Live at Sea: Celebrity Silhouette Day 3 Summary & Oceanview Stateroom Tour (#7101)

Welcome back to Live at Sea. For more timely updates and photos, follow @travstrat on Twitter.  You can also check out the full set of photos, videos, and menus from onboard in my Dropbox folder.

Live at Sea: Celebrity Silhouette Day 3 Summary & Oceanview Stateroom Tour

Today we arrived a bit later than scheduled in San Juan.  After yesterday’s lesson about morning gym crowds, I went back to my normal afternoon workout.  It was shortly thereafter than we watched the sail into San Juan from our stateroom.  So, I’ll spend a bit more time in today’s post covering our stateroom and views.

Oceanview Stateroom - Your Tiny Home ay Sea

Our stateroom, number 7101, is a forward facing oceanview (category 7 for the experts).  That essentially means it’s at the front of the ship and has a window, but no balcony, that looks out over the very front of the ship.  That’s also where the ship’s helipad is located, which means when guests are on the helipad they are in full view (and so are you).  Guests tend to only be on the helipad when VIPs (e.g. top tier cruisers, special groups, etc) are offered to watch the sail into or out of port from the helipad.

This type of oceanview room has some differences vs. traditional oceanview rooms.  First, the window is on a diagonal angle.  It’s like a cross between a window and a skylight, but at eye level. As a result, there is a portion of floor space/ square footage that isn’t fully usable since the window area doesn’t offer full vertical height.  The second difference is that the room lacks the small loveseat area and instead offers two arm chairs situated in the window nook area.

The bathroom, desk, dressers, bed, etc are all standard.  No differences there.  We also have two thin robes for use.

Being at the very front of the ship, we’ve noticed our wifi signal isn’t as strong as we’re accustomed to.  We tend to have the most luck with wifi strength in the solarium.

On port days, there is a lot of noise during the 90 minutes leading up to the time the ship docks.  It isn't a quiet cabin.  You'll hear hydraulics and what sounds like metal doors opening and closing.  We're used to the normal vibrations when the pods are shifting the vessel from side to side.  This was different and happened much earlier in the arrival process.  It did wake us up each morning we were going to be in a port.

Our stateroom attendant, Joaquim, provides twice daily service.  When we head out for morning breakfast and lattes, he cleans, makes the bed, and replaces our towels.  In the evening, when we head out to drinks and dinner, Joaquim provides turndown service including a replenish of towels and remaking the bed as needed.

For more stateroom photos, check out this Dropbox folder.

Dinner: Murano

Tonight we dined in the french style bistro, Murano.  This is considered the finest dining onboard and the most intimate of the specialty restaurants.  It requires a $50 cover charge ($5 more than most others).  With the 7-night dining package we booked, dinners at Murano offer the most value for the money given the higher standard cover charge.

Our waiter, Putu, alerted us to a chef’s special that was not otherwise on the menu and we both ordered it.  The special was surf and turf, including a petite filet mignon and a small lobster tail.  It wasn’t our best meal in Murano, and I think the “special” may have been a result of what was otherwise being offered in the main dining room?  That said, it was still tasty and the service was great.  We were happy.

Showtime: Tenors of Rock

Tonight’s entertainment, in addition to the Mardi Gras festivities (beads were given out, but it was otherwise low key - which we appreciated), the Tenors of Rock were the headliners in the theater.  They’re a group of four British guys who sing various rock classics and ballads.  We enjoyed the energy and the music.  They’ve previously appeared on America’s Got Talent and were resident performers at Harrah’s in Vegas.  I’d recommend their show if you catch them on another sailing.

Live at Sea: Day 2 Onboard Celebrity Silhouette

Day 2 onboard Celebrity Silhouette was a leisurely day at sea.  See below for some highlights. You can also access the full vault of photos including menus here.


