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Equinox, a Royal Suite experience


chemmo
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2 hours ago, chemmo said:

Re the robes!

 

Just spoken to the concierge, Saber. Monogrammed robes are still available on request for RS. We have asked for one for our son. They were finding that many guests were simply leaving them behind. Being monogrammed they could not then be reused. I can totally understand this with luggage restrictions and the fact that many of us find they are not a perfect fit!

 

So when you board, just let the concierge know you want them. If you want them to be on the bed as a ‘surprise’ for your better half then I suggest you forward your request to the shoreside concierge.

 

I am fairly sure it is only two per suite so if, like us, you are travelling as a three/four party let them know which initials you want.

 

Thanks for checking.  I found the un-monogrammed robes quite nice, so it's nice to know how we can get one to take home.

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20 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

You have reminded me of the wonderful cheese selection in Murano’s! Perhaps on our next visit we will ask for a doggie bag as I struggle to manage three courses as it is!

I didn't mention this in my post about my husband's birthday recognition, because I do NOT want this to reflect badly on Mudit's service, it was excellent, but since you brought up cheese. We also asked for a cheese plate one afternoon to go along with a bottle of wine we had picked up somewhere - we came back to our cabin, greeted by a cheese platter that 6-8 people might have done justice to, beautifully arranged, but with only 6 crackers! We laughed as we ate - 6 crackers and 2 lbs of cheese is not a fair fight. It was not Murano grade cheese, but still an excellent snack with our wine.

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18 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

I didn't mention this in my post about my husband's birthday recognition, because I do NOT want this to reflect badly on Mudit's service, it was excellent, but since you brought up cheese. We also asked for a cheese plate one afternoon to go along with a bottle of wine we had picked up somewhere - we came back to our cabin, greeted by a cheese platter that 6-8 people might have done justice to, beautifully arranged, but with only 6 crackers! We laughed as we ate - 6 crackers and 2 lbs of cheese is not a fair fight. It was not Murano grade cheese, but still an excellent snack with our wine.

I'm curious, what kinds of crackers did they give you?  In AQ they gave us Saltines.  I was outraged!!  LOL. 

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This thread has so much useful information!  Regarding the robes, I can see that some were getting wasted but perhaps Celebrity should put a note in the suite saying they are available on request.  We shouldn’t have to chase them down.  And only Cruise Critic readers would actually even know to do this.  This system will work for us as I am looking forward to mine but my husband could care less.  
 

what a wonderful idea to get the Murano cheese plate to go.  We will definitely being doing this in December.

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6 minutes ago, ATLgirl15 said:

This thread has so much useful information!  Regarding the robes, I can see that some were getting wasted but perhaps Celebrity should put a note in the suite saying they are available on request.  We shouldn’t have to chase them down.  And only Cruise Critic readers would actually even know to do this.  This system will work for us as I am looking forward to mine but my husband could care less.  
 

what a wonderful idea to get the Murano cheese plate to go.  We will definitely being doing this in December.

 

As I said, we were unaware of monogrammed robes...Perhaps a list in the stateroom of ‘services available on request’ may be an idea, especially for new cruisers. Also many new to Suite Life cruisers on this forum frequently ask about ‘what to do with a butler?’...a list of appropriate reasonable requests could possibly be added too.

 

I don’t think we will be asking for a plate to go from Murano’s tonight....I have just left half of an excellent chicken sandwich on the Retreat Deck to ensure I can at least do three courses justice!

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2 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thanks for following up on the robes.  My DH's will fit fine.  Mine will be super long with long sleeves. Luckily I have a sewing machine and can hem mine. I have a few things to follow up on with our shore side concierge so I'll be sure to mention it to her also.

 

We must be a similar size, I tend to have to fold the sleeves round and be careful I don’t trip! 

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56 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I'm curious, what kinds of crackers did they give you?  In AQ they gave us Saltines.  I was outraged!!  LOL. 

