Detailed Photo Review of 3/14/16 Celebrity Equinox 11 Night Cruise

[Shirley C]

A new countdown idea for you!! ;)

 

My problem would be limiting myself to one a day. My willpower isn't very good. 😏

[Jiminy1955]

I just booked our first Celebrity cruise on a 10 night Ultimate Carribbean on the Equinox for March 2017 that overnights in St. Maarten. Looking forward to the photos of the ship.

[elliekate]

Dana,

 

You need to tell everyone about your pre-cruise flip flop story:cool:

From the "old" lady who wore flip flops everyday:D

 

It was nice meeting you guys! Happy Wedding!

[Cindy]

Dana,

 

 

 

You need to tell everyone about your pre-cruise flip flop story:cool:

 

From the "old" lady who wore flip flops everyday:D

 

 

 

It was nice meeting you guys! Happy Wedding!

 

 

 

I'm putting our sail away flip flop picture in my review![emoji1]

[NemoCrownie]

I'm loving this review. We are sailing on this itinerary with Shirley and ghjohnson next year...our first Celebrity cruise and all new ports for us. I am in planning mode and there isn't a whole lot of info about these ports. I am so appreciative that there are now two reviews going for this itinerary. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time and all of your effort doing this. I also love your writing style!

[LouisV]

I'm loving this review. We are sailing on this itinerary with Shirley and ghjohnson next year...our first Celebrity cruise and all new ports for us. I am in planning mode and there isn't a whole lot of info about these ports. I am so appreciative that there are now two reviews going for this itinerary. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time and all of your effort doing this. I also love your writing style!

 

Hi Robin!

Can you point me in the direction of the 2nd review please and thanks?

Mo

[deladane]

That's probably true. I live in Arizona and we have 100+ degree temps several months out of the year. I've gotten use to that. But it's not humid here. That's what's hard for me to take in South Ametica -- that humidity is so bad.

 

Shirley

I saw you live in Oro Valley and was thinking that you can probably handle the heat just fine! I spent 2 summers in Phoenix, so I know all about the dry heat ;) I just tried to make the best of the humidity and ignore it so I could enjoy my time at these ports, since who knows when/if I'll ever get to come back!

 

 

I love your countdown candy idea.

 

Shirley

haha, thanks! Too bad J won't let me do it for our next cruise.... it's 18 months away and he said that's too long to start a countdown. I guess it's for the best because I think 'Nerds' are the only candies that could fit over 500 pieces in those small jars!

[deladane]

Ah yes ... I remember you posted that so you definitely know what I mean. I used to live further out and boy, what a difference from being close to the bay. That fog rolls in during the evening and we say, 'just turned on the a/c'. It took me a while to get used to it, but now that I have, wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I signed up for the morning tour on day two ... mostly because I thought it would be just too hot from 3-5 (or 5:30) and the one on day one starts at 10 AM which is what time we dock. Might have been cutting it too close. Plus, day one is on a Sunday and not sure if things we'd want to see would be open....or maybe that makes no difference.

I checked the map but couldn't tell as I am not sure where we dock in relation to the meeting spot. Is it close by or do we catch a cab to get there?

Also, if you would be so kind ... about how much do you think is fair for a tip at the end of the tour?

We signed up for 4 of us yesterday .. haven't heard back as of yet but not really expecting to have heard back so early? Do you know how long it took to get your confirmation? When I signed up, it did state it was open and there was a note that the one for today was already filled ... so think we should be ok.

 

Thanks again for all the info! My friends that are travelling with us are super excited about this one as well.

 

PS -- just packed the cool towels -- I think they might be a live saver for this tour.

You'd actually be surprised- we found the mornings to feel far worse than the afternoons in terms of heat/humidity. It felt as if the temperatures cooled down as the day went on. Maybe that's just because we got used to it and it didn't bother us as much by the end of the day, and I didn't have a thermometer on hand to verify the temperatures, but by 5pm, we were quite comfortable and didn't mind being outside in the afternoon for the tour. We didn't want to spend both of our Colombia days in the old city, so that's also why we opted for the 3pm tour.

 

 

I just booked our first Celebrity cruise on a 10 night Ultimate Carribbean on the Equinox for March 2017 that overnights in St. Maarten. Looking forward to the photos of the ship.

I went to all of the ports on your itinerary last year, so you might want to take a peak at my Valor review in my signature for ideas of what to do each day :) 2 days in St. Maarten would be fabulous as there is a ton of great things to do there! I highly recommend getting to Pinel Island if you can- it was pure paradise!

[deladane]

Dana,

 

You need to tell everyone about your pre-cruise flip flop story:cool:

From the "old" lady who wore flip flops everyday:D

 

It was nice meeting you guys! Happy Wedding!

