Category: 2013 – Celebrity Silhouette, Italy & Croatia, 19 – 31 Jul

This post is a bit late due to problems I am having with the ships internet. There are no iLounge staff to be seen anywhere and are not back until 9:00am because it is a sea day.

Last night was our first formal night of three on the Celebrity Silhouette and once again the food and service could not be faulted. The dress code was very well adhered to by all the fellow passengers we came across.

First formal night on the Celebrity Silhouette
We had a bit of a lie in this morning as we were not scheduled to arrive at Dubrovnik until midday and so it was a very leisurely breakfast around 9:00 followed by a couple of hours lying out in the sun before we made port. The shuttle provided by Celebrity cost €12 per person and run through out the day until 7:15.

The trip into the old town of Dubrovnik takes around 10 minutes and the drop off and collection point is just outside the Pile Gate.

We spent several hours wandering around Dubrovnik before eventually stopping to partake in some the local beer in a cafe just off Lucanica Luza. With 4 ships in today it was very busy in town, with us today were MSC Armonia, Costa Magica and a Silver Sea tendering in from the old port area. The area being very vuch busier than the last time we were here.

On our return there was the usual welcome back to the ship with iced flannels and cold drinks. A really nice touch that Celebrity do.
Shortly before our sail away the MSC Armonia sets sail from her precarious position under the bridge.

We have a sea day tomorrow so I will do my best to find something that might be of interest about the ship.

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I will start today by briefly reviewing our evening and first impressions of the dining room & our waiter’s. We managed to get just enough time to enjoy a pre-dinner drink which was in the Ensemble Lounge on deck 5. It was then down to deck 3 port side to find our table (109). I had read some recent criticism regarding the food on the Silhouette but judging by what we were served last night then I think we have nothing to worry about at all. Our waiter Apong from Indonesia and our assistant waiter Damion from Jamaica are going to be great fun, both very professional and attentive on our first night and let’s hope they continue their excellent start.

Our morning started when we were awoken at 6:30 by the sound of the pilot boat. We then edged slowly alongside the jetty at Ravenna where for 15 minutes it was ghostly silent. No buses or anything,even the ship was quiet. I have never been anywhere on a ship and experienced such silence, it was like the world had come to an end.

One major disappointment is the coffee machine in The Haven has now got specific hours when it is switched on. Previously it was on all day and very busy in the morning with many guest making use of the location. Its hours are now 9:00am to 8;30 in the evening. It was a real bonus having it there on our last cruise.

At 8:30 we left for breakfast where we again enjoyed being able to sit out on the back in the sun. A nice omelette with everything for me followed by some delicious melon.

The trip into Ravenna is by ships shuttle which runs until 4:30 and costs 14 Euros. The journey takes about 15 minutes and drops you off more or less in the centre of Ravenna. Having researched Ravenna prior to arriving we knew more or less the places we wanted to visit and the first place was the Basilica di San Vitale which is famous for it mosaics. The photos do not do it justice.

In the same vicinity and out the back is the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia where there are again some fine mosaics. Because of its size viewing is limited to 10 minutes.

Our final stop was the Basilica di Sant Apolinaire Nuovo which again boasts some fantastic mosaics. I have to many photos to post here and these are just a small selection of what I took today.

Having seen what we planned to we decided to head back to the ship and hopefully beat the rush back.
Its aways a welcome sight when you get back to the ship and today meant time for some lunch and then a lie out in the sun. It is a formal night tonight so we will be getting or glad rags on later which hopefully will be a great evening.

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If you could chose to spend your birthday one way, what would you choose? Well for me it would be on a cruise ship somewhere in the world and this was the primary reason for taking this cruise.
Today is my 50th birthday and I will be getting on a cruise ship around midday for a 12 night cruise around Italy.
After checking out of the hotel at 11:00 we started the 20 minute walk towards the cruise terminal in Venice.

The trip to Piazzale Roma wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating and we only stopped once for a breather. On arrival we quickly located the entrance to the People Mover where we purchased our tickets for 1 Euro each.

It was only a short wait for it to arrive and long enough to get take a photo looking up the track.

We could now see the ship for the first time and were starting to get excited about getting onboard. The first stop being the cruise terminal and from there it was only a 10 minute walk to drop off the cases and start the  embarkation.

Check in took about 50 minutes despite us being eligible for priority boarding. It looked like everyone had the same plan as us which was to get there for 12:00.

Once on we were able to go straight to our cabin and drop the bags off. The buffet was the next port of call where we managed to get seats at the aft where it is open to the elements and a favourite spot of ours on this class of ship.

I will just sign off for today with a few photos of our home for the next 12 nights, cabin 7276 which is dead centre of the hump on deck 7. Chosen for its location and near proximity to the coffee machine in The Haven.
Muster done and we are now on the move, just before coming back to the cabin we checked our table for diner and we have a nice table for 2 right next to a window. It couldn’t be better!

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The day started early with a drive from home to Heathrow, we left home at 4:20am and arrived at the airport just before 7:00.  We had checked in the previous day and it was simply a case of dropping the bags off and making our way through security which on this occasion was very quick.

