Celebrity Equinox 10 day Southern Caribbean from Miami on September 14th -24th

[GrazieMommy]

[GrazieMommy]

[GrazieMommy]

Dushi=Sweatheart

[mlmbar]

6 hours ago, Staffy said:

I just love the ABC’s - trying to plan another to get back there 😉 

We  definitely want to go back again. Our next booking is Equinox, same cabin Nov 16,2019 Key West, Cozumel,  Costa Maya, Grand cayman

Marsha and Barb  

[GrazieMommy]

11 minutes ago, mlmbar said:

We  definitely want to go back again. Our next booking is Equinox, same cabin Nov 16,2019 Key West, Cozumel,  Costa Maya, Grand cayman

Marsha and Barb  

We're booked for July 27, 2019 on the Equinox with your same itinerary. 

[mlmbar]

Been to each of those ports. LOVED Key West on the last cruise, do Bar Hop in Cozumel, Costa Maya is  ok if you know the right place to go to, and Grand Cayman has great beaches

[GrazieMommy]

Day 6 continued:

 

Once we were rested, showered, and ready, we headed down to Luminae for dinner first for a change. As suite guests we had an invitation to Michael's Club for a private "Silent Disco" party at 9:30, so we decided to forgo the show and dine early. There was a silent disco on either the 2nd or 3rd night of the cruise for everyone on board, but we missed that, so we were very happy that we had the chance to experience this unique form of entertainment. We were each given head phones that lit up in color to indicate which channel you were enjoying. One channel was Latin music, another was hip/hop/pop, and the 3rd was oldies. We all kept switching channels, but what made this the most fun was the fact that we were all dancing and singing to different music. Every so often we would take the head phones off to listen to everyone else, and it was hilarious. Another oddity was the fact that everyone was dancing the same moves to different music. DH was so impressed with this delightful form of entertainment that he plans to implement something similar at the private country club where he is employed. This is sure to be a hit. 

 

We met up briefly with our friends after our disco party for a drink then headed for Cafe al Bacio for some gelato. DH tried a combination of lemon and chocolate gelato at the server's suggestion. He loved it, but I can't say that I agree. I stuck with mint chocolate chip. As if we hadn't had enough to eat, we headed up to the buffet again for coffee and a cookie. The trouble with this is, that I can't resist a slice of pizza and more dessert!! Having completely made a pig of myself, it was time to retire to rest up for Bonaire the next day.

[GrazieMommy]

A couple of videos:

[NBliving]

13 hours ago, GrazieMommy said:

Day 6 continued:

 

Once we were rested, showered, and ready, we headed down to Luminae for dinner first for a change. As suite guests we had an invitation to Michael's Club for a private "Silent Disco" party at 9:30, so we decided to forgo the show and dine early. There was a silent disco on either the 2nd or 3rd night of the cruise for everyone on board, but we missed that, so we were very happy that we had the chance to experience this unique form of entertainment. We were each given head phones that lit up in color to indicate which channel you were enjoying. One channel was Latin music, another was hip/hop/pop, and the 3rd was oldies. We all kept switching channels, but what made this the most fun was the fact that we were all dancing and singing to different music. Every so often we would take the head phones off to listen to everyone else, and it was hilarious. Another oddity was the fact that everyone was dancing the same moves to different music. DH was so impressed with this delightful form of entertainment that he plans to implement something similar at the private country club where he is employed. This is sure to be a hit. 

 

 

@GrazieMommy  My son manages various aspects of music festivals and one of the things he has done is run the Silent Disco.  We can't wait to try this onboard our next cruise so we can tell him we are just as hip as he is! lol  

 

[GrazieMommy]

10 hours ago, NBliving said:

 

You won't be disappointed. You may even be hipper than he!

[uktog]

I can see GrazieMommy's videos but not Staffy's - any idea why not???

 

[PTC DAWG]

Good review, thanks..

