"Do You Feel Lucky?" Georgia Peaches takes a Blue Chip Cruise! Live from Equinox, July 2-8!

[Georgia_Peaches]

First, let me just say that the “vaping allowed”signs were not out in the casino last night. I looked for them and they were nowhere to be found. I’m supposed to speak with the ship’s marketing director this afternoon so I will definitely ask about this new development. 

 

I’ve never really been one who cared much about who the cruise director or captain was…as long as they did their jobs (steer the ship/plan things to do) I was a happy cruiser. However, for the first time-like ever- I’ve found myself really captivated by the remarkable job of the cruise director on board Equinox. The CD is hands down better than the one we had on Solstice. I get it now…

 

Last night the ship was a bustle of activity. From parties in the Grand Foyer to the pool deck, it was clear that a lot of thought and planning went into paying tribute to the Forth of July. The pool party featured acrobatics, dancing, pop up singers, glow lights, and a sing off. It was very well attended and so much fun!

 

I was really impressed with @AbbyCruiser45’s review of Tuscan Grille from her recent cruise and so we decided to give them another try. Past visits were just so-so but I had high hopes. Our reservation was for 9 pm but we really wanted to go to the pool party at 10:15 so we asked if they could accommodate us a little early…and they did!  
 

We were seated in Joel’s section at a two top by the window. Joel was the absolute best!  His recommendations were excellent and the food was outstanding. It was hot, our steak was perfectly seasoned and served “medium” like we asked. Without a doubt, this was easily the best meal we’ve had in and Celebrity dining venue over the last two cruises. Joel’s contract ends on Saturday and he will return to the Dominican Republic until his new contract begins in September. 
 

We ordered calamari, pork belly and caprese salad to start. For mains we each had the filet mignon and shared half orders of the lobster rigatoni, lasagna, gnocchi, and veal Marsala. Dessert was lemon cello cheesecake and fig gelato. I ate very little yesterday to save room for the meal and it’s a very good thing!  Today I’m wearing shorts that have give in the waistband…they’re cute though!

 

Here’s some random pics from the day including our meal. 
 

 

 

[Dar & Bob]

13 hours ago, Spurs Fans said:

CBD is not Marijuana (CBD is extracted from hemp) plus CBD is legal under the Federal Farm bill up to .3% THC. 

You might want to check your facts.  Cannibidiol (CBD) comes from the Marijuana plant.  It is the second active ingredient in Marijuana.  It is not THC the first active ingredient but none the less it can and does come from Marijuana as well as hemp

BTW CBD is not allowed on Celebrity ships per their policy.  Have no idea how they would detect it

Edited July 5, 2023 by Dar & Bob
add info

[Dar & Bob]

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

First, let me just say that the “vaping allowed”signs were not out in the casino last night. I looked for them and they were nowhere to be found. I’m supposed to speak with the ship’s marketing director this afternoon so I will definitely ask about this new development. 

 

I’ve never really been one who cared much about who the cruise director or captain was…as long as they did their jobs (steer the ship/plan things to do) I was a happy cruiser. However, for the first time-like ever- I’ve found myself really captivated by the remarkable job of the cruise director on board Equinox. The CD is hands down better than the one we had on Solstice. I get it now…

 

Last night the ship was a bustle of activity. From parties in the Grand Foyer to the pool deck, it was clear that a lot of thought and planning went into paying tribute to the Forth of July. The pool party featured acrobatics, dancing, pop up singers, glow lights, and a sing off. It was very well attended and so much fun!

 

I was really impressed with @AbbyCruiser45’s review of Tuscan Grille from her recent cruise and so we decided to give them another try. Past visits were just so-so but I had high hopes. Our reservation was for 9 pm but we really wanted to go to the pool party at 10:15 so we asked if they could accommodate us a little early…and they did!  
 

We were seated in Joel’s section at a two top by the window. Joel was the absolute best!  His recommendations were excellent and the food was outstanding. It was hot, our steak was perfectly seasoned and served “medium” like we asked. Without a doubt, this was easily the best meal we’ve had in and Celebrity dining venue over the last two cruises. Joel’s contract ends on Saturday and he will return to the Dominican Republic until his new contract begins in September. 
 

