From Miami to Bimini: Looking Back at Our 2025 Celebrity Silhouette Cruise
- Nick
- May 16
- 5 min read
As we continue catching up on sharing some of our adventures from 2025, we knew this cruise deserved its own blog post. Looking back now, this ended up being one of the most relaxing and enjoyable trips we’ve taken in a very long time — and honestly, it came at the perfect time after a long Canadian winter.
From March 29th to April 4th, 2025, Jean-Luc and I escaped to Florida before boarding the beautiful Celebrity Silhouette for a short cruise with stops in Key West and Bimini in the Bahamas. While this wasn’t one of our busiest vacations filled with nonstop excursions and packed schedules, it became one of our favourite trips simply because we allowed ourselves to slow down, recharge, and enjoy the moment.
Rainy Beginnings in Miami
Our adventure officially began with a 10 a.m. flight from Toronto to Miami. After a long Canadian winter, simply landing somewhere warm already felt like the start of vacation mode — even if Florida decided to welcome us with cloudy skies and plenty of rain.
For our first two nights, we stayed at the beautiful Avalon Hotel right in the heart of Miami Beach. Walking into the charming Art Deco hotel just steps from the ocean immediately set the tone for the trip ahead.
Of course, no trip with us would be complete without a few completely random moments. Somewhere along the way, we became convinced our hotel room might actually be haunted, and we also spotted what can only be described as a Björk look-alike casually walking around Miami Beach carrying a swan floaty, which somehow became one of the funniest memories from the trip.
One of the highlights of our first full day in Miami was heading to drag brunch at The Palace. The queens were serving looks, attitude, performances, and nonstop entertainment from the moment we arrived. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and honestly the perfect way to fully kick off vacation mode.
Later that evening, we decided to escape the rain and warm up with dinner at South Beach Thai, and wow… the food was incredible. Sometimes it’s those random vacation meals you don’t expect much from that end up becoming some of the most memorable.
Our final evening before boarding the ship was spent walking around Miami Beach, soaking in the nightlife, dancing again at The Palace, and enjoying those first few carefree vacation moments before heading back to the hotel to rest up for embarkation day.
Boarding the Celebrity Silhouette
The next day, we made our way to Fort Lauderdale to board the Celebrity Silhouette. Since we had decided to stay in Miami Beach instead of closer to the port, we simply grabbed an Uber and headed over to begin our cruise adventure.
This cruise actually had a bit of a backstory behind it. Back in 2023, we were on a Christmas cruise where unfortunately Nick caught COVID and had to isolate onboard. Celebrity Cruises handled the situation incredibly well and provided us with onboard credits toward a future cruise.
Instead of using those credits on another standard cruise experience, we decided to do something a little different this time around — we booked a suite.
And honestly… we may have ruined regular cruise rooms for ourselves forever.
The suite experience completely exceeded our expectations. We had access to an exclusive area on the ship with private loungers, a dedicated bar with virtually no lineups, incredible service, and a massive room that felt more like a luxury hotel suite than a cruise cabin. We even had butler service, which still feels strange saying out loud.
Very quickly, we realized this was going to be a completely different type of cruise for us.
Unexpected Friends Onboard
One of the funniest surprises of the trip was discovering that our friends Mel and Michael had unknowingly booked the exact same cruise. We had no idea they booked this trip, so having familiar faces onboard made the trip even more fun.
Our first afternoon onboard was exactly what vacation should feel like. Bathing suits on, music by the pool, dancing with the entertainment staff, drinks in hand, and absolutely nowhere we needed to be. After months of busy schedules and nonstop routines, this cruise quickly became less about checking things off a list and more about simply relaxing.
That evening, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at one of the ship’s à la carte restaurants before heading back to our suite for the night.
A Sea Day Done Right
The following day was a full sea day before arriving in Key West, and honestly, it may have been one of our favourite days of the entire trip.
Most of our vacations tend to be nonstop adventures where we try to see and do absolutely everything possible, but this trip was intentionally different. We wanted rest. We wanted relaxation. We wanted to recharge after a long winter and busy schedules back home.
And that sea day gave us exactly that.
We spent the day enjoying the quieter suite areas, relaxing by the pool, grabbing drinks, soaking in the ocean views, and simply allowing ourselves to slow down for once. There was no pressure to rush anywhere or stick to a packed itinerary.
This cruise quickly became our official “do as little as possible” vacation — and honestly, we fully embraced it.
A Different Kind of Key West Day
The next morning, we arrived in Key West. Since we had already visited before, Jean-Luc and I made the decision to stay onboard instead of heading into port.
And honestly? It ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip.
With so many passengers off the ship, the atmosphere onboard became even more peaceful and relaxing. We spent the day by the pool, made new friends, enjoyed the quieter spaces onboard, and truly embraced the idea of doing as little as possible.
This trip became our official “rest and recharge” vacation.
That evening, dinner included escargot for Jean-Luc and broccoli cheddar soup for me before we headed off to karaoke for a night full of laughs and entertainment.
Our First Time in Bimini, Bahamas
The following day, we arrived in Bimini — our first time visiting the Bahamas.
Wanting to continue the relaxing vibe of the trip, we booked a simple excursion focused mostly around enjoying the beach, pool, music, and atmosphere rather than running around trying to see everything possible.
The day was honestly perfect. Beautiful weather, crystal-clear water, tropical music playing in the background, drinks by the pool, swimming, beach walks, and absolutely zero pressure to be anywhere or do anything.
Sometimes the best travel memories come from the simplest moments.
One funny little memory from Bimini actually stuck with us long after the trip ended. While exploring the island, we came across a cat that instantly caught our attention, and somehow the conversation turned into jokingly naming a future cat “Bimini.”
Knowing us… there’s actually a very good chance that someday you may meet a cat in our home with that exact name.
One Last Night at Sea
For our final evening onboard, we decided to treat ourselves one last time with dinner at the specialty restaurant Blu before the ship made its way back toward Fort Lauderdale.
Before we knew it, Friday morning had arrived and it was time to disembark, head back to the airport, and fly home to Toronto.
Looking back now, this cruise wasn’t memorable because it was packed with nonstop adventures or excursions. It was memorable because it gave us exactly what we needed at that point in life — time to slow down, reconnect, laugh, rest, and simply enjoy being together.
And honestly? That ended up being the greatest luxury of all.
❤️🧡💛💚💙
Jean-Luc & Nick
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