Host Andy's Update From Equinox

[Orator]

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for the review. I'm excited to follow your future additions as we will be sailing on Equinox in a few weeks!

 

You mentioned dining in the Wine Cellar of Murano. Is this the luck of the draw or does it require a special reservation or a higher fee in order to dine there? We are traveling with a group of friends and we had planned to dine in Murano - it would be fun for our group to be seated in the Wine Cellar! Any info on how to go about securing such a great spot would be most appreciated!

 

Tammy

 

I recently used the Wine Room (Cellar) on Silhouette for an Anniversary dinner with 10 guests. Seats up to 12, but really holds 10 comfortably. Be aware that other events, such as the Chef's Table" have priority and you might need to compromise in terms of date or time. Book it early and enjoy.

[scottam]

I recently used the Wine Room (Cellar) on Silhouette for an Anniversary dinner with 10 guests. Seats up to 12, but really holds 10 comfortably. Be aware that other events, such as the Chef's Table" have priority and you might need to compromise in terms of date or time. Book it early and enjoy.

 

Thank you! We'll give it a shot!

[Andy]

Host Andy:

 

Thanks so much for your insights on your voyage on the Equinox!

Just curious though... does any of the staff know who you are when you are dining in special venues and such?

Or are you actually "undercover" and treated as a regular guest? :eek:

 

Hi Julia,

 

I absolutely expect to be treated like every other guest, and do not mention Cruise Critic, other than at the meet and mingle. Of course, if other cruise critic members wish to talk cruising, I'm always happy to answer their questions.

 

If we receive any special treatment, such as being seated at the wine celler at Murano, (which btw, I had absolutely no idea of this until we were seated, nor did I request it), I totally believe it has everything to do with our 20+ years of sailing with Celebrity, and our loyalty to the brand.

[Andy]

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for the review. I'm excited to follow your future additions as we will be sailing on Equinox in a few weeks!

 

You mentioned dining in the Wine Cellar of Murano. Is this the luck of the draw or does it require a special reservation or a higher fee in order to dine there? We are traveling with a group of friends and we had planned to dine in Murano - it would be fun for our group to be seated in the Wine Cellar! Any info on how to go about securing such a great spot would be most appreciated!

 

Tammy

 

Hi Tammy,

 

I believe Orator answered your questions. There's no upcharge for the wine cellar. I highly recommend inquiring about it, on day 1 of your sailing, as I would presume that openings are very limited.

 

Hope this helps !

[Andy]

Do you recall which nights were weak in the MDR? May use those nights for specialty.

 

Hi blueboro,

 

I'd say the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday menus were weak. Tonight looks far more promising. Stay tuned !

[CruisingChick]

Hi Andy, glad you are having such a great time. Have a drink for me please.

[Iamthesea]

Hi iamthesea,

 

We are on the 10 night itinerary. The first formal night was the Captains formal. No construction for luminae yet. Will see if I can obtain construction info.

 

The slush drink was the one that resembled a pina colada.

 

Hope this helps !

 

Thanks! That's the drink that I planned to try. I'll pick another.

[ISABELLA]

Hi Everyone,

 

We're having an absolutely wonderful time on Equinox ! Most everything is perfect. The ship is in pristine condition, and I cannot say enough good things about the Officers and Crew. They are extremely helpful, with smiles everywhere. Kudos to Hotel Director Christophe Belaubre, who is a huge asset to Celebrity. Captain Panagiotis Mantzavinos, (aka Captain Panos) is very visible and friendly.

 

Overall, the MDR cuisine has been very good to excellent, though we've had a couple of weak menus over the past 3 days. Items such as beef cheeks (yup they're back) and turkey parmesan, are odd at best. Though we are pleased for the most part, I'd like to see Celebrity add some better entree selections to the weaker menus. The appetizers, soups, salads and desserts are excellent. The steaks are delicious and cooked perfectly. Our Waiter, Joel, and his assistant are outstanding, and eager to please. Overall, MDR service is vastly improved, over what we experienced on Eclipse in November. Restaurant Manager Dejan, and Maitre'd Martin are very attentive, and run a great operation.