We ordered calamari, pork belly and caprese salad to start. For mains we each had the filet mignon and shared half orders of the lobster rigatoni, lasagna, gnocchi, and veal Marsala. Dessert was lemon cello cheesecake and fig gelato. I ate very little yesterday to save room for the meal and it’s a very good thing!  Today I’m wearing shorts that have give in the waistband…they’re cute though!

 

Here’s some random pics from the day including our meal. 
 

 

 

Thank you for sharing.  We were on Equinox in January and we really enjoyed the CD (is his name Lewis?)  

Glad to hear the food was good in Tuscan Grille - hoping it stays that way until next fall! 

Also, hoping the lack of vaping signs means they are coming to their senses.  One person got a reply that they were not going by emails received but I have to believe it couldn't hurt.

[Spurs Fans]

4 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

You might want to check your facts.  Cannibidiol (CBD) comes from the Marijuana plant.  It is the second active ingredient in Marijuana.  It is not THC the first active ingredient but none the less it can and does come from Marijuana as well as hemp

BTW CBD is not allowed on Celebrity ships per their policy.  Have no idea how they would detect it

I know I wasn’t clear in what I said.  CBD comes from cannabis plants which encompasses both marijuana and hemp. If the CBD comes from hemp plants and contains less than .3% THC, then it is legal under federal law. (Farm Bill)  But, you’re right, I don’t know how they’d detect it either.  Oh well! 

[RichYak]

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

First, let me just say that the “vaping allowed”signs were not out in the casino last night. I looked for them and they were nowhere to be found. I’m supposed to speak with the ship’s marketing director this afternoon so I will definitely ask about this new development.

Pictures of those signs were not a good look for X on social media. Looks like they may have gone quiet.

 

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Tuscan Grille... we decided to give them another try. Past visits were just so-so but I had high hopes.

The ribeye I had in TG on Millennium in March was the best steak I've had on any cruise ship. If you go back, try the short rib pappardelle ragu. That was our favorite pasta.

[AbbyCruiser45]

I'm so glad you had a good Tuscan experience! Joel was the best. 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

When I was a kid we would frequently go horseback riding in the open fields of rural Georgia. The horses were conditioned to recognize that when they saw the barn in the near distance, they were almost home. As such, the casually meandering horses would suddenly switch into high gear and gallup full steam ahead in anticipation of getting to the water trough. That’s exactly how I felt today when I saw our ship beckoning on the pier. Trouble was, DH insisted that we walk to the downtown square (2.5 miles away) in the blistering caribbean heat. I could barely walk the pier to the ship, much less run at full throttle!  Regardless, I was once again reminded of a nice little touch offered to guests upon their return…the iced towels and fruit infused water says “Welcome Back”  like no other. 
 

As I mentioned, we walked to the square (cabbed back for $10) and promptly fell into one our favorite spot, Woody’s for some fresh guacamole and cold beers. The live music is always a nice touch too. 
 

[joyefullcruiser]

@Georgia_Peachesloving the review.  Really making me look forward to our cruise on the Equinox in a few weeks.

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Last nights dinner in the MDR was pretty good. We have been seated in Rambo’s section on two occasions and like everyone else in the MDR, he works his tail off. I’ve read several opinions of late about gratuities/increases/removing daily grats in favor of tipping individuals. I don’t want to turn this into another tipping thread and I’m in no way judging those who remove daily grats..free will and all.  But, I can’t really fathom a reason that I would personally do such a thing. Rambo was merely the tip of the spear for our dinner service. So many people bustled around us to make sure we had everything we needed. I watched crew entertain guests with silly napkin hats just for photo ops and others gather round for birthday celebrations singing ‘happy birthday’ in multiple languages while someone busted out with a harmonica to add a little flavor to the event. All this just to make everyone feel special. Maybe it’s the euphoria of vacation…a “free” one at that, but I’m in awe of how hard the Celebrity crew work to ensure we have a good time. 
 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Ok, so dinner itself was pretty good. DH and I both had the short rib. We got a fish dish and pasta for the table. The short rib was presented over a bed of polenta and pea and carrots. My only complaint about the dish was the inclusion of the perfectly cubed carrot pieces mixed among the peas. Remember that old commercial:  Libby’s Libby’s Libby’s on the label label label, you will like it like it like it on your table table table…well I’m pretty sure some Libby’s peas and carrots made it to my table. And I’m not opposed to peas and carrots  on the whole but I would have loved some thinly sliced baby carrots sautéed in brown butter with a little cognac and then garnished with some early English peas for added freshness…Alas, I did not eat the peas and carrots. 
 

