Loyal Royal goes X! Equinox Nov 9-20 2015 Photo Review

[Darkwolfe]

Can you post your itin for this cruise

.We are booked on EQ in 2016 for an E Carib; then EQ in 2017 for the one going to Panama and Cartagena...we want to see Cartagena... and maybe the new locks...

 

EQ often gets the newer and better cruise terminal in Ft Lauderdale...a big plus getting on & off.

 

Enjoy!

 

Itinerary was:

Grand Caymen

Cartegena, Columbia

Colon, Panama

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Belize City, Belize

Cozumel, Mexico

 

And yes we did depart from Terminal 18. Easy boarding there.

[tbmrt]

Sailing on Equinox 11/30.

 

Last December we loved most everything about the ship except for the entertainment and sailaway festivities. I know there are different strokes for different folks, but DH and I felt most of the shows were really "hokey", especially the Beatles show. We actually walked out which we never did in the past.

 

Sailaway was extremely low key with perhaps just 2 couples dancing on deck last year. Hoping this year is better.

 

Thanks for any info.

Barbara

[LzyCruiser_NWA]

How was the MDR service, how long was your average dinner if you don't mind me asking?

[lovestx]

Sailing on Equinox 11/30.

 

Last December we loved most everything about the ship except for the entertainment and sailaway festivities. I know there are different strokes for different folks, but DH and I felt most of the shows were really "hokey", especially the Beatles show. We actually walked out which we never did in the past.

 

Sailaway was extremely low key with perhaps just 2 couples dancing on deck last year. Hoping this year is better.

 

Thanks for any info.

Barbara

 

I thought the entertainment on the 11/9 sailing was a bit odd but have a theory on that. Basically, every night except for the first Sea Day/formal night was an 'outside' entertainer. We had several good soloists, a comedian, a ventriloquist and a Beatles show. The only EQ show was the Cirque de Soleil night. Towards the end of the cruise, the EQ dancers and singers performed at 10:30 p.m. in the Atrium area for two nights. Both of those were good.

 

My theory is that there was a turnover or partial turnover of the singers and dancers after the TA and that they were still rehearsing their acts. If that theory holds, you should have more Broadway like shows. I was disappointed that we did not.

 

The other entertainment on board was pretty good but not fabulous. Added to the ambiance but we didn't seek them out to watch.

 

Sailaway was fun for us as our CC group got together on the Sunset Deck.

 

Have fun!

[lightning bolt]

Sailing on Equinox 11/30.

 

Last December we loved most everything about the ship except for the entertainment and sailaway festivities. I know there are different strokes for different folks, but DH and I felt most of the shows were really "hokey", especially the Beatles show. We actually walked out which we never did in the past.

 

Sailaway was extremely low key with perhaps just 2 couples dancing on deck last year. Hoping this year is better.

 

Thanks for any info.

Barbara

 

Oh no we loved the Beatles show. We are sailing on Nov 30th and hope they have it again.:)

[OBX-Cruisers]

My guess is that you docked in the "scenic" port of Colon and looked out on the port.............we had a similar reaction several years ago and stayed on the ship

 

You'll be having a good time. But skip Panama. That rant is yet to come, but since you are sailing so soon, I'll give you the heads up now. At best, maybe take the ship tour to the Miraflores locks. Other than that, stay on board. Just look out the window when you dock. It gets clear rather quickly.

 

More to come tomorrow!

[lovestx]

My guess is that you docked in the "scenic" port of Colon and looked out on the port.............we had a similar reaction several years ago and stayed on the ship

 

Yes, we did dock in Colon and within blocks of the port is a very depressing and rundown city. You would not want to wander there aimlessly. There appeared to be a few modern shops adjacent to the pier but we did not bother to go shopping there.

 

I do think it is worth it to see the old and new canals. We found it fascinating. I noticed on your Roll Call that quite a few people have made arrangements to go with Roberto's company. He is very professional and personable. Our CC group had him as a tour guide; however, my husband, two friends and I went on our own more private Roberto tour with a guide named Manuel. He had a thick accent that made understanding him challenging but we still very much were glad we had seen the locks.

[Darkwolfe]

Sailing on Equinox 11/30.

 

Last December we loved most everything about the ship except for the entertainment and sailaway festivities. I know there are different strokes for different folks, but DH and I felt most of the shows were really "hokey", especially the Beatles show. We actually walked out which we never did in the past.

 

Sailaway was extremely low key with perhaps just 2 couples dancing on deck last year. Hoping this year is better.

