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

[Cruise Raider]

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 :)

 

Again, you've been so very helpful and I thank you for that! We are flying down the day after tomorrow so glad to get all my ducks in a row. Just have to finish packing and making arrangements with our house / pet sitter. I think I am just about ready to go, though! Thanks again.

[snowbell55]

 

The captions on these containers are hilarious :D. Did you put one piece of candy in them for each day you had remaining?

Edited April 1, 2016 by snowbell55

[deladane]

Again, you've been so very helpful and I thank you for that! We are flying down the day after tomorrow so glad to get all my ducks in a row. Just have to finish packing and making arrangements with our house / pet sitter. I think I am just about ready to go, though! Thanks again.

 

So glad I could be of help! I hope you have a wonderful cruise and please come back to tell us how it went when you return! :D

 

 

The captions on these containers are hilarious :D. Did you put one piece of candy in them for each day you had remaining?

 

Yup! We have a nightly tradition where we eat one M&M each night to countdown until our cruise. It's fun to watch the jar go from totally full to empty as the months pass by :)

[temani]

Hi Deladane

 

I'm not too well up on posting yet, so hope this comes through O.K.

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your Equinox cruise review so far.

We will be on the ship in August for a cruise around the Med, so I started to read your Carnival Sunshine review from 2013 because some ports coincide with ours. I'm about half way through so far. I think your photography is stunning and already the photos taken while you were visiting those ports have helped us so much.

Could I please ask what camera(s) you use? You must be a very experienced photographer.

Looking forward to your Equinox info and pictures very much.

Temani

[Cruise Raider]

So glad I could be of help! I hope you have a wonderful cruise and please come back to tell us how it went when you return! :D

 

 

Will do and thank you!!

[deladane]

Hi Deladane

 

 

 

I'm not too well up on posting yet, so hope this comes through O.K.

 

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your Equinox cruise review so far.

 

We will be on the ship in August for a cruise around the Med, so I started to read your Carnival Sunshine review from 2013 because some ports coincide with ours. I'm about half way through so far. I think your photography is stunning and already the photos taken while you were visiting those ports have helped us so much.

 

Could I please ask what camera(s) you use? You must be a very experienced photographer.

 

Looking forward to your Equinox info and pictures very much.

 

Temani

 

 

Wow, thank you so much for your kind words! While I do greatly enjoy photography, I don't consider myself that experienced. I just take photos of things that catch my eye or look interesting to me :)

 

I used 2 cameras on this Equinox trip, and it's the same 2 cameras I used in Europe. So far all of my posted photos were from a simple Canon digital point and shoot that I bought in 2013 for my Europe cruise. When I start posting photos from the days in port in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and the second day in Colombia, those were taken on a Sony digital underwater camera that I bought in 2012. Both of these cameras have newer models on the market but they still work just fine for my purposes :)

[deladane]

Monday, March 14 ~ Embarkation Day

 

After 10 months of planning and anticipation, it was finally embarkation day! We woke up around 8:30am, finished packing our suitcases, and went out to the lobby for breakfast. The hotel puts out a nice spread, including cereal, pastries, bagels, eggs, meats, and a make your own Belgian waffles machine. They also had a similar machine for pancakes! I have never seen that before, but we both agreed the normal waffles tasted better than these pancakes as they were too dense.

 

 

By 9:45am, we checked out of the hotel and ordered an Uber to pick us up to go to the port. This was way more convenient and less expensive than using the hotel shuttle. The Uber driver arrived in 10 minutes, we loaded in our suitcases and we were on our way. The ride was short and we were at the port within about 10 minutes. We were surprised to have to go through a security check point and show our photo ID to enter the port. It looked like the people in front of us had to pay a toll but we did not.

 

There were 5 ships in port today and the Equinox was docked at pier 18.

 

 

There was a bit of confusion about where exactly to park to drop us off, and our driver had only been to the port a few times before, so we had to ask a few security guards to direct us. Overall, they could use a few more signs for directions around Port Everglades! The ride cost $10, and we handed our big suitcase to a porter by 10:30am.