 

The crackers our butler has provided us with have been crisp, tasty little salty squares...

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2 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thanks for following up on the robes.  My DH's will fit fine.  Mine will be super long with long sleeves. Luckily I have a sewing machine and can hem mine. I have a few things to follow up on with our shore side concierge so I'll be sure to mention it to her also.

I rarely find a robe that fits at 6’4” and 270lbs

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4 hours ago, cangelmd said:

... - we came back to our cabin, greeted by a cheese platter that 6-8 people might have done justice to, beautifully arranged, but with only 6 crackers! We laughed as we ate - 6 crackers and 2 lbs of cheese is not a fair fight....

 

3 hours ago, calicakes said:

I'm curious, what kinds of crackers did they give you?  In AQ they gave us Saltines.  I was outraged!!  LOL. 

 

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

The crackers our butler has provided us with have been crisp, tasty little salty squares...

 

I have started to pack 3 "sleeves" of crackers I enjoy with cheese, varies meats and wine as I also seem to only get a few of the square saltines onboard.  I place them in the center of my checked luggage and haven't had any issues with them breaking.  When we've had a suite it does seem we get a plate that has too much,  so I've started to get my own plate of assorted cheese and meats from the sandwich bar in Ocean View Café and enjoy a few relaxing afternoons or evening on the balcony.  Here is what we had a few months ago while in a Concierge Cabin on Equinox 

20190326_163446.jpg

Edited by garyl62
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49 minutes ago, George C said:

I rarely find a robe that fits at 6’4” and 270lbs

 

 

I think most robes are designed for 5’8” stick insects! Even if mine meets around the middle at the start of cruise it is unlikely to by the end! 

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5 minutes ago, garyl62 said:

 

 

 

I have started to pack 3 "sleeves" of crackers I enjoy with cheese, varies meats and wine as I also seem to only get a few of the square saltines onboard.  I place them in the center of my checked luggage and haven't had any issues with them breaking.  When we've had a suite it does seem we get a plate that has too much,  so I've started to get my own plate of assorted cheese and meats from the sandwich bar in Ocean View Café and enjoy a few relaxing afternoons or evening on the balcony.  Here is what we had a few months ago while in a Concierge Cabin on Equinox 

20190326_163446.jpg

 

Looks like a nice selection. I have just asked our butler to drop back from two tasty plates left in the fridge to one....there really is only so much food you can manage!

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4 hours ago, calicakes said:

I'm curious, what kinds of crackers did they give you?  In AQ they gave us Saltines.  I was outraged!!  LOL. 

They brought us saltines in sky suites as well on a couple of cruises. I now bring nice crackers on every cruise since we often have visitors for a glass of wine (or two) with fruit/cheese/crackers. 🙂

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We were given 3 monogrammed robes for the 3 of us in the RS on Millie. In the Penthouse next summer so will wait and see if we get them again. Wouldn’t mind having the new robes without the monogram so they can be used again as they were really lovely if just a tad large.

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7 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I didn't mention this in my post about my husband's birthday recognition, because I do NOT want this to reflect badly on Mudit's service, it was excellent, but since you brought up cheese. We also asked for a cheese plate one afternoon to go along with a bottle of wine we had picked up somewhere - we came back to our cabin, greeted by a cheese platter that 6-8 people might have done justice to, beautifully arranged, but with only 6 crackers! We laughed as we ate - 6 crackers and 2 lbs of cheese is not a fair fight. It was not Murano grade cheese, but still an excellent snack with our wine.

 

Had that experience once also.  Really laughed.  In those days, you could get Carr's crackers in the buffet.  So we simply stocked up there.  I haven't ordered a cheese platter lately and haven't looked at what is available in the buffet, so don't know if that is still the case.  

