A Suite Review w/Photos - Celebrity Equinox - Western Caribbean 7/14-21/18

[pnsnkr]

Prelude

We decided to splurge a bit for our 15th anniversary and were looking for a suites deal when we chanced upon this ship and itinerary. This would be the first S-Class ship for us without our favorites, The Lawn Club Grill & The Porch. We'd never been to Costa Maya or Key West and fondly remembered the Bar Hop experience in Cozumel from a previous cruise. We also read numerous favorable reviews of the ship and so figured we'd give it a try. At the time, the free Go-Best w/ Premium Beverage Package suites offer was in full swing and by the time we were ready to book, most of the S2/S1 cabins were already booked. The aft 2155 S2 was available and since we really enjoyed the SV experience on Reflection, we picked 2155 instead of a cabin under the overhang.

 

I usually fly UA and am a Premier Gold; however, UA has no non-stop flights - requirement from DW - between AUS and south Florida in first class, so we booked AA to MIA instead. We also booked the Embassy Suites by the airport.

And then, it was an agonizing wait until embarkation day.

July, 13th: AUS-MIA

We'd planned for a relaxing lunch in AUS prior to departure, but this went out the window when we woke up to clogged toilets in our house. Frantic calls to local area plumbers and roto-rooters took up most of the morning and our lunch window evaporated. The ample time we'd allocated at the airport was also eaten up, starting with a full parking lot with valet as the only opton. It actually took us a lot more time doing valet than regular parking. Then, another 20min of waiting in line to check-in at the 'Premier' AA desk. There was absolutely nothing 'Premier' about this experience and the single agent assigned to service the line didn't really seem to care.This was followed by another long wait in an unusually crowded TSA Precheck line in AUS. By the time we realized that we could have used the Premier Line, it was too late for us to change lines. That said, all of these first-world problems melted away as soon as we boarded the flight. We had an amazing flight attendant who was on top of things from the get-go.

 

Finally, time for push-back and the trip begins!

 

Pre-dinner beverage and mixed-nuts (this aircraft doesn't have an oven and so the nuts were cold)

 

Southwest salad, which was quite tasty except for the overcooked chicken. The carrot cake dessert was really yummy.

 

Before long, it was time for touchdown

 

After a short curbside wait, we were on our way to the hotel on the fully-packed shuttle. Upon arrival, we were greeted to an empty reception desk. It took a few minutes for an agent to show up and check us in. We deposited our bags in the room and headed down to Grill 305, the hotel restaurant, for a quick bite.

 

The Mahi-Mahi fish tacos were quite delicious

 

and so was the key-lime pie

 

To be continued...

[bighairtexan]

So weird how toilets back up, dogs get sick, sprinklers start spewing... all right before a cruise. I feel your pain.

[TeaBag]

So sorry your lovely trip had such an unromantic start, but it looks like it picked up quickly. Looking forward to the cruise part.

[QueensChick]

Looking forward to reading about your experiences. Thank you for taking time to share.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[pnsnkr]

July 14th: Embarkation day

The Embassy Suites offers shuttle service to the Port of Miami. We wanted to inquire about this the previous night, but there was no one manning the reception desk. We tried again in the morning, and found out that the 10:30a and the 11:30a ones still had open seats for a $10pp charge. We decided to give this a try and booked the 11:30a one. We were ready by 11:15a and so waited around a bit. The shuttle made a stop at each of the three piers, with Celebrity being the final stop. It was already just past noon by the time we entered the pier for check-in. In retrospect, we'd probably take a taxi next time around.

 

The suites class and Zenith members had a separate entrance with no lines. After clearing security, we proceeded to the check-in counters and were immediately guided to the next available agent. There weren't noticeable lines for other classes either at this time of day and we were aboard the ship within a few minutes, with sparkling wine and mimosa in our respective hands.

 

We headed straight to Luminae for lunch.

We are foodies and our vacation experience revolves a lot around food; from street-food to Michelin-star, we are constantly looking for delicious food with local fare. When we first tried Celebrity on an Alaskan cruise, we booked the Aqua class when we learnt about its exclusive restaurant, Blu. However, we quickly found out that Blu is not for us as the food seemed too bland for our tastes.

