Equinox June 18, First Celebrity Cruise

First a bit of background. We were a family of 6. Four of the six of us were Diamond on Royal and we were taking our first Celebrity cruise as Elite. We had three balcony cabins. Mine was 7205. It's a great location for anyone that wants a cabin close to the elevator. The layout of the ship meant that our elevator went up to the pool deck, Oceanview Cafe and MDR with the least walking, which worked out great since I had a pinched nerve in my back. The cabin steward opened the partition between our balconies for us which worked out great. We had two cabins next to each other and my Grandson (23 years old) and his friend had a cabin on the opposite side of the ship.

We chose this itinerary because the first stop was Key West. Unfortunately, the tropical storm prevented us from stopping in Key West, which was a big disappointment for everyone. We were hit with torrential rain and wind and it got pretty ugly for our first full day and the 2nd day was a day at sea and the weather wasn't much better. We had a premium drink package, witch helped, so we made the most of our two days and the crew did everything they could to keep folks entertained. In over 17 cruises, this was the first port we ever missed so I consider us lucky.

For anyone worried that this ship is not in good shape, you can relax. We thought the ship was in great condition and it's a beautiful ship. The towels are a bit worn but we didn't see any rust on the railings and the crew worked non-stop keeping everything clean. That wine "thing" in the MDR is an unbelievable work of art. It was fascinating to watch the guys go up there to retrieve a bottle of wine. Our waiters were Raul and Bobby and they were fabulous. The bartender in the MDR was the best. He saw our premium drink package and as soon as one glass was ALMOST empty, he was there with a refill. We aren't really into wine that much so the mixed drinks worked out great. We've never had anyone this attentive. The food we ate was comparable to the food on Royal. Some was better, some was worse, but overall, the food was good. I wish there had been a little more variety in the selections, but then I've wished that on Royal too. Some nights it was hard to make a selection because there were 3 entrees that looked good. Other nights, it was hard to make a selection because nothing really looked that interesting.

Cafe Al Bacio was wonderful. I hoped on the elevator every morning early and got a coffee drink(s) and a pastry before everyone else got up for breakfast. Love that little spot!

We didn't attend any of the shows so I can't speak for how they were.

Pools: We didn't have children in the children's program. On thing I did notice was that children who were not potty trained and who were wearing pull-ups, or even some who had to be under 2 years old in nothing but a swimsuit were in one of the outdoor pools. Maybe it was designated for little ones??? That would not be allowed on Royal Caribbean. We've found they monitor that and ask the parents to get the kids out of the pool, but then Royal Caribbean has a dedicated kid's water area. One thing I did notice was there were a good number of children on this cruise, just judging by the pools, and lots of young adults, which I had been led to believe weren't going to be on a Celebrity cruise. It was a good mix of ages.

We were invited to the Helipad for the sail away from Cozumel and it was wonderful. They had champagne and mimosas, cold cloths and you get to see a small bit of where the crew spends their limited free time because there was a small crew bar and recreational area is just below the helipad. It was really cool to see how the Captain managed to get the ship out of such a tight spot.

We used the Priority tender service in Grand Cayman and they handled it very efficiently. I have to say that the crew on this ship was just about flawless. Each and every crew members was pleasant, helpful and friendly.

Our cabin steward was Michael and he was great. The only thing we really needed was a bucket of ice each day but he knew our habits and was in and out of our room with perfect timing.

Disembarkation of one of the most pain free we've ever experienced. We got up early, and went to the Oceanview expecting it to be so packed that we would leave and we were pleasantly surprised. Instead of the continental breakfast with priority embarkation, we actually managed to have a stress free breakfast at the Oceanview in no time flat.

We had arranged transportation with SAS from the POM to FLL airport and they there and took us to the airport quickly and we managed our early flight without any delays.

All in all and despite our disappointment at missing Key West (and the nasty weather at the beginning), it was a great cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to sail with Celebrity in the future if the price (and perks) were right.

Thanks for the side by side thoughts.

Did you try the GastroBar?

Thanks. I was on the same cruise. I'll be writing my experience up too. First Celebrity Cruise for me too.

And funny thing. I had a pinched nerve in my back too. I think it might be caused by the cabin bed, but my wife liked it fine. When I got home, my back has been MUCH better and it wasn't a problem before the cruise either.

Thank you for the feedback.

Thanks for your report, sorry you missed Key West because of Cindy.

We're doing this same cruise in August, quick question, do they do the 3 drink vouchers like rccl does for diamond/elite members? We opted to go for a group rate instead of the perk rate which was about $400pp cheaper. So just wondering if I will have at least the 3 nightly drinks?

