Equinox review - March 26 thru April 6, 2012

[rlsii488]

Well, we just returned from a fabulous time on the Celebrity Equinox. I am going to attempt to do justice to this cruise and ship. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. Please keep in mind, as we all know everyone has opinions, this is only mine and my Husband's. The only other cruises we have done is one on Carnival and one on the Celebrity Constellation.

 

 

Let me start out my saying I want to get back on board. From the moment we walked onto the ship it was breathtaking. Of course they greet you with a nice glass of sparkling wine. I will confess, I had three! The grand foyer is beautiful. Okay, so we went over to the beverage package table and signed my Husband up for the Classic Package. For an 11 night cruise the cost was $546. Yes, it paid for itself. Every morning he had fresh squeezed oj and throughout the day had ginger ale as well as his daily consumption of rum. After this we went up to our room to check things out and drop off a few carry ons. Because of different promotions going on with our TA, on top of our OBC; price drops; etc. we were upgraded to a concierge class cabin, 1180. No, in our opinion it may not be worth the extra $200 or so but as a no cost upgrade, sure we enjoyed the few little perks. The fresh fruit every day in our cabin was nice and the larger bath towels were nice as well. Though the towels were hit or miss....sometimes larger than the norm, sometimes regular sized. The assortment of pillows was a nice touch, especially the body pillow. So, we closed the curtains and turned the a/c down and off we went. We landed in Bistro on 5 which is such a nice way to start the trip. For the $5/pp charge it is definitely worth it. Well, I boarded the ship not feeling 100% so we went back up to the room, missing the sail away. I slept through until morning. The next day was a sea day which was nice because it gave me a change to shake whatever it was I had.

 

 

First Sea Day: Rested as I said, did a very little walking around the ship. Napped and woke up in time for the first formal dinner. Our seating was 8:30 p.m. My observation of the dress was women were either dressed to the 9s or very casual. Men a good many were in tuxes or jacket and ties; a few with either just a jacket on or a tie (not both). We didn't mind nor did our table mates and others didn't seem to mind or stare at others either.

 

 

Cozumel: Confession is my Husband and I have been there before. Being anal, we did a lot of shopping and more shopping. If you are going to shop, I would suggest the Forum area. A funny that we finally caught onto was almost all of the jewelry stores offer beer; tequila or margaritas as you shop (whether you are buying or not). We ended up at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for lunch before continuing our shopping.

 

 

Roatan Honduras: Hired an outside tour guide for $40, which included a taxi driver. He showed us the true Honduras. We went to an elementary school where we were invited in; the iguana farm; local shopping; and introduced my Husband to iguana....for lunch. I almost lost it when I asked what the little white things were and he told me iguana eggs. My Husband enjoyed every bite! Then we went to the local fire department and the fireman spoke to my Husband, who is also a fireman. He told us how they may do 6 calls a day. If a call comes in while they are on a call though, that call has to wait. They only have one station on the island.

 

 

Costa Rica: Where I know there are some beautiful sites to be seen, we weren't very impressed. Sorry! That being said, we did enjoy the banana plantation and the river cruise....but, boy it was a long day in that port (for us). During the river cruise we did see a sloth and baby crocodiles. On the way to the banana plantation there were a couple of young guys walking down the road carrying a sloth so we stopped. My Husband held the sloth so I could take his picture. My Husband stunk afterward! Back at the port, we walked around the little market place. Everyone is basically selling the same thing. One interesting thing is, at the market place there area a couple sitting areas where you can get a manicure or a pedicure. How sanitary this is I'm not too sure.

 

 

Second Sea Day: My Husband and I are pretty boring on these days. I believe the sea air makes us extremely tired. So we didn't do much.

 

 

Panama: If you haven't seen them, you must! The locks is what I am referring to. We were so excited to see a ship pass both ways. One cruise ship and another was a freighter. This was an amazing site. After returning back to the ship area, my Husband found the casino and went inside while I shopped in a few of the shops. I felt very safe in doing this as it was right across from the cruise ship terminal.

