Honeymoon on the Equinox! 12day Ultimate Caribbean. Power of the Poncho:A Trip Report

[CruisingGatorGirl]

After the fort we took a drive to Old Town to look at the historic buildings, slave chambers, torture chambers, and a VERY important dead guy who obviously was not that important to me because I forgot his name. I just remember he was very important.

 

 

The Catholic church was beautiful. I am Catholic and always love going to “church” in other countries. I said a little prayer and gave a donation

 

 

Beautiful altar and the VIP dead guy, wish I remembered who he was

 

 

 

 

Another dead guy who I assume is also important

 

 

We did some shopping in the colorful tourist shops. The shops had your typical tourists type items, most made in China. But I don’t care, I still bought a couple trinkets.

 

 

We chatted with these nice officers

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Look at the sky, BLUE! Such a nice day, and loved the colorful streets. Cartagena is very clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really like Cartagena so far

 

 

Loved the blue and yellow tiled street signs, reminds me of Europe:

 

 

 

 

Below is one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip, taken in front of one of the shops:

[CruisingGatorGirl]

This is the street of shops; we didn’t find the shop owners to be too pushy. One lady was kind enough to let me use her bathroom without buying something.

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from the slave and torture chambers

 

 

 

 

Then we went to the new town to the leather and emerald shops. It is very clear the tour operators had “deals” with some shop owners, buyer beware! They are not very good about hiding it. They are just trying to make a living too, and I had no plans on buying any of that so didn’t bother me. But I wanted to point that out if you plan on buying leather or emeralds.

 

 

 

We loaded back up on the bus and locals constantly came right up the window and would push up artwork, coins, whathaveyou, for us to get off the bus and buy. I found it sad.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back we drove past the wealthy section of homes. Our guide said these families were in the “COKE” a cola industry, he emphasized the coke.

 

 

A look back at fortress from a distance

 

 

***Overall review** of this Celebrity sponsored tour, ehh so-so. Put it this way, it did the job. Yes, we got from point A to point B and had a good time! However if we were with a private tour I am sure it would have been a “special” tour, if that makes sense? I don’t regret taking this tour; we knew going in it would not be like any private tour. I guess the saying is true- you get what you pay for. We did not pay a top dollar, private tour price. However, we enjoyed the day!

 

 

We headed back to the ship with a good amount of time left in port so the ship was still pretty empty. I am quickly realizing this is a nice time on board! Maybe another best kept secret? We again got nice loungers by the pool. Did vacation type activities, read by the pool, nap by the pool and so on. What other time are you so relaxed you can actually nap by the pool? I have no shame in my nap game.

 

 

 

I was napping so nicely

 

 

Then…

 

 

I am rudely woken up to

 

 

“WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY, NAHH NAH NAH NAH NAH” followed by Zumba poolside

 

 

SERIOUSLY, CELEBRITY?

 

 

 

Do you remember that ridiculous song, LOL? At the time of our cruise it was a new song but I didn’t expect it to be on Celebrity haha.

 

 

If not, let me remind you:

 

 

 

 

Naptime over, people are getting back on the board and time for party at the pool. Ok, fine with me. I don’t mind I don’t want to nap too long anyway. Zumba is entertaining to watch!

 

 

 

We went back to our stateroom to freshen up for dinner and catch the Hot Glass Show before dinner. Even though we are going on Hot Glass Show #68398275 we still enjoy it each time! The only downside is my bottom does start to hurt from the benches.

 

If you have the chance to catch a hot glass show at night I highly recommend it! I forgot my camera but it is amazing to see the glass “glow” at night.

 

We were in for a surprise at tonight’s show, PONCHO’S!!!!! Yes, the Hot Glass crew picked up some poncho’s in Colombia. They though it would be funny to wear them during tonight's show, and they were right, it was a hit! Only the Hot Show enthusiasts (aka- being polite for groupies) made it to the night shows. They sent us on a mission, we had to find ponchos at the next port and report back the next day wearing our ponchos.