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7 hours ago, ATLgirl15 said:

This thread has so much useful information!  Regarding the robes, I can see that some were getting wasted but perhaps Celebrity should put a note in the suite saying they are available on request.  We shouldn’t have to chase them down.  And only Cruise Critic readers would actually even know to do this.  This system will work for us as I am looking forward to mine but my husband could care less.  
 

what a wonderful idea to get the Murano cheese plate to go.  We will definitely being doing this in December.

 

I am so very glad I brought up the subject of robes... spoke with Zoe of Shoreside Concierge... and told her the wonderful things we’ve all had to say about her (made her day).. and she is also checking on this.

 

I’m so grateful to have all of you contributing you wisdom and am really enjoying this detailed review of a current cruising experience in an RS doing a lot of the things that I have researched and planned for my 20 year anniversary wife and two boys in late October also in a RS! 

Edited by JoeSalvatore
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8 hours ago, calicakes said:

I'm curious, what kinds of crackers did they give you?  In AQ they gave us Saltines.  I was outraged!!  LOL. 

Don’t remember exactly, not saltines, something like the Vita or Viva, rectangular wheat. There might have been a couple of triangles of pita, too. But only 6 pieces, we counted, with literally over a pound of cheese.

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4 hours ago, garyl62 said:

 

 

 

I have started to pack 3 "sleeves" of crackers I enjoy with cheese, varies meats and wine as I also seem to only get a few of the square saltines onboard.  I place them in the center of my checked luggage and haven't had any issues with them breaking.  When we've had a suite it does seem we get a plate that has too much,  so I've started to get my own plate of assorted cheese and meats from the sandwich bar in Ocean View Café and enjoy a few relaxing afternoons or evening on the balcony.  Here is what we had a few months ago while in a Concierge Cabin on Equinox 

20190326_163446.jpg

Ok now that’s my kind of crackers...where’s the sweet hot mustard?

we got some fruit too, but those crackers are precious.

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Last night we dined again in Murano’s....

 

We love the menu, the pace of service, the tableside preparation....One of the main reasons we haven’t booked an M class ship in recent years is the lack of a true fine dining venue.

 

We always find the staff in Murano’s to be very aware that they are frequently the choice of venue to celebrate a special occasion and for most guests the dining highlight of the cruise...They somehow manage to blend making every visit an occasion to savour with a degree of formality but also with warmth....Visiting Murano’s is always special but never ‘stuffy’...Those who have visited will know exactly what I mean, for those who haven’t I hope you can understand what I am trying to express...

 

We were greeted with a warm ‘welcome back’ shown to our preferred table and began to discuss our choices. A real perk of being in a higher suite and having unlimited speciality dining is you can become a ‘regular’ in the speciality venues...The staff get to know you, your bread choices, little extras you may enjoy, your preferred pace of service.....They look for ways to make your visits just that bit extra special....

 

Last night they offered to cook us a special starter of prawns Provençal...It was prepared tableside, as Savio (hope I have got that right) cooked for us the smell of the garlic, olives, capers and prawns was just wonderful, we could have closed our eyes and seen the French countryside...We enjoyed the smell and the visual presentation before finally tasting a truly delightful plate of food. We had all taken up the offer and agreed we could have happily just dined on that dish with red wine and their crusty little French bread rolls which we were using to ‘mop up’ the delicious sauce...The lamb, chateaubriand and sole were all wonderful main dishes but the starter was simply the star of the show...We just about managed desserts, coffee and cognac. I had to leave some of my delicious soufflé (criminal!) and once again we didn’t get to the cheese course...Another outstanding dining experience.

 

Fortunately the Retreat lounge is only next door where we could relax afterwards with a few drinks and good company...It was a real bonus this cruise for us to discover some US  friends we had made on an Eclipse cruise from Barcelona last year had changed plans and were on board Equinox with us! 

