LSKC

ps: Southern would be our first choice but none of them line up great with our travel date options

My husband and I were exclusively looking at Western Itinerary but may need to look at Eastern's just because of our schedules lining up.

We've done St Maarten and St Thomas and liked both. Nassau doesn't appeal to me. Dominican Republic - didn't even know that was a cruise stop...is this new? San Juan, never been.

Mostly we are looking to enjoy beautiful beach days at our stops and some culture too. Not big shoppers other than to maybe grab some little gifts for our kids back home.

What is the condition of the islands after last years hurricane season - specifically St Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John and San Juan?

Also, if anyone has done the itinerary that includes Dominican republic/Punta Cana.... what was your experience like - what did you do at port?

Thanks.

We are trying to fit an anniversary cruise into a busy schedule. We were hoping to fit a cruise in between September and late November to celebrate 20 years. Had found a nice Western on Equinox Dec 1 and now we have a conflict that may not allow us to book that time. The same sailing is also on August 11th for a very good price....

-will there be a lot of children on the cruise (we've never sailed X, assuming mostly adults but ...)

-i know it will be hot. Considering we are mostly going to be doing beaches at port the heat doesn't scare me too much. What are the rooms and public spaces like though on hot humid days - do they keep them comfortable?

-anything I'm overlooking?

I have teenagers. They love good food and for that part - Celebrity would win I think (based on others opinions, we haven't sailed with X yet)...but I would choose RCI or Norwegian to keep them busy and having fun on sea days. Unless it is a very heavy port itinerary and they won't be on the boat long enough to grow "bored".

I'm currently reading your Equinox 2016 review and enjoying it. Looking forward to this one as well!

Our cruise will come with free perk of classic package. Was quite happy about this! I am a tutti-frutti colourful fun drinks kind of girl. I'm wondering if I'm going to be happy with Classic or want to upgrade to premium?

Tell me your favourite fun drinks included in the Classic?

What is the price limit for Classic?

Does anyone have photo menu or menu descriptions of bar drinks (mostly for pool and after supper consumption - I'll have wine with my supper)?

If I decide to upgrade to Premium, does my husband need to also or can he stick with the 'free' Classic? He is a beer guy for the most part.

And I'm sure this has been asked by other Canadians but... do they make/offer Bloody Caesars on Equinox? Also love Amaretto Sours.

Thanks!

I was curious about the 'things to do' aspect of the Celebrity cruise line for younger demographic. We are mid 40's and are looking for a couple's getaway. We love great food and relaxation so we are looking at Equinox Concierge or Aqua class.... but I admit I'm a bit concerned about what we will do to fill our evenings. I'm not into magician shows and immature comedy shows. Also concerned about the music - is it mostly older music or do they offer a good mix of things (modern pop, some party music/dance at night)? What about around the pool deck. I read somewhere that there is live music at times but it leans toward 50' & 60's style music. If so, is it loud or can I drown it out with my music and headphones?...just not my thing. If it was Caribbean steel drums style music - that is a different story.

I guess I'm mostly wondering if we will find a place to fit in the demographics and activities of the boat. Mostly I imagine us eating and sunning on sea days but I want to know I will find somethings for the two of us to do after supper so we aren't tempted to fall asleep in a food coma at 10pm LOL.

Thanks.

Thanks for posting.

If anyone can post the menu's they had in just a regular veranda stateroom category - that would be great

I think with a Balcony there will be a few times we may order room service for breakfast (port days) or for a late snack if we have an early dinner.

Can anyone provide me photos of S-class (sailing Equinox) recent room service menu's.

1) regular menu

2) concierge additional items menu

3) is there additional item again for the AQUA class or same as concierge menu?

We are leaning heavily towards Aqua class balcony.

Also, what is the late night fee and times it goes into effect?

Tipping - what is an agreeable amount to tip when brought room service in a cruise?

Question: can you make your specialty restaurant dining reservations ahead also or just any select dining times you want in the MDR?

I am looking for some input. The jump from 'normal' veranda to Concierge is about $400-500CAD more. I'm trying to justify if that is really worthwhile. I really like the idea of a foot stool on my balcony but not sure it justifies the difference. I know there are other perks to Concierge - what are they? Anyone have the 2 menu's for free room service items so I can see the additionals that Concierge is entitled to?

I looked at the Concierge embarkation day lunch and it is not enticing in the least and quite limiting - which surprised me.

I see the benefits of a jump up to AQUA with Blu but don't see it as much with Concierge. That being said, I may be missing some perks.

Would love your thoughts.

On our port days I'm mostly looking for gorgeous vistas and beach settings with a nice bar/lunch spot and the opportunity to rent beach lounges/umbrella.

What would you suggest? Sailing with Celebrity in either Nov/Dec i think. Not booked, researching first - never really thought of Dominican Republic as a cruise port before...so interested in your suggestions.

Thanks.

I know it is subjective and everyone likes different things but ... what itinerary do you prefer and why?

We've done only one cruise. It was eastern with Disney island, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I see the Celebrity in 2018 takes you Eastern to San Juan, St. Thomas, Punta Cana/Dominican Rep, Nassau.

These islands at first glance don't excite me much but to be fair I've not looked much into things to do on each.

We are mostly beach people. I love to snorkel, we like to see a bit of the island but mostly relax on a picturesque beach for at least 1/2 the ports of call. Nassau and Dominican Republic don't excite me at all... especially Nassau.

Western itinerary looks more enticing (to me so far) but if I'm looking for Western itinerary in November and nothing comes up for Equinox/Solstice size ship.

