Equinox 9/17 LIVE BLOG; Aqua Class - 1st Time Celebrity! Let’s Cruise!

[MartinsCruise]

3 hours ago, Tortu31 said:

What was it like to set up EMed? Tx.

After logging on to emed, I was transferred to Navica so very easy since I had already set up my account on Navica.

[Big Tiger Fan]

So no one wore masks on board? What about crew? Did they wear masks? 
We just returned from Majestic Princess cruise where masks were required in indoor venues which made us feel very safe.

[wendycook22]

I am glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise! 

I tried to read the entire blog, but must have overlooked (assuming you mentioned it), when they provided the disembarkation testing.  I am trying to get an idea from all the live blogs when they typically schedule testing.  Would you mind letting me know how the testing for disembarkation worked on your cruise?  (IE What day they tested and if you were able to schedule your time, or was it assigned?) 

 

 

Thanks in advance.  

Edited September 29, 2021 by wendycook22

[Silkroad]

@TravelBluebirdGreat live review! Thank you😊 We're booked on Equinox in December so everything you (and others) post about your impressions and experiences is extremely helpful. I'm so happy you had a enjoyable cruise. Hope to meet you on board someday!

[blueboro]

5 hours ago, Big Tiger Fan said:

So no one wore masks on board? What about crew? Did they wear masks? 
We just returned from Majestic Princess cruise where masks were required in indoor venues which made us feel very safe.

Only crew wore masks last week on Equinox.  Staff, when on stage or doing talks, did not wear masks and we did see some waiters outside by the pool occasionally without a mask.  But NO masks required for passengers anywhere other than when required by a port...YEAH...and we felt very safe.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

5 hours ago, Big Tiger Fan said:

So no one wore masks on board? What about crew? Did they wear masks? 
We just returned from Majestic Princess cruise where masks were required in indoor venues which made us feel very safe.

 

If that makes you feel safe, perhaps you should stick to Princess.

[Big Tiger Fan]

Gee Happy Cruiser 6143, thanks for warm welcome to Celebrity!

[Big Tiger Fan]

Thanks for your reply, blueboro.

[OZ.]

Loved your review and thanks for the journey. Looking forward to being on a ship again.

[MartinsCruise]

Some passengers did wear masks but it was not required.  I felt more safe on the ship not wearing one than I do going to the grocery store with one on.

[LGW59]

7 hours ago, Big Tiger Fan said:

So no one wore masks on board? What about crew? Did they wear masks? 
We just returned from Majestic Princess cruise where masks were required in indoor venues which made us feel very safe.

You should do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.  Many cruisers have been posting live vlogs and some are more comfortable wearing the mask, even if not required.  I still wear mine in grocery store etc. just do what makes you feel comfortable.

[TravelBluebird]

8 hours ago, Big Tiger Fan said:

So no one wore masks on board? What about crew? Did they wear masks? 
We just returned from Majestic Princess cruise where masks were required in indoor venues which made us feel very safe.

 

Crew wore masks always indoors, and sometimes outdoors.  Some passengers wore them if others were on an elevator, or in a crowded show like the improv in the mini theater.

[TravelBluebird]

Getting back in the swing of things (work, elderly mother care, sick cat, errands, doctor appointments) last 2 days reminded me why I needed the vacation!

 

I hadn’t forgotten the photos//thoughts I promised of the Aqua Class room, and they are below.

 

I liked the size of the couch. The bedding, for me, was very comfortable, and I had soft down pillows which is my preference. Loved the chairs on the deck which you could put the back down on and the foot rests (under the chairs when not in use) so I could sun myself on my private balcony when I wanted to.

 

The shower was amazing; 5 jets and a good adjustable shower head (important when you are 10 inches shorter than your husband!). The bathroom was the one area I thought there was sufficient storage; I really would have liked to have seen a bigger closet.

 

Desk area had good lighting for makeup. Only 2 electrical plugs in the room by the mirror over the desk/makeup area; no usb ports at all and nothing by the beds. We got through by bringing a “cube” with several usb and electrical outlets for one plug, and a charging “port” made for my iPad which also had some usb ports. We had a camera, 2 Kindles, 2 iPhones, iPad, Amazon Fire, Apple Watch and Laptop to plug in, as I’m sure many people do these days!

 

The room decor was nice but a little bland (weird art over the couch with a woman on a beach with her face “blurred” out that we didn’t like. Overall, we were comfortable and enjoyed the room!

