Considering sailing on the Equinox- have some questions

[hrmkr]

Hello everyone,

 

We have never sailed Celebrity.

 

What is the atmosphere in the evenings? Particularly after the shows. 

How are the comedians? Are they adult in nature (maybe not raunchy) but more geared toward adult humor.

Is there anywhere to get a late night snack besides room service?  maybe a slice of pizza or a sandwich?

Are there any bars that will be playing classic rock or 80's style music?

Is there live music by the pools during the day? 

Is there trivia or any game shows (love and marriage)

 

We typically sail on Carnival, Royal or Norwegian.

 

[hrhdhd]

A few thoughts:

--On a 7-day cruise, a comedian will do one or two regular shows and a late-night one that's more adult

--Pizza and pasta are available in the buffet until late

--Plenty of game shows and trivia

[Northern Aurora]

A few more random thoughts --

 

There will be two shows in the theater every evening.  The first one at 7 PM and a repeat performance at 9 PM.  There is sufficient seating in the theater that there are no reservations for seating.

 

In addition to those shows there will be music in various venues during the evening.  It will vary from acoustic guitars, classical performers, a house band and a party band.

 

In addition to trivia games expect to find "Deal or nor Deal."

[hrmkr]

31 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

A few thoughts:

--On a 7-day cruise, a comedian will do one or two regular shows and a late-night one that's more adult

--Pizza and pasta are available in the buffet until late

--Plenty of game shows and trivia

How late is the buffet open?

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, hrmkr said:

How late is the buffet open?

Dinner buffet closes at 9.  Late night pizza, pasta, salad open til 1

Cafe Al Bacio has desserts until midnight.

Edited July 28, 2023 by jelayne

[bjahil47]

3 hours ago, hrmkr said:

Hello everyone,

 

We have never sailed Celebrity.

 

What is the atmosphere in the evenings? Particularly after the shows. 

How are the comedians? Are they adult in nature (maybe not raunchy) but more geared toward adult humor.

Is there anywhere to get a late night snack besides room service?  maybe a slice of pizza or a sandwich?

Are there any bars that will be playing classic rock or 80's style music?

Is there live music by the pools during the day? 

Is there trivia or any game shows (love and marriage)

 

We typically sail on Carnival, Royal or Norwegian.

 

We have been on Equinox 6 times and a B2B coming up in September.  Atmosphere at night can be different cruise to cruise depending on people abroad.  There is always a lot of people participating in silent disco and listening and dancing on Abba Night.  Comedians are ok.  They do special late night shows that are more adult in nature.  As stated Oceanview Cafe is open until about 1 am with pizza, desserts, snacks, etc.  also, coffee and goodies at Cafe Al Bacio.  Besides Abba there may be more nights of older rock and roll!  I believe there is live music out by the pools.  We usually avoid the crowds and go to the solarium in the afternoon.  Games to buy into right now are Deal or No Deal and I heard bingo is coming back.  They also have pop up games going on around the ship.  Give Celebrity a try!  We love the Equinox!  It has not been totally refurbished so i

looks a bit old in places, but it’s a comfy, homey feel.  

[39august]

If you want to assure a late night snack other than pizza, take a sandwich from lunch buffet and keep in your cooler. I often make a cheese and fruit plate in the buffet and keep for late night. The music is quite varied and is in different venues around the ship in the evenings. 

[Nemanoxer]

What is the atmosphere in the evenings? Particularly after the shows. 

Crowded and somewhat loud after the shows, but calms down quickly to a relaxed feel.

How are the comedians? Are they adult in nature (maybe not raunchy) but more geared toward adult humor.

I´ve had raunchy comedians some years ago, but it seems those are gone due to the zeitgeist. Most comedians are quite funny.

Is there anywhere to get a late night snack besides room service?  maybe a slice of pizza or a sandwich?

Oceanview Café is open til I think 1 am.

Are there any bars that will be playing classic rock or 80's style music?

Music varies in the different venues, live performers available most of the time.

Is there live music by the pools during the day? 

Yes,

Is there trivia or any game shows (love and marriage)

Yes.

 

Equinox has been my number 1 on the market since 2012, but for various reasons I will switch to Princess next year and try them out.

[keesar]

1 hour ago, Nemanoxer said:

What is the atmosphere in the evenings? Particularly after the shows. 

Crowded and somewhat loud after the shows, but calms down quickly to a relaxed feel.

How are the comedians? Are they adult in nature (maybe not raunchy) but more geared toward adult humor.

I´ve had raunchy comedians some years ago, but it seems those are gone due to the zeitgeist. Most comedians are quite funny.

Is there anywhere to get a late night snack besides room service?  maybe a slice of pizza or a sandwich?

Oceanview Café is open til I think 1 am.

Are there any bars that will be playing classic rock or 80's style music?