Still feel a little undecided on which of a few cruises to pick. Think I've settled on the Equinox but itinerary and time in the fall to go are still up in the air. Is this 2 perks (booking concierge class i think) sale on most the time - I do not want to miss it but also don't want to rush my decision.

Also, deposits. If we change our mind or date - is there a refund up until a certain date or is the deposit a non refundable like with Royal Caribbean?

Thx!

Which land based vacation would give you a beach warm enough to enjoy that is also outside of a hurricane zone?

 

We have cruised in August, September, or October almost every year for the past ten and have never missed a cruise or experienced a delay because of a hurricane. That being said, we live in the Houston area and just barely made it on a cruise out of Galveston last September because of Harvey. We cruise this time of year because it is less expensive and works with our schedule. We also cruise with travel insurance and with the understanding that our ports could change and our trip could be delayed. If you have a tight schedule, or if your trip would be ruined should most of your days end up on the ship, you should wait until late November to cruise.

 

 

 

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If we booked a land-based trip we'd likely book Curacao or one of the very southern islands. Not as enticing to us as a cruise though.

Would mid-November be much better? Eastern on Equinox. November 16-24/18. I hate to push the date back that far but maybe that would be smart. I'd prefer Western over Eastern but considering....

Yes, i understand. We really would like to cruise and would like to keep it close to our Anniversary. I've read September-Oct is the worst usually for hurricanes so I wondered if Aug 11-18 may be okay? Not much experience with cruising yet... but anxious to get back at it.

The other option would be to forego a cruise and go somewhere outside the hurricane 'zone' on our anniversary. I'd prefer a cruise since we just did an all-inclusive in Mexico. Loved it but want something different.

Having difficulty deciding between 2 cruises. Celebrating our 20th anniversary which is actually on Sept 12 but we can't get away in mid-September due to family commitments.

Cruise one option is Aug 11 western 7 night. Easier time for us to get away than October but both dates are do-able. Wondering though about weather. Too hot/humid? Will it rain a lot more this month vs October?

Cruise two option is October and out of Miami also but to ABC's. Both itinerary's would be new to us and both have their +/-'s. Which one is more likely to be a better WEATHER vacation. We are mostly looking for a beach getaway and will spend our port days on a beach and in the water... not walking around touring the islands.

Can you pre-book your specialty restaurants ahead of sailing or does everyone have to wait until boarding to try and get reservations at the specialty spots they want to try? I'd much rather do this pre-trip and pick the nights we do it. We are looking at booking just a concierge level balcony stateroom and want to buy the 3 or 4 night specialty dining package. Food is of high priority to us when we travel (LOL)... mostly because we rarely dine out at home with 3 kids and very busy schedules.

What if anything can you pre-book and at what day can you do so (i believe with NCL it is 90 days prior to sailing they open up these things for booking)? Is it the same for shows/performances/shore excursions, etc?

Thanks.

Gratuities are listed on the Celebrity website here:

• $14.50 per person, per day in standard accommodations
  
• $15.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  
• $18.00 per person, per day in suites
  

Make sure you do the math on the gratuities vs. taking the $150 pp OBC.

 

So for example if you stay in Concierge Class or standard accomodations, it's better to take OBC rather than free gratuities for 9 day or less sailings.

Can you use OBC to pay for tipping and additional things? Or is OBC only for extra things you buy like specialty dining, purchases in shops, etc?

Looking at some Equinox cruises.

1) is room service free or do you pay a fee of any type (other than tipping)?

2) what is the daily gratuities for concierge or lower class balcony? Is this what is "free" as a perk if i choose that as one of my 2 perks? Was looking at the bev pkg and tips as my 2 perks.

3) was looking at the angled hump cabins on deck 7 or 8. Are these configured funny? Trying to envision what that looks like with the angled cabin walls and angled balcony.

4) was also looking at the aft concierge cabins on deck 7 and 8... do these come recommended?

5) what is there to do on this ship in the evening and on sea days? We were originally looking at RC Anthem of Seas/Harmony which obviously is a very different experience... because of all the gimicks (that I'd like if my kids were with us but not sure they are things we'd do alone as a couple)... is there good entertainment? Shows? Movies playing?

6) Lastly, can someone tell me more about the specialty dining? How much additional charge and can you buy a specialty dining package for a few nights? If so, what is the cost?

thanks!

We are looking at the 8 night Equinox sailing. Sails from Miami to ABC's and date is October 15-23/18.

We've never sailed with Celebrity. Only ever done one cruise with our kids - Disney. This cruise is without kids and to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We were exclusively looking at NCL and RC because I wasn't sure if Celebrity was suitable for us. We are mid-40's and looking for some good entertainment, solid sea days without a jammed packed pool deck (?) and great food.

1) What are the age demographics on this sailing/ship? Will we be in the minority at 44 and 46? No spring chickens but still... :)

2) Is the anytime dining recommended or is it a headache? How does that work? How much is it to get some specialty dining options?

thanks!

That water in Antigua. WOW! Amazing photos. Looks like you are all having a dreadful time ;)

What is a "W" guarantee ?

without me digging too deep... wondering if non-refundable deposit means price-locked in and no changes allowed...

or does it mean the deposit cannot be returned to us if we have to change something (date, booking, pricing) but would still allow us to credit the deposit towards a future RCI cruise?

There's some savings there for us if we choose the non-refundable booking option but I want to make sure I'm understanding it properly.

Also, with NCL if the price drops or extra perks become available...they will reprice it and alter your booking simply (before final payment due).

Is this the same with Royal Caribbean?