Celebrity Silhouette

The 2011-built Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship is the 4th of the Solstice-class Celebrity liners, with sisterships Equinox, Eclipse, SolsticeReflection. Celebrity Cruises Silhouette ship was scheduled for "Celebrity Revolution" drydock refurbishment on January 24, 2020.

The vessel (IMO number 9837468) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 248939000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as the Greece-based Chandris Line (cruise shipping operations between 1974-1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with "Celebrity Cruises Ltd" to become "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" (RCCL). The "X" on ship funnels is the Greek letter chi (standing for "Chandris"). Common features of Celebrity Cruises ships include aft located glass-walled dining rooms, signature alternate dining venues, bars and lounges, spacious Atrium lobby areas, a large number of balcony staterooms, large sundecks with swimming pools, The Retreat (adults-only sundeck with full-size swimming pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, poolside full bar service). Rooftop Terrace (top-deck outdoor lounge-restaurant-cinema), large Spa (with Thermal Suites), premium retail shops selling top-brand merchandise.

The 2900-passenger ship Celebrity Silhouette features more attractions than the earlier ships in the fleet. Silhouette was designed to be eco-friendly, with numerous dining venues, green grass covering the deck area and glass marble luxury. She was the first Celebrity Cruises ship with the themed Porch restaurant, Lawn Club Grill (with Alcoves and Art Studio) and Hideaway adults-only retreat.

Decks and Cabins

Celebrity Silhouette staterooms (1449 total, in 30 grades) include 66x Suites, 1149 Balconies, 70x Oceanviews, 140x Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 195 ft2 / 18 m2. Around 85% of all passenger accommodations have a private step-out balcony. Most balconies are sized 55 ft2 / 5 m2. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 30. The largest are the Penthouse Suites (1290 ft2 / 120 m2 with terrace sized 390 ft2 / 36 m2).

The boat has 15 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The Grand Cuvee Restaurant is the ship's main dining room, located aft on decks 3 and 4, featuring dazzling chandeliers and a dramatic 2-story high glass wine tower. Celebrity Select Dining is available between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in 30-minute increments on a first come first serve basis, giving passengers the flexibility to dine when and with whom they want - subject to availability. Reservations can be made online up to 4 days prior to sailing or onboard with the maître d'. Travelers have the option to turn up when they prefer but may have to wait. The dinner menu features up to 29 selections, comprising Appetisers, Salads, Soups, Entrées, and Desserts. The left-hand side of the menu remains the same while the right-hand side is changed nightly.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Silhouette restaurants and food bars.