When we learnt that suites class guests can avail of their own exclusive restaurant, we did a lot of research on the menu and sought pictures of the food (my DW even started a thread here titled 'Luminae Photos' ahead of our cruise.) We weren't able to get a definitive read on what to expect. Moreover, we also read a recent review of someone preferring Oceanview cafe to Luminae food and this didn't bode well either. All said, we still approached this with an open mind and sense of adventure.

 

At Luminae for embarkation lunch, we were greeted by Auri, the Maitre D', and were escorted to our seats; the only time we didn't get a window seat throughout the trip. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted by a procession of staff: Bianca, the asst. Maitre D', the suites manager (don't remember her name,) Diana, the sommelier, and then our waiter, Edwin. We loved the decor and ambiance; and, were already off to a great start, feeling very much welcome and at home.

Then it was showtime!

The table setting, couple glasses of sparkling water, and french bubblies - what would become a routine for us at this fabulous venue:

DW had the appetizer portion of the butternut squash risotto, a delicious creamy combination of cheese and rice with amazing texture of butternut squash, pancetta and parmesan slices, bursting with layers of flavors

and I had one of the most memorable lobster bisque's, rivaling even the one from Murano - but more on this later. The cryptic one-line description on the menu just doesn't do this dish justice; a common theme that we'd noticed at this restaurant. The sauce was thicker in consistency than what I'm used to but had a very rich flavor without being overwhelming. The lobster bits were soft and tasty.

 

Butter carved into a rose petal. But, we skipped bread during all our visits here.

 

We both ordered the signature burger, medium-rare This dish was pretty much the only 'miss' at this restaurant. There were quite a few things just plain wrong here for our tastes: too much bun, the meat was too dense to be cooked properly medium-rare, and it was quite dry with not enough fat. I had to take out the bottom-half brick of a bun out to fit in a bite. We later saw a lot of folks eating their deconstructed burger with fork-and-knife that just added to the weirdness. The fries were okay but we just couldn't taste the truffle.

 

 

It was quickly redeemed by the white chocolate macadamia cake with a dollop of pistachio gelato. There was a layer of wafers that gave this a good crunchy texture. We never knew we'd love a white chocolate anything until this dish.

 

After our first visit to Luminae, we walked out with mixed feelings, but in general feeling optimistic. The staff was stellar, with service rivaling a high-class restaurant landside experience. Only the white gloves were missing.

 

To be continued...(limited to six pictures per post)

[Silkroad]

Fellow foodie, I’m enjoying your review:)

[pnsnkr]

July 14th: Embarkation day continued

After our long lunch, we inquired and got confirmation that our rooms were ready. We made a quick visit to the Michael's club to check out the menus for the cruise in case we needed to make adjustments to our specialty restaurant reservations based on Luminae offerings. I'd also installed the Celebrity app prior to the cruise, but wanted to double-check. We later found out that the app is not fully reliable as the lunch during the first sea day had a different menu on the app compared to what was offered in Luminae. The concierge was missing, but the suites manager was on duty. Michael's club only had the menus of the day posted.

 

We then headed out to the 12th floor and after nice brisk walk to the aft, found our room; our first suite ever at sea. We'd already seen pictures of the cabin and so knew what to expect. The room, balcony, and the bathroom were all quite spacious and would serve us quite well throughout the cruise. A welcome bottle of Celebrity brand sparkling wine awaited us. We'd save this for a later day.

 

Soon after, our butler Singh, and our stateroom attendant Dudi, paid us their respective visits. We'd find out during the cruise that they both complemented each other quite professionally to provide us with an overall excellent service. Singh was quite thorough in providing us details of our suites perks, all of which we'd already known through our pre-cruise research. He also took our preferences for canapes, and also took our request to clean out the mini-bar and stock it with soda and beer from our beverage package. We later requested for cider (DW doesn't drink beer) and this was also accommodated. Dudi also informed us that our luggage would be delivered shortly after sailaway.