Thanks for your review

We didn't try the Gastro Pub. It didn't really look very busy. The Mast Grill outside has a great burger and fries. LOVED the sauteed onions on the burger. Because we had the premium drink package, we didn't go to the cocktail events so I don't know if they issued vouchers. I forgot to mention that we tried the room service and it was wonderful. The table on the balcony cabins on Celebrity are a higher table than those on Royal ships we've sailed. This made it much nicer to have room service meals on your balcony. The salad and burger were great and the chocolate cake on the room service menu is better than any cake they have on the MDR menu. One difference we noticed by the pool was the number of bartenders and ease of ordering and getting drinks. On our last two cruises with Royal, if you wanted a drink by the pool, you hardly ever saw a bartender come by. We ended up just going to the bar and getting in line to get our drinks. On the Equinox, they were all over the pool deck and asking if anyone needed a drink and cleaning up where people left their glasses sitting. The crew on this ship is the hardest working group I've seen on any ship. At lunch one day in the Oceanview, I decided to make a sandwich and there wasn't any turkey on the station. The crew member asked me to hold on for a minute. I thought he was going to point me to another station that had it, but he went and got sliced turkey for me.My Grandson and his friend fell in love with Sushi on 5. While my Grandson has been on 17 or 18 cruises, the girl with him was on her second cruise. Both of them are 23 and LOVED this cruise line. They didn't feel like they were on a cruise for "old folks." They loved the laid back atmosphere and found plenty to do on the ship. Again, I was shocked at the number of younger generations on the ship, and they all seemed to love it.

Appreciate the concise report.

Thank you for a very balanced review. We sailed on Equinox March 2016 and will be on her for 11- nights in Sept. I totally concur with your comments about the crew. They would go out of their way to make you happy. I am delighted to read that nothing has changed. Our butler could not have more accommodating. I can't address the MDR selections as we ate in Luminae. Food there was excellent. My SO found the food in Luminae to sometimes be too fancy and he was always able to order for the MDR menu- generally a steak.

I agree that the passenger demographic is a good mix and that the younger crowd felt that way reinforces that.

We're doing this same cruise in August, quick question, do they do the 3 drink vouchers like rccl does for diamond/elite members? We opted to go for a group rate instead of the perk rate which was about $400pp cheaper. So just wondering if I will have at least the 3 nightly drinks?

 

Thanks for your review

How it is done will depend on the number of Elite and above members on the cruise. Most evenings it will be held in the Sky Lounge, 5-7, as there is no dedicated room like the Diamond Lounge. No drink limit, but very limited selections. With the number of people with a drink pkg, the Capt Club HH has dropped way off in attendance. We only went 1 time on each of our last cruises.

The Sunset Bar is packed during sail away with folks watching the sunset and twinkling lights from the Port slowly fade into the darkness.

And the Martini Bar is getting shakin 😉

We agree that this crew was fantastic, we had a great cruise-even with Tropical Storm Cindi.

A couple of observations about Gastropub. It is touted as a sports bar with an extensive beer list. My husband thought it was the perfect spot the first afternoon to watch the end of the US Open, but was dissapointed to find it closed in entirety for a private event. This happened several more times during the week, although only a portion of the pub was affected.

The beer list is impressive for a cruise bar, however, when we asked questions about unfamiliar brews, we found that some of the staff did not have a lot of knowledge on them. Otherwise-it is a nice spot with a relaxed pub atmosphere.

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The beer list is impressive for a cruise bar, however, when we asked questions about unfamiliar brews, we found that some of the staff did not have a lot of knowledge on them. Otherwise-it is a nice spot with a relaxed pub atmosphere.

On a recent cruise one of the events listed in the paper with a time was to "Ask the Beer Experts" in the Gastro Bar. We went there at the designated time. Asked about the event and what part of the bar it was being held in. We got a puzzled look and was told that all the servers and BTs are beer experts and they will be willing to answer any question. There wasn't any talk or seminar.

I enjoy beer and belong to many mug clubs and occasionally brew my own. For some reason the beers on board and in the Gastro Pub just didn't taste good to me (and many of them I have had before), and either did those that I frequently drink by the case.

Drink up 🍺🍸🍹🍷

On a recent cruise one of the events listed in the paper with a time was to "Ask the Beer Experts" in the Gastro Bar. We went there at the designated time. Asked about the event and what part of the bar it was being held in. We got a puzzled look and was told that all the servers and BTs are beer experts and they will be willing to answer any question. There wasn't any talk or seminar.

 

I enjoy beer and belong to many mug clubs and occasionally brew my own. For some reason the beers on board and in the Gastro Pub just didn't taste good to me (and many of them I have had before), and either did those that I frequently drink by the case.

 

Drink up

We just booked our 1st cruise with Celebrity on Equinox for this August. Like you, I enjoy beer and wondering if you were drinking draft? If so, they may need their lines cleaned out possibly?