CunucuMom

Between the overflowing toilet and the rattling divider, it's amazing you slept at all. Definitely makes me reconsider our Eclipse booking next year. Thank you for taking the time to post and for sharing your photos. Hopefully the rest of your cruise brings you only the best!

Photos of the RS breakfast hangtag from our Sept Equinox sailing in Concierge Class.

I've witnessed many of these bigwig dog-and-pony shows in the corporate world where everything is in tiptop condition for the visitors but nothing changes after they leave. I do think the onboard managers (I can only speak to Equinox) do the best they can with the significant F&B and staff cuts dictated by corporate. Sorry to be Debbie Downer (apologies to all Debbies!) but I doubt Laura's recent cruise will result in any positive changes for Celebrity customers. I hope I'm wrong.

I was happy to see CO Bigelow products when we sailed Equinox this past Sept but I was disappointed when I read the label and found they are designed by Bigelow and made in China. Not a big deal since I brought own hair care stuff.

1,237 consecutive 10K step days - very impressive!

Was on Equinox last month and I'm one of those ladies who's always cold, especially in restaurants, so I was pleasantly surprised that I was comfortable in the MDR even when wearing sleeveless dresses/tops. Brought two light sweaters that I never used.

DH upgraded to Premium during one of the flash sales so the only phone calls we made were from his phone. He did try to call and text my phone (basic wifi) but it didn't work. We could have swapped the Premium passcode between our phones but it wasn't worth the hassle as long as we had one phone that could make calls.

Since we went to the beach in the low rise section of the island we picked up snacks at Ling & Sons (Super Foods is the main grocery store in the high rise section). Nice salad bar, bakery and cheeses. We also enjoy browsing the non-US branded products. Originally planned to take the bus but there were several cabs right outside the pier so we took one to Ling for $10 + tip.

Both 2 and 4 are really cute and I can vouch for the comfort of the #2 brand (Karen Scott). I don't wear heels since I retired and bought these t-straps for our cruise last month. Wore them straight out of the box 2-3 nights (what was I thinking??), up and down multiple flights of stairs with no issues except they were sometimes slippery on polished floors. Either of your choices will work beautifully with the gorgeous navy dress!

DH ordered the $34.99 MDR surf and turf (lobster tail and filet) on our Equinox sailing last month. He enjoyed it and the filet was grilled medium rare, as ordered.

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!

This is so disappointing for you and your group and a logistical pain as airline flights are also involved. If there's a bright side, perhaps it's a clothing-optional or Bliss charter so the Med cancelation may be a blessing in disguise. Best wishes that you and your group enjoy a fantastic sailing.

Well stated, @chengkp75. At the risk of shutting down this topic and/or getting booted from CC, I'm skeptical of the climate change hysteria promulgated by the same global elites who unapologetically fly private jets to whatever world climate summit (I guess they're not familiar with Zoom calls?) then tell me, the proverbial little guy, that I'm not entitled to own a vehicle, travel the globe, enjoy a pleasure cruise or eat a steak all while turning a blind eye to the world's largest polluters, China and India. I also looked at the major funders of the NGO (transportenvironment dot org) that commissioned the study and lo and behold, Schwab Charitable Foundation, among others. I'm more on board (no pun intended) with individual ports controlling their policies rather than blanket implementation of regulations per the recommendations. I'm also leery of specific attacks on the cruise industry. Should cruises to Antarctica and the Galapagos be shut down for climate and ecological concerns? Those locations aren't my gig but I know there are plenty of folks for whom those destinations are bucket list dream vacations and I don't think they should be denied those opportunities while Jeff Bezos can go wherever he wants on his super yacht. Rant over...I promise. 🫢

The article recommends banning scrubbers. Recommendation 6: The use of scrubbers, especially open-loop scrubbers, should be banned in all of European waters. This will ensure that cruise ships at the very least move towards distillate-type of fuels with lower sulphur content and prevent cruise ships from potentially polluting the oceans with contaminated water.

There's also a movement to ban personal vehicle ownership so this crusade against pleasure cruising is no surprise. I'm still waiting for someone to articulate exactly how the electrified ports will be powered. I guess they're not concerned with coal-burning plant emissions and nuclear power is a NIMBY.

Any idea if the anti-bullying poster was addressing bullying by co-workers/superiors or pax or both? Sadly, my guess is there are zero resources to address outright mean and demanding pax other than count down the days to disembarkation (and hope the bullies aren't on a B2B).

Embarking on Equinox 8-night this coming Saturday. Many thanks to you and @C4HCG for your candid and positive reviews.

I still enjoy watching reruns of "The Love Ship." 🤣🤣

My boarding pass shows both CALL and PALL. Originally purchased All-Included and later upgraded to premium beverage during a flash sale.

In no way defending Celebrity's lack of response to your multiple queries but perhaps you would be better served using a TA, especially if you're coordinating multiple rooms or have other special requests.

Cute top - love it! Looks like it can be dressed up or down depending on how you accessorize.

Hasn't this ship already sailed (pardon the pun) with regards to Norovirus? Rapid/at-home tests that pax carry on board ie, the free kits Medicare was pushing, come with a high risk of giving false negative results so I choose to not test and practice vigilant hygiene (same as pre-covid days) and self-quarantine if feeling symptomatic regardless if it's a cold, flu or covid.

First cruise since the 1980s coming up in a few weeks. Assuming your luggage is delivered to your room on embarkation day, do you typically wear your embarkation outfit to dinner in the MDR the first night or do you freshen up and change into a dressier outfit? I'm tentatively planning on wearing a casual dress on e-day and we're driving to port. I'm sure I'll be tired and windblown by the time dinner rolls around and I hadn't necessarily planned to totally redo hair and makeup but I don't want to look like a mess either. Any thoughts/helpful tips appreciated!

Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your BIL. It's kind of you to explore the options for the planned cruises as your SIL has more pressing issues right now. Several folks have offered helpful suggestions so just ignore the snarky comments as you figure out the best strategy going forward.

I second your thoughts on the express Keratin treatment; it just doesn't seem to work well for me. My color-treated hair is fine and naturally curly but not in a good way as it frizzes more than curls unless I use a flat iron or hot rollers. I've had wonderful success with a product called Inca Glow (the express version works like a charm on my hair) but I moved a few years ago and it doesn't seem to be available in my area. Thinking about buying the kit myself and begging my stylist to do the flat iron part of the treatment. 🤣