Embarking Silhouette in Civitavecchia

Thursday, 15 September 2016
At Sea — Tyrrhenian Sea
Temps: Hi 80F (27C) / Lo 65F (18C)

Dinner is over and I am back on the veranda.  It’s a bit on the chilly side, but tucked in against the divider that separates our veranda from the adjacent one, I’ve got enough protection from the wind to sit outside and write today’s post … as long as I am quick about it!  Let’s start in Civitavecchia and go from there …

We woke up around 6:45a to rain and a sky turning pink as the sun rose somewhere behind our hotel.  I stepped out on the balcony to see new ships in port … but only a small glimpse of Silhouette’s stern.  After preparing for the day ahead, we partook of the breakfast included in the room rate … quite acceptable.

The weather forecast didn’t look good — heavy thunderstorms throughout the day, with the chance of rain ranging between 47-51% by mid-morning.  But we caught a break around 10:00a … just about when we were ready to check out of the hotel and head to the port shuttle station.  It was only a five-minute walk from the Traghetto … my primary reason for booking the hotel.  The shuttle going to Pier 25S[outh] where Silhouette was docked was just about to leave … perfect timing.

At the terminal, we were asked to complete the usual health questionnaire before being directed to the concierge/elite/elite plus check-in queue.  There was no one in line … perfect timing again.  We were checked in with super efficiency and by 10:45a we were on the ship.  Definitely one of the easiest embarkations we’ve experienced.

Once aboard, we knew our cabin would not be ready for a couple of hours, but we didn’t care.  We found some comfy seats in the grand foyer on deck 3, sipped our “welcome aboard bubbly,” and waited for lunch time to come around.

One of the more recent perks for booking a concierge class cabin is a private luncheon in the main dining room — Grand Cuvée on this particular ship.  It’s a nice alternative to the hubbub of eating at the Oceanview Café buffet … especially now that Bistro on Five, our other alternative, has been converted to a sushi bar.

In the multi-deck atrium, a live tree is suspended in the air, with elevator banks on either side.  (Sorry for the weird optical effect; panorama shot to fit in the entire tree.)

Funny story from our luncheon.  We were led to a four-top where an already-seated couple was making noises about not liking the menu.  So they up and left even as the waiter was pulling out a chair for me.  Next came another couple.  We got as far as exchanging pleasantries … their menus were delivered and they too decided they didn’t like what was on offer, so they up and left, too.  The third couple that was seated was the charm — Phyllis and Wally (part time residents of FL and VA).  It was from them we learned that the waiter had passed on to the restaurant manager Mui’s suggestion to show the menu to potential diners before seating them.  Phyllis and Wally stayed and we shared a nice meal and good conversation.

After lunch, we headed to deck 14 aft and found some comfy seats on the terrace aft of the Oceanview Café to while away what little time we had left before the cabins were announced as being ready.  I had no sooner pulled my laptop out to start writing this post that the P/A came alive … okay then, let’s go get settled.

The Port of Civitavecchia after the rain passes through.

When we decided to squeeze in a cruise after Mui’s mom was laid to rest and some of the estate matters were taken care of, I booked whatever sailing worked for our limited window of opportunity.  At the time, there was only one cabin available on Silhouette for this cruise … an inside.  Not our first choice, but better than nothing.  So, I paid for it, hoping I’d be able to upgrade at least to a window cabin.  I was delighted when a week later a veranda cabin became available.  Someone else’s misfortune — the only reason for a cancellation at such a late date — turned out to be our good fortune … we landed a concierge class cabin with a slightly-larger-than-normal veranda.

Stateroom 1403 is a concierge (C2) class veranda cabin.

Though I prefer the size of Celebrity’s M[illennium] class ships, I do like the cabin layout of the S[olstice] class ships better … mostly.  The en suite is well designed with good storage, and it is spacious.  The sofa seems bigger than the standard love seats one finds in cruise ship cabins — I’m sure Mui will make good use of it when he is watching TV.  On the other hand, the closet is awkwardly placed next to the bed — we’ll have to take turns getting our clothes out — and the drawers are clear on the other side of the bed … again, awkward.  And the over-the-bed storage cabinets might as well not exist for me … I’m just not tall enough to place things in them … Mui, help!!!  But can I live in this cabin?  Absolutely … just give me a good veranda and I’m a happy camper.

A spacious, well-lit en suite with plenty of storage and a “real” shower stall.

Our veranda, as I noted earlier, is larger than the standard verandas.  There are two chairs with footstools … which I love.  A reasonably-sized full height table completes the veranda furnishings.  Those are all good.  What’s not good is that there is no light on the veranda at night.  This came as an unpleasant surprise on our only other cruise on an S class ship.  I learned my lesson, though.  I can write OK on the laptop, and I solved the lack of light for reading by ditching my ancient-model Kindle for an iPad.  Once again ... happy camper.

The veranda for stateroom 1403 … perfect for whiling away relaxing hours.

Our bags were delivered to the cabin around 2:30p, giving us plenty of time to put things away before the muster drill at 4:15p.  Celebrity does not require passengers to wear their life vests, nor take them to the drill.  That’s a mistake IMHO, but I’m in the minority on this topic.  At least this time we could see the safety video from where we were seated.  We’ve been through 37 such drills — yes, that’s how many times we’ve cruised in the past 15 years — and I still pay close attention to the information presented.

The sky during the afternoon rain storm … and the sky after the rain passed through.

Our sailaway was delayed by 45 minutes and it wasn’t until 5:45p that Silhouette slowly pulled away from the dock.  We whiled away the next hour on the veranda, enjoying the peaceful quiet that comes with being at sea.  Then it was time for dinner.  At the time I booked, fixed late dining was the only available option … too late for us.  Mui spoke with the maître d’ after embarking the ship and got our assignment switched to select dining at 7:00p … no standing reservation.  The restaurant manager seems amenable to seating us at a two-top at about that time every night, however, so I think we’re good to go.

Under different circumstances we would have gone for a post-dinner wander around the ship, but for some reason we both felt tired.  With an early wake-up for tomorrow’s port of call, it wasn’t a bad idea to turn in early anyway.  Which I will do now that this post is written.

Next stop: Salerno, Italy … 191 nautical miles from Civitavecchia.

© 2004-2016 Two to Travel.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.