After the rounds of introductions and taking in our first suite experience, we headed out to Michael's club, grabbed a couple glasses of champagne, and headed out to Deck 5 for sailaway. We bid adieu to Miami and a very crowded Miami beach

 

We then headed over to the gastrobar, since this is a new Celebrity venue for us. This is supposedly a pub setting that also offers food for purchase from an ala carte menu. However, we didn't find the seating to be set up for dining but was more like a lounge. This place would end up being very underutilized throughout the cruise, save for the World Cup Finals when it was apparently jam-packed.

Our bags were already waiting outside our doors by the time we headed back to get ready for dinner at Murano. We later found out that a few passengers hadn't received their bags even at 8p and were given a dress-code exception by the Murano Maitre D'.

[lovecruzin]

So excited to read this and eagerly awaiting the next installment! :D We board next week and are in the suite next to yours!

[Maven3]

Enjoying your review. We are boarding the Equinox in a couple weeks for her Eastern itinerary. It will be our second adventure on her, the First was last October.

 

 

Vickie

[pnsnkr]

July 14th: Dinner at Murano

We love specialty restaurants on Celebrity. We always bought the ultimate dining package for $29/day when they were offered and were quite bummed that Celebrity has stopped this promo deal. For this cruise, we wanted to strike the right balance between Luminae and specialty restaurants and made use of the $300 OBC to book once at each specialty restaurant. We'd tried Sushi on 5 during our ultimate dining package, but decided to forego of a visit there during our cruise. Like mentioned in the previous thread, the gastrobar didn't seem appealing either and so we'd skip this as well.

We had an 8p reservation at Murano and were promptly seated when we showed up 15min earlier. The place was quite lively and near capacity even at this time, possibly because of the 30% off offer for embarkation day special. Murano usually evokes mixed feelings for us; the food is very good, the service is cut-above-the-rest, but the venue is a bit too stuffy for our liking. This is pretty much the only specialty restaurant without a view.

And let the show begin...!

After a perfect table setting, getting our drinks order and serving them, the amuse bouche was served. As always without fail, since this is not listed on the menu, we promptly forgot what it was called, other than to get our palates ready with the taste for the feast to follow

I ordered the lobster bisque. This is easily my go-to appetizer on the menu. The broth is just so perfect with very rich and complex seafood flavors and just salty enough to enrich the experience. Ah, just as what I'd remembered and relished from my previous visits. DW also ordered the bisque and enjoyed it.

 

Likewise, DW's go-to appetizer is the Risotto. Unfortunately, this time it was too gummy and totally overcooked. A total and complete contrast to what was served just earlier at Luminae.

 

I ordered the diver scallop wellington as my second appetizer. I've never tried this before and so decided to give it a try. I ended up deconstructing it and eating the scallops separate from the dough. Not my cup of tea.

For the main course, DW went to her favorite selection and ordered the Murano lobster. Lo and behold, strike two! They didn't quite time well the table-side cooking to coincide with the delivery of my main dish and so ended up overcooking it. It was quite tasty though, with a photogenic presentation.

 

For my main, I ordered the rack of lamb. Celebrity really knows how to cook lamb. I've had it a few times at multiple venues and they've always come out perfectly cooked to medium-rare and not too gamy of a flavor. This time, Murano really came through for an all-round perfect dish. Almost made me order another one. Almost...

 

We rounded off with a glass of sauternes and crepes w/ strawberry for dessert (pic not incuded due to six-pic limit per post.)

Overall, it was quite good, all said and done.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Host Anne
request

[abbydancer2003]

We board on Saturday for the same itinerary, also in an S2.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

[bighairtexan]

I have to agree w/ you on several points. Though food is subjective, I too was underwhelmed by the often bland food in Blu (tried it 3 different cruises... won't try it again).

And while I LOVE Luminae, as you mentioned, those super brief descriptions on the menu leave a lot to be desired. My cruise mate on my upcoming Equinox cruise was assigned to Luminae last time she cruised and she NEVER once ate there b/c she found the menus and descriptions to be uninteresting.

I, OTOH, always started with a spectacular soup course in Luminae and some of the things I ordered that sounded "meh" were AMAZING (for instance, the zucchini spaghetti w/ San Marzano tomatoes sounded indifferent from the description, but was a real stand out).