 

I'm putting our sail away flip flop picture in my review![emoji1]

 

I was really hoping that saga would disappear when the moderators closed the thread :rolleyes: Based on the number of replies to that 20+ page long thread, I am fairly certain that there is no active reader on the Celebrity forum who does not already know the flip flop story! haha No need to revisit that drama here! :D

[Tommy3putts]

I was really hoping that saga would disappear when the moderators closed the thread :rolleyes: Based on the number of replies to that 20+ page long thread, I am fairly certain that there is no active reader on the Celebrity forum who does not already know the flip flop story! haha No need to revisit that drama here! :D

 

 

 

That was an interesting thread.

[deladane]

I'm loving this review. We are sailing on this itinerary with Shirley and ghjohnson next year...our first Celebrity cruise and all new ports for us. I am in planning mode and there isn't a whole lot of info about these ports. I am so appreciative that there are now two reviews going for this itinerary. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time and all of your effort doing this. I also love your writing style!

 

I always write detailed reviews after my cruises as I enjoy doing it and it helps me to relive the fun of being on vacation while saving all my memories for posterity. I too noticed that there was limited reviews on this cruise (especially since we were one of the first sailings to overnight in Cartagena), so I felt it was important that I share as much information as I could to help others with their planning.

 

I actually commented in Cindy's thread that I find it so interesting to read 2 reviews from 2 people who took the same cruise, as more often than not, they have completely different experiences and do different excursions each day. They may as well have been on different sailings! haha Cindy and I will have a little overlap, but I know we did different activities for most of the port days, so hopefully you will find value in both of our reviews :D

[LouisV]

I was really hoping that saga would disappear when the moderators closed the thread :rolleyes: Based on the number of replies to that 20+ page long thread, I am fairly certain that there is no active reader on the Celebrity forum who does not already know the flip flop story! haha No need to revisit that drama here! :D

 

Boy am I ever out of the loop here!!! I've never read about the flip flop story :confused:

Mo

[Tommy3putts]

You can find the thread by searching flip flops in MDR. Agree that's a different subject.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Tommy3putts

[NemoCrownie]

Hi Robin!

Can you point me in the direction of the 2nd review please and thanks?

Mo

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2335399

[bgomes]

Enjoying your review so far. We're on the same itinerary next March. First time on Equinox and first time in Cartagena, Costa Rica and Panama. So looking forward to getting our cruise "started" by reviewing your posts. Thanks for taking the time

[deladane]

We spent about 2 hours relaxing in the room, then headed out to the beach. Another great part of this hotel's location is that it is just over a mile to walk to the beach. The walk is easy- just go left onto Sheridan Street and walk all the way down until you see the ocean!

 

 

 

 

 

[deladane]

We walked around along the beach for a while. At first, we turned left (North), but our view of the beach and ocean was blocked by the tall bushes. Luckily, the paved path ended fairly quickly and we turned back from the way we came. It turns out that we should have turned right (South) from Sheridan Street. Once we reached that part of the sidewalk, the tall bushes were gone and replaced with beautiful tall palm trees. There were fancy high rise condos on the right and perfect peach and ocean views on the left. Now THIS is what we had in mind!

 

 

 

Unfortunately, just as we got to the beach, dark grey clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. It even started raining a bit, but nothing could rain on our parade (sorry! I couldn't resist!). We were on vacation and ready to get the party started! We found an outdoor bar with a thatched roof and lots of teak furniture under beach umbrellas. They had frozen margaritas on special, so we ordered a few and camped out for some great people watching along the beach.

 

 

 

By now, it was about 4:15pm and we were in for a treat as the cruise ships embarking today at Port Everglades drifted out to sea in a parade of ships! We were too far away to identify most by anything other than their cruise line, but it was still fun to anticipate our ship making the same journey this time tomorrow!

 

 

[Shirley C]

I'm loving the pics. Great job!

 

Shirley

[storfie]

Hi, I have booked with freetourcartagena.com on your recommendation, but do not see any info. on how to get from the dock to their meeting point at Plaza Santa Teresa. What did you do, or what do you suggest: easiest/safest?

Cruise starts April 4th!!! Many thanks, Annabelle :)

[deladane]

I'm loving the pics. Great job!

 

Shirley

Thank you!! :)

 

 

Hi, I have booked with freetourcartagena.com on your recommendation, but do not see any info. on how to get from the dock to their meeting point at Plaza Santa Teresa. What did you do, or what do you suggest: easiest/safest?

Cruise starts April 4th!!! Many thanks, Annabelle :)

 

Since we docked at 10am and our tour wasn't until 3pm, we opted to take a taxi from the port to the old town. It cost $10 and the ride took about 10 minutes. We arrived at the old town by around noon, and spent a few hours walking around on our own, getting lunch and Colombian coffee, and looking in the stores. We then found our way on our own down to Plaza Santa Teresa. People working in the stores were helpful in pointing us in the right direction. The tour actually starts outside the Naval Museum, so you can ask the locals and they'll show you where to go. We felt very safe in the old city area :) It does help if you speak Spanish since I didn't find many locals who spoke English (I got A LOT of use of my high school and college Spanish classes haha)

[Cruise Raider]

Hi, I have booked with freetourcartagena.com on your recommendation, but do not see any info. on how to get from the dock to their meeting point at Plaza Santa Teresa. What did you do, or what do you suggest: easiest/safest?

