March 4 Review 10 day Equinox

[breezeone]

Our room steward and his assistant did an exceptional job, in the 20+ years we have been cruising this has been the cleanest stateroom we have ever encountered.

 

Drink Package - This was a major let down, the drinks were never consistant. Many drinks were delivered warm and could not be consumed. Never have I seen such a great waste of mixed drinks. Only two bars, the World Bar and the GastroBar served adequate cocktails. In the past we have enjoy the Martini Bar, the martini's served at this bar were not consistant as in the past, Martini's in many cases were served warm. If you received your drink from a bar server most likey it was watered down from being mixed with warm mixers, most of the drinks from the bartenders were adequate, however, they were not consistant, a pear martini came 4 differents ways, depending on who made it. Many of the bars lacked the mixers or liqour to make a proper drink, you would have to go to another bar the get a certain drink.

Stop giving away the drink package and lower the cruise price, the servers and bartenders can then be expected to produce a good and proper cocktail and provide a level of service Celebrity cruisers have becom accustomed to . In my 20+ years of cruising I have never had so many poorly concocted drinks, let alone trying to find a bar server to get me one, it was best to go to the bar and wait in line. I usually tip the bartenders and servers additional, other than the World Bar, no one received additional gratuities from me. It appears with all the drink packages, service is lacking, everyone has already been promised with their gratuities and there is no need to go above and beyond.

 

Specialty Restaurants -Went 5 different times to 4 different venues. Murano was excellent as always. The Tuscan Grill had some server issues on our 2nd visit but the food was excellent. I was dissapointed to find the antipasto plate and olives are now an upcharge, considering the increase in price to use this venue I find if troublesome as to why you would charge for the antipasto plate, most people would not consume a lot of this plate. Silk Harvest was wonderful, service and food was excellent. Bistro on five had terrible service and the meals were delivered 5 minutes apart. The food was mediocre at best considering the $10 per person upcharge, I will likely skip this venue should I decide to cruise with Celebrity again. Dining Room (My Time Dining) - Poor service from the waiters, generally I tip additional, however I never even considered it due to the poor service. I was disappointed with the breads, in the past the assitant waiter passed out fresh rolls, now a bucket of stale bread is placed on the table. Very disappointed. The meals were generally good with the exception of the bread (I'm a bread guy), better than Bistro on Five that I paid $10 per person.

 

I feel Celebrity has diminished the value of their brand, I felt after my first cruise they were a step above the other lines, unfortunately this cruise changed my mind.

 

Having been to all the ports of call on numerous cruises, I have little to say, had a wonderful time ashore. Overnight in St Martin was a delight. Carribean in March, can't complain. Our next celebrity cruise is 6 months away, not sure I will go on it, very good possibility I will try a Princess Cruise.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Clarea]

Thank-you for the feedback.

[Keith1010]

Nice review.

 

Keith

[jbuch02]

Thanks for your review .......

 

I think we are getting down to brass-tacks where there is great consistency between reviews about the MDR, service and food quality there and now, what appears to be a decline in bar service. I can't disagree based on my personal experience.

 

In the last 18 months, we've cruised 6x, 4 aboard Celebrity vessels and, gasp, 2 on Carnival (ok, with our grand kids). However, I have a 15n B2B booked on Carnival Vista in January of 2017 and there is a reason for that: what I perceive to be a better value to me (your mileage will vary) and, holy smokes, equivalent or better overall service.

 

Frankly, Carnival produces a "Fun" cruise and that is their mantra and they do live up to it. Totally different environment but I found it nice. Plenty of places for adults to find a nice, quiet spot during the day (Serentiy Pool) or in the evening at the many bars.

 

There are more dining choices and the best of their restaurants, having pretty good food and service on their newer ships, aren't charging $90 to $125 for a couple to dine there. It's more like $20 to $40. You want exclusivity with Carnival? You can get it and at a fraction of the cost of Suite Life on Celebrity. Anyway ..... not to belabor this thought.......

 

We still value Celebrity but, IMO, management is walking a thin line between finding their niche market and loosing loyal cruisers to other cruise lines for the same reasons I am voicing here. I hope Perlo has some of her people reading this stuff and not telling the boss that everything is just fine. Its probably important.

 

BTW, Breezeone, there is a good thread in here somewhere comparing Princess and Celebrity. Worth a read since you are considering trying them out. The comments favored Celebrity over Princess by about a 7:4 ratio but I'd expect that from a biased crowd.

Edited March 26, 2016 by jbuch02

[FlorenceItaly]

Thank you for your review.

 

In regards to the bar service comment, it will be very interesting to see how service is on our upcoming TA since there are no drink packages offered. I do not care for having to go up to the bar to order, and then bring back to my seat. Especially when I am paying 18% gratuity.

