10/20/22
Today's the day!! We checked out of our Portsmouth hotel at 11 AM and caught the 11:23 AM train to Southhampton. It was only a fifty minute trip. A quick six minute taxi ride once at the station and then we arrived at our accommodations for the next two weeks. We are onboard the Celebrity Silhouette which is a transatlantic sailing to Miami. Stops in Lisbon, Madeira and Tenerife (Canary Islands) before seven sea days to "cross the pond".
Now we finally get to unpack everything we have in our luggage. We haven't really had accommodations so far where we either needed to do that or even had the space. Now we do!! Also getting some laundry ready for pickup. And someone else gets to do it this time.
After spending time in eight countries over the last four weeks, it is time to settle down a bit. At least until we get to Lisbon in three days for a city tour. I've averaged 55,000 steps a week for the last four weeks. Might be time to relax for a few days.
10/21/22
Today is our first sea day. In yesterday's daily update the captain promised some rough seas. I believe his exact words were " this will not be a day you will want to be on the ocean". Seven meter swells. 50 mph winds. Overnight it was a bit bouncy but not as bad as he forecast and I have been on ships with more "rockin and rollin". Viking Sea from Bergen during Hurricane Dorian comes immediately to mind.
Today the ship is still rocking a bit. People always look at the pools as an indicator. But those never tell the real story. There are some whitecaps but overall not too bad.
And you can always head to a lower deck. We're on deck 12 at the Solarium which is an indoor adult pool. Comfortable loungers.
Had a very good lunch at the Oceanview Cafe (buffet). Celebrity really has the best buffet at sea. Always a great selection of Asian and Indian dishes. They had a spicy beef soya which had lots of ginger and a good amount of heat. Today they also had so many types of hummus along with baba gounush and tsakiki. Fresh pita bread also. Buffets always are on higher decks so that makes it very interesting for making your way around the different stations. You have to plan your path carefully. Being proficient in line dancing can help. Always prioritize lanes where no one is holding hot soup. You can always send a goulash-soiled shirt to the laundry. But a scalded arm is not something you want to even think about.
The captain had his daily announcement and said the weather will stay about the same today. Tomorrow the winds may be up to 60 mph and the swells up to eight meters. Still no confirmation of whether we will still be docking in Lisbon. We are supposed to be there at 7 AM on Sunday. But given our current speed and the nautical miles left, math tells me that can't happen. But we'll await more updates from the captain.
There is a lecturer onboard who has a three part series on the Beatles - one of my favorite subjects. His first part was the early years. I learned a few things I didn't know. For example, Ringo Starr took that last name because in his former band, his drum solos were known by fans as "Starr Time". Tomorrow will be Beatlemania.
We're both doing well. Still able to relax even with some "motion in the ocean". Will try our hand at some movie trivia later this afternoon.
10/22/22
It's our second sea day!! Last night we went to the World Class Bar which has specialty cocktails. One of my favorites is a Zacapa Old Fashioned. If you have only had old fashioned made with bourbon or rye, you need to try it with Zacapa 23 rum!!
The weather has improved. Had some bits of sunshine as we head to Lisbon. Even had a full rainbow this morning. Hadn't seen one of those in many years. Attended the second part of the Beatles lecture which was titled Beatlemania. He went too quickly over the phenomenon and didn't properly explain why and how the Beatles branched out into multiple types of media including the films. Part 3 isn't until the last sea day so hopefully he'll have a big finale.
We had a nice lunch at the extra charge sushi restaurant. Lobster and Shrimp wontons, Tamaki Trio Roll and Chef's Sashimi.
The dumplings were my favorite. Crispy and filled with shrimp and lobster. A rich oyster sauce for dipping. A bit disappointed with the sashimi. It is lazy to include cooked shrimp in a sashimi presentation. We also had some cold sake.
Lunch dessert was a scoop of chocolate and coffee ice cream with jimmies and chocolate sauce. We found some comfortable couches in an area of the pool deck that is partially sheltered. We can get some fresh air and it isn't too chilly. And they have blankets if needed.
