LIVE BLOG! From the EQUINOX - AUG 25th Sailing - CHICAGOPAUL

[BosoxI]

Thanks! DH will be soooo happy.

 

Topper = sounds like one of the bizarre shows we saw on Anthem of the Seas a few years ago!

It's terrible. If you have nothing better to do so, you might want to suffer through it. Otherwise, Tie One On In the martini bar or go to bed early and find something more amusing.

[joand452]

Now that your cruise is coming to an end, I find this! Story of my life. [emoji38]

 

Going on Equinox for our first Celebrity cruise in December. So many great reports that I’m sure we’ve made a great choice!

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

 

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[MrsB05]

It's terrible. If you have nothing better to do so, you might want to suffer through it. Otherwise, Tie One On In the martini bar or go to bed early and find something more amusing.

 

We actually FELL ASLEEP during that Anthem show. Ok, ok, it was well after midnight, we'd been indulging in adult bevos all day, etc. etc. but still. It was that awful.

 

Well will definitely be hanging out in the Martini Bar as well as Sunset Bar so DH can smoke his cigars. Well, ok, maybe me, too!

[workingtocruise-59]

Our local liquor store posted this today and I thought ... Paul would like this! Try it tomorrow morning perhaps ...

 

 

 

How to make a French Sunrise!

1.5 oz Grey Goose vodka

1 oz St-Germain Liqueur

1 oz fresh grapefruit juice

2 oz Martini Prosecco DOC

Grapefruit wedges

Fill wine glass w/ ice. Add vodka & liqueur. Add grapefruit juice. Top w/ Prosecco. Stir, garnish w/ wedges & stir stick.

 

 

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Gosh, that sounds wonderful (though maybe I couldn't manage it before noon!)

I am making a note of the recipe and hope to try it on the Eclipse in November.

Thank you!

[cmhdoogalsatsea]

 

Careful with your grammar...or public lewdness;either can get you in trouble aboard.

 

:-)

[dutchclogs]

Dinner last night was back in Murano and was fantastic. The best we’ve had yet in Murano this cruise. ...

 

Star, our sommelier, had recommended a new Zinfandel with our entree and it was very good. I think I like the Ridge better but this was still a wonderful wine. We plan to do Steak Diane on the last night and she said she has something very unique to pair with it.

 

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Star is a star! Her presentation of the Elite wine tasting earlier today was the most entertaining and informative I've experienced. Her take home message... a good wine is what you enjoy . Trust your instincts.. Also, some dishes are not to be paired so satisfactorily, sometimes a beer would be best. If a starter, it would be better to skip and concentrate on the choice for the main event i.e. entree.

[Straughn]

Hey Paul and Edward! We met you at the Martini Bar on our springtime Transatlantic...enjoyed our brief visit with you.

 

The 2014 Hartford Zin is a brilliant wine, but regrettably not at all a good choice for your surf and turf entrée. It is VERY full-bodied...a BIG zin...and will completely overwhelm most everything you had on your dinner plates. I'm kind of surprised it was recommended, but it certainly sounds like your dinner was a HUGE success regardless!

 

(I drank a bottle not long ago with a char-grilled bone-in ribeye, liberally seasoned with Togorashi. Now that was heavenly!)

 

Great live report, great pics, and you are looking well. Have a fantastic rest of your trip!

 

OMG, I had this wine, a while ago, at a dinner hosted by friends. They served it with gorgeous grilled veal chops with a mushroom creme sauce. The chops were able to handle the wine (or vice versa). Heavenly.

 

I have had the Molly Dooker as well. Agree it is also excellent.

[chicagopaul]

Cheers from the martini bar. Two more cruises just booked with future cruises. Back to back at the beginning of November on the Equinox.

 

 

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[taylortime05]

Cheers from the martini bar. Two more cruises just booked with future cruises. Back to back at the beginning of November on the Equinox.

 

 

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Really enjoying your trip report! What are the current promotions

for booking onboard?

[KikisDad]

Summer savings still going on. Combinable with Labor Day sale. Plus more by booking onboard. Did you get the same rooms for your b2b? We are doing the same next April on Equinox.

[ezancor]

What was the minor negative?

