Review of Equinox 10 Night Ultimate Caribbean Sailing 1/15-1/25

[JaiOfChi]

Hi Everyone,

 

We just completed the 10-night Ultimate Caribbean sailing (January 15-25) on the magnificent Equinox. What follows is my review of our experience. Keep in mind that these are my humble opinions, so if they vary mildly or wildly from your experiences, so be it!

 

The Ship

 

What a beauty! She is truly magnificent in every way. Spacious, elegant, comfortable and grand! This is only our third cruise and our first with Celebrity but we agree that this is the most beautiful ship we have sailed so far. Bravo Celebrity for delivering such an amazing ship!

 

Embarkation

 

Boarding started right around 2:00pm due to the lengthy scrub-down from the previous cruise, which apparently had a widespread norovirus outbreak. We settled into the Sunset Bar waiting for our room to become available. That didn’t happen until around 4:00. The crew seemed to be a bit behind in getting the ship ready for this sailing. But we were fine with sitting in the sun and have a few drinks to celebrate swapping the Chicago winter for some island sun! Our bags weren't delivered to our room until about 8:00pm, so, for our first meal of the cruise in Silk Harvest, we were dressed in shorts and flip flops!

 

Stateroom

 

We were in 1615, a very nice Celebrity Suite. It is at the rear of “the hump” so the balcony is quite large and angled. The seating area is very nice with a sectional, pull-out sofa, large, square coffee table, and two additional chairs. The TV in the living room is huge. There is also a small area with a chair and desk, perfect for our laptop and other electronics. The small bedroom contains a large, comfy bed, two night stands with three drawers each, and a long, thin closet with 6 or 7 small shelves. The walk-in closet is very spacious with lots of hangars and a large chest of drawers. This storage space is in addition to another closet at the entryway of the suite. There is more than enough storage space for at least 3 people. I found the bathroom to be very small in comparison to other ships we’ve been on. But the shower is awesome, with a large showerhead coming out of the ceiling.

 

The perks for this category of cabin are nice. Our butler, Arles, was great. He was there when we needed him, but not in any way obtrusive. He arranged a small get-together for us in our room and delivered snacks to us on a daily basis. In addition, we were given access to the Captain’s Club lounge and a sheet of coupons for all kinds of things (laundry, free internet, etc).

 

Crew & Staff

 

Almost all of the crew and staff we encountered were genuinely warm and very friendly. The only exceptions are the Maître d' and our server at Murano. A few exceptional crew that we fondly remember are: Arles, our amazing, wonderful butler; Edgar, our super friendly cabin assistant; Christian, the incredible mixologist at the Galleria Tastings bar; Oscar, our delightful server in the Tuscan Grille; Cerkan, our friendly, hilarious server in Blu. There were plenty of other wonderful staff and Celebrity should be commended on their customer service training.

 

Dining

 

Celebrity has set the bar high for others to meet in the area of dining options and quality. I’ll summarize the various eating venues we utilized:

 

Main Dining Room

 

We had the latest seating and on the first night we discovered that we were seated at an 8-top. We’re not anti-social, but we preferred a 2-top if one was available, so we inquired to the Maître d' on service that night. He was extremely helpful and friendly and relocated us to table 328, a very nice 2-top that is separated from our very close neighbor by a column and curtains, so we had more than enough privacy. The meals in the MDR were very good and the variety is excellent. We had one of the best pasta dishes we have ever had and the service was friendly and prompt. We ate in the MDR only three times.

 

Oceanview Café

 

Because of the norovirus plague on the previous sailing, there was absolutely no self-service of any kind in the Oceanview Café. Everything had to be handed to us, which contributed to some lines, especially to get drinks. If you didn’t ask for a setting of silverware, you weren’t given one. I completely understand the need to limit the opportunity to transmit germs by removing any self-serve options. However, on numerous occasions, there was insufficient staffing to keep the flow of people moving at various stations and we often had to wait for more plates or glasses or silverware to be delivered. While the food in the Oceanview Café is good and there is a wide variety, I found the entire experience frustrating during peak times. During off-peak times (afternoon snacks, sushi time, late pizza, etc) it was fine.

 

Silk Harvest

 

We ate at Silk Harvest on the very first night of the cruise and it was great. The sushi is amazing and presented with such flair and originality. Very good Asian fare.

 

Blu

 

What a delightful experience! We dined (dinner) with friends that were in Aqua Class and we were treated like royalty. Every member of the staff was genuinely pleasant, happy and friendly. The room itself is gorgeous and the food is excellent. We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to dine in Blu and we highly recommend it.

