Equinox Live Review March 31st - April 7

[Georgia_Peaches]

Greetings,

 

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, embarkation day has finally arrived!! DH and I are sitting in Hartsfield-Jackson airport along with the rest of metro Atlanta...let Spring Break begin.

 

So I've been trolling the boards for a while now reading lots of threads surrounding issues raised by fellow cruise enthusiasts. And I've also read a lot of great live reviews...So I'm putting a little bit of a spin on my live review of Equinox. It's a new ship for us having only sailed on Connie and Reflection. I know Equinox is a copy of Reflection but I've read there are also subtle differences as well. I'm anticipating an awesome experience (we've always enjoyed Celebrity) but this time around I'm going to focus my attention on some of the issues that have been raised repeatedly in the threads but have never been noticed by me in the past. Of particular interest to me is the following:

1. Is the chair hogging and "space" hogging really that bad?

2. What does Richard Spacey, the cruise director really do to enhance the cruise experience?

3. And what's up with the cut backs? Are they as prevalent as some say?

4. Exactly how many times will I be asked if I want a drink package? (I've never been asked this before by anyone on Celebrity. Maybe I'm just an anomaly.)

5. Will I be nickled and dimed all week?

6. Is a suite upgrade really worth the extra money? (Subjective but often asked on these boards).

 

So about number 6...A few months ago I had the opportunity to upgrade our Sky suite to a Royal and I jumped at the opportunity because in that moment, it was surprisingly affordable. Usually, we opt for an Aqua or Sky...so, I'm eager to see if the extra money matches the extra perks...again, totally subjective but so far, having a Royal suite has been pretty fun. I heard from shoreside concierge about 2 weeks ago and have requested our spirits and soft drinks for the bar set up in the room. We also have our dinner reservations already booked...I think. We shall see... Oh, and we were told how we should arrive at the pier, but we already knew that.

 

Finally, last week we received an e-mail informing us that embarkation was delayed by an hour due to a coast guard insepction. Our flight arrives in MIA, God willing, at 10:40. We plan to head to the pier even though we will be early, mainly because we don't have anywhere else to go. So that's it for now :D

 

Do you have something you'd like me to pay particular attention to? Just let me know!

 

Christina

Edited March 31, 2018 by Georgia_Peaches

[katysuerx]

Fun! Looking forward to your live review and hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

 

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[argyllsock]

Hope you have a safe flight and a great trip!

 

Would really appreciate your thoughts on the suite embarkation process. We have a suite on Summit in May and are wondering.

 

How did you get the upgrade deal to the Royal? We are booked in a Celebrity Suite but the cost to upgrade is a little steep right now.

 

Safe journeys!

[CLT_Deac]

Your comments about the airport during Spring Break made me chuckle. We live in CLT and have experienced the same. Hope you have a great trip and can’t wait to follow along. We leave 4/13 for our first Celebrity Cruise on the Summit.

 

 

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[WNCtourist]

Looking forward to your review! Have a great trip.

 

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[Hawkstar33]

Have a great time. Chair hogs are around. They clip their towels on the loungers. There are pool monitors that take belongings and put them poolside at a designated table. Seems to curtail chair arguments. On a sea day you need to be on deck before 10 am for sure. Folks get up early to get prime seats. Richard Spacey is full of energy and joins in on all events. I'm not sure what you are looking for from him, but he is very good on the ship. Cutbacks are not apparent to me. There is only one room attendant, where there used to be an assistant. Some of the bar areas during the day were not open till certain times. Quasar never seemed open at all. They did stop those crazy $10 sales, but had a Captains sale event within the shops. From the time you get on the ship till you leave you will be asked numerous times to upgrade beverage package. Mainly for the first couple days. Same goes for specialty dining. All day, everyday for that. Nickled and dimed, no. Not sure what they could do to make you worry about that. A suite sounds nice. Hope it came with all perks, usually bev pack, obc, gratuities paid, and some internet time. Depends on who you booked with also. You will be on soon. After 11:00 for sure. Waiting in terminal was chilly, so bring a light sweater or jacket, believe it or not. Have fun

[PSU]

Have a great time. Chair hogs are around. They clip their towels on the loungers. There are pool monitors that take belongings and put them poolside at a designated table. Seems to curtail chair arguments. On a sea day you need to be on deck before 10 am for sure. Folks get up early to get prime seats. Richard Spacey is full of energy and joins in on all events. I'm not sure what you are looking for from him, but he is very good on the ship. Cutbacks are not apparent to me. There is only one room attendant, where there used to be an assistant. Some of the bar areas during the day were not open till certain times. Quasar never seemed open at all. They did stop those crazy $10 sales, but had a Captains sale event within the shops. From the time you get on the ship till you leave you will be asked numerous times to upgrade beverage package. Mainly for the first couple days. Same goes for specialty dining. All day, everyday for that. Nickled and dimed, no. Not sure what they could do to make you worry about that. A suite sounds nice. Hope it came with all perks, usually bev pack, obc, gratuities paid, and some internet time. Depends on who you booked with also. You will be on soon. After 11:00 for sure. Waiting in terminal was chilly, so bring a light sweater or jacket, believe it or not. Have fun

 

 

 

A Royal Suite comes with unlimited internet, unlimited specialty dining and premium beverage package. And usually when you book a suite you get gratuities and OBC.

