Celebrity Equinox cruise review (1/27-2/5/24 Sailing)

[carrfan76]

Hi everyone-

I thought I would pay it forward and review my recent sailing on the Equinox and answer any questions you may have.

My Celebrity cruise background: I have been cruising mainly on Celebrity since 2011 (Edge, Summit, Reflection, Silhouette, Constellation) and did one Princess in 2009 and one Royal (Oasis) in 2016.  I have not cruised since Feb 2020 right before COVID.

 

First time on Equinox.  Stayed FWD Deck 11. Aqua Class

Stops: FLL- Grand Cayman, A,B,& C islands (9 days)

Booked in November and got the Black Friday sale for Premium WIFI and drinks plus 4 night Specialty Dining.

 

Pier/On-boarding/Check in- Had an arrival time of 12:30 but we got there around 11 on Pier 19.  No lines checking in and it was super-fast and easy.  We were in the holding area for a bit and allowed to go in around 11:30. Quick and painless like it was the past few cruises IF you check in via the app.  Luggage came rather late- after 3pm I believe.  If you want to hit the pool area early or workout I would pack accordingly.  We were fine not going to the pool the first day.

 

Room- Sevino our cabin attendant was absolutely incredible!  He had an acute awareness of when we were out so he would quickly clean and was never a bother.  Super nice and present.  He has been with Celebrity 27 years!  Room was fine with storage.  Not sure why there were just 2 outlets in the room when the ship was built.  That was a bit annoying.  Only wear and tear was on the deck railings and one drawer was a bit stuck.  Overall in good shape for a 15 year-old ship.

 

Bars-

The Martini Bar was amazing as always.  Highly entertained and great drinks.  Menu has change since I was last on the ship but they have tasty new drinks (Kale, etc.) although I missed their Strawberries & Cream and Cherry Lane they used to make.  There were also servers so it didn't take long to get a drink despite being busy.

World Bar- They added wines and other drinks there since I was last on Celebrity so that's good as it's another option.  I do not care for their fancy drinks there.

Sunset Bar/Pool Bars- All were like they were pre-COVID.  They were busy but service was fine.  It would be nice if they had a bar back as the bartenders had to go in the back and get new bottles, etc. for the most part which slowed things down.  Had the wait the longest at the pool bars but that was the case in the past as well.

Ensemble Lounge/Sky Observation- Quick and good.  Had better wines there too.

We got the $ 2 upcharge on premium wines in some bars but not others.  I'm not a fan.  Just keep them at $ 17.  

 

Gym/Spa- Was very happy they had Pelotons on-board.  4 of them.  Gym was crowded on some days and in the mornings but managed.  Persian Garden was good and was not crazy busy.  

 

Aqua-spa- Smoothies never disappoint.  Glad they pre-made them now as it goes faster getting them.  I would get 2 at a time!  Great snacks (pesto pasta salad and chicken salad- yum)

 

Oceanview Cafe- Not much of a change here.  Food is still OK.  Would just get a snack/bite/breakfast here.  Royal has better cafe food.

 

Blu- Blu was fantastic.  They knew our name even before we ever ate there.  I didn't make a reservation or anything so not sure how that works.  Never had to wait for a table.  Never got an ocean view as people get there at 5pm to get a good seat.  Food was really good and was able to order from MDR no problem.  Sommelier was fantastic.  Service was impeccable really.

Note: We never ate in the MDR

 

Tuscan- Had a wonderful Filet Mignon here.  Everyone enjoyed their food.  Loved the atmosphere and service.

 

Murano- Was fancy like it always was.  My group decided on Murano twice after their first meal.  The Chateaubriand can be made for 1 so had that one night.  The couch/booth for first night was uncomfortable so they gave us chairs the second night.  

 

Le Petit Chef- Everyone enjoyed the story and meal but it is a one and done there.  They do change up the menu on the second half of the cruise.

 

NOTE: I made reservations at the specialty restaurants prior to 12pm the first day so we got good times.  You cannot make reservations if you get a specialty dining package until you get onboard.

 

Shows: Elysium, is the SAME show as it was 4 years ago.  They need to get rid of it.  Headliners were Brandon and James (cello and singer) - great show!  OJ- R&B singer- was also good.  The rest were comedians that we skipped and heard weren't good and some Broadway music thing by the Celebrity performers that didn't appeal.  2 shows out of the 9 nights were good and that's it.  They need to step this up.

