Back from the Equinox - My Review

[SusieV]

That is interesting about Sushi on Five. My fiance loves sushi and I can't stand it so I was going to suggest that he do it for lunch. If we can use it as a specialty at dinner he can order all the sushi he wants? I suppose there are enough other items on the menu I could probably find something to eat.

[MR_T]

That is interesting about Sushi on Five. My fiance loves sushi and I can't stand it so I was going to suggest that he do it for lunch. If we can use it as a specialty at dinner he can order all the sushi he wants? I suppose there are enough other items on the menu I could probably find something to eat.

 

 

My girlfriend loves all things sushi but I'm not a fan of the raw fish options, but I've always left with a full stomach [emoji39] there's plenty of non-raw fish stuff to eat [emoji106]

 

 

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[dabeers1]

My wife had never eaten sushi before that either. But there was a soup that she liked and she got a double order of lobster won tons. She did have some sushi as well and we had 3 desserts too!

[bluenose66]

:)great review we have just booked our first cruise for september and cannot wait any more advise or tips for a newby

Cruise Review - Celebrity Equinox - 3/24/17 - 4/2/17

 

Background: We are 46 and 48 and this is our 6th cruise, first on Celebrity. It has been 6 years since our last cruise so there were some firsts for us on this cruise. We booked an everything package which included the premium beverage package, unlimited WiFi, prepaid gratuities and some onboard credit.

 

Pre-cruise: We stayed at Rodeway Inn Cruise Port which boasts free shuttles from the airport and to the cruise port. The shuttle arrived at the airport about 20 minutes after we called and we were dropped off at the cruise terminal as promised. The hotel is bare bones but suited our purpose for an 11-hour stay.

 

Embarkation: We got in line at the terminal at 10:36am and were on the ship with champagne in our hands at 11:06am. The pool was open, the bars were open, and the staff was offering drink package upgrades and specialty restaurant discounts of 30% for that night.

 

Room: We were in room 6275 which was on the port side halfway between the aft elevators and the back of the ship. The room was very quiet. We rarely heard other guests but we could hear our neighbors’ room phone ring. There was no engine vibration except when we were docking or departing. No noise was heard from above or below. This was a partially obstructed view, and the lifeboat came up about halfway to the rail. Looking out was not a problem. Looking down we saw deck 5 behind the lifeboats. We brought a 4-port USB charger which helped us overcome the lack of outlets.

 

Pool Deck: On sea days, the closest 3-4 rows of chairs around the pool were saved by 8am. Usually by 9 or 10 most chairs were actually occupied and often no more were available. The solarium usually had chairs available except on the first very windy day when it was full. The brown wood part of the deck gets very hot so bring some shoes to wear when walking to the bar.

 

Dining: We took advantage of some OBC to book a meal in each specialty restaurant. We bought a 4-night package for $125 each plus nabbed a BOGO at Silk Harvest ($35/couple). I think the service sets the specialty restaurants apart and in some cases the food does as well.

• Oceanview: Always had a wide selection of usually very good food. Once we visited for dinner and the chef’s special was cooked-to-order tuna, which was the best cut of meat I had the entire cruise. It was pretty crowded at breakfast and lunch but never dinner.
  
• Main Dining Room: The food here was quite good. We only visited 3 times due to our specialty package and timing a couple nights. Service was good and there was no wait for a table when we arrived at 6:15 each time. The lobster was tender and of the several times we had lobster or parts of lobster, it was the best in the MDR.
  
• Silk Harvest: The service was very good and the food was good. However, similar items were available in the Oceanview nearly every day so I’m not sure I would pay extra again.
  
• Sushi on 5: This restaurant can be visited and paid a la carte or can be used as a specialty dining meal. We did the latter and were able to order as many apps and sushi rolls as we wanted. Had great service and a great experience here.
  
• Tuscan Grill: The first time we dined here it was our favorite. The bread, antipasto plate, lobster pasta, and the big, thick filet were excellent. The second time around I was underwhelmed by the spaghetti and meatballs and the tuna. The filet was again nice.
  
• Murano: The service here was the best on the ship. The tableside preparation is a special experience and most of the food was very good. Our lobster was chewy and it wasn’t until 6 days later when we had the MDR’s lobster that we realized how much better it should have tasted for $50/plate.
  
• Cafe el Bacio: Always had treats any time of day. And remember, they are included for anyone.
  
• Aqua Spa Cafe: I never ate here but I saw some nice healthy alternatives as well as made-to-order juices and smoothies.
  