 

Entertainment is very good for the the most part. The shows are outstanding, and the comedian at Celebrity Central was standing room only for his perfomances. Unfortunately, due to poor scheduling / planning by the cruise director (Patti Honacki) and/or entertainment dept, many guests were turned away, and did not have a chance to see him. I'm surprised that knowing the demand after the first night, they failed to move the comedian to the theater for a midnight show on the 2nd night. Oh well....

 

The pool area is a mixed bag. During the morning and early afternoon hours, it's perfect, with enjoyable canned music. However, later in the afternoon, the Miami DJ's bang away on the drums, and do a great job of chasing everyone away. What Celebrity sees in this type of "entertainment", and I use this word very loosely, is totally beyond me. Besides, they have absolutely no place on a ship carrying a vast majority of older guests. IMO, they are much better suited for the short sailings on Constellation, where they tend to get a younger crowd. On a brighter note, the house band "Front Row" is fantastic !

 

Random thoughts :

 

Luminae : The MDR team is super excited about this addition. From everything mentioned, it surely seems that Luminae will offer a very special dining experience. I hope we'll have an opportunity to experience it for ourselves on a future Celebrity sailing. An interesting tidbit : It *appears* they are taking away more of the MDR for Luminae than first mentioned, and I'm wondering how this will affect the MDR experience for Non-Suite guests. While I'm very excited about the new concept... from a functionality standpoint, I sincerely hope Celebrity has thought out all the changes fully. Many Cruise Critic members have contacted me, asking if Luminae will be open for Lunch daily. I've heard conflicting answers, and will continue to see what I can find out.

 

Murano : We had the best meal I've *ever* had on a Celebrity cruise. To say it was outstanding is an understatement. We were honored to be seated in the beautiful Wine Cellar, making it a special touch to celebrate Mom's Birthday ! I ordered the Lobster Bisque, Pork Belly, Chateaubriand, and Chocolate Souffle. Wow ! Everything was perfect, and it was a truly wonderful evening.... which will no doubt, offer very special memories. Thank you to Ante and the entire Murano team.

 

Bistro on Five : I heard the new menus were available. Not so. They are still offering the old menus. Too bad, as I was eagerly looking forward to trying the new Bistro menu items, which have been well-received on other X ships. Maybe next time.

 

Casino : Very friendly staff. As for the gaming ? I have 3 words to describe : Oy. Oy. Oy. Enough said, but there's still time to recoup :)

 

Internet : Much better than what I experienced on Eclipse in November, though it was out much of yesterday morning and afternoon. It's better today.

 

GastroBar & Slush: Sorry, but I'm not quite sold on either concept as it currently stands. Other than a few minor changes, including the addition of a couple of TV screens and a new bar, along with the removal of the doors... GastroBar looks very much like CellarMasters, and.... it's deserted most of the time. I cannot imagine that Celebrity is doing any better with this concept, than CellarMasters, and that's not saying much. Appetizers are mostly $6, and the "Large Plates" are in the $8-12 range. I've seen 2 or 3 guests eating food, in the first 4 days of the sailing. Based on the minimal interest (at least on this sailing), I'm baffled as to how Celebrity can justify adding this venue to the other S-Class ships. With all due respect to Celebrity, they should consider waiting a bit longer, to see if this concept catches on... or, possibly consider another concept - (how about a seafood bar ?), before taking GastroBar fleetwide.

 

As for Slush, drinks are $7 for non-alcoholic variations, $10 with alcohol. This means only the non-alcohol options are included with the classic drink package. The alcohol versions, are included with the premium package. I tried one of the non-alcohol versions yesterday, and it was nothing special. I see nothing wrong with Slush, especially as it's a very small area, which previously produced zero revenue - so anything they gain is a plus.... but they might wish to add some new drink selections, as the current offerings aren't gathering much interest.