It is wonderful.

 

 

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[realnice46]

Thank you for taking time from your vacation for reviews.

We love the Solstice class ships. We have sailed multiple times on Equinox and Silhouette. As to cut in room staff didn’t even notice last time we sailed and room was always well taken care of. We are always in concierge class and have been very happy.

They do try to sell drink packages and specialty dining

packages by having tables set up but are not aggressive about it. I do think prices are

rediculous.

But all in all still love Celebrity.

[wrk2cruise]

If Emir is your butler you will be in the very best hands, he is one of the best in the fleet. Remember also in the RS you will get complimentary laundry which is is done very well. We did precisely what you did by splurging on an upgrade when the price wasn't much more than what we had paid for CS. We had been on Equinox a few times prior and were able to have our favorite waiter in Luminae so we didn't use the specialty perk at all. Actually we did try to go to a special buffet lunch in Tuscan but was told that wasn't included in the unlimited specialty perk. I was a bit put off by that. All in all I love the RS room and bath but I can't say our experience was really any different than traveling in the lower suites. Of course for the right price I'll do it again in an instant. Love Luminae and MC.

[bessinfl]

Are you on the southern Caribbean itinerary? If so, I’d love to hear about that because we go May 4. I’d also love to know the names (and maybe a little description) of the shows and lounge acts on the Equinox. Thanks for taking your valuable cruise time to fill us in.

 

 

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[Silkroad]

Christina, I hope you have a fabulous time on your cruise! I’m looking forward to your impressions on all the subjects you mentioned. We’d love to book a Royal Suite (having tried a Sky Suite only once, pre- Luminae) but I’m afraid it must wait for a very special celebration such as retirement:D. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy it vicariously through your review;). Equinox has one less deck than Reflection, and Silk Harvest instead of the Porch and Lawn Club Grill. We haven’t had the opportunity to try Silk Harvest, so should you dine there, I’d enjoy reading your opinion. Bon Voyage!

 

Cheers,

Michelle

Edited March 31, 2018 by Silkroad

[hcat]

Bon Voyage

Actually Reflection is the last S Class ship and not a copy of Equinox.. We like EQ much better, less crowded, better layouts, Silk Harvest, etc

Enjoy!

[flatcircle]

Christine:

 

Hope you having a great cruise. We're booked on the June 2nd cruise. Never been on Equinox, so looking forward to your review.

I know you're in a suite but if you happen to have a conversation with someone staying in a concierge cabin, could you ask about the room service menu? Reading the different posts, there seems to be different opinions on whether there is an expanded breakfast menu for this cabin class.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Marge

[Blockschip]

Following, since we're boarding the Equinox on April 7th :-)

[SeaTrailer]

Have a fabulous cruise. Will be following your posts closely as we will be on the Equinox in 5 weeks!

[Jim_Iain]

Bon voyage! Hope you have a wonderful trip. Looking forward to your perception of the items you mentioned in your original post.

 

I think you will like Equinox. While similar to Reflection you will almost instantly notice that there are quite a bit fewer Sky Suites on the ship which will mean Luminea and Michael's club are less crowded.

 

Enjoy.

[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.

[san diego spartan]

We will be on in a couple of months. Looking forward to following your review. While we will not have a suite of any kind still look forward to your comments on the other themes.

[Clarea]

Bon Voyage and thanks for taking us along.:)

[bigbeergut]

Enjoy your trip. I doubt you'll notice any cut backs in the Royal Suite.

[CruisersTimesThree]

Will be following your posts! I have family on this cruise!

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

 

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[Keith1010]

Bon Voyage.

Keith

[Z'Loth]

Have a fabulous trip. Bring back pictures and menus.

[Kevinb1176]

Hi,

 

I’m on equinox in a couple weeks (4/15), we’re in a sky suite and if you have any recommendations on waiters in Luminae it would be appreciated. We were on Reflection a few months ago and Miro was awesome. He really made dining a great experience.

[Brangwen]

Following, since we're boarding the Equinox on April 7th :-)

See you there... ready for the ABC! 😎