Live from Equinox! May 20-June 1. Venice to Barcelona

[Susie51]

Your review continues to be very entertaining. I'm so glad the wheel chair was fixed!

[upwarduk]

I will say that I don't need to go back to Dubrovnik but I certainly want to spend a few days exploring Croatia. It's truly breathtaking and the coastline and beaches are spectacular. There is a vibrancy to to the culture as well that seems really interesting.

 

Try the islands off Split, Hvar in particular.

[bama4cruisin]

As many others have said, this is wonderful! Enjoying it very much. Unfortunately it makes our similar itinerary seem too far in the future. While we are sailing Venice to Rome, it is not until August 2015.

 

I will definitely view this "live from" thread as a preview and enjoy it as such - and get lots of tips and ideas. Next year Venice will not be allowing S class ships in port, but will allow only smaller ships - so it's the Connie for us.

 

Anxious for ideas on the various ports. Looking forward to your next installment. Have a wonderful trip!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Loving your review! You're obviously having a great time.

 

One request: please, on either you debarcation questionnaire, or by a short letter to Miami after you get off the ship, mention the above and beyond service you received from the electricians. These kinds of mentions are very important to the crew. And I'm sure the electricians don't get to interact with the guests much, so they don't get many special mentions.

 

Keep enjoying your cruise!

[ptrpanpens]

Love your review. i especially could relate to the comments about the Chinese tourists running people over. Last November I was on the Silhouette for the Adriatic cruise. The very first day some Chinese woman ran me over and knocked me down in her hurry to get to the muster drill. Luckily my arm was only badly sprained but it could have easily broken my elbow. I had to cancel my day in Florence however to go to the doctor. You can believe I stayed away from the Chinese for the remainder of the cruise.

 

And I live in California so should have known better.:eek:

 

Anne

[ClaudiaB]

I'm also enjoying your review. We've been on Equinox three times, most recently in January, and it's our favorite ship. We will return again for the TA in Oct. so reading about the changes/additions is very interesting.

 

I have to "ditto" Happy Cruiser's comment about making a special point to write on the "Attention to Detail" card (you can get one in Guest Relations) about your excellent wheelchair repair service. I'm so happy to read that it not only got resolved, but that they did it so quickly and that it was "better" than ever. I know what a relief for Mom!!

Writing a special commendationduring the cruise is a good thing, and particularly if you can somehow get their name. Just ask your room steward.

I would still write to everyone else you can, as you noted, but something while on board is also very good. Perhaps find them, leave a note for them -- and hand them something in an envelope before you disembark....... sooooo very encouraging to them.

[Pushka]

Thankyou. We sail into Dubrovnik at around noon so your descriptions have confirmed we will enjoy the morning watching the wonderful Croatian coastline.

 

My husband thought the gym on the Liberty of the Seas was excellent so if you think Equinox is better than that's a bonus too.

[HappytravellerYVR]

Thank you so much for your updates. We are embarking on the reverse cruise June 1st so it is great to get your view of what is happening. I also thank you for the gym review as I want to take advantage of it when I can on our trip. I am a runner and know I will get plenty of walking in but need my running adrenaline every now and again!

 

 

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[bryjohn]

we are also on this cruise from barcelona on the 1st june, and thank you for the review, sorry to hear about your mishap, gald all ended up ok. this is the first time on the equinox and looking forward to it. one quiestion about dubrovnik could you let me know in you r report how you got from the ship to the city centre.

thanks

[AZ ParrotHead]

we are also on this cruise from barcelona on the 1st june, and thank you for the review, sorry to hear about your mishap, gald all ended up ok. this is the first time on the equinox and looking forward to it. one quiestion about dubrovnik could you let me know in you r report how you got from the ship to the city centre.

thanks

 

We took a cab for 10E.

[scotslizzy]

Was it in the day you arrived in the ship as normal or did they wait until the sail away ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotalizzy

[bryjohn]

Thank you for the information.

[MissBreezy]

Loving your review! Your writing style is great and I have had a chuckle or two while reading :)

 

I nearly teared up reading about your mom's scooter repair (onion cutting ninjas hide in my office) what an incredible example of customer service and care! Kudos to them for going above and beyond.

 

Enjoy your cruise, can't wait to hear the rest!

