Equinox vs Reflection

[horseymike]

Hi Everyone,

We have cruised the Equinox and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Will you please share your thoughts if you have recently cruised the Reflection ?

If you have recently cruised both ships , please share your comparisons.

 Thanks 

[39august]

Reflection has a few more Aqua cabins than Equinox and a LOT more suites. You can infer what you will from that. Many people claim the rest of the ship is more crowded, but in 2018 and early 2020 I honestly didn't think so. There are 2 more specialty restaurants on Refleciton; the Porch and the Lawn Club Grill which is where the hot glass classes are on Equinox. It is an outdoor dining area. Very casual. I don't think the meat items there are as good as Tuscan, and I sure wouldn't pay the prices at lunch for a burger, but lots of people really like the dining outdoors experience. The Porch is mainly a seafood venue and usually under-used. The Sky LOunge is about 2/3 the size of Sky on Equinox as suites were added to some of that space. There is a bar outside the theater and in front of Celebrity Central, where there is only showcases on Equinox. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by 39august

[miched]

Many areas on the Reflection are expanded.   There are also more cabins so some think it is more crowded and it is in some areas but there are also expanded decks. 
 

Blu is a litter more cramped because there are more AQ cabins and  is the same space with added tables 

 

The gym area is larger along with the World Class Bar and the Sunset bar.  
 

The Persian Garden is larger with more loungers and a cold room

 

It has a large variety of special restraints. 

 

it is our favorite S class ship, but they are all nice and enjoyed every one.  
 

Blu and the Persian Garden only affect those in AQ

 

The Sky Lounge is also truncated for the addition of more suites.   
 

It has some good features  and also some not so good depending on what you value.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited December 31, 2022 by miched

[calicakes]

We were on Equinox in Sept 2019.  We were recently on a Reflection cruise( September 2022).  I live blogged both cruises if you're interested.    The Reflection felt a bit dated.  We were in a Suite and we rarely used "Michael's club".  

[Texed]

Reflection is one of our favorite ships.  And, Equinox is not far behind.  😊

[Spif Barwunkel]

We sailed on Reflection May '22 in Europe, for the 4th time. We sailed on Equinox Dec '22 in the Caribbean, for the 1st time. Reflection seemed a little off in May, especially the food. The previous three sailings, pre-Covid, were great in all aspects. Equinox might very well be our favorite X ship to date. It seemed she took her presentation up a notch. Both being Solstice Class ships, there is not much difference to us. You base your experiences on services provided and the way in which they are.

 

Every ship and its crew will have the occasional off day. We have had good times on Reflection and given the right itinerary we will certainly enjoy her again.

[81Zoomie]

We much prefer the Equinox when sailing in a suite.  Reflection has the additional deck with many more suites.  Michael’s/Retreat and Luminae are not enlarged to accommodate the additional suites.  As a result, service suffers and these areas are more crowded.  Additionally, the Equinox has been revolutionized/updated while the Reflection has not been. 

[horseymike]

Thank everyone for your comments.

They are very helpful when sorting out which cruise / ship to book.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

17 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

We much prefer the Equinox when sailing in a suite.  Reflection has the additional deck with many more suites.  Michael’s/Retreat and Luminae are not enlarged to accommodate the additional suites.  As a result, service suffers and these areas are more crowded.  Additionally, the Equinox has been revolutionized/updated while the Reflection has not been. 

Good to hear this!  We were on the Reflection earlier this month and our next cruise is on the Equinox. 

[Luvtoeat]

This is from the viewpoint of being in just a regular balcony without all the extras. We have been on the Equinox at least 4 times and have really enjoyed the cruises with the exception of September when I tested positive on day 5 of 9 day sailing. We will be on again in March. Was on the reflection earlier this month and with the only negative that it was only 7 days and not longer. We had a very good time and  if you are not interested in the specialty restaurants, I think either ship is a good choice.

[81Zoomie]

To clarify, we will sail the Reflection again, but this time in Aqua.  Having now sailed the M and E class, we are most at home on the S class, regardless of the name on the hull.  There are pros and cons to all the ships.  We are always happy to enjoy some Vitamin Sea!

 

[terrydtx]

We sailed on the Equinox in a Sky Suite in August 2021 and on the Reflection in a SS August 2022.  We loved both ships but if cruising in a suite we would prefer the Equinox as the suites received the Revolution upgrade as did the Retreat Lounge and Luminae.  The Reflection has not been Revolutionized and she looked a little dated. The Reflection has a Lawn Club Grill which we enjoyed while the Equinox has a glass blowing venue where the Reflection LCG is located, which for us is a waste of space. We would not hesitate to book the Reflection or Equinox again if the itinerary is right. We are booked on the Equinox next June from FLL, because she is the only X ship sailing the summer from FLL and we are introducing our 12-year-old granddaughter to the "Suite" life of cruising. After this cruise we most likely will only book Edge Class ships because of the fully enhanced Retreat facilities, we are booked on the Apex in September and the Edge B2B in January 2024.

[C-Dragons]

Before the E-class joined X's fleet, we had sailed Equinox twice and Reflection 5 times. Reflection is our favorite S-class ship. 👍

Edited December 31, 2022 by C-Dragons

[horseymike]

Thanks again Everyone for your input.

please keep it coming.

[1Virgo]

Equinox has 1 less deck than Reflection.   1 other difference is Equinox has a Beer Bar whereas in that space, the last time we were on the Reflection, it was called a wine bar but seemed to only operate for seminars and booked wine tastings

[Softball20]

We've sailed both, and I like them both.  I do prefer the Reflection a bit as I love how they did the Sunset Bar.  We also like the Lawn Club Grill.  