 

There were still tons of people getting off the prior sailing, but only a handful of people had arrived for our sailing. There were 4 or 5 lines for the x-ray machines, but none of them had a wait. I packed 4 cans of Monster energy drink (the ship only stocks Redbull, but I think that tastes like cough syrup!), and a bottle of champagne in my bag. The security lady said they needed to check my bags because it is spring break week and they needed to make sure I wasn't smuggling anything! I guess I should be flattered that she thought I was a college student?!

 

Once we were in the clear, we proceeded to the check in counters, where again, there was no wait at all. Unfortunately, we encountered a bit of a mess up here. They had pre-printed everyone's sea pass cards, but for some reason, they printed 2 copies with J's name and none with my name. They said it would take about 20 minutes to reprint my card so I sent J upstairs to get in line for boarding, and I waited in a seating area in the back corner of the downstairs check in room. It was quite deserted back there!

 

 

Once my card was finally ready, I went upstairs to look for J. The seating area is huge as this terminal is used for the Oasis and Allure on the weekends and those ships hold twice as many passengers as the Equinox. They split us up into sections based on both Captain's Club status and category of our stateroom. We were booked in a category 2A veranda and are both Classic Captain's Club members, so we are very low down in the hierarchy and were seated in the back corner of the waiting area.

 

 

They started boarding the ship at around 11:20am, but our section was called closer to 11:45am. Once we were called to board, we "dinged" our sea pass cards, walked up the ramp, and voila! Our cruise officially began as we stepped foot onto deck 5! Even though we had a beverage package, we still appreciated the complimentary champagne and mimosas as we boarded the ship.

 

 

After a quick trip to guest services to ask a few questions, we spent some time wandering around the ship. We picked up a few cocktails from the Mast Bar and initiated the first swipe for our classic beverage package. Prior to the cruise, J had the idea that we should try to drink every drink sold on the ship. We figured it would be possible considering we had 11 days and J and I like different drinks- I drink white wines and sweet/fruity cocktails while J prefers red wines and bolder cocktails where you can taste the liquor. I did a bunch of research and located all of the different drink menus from all over the ship: the buffet, main dining room, martini bar, gastrobar, world class bar, etc. I compiled them all onto one page so we could bring a check list with us around the ship. The beverage package is a great opportunity to try out new drinks and see what we do and don't like, and with little risk knowing we didn't directly pay for the drink and could abandon it if we really didn't like it (Note that we did not want to be wasteful so we did finish most of the drinks we ordered, and agreed that if one of us ordered a drink, then both of us had to truly hate it before we would abandon it.).

 

Here is a copy of the complete list we used on board. Let me know if you can't read it- I know the print is really small!

 

[black forest]

Wonderful - love your reviews. Have already read the Valor review. We took two b2b cruises on Carnival Glory and were on the Equinox last December. We liked the Equinox so much that we booked this ship again with the western caribbean itinerary. Looking forward to reading more! Thank you!

[stleda124]

Thank you so far! Following!

[Shirley C]

That is some checklist! Did you make it all the way through?

 

Shirley

[Karynanne]

Enjoying your great review. We board for the Eastbound TA in 13 days.

[deladane]

Wonderful - love your reviews. Have already read the Valor review. We took two b2b cruises on Carnival Glory and were on the Equinox last December. We liked the Equinox so much that we booked this ship again with the western caribbean itinerary. Looking forward to reading more! Thank you!

Oh wow, sounds like we have similar cruising preferences :D The western Caribbean (especially Panama/Costa Rica/Colombia) is verrrrry different than the beachy southern Caribbean. Please let me know if you have any questions for your planning!

 

 

Thank you so far! Following!

Thanks for following!

[black forest]

At the moment I am following your review as it is soo far away. On the upcoming cruise we decided the most important thing will be relaxation on the ship. Will only go on trips if there is something that sounds interesting. So love to read your review and learn about your experiences in the different ports. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!

[deladane]

That is some checklist! Did you make it all the way through?

 

Shirley

No spoilers! You'll have to wait and see if we finished the list :p

 

Enjoying your great review. We board for the Eastbound TA in 13 days.