Wine was good though…a Conundrum red blend. 
 

Ps…cheesecake is no longer on the always available dessert menu. 
 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[Silkroad]

7 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Remember that old commercial:  Libby’s Libby’s Libby’s on the label label label, you will like it like it like it on your table table table…well I’m pretty sure some Libby’s peas and carrots made it to my table.

Oh thaaaanks! Now I can’t get that jingle out of my head😂

[Silkroad]

8 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Oh thaaaanks! Now I can’t get that jingle out of my head😂

Saved! All it took was cranking the B-52’s😜 “I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale…”

 

[westcoastsue]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

Oh thaaaanks! Now I can’t get that jingle out of my head😂

Many, many eons ago I worked for the agency that came up with the artwork for that commercial.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Rounding out our 6 night cruise today in Bimini and I’m  pretty sure I can see Miami in the distance…lol. 
 

We got off the ship and walked around a bit to get some exercise and then boarded for lunch in the OVC. The water in Bimini is some of the bluest I’ve ever seen but the island itself offers little to do beyond sitting on the beach or other typical water activities. 
 

Last night featured the first production show of the cruise. It’s a brand new show called LIFE. The cast boarded when we did last week and gave their first performance last night. It was very good and reminded me of how cruise ship entertainment used to be before production shows were replaced with magicians and solo vocalists. We’ve had a great cruise on board Equinox but if I had to give a criticism, it would be in the area of theater entertainment. It just isn’t like it used to be. 
 

We spent several hours in the casino which was quite lively. I played Heidi’s Beer House for a long time. The machine was hot and finally resulted in a hand pay. After collecting our winnings we threw in another bill to see if the machine had gone cold. It continued to pay out and we played on until all of our expenses over the week had been recouped. This is a welcomed, but rare occurrence for me in most all ship casinos. DH is not a gambler but he likes to watch. My two favorite games this cruise were of course, Heidi and another called Dragon vs Panda. Both were pretty generous…especially if playing the max bet. 
 

We did not experience any vaping last night. 
 

Dinner service was great…food was fine. Tonight’s menu it nothing to write home about, IMO but I’m sure we’ll find something to enjoy. 
 

I’m going to conclude with a little review of our room on deck 7. I love the location. It’s great proximity to stairs/elevators. The room has been cool the entire time. There’s plenty of storage…much more than we had on our recent MSC cruise in the YC. My only criticism of the room is with the bathroom sink. The faucet sticks out so far over the bowl that I’ve nearly missed giving myself a black eye on more than one occasion while washing my face. 
 

The outlets are by the vanity mirror. We brought an outlet extender as well as an extension cord. Additionally, I brought my little rechargeable fan to keep beside the bed. It was perfect. 
 

As this was our first standard verandah cruise experience on Celebrity, we weren’t sure if we’d miss not being in a suite. For us, the answer was surprising because we both agreed that the service, amenities, and little perks rivaled our last experience in a Royal Suite. We didn’t miss the Retreat lounge or the butler service at all. The one thing we did miss was the embarkation day lunch in a dining room which we prefer over the OVC. We made up for this by dining in Sushi on 5. We’ve learned that the nonsuite experience is pretty darn nice and I can see more sailings like this in our future. 
 

We will see ourselves off the ship tomorrow morning after a visit to the departure lounge for coffee. 
 

Would I do a Blue chip cruise again!  You bet I would!  
 

Safe travels and happy cruising to all!

 

Georgia Peaches

 

 

 

 

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Rounding out our 6 night cruise today in Bimini and I’m  pretty sure I can see Miami in the distance…lol. 
 

We got off the ship and walked around a bit to get some exercise and then boarded for lunch in the OVC. The water in Bimini is some of the bluest I’ve ever seen but the island itself offers little to do beyond sitting on the beach or other typical water activities. 
 

