Live report Equinox Eastern Caribbean, July 30-Aug 7, Aft Corner Sky Suite

[kwis29]

Welcome to another “live” cruise review! This is my first time, so go easy on me. Since I am a teacher, I have no pressing work to think about on this summer cruise. With all this extra free time on my hands, I thought I would try a live report. While I rarely post anything on CC, I have been an avid lurker for the past 10 years. I always appreciate the live cruise reports, and there have been some great reports over the past few months. Time to give back! Here goes nothing . . .

 

My first cruises were as a teenager in the late 1990’s with my grandparents on Holland America. I fell in love with cruising because of those experiences and created wonderful memories with my grandparents.

 

My husband (Andy) and I (Kelly) decided to cruise this summer to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary and our 40th birthdays. A lot to celebrate! Andy and I cruised together for the first time in 2010, early in our dating relationship. My husband tells me that he knew he wanted to marry me after this first cruise. How romantic! Since 2010, we have cruised almost every year, mostly with Celebrity, once each with Norwegian and HAL. We definitely think that Celebrity fits us best. When we aren’t on a cruise, we frequently travel to Key West and Maui, with some Disney World magic thrown in once in a while. 

 

Our last cruise was on the Equinox for Spring Break 2019. (with Captain Kate-love her! Follow her on Instagram if you don’t already) We had a big, once-in-a-lifetime family cruise scheduled for April 2020, and we all know what happened next! We contemplated returning to a cruise earlier, but could never commit. Now we are ready to get our sea legs again! Since we haven’t cruised in a few years, I feel a little like a newbie. I used to know exactly what to pack and now I am struggling. This likely means I will pack way too much, but we will have some extra space in our cabin this time . . .

 

Because we will be staying in a corner-aft Sky Suite! Our first time in a suite! (Any tips to share for the suite experience?) We typically stay in a Concierge cabin due to location, price, extra points (not the "amenities"- those are mostly worthless to us), but we decided to splurge a bit due to our milestone celebrations this year. We have been on the Solstice (x2), Silhouette, Reflection, Summit, and Equinox. We are back on the Equinox for this 8-day eastern Caribbean cruise. The only thing we are worried about is the summer heat. We have been to Playa del Carmen, Orlando and Key West in the summer, and that heat was intense. (Will the eastern Caribbean be just as hot and humid?) Our summer weather this year in Wisconsin has been fabulous! We have been spoiled with mostly moderate temps and low humidity, nothing close to our normal hot and sticky summers. Our poor Midwestern skin will be highly protected with hats and sunscreen and swim shirts and portable fans and chilly towels. We will be fighting off the chair hogs for the limited spots in the shade. 

 

I think I have procrastinated long enough with this first post and better go back to staring at my closet. Wish me luck as I begin the packing process! I am going to attempt to include some images of the two of us from past cruises as practice for my future posts. Fingers crossed that they will work.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by kwis29

[Wink87]

Fabulous! Looking forward to your posts!

[MR_T]

Looking forward to following along, we board the Reflection in September so you will help us get through some of the wait 👍🏼
 

Hope you enjoy the suite life and hope you have a fabulous cruise 🍸😎

[AbbyCruiser45]

I'll be following along on-board 🙂 

[cangelmd]

You will have a wonderful cruise! The suite e perience on Equinox is somewhere between the full blown experience on Edge and the old suites on Reflection.

Get to the Retreat Sundeck early and stake out a shady spot! Our experience last August is that it will be very hot, but very empty, so the service is attentive- the fruit skewers, French Caribbeans, and iced towels really help with the heat! You can go for a cooler, shady spot on the pool deck after lunch.

[hasentreelake]

As a retreat guest...

you may ask to dine in Blu (space available).

take advantage of early debarkation from the retreat lounge.
you have access to an enhanced in room breakfast menu.
 

