Trip Review: Celebrity Equinox - 9 Dec 2017 to 16 Dec 2017

[journeycollector]

I will be on the equinox in just a few days with the same itinerary!!! Your posts are making me so excited!! I love your pictures. You are also hilarious!! Thank you for taking the time!

 

Thank you...enjoy your time on the Equinox!

[journeycollector]

Sunday, December 10 - Day at Sea

 

After two jam-packed days in Miami Beach and Saturday exploring the ship, Sunday morning was for sleeping in! We rolled into Oceanview Cafe for a quick breakfast at around 9am. Wait...that's a lie...It was 9:45!!!

 

We both liked the layout and selection of foods in Oceanview Cafe. It felt spacious, was easy to move around in, and we rarely had trouble finding seats. Unlike our Alaskan cruise on Crown Princess, we didn't see a lot of people hogging tables who were ***not*** eating (e.g., playing card games or on their iPads, etc.). So that was a plus.

 

We appreciated the various stations (e.g., American breakfast, English breakfast, omelette station, bakery, fresh fruit, granola).

 

After breakfast, we decided to get some steps in by walking the track. It was still overcast from the previous day. We attended the hot glass show which was cool (pun intended!).

 

Then we found some chairs on the covered portion of the pool deck (since it was spritzing a bit) and streamed a couple TV shows using our Internet package (which worked OK most of the time).

 

We went back to Oceanview Cafe for lunch (we tended to like quick breakfasts and lunches, so the buffet usually suits us) and did afternoon trivia in the beautiful Sky lounge.

 

Dinner was the highlight of the day. We had 6pm reservations at Murano. I started with a Wellington-style diver scallop and lamb rack for my entree, with chocolate soufflé for dessert. Again, B had no problems eating gluten-free and particularly enjoyed the lobster, prepared tableside by the excellent Sandra.

 

Wellington-style diver scallop

 

Lamb rack

 

Chocolate souffle

 

The evening's entertainment was comedian A.J. Jamal. He was OK. He played well to his target audience, which we were not. And time for my usual disclaimer: all entertainment is subjective. Hah!

 

After the comedian, there was Silent Disco. Had heard about, but never seen it. We stayed for some good people watching!

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - Here Comes the Sun

 

After two gray days, the sun came out and all was right again! Following breakfast in the Oceanview Cafe, some definite outside time was sorely needed.

 

We played a bit of cornhole up on the lawn deck...

 

...and found a place to relax. This is what we liked about the ship: the variety of seating areas inside and out.

 

 

Then we attended galley tour which started out in the beautiful Silhouette MDR:

 

 

After lunch, it was time for some more outside time as we sailed towards San Juan. This is relaxing!

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - Sailing into San Juan

 

We headed out onto the upper decks to get a primo view as we sailed past El Morro.

 

 

Approaching the port:

 

We're docked!

 

A couple shots of the beautiful Celebrity Equinox in port:

 

 

We docked at 3:30pm and were off the ship before 4pm. Time to explore Old San Juan!

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - The Streets of Old San Juan

 

We did Old San Juan on our own. Being winter, the sun would set at around 5:30pm, leaving us with about 2 hours of daylight after docking. So we decided to hightail it over to El Morro to see the historic fortress.

 

But on the way, we took in the vibrant buildings of Old San Juan:

 

 

 

 

 

Old San Juan wasn't particularly busy, owing to devastating hurricane. We could go a couple blocks on a Monday afternoon and encounter few people. Most places had power, although a few were running on generators. We found the area to be tidy and clean post-hurricane.

 

Approaching El Morro:

 

[luvincruising]

Do you know if the free Old San Juan shuttle was running?

:)

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[journeycollector]

Do you know if the free Old San Juan shuttle was running?

:)

 

We walked ALL over Old San Juan and never saw the trolleys running. Tried looking up some info, but this was all I could find: http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/free-trolley-old-san-juan/ (updated Nov. 30). Maybe someone else on the boards will have some info?

[lilghallinsf]

Loving your review. My partner and I️ took our first celebrity cruise in an inside cabin. It’s Perfect for the Caribbean.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lovestx]

Great review so I will follow....love the Equinox! And your photography is awesome!!

[journeycollector]

Loving your review. My partner and I️ took our first celebrity cruise in an inside cabin. It’s Perfect for the Caribbean.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks! We probably won't ever live the "suite life" but we do hope to work our way up to a balcony cabin on the next cruise! :D

[journeycollector]

Yesterday, a CBS News producer tweeted at me asking if I was "ok". I didn't know what she meant (I guess she didn't realize my photos were from last week's cruise?) then I heard the news about the bus crash involving passengers from this week's cruise in Mexico. So sad...my heart goes out to their families, who like us, just wanted some sun n' fun for a week. This morning, I was contacted by ABC News for permission to use my Equinox photos. I said no.

[lovestx]

Yesterday, a CBS News producer tweeted at me asking if I was "ok". I didn't know what she meant (I guess she didn't realize my photos were from last week's cruise?) then I heard the news about the bus crash involving passengers from this week's cruise in Mexico. So sad...my heart goes out to their families, who like us, just wanted some sun n' fun for a week. This morning, I was contacted by ABC News for permission to use my Equinox photos. I said no.

 

The power of social media is incredible, isn't it?

