Equinox report 10/18/23-10/14/23

[remarcm]

Got back Saturday from above. For background we are Pinnacle on Royal but switched mostly to X in 2018 and have since completed 16 cruises. Floating amusement parks are not what we are looking for and apparently no longer the target demographic for Royal. Celebrity has been a good change for us but with all the recent comments I wasn't sure what to expect. This was our first trip in a standard veranda. We have been in Concierge, Aqua and different suites. Equinox did not seem to be full but I never did get a passenger count. This cruise did have by far the largest number of kids I have ever seem on a Celebrity ship. We ate in OVC for breakfast, lunch, a couple dinners and MDR for the other dinners. I saw no cutbacks in service and was pleased with the food. First night in MDR still had prime rib. Other nights I had Steak Diane and Steak & Chips. The steaks were not Aqua or Luminae filets but still fine. I did notice that the potatoes my wife had in the MDR did appear to have been from an ice cream scope but they were still real mashed potatoes and tasty. OVC had a stir fry station, pasta station, and carved meat each night.  Food was always hot and service fast. We have 6 more cruises booked with X and I am looking forward to them. The Staff Captain did comment that Equinox will be going in for a dry dock next April. I thought the ship looked in good condition. Any specific questions please ask.

[remarcm]

Should be 10/8/23-10/14/23, sorry.

[PTC DAWG]

20 minutes ago, remarcm said:

Should be 10/8/23-10/14/23, sorry.

I wondered if you were going back in time. 🙂

[Cruising89143]

Thank you for your post. Like a breath of fresh air here on this board. So the sky is not falling. 😉

[NMTraveller]

Was Laura and the executive team on your cruise?

 

Perhaps we could get them to sail on all of our cruises...

[desibee]

Is drydock mainly for cosmetic touch ups like paint and carpeting or does Celebrity plan to make more involved refurbishments like say adding plugs or USB sockets to the bedside in cabins or improvements to the wifi?

[DingoMom]

Oops!

Edited October 17, 2023 by DingoMom

[horseymike]

7 hours ago, desibee said:

Is drydock mainly for cosmetic touch ups like paint and carpeting or does Celebrity plan to make more involved refurbishments like say adding plugs or USB sockets to the bedside in cabins or improvements to the wifi?

While I truly like the Equinox and its fantastic crew , the ship has not missed any dances and can probably use as much refurbishment as X is willing to pay for.

[Oakman]

39 minutes ago, horseymike said:

While I truly like the Equinox and its fantastic crew , the ship has not missed any dances and can probably use as much refurbishment as X is willing to pay for.

Totally agree. We were on the same cruise, and felt the ship looked very, very tired. Immaculately clean, but tired non the less.Faded carpets, a lot of exterior rust , faded paint, worn furniture, and we had to put a  towel on our balcony rail to avoid splinters. Very disappointed that this beautiful ship has been left by the way side in favor of her newer, more glamorous sisters. 

[thebutlerdidit]

I was on this cruise, and didn’t notice anything that made me think Equinox was in bad shape. I was in a suite, but ordered the prime rib from the main dining room on the first night and it was very good. I can’t comment on the buffet as I never even did a walk-through. I did notice the abbreviated hours on the buffet, such as not opening for dinner until 6:00. All of the other dining rooms seem to open by 5:30 or so. 

[39august]

I also noticed the largest number of children and teens I have ever seen on Celebrity. We too are ex-RCI cruisers who switched in Dec. 2017. I didn't hear about the dry dock, but I imagine this will be just before she goes to Europe for the summer season. 

[remarcm]

18 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Was Laura and the executive team on your cruise?

 

Perhaps we could get them to sail on all of our cruises...

 

That is very interesting. I was not aware of the big shots onboard but did run into a couple higher ups. On an elevator was the Chief Corporate Engineer, sorry forgot his name, who is married to Captain Kate. Hope this is not why things when so well.

We found the ship to be in good condition. Carpet in the hallways and cabin were fine. There was a couple small spots of rust on the balcony but the railing was smooth and varnished.

[Cruise till you drop]

5 hours ago, 39august said:

I also noticed the largest number of children and teens I have ever seen on Celebrity. We too are ex-RCI cruisers who switched in Dec. 2017. I didn't hear about the dry dock, but I imagine this will be just before she goes to Europe for the summer season. 

Why were there so many children?  I would have thought they’d all be in school?

[kywildcatfanone]

We are on now.  See very few children.  Food has been fine, ship looks to overall be in good shape.

 

My wife is not a fan of the step out of the bathroom with the lip on it.