LIVE!! FROM THE EQUINOX PRESIDENT's Cruise August 27th, 2017 - ChicagoPaul

[chicagopaul]

Paul - Thanks for posting and I'll be following closely. My husband booked Equinox for a New Years Eve surprise for me and accidentally let the cat out of the bag! I'm glad he did because now I have the excitement of looking forward to the cruise. I may have a few questions for you along the way. We've been on this class ship before, but not the Equinox specifically. We will have a concierge class cabin, so thanks for posting the video. Where do you recommend having lunch on boarding day? Is the GastroPub open for dinner? We are having dinner New Years Eve in Murano!

 

 

This time we actually had a decent breakfast and skipped lunch on boarding day. However if you're in concierge then there is a concierge class lunch in MDR you can go to. I think if we planned to do lunch then we would have done this.

 

Yes, Gastro is open for dinner. On Seadays I believe they're open Noon to until Midnight and it looks like on port days they open later, around 3. It's not a big menu but it does have some good options. See below.

 

 

 

You'll love Murano especially on NYE. We did a Christmas / New Years cruise once and it was fantastic. Definitely something you'll never forget. Bringing in the new year on the pool deck is incredible.

 

 

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[Ma Bell]

I'm getting banner ads for "Flights by Celebrity" on different sites. You can click on it for more details.

As I said, it's been called that on the website, since they changed the website. It's still Choice Air when you click the link. If all they're changing is the name, that's great. If they are going to start making other changes and tying everything into some kind of package deal you can look for increases in prices.

 

I'm hoping this is just old news that is being presented as something new.

[RichardE954]

Thanks for the advice. If you ever sail out of Fort Lauderdale, let us know and we can meet for dinner or drinks the night before you sail.

[lola2013]

Thanks for the advice. If you ever sail out of Fort Lauderdale, let us know and we can meet for dinner or drinks the night before you sail.

 

Richard...I don't want to hijack ChicagoPaul's wonderful review...but since you're in South Florida, can I ask you a question about restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale? Send you an e-mail perhaps looking for a recommendation?

Thanks,

Susan

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

That's right. Choice Air has always been a wonderful option for booking flights, especially one way tickets to Europe. I use them all the time. It remains to be seen if it remains that way with Celebrity taking over. Maybe I'm a little cynical because I've been around for a long time and have seen what has happened to pricing since Lisa took over. I'll be willing to admit if I'm wrong, but I'll be surprised if I am. Let the pricing games begin again.

 

I am enjoying your posts.

 

If the prices on Celebrity Air aren't a good deal, people won't use them. I bought my first ticket through Choice Air for a Med cruise I'm doing next spring. I didn't take the cheapest thing on offer. I researched the cheaper airlines and decided to pay more for Delta first class--I know what I'm getting with that. It was still thousands cheaper than booking directly with Delta. I remember the good old days when 100,000 miles would get me a RT first/business to Europe. Those days are long gone. They now charge that much for a one way, sometimes even more.

[RichardE954]

Richard...I don't want to hijack ChicagoPaul's wonderful review...but since you're in South Florida, can I ask you a question about restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale? Send you an e-mail perhaps looking for a recommendation?

Thanks,

Susan

Hi Susan - Sure, feel free to email me. The address is 281846 at comcast dot net.

[lola2013]

Thanks Richard...I'll be in touch.

[jagoffee]

ChicagoPaul,

 

How did the Gastropub hamburger and fries compare to the lunch hamburger in the Lawn Grill?

 

Two weeks ago we were the only ship in port in St. Maarten which was unusual. It may have been a scheduled empty day because we were diverted to St. Maarten from Tortola.

[floridaag]

Gastropub menu seems very similar to Luminae first day lunch menu

[awhcruiser]

Does the gastrobar serve lunch on embarkation day?

[chicagopaul]

Gastro Bar: No, unfortunately according to the daily it does not open until 4pm on Embarkation. I'm going to put a recommendation they open early. I think it would definitely generate them business and get people to check it out who otherwise may not.

 

Gastro Bar Burger: I liked the quality. I'd say it is on par quality wise with the burgers in Lawn Club. However, it's a different style. This burger has two thinner patties instead of one large one. It was still cooked as requested and very moist. Just a different style. Though I've noticed this is a style that some places are going toward. The Loews Hotel in Chicago for instance has an identical burger to the one in Gastro Bar.

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Yes, we were the only ones in St. Maarten today which was strange! We're not used to that! We did get off the ship and walk to the beach. For those who don't know there is a very nice beach about a 15 minute walk away. You can also take a water taxi too.

 

We had a couple drinks on board and ate lunch in Ocean View. The lunch buffet today was suppose to be American BBQ but it wasn't the case. What I had was good though. I really like the Indian food on board.

 

Around 12:20/12:30 we left the ship and spent 3 hours at the beach. If you go to this beach and you want some chairs walk only a little way down and look for blue umbrellas and yellow chair cushions. As for George. He was terribly nice and we got two chairs and umbrellas for $15 total and a bucket of 5 beers for $10. He offered to get us food or anything else we need. He seemed to keep good watch on the area so we felt comfortable going in the water and leaving our bag. Though we still secured it as well as we could.

