LIVE Norwaylady escape the winter on Equinox B2B 23.03-11.04.24

[Norwaylady]

7 minutes ago, StopTheWorld said:

Safe travel home to you both.

I’ve just watched a tv programme about the Nusfjord arctic resort - wow it looks stunning! I need to go to Norway 😊

 

you will find me in the jacuzzi 

 

[Norwaylady]

United UA2390 MIA-IAH operates on a B737-800.

 

Biz 2+2 

ECO 3+3. 

We are seated on 8AB in economy. 

Large legroom. 

 

Boarding started 13.25. 

New departure time was set to 14.00. 

 

Flight almost completely fully booked. 

Some single seats. 

13.50 we closed the door. 

 

Last person arriving was an elderly man… Walking by walker… so crew had to escort him by hand to seat. As a walk of shame😟 the walker was already on its way downstairs. He was probably very late to gate (probably a grumpy old man capable of getting their by my self🤣🤣) 

And to really make it better for him, he found out that his wallet was probably lost in the security check😣 

 

Oh, lalala🥺

Cabin crew notified purser and captain. 

We were already late ⏰ (and I know how much 💸💸💸 each minute of delay cost in 💸💸💸)

Message was that report it in IAD🥺 We can’t wait for it to arrive….. 

 

This old gentleman has 🪽 and higher 😇 on his team today! 

After the bridge was taken away and ground staff/towing was preparing, gate supervisor was running down the gate, waiving to get eyes to cockpit crew! 

 

He had the wallet and zip bag of liquid in hands 🙌🏻 

 

So they took the bridge far enough out, so cockpit could receive it in the window🤩

Lucky 🍀 you!

 

We pushed out of gate 14.05. Heavy traffic and line to get out to the runway. 

Taxing thru Miami😂 and then finally ready for takeoff 🛫 

 

We were airborne 14.23. 

Oh hello there Summit⚓️ 

 

Crew served beverages and a little snack quickly after take off. 

 

Captain came on and said it would be some bumps along our way….

Crew was grounded to seats several times during our flight. 

 

It was not crazy. But definitely not smooth as silk🤪 it was up and down, shake a little martini 🍸 and twist to the side😝

I know all airlines have “learned” after LH/ Lufthansa’s carousel tour last year… they were flying from USA to Germany 🇩🇪 and had just started the service onboard after take off in the USA. They hit turbulence hard. 

Then they needed to do a controlled emergency landing…. The plane was twisted upside down inside and crew members were injured and passengers had food all around them. 

So after this incident, I feel all airlines has really taken it seriously and be more cautious on security for crew members and passengers if it’s a turbulence situation. 
 

We have parked in IAH and rushed off to the United lounge. 
Mamma Mia this airport is packed😝🤪

[Jim_Iain]

17 hours ago, LizikinsLivesToCruise said:

The sad part of cruising 

 

 

Oh no... I was just catching up on your posts and hated to see those nasty luggage tags already. 

 

Thanks for taking us along on your vacation and look forward to your next adventure.

 

Jim & Iain

[Norwaylady]

11 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Oh no... I was just catching up on your posts and hated to see those nasty luggage tags already. 

 

Thanks for taking us along on your vacation and look forward to your next adventure.

 

Jim & Iain

I will entertain my cruise blues with you💙🙌🏻⚓️💙

 

So jealous of your sailing💙🙌🏻

[Norwaylady]

What time is it? 

It’s beer O’clock time🤣🤣🤣

Oh YES🍺

That’s the happy place🍺😂😂😂

[mauimary]

We enjoyed following along with you.  It looked like a fun cruise and I’m sure you loved all the warm days and sun.  A very nice break from winter.  Glad you finally got your cruise cards. That was quite the challenge. Sometimes ours have been delivered but on our last cruise they were not and we forgot about it until we were at the airport. 
Safe travels back to Norwayand hope your ✈️ is smooth  

Will your cruise with the Queen be o. Celebrity?  