 

Tuscan Grille

 

This was our favorite dining experience. The service and food were excellent. The Assistant Maître d', the Sommelier, our server and wait staff were all incredibly gracious and friendly and we were made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived. The room is beautiful, dimly lit but not too dark. Our sommelier suggested an Italian blend that proved to be one of the most delicious wines we have ever tasted. And the food was superb! We both had the filet and it was perfect! Oscar, our wonderful server, “demanded” that we also try one of the pasta dishes, so he brought us a half-order of the pasta with Kobe beef meatballs. Amazing! Bravo Tuscan Grille!

 

Murano

 

We saved Murano for the final night of the cruise and are sorry to say that we were quite disappointed. Our disappointment began when we arrived at our correct dining time and told to wait….while others arriving after us were seated first. Our server was overly intense and serious and glared at us as we gave our various orders. He never smiled nor did he attempt any kind of conversation. Then he turned manic and seemed to be rushing us through our meal. He made the experience uncomfortable and unpleasant and unlike the dining experiences at the other specialty restaurants, we were never made to feel welcome. The food itself was good, but not great. We both had the broiled lobster tail and it was a bit overdone. We expected more from all of the rave reviews we’ve read. We’re sorry that our final dining experience of the cruise was such a disappointment.

 

Room Service

 

Being able to order a huge variety of food and drink through the TV is brilliant! We had two breakfasts and a dinner brought to the room and everything was great! The temperature of the food was fine and everything came just as it was ordered.

 

Internet

 

We opted for the wireless internet connection in our room and it was dreadful. If we could actually connect, which was a 50-50 bet every time, everything moved at a snail’s pace. We should have expected that the connection would be slow, but it was painfully slow 90% of the time and the slowness chews up lots of minutes. Not sure if the speed is a bit better in the actual computer “lab.” For those who try this in their cabin, we had better luck using Internet Explorer over Mozilla.

 

Shore Excursions

 

St. Kitts & Nevis – Fan-ta-Sea Catamaran. GREAT! The crew was really friendly and the snorkeling was great. But the best part was beaching the boat on a beautiful beach on Nevis for some leisurely swimming, beers, rum punches and sun. Loads of fun!

 

Barbados – Shipwreck Snorkeling and Pirate Adventure. Other than the shipwreck snorkeling, which was really incredible (tons of fish everywhere), the rest of this excursion was annoying. We say head out on your own and enjoy the beauty of Barbados!

 

Dominica – River Tubing and Emerald Pool. AWESOME! The trip down the Layou River is amazing and so much fun. The trip to the Emerald Pool allows you to see the lush, mountainous beauty of this amazing island. Highly recommended!

 

Disembarkation

 

We were surprised by the disorganization of the disembarkation process. When we left the ship we were told to wait “over there” while a man kept yelling for non-US citizens to head downstairs. This lasted at least 15 minutes while more and more people disembarked and started backing up the entire area. Finally, he let the masses descend down one escalator to retrieve luggage and head through customs. This system completely negates the numbering process for disembarking and needs some serious overhauling so that people can quickly move down stairs and not cause a massive back-up of disembarking passengers.

 

Final Thoughts

 

All in all, a wonderful experience and the Equinox is amazing. Celebrity will definitely get our business again and again! I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. Happy cruising everyone!

[portofrome]

Thank you for posting your review.

[ellbon]

i was on this cruise and the one before it. I had dinner twice in Mureno's and 3 times in SH. everyone was prefect each night. so i am sorry about your Mureno's dinner.

 

For me the worse problem on thecruise was the chair hogs.

 

The martini bar with Peter was great.

[Texed]

Jai,

Thanks for posting. :)

[39august]

Thanks for taking the time to post. Did you see waterfalls as well as the Emerald Pool on your Dominica excursion? And how difficult is the tubing part? I am 70 and tho' I work out regularly, I wonder if we would find this too taxing to be fun?

[JaiOfChi]

Thanks for taking the time to post. Did you see waterfalls as well as the Emerald Pool on your Dominica excursion? And how difficult is the tubing part? I am 70 and tho' I work out regularly, I wonder if we would find this too taxing to be fun?

 

Hello. The tubing adventure was a lot of fun. There are a few areas on the river with some small rapids, but it's mostly slow-to-medium moving. The trip down the river lasts about 45 minutes and some may find sitting in an inner-tube for 45 minutes somewhat uncomfortable.