Cruise starts April 4th!!! Many thanks, Annabelle :)

 

We are also on your same cruise and also signed up for this tour. Not sure which one you signed up for -- there were 3 different ones open. Have you heard back from them? Maybe they don't respond by email ...just not sure what to expect.

[deladane]

We are also on your same cruise and also signed up for this tour. Not sure which one you signed up for -- there were 3 different ones open. Have you heard back from them? Maybe they don't respond by email ...just not sure what to expect.

 

Now that I think about it, I never did get a confirmation when I registered on their site for the free walking tour. I emailed them to ask about other tour options as the website indicated that they also had private tours, but ultimately decided to go with the free group tour. They replied to my emails about the private tour, but not to the registration for the free tour. It was pretty casual when we arrived for the tour... there were people there who had only signed up that morning, and it seemed like people wondered into our group when they saw we were on a free tour (as in they joined us even without pre-registering). Just show up at the Naval Museum at the right time and you'll be fine :)

[storfie]

Now that I think about it, I never did get a confirmation when I registered on their site for the free walking tour. I emailed them to ask about other tour options as the website indicated that they also had private tours, but ultimately decided to go with the free group tour. They replied to my emails about the private tour, but not to the registration for the free tour. It was pretty casual when we arrived for the tour... there were people there who had only signed up that morning, and it seemed like people wondered into our group when they saw we were on a free tour (as in they joined us even without pre-registering). Just show up at the Naval Museum at the right time and you'll be fine :)

 

Hi, Thanks for your responses. I did receive an email confirmation from them.

More questions: After the tour, did you take a taxi back to the ship, and if so where did you find the taxi? If not, what did you do? Also, where does the tour finish?

Thanks so much for your help, Annabelle :)

[deladane]

Hi, Thanks for your responses. I did receive an email confirmation from them.

More questions: After the tour, did you take a taxi back to the ship, and if so where did you find the taxi? If not, what did you do? Also, where does the tour finish?

Thanks so much for your help, Annabelle :)

 

The tour was actually just the start of our evening... it ended several blocks north in the old city. I think their website shows a map of 10 key locations, and the tour ended up at number 10. We went out to dinner and then did one of the night time Chivas buses. When we were ready to go back to the ship, it was close to 10pm but we had no trouble finding a taxi. We happened to be be near Plaza Santa Teresa again, and they had a taxi stand set up next to the Charlston Hotel so the man working there hailed a taxi for us. There's lots of activity around the city all afternoon and evening and we always saw taxis driving around so I don't think you'll have any problems.

[deladane]

Once we finished our margaritas and the cruise ships faded into the horizon, we went in search of dinner. It was only around 5:30pm, but we were exhausted and just wanted to eat early and head back to the hotel. I had looked on Google Maps before arriving in Florida and there were limited dinner restaurant options on the ocean. Had we wanted fast food, there were lots of options back near Publix this afternoon, but we wanted something with a fun view and atmosphere. The only restaurant I found was called Oceans 13 Sports Bar and Grill. It was a few blocks south of Sheridan Street on the ocean and offered a varied menu of salads, burgers, and sandwiches. When we arrived, there was a fun cover band playing outside on their patio, so we were off to a good start. J ordered a chicken philly sandwich and I ordered a grilled mahi reuben. The waitress said that had just the mahi fish and a mango pineapple slaw on top. It sounded light and tropical- a perfect dinner for tonight. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when my dinner arrived with fried fish (I was given the choice of fried, blackened, or grilled and I choice grilled), covered in thousand island dressing, melted cheese and regular mayonnaisey coleslaw! The waitress took it back to give me the grilled fish I had ordered, but the sandwich still was not as the menu and waitress described, and had I known what it was, I would have ordered differently. I was just too tired to complain about it, but that was definitely regular mayonnaise-based coleslaw and not the fruit slaw I envisioned. J said his sandwich was just okay, nothing great.

 

 

Overall, I would recommend Oceans 13 for drinks, especially if the weather is nice and there is a fun band playing on the patio, but we were not impressed with their dinner and would not return. Unfortunately, I don't even know where else we could have eaten because we didn't see any other dinner restaurants. Maybe we would have needed to look further south along the strip, but that was already a mile and a half walk each way from the hotel so we didn't want to venture too much more.

 

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel, reorganized our suitcases, and went to bed early, excited to board the Equinox when we awoke the next morning!

 

Up Next: Embarkation Day!