AbbyCruiser45

The short rib pasta was fantastic! It is heavy, so if you’re getting something else a half order should be fine. I’m not a fan of marsalas so it was not my favorite. Kaleb loves any type of marsala and he loved it. He said it was the best dish he’s had on a ship! It was very heavy and large serving though, so if you want fresh pastas, it might not be the best choice.

My parents love book bup! They’re always telling me about the deals. The Happy Place is the only book I bought for this trip! I use the ebook library system through Libby otherwise. It takes some practice to get my holds lined up just right, but it works like a charm once you get used to it!

As a quick update, Kaleb has looked at the MDR menus for the first time. He doesn’t read on here and I haven’t kept him in the loop. He said the menu looked pared down compared to last year. Then he got to the burger and he actually cackled. He’s not one to complain about things like this, so I was surprised to see that reaction even from him. Hopefully enough guests complain in the post cruise survey.

It really is! I feel super relaxed. Just enjoying having nothing on the schedule.

We’re hoping everything is okay with the passenger as well! The only update we’ve gotten is that a medivac did happen but it won’t impact our arrival to Aruba.

It’s been a very peaceful morning on the Equinox so far. I’m already half way through my book and thankful I loaded up my Kindle before this. Breakfast at Oceanview was great as always! I know the hash browns are so basic, but as someone that normally has a healthy smoothie for breakfast, I dream of them! We’ve split our time between the promenade outside Al Bacio and the Sky Observation Lounge. I’ve had a Bellini or two and I’m perfectly happy! We don’t know our dinner plans yet, but for those anxiously waiting, the burger is no longer on the menu tonight. It’s been pushed to Thursday.

Thank you everyone for filling me in on the Effy necklace! I don’t really wear jewelry. With that being said, does anyone on board want it? They only give one per room, as far as I know, and I imagine with all the families on board it could be fun for more people to have one! Let me know and I can leave it at your door. If I don’t get any takers here, I’ll post it to the Facebook group.

That’s a big ask for someone on vacation to calculate the day of the week 🤣 but if today is truly Sunday then day 6 will be Thursday!

Our reservation was at 6:30. We got there around 6:15 and got a window seat. It definitely was not filled. There was a large group that took a lot of tables, but I think there were a handful still open throughout dinner. We were there for about an hour and a half. Last year, we had it reserved for a group of 6 at 8pm because that was the only time open. When we boarded, we went straight to the specialty dining table near guest relations and they were able to change our reservation to 6:30 the same day with no problem. Hang onto that reservation and I’m sure you’ll be able to get an earlier time on board!

Yep I jumped on this thread again to update everyone that the we must wait longer! It was originally on the menu for tonight, but it’s been pushed to day 6.

Cruise director is Louis, didn’t catch his last name but he’s British it sounds like!

Good morning from the Equinox! It looks like there was a medical evacuation last night and we diverted to Miami. I only found this out from the Facebook group, I was long asleep. No word yet if it’ll impact our arrival to Aruba, but I’m sure if it does we’ll hear during the Captain’s announcement this morning. I want to say I doubt it since we have two full sea days to get there and I feel like we’re not moving at top speed right now. I’m in my “happy place” this morning as I start the book that I’ve been saving for this first sea day all summer! I was at Al Bacio a little after 6:30 following a beautiful sunrise. It’ll be a slow day around here, but I will keep the updates rolling 😊

I will find this out today and let you know!

I definitely think it’s worth another shot. We really did not want to go again after our last experience, but Murano was sold out for the first night discount. We gave it another chance and we’re happy that we did!

Dinner at Tuscan was excellent! I mentioned in one of my first or second posts that we had a terrible experience last year on the Equinox at Tuscan. The meal took forever and our entrees were served cold and kind of crusty, like the sauce had been sitting. We left before dessert. Today was the complete opposite of that! Our server, Joel, was fantastic. He was on top of everything, gave great recommendations, and the pace of the meal was perfect. We split most of the meal with the pork belly, calamari, crab cake, and burrata (not pictured) to start. I had the filet with a half order of the short rib pasta. We split the lobster rigatoni and Kaleb had the veal Marsala (not pictured) and the carbonara (he should have gotten the half order). For dessert, I had the limoncello cheesecake which was fantastic. Kaleb had the doughnuts with extra vanilla gelato. They also brought out the standard chocolate cake to celebrate our graduation. We blew out the candle together! It was such a nice, indulgent night. The perfect start to our cruise! Also, when we got back to the room, there was a free (?) Effy necklace on the bed with our planner for the next day. Maybe this is a new promo? I’ve never gotten one before, or heard of this. Any thoughts?

I’ll keep an eye out and keep you posted!

And we’re off! It was stormy down by Miami, but the rain didn’t hit us during sail away. We followed Adventure by the Seas and the Caribbean Princess followed us. Busy port day!

There we are! My sail away spot for this ship is in front of the gym! I think I can make out Kaleb just barely because he’s tall and wearing white.

Also I am connected to the basic package and it seems to be doing fine…fingers crossed that holds! Picture included just to test it out, my previous post was on cellular.

Yes! I prefer drawers, but we’re putting some bulkier things up there that don’t need to be hung.

We’ve had a super smooth embarkation day! We got to the port at 11:40 and dropped our luggage off with the porters with a “please get my luggage on board” tip. There was a long line out of the door but it moved at a decent pace and we weren’t in the sun for long. I think it took about 20 minutes to get through security and check in. It was another 20 waiting in a seat to board, but it flew by. We went straight to the room and our key was there! Our last trip and Kaleb’s last two, the key was not there, so we were thrilled to not have to go to guest services. The stateroom is great. I think it’s in good shape so far. The balcony and view will be nice. My only complaint is that there is just not enough storage. Edge class seems to be swimming in storage and the Equinox, at least in the inside and balcony, could use more drawers. I like to be organized! After checking out the room, we popped down to our muster and then to the buffet! This ship is crowded. I don’t have to ask to know it’s sailing at capacity! What’s interesting is that it seems like it’s a lot of families and big groups traveling together. Hopefully the big groups start dispersing a little because they’re all sticking together for now and descending on the bars together! We haven’t had a hard time getting a drink at all. For the rest of the day, we’ll unpack when the luggage gets here, watch sail away with a glass of bubbly (per my tradition) and then go to Tuscan for a first night dinner!

Quick update! Bags dropped to porter to drink in hand in an hour…French Caribbean of course! More to come later 🙂

Perfect! Thank you so much for the tip. Because we were just planning on taking a taxi and don’t have anything solid on the schedule, we’ll definitely try for this.

Yes! That’s it.

Fingers crossed!! It looks like it’s refundable up until 2 days before, so it wouldn’t hurt for you to start looking. I cannot remember how far in advance our day booked up but I definitely remember being surprised they were already sold out.