• Murano (76-seats specialty restaurant, reservations-only; with French cuisine, Five Senses tasting menu, Champagne High Tea Time; with Demonstration Kitchen for live cooking shows; also features the Wine Cellar annex)
• Grand Cuvee Restaurant (1,428-seat aft Dining Room, with open seating Breakfast 8:00-9:30 a.m., Lunch 12:00-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 4:00-5:00 p.m., and two fixed Dinner seatings - at 6:00 and 8:30 p.m., or “My Time Dining”)
• Bistro on Five (68-seat creperie all-you-can-eat restaurant; offers lunch and dinner with table-side service)
• Qsine (72-seat dinner-only specialty restaurant, reservations recommended, open 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.)
• Blu (130-seat AquaClass passengers only restaurant, reservations required; also serves Suite guests upon availability)
• AquaSpa Cafe (36-seat complimentary Solarium and Spa bar, self-service; offers healthy food choices for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)
• Oceanview Cafe & Bar (781-seat indoor/outdoor self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; open between 6:30 am - 1 am for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, with a variety of food stations)
• Tuscan Grille (130-seat specialty seafood/steakhouse restaurant; reservations-only)
• The Lawn Club Grill (78-seat reservations-only specialty restaurant)
• Mast Bar (alfresco burger bar, poolside; offers complimentary lunch)
• The Porch (48-seat casual dining fast food bar)
• A new dining offering was added during the 2020 refurbishment, called Craft Social (former Cellar Masters), featuring comfort food favorites, HDTVs, and leather seating, along with over 40 craft beers, wine, and cocktails on tap.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Celebrity Silhouette's entertainment program includes cooking demos, wine-tasting seminars, port shopping talks, and bingo. There are a handful of twists, plus self-taught language classes for a fee and lectures sponsored by the Smithsonian (on select cruises). A new thing for Silhouette: two artists are available to answer your questions and teach classes in the vessel's art studio at the port side entrance to the Lawn Club. The spot replaced the Corning Museum of Glass' showcase room.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Silhouette lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Silhouette Theatre (1,115-seat show lounge for grand musical and show productions; hosts daily trivia games, bingo, classes, movies)
• Silhouette Atrium “Grand Foyer” (3-deck open floor area with live music entertainment); Boulevard Shops (seven Atrium duty-free shops and boutiques); Galleria Boutiques (ten duty-free shops); Sun & Sea Shop; The Lawn Club Shop
• The Retreat ultimate all-inclusive area for Suite passengers was added during the 2020 refurbishment, highlighted by The Retreat Sundeck with luxurious cabanas, loungers, bar, hot tub, and more; as well as an exclusive 24/7 lounge with concierge services, complimentary beverages, and gourmet bites, known as The Retreat Lounge (former Michael’s Club).
• The Entertainment Court Bar, a brand new cocktail quick-stop spot, was also added in 2020
• Passport Bar (Atrium Lobby Bar with live entertainment)
• The Entertainment Court (live performances, dance parties)
• Quasar Disco & Nightclub
• Celebrity Central (200-seat show lounge for movies, musical performances, comedy shows; also hosts classes and games)
• Galleria Boutiques Shops – shopping alley consisting of the first at sea Bulgari (Italian luxury jewelry, watches), the only one at sea Michael Kors (watches, jewelry, leather, bags), Watch (brand watches), Women’s, and Men’s (both shops are for clothing). During the 2020 refurbishment, world-class retail offerings were added, such as iconic vintage brand What Goes Around Comes Around; Tarbay collection from Venezuela with handcrafted fine jewelry; artisan-driven Lemlem with a collection of shoes, handbags, and resort wear, made in Africa; Tao Company Jewelry by Vanessa Arcila; and a new destination shop, Point B.
• Michael’s Club (piano bar); Martini Bar; Crush Bar (with a 12-seat table filled with ice cubes in the middle); Galleria Tastings (food and wine tastings, fashion shows, art auctions); Molecular Bar; Ensemble Lounge
• Photo Gallery & Shop
• Silhouette Fortunes Casino
• Celebrity iLounge (24-hour Internet computers room; sells Apple computers; classes available)
• Team Earth (eco-awareness club; ex-Hideaway adults-only retreat)
• Game On (Card Room)
• Relaxation Lounge
• Sky Observation Lounge & Nightclub
• Cafe Al Bacio & Gelateria (54-seat a la carte specialty coffee, patisserie, ice cream; with the Gelateria - Italian Gelato ice cream bar)
• Art Gallery; Library; The Art Studio (art and craft classes, demonstrations including cooking lessons; partnership with “ArtCenter South Florida”)
• Acupuncture at Sea; Elmis Shop (Spa products); Aquaspa & Fitness complex with Persian Garden (Thermal Suite - rain shower, steam room, sauna, heated loungers), Therapy and Treatment Rooms, Hair & Beauty Salon, Solarium (adults area) and Aquaspa Cafe (spa bar)
• Fitness Center (with separate Aerobics area). The upgraded in 2020 Fitness Center features new state-of-the-art cardio & weight equipment provided by Technogym
• Solarium Pool area (with adults-only Thalassotherapy Pool and seawater lap pool; 2 Whirlpools)
• Pool Bar; Sports Pool
• Family Pool
• Wet Zone (kids & teens water play area)
• Sunset Bar (alfresco bar with a shaded lounge area, banquette seating, and hammocks, selling fine cigars)
• Patio on the Lawn (relaxation area); The Lawn Club (real green grass relaxation area with 8 refreshed Alcoves - private cabanas for rental - as well as an oversized outdoor movie screen);
• Kids clubs by age (Fun Factory 3-11 yo, Shipmates 3-5 yo, Cadets 6-8 yo, Ensigns 9-11 yo, with supervised age-appropriate activities, like arts-crafts, themed parties, games, movies, toys, interactive games, scavenger hunts)
• X-Club (teen-only disco and lounge area); Video Games Arcade
• Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard; Power Walking/Jogging Track; Multi-sports outdoor court; 3-hole Mini Golf putting, Lawn Bowling, Bocce, Croquet; Sun Deck area.

