I am a solo traveler. I flew in from Boston on the morning of 6 April and took the transfer bus from Fort Lauderdale Airport to the Celebrity Silhouette. Processing at the pier was quick and I was onboard within a half hour. As I had missed the lunch in the main dining room, I went to the cafe on deck 14 for the buffet. There were many choices. Chinese, Italian, Grill, Standing rib roast, sandwiches, pastries & ice cream. I went back to my cabin (a large balcony on deck seven, port side) and unpacked my carry on. When I travel, I make sure I have a change of clothes, toiletries, reading material, and a scarf or two in my carryon. After unpacking, I went to Customer Relations and mentioned that my other bag was not in my cabin, and I was told that bags were still being delivered to staterooms. I decided to explore the ship, I saw the library, and the pool deck. Then it was time for muster after which there was a sailaway party in the Sunset bar up on the same deck as the lawn. I had a premium drink package, and, I must admit, it was nice to just present my card and not have to sign anything. After the sailaway, I went to visit the shops (on both decks 3 and 4). As I passed by, I saw that all the bars were crowded and lively with conversation. It looked like passengers were having a wonderful time. The shops had the usual logo t-shirts, jackets, but also had dresses and tunics for ladies. That proved to be valuable for later. More luxury items (fine jewelry, watches, fashion-house shops) were available on another deck. I went back to my cabin, still no luggage, so I went back to the Customer Relations desk. I reported that I had no luggage and the folks there were most gracious, providing me with a full "Dopp kit" with toiletries and T-shirts. They provided hairspray, and offered to pay for other things I might need to buy at the shops. One of the CR agents even went to her cabin and found me some talcum powder. The CR folks suggested that they were still hunting for the luggage and they hoped it would be found in the luggage area of the ship. That night, dressed in one of my alternative dresses, I went to the speciality Restaurant ( Murano) and had a fine dinner paired with wines. This speciality restaurant is an experience I enjoy each time on Celebrity.

It was the next morning, when I visited Customer Relations again, that they said they had put a $200. OBC on my account so I could buy necessary clothes etc. By now, they greeted me by name, and updated me on the luggage search, so far, nothing had been found on the ship. They were now tracking where the luggage might have been left on the way from the airport to the ship. I went to the shops and bought a lovely full length dress and a stole to wear at that night's formal dinner. I went to the excursion desk, cancelled my tour to swim with the Dolphins in Cozumel and the manatees in Grand Cayman (as I had no bathing suit). I spent the day trying to find suitable shoes for that night's formal dinner (not an easy task, they had flip flops, but no shoes). Back to the CR desk, another update: they had found the luggage in Fort Lauderdale and were attempting to fly it into Cozumel. That afternoon I went on an onboard excursion, a galley tour. There was a presentation with some amusing stories. I met the executive chef, Tony, and suggested that his sense of humor must assist him in his executive duties. I asked him about the star he wore on his lapel, and he reported that it was meant to remind staff to smile and greet passengers. Then he gave me his star. WOW, how nice. After the tour, I went back to the CR desk, and they noticed my star (every staff member wears the star, presented to them after special training). "Eddy" told me that "S" stands for Smile and greet, "T" stands for take responsibility for any issues, "A" stands for Attention to detail, and "R" stands for Reach higher. Staff members asked me how did I get my star. I told them and they all said that Tony is a wonderful person. Many staff spoke to me, noticed my star, and I have had memorable conversations with many CR and other staff.

The evening of the first "sea day" was the formal dinner. I chose a late seating with seven wonderful table mates, it was an International group from Denmark, Ireland, and Germany, all were full of witty stories. Read more