[TommyD3]

We took a cab for 10E.

 

Wonderful review:)

 

Could you possibly check the Gastropub menu and verify the Whispering Angel Rose wine is $12?

 

That is the price on Celebrity's online Gastropub sample menu but with all of the recent price increases I find it hard to believe.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Shake]

Thanks AZ ParrotHead for your great review skills. Very entertaining. :cool:

 

Two of our adult kids are on this cruise with you so your reviews really have given us some inside info on how things are going.

 

Keep them coming and Thank you. ;)

[AZ ParrotHead]

Was it in the day you arrived in the ship as normal or did they wait until the sail away ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotalizzy

 

Muster is on day 2 an hour before sail away.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Thanks for a fabulous review! Equinox is the last of the S class ships for me to sail, and I'm on her for the 10/27 TA, so am excited to hear your report, especially since it brings back fond memories of my Venice/Adriatic cruise last Spring AND I always cruise AQ.

 

It doesn't surprise me that the crew on the ship fixed your Mom's scooter; I was on a tour in Seville 2 years back when a friend had a similar scooter disaster on the ancient cobblestones and the Silhouette electricians got him up and running again.

 

A question (multi-part): Can you tell me who the Maitre d' is in Blu? And sommeliers? Any favorite waiter so far?

 

Andres and Aurore are the maître d's in Blu. They are both young and friendly. We have Agung as our waiter and Deanna as our asst. Deanna is particularly charming and has made our cruise for us. Agung is awesome too.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Thank you for your informative and entertaining review. We are also on Equinox for the first time in October for the 13 day Barcelona to Venice return sailing and appreciate all the info on the ship and ports thus far. I too am a runner and work with kettle bells for exercise so the gym sounds awesome. Our last cruise on Connie, there were kettle bells but very low weight ones. Did you notice if they had 25 lb plus?

 

 

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Hello. I used the bells yesterday. They had 10, 20, 25, 30. Plus the lighter ones.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Sea Day 1 and Istanbul Day 1

 

I find that when I'm cruising my body clock really changes. I travel a lot, all over the world, and when I am on a business trip, I never have trouble adjusting my body to the local time zone. On a cruise, it's very different. So rather than my normal 630 we have been getting up at 10 or 11 each morning.

 

A cup of coffee on the balcony, answering a few emails from bed, and a shower and all of a sudden it's noon. So I really can't comment on the activities before 12. As far as I know it's some grand conspiracy and 4 am to 9 am just don't exist on the ship which would easily explain why this cruise is going by so quickly...

 

I think part of it has to do too with my body releasing the stress from a year of ups, downs, drama, moves, job changes, death, and birth. It's been a crazy 18 months. I typically don't relax all that well and it takes me 3 to 4 days to start to let things go. That's what we booked a long trip in the first place. I truly hope I've gotten to a place where the toxins have been released and I can recharge with sea air, Italian pasta, and good red wine.

 

The sea day rhythm on this cruise has been more relaxed than in the Caribbean or Mexico. A lot of folks hit the gym mid day and then have lunch and head up to to the pool to enjoy the sun. That's been our plan.

 

To me, the pool service has been superior. Yes, there are some chair hogs but I really think how you deal with it speaks to how much you "own" your own vacation. In our case, if it's busy, we take a lap around the pool and observe what seems to be hogged chairs. They are easy to spot. A rolled up towel fresh from the stack, maybe a paperback or a flip flop on it. Basically they look like they haven't been sat in. Think about it, if you are using your chair, you sit down, spread out your towel, lay down for a few mins and then get a drink or hit the pool. It looks ruffled. Hogged chairs look pristine.

 

After you pick your targets, we take another lap, grab something from the pool bar, and head back. This has given the hogs 10 minutes to claim their chairs. If no one has showed up (and they never do!) we move their towels and claim the seats. In the past, I've only been called on it once by the "owner" of the flip flop. I just point to the sign, tell them to talk to the pool butler if they've got a problem, and put my headphones back in....

 

I'm also happy to report that the pool service has been excellent. Every 5 or 10 minutes, a waiter goes by asking for cocktails. The drinks come back quickly and are generally pretty good. I even got the pool bartender to make me a painkiller even though it's not on the menu. It wasn't exactly right (too much orange, not enough coconut) but he tried and I really appreciated it.

