Why I am excited to try the Celebrity Equinox

[bradleyk]

First a little background about us... I will be 41 at the time of our 5/5/17 10 night Equinox sailing and my wife will be 40. I have sailed 3 times before. My first was a birthday gift by a girl I was dating back in 2003 on the Carnival Fascination. I really enjoyed it.

I did not sail again until 2014 with my wife on a short 4 day on the RCCI Enchantment of the Seas. I loved it! My wife thought it was ok. Then last year we took a 7 day on the NCL Getaway and we both loved it. As for the Getaway we didn't spend anytime at the main pool and paid for the exclusive Vibe area that was more serene. I think this made our cruise.

Now the Equinox will not have rock wall, water slides, rope courses, etc. But honestly during our 7 days on the Getaway we maybe used these options for a total of an hour. Mostly spending our sea days lounging and having a few drinks in the sun. The food and service on the Getaway were great, I know this can be subjective, but from what I have read Celebrity excels in both these areas compared to other lines. Also our roll call is super active and everyone seems very friendly and excited for the cruise. Sailing the ABC's has been on my bucket list so when Celebrity announced the deals for the Equinox I canceled our AI Dominican vacation and booked the Equinox. I really envision a great cruise and great experience for us both.... Just the humble opinion of a newbie:)

[jelayne]

Have a great cruise! We will be on the Equinox in April for the 4th time.

[SWFL Cruisers]

My Bride and I did the 11 night Ultimate Caribbean last November on the Equinox and LOVED it! I t is a much more relaxing cruise ship compared to RCCL or CCL. The Solarium sounds like it will be right up your alley. It is very peaceful and a adults only. (I think they only had 8 kids on the ship anyway) And we also really enjoyed the Hot Glass Show. I believe you will fall in love with Celebrity. Cheers!:D

[NordicPrince]

IMHO don't let the naysayers and the complainers here bring you down. Equinox is a great experience.

 

First it is a large ship but not too large. So you have all the benefits of a large ship but none of the overcrowding.

 

Second, it is a very beautiful ship. The overall decor is nicely understated and cleanly elegant. The cabins are well layed out. The showers are roomy and it's not like getting into a space capsule tube where you have to put the soap on the walls and turn around to get wet. As usual, there are people that complain because some of the drawer space is over the bed but we've always found enough places to arrange our things. We always stay in an inside room on a higher deck and if this is one of the less enviable cabins you can imagine how great the others are.

 

Third there a lot of small touches that add to the general feel of a step up from other ships. For example, when you return from getting off the ship there is an area set up on the dock which has cold wet hand towels and cold drinks there to greet you. When you go to the rest rooms there are nice fixtures and cloth towels to wet your face and\or dry your hands off.

 

Fourth, as one of the other posters said, the Solarium is a place for peaceful relaxation. They have wooden loungers with thick padding. There is also a pool to cool yourself off in. A small area is there to have a light breakfast. In addition there are 2 hot tubs there for you to enjoy.

 

Fifth, there is the Spa which features the Persian Gardens. It has hot stone tile beds and cool rain mist showers to enjoy. This is complimentary for some of the more expensive cabin guests. However, when you get on the ship go there directly and there are a limited number of weekly passes sold for a more than reasonable fee which gives you unlimited access there. Just don't hog a bed when you go there.

 

Sixth, I have never had a bad meal there. There is enough variety offered to satisfy anyone except for some who may be difficult to please. One tip is that people often enjoy going to the Oceanview Cafe buffet once or twice for dinner during the cruise. I have heard that they have a grill there which can serve cooked to order cuts of meat there, in addition to the wide variety of other items.

 

I could go on and on and probably have but you can tell we like this ship. We've been on enough cruises to know. We're going on the Equinox for the 3rd time next March. My wife loves the itineraries they have too.

 

What else can I say except you will love your cruise on the Equinox.

Edited September 8, 2016 by NordicPrince

[SWFL Cruisers]

IMHO don't let the naysayers and the complainers here bring you down. Equinox is a great experience.

 

First it is a large ship but not too large. So you have all the benefits of a large ship but none of the overcrowding.

