Celebrity Equinox - May-June Med Cruise - Advice for returning cruisers

[KiwiCruiser59]

My Wife & I are finally returning to big ships after 5 years and we're really looking forward to it. Things have changed with Celebrity since we last sailed on the Equinox in the Caribbean and I was hoping for some guidance, if possible, please?

• Is it best to purchase the upgrade from Classic to Premium Beverage Package on the website OR call? The website only offered 5% discount and I had read that by calling, you may get a better deal with a Captains Club discount, instead. 
• Are Specialty Dining Packages better to purchase once on board? I recall crew selling them at a reduced rate the last time we sailed. 
• Will there be Formal Nights? We're on board for 19 nights so it would be great to know how many to pack for.
• Do they still do Theme Nights? "White Night" "80s Night" etc?
• Mandatory Pre-boarding Testing and Screening : What documentation will they require? Proof of vaccination? RAT-test?

Thanks very much for your time and I look forward to any advice you are willing to share. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

3 hours ago, KiwiCruiser59 said:

• Will there be Formal Nights? We're on board for 19 nights so it would be great to know how many to pack for.
• Do they still do Theme Nights? "White Night" "80s Night" etc?
• Mandatory Pre-boarding Testing and Screening : What documentation will they require? Proof of vaccination? RAT-test?

 

1 - No formal nights on Celebrity. There will be some "Evening Chic" which can be formal or can remain smart casual or anything in between.

 

2 - Possible? My biggest pet peeve with most lines is they have these theme nights that only insiders know about so first timers on a line are clueless. Say what you will about Disney, you know that there will be a Pirate Night (or other theme if in a different region) and you can find out which night it is. You're only caught off guard if you did no research in advance because it's right there on the calendar. No one has to look stupid because they didn't know.

 

3 - At this time no testing or screening. I don't think any lines are doing it currently. (I think Disney was the last to remove it.)

[KiwiCruiser59]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

1 - No formal nights on Celebrity. There will be some "Evening Chic" which can be formal or can remain smart casual or anything in between.

 

2 - Possible? My biggest pet peeve with most lines is they have these theme nights that only insiders know about so first timers on a line are clueless. Say what you will about Disney, you know that there will be a Pirate Night (or other theme if in a different region) and you can find out which night it is. You're only caught off guard if you did no research in advance because it's right there on the calendar. No one has to look stupid because they didn't know.

 

3 - At this time no testing or screening. I don't think any lines are doing it currently. (I think Disney was the last to remove it.)

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me your feedback WrittenOnYourHeart.

 

[kiwichick62]

We booked our up coming cruise online a year ago.

 

Upgrading from classic to premium beverage package.  We paid for an upgrade on the website.  Months later there was a 50% off sale.  We cancelled our first upgrade then purchased again at 50% off, again on the website.  Same as shore excursions, we rebooked when there was a 40% off sale.

 

Cruise fare - there were big price drops months after we booked.  Phoned Celebrity and they repriced our cruise for us twice - saved us thousands.  You can do this before final payment is made.

Specialty dining - the website says it is cheaper to buy before you get on board so who knows.  On full sailings specialty dining can get booked out.

 

Where are you from to?  🙂

 

[kiwichick62]

Sorry, I see you are sailing soon so much of what I posted wont apply.

[Gracie115]

20 hours ago, KiwiCruiser59 said:

My Wife & I are finally returning to big ships after 5 years and we're really looking forward to it. Things have changed with Celebrity since we last sailed on the Equinox in the Caribbean and I was hoping for some guidance, if possible, please?

• Is it best to purchase the upgrade from Classic to Premium Beverage Package on the website OR call? The website only offered 5% discount and I had read that by calling, you may get a better deal with a Captains Club discount, instead. 
• Are Specialty Dining Packages better to purchase once on board? I recall crew selling them at a reduced rate the last time we sailed. 
• Will there be Formal Nights? We're on board for 19 nights so it would be great to know how many to pack for.
• Do they still do Theme Nights? "White Night" "80s Night" etc?
• Mandatory Pre-boarding Testing and Screening : What documentation will they require? Proof of vaccination? RAT-test?

Thanks very much for your time and I look forward to any advice you are willing to share. 

 

What kind of room are you in?  If any kind of suite I wouldn't buy a Specialty Dining Package because you have Luminae to dine in.  Even if you are not in a suite I would probably avoid the package because you can usually get better rates on board.  

 

No formal nights, "elegant chic" is what they are calling it now, but the last few cruises we have seen fewer and fewer formal wear, although there are some.  I would think on 19 nights you would have 3 - 4 of those.  

 

No proof of vaccine has been required recently.  

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.  Let us now how the Equinox looks since you will be boarding right after it's 3 week drydock!!

[luv2camp04]

Regarding the beverage package, you can call to see if there is a better price for upgrading.  Celebrity runs specials online so keep an eye out for those.  You will want to do it prior to boarding as you won't get as good of a price for the upgrade onboard.  

