Somewhat live from the Equinox 10/8

[D C]

28 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Right this very moment I have a textpad open and  am doing a brief summary of Monday and the post from yesterday.  Thanks though - great minds think alike..

 

Interesting on what DS thought.  Mike said he thought a gurney left the ship and went into the terminal.  I did see them bring one on board,  and load someone into an ambulance.  Our guess was that T&C didn't have the facilities to handle it, so we went to Aruba, which of course is much bigger.

 

DS is texting me from "an old fort near the port" right now.  🙂 He said there was a covid case onboard that was disembarked in Aruba, but they've been unaffected, thankfully. 

[abbydancer2003]

I’m going to briefly summarize our second sea day.  I am now writing in textedit and will paste.  I finally learned my lesson.

 

Some highlights of the second sea day.

 

The morning announcement from the captain was that we will arrive in Aruba around midnight.

 

Lunch was in Luminae.  Kathy made the mistake of checking work, so she had to wait on some emails.    When the rest of got to Luminae, Jesus announced that they’d prepared Lumpia for her (apparently she had a Philippine aunt who would make it for her.  He offered to pack it up for her.  In addition, they’d made a second plate, so Glen, Mike and I enjoyed that.

 

Later in the evening, we headed to the retreat lounge before going to see the show.  There we ran into the couple we met when checking in.  We spent an hour chatting with them while waiting for the show.  We agreed to meet the next morning to go for brunch at the Dutch Pancake house in Aruba.

 

At 7 we went to see Elysium.  This is about the 5 or 6th time I’ve seen it, and it’s different every time.  This was no exception.    On the way out of the theater, we ran into Ryan and Melissa.  They’re having a great cruise.

 

As we were chatting, the captain announced that a guest had presented with symptoms and tested positive.  They would be disembarked in the morning and close contacts would be tested.  It was pretty quiet for a while after that.

 

We went into the lounge and talked with Yulia on the amount of covid on ships.  She said that only on the last cruise did they not have a single case.  She also told me that the reason the second cruise would be cancelled on a 2b2 if you’re a contact is that you can no longer answer the heath questionnaire with all nos.  

 

After dinner in Luminae, we decided to walk the upper decks.  It was very windy, and we noticed they had the doors to deck 12 were locked,, but not the other decks.  We then went back to the room and tried to calculate if we are going to Aruba tonight.  While out we thought we saw the distant lights.  From the balcony, it was clear we were close.

 

At about midnight, I went to the top deck to watch the sail in.  One the lines went down, I went back to the room.  Glen was on the balcony and there was an ambulance below our room.

 

We watched for a while.  Eventually, they put down the gangway, and rolled a gurney up.  About an hour later, it came down with the patient on it.  They loaded he/she into the ambulance, and away it went and to bed we went.

[jg51]

3 hours ago, abbydancer said:

 

... We went into the lounge and talked with Yulia on the amount of covid on ships.  She said that only on the last cruise did they not have a single case.  She also told me that the reason the second cruise would be cancelled on a [b2b] if you’re a contact is that you can no longer answer the heath questionnaire with all nos.  ...

.

Thanks for this extremely welcome news, "abbydancer."  The previous corporation-wide policy -- to send home a close contact, even if he/she tested negative -- was horrifically unjust and stupid.  Glad to know that "X" came to its senses!

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!  Don't worry.  Everything will be fine for at least 99% of the guests and crew (speaking from experience of being aboard the same ship for 21 beautiful nights in September).

.

[chamima]

18 hours ago, abbydancer said:

As we were chatting, the captain announced that a guest had presented with symptoms and tested positive.  They would be disembarked in the morning and close contacts would be tested.We went into the lounge and talked with Yulia on the amount of covid on ships.  She said that only on the last cruise did they not have a single case.  She also told me that the reason the second cruise would be cancelled on a 2b2 if you’re a contact is that you can no longer answer the heath questionnaire with all nos.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

This sounds like the policy of cancelling the second cruise of a B2B if you've come into contact and tested negative is still in effect.

