ColdinOH

Paul Baya was the cruise director on the January 2 sailing. One evening we noticed in the daily "Today" that he was going to sing in the Sky Lounge with the band. Glad we went to the lounge as Paul did a great job singing for approximately an hour. We thought he might only sing one song, but he did an entire set. Otherwise, we only saw him before and after shows in the Equinox Theater.

We did notice on 4-5 occasions that the Captain was in the coffee shop on deck 5 talking with passengers during the evening. We also saw the captain other times walking around the ship decks 4 and 5. Not a biggie, but just an observation.

Sorry, but I forgot to keep the daily "Celebrity Today".

The holiday decorations were everywhere when we boarded on Jan. 2. Throughout our ten days, some, if not most of the decorations disappeared at night. It was not all at once.

Embarkation and disembarkation was the worst we have ever experienced. However, it certainly didn't ruin our cruise. We left adequate time for our return flight and who can be upset over waiting an extra 30 minutes or an hour prior to boarding the Equinox for ten wonderful days. When we did board on Jan. 2nd around 11:00-11:30, we saw lots of frustrated folks who were just getting off the ship. It reinforces for us--don't book too early of a flight on the day your ship returns to port.

Also--FRMPEI. Your review was extremely helpful in our preparation for our cruise. Thanks.

We did not use the ship's excursion, but did the following:

St Thomas--We took the Paradise Skyway Tram (walking distance from the ship). Enjoyed drinks and the view. My wife had time to shop and then spent time shopping at port shops. We have been to St Thomas previously and knew we had 5 straight port days so made this one easy.

St Kitts--This was our first time on this island so opted to book an excursion with Thenford Grey. We felt we saw plenty of the island with some spectacular scenery and views. We wished we had more time at the fort to explore, but in general, this was a good option to see as much as possible with a 3:00 ship departure.

Barbados--$5 per person taxi ride to Lobster Alive, which is near Boatyard in Carlisle Bay. Two chairs and umbrella and included two drink coupons if I remember correctly. Lobster Alive chairs are spread out compared to Boatyard but it does not have the rope jumps, water trampolines, etc. But my wife and I wanted to enjoy the rest of the cruise so we opted for the more laid back Lobster Alive. Beautiful beach area. We would go back.

Dominica--We used Bumpiing Tours for their "wet tour". You can check it out on their website. Absolutely, enjoyed this day. Unfortunately, we are not in the greatest of shape and are average swimmers at best. But the tour requires you to wear a water belt. We did just fine, but not sure ten years(age 70) from now that we would recommend this tour. Thrilled that we did this tour and the island is not to missed. Different from other islands. Hard to explain, but we want to go back.

St Marteen--Water taxi to town for $7 round trip per person. Rented two chairs and an umbrella for $15 at Great Bay Beach which included a drink per person. I would take a walk up the boardwalk. All kind of deals and vendors will approach trying to sell their chairs. After beach time and lunch at one of the beach front outdoor restaurants, it was time to follow my wife around Front Street as she made her way in and out of what seemed like a hundred stores. Water taxi back to ship.

We just returned from a great 10 day cruise on the Equinox with sailing dates of January 2-12th. My wife and I are early 60's. This cruise had a nice cross of people from young adults to the elderly. We met some great folks on this cruise. We go on a cruise with an open mind knowing everything will not be perfect, but that we are fortunate to have the opportunity to cruise and to be able to spend this valuable time with each other and recharging the battery so to speak. Any review is subjective so take this as being our experience only. This was only our 7th cruise having sailed Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival and Celebrity previously.

Pre Cruise--Two nights in Fort Lauderdale at the Holiday Inn Express on 17th street. Enjoyed new years eve dinner outside on the deck at Bimini Boatyard. Took advantage of Duffy's Bar and Grill on new years day watching a few football games. Everything within walking distance including stores for picking up last minute items. We went to Total Wine for a couple of bottles of wine to take with us. Visiting this store is like taking an excursion for anyone who enjoys wine. We even had a partial view of the top of the ship on departure morning from our 5th floor room. Taxi to ship was 10 minutes and cost $10 plus a tip.

