Live Blog Equinox Southern Carribean(ABC's) Sept 13th-23rd

[Yoshikitty]

12 hours ago, calicakes said:

Oh, I forgot.  Thats another thing we like and that the dinner isn't a 2 hour affair. 

 

We're not huge "dress up" people.  In fact, Julie didn't bring any pants on this trip.  When we arrived to Blu on the first night, I read the dress code sign.  In the past, you were allowed to wear shorts.  Julie wears dressy shorts to dinner, she wouldn't be caught dead in a dress.  Anyway, other people also wore shorts on the first night and they didn't say anything.  We looked for a pair of pants in Grand Cayman, but couldnt find anything.  They never said anything to Julie about her shorts any other night. 

 

I have seen people who where asked by the concierge not to wear Shorts in Blu twice on our last trip

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Yoshikitty

[calicakes]

Final dinner last night. Interesting playing on the filet.

[ipeeinthepool]

5 hours ago, Yoshikitty said:

 

I have seen people who where asked by the concierge not to wear Shorts in Blu twice on our last trip

 

 

It would be good if we could expect some consistency from the Celebrity staff.

[Yoshikitty]

the dresscodes are widely known.

the question is: where to draw the line?

 

It says no shorts, I am sure that Julie looks great in them, but how do you explain the guy in running shorts about the dress code and overlook the op‘s wife‘s shorts.

 

If you are starting to differentiate between ‚sports shorts‘ and ‚dressy shorts‘, you‘ll open an even bigger can of worms than it is right now.

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Yoshikitty

[calicakes]

10 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Calicakes, did you find the breakfasts to be pretty good?

the pics you posted looked quite good.....

did you happen to notice if they had a selection of herbal teas available?

Ugggg. That's hard to answer. My wife loved the oatmeal. I didn't care for the scrambled eggs. They were cooked too hard for my liking. At home, I buy pasture raised organic eggs. I can taste the difference. Berry pancakes were good. I do wish they had more choices. They did have herbal teas.

[calicakes]

10 minutes ago, Yoshikitty said:

the dresscodes are widely known.

the question is: where to draw the line?

 

It says no shorts, I am sure that Julie looks great in them, but how do you explain the guy in running shorts about the dress code and overlook the op‘s wife‘s shorts.

 

If you are starting to differentiate between ‚sports shorts‘ and ‚dressy shorts‘, you‘ll open an even bigger can of worms than it is right now.

 

As I stated, our last cruise in AQ was 2015. We both wore shorts.  We didn't know they changed the policy.  I'm glad we were allowed to eat there. If julie had to throw on my dress, she probably would have, she wouldn't have been too happy.   

[chamima]

Interesting plating on the filet. 🤣

[calicakes]

We are sitting in the theater, waiting to debark.

[chamima]

1 minute ago, calicakes said:

As I stated, our last cruise in AQ was 2015. We both wore shorts.  We didn't know they changed the policy.  I'm glad we were allowed to eat there. If julie had to throw on my dress, she probably would have, she wouldn't have been too happy.   

 

I think the rule used to be that women could wear shorts but not men.

Then it probably came to situations like what Yoshikitty explained so they just made it no shorts at dinner.

 

They still have the "no flip flops" rule in effect and thank goodness for me that they don't enforce that!

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, calicakes said:

Is that in Blu or in Luminae?  Tonight Blu served Filet and we were told they were the only restaurant aside from specialties serving filet.   Julie had that and she said it was very good.  She ordered hers medium well and thats how it was served.  We noticed many, many tables sending back their filets.  It was cooked very rare instead of how it was ordered( medium rare).  I was under the impression that they would start over with another steak, however folks were given their same steak. 

 

I had the red snapper and I didn't enjoy it.  I didn't want the white bean cassoulet that was served with it.  I asked for a baked potato and veggies.  I guess its my fault because the snapper was plain.  No seasoning or sauce.   

 

The sticky toffee pudding was tasty as well.  It wasn't really a sticky toffee pudding.  It had a more cake like texture.  Probably the best cake I had on this voyage.  Pics will follow tomorrow. 

