MisterMet

22 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Video Credits to Giuseppe Moschella - Cruise Director when he was found Guilty!   They really gave it to him

 

 

 

That looks like it was a hoot

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks Bev -   We are in a CS for the first cruise and a RS on the second.   About three weeks ago a RS popped up and due the prices dropping after final was able to upgrade to the  RS on a paid basis for $350 but lost my $800 Booking on Board Credit. 

Sounds like a pretty good upgrade/trade off.  OBC is always nice, but a RS experience has got to be better, right?
 

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Jim_Iain -  2^nd Half World Cruise -  B2B Singapore to Down Under 11/25 – 12/21

 

 

 

Welcome!    Come along and join us for another adventure.  

 

As an introduction we are Jim (who writes these Live Posts) and Iain, who ends up in most of the pictures.   We have been together 34 years -  or as Iain just said “34 long hard years”  LOL.

 

Are were  among of the first to be Gay Couples to be married in California.  We were legally married June 2008 days after the California Supreme Court ruled the restriction of Gay Marriage was illegal.   5 Months later California had a referendum to change the constitution and make it illegal again.   Luckily the State Supreme court ruled a small group of 4,000 marriage were grandfathered and would remain legal.  It was another 7 years before the Supreme Court Legalized Gay Marriage Nation Wide. 

We have 3 kids and 5 Grand Children.  

 

We live in Sunnyvale, CA which is in my mind is a small town of 160,000 in the heart to Silicon Valley.   Sunnyvale is about 50 miles south of San Francisco and 10 miles north of San Jose. 

 

Ok..  Enough of the background. 

 

 

 

Jim an Iain

Looking forward to your next adventure.  Your pictures are always beautiful and your commentary is quite fun and very informative.  Cruising down under is definitely on our bucket list.  Got to retire first.  Not soon enough though.  We’ll chime in every once and a while.  Enjoy.

Trip and Pam

1 hour ago, hcat said:

does anyone ever steal ones they like?

the sea life ones are cool...where do you find those,

 

Cruise Critic used to have a nice "downloadable" color door sign..would include date of the  CC  Connections Party..which seem to be  no more???

DW got them on A…..  look under cruise door magnets.  Lots of good accessories as well.

9 hours ago, hcat said:

 

Let’s Go Mets!

Fun, fun, fun

25 minutes ago, queeniejug_blaster said:

I'm a seasoned cruiser.  Just sailed on the Equinox for a 6 night cruise.  Not a heavy liquor drinker, maybe a single drink in the evenings, and just a cappuccino in the mornings.  I didn't buy a drink package because the out of pocket cost is cheaper than buying the drink package.  I had a room with a balcony which was very nice and the room attendant was awesome!     The food on the ship was good.   Went to the Craft Social Bar on deck 5, the service was slow and the staff was very rude.  I think they were over worked. This is one of the busiest bars due to its location.  Didn't seem to be enough staff for the number of customers.   Never went back to this one.   Next I tried the Ensemble Lounge, paid out of pocket $9 +tip +tax for a liquor drink that didn't appear to have a drop of liquor.   Couldn't taste it and never felt it.   Let's move on.   Apparently the liquor drinks on this ship are not worth buying or getting for free.   Rest of the cruise I ordered a single glass of wine in the evenings.   

Thanks for your review

On 10/24/2023 at 4:41 PM, Smmessineo said:

Just a quick post. Boarded the 22nd. MDR menus haven't been returned to the old good ones yet ( I think I read here that's starting in  November. )

And there hasn't been any chef's daily special added . So the menu is definitely sparse. 

However, the food is excellent at every venue.  And the buffet has the best variety that I've seen since the restart.  There have been different themes each lunch and dinner. BBQ, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and now German tonight. We've decided to just eat at the buffet this cruise. 

As for entertainment, I recommend the Broadway Revue with the Celebrity singers. They're good!

Thanks for the update

On 10/23/2023 at 8:52 PM, Alakegirl said:

This couldn’t have been at the Elite breakfast???

No, OVC

9 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

This couldn’t have been at the Elite breakfast???

No, in the buffet.  Should have clarified 

On 10/10/2023 at 10:46 AM, DaKahuna said:

 I was born and raised in the South.  Growing up I was always taught that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.  I enjoy breakfast foods so much that I can eat them for any meal.  Eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, sausage gravy & biscuits, etc.   My ideal way to start a sea day on a cruise is to have a nice early hot breakfast of eggs cooked to order, a protein of my choice, and toasted bread.  I usually take orange juice and coffee but often skip those with breakfast on sea days.  After finishing my hot breakfast, I usually have my DW, who is not a big breakfast eater, join me at the Elite Breakfast.  I'll have a mimosa or Bellini  and coffee (usually with Bailey's of course), while my DW will have her apple juice and pastries of choice.  

