JUST OFF THE EQUINOX - 12/21 HOLIDAY CRUISE pt 1

[redwings1958]

Had a fabulous time on the Equinox; Our 1st time on X and found it much more to our liking than RCCL;  Dan the Cruise director was great and Capt. Thanos was so funny and personable; Now to the Thoughts and Observations[IMHO]

1. EMBARKATION - Smoothest I've had in my 30 years of cruising;  Preloaded the Xpress pass and was on the ship in about 5 minutes;  Welcome aboard Champagne was an unexpected plus;  Dropped our carry ons at the cabins, where our SeaPass card were waiting;  Then off to explore the ship and get lunch;  Muster drill was quite painless and over in about 30 minutes.

By 6pm our bags had arrived [TIP: Give the porter a nice gratuity, and the bags arrive quicker]

2. MDR - we had select dining at 8:30 and always managed to get the same table every night;  The 3 whipped butter selections as well as bread basket is a nice plus from RCCL;

Ate all dinners in the MDR and did not have one bad entree;  I myself loved the Prime Rib, Lobster, Lamb Kebobs, and even had 2 fish entrees;  Desserts were just as impressive

3. FITNESS CENTER - Never crowded at  6am, complimentary headphones, as well as cold face towels are a nice perk;  Equipment is plentiful and in excellent working order;  Locker room is fully equipped, but only has a Sauna, not a steam room;

4.  OCEAN VIEW CAFE - Lots of selections to please everyone; LAVAZZA Coffee, tea, juices, and lemons for water are at multiple beverage stations;  Omelet station was usually busy by 8am but fully staffed and moved quickly;  Never had an issue finding a table, and if you want to eat  Al Fresco, the tables outside are NEVER full;

5. POOL/SOLARIUM/DECK CHAIRS;  2 pools an the pool deck one for families one for older children and adults;  SOLARIUM was peaceful, tranquil and hardly ever 100% full;  Age requirement was usually adhered to but they do have family times from 4:30 - 6:30 every day;  Deck chairs were plentiful and did not see the chair hogs in action;  Always able to find 3-4 chairs together, even after 11am

 

[aml3679]

I am so glad, after all of the negative reviews lately, to see a positive review - THANK YOU!

 

The Equninox is our favorite ship.  We have a short, 7 day, upcoming cruise to the caribbean from February 15-22nd.

 

We are so looking forward to our cruise.  My husband and I have lived apart for almost 10 months for my job and I just got a job closer to home so we need this.

[RickT]

Thanks for your comments.  I board Equinox in March and am eagerly looking forward to it.

 

Any thoughts/comments on the shows and various musicians performing?  Do you recall what shows were in the theatre?  Do you recall the names of the party/house band and guitar player?

[FlyingAnchor]

Sailing Equinox next October. After multiple cruises each on Summit and Constellation (and one on EDGE) this will be our first Solstice-class sailing. We're really looking forward to it. I appreciate your kind review of the ship and service! After so many sailings on Summit and Connie, it will feel strange learning the layout of a new ship! 😂

I never realized there was "family time" in the Solarium pool area. Is this new and/or specific to Equinox? I probably haven't paid close enough attention all of these years! 

[CruisinDawn]

Thanks for the review!! Can't wait for Feb 🙂

 

BonVoyage

Dawna