Celebrity Silhouette Review
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Flew into Amsterdam the morning of the cruise. We dropped off our luggage at the ship, then walked into town. It's a 15 minute walk. We were allowed to board after 10:30 and we boarded about 11:00. The embarkation process went smoothly and quick. This was our first time on Silhouette, and the ship was well laid out and beautiful. Our first port was Inverness, Scotland. We did a private tour and loved it. Our second port was Edinburgh, and this is where all the trouble began. Edinburgh is a tender port. As my wife and I did not have any tours planned, only going to the Military Tattoo at night, we were not in a hurry to leave the ship. It's a good thing we weren't in a hurry, because once we got our tickets for a tender, it took 2 hours for our number to be called! A ship this big, with so much experience moving large groups of people, it was hard to believe that it took so long to get a tender into Edinburgh. Obviously, they didn't have enough tenders running to accommodate the amount of people. A large amount of people were going to see the Tattoo, and Celebrity should have been prepared, since they did the same cruise last year, and there was a huge problem with tenders! The Tattoo ended about 11:00 P.M. and everyone then tries to get back to the ship. It was pouring rain, and the tenders were extremely slow showing up to pick up passengers. Waiting 1 and 1/2, to 2 and a 1/2 hours in the pouring rain for a tender, was not the highlight of most peoples trip. After this disaster the first day, you would think Celebrity would have added more tenders the next day, since we were spending 2 days in Edinburgh. Same problem again. They were so slow tendering people back to the ship, that we actually left port an hour and a half late. As far as food and service on the ship, it was excellent. All the other ports we visited, were not tendered, and we had no problems. One of the amenities you get with a concierge cabin is what they call daily delectable delights. I am including a picture to show these. My wife and I found them to be somewhat lacking in size. This plate is for 2 people.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 2
Our cabin seemed to be a standard size room. The balcony was a little larger than most because of the shape. The cabin was at the back of the ship and was very quiet.
Port Reviews
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is within walking distance from the ship, and is a very interesting town to walk around and take in the various sights.
Cobh (Cork)
Cobh is a cute town where the ship docks. The Titanic picked up passengers here. The town is easy to walk around, has a beautiful church up on the hill, and we saw Titanic passenger re-enactors dressed in period costume. There is a train station right at the pier that you can use to travel to Cork. This was a great place for souvenirs.
Brugge (Bruges)
Once you get off the ship, there is a free shuttle bus to take you to the gates of the port. There you will find taxis to take you to Bruges. Cost is 50 euro each way, but most taxis fit 8 people. Bruges is a great Medieval town, loaded with charm, canals, fries, beer, and chocolate. We enjoyed them all. Have a beer at the Markt and listen to the bells from the Belfry, amazing.