 

Evening Chic nights, there will probably be 2.  You can dress up as much as you want or stick with the usual Smart Casual dress code.

 

We might be on the same cruise-We're on June 4th!  If you haven't found the Roll Call yet, head on over there.  It's pretty active!

[KiwiCruiser59]

14 hours ago, kiwichick62 said:

We booked our up coming cruise online a year ago.

 

Upgrading from classic to premium beverage package.  We paid for an upgrade on the website.  Months later there was a 50% off sale.  We cancelled our first upgrade then purchased again at 50% off, again on the website.  Same as shore excursions, we rebooked when there was a 40% off sale.

 

Cruise fare - there were big price drops months after we booked.  Phoned Celebrity and they repriced our cruise for us twice - saved us thousands.  You can do this before final payment is made.

Specialty dining - the website says it is cheaper to buy before you get on board so who knows.  On full sailings specialty dining can get booked out.

 

Where are you from to?  🙂

 

Kia ora kiwichick62! Thanks very much for your reply.

We got a great deal for our back-to-back cruise through Vacations2go but never saw any Sales on beverage packages, etc.

5% discount was what was available on the Celebrity website, which seems a little tight...even though it was promoted as a "Sale." As far as the Specialty Dining, the last time we were on the Equinox, we had a number included in our cruise fare...not anymore, apparently... AND now, it's more expensive. I'll see what they say when I call them.

We're from Roto'Vegas and looking forward to escaping the early Winter!    

[KiwiCruiser59]

1 hour ago, luv2camp04 said:

Regarding the beverage package, you can call to see if there is a better price for upgrading.  Celebrity runs specials online so keep an eye out for those.  You will want to do it prior to boarding as you won't get as good of a price for the upgrade onboard.  

 

Evening Chic nights, there will probably be 2.  You can dress up as much as you want or stick with the usual Smart Casual dress code.

 

We might be on the same cruise-We're on June 4th!  If you haven't found the Roll Call yet, head on over there.  It's pretty active!

Hi luv2camp04. Thanks very much for taking the time to share your feedback! 🙂

 

I'd forgotten that they had moved to "Evening Chic" from "Formal." Glad I won't have to lug my penguin suit...that weighs a ton!

 

I will take your advice & call Celebrity about the upgrade.

I had hope to avoid calling them, as my last experience was terrible. I spent half a day on hold and being bounced around from department to department...Aus/NZ to the US...and then got disconnected right when I was about to get an answer to my question about Celebrity Air.

 

YES. We're on 4th June, too for the second half of our cruise. I'll check out the "Roll Call" section...wasn't sure what that was, so thanks for the heads up!  

[KiwiCruiser59]

3 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

What kind of room are you in?  If any kind of suite I wouldn't buy a Specialty Dining Package because you have Luminae to dine in.  Even if you are not in a suite I would probably avoid the package because you can usually get better rates on board.  

 

No formal nights, "elegant chic" is what they are calling it now, but the last few cruises we have seen fewer and fewer formal wear, although there are some.  I would think on 19 nights you would have 3 - 4 of those.  

 

No proof of vaccine has been required recently.  

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.  Let us now how the Equinox looks since you will be boarding right after it's 3 week drydock!!

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply Gracie115!

Your answer about the Dining Package reinforces what I have seen previously, so thanks for that. Concierge Class doesn't come any dining options, sadly.

 

I had forgotten about the "Evening Chic" format so that will help with packing choices...Tuxedos are heavy!

 

The last time we were on the Equinox was 2017 so we're excited to hear that she is having a spruce-up before we board. I'll post a review when we get home. Thanks again Gracie115!

[kiwichick62]

3 hours ago, KiwiCruiser59 said:

Kia ora kiwichick62! Thanks very much for your reply.

We got a great deal for our back-to-back cruise through Vacations2go but never saw any Sales on beverage packages, etc.

5% discount was what was available on the Celebrity website, which seems a little tight...even though it was promoted as a "Sale." As far as the Specialty Dining, the last time we were on the Equinox, we had a number included in our cruise fare...not anymore, apparently... AND now, it's more expensive. I'll see what they say when I call them.

We're from Roto'Vegas and looking forward to escaping the early Winter!    

Have a fantastic time KiwiCruiser. Ours is a Baltics cruise 24th of May.  We are flying out Sunday night as we have a Rhine River cruise first.  Flying Emirates so it is 17 hours to Dubai - 3 hours layover - 7 hours to Zurich.  😱

[KiwiCruiser59]

9 minutes ago, kiwichick62 said:

Have a fantastic time KiwiCruiser. Ours is a Baltics cruise 24th of May.  We are flying out Sunday night as we have a Rhine River cruise first.  Flying Emirates so it is 17 hours to Dubai - 3 hours layover - 7 hours to Zurich.  😱

Wow! Sounds great!

Yes. Long flights... not so great. We chose an 18 stopover in Singapore to see some sights, take a nap and freshen up before the next leg to Rome. Have a wonderful time on your river cruise & then in the Baltics! 🙂