Pro-Tip: Early Rising Secures a Peaceful Breakfast

Oceanview Cafe: Breakfast Buffet

We made our way to the Oceanview Cafe for the breakfast buffet at 7:30am. While we generally avoid the buffets, I do have a weakness for the mini belgian waffles at the buffet.  Other alternatives for breakfast include the main dining room (you're generally seated at a big table with strangers) and Aqua Spa Cafe (more relaxed, small buffet of healthy options with limited variety).

We were pleased to find that the buffet was quite serene.  It had only opened 30 minutes prior at 7am.  In addition to prepared options, there is a made to order egg station. Later in the morning, you may wait 5-10 minutes, but at 7:30am I was able to walk right up to order a veggie omelette.


Learned Something New: Cruise Passengers Prefer Morning Workouts

Well, after commenting previously that the fitness center at sea never seems to have large crowds, I realized that my workout schedule has generally been different than most.  I arrived at the gym around 10:30am and it was packed.  All the treadmills were occupied.  However, I only had to wait a few minutes for one to become available.

I skipped any free weights because the area was crowded and I find "working in" with someone else on a bench is a bit too much to deal with (or maybe I just didn't really have the motivation to lift weights).

One surprising touch was the fitness center's attentive staff.  One of the fitness trainers onboard came around to each treadmill with a silver platter of rolled up chilled towels, offering one to each guest during the workout.  That was a first and I loved the gesture.

But, lesson learned.  If you want to workout and enjoy a bit more personal space, plan to workout in the afternoon.

Solarium

After working out, I relaxed in the Solarium to cool down a bit.  It's my favorite place on the ship and where I spend the most time.  The Solarium is the adults only indoor pool.  Most guests tend not to use the pool, but just relax like I do on one of the padded lounge chairs.  The room is climate controlled and the glass blocks the UV rays, so no need to lather up with sun screen.  Most guests and reading books, napping, or enjoying some conversation.


Loyalty Perk: Free Laundry

We took advantage of one of the several Captain's Club Elite status perks before heading to dinner. We filled a laundry bag and left it for the room attendant.  In less than two days, it will be back fully washed and folded.  Each Elite tier member gets one bag of up to 30 items laundered per cruise, but you need to send the laundry out before the last 3 nights of the cruise to allow enough time to get them back.

I've included here the Captain's Club Elite welcome letter with the full list of perks.


Al-Fresco Dinner at Lawn Club Grill

Tonight we dined on deck 15 at Lawn Club Grill.  It's a fully covered space, but the walls are somewhat open to the outdoors.  It's adjacent to a fair large lawn of real grass (one of Celebrity Solstice-Class ships' signature amenities).  Normally you pay $45 per person to dine here, but pre-purchased the 7-night specialty dining package so our cover charge was reduced.

The concept is essentially an upscale backyard grill with comfort foods like flatbread pizzas, steaks, chicken kabobs, etc. You have the option of making your own flatbread pizza, tossing the dough and all.  Most parties opt to have the professionals handle it, as was the case tonight.

The signature dessert is a warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream.  We went with the carrot cake, which was not a signature dessert as confirmed by the dryness.  Service was great.


A Craft Night Cap at "World Class Bar"

We ended our evening with some craft cocktails at the mixology bar onboard.  A trained mixologist prepares a selection of 8-12 craft cocktails that offer a twist on some classics and some altogether unfamiliar drinks.  Generally, you can order only from the drinks on the bar's special mixology menu.  However, I learned that during off-peak hours you may get lucky and have your special higher end drink made to order provided the bar's limited stock offers the necessary ingredients.

I may or may not have also stopped down at the cafe for a couple fresh cookies... and then called it a night.

Have questions you'd like answered?  Comment below or tweet me @travstrat.

This Week: Live Blogging at Sea from Celebrity Silhouette

Travel Strategist is headed to the seas! This week I'll be live blogging about cruising while onboard the Celebrity Cruise Lines Silhouette. Get an inside look at cruising, loyalty perks, and onboard tips.

Stay tuned for a post this week on cruise line loyalty program benefits and how they can also secure you lifetime elite status with hotels.

Have something you want to hear about while I'm onboard? Tweet me (@travstrat) or comment here.