 

 

Columbia: We almost stayed on board because of some of the stories we've read. I am so glad we didn't. Old Town and New Town is truly beautiful. The streets and the buildings are really gorgeous. The vendors can be a wee bit obnoxious, say no thank and keep walking. Every day, several times a day they have Mass in New Town. It will bring a tear to your eye!

 

 

Third Sea Day: Okay, you know the story. It was the second formal night though.

 

 

Grand Cayman: My favorite part of the entire trip. No, not for the shopping where you can find anything you are looking for. Guy Harvey has a studio there. As we were walking along we stumbled onto it. We went inside and we were told Guy Harvey was upstairs painting. We found our way up there and there he was. He signed the Guy Harvey tshirt my Husband was wearing that I bought him for Christmas, 2011 and had signed by Mr Harvey when he was at a department store here in Florida. So that was neat! I ran back downstairs and bought a couple more for my daughters to have signed as well.

 

 

Final Sea Day: Rested.

 

 

The hot glass show is a must see. You will be amazed at what you learn. On the last sea day there is an auction where the pieces made on the cruise are auctioned off. The money made goes to Corning for scholarships and the last piece auctioned off, the money goes to breast cancer. The final piece made more than they've made before she said, $1300. It was indeed a beautiful piece.

 

 

The buffet was always hot and fresh. The food in the main dining room was delicious. Juan, our head waiter was introduced to my "imaginary" friend so that I could get an extra dessert. The Murano was superb. Silk Harvest, let's just say GO IN THERE HUNGRY. I've never seen so much food for two on a table. If you go to the Silk Harvest, ask for Chinese Tea. Yummy! Oh, before I forget. During the last 4 nights of the cruise we got an insert with our daily paper letting everyone know that if you book the specialty restaurants after 9:00 p.m., dinner was half price. We figured since our dinner seating was 8:30 p.m., a half hour later was no big deal. Service and the attentive service in both of these restaurants is amazing as well.

 

 

The brunch was very nice as well as the dessert party. If you don't feel like indulging in either of these, simply go to see the ice sculptures. Take your camera!

 

 

Now, the major disappointment that just about ruined my cruise. It was so nice having the keyboard to access the internet from our room. Had it only worked. The darn batteries were dead. I was beside myself, I didn't know who to complain to or how to get off the ship quick enough. This was just horrible. This was enough to ruin my cruise. JUST KIDDING, THOUGH THE BATTERIES WERE DEAD....WHO CARES. WHEN SOMEONE THROWS LEMONS AT YOU......MAKE LEMONAIDE! HAHAHAHAHA

 

As boring as we may be, we did manage to walk around the ship to take it all in. It is gorgeous! We enjoyed it so much that we booked our cruise for the 10 night cruise next March when she goes to Dominica! Everyone, I mean everyone was wonderful on the ship. It didn't matter where we were walking or who we were passing, we were always smiled at and spoken to (by the crew members, I mean).

 

 

Well, that's it. We loved the entire cruise; I didn't want to get off the ship. I just couldn't figure out how to be a stow-away!

[portofrome]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the review.

[Azulann]

Thank you for your review.

 

Love the Equinox!!

 

And having another cruise to look forward to is just icing on the cake.:D

[riclop]

You never mentioned the entertainment or bands, how was it??? We were on the equinox 2 years ago and found the ship beautiful but as far as entertainment and music around the ship it was very boring, the lounges were dead after the show and basically most people were in bed by 10pm. I was hoping that it was now better.

[TeaBag]

We loved Equinox too. Beautiful ship and great service. Our waiter in Select dining (we got him just about every time) was Wilmar. Part comedian/waiter/singer! We loved him.

[rlsii488]

You never mentioned the entertainment or bands, how was it??? We were on the equinox 2 years ago and found the ship beautiful but as far as entertainment and music around the ship it was very boring, the lounges were dead after the show and basically most people were in bed by 10pm. I was hoping that it was now better.