[Cruise Raider]

BTW, Breezeone, there is a good thread in here somewhere comparing Princess and Celebrity. Worth a read since you are considering trying them out. The comments favored Celebrity over Princess by about a 7:4 ratio but I'd expect that from a biased crowd.

 

I would be in the 7 portion of the ratio, having sailed on Princess over 20 times and on Celebrity over 10 times. I thought about reading that thread but once the posts hit over 500 -- it is just too much work for my computer to handle.

Princess is the line I choose if I want a good cruise choice that sails from a port close to home. Celebrity is the one I choose when I am willing to travel to be spoiled rotten.

[Lastdance]

Now I know why I don't drink very much at all...:cool:

[vickykay]

We were also on the March 4 th cruise and had the opposite experience. We thought service was wonderful, loved loved loved the Martini Bar, good service all other venues, and thought the food in the MDR was a much improved as compared to 3-4 years ago. We met wonderful people and had a terrific time.

 

Different cruise lines for different folks always a good thing.

[jbuch02]

Small sample size for sure but Vickykay's positive experience demonstrates how a business will always have satisfied customers and dissatisfied customers ...... i.e., you can't please everyone.

 

I think in a general sense, corporations have a difficult time steering a responsible course trying to balance corporate priorities in the form of profitability and increased share price with the high cost of maintaining product excellence. Those high costs of excellence will always diminish profit margins directly and share price indirectly.

 

Celebrity has to sell product to make money and I can't deny they offer a pretty good one that is obviously attractive to a large number of people seeking leisure travel. I know Perlo, from interviews and side bars about who Celebrity cruises is at their web site, has embarked on a course of working to tap in to the "affluent cruiser."

 

That's all well and good and one can see the strategy emerging within Celebrity to stratify product price and make upscale offerings available if one does book at the high end of cabin pricing. Clearly that is a model intended to tap into that affluent cruiser market. Has any one looked at the kind of exclusive tour packages being offered by Celebrity? There's one in there, a one-day, private yacht excursion in the Greek Isles for up to 9 people at the cost of over $3000 pp! Or, you can drive a Ferrari in Canes for 30 minutes for a mere $1500. I could be wrong but I think there is a pretty small demographic that is going to pay that kind of money to do that for a "once in a life-time experience."

 

Keep running the pricing up/offering these sorts of extravagant extras to a small group of customers while cutting service and quality for a potentially larger group of other value cruisers is, in my mid a risky strategy. It is going to create a situation where one poster noted elsewhere, "Celebrity can't sail large S and M class ships profitably with only suite class cabins occupied."

[OkanaganRon]

WE also cruised on Feb. 7th, with a totally different experience.

 

Martini bar was EXCEPTIONAL for service and quality. MDR and Oceanview were very good, much improved over previous year.

 

Just goes to show how experience can differ.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[ProfessorEFFE]

I also agree that seeing different perspectives from different people on the same cruise is so very interesting. Sometimes it's a situation where one bad incident can cause an avalanch of other bad things happening. But the great thing is that if you don't like it you can choose some other ship, venue, cruise line etc. It's your money so spend it where you feel you're getting exactly what you want.

[SCGirl3211]

We too were on this cruise and we totally enjoyed our experience. The World Class Bar is a major upgrade and we loved it. Overall we felt the bar experience as well as the food quality had improved over the last 2 or 3 years. We have sailed on the Equinox several times and it was our most enjoyable cruise to date.

[Cruizen Susan]

Our room steward and his assistant did an exceptional job, in the 20+ years we have been cruising this has been the cleanest stateroom we have ever encountered.

 

Drink Package - This was a major let down, the drinks were never consistant. Many drinks were delivered warm and could not be consumed. Never have I seen such a great waste of mixed drinks. Only two bars, the World Bar and the GastroBar served adequate cocktails. In the past we have enjoy the Martini Bar, the martini's served at this bar were not consistant as in the past, Martini's in many cases were served warm. If you received your drink from a bar server most likey it was watered down from being mixed with warm mixers, most of the drinks from the bartenders were adequate, however, they were not consistant, a pear martini came 4 differents ways, depending on who made it. Many of the bars lacked the mixers or liqour to make a proper drink, you would have to go to another bar the get a certain drink.

Stop giving away the drink package and lower the cruise price, the servers and bartenders can then be expected to produce a good and proper cocktail and provide a level of service Celebrity cruisers have becom accustomed to . In my 20+ years of cruising I have never had so many poorly concocted drinks, let alone trying to find a bar server to get me one, it was best to go to the bar and wait in line. I usually tip the bartenders and servers additional, other than the World Bar, no one received additional gratuities from me. It appears with all the drink packages, service is lacking, everyone has already been promised with their gratuities and there is no need to go above and beyond.