 

Sailing in the Equinox next Sept...11 day southern Caribbean...question, is there much nightlife on the ship past 10 PM or so?  

 

Anyone know now any details about the dry dock scheduled for ths spring?  

[GrazieMommy]

10 hours ago, uktog said:

I can see GrazieMommy's videos but not Staffy's - any idea why not???

 

I'm not sure as see them but it's my thread. It looks like Staffy's are from Facebook. Not sure if that makes a difference.

[Duanerice1]

8 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good review, thanks..

 

Sailing in the Equinox next Sept...11 day southern Caribbean...question, is there much nightlife on the ship past 10 PM or so?  

 

Anyone know now any details about the dry dock scheduled for ths spring?  

In my opinion, no.  My complaint about most cruises, not just Celebrity, are that if you don't drink or like the casino there isn't much to do after the show.  So, after the show I'd drop my wife back at the casino and either go to the gym or hot tub or both.  Quick shower then meet up with her and usually head to bed as there wasn't a lot going on. 

[GrazieMommy]

Day 7 - Kralendijk, Bonaire:

 

We arrived in Bonaire at 6:30 am. We had our usual morning breakfast on the balcony. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. I had heard that Bonaire is one of the best places for diving. I've always wanted to try diving, but DH wasn't too sure about it. I figured that with the crystal clear aquamarine waters in this port, it would be a great place for more snorkeling at the very least. We had signed up for another Celebrity excursion. This was the Double - Dip Snorkel aboard the Sea Cow. We checked them out on TripAdvisor before hand, and they had good reviews.

 

As usual, they were calling our group for disembarkation to the excursion as soon as we arrived in the theater. One thing I may not have mentioned before, we tend to always stop and pose with the crew/photographers. Most people don't stop for them, but they seem so disappointed that we figure it couldn't hurt. If we don't want the photos we don't have to buy them, but they're fun to view in the photo shop on board. After posing we found our guide, a young Dutch woman named Gea. She explained that due to dock construction we would have to walk a short distance to the boat. Normally the Sea Cow docks right next to the ship. We probably only walked a block to the boat, so no major inconvenience there. Gea introduced us to the rest of the crew of the Sea Cow.  Gea and her husband Henk own and operate the Sea Cow, a catamaran that they extended to 40 feet after they purchased her. We were introduced to an underwater photographer onboard named Jacques who would be photographing our underwater adventure. 

 

DH and I brought our own snorkel gear so we didn't need to select theirs. We had a pleasant boat ride to the first snorkel site. This was off the uninhabited island of Klein. You can take a boat to the island to swim and sunbathe, but it is protected and no building is allowed on Klein. Our guide told us that Harry Belafonte once owned the Island, and when he sang about the Island in the Sun, he was referring to this island. It boasts some gorgeous sugar sand beaches. We started our first snorkel just a few meters off the beach. We saw a sea turtle swim past the boat right before we dropped anchor. 

 

We were broken up into groups of about 10. Gea was our guide for the snorkel as well. She explained the different types of coral that we would see on the reef. One type that looked like a fan is called fire coral. The moniker is due to the fire-like rash you will get if you touch it. We had seen this on our previous snorkel trips, but luckily never touched it as we know touching coral can kill it. I didn't know they could fight back! Yikes. Gea was an excellent reef guide. Her knowledge was vast, and she knew where to take us to see the best variety of sea life. She tried to find a nurse shark known to frequent the bottom in this area. Sadly we didn't find it, but I did see a barracuda. DH didn't believe me, but when we got home and I put the flash drive in the laptop, there he was right in the pics. 

 

We moved a bit further along the coast of Klein on the boat to a second snorkel site. Here we saw a vast reef and lots of tropical fish. I also saw a large grouper come out from behind a portion of the reef. DH and I used his Go-Pro camera for pics as well, but we realized when we got home that the pics weren't as clear as our photographer's pics. They required us to snorkel with a life jacket so we couldn't dive down for a better view. I'm sure this is for liability reasons, but I wish I could have signed a waiver. Now DH was beginning to think about possibly trying scuba diving in the future. 

