This was our 34th cruise in the last 9 years and the 20th on Celebrity. The Other 13 were on Azamara and 1 on RCL. We were on a trip throughout Germany, Czech Republic and Poland that concluded on June 26th. We looked for cruises that were in the area and found the Silhouette leaving Amsterdam on the 3rd of July. So we added an additional 8 days in Germany on the from end and went to Amsterdam on the 2nd of July. We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Central, which is right next to the train station and very near the port. It is a great Hotel, perfect location and has a great Sky View open bar on the 11th floor that overlooks the City and the water. Depending on your fitness and amount of luggage it is not a difficult walk to the pier, a cab is about E15.00.
Check in could not have been easier, partially because we were in a Suite. It took less than 5 minutes to drop off luggage and go to the check in area. We arrived at about 11:15. They had us fill out the Health forms and took out photos for ship pass cards, as well as checked our passports and charge card.
We were personally escorted aboard the ship and led straight to Michael's Club, the private lounge for Suite and Zenith guests.
The cabin was excellent and beautiful. We were surprised when we walked in to find the separate bedroom placed in the middle of the cabin between the bathroom and the beautiful living room. We usually like being able to see the ocean from our bed. There were frosted glass panels separating the bedroom from the living room area, so we did get plenty of light in the room. It turned out to be actually great as once we closed the bedroom door, there was absolutely no noise at all.
Since we were in Berlin for an extended period of time before the cruise we stayed at the port town of Warnemude and walked around the town for the morning, went back to the ship for lunch and then took and easy short trained to Rostock and walked around the afternoon there. Both are charming older Cities that are great for strolling.
We had been in Tallinn 2 time previously so we did not take a tour. We walked into the Old Town center. It was a damp and rainy day, so we did not enjoy the walk quite as much as we did previously. It is also becoming very commercial, and for us, has lost some of its charm. For those that have never been, it is still a great City to visit
Helsinki is a nice City and can be seen easily by walking. Again, we have been before so we did not need a tour. Some of the sites are not within easy walking distance, so for first timers, a tour is recommended. WE just took the ship shuttle to the Center and walked. It was a rainy day here also, so we did not spend a great deal of time in town.
We absolutely love Amsterdam. It is a very vibrant and exciting City. It is very easy to get around by walking or by tram. We highly recommend the DoubleTree Hilton, it is close to the train station and pier and has a great lounge on the 11th floor which is partly enclosed and partly open to the air and has great views.
We have also been to Copenhagen before, so we walked from the ship, past the Little Mermaid statue into the Center of town. Sent the afternoon wandering the streets of this lovely City.