First Time on Celebrity Equinox

[sunmomma0618]

My husband and I usually travel on Carnival and have never been on a Celebrity cruise. I am 50 and my husband is 57. I am looking into the Equinox travelling to the Eastern Caribbean in August, price is fantastic. How much different or same is it from Carnival, food and cabin wise??? Less kids?? Want a balcony, which deck is best?? Which free perks is best: cabin credit, free gratuities, classic beverage or unlimited internet?? Thanks for any help!!

[kenevenpar]

As to perks, to some extent the best depends on you. The most value is usually the beverage package, which not only includes beer, wine and alcohol, but sodas, water, coffees (lattes and such). For $11.80 a day the beverage package can be upgraded to Premium, which covers better wine (if you go over $13 a glass, you pay the difference, whereas the classic package has a $9 per glass limit and if you go over the $9, you must pay the full price for the drink).

 

You should note, the perks are usually not "free", they are built into the price. Perks are offered on OV and higher cabins, so if you look at the difference, usually, between inside and OV, you can see the perk is built in.

 

As to kids, summer in the Caribbean is usually much higher in numbers. August, as it gets closer to school starting, the number of kids reduces. Celebrity usually has far fewer children than Carnival (generalization).

.

Ken

[sound_guy0918]

I have not sailed on the Equinox, but I'll answer based on our experience going from Carnival to Celebrity...

 

The major difference we appreciated was the QUIET, relaxed, casual atmosphere. No blaring muzak on the pool deck. Only one announcement per day. No hairy chest or belly flop contests. Better food in the MDR and much better poolside grill fare. Cabins are probably similar to CCL's modern ships but superior compared to their older fleet.

 

You are smack dab in the middle of X's "typical" age range. We are in our 40s and you will occasionally see newlyweds and 20somethings, and you will of course see some blue hairs. In August, you may still have families travelling, but on the whole there are less kids on X compared to CCL. Wait until September and you will have maybe a hundred children per sailing. Choose a balcony deck that is in between two others...on Equinox this would be decks 7-10. Then your budget will help you decide whether you prefer forward, aft, or amidships.

 

As far as which perk - the answer, as always is "it depends." If you don't drink at all, and you are happy with iced tea, tap water, and house coffee, then the drink package would be a waste. If you pay for any other kind of drinks when you cruise, then we highly recommend the package. Don't forget you get to enjoy the soft drinks and specialty coffees as well as most basic alcoholic drinks. And if you prefer top-shelf, the upgrade to Premium is a lot cheaper than paying for the package from scratch ($11.80 per day). You don't have to tip on the drink package - you just hand the bartender your card and he/she will hand you a drink.

 

After the drink package, internet is probably the next best value if you absolutely need to be "plugged in" during your cruise...followed by the cabin credit. (Tip - most of the big online TA's will offer an additional OBC for booking with them...)

 

Bottom line - if Carnival has felt too noisy, too rushed, too canned, too crazy - you will LOVE Celebrity. Happy sailing!

[TeaBag]

OP, you may not know that Celebrity has moved the Equinox to sailing in the Caribbean year round starting with the sailing on Apr 24 next year instead of spending that time in Europe. They have offered some amazing specials on these Caribbean cruises. The ship is lovely and the lawn on top is unusual. I have never sailed Carnival so I can't compare for you. We have sailed on Equinox twice and we are booked again for Oct 2017. I'm confident you will enjoy it.

[Oskial]

We started cruising with Carnival and loved it. We then tried Celebrity (Equinox twice) and loved it even more. Celebrity is way more understated and elegant as opposed to the more flamboyant Carnival. I'm not saying that Carnival is bad, but Now that we've done both it would have to be a better itinerary and a much better price for us to go back to Carnival.

 

 

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[merinski]

The difference is night & day!! We love the Equinox and Celebrity! We are in our 50's . We have been on the Equinox twice. Better entertainment, better dinning, better everything...:)

[sheilb4]

My husband and I usually travel on Carnival and have never been on a Celebrity cruise. I am 50 and my husband is 57. I am looking into the Equinox travelling to the Eastern Caribbean in August, price is fantastic. How much different or same is it from Carnival, food and cabin wise??? Less kids?? Want a balcony, which deck is best?? Which free perks is best: cabin credit, free gratuities, classic beverage or unlimited internet?? Thanks for any help!!

 

I know it is all subjective to what our personal prefs are, but IMHO -

Carnival - Very family oriented, food blah, incl speciality restaurants, not worth the extra $, entertainment average to cheesy, customer service average to poor, got to Platinum but minimal perks.

RCCL - becoming more family oriented, food quality deteriorated, incl speciality restaurants, customer service average to poor, entertainment ok, except for hairy chest/belly flop...gross. Got to D+ but again minimal perks unless suite (diamond or concierge lounge access)

Celebrity - far superior in all areas, more classy, better customer service and recognition of status, love the suite/butler experience. Michaels club, suite restaurant and speciality restaurants, Food better, entertainment average to v good. No comparison really, but that's my taste......lol.....just feel that overall experience on Celebrity is far superior in quality and service across all areas.

[riclop]

My husband and I usually travel on Carnival and have never been on a Celebrity cruise. I am 50 and my husband is 57. I am looking into the Equinox travelling to the Eastern Caribbean in August, price is fantastic. How much different or same is it from Carnival, food and cabin wise??? Less kids?? Want a balcony, which deck is best?? Which free per We went on Equinox once and that was enough.