 

Pool deck: Obviously very busy on sea days.  People get there early.  We were always able to find something somewhere and you just have to accept that there are limited chairs near the pool.  It's like that on ships of this size.  The DJ and the pool activities were good.

 

Crowd:  The crowd is mainly elderly (people have mentioned this in prior reviews so it wasn't a fluke), so much that elderly folks were making fun of how old it was.  I don't know the solve here.  We picked the cruise due to the port, length, time frame, and stops.  My group was 31-47 years old.  It goes out of NY in the summer so I assume the crowd demo changes then.

 

Nighlife: Casinos were packed at night.  There was a deck party, multiple silent discos, DJ up at the Sky Lounge at night.  There were some younger people on the boat but not many congregated to these things or stayed out later than 11.  Usually the younger people find each other and hang out somewhere.  We found a small group of people but most kept to themselves or maybe they were in the casino and I didn't notice.

Angela was the cruise director and just came back on the ship after an absence. 

 

Ports:

Grand Cayman- Skipped this as we have been multiple times.

Aruba- Went to Eagle Beach which was beautiful.  Got the last of the chairs and umbrellas they had when we arrived at 11am.  We went back out for a drink at the local brewery and a lovely dinner at the Vue Rooftop near the port.  Highly recommend if you want to have a dinner off the ship.

Curacao- Went to Mambo Beach and loved that beach too.  

Bonaire- Friends were beached out so we just ate breakfast at a local place which was great.  Walked around the beautiful port and saw lots of fish (without having to snorkel).  There is a spot right off the port that you can swim off the dock which I would've done if I had my bathing suit on.

 

That's all I can think of.

 

My takeaway is if I do another Caribbean cruise on Celebrity, it will just be on new ships from now on as there will be more people our age and more nightlife.  I've also done this class of boats so many times as well at this point.  However, if I do a non-Caribbean cruise, it would just be based on itinerary alone and not the ship.

If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks!

 

[CruiseCrew123]

I felt that Beyond last year was still a mature customer and less nightlife . Hated the martini bar on edge class as it’s just one big bar with no ambiance 

[carrfan76]

33 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

I felt that Beyond last year was still a mature customer and less nightlife . Hated the martini bar on edge class as it’s just one big bar with no ambiance 

 

Agree...I hope they fix that on future boats.  They can have a big bar in the foyer but keep the martini bar separate.

[Sunshine girl Fl]

23 hours ago, carrfan76 said:

Hi everyone-

I thought I would pay it forward and review my recent sailing on the Equinox and answer any questions you may have.

My Celebrity cruise background: I have been cruising mainly on Celebrity since 2011 (Edge, Summit, Reflection, Silhouette, Constellation) and did one Princess in 2009 and one Royal (Oasis) in 2016.  I have not cruised since Feb 2020 right before COVID.

 

First time on Equinox.  Stayed FWD Deck 11. Aqua Class

Stops: FLL- Grand Cayman, A,B,& C islands (9 days)

Booked in November and got the Black Friday sale for Premium WIFI and drinks plus 4 night Specialty Dining.

 

Pier/On-boarding/Check in- Had an arrival time of 12:30 but we got there around 11 on Pier 19.  No lines checking in and it was super-fast and easy.  We were in the holding area for a bit and allowed to go in around 11:30. Quick and painless like it was the past few cruises IF you check in via the app.  Luggage came rather late- after 3pm I believe.  If you want to hit the pool area early or workout I would pack accordingly.  We were fine not going to the pool the first day.

 

Room- Sevino our cabin attendant was absolutely incredible!  He had an acute awareness of when we were out so he would quickly clean and was never a bother.  Super nice and present.  He has been with Celebrity 27 years!  Room was fine with storage.  Not sure why there were just 2 outlets in the room when the ship was built.  That was a bit annoying.  Only wear and tear was on the deck railings and one drawer was a bit stuck.  Overall in good shape for a 15 year-old ship.

 

Bars-

The Martini Bar was amazing as always.  Highly entertained and great drinks.  Menu has change since I was last on the ship but they have tasty new drinks (Kale, etc.) although I missed their Strawberries & Cream and Cherry Lane they used to make.  There were also servers so it didn't take long to get a drink despite being busy.