 

I remember a post recently about ‘invisible’ Suite Managers...Well Wim (I hope I have got that correctly) is far from that. He introduced himself to us on the first day, visited us in our suite to check we were happier with our balcony furnishings now our butler had ‘acquired’ retreat deck cushions and got off the ship personally to try to buy me a bottle of Dubonnet!!! He couldn’t get the Dubonnet but has managed to find some Sherry for me to enjoy pre dinner and with Rose looking after me with a range of drinks post dinner I am not missing my ‘Queen Mother’ cocktails. 

 

Today we are in Antigua....I am just watching the island as we near the port. We hope to visit the Cathedral later, we have been following it’s renovation over recent visits....

 

More to follow....

Edited by chemmo
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11 hours ago, JoeSalvatore said:

 

 

I’m so grateful to have all of you contributing you wisdom and am really enjoying this detailed review of a current cruising experience in an RS doing a lot of the things that I have researched and planned for my 20 year anniversary wife and two boys in late October also in a RS! 

 

So pleased you are finding this thread useful...I try to do one each cruise to ‘pay back’ for all the excellent advice we have gained from CC over the years...

 

Feel free to ask any specific questions, hope you have a fantastic 20th anniversary, we celebrate our 40th next year....

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1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Last night we dined again in Murano’s....

 

We love the menu, the pace of service, the tableside preparation....One of the main reasons we haven’t booked an M class ship in recent years is the lack of a true fine dining venue.

 

We always find the staff in Murano’s to be very aware that they are frequently the choice of venue to celebrate a special occasion and for most guests the dining highlight of the cruise...They somehow manage to blend making every visit an occasion to savour with a degree of formality but also with warmth....Visiting Murano’s is always special but never ‘stuffy’...Those who have visited will know exactly what I mean, for those who haven’t I hope you can understand what I am trying to express...

 

We were greeted with a warm ‘welcome back’ shown to our preferred table and began to discuss our choices. A real perk of being in a higher suite and having unlimited speciality dining is you can become a ‘regular’ in the speciality venues...The staff get to know you, your bread choices, little extras you may enjoy, your preferred pace of service.....They look for ways to make your visits just that bit extra special....

 

Last night they offered to cook us a special starter of prawns Provençal...It was prepared tableside, as Savio (hope I have got that right) cooked for us the smell of the garlic, olives, capers and prawns was just wonderful, we could have closed our eyes and seen the French countryside...We enjoyed the smell and the visual presentation before finally tasting a truly delightful plate of food. We had all taken up the offer and agreed we could have happily just dined on that dish with red wine and their crusty little French bread rolls which we were using to ‘mop up’ the delicious sauce...The lamb, chateaubriand and sole were all wonderful main dishes but the starter was simply the star of the show...We just about managed desserts, coffee and cognac. I had to leave some of my delicious soufflé (criminal!) and once again we didn’t get to the cheese course...Another outstanding dining experience.

 

Fortunately the Retreat lounge is only next door where we could relax afterwards with a few drinks and good company...It was a real bonus this cruise for us to discover some US  friends we had made on an Eclipse cruise from Barcelona last year had changed plans and were on board Equinox with us! 

 

I remember a post recently about ‘invisible’ Suite Managers...Well Wim (I hope I have got that correctly) is far from that. He introduced himself to us on the first day, visited us in our suite to check we were happier with our balcony furnishings now our butler had ‘acquired’ retreat deck cushions and got off the ship personally to try to buy me a bottle of Dubonnet!!! He couldn’t get the Dubonnet but has managed to find some Sherry for me to enjoy pre dinner and with Rose looking after me with a range of drinks post dinner I am not missing my ‘Queen Mother’ cocktails. 

 

Today we are in Antigua....I am just watching the island as we near the port. We hope to visit the Cathedral later, we have been following it’s renovation over recent visits....

 

More to follow....

Sounds like great service! Your descriptions are wonderful - I could smell the garlic when you described the shrimp dish. Sorry about the Dubonnet - was hoping they would be able to get that for you.  At least they will have time to get it for your 40th anniversary cruise next year! 🙂

Edited by vtcruising
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