 

Now if only Celebrity could make a real sausage gravy & biscuits offering then all would be right with the world. 

 

The biscuits on our last Equinox cruise were the size of silver dollars.  The gravy was good, but tiny, tiny, biscuits?

We have done concierge’s class on Celebrity three times. Once on Equinox, once on Summit and once on Reflection.  It does cost a little more, However we do like the extra perks and extra captains club points as well.  Have been invited to the helipad for sail always from ports in Europe and the Caribbean, special concierge class events, embarkation day lunch, prime cabin locations,  tasty canapes and using the concierge host for various reasons,  It elevates the experience a bit.  It also helped us get to Elite CC in only 4 cruises( combined with all the CC power up points).  Some don’t find value in it, but we do.

On 9/29/2023 at 10:53 AM, CunucuMom said:

Brief background; DH and I are in our mid-50s-60s.  First cruise for DH and my only cruising was in the early 70s and 80s (Sitmar, Cunard, NCL) so the experience has changed significantly since that time.  Fond memories of the flaming baked Alaska waiter parades, MDR tableside food prep and beautiful midnight buffet displays. I'll do my best to keep the recap brief and hope my comments may help other newbies.

 

EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION

Couldn't have been any easier.  We drove to PE and arrived early because we didn't know what to expect.  Eventually they starting lining up pax in the queues outside the building and it was fun chatting with the staff and other pax equally excited to board. Once we went inside, the security check was quick and they seated everyone first-in/first-out so the actual boarding process wasn`t chaotic at all.  One thing that`s odd to me for those who park in the garage across from the terminal is the lack of curb cuts/pedestrian markings to cross the street to and from the terminal.  Perhaps I missed them or they're trying to encourage pax to use the porters but it wasn't anything like trying to cross the street in front of an airline terminal so it was a bit of a challenge to stay out of the mass of people and luggage and navigate high curbs trying to get in and out of the terminal/garage area.

 

SHIP/ROOM

We booked a Concierge Class Sunset Veranda online with a big box travel service.  No issues at all and I was able to take advantage of a few price reductions and OBC promotions between the time we booked and final payment.  Our room and the ship itself were just as we envisioned; beautiful and very clean.  We didn't notice any blatant wear and tear issues especially on a ship that sails day in, day out.  My biggest issue were chair table combos that didn't fit so I sometimes felt like a giant trying to eat off the small cocktail tables ringing the deck outside the OVC or when I felt like I was seated at a kiddie table in Al Bacio (high table, low seat).

Our cabin attendant, Raymon, was very professional and kept our cabin impeccable. We did receive the daily Concierge canapes and while they weren't earth-shattering culinary treats, we did appreciate the gesture although we passed on them a few times when we had had a late lunch.  We did receive chocolates on our pillows every night except the last one (go figure...).

Although the ship was full, there was plenty of comfortable seating indoors and outdoors and lots of places to relax and read or just sit in quiet.  As many others have noted, ship staff is constantly cleaning and polishing.  I'm guessing they have strict rules about cellphone use and/or internet access because I don't recall seeing any staff doing hidden texting or surfing like I see employees doing at home.  Very few kids on board.  Mostly toddlers and didn't notice them much except for the adorable little girl in her jammies who was shepherded around the loud late night venues with her dad (looking for mom, perhaps?).

 

DINING/BAR

We're not bar hanger-outers and seldom order cocktails so I really don't have much to say about the bar service except for the surly guy at the pool bar.  I had ordered a Yellow Bird (which I thought is a common Caribbean drink) but he had no clue what's in it and didn't offer up a menu so I could choose something more in his wheelhouse.  I didn't carry my phone around so I couldn't access the app menus.  He later barked at me when I had the audacity to try and place me empty glass at the end of his bar.  I guess he prefers that folks leave their empties scattered on the pool deck.  Not a big deal...just didn't go there again. 

We ended up doing zero specialty restaurants and dined in the MDR and OVC.  I respect the experienced X cruisers lamenting the decline in MDR quality but for us it was exactly what we expected and I would best liken it to dining at Bonefish.  No gripes but I certainly wouldn't characterize it as gourmet fine dining.  Wonderful service from Vijay, Julina and sommelier John.