Edited October 14, 2021 by chamima

[abbydancer2003]

Today is Aruba.  Obviously, we could have left the ship early, but because of the late night, we didn’t, and missed breakfast for the most part.  Which was OK because we were heading for Dutch pancakes.  We met Mike in Al Bacio for coffee and a pastry.  At about 10:40 we headed out to meet Joel and Netiva (couple from the line).  We found them at the terminal exit and we walked to the mall near the Renaissance hotel.

 

The. Dutch Pancake House is in that mall, and when Beth and I went in August, it was yummy, so I decided we should do it again.  We took our new friends with us, and we all enjoyed it.  This time, Glen and I split a savory bacon and cheese pancake and strawberry mini-pancakes.  I wasn’t too fond of the bacon, as it was a round variety (not quite Canadian), but the cheese baked was good, and the strawberry mini pancakes delicious.

 

After that, we did a bit of shopping in the local gift shops (bought nothing) we headed back to the ship.  After resting a while, we headed to Al Bacio, and then spent some time with a fellow member of our roll call.  Following that, we went for a swim at the Solarium pool.  That was pleasant and it wasn’t too crowded.

 

After that we dressed for dinner and headed to the retreat lounge.  The only issue with is that it can get very loud if there’s a group in there - IMHO not really the image you want for a bar.  I’m going to suggest they put in rugs or something.  Soon, our friends Joel and Netiva joined us, followed by Mike and Kathy.  J&N left, we hung out for a while and then Kathy and I went shopping.  I bought a few things and we headed to dinner.  

 

Earlier in the cruise we’d asked for the palette cleansers between main and dessert.  We didn’t get them on Monday night for some reason, but they were back tonight.  It was a lovely green sorbet that somehow I heard celery.  So Glen told me it was indeed celery.  Jesus, when he came back said it wasn’t - it was kiwi.  Was very good, though.

 

After dinner, we called it a wrap.

 

[sunsetme]

Who is the cruise director? How crowded are the shows, elevators, getting off and on the ship in port?

[wrk2cruise]

On 10/13/2021 at 4:16 PM, jg51 said:

The previous corporation-wide policy -- to send home a close contact, even if he/she tested negative -- was horrifically unjust and stupid.

 

Celebrity has not disembarked any close contacts mid cruise on these startup cruises out of the US at least.   I agree that some of their preliminary statements on the website (and probably still in the contract) did say they were able to do this.   I have not heard of any close contacts that eventually tested positive (at least while onboard).

 

The only close contacts that have been "sent home" are B2B passengers who are allowed to complete their current sailing but are not allowed to continue on the next even if they have repeatedly tested negative.

[JennAngel9]

Hi Abby-- thank you for bringing us along with you on your trip.  🙂

 

We are traveling on the Equinox next month and only 2 of 6 in our group are traveling in a suite.  Is it difficult to get guests into Luminae for dinner? (We're aware of the per person upcharge and don't mnid paying it.)  I've heard that Luminae is generally full because even though the ship is at lower capacity they are filling the suites. 

[abbydancer2003]

1 minute ago, JennAngel9 said:

Hi Abby-- thank you for bringing us along with you on your trip.  🙂

 

We are traveling on the Equinox next month and only 2 of 6 in our group are traveling in a suite.  Is it difficult to get guests into Luminae for dinner? (We're aware of the per person upcharge and don't mnid paying it.)  I've heard that Luminae is generally full because even though the ship is at lower capacity they are filling the suites. 

We were able to bring friends in when we wanted, but I suspect flexibility on time would help.  We eat late and by the time we get there the restaurant is about half empty by 8:15.  I hope this helps.

 

Cruise director is Eddy Jenkins. Elevators can be very empty or a little crowded,   In 4 ports, today, when reembarking, they felt crowded, but i think we just timed it badly.  Today was the first time there were more than 2 people reboarding when we did, and I think timing is a matter of luck.

 

Theater is about 1/3 full, and if you're willing to sit in the side section, it's not that hard to get a seat without others being near you.  

 

 

[JennAngel9]

1 minute ago, abbydancer said:

We were able to bring friends in when we wanted, but I suspect flexibility on time would help.  We eat late and by the time we get there the restaurant is about half empty by 8:15.  I hope this helps.

 

 

Thank you!  This gives me some comfort (we've actually asked the shoreside concierge specifically to ensure we can bring guests on Thanksgiving dinner and embarkation night, but a few additional days might be nice).