Last night featured the first production show of the cruise. It’s a brand new show called LIFE. The cast boarded when we did last week and gave their first performance last night. It was very good and reminded me of how cruise ship entertainment used to be before production shows were replaced with magicians and solo vocalists. We’ve had a great cruise on board Equinox but if I had to give a criticism, it would be in the area of theater entertainment. It just isn’t like it used to be. 
 

We spent several hours in the casino which was quite lively. I played Heidi’s Beer House for a long time. The machine was hot and finally resulted in a hand pay. After collecting our winnings we threw in another bill to see if the machine had gone cold. It continued to pay out and we played on until all of our expenses over the week had been recouped. This is a welcomed, but rare occurrence for me in most all ship casinos. DH is not a gambler but he likes to watch. My two favorite games this cruise were of course, Heidi and another called Dragon vs Panda. Both were pretty generous…especially if playing the max bet. 
 

We did not experience any vaping last night. 
 

Dinner service was great…food was fine. Tonight’s menu it nothing to write home about, IMO but I’m sure we’ll find something to enjoy. 
 

I’m going to conclude with a little review of our room on deck 7. I love the location. It’s great proximity to stairs/elevators. The room has been cool the entire time. There’s plenty of storage…much more than we had on our recent MSC cruise in the YC. My only criticism of the room is with the bathroom sink. The faucet sticks out so far over the bowl that I’ve nearly missed giving myself a black eye on more than one occasion while washing my face. 
 

The outlets are by the vanity mirror. We brought an outlet extender as well as an extension cord. Additionally, I brought my little rechargeable fan to keep beside the bed. It was perfect. 
 

As this was our first standard verandah cruise experience on Celebrity, we weren’t sure if we’d miss not being in a suite. For us, the answer was surprising because we both agreed that the service, amenities, and little perks rivaled our last experience in a Royal Suite. We didn’t miss the Retreat lounge or the butler service at all. The one thing we did miss was the embarkation day lunch in a dining room which we prefer over the OVC. We made up for this by dining in Sushi on 5. We’ve learned that the nonsuite experience is pretty darn nice and I can see more sailings like this in our future. 
 

We will see ourselves off the ship tomorrow morning after a visit to the departure lounge for coffee. 
 

Would I do a Blue chip cruise again!  You bet I would!  
 

Safe travels and happy cruising to all!

 

Georgia Peaches

 

 

 

 

THANKS for your thorough and interesting review...ship sounds like it's aging gracefully...🤩

[sunpsyche]

Very nice review, thank you! I so appreciate your remarks regarding your satisfaction with a veranda vs a suite. I’ve been considering trying a veranda again and glad to hear your experience was so positive. 

[jelayne]

Thanks for letting us enjoy your cruise from afar.

We have been sailing in suites and have a couple of non suite bookings so it was reassuring to read that you enjoyed the veranda experience. 

[Stem to Stern]

Congrats on your hand payout.  If I can’t be on a cruise I will follow someone else’s.

[Dar & Bob]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Rounding out our 6 night cruise today in Bimini and I’m  pretty sure I can see Miami in the distance…lol. 
 

We got off the ship and walked around a bit to get some exercise and then boarded for lunch in the OVC. The water in Bimini is some of the bluest I’ve ever seen but the island itself offers little to do beyond sitting on the beach or other typical water activities. 
 

Last night featured the first production show of the cruise. It’s a brand new show called LIFE. The cast boarded when we did last week and gave their first performance last night. It was very good and reminded me of how cruise ship entertainment used to be before production shows were replaced with magicians and solo vocalists. We’ve had a great cruise on board Equinox but if I had to give a criticism, it would be in the area of theater entertainment. It just isn’t like it used to be. 
 

We spent several hours in the casino which was quite lively. I played Heidi’s Beer House for a long time. The machine was hot and finally resulted in a hand pay. After collecting our winnings we threw in another bill to see if the machine had gone cold. It continued to pay out and we played on until all of our expenses over the week had been recouped. This is a welcomed, but rare occurrence for me in most all ship casinos. DH is not a gambler but he likes to watch. My two favorite games this cruise were of course, Heidi and another called Dragon vs Panda. Both were pretty generous…especially if playing the max bet. 
 

We did not experience any vaping last night. 
 

Dinner service was great…food was fine. Tonight’s menu it nothing to write home about, IMO but I’m sure we’ll find something to enjoy. 
 