This was followed with a nice welcome cup of coffee and a bite to eat. It was then just a matter of waiting for our flight to be called so we sat and watched the planes coming and going through the large windows they have at terminal 5.

The flight took 1hour and 45 minutes and as soon as we had collected our luggage it was off to find where we caught the pre booked water taxi that would take us to our hotel.

The taxi ride across the lagoon was absolutely fantastic and all too soon over.

After checking into the hotel if was time to go off and explore. Rather than use the ACTV water buses we elected to walk so we could see more.  Venice was very busy and also very hot and sticky but this didn’t stop us from having an amazing afternoon.

On our way back to the hotel we spotted P & O Azura  on its sailaway from Venice. It will be our turn tomorrow. Tonight we will be off out to diner and will doubtless do plenty more walking.

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With 30 days to go until we sail, I have just been checking to see what other ships we might get to see in port with us while we on the cruise. The only one that I can see that we have previous experienced of is the Costa Magica and we will meet her again in Dubrovnik.

Date	Port	Ships in Port
19 July 2013	Venice, Italy	Celebrity Silhouette Depart: 05:00 PM
		Norwegian Jade 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Dock)
		MSC Armonia 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
		Silver Spirit Depart: 11:00 PM
		Splendour Of The Seas 6:45 AM – 4:40 PM (Dock)
20 July 2013	Ravenna, Italy	Celebrity Silhouette 07:00 AM – 06:00 PM
		MSC Melody 2:30 PM – 9:00 PM
21 July 2013	Dubrovnik, Croatia	Celebrity Silhouette 12:00 PM – 08:00 PM
		Costa Magica 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
		Silver Wind Arrive: 8:00 AM
22 July 2013	At Sea
23 July 2013	Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy	Celebrity Silhouette 07:00 AM – 07:00 PM
		AIDAvita 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
		Ruby Princess 4:00 AM – 6:00 PM
		Sovereign 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
24 July 2013	Naples/Capri, Italy	Celebrity Silhouette 07:00 AM – 07:00 PM
		Ruby Princess 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
25 July 2013	Catania, Sicily, Italy	Celebrity Silhouette 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM
26 July 2013	Valetta, Malta	Celebrity Silhouette 08:00 AM – 06:00 PM
		Costa Favolosa 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
27 July 2013	At Sea
28 July 2013	Kotor, Serbia And Montenegro	Celebrity Silhouette 08:00 AM – 06:00 PM
		MSC Armonia 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
29 July 2013	Split, Croatia	Celebrity Silhouette 07:00 AM – 06:00 PM
		MSC Melody 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
30 July 2013	Venice, Italy	Royal Princess Depart: 8:00 AM
		Celebrity Silhouette Arrive: 10:00 AM
31 July 2013	Venice, Italy	Disney Magic Arrive: 1:00 PM

 

 

We have selected the Hotel Tiziano – Venice as our pre cruise hotel for next years cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette. This hotel has some really decent reviews and is away from the main tourist areas but near enough to the cruise terminal to be able to walk to. The Hotel Tiziano is an old house from the IVXth century, which was completely restored in the 2003.
It is situated in the quiet Dorsoduro district, close to the Church San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, one of the oldest and prettiest in the town.

 

oceanic

On the 19 July 2013 we will again be boarding the Celebrity Silhouette, this time the cruise will take us around the Mediterranean where we will visit five ports we have not been to before such as Ravenna, (Italy), Catania, (Sicily), Valletta, (Malta), Kotor, (Montenegro) & Split, (Croatia).
This cruise is also unique for us a we have booked it with an American Travel Agent for the first time. The US system does seem to be a lot fairer than the UK one and it means that the deposit is fully refundable right up until final payment is made. Also should the price come down in between the final payment then you can ask to have your price adjusted to suit the new lower price. We were finally swayed by the fact the cruise was £200 per person cheaper than the lowest UK agent and just to top it off we were given $350 OBC as well.

The cruise will finish with an overnight stop in Venice which will give us plenty of time to go and explore.

 

Day 1	Fri, Jul 19	Venice, Italy /		5:00 PM
Day 2	Sat, Jul 20	Ravenna, Italy / Docked	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 3	Sun, Jul 21	Dubrovnik, Croatia / Docked	12:00 PM	8:00 PM
Day 4	Mon, Jul 22	At Sea
Day 5	Tue, Jul 23	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy / Docked	7:00 AM	7:00 PM
Day 6	Wed, Jul 24	Naples, Italy / Docked	7:00 AM	7:00 PM
Day 7	Thu, Jul 25	Catania,Sicily,Italy / Docked	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 8	Fri, Jul 26	Valletta, Malta / Docked	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 9	Sat, Jul 27	At Sea
Day 10	Sun, Jul 28	Kotor, Montenegro / Tendered	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 11	Mon, Jul 29	Split, Croatia / Tendered	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
Day 12	Tue, Jul 30	Venice, Italy / Docked	10:00 AM
Day 13	Wed, Jul 31	Venice, Italy /