We saw this bird (maybe some kind of finch) walking in the deck. We left Southampton on Thursday and haven't been very close to any land so not sure if this little guy or girl has been a stowaway since then. Hopefully they can get enough food and water before we dock tomorrow morning in Lisbon. We have planned a half day tour of the city.
10/23/22
We stopped in Lisbon, one of the oldest cities in western Europe. Most of the buildings within the city are "new" since a 1755 earthquake destroyed most of the city. We had a city tour and went to the major sites including a sculpture comemerating the Carnation Revolution. As with all art, it's meaning is open to interpretation. Many say that crumbling rocks signify the end of the dictatorship and the phallic symbol represents the rebirth afterwards.
We stopped up on a hill and had some local street food. A couple kinds of linguica (similar to chorizo) and another "sausage" which was made only from potato, cheese and garlic. Very delicious especially with a Vinho Verde, the famous Portuguese green wine.
We also visited St Jerome's Church where Vasco da Gama is buried.
Afterwards we had Pastreis de Belen - the famous Portuguese custard pie!! This place was the original! A long line but our tour guide had some kind of VIP access. So delicious!! Deliciously warm vanilla custard in a crispy filo dough shell.
There is also a relatively new statue on the waterfront which depicts all the famous people, including Vasco da Gama, who made Lisbon what it is today.
10/24/22
Sea Day
We had a relaxing day. The highlight was Glenn joining the Guests versus Officers challenge. It was a version of Minute to Win It. Each team had to complete a set of challenges.
10/25/22
Santa Cruz Tenerife is very much like Barcelona. Lots of long streets with shops and restaurants. The central meeting point is an enormous fountain that wasn't operating today. It seemed to be a popular meetup point. We wanted some foods we weren't likely to find onboard the shop. Found a place with a large menu and ordered fried anchovy, croquettes, chorizo and Iberian sausage. And of course some refreshing sangria.
Many people probably wouldn't order the fried anchovy because they think they will taste like the ones served on a Caesar salad. Or maybe because they are served whole. They actually taste nothing like that. They are mild and fried in a light tempura-sryle batter. A squeeze of lemon is all you need. They do have small bones but you can eat them. Perhaps not for everyone, but I love them. For any Newfies, they are a lot like smelts.
The croquettes were tasty balls of potato and cheese in a light panko breading. And both the chorizo and sausage were delicious.
There is a lot happening today on the ship. For sailaway, we were invited to be out by the helipad in the forward part of the ship.
We had our first dinner in the dining room. We were assigned a table of six. The four other people happened not to the there. It was fine, but we'll likely keep to the buffet. We went to see the Flyboys again.
10/26/22
Today was the last port day!! We were in Funchal Madeira. We had a less than stellar 4x4 excursion. We chose to sit in the trunk of the 4x4 rather than smush in with strangers.
I really expected our guide to provide much more information about the places we were stopping. But we would just show up at one and he'd say "this is a view point of the coast". Or "this is where Winston Churchill painted".
Or "go take a look in the rain and fog" Plus the fog prevented you from seeing anything. This is the viewpoint that we took the tour to see - the Valley of the Nuns.
We did stop for the islands signature cocktail of Poncha. We had the Loranja with oranges. It is like sangria with a very strong 100 proof rum.
The excursion was mostly a waste of four hours. But as Angie always tells me, it is either a good time or a good story. It was fun being giants crammed in the back of the Land Rover.
Now the real fun begins. Seven nights until we get to Miami. The captain said it may be a bit rough tonight but shouldn't be anything like what we had sailing out of Southampton.
10/27/22
After a leisurely morning and coffees, we had a buffet lunch and then spent the rest of the day in a shady spot by the outdoor pool. They had a few poolside games to watch and a band played some Caribbean music. Before you knew it, it was time to get ready for an evening cocktail party, see the show and then have some dinner. Arya was the bartender at World Class Bar. It was great to see him. We spent two weeks with him on the Celebrity Apex in September 2021.
