Equinox to Aruba Cruise Review, Feb 9, 2023

[JordanF]

My wife and I sailed on the Equinox in February 2023 on a nine day cruise to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and the Dominican Republic.  The cruise was outstanding!  We had an awesome time.  Any criticisms mentioned below should be taken in that context.

 

This was our first cruise since before the pandemic, so there were a few changes, mostly good.  About the pandemic—it is basically over as far as Celebrity is concerned.  A few people wore masks, but otherwise the health precautions were mainly hand sanitizer—as before.  No covid testing, no vaccination requirements, or anything else.  This was a plus for me, but others may disagree.

 

One great improvement was embarkation (which was never that bad anyway).  Having filled out our forms ahead, we had our boarding passes on the Celebrity App.  We arrived 40 minutes before our scheduled time and were on board 25 minutes later.  Another BIG improvement was the safety drill—now reduced to watching two short videos  (how to put on a life jacket and what the go-to-muster-station alarm sounded like), and then going to our muster station to check in (that’s all you do there—show up and tell them your name, and leave).  We were done with that immediately after arriving on the ship.  Having the safety drill out of the way made the first day seem a lot better—instead of having the afternoon interrupted by getting everyone to stand around on deck, we were lounging by the pool, sipping a pina colada.  Since we were on board before noon, the entre afternoon felt cruise-like.

 

The App was a central part of our trip.  It had the daily schedule (they also still gave us a paper one each night), reservations, the ability to purchase shore excursions, see menus and check your account.  We never went to the main desk or the shore excursion desk—very convenient.  I could also chat with my wife on the app, although we were purposely not always carrying our phones or looking at them.  We did not purchase internet, so our wifi was limited to the app. 

We also had no drink package.  Our total bar bill was about $220, so it would not pay for us to sign up for that given that the cheaper package was $89 per day, per person, plus a 20% tip.  I recommend people to do the math before purchasing this package to see if it is for them. 

 

We had a balcony cabin, as we love to hang out on our balcony, especially in the morning.  The cabin was fine, although you can tell that the ship has not had any recent refresh.  Everything was clean and ship-shape, and our room steward was the perfect mix of attentive and leaving us alone.  One change (not so great) is that the only included room service is continental breakfast (coffee, juice, breads, cold cereal, fruit).  All else is about $12 after tip.  So we just ordered the continental breakfast, which was enough to tide us over, but not great.  I still enjoyed sitting out on the balcony in my robe, sipping coffee and reading the book I borrowed from the ship library. 

 

For dining, we had select (anytime) dining.  We had reservation every night at 7 pm.  Despite this, there was always a bit of a line.  Sometimes it was long and slow (up to 30 minutes).  However, once we were seated, the service was always excellent.  The food was good and varied, and my vegetarian wife never went to bed hungry.  We ate one night at the Tuscan Grill and had an excellent meal.

 

The entertainment was excellent.  We attended about six shows, and they were all very good.  There were excellent bands playing around the ship: poolside , on the centrum floor and in the bars.  There were always enough people around so you weren’t dancing alone, even in the Sky Bar late (midnight was as late as we can attest to).  The bartenders were excellent, and the prices pretty reasonable for a cruise ship (competitive with land prices). 

Despite our late arrival to the pool area most days (after lounging on our balcony), we could always find chairs.  The pools and hot tubs were fun—we even beat the officers in pool volleyball. 

 

My wife did the glass blowing.  She made a beautiful vase (with “help” from the staff).  It was $150 for the vase, but it was super cool to watch her make it, and she enjoyed every minute.   My wife also loves the Persian Garden, and we purchased a pass for the entire cruise for her ($250).  She spent a chunk of time in there.  We did not shop, but we did pick up the daily charm from Effy to put into the charm necklace they gave away.  It is nice.

 

OK, ports.  In Bonaire, known for its reef, we went snorkeling with Woodwind.  We also went with them in 2015, and they remain an excellent operation.  The took photos (for sale) which are pretty good!  Next, in Curacao, we just walked around town.  We visited the oldest operating synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.  In Aruba we took a taxi to Palm Beach and rented chairs for the day.  The beach and water were excellent.  Our chairs were near the Hyatt and we ate a good lunch there, and they also had public bathrooms.  At the Dominican Republic we just looked around the port area and headed back to the ship.  In Fort Lauderdale, due a later flight, we took the shore excursion (handily booked on the app) to the Everglades, which included an airboat ride and an alligator show.  It was a fine excursion, but I would not book a later flight just to do it (we had no other option). 

