Equinox LIVE Solo Review March 23-30, 2019

[mchell810]

2 hours ago, GenerationX said:

 If anyone is still interested I do still have all my notes and pictures saved on my phone, so I can at least go back and report on 2 items I don’t see covered much on CC:  the sushi-sake pairing lunch at Sushi on 5 and my impressions on stepping down from years spent in aqua class and the suite life to a regular balcony stateroom.

 

Would love to know your thoughts on shifting from Aqua to a regular balcony room.  Thanks.

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, mchell810 said:

 

Would love to know your thoughts on shifting from Aqua to a regular balcony room.  Thanks.

 

Happy to share!

 

Here are the things I thought I would miss but it turns out I didn't...

 

-Priority Boarding:  the line ended up being much shorter for my captains club status than the one for aqua and concierge, of course that could vary from cruise to cruise

 

-In-room Fruit and Daily Canapés:  It’s nice to come back to the room and find a snack waiting (something that never happens to me at home), but it turned out I didn’t mind burning a few more calories wandering to Al Bacio or up to the buffet if I really wanted an afternoon snack.  And the one day I came back from shore and didn’t feel like leaving the cabin to get my snack, I just ordered room service and it arrived hot and delicious just as I’d gotten done with showering and changing into comfy clothes.

 

-Spa Concierge: on this sailing there was almost nowhere on the ship that there wasn’t someone from the spa offering to book you services. NO need for a dedicated concierge whatsoever.

 

-Balcony Foot Stools:  This would probably be on the list below if I had been sailing with DH.  I love to put my feet up on my veranda! Since I was solo I just put my feet up on the other deck chair, but if DH had been there I wouldn’t have had that solution.  I’ve heard they’re removing foot stools from Aqua class as part of the refurbs and I’m really hoping that decision gets reversed in the near future!

 

Things I REALLY missed:

 

-Blu:  Food is subjective but I did miss the Blu menu and having a smaller sit-down venue for breakfast and dinner.  I ended up having most breakfasts room service or in the buffet and most dinners in specialty restaurants (I had a lot of OBC and there were plenty of dinning deals being offered onboard) to avoid the “hustle and bustle” of the main dining room.

 

-Persian Garden/Thermal Suite Access:  I could have purchased a pass separately but then I would have felt pressured to go enough to “get my money’s worth”.  Much nicer to be able to just drop by if/when I feel like it and not worry about it.

 

-Upgraded Bathrobes:  call me high maintenance on this one but after only having had the better robes in Aqua and suites, the standard ones were HORRIBLE to me.  I guess I could pack my own robe, but my packing space is always at a premium as it is, and I’d rather not.

 

-Free Bottle of Bubbly:  the free bottle of Celebrity sparkling wine gets beat up a lot on the boards, and I’ll agree it’s not the best thing I’ve ever poured in a champagne flute.  But DH and I usually have it put on ice in our room the last night of the cruise and put more on it just before we go to bed, then in the morning use it to make mimosas to drown our “back to reality” sorrows on the last morning before disembarkation (when morning cocktails are hard to find since the crew wants you off the ship ASAP) ...I really missed my end of cruise comfort mimosas.

 

At the end of the day, I think we will continue to book aqua class when it’s available and within budget.  In fact it’s what we’ve booked for our Alaska sailing on Solstice. 

 

On on the other hand, I did have an absolutely wonderful time in my basic stateroom and don’t think I’d ever pass on booking a cruise just because Aqua class wasn’t available/feasible.

[mchell810]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

At the end of the day, I think we will continue to book aqua class when it’s available and within budget.  In fact it’s what we’ve booked for our Alaska sailing on Solstice. 

 

On on the other hand, I did have an absolutely wonderful time in my basic stateroom and don’t think I’d ever pass on booking a cruise just because Aqua class wasn’t available/feasible.

 

Thanks for your comparison.  It seems the best thing about Aqua really in Blu and all the rest is nice, but not required for a good time. I like your idea about debark morning mimosas! I have a trip coming up on Solstice too -- as far as I can tell she should have footstools until after her dry dock in 2021-- you should be covered on that score for Alaska.  Enjoy!

[Krickett]

Hey GenerationX,

 

I would love to hear about the Sushi/Sake lunch😊(pricing too, please)

also about the deals they offered you on Specialty dining, we are going in October and I am debating getting a dining package or waiting till on board.

Thanks!

[GenerationX]

On 7/31/2019 at 8:55 AM, Krickett said:

Hey GenerationX,

 

I would love to hear about the Sushi/Sake lunch😊(pricing too, please)

also about the deals they offered you on Specialty dining, we are going in October and I am debating getting a dining package or waiting till on board.

Thanks!

 

 

Hi Krickett happy to help! I’ll do a separate post below with photos of menus and dishes from the sushi sake lunch. I believe the price listed was $35 but my waiter discounted it to $25. I can’t recall if there was a different (higher) listed price for those who didn’t have a beverage package.

 

I booked my first night dinner at Murano 50% off in advance through the cruise planner and also one of my nights in Silk Harvest and in Tuscan in advance at full price since I had OBC to spend.  The rest I booked onboard. They were pretty regularly offering Sushi on 5 all you can eat for $25 or 30 per person (embarkation day it was empty and I got the $25 price).  I believe I got my second nights in Tuscan and Murano for 30% off the cruise planner prices.  In general, other than sushi on 5 on sea day lunches (which were packed), I found that the specialty restaurants weren’t as busy on this sailing as others I’ve done, so I think they were more willing to make deals.

 

Enjoy your trip in October!

 

 

[GenerationX]

As requested, a quick report on the sushi and sake pairing lunch:

 

I REALLY enjoyed this lunch and hope it will be offered on my upcoming Solstice sailing because I will be first in line saying “shut up and take my seapass card”!  The price was listed as $35 but my waiter on embarkation day sold it to me for $25.  I definitely got my money’s worth.

 

Each course was a slightly smaller portion of something that’s served on the regular Sushi on 5 menu, served accompanied by a 3/4 full champagne glass of a paired sake.  You had to be careful about finishing your sake too quick too because the waiters would come back and refill the glass!!!  There were 3 or 4  limited edition sakes that were included on the pairing lunch that weren’t available on the regular sake list in the restaurant.

 

 It was a great way to try some dishes and rolls that I’d normally hesitate to pay the full $12-15 price for a la carte and after all that sake, I was the LIFE of the pool deck that afternoon.  

 

The highlight of of the meal was the last course which came served with a sake “bomb”.  This consisted of a shot of sake balanced on top of two chopsticks over a large cup of beer.  The waiters in the restaurant all chanted “Sake, Sake, Sake, BOMB!” And on “Bomb” everyone banged their fists on either side of the glass causing the shot to fall into the beer then you chug the whole thing down...I felt like I was 21 again!  

 

I was was impressed I managed to hold one “bomb” down after all that food and sake, but then the Canadian couple at the table next to me challenged me to do a second one with them.  A challenge I of course had to accept...for my country...I am pleased to report that the American drinking tolerance was well represented. 🇺🇸 

 

When i I finished the lunch I realized I was supposed to be at the around the world wine tasting in an hour and a half, which I decided to skip in favor of a LOT of Evian on the pool deck to hopefully sober up by evening cocktail time. Vacation is a hard life!

 

Menu, food and Sake bomb pics below.

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by GenerationX