[royalcruz]

If you drink at all, the drinks package usually has the most value (it includes non-alcoholic drinks and specialty coffees too). The perk with the second highest value is the $300 OBC, because gratuities or a (shared) unlimited internet package cost less than $300. Also, you can use the OBC toward gratuities or internet and then have credit left over. Of course, if you feel you need 2 internet accounts instead of sharing one, then that is worth more than $300, so go for that.

 

It has been years since Celebrity sailed in the Caribbean in the summer so it is hard to say how many children will be on board; nevertheless I'm sure it will have less kids than on Carnival. I've only been on 2 Carnival ships, but here are some other comparisons...

FOOD: expect a much nicer buffet (bigger, with more choices and few lines) with more seating. In the dining room, expect more gourmet food and smaller portions, but you can order as much as you want. Service is better on Celebrity, and the sommeliers are fabulous.

CABINS: Celebrity cabins are more modern and prettier than on Carnival, especially the bathrooms. There is more storage in Carnival cabins.

ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES: You will find less activities/games, less rowdiness, less raunchy comedians, and no piano bar on Celebrity.

WHICH BALCONY DECK IS BEST?

Decks 7 and above are unobstructed, but avoid the higher decks that have cabins under the pool, gym, and buffet. (use the deck plans to check)

2D and 2C cabins on deck 6 are obstructed by lifeboats outside and below, but IMO the obstruction isn't a deal breaker and these cabins often offer great value.

Edited November 23, 2016 by royalcruz

[sunmomma0618]

Thanks everyone for the great advice.

[sunmomma0618]

Thanks again everyone for the great advice. My husband and I are booked

on the Equinox in August. So excited!!:)

[merinski]

Thanks again everyone for the great advice. My husband and I are booked

on the Equinox in August. So excited!!:)

 

You will love it! Have fun!:)

[SWFL Cruisers]

You will find very few children, if any, and your age group is perfect. My bride and I have sailed other lines but our first choice by far is Celebrity! To me the difference between Carnival and Celebrity is about the same as the difference between Walmart and Nordstrom. You will love it!

Edited November 25, 2016 by Space Coast Cruisers

[griffy116]

We are going on the Equinox for the first time in June. We're Diamond on Royal and after seeing the perks for Elite status due to reciprocity we are very pleased. At the time we booked, we got all four perks, which has made us VERY happy. We are very familiar with the Royal ships and the menus so we are a little excited to have a new adventure on Celebrity. We can't WAIT to go to Al Bachio (?) and the Mast Grill (?). Any advice or tips will be much appreciated. It seems the big "controversy" is the new dress code for formal night. We are excited about the more relaxed choice on formal night too, even though some of the regular Celebrity cruisers seem very upset. There will be five of us, ranging in age from 65 (me) to my Grandson who is 22 and graduating from college. He's Diamond on his own points on Royal and he considers the new dress code a "5th perk"...lol. He is bringing a friend and she has never been on a cruise before, but will be going with us on a Royal cruise the week of Christmas to celebrate his graduation, so this is going to be a wonderful experience for her too. I can't wait to see which cruise line she enjoys most.

[whitshel]

My husband and I usually travel on Carnival and have never been on a Celebrity cruise. I am 50 and my husband is 57. I am looking into the Equinox travelling to the Eastern Caribbean in August, price is fantastic. How much different or same is it from Carnival, food and cabin wise??? Less kids?? Want a balcony, which deck is best?? Which free perks is best: cabin credit, free gratuities, classic beverage or unlimited internet?? Thanks for any help!!

 

Prices are really fantastic in August. We just booked Aug 13th, saw a California resident rate of $799pp for a 2d balcony. (no perks because of the resident rate) I called my online t/a to see what perks he was offering and they actually have a group rate of $704pp for a 2d plus free tips and a $50obc plus since were Diamond with RCCl, were Elite with Celebrity so we got a 1 cat upgrade to a 2c balcony and I chose cabin 6240 angled balcony.

 

Awesome deal, at least I think :D

[black forest]

We have cruised Carnival in the Caribbean (all together 4 weeks on the Glory = 2 B2B) and last December we were on the Equinox.

 

The main differences to me was the interior is not so colorful - what I really appreciate. I couldn't find too much differences in food. Services was excellent on both ships. The buffet restaurant on the Equinox was always terrible crowded in the morning and at lunch. But here we liked the food better than on the Glory.

 

We always cruise in a balcony stateroom - here the bathroom on the Equinox wins. But less closet for your clothes.

 

All in all we prefer the Equinox and will cruise on her again in 2 months.

[wallie5446]

Thanks again everyone for the great advice. My husband and I are booked

on the Equinox in August. So excited!!:)

 

Great choice!

Nov 2017 will be our 3rd time on the Equinox.

EW

[gabbygrrl]

Although we are not sailing the Equinox until next September, I wanted to comment on Cafe al Bacio-with the drinks package, the "spiked drinks" are included. Every afternoon we'd stop by the "Cafe Bocce Ball" (as we call it) and grab an iced coffee with Baileys. The Cafe is always a highlight when sailing Celebrity!

[dogo88]

We are long time HAL cruisers that were getting tired of the maintenance issues on our past few HAL cruises. We jumped to RCL and NCL a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed both lines. No clear winner in all categories of the two lines but enough overlap with positives that we would do either again. Actually just came back from a cruise on the Anthem and it was great.

 

Now we want to experience Celebrity and will also be first time cruisers next Oct. Did some due diligence and the Equinox looks to be what we are looking for in terms of service, variety and comfort.

 

Dan