Last night's show was called Cosmopolitan. The description in the daily program called it an "Olympic postcard adventure which will enlighten your senses". Wasn't really sure what to expect. Would it be cities that had the Olympics? And exactly what senses of mine would be enlightened. And given the seas rocky conditions, would they even have the show?
For me, it was mostly a cookie-cutter song and dance show, each "act" being a new city. Some featured cities had never had the Olympics - such as New York City or Havana. And I had never heard of two of the songs. It's possible the show was more tailored for the majority of Europeans onboard. As with many production shows I have seen on ships, it somehow revolved around a magical hat.
The two stellar moments of the show were separate performances by two aerialist and acrobatic duos. I am always amazed that there are people skilled enough to do these amazing feats of strength and agility. And then consider they are doing these things on a moving ship - and a very rocky one last night. Simply amazing!! And literally breathtaking as I watched the male acrobat holding his female partner up in the air with his arms, as the ship is visually swaying.
Today our plan will be weather dependent. We'll get an update from the captain at 9:45. Yesterday he said we would have some rocky seas overnight but then better conditions today. This sailing has had one of the most helpful captains of any sailing I can remember. He's been very up front with the conditions so that we've been able to plan accordingly.
10/28/22
In the morning I attended the final lecture on The Beatles. What ever became of that band? Would we find out? The first part was still my favorite. The presenter just went through a timeline of the events to the eventual breakup. I wish he had brought more of his own perspective since he does profess to be a real fan. I didn't learn anything new.
After that is it was another day where we sat by the pool and listened to the Caribbean band. We had turkey burgers for lunch and snacked on some pizza and a chicken Caesar baguette a bit later.. Once again, the sea day was very relaxing. We headed back to the cabin for some rest and then got ready for the evening. The last few days we have continued to skip the main dining room since we didn't see anything that really interested us. Our routine has been to have some pre-show cocktails, see the early show at 7PM, attend one of the game shows and then get a light bite at the buffet.
Last night was the second show of The Fly Boys. We had seen them several nights earlier. This show was good but their earlier one was much better. Their "brand" is to perform mashups of new songs and old songs and sing them both as if they were written in the 1930's and 1940's. They did much more of that earlier. Last night they mostly performed single songs. I was entertained both times which is all you really can ask.
After dinner we attended the True and False game show. This is one of my favorites. Everyone that wants to play stands on the dance floor of the lounge. For each round statements are projected on a screen. If you think it is true, you move to the left. If you think it is false, you move to the right. If you're correct, you stay in the game. If not, you're out for that round. This continues until there is only one person left standing. It is very fun and you can always learn something. I learned that I need to study the signs of the zodiac since I was the only person who didn't know when gemenis were born.
Dinner was in the buffet. They had some very good Mac and cheese which I paired with a delicious indian chicken dish and some additional bechamel sauce and broccoli. Really tasty comfort food. After dinner we went to World Class Bar for some negronis and to chat with some of our new friends from the UK.
10/29/22
I attended the Sgt Pepper's lecture. It was better than I expected. I did learn something. While many critics and the public look at this album as one of greatest of all time and revolutionary, only one of the Beatles (Paul) felt that same way. John Lennon perhaps echoed the feelings of Ringo and George when he said "It was only great because we told them it was great". George said it was a miserable album to record. Ringo said he hardly had to do anything on the album since it was filled with more studio gimmicks and trickery than prior Beatles records.
We had lunch in the main dining room, the first time since embarkation day. Had a very good BBQ chicken entree with buttery grits, a seafood brochette (grilled shrimp and scallops with savory rice) and spaghetti Bolognese.
We had another coffee after lunch while we waited for our 2PM "world of wine" tasting. That was a really special event and different than other cruise ship wine tastings I have attended. Usually you show up and sit down at a place setting where four or five wines are pre-poured along with some snacks such as meats and cheese for pairing. Here, you received a wine glass when you checked in and then found a table. The head sommelier then explained how it worked. This would be more like a wine fest. They had six stations set up from different countries and each station had two or three wines. At least one white and one red. You just walked around and started asking the sommelier from each station for a pour as they explained the wines. We started trying all the whites first and then made our way back around for the reds. There was also a large buffet station with four different cheeses, fruits and wonderfully crisp bread sticks. My favorite was the Australian red from Yalumba and the New Zealand white from Wairu River. Angie was a fan of the Vina La Rosa red from Chile. I believe all these wines were only available by the bottle on the ship so we couldn't have tried them using our beverage package. That made the $35/person charge such an amazing value.