 

This cruise had four sea days and we picked it partially for that reason.  We like cruises and cruise ships, and we liked this cruise and this ship.  The staff was excellent. There was really nothing to be upset about, and a whole lot to love. 

[horseymike]

Great review. Concise and informative. Glad you enjoyed your cruise 🚢 

Thanks for sharing your review.

[hawk/hornfan]

Thanks for the review, we are looking at a similar itinerary for the fall. 

[Duanerice1]

Thanks for sharing.  We are doing the same (almost) in April.  Planned on a beach in Aruba.... Tell the taxi driver to go to the Hyatt? 

 

[JordanF]

1 minute ago, Duanerice1 said:

Thanks for sharing.  We are doing the same (almost) in April.  Planned on a beach in Aruba.... Tell the taxi driver to go to the Hyatt? 

 

Yes--that would work.  Also, coming back, the bellhop for the Hyatt will get you a cab. $16 each way, plus tip.  About a 10 minute drive.  You can get the cabs right outside the port area.  We rented our chairs and shady spot from one of the sporting outfits set up on the beach right near a little dock with a bar (Piet's Pier Bar).  $55 for the day for two chairs under a little structure with a straw type roof.

[Azulann]

Thank your for your trip report.

I loved watching the glass blowers when I was on the Equinox. Very cool that  your wife got to make a glass piece !

[Reel Love]

OP, Thank you so much for your review! 

Would you mind sharing what cabin you were in?  Just curious as you noted that it was not "refreshed."   I thought I had read somewhere that some cabins on Equinox were refurbished and some were not due to the shortened time for renovation because of the crane accident.  We are sailing the Equinox in June and am totally prepared for the "old room" but still a small part of me is hoping for the luck of an "updated" cabin as I felt they did a nice job  (sailed Silhouette after the revolution and loved the updated cabin).  

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences.  Much appreciated 🙂

[JordanF]

1 hour ago, Reel Love said:

OP, Thank you so much for your review! 

Would you mind sharing what cabin you were in?  Just curious as you noted that it was not "refreshed."   I thought I had read somewhere that some cabins on Equinox were refurbished and some were not due to the shortened time for renovation because of the crane accident.  We are sailing the Equinox in June and am totally prepared for the "old room" but still a small part of me is hoping for the luck of an "updated" cabin as I felt they did a nice job  (sailed Silhouette after the revolution and loved the updated cabin).  

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences.  Much appreciated 🙂

Cabin 7177

[terrydtx]

Thank you for the review, we will be on the Equinox in June with our 12 year old granddaughter, her first cruise experience. We did you ABC Islands cruise on the Equinox in 2021 on one of the first cruises after covid lockdowns.

[boxkite]

JordanF, thanks for your review. We hope to do a ABC Islands cruise next year.

 

We board Equinox next week, so glad to hear its still in good shape and holding up well!

[Cruise a holic]

We sailed on the Equinox about a year ago and loved it.  I also did the glass blowing and it was fun.  However still so much covid on board, on our last cruise- many people from our group in January reported they got covid.  We have another cruise in two weeks, I will wear my mask in crowded venues, especially the elevator.

[bigbeergut]

Did the Woodwind increase the number of passengers they have onboard?  I have some friends that said it seemed crowded.

[peanut head]

Thanks for the concise and excellent review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise. 

[TeeRick]

Great review thanks!  We also enjoyed Equinox in January for 9 nights.  

[JordanF]

1 hour ago, bigbeergut said:

Did the Woodwind increase the number of passengers they have onboard?  I have some friends that said it seemed crowded.

I can't recall how many passengers there were back in 2015, but I will say that our boat dd not feel crowded but did seem full (is that even a meaningful distinction?).  They broke us up into three groups for snorkeling, maybe around 7 or 8 in each group.  Also, FWIW, I think the boat we were on is a new one since 2015--not sure if it is bigger, smaller, or the same size.  