World Bar- They added wines and other drinks there since I was last on Celebrity so that's good as it's another option.  I do not care for their fancy drinks there.

Sunset Bar/Pool Bars- All were like they were pre-COVID.  They were busy but service was fine.  It would be nice if they had a bar back as the bartenders had to go in the back and get new bottles, etc. for the most part which slowed things down.  Had the wait the longest at the pool bars but that was the case in the past as well.

Ensemble Lounge/Sky Observation- Quick and good.  Had better wines there too.

We got the $ 2 upcharge on premium wines in some bars but not others.  I'm not a fan.  Just keep them at $ 17.  

 

Gym/Spa- Was very happy they had Pelotons on-board.  4 of them.  Gym was crowded on some days and in the mornings but managed.  Persian Garden was good and was not crazy busy.  

 

Aqua-spa- Smoothies never disappoint.  Glad they pre-made them now as it goes faster getting them.  I would get 2 at a time!  Great snacks (pesto pasta salad and chicken salad- yum)

 

Oceanview Cafe- Not much of a change here.  Food is still OK.  Would just get a snack/bite/breakfast here.  Royal has better cafe food.

 

Blu- Blu was fantastic.  They knew our name even before we ever ate there.  I didn't make a reservation or anything so not sure how that works.  Never had to wait for a table.  Never got an ocean view as people get there at 5pm to get a good seat.  Food was really good and was able to order from MDR no problem.  Sommelier was fantastic.  Service was impeccable really.

Note: We never ate in the MDR

 

Tuscan- Had a wonderful Filet Mignon here.  Everyone enjoyed their food.  Loved the atmosphere and service.

 

Murano- Was fancy like it always was.  My group decided on Murano twice after their first meal.  The Chateaubriand can be made for 1 so had that one night.  The couch/booth for first night was uncomfortable so they gave us chairs the second night.  

 

Le Petit Chef- Everyone enjoyed the story and meal but it is a one and done there.  They do change up the menu on the second half of the cruise.

 

NOTE: I made reservations at the specialty restaurants prior to 12pm the first day so we got good times.  You cannot make reservations if you get a specialty dining package until you get onboard.

 

Shows: Elysium, is the SAME show as it was 4 years ago.  They need to get rid of it.  Headliners were Brandon and James (cello and singer) - great show!  OJ- R&B singer- was also good.  The rest were comedians that we skipped and heard weren't good and some Broadway music thing by the Celebrity performers that didn't appeal.  2 shows out of the 9 nights were good and that's it.  They need to step this up.

 

Pool deck: Obviously very busy on sea days.  People get there early.  We were always able to find something somewhere and you just have to accept that there are limited chairs near the pool.  It's like that on ships of this size.  The DJ and the pool activities were good.

 

Crowd:  The crowd is mainly elderly (people have mentioned this in prior reviews so it wasn't a fluke), so much that elderly folks were making fun of how old it was.  I don't know the solve here.  We picked the cruise due to the port, length, time frame, and stops.  My group was 31-47 years old.  It goes out of NY in the summer so I assume the crowd demo changes then.

 

Nighlife: Casinos were packed at night.  There was a deck party, multiple silent discos, DJ up at the Sky Lounge at night.  There were some younger people on the boat but not many congregated to these things or stayed out later than 11.  Usually the younger people find each other and hang out somewhere.  We found a small group of people but most kept to themselves or maybe they were in the casino and I didn't notice.

Angela was the cruise director and just came back on the ship after an absence. 

 

Ports:

Grand Cayman- Skipped this as we have been multiple times.

Aruba- Went to Eagle Beach which was beautiful.  Got the last of the chairs and umbrellas they had when we arrived at 11am.  We went back out for a drink at the local brewery and a lovely dinner at the Vue Rooftop near the port.  Highly recommend if you want to have a dinner off the ship.

Curacao- Went to Mambo Beach and loved that beach too.  

Bonaire- Friends were beached out so we just ate breakfast at a local place which was great.  Walked around the beautiful port and saw lots of fish (without having to snorkel).  There is a spot right off the port that you can swim off the dock which I would've done if I had my bathing suit on.

 

That's all I can think of.

 

My takeaway is if I do another Caribbean cruise on Celebrity, it will just be on new ships from now on as there will be more people our age and more nightlife.  I've also done this class of boats so many times as well at this point.  However, if I do a non-Caribbean cruise, it would just be based on itinerary alone and not the ship.

