Equinox in Caribbean...thoughts? Or go Royal Caribbean?

[micmacmissy]

Thought we'd book Edge but I cannot bite the bullet on that price point.  So now considering Equinox, eastern itinerary.

 

Stops in Samana, Dominican Republic...is this a bummer of a stop?  Any thoughts?

 

We are looking for relaxation, great service, good specialty restaurants.  Will Equinox hit the mark?  (We were on Silhouette back in 2014 and loved it).  Not sure what specialty restaurants they have now...

 

2nd option, for those who care to weigh in, is Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas...thoughts on that?  We've been on Allure before so know what we're in for in terms of size, etc.  Our kids (16, 19) have never sailed on Celebrity and really want to - they care less about bells and whistles and would love the dining and relaxation on Celebrity.

 

So thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice!

 

 

[Ozzmund]

If you don't want/need all of the features on Royal and the private island stop, I think you will enjoy the Equinox.

 

Never been to Samana, so can't speak to that port.

 

 

[hiccups]

We had our first cruise on X on Equinox in June, and we felt we got a lot more for our money than on RCI.  Sometimes the bells and whistles are fun, but at our age, we aren't going to be doing any rock wall climbing or zip lining, so X worked well for us, and we like that the ships have fewer passengers.  We'll be on Summit next month, so looking forward to trying out the M class, too.

[MightyMike]

My son (age 15) liked how he wasn't overwhelmed by the number of other teenagers on Celebrity. The teens got to know each other better because the entire group would hang out together each night. They would start out at the X-Club at 8:00 and then move on to the buffet, ping pong tables and eventually the basketball court as the night progressed.

[IBsaved]

We've been on Equinox twice and loved it.  We are seasoned citizens and not looking for rock wall climbing, etc. but just relaxation and great itineraries.  We don't do shows, casino but love that the pools and jacuzzi are open until late when the ship is so quiet and relaxing.  Not sure how your teens will enjoy but I know there are venues they might like.  We did the 10 day ABC islands and another 10 day southern Caribbean

[beloum]

Been on Equinox twice and enjoyed it a lot more than any of our cruises on any RC ship.     Just seems like a step above.     If you will be having young children, maybe Symphony of Seas would be better...   Otherwise, definitely go with Equinox.   

[yorky]

We are just back and loved it, service was again top notch and the ship looks great. We had 8 meals in the speciality restaurants. The five in Murano were outstanding and on a different level to the one in the MDR, two in Sushi on five which were again great, and one in a Tuscan Grill which was just so so. There was a level of chair hogging but you could find sun beds all day if you were not bothered about the position both in the sun, and the shade.

[aml3679]

We did not like our RCI cruise - there was a fire in the sick bay and that also put a damper on things.  Cannot go wrong with Celebrity in my humble opinion.  Been on the Millenium and the Equinox - sailing on the Equinox in 2/20 and 2/21.

[Big_G]

12 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

Thought we'd book Edge but I cannot bite the bullet on that price point.  So now considering Equinox, eastern itinerary.

 

Stops in Samana, Dominican Republic...is this a bummer of a stop?  Any thoughts?

 

We are looking for relaxation, great service, good specialty restaurants.  Will Equinox hit the mark?  (We were on Silhouette back in 2014 and loved it).  Not sure what specialty restaurants they have now...

 

Sounds like Equinox will work for you. We've sailed her twice and thoroughly enjoyed our cruises. On a side note, we bit the bullet for a special occasion on the Edge for March 2020. We did get a substantial price drop after booking but the price is still a little dizzying.

[nimiq]

For having sailed on both lines sister ships I could definitely say we prefer the modern chic of celebrity. It’s a more adult contemporary vibe and with less kids. 
in my opinion because you have younger kids RCCL could be a better choice for the whole family as the kids will have more dedicated rooms to make friends this leaving you space to have a romantic dinner together.

 

On a side note RCCL is a good product but my last cruise on Allure of the seas confirmed that we prefer smaller ships.

 

have fun 

Sea ya

Eric

[hcat]

Teens and older kids can always do more active excursions in the ports  ( so many to pick from) ...and  they can enjoy other activities on  the ship...Silent Disco,  movie  nights etc,,,  heard  X is good  with younger kiddos too but no first hand experience!