LIVE - Equinox 8/15/21 - Ultimate Caribbean - It’s finally here!

[Silkroad]

8 hours ago, aring75 said:

We also ordered the Chicken Ginger Gyoza and dove in so fast I forgot to take a picture. 
 

IMAGINE A TASTY, TASTY PLATE OF CHICKEN GINGER GYOZA RIGHT HERE

Lol this would be me. All that’s left is a faint tint of wasabi and soy sauce. Pickled ginger? What ginger😋 Why am I suddenly craving gyoza, an assortment of maki rolls and an unagi hand roll? Your cocktails looked refreshing too. How did you like them?

[aring75]

11 hours ago, biscuitsandhoney said:

I see in the Celebrity app that gym reservations are required. Are you able to confirm that is accurate? Any idea if it is difficult to get a reservation to use the gym facility? Thank you!

Lisa and Kevin

Hi again. Okay so I asked this morning about reservations for the gym. For this cruise, it’s currently okay to just show up for a machine. They said they do still prefer that people distance as appropriate, but they will not require reservations unless more people are arriving at the same time. (I think they probably want to have that option if it becomes necessary.)

 

They do still require people to sign up for any classes, and said they are limiting the number of sign ups a little more than in the past. I didn’t get an exact number for that, but it sounds like if you do the classes you should sign up as early as possible. 

[aring75]

13 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Lol this would be me. All that’s left is a faint tint of wasabi and soy sauce. Pickled ginger? What ginger😋 Why am I suddenly craving gyoza, an assortment of maki rolls and an unagi hand roll? Your cocktails looked refreshing too. How did you like them?

Loved loved loved (!) the spicy mango tini. Still a little bit sweet, but had a spicy kick to it that I think helped cut the sweetness. Mark’s Asian Pear drink was good. Mark always forgets that he and tequila don’t get along very well, so he didn’t live his drink. I offered to trade, but he insisted on finishing it. All in all, we both enjoyed our meal. We will definitely dine here again. 

[aring75]

So I realized that I forgot to get menu pics for last night’s MDR dinner. It was chic night, so I’m sure people will want to see them. These are the listings in the app. So hopefully this helps. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

Good morning!

 

And welcome to St. Croix 😁

 

 

 

 

Heard an announcement this morning that the government of St. Croix is requiring masks both indoors and out. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

 

32 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Heard an announcement this morning that the government of St. Croix is requiring masks both indoors and out. 

 

I think I’ll pass on wearing a mask outside in tropical weather.  I’ll stay on the ship and enjoy myself.

[aring75]

11 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

 

I think I’ll pass on wearing a mask outside in tropical weather.  I’ll stay on the ship and enjoy myself.

Yep. We are still trying to decide. We will probably get off the ship and walk around the port area. But if it’s swelteringly hot, we definitely won’t stay long. 
 

I can deal with wearing a mask when necessary indoors, but outside in the summer heat is a different story. 

[aring75]

It’s day 4. Here’s the Celebrity Today and Daily Planner for St. Croix. 
 

 

 

 

[aring75]

One of the Spa Specials we received with today’s paperwork. 
 

[fstuff1]

3 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Yep. We are still trying to decide. We will probably get off the ship and walk around the port area. But if it’s swelteringly hot, we definitely won’t stay long. 
 

I can deal with wearing a mask when necessary indoors, but outside in the summer heat is a different story. 

 

there still the $25 taxi tour in st croix at the pier?

 

[stunned]

Does the mask mandate apply to passengers on ship excursions?

[aring75]

18 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

 

there still the $25 taxi tour in st croix at the pier?

 

Not sure. If we get off the ship I will try to find out. But I really think you are limited to ship sponsored tours here. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by aring75
Clarity

[aring75]

9 minutes ago, stunned said:

Does the mask mandate apply to passengers on ship excursions?

I was told masks would be required on the buses and in any indoor locations. But we are not taking a tour here. Maybe someone who is can chime in with their actual experiences. 

[aring75]

On 8/17/2021 at 12:24 AM, luckybecky said:

 

Your review has been wonderful so far!! Interesting about the cabanas on the lawn deck. We almost never saw them in use on our cruise but it sounds like it was a great investment for you! 

 

I have a favor to ask, regarding Marko your bartender. I'm pretty sure he is the same guy we fell in love with several years ago on the Millennium in Alaska. He was on his very first cruise contract. We were so excited that he was on our Equinox cruise a couple of weeks ago! He is now working the Sky Lounge every night. 

 

I didn't realize that he is also working the cabana area, but I'm not surprised. Bringing you that Rose is exactly the kind of thing Marko would do. 

 

So, on our 7/25 cruise, Marko wrote down his Facebook name for us because we want to follow him on FB and cruise with him again if the opportunity arises. Then I promptly lost his note. 😳 (Ask him if he ever found my $200 casino voucher-- man, I was losing it on that cruise!)

 

So anyway, if you happen to run into Marko at the cabanas, or in the Sky Bar -- he is there for hours every night -- please ask him to friend us on FB. Paul N Becky Niendorff. (He knows me as Rebecca because that is the name on my card). There aren't many Niendorffs on FB so he should be able to find us. 

