Betsynh

On 1/6/2023 at 9:20 PM, carolyn22 said:

A really stupid question from me - how can you tell that Verizon is picking up the Martinique tower?  I’m going to be on the Equinox in a few weeks for 28 days and also have Verizon. I’m thinking of adding Travel Pass. 

I used the ship WiFi to open the Find My Friends app and saw that we were still really close to Martinique. Went back to airplane mode as the bars started disappearing. Worth it! 

I responded to a couple posts but didn’t come through. 
 

chic night is on 3 and 9. Tonight (day 6) is white party. 

3 hours ago, ttax said:

I just saw a YouTube that said Starlink internet is now on the Equinox.  Assuming this is true, have you used it and if so, is it good.  Also, is it a test of Starlink for a short period or is it permanent.  We board on January 30 and are very curious about this.  Thanks.

 

It says Starlink. Haven’t heard complaints. 
 

BTW, snooped in a cabin across the hall (a veranda deck 10) and their carpet was gray! Must be updated!

44 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Curious - have any of the Sky Suites been updated?  Last we sailed in a corner S1 a few years ago post-refurb ours was not.  Wondering if any of them were?

Perhaps the cabin questions need to be directed elsewhere. We’re in an inside cabin on deck 10. We don’t get to mingle with the Retreat folks unless they join for excursions. I have no clue how to help with cabin questions. 

 

Tonight’s performance Topper was well done. Great costumes, music and energy with singers, dancers and acrobats. Best so far in our opinion. 
 

Our waiter indicated 200 staff finish their contracts with this cruise! 

Pete is the cruise director and has been hilarious. We’re enjoying the little “balcony” area in the back of decks 14/15 (halfway up the stairs). Verizon is still picking up Martinique cell tower and it’s just after 8:30 ship time. We departed at 6pm. Stretching our $10! 🤣

For all you comedy lovers—I thought Celebrity Central was the open entertainment area on deck 4 forward. Nope… it’s a full comedy club down the hallway behind the sign. Wound up standing after waiting 30+ in the open area, but the show was worth it. 

On 1/5/2023 at 12:40 AM, jd99 said:

Thanks so much for the gluten free advice. My oldest daughter is celiac snd had a great dining experience on the Edge so we were hoping the Equinox would be good as well. 

Tell her to ask for the chocolate mousse. It’s not on the MDR menu, but since the flourless chocolate cake hasn’t materialized yet, it’s a great second choice. I don’t like crème brûlée. Lol. 

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

Can anyone on this cruise confirm that the changes mentioned in another thread (about "Ambush charges") are in fact correct?  Other than the lobster one which has been confirmed.

Not familiar with what that is. So far so good in our end and been checking our account daily. 

We’re in Martinique today. We figured out that we can use Verizon’s $10/day international calling plan to catch up with everyone while we’re here! It’s a lot more affordable than a day if iffy Wi-Fi. Close enough to land by 7:30am our time to tap into local towers. On the Best of Martinique all day tour today. Chilling at the Rum Factory. 🤣🛳

18 hours ago, jd99 said:

That's what I keep reading. Is there any way to know which cabins are and which are not refreshed? Seems like someone somewhere would be keeping a list but I have not found it despite extensive searching online. 

 

Ours on deck 10 still sports the lovely tan decor. Lol. Still totally fine! 

Another gluten-free tip: The Oceanview Cafe has Canyon Bakehouse bread for toasting with a dedicated toaster! They also offered up a couple of kinds of muffins at the breakfast buffet. The pizza takes about 15 minutes to prepare/cook, so enjoy a salad while you wait — the Caesar dressing at the custom salad station is GF, too!

After my excitement over the flourless chocolate cake, the dining staff couldn’t locate it and told me it would be for another night. Instead they presented me with a GF chocolate mousse which totally hit the spot.

Performers tonight were about a 7 out of 10 — from one of the house bands that had a great set list and high energy lead female vocalist in the Deck 3 atrium to the Broadway Cabaret performers. It’s apparently their last cruise before departing the ship… so there will be a new production cast next cruise. Attended the live band singing (upgraded karaoke). People tried… that’s all I’ll say. Stayed for the late-night DJ. He was great and the crowd of all ages was fun.

We dock in St. John, Antigua around 10am.

13 minutes ago, jd99 said:

Hello!  One question. Is your cabin refurbished? Keep reading it is hit or miss and we are reserving inside cabins for upcoming cruise and hoping to land in one that is 

Actually, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem terribly old, but it’s not high tech. What should we be looking for?