 

Hope you enjoyed my update. I will try to post another onboard update, in a few days !

 

So glad you are enjoying the Equinox. We did so back in November and will be going again in April. I thought overall experience was much better than on Eclipse. And if they had Perry on board - it will be perfect. I found variety and quality of food, service in MDR was very good to outstanding. All officers and crew were very friendly.

[Andy]

Andy

 

Thanks for your report. I know you have enjoyed Eclipse in the past [as have we] and are so pleased to read good reports of Equinox as we have booked the ship for Christmas/New Year 2016/17.

 

Also, so pleased to hear that Ante is still around. If you return to Murano, the sole was excellent on our latest cruise [on Eclipse] - so good I had it three times - well worth ordering.

 

However, most of all, I hope you and your Mum continue to have a great time on Equinox.

 

Thank you for your very kind wishes Sue. The meal was so great at Murano, that we might visit again on this sailing. I'd like to visit Tuscan before this sailing comes to an end.

 

Btw, My Aunt & Uncle both had the sole, and said it was fantastic !

[Andy]

Hi Andy, glad you are having such a great time. Have a drink for me please.

 

Thank you CruisingChick, will do.... <hiccup> :)

[Hawkeye hfx]

Thanks for this. I was also on the Eclipse for the end on Nov sailing and I'm pretty excited to hear your experience on Equinox was even better.

 

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[chamima]

Andy-

We're on the Equinox on Monday (as long as we can get out of Michigan - there's a storm coming - 10 inches of snow predicted :( ) and someone on our Roll Call posted that they're in a Suite and received a phone call from Celebrity that they could book all specialty restaurants for all nights gratis.

Since we're in Aqua I know this will relieve some of the crowding in Blu also.

Can you find out if this is ship specific or fleet wide?

Thanks!

Edited January 31, 2015 by chamima

[Hawkeye hfx]

Interesting. A friend is leaving shortly on the Solstice in a suite and they got the same call. They were told that construction of Luminea was beginning so that section of the MDR wouldn't be available.

Im hoping for that call too....

 

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[Iamcruzin]

Andy-

We're on the Equinox on Monday (as long as we can get out of Michigan - there's a storm coming - 10 inches of snow predicted :( ) and someone on our Roll Call posted that they're in a Suite and received a phone call from Celebrity that they could book all specialty restaurants for all nights gratis.

Since we're in Aqua I know this will relieve some of the crowding in Blu also.

Can you find out if this is ship specific or fleet wide?

Thanks!

 

Interesting. A friend is leaving shortly on the Solstice in a suite and they got the same call. They were told that construction of Luminea was beginning so that section of the MDR wouldn't be available.

Im hoping for that call too....

 

Sent from my SGH-I467M using Forums mobile app

 

I was wondering what was going to happen to the passengers who were lucky or unlucky enough to be sailing on an itinerary where they were going to start construction. Sounds like a good deal for suite guests but I wonder if those who purchased a package prior to sailing will be inconvenienced. I am sure we are going to be reading a lot of complaints from first time CC members who only found CC because they want to complain. At least being a member of CC we know what to expect and can adjust to the situation.

[Hawkeye hfx]

We will end up booking every night in the specialty (assuming we get the call) but I'm sure we will cancel a few reservations once on board and do some other venue for variety. I've never had dinner in the buffet so this may be a good time to try this out. Also if the MDR can accommodate us one night I'd like my parents who will be with us, to experience it. It's such a striking room. Blu as well assuming they have a less popular time that can accommodate us without bumping anyone from Aqua. We were able to have breakfast there in Nov a few times when it wasn't busy at all. I've never been to dinner in Blu though.

 

one of the highlights of cruising on the S class, for me is the variety of eating venues.

 

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[wallie5446]

Great to read your sailing is going GREAT Andy!