Music varies in the different venues, live performers available most of the time.

Is there live music by the pools during the day? 

Yes,

Is there trivia or any game shows (love and marriage)

Yes.

 

Equinox has been my number 1 on the market since 2012, but for various reasons I will switch to Princess next year and try them out.

 

On our Equinox cruise, there was a DJ at the pool with very limited live music.

 

Oceanview is open on a limited basis after 9 pm.  Mainly bland pizza,  pasta, salad and fruit bars, and desserts.  No sandwiches.

 

Most of the action at night takes place in the Plaza with live music and dancing.  Not like my experiences at Royal Caribbean.  

 

Comedians are hit or miss.  Each one will usually have an Adult performance late one evening.

[hrmkr]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:17 AM, keesar said:

 

On our Equinox cruise, there was a DJ at the pool with very limited live music.

 

Oceanview is open on a limited basis after 9 pm.  Mainly bland pizza,  pasta, salad and fruit bars, and desserts.  No sandwiches.

 

Most of the action at night takes place in the Plaza with live music and dancing.  Not like my experiences at Royal Caribbean.  

 

Comedians are hit or miss.  Each one will usually have an Adult performance late one evening.

What type of music and dancing is going on in the Plaza?  

[tigervixxxen]

IMO Celebrity has a more relaxed atmosphere. Not as much geared toward entertainment but that doesn’t mean there’s none, it’s just not emphasized as much. Carnival definitely has more comedy shows but as mentioned there are a few on Celebrity. There seems to be fewer lines, much less upsell and nickel and dime pressure, which is so refreshing that it’s not a constant grab to get you to pay more. The fast embarkation feels like a miracle after being on the other lines. The good quality is overall pretty good, there just may not be as many choices as some of the big ships on other lines. I’ve found the music is targeted to a variety of ages, which is the typical demographic on Celebrity. 

[hrmkr]

13 hours ago, tigervixxxen said:

IMO Celebrity has a more relaxed atmosphere. Not as much geared toward entertainment but that doesn’t mean there’s none, it’s just not emphasized as much. Carnival definitely has more comedy shows but as mentioned there are a few on Celebrity. There seems to be fewer lines, much less upsell and nickel and dime pressure, which is so refreshing that it’s not a constant grab to get you to pay more. The fast embarkation feels like a miracle after being on the other lines. The good quality is overall pretty good, there just may not be as many choices as some of the big ships on other lines. I’ve found the music is targeted to a variety of ages, which is the typical demographic on Celebrity. 

I spoke to Celebrity and they told me that the typical age that they cater to is 40's and up. With that being said, is there 70 and 80's music and maybe some classic rock being played?  Not everyone listens to cool jazz, easy listening and classical music.  Not that it is bad but not my favorite. 

[39august]

I've been cruising Celebrity exclusively since Dec. 2017. Every cruise I have been on had plenty of classic rock and other 70' 80' music. There has always been a solo or duo guitar that is usually folkie and/or country. And there has always been a classical act, usually a duo. Sometimes a jazz group, but I have not seen that so often. Sometimes the theater orchestra puts on a separate act in one of the other venues. Sometimes the theater dancers put on a separate show.  I like various kinds of music and have always been pleased with the offerings on board.  

[39august]

PS Many of my cruises have been on Equinox.

[carbon]

We love the Equinox, we will be on her this November for the 6th time.

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 hours ago, hrmkr said:

I spoke to Celebrity and they told me that the typical age that they cater to is 40's and up. With that being said, is there 70 and 80's music and maybe some classic rock being played?  Not everyone listens to cool jazz, easy listening and classical music.  Not that it is bad but not my favorite. 

 

Probably...However, outside of the shows, they generally don't classic rock loudly, they'll usually soften it up or simply only play instrumentals

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:21 PM, hrhdhd said:

A few thoughts:

--On a 7-day cruise, a comedian will do one or two regular shows and a late-night one that's more adult

--Pizza and pasta are available in the buffet until late

--Plenty of game shows and trivia

 

"Plenty" is quite subjective, X typically has one game show between the main shows at 8pm (830pm in Europe).  Can be difficult to make both a standard show and the game show unless you have dinner super early or super late dinner

 

While typically there SHOULD be at least one night of a comedian and one night of a magician, they are not guaranteed.  Have been on two sailings where there wasn't a comedian at all and one that unfortunately didn't have a magician either as the resident one was on break.  The CD apologized repeatedly but we were stuck with 7 nights of musicals

[Dreamer68]

On 7/27/2023 at 11:31 PM, bjahil47 said:

 We love the Equinox!  It has not been totally refurbished so i

looks a bit old in places, but it’s a comfy, homey feel.  

