Live From Equinox

Today is Day 5 of our cruise and we are at sea, heading for Istanbul. Weather has been good in both Salerno and Athens.

It's been almost a year since we last sailed Celebrity and I'm glad to say that we are seeing some nice touches.

Pillow chocolates are back, but the box of chocolates in Cafe Al Baccio is no more.

Bistro on Five has the new menu and the increased cover charge of $10. We love the new menu. Lots of choices of salads, soups, burgers and sandwiches, along with crepes and a special which changes daily. It's a great inexpensive alternative to the dining room and the buffet.

There is a good selection of beers and wines in the Gastropub and their Steak and Ale pie was very good.

The staff are friendly and helpful. We are in a 1A hump cabin and are loving the oversized balcony. Our stewards Jenny and David are great at slipping in unobtrusively and cleaning the cabin while we are out. There seem to be far more bar staff now and we are having no trouble getting served with the drink package.

We haven't been to any of the shows or activities but have enjoyed the musicians in the lounges. I am happy to say that there are no Miami DJs or Lady Sax on board this year. The musicians are more traditional, a classical duo, house band, jazz group, synth/singer duo and singer guitarist. They all seem to draw a good audience.

The Captain's Club Celebration today was very nice, with lots of drinks choices and plenty of high quality hors d'oeuvres and bite sized desserts. There was music from the jazz group.

We are having a great time and are looking forward to the next week on the Equinox :)

Thanks for the lovely, positive update and taking time away from your cruise!

I am especially happy to hear about your great experience at Bistro for lunch. There have been discussions on CC lately about how terrible it is and not worth the money. That has not been my experience and is not your current experience! Thank you for setting us straight about the quality and the new menu!

The Equinox is my favorite ship! Now get back to your fun and relaxation and write a review when your home!!

Happy cruising!

Susan

Thanks for the update. We are sailing aboard Equinox on her westbound transatlantic in October. She is also my personal favorite, so it is great to read that your onboard experience is going well. Good sailing to you!

thank you for your posts. i'll be on the equinox on a carribean cruise so i want to learn as much as possible from you.

Thank you for taking time from your cruise to post here. I'm glad to hear the Captains Club Celebration was nice. The last one we went to was not worth going to. It used to be a wonderful meal with a carving station, sushi, crepes suzette etc. And no, I'm not confusing it with the Grand Brunch.

Thanks for posting...all good news!

we really like Equinox & have two cruises booked on her. Now we are looking forward to them even more!

Enjoy!

I am especially happy to hear about your great experience at Bistro for lunch. There have been discussions on CC lately about how terrible it is and not worth the money. That has not been my experience and is not your current experience! Thank you for setting us straight about the quality and the new menu!

Don't believe all that people say about Bistro on Five, the new menu is a massive improvement, we were aboard on the previous cruise disembarking in Rome. French onion soup and soup of the day every day, followed by a much wider selection especially liked the burgers and the fresh shrimp salad. No paninis now although they will prepare a sandwich on similar bread if requested. Each day they have a special, roast beef on Sundays, whats not to like. They also issued vouchers as discount on future visits. We ate there most days when aboard for free as part of the Ultimate package which makes it even better value for money with the increase to $10pp.

I am anxious to hear what you thought about the stop in Salerno. There have been some negative comments about this port. I am going on the same ship but not for another year.

Please comment about Salerno when you can.

Thanks for your report. Looking forward to being on the Equinox (for the second time) for a B2B later this year. Could you post the hours the Bistro on Five is open? Thanks!

Betsy

Don't believe all that people say about Bistro on Five, the new menu is a massive improvement, we were aboard on the previous cruise disembarking in Rome. French onion soup and soup of the day every day, followed by a much wider selection especially liked the burgers and the fresh shrimp salad. No paninis now although they will prepare a sandwich on similar bread if requested. Each day they have a special, roast beef on Sundays, whats not to like. They also issued vouchers as discount on future visits. We ate there most days when aboard for free as part of the Ultimate package which makes it even better value for money with the increase to $10pp.

Thank you for that feedback!! So happy to hear. We have always enjoyed it so much and I didn't want to believe it went downhill. I am gluten-free and they always took extra care of my needs, and oh soooo scrumptious!! :)

Thankyou. Looking forward to our Aug 1 cruise and also info re Salerno too.

We did a tour of the Amalfi coast and thought Salerno was just as good for that as doing one from Naples. I think the driving time was similar, or even better from Salerno because you end up back at port and don't have to have a drive back to Naples at the end of the day.

We got out of the shipyard early, (8:00 a.m.) but there was evidently a big back-up later that morning and several folks were delayed trying to get out. I heard one say that they were delayed almost one hour.

Otherwise, the Salerno port is much more industrial. In Naples, you could walk off right into town - not so in Salerno. I think they offered a shuttle bus that took you into town, but we did not use it.

In the afternoon last week the Salerno Port was a nightmare. Our tour guide, (we were doing the Leisurely Amalfi Tour) told us the port officials refused to open a gate closer to the ship as opposed to making us sit in very heavy traffic of car carriers.

She said it was not Celebrity's fault, or the tour operator, but the port officials. My take on it was that somebody didn't get the $$$ they were looking for and decided to play the heavy.