 

His fiance Andrea works in Cafe Al Bacio so you'll see her when you get your morning coffee. She's a sweetheart. 

 

Lol. So okay, this is kind of funny. When I first read this post I don’t think the picture loaded. I went back to quote it and we aren’t talking about the same Marko. 😂

 

But apparently you cannot go wrong with any Marko because they both sound pretty amazing! 😁

[aring75]

Just met @Ipeeinthepools up on Deck 15. 😁

 

It was great chatting with another CC member. And you’d never suspect he had such strange poolside proclivities to talk to him!

😂🤣😂

[terrydtx]

I believe your cruise is stopping in Aruba, have you heard anything about Aruba requiring a negative Covid test 72 hours prior to entering Aruba and if it will be required on your cruise?  It has come up on our cruise after yours, but nothing from Celebrity other than several shore excursions being canceled.

 

Thanks

[aring75]

7 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I believe your cruise is stopping in Aruba, have you heard anything about Aruba requiring a negative Covid test 72 hours prior to entering Aruba and if it will be required on your cruise?  It has come up on our cruise after yours, but nothing from Celebrity other than several shore excursions being canceled.

 

Thanks

We have not been told anything about needing to have a negative test. I will definitely post if anything changes. I was just looking at available excursions. Right now, we are supposedly allowed to walk around on our own, but I feel like that could change. All the port situations are in flux right now. 
 

Will let you know. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

9 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I believe your cruise is stopping in Aruba, have you heard anything about Aruba requiring a negative Covid test 72 hours prior to entering Aruba and if it will be required on your cruise?  It has come up on our cruise after yours, but nothing from Celebrity other than several shore excursions being canceled.

 

Thanks

 

The Excursion Host did not mention anything about a Covid test during yesterday’s Excursion presentation 

 

[Ipeeinthepools]

20 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Just met @Ipeeinthepools up on Deck 15. 😁

 

It was great chatting with another CC member. And you’d never suspect he had such strange poolside proclivities to talk to him!

😂🤣😂

 

It was nice to meet you, you’re doing a great review.

[PTC DAWG]

So5 is my go to for dining on S Class....try the Lobster Wontons/Pot Stickers...I forget, on the app menu.  We made an entire meal out of a few apps a few weeks back......

 

Enjoying your commentary..we took the Southern Caribbean in the fall of 19...we rented a cabana while in St. Croix..and a swarm of honey bees took over the stairs port side near the pool...had to call in some beekeepers from the island to remove them.  

Edited August 18, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[aring75]

10 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

…a swarm of honey bees took over the stairs port side near the pool...had to call in some beekeepers from the island to remove them.  

What?! Wow!

[mayleeman]

Someone on our roll call for Eq on Oct 29 said they had 2 excursions cancelled in Aruba,  but they didn't say which ones. But we haven't heard anything from X about our Sail/snorkel. I wonder if land-based excursions have more problems?

[aring75]

Okay, so I looked up the onboard price for the Veuve Rosé. 
 

 

The cabana price for a port day is $99 for up to four people. If you have a port stop where you don’t really care to get off the ship, this is a nice way to be pampered for the day. And at $99 total, it’s cheaper than most shore excursions. Obviously, if you’ve never visited a place before, you’ll probably want to go ashore. But if you are like us and have been to most Caribbean islands multiple times, this is a nice alternative. 
 

 

Now. For the really fun part. Today Marko asked if we might like to try something different. He procured a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Rosé Riche.  This is not available for purchase. It’s offered with the Veuve Cliquot dinner which is usually offered once per cruise. Since they will not be holding the special wine dinners this cruise, the Cellar Master offered to let us try a bottle. 

 

[NBliving]

18 hours ago, SonuvaBeach said:

You are quite welcome. If you like it, I can hook you up with my buddy Mark Brown...he takes people out diving/snorkeling for very reasonable prices.

We will be in Curaçao on an April cruise. I’d love his info. We enjoy snorkeling, but are traveling with friends who are certified divers.  My email is kgwoods@swbell.net. Thanks!! 

[FLCruiser97]

36 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Okay, so I looked up the onboard price for the Veuve Rosé. 
 

 

The cabana price for a port day is $99 for up to four people. If you have a port stop where you don’t really care to get off the ship, this is a nice way to be pampered for the day. And at $99 total, it’s cheaper than most shore excursions. Obviously, if you’ve never visited a place before, you’ll probably want to go ashore. But if you are like us and have been to most Caribbean islands multiple times, this is a nice alternative. 
 

 

Now. For the really fun part. Today Marko asked if we might like to try something different. He procured a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Rosé Riche.  This is not available for purchase. It’s offered with the Veuve Cliquot dinner which is usually offered once per cruise. Since they will not be holding the special wine dinners this cruise, the Cellar Master offered to let us try a bottle. 

 

WOW Marko really likes you guys. I think I'm gonna find him on my cabana day.