After the tasting it was time for a nap as Angie went for a massage at the spa. After that we got ready for pre dinner cocktails, the early show, a game show and then dinner in the buffet. The show was a one women rock show by Leslie McDonel. She had performed earlier in the cruise but we didn't attend. We met her at the World Class Bar on Friday and she told us about her Saturday show. Protocol and etiquette says you must attend a show when asked by the artist. So you go. It was a really great show featuring songs from Bonnie Raitt, Fleetwood Mac, Pink and one of my favorites Janis Joplin.
The evening game show was Majority Rules. Everyone plays as teams and is given a number.. A statement or question is posted on a screen and then each team writes down the answer they think will be the most popular since you only get a point if your team matches the most popular answer. One of the questions was who did we think the cruise director looked like which led to some creative answers. We thought he looked like Joe Pesci but the most popular answer was Danny Devito.
After the show was dinner in the buffet. They had flank steak again and it was so tender and flavorful. And perfectly rare as I prefer. That along with some mashed potatoes and broccoli was some good comfort food.
10/30/22
After a leisurely morning with our iced espressos, we attended a couple of trivia sessions. Some tough competition as we only got 12 out of 15 and two other teams had 16 since there was a bonus point for knowing both the month and date that Harry Potter was born. It is July 31st for the Muggles like me. Also, did you know that Tinkerbell's body was based on Marilyn Monroe.
The second round of trivia was the first I had seen of it's kind. They showed 15 pictures of artwork and you had to name the painting and the artist. You got a point for each. One team got 28 points. We only got 16. Tripped up on a few, but having recently been to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam helped with Starry Night. I also thought America Gothic was painted by Whistler. Nope. It was Grant Wood. But a very fun trivia.
We then spent some time by the pool until it was time for another lunch in the main dining room. A very good cobb salad, some sad, empty mozzarella sticks (likely fried in old oil or was too high in temperature), turkey medallions with a fantastic fennel risotto and a pulled pork sandwich. Apple strudel for dessert. That tasted very good but was more like an apple calzone instead of a flaky strudel.
After lunch we headed back to the pool. We have had some amazing weather. Mostly sunny skies and temperatures around 24°C (75°F). Perfect!! Some of the waiters brought around some delicious fruit skewers. One of the activities at the pool was a Maritime Crossing Ceremony.
Guests had to summon King Neptune and then ask if they were worthy for the crossing. The activity manager dressed up as King Neptune (or maybe it was really him?). If he deemed you were worthy you were able to pass and get your certificate. If deemed not worthy, that guest had to reach into a bucket of slime and retrieve Neptune's coin in order to prove they were worthy. They also had a fish out for display. The traditional way to prove you are worthy is to kiss the fish. We did that when we crossed the Arctic Circle on a cruise to Iceland a few years ago. With COVID and "cruise crud" going around, there was no fish kissing on this sailng.
Angie had a massage so I went to get a beer at Craft Social which was supposed to have the NFL games. Unfortunately satellite conditions weren't great so I didn't stay.
In the evening we followed our regular pattern of pre-dinner cocktails at Ensemble followed by the show. Last night's show was called "Life". It was described as a "euphoric concert for the senses filled with life, light and love". Words that were lost on me as to what it meant. Based on the performances, this show it still in dress rehearsal. Poorly staged scenes. Bad lighting so that you couldn't tell who was singing. And the dancers were one or two beats off the music. Dare I say, dancing to their own drum?
We went to the buffet for a quick bite. Probably my least favorite night there. They had some roasted veal which was okay. I was craving some pan fried noodles. They had them but would they taste better than the last two times I tried them? Nope. Worse. They were limp, lifeless noodles with a few bits of onion, drenched in soy sauce. One of the simplest dishes, muddled and nasty.