[Redtravel]

Reflection is more crowded. Compared to other S class ships, there is an extra deck of cabins.  There is no extra pubic space.  We sailed on Reflection once and done.  

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Reflection is more crowded. Compared to other S class ships, there is an extra deck of cabins.  There is no extra pubic space.  We sailed on Reflection once and done.  

Not totally true, not a complete extra deck. Deck 12 on Reflection added more Sky Suites, A1 Aqua and C1 Concierge cabins than are on deck 12 on other S class ships and they only added 194 more passenger capacity than Equinox, 2852 vs 3046. We have sailed on both, and 194 more passengers is not enough to seem more crowded.

Edited January 8, 2023 by terrydtx

[OysterD]

Apart from Equinox being revolutionised and Reflection not, main differences can be seen in the attached plans of decks 12 through 16. 

 

Reflection has a much better sunset bar - more and more varied seating at different levels and you can sit at the bar and look out to sea rather than at a wall. Reflection also has larger Persian gardens, it has the addition of The Porch and instead of the hot glass there is the Lawn Club Grill which in my mind is a much better use of the space. Deck 15 has a better flow to it on Reflection and the sunset bar/lawn area is only one deck up from the pool whereas it's two up on Equinox. 

 

Equinox has the Retreat deck for suite passengers on 16 whereas that area is open to everyone on Reflection. Equinox has a slightly larger Sky Lounge, but you don't really miss it on Reflection as the Sky Lounge was pretty much empty day and night the last cruise I went on. 

 

To me, Reflection is the best Solstice class ship but I guess it depends how much value you put on Equinox having been updated/revolutionised. 

 

Reflection:

Equinox:

[phoenix_dream]

I've sailed both many times.  I prefer Equinox, as we often sail in Aqua Class and we found Blu to be very, very crowded much of the time, and less comfortable in that it is the same space with the tables closer together as they added more of them.  I am of the opinion that overall the Reflection feels more crowded as many of the spaces people actually hang out are not larger but the passenger load is.  Equinox is semi-revolutionized.  There is a retreat deck, but no pool, spa, or bar area.  The Retreat Lounge was updated from Michaels and I did not like the cold, operating room decor.  Just personal opinion.  Some of the cabins on Equinox have been updated and some not.  We sailed in a Sky Suite on EQ and it had not been updated.  We sailed in a sky suite in January of last year I think it was on Reflection.  At the time there was a lower passenger load, but the suites were all sold out (surprise surprise) and I never felt Luminae was really crowded.  Maybe we just got lucky.

 

I think I'm babbling on and on at this point.  Bottom line, I love them both and wouldn't hesitate to sail on either, but my preference is Equinox.

[kearney]

Reflection has an additional deck of cabins...so when closer to capacity.. Reflection is a bit more crowded. The Sky Lounge view is impacted by them taking some of the view to make suites. Some of the interior areas like the apple store is now inside cabins... both are nice ships... I really like the Sky Lounge and prefer the wide open views on Equinox. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Some of the cabins on Equinox have been updated and some not.  We sailed in a Sky Suite on EQ and it had not been updated.  

Is there a list somewhere of which rooms have been?  We have a sky suite booked on the Equinox and will be disappointed if it hasn’t been updated. 

[Oceangoer2]

On 12/31/2022 at 8:56 AM, terrydtx said:

We loved both ships but if cruising in a suite we would prefer the Equinox as the suites received the Revolution upgrade as did the Retreat Lounge and Luminae. 

We were on the Equinox in Nov. '22.... our aft suite had not been revolutionized, although we did see one near the elevator had different 'colours' so assume it had been.  We were told it had been stopped, no date for finishing. Luminae looked exactly the same as 2019;  Retreat Lounge had been updated.

Edited January 9, 2023 by Oceangoer2

[Jim_Iain]

Reflection has not gone through Revolution and does look dated.   Reflection also is a larger ship -

126,000 Tons vs 122,000.     She has on additional deck and I walk instead of elevators and you feel the extra floor.

 

Personally I'm not a fan of Reflection and would be reluctant to sail her again.

 

The passenger load is higher but Luminae, MDR and Blue are the same size.

 

Suites -    Equinox  72   Reflections 111

Aqua -    Equinox  130 Reflections 150

Concierge -  Equinox 277 Reflections 291

Veranda -    Equinox  743 Reflections 749

Ocean View - Equinox 70 Reflection 70

Interior          - Equinox 148 Reflections 154

 

Total                Equinox 1,440  Reflections 1,523

 

Max Passenger    Equinox 3,148   Reflection 3,480

[mikeysed]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Reflection has not gone through Revolution and does look dated.   Reflection also is a larger ship -

126,000 Tons vs 122,000.     She has on additional deck and I walk instead of elevators and you feel the extra floor.

 

Personally I'm not a fan of Reflection and would be reluctant to sail her again.

 

The passenger load is higher but Luminae, MDR and Blue are the same size.

 

Suites -    Equinox  72   Reflections 111

Aqua -    Equinox  130 Reflections 150

Concierge -  Equinox 277 Reflections 291

Veranda -    Equinox  743 Reflections 749

Ocean View - Equinox 70 Reflection 70

Interior          - Equinox 148 Reflections 154

 

Total                Equinox 1,440  Reflections 1,523

 

Max Passenger    Equinox 3,148   Reflection 3,480

 

Can someone explain what the Revolution did to Equinox vs non revolutionized Reflection? I am not familiar with the updates.

 

Thank you!