 

How are the internet speeds on the equinox?

 

Thanks!

 

Well we are crawling into bed. Many great stories for all of you I will share in the morning. We had amazing dinner. One minor negative (not dinner related) I will share, an amazing show on the pool deck and such great friends we’ve talked to.

 

The crew has continued to be amazing. Everything hasn’t been perfect, if I were to say that it would be a lie, but nothing ever is. It is the pursuit of perfection we hope for and that is one pursuit that is evident in many staff on board the Equinox. We are beyond lucky to travel and sail on such a vessel but even more fortunate to encounter so many wonderful people from around the world and have them become a part of our memories forever.

 

I’ll have some wonderful updates in the morning!

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

So for those wondering what the minor negative has been it is the bathrooms. At least the men’s. Whenever anyone has wanted an explanation of Celebrity I have always praised them on their cleanliness and the upkeep of their public bathrooms.

 

This cruise the bathroom by the martini bar had been out of hand towels most of the time, mainly in the late evening but today also during the day and during dinner time. The bathroom in Ensemble near the specialty restaurants was the same. I can’t blame the attendants all that much as I rarely see them and I believe they’re stretched thin. If there are no towels you can get paper towels under the small dispensers but they’re difficult to pull out. I’ve seen so many people look and simply walk away and NOT wash their hands because it is an added hassle. As much as Celebrity (and all cruise lines do) push cleanliness this should be on the forefront. In 15 cruises on Celebrity this has been the worst I’ve ever seen the men’s bathrooms. You know I’m a massive Celebrity cheerleader so for me to say this, I think shows it’s not a minor issue. It’s being mentioned to both on board staff and corporate so hopefully by next cruise it will be corrected so don’t worry! But if it is not please don’t feel afraid to speak up.

 

Now onto some great positives. Let’s talk about my morning Sunset Bar routine. Taz has been amazing. He’s truly a wonderful bartender but more importantly a great person. His ability to remember everyone’s name after one day is quite impressive but even before that he will make you feel as if you’ve been cruising with him for years. Rodolfo who works with him is also great. He handles mostly the tables around the bar and seems to know all his regulars.

 

I will be up early and will catch up on some last day items. Any questions please keep them coming!

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

One item I forgot to post are from glass blowing. We didn’t attend the show but here is the schedule for this cruise and pricing.

 

 

 

 

 

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[abbydancer2003]

So for those wondering what the minor negative has been it is the bathrooms. At least the men’s. Whenever anyone has wanted an explanation of Celebrity I have always praised them on their cleanliness and the upkeep of their public bathrooms.

 

This cruise the bathroom by the martini bar had been out of hand towels most of the time, mainly in the late evening but today also during the day and during dinner time. The bathroom in Ensemble near the specialty restaurants was the same. I can’t blame the attendants all that much as I rarely see them and I believe they’re stretched thin. If there are no towels you can get paper towels under the small dispensers but they’re difficult to pull out. I’ve seen so many people look and simply walk away and NOT wash their hands because it is an added hassle. As much as Celebrity (and all cruise lines do) push cleanliness this should be on the forefront. In 15 cruises on Celebrity this has been the worst I’ve ever seen the men’s bathrooms. You know I’m a massive Celebrity cheerleader so for me to say this, I think shows it’s not a minor issue. It’s being mentioned to both on board staff and corporate so hopefully by next cruise it will be corrected so don’t worry! But if it is not please don’t feel afraid to speak up.

 

 

 

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Now that you mention it, I noticed that on the woman's room on our cruise (7/28). Most of the time, there were only the paper towels available. On the both the Equinox and Reflection last year, there were a lot of crew members maintaining the restrooms - this year - much fewer.

[wendyam76]

So enjoying your blog - thank you! Mum and I also noticed less restroom attendants on Constellation this summer, even compared to Reflection in April. However they at least were stocked with lots of hand towels.

[Jaxxgent]

Paul - have not been following, until now, just read every post. Fantastic job!

 

My partner, Rick, and I sailed an 11-nighter on Equinox back in November, 2016, had a fantastic time and fell in love with it.