 

Our photographer scared me nearly to death when he suddenly appeared from beneath me in the water for a pic. Once I recovered, I gave him a wave. Then he motioned for me to move next to another man that wasn't my husband for a pic. I tried to indicate that fact to him, but he kept motioning for me to move next to him. I figured, oh well, whatever and posed with the gentleman for the pic. Then my DH shows up and he realized his mistake and after a good laugh, we had the correct pic. Thanks DH for claiming me. LOL

 

After two fantastic snorkel dips, we boarded the boat for a rum punch and peaceful ride back to port. We thanked our crew, gave them a tip of appreciation, and purchased our pics on the flash drive. Now we were off to explore Kralendijk. We mainly stayed in a three block area that was obviously for tourists with shops and restaurants. After we bought some souvenirs, we happened upon a gelato shop. You may have noticed by now that we're gelato addicts.  I'm unapologetic about it, I admit. We weren't disappointed. 

 

We headed back toward the ship to have some lunch onshore before hand. We chose a bar and grill right on the water next to the ship. We dined at Karels Beach Bar and Watersports. DH informed me as soon as we sat down that he knew what he wanted. It was the soup of the day, Iguana soup!! I had ceviche and a salad with seafood. I did try his soup broth. It was quite spicy, a telltale sign that they were trying to hide the flavor of something that is not on most folks' diet. He then ate the Iguana leg in the soup. Trying not to lose my entire appetite, I asked what it tasted like. He said, "Chewy chicken"!! Yuck! I have to give him credit for being so adventurous though. 

 

Following this culinary thrill, we headed back on board the ship. We had to get ready for something very special. DH  had heard on these boards that if you're in a suite sometimes you're invited to enjoy the sailaway from the helipad. We received the invitation the evening before. We were very excited. Once we met up with our escort at the prearranged location, we were led into a crew area where they have there own bar and lounge up to the helipad. Aveline, our suite concierge was there as well as several officers and other invited passengers. We were served champagne. DH and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the officers and the view from the helipad for departure. I happened to turn and look up to the bridge and spotted Captain Kate as she blew the ship's horn. We waved and she waved back. DH made the hand gesture for a trucker to blow the horn, and she blew it again. FUN. Then a small motor boat cut the ship off and she layed on the horn a bit longer! Now it was time to go shower and dress for the evening.

 

The show for the evening was Daniel Bouchet, a Michael Buble' type crooner. I happen to love Michael Buble' so I loved the show. We had another fabulous meal at Luminae then headed to the Martini bar to have a nightcap with our friends. They had a Full Moon party poolside on deck 12 at 10:30. They then had the after party in the sky lounge deck 14 that goes into the night, but we headed up to bed. Getting old.

[GrazieMommy]

I wanted to add this pic of an addition DH bought for our lanai in Florida. This was purchased from an artist at a little kiosk in Kralendijk, Bonaire.

8 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good review, thanks..

 

Sailing in the Equinox next Sept...11 day southern Caribbean...question, is there much nightlife on the ship past 10 PM or so?  

 

Anyone know now any details about the dry dock scheduled for ths spring?  

From the Cruise Fever website: June 2019. We sail her July 27, 2019. Not sure how accurate Cruise Fever is with this. As for the nightlife, lots of disco and dancing in the Sky Lounge late at night.

[oskarNZ]

This is a great Trip Report.  Thanks for taking the time to write it.  

[oskarNZ]

4 minutes ago, GrazieMommy said:

I wanted to add this pic of an addition DH bought for our lanai in Florida. This was purchased from an artist at a little kiosk in Kralendijk, Bonaire.

 

 

What a great souvenir.   I’ll have to keep an eye out for that shop.  

[MisterMet]

20 hours ago, oskarNZ said:

 

What a great souvenir.   I’ll have to keep an eye out for that shop.  