Hi! I'm considering a Celebrity cruise in 2024 and toggling between the Constellation and the Equinox. I've been reading different info here on the forums. Some say the Equinox has been "revolutionized", others like you say that it has not been totally refurbished.... on the Celebrity corporate site, it shows that the Equinox was "revolutionized" in 2019 pre-Covid.

I do not understand the differing information.... can you or any other frequent travelers able to shed more light? See screenshot from Celebrity about their fleet revolution.

 

[markeb]

31 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Hi! I'm considering a Celebrity cruise in 2024 and toggling between the Constellation and the Equinox. I've been reading different info here on the forums. Some say the Equinox has been "revolutionized", others like you say that it has not been totally refurbished.... on the Celebrity corporate site, it shows that the Equinox was "revolutionized" in 2019 pre-Covid.

I do not understand the differing information.... can you or any other frequent travelers able to shed more light? See screenshot from Celebrity about their fleet revolution.

 

I’d say Equinox has been somewhat revolutionized. There’s a Retreat sun deck, for instance, but no water features. Michael’s Club is lighter, and now the Retreat lounge. We’ve only sailed once, in a Sky Suite. Others can chime in, but my understanding is there are fewer noticeable changes to non Retreat cabins, and I don’t recall much change to the public areas. 

[markeb]

On 7/31/2023 at 12:54 PM, hrmkr said:

I spoke to Celebrity and they told me that the typical age that they cater to is 40's and up. With that being said, is there 70 and 80's music and maybe some classic rock being played?  Not everyone listens to cool jazz, easy listening and classical music.  Not that it is bad but not my favorite. 

There will be some. It’s somewhat dependent on the house band for your sailing. In August we had a guitar band from Mexico that were very good. Van Halen, Zep, etc. but I don’t know if that’s typical. Music is hit and miss. I think that’s true of all cruise lines. I’d much rather hear Rage or Alanis than a crooner on the piano, but that’s me…

 

”It’s a town full of losers and I’m pulling out of here to win…”

[Cruise till you drop]

On 7/31/2023 at 12:54 PM, hrmkr said:

I spoke to Celebrity and they told me that the typical age that they cater to is 40's and up. With that being said, is there 70 and 80's music and maybe some classic rock being played?  Not everyone listens to cool jazz, easy listening and classical music.  Not that it is bad but not my favorite. 

My kids who are in their 30’s listen to 80’s music.

 

I feel my role as a dad has been successful for that one fact only 😂 

[Dreamer68]

25 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

My kids who are in their 30’s listen to 80’s music.

 

I feel my role as a dad has been successful for that one fact only 😂 

Not to detail this thread but heck, yeah! 💪😂🤣🙋🏻‍♀️

[bjahil47]

10 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

Hi! I'm considering a Celebrity cruise in 2024 and toggling between the Constellation and the Equinox. I've been reading different info here on the forums. Some say the Equinox has been "revolutionized", others like you say that it has not been totally refurbished.... on the Celebrity corporate site, it shows that the Equinox was "revolutionized" in 2019 pre-Covid.

I do not understand the differing information.... can you or any other frequent travelers able to shed more light? See screenshot from Celebrity about their fleet revolution.

 

Ditto what was said above.  In March, 2022 we were in RS.  Blinds were broken, table was cracked, curtain old.  But it was clean.  In October, 2022 we were in a SS and carpet was old and furniture old.  Cafe Al Bacio needs new furniture.  We still love the Equinox!  We are doing a B2B next month.  The crew is the friendliest around and the ship is homey and inviting.  I do not like the furnishings on the Edge class, not inviting or comfortable looking.  I would choose Equinox any day!  
 

As to the pictures above there was a crane accident at the dock where ships were to get revolutionized and they had to move it to Spain(I think that’s where it was).  Because it took longer to get there they could not do everything that was scheduled.  I know the Silhouette was completely redone and I believe one other ship but not sure which one.  
 

Any ship you choose you will have a fantastic cruise!  I prefer the older ships with the comfy, homey vibe.  
 

Happy Cruising!

[C4HCG]

On 7/28/2023 at 4:17 PM, keesar said:

 

On our Equinox cruise, there was a DJ at the pool with very limited live music.

 

Oceanview is open on a limited basis after 9 pm.  Mainly bland pizza,  pasta, salad and fruit bars, and desserts.  No sandwiches.

 

Most of the action at night takes place in the Plaza with live music and dancing.  Not like my experiences at Royal Caribbean.  

 

Comedians are hit or miss.  Each one will usually have an Adult performance late one evening.

Proves why all opinions on here have to be considered as very subjective. No fan of the theatre entertainment apart from the occasional good band on, but the house bands are good, the DJ is good, there’s other live music around which is good. Overall I view Celebrity entertainment as very good. That’s my subjective opinion. 

Edited August 12, 2023 by C4HCG