I’m going to conclude with a little review of our room on deck 7. I love the location. It’s great proximity to stairs/elevators. The room has been cool the entire time. There’s plenty of storage…much more than we had on our recent MSC cruise in the YC. My only criticism of the room is with the bathroom sink. The faucet sticks out so far over the bowl that I’ve nearly missed giving myself a black eye on more than one occasion while washing my face. 
 

The outlets are by the vanity mirror. We brought an outlet extender as well as an extension cord. Additionally, I brought my little rechargeable fan to keep beside the bed. It was perfect. 
 

As this was our first standard verandah cruise experience on Celebrity, we weren’t sure if we’d miss not being in a suite. For us, the answer was surprising because we both agreed that the service, amenities, and little perks rivaled our last experience in a Royal Suite. We didn’t miss the Retreat lounge or the butler service at all. The one thing we did miss was the embarkation day lunch in a dining room which we prefer over the OVC. We made up for this by dining in Sushi on 5. We’ve learned that the nonsuite experience is pretty darn nice and I can see more sailings like this in our future. 
 

We will see ourselves off the ship tomorrow morning after a visit to the departure lounge for coffee. 
 

Would I do a Blue chip cruise again!  You bet I would!  
 

Safe travels and happy cruising to all!

 

Georgia Peaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I appreciate your impression of the Veranda class on X.  We have just started sailing with X and have done a Sunset Veranda (Edge), Veranda (Equinox) and most recent Sky Suite on Apex in Norway.  We loved the suite and luminae but I am not sure we will book retreat again.  Not great amenities on Equinox and on the E class there is so much more to do.  We are doing an IV on Ascent so that may change our mind when the SV is not available.  For the difference in price even with upgrading the booze package, we can eat a lot of meals in specialty for the $$

[Silkroad]

We’ve mostly sailed in verandas or Sky Suites and I agree with your assessment. We decide which to book based on ship, price and availability of cabins/suites in our favorite locations. I guess we’ll need to give Tuscan Grill another look next time we book Equinox. Having had a few bad experiences in TG on other ships, we didn’t try it last time. Sushi on Five is one of our lunch favorites too. 
 

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your review! Thanks so much for sharing your Blue Chip adventure with us. Btw I’m happy to see that the force was with you😜 Here’s hoping it will be with me in Apex’s casino later this month😂 Wishing you smooth travels home.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Silkroad

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

We’ve mostly sailed in verandas or Sky Suites and I agree with your assessment. We decide which to book based on ship, price and availability of cabins/suites in our favorite locations. I guess we’ll need to give Tuscan Grill another look next time we book Equinox. Having had a few bad experiences in TG on other ships, we didn’t try it last time. Sushi on Five is one of our lunch favorites too. 
 

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your review! Thanks so much for sharing your Blue Chip adventure with us. Btw I’m happy to see that the force was with you😜 Here’s hoping it will be with me in Apex’s casino later this month😂 Wishing you smooth travels home.

DH were just going over our top five highlights for this cruise and aside from our casino win, we’ve put TG in the number 1 slot for highlights. 
 

I will certainly send winning vibes your way when next you cruise!

[dlh015]

It's been nice following along and, again, thanks for all the extra effort you put in giving us a clear view into what's going on!

[cinderellen]

Thanks for your great reporting! Who knew this cruise would become the great vaping adventure. Safe travels home. Ellen 

[Alabaster Cruiser]

So enjoyed your posts.  Also appreciate the heads up regarding the vaping experiment.  We are b2b in August so at least we know to prepare for it.  So glad you enjoyed yourselves. 

[mahdnc]

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We spent several hours in the casino which was quite lively. I played Heidi’s Beer House for a long time. The machine was hot and finally resulted in a hand pay. After collecting our winnings we threw in another bill to see if the machine had gone cold. It continued to pay out and we played on until all of our expenses over the week had been recouped. This is a welcomed, but rare occurrence for me in most all ship casinos. DH is not a gambler but he likes to watch. My two favorite games this cruise were of course, Heidi and another called Dragon vs Panda. Both were pretty generous…especially if playing the max bet. 

 

Would I do a Blue chip cruise again!  You bet I would!  
 

Safe travels and happy cruising to all!

 

Georgia Peaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gods of fortune did indeed smile up on you. I am sure you smiled back.