 

Your comments sound like what we experienced last Nov on the Equinox, which led us to book again for this Nov. The great thing is reading about no big drop off in quality a few months later.

 

Thoughts for clear skies and calm sea for the rest of your sailing.

EW

[Iamthesea]

Andy-

We're on the Equinox on Monday (as long as we can get out of Michigan - there's a storm coming - 10 inches of snow predicted :( ) and someone on our Roll Call posted that they're in a Suite and received a phone call from Celebrity that they could book all specialty restaurants for all nights gratis.

Since we're in Aqua I know this will relieve some of the crowding in Blu also.

Can you find out if this is ship specific or fleet wide?

Thanks!

 

I was wondering what was going to happen to the passengers who were lucky or unlucky enough to be sailing on an itinerary where they were going to start construction. Sounds like a good deal for suite guests but I wonder if those who purchased a package prior to sailing will be inconvenienced. I am sure we are going to be reading a lot of complaints from first time CC members who only found CC because they want to complain. At least being a member of CC we know what to expect and can adjust to the situation.

 

 

I asked the question earlier to Host Andy about any construction on the ship, and he replied that there was none. Sounds like they may be starting it on our cruise on Monday. :eek: I wonder just how inconvenient, messy, noisy, etc. this is going to be? We had something similar happen on an Oasis cruise and it was a mess as far as service went. :(

[Iamcruzin]

I asked the question earlier to Host Andy about any construction on the ship, and he replied that there was none. Sounds like they may be starting it on our cruise on Monday. :eek: I wonder just how inconvenient, messy, noisy, etc. this is going to be? We had something similar happen on an Oasis cruise and it was a mess as far as service went. :(

Hopefully most of the messy, noisy work will be done on port days. A least you have a heads up and can prepare mentally. I hope you can still enjoy your cruise.

[chamima]

I asked the question earlier to Host Andy about any construction on the ship, and he replied that there was none. Sounds like they may be starting it on our cruise on Monday. :eek: I wonder just how inconvenient, messy, noisy, etc. this is going to be? We had something similar happen on an Oasis cruise and it was a mess as far as service went. :(

 

This seems REALLY early for any construction.

I wonder if they're just trying to head off any problems for the future by making what I hope is a fleet wide decision.

Hence my question to Host Andy.

[Oxo]

Andy: Thanks for the updates.

1. Are they using the Tuscan Grill for the Elite Breakfast?

2. What type of serving are they using: Buffet, Menu or Trays?

3. Coupons/Vouchers for Drinks at night?

[Iamthesea]

Hopefully most of the messy, noisy work will be done on port days. A least you have a heads up and can prepare mentally. I hope you can still enjoy your cruise.

 

Plan on it. :) Leaving for airport, now! :D

[h20cruzer]

Really appreciate you taking time off during you well deserved vacation to keep us all updated.

Norma

[Pushka]

Thanks Andy for the update. We were on Equinox just after gastrobar had been installed and other than the GF of the WC soccer it was pretty much deserted. So your experience is similar to ours.

 

Enjoy! We loved Equinox too and are returning in July.

[May B]

Hi blueboro,

 

I'd say the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday menus were weak. Tonight looks far more promising. Stay tuned !

 

Andy,

 

I think you means days four, five and six, but I'm not sure.

 

Was day two your first formal night?

 

I presume day one was prime rib in the MDR? Captains formal night: tournedos or wellington?

 

Inquiring minds ...

 

Thx so much for all of your posts, and replies. Glad to hear your mom had a wonderful birthday dinner!

[Andy]

I asked the question earlier to Host Andy about any construction on the ship, and he replied that there was none. Sounds like they may be starting it on our cruise on Monday. :eek: I wonder just how inconvenient, messy, noisy, etc. this is going to be? We had something similar happen on an Oasis cruise and it was a mess as far as service went. :(

 

I finally received an answer. The Luminae construction begins on Monday, and is expected to continue for the next 3 sailigs.