Based on your rave review, I may try that white chocolate dessert b/c I usually avoid white chocolate as not being REAL chocolate!

I'm following your review with enthusiasm!

[pnsnkr]

July 14th: Entertainment

We are never big on shows or onboard entertainment. We like live music and try to catch it whenever it works out. We do love a good comedy show but the last few times we tried, they were held in the Celebrity Theater, which is a much smaller venue than the main auditorium and the show always filled up quick. There was one rare occasion where we watched an R-rated show and it was a riot. So after dinner, it just worked out that the comedy show at the main auditorium was about to begin and so we made our way there. The show was off to a good start for the first few minutes but then my wife looked over to see me snoring. After waking me up and confirming that I didn't really miss much, we decided to call it a night.

July 15th: Key West

This is our first visit to Key West. When we did a road trip in Florida about 20yrs ago through free car rental from one of those Ramada Inn cruise&time-share seminar specials (yea, back then we were on a limited budget and this deal sounded good, so why not, eh? Does anyone remember the Imperial Majesty?) we drove as far south as Marathon and then turned around.

So, we were really looking forward to this cruise stop. The primary and secondary missions were clear and planned out in advance by DW - we visit two or three local restaurants/pubs for conch fritters and key-lime pie; and then walk on Duvall to visit the 'southern most point in the continental USA.' Our first stop was the Sunset pier, which is an easy walk from the cruise port. Just turn left and follow the water to end up at the bar. Just as we arrived, a cell had developed over us and it started to pour. They had a couple of 'big ass fans' deployed and they were spraying water all over us - which helped us cool off after the storm passed. We first tried the mango mojitos. The flavors were too subtle to our discerning palates. We then tried the Pusser's pain killer; and boy, did it take our pain away! It was very delicious. We'd ordered the conch fritters along with our first drinks but it somehow got lost and didn't make it to the kitchen. So, after second try, we received our order.

The fritters were okay, not enough conch and a bit too doughy for our liking. Our conch fritters bar to reach are the ones from Coconuts in Fort Lauderdale. This one is not to be.

We then ordered a key-lime pie to share. This was by far one of the most delicious key-lime pies we've ever had! It was just the right proportions of limeyness, creaminess, and sugar with a nut-based crust.

The staff was super friendly and were proactive in striking conversations with the clientele. Overall, it is a really fun place to hang out, enjoy the local cuisine and imbibe in tropical concoctions. We eventually peeled ourselves off there and made our way to the next local watering hole - the Conch Republic.

It didn't rain for too long but the streets were already flooded with standing water from clogged drains. We were in flip-flops and sandals, so took a circuitous route to reach the restaurant. They had to shutdown their patio seating due to the rains and were in the process of reopening them. They had a music artist belting out a few fine notes. After a short wait, we grabbed a very good seat by the with a nice view of marina and close by the singer.

We started with passion fruit mojitos while we waited for our orders. These were a little bit better than the ones from Sunset pier. We then switched over to the Kraken, their take on Dark & Stormy. It was actually quite good and tasty.

Conch fritters. The hot sauce is their own Fire Coral habanero hot sauce. It had the right amount of heat and habanero fruitiness. We made a note to buy a bottle or two, but they were fresh out of them for sale. The salesperson pointed us to Peppers, the hot sauce store where you can taste them before you buy them.

 

We inquired about the catch of the day and it was a Mahi Mahi for the sandwich and Swordfish for the filet. We went with the sandwich and it was very fresh with a delicious blackened seasoning. One of the better Mahi Mahi dishes we've had in the tropics

 

We then wrapped it up with their own take on key-lime pie with strawberry sauce, we think

 

At this point, it was getting quite hot and stuffy and so we decided to make our way back to the boat, saving Duvall street and the 'southernmost point of continental USA' for next time; but first, a stop at the Peppers of Key West to taste a few hot sauces. By this time, all the standing water on the streets had drained and they were dry. We enjoy hot peppers, we grow habaneros, ghost peppers, purira, and of course jalapenos in our garden. It is always refreshing to find a place that lets you taste the hot sauces before you buy them. And so we tasted and bought three of them. As we walked out, we chanced upon rum tasting next door and so went to the Hemingway's Rum Company tasting of the Papa Pilar's blonde and dark rums. We enjoyed them both so much that we bought the two-bottle special.