Perhaps we'll just try to keep the whole extended family on California time. 🙂

[abbydancer2003]

On to Curasao. i'm now thinking that in the next few days, I'll go ahead and post a bunch of pictures when I get home, and have wifi on my laptop and phone.

 

Our plan for Curacao was to visit the Mikve Israel-Emanual synagogue.  It is the oldest one in the Western Hemisphere.  Beth and I were there in August, but the museum was closed for renovation.  They did tell us it would be closed for another week, so it should be open now.  

 

We started with breakfast in Luminae, and then headed out around 10:00.  The synagogue is in the old section of Curacao, so across the pontoon bridge.  I remembered how to go, so off we went.  

 

We arrived, paid our 10.00 each and visited.  First up was the actual synagogue, and, as I’ve ,mentioned before, it has the sand floor common in some parts of the world.  After visiting the synagogue, we headed to the museum.  The woman who worked there told us it was a living museum, meaning that a lot of the artifacts are leant to the museum and are still in use.

 

The museum is on two floors.  The second floor is running a video about George Maduro, a local man who went to Holland for schooling, stayed for law school, and joined the Dutch military reserves in 1940 or so.  He was part of the resistances to the Germans, and eventually got captured by the Gestapo, and was sent to Dachau where he eventually died of typhus.  The miniature village of Madurodam in the Hague is named for him.  There’s a replica of his home on Curacao there.

 

After finishing there we walked by the floating market and followed the water to get back to the pontoon bridge.  On this walk we noticed a ferry.  I thought it would be fun to take it, but we didn’t know if it cost money and we had no small bills.  Later we found out that the ferry runs when the pontoon bridge is open and it’s free.

 

We arrived back at the ship and headed up to our room for a rest and recovery.  It’s very hot out so we needed a bit of time.  

 

At 1:30 we joined Mike and Kathy for sushi.   I don’t think it’s been open for lunch on port days before.   I skipped the Ramen slider in favor of the gingerbread dessert, which was good, but I don’t think I need Sushi on 5 again for a while.

 

After that, we prepared for a visit from Ryan and Melissa, who we’d invited to a little suite party in our room.  We had a bottle of pinot noir and we opened that.  Orlando had given us some shrimp and a cheese plate and we enjoyed those while chatting.  

 

After that it was down to the lounge for a while and then dinner.  We decided to go to bed early, as we have a private tour in Bonaire and have to be out early.

,

[Stem to Stern]

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your cruise!😎🥰

[abbydancer2003]

First, sorry for the delay.  Things got a bit crazy with leaving, etc.

 

Anyway, before I get on to Bonaire, I want to mention a couple of other things that happened yesterday.  While Ryan and Melissa were visiting with us, we noticed an ambulance pulling up.  They unloaded a gurney and then, about 20 minutes later, it came back with a patient on it.  We figured it wasn’t Covid because there was no indication - ie no hazmat suits, patient not with monitors or oxygen etc.  The patient was loaded into the ambulance, and we watched the ambulance drive to the medical center, which was not far.  It looked pretty modern.

 

We also went to Murano for dinner.  That was a nice experience, although in the center of the restaurant there a round couch thingie with tables around it.  We were in one, next to a table of six, and they were a bit loud.  My recommendation to to request not to sit there.  Glen and I shared the Chateaubriand was was wonderful.  Kathy ordered the table side lobster, and it’s a pity I don’t like it because it smelled fantastic.

 

On to Bonaire.  We had booked a  snorkeling trip through  an excursion company.  We were to go out on a boat head to a snorkeling spot and enjoy a snorkel and food and drink on the boat.  

 

Our instructions said to exit the ship and turn left and look for the tents.  Somewhere in my mind I thought it was the white tents (not the first time I’ve done this).  From our window I could see some white tents.so I assumed that’s where we were going.  It was, I’d say about 6-7 blocks away.  So we headed to breakfast, and then left the ship around 8:30.  Our meeting was at 9 am, so we gave ourselves some extra time.  We were told to look for the “Compass” sign.