After dinner we went to World Class Bar and had that to ourselves for the better part of an hour until we met a well travelled couple who we chatted with. And then our British friends joined us a bit later. We closed down the bar!!
10/31/22
Lunch was at the main dining room and I had one of the best meals for the cruise. For a starter I had some very well fried mushrooms served with pesto. Angie went with another winner, the niçoise salad loaded with some nice tuna. For mains, we both had udon noodles with pork. The noodles were all dente and had a soy/garlic dressing you could enhance with a squeeze of lemon. And the pork was very flavorful, accented by some ginger. BBQ ribs were also on he menu so I got an order of those. I promptly cut off the meat from the bones and added it to the udon noodles for even more delicious flavor!!
The afternoon was again at the pool listening to the band Carib Sensation. We couldn't lounge around too long since we had an important activity at 4 PM. We had signed up for a mixology class at our favorite bar with our favorite bartenders Arya and Nithin.
I've attended classes and tastings like this before and they focus on recipes. What made this class so interesting is they didn't do that. Arya said, anyone can Google a recipe. They were going to help us understand the right equipment and techniques you need to make great cocktails. We learned what cocktail ingredients need to be stirred, which ones need to be shaken and which one need some muddling. We also learned the proper way to strain and how to layer a drink, I'm our case a B52 (Kahlua, Bailey's and Grand Marnier). A very informative class and excellent value at $35/person.
After the class we had another happy hour event with the officers. Then spent a little time at the Martini Bar having French 75 and Cherry Lane martinis. Then suddenly it was showtime!! One of the guest performers onboard, Jayne Curry, had three other shows during the cruise which we hadn't seen. However many people we spoke to said she was "not to be missed". So since this was her last solo show of the cruise, we felt like we needed to see what this was all about. To say she was fabulous would be an understatement. She is from the UK so her humor is what some might called "a bit cheeky". And what a show!! A great voice, interesting stories about her life and her career. She will perform one more time as part of a variety show on the last night.
After the show we grabbed a bite to eat in the buffet. Nothing too fancy or memorable. A decent pork chop, some adobe chicken along with a spinach salad.
Since yesterday was Halloween, there were evening festivities planned. The Grand Foyer had been decorated for the big party. The cruise director had been hyping the event for several days. It started with a parade of guests in costume. Some very good costumes including Phantom of the Opera and Indiana Jones. We thought about bringing elaborate costumes but had some packing challenges since we've been travelling a few places the last five weeks. We did end up being pirate T-shirts to be festive.
After the parade, a video then played on a screen. It was the cruise director getting a call from the captain about some unusual activity onboard. He needed Mike to investigate. He did and found the staff captain had become a zombie!! Then he rushed back to the bridge to inform the captain. But he had also turned into a zombie!! Then the cruise director escaped and ran to inform all the guests about the emergency!! The video was timed so that just as the CD got to the bottom of the stairs, he popped out from behind the screen so it looked like what we were watching was live. Then we were invaded by more zombies (the production cast) who proceeded to do a hybrid version of Michael Jackson's Thriller!! After that, the party band has their set. And they all had costumes, some of which I couldn't recognize. We thought the guitarist (on the far left) was some kind of Minecraft character. What do you think?
After the show, we went to the World Class Bar and met up with another well travelled couple who sail a lot of transatlantics.
11/1/22
We had an earlier start than usual and had breakfast in the buffet. I had a traditional (at least according to the ship) English breakfast with bangers, blood pudding and fried bread. I do love blood pudding and it was a good version. Had never tried the fried bread. It was deep fried thick diagonal slices of bread. Pretty crispy. But also pretty oily. Tasted a bit like fried dough at a carnival that was cooked in oil that wasn't hot enough. Maybe that is how it is supposed to be. Not sure I would try that again.