Itineraries

Celebrity Silhouette itinerary program is based on Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises with departures from Fort Lauderdale FL. During summer, the ship operates Baltic Sea voyages leaving from Amsterdam, and Mediterranean voyages from Civitavecchia-Rome, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings.

Celebrity Cruises Silhouette ship is of company's Solstice-class liners, with sisterships Eclipse, Equinox, Reflection, Solstice. Silhouette is the 4th Solstice-class vessel and was launched on July 23, 2011. Staterooms as categories also include the new AquaClass and ConciergeClass cabins. The percentage of outside cabins is 90%, while 85% of those have balconies.

Silhouette was Celebrity fleet's first vessel with the Hideaway retreat (a tree house area), Lawn Club Grill and The Porch restaurant.

Celebrity Silhouette refurbishment 2020 review

The ship's drydock refurbishment in 2020 (January 3 - February 13) will be in Freeport Bahamas. The USD 70 million project was part of the company's "Celebrity Revolution" fleetwide renovation program.

The Silhouette project included adding 6 new staterooms (2x Sunset Suites and 4x Interior cabins), upgrading all cabins with new furniture, programmable RFID door locks (wristband and card access), Bluetooth connectivity, adding The Retreat Sundeck (exclusive suite passengers-only relaxation complex, fka Solstice Deck), redesigning Oceanview Cafe (Deck 14). Cabin upgrades also included all bathrooms, new LED lighting, carpeting, drapes, bed linens, artworks.

The new dining venue Craft Social (fka Cellar Masters) offers leather seating, comfortable food favorites, HDTVs, 40+ craft beers, wines and cocktails on tap. A new cocktail venue is the Entertainment Court Bar. Lawn Club was updated with 8 refreshed Alcoves and a large-size outdoor LED screen for movies. Sunset Bar was upgraded with a shaded lounge, banquette seating and hammocks.

The Fitness Center was upgraded with new cardio and weight equipment by Technogym. Onboard retail shopping was upgraded by adding the boutiques What Goes Around Comes Around (1993-established authentic luxury vintage merchandise), TARBAY (Venezuela-made jewelry), Lemlem (Africa-made shoes, handbags, resort wear), Tao Company Jewelry by Vanessa Arcila (Colombia-made jewelry), Point B (new destination shop), Hublot (luxury Swiss watches), Shinola (luxury watches, jewelry, premium leather goods).

Renovations were done to Photo Gallery, Art Gallery, iLounge. Redesigned were Casino Lounge, Casino Bar, Library. Renovations also received the Solarium and Pool Deck (deck 10). Upgrades were also made to all crew areas (cabins, gym, recreational spaces, outdoor bar lounge, laundry facilities).

Xcelerate Wi-Fi Internet is now with shipwide coverage.

Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Revolution program (USD 0,5 billion) is fleetwide (9 liners) and includes:

• Renovations to all staterooms and public spaces - to bring the onboard amenities and services up to the Edge-class ship standards. For staterooms were contracted HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates (US-based hospitality interior design company) and Kelly Hoppen (UK-based interior designer).
• All staterooms are upgraded with eXhale bedding sets (premium cashmere mattresses) and high-tech amenities (RFID locks, Bluetooth, Xcelerate / Wi-Fi Internet).
• Adding "The Retreat" - adults-only sundeck with full-size swimming pool, Jacuzzi whirlpool, private cabanas, padded loungers, poolside bar service (food and drinks).
• Luminae Restaurant (Suites-only) is redesigned, new (custom-made) menus by chef Cornelius Gallagher are introduced.
• The new Qsine Restaurant offers "Le Petit Chef" (virtual dining-entertainment experience) created by Skullmapping artists and presented by TableMation Studios exclusively for Celebrity Cruises.
• Main Dining Rooms, Oceanview Cafe and Sunset Bar are redesigned, as well as most public venues
• In the SPA is added expanded SEA Thermal Suite.
• Retail shops are expanded with new brands - including Hublot (luxury Swiss watches) and Shinola (luxury watches, jewelry, premium leather goods).

The liner's previous major drydock was in 2016 May.