The band, a New Zealand quartet called Current Groove played a fun set of Motown in the Sky lounge for 45 minutes although hardly anyone was dancing (you’re welcome for the show of us flailing away having a blast). We stuck around for the late-night DJ. Great song choices for the first half hour before we were overrun with a dozen young 20-something’s that needed frequent reminders to keep the glassware off the dance floor. The DJ shouldn’t have to be the parent, too, right? The water bottles we snagged during the Elite happy hour? $9.60 for two including gratuity. Yikes. Next time maybe we’ll bring our own from our fridge stash.

Clocks moved ahead one hour at 3am. We LOVE being near the front-middle of the ship (#1032) on deck 10. We’re around the corner from the elevator in a cozy nook that isn’t even noticeable. It’s a quick jump two flights to the solarium/pool area, one more deck to the Sky Lounge and short elevator ride to the theater entrance. We have to walk to the back for meals, but we need the steps anyway! Halfway toward the aft is the Library which is a great place to chill sans veranda. (NOTE: I bid for a MoveUp to a veranda and was accepted, but my RCCL credit card had expired between the bid and acceptance, so it was declined and we lost our chance. Nonetheless, we’re really pleased with our original choice and now have $1,000 to spend on board instead, right? Different CC folks offered options to switch cabins, but we’re content.

Day 2 at sea (3rd ship day): Plenty of shady chairs to be had at 10am on both the pool deck and the Solarium. Snagged a rectangle couch lounger near the main pool. I’m impressed with the number of seats-for-two around the ship. The Solarium lounge chairs don’t sit up enough for me to read comfortably after just eating breakfast… so here we are! Another gorgeous day in paradise… (hoping no one recognizes us after last night’s dancing!) The staff thus far have been incredibly friendly and remember us — they truly know how to make us feel special.

If you haven’t noticed by now, we sailed the “sail only” inside cabin rate and decided to exploit our Elite perks to get extra benefits and splurge on amazing excursions. Eating up my 90 minutes of free internet posting these (even while writing in advance and uploading), so may need to tap into hubby’s minutes… I see why people say electronics are addicting… I had to consciously break my Wordle streak — too funny — or slightly pathetic. For all of you who know what I’m talking about, I got up to 125 previously, but this current streak was only 41…

Funny afternoon, still sitting in the same lounger/couch next to the “Slush” counter by the pool. We’ve experienced three quick rain squalls today, completely sheltered and comfy while others are shrieking and vacating their poolside loungers. This is a great spot to watch the day go by. We were hoping for the 1:15 poolside band, but they must’ve been canceled due to potential rain.

Got back to the cabin to a voice message from Brito the Restaurant Manager. We were chatting yesterday in the OVC and I asked whether they had (naturally gluten-free) flourless chocolate cake. He left a message that they will have some for me tonight! If you, too, are GF and a raving chocoholic, be sure to ask when you’re on board!

We’re all chic’d up and ready to do the Captain’s Club $4.80 water dash at 5pm… then off to dinner and tonight’s show is a Broadway Cabaret at 7pm and 9pm. More to follow!

Part 2 — Oops… I meant Silhouette dining room on deck 4 not Solarium for night one dinner. Seated to dessert took about 75 minutes — we didn’t have cocktails with our meal which may or may not extend the time. Night two took more like 90 minutes, so we dashed to the 7pm show — Karen Grainger, an amazing singing impersonator, and thoroughly enjoyed her show. Watched the Yes or No game and now there’s a weird lull for our tastes, so back in the library writing this while waiting for the fun dance music — I think we’ve got about 45-60 minutes of down time. We played our first slot tourney this afternoon and lost $35pp in a minute, but it was pretty fun to watch. For us it’s a “once is enough” activity.

We’re still getting turn-down service in the evening. I thought I read Celebrity stopped that, but could be mistaken or we’re on the right deck (thank you Len!). We got the free limited-menu drinks from 5-7 since we’re Elite, so did a fun, mad dash around the ship to fill the cabin fridge with can-bottles of water before getting a pre-dinner glass of wine. The Sky Lounge was the perfect spot to chill for a bit and watch the sunset prior to walking across deck 14 to take the aft elevators straight to deck 4 for the Silhouette dining room. We lucked out again with the same window table and Christopher and his team for dinner. You can basically reach out and help yourself to the food on the next table over they’re so close together, but so far no one has been overly annoying. We did want to encourage them to put their phones down while Christopher was talking though…

Tomorrow is chic night — our second sea day on this 10-night journey. So far the pace has been nice, allowing us to unwind and snooze before we hit 5 islands in a row. Stay tuned!