The small filet was on the Blu Children's menu.   I do not believe it is on the Children's Menu in Blu.    It was brought to our attention by our Waiter.    Since we were on a B2B he was trying to come up with off menu ideas to keep us from becoming bored with the selections.        On M and S Class ships they have the main dining room menus.   Many of the better waiters will suggest them others require you to request them.

[chamima]

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

The small filet was on the Blu Children's menu.   I do not believe it is on the Children's Menu in Blu.    It was brought to our attention by our Waiter.    Since we were on a B2B he was trying to come up with off menu ideas to keep us from becoming bored with the selections.        On M and S Class ships they have the main dining room menus.   Many of the better waiters will suggest them others require you to request them.

 

One of your statements is a typo - which one?????

[ipeeinthepool]

2 hours ago, chamima said:

 

I think the rule used to be that women could wear shorts but not men.

Then it probably came to situations like what Yoshikitty explained so they just made it no shorts at dinner.

 

Sounds like equal opportunity to me.

[calicakes]

2 hours ago, chamima said:

Interesting plating on the filet. 🤣

I said the same thing.

[zencruisers]

I really enjoyed you review with you pictures and honest opinion. Thank you for taking us along for the ride. Also,

Happy Anniversary!

[micheleata]

I have really enjoyed reading your review.    Thanks for taking the time from your vacation to share.   Have a safe trip home.

[Reel Love]

Thank you, calicakes, for a great review!  We will be sailing ABC's in Feb 2020 (different ship, though) and gleaned some good tips from your experience.  Much appreciated!! ☺️

[aml3679]

OMG thanks for your review and your honesty.

 

My DH and I have sailed Carnival (okay - family obligation trip) which was not our cup of tea  - we are 58 and 61 and prefer fewer children and rowdiness.  We have also sailed RCI (cruise from hell - sick bay caught on fire - a real bummer and the food was  terrible/my DH is willing to give it another try, me not so much).

 

Celebrity hands down is our favorite cruise line and so far the  Equinox our favorite ship.  We have 2 upcoming cruises on the Equinox:  one in Feb 2020 and one in Feb 2021 for my 60th birthday.  Aqua class was too expensive so we stuck with a C2 cabin and are happy with that.  For our first cruise, I was able to save over $1400 by watching the price fluctuations weekly.

 

We find the atmosphere perfect to us.  We also feel very spoiled.  Celebrity has great service and food.  I was disappointed about the foot stools (have a bad hip) and bought 2 blow up ones from Amazon - now I hear that they have brought them back - I think I will still bring the ones I brought just in case.

 

We have not found any excursions that we like so far.  Therefore, we will get off the ship and wonder around town.  We did enjoy our stingray tour and turtle farm.  Also, in Nassau we enjoyed a 3-hour food tour - highly recommended.

 

We booked this trip so long ago and now it is less than 6 months away.

 

Also, I know what you mean about pizza and bagels.  Having grown up in NY.  My DH is originally from NH, where it took a while, but I finally found pizza and bagels that I like.  Another thing we cannot find, we live on the west coast of Florida - is good Chinese food.  We live an hour from Tampa and have to drive there to get decent Chinese food.

 

Anyway, thank you again.  We have 2 cats so we know what it is like to leave our furbabies.  Thank goodness my brother-in-laws lives down the street and the cats are used to him.

[hcat]

NO shorts is the rule for dinner unless luggage is delayed or lost. OK for the buffet. Applies to children too, except very young ones

 

Celeb should advise guests in the regis packets or in bold online so they know what to expect..  Cunard sent a nice brochure going over all expected events and  dress guidelines.

 

On X it would be nice to know ahead  of time if there  may be a White night, Gatsby party, 70's etc.  We usually bring something in case of white night but hear Gatsby us now in???

Edited September 24, 2019 by hcat

[ipeeinthepool]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

NO shorts is the rule for dinner unless luggage is delayed or lost. OK for the buffet. Applies to children too, exvept very young ones

 

On X it would be nice to know ahead  of time if there  may be a White night, Gatsby party, 70's etc.  We usually bring something in case of white night but hear Gatsby us now in???

 

I'm not sure sending out a notice would help, people know there is some kind of dress code and any reasonable person would do a little investigation.  Some people just don't care about the rules and inconsistent enforcement just makes the problem worse.  The dress code is just another example of rules people don't believe apply to them.