OVC variety and quality were better than I expected; definitely a step up from Golden Corral.  Even the make-to-order items such as eggs/omelets and caesar salad were quick and delicious.  Never had an issue finding a clean table in the OVC.  Plenty of free cookies to be found at OVC and Al Bacio.

One comment about cleanliness...we didn't find any issues with Celebrity.  Plenty of hand sanitizer stations throughout the ship and friendly smiling women offering Purell squirts at the OVC entrances.  My issue was with the pax who used the restrooms without hand-washing afterwards (I'm talking to you, red backpack baseball cap guy, among others) and the people who roam the OVC stations while eating off of their plates and licking their fingers after using serving utensils.  Ewwwwww!  I carried on the same practices as I did pre-covid; lots of hand-washing, take immune boosters when in crowded places and used hand sanitizer after I had filled my plate and used salt and pepper or condiments before I unrolled my silverware bundle.  So far neither myself nor DH are sick since disembarking.

 

WIFI

I had Basic and DH had Premium.  Basic was almost useless.  I could get emails but had difficulty accessing some websites (including CC) and checking video feeds of our pups at the kennel.  I could have logged in using DHs passcode but it wasn't worth the hassle especially when I didn't want or need to be tethered to my phone.

 

PORTS

To most people, our vacations are akin to watching paint dry so our port excursions were no exception.  We've been to Aruba several times so we went to the grocery store to pick up a few Indonesian foods and hit the salad bar for chicken salad and tuna pasta salad (they're nothing special but they're just so darn good) and a few fresh baked pistolets and headed to Druif (Divi) Beach to hang out.  Pizza Bob's for late lunch (again, nothing special but it's one of our Aruba traditions).  Waited a long time for the bus back to downtown and when it finally arrived we let two local woman board ahead of us and then the driver shut the door and told us to catch the next bus because he was full.  The odd thing is it was rush hour but we saw very few busses compared to previous visits.  We walked over to Alhambra and caught a cab back to port ($13 + tip).

 

Never visited Curacao and had no plans except to explore on our own.  Picked up the walking map and found it handy to identify the historical sights.  Took the water taxi and walked over the swinging bridge a few times.  Overall a charming island that I would enjoy visiting again.

 

In Bonaire we rented a golf cart from bonairecruisers and did both the southern and northern loops.  We didn't have a long day in port so we didn't get off and explore very much but it was fun to see the diverse terrain of the island.  It's a good thing the locals are used to tourists on golf carts because we couldn't drive near as fast as the cars (especially outside the town center) and 
on many of the backroads there weren't safe places to pull over and let traffic pass.  We're glad we explored the island but we're not divers so didn't find any compelling reason to return unless Bonaire is on a cruise itinerary.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Enjoyed Elysium and Topper (didn't see Life).  Cruise Director Lewis could make me laugh hysterically with just his high-pitched squeal and "ankle-pant poses."  I have to wonder if he'll move to Ascent since his home is in Fort Lauderdale and he's soon to be the father of a baby boy.  Loved Carib Sensation and The Waves.  I'm a 70s disco wannabe and was disappointed with the disco night DJ in the Skylounge.  Too much techno mixing and soundtracks that weren't disco in my book.  Had I known, I would have brought my disco CD collection on board and showed him what disco is all about.  lol

To close, we had a wonderful cruise and loved the Equinox but it's doubtful we've become cruise addicts.  We were never bored but I guess we're just more beach people.  We're looking forward to celebrating our milestone "Thanksgiversary" on Ascent in November and checking out the Edge class.  If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and happy cruising to all!

Great review.  Thank you for your efforts.  We LOVE the Equinox.

2 hours ago, JuliaMS said:

I just had to call today. Called the Captains Club number because mine had not showed up after two weeks. She told me that "You have to call us to have the credit applied". She just needed my Credit card number and reservation number. It showed up in my cruise planner after about 15 minutes.

That’s exactly what we had to do.  Took 20 minutes tops.

30 minutes ago, PatandStu said:

This was our first X cruise after many on other cruise lines.

 

Cabin: had a regular balcony & it was fine for the 2 of us. Had continental breakfast on the balcony on sea days. Bathroom was large. Lots of storage spots in cabin. 

Entire ship a bit worn; more noticeable in some spots than others but it did not affect our enjoyment. 

Entertainment: was varied and ok for the most part. Really enjoyed the “beyond the podium” lectures and live music. 

