carrfan76

If you are going to go on Celebrity again I would stick to the new ships as they would draw a more lively crowd. I will probably only do Aqua Class from now on for the spa perks and the service at Blu. If for some reason I can't get Aqua, I would pay for the week pass for the Persian Garden and just eat most nights in the Speciality restaurants. We were really spoiled with the service at Blu and at the Speciality Restaurants. I agree the lunch and smoothies at the Aqua Cafe were the best!

There was activity. Most of it was in the Grand Voyeur - they had an ABBA sing along, silent disco, karaoke. There was a White Pool party at 10 one night. The Sky Lounge had late night but was hit or miss. There would be a band up there at 10 but it was up to the DJ at 11 to keep people going. It was a crapshot. Some nights people wanted to stay out late. Some did not. The casino was always the latest bar going.

Agree...I hope they fix that on future boats. They can have a big bar in the foyer but keep the martini bar separate.

Hi everyone- I thought I would pay it forward and review my recent sailing on the Equinox and answer any questions you may have. My Celebrity cruise background: I have been cruising mainly on Celebrity since 2011 (Edge, Summit, Reflection, Silhouette, Constellation) and did one Princess in 2009 and one Royal (Oasis) in 2016. I have not cruised since Feb 2020 right before COVID. First time on Equinox. Stayed FWD Deck 11. Aqua Class Stops: FLL- Grand Cayman, A,B,& C islands (9 days) Booked in November and got the Black Friday sale for Premium WIFI and drinks plus 4 night Specialty Dining. Pier/On-boarding/Check in- Had an arrival time of 12:30 but we got there around 11 on Pier 19. No lines checking in and it was super-fast and easy. We were in the holding area for a bit and allowed to go in around 11:30. Quick and painless like it was the past few cruises IF you check in via the app. Luggage came rather late- after 3pm I believe. If you want to hit the pool area early or workout I would pack accordingly. We were fine not going to the pool the first day. Room- Sevino our cabin attendant was absolutely incredible! He had an acute awareness of when we were out so he would quickly clean and was never a bother. Super nice and present. He has been with Celebrity 27 years! Room was fine with storage. Not sure why there were just 2 outlets in the room when the ship was built. That was a bit annoying. Only wear and tear was on the deck railings and one drawer was a bit stuck. Overall in good shape for a 15 year-old ship. Bars- The Martini Bar was amazing as always. Highly entertained and great drinks. Menu has change since I was last on the ship but they have tasty new drinks (Kale, etc.) although I missed their Strawberries & Cream and Cherry Lane they used to make. There were also servers so it didn't take long to get a drink despite being busy. World Bar- They added wines and other drinks there since I was last on Celebrity so that's good as it's another option. I do not care for their fancy drinks there. Sunset Bar/Pool Bars- All were like they were pre-COVID. They were busy but service was fine. It would be nice if they had a bar back as the bartenders had to go in the back and get new bottles, etc. for the most part which slowed things down. Had the wait the longest at the pool bars but that was the case in the past as well. Ensemble Lounge/Sky Observation- Quick and good. Had better wines there too. We got the $ 2 upcharge on premium wines in some bars but not others. I'm not a fan. Just keep them at $ 17. Gym/Spa- Was very happy they had Pelotons on-board. 4 of them. Gym was crowded on some days and in the mornings but managed. Persian Garden was good and was not crazy busy. Aqua-spa- Smoothies never disappoint. Glad they pre-made them now as it goes faster getting them. I would get 2 at a time! Great snacks (pesto pasta salad and chicken salad- yum) Oceanview Cafe- Not much of a change here. Food is still OK. Would just get a snack/bite/breakfast here. Royal has better cafe food. Blu- Blu was fantastic. They knew our name even before we ever ate there. I didn't make a reservation or anything so not sure how that works. Never had to wait for a table. Never got an ocean view as people get there at 5pm to get a good seat. Food was really good and was able to order from MDR no problem. Sommelier was fantastic. Service was impeccable really. Note: We never ate in the MDR Tuscan- Had a