 

The water was perfectly warm. Like bath water. As we were the only ship in port the beach was not crowded at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[HAM]

Paul, great idea opening Gastro Bar earlier. Serves the purpose of an alternative on embarkation as well as introducing the venue to a whole new audience.

[Straughn]

Paul, great idea opening Gastro Bar earlier. Serves the purpose of an alternative on embarkation as well as introducing the venue to a whole new audience.

Ditto. It would be nice to have a replacement for Bistro on 5 for lunch on embarkation day. We always went to Bistro for a leisurely (served) lunch with a nice glass of wine. Unfortunately, the SO has never, will not ever, eat sushi. Burgers are a yes.

[Tiggertastic]

Paul

 

So good to have you back onboard a ship, were sailing in 10 days so you're perfectly timed to wind me down to our cruise. Didn't spot where you said who was working the martini bar, can you let me know. Thanks and safe travels as always to both of you

 

 

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[Ma Bell]

If the prices on Celebrity Air aren't a good deal, people won't use them. I bought my first ticket through Choice Air for a Med cruise I'm doing next spring. I didn't take the cheapest thing on offer. I researched the cheaper airlines and decided to pay more for Delta first class--I know what I'm getting with that. It was still thousands cheaper than booking directly with Delta. I remember the good old days when 100,000 miles would get me a RT first/business to Europe. Those days are long gone. They now charge that much for a one way, sometimes even more.

 

My concern is that they will start manipulating prices by packaging air with the cruise as they have done with perks making it more difficult for people to really understand what they are getting and bringing up prices of cruises to compensate for what people will perceive as low airfares. Since Choice Air has been working very well for a long time, with good prices for the consumer, I can't imagine that they would be wanting to make changes unless it's to fatten their bottom line. Just my opinion.

[hcat]

Ditto. It would be nice to have a replacement for Bistro on 5 for lunch on embarkation day. We always went to Bistro for a leisurely (served) lunch with a nice glass of wine. Unfortunately, the SO has never, will not ever, eat sushi. Burgers are a yes.

 

Great idea,,,we sadly miss B on 5..,ate several lunches there every cruise! Is Eq the only ship with the gastri bar..,in former space of Cellar Masters?

 

Curious if there have been been any concerts or activities on the lawn?

[lovetocruise17]

You could write in that to protect their privacy, they should wait 20 minutes before reading the next answer.

 

 

 

This waiting 20 minutes every time you get thrown off their web site is horrible. Even travel agents can't get into your account for you until te 20 minutes are up. Such a horrible idea for busy people who want to get something done fast. Hate, hate their new web site. Ready to go to another line than put up with this for another cruise unless they fix it!

 

 

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[awhcruiser]

Where is the like button? Guess it will be AquaSpa Cafe instead.

Paul, great idea opening Gastro Bar earlier. Serves the purpose of an alternative on embarkation as well as introducing the venue to a whole new audience.

[ecslady]

Ditto. It would be nice to have a replacement for Bistro on 5 for lunch on embarkation day. We always went to Bistro for a leisurely (served) lunch with a nice glass of wine. Unfortunately, the SO has never, will not ever, eat sushi. Burgers are a yes.

 

Definitely a great idea. I loved Bistro on 5 for lunch on embarkation day as well. Miss it, as I'm not into sushi either.

[ecslady]

Where is the like button? Guess it will be AquaSpa Cafe instead.

 

Is Aqua Spa cafe open for lunch on embarkation day?

[highrisesea]

Gastro Bar: No, unfortunately according to the daily it does not open until 4pm on Embarkation. I'm going to put a recommendation they open early. I think it would definitely generate them business and get people to check it out who otherwise may not.

 

Gastro Bar Burger: I liked the quality. I'd say it is on par quality wise with the burgers in Lawn Club. However, it's a different style. This burger has two thinner patties instead of one large one. It was still cooked as requested and very moist. Just a different style. Though I've noticed this is a style that some places are going toward. The Loews Hotel in Chicago for instance has an identical burger to the one in Gastro Bar.

 

 

 

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I could be wrong, but I believe the reason more venues aren't open on embarkation day is because of staff shortage. A LOT of crew get off the ship on that day. I lived in Seattle for many years and befriended service staff who would come visit on Sundays, when the ship was in.

[jagoffee]

ChicagoPaul, thank you for the answer on the burger.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I could be wrong, but I believe the reason more venues aren't open on embarkation day is because of staff shortage. A LOT of crew get off the ship on that day. I lived in Seattle for many years and befriended service staff who would come visit on Sundays, when the ship was in.

 

Also many dining/bar staff assist the cabin attendants in turning over rooms as well as loading provisions and luggage handling. With the staff cutbacks in all departments on ALL cruise lines it has stretched them further than ever on turn-around days.

[chicagopaul]

Cheers everyone! I'm crawling into bed but just wanted to say today was a wonderful evening. Another great dinner at Murano. I'll spare you the usual photos since I ordered some of the same but below are a few new pics of items we had.

 

We saw the Broadway Cabaret show tonight which are the main singers singing some of their favorite and most popular Broadway / West End songs. Very enjoyable.

 

We are midway in the cruise and we've met a handful of new passengers and made friends with some more staff. Full review of tonight's activities tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

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