 

We walked to the white tents and discovered they were the covers for a bar.  Fortunately, there was a woman booking water taxis, so we asked her before moving onward.  She said to go back to the small row of tents right near the ship.  So back we went.  There were a few companies advertise taxis, golf carts etc, but we didn’t see Compass.  I asked and a man standing with a couple said that’s us.  Apparently there was only 4 of us, so we left the area.

 

Wimm, the Compass person (owner I later found out) took us to an older truck and said that one door didn’t work, but there was room for us and Alan and Susie, the other couple.  He told us we’d drive to a marina, and that Marianne would meet us there (did I mention this was a three hour tour?). 

 

We soon arrived at a resort, and there was a young lady waiting for us.  (Yes, that was Marianne).  We walked through the resort to a marine and to a sail boat helmed by Marcos.  We had to take our shoes off and leave them in a box by the boat.  We settled in for the trip and headed out. 

 

First thing was that Marianne provided us with fruit juice and offered us mini stoop waffles.   They’re a dutch caramel wafer and one of my favorites.  They’re best when you put them on top of your coffee cup and let the caramel melt (usually not possible with the mini’s though).  We headed out around the Equinox and across the water to a good spot for snorkeling.  There are several of those around the island.  She also served mini sandwiches of brie on raisin rolls.  I probably would never have thought of that combination, but it was fantastic.  Next she gave us tuna on rolls, and since I don’t eat it, she gave mine to Marcos and gave me a second brie one.   We also got to know our fellow participants.  Susie and Alan were from the Phoenix area.  Our crew of two were both from Holland.  We did talk some about vaccine rates.  All aboard are vaccinated.

 

Eventually we reached the spot.  They gave snorkeling equipment to us, but I don’t actually do it.  I’ve tried, and as soon as my mouth gets underwater  panic.  So my plan was to stay on the boat.  Susie said she wasn’t sure she was going.    Marianne was also snorkeling - I guess to make sure there were no problems.  After a few minutes Marcos suggested I go in with a mask so that I could look under the water.  

 

I was game so I went in.  Several times, I put the mask over my nose and eyes, held my breather and looked at the coral and fishes.  I was glad that was suggested to me.  After about 20 minutes I was done, so headed back to the boat.  Once I was on the bank, Marcos offered to use his shower spray wand to remove the salt water.  It was very refreshing.  

 

Soon after, Susie came back, followed by Glen, Alan and Marianne.  With all aboard, we we headed back to the marina.  They served more drinks, and Glen and Alan tried a local bear, and I had water and soda.

 

Wimm was waiting for us at the marina.  We exited the boat, and walked with him to the truck.  We did ask about how his company has been doing - they were down 90% from their average.  They did tell us that the company also does sunset tours with a buffet - they do have a barbecue grill on the back.

 

Once we arrived in town, he dropped us about 2 blocks from the pier and we headed straight back to the ship, since it was oppressively hot.

 

Once on the ship we went up to the Ocean View buffet and had a quick lunch.  Following that, we went to the room and showered.

 

We were scheduled to leave Bonaire at 4pm and we’d been invited to the helipad for the spillway.  So we headed there to find quite a few people there (I was a little spoiled on the Summit).  We met up with Joel and Nativa, as well as some of the roll call folk.  

 

After sailing out of Bonaire we walked out with Joel and Nativa.  I mentioned that I’d never seen an aft S2, and we have that on 2 future cruises.  So I asked if I could see their room.  They agreed, so we went.  The room itself is the same as ours, but the balcony is open and not below the buffet.  We stayed there for a while, and then went back upstairs to get ready for dinner.

 

We then went to the lounge, and soon after J&N joined us.  We all went to the show, which was the Broadway cabaret by the vocalists.  I was curious if it’s improved at all.   Usually it’s a bunch of old songs, (with something from Dream Girls being the most recent) and at least one from a show nobody’s ever heard of.   This one didn’t disappoint in that regard.  We got One Night Only from Dream Girls, and something from The Bridges of Madison County(????  - what?  Bridges of Madison County the Musical???).

 

After the show, we went to the atrium to dance for a bit before we met M&K for dinner.  Tonight, we’d invited Ryan and Melissa to be our guests at dinner.  We all had a nice time and Ryan entertained us by telling us about his quest to visit all the presidential libraries.

