Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Just returned from a wonderful cruise on the Equinox to the Western Caribbean. We live in Florida and cruise the Caribbean often so we like to change up ships and cruise lines. I can see why so many people sail the Equinox frequently. This was Captain Kate’s last cruise and CD Carlos’ first cruise. It was also the change over cruise for the singers and dancers. We only had one production show so the cast could fine tune each show. We also had a switch in itinerary with Key West the last stop on Friday. We usually don’t cruise when school is out but have found it is OK on ships that don’t have all the bells and whistles that attract kids. There were plenty of kids but all were well behaved and didn’t impact our cruise. I also noticed a very wide range of ages and ethnic groups so there wasn’t really a majority of any group. This made for a lovely mix of passengers. Sunday was a sea day and we had our Cruise Critic meeting. There were a lot of the Officers attending along with Capt. Kate and CD Carlos Torres. There was plenty of time to chat with everyone. There was plenty of stuff going on around the ship to keep you busy. I was surprised that the outdoor movie screen was in such a small location. It really seems like an afterthought. There weren’t very many lawn loungers so a lot of people were sitting on the wood benches for the glass blowing area. It really didn’t look too comfortable to watch a 2 hour movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #2 Share Posted August 20, 2019 On Monday we were in Costa Maya and being August it was hot! We have done two different Mayan ruins in the past so we just walked around the port area for a bit. We stopped to watch the people swimming with the dolphins and did a little shopping. We went back to the ship for lunch and sat by the pool in the solarium for a while and went for a swim. Since the solarium has A/C it was very pleasant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Tuesday was Cozumel and we took a taxi to the Money Bar to go snorkeling. We were able to get two lounge chairs in the shade and there was a nice breeze off the water. There were several snorkel boats right off the shore a bit but there was also a pretty good current so we kept closer to the shore. Snorkeling was OK with a bit of coral and a lot of different kinds of fish. All in all it was a nice relaxing day. Getting a taxi back to the ship was no problem although he did drop us off across the street from the port. Wednesday was Grand Caymen. This is a tender port and the Equinox handled the tendering very well. We left the ship at 10:30 and had no wait. We walked to Eden Rock Dive Center and snorkeled off the shore. The best snorkeling is quite a swim off shore but we have been here many times so we know what to expect. There is also some large inflatable water toys that is separate from the dive center. Thursday was our second sea day and we had the elite theater tour. It was led by three members of the cast, two of which were getting off when we arrived in FL. They told us how someone gets to be a singer or dancer on Celebrity and of course took us back stage. On Friday at Key West we were docked at the Outter Mole so we had to take shuttles into town. The drivers did give a little tour so that was nice. We walked down Duval St stopping in a few stores when we got hot. We made it to the Southern Most Point where there was a ridiculously long line to get a picture. We knew about the free loop bus so we took that back to Malory Square area. The bus worked great and gave us a little 20 minute rest in A/C. We wandered around a little more than took the shuttle back to the ship. Key West is a great place to walk around but due to the heat and the fact that we have been there many times we didn’t spend too much time in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted August 20, 2019 We thought the ship was lovely and a step up from the cruise lines we usually cruise on. Service was also great. About the only thing we didn’t like was that there was a very small promenade deck. Only about 15 loungers per side and one side was for smokers. We very much enjoy walking around the promenade deck on sea days and we were not able to do that. This seems to be a trend on the newer ships and would not keep us from sailing on the Equinox again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miched Posted August 20, 2019 #5 Share Posted August 20, 2019 How were the cabins and balcony furniture? thanks happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted August 20, 2019 46 minutes ago, miched said: How were the cabins and balcony furniture? thanks happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 Our cabin was comfortable but we did notice that the couch was dirty. The chairs on the balcony did recline and looked new but there was no foot rest. I had read about the missing footrests so we bought little camping chairs with us. They fit easily in our luggage and worked great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takemewithyou Posted August 20, 2019 #7 Share Posted August 20, 2019 (edited) What type of cabin? Were you in Aqua Class? If so, how was Blu? Do you have any photos of the lawn deck and the new alcoves? Thanks! Edited August 20, 2019 by takemewithyou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #8 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Just now, takemewithyou said: What type of cabin? Were you in Aqua Class? If so, how was Blu? We just had a regular balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimiq Posted August 20, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 20, 2019 How was the MDR food and did you have select dining or fix ? thanks sea ya Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginnyfyr Posted August 20, 2019 #10 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Great pictures! We are doing the same itinerary in a few weeks, minus the stop in Grand Cayman. We have done 25+ cruises but this is our first Western Caribbean so we are looking forward to some new ports, even though it's going to be hotter than Hades! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted August 20, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 20, 2019 9 hours ago, Eileen G said: Our cabin was comfortable but we did notice that the couch was dirty. The chairs on the balcony did recline and looked new but there was no foot rest. I had read about the missing footrests so we bought little camping chairs with us. They fit easily in our luggage and worked great. very nice review with photos, thanks for posting it Where did you buy these? Do you know their weight? Looks like the deck loungers were situated very close together along the walking path...kind of tight. Wonder how folks get in and out, and manage to have a drink and beach bag with them,? They should move some to the balconies, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #12 Share Posted August 20, 2019 9 hours ago, nimiq said: How was the MDR food and did you have select dining or fix ? thanks sea ya Eric We had select but only ate in the MDR on the two formal nights. We went at about 6:30 and never had to wait for a table for two. The food was OK but didn't really impress us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #13 Share Posted August 20, 2019 1 hour ago, hcat said: very nice review with photos, thanks for posting it Where did you buy these? Do you know their weight? Looks like the deck loungers were situated very close together along the walking path...kind of tight. Wonder how folks get in and out, and manage to have a drink and beach bag with them,? They should move some to the balconies, We got that little camping chair years ago so I don't remember where we bought it. It is very light and easy to pack. Those lounge chairs are packed tight. There are no little tables to put drinks on or anywhere to put stuff. People just had to climb across them to sit down. We don't sit on the pool decks so I'm not sure how people managed. That picture was taken while the ship was docked in Key West. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 20, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Another thing I wanted to mention. At disembarkation a lot of people were leaving the ship before their number was called. This really caused a back up in the hall way because their luggage was not off the ship yet. There were employees of the port telling them to line up against the wall until their number was called. Some people even disregarded this and were standing around a very crowded luggage area waiting for their luggage to be off loaded. We received #35 which was supposed to be called at 9:30 but wanted to get off earlier so we just went to customer services and got #13 for 8:00. We have done this often and never had a problem switching times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamthesea Posted August 21, 2019 #15 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Has the Equinox been completely modernized? Staterooms have new furnishings, cabinets, carpet, and soft goods? Anything done to the bathrooms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterMet Posted August 22, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 8/20/2019 at 10:55 AM, Eileen G said: Another thing I wanted to mention. At disembarkation a lot of people were leaving the ship before their number was called. This really caused a back up in the hall way because their luggage was not off the ship yet. There were employees of the port telling them to line up against the wall until their number was called. Some people even disregarded this and were standing around a very crowded luggage area waiting for their luggage to be off loaded. We received #35 which was supposed to be called at 9:30 but wanted to get off earlier so we just went to customer services and got #13 for 8:00. We have done this often and never had a problem switching times. Thanks for a nice review. We really loved our same cruise on the Equinox two weeks before. Just tremendous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamthesea Posted August 22, 2019 #17 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Forget my above question. I found the answers! 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvery Seas Cruiser Posted August 22, 2019 #18 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Thanks for your photos and reviews. Love your idea of the camp footstools, although I am still smarting at the idea of having to bring my own footstool when they used to be provided as part of Concierge Class. If your sofa was soiled, I take that to mean the "revolutionized" Equinox does not have new furniture in the cabin. Was struck that you had two formal nights. Was your cruise seven nights? Ours on Sept 7 is only six nights. I was thinking we would have only one formal night. Also hoping we don't dock at Key West's Outer Mole pier. It is so much more convenient at the Margaritaville Hotel pier and affords better views of downtown Key West too. I'm really glad that you enjoyed Equinox and look forward to any future reviews you will do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvery Seas Cruiser Posted August 22, 2019 #19 Share Posted August 22, 2019 So, I followed your example and I just went to a mega web site store and ordered a light weight camp foot stool. It will be here by Aug 23. It folds up quite small. I'm still miffed that I must now lug my own foot stool even in Concierge Class, but I know that I'll be more comfortable if I have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvery Seas Cruiser Posted August 22, 2019 #20 Share Posted August 22, 2019 5 hours ago, Iamthesea said: Has the Equinox been completely modernized? Staterooms have new furnishings, cabinets, carpet, and soft goods? Anything done to the bathrooms? You have my promise. I will answer your question when I return from our Sept 7 cruise on Equinox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen G Posted August 22, 2019 Author #21 Share Posted August 22, 2019 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said: Thanks for your photos and reviews. Love your idea of the camp footstools, although I am still smarting at the idea of having to bring my own footstool when they used to be provided as part of Concierge Class. If your sofa was soiled, I take that to mean the "revolutionized" Equinox does not have new furniture in the cabin. Was struck that you had two formal nights. Was your cruise seven nights? Ours on Sept 7 is only six nights. I was thinking we would have only one formal night. Also hoping we don't dock at Key West's Outer Mole pier. It is so much more convenient at the Margaritaville Hotel pier and affords better views of downtown Key West too. I'm really glad that you enjoyed Equinox and look forward to any future reviews you will do. I believe the Equinox docked at the outter mole dock because a ship crashed into the b dock and they were still finishing up the repairs. It looks like the Equinox is scheduled to be at the b dock for your cruise. I do know we had a new mattress. Edited August 22, 2019 by Eileen G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breezer Posted August 22, 2019 #22 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Thanks for your review and pictures. I'll be on Equinox in about 6 weeks. Thanks too for the footstool idea...I never thought of looking for camping stools. There are many selections on Amazon if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted August 22, 2019 #23 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Looking forward to out Dec 7th cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h20cruzer Posted August 22, 2019 #24 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Nice review, thanks for taking the time. Norma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merdon Posted August 22, 2019 #25 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Thanks for your review. We will be sailing on her in October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now