wonderful Filet Mignon here. Everyone enjoyed their food. Loved the atmosphere and service. Murano- Was fancy like it always was. My group decided on Murano twice after their first meal. The Chateaubriand can be made for 1 so had that one night. The couch/booth for first night was uncomfortable so they gave us chairs the second night. Le Petit Chef- Everyone enjoyed the story and meal but it is a one and done there. They do change up the menu on the second half of the cruise. NOTE: I made reservations at the specialty restaurants prior to 12pm the first day so we got good times. You cannot make reservations if you get a specialty dining package until you get onboard. Shows: Elysium, is the SAME show as it was 4 years ago. They need to get rid of it. Headliners were Brandon and James (cello and singer) - great show! OJ- R&B singer- was also good. The rest were comedians that we skipped and heard weren't good and some Broadway music thing by the Celebrity performers that didn't appeal. 2 shows out of the 9 nights were good and that's it. They need to step this up. Pool deck: Obviously very busy on sea days. People get there early. We were always able to find something somewhere and you just have to accept that there are limited chairs near the pool. It's like that on ships of this size. The DJ and the pool activities were good. Crowd: The crowd is mainly elderly (people have mentioned this in prior reviews so it wasn't a fluke), so much that elderly folks were making fun of how old it was. I don't know the solve here. We picked the cruise due to the port, length, time frame, and stops. My group was 31-47 years old. It goes out of NY in the summer so I assume the crowd demo changes then. Nighlife: Casinos were packed at night. There was a deck party, multiple silent discos, DJ up at the Sky Lounge at night. There were some younger people on the boat but not many congregated to these things or stayed out later than 11. Usually the younger people find each other and hang out somewhere. We found a small group of people but most kept to themselves or maybe they were in the casino and I didn't notice. Angela was the cruise director and just came back on the ship after an absence. Ports: Grand Cayman- Skipped this as we have been multiple times. Aruba- Went to Eagle Beach which was beautiful. Got the last of the chairs and umbrellas they had when we arrived at 11am. We went back out for a drink at the local brewery and a lovely dinner at the Vue Rooftop near the port. Highly recommend if you want to have a dinner off the ship. Curacao- Went to Mambo Beach and loved that beach too. Bonaire- Friends were beached out so we just ate breakfast at a local place which was great. Walked around the beautiful port and saw lots of fish (without having to snorkel). There is a spot right off the port that you can swim off the dock which I would've done if I had my bathing suit on. That's all I can think of. My takeaway is if I do another Caribbean cruise on Celebrity, it will just be on new ships from now on as there will be more people our age and more nightlife. I've also done this class of boats so many times as well at this point. However, if I do a non-Caribbean cruise, it would just be based on itinerary alone and not the ship. If you have any questions let me know. Thanks!

Yes thanks...I got my class letters mixed up.

Hi everyone- This will be 9th sailing on Celebrity. First time on the Equinox but have sailed on other M class ships. Also, I have not sailed since COVID so I assume things might different from what I have read so far. I am staying in Aqua Class. I will be sailing on the 9 night ABC cruise so I have some questions about the boat and itinerary. 1) How many formal nights are there and when: (Day 2: Sea Day, Day 3: Grand Cayman; Day 4: Sea Day; Day 5: Aruba; Day 6: Curaco; Day 7: Bonaire; Day 8 & 9: Sea Day). 2) Are the formal nights worth going to the MDC rather than Blu or all the same? Is the formal night food, better, fancier? 3) I heard they have pickleball courts 9I assume replacing the basketball courts). Do they provide paddles? Is there a fee? Need reservations? 4) Is Blu open for lunch any of the days? Breakfast they are open everyday? Correct? 5) What time is the LGBT meetings each day? 6) Any recs on seeing the ABC islands? I will not doing an excursions via Celebrity. 7) Can I reserve my speciality dining online. I don't see an option at this point? I'm sure I'll have more but it's a start. Thanks!