There were three tour buses and I'm told the third bus turned around and returned to the ship.

In the afternoon last week the Salerno Port was a nightmare. Our tour guide, (we were doing the Leisurely Amalfi Tour) told us the port officials refused to open a gate closer to the ship as opposed to making us sit in very heavy traffic of car carriers.

 

She said it was not Celebrity's fault, or the tour operator, but the port officials. My take on it was that somebody didn't get the $$$ they were looking for and decided to play the heavy.

 

There were three tour buses and I'm told the third bus turned around and returned to the ship.

I dont think Celebrity can avoid any scrutiny as the traffic issue should have been part of the consideration when selecting this port.

Thanks so much for your comments regarding the Equinox. We sail her from Athens to Istanbul this July. Am happy to hear about your observations. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Just checking in again.....

Bistro is open 11am to midnight. Gastropub noon to midnight on sea days and 4pmto midnight on port days.

We didn't have a problem at Salerno. We had a private tour and left before the tour buses. Traffic was heavier coming back, but again no problem. We did sail a few minutes late and the last people arrived in a taxi just a few minutes before. We were probably waiting for them.

The last 2 days we were in Istanbul and today we are tendering into Mykonos.

Agathasmum, I enjoy hearing about your cruise live. Could I possibly ask if you could confirm who the entertainment are and how you rate them. We are heading out on the August 1st cruise. This is my 17 year olds biggest question. Also how do you rate the theatre entertainment. My girl is into Musical theatre but my boy usually seeks out the guitar singer. I am happy with a good party/ house band.

Thank you very much, and enjoy Mykonos, lovely stop.

I'm not really an entertainment sort of person, more a quiet amuse myself type. I do like live music though.

On board there is currently a jazz ensemble, two women and a synth, a classical guitar/violin duo, a house band and a guy we refer to as Mr Misery as he can turn any song into something that sounds country and maudlin!

I haven't been to any of the shows but they have had a couple of west end singers, a guy with a swarovski encrusted violin, and tonight is a comedian. there have also been shows advertised with the celebrity singers and dancers.

There are evening parties 60's/70s, 80s, latin etc and there is also a DJ.

I'm sure your daughter will find something she likes. My kids always did.

I cruise mainly for ports and downtime, so I really don't pay much attention to the entertainment. I haven't heaard any complaints about it though.

agathasmum, thanks for the update regarding the cruise entertainment, it realy is appreciated.

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise.

Thanks for posting from your cruise.

Can you tell me if there is a surcharge for eating at Gastropub?

Happy Sailing!

[quote name=scubacruiserx2

One of our favorite lunches on the CB Princess is at the Crowne Grill on sea days featuring British Pub food . We had seen something on the back of our Celebrity Today hand out . At the Passport Bar at lunch time they were to serve "British Pub Fayre" . Well it sounded good to us , so we checked it out on the way to the CC M & G . The bartender informed us that it was something new and it had not began yet and to check back later . He did give us a menu , suitable for framing .

The pub food on the CB is free , but the prices here seemed fair . At the get together we had wanted to place some faces with the names and meet some folks that we had booked some privates tours with . With that mission completed we headed off to the next one - lunch at the MDR .

][/url]

Thanks for posting from your cruise.

Can you tell me if there is a surcharge for eating at Gastropub?

 

Happy Sailing!

Picture of menu from Eclipse.

"country and maudlin" very funny.

Thanks for sharing during your trip!

Gastropub food is charged per item, not a flat cover charge and all you can eat. We had the steak and ale pie which was excellent. It cost $12 and was big enough for a hearty lunch for 2.

Still having a great time but the music is starting to get to me. It is very hard to find somewhere quiet on board. Bars even when they are closed have muzak in them, and sound from activities in the Grand Foyer on 3 reached even as high as the card room on deck 10 where I was hiding this morning!

All you can stuff into a paper laundry bag wash and fold is now $45 a bag!!!! The Elite + free laundry coupons are a great benefit!

Another sea day tomorrow and we are finished. We've had a great time!

Gastropub food is charged per item, not a flat cover charge and all you can eat. We had the steak and ale pie which was excellent. It cost $12 and was big enough for a hearty lunch for 2.

 

Still having a great time but the music is starting to get to me. It is very hard to find somewhere quiet on board. Bars even when they are closed have muzak in them, and sound from activities in the Grand Foyer on 3 reached even as high as the card room on deck 10 where I was hiding this morning!

 

All you can stuff into a paper laundry bag wash and fold is now $45 a bag!!!! The Elite + free laundry coupons are a great benefit!

 

Another sea day tomorrow and we are finished. We've had a great time!

Wow! :(

It seems that menu I found in another post is REALLY outdated!!! :(

And $45 for a bag of wash and fold :eek:

*

Laundry $45 a bag is criminal, on my last cruise on eclipse i thought i would take advantage of the cram your bag elite coupon, i did not really put many items in the bag just a few pairs of socks,smalls and a couple of tee shirts.

When i received them back they looked dirtier, the white socks looked grey and the tees were shrunk not to mention everything was crinkled to death.

Awful piece of washing and glad i did not put anything that i was fond of in there.

In future i will tear the free voucher up and wait until i get home and wash them properly.

If i paid $45 someone would have had a rollicking off me.

Jazz::)