 

 

[sdnich]

I look forward to reading your trip report!! Our last cruise was on the Equinox in a sky Suite # 1665 for our first B2B !! Such an amazing trip!! We have 56 days till we get on the Summit  to Canada and really look forward to hearing about your trip !! 

[kwis29]

4 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

As a retreat guest...

you may ask to dine in Blu (space available).

take advantage of early debarkation from the retreat lounge.
you have access to an enhanced in room breakfast menu.
 

 

 

Thanks for the reminder about access to Blu! That would be helpful when the Luminae menu isn't appealing to us

[miched]

Enjoy your cruise and Happy Birthday.    If you are turning 40 it is actually your 41st birthday.  The day you were born was the first one and I am sure many celebrated it.  
 

When in a suite we mostly spend time on the balcony.    It is quiet, no chair hogs and at the right time of day in the shade.  We always grab a few extra towels from the pool to use as extra padding on the chairs.  The butler will usually accommodate any request you have such as snacks, and etc to have while lounging around enjoying the suite.  

 

Try to visit the retreat lounge around 4 pm.  They usually have some activity and serve some great finger foods.   The night when the officers visit be sure for the photographer to take a picture of both you with the Captain.  You will find it is well worth it.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[markeb]

We'll keep an eye out for you in Michael's (or the Retreat Lounge). We can discuss the bottom of 8th of the 2019 NL Wild Card Game...  😇

[Surfguyxxx]

I'll be sailing on Equinox in September and very much looking forward to your perspective.  Thanks for doing this 👍🏻.  

[jimbri]

Have a great time.

[MR.Kwis29]

Looking forward to following along since 1) I am on the same cruise.  2) I am your husband.

[Surfguyxxx]

27 minutes ago, MR.Kwis29 said:

Looking forward to following along since 1) I am on the same cruise.  2) I am your husband.

Now that's funny 🤣

[MR.Kwis29]

Similar to Kwis29 I am a long time CC lurker, never post (had to create an account today to actually post something).  Usually just follow along to what people are posting about.  Have learned a lot over the years from this site.  We research our trips A TON.  CC, Youtube (pick an Equinox youtube review from the last 2 years, I have watched it). 

 

Expect to hear me chime in occasionally on food and drink.  I am sarcastic by nature, but there is no sarcastic font so I will try to keep it at minimum (what I really want to say is I don't know how I am going stay hydrated if I can only find a water in those pesky metal bottles, hopefully I can find a wine that is drinkable with my premium package, as an avid bourbon drinker they better have Pappy Van Winkle available at all bars with the proper bourbon sipping glass, if I get a drink from the martini bar that is made with anything other than Gin I hope someone tells me within 3 minutes it is not really a martini). 

 

In all seriousness though, this site has been a great resource for us and we look forward to posting throughout our trip.

 

[MR.Kwis29]

Everyone is interested in our pre-cruise travel plans...right?  We live in WI but are within 2 hours of Ohare airport.  We started flying out of Chicago instead of Milwaukee the last couple of years (if MKE did not have a direct flight where we were going) to limit connections and time in airports.  We fly out of ORD tomorrow am direct to FLL for our Saturday Port Everglades cruise departure.

 

We are staying at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort.  We have sailed out of Port Everglades many times, always in the past staying along 17th St.  We are looking forward to staying in a different area, even though we really won't be there that long to fully enjoy the beach and the resort.

[snowowl]

I am sailing in a Sky Suite on the Equinox currently. We tried to dine in Blu last night but were told by the Manager that only passengers from the Royal and Penthouse Suites can request to dine in Blu now. We checked with our Personal Retreat Host and he also confirmed this new policy.  This is a total surprise  to us. 

[Host Anne]

Hello Kwis Family ~ we're sailing with you!  Please join us for sailaway at the Sunset Bar, deck 15 aft.  We will be meeting on the starboard side of the ship (non-smoking).  I'll be there around 3:30 with my husband (also Andy!).  