So excited to finally be on the Equinox! We’re mid-50’s/early 60’s New Englanders who think we’re still in our 40’s. We booked this Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise  since we haven’t been to three of the five islands on the itinerary. I wanted to share some quick thoughts and tips about our experience since I didn’t find many (semi) live reviews.

First, we were assigned 11:30am check in as our window. The hotel shuttle dropped us at 10:55am and there were plenty of baggage handlers, etc., so we progressed through the check-in line with no questions. Check in was a breeze — room keys were waiting outside the cabin — so it’s all done electronically. The only hold ups were people that didn’t do any online prep… and this is definitely an older crowd on this trip. We had a short wait and were heading to the ship around 11:35am. PRO TIP— always pack your bathing suit and sunscreen in your carryon! We had a great time enjoying the solarium pool (so warm—not salt water) and hot tub before our luggage arrived. We had the whole pool to ourselves.

Since I’m gluten-free, I typically head to the main dining room for lunch on embarkation day. I hadn’t done enough research, as the MDR wasn’t open for lunch and we were directed to the Oceanview Cafe (buffet). This totally stressed me out, but there was a supervisor by the entrance who told me how to read the signs — food is reasonably well-marked — and showed me the GF dessert area and indicated they have GF pizza and will have GF pasta tomorrow. The pizza took about 15 minutes to cook, but it was actually one of the best GF pizzas at sea I’ve eaten. They give you a whole one, so it’s a little overwhelming, but it was good enough that hubby polished off what I couldn’t eat. There’s an ice cream station in the Oceanview Cafe and all the ice cream is GF, as well.

I love a ship with a good atrium, and the Equinox didn’t disappoint! There are so many quiet nooks and crannies and plenty of seating (we are not at capacity this week). I’m writing this from the Library area on deck 10. It’s 7 stories up from the music below, so just enough vibe to feel like you’re on vacation without tripping over scooters and too many people confused about where they want to go next.

We like early dining (5:30pm) and got a window table for two in the Solarium and were done in time for the 7pm show. Tables were very close but arriving early helped with the flow although I felt bad for the waiter since each of his tables were at a different stage of the meal. Nevertheless, the food was good and they brought warmed up GF bread (the usual). The menus were well-labeled — except for the dessert menu — so I did NOT have to pre-order for the following day. That was really unusual but much appreciated!

After dinner, we went on a hunt for live music — the Take 3 musicians were pretty amazing but classical puts me to sleep on a full stomach. We cruised past the duo in Ensembles lounge — decent but too crowded. Waited a few minutes for the house band in the atrium and it turned out to be their 1950’s set. They sounded good, but not quite our vibe. Still searching, so decided to chill in the library and call it an early night. The nice thing about a 10-day cruise is that we don’t have to do everything on day one!

Quick shout-out to Len our cabin steward! We’re in an inside cabin on the Concierge deck so we’re his only guests without all the fancy perks. We were missing tickets for two pre-booked shore excursions but the desk took care of that right away. And, my RCCL visa points that I converted to OBC never made it. Guest Services is working on that for us… she said it happens all the time, so print out a copy of your confirmation! You’ll probably need it!

Great night sleeping! Loved one of the two pillow choices in our cabin—others on our deck apparently get a “menu” of pillow options. Headed to Tuscan Grille for the “Elite” breakfast option, open from 8-10am. Luciano, our waiter, was a total hoot. Menu is limited but I got a mocha latte, smoothie (think cold breakfast drink rather than frozen smoothie) and cheese platter. Hubby had fresh OJ, fruit plate and a couple of danish. It was enough to keep us going vs. a hot MDR or OVC breakfast.

Tried the morning archery session — it was a riot. Ran into another CC couple we met at the sail away party and challenged them to a smack down. They beat us by 3 points, but what we didn’t know since we went early, is that you can hit the cones to knock the balls off — you don’t have to only aim for the balls. Not so jealous of their lanyard prize…

Decided to camp out in one of the basket loungers in the solarium and happened upon a chair massage person giving free 2-minute neck/shoulders (it’s 10:45am right now on Day 2 sea day). She’s encouraging people to sign up for the full massages, but the quick/cheap version was great. It’s funny how the solarium has A/C, so it’s not stuffy or humid… the perfect location to enjoy the view and sunshine while we northerners acclimate to the tropical climate.

More to come!

On 12/16/2022 at 5:21 AM, Suzi66 said:

I'm both gluten and lactose intolerant.  While I haven't been formally diagnosed with Coeliac, both my son and niece have been and I can tell very quickly if I have been glutened.

