Until we are able to sail on the beautiful Celebrity Silhouette, we cannot personally comment on or review the ship. But, we can provide you with as many links to reviews as we can find. Enjoy!
Review from Jane Archer of telegraph.uk
Review from John Honeywell of mirror.co.uk
Review with PICTURES!!! from Paul Motter of cruisemates.com
Review from Ralph Grizzle, the Avid Cruiser (with videos)

If you have searched for cruise military discounts recently, you might have noticed an obvious omission: Norwegian Cruise Line. But finally, and to their credit, Norwegian has rectified this oversight by announcing an "Armed Forces Salute" today which includes discounted rates on the Epic and the Pride of America with more discounts to be forthcoming and announced "on a regular basis." CEO, Kevin Sheehan said “Norwegian Cruise Line salutes our military personnel for their commitment, dedication and service. We want to make sure that when they are ready for some rest and relaxation, we have special pricing available to show our appreciation and to ensure that they get to spend quality time with their families.”
cruiseindustrynews.com

July 17, 2011
In January of next year, the Carnival Destiny will be going under the knife, so to speak, and will be in dry dock for over a month with major construction occuring on both the open decks and interior of the ship. On the upper decks, they will be upgrading the waterslides and moving them to the aft of the ship as well as adding a new pool and completely renovating the Lido deck. Inside, two new restaurants, a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant (likely Cucina del Capitano) will be added to an open space in the old Galaxy dining room. All cabins will be freshened up as well as an entire modernization of the spa. The Camp Carnival program will also be upgraded. One is only left to wonder if there is room for the Red Frog Pub on this ship in the midst of all the improvements...

July 12, 2011
Yesterday in Russia, a river cruise carrying a reported 208 passengers sank in the Volga during a storm. The ship, built in 1955, with no modernization completed since, reportedly tilted drastically during the storm. Compounded by the Captain trying to turn the vessel around, the tilt allowed water to rush into open portholes, which were open due to lack of air conditioning on the vessel. The ship sunk in a matter of minutes. New reports from rescued passengers suggest that locking emergency doors may have also added to the tragedy, preventing more people from escaping. 80 people were rescued by another boat shortly after, and no other survivors are expected to be found. Some witnesses report that two other boats passed during the tragedy without offering help. The boat, which only had a capacity for 120 people, was carrying 208, and there are conflicting reports on whether or not it was actually cleared for cruising. Reports from investigators suggest that the boat set sail with one of the engines not working properly, and a visible right- tilt.
Short cruises in Russia, like this one, are popular for travelers who cannot afford international travel, and every summer, hundreds of ships like this one set sail on the Volga, which is Europe's longest river.

July 11, 2011
Over the next 3 years, Royal Caribbean will spend a reported $300 million to bring some of the newest innovations from the Oasis class ships to some of the older ships in its fleet. The changes will come to most of the Vision, Voyager and Radiance class ships, with the Radiance of the Seas having already received the upgrades in its recent drydock. Each ship will undergo a lengthy drydock period and, when completed, will have the following upgrades, plus possibly more:
The Chops Grille Steakhouse, Izumi Restaurant, Park Cafe, Boardwalk Doghouse, Rita's Cantina, as well as new cabin designs, the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, WiFi, LED screen on pool deck.
For more information, stay tuned to the royalcaribbeanblog.com

If you have never considered a river cruise before, it might be time in the next few years as Viking River Cruises has delivered the first of ten new ships in 3 years. The new ship will be sailing a series of 8 day "Romantic Danube" cruises between Budapest and Nuremburg, Germany and start at $1656 for double occupancy. The Prestige has an open air lounge, all outward facing cabins with floor to ceiling French doors on the balcony rooms and free wi-fi.
Here's hoping that the expansion of the cruise line results in more deals and lower fares so that more of us can experience these amazing cruises in countries not normally known for cruising like Germany and Austria.