Armed with hot sauces and rum, we made our way back to the ship. Here's the thing about Celebrity; you always look forward to your trip back to the ship. No matter how tired, sweaty, and stuffy you are, the cold cup of water and the iced towel are so refreshing and welcoming that it takes the edge out of the hard and strenuous day of mojito drinking, rum chasing, and the key-lime eating regimen. And then the cold blast of air conditioning as you step on the gangway seals it for us.

We then returned to our cabin to find a beautiful flower arrangement and truffles. DW had pre-ordered this as an anniversary gift for me but she was expecting it to be delivered a day later. So, we got to enjoy these for an additional day.

[pnsnkr]

So weird how toilets back up, dogs get sick, sprinklers start spewing... all right before a cruise. I feel your pain.

 

Thank you. All's well and we are back home to a functioning toilet. We forgot all about it as soon as we set sail.

 

So sorry your lovely trip had such an unromantic start, but it looks like it picked up quickly. Looking forward to the cruise part.

 

Thank you. Ah yes, it definitely picked up as you'll find out from our review. We fell in love with the ship and the crew. Truly a memorable experience.

[pnsnkr]

Looking forward to reading about your experiences. Thank you for taking time to share.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You are welcome. Hopefully, I can keep up and finish the review before getting sucked back into the vortex that is the daily grind.

Fellow foodie, I’m enjoying your review:)

We've gained a lot of knowledge and insight from the CC community but have never written a proper review. Time to give back to the community. Glad you are enjoying the review so far; hopefully, will not turn out disappointing - there's a lot more to come.

[pnsnkr]

So excited to read this and eagerly awaiting the next installment! :D We board next week and are in the suite next to yours!

 

Here's wishing you have as much of a blast as we did!

Enjoying your review. We are boarding the Equinox in a couple weeks for her Eastern itinerary. It will be our second adventure on her, the First was last October.

 

 

Vickie

 

Thank you. Have a wonderful cruise!

[pnsnkr]

We board on Saturday for the same itinerary, also in an S2.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

 

It is a fabulous ship and crew. We fell in love. Have a blast!

 

I have to agree w/ you on several points. Though food is subjective, I too was underwhelmed by the often bland food in Blu (tried it 3 different cruises... won't try it again).

And while I LOVE Luminae, as you mentioned, those super brief descriptions on the menu leave a lot to be desired. My cruise mate on my upcoming Equinox cruise was assigned to Luminae last time she cruised and she NEVER once ate there b/c she found the menus and descriptions to be uninteresting.

I, OTOH, always started with a spectacular soup course in Luminae and some of the things I ordered that sounded "meh" were AMAZING (for instance, the zucchini spaghetti w/ San Marzano tomatoes sounded indifferent from the description, but was a real stand out).

Based on your rave review, I may try that white chocolate dessert b/c I usually avoid white chocolate as not being REAL chocolate!

I'm following your review with enthusiasm!

 

Thanks for the tip, if we ever get a lucky break in the future on a suites itinerary - I heard that the prices are now exorbitant - we will try that zucchini spaghetti. We didn't get to try it on this trip.

[pnsnkr]