 

 

It would be our little inside joke! We would all show up at the next show and people would think we were crazy.

 

*** Mission accepted, this was the point where we really were feeling the good vibes. Our honeymoon was going from good to great. Today was a GREAT day, YES, thank you!!! I am so happy to be back in happy cruise mode.

 

Thank you Colombia and CMOG Hot Glass Crew for making today a great day! Ok, any maybe “What does the fox say?” HAHA! YAY, happy day! Good times and good night journal!

Edited November 16, 2014 by CruisingGatorGirl

[dblane]

Congrads Ashley & Tyler! You will be celebrating your first wedding anniversary soon if not already. Loved your wedding pics and I too love Andrea Bocelli and actually teared up watching your wedding dance video, nicely done. Been married 45 years to my Bill, and one tidbit I would pass on to you and Tyler is remember to tell each other "I love you", as many times during the day as you can. I will be sailing Equinox for the 4th time with my sister in February. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[Iamthesea]

Oh wow, that is AWESOME! I like that trend, I need to go on more cruises so you can go on more cruises HAHAHA! I hope this review will be helpful for you like the last one. I was actually looking online the other night at Adriatic cruises, that is in our cruise bucket list too.

 

Ask away if you have any question about an Adriatic's cruise. ;)

 

 

 

I am going to be honest in this report, at this point we were starting to miss our Mediterranean cruise, we were a little bummed. We knew going in we cannot compare the 2 cruises, they are totally different experiences. However we are humans and it is in our nature to compare. Between the rain today, empty MDR, things just do not feel the same, sad face. I know, we need to get over it, come on Ashley, at least you are on a cruise with your new husband! Get over it! I will try! It is true; there is a different energy and vibe on a Med. cruise (at least so far).

 

I think that the real reason you were down is because you both missed your family on this cruise. :(

 

I would much rather cruise with my family or friends than cruise alone. Most of the time, DH and I do cruise alone, and we are fine, but having people around us is so much more fun...especially family!

 

BTW- I looked at your wedding video and photos. What a beautiful bride and handsome groom. The ballroom was so lovely. Could you tell me where the reception took place?

 

I am sorry that your day in GC was not what you had planned. GC can really be beautiful, but I have to say that you would have probably been disappointed with the bus to the beach plan that you had. DH and I did that once. :rolleyes: Too crowded...both bus and beach. We stayed about an hour and left after being bugged by so many beach vendors.

 

The real treat to GC is to book a Stingray/snorkeling excursion through NativeWay tours. Next time you do go, be sure and do that.:) After that, you can start staying on the ship for subsequent stops. DH and I now stay on the ship when we stop in GC.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

If you go to Cartagena again, hire a taxi out front of the port to take you on a private tour and be sure to go to La Popa up on the hill.

 

As to the seas north of Colombia, yes they are notoriously rough. When we got to our next port, they had to hose everything down. Everything on our balcony was coated with salt from all the sea spray! You could actually see the salt.

 

I too am a fan of the hot glass shows and will be sorry to see them go. I suspect when those ships are remodeled, that area will be turned into a revenue-producing restaurant. So enjoy them while you can.

 

[Lois R]

Hi Ashley, enjoying this one too:)...I remember when you originally

posted over on the Fashion Forum;).....

 

And thanks for posting the You Tube of your first dance...lovely....

really lovely.:)

 

Sorry you had a down day.....the Med and the Caribbean are sooooo

different from each other...it is like apples to oranges. It is not a good

comparison. I cruise solo, so in my opinion, missing other people has

no affect on my cruises. But I know we are all different.

I would say you just have to realize how different the interaries are

and just go with the flow:D

[cazzi]

Great read thank you for taking the time to do this.

[burrma]

When are the hot glass shows ending? How sad. Anyone know if they will still be on Equinox in Feb. 2015?

[ellbon]

I am so sorry ypu missed La Popa. it was my favorite part of my private tour.. loved shopping at the old dungeons. GC is great ofr snorkeling and lunch. sorry you did not enjoy just shopping and lunch. at least you got there.