 

 

Unfortunately, even though my Husband and I are in our mid 40s, we are quite boring as well. :D My Husband, honestly, works 7 days a week with very few hours off in between. So when we are on vacation we are there to totally relax and simply be lazy. That being said, we did walk through a few of the lounges after our dinner (which was 10:00 p.m.) and there was quite the crowd and the music did make us want to stay, but we didn't. Sorry!

[BBsails]

Another very happy traveler on the Equinox. Wilmar was our spectacular waiter in Select dining too (and we sometimes joined YVR and DH at dinner). Hiya, L and T!

 

Betsy

[Andy]

Thank you for your great review. I'm glad that you had a wonderful time on Equinox. Welcome home !

[candbgirl]

I was on the same sailing and agree with everything the OP said. The entertainment was just about what you'd expect on a cruise ship. I did find some of the recorded music annoying. This was especially true up by the Lawn Club. Such a beautiful and peaceful place and there was usually loud, obnoxious music blasting. I also think it is such a shame that Michael's Club sits basically empty everyday. Celebrity needs to bring back a piano bar. I really missed that. The Equinox is an absolutely beautiful ship. Her crew is top notch and I have never seen such highly visible officers. I can't wait to go back.

[tright]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review! We have 7 months and 19 days to go!

Glad to hear you had a nice time. My DH and I are "boring" cruisers also we love to relax and just enjoy the ocean ride.

[Kevnzworld]

Thanks for the review, or in my case, preview! I'll be boarding the Equinox for the first time in 9 days, I can't wait.

[voyager90265]

Thanks for a great review! I too will be boarding Equinox in 9 days. Cannot wait!!

[AcadiaL]

We were on the same cruise and agree that it was great. The top three shows we saw were Phillip Brown, vocalist, the Celtic show with the married couple who put on a great performance, and the Cirque show. The first comedian was just okay, and the second one was a juggler who was both funny and amazing. The female comedian did mostly a late night show which was too late, but she did a bit in the final show that had me laughing out loud the whole time.

The slots were tight and we heard a lot of complaining going on about that.

The seas were mostly very smooth, but the last sea day we had some weird swells cutting across the bow which were making people a bit green in the gills. We also had some significant rocking coming out of Cartagena, which the Captain told us was routine there.

The buffet could use more variety but the food was good there for the most part.

Enjoy your cruise!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking your time to post a review. Glad you had a good cruise.

[steve333]

My wife & i were also on this cruise,can only echo what the op has said(Grand Cayman was also our favoritwe port)made lots of new friends,blue/aqua class wonderful-worth every penny,the crew& all the staff are very pleasant & do a first class job of making all the guests welcome/comfortable & keep the Equinox in tip top shape!

[kal72]

Thanks for the review. My mom was on her FIRST cruise on that Equinox sailing. She is stilll touring around Florida, so I haven't heard from her. I was anxious to hear about the waves and any extreme heat/humidity. I was hoping she'd have good seas on her first cruise. Bad seas on the last sea day isn't too bad...bad seas on the first sea day and she might not feel great about the 10 days to follow.

[steve333]

Thanks for the review. My mom was on her FIRST cruise on that Equinox sailing. She is stilll touring around Florida, so I haven't heard from her. I was anxious to hear about the waves and any extreme heat/humidity. I was hoping she'd have good seas on her first cruise. Bad seas on the last sea day isn't too bad...bad seas on the first sea day and she might not feel great about the 10 days to follow.

 

No need to worry about your mums 1st cruise,the seas were mostly very calm for the duration & the temperature between low 70's(night) & 90(day),humidity was quite high(especially Cartegena Columbia).

[rlsii488]

Thanks for the review. My mom was on her FIRST cruise on that Equinox sailing. She is stilll touring around Florida, so I haven't heard from her. I was anxious to hear about the waves and any extreme heat/humidity. I was hoping she'd have good seas on her first cruise. Bad seas on the last sea day isn't too bad...bad seas on the first sea day and she might not feel great about the 10 days to follow.