Mary 

[Norwaylady]

5 minutes ago, mauimary said:

We enjoyed following along with you.  It looked like a fun cruise and I’m sure you loved all the warm days and sun.  A very nice break from winter.  Glad you finally got your cruise cards. That was quite the challenge. Sometimes ours have been delivered but on our last cruise they were not and we forgot about it until we were at the airport. 
Safe travels back to Norwayand hope your ✈️ is smooth  

Will your cruise with the Queen be o. Celebrity?  

Mary 

🙌🏻 yes, it’s on X. (I don’t dare to take her on NCL or MSC😂😂) She loved it last year💙⚓️💙

Then I mentally need to prepare myself and her for a different environment😂

(on the other side, if I just took her to Costa, MSC or NCL, I would save lots of dollars 💵🤣🤣) 

 

mr & I have sailed on MSC several times, my warning is, select ship carefully and sail on the smaller ships🙃 And it it’s European service and “flow” of how things work. 
We had a good time. But comparing X and MSC is like apples and bananas🙃

And I have not tested NCL yet, so I will try it out first before I can decide if this is something for the Queen🥰😝 

[Jim_Iain]

32 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

I will entertain my cruise blues with you💙🙌🏻⚓️💙

 

So jealous of your sailing💙🙌🏻

 

Quick.. fly to Honolulu and we will pick you up shortly.  

[PurpleTraveller]

Thank you for your wonderful review. I do enjoy reading about your travels. I look forward to your next review as I will be on Infinity in June for the Greek Isles cruise followed by Italy and Croatia on Constellation. Tanks again and happy future sailing. 🛳️

[DaKahuna]

42 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

It’s beer O’clock time

 

 A good beer not a smelly skunk beer!  I am proud of your choice.  

Although, in the United Club my choice is usually a vodka + tonic or a gin + tonic depending on which comes to mind first.  

 

I thought you were flying out if IAD (Dulles) vs IAH (Houston) seems like a longer way to fly home but whatever gets you there.  

 

Have a safe trip home and I look forward to reading of you and the "Queen's" journey.  Only 21 days until we board Millennium  .. 

 

[bjahil47]

Safe travels home!  Thank you for sharing your cruise with us!  I love your style of writing, it keeps everyone engaged and wanting more!  
 

Looking forward to your cruise with the Queen!

[Norwaylady]

27 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 A good beer not a smelly skunk beer!  I am proud of your choice.  

Although, in the United Club my choice is usually a vodka + tonic or a gin + tonic depending on which comes to mind first.  

 

I thought you were flying out if IAD (Dulles) vs IAH (Houston) seems like a longer way to fly home but whatever gets you there.  

 

Have a safe trip home and I look forward to reading of you and the "Queen's" journey.  Only 21 days until we board Millennium  .. 

 

 You are correct🤪 it’s IAD 

that’s the “correct” way home 🏡 

 

Looking forward to Milli💙⚓️💙

That will be a great adventure! 

[Norwaylady]

Arm doors, cross check and report! 
 

see you in London tomorrow morning🥰

[kabmab]

Safe travels home, and enjoyed as always your pics and commentary on your cruise adventures!  Look forward to reading about your travels with the Queen.  And many thanks for information on Norwegian proverbs -- am sure translations are interesting 😆.  We head out on Ascent TA on Sunday.

[hcat]

lucky you flew from Miami.

 

Tampa airport ( west coast fl) has had a large number of cancellations and delays due to bad  weather .. .. quite a bit of that recently!

[cruzzzinma]

Norwaylady, thank you for taking us along on your vacation. I love your reviews. Safe travels home for you and the Mr. 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Norwaylady said:

Looking forward to Milli💙⚓️💙

That will be a great adventure! 

 

 Thank you. I will do my best to keep up a live review.  Hopefully I will not forget the names of all the places that we visit and post pictures of. 

 

 

[Travelexpert35]

Loved your review. I always look forward to your adventures with your husband and your Mom. Thanks so much for taking the time to post your photos and thoughts on the cruise. 
 

Will watch this space for your Infinity cruise. Cheers!!