 

It is one of the best cruise souvenirs I’ve ever purchased.  I bought it from a local artisan who has her stand along the water just past Karel’s Beach Bar.

[oskarNZ]

5 hours ago, MisterMet said:

 

It is one of the best cruise souvenirs I’ve ever purchased.  I bought it from a local artisan who has her stand along the water just past Karel’s Beach Bar.

Thanks heaps for that info.

 

A couple of questions if you don’t mind as I’m very keen to get one of these.  We won’t have much room in our suitcases for souvenirs, but I think something like this would be a great souvenir to represent the whole cruise:  

 

Did she make it while you waited or had she already researched the ship and premade it?

 

Beyond the paint on the front, does it look like the wood has been treated in any way? (I’m assuming it’s driftwood or wood of some description?) New Zealand customs are super strict about bringing in wooden items, so I’m always cautious about what I buy.  Any sign of borer holes etc. and it’s generally more hassle than it’s worth.  

 

Also, only if you’re comfortable, would you mind sharing what it cost? (No problem if you’re not).

 

Thanks!   

Edited October 25, 2018 by oskarNZ

[MisterMet]

8 hours ago, oskarNZ said:

Thanks heaps for that info.

 

A couple of questions if you don’t mind as I’m very keen to get one of these.  We won’t have much room in our suitcases for souvenirs, but I think something like this would be a great souvenir to represent the whole cruise:  

 

Did she make it while you waited or had she already researched the ship and premade it?

 

Beyond the paint on the front, does it look like the wood has been treated in any way? (I’m assuming it’s driftwood or wood of some description?) New Zealand customs are super strict about bringing in wooden items, so I’m always cautious about what I buy.  Any sign of borer holes etc. and it’s generally more hassle than it’s worth.  

 

Also, only if you’re comfortable, would you mind sharing what it cost? (No problem if you’re not).

 

Thanks!   

 

Ive attached a couple of pictures.  It does not look like it’s been varnished or shellacked.  There are a couple of holes in the wood(artisan said it was drift wood).

 

i think I paid about 40 dollars US for it.  They were pre made and she had others with different ships and itineraries.  Hope this helps.  

Edited October 25, 2018 by MisterMet
Additional info

[oskarNZ]

That is so helpful.  Thank you!

 

$40 seems quite reasonable, so at that price, I might just be prepared to buy one and risk it.  I’ve been surprised at times what NZ customs have and haven’t let us bring through.

 

We bought a pair of handmade wooden Javanese puppets on a trip to Indonesia a few years back.  The bodies hidden beneath the  clothing were unpainted, so I knotted the puppets into a big plastic bag and fumigated them with about 1/4 can of bug spray prior to bringing them home.  After giving them the full once over, border control seemed happy.  

Hoping my luck might continue with one of these. 

[AroundTheWorld1]

On 10/8/2018 at 7:31 PM, GrazieMommy said:

 

 

 

Dominic told us he works several decks but all the aft suites. Fingers crossed for you. Bon voyage!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just back from our cruise and we did have Dominic! Just as you said he was absolutely wonderful. I told him about posts made here on CC mentioning him and he blushed, he was so humble he couldn’t believe it. We had a marvelous time and he added to the experience. 

[GrazieMommy]

3 minutes ago, AroundTheWorld1 said:

Just back from our cruise and we did have Dominic! Just as you said he was absolutely wonderful. I told him about posts made here on CC mentioning him and he blushed, he was so humble he couldn’t believe it. We had a marvelous time and he added to the experience. 

I’m so glad you had a great time and that Dominic is still on board. I gave him a great review to Celebrity so I hope he gets a raise. 