 

Second, it is a very beautiful ship. The overall decor is nicely understated and cleanly elegant. The cabins are well layed out. The showers are roomy and it's not like getting into a space capsule tube where you have to put the soap on the walls and turn around to get wet. As usual, there are people that complain because some of the drawer space is over the bed but we've always found enough places to arrange our things. We always stay in an inside room on a higher deck and if this is one of the less enviable cabins you can imagine how great the others are.

 

Third there a lot of small touches that add to the general feel of a step up from other ships. For example, when you return from getting off the ship there is an area set up on the dock which has cold wet hand towels and cold drinks there to greet you. When you go to the rest rooms there are nice fixtures and cloth towels to wet your face and\or dry your hands off.

 

Fourth, as one of the other posters said, the Solarium is a place for peaceful relaxation. They have wooden loungers with thick padding. There is also a pool to cool yourself off in. A small area is there to have a light breakfast. In addition there are 2 hot tubs there for you to enjoy.

 

Fifth, there is the Spa which features the Persian Gardens. It has hot stone tile beds and cool rain mist showers to enjoy. This is complimentary for some of the more expensive cabin guests. However, when you get on the ship go there directly and there are a limited number of weekly passes sold for a more than reasonable fee which gives you unlimited access there. Just don't hog a bed when you go there.

 

Sixth, I have never had a bad meal there. There is enough variety offered to satisfy anyone except for some who may be difficult to please. One tip is that people often enjoy going to the Oceanview Cafe buffet once or twice for dinner during the cruise. I have heard that they have a grill there which can serve cooked to order cuts of meat there, in addition to the wide variety of other items.

 

I could go on and on and probably have but you can tell we like this ship. We've been on enough cruises to know. We're going on the Equinox for the 3rd time next March. My wife loves the itineraries they have too.

 

What else can I say except you will love your cruise on the Equinox.

 

What he said!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Cheers!:D

[SevenSeas1492]

Ditto to the above. We love the Equinox! We used to sail predominantly with Royal Caribbean, but after sailing with X a few times, most recently on the Equinox, we feel we are more suited to X. In our opinion, the food is better, and just feel X is more laid back than RC. Enjoy your cruise.

[cruising to paradise]

Equinox was our second Celibrity cruise. The solstice class ships are amazing. We will be on Reflection in October . I'm sure you'll love it.

Edited September 8, 2016 by cruising to paradise
Mistake

[lola2013]

...what they said!!!

After my first Equinox cruise in the Med in October, 2013, I cancelled a cruise on Royal Princess to return to Equinox in the Caribbean. It was like going home! I followed that with Solstice this past April and look forward to Reflection in March, 2017.

Nothing like it.........

Enjoy!

[griffy116]

We've been sailing on Royal and will be on the Equinox and trying out Celebrity for the first time in June. We're excited about trying a new line. Because of reciprocity, we will be Elite on our cruise and we got the four perks. Our only concern is that my Grandson and a friend will be with us. He's Diamond on Royal on his own and has enjoyed all FlowRider and water slide but he's excited about trying a new line and not having to carry a suit for this cruise. His friend has never been on a cruise before and is super excited. She is also going with us on a Royal cruise in December. After going on Royal in December, I'm afraid they will be disappointed. My concern is that I keep hearing it is so much more "quiet and subdued" on the Celebrity cruises. Do you think they will be bored? They are both 22 years old. :confused:

[ClaudiaB]

We took our girls on their first Celebrity cruise when they were in college so about the age of the two you're talking about, maybe a bit younger. I think they were 19 and 21.

They entertained themselves very well, at the pool, reading, lounging around, and of course in port all the various things to do. They didn't need to be scheduled every minute of the day with something. If you're paying for this trip (and I assume you are) I wouldn't worry so much about a 22 year old and if they might have a minute or two of boredom. Seriously!!! They're on a cruise!! There are lectures that actually may interest them, depending on the topic. There are lots of activities they can get involved in. If they can find something to do to keep themselves busy (or not) then they're going to have a great time. They will be doing things in port, and they may find others of similar age to hang out with. Not everyone needs or wants an amusement park all the time or actually needs to be "busy." They'll have a great time on any cruise they go on, and get to enjoy the differences.