Oh wow, I can't believe it's already time for the ships to head to Europe! You will have lots of time to explore the ship with all those sea days!! Enjoy your cruise :)

[Shirley C]

No spoilers! You'll have to wait and see if we finished the list :p

 

Fair enough! The anticipation is half the fun!

[deladane]

With our drinks in hand, we spent a little more time walking around the ship. We took advantage of seeing the hammock unused, knowing it was likely to be continuously occupied once everyone boarded the ship! Looking back, we were only partially right... These lovely hammocks were indeed occupied, but not by people. We never once saw a human being in the hammocks all week. We did, however, see towels, books, hats, flip flops, etc. strewn across the hammocks every time we passed by! It was always so tempting to remove those items and enjoy a few minutes of relaxation, but I never did for fear of confrontation if/when the hammock hogs eventually returned. What a waste!

 

 

Moving on, we found some loungers outside on deck 14 in the shade and called our parents before we lost phone contact for nearly 2 weeks. I loved how many shaded spots they had around the pool deck so you only had to roast in the direct sunlight if you really wanted to!

 

 

Eventually, we made our way up to the Oceanview Cafe around 1pm for lunch. I don't know if it was all the planning and anticipation, or too much hype, or what, but I found the buffet on the Equinox to be a little small. I liked how it was broken up into stations as opposed to one long line, but I felt that it felt very closed in and crowded. All of the stations were in the same general square of space, so people were walking in circles and crossing paths a lot and there was no clear order to walk in. Even when I cruised on the Summit, I appreciated that they had some food served in another section at the very back, and other food on the sides near the buffet entrances, etc. Carnival buffets offer a similar set up which helps spread out the flow of traffic.

 

Aside from the condensed layout, I loved the quality and variety of the food at the buffet. They served unique dishes with fresh ingredients and I was always able to find something to eat. Granted, by the end of the 11-day cruise, we were both sick of it and noticed a lot of repetition day to day, but that has been the same on every cruise I have taken. Another nice feature was that everything was clearly labeled with what the food was, and they used symbols to indicate if the food was gluten free, lactose free, vegetarian, or no sugar added.

 

Today, I had a small piece of pizza (I intended just to try it but I actually really enjoyed it- especially the thin crust! This would be my first of MANY pieces of pizza over the next 11 days haha). I also tried the pasta bar with whole wheat penne, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, and pomodoro sauce. I am picky about vegetables, but they had tons of options and you could have as much or as little as you wanted. There is a man working behind the counter who scoops all your ingredients into a bowl, along with your choice of pasta, and he cooks it with your choice of meat.

 

 

 

 

 

My food was ready by about 1:15pm, but it took several more minutes to find somewhere to eat it! Every table was occupied by people waiting for their cabins to be ready, and most were long-finished with their meals. The tables all have little signs asking people to please get up when they finish eating so others can sit down, but I guess everyone thought that was optional?

 

 

Eventually we gave up and sat down at 2 empty seats in a large long table for 10. About 5 minutes later, the cruise director John announced that the cabins were ready and people left to finally free up some tables. Go figure!

[Woobstr112G]

I am continuing to enjoy reading your review with pictures. Looking forward to additional posts.....:):):)

 

Bob

[deladane]

After we finished our lunch, we went down to explore our cabin. We were in 7222- a 2A veranda cabin on deck 7. We found this location to be extremely convenient, approximately midway between the 2 elevator banks, and sandwiched between 2 passenger cabin decks above and below us to minimize noise. We were able to come and go from our cabin fairly quickly from anywhere on the ship.

 

The cabin itself was lovely, with nice furniture and decor and a comfortable mattress. The one problem we did have was that storage was a bit tight for an 11-night cruise. I prefer for us each to have separate closets, so one large closet to share wasn't as convenient, but we made it work. There were more than enough hangers, both with and without clips, and there was enough space on the bar for all of our clothes, but the floor space (where I usually store my shoes) was limited. Also, we could have used more drawer space as the 5 dresser drawers are very small. We did make use of the overhead storage space. I bought us each a collapsible bin from Dollar Tree to place in the overhead bin, and that was helpful to get stuff up and down easier.