 

Mr. Kwis....my husband is a big bourbon drinker as well.  Don't count on Pappy being available 😉  But we do have a place on St. Maarten that has quite a few bourbons from KY that we can't get at home.  

 

Looking forward to meeting all three of you....you will love your aft corner sky suite!

[kwis29]

10 hours ago, markeb said:

We'll keep an eye out for you in Michael's (or the Retreat Lounge). We can discuss the bottom of 8th of the 2019 NL Wild Card Game...  😇

I am sure my husband has thoughts on this that he would love to discuss! 

[kwis29]

Good morning! 

 

Before I return to the trip report, it appears we have a common Cruise Critic problem developing on this thread. You know when you are enjoying someone’s cruise report and then BHAM! You encounter a thread hijacker. It looks like I might have one of those on my thread, and he lives with me 🙂

 

Since Andy already covered a few of the topics that I was going to discuss, I will keep you entertained by showing our Wordle results from today. We use the same starter word to keep things competitive. (I won)

 

 

Time for some pre-cruise info!

 

 

Did I finish packing yesterday? No. Will I finish packing today? If I only could narrow down # of shoes and swimming suits. Maybe I can sneak a few into Andy’s suitcase while he is busy writing his next CC post!

 

Pre-cruise travel:

Alarm is set for our drive to Chicago tomorrow morning. We literally DRIVE PAST the Milwaukee airport, but we think it is worth it. I recently flew out of the MKE airport and forgot how small and stress-free it is compared to ORD. When flying out of Chicago, we park our car at Pre-Flight, always with an advanced reservation. This is particularly important when we fly during Spring Break. Pre-Flight parking has been good to us so far, so I would recommend them. Be sure to download the app, which includes a tracker for their shuttle buses.

 

I am excited to try out the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort and explore that area. The plan is to keep things low-key when we arrive. Maybe just enjoy some drinks and dinner at the hotel or a near-by restaurant. Really looking forward to an early morning run along the beach before we head to the port. And there is a Starbucks in the hotel. What more could you want?

 

As we said, DH and I long-time Cruise Critic lurkers, so we compiled a list of “pressing” questions that we are dying to learn the answers to once we get on board the ship. 

1. Besides the question about availability with wine and bourbon- is bar service so slow that we won’t get any use out of the premium package and will just be thirsty the entire time?!

2. Luminae: are the entrees as weird as they sound in the descriptions? Can we order easily from the MDR? From the kids menu? (I keep reading that the kids filet is delicious!)

3. What will our retreat host do? Nothing? Everything?

4. What is the passenger count?

5. Will the internet speed bring back painful memories of connecting to the dial-up internet on our landlines during high school?

6. How many chair hogs will take over the chairs on the retreat deck?

7. Will we run into the poles in our Sky Suite?

8. What type of furniture will be on our balcony?

9. Kids in the Solarium? Will I need to use my “teacher” voice? That rarely gets used during the summer.

 

Now I really need to finish packing so I can spend as much quality time as I can with this guy before we leave:

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by kwis29

[Jim_Iain]

Looking forward to following along.  Hope you have a wonderful time.

[lithiananner]

I'm so happy you decided to come out of lurking and post this live thread!!  I'm enjoying it so much and can't wait to hear your thoughts and observations while sailing on your cruise.  I'm sailing on the Equinox in several weeks so I plan to follow right along with you!  Have a wonderful vacation and Bon Voyage! 

[snowowl]

44 minutes ago, kwis29 said:

Good morning! 

 

Before I return to the trip report, it appears we have a common Cruise Critic problem developing on this thread. You know when you are enjoying someone’s cruise report and then BHAM! You encounter a thread hijacker. It looks like I might have one of those on my thread, and he lives with me 🙂

 

Since Andy already covered a few of the topics that I was going to discuss, I will keep you entertained by showing our Wordle results from today. We use the same starter word to keep things competitive. (I won)

 

 

Time for some pre-cruise info!

