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

[bjahil47]

Solarium is adults only unless it is raining and they let the youngsters in for a certain time.  We are in #2146 in a few months.  I have visions of bashing into that pole several times!  
 

 Safe travels!

[cruising sister]

I am excited to see you are giving a corner sky suite review.  I am on the equinox in September in a corner sky suite on deck 7.  Have a great cruise.

[Lastdance]

My suite of choice on S class, but love E-class and their huge balconies.  The cabin with the round window and slider is quite nice, as it seems so open with its unique shape and poles.  I hope you all have a wonderful cruse with weather that cooperates.  I still remember my suite experience when prices were more reasonable than they are today.  Enjoy and make memories.

[Host Anne]

1 hour ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

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!

 Mrs Tiki ~ you are so sweet....why don't you and Mr. Tiki book this cruise and come along?  I just checked and I see a 1A available!  That way you can meet Kwis29 and Mr.Kwis in person!!!!  

 

We've sailed Equinox more than any other Celebrity ship.  Can't wait to be onboard in less that 48 hours!!!

[Mrs_Tiki]

7 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

 Mrs Tiki ~ you are so sweet....why don't you and Mr. Tiki book this cruise and come along?  I just checked and I see a 1A available!  That way you can meet Kwis29 and Mr.Kwis in person!!!!  

 

We've sailed Equinox more than any other Celebrity ship.  Can't wait to be onboard in less that 48 hours!!!

I am so tempted! Hope that you all have a marvelous trip.  Happy to know that you have enjoyed Equinox in the past - we have never sailed on her.

 

Mary

[North of 60]

We are on Equinox in September (lowly balcony, not a suite).

My significant other, hereinafter referred to as "She Who Must Be Obeyed" or "SWMBO", likes the odd Gin and Tonic. But she is currently doing the weight watchers thing and is obsessed with asking "how many points is that?".

So - can you check if they have diet tonic on board, please?

If not, I will be relegated to schlepping a case of it onboard when we board.

 

Thanks for your help in keeping this Sherpa under-employed.

 

 

Cheers, and thanks!

Chris (and Bev) in Inuvik, NWT, Canada

[Surfguyxxx]

1 hour ago, North of 60 said:

So - can you check if they have diet tonic on board, please?

If not, I will be relegated to schlepping a case of it onboard when we board.

 

Thanks for your help in keeping this Sherpa under-employed.

Ahhhhhhh🤔  She want's  🥤; she Schleps 🧳

[Host Anne]

8 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

I am so tempted! Hope that you all have a marvelous trip.  Happy to know that you have enjoyed Equinox in the past - we have never sailed on her.

 

Mary

You still have tomorrow....Surprise us!!!!

[North of 60]

13 hours ago, Surfguyxxx said:

Ahhhhhhh🤔  She want's  🥤; she Schleps 🧳

I have learned to live by the motto: "Happy Wife, Happy Life", to which I would add "and living husband".

 

Chris in Inuvik

[chemmo]

Really looking forward to following your adventures!

 

Re Luminae. One of the problems with Luminae is you can read the menu and not really have a clue about what the dishes will actually look like! On our first few cruises we would ask what was actually in each dish. Some waiters were great and would describe the dishes well, others were a bit more dismissive and would simply say ‘try it’…Also veggies can be more of a garnish than a portion so ask if you would like a side of salad or greens…
 

Re Speciality restaurants. When we were last on Equinox we had great service  in both Murano and Tuscan, also the sommeliers were great at matching wines (within the premium package) to each course. 
 

Re Blu…I would think the present restriction is regarding spacing. If you really want to dine there one evening I suggest you have a quiet word with the Luminae M’D saying you would be happy to go very early/very late and they may be able to liaise with the Blu M’D and organise…

Edited July 29, 2022 by chemmo

[weregoingcruising]

1 hour ago, North of 60 said:

I have learned to live by the motto: "Happy Wife, Happy Life", to which I would add "and living husband".

 

Chris in Inuvik

For some it's "Got Rid Of Wife,Now Happy Life"

Edited July 29, 2022 by weregoingcruising
spelling

[Surfguyxxx]

2 minutes ago, weregoingcruising said:

For some it's "Got Rid Of Wife,Now Happy Life"

My husband is a divorce attorney; he'll like that one 🤣⚖️

[miched]

1 hour ago, weregoingcruising said:

For some it's "Got Rid Of Wife,Now Happy Life"

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[North of 60]

1 hour ago, weregoingcruising said:

For some it's "Got Rid Of Wife,Now Happy Life"

I just keep remembering a couple of things:
1) We are in a balcony cabin; and
2) SWMBO watches Dateline and 48 Hours --- AND TAKES NOTES.

Nuf said.

 

Chris in Inuvik

[scidee]

Thank you for sharing.   Can't wait for your report as we will board her on Aug. 28, 2022.   We are also from WI and live about 1:45 from Ohara and choose it over Milwukee as you do.  However, we take the bus!