 

 

 

 

I loved the bathroom set up! It was probably the largest bathroom I've had on a cruise, with lots of storage shelves behind both a glass door on top and a wood door below- 7 shelves in total, plus 2 tiny drawers under the sink. The sliding glass doors on the shower were fabulous- no more being attacked by the shower curtain, and it allowed more light to come in to the shower through the clear glass. It also meant the water didn't flood the bathroom floor! I also loved that they added a little bar at the bottom of the shower to rest my foot while shaving my legs. While the shower did NOT have a pull-out clothes line to dry wet bathing suits or laundry, it did have 2 pegs mounted high on the wall so we hung our wet bathing suits from there.

 

 

These little bottles were restocked as soon as we used them!

 

 

We started to unpack our carry-on bags, and our cabin stewards Rhonda and Kevin stopped by to say hi and see if there was anything they could do for us. I had read on Cruise Critic that sometimes you can get foot stools for the balcony if you ask your cabin steward, so we figured it was worth a shot and we asked. Rhonda said she would see what she could do. We received our big suitcase outside our door by 3pm, and tried to unpack as much as possible until they called the muster drill at 3:15.

[deladane]

Muster was held in the Equinox Theater, which was a nice change from all the cruises when I had to stand on outdoor decks in the humidity, packed in like sardines, and unable to hear or see what was happening. We really liked how the drill was displayed on a large video screen so we could clearly hear all the instructions. The drill is always fairly boring, but at least it was over in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, our group was seated very close to the stage, so we were the last to be dismissed from the drill.

 

Our roll call planned an informal meet and greet and sail away party at the Sunset Bar all the way aft on deck 15 for immediately after the muster drill. We had a huge turn out and it was so great to finally put faces to the names we chatted with while planning for the cruise. As is typical for late afternoons in Florida, it was raining (or rather pouring!) during the first 20 minutes of sail away, so it was quite crowded under the overhang as we all avoided getting soaked. Luckily the bartenders kept the drinks flowing and we made good use of our beverage packages.

 

 

 

We stayed and chatted with our new friends until 6pm, when we left to get ready for dinner. When we got back to our cabin, Rhonda left us a little surprise... foot stools on our balcony!! We were thrilled and definitely took advantage of having the extra comfort all week!

 

 

 

 

[stleda124]

Thank you so far!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[shipshape sam]

Enjoying the detailed recap.

 

We too have thought about trying a number of drinks we have not tried yet. We will for sure try many, not sure we will be as ambitious as your goal! :)

 

A little disappointed in the limited selection of beers. Guess if not being drunk, they get skunky and take up space.

Edited April 3, 2016 by shipshape sam

[Rob the Cruiser]

So, you discovered an unsavory species - hammock hogs.

[frteach]

Love the idea of trying all the drinks, but the size of the list is daunting! I liked your "candy jar countdown" and started one today for my July 1 departure from Amsterdam. I'm going to ask for a footstool as well, because nothing ventured, nothing gained! We have a 1A veranda, level 9 on the hump, so there will be room. Loving your review, and your writing style.

[Barwick Cruiser]

I will join the ranks of those enjoying this review...looking forward to more pics and comments! This is the first time that I've actually heard of anyone getting a footstool on a regular veranda. I've thought to ask many times but never bothered since I've heard so many say it can't be done.

 

Good luck with the drinks! Your list looks different from the one we had on the Summit before drydock so if you really want to try them all you'll have to go on all the other ships at least once :D

 

Enjoy and keep up the good work!!

Cathy

[deladane]

Thank you so far!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

You're welcome! :D

 

 

Enjoying the detailed recap.

 

We too have thought about trying a number of drinks we have not tried yet. We will for sure try many, not sure we will be as ambitious as your goal! :)

 

A little disappointed in the limited selection of beers. Guess if not being drunk, they get skunky and take up space.

 

To be fair, we dropped most of the beers off the list that cost more than $13 because we knew we would never order those. Also, there were a few really low end beers that we have had a million times when we were in college and also didn't plan to order on this cruise. For the sake of getting all the drinks onto one page, the beers suffered some censoring ;)