 

The bus crash is so very sad. I was on the CC thread last night regarding the accident and there was a poster who was worried about his brother and sister-in-law whom he had encouraged to take that excursion. Everyone was so concerned for him. He posted after midnight that Celebrity had called to tell them that the had died. Incredibly sad.

[cricketgirl]

Love your review and your pictures. We will be on the Equinox for the first time in March and reading your review just gets us more excited! Thanks for posting!

[Mkline62]

My sister and niece were on the Dec 9th Celebrity Equinox sailing. They said Old San Juan was pretty sad. Very few businesses were open, with the exception of CVS and Walgreens. People were begging for $. She stated that after seeing the devastation, she was surprised that Celebrity decided to stop there.

 

St. Thomas was a bit better, but the power went out when they were shopping.

[journeycollector]

My sister and niece were on the Dec 9th Celebrity Equinox sailing. They said Old San Juan was pretty sad. Very few businesses were open, with the exception of CVS and Walgreens. People were begging for $. She stated that after seeing the devastation, she was surprised that Celebrity decided to stop there.

 

St. Thomas was a bit better, but the power went out when they were shopping.

 

We thought Old San Juan was pretty good...all things considered. Just devoid of tourists, which was weird. We thought Charlotte Amalie still looked like a mess. Of course, depending on what you do/what you see in each place will give each person a different perspective.

[SeaTrailer]

We spent 2 days in Old San Juan after our NCL cruise in November and never saw the first beggar!

 

Yes there was a lot not open but for the shops and restaurants we visited the people could not have been more pleasant and friendly! Just walking around the area was a fantastic experience.

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - El Morro

 

We made our way through the colorful streets of Old San Juan to El Morro. The San Juan National Historic Sites had just reopened after hurricane damage on Dec. 2. Prior to that, you could only walk the exterior grounds.

 

Having limited daylight, we had to choose between Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) and Castillo San Cristobal. We went with El Morro since you sail past it coming into San Juan. B's dad also spent time working in Puerto Rico and loved visiting it, so for sentimental reasons, too, that's why we picked El Morro. We were not disappointed.

 

Admission is $7pp and you can use your ticket to also gain entry to San Cristobal. This time of year, the sites close at 6pm.

 

We spent time wandering the grounds, exploring darkened stairways, and taking in the vistas from the turrets - an icon of San Juan. Owing to the lack of tourists, there were times where we felt like we had the fort to ourselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

B might have jumped a little bit as he sat down here, not noticing the iguana that blends right in!

[journeycollector]

We spent 2 days in Old San Juan after our NCL cruise in November and never saw the first beggar!

 

Yes there was a lot not open but for the shops and restaurants we visited the people could not have been more pleasant and friendly! Just walking around the area was a fantastic experience.

 

I agree...people couldn't have been nicer! I will be back!

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - Self-Guided Old San Juan Walking Tour

 

After El Morro, we continued on our own self-guided walking tour of Old San Juan. I had found these articles online that I thought were helpful:

• http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/old-san-juan-walking-tour-1/
  
• http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/old-san-juan-walking-tour-2/
  
• http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/323_walkingtouroldSanjuan.jpg
  

 

B enjoys some graffiti!

 

 

 

 

Cats of Old San Juan

 

Daylight slowly fading...

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - San Juan Cathedral

 

We stopped in at the San Juan Cathedral. I can report that I did not burst into flames upon entering the church.

 

 

 

 

 

Burial place of Juan Ponce de Leon - guess that "fountain of youth" thing didn't work out. If he lived, he could have attended the Celebrity Cruises' seminars on botox and dental implants!

 

I'm not religiously organized, but I do love this photo with the Virgin Mary and the Puerto Rican flag

[journeycollector]

Monday, December 11 - If you like pina coladas...

 

After church, it was time to drink. Just kidding. Well, maybe not. We walked around Old San Juan some more and did a little souvenir shopping.

 

I have to get travel magnets wherever I go. You should see our refrigerator--it would surely win a tackiest refrigerator contest! We also stopped in at a store that made wooden Puerto-Rican style "door" decorations with your names painted on them. We got one for B's parents due to their fond memories of working in Puerto Rico for a bit back in the late 70's.

 

 

 

 

Then we spotted a historical marker for the pina colada! We had to stop here.

 

The restaurant is Barrachina on Calle Fortaleza. And yes, we had pina coladas! They were good. We're were also hungry. B and I each ordered the mofongo, a Puerto Rican speciality. Delicious!

 

Looks like B is enjoying his pina colada!

 

Fully satiated, it was now dark. We wandered down Paseo de la Princesa to the water's edge and then walked back to the dock to get back on the ship.

 

I know they are still going through hard times there, but we absolutely LOVED Old San Juan. It looked like most everything had power in OSJ, although we could hear the occasional hum of a generator. People were extraordinarily friendly and welcoming. Down the road, I think I'd like to take a cruise based out of San Juan so we could explore it a little more.

 

 

Next port: Saint Thomas.

[hcat]

Great photos and commentary,

 

The colors are very vibrant with hi contrast. Are you using any special filters, lenses or settings?

[helen haywood]

Your photos are absolutely beautiful!! The colors are stunning!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[journeycollector]

Great photos and commentary,

 

The colors are very vibrant with hi contrast. Are you using any special filters, lenses or settings?

 

Thanks! Most of these are just with my iPhone. Some of them I saturate to make the colors pop. Or I do a little adjusting when the sunlight is harsh.