Thoughts on the Equinox-South Caribbean Cruise (9/14-9/24)

[Z'Loth]

It's been about 36 hours since I landed in Sacramento from this cruise. I thought I would put down some thoughts...

 

Worst part-Embarkation and Disembarkation - There was no escaping it... Embarkation was a conga line. Even Celebrity admitted it as it was not one of their usual terminals and they were slightly understaffed. It took an hour to check in.

 

Disembarkation.... I was part of the cursed group 6 that had a transfer to the FLL airport. In the handout that was passed out to us, we were to meet in the MDR on deck 4 at 8:30 AM. The Celebrity crew had handouts stating that we were supposed to meet at Celebrity Central on Deck 4 at 8:30 AM... except that nobody was there. When it came time to pick up the luggage, I could not find the area because, unlike the other areas were it was posted clearly on the pipes, the group 6 sign was posted on a side wall where I could not see it. Wished I took a photo.

 

Captain Kate. I can see why she is adored by frequent cruisers. On my past cruises, it was "Where's the Captain?" Captain Kate was clearly very much participating in the ship's activities. On disembarkation, she was shaking the hand of every cruiser who was leaving the ship.

 

The Caribbean and Miami in September. Don't be fooled by the temperatures which can range from 80s-90s. Factor in high humidity, and it can feel worse than a hot Sacramento summer day with low humidity. My mother insisted that I pack a hoodie and a windbreaker. Those were the two most useless objects packed in my suitcase for this entire trip. On the other hand, the water shoes and athletic shoes were invaluable in port. Cayman Islands? You must do Stingrays and visit Hell at least once. And snorkeling in Bonaire through Woodwind? Wow! Just don't forget water-resistance sunscreen and aloe.

 

Celebrity App. Needs work. Celebrity IT needs to adopt a "single source of truth" philosophy when it comes to designing their IT systems. At one point, there were two shows listed in the showroom occurring at the same time. I wish I could click a button from the app to add what I wanted to do to Google Calendar. Also wish there was a "ship's time" widget that I could add to the home screen.

 

Food. Beef stir fry for breakfast? Yup... if you checked the India section at the Oceanview Cafe. MDR food was extremely good, and the staff for table 350 was excellent. Maybe it was because it was a table for 10, but at most for two nights, only five people arrived.

 

Spot the kid. It must be the shoulder-season travel, as I spotted a total of eight kids on the ship the entire cruise. Oh, and cruise director Dan. :D

 

Cruise for birthday? The staff made my b-day special, including setting up my interior cave with balloons and a special cake for the birthday.

[davekathy]

Thanks for sharing.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Thanks for the posting. We loved this cruise also. Avoided issues with disembarkation by using the Celebrity luggage service and walked off the ship to an awaiting Lyft driver. For $25.00 that luggage service was the best thing ever. And as for Captain Kate and Bugsy Naked, her hairless cat, they were the highlights of the cruise. One of the best Captains ever and an adorable hairless cat sitting in the captains chair on the bridge ! The first Catain we ever sailed with that stood on the deck and said good bye and thank you to EVERY guest as we left the ship !!! Great cruise

[healthworker]

how did you find the cruise director?

[SRch]

We were on this cruise and had a great time. Embarkation was a bit slow, our debarkation was okay. Loved doing customs in key west! We thought the food was great, awesome server, at table for 10 and all but one night there were just the same 4 people but that was fine...we had a great time. Smooth seas, uncrowded beautiful beaches, met lots of lovely people, even table mates from a cruise we took in 2014. Would do this itinerary at this time of year again

[kittyluvrnurse]

Can people going to fll after disembarkation participate in luggage valet?

 

 

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[mlmbar]

I was also on this cruise. Embarkation was not as good as at other ports but we walked right into the terminal and there were very few people. This was about 10:30. Embarkation was easy because we had the luggage valet also. Best money ever spent! First time on Celebrity and usually we detest the buffet on RCI but Oceanview was really pretty good. Loved the outside dining. Blu was wonderful. Not over the top about Captain Kate. It was very hot and humid but that is the Caribbean. I saw about the same 8 kids

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Z'Loth]

Loved doing customs in key west!

 

Just to clarify what SRch said... the ship was at Key West on Sunday prior to returning to Miami on Monday. Because Key West was the first US port, everyone had to pass through customs. For US Citizens, it was the Sky Lounge on Deck 14, for everyone else, it was the MDR. We were all told three times that everyone has to go through even if you were not leaving the ship. I had the 8 AM US Citizen boarding, and it was 12 minutes of waiting in a line that kept moving followed by 15 seconds of the customs agent staring at my passport and 5 seconds of getting my card punched. The bonus part: Because we cleared customs in Key West, we did not have to go through customs in Miami.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Can people going to fll after disembarkation participate in luggage valet?

 

 

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Yes but your flight has to be leaving later than if you were flying from Miami. Not sure of the exact time.

[BosoxI]

how did you find the cruise director?

How did I find him? I couldn't miss him. One night he was dressed up like a plum and another night like a lime.;p

[kittyluvrnurse]

Yes but your flight has to be leaving later than if you were flying from Miami. Not sure of the exact time.

 

 

 

Yeah we fly out at noon. Do you know how you could check before boarding? On in 2-3 weeks

 

 

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[CHEZMARYLOU]

Yeah we fly out at noon. Do you know how you could check before boarding? On in 2-3 weeks

 

 

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Your noon flight is definitely too early for disembarking in Miami and flying from Ft. Lauderdale. Awhile a go there was a review with copies of the Luggage Valet info. I thought I had it as a favorite but can't find it now. If you search for Luggage Valet you should find more info.

[kittyluvrnurse]

Your noon flight is definitely too early for disembarking in Miami and flying from Ft. Lauderdale. Awhile a go there was a review with copies of the Luggage Valet info. I thought I had it as a favorite but can't find it now. If you search for Luggage Valet you should find more info.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

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[micheleata]

We were also on this cruise. Loved it! The Caribbean is HOT, but we pushed ourselves to explore every port. I am thinking we will book this itinerary next year, but maybe one later in the year will be a little cooler.

 

Loved Captain Kate! Very friendly, and participated in so many of the events.

 

You say lime, I say leprechaun! lol.. Thought CD Dan had great energy and was very personable.

 

We also did the luggage valet and think it is worth every cent!!! I think if flying out of Ft. Lauderdale your flight has to be after 2 pm.

 

Customs in Key West was great!

 

I will be writing a trip review hopefully this weekend.