 

But I do admit, I have no idea where to find out about white night or any special dress evenings.  I've never seen any notes in the calendar or daily planner before the cruise.  Where do people get this info?

[hcat]

Agree 100 % with your first paragraph

 

  The " notice "  for White Nights and other events ( 50 s 70s party)   turns up in the daily ( or the App ?).  On EDGE , it was really amazing up on the pool deck with all the lighting and DJ.  We have enjoyed  X white nights in Greece, Carib etc  but never knew ahead of time.  That's the Celebrity way..fairly ad hoc based on CD, Captain, etc.   Usually a Carib deck party, Hawaii deck party, but no way to plan  esp for a Gatsby Party!

Edited September 24, 2019 by hcat

[calicakes]

5 hours ago, aml3679 said:

OMG thanks for your review and your honesty.

 

My DH and I have sailed Carnival (okay - family obligation trip) which was not our cup of tea  - we are 58 and 61 and prefer fewer children and rowdiness.  We have also sailed RCI (cruise from hell - sick bay caught on fire - a real bummer and the food was  terrible/my DH is willing to give it another try, me not so much).

 

Celebrity hands down is our favorite cruise line and so far the  Equinox our favorite ship.  We have 2 upcoming cruises on the Equinox:  one in Feb 2020 and one in Feb 2021 for my 60th birthday.  Aqua class was too expensive so we stuck with a C2 cabin and are happy with that.  For our first cruise, I was able to save over $1400 by watching the price fluctuations weekly.

 

We find the atmosphere perfect to us.  We also feel very spoiled.  Celebrity has great service and food.  I was disappointed about the foot stools (have a bad hip) and bought 2 blow up ones from Amazon - now I hear that they have brought them back - I think I will still bring the ones I brought just in case.

 

We have not found any excursions that we like so far.  Therefore, we will get off the ship and wonder around town.  We did enjoy our stingray tour and turtle farm.  Also, in Nassau we enjoyed a 3-hour food tour - highly recommended.

 

We booked this trip so long ago and now it is less than 6 months away.

 

Also, I know what you mean about pizza and bagels.  Having grown up in NY.  My DH is originally from NH, where it took a while, but I finally found pizza and bagels that I like.  Another thing we cannot find, we live on the west coast of Florida - is good Chinese food.  We live an hour from Tampa and have to drive there to get decent Chinese food.

 

Anyway, thank you again.  We have 2 cats so we know what it is like to leave our furbabies.  Thank goodness my brother-in-laws lives down the street and the cats are used to him.

You're welcome.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.  Since you have 6 months to go, let's hope the footstools are brought back.  I'm pretty sure they will be.  I ordered some on Amazon which I have to return today.  I never brought them with me. 

[calicakes]

4 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I'm not sure sending out a notice would help, people know there is some kind of dress code and any reasonable person would do a little investigation.  Some people just don't care about the rules and inconsistent enforcement just makes the problem worse.  The dress code is just another example of rules people don't believe apply to them.

 

But I do admit, I have no idea where to find out about white night or any special dress evenings.  I've never seen any notes in the calendar or daily planner before the cruise.  Where do people get this info?

I have a feeling you're implying that we don't care about rules.  Couldn't be further from the truth.  My wife, the police Sgt is the ultimate rule follower.   Should we have not eaten in Blu because she didn't have pants?  The restaurant did not ban her, in fact they never mentioned it.   She would have thrown on my dress and been miserable, but since it never came to that, she continued to wear shorts.  We walked to the table, her legs were under the table and we left.  I'm sure the staff realized this and rightfully didn't make a big deal about it. 

 

Now we know for our next cruise.  She will pack pants for sure.  We'll be in Luminae as well. 

[ipeeinthepool]

5 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I have a feeling you're implying that we don't care about rules.  Couldn't be further from the truth.  My wife, the police Sgt is the ultimate rule follower.   Should we have not eaten in Blu because she didn't have pants?  The restaurant did not ban her, in fact they never mentioned it.   She would have thrown on my dress and been miserable, but since it never came to that, she continued to wear shorts.  We walked to the table, her legs were under the table and we left.  I'm sure the staff realized this and rightfully didn't make a big deal about it. 

 

Now we know for our next cruise.  She will pack pants for sure.  We'll be in Luminae as well. 

