Video trip report/review: Equinox Ultimate 10 day 3/27/15-4/6/15

[DevilinaBluDress]

On Saturday, the ship was rolling side-to-side. I wasn't the only one who was seasick or looked like I'd had a few too many to drink. We laid low in the cabin most of the day. Will ate breakfast alone at Blu because I was under the weather. It was so nice that the Blu staff knew him well and he could feel comfortable going there on his own.

 

We were invited to a Bridge tour (remember we asked during the Cruise Critic Celebrity meet and greet?) and I went up to the spa to get ready and took too long since I wasn't watching the clock closely (still a little sea sick and moving slowly.) Will didn't miss it, though. No pictures because Will didn't take his camera. I tried to join it, but there was some miscommunication about where I should meet security. Oh well, it was my fault since I was 5 minutes late. Will really enjoyed it, though.

 

I finally felt better around lunchtime and ordered the salmon from room service. I ate it on the balcony as a treat. It was perfectly done and very yummy!

 

In the afternoon, I went to the Secrets of the Pastry Chef demonstration and learned, sort of, how to create a pastry bag from parchment paper.

 

It was formal night and Will wore his Goodwill $4 blue blazer with grey pants for dinner. As usual, I also had some thrift store threads on and got some compliments on my extra sparkly sequined jacket. After another wonderful dinner at Blu, we went to the last Hot Glass Show of the cruise.

 

Then on to Equinox the Show to see Ariana, the contortionist we met earlier in the week perform. It was the best show of the week, IMO. Will really enjoyed it from our back seats where he could move around, if he felt like it, without disturbing others.

 

Will then went back to the cabin while I went to the Gastropub bar to root the Badgers basketball team to victory over Kentucky. It was a lot of fun but also a little weird because as a Madison resident who works for the University of Wisconsin and also an alumna from UW-Madison, I am used to cheering my team with only Badger fans. It was a little tough to be in a bar with people rooting for Kentucky, mostly. Of course we Badger fans made ourselves known. I had a traditional Brandy Old Fashioned to celebrate the win!

 

Sunday, Easter, was another sea day. After breakfast in Blu, Will and I went to the guest relations to find out if it was too late to enroll in the luggage valet service since we were flying Southwest late on Monday night back to Milwaukee. Apparently I had missed seeing that the deadline was on the Dominica night (there was a small blurb about it in the daily). Celebrity was accommodating, again, and we were able to still sign up. We were told we'd get our new luggage tags by 5 pm-ish.

 

We spent some nice relaxing time in the Persian Gardens - I was still saddle sore from the horseback riding, so the heated loungers were especially nice. I went to the Top Chef at Sea competition which, as a super fan of the show, was quite fun. I wasn't exuberant enough to be picked as a contestant - note to self: jump up and down to be picked.

 

For lunch, we had our one and only specialty restaurant experience at Tuscan Grille. Oh. My. Gosh. What a wonderful meal! Will and I especially liked the steak tartar and the tiramisu. Will said he could swim in the shrimp scampi noodles which were creamy with lots of garlic.

 

I took some pictures of the special Easter lunch buffet at the Oceanview Cafe. Lots of carved watermelons and ice sculptures.

 

Back at the cabin we finished the first season of Breaking Bad and just relaxed. No luggage tags, yet, so we stopped at the Guest Services. I was told that perhaps after dinner, they would be there. Dinner at Blu. No luggage tags, yet. Apparently, we were the only ones on the whole ship who hadn't received them yet because Southwest Airline only will do them 24 hours before departure. After dinner, I went to the meet the Hot Glass Artists event. Came back to the cabin around 9 pm and, finally, our luggage tags were delivered. Packed and put out the bags by 10 pm and then to bed.

 

G'night!