July 15th: Key West - sailaway and getting toasted

As suites guests, we were invited to the sailaway on the helipad. The dress code called for closed toed shoes. DW didn't pack any such shoes and was quite concerned about it. A quick call to the MC concierge didn't help as the party line was quoted once again. The only thing close to it were water shoes that we'd packed for the beach. This sounded like a great compromise as I didn't care for wearing my regular shoes - it was still hot and sticky out on the deck. So, we packed our water shoes in a beach bag and headed over to the MC in our flip-flops. The attendant who we spoke with was a bit sympathetic to our cause and stated that it would probably be okay to go in flip-flops. We nevertheless changed into our water shoes - these are technically closed toed, you know - and decided to risk it. We then headed over to deck 6 where we were escorted with other waiting suites guests to the front of the ship through secret doors and then finally on deck just below the helipad. This place looked like a hangout for the crew with lots of chairs, lounges, and even a setting for a proper bar. Celebrity does indeed takes care of the crew in its own ways. We were then armed with mimosa (for me) and champagne (for DW) and walked the steps up to the helipad. This is the first time for us and we thoroughly enjoyed the exclusive access. The event was well attended, and from the looks of it, many of the folks didn't get the closed-toed shoes memo or ignored it, and so we relaxed a bit from that concern. It was quite hot and stuffy, but Celebrity to the rescue again with iced-towels! The champagne and mimosa's were also available for seconds, and even thirds. It was quite the festive atmosphere. The cruise director gave a brief speech to welcome us and thanked us well. He assured us that the Captain was with us in spirit, looking down from the bridge, but the reflectors had to be deployed for sailaway and so we couldn't look into the bridge. Then we set sail.

Mimosa - check.

closed-toed shoes - check.

stupid grin on the face - check.

 

Here's a view of the Sunset pier - the green umbrellas and the grey tiki hut was the main bar.

 

After sailaway, we headed over to the World Class Bar. This is a boutique bar with fresh and interesting ingredients that make up their menu. You cannot order anything outside the menu - so no rum-and-coke here. When we did the Mediterranean cruise on the Reflection a couple years ago, the Molecular bar was already out the way and replaced with the World Class Bar because the contract had expired and Celebrity didn't renew them. We didn't have a good recollection of it (when I say 'we', I mean 'I') from Reflection and so this was like an all-new experience - it sometimes helps to have a fading memory.

The bar tender was quite friendly and professional. We ordered the El Don Julio and the Johnnie Walker citrus gold. They were both delicious and strong.

After a little while of enjoying the seas from Deck 5, we returned to our room but first a quick stop at the Martini bar. The bartenders were in full entertainment mode and were literally juggling liquor bottles to put that extra shake - but no stir - into our drinks. I don't quite have a juggling picture and so this will do for now.

At the martini bar, they are bit more liberal with their mixology and will try to accommodate guest request. If they know how to make it, they will do it. My favorite martini is the 3G martini; I actually tried it first on a Celebrity ship when I asked the bartender to surprise me with a strong drink off the menu. So, that's what I ordered and the DW went with sunset martini. We took them back to the room to enjoy with our canapes and a gorgeous view of the ship's wake.

Did I mention that the 3G martini is super strong? I was actually babying it all the way to dinner, but that just didn't help and I was getting quite toasty with every little sip. After a little while, we headed over to Luminae for our first dinner experience there.

[pnsnkr]

July 15th - Dinner at Luminae

This is our first dinner experience at Luminae. After our lunch experience, we did leave with a bit more to be desired from the burger 'miss' but were still quite optimistic based on the other dishes that excelled. We were shown to our tables, first of many visits to a window seat where we were afforded the gorgeous views of the sunset.

Edwin remembered our water preference from lunch, but confirmed before pouring us a couple glasses of sparkling water. Diana, the sommelier, then visited us and got us our french bubblies. Speaking of, Diana is the real deal and is always bursting with genuine enthusiasm for guests as much as wines.

Then it was showtime!

We started with amuse bouche (pic not included due to 6-pic limit), compliments of the chef. We vaguely remember it to be cream-cheese based, but nothing much. I should make it a point to pay more attention to amuse bouche in future cruises. Or, maybe not.

 

We both ordered the lobster salad as our first appetizer. Man, what a way to make an impression! It was an exquisite execution of the right blend of flavors and textures that somehow all came together for a delicious bite. The lobster was also cooked just right.

 

For the second appetizer, I ordered the beef tartar while DW went with an appetizer portion of the pappardelle. I didn't mention this earlier, but the staff is quite accommodating and will try to meet your request within reason; so turning entrees into appetizer-sized portions is apparently no problem. Both the dishes were really yummy and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

 

We also got an opportunity to observe the clock-work nature of how the staff executed the dinner. Our water was always refilled at just the right moment; our silverware is collected after each course and someone magically appears to place the appropriate silverware for our next course. The Maitre D' and the hostess systematically walked the floors to check on the guests without intruding. This definitely rivaled some of the high-class restaurants on the landside. Great food experience is not always about that one signature dish; well, in most cases the sauce actually makes or breaks a dish, assuming that it was cooked using proper technique. But, in pretty much all cases of a high-class restaurant, it's the staff that rounds up and defines the overall experience. We knew at this point that we are in for quite the treat at this venue during our cruise. And we get to enjoy it as a perk!