[GrazieMommy]

Day 8: Sea Day #3:

 

After 3 straight days of ports and excursions, this sea day was a welcome respite. Yahoo we could sleep in instead of getting up early to make it to our excursion on time. We had our usual balcony breakfast at a nice leisurely pace. We started the day heading down to Cafe al' Bacio for capuccinos/espressos. Unfortunately we never seem to resist the pastries, cookies, and even donuts. The captain arrived at 11am to serve as usual. She chats with the passengers like we're old friends. I really give her and Celebrity kudos for the accessibility and friendliness of the officers and crew. They make every passenger feel like a V.I.P.

 

DH went back to the stateroom for a nap, and I decided to attend the presentation on the Galapagos & Machu Picchu in the Celebrity Central theater. It was very interesting as they discussed their new smaller ship just for these cruises. The Future Cruise Director Fernando gave the talk. The trip includes a night in a luxury hotel in the departure city and excursions are included in the cruise fare as well. Fernando recommended booking the airfare through Celebrity as you're guaranteed the ship will wait for you if there are any flight delays. This sounds like a trip of a lifetime, and when I checked the prices, I confirmed it would be, as it's very expensive in comparison to other destinations. Perhaps when we're retired someday.

 

DH and I decided that perhaps we should go up to the sports deck to walk off at least a few of the many calories we had consumed so far. As you may expect, it was a bit crowded with sunbathers, so running on the running track is next to impossible. DH wasn't feeling up to a run, and I prefer to do my excercizing outdoors. Therefore a nice brisk walk was the extent of our workout. We made several laps, though I always lose count. 

 

Following the deck walking, we headed down to the shops to check out the watch sale. Ironically DH who collects timepieces didn't find anything that struck his fancy. I found several Anne Klein watches that appealed to me, but I decided against buying one as I use an Apple iWatch. This was monumental for us as we tend to always spend too much in the shops on board.

 

After all of this browsing, we had naturally worked up an appetite. Time for lunch at the OceanView buffet. We had our usual salads to alleve our guilt, and then ate lots of delicious but less healthy foods like pizza and ice cream. We headed out to the main pool area to watch the Officers vs. the Passengers volleyball tournament. We saw this before on the Summit, and we really enjoyed it. This tournament was just as enjoyable. Then we headed to the Solarium pool to lounge in the quieter atmosphere. The main pools are definitely where the action is, but we prefer the serenity of the Solarium pool. Even this pool was a little crowded, but we managed to find a couple of chaisse lounges together. I had intended to do some reading, but I wound up going into a food coma. Time for a quick dip in the pool before heading up to our stateroom to change and head down to the theater for a matinee show.

 

The matinee show was at 3pm. This was Broadway with your Production Cast Singers. They performed a medley of hit songs from a number of Broadway hits. This included both song and dance numbers from the various shows. It was quite enjoyable. Now we were off to shower and dress for dinner. This evening was the 2nd Evening Chic night. 

 

While DH took his turn to shower and get ready for dinner, I went to the martini bar to meet up with our friends to sample a few martinis before the pre-dinner show. I love to watch the bartenders entertain us with their artistic flair for mixology. They can make and stack several different martinis at once, and they even teach the passengers how to do some of these tricks. Once DH arrived, we were off to the evening show.

 

Tonight's show was the comedian Steve Bruner. He was hilarious and didn't miss a chance to include the brave souls in the front row in his routine. Steve has performed on tv, cruise ships, comedy clubs, and with several famous comedians such as Bill Engvall and Ellen Degeneres. 

 

Following the show, we headed to dinner in Luminae. Dinner was wonderful as always, but we were treated to a special dessert. First we had macaroons followed by their chocolate sphere. This is a large chocolate sphere that is hollow inside and filled with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. Our server Jesus poured a blue flame onto the sphere to melt the outer shell. It's a spectacular show and the dessert is sumptous. 

 

After stuffing ourselves to the gills as always, we went to the Grand Foyer for the Party Like Gatsby with the cruise director Dan. This was a dance party from the Roaring Twenties. Some of the passengers were dressed like flappers and they did the Charleston. We didn't stay until the end as we were tired and needed to rest up for another sea day of fun.