Then it was pool time!! We found shaded loungers and today was the day to try the outdoor pools. The first pool says it is 1.05 meters - but it barely got to my knee. This wasn't going to work. So I got out and walked to the deeper pool which says it is 1.8 meters. That at least reached my neck!! It was still pretty early so not too many people had gotten in yet. The weather was perfect.
Lunch was just a series of snacks from the buffet. The pizza has been surprisingly decent so we shared some pepperoni along with a chicken Caesar sandwich and some aged cheddar cheese. The band played and they had some guest vs crew pool volleyball. I also took a wonderful 30 minute pool lounger nap!! Those naps where you are half awake and somewhat aware of the happenings. But still getting a nice rest!! It was glorious!!
We headed back to the cabin to get ready for yet another happy hour event. Still feeling a little tired, we took another one hour nap. I guess these relaxing sea days catch up with you. Relaxing can be hard work.
After the happy hour we got seats to see the Celebrity orchestra perform a jazz set in the Grand Foyer. Some very talented musicians. I got some "to go" cocktails from the World Class Bar. After their set we went to the World Class Bar fo another cocktail and then to dinner at the buffet. They had the delicious flank steak again!! We we both pretty tired to had an early evening. No show tonight.
11/2/22
Our last Sea Day. We had breakfast again in the buffet. I tried the eggs benedict and they were very good. There was a "pop up" act from one of the line cooks. First time I have had live music in a buffet!! We are having more glorious weather today!! About 25°C with mostly sunny skies. Sitting outside in poolside loungers.
Glenn's Overall Review of the Celebrity Silhouette: We've got to enjoy some really beautiful days at sea. Wonderful crew. One of the best CDs I have experienced. I really felt they would make anything happen for you. Haven't felt that way about too many CDs on over 75 cruises. And that hyped up Halloween party far exceeded my expectations!! Really fun!! I thought they did a great job with a variety of activities on the sea days. And really great guest performers. Jayne Curry was an absolute treat to watch!! Would have been interesting to have a magician or comedian. If you didn't like singing, then most of the evening shows weren't for you.
A few things Celebrity needs to work on. I'll make sure to include in my survey along with all the good things. The buffet variety and quality wasn't up to the standards I have seen on my other 12 Celebrity sailings. Most of the food tasted fine, but it was a lot of the same things each day and nothing "wowed" as I had been on other X sailings. Lots of repeats where it should be easier to have some different things. For example, I thought for sure they might have lasagna or pastitsio at the pasta station but never saw those. They did have a tasty moussaka one time in the main area but never saw it again. Or roasted turkey at the carvery. Maybe tonight. The flank steak was there at least three nights and was so delicious. My favorite bite in the buffet. So some things do bear repeating.
I love the burgers at the Mast Grill. Good amount of toppings to choose. A beefy, tasty patty. I would like to see more variety here. And a grilled bun would be nice. How about a grilled chicken sandwich? And they do offer a turkey burger and a veggie burger. But they are both special orders and take 15 minutes. There should be some non-beef options that aren't all special orders. Or if you do need to make a special order, build in a pager system so you can place the order and then be notified when it is ready. I've experienced this on Princess. That is an awkward space to wait since you're creeping into tables and the walking track. And even though listed on the menu, there was never a Daily Special. Maybe they could have street tacos one day or a fried chicken sandwich as specials.
We did have some accounting issues early in the cruise. A couple of duplicate charges, one overcharge and one missing refund. We made three separate trips and/or calls to Guest Services to get them resolved. They said they'd work on them. Three days later, still no updates or credits. We called the concierge and asked her to help. Shortly afterwards we had a call from Guest Services that our credits had been issued. I think the issue is they go back to the individual waiter or restaurant to verify the charge and that takes time. Makes sense to me but shouldn't be three days for a resolution without a phone call from GS on the progress.
Loved my first transatlantic. Ready to do more. We are considering the Constellation next year which will sail back to Tampa. And already have the Queen Mary 2 booked on Cunard.
11/3/22
We docked in Miami and grabbed a cab to take us to the Miami airport to catch the RedCoach bus back to Tampa. Our bus driver was definitely following his own schedule so it took a bit longer.
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