 

 

Did I finish packing yesterday? No. Will I finish packing today? If I only could narrow down # of shoes and swimming suits. Maybe I can sneak a few into Andy’s suitcase while he is busy writing his next CC post!

 

Pre-cruise travel:

Alarm is set for our drive to Chicago tomorrow morning. We literally DRIVE PAST the Milwaukee airport, but we think it is worth it. I recently flew out of the MKE airport and forgot how small and stress-free it is compared to ORD. When flying out of Chicago, we park our car at Pre-Flight, always with an advanced reservation. This is particularly important when we fly during Spring Break. Pre-Flight parking has been good to us so far, so I would recommend them. Be sure to download the app, which includes a tracker for their shuttle buses.

 

I am excited to try out the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort and explore that area. The plan is to keep things low-key when we arrive. Maybe just enjoy some drinks and dinner at the hotel or a near-by restaurant. Really looking forward to an early morning run along the beach before we head to the port. And there is a Starbucks in the hotel. What more could you want?

 

As we said, DH and I long-time Cruise Critic lurkers, so we compiled a list of “pressing” questions that we are dying to learn the answers to once we get on board the ship. 

1. Besides the question about availability with wine and bourbon- is bar service so slow that we won’t get any use out of the premium package and will just be thirsty the entire time?!

2. Luminae: are the entrees as weird as they sound in the descriptions? Can we order easily from the MDR? From the kids menu? (I keep reading that the kids filet is delicious!)

3. What will our retreat host do? Nothing? Everything?

4. What is the passenger count?

5. Will the internet speed bring back painful memories of connecting to the dial-up internet on our landlines during high school?

6. How many chair hogs will take over the chairs on the retreat deck?

7. Will we run into the poles in our Sky Suite?

8. What type of furniture will be on our balcony?

9. Kids in the Solarium? Will I need to use my “teacher” voice? That rarely gets used during the summer.

 

Now I really need to finish packing so I can spend as much quality time as I can with this guy before we leave:

 

 

Hi Kwis29,

 

I can answer your balcony furniture question as I am currently in a corner Sky Suite on the Equinox. I have attached photo for you. We also have 2 poles in our cabin but they don’t pose any problem to us. 

[hasentreelake]

1. Besides the question about availability with wine and bourbon- is bar service so slow that we won’t get any use out of the premium package and will just be thirsty the entire time?!
   * There plenty of bars on the ship and waitstaff.   We always enjoy having the premium package
   * This will start a thread highjack, but I always tip early and often and get to know the bartenders. 🙂 
   * They will remember you and what you order.

2. Luminae: are the entrees as weird as they sound in the descriptions? Can we order easily from the MDR? From the kids menu? (I keep reading that the kids filet is delicious!)
   * Yes - the entrees are 'not to our liking' (JMO)
   * Yes - you can order from main dininig and kids menus.
   * PS - we find ourselves now booking non-suite class and getting specialty dining for most nights _ we prefer this over Luminae.   

3. What will our retreat host do? Nothing? Everything?
    * They will help you when you ask.  Not much for them really if you are self sufficient.

4. What is the passenger count?

5. Will the internet speed bring back painful memories of connecting to the dial-up internet on our landlines during high school?
   * Yes

6. How many chair hogs will take over the chairs on the retreat deck?
   * Depends.  No pool there, so many will opt out.  Also, very windy at sea.  Your age crowd with family will probably prefer the main pool areas.

7. Will we run into the poles in our Sky Suite?
   *  Depends - but probably

8. What type of furniture will be on our balcony?
   * asked and answered above.  Looks just like our aft Sky suite furniture on Silly Nov'21

9. Kids in the Solarium? Will I need to use my “teacher” voice? That rarely gets used during the summer.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Kwis29 and Mr.Kwis, I am loving your live review already! Thank you for taking the time to post. Tiki_Man and I have a cruise booked on Equinox in January, and like you, I have been doing lots of research.

 

And lucky you to be sailing with Host Anne and Andy, they are the best!

 

Safe travels!