 

Specialty Restaurants -Went 5 different times to 4 different venues. Murano was excellent as always. The Tuscan Grill had some server issues on our 2nd visit but the food was excellent. I was dissapointed to find the antipasto plate and olives are now an upcharge, considering the increase in price to use this venue I find if troublesome as to why you would charge for the antipasto plate, most people would not consume a lot of this plate. Silk Harvest was wonderful, service and food was excellent. Bistro on five had terrible service and the meals were delivered 5 minutes apart. The food was mediocre at best considering the $10 per person upcharge, I will likely skip this venue should I decide to cruise with Celebrity again. Dining Room (My Time Dining) - Poor service from the waiters, generally I tip additional, however I never even considered it due to the poor service. I was disappointed with the breads, in the past the assitant waiter passed out fresh rolls, now a bucket of stale bread is placed on the table. Very disappointed. The meals were generally good with the exception of the bread (I'm a bread guy), better than Bistro on Five that I paid $10 per person.

 

I feel Celebrity has diminished the value of their brand, I felt after my first cruise they were a step above the other lines, unfortunately this cruise changed my mind.

 

Having been to all the ports of call on numerous cruises, I have little to say, had a wonderful time ashore. Overnight in St Martin was a delight. Carribean in March, can't complain. Our next celebrity cruise is 6 months away, not sure I will go on it, very good possibility I will try a Princess Cruise.

 

Thanks for your review. I was on the same sailing with you and had a total different experience. World Bar was a big disappointment, but the Martini Bar was a blast, great service and ice cold martinis. Food in Blu and in Murano were beyond outstanding. Never made it to Tuscan because Blu was so good. Also had two great lunches in Bistro. :) yum.

 

We had to turn down the bread baskets because we are gluten free, but they looked wonderful!!

 

All in all, a 5 star cruise, with tiny little glitches not worth whining about. There is no such thing as perfection. We booked another cruise while onboard, a 14-day exotic Caribbean, on the Eclipse. At the risk of being accused of being a Celebrity cheerleader, my first cruise line of choice is Celebrity!

[wallie5446]

Small sample size for sure but Vickykay's positive experience demonstrates how a business will always have satisfied customers and dissatisfied customers ...... i.e., you can't please everyone.

 

 

 

."

 

Our 1st Princess was in 1992, our last was the Ruby in 2012 when she was but a yr old. 4 of us, our friends thought it was a wonderful cruise having mainly sailed on Carnival>

I thought Princess had slipped a tad, but enjoyed the week, but my wife said it was one of her least enjoyable cruises ever! Go figure.

 

Sailed the Reflection in 2013, now our favorite ship.

 

Last Nov was our second Thanksgiving on the Equinox, 2014 & '15 and the wifester said it was her best cruise in over 25 years, tho she found nothing special about dinning in BLU. Again, go figure.

EW

[wallie5446]

We had to turn down the bread baskets because we are gluten free' date=' but they looked wonderful!!![/quote']

 

Susan you should have asked for the GF bread in Blu! The selections they brought to Dana almost brought tears to her eyes! They were wonderful.

 

Did you at least have the GF pizza in the buffet?

EW

[Cruizen Susan]

Susan you should have asked for the GF bread in Blu! The selections they brought to Dana almost brought tears to her eyes! They were wonderful.

 

Did you at least have the GF pizza in the buffet?

EW

 

Thanks, Wallie!! Yes they offered me gluten free bread in Blu, but I try to stay grain-free of all types of grain including rice flour, because I follow the paleo lifestyle. Although I must admit that I cheat with the gluten free crepes in Bistro. Omg.

 

I can't have my "cake and eat it too". If I have dessert, then I must pass on the bread even though okay for me! I was tempted to have the pizza, but I didn't feel like waiting 20 minutes for it. Sounds like I should give it a try!

[Cruizen Susan]

Our 1st Princess was in 1992, our last was the Ruby in 2012 when she was but a yr old. 4 of us, our friends thought it was a wonderful cruise having mainly sailed on Carnival>

I thought Princess had slipped a tad, but enjoyed the week, but my wife said it was one of her least enjoyable cruises ever! Go figure.

 

Sailed the Reflection in 2013, now our favorite ship.

 

Last Nov was our second Thanksgiving on the Equinox, 2014 & '15 and the wifester said it was her best cruise in over 25 years, tho she found nothing special about dinning in BLU. Again, go figure.

EW

 

I understand what your wife is saying about Blu. Although we totally enjoyed the food, the experience, and the service, I cannot justify the extra cost. Our next Celebrity, I booked a Concierge cabin for the extra points, for substantially less cost, and I may get the Ultimate Dining Package instead. We have done the Ultimate Dining on NCL and it was a home run!