[Arubamoose]

Since you did the shows - do you recall what time they usually were?

 

Trying to time dinner reservations.  Thanks!

[wrk2cruise]

Woodwind does have a new boat since 2015.  I think they were doing 24 passengers and reduced to 16 for covid.  I suspect they are back to 24.  They are still a better operation than any of the cruise ship snorkel trips!  I've done them 3 or 4 times.

[lorimay]

7 and 9 pm for the shows in the theater. 

[Travelw]

Just saw this review, so I am commenting on the original comments.  We agree that boarding is very quick, with having all info on the app.  With that said, we are not fans of having to get all the data prepared before arriving at the terminal.  My wife and I are in our early 70s and not real tech savvy.  Having to take security photos and upload, upload passports, etc. is a very frustrating process.  All cruise lines do this now, what happened to customer service and making it an enjoyable experience for passengers.  Maybe we are in the minority, maybe not, but that is our opinion.

[JordanF]

On 3/17/2023 at 6:20 PM, Arubamoose said:

Since you did the shows - do you recall what time they usually were?

 

Trying to time dinner reservations.  Thanks!

7 and 9 pm.  We would typically eat at 7 pm (anytime dining) and could always make the 9 pm show, although not always with the best choice in seats. We made 7pm reservations for dinner for very night ahead of time.  Just note that you may want to get there a little ahead of your reservation as there is typically a wait, as noted in my review.  Also to note--the shows are typically about 45 minutes long, so you could, for example, go to a 7 pm show and have an 8 pm reservation (and I bet with little or no wait--around 7 pm is a very popular time for dinner).

Edited March 20, 2023 by JordanF

[JordanF]

23 hours ago, Travelw said:

Just saw this review, so I am commenting on the original comments.  We agree that boarding is very quick, with having all info on the app.  With that said, we are not fans of having to get all the data prepared before arriving at the terminal.  My wife and I are in our early 70s and not real tech savvy.  Having to take security photos and upload, upload passports, etc. is a very frustrating process.  All cruise lines do this now, what happened to customer service and making it an enjoyable experience for passengers.  Maybe we are in the minority, maybe not, but that is our opinion.

I can see your point.  I generally like the changes, but it is obvious that they are trying to get people to use the app/do things online wherever possible.  For better or worse, I think we are going to get more of this, not less.

[39august]

TravelW It is not necessary to do all that stuff in the app at all. Just print your X Pass and you can get all that other done at check  in. We never use the app. Just our preference. 

[mafig]

Thanks for your review.  I enjoyed reading it.  Love that itinerary!

 

I do think that waiting in line for your reserved table at dinner is excessive.  Even though I would do my best not to be, I would be annoyed.😟

[JordanF]

17 minutes ago, mafig said:

Thanks for your review.  I enjoyed reading it.  Love that itinerary!

 

I do think that waiting in line for your reserved table at dinner is excessive.  Even though I would do my best not to be, I would be annoyed.😟

Yes.  I even suspect it is on purpose, to encourage specialty dining, as well as suites or at least Aqua Class with their respective special dining rooms.

[ISHMAEL]

We go to Aruba quite often, so I thought I would toss in a few ideas. If you want to snorkel, go to Boca Catalina up at the north end of the island. That is where most of the snorkel trips take you, but you can access the good spots from shore, There are three beaches in that area and there is a large area of sea grass which the turtles love. We were there in March and saw lots of turtles. There are not many Palapas and no guys renting umbrellas there. There are also no washrooms (On Shore) and no bars.

Arashi beach up farther is a nice beach with umbrellas and chairs to rent and it now has a bar and washroom. 

Closer to your port, Eagle Beach is constantly ranked as one of the beat in the world. There are several resorts there and they are very protective of their chairs, but the beach is public. They have a bar there, and there are washrooms at La Cabana.

To access these beaches you can get a bus at the central bus station across the road from the cruise port. A number 1 bus heads to the High Rise hotels (bus stop at the Amsterdam Manor for Eagle Beach, Holiday Inn area for Palm Beach) and some of them go up to Arashi. Just check with the driver. The bus up to Arashi runs every half hour. The bus fare is $3 US each way.

 

The beaches are more crowded than when we first started going to Arubi 13 years ago, but then what vacation spot isn't?