 

What I love about the pool service and drink service in general on this cruise is that the attendants have been observant. When your drink gets below a third, they ask you if you want more. But they don't ask you if it's full so as to not bother. In Blu, my wine glass has never gotten below half. Helps with the excuse of "but I only had one glass of wine at dinner, honey!"

 

Celebrity is known for its cold towel service and it's awesome! When you get back on the ship or in the gym or around the pool, the butlers come by with a tray full of rolled up chilled and damp towels. It's kind of like the hot towel service in first class on a plane. It refreshes you and opens up your pours. Yesterday, the pool attendants were coming by about every 20 minutes with new trays of clean, cold towels. I took advantage almost every time!

 

The pool entertainment has been great so far, in my opinion. I continue to read about how people don't like "loud music" by the pool but let's break this down for a second. On this ship, there are actually 3 distinct pool areas: the solarium, the outdoor pool deck, and the balcony on deck 14 (which has shade sails to provide cover).

 

The solarium is always quiet. Think yoga music and babbling brooks. It's has a roof but it doesn't block all the light so you can easily tan. Fewer people use it and the chair pads are superior. This is the quietest option.

 

The second quietest option is up on deck 14 around the pool. To me this is the best of both worlds. You can still hear the music from the pool deck but if you put in your headphones it's drowned out. You also have a nice ocean view if you take a lounger against the glass. Yesterday we saw many pods of dolphins from these seats!

 

The party option is to take a seat on the main pool deck. Yes it's blasting but no more so than a Vegas pool. They set up the entertainment schedule so that there's some type of live music from 1 to 430 or so. The drum and bass dudes were there yesterday from 1-230.follwed by the house band and then DJ Gio. Yesterday, the pool was truly a party with dancing in the water, good tunes, happy people, and ample sunshine. I'm looking forward to getting up there today too.

 

Near the pool on deck 14 is the Mast grill that serves hamburgers and hotdogs. Sheryl and my parents have fell in love with this place. I'm not a big burger fan but they make some Rockin ones up there. Juicy, crispy buns and toppings like grilled onions and mushrooms. I think people love it because it's simple, American food. After 4 courses in the dining room each evening it's nice to just grab a dog and some fries along with a coke or a corona and sit around the pool. Feels like home.

 

Might as well thrown in my note on the buffet here.

 

NOTE: In general I am anti buffet. I have a problem with competitive, gluttonous eating. It physically makes me ill to watch it. I shall try to keep it balanced.

 

Layout: Superb. The stations work and there's enough room between the islands to navigate without jostling around.

 

Availability: Fine for us. Snacks are available until 1AM and the ice cream station is open in the afternoon. No complaints

 

Seating: Love that you can sit outside on the other side of the buffet in the Oceanview bar.

 

Food: It's a buffet. You are not going to go hungry. The salads and fruits have been very fresh and there are some interesting dishes we have found. They make a quinoa salad with chicken and cranberry that was memorable.

 

People: We woke up really hungry on the first sea day and got to the buffet when it opened for lunch at 12. This was a mistake. Those cruisers who "live for the food" descended on the buffet like the walking dead: hobbling around the carving station and grunting at the roast beef like it was a tasty human head or something. Fearful for our lives, we grabbed some fruit and headed out to the pool. Because the walking dead don't do sunshine....

 

Little things: They have peanut m and ms at the ice cream station. You can get a little bowl to keep in your cabin. Winner! Ice cream is ok. They have hard and soft serve. Pizza is edible. This is an Italian cruise though; there is no comparison to what you get on land.

 

So all in all the buffet is very functional and more than adequate. It serves it's purpose well and there have been no availability or quality issues. Just watch out for the zombies.....

 

The rest of the sea day passed quickly and quietly. I finished my book, took a swim, worked out, and wrote for my lovely audience on cruise critic. In the evening we had another nice dinner in Blu, lost some money at the tables, had a few cocktails and went to bed.

 

Istanbul Day 1

 

Day 1 was a half day in Istanbul so we had a quiet morning on the balcony watching the dolphins and the tankers as we cruised closer to the city. I got my workout in and came down to the balcony for coffee.