[kwis29]

Busy travel day and we are already in bed at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort after enjoying a few cocktails and the gorgeous sea breezes. We enjoyed the vibe around the beach rather than our usual hotel on 17th St. So excited to board tomorrow! More details will be provided tomorrow after a morning run along the beach and some coffee. We started at Lona at the hotel with margaritas and guacamole (delicious). Looking forward to the sunrise from our room.

 

 

[Host Anne]

7 minutes ago, kwis29 said:

Busy travel day and we are already in bed at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort after enjoying a few cocktails and the gorgeous sea breezes. We enjoyed the vibe around the beach rather than our usual hotel on 17th St. So excited to board tomorrow! More details will be provided tomorrow after a morning run along the beach and some coffee. We started at Lona at the hotel with margaritas and guacamole (delicious). Looking forward to the sunrise from our room.

 

 

 

 

 

Just passed your hotel as we headed back from our traditional "pre-cruise dinner" 🙂  Happy you made it safely to Ft. Lauderdale.  Anxious to get your thoughts on the cruise and hope to meet you tomorrow!  

 

 

[countess5]

Thanks for posting, will be following in the morning with coffee in hand. we will be on Equinox January 30th for a B2B.

 

Cheers! 

 

Hendricks ( Gin Martini ) 

[kwis29]

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale! Thanks to everyone who has commented so far and all of those following along! 

 

Before I recap this morning’s activities, let me get caught up on our travels to Fort Lauderdale. On Thursday night DH (Andy/Mr. Kwis29) received an email from Retreat Concierge Support at Celebrity regarding some preferences for our Suite. He filled out a short online survey about room temperature, bed configuration, which type of wine we preferred in our room, extra blankets/hangers, any celebrations and which day we might want to celebrate. Since we are “only” in a Sky Suite, we really weren’t expecting any pre-boarding communication from Celebrity. 

 

We woke up an hour before our alarm on Friday morning and set out on a 4:00am walk with our dog. It is a great way to start the day! At 6:30am, we were on the road to ORD. We made great time to our parking spot at Pre-Flight despite three stops (coffee, washer fluid, bathroom) and some bumper to bumper traffic due to a stalled vehicle blocking a lane. The Pre-Flight shuttle bus was ready and waiting to take us to the airport. 

 

Wow! What a difference to fly on a Friday during the summer, rather than during the chaos of Spring Break. It was a breeze to check-in our bags (DH’s was heavier than mine!), wait in a short TSA Pre-check line and grab some breakfast. So much less stressful without throngs of humans taking up every available physical space. The flight was uneventful, and we landed earlier than expected.

(an empty airport!)

Rideshare is very easy at FLL. Uber and Lyft had comparable prices, with plenty of cars available. It is always a good idea to compare prices on the two apps because I have encountered some significant price differences. 20 minutes later, we were at the Westin. 

 

We enjoyed our stay at the Westin. The bed was comfy, the view is lovely, the location is great. The only strange thing is the bathroom situation as there is not much privacy (visually and sound) due to a "window" into the bathroom- see pic below. There are some things that don’t need to be shared, even between a married couple of 10 years! 🙂 

 

Last night we enjoyed margaritas and guacamole at the hotel restaurant, Lona. Then we took a nice evening stroll along the beach walk before heading to bed. This morning we woke up early, went for a run along the beach and sat on the patio at the Starbucks in the hotel, leisurely sipping on our iced coffees. We are definitely in vacation mode now. It is very breezy today with choppy waters, so we might have a rocky start to the cruise! We are heading to the port in about 90 minutes. So excited to this cruise started after 3 years of waiting!

 

 

Our view of the sunrise from our hotel room:

 

 

[countess5]

Not sure if it’s just my IPad but pics are not showing up. Just a blank space where the pic is supposed to be. 😩

 

Cheers! 

[Host Anne]

32 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Not sure if it’s just my IPad but pics are not showing up. Just a blank space where the pic is supposed to be. 😩

 

Cheers! 

 

I'm not seeing the photos today, either.  But I could see them last night

[vickykay]

Same here 

[asnaleah]

I don’t see them either.

[farjar]

We have family on this same cruise.  They flew out from the west coast yesterday morning then spent an hour circling DFW because of thunderstorms.  After landing they found out their connecting flight to FLL was cancelled.  Fortunately they got on a plane to MIA that got them there at 12:30 this morning, minus their checked bag.  They got a hotel room in Miami then were notified this morning their bag was at the FLL airport.  After taking an Uber from Miami to FLL to retrieve the bag, then going to the cruise terminal they are FINALLY on board!  It was a travel nightmare but at least they made it and can now relax for a week!

[kwis29]

Hmmm. Not sure what is going on with the photos. Anyone have suggestions for posting pictures? I was just using copy/paste from Google Pictures. I will try again from my phone, which is what I used last night. This morning I was using my Chromebook.