 

 

I would like to put my two pennies in on this.

 

We were on deck 10, room 1180, just aft of the glass elevators maybe 12 rooms down. I felt absolutely nothing throughout the entire cruise. During dinner or when we were in the casino, I never felt the ship move. I'd ask my Husband if we left the docks left because I wouldn't feel anything. The only thing I ever felt was the wind blowing when on the pool deck. ;)

[steve333]

We were on deck 11(room 1602)being higher up we did feel a gentle slow swaying from side to side on a few occasions(nothing serious or un nerving),most of the time when up & around the ship it was hard to tell you were actually moving.

[NeNeX2]

Loved the review. My husband and I are considering this for Feb of 13, to celebrate 35 anniversary,however believe it goes to Costa Maya instead of Roatan. We are mid 50's early 60's "boring" and not very adventurous. But really like this itenerary.We've been on Eclipse twice and have narrowed down between the Equinox and another cruise line. But we just loved the Eclipse so leaning toward Equinox. All that being said, Did you feel safe in all the ports?? More than likely we will book excursions thru Celebrity. However we actually have family fearing that pirates will get us! Just want to assure them that we will be safe.Thank you.Would like to make a final decision soon.

[rlsii488]

Loved the review. My husband and I are considering this for Feb of 13, to celebrate 35 anniversary,however believe it goes to Costa Maya instead of Roatan. We are mid 50's early 60's "boring" and not very adventurous. But really like this itenerary.We've been on Eclipse twice and have narrowed down between the Equinox and another cruise line. But we just loved the Eclipse so leaning toward Equinox. All that being said, Did you feel safe in all the ports?? More than likely we will book excursions thru Celebrity. However we actually have family fearing that pirates will get us! Just want to assure them that we will be safe.Thank you.Would like to make a final decision soon.

 

 

Equinox, Equinox, Equinox! :D We are boarding her again in March, 2013 for the 10 night cruise that makes stops in St. Thomas; St. Martin; Barbados; St. Kitts and Dominica. Boy, I can't wait.

 

Anyway, I'm sure alot of people would be worried about booking excursions other than with Celebrity, and yes we know it's not highly recommended, but each of the excursions we did we were very comfortable with.

 

Cozumel: Because we did nothing more than shop and lots of walking, we felt very safe. There were people (tourist) everywhere you looked. Honduras: We loved our tour guide, Eddie Murphy. haha Costa Rica we had no worries. Panama, I will confess I was alot nervous when the travel guide passed us off to another gentlemen that was driving a 2012 Hyundai Sonata....with no taxi markings. He immediately picked up on it and showed us his passport and explained that he just retired from the army and was taking us around in place of his dad. He spoke wonderful english and was very proud of his children who are in college....one at UofF and one in PA. And shared that his new wife is 2 months pregant. Columbia, just like going to Miami you want to be smart. Honestly, throughout all the streets of our travel, the locals would really have to be crazy to try something. The people (tourist) are so thick, you just about couldn't fit another one in. Also, we did notice quite a few policia walking around. So that was comforting, especially since as soon as we tied up at the dock a police helicopter flew above at a small distance and hit their alarm. My Husband was on helicopters and said that was the way the greeted the ship. For piece of mind, I believed him. Grand Cayman. Perfectly safe and comfortable.

 

My advise is to use the same measures of safety you use when going anywhere you are unfamiliar with. I do believe alot of the ports rely so heavily on tourism, they aren't willing to do harm to us. That being said, if you go down a dark alley waving $100 bills around, I wouldn't think that safe.....nor very smart. I will say again, we just about stayed onboard while in Columbia for all the horror stories we heard. I am so very glad we took a deep breath, used caution and ventured out.

 

So book your cruise on Equinox, be travel smart and for goodness sake......have a fabulous, worry free cruise!!!!!