[4cats4me]

 

As much as I love escargot now, I'm pretty sure at your age I didn't like it either...guess it's one of those acquired tastes? Good for you for at least trying it..can't know whether you like something without trying right?

 

Ok, enough from me...keep up the good work and post whenever you can!

Cathy

 

 

Lol, I have to chuckle, I was forced to eat snails at age 7 in the second grade while in French class and loved them :):D

Still like them, but am picky about their preparation

[flyingv4me]

Excellent, excellent review! I'm loving your writing style and pictures! Thank you for taking the time to share with us! :)

[Luckynana]

On our one and only trip to the Cayman Island, rain began falling within the first half hour getting off the ship. We turned around and got right back on the tender. Within the hour, we watched tenders violently rocking up and down in the water.:o. A hurricane developed, which followed us for most of our 12 day cruise. :(. The sea bands got me through the rough seas.:D. Quite a difference on our Mediterranean cruise...the sea was so calm it was like gliding on ice!

 

 

 

 

Maryann

[lola2013]

Wonderful review...love the pictures and your "story"...

I was lucky enough to sail on Equinox last October in the Mediterranean and will be returning in February to the Caribbean.

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

[jewels07]

I blame you entirely for my lack of sleep last night, found your med review at 9 pm and just had to stay up until 1.30 am to read it all, imagine my delight when I saw your honeymoon cruise report this afternoon!

 

You two are indeed a beautiful couple, and Ashley, I LOVE the way you include so much detail.

 

Snails: I remember the first time I had snails, at the age of 19 at dinner with my then boyfriend. Loved them, until I got woken by my Mum in the middle of the night. she thought there had been a gas leak and I was unconscious! (we never used garlic back then).

 

Just booked the Eastern Med cruise on Reflection for late May next year, and really looking forward to it. Have copied a lot of your tour ideas from the ports we will visit for future reference.

 

Keep up the good work, and Congratulations on your wedding, I thought you looked absolutely stunning.

Edited November 17, 2014 by jewels07

[Iamthesea]

Snails: I remember the first time I had snails, at the age of 19 at dinner with my then boyfriend. Loved them, until I got woken by my Mum in the middle of the night. she thought there had been a gas leak and I was unconscious! (we never used garlic back then).

 

:D Oh my goodness! Thank you for that laugh! :D

[hulamoon]

Cruisinggatorgirl....

 

Many blessings to you for your first year of marriage. I noticed your post about comparisons...I was also on this cruise and again on the Equinox in April. I am not sure what it was, besides the pouring rain but we found the April Equinox nicer for many reasons including weather.

 

Our April cruise was before the drydock, but we noticed the carpet was cleaner and the staff smiled more in April. Not that December was terrible, just not the best cruise we have been on.

 

I wondered if the Caribbean in December was the issue, I will know next month.

 

Thanks for the witch question picture! Wish I had that one!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Loved your Engagement cruise review. We were on the Equinox last November in the Mediterranean, our third Mediterranean cruise in three years and our 4th overall - all on celebrity. I could go back every year. In December we will be on the Equinox for the 10 day Eastern Caribbean. Haven't done a Caribbean cruise for 4 years. It is so much different than a European cruise - a much more relaxed time.

 

You are lucky you had smooth seas on your Mediterranean cruise. On almost every cruise there we have had some very, very choppy waters. Have not had much of that in the Caribbean.

 

Awaiting the rest of your review.

 

Regards

Gail

 

 

Gail,

 

Thank you for your comments! I guess you never know what the sea is going to bring haha.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Congrads Ashley & Tyler! You will be celebrating your first wedding anniversary soon if not already. Loved your wedding pics and I too love Andrea Bocelli and actually teared up watching your wedding dance video, nicely done. Been married 45 years to my Bill, and one tidbit I would pass on to you and Tyler is remember to tell each other "I love you", as many times during the day as you can. I will be sailing Equinox for the 4th time with my sister in February. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Thank you SO much for the very nice words! Yes, we are ALMOST at our 1 year, it will be on November 30th. I, cannot wait to eat the cake haha! Thank you for the advice, I will yell downstairs to Tyler right now and tell him I love him.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Ask away if you have any question about an Adriatic's cruise.