[rzyjzq]

Awesome review.  Looking forward to the next one with the Queen.

Susan

[CTSandy]

Thank you so much for your posts and pictures, looked forward to reading them each evening.  Have a safe trip home, I’m sure the cats are waiting eagerly for your return.  Looking forward to your next trip with the Queen!

[FeebeeH]

6 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

mr & I have sailed on MSC several times, my warning is, select ship carefully and sail on the smaller ships🙃 And it it’s European service and “flow” of how things work. 

I've really enjoyed your humourous travel adventures & look forward to your next one. 

 

Thanks for the heads-up re MSC - I'm in the planning/budgeting stages for a trip to Croatia/Greece in 2026 for my husband & me.  I appreciate your, Jim&Ian's and others feedback regarding Celebrity in comparison to other cruise lines.

[upwarduk]

10 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

He had the wallet and zip bag of liquid in hands 🙌🏻 

 

Obviously the airport has not been upgraded yet!🙈

It was hoped that all UK airports would be upgraded by this summer, but that has been delayed.

[Norwaylady]

The United lounge was good. Crowded but it delivers good vibes and food. Several options for meal and drinks. 

So a decent lounge area. 

 

Our flight boarded on time. 

We are flying a B777-200 from IAD to LHR. 

 

It’s Biz, Premium Plus and economy. 

Biz 1-2-1

Premium plus 2-4-2

Economy 3-4-3

 

We are seated at Premium Plus 21AB. 

Window+isle. 

 

It’s Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow. 

Amenity kit from TheraFace. 

Socks, eye blinds, hand lotion, lip balm, towelette, earplugs and toothbrush. 

 

Boarding went as usual… lots of cabin bags and a search for empty boxes…. (Not for us😂🤣💙 boarding group 1 is a blessing😇) 

 

The seat pitch and wide is generous on Premium Plus. (If you can pay a little extra on long haul and don’t have a budget for Biz/Polaris this helps out a lot on the long haul flights) So it’s worth a few extra bucks💸 

 

Flight is 98% full. Only a few eco seats are available. 

 

It took forever to get the seatbelt sign off after takeoff. It was on the first hour of the flight. (I was hoping for a quick start of service and put the cabin to sleep) 

 

Service started by nuts and drinks. 

Staff was friendly and polite. 

 

No menus or other information before dinner service. 

Our fellow travelers on row 20 made a “clean” table of the options available 😂😝 it was vegetarian pasta or Thai curry. 

For us behind row 20, chicken only🤪 

 

Tray consists of the entire meal. Salad for starter, main course and today’s dessert. 

Drinks were served with the meal. 

 

This meal was a culinary treat🤣🤣

You love that dessert Mr? 

 

A fantastic cookie 🍪 

 

Then it was off to sleep (Hey YOU! Yes, you! The old irritated man on row 20! It’s courtesy to turn off your reading lights in the sealing when the cabin is dimmed to nighttime. Since you are lighting up for every one😜🤪) 

Had this happen on SQ or TG, they would say it’s night time and don’t disturb the other people who try to 💤. 

The same guy was furious about the reading lights before departure also😝😂 it wasn’t strong and straight into his “newspaper” position😜 Yepp, you get some action there😂😂😂

 

About 1h 15m befor arrival LHR it was breakfast service. 

Choice of vegetable frittata or egg/bacon muffin. 

We landed on time and were thru transit security and immigration for transit easy as 1-2-3. 

[Norwaylady]

5 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Obviously the airport has not been upgraded yet!🙈

It was hoped that all UK airports would be upgraded by this summer, but that has been delayed.

In LHR you can visually see that they are changing in the transit area of terminal 2. 
On transit to MIA we had the old style, everything is out. 
 

This morning we were able to use the new. All inside and very easily for everyone. 
 

At OSL it’s still in blue when they will have the same opportunity… 

[desibee]

Thank you for the stellar trip report!   We are trying out Celebrity on the Equinox in August for the very first time so this was invaluable.  🥰