 

 

[TravelBluebird]

On 9/28/2021 at 9:56 AM, Tortu31 said:

Thanks to Travelbird! We are in prep mode and also joining next week's Equinox 9 day ABC cruise.  Living carefully and cautiously to get through tests.  

 

You’re going to have an amazing time! Like you, we were SO careful before our cruise—wore masks everywhere, and I really didn’t go anywhere the last week except I had to (we did Grandparents Day at the local elementary school in full N95 masks).

[TravelBluebird]

4 hours ago, wendycook22 said:

I am glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise! 

I tried to read the entire blog, but must have overlooked (assuming you mentioned it), when they provided the disembarkation testing.  I am trying to get an idea from all the live blogs when they typically schedule testing.  Would you mind letting me know how the testing for disembarkation worked on your cruise?  (IE What day they tested and if you were able to schedule your time, or was it assigned?) 

 

There was no disembarkation testing for our cruise whatsoever.  If you are doing a back to back @Jim_Iain live blog covered what the back-to-back testing was like.  

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, MartinsCruise said:

Some passengers did wear masks but it was not required.  I felt more safe on the ship not wearing one than I do going to the grocery store with one on.

 

That is how we felt; I used common sense, and tried to not get on a crowded elevator (the elevators were not generally crowded so it was easy), and everyone seemed to naturally space out//socially distance in the theater.  On the other hand, on the way to the ship while traveling and then in Fort Lauderdale, I had my mask on the whole time.

[TravelBluebird]

4 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Great live review! Thank you😊 We're booked on Equinox in December so everything you (and others) post about your impressions and experiences is extremely helpful. I'm so happy you had a enjoyable cruise. Hope to meet you on board someday!

 

Thank you, Silkroad! I hope our paths will cross! And December on Equinox will be wonderful; which itinerary are you doing? Weather will be better (we were in ABC islands for the hottest month of the year; I expected it so didn’t mind, but I do love the winter weather in the Carribbean).

[AlbertaCruisers]

5 hours ago, wendycook22 said:

I am glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise! 

I tried to read the entire blog, but must have overlooked (assuming you mentioned it), when they provided the disembarkation testing.  I am trying to get an idea from all the live blogs when they typically schedule testing.  Would you mind letting me know how the testing for disembarkation worked on your cruise?  (IE What day they tested and if you were able to schedule your time, or was it assigned?) 

 

 

Thanks in advance.  

There are only disembarkation tests if needed. For example, Children under 12, back to back and if you need it for travel home. We are Canadian and we were on the August 27 sailing of the Equinox. Celebrity gave us the PCR test we needed to go home for free. Our test was done the second last night at 4:00 and we got our results the last full day. Jim, the other live thread recently, had his Back to back test at 9:00 am on the last full day. His was for the back to back but he was sure the Canadians were there too. I’m hoping they have changed the process to the morning of the last full day - I like that better. FYI, you can check out my post in the Canadian board about testing. There are some other experiences in there too. 

[Silkroad]

59 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

Thank you, Silkroad! I hope our paths will cross! And December on Equinox will be wonderful; which itinerary are you doing? Weather will be better (we were in ABC islands for the hottest month of the year; I expected it so didn’t mind, but I do love the winter weather in the Carribbean).

We’re on the 10 December Ultimate Southern Caribbean. We booked it while on board our first Caribbean cruise (and our last cruise before the shutdown) in December 2019. We visited the ABCs on the 2019 cruise, but we’re visiting new ports this time. I agree that December is a wonderful time to go. We’ve also made a recent impulse booking on an October Eastern Caribbean cruise on Edge, so I feel like a little kid with two exciting packages to open😂

[TravelBluebird]

2 hours ago, Silkroad said:

We’ve also made a recent impulse booking on an October Eastern Caribbean cruise on Edge, so I feel like a little kid with two exciting packages to open😂

 

How very exciting!  I hear the siren song of the Edge calling to me...I want to cruise her before Celebrity sends her to Australia/New Zealand at the end of 2023!

[Silkroad]

10 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

How very exciting!  I hear the siren song of the Edge calling to me...I want to cruise her before Celebrity sends her to Australia/New Zealand at the end of 2023!