 

We know cruises are a way to get to great places. We spend most of the time off the ship while we're in port, and so the time NOT in port is spent relaxing. Sometimes doing nothing at all is good. Oh and make sure they get to the top deck and see the hot glass show. I originally was a bit skeptical thinking it might be a "one and done." OMG. I go as often as I can. I have even won a piece in one of their end-of-show raffles and it's a treasure. They might fall in love with that.

 

To the original poster: we are sailing Equinox for the 4th or 5th time in a couple months. That tells you something.

[NordicPrince]

We've been sailing on Royal and will be on the Equinox and trying out Celebrity for the first time in June. We're excited about trying a new line. Because of reciprocity, we will be Elite on our cruise and we got the four perks. Our only concern is that my Grandson and a friend will be with us. He's Diamond on Royal on his own and has enjoyed all FlowRider and water slide but he's excited about trying a new line and not having to carry a suit for this cruise. His friend has never been on a cruise before and is super excited. She is also going with us on a Royal cruise in December. After going on Royal in December, I'm afraid they will be disappointed. My concern is that I keep hearing it is so much more "quiet and subdued" on the Celebrity cruises. Do you think they will be bored? They are both 22 years old. :confused:

 

IMHO we have been on Royal Carribean several times and they have a very good product. However, if you need hairy leg contests and cannonball into the pool contests and the Flowrider and the Rockwall and the thing that takes you over the side of ship and automated drink makers you will not find it on Celebrity. You will not find a loud disco going to 3 in the morning. You won't find the Quest.

 

You have to think why you are going on the cruise. The entertainment on the longer cruises is usually pretty good so they will enjoy that. They do have a DJ in the Sky Lounge at 11 PM. If they like to lay in the sun in very nice surroundings they will like that. If you get a drink package even better. One or two Mudslides or Bon Voyages they'll like the cruise even more. The food is very very good. You can eat until you explode all over the wall. You like smoked salmon, all you want. Carving station? Yep. They have a hot glass show on Equinox. You can go up on top and lay out on The Lawn or play bocce or croquet. They have a really nice exercise room with plenty of equipment. They have a first class spa.

 

We took my daughters (31 and 28) and their SO's on another S-Class ship (Reflection) and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It's amazing how quickly they got the hang of having room service and having their breakfast on the balcony. They took advantage of all of the above. They loved going to the stern of the ship high up top and watching the wake of the ship from the Sunset bar. Especially nice when leaving port.

 

A lot of the reason we go on a cruise is the destinations. We always get off and do something. How can you get bored with that?

 

I think you have nothing to worry about.

[bradleyk]

I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as a bad cruise... Well unless you were in the Carnival Triumph when it lost all power and become a drifting portapotty. Lol.

I have enjoyed each cruise and I truely believe that each line may excel in different areas and in doing so support the needs of some part of the cruising public.

The Equinox cruise was a steal with all the included perks. Our cruise would normally have cost close to twice what we paid with paying for all the perks and cabin.

I wanted to post this to share my excitement and to hopefully remind some more seasoned cruisers of what brought them to cruising... and celebrity in the first place. Love my fellow CC'ers!

[MVPinBoynton]

We did a TA on the Equinox last year. It was just a wonderful experience. The ship is of course lovely and the service was outstanding. We have a full review of it on our website, which is linked to in my signature. I think you will thoroughly enjoy the Equinox and want to cruise on her again, like we do.

[wallie5446]

We have sailed on RCCL, Princess, and 3x on Celebrity the last 5 years. We are booked for the 3rd time on the Equinox in 2017, along with close to a dozen others we have meet on her the last couple of years.

 

IMHO, the design and layout to the 5, S-Class ships is what makes them feel so good to be on.

 

The Equinox is the only one with the new design GastroBar. It has the hot glass show, which we wish was replaced with the Lawn Club Grill like on the Reflection, and The Alcoves.

 

Bradley,You have booked a great Ship for your 1st Celebrity cruise. Your wife will be very happy.

[Taylor D]

We to are looking forward to our cruise on the Equinox. We had such a great time on the Constellation last month we got home then saw a great deal for the Equinox and booked it for next July already.

It looks like a really nice ship and will be looking forward to it for the next 10 months.