 

 

 

 

I think that the real reason you were down is because you both missed your family on this cruise.

 

I would much rather cruise with my family or friends than cruise alone. Most of the time, DH and I do cruise alone, and we are fine, but having people around us is so much more fun...especially family!

 

BTW- I looked at your wedding video and photos. What a beautiful bride and handsome groom. The ballroom was so lovely. Could you tell me where the reception took place?

 

I am sorry that your day in GC was not what you had planned. GC can really be beautiful, but I have to say that you would have probably been disappointed with the bus to the beach plan that you had. DH and I did that once. Too crowded...both bus and beach. We stayed about an hour and left after being bugged by so many beach vendors.

 

The real treat to GC is to book a Stingray/snorkeling excursion through NativeWay tours. Next time you do go, be sure and do that. After that, you can start staying on the ship for subsequent stops. DH and I now stay on the ship when we stop in GC.

 

You know what, I think you are right! I think we were missing our family a lot! So many of our memories came from family time. I know my parents missed us a lot, my mom even posted on here to see if anyone knew me while we were gone LOL!!! My mom is so sweet.

 

And yes, of course! We got married at the Lowe's Don CeSar in St. Petersburg, FL.

 

I actually had my 16th birthday at that hotel so I am very attached to it! It is nicknamed the "Pink Palace"

 

Here is the link to all of our wedding picutres:

http://kandkphotography.pass.us/ashley-tyler-wedding/favs-1150679

 

Thank you for the advice. There are so many cruises to take! We hope our next one will be Eastern Med., fingers crossed!

 

If you go to Cartagena again, hire a taxi out front of the port to take you on a private tour and be sure to go to La Popa up on the hill.

 

As to the seas north of Colombia, yes they are notoriously rough. When we got to our next port, they had to hose everything down. Everything on our balcony was coated with salt from all the sea spray! You could actually see the salt.

 

I too am a fan of the hot glass shows and will be sorry to see them go. I suspect when those ships are remodeled, that area will be turned into a revenue-producing restaurant. So enjoy them while you can.

 

 

Thank you for the great advice! We definitely will do that the next time we go. And yes, we had a salty balcony too!

 

I think that is just a rumor (at least I hope). I will keep my fingers crossed because if that day comes, it will be a very sad day!

 

Hi Ashley, enjoying this one too...I remember when you originally

posted over on the Fashion Forum.....

 

And thanks for posting the You Tube of your first dance...lovely....

really lovely.

 

Sorry you had a down day.....the Med and the Caribbean are sooooo

different from each other...it is like apples to oranges. It is not a good

comparison. I cruise solo, so in my opinion, missing other people has

no affect on my cruises. But I know we are all different.

I would say you just have to realize how different the interaries are

and just go with the flow

 

Thank you, Lois! You are quite the fashionista!

 

I appreciate your kind words and comments! You are right, you really cannot compare the 2!

 

Great read thank you for taking the time to do this.

 

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment, have a great day!

 

When are the hot glass shows ending? How sad. Anyone know if they will still be on Equinox in Feb. 2015?

 

Hi, this is just a rumor, nothing has been confirmed. Lets hope it is around for a LONG time!

 

I am so sorry ypu missed La Popa. it was my favorite part of my private tour.. loved shopping at the old dungeons. GC is great ofr snorkeling and lunch. sorry you did not enjoy just shopping and lunch. at least you got there.

 

great, thank you for the advice! We now have other options for our next trip.

 

Lol, I have to chuckle, I was forced to eat snails at age 7 in the second grade while in French class and loved them

Still like them, but am picky about their preparation

 

haha! Maybe one day I will like them, I am willing to give those little snails another chance hehe

 

Excellent, excellent review! I'm loving your writing style and pictures! Thank you for taking the time to share with us!

