Opinions on Equinox

[rstackjd]

Greetings all.  

 

We we corrdinate a group cruise and have historically cruised NCL with the group,mthough we did one on the Summit about 6 years ago.    For a variety of reasons we are thinking about changing away from NCL.   We are interested in a 9 nighter on the Eqinox.   The problem I'm having is that universally the group was unimpressed with the Summit and I'll have work to do to convince them to try Celebrity again.   The members of the group are professionals and range in age from mid 30s to mid 60s.   On the Summit the things we all liked were the food, the sevice and the overall quality of the ship.   Honestly the food was better than NCL, certainly on par at least and the service was probably better on Celebrity.   Comparing ship to NCL ships of the same age and size I'd say they were similar.  

 

The he problem was the night life, or lack there of.   This group has gotten accustomed to the very active NCL "big ships".  While the Equinox is smaller than the Breakaway class ships, I think it's actually a good size and at least "looks" to be a ship with plenty to do.  But our experience on Summit was that the ship was VERY subdued, and frankly boring after say 8:00 at night.  Other than the casino and main theater shows there seemed to be nothing to do.

 

so, for those with Equinox experience, how's the night life?   Are there enough clubs with live entertainment?   What about things during the day?  This cruise has 4 seas days, so an active ship will be important.   Bingo? Art auctions?  Programs? (Wine, beer, whiskey tasting?)  how crowded or not crowded are the pool areas?  

 

Thanks for your insight.   I really want to try this line again. But I don't want 100 disappointed, or worse, pissed off, people on my hands. 

 

Cheers! 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by rstackjd

[39august]

There are various types of live music all over the ship both before and after shows. There is a silent disco at least one night. There are various other later night activities like game shows and competitions. During the day there will be some sort of crew vs. passenger competitions, trivia and some lectures/presentations. Plenty of "tasting"events and art auctions. There also should be a cooking demonstration or two. The presentation by the upper staff of the crew is usually very interesting on the last sea day of the cruise. I don't recall bingo, but since I don't play, I could have missed it. Many find the bartenders at the Martini bar quite entertaining.

[Cruise Raider]

I found the nightlife and even the daytime activities to be very similar on both the M-class ships and the S-class ships ... much more subdued than you will find on NCL or Royal Caribbean.  

 

I absolutely love the Equinox and would definitely recommend it to my friends but have gone with friends my age and they thought it was a little boring, especially after dinner.  

They do have activities and live music, bingo, tournaments and raffles in the casino and more raffles in the shops, wine tasting, whiskey tasting, cooking demonstrations, galley tours and even some fabulous shows in the grand foyer but not nonstop action.  There have always been the two shows in the theater and then a smaller venue with another show (such as a comedian), silent disco, maybe a themed dance party upstairs ... all after dinner.   Some fellow passengers have commented on how quiet it is at night onboard, although we've always found something to do.  

During the day, they have some zumba classes and maybe a band at the pool.  It's crowded oftentimes at the pools (an indoor one and outdoor one)  ... but you should be able to find a seat somewhere.  They do have some out of the way sunbeds to sit at on the top decks, too.  They don't have pool games anymore ... not that I've seen in my last three sailings on her.

They sometimes have croquet, cornhole or bocci ball set up on the lawn and even have competitions with the officers.  We've had wine and cheese parties up on the lawn with live music at sail away on the Equinox. 

 

Now, with all I've mentioned, you're probably thinking it is non-stop action but it really isn't.  The average passenger age is probably around 55 years.  Even in the Caribbean, Celebrity just doesn't attract a really lively demographic.  If you have a party of 100, though ... you could really do some damage to that reputation.   I would book her in a heartbeat but then again, I am in that average age demographic.  

 

 

 

 

[keesar]

I believe you will be disappointed with the nightlife on the Equinox.  Very quiet and subdued.  Entertainment has been disappointing for us.  We did enjoy the higher energy RCCL ships.  Much more to do after dinner.

 

The food is very good on Celebrity as is the service.  

[ipeeinthepool]

If nightlife and entertainment are a concern, I think you will find the Equinox to be too dull and will be disappointed.  What are the issues that you are having with NCL?

Edited January 19, 2019 by ipeeinthepool

[chemmo]

We love Equinox, back on her later this year, but if your group love nightlife why not look at the Royal Caribbean cruises on offer?

 

Out of school holiday times they don’t have that many children on board and offer a wide range of potential group activities.

 

Whilst we find the food and relaxed ambience on Celebrity much better for us if we were looking for entertainment and nightlife we would go for RC...

Edited January 19, 2019 by chemmo

[39august]

While RCI definitely has more and much better entertainment options, I must disagree that other than school holidays, there are not " that many children on board "sailing from US ports! But, I do agree with others that RCI may be a better fit for you, especially the Oasis class ships.

[Want2Cruise 701]

I agree that Royal Caribbean might be a better fit if entertainment is a priority, and you're looking to try a different line other than NCL.  We love Celebrity and would usually recommend it, but entertainment isn't a big factor for us.

[jelayne]

Currently sailing on the Edge & there is more going on at night than any other Celebrity Cruise we have been on.  More live music and late night comedy, food is excellent.  Seems to be more passengers in the 40-55 range than we normally see.

 

The problem with the Edge that since it is a brand new ship prices are considerably higher than a si liar itinerary on the Equinox.

[cementhands]

2 hours ago, rstackjd said:

Greetings all.  

 

We we corrdinate a group cruise and have historically cruised NCL with the group,mthough we did one on the Summit about 6 years ago.    For a variety of reasons we are thinking about changing away from NCL.   We are interested in a 9 nighter on the Eqinox.   The problem I'm having is that universally the group was unimpressed with the Summit and I'll have work to do to convince them to try Celebrity again.   The members of the group are professionals and range in age from mid 30s to mid 60s.   On the Summit the things we all liked were the food, the sevice and the overall quality of the ship.   Honestly the food was better than NCL, certainly on par at least and the service was probably better on Celebrity.   Comparing ship to NCL ships of the same age and size I'd say they were similar.  

 

The he problem was the night life, or lack there of.   This group has gotten accustomed to the very active NCL "big ships".  While the Equinox is smaller than the Breakaway class ships, I think it's actually a good size and at least "looks" to be a ship with plenty to do.  But our experience on Summit was that the ship was VERY subdued, and frankly boring after say 8:00 at night.  Other than the casino and main theater shows there seemed to be nothing to do.

 

so, for those with Equinox experience, how's the night life?   Are there enough clubs with live entertainment?   What about things during the day?  This cruise has 4 seas days, so an active ship will be important.   Bingo? Art auctions?  Programs? (Wine, beer, whiskey tasting?)  how crowded or not crowded are the pool areas?  

 

Thanks for your insight.   I really want to try this line again. But I don't want 100 disappointed, or worse, pissed off, people on my hands. 

 

Cheers! 

 

 

I’ve been on Millinium twice out of San Juan and it was fun active international group of cruisers. 11 night with lots of dancing. Equionox a few years ago was pretty active 11 night cruise and quite a few younger people in 30’s and 40’s lots of fun.

2018 January Eclipse 14 nights, couldn’t wait to get of. Boring older crowd of many drunk people shouting to each other by pool. In elevator in evening 2 fisted drinkers in tank tops. Needless to say we are off Celebrity and it was my favorite cruise line.

 I think they are pushing drinking packages on more expensive room deals. It’s not free.

On the longer cruises the age of passengers going up. Activities down. Like a ghost town later in the evening.

Silent disco cost nothing. It’s a way of saying that Celebrity is putting on a party but silent disco gets boring pretty quick.

Just got off transatlantic Visions of the Seas RCL tons of dancing Zumba Brazil dancing. Going on Grandeur again with dancing.

I would recommend the RCL line Anthem was great fun. Dance hall and boleros dance club. I fly skydiving. Bumper cars basketball and volleyball inside.

Seems like you got a younger group. A shorter celebrity might have activities.

Just our opinions. Age 60’s dancing couple enjoy Quest.

[rstackjd]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

If nightlife and entertainment are a concern, I think you will find the Equinox to be too dull and will be disappointed.  What are the issues that you are having with NCL?

 

The NCL are all related to grief and difficulty in dealing with its "groups" department which more or less seems to have disappeared.  In twelve months our travel agent could talk to the same person twice in that department and many times we got conflicting information and "chnaged" deals.  Very frustrating.   Frankly we love the product, but they seem to have decided that groups are of no interest to them. 

[rstackjd]

Thank you everyone for your comments!  Very helpful! 

[ipeeinthepool]

11 hours ago, rstackjd said:

 

The NCL are all related to grief and difficulty in dealing with its "groups" department which more or less seems to have disappeared.  In twelve months our travel agent could talk to the same person twice in that department and many times we got conflicting information and "chnaged" deals.  Very frustrating.   Frankly we love the product, but they seem to have decided that groups are of no interest to them. 

 

Thanks for the feedback.  We sailed on NCL once about 25 years ago and had some service related issue that I don't remember any more and we never went back.  We have sailed a lot on Royal and Celebrity.  I've been watching the NCL ads on television and I'm thinking of giving them a try again.  It appears that the ships have a lot of new and interesting activities.  I'm trying to sort out if the ships are good or if the ads are just very well done.

[rollie]

16 hours ago, rstackjd said:

Greetings all.  

 

We we corrdinate a group cruise and have historically cruised NCL with the group,mthough we did one on the Summit about 6 years ago.    For a variety of reasons we are thinking about changing away from NCL.   We are interested in a 9 nighter on the Eqinox.   The problem I'm having is that universally the group was unimpressed with the Summit and I'll have work to do to convince them to try Celebrity again.   The members of the group are professionals and range in age from mid 30s to mid 60s.   On the Summit the things we all liked were the food, the sevice and the overall quality of the ship.   Honestly the food was better than NCL, certainly on par at least and the service was probably better on Celebrity.   Comparing ship to NCL ships of the same age and size I'd say they were similar.  

 

The he problem was the night life, or lack there of.   This group has gotten accustomed to the very active NCL "big ships".  While the Equinox is smaller than the Breakaway class ships, I think it's actually a good size and at least "looks" to be a ship with plenty to do.  But our experience on Summit was that the ship was VERY subdued, and frankly boring after say 8:00 at night.  Other than the casino and main theater shows there seemed to be nothing to do.

 

so, for those with Equinox experience, how's the night life?   Are there enough clubs with live entertainment?   What about things during the day?  This cruise has 4 seas days, so an active ship will be important.   Bingo? Art auctions?  Programs? (Wine, beer, whiskey tasting?)  how crowded or not crowded are the pool areas?  

 

Thanks for your insight.   I really want to try this line again. But I don't want 100 disappointed, or worse, pissed off, people on my hands. 

 

Cheers! 

 

 

 

Hey Hartland, hello from Slinger.  We were just on the Equinox for a B2B last month, and loved.  I will agree that NCL does have the better night life.  That being said, we thought that Celebrity has been paying attention to it's customers, and has upgraded it's nightlife.  If you have never done a silent disco, it is not to be missed.  They did 2 of them on our last voyage.  They have at least one pool party.  If you are looking for things to do after midnight, Celebrity might not be the answer though.  It does die down after that.  I will agree RCCL does offer more night life, but they also cater to families.  We don't have a problem with kids, but they can sometimes be burdensome.

 

Rollie

 

Rollie

 

[greenan2]

We sailed on the Equinox in May 2018 and will be back onboard in June 2019. We have also loved Century, Infinity and Constellation over the years. We found the Equinox relaxing with excellent food and service. Not overly heavy on entertainment. DJ and one appearance at the pool daily. Pool did get very busy. There was a daily game organised by the entertainment team. House band and a duo performed at various venues from late afternoon. Disco late at night. A theme party. Nightly show. Daily trivia. Bingo. Gym, exercise classes and spa. These are the things that we noticed. Having sailed NCL Epic which we enjoyed for other reasons, mainly food options, you just can't compare the two. Our preference is Celebrity. It sounds like Equinox and Celebrity would be too sedate for your party and I would agree with others. Perhaps another NCL or a large Royal Carribean ship if plenty of entertainment is your preference?

[BridgeMates]

14 hours ago, jelayne said:

Currently sailing on the Edge & there is more going on at night than any other Celebrity Cruise we have been on.  More live music and late night comedy, food is excellent.  Seems to be more passengers in the 40-55 range than we normally see.

 

The problem with the Edge that since it is a brand new ship prices are considerably higher than a si liar itinerary on the Equinox.

 

This seems to be in contrast with what others who've been on the Edge say about activities, lectures, shows, etc.  All of the daily programs I've seen list only activities that sell something....

Our "kids" are in their 50's and they're going with us in April.  I've been thinking how bored we'll all be, but maybe Celebrity has picked up in this regard.  Would love to hear a bit more detail about the increased activities Jelayne.

[Gimpy McFarlan]

To the OP... Do a search on this board for live reviews on the Equinox or other S-class ships. Posters often include pictures of the daily newsletters that list the activities available. This should give you a good idea of the activities that are available.

 

We have taken 2 cruises on Celebrity, one one the Millenium and another on Eclipse. We enjoyed both immensely; however, the onboard activities are not a high priority for us. The veranda, service, food and decor / design are more important to us. We will be on the Equinox next month for a 7 day western Carribean cruise.

[rstackjd]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Thanks for the feedback.  We sailed on NCL once about 25 years ago and had some service related issue that I don't remember any more and we never went back.  We have sailed a lot on Royal and Celebrity.  I've been watching the NCL ads on television and I'm thinking of giving them a try again.  It appears that the ships have a lot of new and interesting activities.  I'm trying to sort out if the ships are good or if the ads are just very well done.

That's the part of this that sucks, the ships are great, active, beautiful, never a boring time.  The food has become first class, where once it as, well, so-so.  And the service is generally very very good.  We are a mere points away from Platimnum level, so,switching is no small decision.   Without the group I'd cruise them in a heartbeat 

[rstackjd]

2 hours ago, greenan2 said:

We sailed on the Equinox in May 2018 and will be back onboard in June 2019. We have also loved Century, Infinity and Constellation over the years. We found the Equinox relaxing with excellent food and service. Not overly heavy on entertainment. DJ and one appearance at the pool daily. Pool did get very busy. There was a daily game organised by the entertainment team. House band and a duo performed at various venues from late afternoon. Disco late at night. A theme party. Nightly show. Daily trivia. Bingo. Gym, exercise classes and spa. These are the things that we noticed. Having sailed NCL Epic which we enjoyed for other reasons, mainly food options, you just can't compare the two. Our preference is Celebrity. It sounds like Equinox and Celebrity would be too sedate for your party and I would agree with others. Perhaps another NCL or a large Royal Carribean ship if plenty of entertainment is your preference?

I'd love to hear more bout the Epic!  Most people that I hear from hate it, but it seems like an interesting ship to me. 

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, rstackjd said:

That's the part of this that sucks, the ships are great, active, beautiful, never a boring time.  The food has become first class, where once it as, well, so-so.  And the service is generally very very good.  We are a mere points away from Platimnum level, so,switching is no small decision.   Without the group I'd cruise them in a heartbeat 

IMO what you experienced on the Summit isn't going to be that much different on the Eclipse. We have no complaints no matter the Celebrity or RC ships we elect to cruise on. 

Edited January 20, 2019 by davekathy

[CoconutOne]

I sailed a 9 night itinerary on Equinox last year, and the ship was dead by 10 PM. Barely a soul out and about.

 

I just sailed Summit and have to say there was more going on there. There was more live music than Equinox.

 

Personally, I think you'll be disappointed with Equinox because of the nightlife factor. It's odd to me that Celebrity fails so miserably in the nightlife department. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

[ipeeinthepool]

4 hours ago, rstackjd said:

That's the part of this that sucks, the ships are great, active, beautiful, never a boring time.  The food has become first class, where once it as, well, so-so.  And the service is generally very very good.  We are a mere points away from Platimnum level, so,switching is no small decision.   Without the group I'd cruise them in a heartbeat 

 

Well it sounds like you should stay with NCL.  It seems like you and the group like the on-board activities as well as the food and service.  I don't think I would switch.  For you and your group it appears that you or your TA just need to find a way to deal with the group reservation department.  Once your done with that, I think you'll enjoy the trip.

 

Good Luck

[kearney]

I like Celebrity for reasons that run counter to what your group seems to be looking for. We started sailing them a bit over a year ago and have done 5 cruises. Celebrity just felt comfortable from the beginning. We had sailed Royal... and while I still like Royal... It seemed like there was just too much to do... I felt compelled to schedule everything so as not to miss anything... frankly it was exhausting. But if you have a group that wants a lot of choices in terms of entertainment.... I suggest one of the Oasis class ships. But if food is the focus... I think Celebrity has them beat...It may have to do with the difference in size of ship..not sure. But some of it is the little things... like the Ocean view cafe on Celebrity uses German china... not plastic mugs and plates you find in Royal's Windjammer cafe... and the drinking glasses in the cabin and main dining room is riedel. There is nothing like using a glass with a nice thin edge.. makes wine taste better... like drinking beer out of a brown bottle tastes better than out of a can... maybe all in the head..but these little things help setup a more positive view of the dining experience.    But Royal has ice shows, diving shows, broadway shows.. comedy club... and more choices of physical activity. Perhaps a combination of Oasis class and their specialty restaurants would cover the foodies and entertainment crowd.

[LIMPIT]

We are aboard Equinox for first time in April, so intrested in this thread, we have previously sailed on Reflection and loved it.

Looking at the available Bars aboard and published closing times, plenty of options available if people use them :

Destinations Bar - Close 1am

Ensemble Bar - Close 1am

Fortunes Casino Bar - Close Late

GastroBar - Close 12.30 am

Martini Bar - Close 2 am

Mast Bar - Close 9 pm

Oceanview Bar - Close 10 pm

Passport Bar - Close 12.30 am

Pool Bar - Close 9pm

Slush Bar - Close 1 am

Sunset Bar - Close 2 am

World Class Bar - Close 12.30am

Club Sky - Close Late

Club Q - Close Late

Live Music, Shows, DJs throughout Ship.