Bars: I’m a beer lover but I did have some wine with dinner, some frozen drinks around the pool, and I think I tried every drink at Slush. Each bar has a slightly different selection of beers, but the one with the most is Gastrobar. The bartender knowledge was hit or miss here. There were plenty of beers included in the premium package and some that might work with the classic.

 

Entertainment: The entertainment was varied and of decent quality. We went almost every night. The Equinox singers are very talented and have Broadway-quality voices. The music around the ship in the bars and public areas was nice. The glass blowing show was fun and informative. I finally attended a Celebrity Life lecture the final day and wish I would have explored more of them.

 

WiFi: We had an unlimited WiFi package and it was generally very good. I uploaded several pictures and was almost always able to browse without delay. One ill-timed outage occurred right when we needed to check in for our Southwest flight.

 

Ports of Call: With an abundance of OBC we planned on taking Celebrity excursions to use it. But after spending most of it on specialty dining, we used the casino to convert our remaining credit into (less) cash so we could do the ports on our own.

• St. Thomas: We took a taxi ($11pp) to Sapphire Beach and rented only one chair ($9) since I’d be snorkeling most of the day. The snorkeling was fairly good here and the only location from shore worth anything on the trip.
  
• St. Kitts: We had planned in advance to take Thenford Grey’s Grand Island Tour ($55pp) as we had never been here before. It was a wonderful 6-hour tour with Thenford himself narrating. We drove through Basseterre, visited Romney Manor and the fort, and ended up at Shipwreck with the black sand beach.
  
• Barbados: We took a cab to Boatyard ($5pp) and got our chair/umbrella/drink/turtle tour/taxi ride back for $20pp. There are about 8 beach clubs on the same stretch the offer similar amenities. My highlight was walking all the way to the other end to Cuz’ Fish Shack for a flying fish sandwich ($4).
  
• St. Maarten / St. Martin: We arrived at 3pm the first day and 4 other ships were in port. 15,000 guests were scrambling back to their ships as we left ours. We grabbed the bus ($2pp) to Marigot. It was rush hour and it took us almost an hour to get there. Had some pastries at Sarafina’s and walked around for a while and took the bus back. All the shops close at 6. On Day 2, we got a shared taxi ($7pp) at the port and headed Orient Beach. We walked a couple doors down from the dropoff to Orange Fever. Here we got 2 chairs, an umbrella, and 2 welcome drinks all for $16. Food was delicious and beers were $3 each or $14 for 6. Returned in a shared taxi ($7pp) and got dropped off in Philipsburg for some last-minute shopping. The walk between the ship and Philipsburg is an easy 15 minute walk.
  

Debarkation: We did self-debarkation so we could catch an early flight. Scheduled time was 7:30 so we got into line around 6:40. We were about 15th in line. By 7:00 the line was around 100. At 7:11 they opened the gates and we walked off. Customs wasn’t expecting us until 7:30 but they finally got some lanes opened up. We were through at 7:28, got a taxi ($13.30) and were checked in and at our gate at 8:00am!

 

We really liked the layout of the Equinox. Floors 3,4,5 are very easy to navigate and get to all of the bars and restaurants, and the pool deck is easy to get around as well. The ship was clean and the service was excellent. It was Spring break, but it appeared there were only 10-20 kids under the age of 20 on the boat. The officers made themselves available and mingled with the passengers. Thanks as always to all of the members of the Cruise Critic boards for the invaluable information that helped us make the most of this cruise. We’re sure we’ll be cruising again with Celebrity in the future.

 

Link to photos with some menus, daily schedules, etc: https://goo.gl/photos/yJuL7hKtLRbYvCc26

[bluenose66]

can you tell me what the drinks package is we have this already and was wondering whats included and how often is it for all day and evening

[dabeers1]

can you tell me what the drinks package is we have this already and was wondering whats included and how often is it for all day and evening

It depends on which package you have, but I'm pretty sure each package gives you an unlimited number of the included drinks all day everywhere on the ship (except in your mini bar). You can see what your package includes on celebrity's website.

 

As far as newbie tips, there are a lot of good ones I've used from other people. Beach towel clips were great for beach chairs on and off the ship. A multi USB charger was nice to charge all of our devices since there are only 2 outlets in the main part of your room.

 

If I were packing again, I'd bring more under garments and less pants and shirts. After wearing beach wear all day, you're only wearing your evening clothes for a few hours and they can be reworn (if you're ok with that). And go heavy on the sun screen the first few days. Nothing is worse than sleeping with a sunburn all week.

 

Cheers!

[The Fun Researcher]

Great review! Thank you. You are making me look forward to our August sailing.

 

Dan

[cruise47]

Outstanding review; Thanks you so much.