For our main course, we both ordered Cote de Boeuf - fancy french name for rib steak but cooked primerib style. We had to look this one up prior to our cruise because this is yet another dish that the cryptic description didn't do any justice. This ended up being one of the best prime ribs we've had on Celebrity. The picture below is before it was doused in the accompanying sauce.

 

As mentioned earlier, the sauce definitely makes this dish and complements the succulent cut of steak quite well.

Overall, it was a high-class stakehouse execution of prime rib that carries a fancy name.

 

For dessert, the crew presented us with our anniversary cake - chocolate. Quite delicious.

We eventually stumbled our way out of there, fully satiated from an amazing dining experience that rivals, and in one instance, completely surpasses specialty restaurant experience. More on this later.

[plucasana]

What a great review and beautiful photos. Thank you for doing this!!

 

 

Gesendet von iPad mit Tapatalk Pro

[cococruiser]

I’m really enjoying your review. We are doing this cruise in a few weeks on the sky suite directly below you. Looks like you had a wonderful time, that’s great to hear. Thank you so much for doing this. Keep it coming!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cruise47]

Thanks for sharing your photos and your ship experience review.

[pnsnkr]

July 16th: 1st sea day

We slept in, like we always do on sea days. The ship's clock had changed from eastern to central overnight. They provided a flyer the evening before of this change but we of course didn't pay attention. We usually skip breakfast during a cruise. So, one of the first orders of business after waking up and grabbing a cup of coffee at Cafe Al Bacio is to decide on the lunch venue. The Cafe is our favorite place to grab a coffee drink, bottles of water, or the occasional glass of wine. Their iced teas are also quite good. They used to carry a pomegranate blackberry tea that was my favorite but unfortunately, this is no longer available. The Cafe crew were always exuberant and eager to serve whenever we visited them; they definitely know how to liven up the day.

We knew that Luminae was open for lunch on sea days. We also read here that the Oceanview Cafe was quite good, though this hasn't been our experience in any of our previous cruises. We headed over to the OCV only to find out that it was not yet open. They were just beginning to setup the stations for lunch after wrapping up breakfast. My phone was set to airplane mode and so it was still set to Key West time.

We had a few minutes to kill and so we headed over to the Sunset bar. This is another favorite hangout for us. What an amazing concept! To have an outdoor bar in the aft looking at the wake. This setup seemed so natural to us that we took this to be standard on all cruise lines; like every cruise line must have a Lido deck. However, when we sailed on RCCL Navigator and then Liberty, none of these had an aft outdoor bar. Kudos to Celebrity for getting this right! That said, the Sunset bar on Equinox is quite a bit smaller than the one in Reflection. We both ordered a non-alcoholic fresh-lime spritzer with diet tonic. It was amazingly refreshing and so we ordered two more while we waited for the buffet to open.

We then headed downstairs where the stations were slowly opening up one after another, with the center islands opening up the last. Celebrity buffets are always quite elaborate with a veritable spread of stations that cater to just about every taste profile. We did a quick scan of the various stations and decided to sample a few varieties of cuisine, including the pizzas. The food was presented quite well and was very inviting and aromatic. We then headed over to a window seat to try them out

 

Alas, since they need to cater to the vast majority of the guests, just about every dish was toned down with muted flavors; to a point where it just became empty calories. So, we made our way to Luminae for a proper sit-down lunch.

Edited July 23, 2018 by pnsnkr
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[kenevenpar]

Reflection's Sunset Bar is the best of the many we have tried on Celebrity. They definitely got that one right!

[AUPilot14]

We sailed with you guys last week, had a great time. Sitting in my office this morning trying to put off answering emails as long as humanly possible.