Just off the Equinox 2 to 10 September

[C4HCG]

I’ve often posted on here that I would reserve judgement on the Celebrity changes until we cruised and we just did having an absolutely fabulous cruise mainly due to:

 

• fantastic crew, so welcoming and couldn’t do enough for us, made us feel special.
• food in MDR and ocean view very nice, we are not foodies but like good food and it was.
• good entertainment both poolside and in other venues.
• room was kept immaculate, one slight negative here, our Stateroom Attendant we hardly saw which was a first, maybe he had too many rooms to cover but no big deal really.

 

Negatives:

 

• unimpressed with the shows at the theatre, we like to go at least one night and didn’t bother.
• some of our fellow passengers were not nice and we saw one chap in particular being rude to staff in the MDR treating them like servants. He was wearing a You Tube hoodie so I wondered if he was a you tuber.
• In Dominican Republic the literature recommended a walk or taxi into Puerta Plata. As we were heading there we asked a fellow passenger if we were going the right way and he made it very clear not to do it, too dangerous, so we didn’t.

 

So all in all none of the changes impacted us at all (we weren’t in a suite so the butler situation not applicable), we enjoyed it throughly. Most people we spoke to felt the same apart from one chap who said he would probably not sail Celebrity again, didn’t ask why, and the chap mentioned above who was just plain obnoxious.

 

An honest review from lovers of Celebrity, we have 2 booked for next year and in one of them unless our experience badly changes, we will be booking again for 2025.  
 

One final and interesting point, every time we walked past the Future Cruise shop it was busy so they are doing something right. 

[thebutlerdidit]

Thanks for your review. I’ll be boarding in October and I’m looking forward to it.

[horseymike]

Happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise 🚢. 
Cheers.🍻

[C4HCG]

Forgot to include, saw nobody vaping anywhere. Not saying it didn’t happen but we didn’t see it. We could smell people smoking on nearby balconies.

[Duanerice1]

Thanks for the review.  We feel exactly the same way.  our last Equinox cruise was one of the best ever.  MDR is fine with us too and usually very pleased but we aren't foodies.  Give us decent food, a server and a table cloth and we are all set!  lol

 

Question though, you said 'unimpressed with the shows at the theater, we like to go at least one night and didn’t bother'  How did you know they weren't any good if you didn't go.  I mean, we agree that the entertainment is lacking and we left a few shows midway.  That was probably the only downside to the cruise.

 

Glad you had a great time!

[jelayne]

Glad you had a great experience . 

[SusieAV8R]

2 hours ago, C4HCG said:

I’ve often posted on here that I would reserve judgement on the Celebrity changes until we cruised and we just did having an absolutely fabulous cruise mainly due to:

 

• fantastic crew, so welcoming and couldn’t do enough for us, made us feel special.
• food in MDR and ocean view very nice, we are not foodies but like good food and it was.
• good entertainment both poolside and in other venues.
• room was kept immaculate, one slight negative here, our Stateroom Attendant we hardly saw which was a first, maybe he had too many rooms to cover but no big deal really.

 

Negatives:

 

• unimpressed with the shows at the theatre, we like to go at least one night and didn’t bother.
• some of our fellow passengers were not nice and we saw one chap in particular being rude to staff in the MDR treating them like servants. He was wearing a You Tube hoodie so I wondered if he was a you tuber.
• In Dominican Republic the literature recommended a walk or taxi into Puerta Plata. As we were heading there we asked a fellow passenger if we were going the right way and he made it very clear not to do it, too dangerous, so we didn’t.

 

So all in all none of the changes impacted us at all (we weren’t in a suite so the butler situation not applicable), we enjoyed it throughly. Most people we spoke to felt the same apart from one chap who said he would probably not sail Celebrity again, didn’t ask why, and the chap mentioned above who was just plain obnoxious.

 

An honest review from lovers of Celebrity, we have 2 booked for next year and in one of them unless our experience badly changes, we will be booking again for 2025.  
 

One final and interesting point, every time we walked past the Future Cruise shop it was busy so they are doing something right. 

We board Equinox on Thursday and are looking forward to our cruise.  For us, it appears the positive changes outweigh the negative. 🙂

[Susanb10567]

Thanks for your review…we have a Equinox cruise leaving October 14th and have been nervous with all the negativity swirling around…

[SusieAV8R]

16 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

We board Equinox on Thursday and are looking forward to our cruise.  For us, it appears the positive changes outweigh the negative. 🙂

oops boarding Equinox on Saturday.  (Flying down to Ft. Lauderdale on Tbhirs.)

[SusieAV8R]

1 minute ago, SusieAV8R said:

oops boarding Equinox on Saturday.  (Flying down to Ft. Lauderdale on Tbhirs.)

Thurs.  (am firing my word-checker!!)

[C4HCG]

9 hours ago, Duanerice1 said:

Thanks for the review.  We feel exactly the same way.  our last Equinox cruise was one of the best ever.  MDR is fine with us too and usually very pleased but we aren't foodies.  Give us decent food, a server and a table cloth and we are all set!  lol

 

Question though, you said 'unimpressed with the shows at the theater, we like to go at least one night and didn’t bother'  How did you know they weren't any good if you didn't go.  I mean, we agree that the entertainment is lacking and we left a few shows midway.  That was probably the only downside to the cruise.

 

Glad you had a great time!