If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks!

 

We were on same cruise

You were lucky to be in BLU!! MDR food was so subpar it was often inedible 

Surprisingly ocean view cafe dinner looked amazing when we went to check it out .  We did 4 speciality restaurants and loved Murano ( did twice) The vibe on the ship was fun compared to others we have been on

Fav place as always the Martini Bar!!

 

[hrmkr]

Was the ship really that bad later in the evening with no activity? We are looking for things to do after going to the show in the evening.  Is the activity primarily at the Sky bar at night?  First time on Celebrity.  We have been on Carnival, Royal and NCL where there is a piano bar, sing along bar and just a bar with someone playing music (80's, or classic rock).  Anything like that onboard?

 

How was the entertainment other than the shows?  What type of music was being palyed at the different bars?

Edited February 8 by hrmkr
typo

[carrfan76]

5 hours ago, hrmkr said:

Was the ship really that bad later in the evening with no activity? We are looking for things to do after going to the show in the evening.  Is the activity primarily at the Sky bar at night?  First time on Celebrity.  We have been on Carnival, Royal and NCL where there is a piano bar, sing along bar and just a bar with someone playing music (80's, or classic rock).  Anything like that onboard?

 

How was the entertainment other than the shows?  What type of music was being palyed at the different bars?

There was activity.  Most of it was in the Grand Voyeur - they had an ABBA sing along, silent disco, karaoke.  There was a White Pool party at 10 one night.  The Sky Lounge had late night but was hit or miss.  There would be a band up there at 10 but it was up to the DJ at 11 to keep people going.  It was a crapshot.  Some nights people wanted to stay out late.  Some did not.  The casino was always the latest bar going.

[cwayne]

12 hours ago, hrmkr said:

Was the ship really that bad later in the evening with no activity? We are looking for things to do after going to the show in the evening.  Is the activity primarily at the Sky bar at night?  First time on Celebrity.  We have been on Carnival, Royal and NCL where there is a piano bar, sing along bar and just a bar with someone playing music (80's, or classic rock).  Anything like that onboard?

 

How was the entertainment other than the shows?  What type of music was being palyed at the different bars?

 

16 hours ago, Sunshine girl Fl said:

We were on same cruise

You were lucky to be in BLU!! MDR food was so subpar it was often inedible 

Surprisingly ocean view cafe dinner looked amazing when we went to check it out .  We did 4 speciality restaurants and loved Murano ( did twice) The vibe on the ship was fun compared to others we have been on

Fav place as always the Martini Bar!!

 

 We did the b2b on the Equinox from Jan 8th - 27th and found the food in the MDR, the buffet and the specialty restaurants to be VERY good!  Hard to believe it became inedible after we got off We did Tuscan Grille twice for dinner and once for the seafood luncheon, Murano twice and Le Petit Chef where the food and "dinner" show once again were great 

[Oliver6144]

We were also on this cruise.  The food in the main dining room was disappointing.   The ocean cafe, was the same food everyday.  I enjoyed the spa cafe for lunch, wish I had found it sooner.  

I agree the crowd was older.  My husband was disappointed with this.  There were a lot of couples that would waltz at every venue and I felt like the music catered to them.  

This was my first time on Celebrity.  I thought it would be a step up from Royal, but It wasn’t.  We did this cruise for the islands, as we had never been.  I think we will stick with Royal.

Our favorite Island was Bonaire.  We rented golf Carts and found the most beautiful beach we have ever been too!  The water was crystal clear and you walk out forever and only be waist deep.  

We still had an amazing vacation!   Loved the itinerary!

[carrfan76]

17 hours ago, Oliver6144 said:

We were also on this cruise.  The food in the main dining room was disappointing.   The ocean cafe, was the same food everyday.  I enjoyed the spa cafe for lunch, wish I had found it sooner.  

I agree the crowd was older.  My husband was disappointed with this.  There were a lot of couples that would waltz at every venue and I felt like the music catered to them.  

This was my first time on Celebrity.  I thought it would be a step up from Royal, but It wasn’t.  We did this cruise for the islands, as we had never been.  I think we will stick with Royal.