Embarkation--This was the only part of our cruise that disappointed us. We arrived at port at approximately 11:30 and waited in line for nearly 40 minutes to hand over Xpress pass, show our passport, provide a credit card, and receive our keycard. Only one clerk handling two decks. We heard from other passengers who arrived later than us who waited over an hour. I am not sure if it was just our deck or our clerk who was slow or what was the issue. I know there was customs issues for the people getting off the previous cruise, but not sure why that was a problem for us checking in. Once checked in, it was only 5 minutes to board and start enjoying the next ten days

Buffet--better than most cruises, but we understand there are 3,000 passengers and there will be hiccups. Salad bar was fresh and loved the sushi. Certainly by the 10th day, we had seen it all, but that was expected. We always checked out the daily special area of the buffet. That created some variety for us. However, the desserts were not up to what we expected, but we didn't need them anyway so maybe it was best.

MDR--We used select dining and it was right for us. Maximum wait was ten minutes and no wait at all most evenings. We liked not having to watch the clock for our dining time. We dined the second night with service and recommendations by Ignatius and Ernani and requested these two gentlemen each night for the rest of the cruise. We found the food to be great for us. We almost were at the point where we just let us our waiter (Ignatius) make our menu selection. Again, the MDR is not going to be a five star restaurant so some people might be disappointed.

Stateroom--Our stateroom 6246 was classed as an obstructed verandah. No problem as the obstruction was the top of the lifeboat which was at the balcony deck level. The room was cleaned fine and timely. We had almost no interaction with our housekeeping staff which was unusual. This was okay because I sensed they were shorthanded. The location was quiet and convenient to steps and elevator. We would stay in this location again.

Entertainment--Just fine. The Equinox singers and dancers were especially enjoyable on their second and third shows (Remix and Le Cirque). The first night which was Broadway was not for us and we were disappointed, but glad we went back to see the other shows. The juggler, comedian, and singer were all good and was worth the hour of our evening. The theater was never completely full and we could walk in close to showtime and find pretty good seats.

Drink package--We had the 123go classic drink package. For us, we did not find the need to upgrade. The staff recognized that we had the package and fit our drinks to our package. Worked just fine. It was nice not sign slips. We took advantage of the specialty coffee once, sometimes twice a day. Service was outstanding in the coffee shop area.

General observations--The ship is very nice and in great shape and seemed very clean to us. I admit that we didn't pull up cushions, run our finger in hidden areas checking for dust, etc.. Our second time on an S class and we like this layout. In general, the ship's staff throughout was more than courteous. I think a smile or a thank you sent in their direction means a lot and you get positive feedback.

Debarkation--We did the luggage valet which takes our luggage from our stateroom and we don't see it until we arrive in our home airport. We don't have a group disembark number. We left the ship whenever we wanted. For us, this worked fine and is a $20 perk per person which we find to be dollars well spent for us. We heard some of the customs agents reported off so it was approximately 45 minutes to get through customs but we still had plenty of time for our 12:45 flight. We walked off the ship around 9:00.

Overall, we had a fantastic time and were well pleased with our time on the Celebrity Equinox. If we are fortunate in the future, we will be back on a Celebrity S class ship. For those of you going on Equinox--if you don't let the small things bother you then you will have an awesome time. Less

I am also curious if holiday dinner provides anything different. However, I thought if you were Aqua and thus Blu dining that the MDR is not available? I am new at this so I may be wrong, but I thought I was informed of this when considering my booking options.

Thanks for the review. We have the same Equinox cruise in January. We also have the classic drink package. Your input is valuable to our planning and deciding whether to upgrade. We now think we will wait a day or two after boarding to decide. You mentioned going to beaches other than Dominica. We plan on trying a few beaches also. Do you have any beaches that you highly recommend or other that you might suggest steering away from??

Many months ago, I asked the same question. I was told that you could be assigned an obstructed view balcony on deck six with the veranda guarantee. The concierge balcony guarantee would not obstructed. Not sure if that matters and what the price difference is, but just passing this along. I am only going on my second Celebrity cruise so I am far from an expert.

So this would suggest if you are assigned a boarding time at 3:00 and your hotel checkout is 11:00 that you will need to store luggage and find a land based restaurant to have lunch rather than enjoying lunch on the ship. We also enjoy exploring the ship and taking pictures soon after boarding. We will follow the recommended guidelines, but it certainly takes away from the excitement and the enjoyment of the first day? I guess we never thought the embarkation process was an issue unless there was a customs or norovirus issue which is certainly understood.

My wife and I will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express on 17th on 12/31 and 1/1 prior to our cruise. Are there any traditional Fort Lauderdale New Years Eve events to consider? We are not looking for big party/dancing, etc. at a fancy hotel or restaurant, but rather something casual and unique to the area. Looking forward to our first New Years Eve with temperatures above freezing. LOL.