We were on the Eclipse in September and I thought it was excellent.  The food in the OV was all labelled so I knew what I could and couldn't eat and in the MDR I ordered the night before and was able to have almost anything on the menu made to suit me.  Gluten free bread was supplied when I sat down and I got margarine as I couldn't have butter, or somedays I got hummus instead.  Every night a special dessert was made for me.

In contrast we were on the Norwegian Spirit 2 weeks later and nothing in the buffet was labelled.  The only dessert I could often get was lemon sorbet, and I did get glutened one night towards the end of the cruise.  They also ended up toasting my bread as it got stale and it was the only way they could serve it.

I have no qualms about going on Celebrity again regarding food, although I would think twice about Norwegian, although perhaps it was just the ship.

We sailed the Norwegian Pearl in May and had a lovely dining concierge Analisa pop up anywhere and everywhere I wanted to eat to ensure I got GF. It was a little awkward frankly but ate most meals in MDR. Sailing Equinox later today and looking forward to it!

9 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Hope this helped.

Thanks so much! Just landed in FLL. We decided to take our chances when we check in tomorrow. We booked what appears to be a larger inside from the deck plans. A veranda would be welcome but won’t make or break our trip. Fingers crossed. 

I got an email that my MoveUp bid was accepted for 1/2/23 Equinox 10-day jumping from inside to veranda for $500pp… BUT my RCCL credit card expired 11/22 so it was declined. Even though I quickly jumped through every hoop to update my expiration date and inform them… crickets. We’re now less than 72 hours out and tons of balconies still open but I guess we’re sailing on my strategically chosen inside (#1023) and saving $1k. I’m a little bummed. It was my first time using MoveUp. Double check everything so this doesn’t happen to you!

7 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

If you do it, book a backup flight, on the day of, cancel the flight you didn't fly on; will be a credit, not a refund

That’s a brilliant idea. I’ve sweated 11am departures and had booked private shuttle. 

Are children allowed to attend? My daughter is traveling with her 3-year-old and hoping to get tickets. Thank you!

I’m so grateful for this thread. I’ve been on more than two dozen cruises but just agreed to my first MSC with daughter and 3-year-old grandson. Luckily it’s only a 3-night on the Meraviglia. I’ve been GF (sensitive not celiac) for 12 years and have always had amazing food and service on Celebrity, Royal, NCL. I’m nervous now but will plan accordingly packing GF snacks and maybe even a roll to go with the lobster roll on Ocean Cay assuming they still have it. I really appreciate all the detail and support from the OP. I hate feeling high maintenance needing extra attention for my food, and am hopeful that they are better prepared in 2023. Someone did post a menu from the sorbet place and it appears that they are GF, but cost extra. I’ll report back if things are any better. 

1 minute ago, RTShaker said:

You attributed that quote to me, but it was the OPs. That said, I for one, am not a "one brander", but ended up mostly one brand because of the product, marketing be damned.

I guess he didn’t read my signature to see that I’ve cruised on several different lines over 20+ years… but I lean toward RCCL/Celebrity if their itinerary/pricing meets my needs.

21 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

There never was a point to being loyal to one brand. You one branders have been taken in by marketing. As for the all included that is marketing too. You pay for it. 

I’m actually not a one-brander but musing nonetheless… most recent trip on NCL Pearl, I did the math and it was cheaper to accept the “free” drink package and pay the gratuity for any drinks rather than pay per drink for the number of sodas, specialty coffees, wine, etc. that we might buy on board. Overall, we had a great time… and was pleased with our choice.

We were Elite on our last Celebrity cruise pre-COVID. Just booked the Equinox for Ultimate Southern in January 2023, and it appears that the perks are far less than what I recall. Is it only RCCL that switched to three daily drink vouchers for Diamond? I thought Internet minutes were offered rather than just discounts, too. We didn’t upgrade to the all inclusive package since we’re Elite and I was excited to benefit from the perks… now I’m questioning the idea. Is there a point to being loyal to one brand when most things are included nowadays? Thanks for your advice!

Thanks for all the tips! Plans changed and the new dates don’t work for me. These are all great ideas and I’ll definitely keep them in mind since I love cruising!

Just off the Peal Friday… we sat in the champagne bar on Deck 6 while people were escorted through with an attendant holding a HAVEN/SUITES sign, heading into Le Bistro. Once it was our turn, we scanned the ship card in one station and shortly after, showed our passport and ship card to the agent and that was it… we got a sticker for the back of our ship card to prove we’d been through. There were two lines and we were in group 1, so it wasn’t awful.