the restaurant was, despite been at the aft of the ship with huge windows – dark wood and low lighting made reading the menu difficult for aging eyes!
Our Classic Drinks Package
Each bar had it’s own drinks menu, which could also be found on the Celebrity app. Some of the offerings and prices do change bar by bar, which is worth knowing if you want to stick to drinks within your package. When you purchase a drink from the bar, you hand over your SeaPass and this is logged on your account.
We included the Classic Beverage Package when we booked, giving us access to soft drinks, tea, coffee and non-premium brand alcoholic drinks (including cocktails) up to $12. We would often have a premium package drink ($12+); the difference is added to your account to settle at the end of the cruise. Bottles of wine aren’t included, but there is a discount. Prices are shown on the bar menu but it doesn’t indicate what drinks fall within your package; the bar staff usually let us know where they might be an additional charge.
There is a Premium Package which includes all drinks, but we found the Classic was perfect for us. If you decide not to opt for a drinks package, you will find that prices are expensive. I never worked out drink by drink what we would have spent to see whether it would have been value for money purchasing the package but I liked the freedom of not having to worry about that bar bill at the end of the cruise.
This helpful blog post from Emma Cruises has a full list of what’s included in the Classic Drinks Package on Celebrity Silhouette. Emma was my go-to resource on all things cruise-related!
Nightlife
The Celebrity Silhouette has a theatre which spans three decks at the front of the ship. I imagined the entertainment would be a bit “holiday camp” (no disrespect – we’ve seen some ace holiday camp entertainment). Which meant that I wasn’t prepared for the sheer professionalism of some of the shows. We gave the magician a swerve as that’s not our bag, but the two shows which featured talented aerobatics were an absolute thrill, and there was an excellent rock/musical theatre band called Rebel that I would have paid good money to see. In fact they went down so well with the audience that they put on a second unscheduled show later in the week.
There are 12 bars and lounges scattered around the Celebrity Silhouette. Our favourite bar was the mid-deck Passport Bar on Deck 3 – handy for the main dining room and the entertainment in the Grand Foyer. The Sunset Bar on Deck 12 is perfect when the weather is fine. And we spent a lot of time in the Sky Lounge. It has a whiff of social club during the day. And office Christmas party by night. Everyone gives everyone else the side eye the next morning at the breakfast buffet, wondering how much they embarrassed themselves on the dance floor the night before.
Silence is golden
And we can’t talk about the dancefloor without talking about the silent disco. There were two silent disco events during our cruise. The first was held in the aforementioned Sky Lounge. We didn’t participate that night, although it was lots of fun playing “Guess the Song” from the tuneless strains belted out by our fellow guests. The second event was held in the Grand Foyer; this time I made sure we were all headphoned up to the hilt. I wasn’t a fan of the green channel which seemed to be playing primarily Ed Sheeran, but I flicked between the funk/disco/80s blue channel and the more dancey red channel. Did I sing like no-one could hear me? Yes, I did. After all, I have the voice of an angel. If you’ve never taken part in a silent disco I can thoroughly recommend.
The Celebrity Silhouette also has a cinema which doubles up as a comedy venue. And we soon found ourselves $20 down, lured in by the flashing lights of the casino. We found the table minimums to be quite high for us casual gamblers, so we didn’t get to recreate that winning feeling that we had (briefly) in Vegas.
A little bit about the Celebrity Silhouette
Compared to some cruise ships, the Celebrity Silhouette is relatively small, taking just under 3000 passengers. I think all of them may have been in the queue at the buffet. She’s 12 years old, but went through a major refurbishment in 2020, bringing a few more up-to-date modifications. She’s sophisticated, but not stuffy. A little like me. Playful, rather than pretentious.
Celebrity Cruises are actually the sister brand to Royal Caribbean, but Celebrity focuses on smaller ships, retaining the luxury, almost akin to a floating boutique hotel. It’s a child-friendly ship but Celebrity Silhouette feels like she’s aimed at adults rather than families. There’s plenty of nightlife but it’s not party central. In fact the on-board “nightclub” Quasar never seemed to have anyone in it. Or maybe we were just too early to bed to appreciate it.
The little Celebrity Silhouette touches
From the moment we stepped onboard I was impressed by all the little luxury touches. The thoughtful little gifts. The chocolate on the pillow. The hot chocolate served as we returned to the ship after a day onshore. And is that a real tree growing in the atrium? Apparently so. And it’s also real grass on the top deck, although sadly its a restricted area for those purchasing a cabana for the day. Who’d have thought that a cruise ship would have to employ gardeners on their crew?
Do you want to read about my most recent cruise experience? You can find all my thoughts on sailing the Mediterranean on P&O Arvia here!
The Costs
We opted for an inside stateroom; we were located on Deck 8 towards the front of the ship on the portside. The basic stateroom cost was £898.00 per person. We added on the “All-Included” package, which includes the Classic Beverage Package, wi-fi on one device per guest and all gratuities – all things which can easily add up quickly on a cruise. This took our total to £1488pp. Celebrity were offering a heavy discount on the second guest which meant that our total for two was £1994.00.
Our booking also included $100 onboard credit per person. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what that meant before we boarded; however if we had pre-booked any ship excursions then we could have used our credit to purchase. We used our credit mainly on drinks that weren’t included on our Classic Beverage Package, and for a meal at one of the speciality dining restaurants. None of us spent over our $100 credit so there was no bill for us to settle at the end of the cruise!
Final thoughts
If Celebrity cruise ships are my benchmark, then future cruises are going to have a very high bar to beat. Every single aspect of the cruise exceeded expectations, not least the Celebrity Silhouette herself. From the exceptional food and excellent entertainment and activities programme, to the surprisingly spacious stateroom and impeccable staff, everything about the Silhouette was wonderfully shipshape.