Food: Oceanview cafe was great for breakfast & lunch because we enjoy sitting outside (aft of the ship). We could usually find something we liked. Some food was better than other, but overall not bad. 
We ate at Silhouette most nights and all but one meal was quite enjoyable. The service was stellar! We sat at the same table every night with anytime dining by making the reservation for the next night as we were leaving. Shout out to Elbert, Neil & Arlen for their excellent service that made our dinners special. 
 

Wifi: I had basic which was fine for me if not a tad slow. DH had premium which he wanted but I was ok with slow.

Drink package: we had the basic and for the most part, it was sufficient.  Several times we paid the up charge but that was certainly cheaper than upgrading to premium.

Speaking of drinks,Elvis & Hitesh at the sunset bar are 2 of the best bartenders we’ve ever encountered. We sat there in rain & wind just to hang out with these guys. Too bad the smoking area is right there! Cigars-yuck!

 

Only 2 disappointments. Firstly, why have a dress code in Silhouette if you’re not going to enforce it. Every evening we saw men & women in shorts & flip flops, even on “chic” night. It’s not that huge a deal, but to us it detracts from the more upscale dining experience that X advertises. 
 

Secondly, the biggest disappointment was Murano.  The service was not great-we felt as though we were bothering them. The food was ok but not stellar. We had a late seating & felt very rushed. To the point that the cheese course was never presented. We made them aware we were celebrating our anniversary & it was not acknowledged at all. The waiters all made a big production of a birthday at an adjacent table so we know they do celebrations.

 

Overall, we will certainly sail with X again, likely on an S class ship. We liked the size and don’t miss the theme park extras. 

Glad you enjoyed your experience on the Equinox. We enjoyed all four of our cruises on her immensely.  Our Murano experience mirrored yours on our last cruise in August. The food was OK, but the service was not up to par. Thanks for a great review.

On 9/20/2023 at 9:11 AM, tnm6217 said:

We had a good day in Aruba yesterday. It was hot, so we decided to try the Arubus to see some of the island. We paid $10 for a day pass and hopped on the bus to San Nicolas. We walked around and stopped at a cafe before heading back to Oranjestad. I always enjoy taking public transit to get a feel for the area. 
 

 

 

We stopped at a Cuban cigar shop near the port and although I don’t smoke, I enjoyed seeing the “contraband.”

 

 

The ice cold towel was very much appreciated after the steamy walk back to the ship. Equinox looked lovely in port.
 

 

I noticed a price list in my fridge when I got back to my room and wanted to share it with everyone. No items were added since I’d asked my stateroom attendant to remove all fee items on day one. 
 

 

Oceanview was much quieter today since we were in port. The food has been consistently good. The only problem is that the ice cream is delicious and it will take some time to work off when I return home!
 

I’m happy to report that we had a much more attentive experience at Blu last night. 
 

Baked Brie

 

Poached egg

 

Corn velouté with chorizo

 

Smoked chicken with orzo

 

Braised short rib, which as far as I can tell is exactly the same as what is served in Luminae. It’s not to be missed!

 

Broiled dorade

 

There weren’t any chocolate desserts on the Blu or MDR menus (criminal!). Before dinner, I spotted chocolate chip cookies at al Bacio, so I told our server I was going to pass on dessert and get cookies instead. She told me that chocolate chip cookies are available on the kids menu every night in the MDR! So I ordered cookies with caramel and chocolate ice cream on top and it was a perfect ending to a lovely dinner. 

 

 

I realized on my walk this morning that the Retreat sundeck is only on the upper level, which is different from the design on both Silhouette and Summit. Even as a frequent suite guest, I prefer this design because it allows everyone to take advantage of some of the best views on the ship. It also allows you to walk the entire circumference of the ship between decks 14 and 15 if you can tolerate the stairs. 
 

 

 

Willemstad, Curaçao 

 

Thanks to @Pennstatedj for suggesting I try the CC breakfast in Tuscan!
 

We LOVED the CC breakfast.  So relaxing and quiet.  Great review!

2 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

The Celebrity Showtime cast has some phenomenal female singers! There is an acrobatic male-female duo and a female aerialist who are very talented. We enjoyed Broadway Cabaret and Elysium. Topper was a bit odd, but definitely worth attending if only for the aerialist. We didn’t see the illusionist, though everyone said he was great. We also didn’t make it to the comedian. We plan to see the Whitney Houston tribute show with Cheaza tonight.
 

The musicians who play around the ship have been exceptional! There are two house bands, an acoustic guitarist/singer, a violinist and guitarist duo, and a female singer/saxophonist/flautist accompanied by a pianist. 