Our favorite Island was Bonaire.  We rented golf Carts and found the most beautiful beach we have ever been too!  The water was crystal clear and you walk out forever and only be waist deep.  

We still had an amazing vacation!   Loved the itinerary!

If you are going to go on Celebrity again I would stick to the new ships as they would draw a more lively crowd.  I will probably only do Aqua Class from now on for the spa perks and the service at Blu.  If for some reason I can't get Aqua, I would pay for the week pass for the Persian Garden and just eat most nights in the Speciality restaurants.  We were really spoiled with the service at Blu and at the Speciality Restaurants.  I agree the lunch and smoothies at the Aqua Cafe were the best!

[Oliver6144]

2 hours ago, carrfan76 said:

If you are going to go on Celebrity again I would stick to the new ships as they would draw a more lively crowd.  I will probably only do Aqua Class from now on for the spa perks and the service at Blu.  If for some reason I can't get Aqua, I would pay for the week pass for the Persian Garden and just eat most nights in the Speciality restaurants.  We were really spoiled with the service at Blu and at the Speciality Restaurants.  I agree the lunch and smoothies at the Aqua Cafe were the best!

Thanks, you are probably correct on the newer ships.  I am bummed we never got to any specialty restaurants.  By the time I decided the dining room wasn’t good, I couldn’t get any reservations.  Next time I will look into the week pass for sure!

We did miss the royal promanade that we love on Royal!   Seeing w have done most of the islands Royal goes too, I guess whatever line we choose will depend on the itinerary, unless we are going for a new ship!

[2Long2NxtCrz]

On 2/10/2024 at 4:01 PM, Oliver6144 said:

Our favorite Island was Bonaire.  We rented golf Carts and found the most beautiful beach we have ever been too!  The water was crystal clear and you walk out forever and only be waist deep.  

 

Bonaire is one of our ports for our March cruise and we've also rented golf carts. Do you mind sharing what beach that was? I've heard there's great snorkeling, but didn't have any idea where to stop.

Thanks!

[Oliver6144]

34 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Bonaire is one of our ports for our March cruise and we've also rented golf carts. Do you mind sharing what beach that was? I've heard there's great snorkeling, but didn't have any idea where to stop.

Thanks!

Hi,  We did the southern route.  There are many stops along the way to snorkel.  You won’t miss them.  The beach we loved was Sorobon, it is pretty much at the end of the island.  There are several beach bars, one of them being Sebastian’s.  The water is the most beautiful I have ever seen.  It took about an hour to get there on the golf cart, we did stop along the way for a few minutes here and there.  The ride back is only about a half hour if you follow the map they give you to get back.   They told us about this beach at Bonaire cruisers, so. You could always ask them also.  you will love it there!  We wish we had gotten there earlier so we could have stayed longer!    Have the best time!

[2Long2NxtCrz]

55 minutes ago, Oliver6144 said:

Hi,  We did the southern route.  There are many stops along the way to snorkel.  You won’t miss them.  The beach we loved was Sorobon, it is pretty much at the end of the island.  There are several beach bars, one of them being Sebastian’s.  The water is the most beautiful I have ever seen.  It took about an hour to get there on the golf cart, we did stop along the way for a few minutes here and there.  The ride back is only about a half hour if you follow the map they give you to get back.   They told us about this beach at Bonaire cruisers, so. You could always ask them also.  you will love it there!  We wish we had gotten there earlier so we could have stayed longer!    Have the best time!

Thank you so much! That sounds perfect!

[SRch]

We also rented golf carts on Bonaire on our late November cruise and did the southern route and went to Sorobon beach for lunch then sat on chairs and had a swim. It was great. Water was so warm and not rocky like a lot of beaches on Bonaire. When we went the bridge that takes you to Sorobon was out so we had to double back I think about 1/2 way into town and take an interior road to Sorobon which was fine but not as nice as the ocean front drive elsewhere. You will enjoy it. If you have time and feel like it you can do part of the north side. But you can only go so far then I recommend you turn around. If you continue on you will be stuck on a one way road and then you are committed. It would take a long time to finish on a golf cart. We liked the south side better than the north side which we had done on a previous visit in a twizzie.