 

No, I really wasn't referring to you or the dress code rules.  There are plenty of other rules that people try to pretend don't apply to them.  For example, smoking on balconies, emotional support animals, non-suite or Aqua guests in reserved dining rooms, etc.

[calicakes]

We're home!!  

 

Let me tell you about yesterday.   Our luggage tag was 39, 9:30am so we didn't rush.  We went to the buffet for breakfast and we met a lovely older couple.  Herb and Arlene.  I could have spoken to them for hours.  They were going on the next cruise as well.  They were the first Zenith people I met.  This was their 85th cruise.   Julie asked them if they get sick of the food and they said " Never".  Different strokes.  

 

We went back to the cabin after breakfast where I continued to get ready.  I handed our room attendant his tip and told him we would be leaving the room soon.  He told me everyone was supposed to be out of the cabin by 8am.  As it was almost 8:30, I was caught off guard.  I wasn't aware of that.  He told me not to hurry now.  I finished my makeup and we went to the theater to wait.  Our number was called at 9:15,  We called a Lyft and that was a comedy of errors.  The first guy was in the wrong pick up lane and circled 2 times before giving up.  The next guy, I don't know what happened, he cancelled it.  The third guy picked up,  and had the wrong address for the airport.  He was lost, but realized his mistake.    We were at the airport by 10:30.  We walked into the terminal and  were flabbergasted to not find Alaska.  We asked and someone said " They are seasonal".  Long story short, they didn't open until 2:30pm.  We had to sit in front of the ticketing counter for 4 hours!! 

 

One more thing on Uber/ Lyft.   Uber was 45.00, Lyft was 12.  Check both apps!!  

 

Waiting wasn't all bad.  I was able to see one of my elementary school/middle school friends who I haven't seen for 40yrs.  She was at the airport for a flight!! 

 

We were able to check in @ 2:30 so we sat at the gate until our 5pm flight.   We arrived at 7:30 Pacific Time, got luggage, the shuttle back to our parking.  I paid for covered valet for the 12 days.  Did they park it under cover?  No.  I have to call the parking manager later, but they said we can park for free when we go to Maui in December.   So much traffic going home.  Two accidents on the 405 freeway, over 1.5 to get home.  Made it to our town and had to run into Ralph's for milk.  Julie wanted to have cereal for breakfast today.  

 

We passed out by 10pm pacific time.   We slept solid.  Now to deal with everything that awaits.....  First thing, pick up our 4 dogs. 

 

Cost for boarding them from Sept 11-today.  980.00!!!  Thats with a 10 percent police/military discount and the 4th rescue dog for free.    When we move to Naples, FL in 4 yrs, I think we need to start at home boarding.  Everytime we go pick up our dogs, the owner tells us what we paid for on her property.  Oh, that fence over there.  Thats from you....  LOL. 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

I have a feeling you're implying that we don't care about rules.  Couldn't be further from the truth.  My wife, the police Sgt is the ultimate rule follower.   Should we have not eaten in Blu because she didn't have pants?  The restaurant did not ban her, in fact they never mentioned it.   She would have thrown on my dress and been miserable, but since it never came to that, she continued to wear shorts.  We walked to the table, her legs were under the table and we left.  I'm sure the staff realized this and rightfully didn't make a big deal about it. 

 

Now we know for our next cruise.  She will pack pants for sure.  We'll be in Luminae as well. 

 

Pants are a good idea. And required .esp for  dinners  on X . They should publicize that  rule   more as cruising has become more casual on other lines and folks may be unaware.

 

  In many European churches you need long pants/ skirt , and tops with sleeves to gain entry..we knew but opted to wait outside.

 

.. wherever I  go I  usually bring a  professional  style jacket, just in case a business or legal/ gov issue comes up..I always like to be prepared and look less like a tourist when dealing with issues that may arise ( usually they don't  of course)! Just me!

 

As for pet sitters..that was a big bill! Where we are in Fla and in NY,   there are sitters who will come to your home  a few times a day and stay over if needed , and  they  def charge less. We always preferred that keep them  home.( cats) 

Our next door neighbor in Fla takes dogs into  her home and we have met so many great dogs who were just visiting. Many pet lovers in Fla!