 

Thank you so much! And thank you for taking the time to comment!

 

On our one and only trip to the Cayman Island, rain began falling within the first half hour getting off the ship. We turned around and got right back on the tender. Within the hour, we watched tenders violently rocking up and down in the water.. A hurricane developed, which followed us for most of our 12 day cruise. . The sea bands got me through the rough seas.. Quite a difference on our Mediterranean cruise...the sea was so calm it was like gliding on ice!

 

Maryann

 

Oh my goodness, you had some weather!! One time on a short Carnival cruise we had nasty weather, but it was only a 4 day cruise... you had 12 days!

 

Thank you for commenting!

 

Wonderful review...love the pictures and your "story"...

I was lucky enough to sail on Equinox last October in the Mediterranean and will be returning in February to the Caribbean.

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

Aww, thank you so much! I should have another post up tonight. Have a great cruise!

 

I blame you entirely for my lack of sleep last night, found your med review at 9 pm and just had to stay up until 1.30 am to read it all, imagine my delight when I saw your honeymoon cruise report this afternoon!

 

You two are indeed a beautiful couple, and Ashley, I LOVE the way you include so much detail.

 

Snails: I remember the first time I had snails, at the age of 19 at dinner with my then boyfriend. Loved them, until I got woken by my Mum in the middle of the night. she thought there had been a gas leak and I was unconscious! (we never used garlic back then).

 

Just booked the Eastern Med cruise on Reflection for late May next year, and really looking forward to it. Have copied a lot of your tour ideas from the ports we will visit for future reference.

 

Keep up the good work, and Congratulations on your wedding, I thought you looked absolutely stunning.

 

Haha, I am glad you enjoyed it so much! I do the same thing, I also visit the Disboards and when I get going on a trip report I have to finish the entire thing in one sitting, I get hooked! Thank you for the nice words!

 

I guess we all have a funny story about the first time we had snails, hehe!

 

We also are hoping to be on Eastern med in May!

 

Cruisinggatorgirl....

 

Many blessings to you for your first year of marriage. I noticed your post about comparisons...I was also on this cruise and again on the Equinox in April. I am not sure what it was, besides the pouring rain but we found the April Equinox nicer for many reasons including weather.

 

Our April cruise was before the drydock, but we noticed the carpet was cleaner and the staff smiled more in April. Not that December was terrible, just not the best cruise we have been on.

 

I wondered if the Caribbean in December was the issue, I will know next month.

 

Thanks for the witch question picture! Wish I had that one!

 

Thank you so much, we are almost at 1 year! Just about 12 days away.

 

I am so happy to hear from someone who was also on this cruise because it was VERY rainy! The guides said this was beyond normal for the "rain" forest, it was solid rain for 3-4 days I think on our cruise? And in most of those ports that had a solid week of rain before we got there.

 

Maybe this just is not the best time to cruise the Caribbean, but my cold body says go south in December, haha!

 

I hope you have a great cruise!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

12/14/2013 Colon, Panama

 

 

OooOOOohhhHH Panama! Like Colombia, I had a vision of Panama in my head. Sort of Gilligan’s Island meets Naked and Afraid (a show on National Geographic or Discovery) and part an engineers paradise. My dad is an engineer so I knew about the Panama canal and grew up catching bits of it on engineer T.V. specials my dad would watch. I also had this vision of jungle and mystery. I don’t know how my imagination makes this stuff up but that was what I had in mind. Panama, 2 different worlds!

 

 

 

Would I be right?

 

 

My internal excitement alarm clock went off again today. But you want to know something? I was really happy today to wake up early because we were still sailing in YIPPEE! I LOVE to watch us sail into port, I think that is one of the best parts. The world seems so majestic that early when you slowly sail into port. I enjoyed standing on the balcony, almost alone as I look around me, just taking it in. THIS is what a vacation is all about! I am over my negative Nancy spell (no offense to anyone named Nancy reading this).