 

Thanks for any info.

Barbara

 

Equinox show was very quirky. Had a distinct Circ du Soliel (sp?) feel to it. Beetles group was good, but I'm not a big Beetles fan. Guest performers were also good. Didn't have any trouble finding something entertaining when we wanted it.

 

How was the MDR service, how long was your average dinner if you don't mind me asking?

 

Phew, our tables (we had two) were "that corner" in the MDR. Our meals were not fast, but that was because we were so busy cutting up, taking pictures and generally having a good time. Normal for our group was about two hours.

 

More this evening!

[cruise47]

Thanks for your pictorial review. What type of camera are you using?

[hcat]

Itinerary was:

Grand Caymen

Cartegena, Columbia

Colon, Panama

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Belize City, Belize

Cozumel, Mexico

 

And yes we did depart from Terminal 18. Easy boarding there.

 

Yup...same itin, except they took off a full day at Belize for half day and overernight in Cozumel. Been to Belize so ok...but still a lost port. Coz not our favorite so not a good exchange... esp for nightime!

 

Mostly want to see Cartagena and possible glimpse of the new canal..Colon is very worst port...very dangerous, dirty.... on one cruise we got off just at port..but even hated the flea market there. Did not want to touch anything!

 

On our partial transit on Brilliance, they took us off the ship at Lake Gatun after transit of the lock. Had a great excursion to Gamboa rainforest...our return was thru a great Port building with nice goods, food, and entertainment...guess not happening next yr.

[WAVTAM]

I thought the entertainment on the 11/9 sailing was a bit odd but have a theory on that. Basically, every night except for the first Sea Day/formal night was an 'outside' entertainer. We had several good soloists, a comedian, a ventriloquist and a Beatles show. The only EQ show was the Cirque de Soleil night. Towards the end of the cruise, the EQ dancers and singers performed at 10:30 p.m. in the Atrium area for two nights. Both of those were good.

 

My theory is that there was a turnover or partial turnover of the singers and dancers after the TA and that they were still rehearsing their acts. If that theory holds, you should have more Broadway like shows. I was disappointed that we did not.

 

The other entertainment on board was pretty good but not fabulous. Added to the ambiance but we didn't seek them out to watch.

 

Sailaway was fun for us as our CC group got together on the Sunset Deck.

 

Have fun!

 

We where on both the TA and the Nov 9th cruise.

The reason there was no productions shows was that two sets of shows, Remix and the other name I forget where be dismantle and two new shows with sets where being installed. New dancers learning to work with sets. Staging crew was on board to stage everything. The Nov 20th cruise was to start with one new show and the next cruise the other.

[music]

Some of the antics can't be posted here. "Happens on the ship, stays on the ship" ya know. Must keep professional reputations relatively intact after all. ;)

 

That was the correct answer! Great review so far

[Darkwolfe]

Thanks for your pictorial review. What type of camera are you using?

 

Got three.

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC -Sz8

Fuji XP 50 (30 ft waterproof)

Fuji XP 80 (50 ft waterproof)

 

They do the job rather well.

[Darkwolfe]

Sailaway came about and we had one of the largest sailaway groups on the stern of the ship that I've had the fun of being part of. Wow! Both the Oceanview and Sunset bars were loaded. Bartenders were completely swamped. We had put in a wave request with the Inlet Photos guys as well.

 

The rest of the day consisted of getting unpacked, figuring out what the Classic Beverage package covered (plenty enough for me!) and looking forward to dinner. Since we were traveling with a group, we'd had some online time to get to know each other before dinner came around. Dinner was a wonderfully raucous affair every night. We were "that" table. The people having a ridiculous amount of fun and laughter. So much so that we closed out the Silhouette Dining room a couple of times.

 

Silhouette Dining Room

P1000883 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Other ships in port before sail away...

 

Seabourne Odyssey

P1000884 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

HAL Zuiderdam

P1000888 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

And a very awesome sunset as we leave Fort Lauderdale behind.

P1000893 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Next up: Grand Caymen, Turtles and Gone to Hell, been there, done that. ;)

 

Likely in the morning before I go to work though. A bit off tonight. :(

[goody1]

My daughter use to suffer flying with her ears. She now uses pressure relief ear plugs. They have a valve in them that release the pressure. She puts them in as we board. Then she removes them when the plane levels out. She will then put them in an hour before landing. We haven't had any trouble since finding these.