Today Norwegian Cruise Lines released images and details for the balcony rooms and mini-suites on the two ordered ships, which they are entitling "Project Breakaway". The ships, set to sail in 2013 and 2014, will be 144,000 tons, which is smaller than their newest ship, the Norwegian Epic.  Other notable differences from the Epic will be the return to "normal" cabin restrooms and the lack of curved walls in the stateroom. New upgrades are a built in 26 inch LED television, extra storage, all energy efficient LED lighting and a muted color palatte. The new ships will feature 1,024 balcony rooms and 238 mini-suits. More details and pictures can be found here at NCL's site. Further information about other stateroom categories will be released next month.

June 21, 2011
Some cruisers will be returning to the port of La Goulette in Tunisia starting in just a few weeks. MSC has officially announced today that it has reinstated the stop in Tunisia on its scheduled Mediterranean itineraries.  Civil unrest due to a change in the government earlier this year prompted most cruise lines to drop the port from their itineraries. In a press release, MSC cites customer requests and increased security as the reasons for returning to La Goulette.  Several cruise lines, including Disney have maintained their decision to not include the port in their sailings, which has, at least in Disney's case, resulted in high VAT taxes for cruisers onboard due to all port stops residing within the EU. The port of La Goulette in Tunisia is known for being the gateway to Roman ruins such as Carthage and Dougga as well as famous blue and white seaside town, Sidi Bou Said.

Soon smokers will have to look a little harder to find a place to light up on cruise ships. Three Carnival Corp. owned cruise lines announced today that they will no longer allow smoking in cabins, although Carnival and Holland America will still allow smoking on balconies. These new restrictions take effect Dec 1 for Carnival and Jan 15 for the other two lines. Also, effective immediately, Carnival is restricting smoking on its ships to limited sections of the casino, dance clubs and certain areas on the open decks. Passengers who have already booked sailings after the restrictions come into effect have been notified. These new bans reflect what is becoming common in the cruise industry with most of the luxury lines already banning smoking in cabins and on balconies and Disney and Royal Caribbean also banning smoking in cabins. Passengers caught breaking the new rules will be charged a $250 cleaning fee.

June 14, 2011
Yesterday, after much speculation, citizens of Charleston, SC, led by the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, filed a lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Lines. They claim that the lawsuit is to "enforce local laws which protect the city's healthy environment and treasured historic assets." The lawsuit asserts that Carnival violates local ordinances, as well as operates without permits required by state pollution laws.  The port authority released a statement in response to the lawsuit yesterday.

 We believe this suit is frivolous and is intended to harass Carnival in hopes they will leave Charleston rather than endure further public attacks by this element of Charleston’s population.  We also believe that the suit will inevitably fail on its complete lack of merit. 

Unfortunately, Carnival is being used to strike out at the South Carolina Ports Authority and the City of Charleston.  Carnival not only complies with all applicable laws and regulations but, in many cases, exceeds those requirements. 

The South Carolina Ports Authority is directed by state law to enhance and increase waterborne commerce through the harbors and seaports of our State, including Charleston harbor.  We are compelled to take all legal steps necessary to hasten the failure and end of this lawsuit in the shortest possible time. 

This suit is a step toward limiting our state’s ability to conduct international commerce.  We cannot – and will not – let that happen.  Its premise denies this City’s 341-year-old maritime history.

Statement by Bill Stern, Chairman, S.C. States Port Authority:

Our commercial port system is the economic heart of South Carolina. This irresponsible lawsuit is not only an attack on a valued port customer; it is also an assault on jobs and economic growth all across our State.

The special interests behind this lawsuit are clearly attempting to harass port customers.  Their goal is to cripple our port system to satisfy their anti-growth agenda.  First it's cruise ships, then cargo ships.  Next it will be trucks and rails.  They don't seem to care that their agenda would irreparably damage economic development and kill jobs all across South Carolina.

It's time for people of goodwill to stand against this narrow-minded band of radicals and their frivolous, irresponsible lawsuits.
(courtesy of cruiseindustrynews.com )