 

Sea days adventure:

[DevilinaBluDress]

The inevitable day has arrived. Our time on the Equinox has come to an end. Will and I woke, did last minute packing and headed to Blu for one last breakfast. We ate, said our good-byes, gave our bottle of Merlot (was in exchange for the champagne on day 1) to the hostess and then headed off the ship at about 9 am. There was a long line which we joined. About 30 minutes until we were talking with the customs officer. I mentioned that I had chocolate (remember- I bought some at the Apagey Chocolate Factory in Barbados). The customs officer asked where the chocolate was from and then told me that I was not allowed to bring it to the US. I was crestfallen! They were planned to be gifts for family and friends. I spent a lot of money on this chocolate, too! The customs officer then broke into a big smile and said, "Just kidding!" He then sent us on our way. That was a little drama that I was not prepared to deal with!

 

Past the terminal, we took a quick cab ride to the airport to pick up a rental car I had reserved through Hotwire. Our flight wasn't until 8:45 pm, so we had plenty of time to explore the Ft. Lauderdale area. I had picked up a couple of Groupons to area attractions to fill our day. I also hoped to meet a friend for lunch (which didn't happen due to her work commitments.)

 

After getting the rental car, we were off to Groupon attraction number 1: Cooperstown Airboat Tour of the Everglades. It was a bit hot and there was some confusion about which tourists were on which airboat, but about 15 minutes after we arrived, we were speeding along the Everglades seeing alligators, herons and other wildlife and plants. after the tour, Will even held a baby alligator - a highlight for him, he said. I'll take his word on it (and a picture.) We skipped the educational presentation and got back on the road to attraction number 2.

 

We ate lunch at Bahama Breeze at Sawgrass Mills before spending two hourss at the Game Room, a video arcade. Will had a blast playing Dance Dance Revolution and other games. I learned that I am not a Guitar Hero, Indy Car driver nor a motorcross racer. I really don't play video games well at all!

 

Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then it was time to get to the airport, return the car and check in for our flight. When we got to security, the pre-check line was closed, so we had to go through the regular security line but did not have to remove our shoes. It's the small things, sometimes. ;-)

 

Our flight happend to happen just as the Badgers were playing in the Basketball Finals. The whole plane were fans and were very excited that we'd be able to watch the game on our mobile devices. However, there was a glitch and no one was able to watch until the final 5 minutes which, apparently, were the 5 minutes that no Badger fan wanted to watch. Oh well, we'll get them in 2016!

 

Back in Milwaukee at about 11:30 pm and on the road back to Madison in cold drizzle. Welcome home! Home at 1 am and back to work and school in the morning.

 

It was a great trip from beginning to end! We've booked (onboard) our next adventure - The President's Baltic Cities Tour on Silhouette for June 2016. This time 2 cabins for the whole family. Looking forward to being on another Celebrity ship!

 

Day 11 video:

[true45]

Excellent review

Thanks

[FRMPEI]

Molly,

 

Great finish to your Trip Report loved the final video. Was #2 of your groupon at Sawgrass?

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[DevilinaBluDress]

Yes, the second Groupon was 2 hours at the Game Room arcade.

 

Did you catch the part about the chocolates? After the joking customs agent sent us on our way, all the bars were given away or eaten in about a week after we got home. The hands-down favorite was the Rum/coconut /caramel flavor.

 

Molly

[seapals2]

Molly know its a while since the cruise but just to say how much I have enjoyed your reviews and photos. We were on the same cruise and in an Aqua cabin but like most cruises everyone has a totally different vacation despite being on the same ship. Enjoyed reading how you spent your time and the excursions you went on.

PS we still have our name badges too ... many thanks for the work that went into them Bev.

[DevilinaBluDress]

Molly know its a while since the cruise but just to say how much I have enjoyed your reviews and photos. We were on the same cruise and in an Aqua cabin but like most cruises everyone has a totally different vacation despite being on the same ship. Enjoyed reading how you spent your time and the excursions you went on.

 

PS we still have our name badges too ... many thanks for the work that went into them Bev.

 

 

I imagine that there were almost 3000 different vacations just on our cruise alone! I hope you had fun, too!

 

Molly