I have looked forward to this cruise for over a year and was so excited when our sailing date finally arrived. We were picked up at 8:30 am, on the day of departure, at the New Paltz, NY Park & Ride by Yankee Trails, a superb bus company that specializes in transportation to/from the NY and Cape Liberty cruise terminals. We arrived at the pier by 11:00 am, after a bit of a delay at the Bayonne Bridge.

Embarkation was a breeze -â€" no long lines, everything was great; after a short shuttle ride to the ship, we boarded by 11:30 am and headed for the Ocean Cafe. What a beautiful café -â€" tons of choices for lunch (almost too many)!!

After lunch we explored the beautiful Silhouette -â€" she is gorgeous, and BIG! She reminds me of a floating luxury hotel complete with 4-star service throughout our cruise! There were a couple of quirky areas, where I questioned the choice of décor, but overall, this is a magnificent vessel!! All of the common areas, lounges, bars, etc. were gorgeous and best of all -â€" nonsmoking!!! I probably lost more money in the casino on this cruise than any other because it was nonsmoking and I spent more time in there!! Other cruise lines should take note!! All of the public bathrooms were beautiful (well, at least the ladies rooms -â€" don't know about the men's rooms). Read more