 

The Emerald Pool has a large waterfall falling into it. You can swim in the pool if you want and stand under the waterfall, though you will have to climb over some slick rocks to get into the pool itself. The water is very cool and refreshing. It's beautiful!

[Fogtownrog]

That was one of the best reviews I have ever read on here. Straightforward and to the point! Well done and thanks.

 

We had dinner at Murano one night and found the staff to be more than friendly and efficient with the cuisine to be very good. On the other hand, I think the food in the MDR to be very good too...so who needs it?

 

I also agree....Christian was adorable! Peter of the Martini Bar is a champ as well!

 

Again, you should be a travel writer. Your review is superb.

[Gracie115]

Thanks for your review....we plan to be on Equinox for a fall 2011 Med cruise...

 

Our experience at Murano's similar to yours, even though we were on Solstice. We prefer Tuscan Grill!!

[JaiOfChi]

That was one of the best reviews I have ever read on here. Straightforward and to the point! Well done and thanks.

 

We had dinner at Murano one night and found the staff to be more than friendly and efficient with the cuisine to be very good. On the other hand, I think the food in the MDR to be very good too...so who needs it?

 

I also agree....Christian was adorable! Peter of the Martini Bar is a champ as well!

 

Again, you should be a travel writer. Your review is superb.

 

 

Thanks, Roger. It was good to meet you guys. Hope we can meet again on another cruise soon!

[Lois R]

Hi, thanks for the review:). We were in St Kitts the same day.

I was on SUMMIT and everyone was oooohhhing and ahhhhing about

the ship;)

I sailed her for 4 nights back in November so the main question I always

got was...."Is she nice?"......

[Andy]

Hi JaiofChi !

 

Thank you for your excellent review. I hope you submit it to the Cruise Critic reviews section. As an internet user, thanks for the information on the Wireless, and about Internet Explorer. I'm happy to hear you had a great time on Equinox. Welcome Home !

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[firstbadger]

Thanks for the review. It seemed more real than an 'all glowing report' or the 'all complaints reports' often seen.

 

My wife and I will be on the hump AQ cabin on a upcoming cruise. Any further info. on your cabin that you could share?

 

Hopefully we have Arles, too, he sounds like one to have for a butler! How did you get the Captains Club status? Sounds like a nice perk!

 

Thanks

Peder

[tinkerme1]

Great Review! So sorry to hear that you had a difficult time with the WiFi. I personally found the WiFi to work great but I do have a Mac. I used Safari with no lag time and no problems and on many mornings, used it on our balcony!

 

It is a shame that you had such a bad experience in Murano. We thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant and I feel sad that you didn't get a chance to experience the "excellent" Murano. Hopefully, this was just a bad day for them.

[BEVGOO]

Murano

 

We saved Murano for the final night of the cruise and are sorry to say that we were quite disappointed. Our disappointment began when we arrived at our correct dining time and told to wait….while others arriving after us were seated first. Our server was overly intense and serious and glared at us as we gave our various orders. He never smiled nor did he attempt any kind of conversation. Then he turned manic and seemed to be rushing us through our meal. He made the experience uncomfortable and unpleasant and unlike the dining experiences at the other specialty restaurants, we were never made to feel welcome. The food itself was good, but not great. We both had the broiled lobster tail and it was a bit overdone. We expected more from all of the rave reviews we’ve read. We’re sorry that our final dining experience of the cruise was such a disappointment.

 

We were on the 12/4 sailing and did not enjoy Murano as much as the Tuscan Grill. My husband's entree (duck or lamb can't remember) was raw and turned him off the rest of his meal. The waiter said it was always that way and kept coming back to say he was sorry. Not what you want to keep hearing and we finally said just forget it but he wouldn't. Several other issues just didn't make for a nice, relaxing meal. The Tuscan Grill on the other hand was a wonderful meal and service was excellent.

[barbels]

We dined in Muranos the same night as the OP and could not have had a more different experience. The service was wonderful and the food superb. It was our second night in Muranos on this cruise and they made Chateaubriand, which is not on the menu, especially for us. We felt pampered and it was great way for us to end the cruise. We will definitely be dining in Muranos again next January.

[hcat]

Thanks for the review--we'll be on board next January for this itin..

 

What else can you tell us about Fan ta sea snorkel & how was the music & bands on board? Did they have a good reggare &/or party band?

 

Who is the current CD?