Topper is weird

On 9/17/2023 at 2:06 PM, Cruisegirl6 said:

Love the photos.  Question,  I have select dining, would I go to upper or lower MDR?

Upper.  Make reservations and you won’t have to wait.  Do it on the app

19 hours ago, GranysT said:

Where I left off. 

8. With Celeb, we got 1 free bag of laundry  on 6-day cruise. With C, we each get 2 free bags, on 7-day cruise. Score1 point for C.

9. No towel animals with Celeb. Score another point for both C and R. I do enjoy the towel animals. 

10. Celeb still puts a chocolate on your pillow. Score 8 for Celeb .Also they automatically offer both morning and evening cabin service. Score 9

11. Shower stall offers shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. All 3, and their a nice quality. Score 10 for Celeb.

12.The shows on Celeb were all at either 7 or 9 pm. They never change times on you. They also still have a live orchestra, no canned music.R still also uses live orchestra. Point for R. Score 11 for Celeb.

13. Besides ship singers and dancers, they had 1 night a comedian, and 1 night a magician. Both were pretty good. 

14. One afternoon, they had a couple, male and female, do a live comedy improve. This couple has been working together for years, and they were both excellent. Very funny, and good acting. How they can come up with stuff on the spur of the moment, amazes me.  Score 12 for Celeb.

One last thing. I mentioned my DH and I both use scooters on the ships now. I have never had such helpful, kind people on a cruise before. All week they would help us on and off the elevators. Hold the doors for us, both getting on, and off. Everyone we encountered was like that. No rushing to get ahead of us. It was a joy to behold.   That wraps it up. I really enjoyed our Equinox cruise. Oh, and we had absolute smooth water, and sailing all week long.  I did my best to honestly compare my cruising experiences. I hope someone enjoys reading this. 

Great review

22 hours ago, peterde said:

I was just looking at PTZTV’s old sailaways and I noticed that the last time there were people on the Equinox’s helipad for sailway out of Port Everglades was on July 8. I couldn’t find anyone there after that. Did they eliminate that perk (for CC and up) or is there another reason why the helipad isn’t being used anymore? 

Got to go to the helipad twice on our B2B Eastern/Western on Equinox in August 23.  (Not from FLL on either one)

On 9/14/2023 at 5:33 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Great hike to top of Cup and Saucer.   6 mile invigorating climb 

 

 

 

 

Really beautiful 

Tuscan.  Best of all 3 worlds:  Italian, steaks, and a great view

9 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks -- I have to admit that their ships are very sleek and Contemporary.    Look forward to posting pictures of the interior of the ship.    I love the style and color selection.    Everything looks so comfortable and inviting.

 

Thank goodness they didn't follow suite with Celebrity and hire Kelly Hoppen to design the interior.    I swear she had never been on a ship and most of her design has been a disaster.   So many failures on Form over Function.   Example which guest have named  munchkin chairs in the All Suites Lounge that only a 6 year old could fit in.   Desk Chairs that are beautiful but won't fit under the vanity etc etc. 

We’ve never been on an Edge Class ship before but have read on CC about the decor not being functional at all.  I’m on 5’3” and my wife is 4’11” so the munchkin chairs may work!  Lol 😆😆.  Sometimes Interior Designers don’t build functionality into their designs.  Ponant looks like a combo of both.

On 9/2/2023 at 10:02 AM, Jim_Iain said:

For our first Ponant cruise we chose Le Bello

 

A beautiful looking ship.  I’m with you on this thread too!

Trip

On 9/1/2023 at 5:17 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

Iain and I will be embarking on our first Non-Celebrity Cruise in 22 years a week from today.  

 

We have been very satisfied with Celebrity and never seen a need to cruise another line because Celebrity was a perfect match for us.   Celebrity has made some major changes in the past 1 1/2- 2 Years and finally reached the point for us to say -  Loyalty is a two way street.    Kinda like catching your spouse cheating we have come to conclude it is  time for a trail separation and possibly a divorce.   

 

It may take me awhile to get sorted out on how I am going to post a comparison between Ponant and Celebrity and Live Post at the same time.    Ponant is a  totally different products.

 

Ponant's Cruise Critic Forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/846-ponant/  is also very different to the very popular and free ranging Celebrity Forum.   Ponant's forum is only 15 pages long and their are no Roll Calls.      Most live post only run 1 or 2 pages and have very little banter.   For this reason I want to be respectful of their Forum and at the same time drive some of you to visit Ponant's Forum and understand their product offering.

Look forward to you and Iain’s thoughts.  I’ll be locked in starting 9/11