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

[lola2013]

As mentioned in my late night post I went to the casino and played some blackjack after dinner. It was unfortunately a losing proposition.

 

The casino bar late is a fun little place. It seems to be filled with passers by who stop for one last night cap and are then on their way. They’re a little tipsy but typically in a great mood.

 

Edward wanted room service last night. I didn’t. I won. Haha, he would’ve been asleep by the time it arrived anyway.

 

When we got back to the room we did have a little happy anniversary surprise. Our actual anniversary is on the 16th of August, celebrating 8 years. They had a rose in the room, a card, and a little banner above the bed.

 

 

 

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Happy Belated Anniversary!

Susan

[chicagopaul]

Happy Belated Anniversary!

 

Susan

 

 

 

Thank you!!

 

 

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[Holey]

As mentioned in my late night post I went to the casino and played some blackjack after dinner. It was unfortunately a losing proposition.

 

The casino bar late is a fun little place. It seems to be filled with passers by who stop for one last night cap and are then on their way. They’re a little tipsy but typically in a great mood.

 

Edward wanted room service last night. I didn’t. I won. Haha, he would’ve been asleep by the time it arrived anyway.

 

When we got back to the room we did have a little happy anniversary surprise. Our actual anniversary is on the 16th of August, celebrating 8 years. They had a rose in the room, a card, and a little banner above the bed.

 

 

 

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A very Happy Anniversary to you both!

[MaritimeGirl]

Small question: the maître D in Murano, I am wondering if his name is Nenad Ris?

 

 

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[cheeseheads4ever]

Chicagopaul,

Loving your review. We've been on Equinox a few times and you make us feel we are on their with you.

Continue to have a fantastic cruise..

[IrishLassie]

Loving you review & your pictures, especially the one of the bar tender, Taz! He was our server at the Martini Bar on Silhouette & we never forgot him. Was hoping he would be on Reflection nx March, but guess not. If you see him again please tell him the OConnor's said hello & we missed him on Silhouette the last time we sailed on her.

Looking forward to more of your review. Have fun & Happy Anniversary! :D

[Jewelfine]

Hey Paul!

 

Awesome thread! Sounds like you’re having a blast on your cruise as usual!

 

Did I see that you’re going on the reflection in November? We’re going on the November 26 for the 11 day ultimate Caribbean… Any chance it’s this one?

 

Looking forward to seeing your reports for the rest of the cruise!

[TommyD3]

The water is better but not back to normal. About what I would need for a shower if on full hot. Dont know what happened or if it will ever be completely fixed. Maybe why this ship is scheduled for the refubishment as only the third ship. Normally I would have thought that they would have done ALL of the Millennium class ships first !!!

[abbydancer2003]

We were on the Equinox last week of July, aft on deck 12. The last night of the cruise, I noticed that the shower, which had previously been very nice, barely got past lukewarm.

 

Because I was getting off in the AM, I didn't bother to call it in.

[chicagopaul]

Hey Paul!

 

 

 

Awesome thread! Sounds like you’re having a blast on your cruise as usual!

 

 

 

Did I see that you’re going on the reflection in November? We’re going on the November 26 for the 11 day ultimate Caribbean… Any chance it’s this one?

 

 

 

Looking forward to seeing your reports for the rest of the cruise!

 

 

 

Ah unfortunately we will miss you as we are on before, Nov 5. But it’s also the 11 night with stops in Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica.

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Loving you review & your pictures, especially the one of the bar tender, Taz! He was our server at the Martini Bar on Silhouette & we never forgot him. Was hoping he would be on Reflection nx March, but guess not. If you see him again please tell him the OConnor's said hello & we missed him on Silhouette the last time we sailed on her.

 

 

 

Looking forward to more of your review. Have fun & Happy Anniversary! :D

 

 

 

Thank you! I’ll be sure to mention your name when I see him tomorrow morning.

 

He’s switching to Edge mid October to start setting up the bars and will be on the Edge until middle / end of January.

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Small question: the maître D in Murano, I am wondering if his name is Nenad Ris?

 

 

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Not sure his last name but I’ll ask!

 

 

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[ryansmousehouse]

Paul... Love following along on your adventures... Wife and I will be on the Reflection Nov. 5.....Will be on the look out.......

 

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[IrishLassie]

Thank you! I’ll be sure to mention your name when I see him tomorrow morning.

 

He’s switching to Edge mid October to start setting up the bars and will be on the Edge until middle / end of January.

 

 

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Thanks so much. He was such a nice person & we enjoyed talking with him every night. Maybe when he leaves Edge he'll go to Reflection! :D

[madre2]

Hey Paul! Glad to see you are having fun with the blonde in the white dress! But where is her other half? He is a real treat! I am following your posts every day! Cant't wait to see some pictures of the islands the next few days!

[TommyD3]

The hot water is back to FULL HOT !!!

Again (as the first two days) had to take my shower at full cold !!!

Better than yesterday at full hot and still being too cold !!!

[chicagopaul]

Good Morning from Aruba! My apologies for not posting much yesterday though we did not do very much. It was a true lazy day.

 

Today the weather is warmer than I thought, definitely pretty humid. But, as it is Aruba there is plenty of breeze.