 

We were exhausted, so went back to the room after dinner.  I was hoping to watch the final game of the Dodgers/Giants play off, but apparently there was Thursday night football so it was on ESPN 3 and the ship only has ESPN1 and ESPN2.  I did look at the score online and it was tied when I went to bed, but not so good in the AM.

 

[barbels]

Hi Abby

Thanks for this review. 

We are about to book the January 30 cruise.  I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to the premium drinks package.  Do you remember what the current limit is for this package and what the martinis cost at the Martini bar?

 

[abbydancer2003]

10 minutes ago, barbels said:

Hi Abby

Thanks for this review. 

We are about to book the January 30 cruise.  I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to the premium drinks package.  Do you remember what the current limit is for this package and what the martinis cost at the Martini bar?

 

I think 9 vs 15 dollars.  I didn't actually get to the martini bar, but last time I was there they were all except one or two under the premium limit.

 

I'll be on the Summit next month (in a week and a half) and if you ask again there when I'm on (planning to do a report) I'll be happy to double check.

 

 

And FYI - I am planning to add the last two sea days soon.

Edited October 23, 2021 by abbydancer

[barbels]

Thanks so much.  I will absolutely be reading your next review.

Barbara

[abbydancer2003]

Finishing this weekend - just in time for the next.

 

We tried to sleep in, but when you go to bed early, you wake up sort of early.  We were up around 8, so decided to go to breakfast in Luminae.  We got a text from Mike about it so we met them for breakfast.  After breakfast we headed to our usual spot, Al Baccio.  We met the captain there, and complimented him on his amazing crew.  He did offer to treat us to a drink, which is very generous when you know that most people have beverages packages which cover it.   

 

At 12, I had to go for my flash mob rehearsal, so we agreed to meet for lunch at about 1:15.  At 12:30 the rehearsal ended, so I met Glen at our room, and we soon went back downstairs to meet for lunch.

 

After lunch, we had a 3:30 meeting with the future cruise department.   We had about an hour to kill so we went up to the retreat sundeck and had a snack.  We went back the room at about 3, and at 3:10 we got a call that we were supposed to be in the lounge for our meeting.  We ran down, and met with Antonio.  We’d also invited Ryan and Melissa to come to the meeting as well.  I texted them to come as soon as they could.  

 

Glen and I had talked about potential cruises, we already have a ton in 2022, (half rebooked from 2020 and 2021) and 3 big ones in 2023, so we’re looking at 2024.  Not much is out yet, but we have talked about 2024, maybe Australia, the Middle East or one across Cape Horn.   Luckily for us, the Edge is doing Australia in early 2024, so we selected a mid January sailing, round trip from Sydney.  We asked about the transpacific to there, but it’s too close to Galapagos.  Ryan and Melissa arrived while we were there, and they’d expressed an interest in the area.  So they decided to go with us, and booked their first suite.  We also booked a random holding cruise just to have one.

 

While we were doing that, Joel and Nativa arrived and we ran a little into their time.  I apologized.

 

Next activity was Friday night services.  I met M&K near there and we joined about 8 other people.  There was much discussion about who should lead it.  (I certainly couldn’t).  Finally someone volunteered and it was held.  Most interesting thing was that when a second gentleman did a prayer (they’re sung) - his voice was amazing.  Turns out he’s profession cantor (in Judaism the cantor leads the singing and some prayers).  Cantors are perfectly capable of leading a service, but he said he wanted to see how others

 

Tonight was evening chic night, so we went back to the room to dress up.  We’d agreed to dinner at 8:30, and after dressing we headed to the lounge.  We met Mike and Kath there, and hung out for a while and then went to dinner a bit earlier.  There’s a group of 6 who are at a table next to ours, and they start their evening in the lounge with drinks, and so they are somewhat loud, which is part of why we go later.  We arrived right after them tonight.  Oh well.

 

After dinner back to the room for the night.

[abbydancer2003]

Since this was our next to last day, we decided to do breakfast in Luminae.  We met M&K there and had what could be our last breakfast.  After breakfast, we did our usual and headed to Al Baccio.  

 

At 11:30 they started the waltz class.  I had my flash mob final rehearsal afterwards, so I went down and did part of the class by myself, and then with one of the ladies from the flash mob.  