 

We had a minor disturbance that morning. The 4 of us were chatting on the balcony and I was reading this review out loud and asking for feedback. About 1/2 way through the guy 2 balconies over started knocking on the glass and yelling at us. He was Japanese and screamed in broken English, "you mustaaa be quiet! You have no respect for anyone! Keepa your voice down!"

 

Now, we weren't being loud or obnoxious. We were chatting at normal volume. I don't like jerks so I ignored him and kept reading. This pissed him off more and he decided to make a phone call and scream into in Japanese. In response, I had to up my volume so that my family (sharing the balcony with me) could hear me. He yelled "you must be quiet and respect others!" I yelled back, "so do you!"

 

I have little patience for jerks....

 

So, we moved on and got ready for our 1/2 day with a guide in Istanbul. We had joined a tour with a someone from our roll call for her party of 4 and our party of 4. We got out of the port and our guide was waiting with the name in it. We showed up and the other party didn't!

 

We looked around for 45 minutes and called their cell phones. I even ran back to the ship to call their cabin and look around on 4 and 5. No luck. I went back and the driver and guide decided to take us anyway. My dad was a little under the weather, so Sheryl, mom and I had a private tour all afternoon!

 

First we visited Hagia Sophia. It's a breathtaking cathedral and mosque that's now a museum. It features some of the best preserved roman frescoes in the world. It is the second largest church behind St Peters and was the largest until St Peters was constructed. It is 1500 years old! Our guide pointed out things we never would have seen and shared some of the amazing history. We were there for about an hour and I think we only scratched the surface of its magnitude!

 

Next we went on to the grand bazaar. Our guide told us there are over 6000 shops mostly selling junk to tourists. But it's always been that way. For over 500 years visitors have come to trade at the grand bazaar. It was mobbed! Too much so for my mom so we spent about 20 minutes walking around and then had to leave.

 

If you are considering visiting Istanbul on a cruise you need to consider what days you will be in town. We were there on Saturday and Sunday and the first day was simply insane. Our driver said he has never seen so much traffic. The grand bazaar is closed on Sundays and many locals come to the historic sites on Saturday. This, added to the vacation crowds and tours, makes it a wall of people. If you've ever been to Rome, it's like that. Crowded everywhere.

 

By that time it was 500 and our half day was over. We arranged to meet the guide at 830 the next morning to continue our tour. I tried to pay him for half the tour so he knew we were good for it but he politely refused. Stand up guy. I will give you his contact info in my next post.

 

That evening we were tired so we showered, went to dinner in Blu and retired early. Well. I did. Sheryl ended up dancing with new friends in the Sky bar until 1. Good for her!

 

Next up, Istanbul Day 2.

[jonsmum]

Loving your review - we are on this cruise in Sept, so very interested in your observations! Deanna was one of our waitresses on our cruise in Feb - she was fantastic, so helpful and such fun. I shall be eternally grateful to her for her 'green apple' advice when I was feeling under the weather on our first night. Lovely lady.

[cindygad]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking the time while cruising. We will be on her in October and I am looking forward to it. Painkillers! made me smile we go to St John for a couple of weeks each January. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Megan01]

Hello. I used the bells yesterday. They had 10, 20, 25, 30. Plus the lighter ones.

 

 

Thanks for the info on the bells. Sounds good!

 

Istanbul is a fascinating city. We were there in October for a few days pre and post cruise and I fell in love with it. I think my favorite site was the Basilica Cistern. It was stunning and has a lot of interesting history behind it. If you get a chance to go there Day 2, consider it. Unless the lineups are long, it doesn't take a lot of time to see. Mobility might be an issue though as I can't recall if they have elevators...

 

 

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[scotslizzy]

You bring this report alive with your comments. It's one if the first reports I look for when scanning the new stuff.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time and effort in completing this .

 

Cheers

 

Scotslizzy

[dani negreanu]

You've got talent for writing, thanks for taking the time in your holiday to share, Dani[ela]

[Scrappytraveller]

People: We woke up really hungry on the first sea day and got to the buffet when it opened for lunch at 12. This was a mistake. Those cruisers who "live for the food" descended on the buffet like the walking dead: hobbling around the carving station and grunting at the roast beef like it was a tasty human head or something. Fearful for our lives, we grabbed some fruit and headed out to the pool. Because the walking dead don't do sunshine....

 

So funny and so true! :D