She's a beautiful ship. We had a lot of fun exploring when we sailed on her before the shutdown. This time we'll check out the places we missed. BTW I think you'll appreciate the additional outlets in the Edge cabins. Our Infinite Veranda cabin (the most common type of veranda on Edge class, and the subject of countless debates) had two USB ports, two 110 volt outlets, and one 220 volt outlet located inside a white box on the counter above the mini-fridge. There were also two USB ports and one 110 volt outlet on the wall beside the nightstand on one side of the bed, and an additional USB port in the phone located on the opposite nightstand. Hope you do get to sail on her😊

[TravelBluebird]

8 hours ago, Silkroad said:

She's a beautiful ship. We had a lot of fun exploring when we sailed on her before the shutdown. This time we'll check out the places we missed. BTW I think you'll appreciate the additional outlets in the Edge cabins. Our Infinite Veranda cabin (the most common type of veranda on Edge class, and the subject of countless debates) had two USB ports, two 110 volt outlets, and one 220 volt outlet located inside a white box on the counter above the mini-fridge. There were also two USB ports and one 110 volt outlet on the wall beside the nightstand on one side of the bed, and an additional USB port in the phone located on the opposite nightstand. Hope you do get to sail on her😊

 

That sounds like a much better outlet/usb situation!

 

And about the much debated Infinite Verandas — I asked 2 couples that we spent considerable time with on the Equinox, and 1 of them loved the IV, and the other one hated it.  I’ll definitely have to sail on her to form my own opinion. 😀

[SonuvaBeach]

Hey, TravelBird!

Toni and I had a great time meeting you two. I felt bad that Russ did not get to go diving with my friend in Curacoa, but it turned out that my buddy's truck was in for service and he could only handle two passengers anyways in a small car with child car seats in the back. I hope you took some great photos in Willemstadt!

I have the first three days of the cruise done for video and am currently downloading them to youtube. You and Russ have "cameo" appearances on the first two days! Would you mind if i hijack your thread and post the links on here? It is worth  watching them for the music alone! My sinus infection has finally cleared up, but I still have a bit of a cough. I have to say, the Medical staff on the Equinox was wonderful, even at 3AM!

Jim and Toni

[SonuvaBeach]

17 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

That sounds like a much better outlet/usb situation!

 

And about the much debated Infinite Verandas — I asked 2 couples that we spent considerable time with on the Equinox, and 1 of them loved the IV, and the other one hated it.  I’ll definitely have to sail on her to form my own opinion. 😀

REPOST...so you get a notification!

Hey, TravelBird!

Toni and I had a great time meeting you two. I felt bad that Russ did not get to go diving with my friend in Curacoa, but it turned out that my buddy's truck was in for service and he could only handle two passengers anyways in a small car with child car seats in the back. I hope you took some great photos in Willemstadt!

I have the first three days of the cruise done for video and am currently downloading them to youtube. You and Russ have "cameo" appearances on the first two days! Would you mind if i hijack your thread and post the links on here? It is worth  watching them for the music alone! My sinus infection has finally cleared up, but I still have a bit of a cough. I have to say, the Medical staff on the Equinox was wonderful, even at 3AM!

Jim and Toni

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, SonuvaBeach said:

Hey, TravelBird!

Toni and I had a great time meeting you two. I felt bad that Russ did not get to go diving with my friend in Curacoa, but it turned out that my buddy's truck was in for service and he could only handle two passengers anyways in a small car with child car seats in the back. I hope you took some great photos in Willemstadt!

I have the first three days of the cruise done for video and am currently downloading them to youtube. You and Russ have "cameo" appearances on the first two days! Would you mind if i hijack your thread and post the links on here? It is worth  watching them for the music alone! My sinus infection has finally cleared up, but I still have a bit of a cough. I have to say, the Medical staff on the Equinox was wonderful, even at 3AM!

Jim and Toni

 

Hey Jim and Toni!

 

We had a great time meeting you both as well! No worries on the diving; it was so nice of you to try to include Russ, and he had a good diving experience in Aruba, plus snorkeling off the sailboat in Bonaire. And my Willemstadt photos turned out very nice; I have posted a few, I may add a few more to this thread.

 

Please hijack my thread and post the videos here; I can’t wait to see them! No hijacking at all; video is the one thing I always forget to do while writing and taking photos!

 

Glad your sinus infection has mostly cleared up! Sorry you had to be the Cruise Critic guinea pig for how a trip to Medical at 3AM went. 

 

Already looking forward to our next Celebrity trip...we keep checking those Celebrity e-mail promotions and offers in case an offer too good to pass up comes our way!