[TomMMD]

Very concerned about how few outlets they have.  Between the two of us, we have 6 devices that need to be plugged in. each night — phone, ipad, watch

[BobbM81]

Amazon has a watch/phone split charger we use for all travel. I agree the outlets on the Equinox are an issue but those do help. Add a USB splitter to charge the 2 iPads 

[PelicanLvr]

1 hour ago, TomMMD said:

Very concerned about how few outlets they have.  Between the two of us, we have 6 devices that need to be plugged in. each night — phone, ipad, watch

We always travel with a multi device charging station.  Neater and lots of ports to use!

[DianaS2019]

On 2/12/2024 at 6:22 PM, Oliver6144 said:

 

 

Edited February 15 by DianaS2019

[DianaS2019]

Just now, DianaS2019 said:

Hello,  We were  just in Bonaire for a week at the Beginning of February 2024.  Yes Sorobon beach is beautiful, as mentioned.  Windsurfers can be rented, water is turquoise and shallow  however if interested in snorkling, you will have to go quite a  distance out in the water  to the reef there to see coral.   This area is also known as "Jibe City" , there is a cool vibe, with beach bars as mentioned.   For snorkelling I would suggest one of the closer beaches to the port Te Amo, Bachelors or take the Ferry to Klein Bonaire.   The first Ferry of the day, allows you "jump off boat",  to drift snorkel to the "no name beach".  The Coral was amazing.  The island offers little shelter, and there are no facilities, however beautiful sandy beach.   You will have to go away from the main beach drop off to do some good snorkling. My favourite snorkel spot on the island was 1,000 steps (where swam with a sea turtle) and the stag horn coral there is beautiful , which went plentiful. Andrea I and II were also speculator, but not an easy entry form the shore.  We saw lots of eels at Te Amo beach, the food trucks there serving fresh Tuna were fabulous.  The Salt Pier had the most amount of Sea Turtles, but not much coral compared to other places.  We also did a Sail with Epic Tours our was "Chill and Grill", which was sunset tour but they also offer a Brunch and Snorkel (crew and service were amazing)  Bonaire is  a beautiful island lots of wild donkeys and Flamingos to be seen too.  

 

[hcat]

On 2/7/2024 at 2:09 PM, carrfan76 said:

Hi everyone-

I thought I would pay it forward and review my recent sailing on the Equinox and answer any questions you may have.

My Celebrity cruise background: I have been cruising mainly on Celebrity since 2011 (Edge, Summit, Reflection, Silhouette, Constellation) and did one Princess in 2009 and one Royal (Oasis) in 2016.  I have not cruised since Feb 2020 right before COVID.

 

First time on Equinox.  Stayed FWD Deck 11. Aqua Class

Stops: FLL- Grand Cayman, A,B,& C islands (9 days)

Booked in November and got the Black Friday sale for Premium WIFI and drinks plus 4 night Specialty Dining.

 

Pier/On-boarding/Check in- Had an arrival time of 12:30 but we got there around 11 on Pier 19.  No lines checking in and it was super-fast and easy.  We were in the holding area for a bit and allowed to go in around 11:30. Quick and painless like it was the past few cruises IF you check in via the app.  Luggage came rather late- after 3pm I believe.  If you want to hit the pool area early or workout I would pack accordingly.  We were fine not going to the pool the first day.

 

Room- Sevino our cabin attendant was absolutely incredible!  He had an acute awareness of when we were out so he would quickly clean and was never a bother.  Super nice and present.  He has been with Celebrity 27 years!  Room was fine with storage.  Not sure why there were just 2 outlets in the room when the ship was built.  That was a bit annoying.  Only wear and tear was on the deck railings and one drawer was a bit stuck.  Overall in good shape for a 15 year-old ship.

 

Bars-

The Martini Bar was amazing as always.  Highly entertained and great drinks.  Menu has change since I was last on the ship but they have tasty new drinks (Kale, etc.) although I missed their Strawberries & Cream and Cherry Lane they used to make.  There were also servers so it didn't take long to get a drink despite being busy.

World Bar- They added wines and other drinks there since I was last on Celebrity so that's good as it's another option.  I do not care for their fancy drinks there.

Sunset Bar/Pool Bars- All were like they were pre-COVID.  They were busy but service was fine.  It would be nice if they had a bar back as the bartenders had to go in the back and get new bottles, etc. for the most part which slowed things down.  Had the wait the longest at the pool bars but that was the case in the past as well.

Ensemble Lounge/Sky Observation- Quick and good.  Had better wines there too.