 

Before I go into yesterday’s details let’s start with the Daily.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of you were asking for the port day spa specials. Here is what was in the Daily for today. I’ll go back and check again for Key West. I’m sure there was one then too.

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

So, like I said yesterday was a lazy day. We started the day at the sunset bar per the usual. I had three vodka grapefruit juice, Edward had a couple and a Bloody Mary. Both Taz and Rodolfo at the martini bar are making very good bloody Mary’s. I think they possibly got a new mix additive to make them spicy. I know they had their regular spice but this bottle looks a bit different. They’ve also been putting the bloodys into a shaker and shaking them so the spice evenly balanced out. And they’re also taking the time to load up the Bloody Mary with all the trimmings. Edward has a photo that I’ll post for you all.

 

After that, we wandered around the pool deck. They had a dancing exercise thing going on at the pool deck which actually had a lot of people participating. It was fun to watch, but I didn’t have the energy.

 

We then decided to take a nap because apparently after being up for only a few hours we were tired. So a nap it was. The problem is we slept straight through lunch so we ended up skipping lunch. Not the best choice considering dinner was at 8:30 for us. Sure we could’ve gotten a snack, but we were continuing our lazy plan and apparently that was too much effort for us. So, it was a no lunch day. My body was not thrilled with only getting liquor all day (up until dinner) but it’s nothing it hasn’t been through before.

 

Martini bar was packed at 5:45 when we showed up. So we grabbed seats in Cafe Bacio and watched (creepily) the martini bar until seats opened up and we could swoop in to steal. Sure enough around 6pm a couple seats opened and we made a mad dash to grab them.

 

It was a fellow cruisers birthday (Linda) who has been on the ship for the last two cruises. The bartenders put on a nice show pouring a pretty large martini flight. They made a flower out of napkins and everyone at the bar sang her happy birthday.

 

Dinner in Murano was excellent as usual. We now no longer need to ask for our cheese plate to start. They know the drill. For dinner I had the Dover Sole and Edward had the venison which was much larger than I remember. I tasted a bite and it was excellent. Not as gamey as you might expect.

 

 

 

 

Edward’s Venison pictured above.

 

 

 

 

 

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[jerseygirl111]

Enjoying your review! We will be on the Equinox in October and it will be our first Celebrity cruise.

 

I see that you've been going to a specialty restaurant each night. What is your opinion of the MDR on Equinox? I know food/dining can be subjective but, since this is my first Celebrity any info would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

Maryanne

[chicagopaul]

Enjoying your review! We will be on the Equinox in October and it will be our first Celebrity cruise.

 

I see that you've been going to a specialty restaurant each night. What is your opinion of the MDR on Equinox? I know food/dining can be subjective but, since this is my first Celebrity any info would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

Maryanne

 

 

 

Hi Maryanne,

 

So on this cruise, as we do on most, we purchased the specialty dining package for all 9 nights. Cost wasn’t bad at $261 per person.

 

You’ll notice on Cruise Critic a lot of people complain about the MDR, however our experience in talking to people on the ship that most people like it. Personally we think the food is pretty good, and some dishes are excellent and some are so so. The biggest reason we like the specialty is for not just the food but the quieter atmosphere and more attentive service. That being said, in MDR (if you’re select anytime dining) find servers you like. On the first night if you have a good server Kill him or her with kindness and request them

again and you should have a very enjoyable experience in MDR.

 

 

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[Shelley G]

I love reading your reviews. Knowing you like Bloody Marys, why don’t you try a Bloody Caesar. It was invented in Canada. It’s made with Clamato juice instead of Tomato juice. It can also be made spicy. Add a bit of horseradish if possible to give it an extra kick. Let me know how you like it.

 

 

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[jerseygirl111]

Hi Maryanne,

 

So on this cruise, as we do on most, we purchased the specialty dining package for all 9 nights. Cost wasn’t bad at $261 per person.

 

You’ll notice on Cruise Critic a lot of people complain about the MDR, however our experience in talking to people on the ship that most people like it. Personally we think the food is pretty good, and some dishes are excellent and some are so so. The biggest reason we like the specialty is for not just the food but the quieter atmosphere and more attentive service. That being said, in MDR (if you’re select anytime dining) find servers you like. On the first night if you have a good server Kill him or her with kindness and request them

again and you should have a very enjoyable experience in MDR.

 

 

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We are select anytime dining and currently have reservations for the same time each evening in the MDR. We're hoping to get the same server each night (providing they're good ;p).

 

Thank you again for this great review!

 

 

Maryanne

[Lastdance]

A friend of mine was born in Aruba, but now lives in Singapore. So happy that both of you are enjoying yourselves and having a great time. As always, your reviews are lighthearted and so much fun to read! Enjoy[emoji844] It just goes by way to fast...

 

 

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[Stem to Stern]

Paul,

I am thoroughly enjoying your Live Blog. It is helping build my anticipation for my upcoming voyage. Can’t wait to get back on an S-class ship. And you are convincing me to book a specialty dining package after I get on board. Thanks again! Keep enjoying!

 

 

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[parrothead33]

This is the 2nd of your reviews that I have followed and I wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work and information that you are providing. Thanks for taking us along on your journey and enjoy the rest of your cruise.