 

At noon, it was time.  We did two run throughs of the number and then disbanded to meet at the pool deck at 12:30.  I realized I didn’t have my sunglasses, so I stopped by the room to get them (the one advantage of being on deck 12).  Glen took his phone jp to deck 13 to record it, and M&K showed up to watch (thanks, guys).  

 

Promptlyish at 12:30 the music started and we did our thing.  We got hi-fives from the team that taught it.  (On Princess we got a little prize swag).  It was certainly fun to do, though, and I met some very nice people during the practices.

 

Lunch followed, our last. We told Jesus we’d be back for dinner at 8:59 pm.   At some point last night, I’d started looking at the cruise we booked yesterday, and the cruises around it.  It’s a 12 New Zealand cruise, with the only Australia port being Sydney.  It’s followed by a 10 day Great Barrier Reef cruise, so we decided to add that.  So I went back down to the Future cruise office.  There was no wait and I booked the following cruise.  ( I thought about the South Pacific cruise prior to it, but the ports didn’t excite me, so we’ll stick to 2.  I told Glen it was training for staying on a ship for months).

 

I then went to the Casino and played down some of my OBC.  Earlier in the day, we’d designated most of our remaining OBC for tips.  I still had about 40.00 left after this.

 

I went back to the room to start packing.  Sad.

 

Following that was our usual lounge visit.  We met Joel and Nativa there, and, in conversation discovered that we all were former adult skaters.  Anyone listening to our conversation would have found it strange.  N:  “I was freestyle 1”. J:  “I was freestyle 2”. A; “I was freestyle 4”   

FYI, those are the test levels for the recreational skating organization.  We decided to to to the show, the production show “Life”.  Not much production, mostly singing with some dancing.  Not to the level of Topper or the first Elysium I saw.  

 

After the show we walked them to Q’sine for Le Petit Chef.  We said our goodbyes because they are leaving at 7:30 tomorrow morning.  I really do hope that we will see them again in the future.  We do have contact information for them.

 

We then went to our final dinner.  Normally we are at a table in the middle of the back room, but tonight they put us in the back corner to give us distance from the loud people.  It was a lovely farewell dinner, although I’m pretty sure we’ll go back tomorrow for breakfast.  In any case, we said our goodbyes, and mentioned that my sister and I will be back on the Equinox in 2023.  

 

We finished the day by going back to our room and packing.  Our bags went out around 11.  Glen tends to take the time seriously, but I know that’s recommended, but not required, but we do try to get them in close.  (Several years ago his bag got retagged and he’s convinced it’s because it went out late.  This in spite of a lot more where the bag was where it was supposed to be.

[abbydancer2003]

Sadly, Sunday happened, and we had to leave.  We woke up early enough for a last meal in Luminae, which, of course closed early.  M&K went straight to the lounge.  After breakfast we joined them in the lounge.  We decided to wait until they kicked us off the ship, since we were going to a local hotel for the night, and M&K were going with us to hang out until their flight.  

 

About the time there were only a few people left, Glen left for a few minutes and came back and said his X provided mask broke.  I asked Yulia about getting him another one (the masks here were the blue crew color, and when I was on the Summit, we worked very hard to get one of that color).  Yulia said if we waited 5 minutes or so, she could bring one.  Fine with us, we’re in no hurry.

 

I think it took her a little more than 5 minutes but she did arrive with it, gave it to Glen, and then told us to leave.  She walked us out the back door of the lounge, right to the gangway.  We hugged her goodbye and left the ship.  It turns out that the delay completely cleared the gangway, so we were the only people walking down it.  As we walked in the terminal to luggage pickup, we were passed by people with luggage - they were the entertainers leaving the ship.  We arrived in the terminal, and saw our luggage at the far end, near the exit.  

 

We grabbed it and then went through customs, which turned out to be a facial recognition iPad.  That was it and we went out, grabbed an uber (which took two tries since the first driver kept getting lost) and headed to the hotel.  Our room was actually ready, so we moved our bags and spent the afternoon with M&K before they left for the airport.  

 

We later went to dinner with friends from a previous cruise.   

 

At this point nothing much else happened, so I’m calling this a wrap.  I’ll be back on Halloween as I leave for Fort Lauderdale again at 11:45 at night, for our Summit redux cruise.