Good question on how we knew and to be honest it was just based on the descriptions posted outside the theatre so had we gone in we may have enjoyed them. They all got busy judging by the crowds we saw leaving as we sat in cafe al bacio

[kywildcatfanone]

Thanks for your review and comments.  Makes me feel better.  We board her in October.  Likely will not go to the MDR and just eat in the buffet.  Glad to hear all is well.  Will be our second Celebrity cruise and looking forward to comparing it to Princess, where we have cruised 26 times.  

[ela123]

12 hours ago, C4HCG said:

•  
• In Dominican Republic the literature recommended a walk or taxi into Puerta Plata. As we were heading there we asked a fellow passenger if we were going the right way and he made it very clear not to do it, too dangerous, so we didn’t.

We walked there from the ship it was very straightforward. A local tried walking and chatting with us to “show us the way” we just said thanks but we know the way so we don’t need help and carried on walking. I didn’t feel unsafe at all.

[C4HCG]

42 minutes ago, ela123 said:

We walked there from the ship it was very straightforward. A local tried walking and chatting with us to “show us the way” we just said thanks but we know the way so we don’t need help and carried on walking. I didn’t feel unsafe at all.

Chap who spoke to us said not to go in no uncertain terms, told us people were getting locked in shops until they agreed to buy something so we decided against it. Had we not asked we’d have probably done what you did and had been fine. We thought the Taino Bay Area was lovely anyway so enjoyed a stroll round there. Next time we will take an excursion 

[Cruise a holic]

We really enjoy the celebrity ships.  The edge class ships are truly beautiful.  On the M and S class ships, we find the entertainment poor to ok- and if not happy walk up after a few minutes.  For entertainment, the Oasis Royal ships win hands down.  We also have a celebrity Silhouette cruise booked for Jan.  The Lawn club grill is a wonderful spot for a great, fresh dinner.  We also enjoyed Murano's and le petite chef.  

 

Each ship has it charm.  Enjoy cruising!

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Great review!  Your experience on equinox pretty much matches ours over the July 4th holiday. 

[39august]

Were there any "Beyond the Podium" presentations, and if so, what, please? We really look forward to those and saw nothing last time on EQ. 

[C4HCG]

8 minutes ago, 39august said:

Were there any "Beyond the Podium" presentations, and if so, what, please? We really look forward to those and saw nothing last time on EQ. 

Can’t help you with that sorry, may have been but not something we look for.

[Spif Barwunkel]

You have got to appreciate the OP's attitude. We are all aware of the changes and problems across the entire cruising industry, along with the comments and criticisms that go along with them. They can seem particularly daunting when pertaining to our cruise line of choice, not necessarily exclusivity. You remain a fan until you can remain one no longer. I'll decide if and when that is, just as the OP will. In the meantime, how many of "those little things that matter", when no longer available, will it take to send me elsewhere, never to return. Not really concerned about that.

 

Looking forward to cruising again on Equinox in January '25 after she takes up residence in the neighborhood. 

[C4HCG]

One other negative, the music at the pool deck was played too loud at times, making conversation difficult.

 

And a further thought, we felt that there were more younger cruisers than we’d seen before i.e. those in their 30s and 40s. Not many children though.

[doghog]

14 hours ago, C4HCG said:

I’ve often posted on here that I would reserve judgement on the Celebrity changes until we cruised and we just did having an absolutely fabulous cruise mainly due to:

I agree. I've always say that. Thanks for sharing your experiences and opinions. Welcome back. 🍻

[tnm6217]

12 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

oops boarding Equinox on Saturday.  (Flying down to Ft. Lauderdale on Tbhirs.)

 

We are on this cruise as well! (Very glad Hurricane Lee decided to stay out in the Atlantic!) This will be my 5th Celebrity sailing this year. While I've definitely moved on from Celebrity when looking to book future cruises, I am absolutely keeping an open mind about this sailing and will be sure to report what I see compared to my previous cruises. Safe travels on Thursday!

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

And a further thought, we felt that there were more younger cruisers than we’d seen before i.e. those in their 30s and 40s.

I've always said that I'd rather be the elder in a younger crowd than be the younger in an elder crowd. At age 55, that still holds true. The energy keeps me young!  There were a ton of children our our July 4th cruise, which is understandable due to the holiday.  Yours occurred when school in these parts is back in session.  Unfortunately, there really isn't much for kids to do on Celebrity...especially in the 13 to 17 category.  We met some crafty tykes who invented games like, "let's survey random people with strange questions as they pass by and see what they say.."  completely harmless fun but I felt for them...how boring.  We humored them with strange answers...just to keep them entertained.

[C4HCG]

9 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I've always said that I'd rather be the elder in a younger crowd than be the younger in an elder crowd. At age 55, that still holds true. The energy keeps me young!  There were a ton of children our our July 4th cruise, which is understandable due to the holiday.  Yours occurred when school in these parts is back in session.  Unfortunately, there really isn't much for kids to do on Celebrity...especially in the 13 to 17 category.  We met some crafty tykes who invented games like, "let's survey random people with strange questions as they pass by and see what they say.."  completely harmless fun but I felt for them...how boring.  We humored them with strange answers...just to keep them entertained.

We are similar ages to you and agree, the younger crowd no problem. Our son and girlfriend amongst them, 25 year olds. They loved the ports but werent too keen on sea days. Their first cruise 

[C4HCG]

3 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks for your review and comments.  Makes me feel better.  We board her in October.  Likely will not go to the MDR and just eat in the buffet.  Glad to hear all is well.  Will be our second Celebrity cruise and looking forward to comparing it to Princess, where we have cruised 26 times.  

We would have eaten in the buffet more as they had good choices but my son and girlfriend preferred the MDR. We did go there twice though and enjoyed it.