[drychi]

Just wanted to say Hello to OP bradleyK. We are on the 5/5/17 Equinox cruise as well and share your excitement. I hope you have a great fall and winter season and remember May will be here before we know it! See you on the roll call. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

[bradleyk]

Just wanted to say Hello to OP bradleyK. We are on the 5/5/17 Equinox cruise as well and share your excitement. I hope you have a great fall and winter season and remember May will be here before we know it! See you on the roll call. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

 

Thank you! I have already booked our flights and pre cruise stay in Miami. We booked a place through Airbnb that overlooks the port. I am looking forward to having coffee on the balcony the morning of our cruise and watching the ships come into port.

[warmwinds]

bradleyk, you've given me hope. I have never been on the S class (Elite on M class alone) because I focused on all the negatives (music you can't get away from! long walks because not enough elevators! No huge aft balconies! not the same great T-pool!) but I think I'll take a page out of your book and look forward to all the positives I've read in this thread on our first ever S class cruise this January - thank you.

[bradleyk]

bradleyk, you've given me hope. I have never been on the S class (Elite on M class alone) because I focused on all the negatives (music you can't get away from! long walks because not enough elevators! No huge aft balconies! not the same great T-pool!) but I think I'll take a page out of your book and look forward to all the positives I've read in this thread on our first ever S class cruise this January - thank you.

 

You are so welcome. Just remember that you will still be sailing with the same company that has provided you with a great experience many times. I bet you will actually love sailing the newer class.

[Maj.BPudgeman]

We've been on the Eclipse twice and thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as the Equinox, Solstice and Silhouette. You're in for a great experience.

 

A tip; each Solstice class ship has an on-board art collection. You'll have to walk each stairwell and the public spaces to see most of the art. There's more in each stateroom and hallway.

 

I'm not talking about the art for sale, what I'm talking about is simply an expertly curated art collection on public display through out the ship. It's a great way to spend a sea day looking at the art and you get exercise climbing the stairs and just walking.

 

A good book and an Ice Tea at Cafe al Baccio (it's more than just a drink, its a presentation) is also a treat not to be missed.

 

Bon voyage.

[renaroo]

We went on our first Celebrity Cruise in June 2015, on the millennium. We loved it! In 2016 we went to Peru (not on a cruise) and while that was absolutely amazing, we are eager to get pampered on another cruise ship and have scheduled the equinox for June 2017. Can't wait to have another great experience on celebrity!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[bradleyk]

We did a TA on the Equinox last year. It was just a wonderful experience. The ship is of course lovely and the service was outstanding. We have a full review of it on our website, which is linked to in my signature. I think you will thoroughly enjoy the Equinox and want to cruise on her again, like we do.

 

I just read and loved your review of the Equinox. I really enjoyed the menus and the food. Lol:)

Have sailed with Celebrity since the change to evening chic? Have you liked it?

[riclop]

First a little background about us... I will be 41 at the time of our 5/5/17 10 night Equinox sailing and my wife will be 40. I have sailed 3 times before. My first was a birthday gift by a girl I was dating back in 2003 on the Carnival Fascination. I really enjoyed it.

I did not sail again until 2014 with my wife on a short 4 day on the RCCI Enchantment of the Seas. I loved it! My wife thought it was ok. Then last year we took a 7 day on the NCL Getaway and we both loved it. As for the Getaway we didn't spend anytime at the main pool and paid for the exclusive Vibe area that was more serene. I think this made our cruise.

Now the Equinox will not have rock wall, water slides, rope courses, etc. But honestly during our 7 days on the Getaway we maybe used these options for a total of an hour. Mostly spending our sea days lounging and having a few drinks in the sun. The food and service on the Getaway were great, I know this can be subjective, but from what I have read Celebrity excels in both these areas compared to other lines. Also our roll call is super active and everyone seems very friendly and excited for the cruise. Sailing the ABC's has been on my bucket list so when Celebrity announced the deals for the Equinox I canceled our AI Dominican vacation and booked the Equinox. I really envision a great cruise and great experience for us both.... Just the humble opinion of a newbie:)

We found the Equinox very boring.

[wallie5446]

We found the Equinox very boring.

 

Which sailing?

[GordonJasmine]

I fel in love with that adorable white dog outside of Michael's club on Eclipse. Our next cruise will be on Equinox. Is there anything similar to that on that ship?