 

 

 

 

What is really special about sailing into Colon, Panama was all the ships waiting. I am going to assume they are waiting for the canal? It was like a traffic jam on the sea. Since I had Gilligan’s Island as part of my Panama vision, maybe they were searching for the S. S. Minnow? (Lame joke, I know!)

 

 

For today’s agenda we have planned a tour with a private company called My Friend Mario, the tour was number CL001. I was in charge of arranging this tour from our roll call. Woo, talk about pressure being in charge of a tour!

 

 

 

Tyler had breakfast in the buffet and I chose to have room service delivered. I had another room service snafu. On the T.V. when I ordered room service I selected “bacon 2” thinking I would get 2 pieces of bacon. And what did I get?

 

 

See here:

 

 

Ha! Not quite 2 pieces of bacon. Ya just never know with room service.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

After eating a months worth of bacon it was time to meet our group for the tour! I was SO excited to get to meet everyone! Since our meet and mingle party didn’t go as planned, and we were late to it, I only was able to meet a couple folks. For those out there organizing a tour for a roll call group I have some tips.

 

 

I didn’t think people were comfortable with putting their full names or cabin numbers on a public forum so I sent a private email to each party in our tour and I kept a private excel sheet with names, cabin numbers, etc. to keep track or “roll” if you are a teacher to make sure all are present. This worked out great and everyone on our roll call was no nice and responded to my e-mails. If you are reading this, thank you!!

 

 

 

We arranged to meet at 8:20 near the martini bar. Then as a group we departed the ship to find our tour guide. We met our driver, Mario #3, and off we went! WOOHOO!

 

 

 

We were a party of 25 and were provided with an air-conditioned bus. During the excursion we were given fruit, beer, water, and soda (just FYI). Right away we saw a baby sloth with his mom (CHECK! One thing on our list to see, but I don’t remember sloths on Gilligan’s Island), toucans, other birds, iguanas, and monkeys. Already off to a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2014 by CruisingGatorGirl

[cruisehome]

reading your great revew

 

congrats on your wedding - you looked beautiful

 

would love to hear from others also how you felt cruising in December

 

we are cruising the equinox next December

 

will keep reading -

 

thanks carol

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Maybe someone can help me with this picture; it was some type of old U.S. Military base we drove through? I remember the stories of my grandfather being in the “jungle” and him talking about the size of bats they encountered. I wonder if he once resided in a place like this? I wish I knew more about this picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was our bathroom and refreshment stop:

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a look out to see all the ships waiting to enter the locks:

 

 

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

We drove pass the Gatun Locks to make our way to the San Lorenzo Fort to try and beat the rain. Yes, rain was coming. But, I had a better attitude today about the rain, we are in Central America! I was also prepared with a rain jacket and umbrella.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another sloth. Turns out sloths are all over the place!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I found the fort to be beautiful! Because we are in the rain forest the grass was so rich and vibrant looking, a beautiful shade of green! The fort itself was in a ruins state (unlike the one in Colombia) but here it worked, it felt magical, like I was back in time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoy ruins and forts and find each one different. I know people think BORING, look at the old stones, blah blah blah! I however, like them! That is what makes the world go round, right?

 

 

I almost felt a little Jurassic Park here and less Gilligan’s Island. I think I need to change my vision of Panama. I don’t know what happened but it was like a light switch off and I was in love with Panama, despite the cloudy skies and threatening rain.

 

 

 

 

 

Something about the juxtaposition of bright, healthy grass and old dilapidated structures really hits a happy spot in me. (if you read my Europe post with Pompeii I felt that way their too).

 

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I always liked history in school and recreating historic events like the Oregon Trail in 5th grade. Here, I was picturing what life would have been like. Our guide did a great job being animated to construct a picture of life.

 

 

Mario #3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something I just thought of as I was typing this, the guide really makes a tour. With our Cartagena tour I bet I would have enjoyed it A LOT more if we had a private tour.

 

 

Rain clouds were rolling in so we headed back to the bus. We were supposed to go on a jungle walk but due to the rain as a group we decided to skip it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove past the doors/gates for the new canal: