Equinox LIVE Solo Review March 23-30, 2019

[Travelicious]

Someone must have had a great time at or after the special 8-course champagne dinner last night!  😉

[Lionesss]

I am really enjoying your thread.

 

Excellent documentary with your pictures.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Safe travels.

[GenerationX]

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the long posting delay!  I’ve been having some technical difficulties with my wifi connection.

 

I know I have almost a full 24 hours of fun and relaxation to report on and promise to get caught up during our sea day tomorrow as long as wifi cooperates.

 

Tonight’s sunset alone was worth the premium you pay for an aft veranda! My iPhone photos don’t do it justice. It was breathtaking! I watched it from my balcony while sipping a white chocolate mocha to go from Al Bacio. 

 

Tonight is our second evening chic night and I’m all dressed and ready to head to the  captains club select/elite/zenith senior officers party in the sky lounge!

 

I’m running early so I stopped in the gastro bar for a cocktail and to take a requested photo of the wine offerings on the menu.

 

I can highly recommend this summer sling cocktail!

 

After the officers party I’ll head to dinner in Tuscan Grille.

 

More posts soon!

[GenerationX]

2 hours ago, MartinsCruise said:

I'm really enjoying your review and thinking that cruising solo could be fun.  If you get a chance would you please post a picture of Dewa?  If it's who I think he is, he used to tend bar at the Sunset Bar on the Summit.  We spent a lot of time there because he was so entertaining!

 

Absolutely!  I’ll stop by the martini bar tonight after dinner...just for the sake of the review, of course. 😁

[GenerationX]

While I’ve got signal, I won’t name names, but the husband of a couple we made friends with on Silhouette last February and who follow the CC boards reached out to me on social media and asked that I post the following disclaimer in my review.  

 

Please note that that I am posting ONLY because I owe him a favor for giving me a Dramamine patch when I ran out on a rough sea day:

 

Crusing without one’s husband is nowhere near as fun as taking him along.  I am very lonely and bored.  I sorely wish I had my husband with me.  I would advise all wives reading this post NOT to consider spending a week being pampered by Celebrity Cruises without bringing their partners along.  That is all.

 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[british lady]

Thank you for your review, we get on when you get off.

I have been taking notes on the Cocktails you have enjoyed, my daughter is sailing with us this time so I can recommend drinks to her.

Would love to see photos of the special dinner at silk harvest.

Safe journey home.

Sara 

[Reel Love]

18 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

 

 

Crusing without one’s husband is nowhere near as fun as taking him along.  I am very lonely and bored.  I sorely wish I had my husband with me.  I would advise all wives reading this post NOT to consider spending a week being pampered by Celebrity Cruises without bringing their partners along.  That is all.

 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Oh my gosh, that disclaimer is so funny!  And I so will Not be reading that to my husband lol.  

Enjoy your evening!  Btw that outfit looks great on you; I'm envious because I could never pull that off!  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thank you so much for this review! As I said on another thread, this and the other live thread on this cruise are about all that is standing between me cancelling my Feb Equinox cruise. You're making it seem so much fun!! (And so much better than some on the board make it seem.) 🙂

[Raella B]

48 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Crusing without one’s husband is nowhere near as fun as taking him along.  I am very lonely and bored.  I sorely wish I had my husband with me.  I would advise all wives reading this post NOT to consider spending a week being pampered by Celebrity Cruises without bringing their partners along.  That is all. 

 

I'm throwing the bullshit flag on that one.   Or given your profession, maybe "OVER RULED" would be more appropriate!  🙂

 

 

[GenerationX]

41 minutes ago, Reel Love said:

Oh my gosh, that disclaimer is so funny!  And I so will Not be reading that to my husband lol.  

Enjoy your evening!  Btw that outfit looks great on you; I'm envious because I could never pull that off!  

 

Thank you!  I was actually somewhat surprised I was still able to get into this dress after everything I’ve eaten and drank the past 6 days. I guess I burned more calories with my late night dancing than I thought.

[Blazn7]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

While I’ve got signal, I won’t name names, but the husband of a couple we made friends with on Silhouette last February and who follow the CC boards reached out to me on social media and asked that I post the following disclaimer in my review.  

 

Please note that that I am posting ONLY because I owe him a favor for giving me a Dramamine patch when I ran out on a rough sea day:

 

Crusing without one’s husband is nowhere near as fun as taking him along.  I am very lonely and bored.  I sorely wish I had my husband with me.  I would advise all wives reading this post NOT to consider spending a week being pampered by Celebrity Cruises without bringing their partners along.  That is all.

 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Um I call #FakeNews !!!!  You look great in the sparkly dress, BTW

[GenerationX]

17 minutes ago, Blazn7 said:

Um I call #FakeNews !!!!  You look great in the sparkly dress, BTW

 

Thank you!!! I’m so glad no one is falling for the nonsense disclaimer.

 

This is hands down one of the best vacation experiences of my life.  I met another young woman attorney in the martini bar last night who is sailing with her parents and she told me she was considering doing a solo cruise but was nervous about it.  I told her that I felt the same way leading up to this week, but now, I STRONGLY recommend trying a solo cruise and trying it on Celebrity.  

[Tripledouble]

Thank you so much for the great posts.  We just booked a sailing on this ship on April 27.  It was a last minute decision and based on what you've posted, I'm so glad that we are going.  We've been on Celebrity many times, just not this ship.  We are coming from Wisconsin and our winter was also so brutal - I can relate.  Enjoy.  I hope your spirit is healing.

[clskinsfan]

Amazing review. Thanks for sharing!

[GenerationX]

Just finished dinner in Tuscan and now have a tough choice to make:  another night of silent disco?  Or get a cup of tea at al Bacio and drink in bed while reading?

 

I’m consulting Dr. Dewa on the matter and will see how I feel after I finish this chocolate martini.

 

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, Tripledouble said:

Thank you so much for the great posts.  We just booked a sailing on this ship on April 27.  It was a last minute decision and based on what you've posted, I'm so glad that we are going.  We've been on Celebrity many times, just not this ship.  We are coming from Wisconsin and our winter was also so brutal - I can relate.  Enjoy.  I hope your spirit is healing.

 

That’s fantastic! I’m very jealous! The weather has been amazing and will make you feel 100 times better after this horrible, extended Midwest winter we’ve had. This has been such a healing trip.  I think there have been on average 15 times each day where I’ve taken a deep breath and said to myself “oh yes, I so needed this.”

[hcat]

10 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Thank you so much for this review! As I said on another thread, this and the other live thread on this cruise are about all that is standing between me cancelling my Feb Equinox cruise. You're making it seem so much fun!! (And so much better than some on the board make it seem.) 🙂

OP has a great attitude and not shy about getting out there.  Follow her example and you will have a great time.!

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thanks for the picture of the wine menu in the Gastro Pub. Some reds we like, not too much in the way of white offerings though.

[GenerationX]

Good morning everyone!

 

I can’t belive it’s already the last day I’m waking up and opening my curtains to this beautiful view.

 

It’s 10am ship time and has already been an amusing day.   

 

On my way to the gym I walked passed a stateroom attendant on my hallway and he  said “good morning madam, I’ve been meaning to tell you, you have a good voice, you should go to the karaoke!” 

 

When I’m in a very good mood I tend to sing in the shower and at that point I realized I’ve been singing in the shower (loudly apparently) all week.  My stateroom is near the entrance to a service passage so I must’ve been giving a concert to most of the crew servicing my deck all week!  Also, while apparently they don’t get much Johnny Cash in the Philippines, it seems Chuck Berry and Motley Crue are a universal language.

 

After I finished in then gym I stood at a crossroads outside the spa: Do I go to the aqua cafe for a protein smoothie? Or hit the pool bar for a mimosa?  I decided that I can drink smoothies after my workout at home.

 

As I walked to the pool bar a couple of ladies shouted from the deck above “hey! GenerationX!” and waved.  I guess this review has developed a following.

 

After I finish cooling down with my mimosa and sea air, I’m going to shower (while fulfilling the stateroom attendant’s request for some James Brown) and find a quiet place to catch up on review posts before lunch in Sushi on 5 followed by the around the world wine tasting event.

 

For all those who are onboard and following, if you see me today, please feel free to come say hello and offer me your sincere condolences on the loss of my vacation tomorrow.

[GenerationX]

Jose, my favorite pool bartender convinced me to stay for one of his delicious bloody mary’s, so while I’m drinking it I’ll report on the Captain’s Club Senior Officers Party in the Sky Lounge.

 

This is my first cruise with Select status so  it was the first time I’ve been invited to this event.  I don’t know if it’s the same on every ship but I thought it was pretty cool.  I mean, with all my business travel I have comparable loyalty status or better with American Airlines and Hilton, and neither of them ever made me a party.

 

There were tasty small passed appetizers and free drinks (menu photo below). Captain Kate did a short speech and then....oh and then...I found out that: (a) cruise director Simon is a former reality star (thought he looked familiar) and (b) Captain Kate can move! I hope my attempt to post the video below works. Sorry it’s so dark. I kept hoping they’d bring the house lights up a little bit for the performance but no such luck.  

[GenerationX]

Well, no cruise is completely hiccup free...I arrived at Sushi on 5 for my 12:30 reservation that I made on embarkation day, but the maitre d couldn’t find it in the system and the restaurant was completely full!

 

I have my heart set on having one more bowl of pork ramen before I leave the ship so I did a little shopping, went to the ATM for extra tipping cash and got a cookie from al Bacio to soothe my growling stomach while I wait.  It’s 1:20 and I’m still waiting, but I’m pretty sure I’ve put on enough body fat this week that I won’t starve to death, so I’ll give it a bit longer. In the meantime, I’ll start working on going back in time and reporting on yesterday and the special Silk Harvest dinner in costa Maya.

[GenerationX]

Report on 8 course champagne dinner in Silk Harvest:

 

As mentioned earlier, this was my third trip to Silk Harvest of the cruise and my other two had been very good meals.  I have to say, this was my least favorite of the 3 trips.  

 

I think part of the let down was the event ended up being very different from what was described to me.  The event had been billed as a champagne dinner with live music.  I did receive a half glass as a welcome drink at the beginning, but no other courses came with any drink pairings.  Having the beverage package this wasn’t a huge deal to me, but I could see someone being disappointed if they thought they were getting drinks included and then had to pay for them on top of the cover charge.

 

The “live music” was actually a dj with a laptop (not my definition of “live” entertainment but I guess the guy operating the computer was alive, so technically true).  Some of the courses were very good, especially the shrimp with caviar starter, beef and rice and the creme brûlée dessert.  But others were so similar to other things I’ve had onboard it was easy to compare and tell they were of way lower quality.

 

For example, the duck course was nowhere near as good as the Asian roast duck I’d ordered off the regular menu just a couple of nights before.  They also had a course of pork ramen that fell WAY short of the oh so amazing pork ramen served in     Sushi on 5.  

 

The service was fantastic as always though and I had great conversation with a couple at the next table from Canada who were celebrating their anniversary. Plus with 8 courses I still left plenty full!

 

 Photos of the menu and some of the courses below. 

[GenerationX]

23 hours ago, micheleata said:

I am loving your review and pictures! Thanks so much for sharing.

 

I am thinking of doing the stingray/CalicoJack excursion to burn thru some of our OBC.   Can you tell me roughly how many people were on the boat,  was it really packed?  And did you notice if there was a bathroom onboard?   

 

Thanks,  anxious to read more of your review!!!

 

Thank you! I was satisfied with the excursion especially considering the price and that most “taxis”just to go to and from Calico Jacks will cost around 25 dollars US per person round trip and will make you wait to come/go till they sell out their van.

 

There were a good number of people for the excursion. I’d say probably around 75 total but they split us between multiple vans and 2 boats. The boats are double decker so they didn’t feel too crowded.

 

I do remember the captain mentioning their was a bathroom onboard on the first floor but I didn’t visit it.  It was a pretty basic (but clean) fishing boat, so I would guess the bathroom is nothing fancy though.

[Blazn7]

52 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Report on 8 course champagne dinner in Silk Harvest:

 

As mentioned earlier, this was my third trip to Silk Harvest of the cruise and my other two had been very good meals.  I have to say, this was my least favorite of the 3 trips.  

 

I think part of the let down was the event ended up being very different from what was described to me.  The event had been billed as a champagne dinner with live music.  I did receive a half glass as a welcome drink at the beginning, but no other courses came with any drink pairings.  Having the beverage package this wasn’t a huge deal to me, but I could see someone being disappointed if they thought they were getting drinks included and then had to pay for them on top of the cover charge.

 

The “live music” was actually a dj with a laptop (not my definition of “live” entertainment but I guess the guy operating the computer was alive, so technically true).  Some of the courses were very good, especially the shrimp with caviar starter, beef and rice and the creme brûlée dessert.  But others were so similar to other things I’ve had onboard it was easy to compare and tell they were of way lower quality.

 

For example, the duck course was nowhere near as good as the Asian roast duck I’d ordered off the regular menu just a couple of nights before.  They also had a course of pork ramen that fell WAY short of the oh so amazing pork ramen served in     Sushi on 5.  

 

The service was fantastic as always though and I had great conversation with a couple at the next table from Canada who were celebrating their anniversary. Plus with 8 courses I still left plenty full!

 

 Photos of the menu and some of the courses below. 

As your pork ramen soul sister I have to agree that soup looks disappointing.  What’s for dinner tonight??

[Blazn7]

54 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Report on 8 course champagne dinner in Silk Harvest:

 

As mentioned earlier, this was my third trip to Silk Harvest of the cruise and my other two had been very good meals.  I have to say, this was my least favorite of the 3 trips.  

 

I think part of the let down was the event ended up being very different from what was described to me.  The event had been billed as a champagne dinner with live music.  I did receive a half glass as a welcome drink at the beginning, but no other courses came with any drink pairings.  Having the beverage package this wasn’t a huge deal to me, but I could see someone being disappointed if they thought they were getting drinks included and then had to pay for them on top of the cover charge.

 

The “live music” was actually a dj with a laptop (not my definition of “live” entertainment but I guess the guy operating the computer was alive, so technically true).  Some of the courses were very good, especially the shrimp with caviar starter, beef and rice and the creme brûlée dessert.  But others were so similar to other things I’ve had onboard it was easy to compare and tell they were of way lower quality.

 

For example, the duck course was nowhere near as good as the Asian roast duck I’d ordered off the regular menu just a couple of nights before.  They also had a course of pork ramen that fell WAY short of the oh so amazing pork ramen served in     Sushi on 5.  

 

The service was fantastic as always though and I had great conversation with a couple at the next table from Canada who were celebrating their anniversary. Plus with 8 courses I still left plenty full!

 

 Photos of the menu and some of the courses below. 

As your pork ramen soul sister I have to agree that soup looks disappointing.  What’s for dinner tonight?? 

 

I also can’t wait for your review and thoughts of foregoing a suite.  Luminae is “that good” IMO and almost worth the premium on its own.