 

I'll be sailing on Equinox on November 5. Unfortunately, my partner of nearly 16 years lost his battle with cancer and passed in May of last year so I will be cruising solo. But, I won't be alone, sailing with dear friends Amy and Mark (MrsB05) ... and, who knows, maybe I'll meet someone onboard! LOL

 

We fell in love with the Martini bar, and the Sunset Martini, had several each night. There were two servers that were fantastic, Boris and John, more than once they both brought us drinks at the same time since they knew what we liked. I have to wonder if they might still be onboard, it would be great to see them again.

 

Anyway, thanks for your fantastic blog ... I can hardly wait until November!

[dthomaso]

Cheers from the martini bar. Two more cruises just booked with future cruises. Back to back at the beginning of November on the Equinox.

 

 

We are sailing Equinox on November 16. Will we see you there? This will be our 6th cruise on her. Love it!! :cool:

[bunnyette]

So for those wondering what the minor negative has been it is the bathrooms. At least the men’s. Whenever anyone has wanted an explanation of Celebrity I have always praised them on their cleanliness and the upkeep of their public bathrooms.

 

This cruise the bathroom by the martini bar had been out of hand towels most of the time, mainly in the late evening but today also during the day and during dinner time. The bathroom in Ensemble near the specialty restaurants was the same. I can’t blame the attendants all that much as I rarely see them and I believe they’re stretched thin. If there are no towels you can get paper towels under the small dispensers but they’re difficult to pull out. I’ve seen so many people look and simply walk away and NOT wash their hands because it is an added hassle. As much as Celebrity (and all cruise lines do) push cleanliness this should be on the forefront. In 15 cruises on Celebrity this has been the worst I’ve ever seen the men’s bathrooms. You know I’m a massive Celebrity cheerleader so for me to say this, I think shows it’s not a minor issue. It’s being mentioned to both on board staff and corporate so hopefully by next cruise it will be corrected so don’t worry! But if it is not please don’t feel afraid to speak up.

 

 

 

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You can still wash your hands though, just air dry them if there are no towels. I wash my hands and make my husband do it. Stops us getting sick!

 

 

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[cruise47]

This was an "Excellent Review with some Awesome Photos."

Thanks you,

[MrsB05]

You can still wash your hands though, just air dry them if there are no towels. I wash my hands and make my husband do it. Stops us getting sick!

 

 

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And....there is always hand sanitizer if worse comes to worse! I always carry a small purse pac of it on my person.

[MrsB05]

Now that you mention it, I noticed that on the woman's room on our cruise (7/28). Most of the time, there were only the paper towels available. On the both the Equinox and Reflection last year, there were a lot of crew members maintaining the restrooms - this year - much fewer.

 

Wow. I'm impressed they have hand towels in the public bathrooms. Haven't seen that since QMII.

Guess Celebrity is definitely a "step up" from Royal Caribbean!

[chicagopaul]

Good Morning Everyone. Well, today is the last day as we disembark tomorrow. I want to continue to thank you all again for following along, your wonderful comments, and questions.

 

Today is a bit gloomy and it looks like we’re sailing into some rain right now around 9:40am. Hopefully it doesn’t last all day. We will see.

 

Per the usual here is today’s Daily. Let’s hope it loads quicker than yesterday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

For those who were questioning the onboard booking options. Here is the flyer. In general it’s additional on board credit and reduced deposit to $100pp.

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Well as I sit here listening to Captain Kate’s final announcement for our cruise let’s chat about last night.

 

Dinner was Murano again. This time we both had the lamb. The lamb was perfect. Really the “unsung hero” of the menu I would say.

 

We started with two appetizers and skipped the cheese plate this time.

 

 

The above is the pork belly. Last time I had it, I found it dry. This time was the exact opposite. Very moist, great light fat layer on top. Crispy crust.

 

 

Heirloom and tomato salad.

 

 

The lamb, the star of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Last night was the Gatsby party in the grand foyer. We hung out at the martini bar. The foyer area was packed with a lot of people dancing. I wish they had a few more “gatsby” style songs. Essentially the sound track to the Great Gatsby remake would’ve been perfect. They did play a few though. And the party lasted quite a while. I have some video I’ll upload for you all when I’m off the ship.

 

 

 

 

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