Easy Access Travel was honored to be among the Travel Industry guests invited to sail on a two night pre-inaugural cruise on the newest member of Celebrity Cruise Line’s fleet, the Silhouette. We cruised out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ and had an opportunity to experience all that the ship has to offer. From the moment we stepped onboard, we were immersed in her modern sophistication and upscale luxury with public areas certain to please all tastes.
The Silhouette is part of Celebrity’s Solstice Class of Ships and joins Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse who have previously entered service. These ships have raised the bar in mass market cruising and have proven to be so popular that Celebrity is now in the process of “Solsticizing” other ships in the fleet so that they will also offer the special amenities found onboard Solstice Class ships. Celebrity Silhouette will carry 2886 guests at double occupancy but her flowing, spacious design will keep you from feeling crowded or overwhelmed by the other guests.
Celebrity Silhouette has strong appeal to a young at heart, tech savvy generation with its interactive T.V.’s and iLounge which offers Mac work stations and is an authorized seller of Apple products. All staterooms have wireless access which is a real boon to cruisers who need to stay connected! They will also enjoy the Martini Bar and Crush for vodka and caviar sampling and Quasar, the ship’s nightclub/disco with a space-age décor. There is a Napa inspired wine bar named Cellar Masters as well as Michael’s Club serving more than 60 international beers plus fine whiskey, scotch and cognac. You will be hard pressed to sample the many dining venues on a seven night cruise. Besides the stunning Grand Cuvee two-story main dining room and the spacious, well laid out Ocean View Café serving buffet meals three times a day, you have a choice of several high quality unique restaurants to dine at for an additional per person charge. At only $5.00 per person try Bistro on 5, a lovely Creperie serving soups, salads and, of course, crepes both main course and dessert. Nearby is a specialty coffee bar which also serves lovely pastries that you can enjoy in the comfort of plush high back chairs. Still hungry? Walk a few steps to the Gelato counter and indulge in one of the many available flavors. For true epicurean delights, make reservations at Tuscan Grille, an upscale steak and pasta restaurant, Qsine for an eclectic international menu, Murano to dine on continental cuisine in an elegant, romantic setting or Blu for light, healthy food which is mainly frequented by guests staying in one of the 130 Aqua Spa Suites reserved for adults only. Way up on deck 15 at the forward end of the Lawn Club is the Lawn Club Grill, an indoor-outdoor interactive restaurant where you can grill your own meats and seafood or make pizza with the help of Celebrity’s professional chefs! This is the one I want to try if I have the opportunity to cruise on Silhouette again.
Wheelchair Access onboard Celebrity Silhouette is outstanding! Celebrity takes pride in providing excellent service to all its guests with special needs offering a range of services beginning with embarkation assistance to accessible shore excursions in many ports. Services are available for hearing and visually impaired guests as well as those with mobility challenges. A lift is provided for the main pool but please note that this needs to be requested from one of the pool attendants as it is not left in place at all times. The wheelchair accessible staterooms are very spacious and allow access to the bed from either side. I’m happy to report that the beds were standard wheelchair height. The bathrooms were well equipped and planned out as always with the added addition of more storage space for toiletries, etc. They had a roll-in shower with fold down seat, hand-held shower head, several grab bars, emergency call button, roll under sink and plenty of turn around room for a wheelchair. The staterooms also have an emergency call button by the bed and the closets have lowered rods. Stateroom doors open and close automatically.