 

If she suffered like my wife, it must be a great relief for her. I have just re-read my post, and can't believe what I wrote. I was married in 1984 NOT 2004. What an idiot lol!

[music]

I am innocent! :o:p;)

 

And I have land in Florida for sale!

[Darkwolfe]

And I have land in Florida for sale!

 

I think I have a bridge on offer too! :D

[Darkwolfe]

Grand Caymen

Our first port of call was Grand Caymen. We'd been here once before and took the much reviewed and much enjoyed Stingray City Tour through the ship. This time, we took the Turtle Farm and Island Tour ($67pp). I'd known ahead of time that there really wasn't much "island tour" in this, but our main goal was the Turtle Farm so that wasn't a big deal. Unfortunately I did screw up trying to check the time at one point and shorted us an hour on nosing around the place. No real harm done except for some excess boredom.

The farm itself is apparently the only one of its kind in the world and serves primarily in conservation efforts for green sea turtles. The turtles' living environments are very clean and the turtles themselves appear to be in excellent overall health. The farm releases green turtles into the wild every year.

 

The visit to "Hell" is relatively minor. The driver stops at one of three shops located on the coral for about 20 minutes. The rocks that give the area it's name are actually still growing from below. Live corals continue to build up the island. Other than that, this stop is not a big deal. Send a postcard from Hell or just take a few pictures and get back on the bus.

 

Hell

DSCF0036 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Small fish in the waters of Hell.

DSCF0039 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Just for amusement if you've been there and someone tells you to go Hell, you can tell them you've already been there. Want a picture?

 

Our driver did make an effort to get some financial and historical information imparted during the trip. Bill Gates has a remarkable amount invested in Grand Caymen, which is highly amusing in an ironic way. It's political humor so I won't go into that here.

[Darkwolfe]

Now let's take a look at the Turtle Farm itself. There's a huge amount of green sea turtles in this place and various tanks where they keep turtles of varying ages until they are old enough to breed.

 

Flag at the entrance.

DSCF0040 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Breeding pool

DSCF0041 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

They have "Do not touch" signs on most of the tanks. Not so much to protect the turtles but to protect you. While the turtles are pretty inoffensive critters, your fingertip is about the same size as the "turtle chow" they get fed. No point to donating a finger to their diet, they're plenty well fed already.

 

Turtle tank for younger turtles.

DSCF0044 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Close up!

DSCF0047 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

You may wonder why these guys are called "Green Sea Turtles" when they are anything but green on the outside. Well, it's because people do eat turtle now and then and it's the meat and fat that's green rather than the shell. Has me wondering if Dr Suess made a visit to Grand Caymen before writing "Green Eggs and Ham".

[Darkwolfe]

Let's give the turtles a little more spotlight. This is a pretty cool stop after all.

 

Looking for a snack..

DSCF0048 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Underwater.. A couple of very small ones.

DSCF0052 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

DSCF0056 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

And the breeding pool from another angle. Yes, the females do come up on the sand to lay their eggs just as in the wild. The farm employees have to go and carefully dig them out.

DSCF0072 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Up next- the non-turtle part of the farm and tearing across the Caribbean. Water-skiing anyone?

 

(Likely late tonight as I need to start readying for work and Flickr doesn't work there.)

[Tangocherie]

Thanks for your review. Helps with the anticipation for our Equinox cruise next Dec./11.

[lola2013]

Darkwolfe...

love your Equinox review...and your mention of Primanti Brothers. We found it by mistake a few years ago; when we were planning our Equinox trip this past February, we were sure to make Primanti Brothers for dinner the first night in town and breakfast before heading to the ship.

And it will definitely be on the "to do" list pre-Reflection!

[hcat]

Nice Turtle photos...and without the odor! We too have been to hell and back! (Ok to groan)

 

On our next trip there we will be going to the Bontanical gardens where the Blue Igaunas roam...provided X offers the excursion!

[RickT]

Looking forward to the rest of your review. I was fortunate enough to be on the Equinox for 23 days this year (10 in the Carribbean and 13 in the Med). Loved the ship but found it quite different each trip.

 

Too bad the Whiskey bar wasn't on it in August.

[cazzi]

Love the review, we have been on the Equinox twice. The first time our dining experience was amazing. Anything we wanted we just told the MD and it was there. The second time the MD didn't care what we wanted. Two totally different from experiences. I do love these ships as we have booked an eastern Caribbean on the Eclipse . Anytime I'm on a ship in the Caribbean is a great day. :)