We sailed this cruise, Rome to Rome, as a back to back, this being the 2nd cruise of two - we were on the prior cruise, the 11 night Amsterdam to Rome repositioning cruise, thus we boarded the Silhouette on September 3 and were on board for a total of 21 nights. We sailed Aqua Class and stayed in the same cabin, 1514, which is on Deck 11, for both cruises - back to backing is so fun, especially when you don't have to change cabins! We enjoy the Aqua Class amenities, flowers, champagne, daily afternoon canapés, full access to the Persian Garden but most importantly, our own private restaurant, BLU. BLU was excellent as always, terrific food, wonderful sommelier service, personable, warm, efficient servers. We love the freedom in BLU as far as eating any time we want, along with the smaller dining room size, the friendly atmosphere. You can sit alone at a table for two and engage with your neighboring table guests or not. Usually though, by the end of your meal, you've made friends with the people sitting around you!

Being on the second cruise, we knew the staff very well, and to be welcomed back by them was so special - they treated us like returning family members, they were all so glad to see us. And I believe their sincerity - the employees are away from their own families for 6-9 months at a time, so their affection for their passengers is real, and to see familiar faces two cruises in a row is special for them, as we all sort of become each other's surrogate families!

As I said in my review of the first cruise of our back to back odyssey, we have always been impressed with the Celebrity brand, in fact we are now "Elite Plus" status in the Captains Club, basically a frequent flyers club for cruising! - we love what Celebrity has to offer, we feel wholeheartedly that they deliver an outstanding experience. That said, these two cruises on the Silhouette with the exceptionally magnetic captain, Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis, who needs to have his own comedy show!!, were especially magical. I don't know how quite to put my finger on it - maybe the new CEO waved her magic wand and added additional stardust to the already sparkling brand, perhaps it was the reinstitution of the pillow chocolates? I don't know, but there was not one single misstep from any staff member, nothing amiss at any point along the way - 21 nights of awesomeness. Food was terrific, our cabin gleamed, all staff members obsessively but sincerely greeted us with a hearty "good * (fill in the blank with the time of day)". The entertainment was overall excellent as far as the Celebrity production staff and the bands and singers that perform throughout the ship go, though as far as guest entertainers, that's a matter of personal taste - their talent however, was never in question, just whether a Las Vegas magician or an electric-rock violinist are shows you want to see - for us, a big yes to the magician, a 'meh' to the electric violinist. It's all subjective when it comes to entertainment, but as long as the skill level is tip top, then the cruise line has done their job, and they sure did. Read more