We got the $ 2 upcharge on premium wines in some bars but not others.  I'm not a fan.  Just keep them at $ 17.  

 

Gym/Spa- Was very happy they had Pelotons on-board.  4 of them.  Gym was crowded on some days and in the mornings but managed.  Persian Garden was good and was not crazy busy.  

 

Aqua-spa- Smoothies never disappoint.  Glad they pre-made them now as it goes faster getting them.  I would get 2 at a time!  Great snacks (pesto pasta salad and chicken salad- yum)

 

Oceanview Cafe- Not much of a change here.  Food is still OK.  Would just get a snack/bite/breakfast here.  Royal has better cafe food.

 

Blu- Blu was fantastic.  They knew our name even before we ever ate there.  I didn't make a reservation or anything so not sure how that works.  Never had to wait for a table.  Never got an ocean view as people get there at 5pm to get a good seat.  Food was really good and was able to order from MDR no problem.  Sommelier was fantastic.  Service was impeccable really.

Note: We never ate in the MDR

 

Tuscan- Had a wonderful Filet Mignon here.  Everyone enjoyed their food.  Loved the atmosphere and service.

 

Murano- Was fancy like it always was.  My group decided on Murano twice after their first meal.  The Chateaubriand can be made for 1 so had that one night.  The couch/booth for first night was uncomfortable so they gave us chairs the second night.  

 

Le Petit Chef- Everyone enjoyed the story and meal but it is a one and done there.  They do change up the menu on the second half of the cruise.

 

NOTE: I made reservations at the specialty restaurants prior to 12pm the first day so we got good times.  You cannot make reservations if you get a specialty dining package until you get onboard.

 

Shows: Elysium, is the SAME show as it was 4 years ago.  They need to get rid of it.  Headliners were Brandon and James (cello and singer) - great show!  OJ- R&B singer- was also good.  The rest were comedians that we skipped and heard weren't good and some Broadway music thing by the Celebrity performers that didn't appeal.  2 shows out of the 9 nights were good and that's it.  They need to step this up.

 

Pool deck: Obviously very busy on sea days.  People get there early.  We were always able to find something somewhere and you just have to accept that there are limited chairs near the pool.  It's like that on ships of this size.  The DJ and the pool activities were good.

 

Crowd:  The crowd is mainly elderly (people have mentioned this in prior reviews so it wasn't a fluke), so much that elderly folks were making fun of how old it was.  I don't know the solve here.  We picked the cruise due to the port, length, time frame, and stops.  My group was 31-47 years old.  It goes out of NY in the summer so I assume the crowd demo changes then.

 

Nighlife: Casinos were packed at night.  There was a deck party, multiple silent discos, DJ up at the Sky Lounge at night.  There were some younger people on the boat but not many congregated to these things or stayed out later than 11.  Usually the younger people find each other and hang out somewhere.  We found a small group of people but most kept to themselves or maybe they were in the casino and I didn't notice.

Angela was the cruise director and just came back on the ship after an absence. 

 

Ports:

Grand Cayman- Skipped this as we have been multiple times.

Aruba- Went to Eagle Beach which was beautiful.  Got the last of the chairs and umbrellas they had when we arrived at 11am.  We went back out for a drink at the local brewery and a lovely dinner at the Vue Rooftop near the port.  Highly recommend if you want to have a dinner off the ship.

Curacao- Went to Mambo Beach and loved that beach too.  

Bonaire- Friends were beached out so we just ate breakfast at a local place which was great.  Walked around the beautiful port and saw lots of fish (without having to snorkel).  There is a spot right off the port that you can swim off the dock which I would've done if I had my bathing suit on.

 

That's all I can think of.

 

My takeaway is if I do another Caribbean cruise on Celebrity, it will just be on new ships from now on as there will be more people our age and more nightlife.  I've also done this class of boats so many times as well at this point.  However, if I do a non-Caribbean cruise, it would just be based on itinerary alone and not the ship.

If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks!

 

try ASCENT!

[TomMMD]

5 hours ago, BobbM81 said:

Amazon has a watch/phone split charger we use for all travel. I agree the outlets on the Equinox are an issue but those do help. Add a USB splitter to charge the 2 iPads 

 

[TomMMD]

Thsnk you.In the past we have brought six plug extendrte.  Is that still allowed?