Jim_Iain – East meets West Equinox Caribbean – B2B2B -March 14 to April 4

[Jim_Iain]

I usually begin my blogs very upbeat and excited but this time I feel like I'm announcing my wedding at a funeral.   With so much negative news and uncertainty it really has put a damper on our mood.   For all of those that were forced to cancel, I definitely understand your concerns and empathize with you. 

 

This cruise began as a booking of our “FREE” Zenith cruise.   The free cruise when you hit 3,000 points is for a Veranda cabin but you can upgrade to a cabin of your choice by paying the difference.    For this cruise we chose to sail in a AQ cabin.   After booking we decided it was too far to travel for a one week cruise so ended up booking the same cabin for 2 more cruises.

 

The first cruise is a 7 Night Eastern Caribbean

 

     

 

 

The Nitty Gritty -  $$$

It was nearly impossible to figure out in advance how much the free portion of the cruise would be as it is calculated at the least expensive cabin in the Veranda classification for a 7 night Caribbean cruise.   We initially booked a place holder as our year to book was coming close.   Eventually we settled on this string of cruises  

For a break down we were charge $326 pp for the AQ room and as you would guess this comes with no perks.  Taxes and Port charges are $139 and we added PPD gratuities of $105 pp for a Total of $569 pp or $1,138 total.  Somewhere along the line I was able to pick up a $100 OBC.

 

For transport we opted to Fly American Airlines from SFO to FLL at a cost of $542 pp First Class.  `

 

For hotel accommodations in Fort Lauderdale we ended up booking Holiday Inn Express.  Due to the Spring Break prices are sky high and the cost is $313.   The price was a prepaid rate so was unable to take advantage of recent price drops.   The accommodations weren’t our top priority as our flight doesn’t arrive until 12:30 PM (9:30 body time) so will just be a crash pad.

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by Jim_Iain

[sandc4e]

Have an amazing trip!  

[upwarduk]

Looking forward to reading your updates.

[Jim_Iain]

4 minutes ago, sandc4e said:

Have an amazing trip!  

Thanks much we are getting more excited by the moment

 

1 minute ago, upwarduk said:

Looking forward to reading your updates.

 

Thanks.   

[Jim_Iain]

I love CC but recently have been spending a lot of time at the social site.  I just saw this from a person counting empty cabins on our 3/14 sailing.

 

[TroubleT]

I will be following your post since I was supposed to be on B2B March 21 and March 28 sailings. Hope you have a very uneventful cruise! ❤️

[Sascol]

Have you ever sailed during spring break?  In addition to the obvious, current issues that would make me nervous as well!  Interested to hear your thoughts on that.

[CruiserMickey]

Thank you for virtually taking us with you on your vacation, @Jim_Iain! I wish you smooth sailings and a healthy, happy time.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Hope you manage to have a wonderful vacation!  I'm sure we will all be interested to see how full or empty your cruises turn out to be....though with the day to day changes what happens today or this week will have zero to do with what happens a month from now.  Understandable that your mood is impacted....as we dither about our 2 cruises in April/May it has become almost like a necessary but tedious job to read and search for info.  I find myself haunting CC, trying to find out the newest information, what ports are closing, what is Celebrity doing, what is Cunard going to do, what new warnings are out, etc.  It is minor compared to what people are dealing with but it's a fact for all of us who cruise that the anticipation of a great cruise vacation is part of the fun.  In our case, with our first cruise 5 weeks out, it looks like five more weeks of daily monitoring, and the ongoing stress of trying to decide whether or not to cancel.  So, I'm glad for you that you can just go and commit to it and hopefully have a great time.  Ignore the news while you sail and pretend you're in a happy place bubble!

[Purplsmurf]

32 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I love CC but recently have been spending a lot of time at the social site.  I just saw this from a person counting empty cabins on our 3/14 sailing.

 

I have been counting open cabins as well so not sure if that was my post 😂😂, but I did count over 700 yesterday afternoon and this morning it was down to 600+. I wonder if people are taking advantage of cheaper rates with no perks and booking it. We will see you on board! I’m flying to FLL Friday afternoon from Aruba, my daughter and bf will be there Friday late morning and my husband won’t arrive until late Friday night. It is my daughter’s bf’s first cruise so we will see what he thinks about an “empty” ship! 😂

[Antropos]

5 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

I did count over 700 yesterday afternoon and this morning it was down to 600+. I wonder if people are taking advantage of cheaper rates with no perks and booking it.

That, or the guarantees have been assigned.

[tcmagnum]

I hope you have a great B2B2B trip!!

Calm seas + Sunny days +  no illness = Great trip.

Enjoy!!

[mchell810]

Jim -- I know the mood is not what you expected when you booked, but I hope you and Iain have a great trip anyway.  I am looking forward to reading about your adventures.

[mac_tlc]

Have a wonderful time. I am looking forward to your updates. We cruised Equinox in January and had a wonderful time..... seems like an eternity ago. 
 

mac_tlc

[Georgia_Peaches]

Excited to ready all about your cruise.  As one who just finished a cruise last week, I can tell you with confidence that our mood drastically changed once we embarked and I feel like yours will as well..  Everything just felt normal once on board and away from the hype and hysteria.  If your adventure feels as though it's lacking people, that could very well be a positive thing as it relates to pool deck chairs and cocktails.  Following with great interest...

[Lastdance]

I hope that your b2b's go off without a hitch, as that would be a fantastic way to travel with less people aboard.  So, I will be following and once again enjoy your perspective...calm seas, blue skies and a fantastic journey!

[Colrene22]

Hi, new to CC and just wanted to say, Hope you have a great 3 weeks. We will be joining the ship from Scotland 21st March, so will be looking for your posts with great interest.

[effinaround]

Have fun and safe travels Jim.  Funny enough I was just thinking that it must be about time for your next adventure. It will be interesting to see if the vibe on the ship is different from your previous cruises.

[lola2013]

Have a great, relaxing trip!  I will board Equinox in September for my third cruise on her, but first as a solo cruiser.  I enjoyed your outstanding review on Edge last Fall (right before we boarded so the timing was perfect).  

Bon voyage!

Susan

[Stem to Stern]

Following along.  Have a wonderful journey!

[vickykay]

Sailed on the Equinox this past Feb. Great cruise and captain.  The ship was really hopping in the evenings.  Have a wonderful cruise!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Have a wonderful trip!  We're scheduled for a B2B2B on Summit starting April 25.  Our friends are having their Zenith party that cruise.  What ship are you sailing on?

[wendyam76]

Jim, I hope you have a wonderful time and that everything goes well. I’m hoping to be on the April 5th Silhouette sailing if the flights/cruise isn’t cancelled. 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, TroubleT said:

I will be following your post since I was supposed to be on B2B March 21 and March 28 sailings. Hope you have a very uneventful cruise! ❤️

I'll keep you updated as we go along.   I'm expecting a nice relaxing cruise.

[NC State]

Jim, I hope to get to meet you I board on March 28th.  This will be our first Celebrity cruise and looking forward to it.  I really hope it isn't canceled.