Our travel agent referred to Celebrity as "Crystal Light." We've never sailed with Crystal but I have to think she knew what she was talking about. First let me praise Lisa Laffin of Prestige Travel in Las Vegas for all the help she gave in securing us a handicapped cabin on board the Silhouette, even as my wife, though walking impaired, does not yet need a wheel chair. For those in similar circumstances, the handicapped cabin is about three feet wider than the standard veranda cabin and has a larger bathroom with a shower seat. The door to the cabin opens and closes at the press of a large "button" on the wall or the insertion of a key card on the outside. Along this same line, we were pleased to discover a nice elevator back stage in the theater allowing us to sit down front without climbing steps to the main level. My wife does not do steps well.

I am 67 and relatively fit. My wife is slightly younger and...well...not so much. We spent two days in Venice at the Hotel All' Angelo just a short walk from San Marco Square and the waterfront. The hotel was nice, though the building was some 400 years old and the elevator, perhaps, just as old. In any case, it didn't work while we were there. I had to carry my wife up and down the stairs (not really, but she, no doubt, wished I could have). It was quite a relief to board the vertical rapid transit system aboard the Silhouette. On board, the only walking problem was that our cabin was located near the forward bank of elevators and the dining rooms were on the opposite end of the ship. It's a lonnnnng ship. As for the vessel itself, it's exquisitely modern both functionally and in appearance. It was thoroughly immaculate.

Like the ship, food and service was equally exquisite. We ate at the (Italian) Tuscan Grill one night ($35 per person surcharge) and the Lawn Club Grill ($55 extra per person). Both experiences were quite memorable for the high levels of service and cuisine. Be advised, the Lawn Club Grill attempts to fill you up on their "flat breadd" (glorified pizza) before the broad open selection of meat is presented. With both courses you're invited to help in the preparation. We declined. My wife insisted she'd not come all that way to help fix a meal costing some ten dollars more per person than specialty restaurants on other ships we've sailed. We found the ship's photos to be similarly more costly as well. Read more