Equinox Review - just off the ship

[vamutchler@aol.com]

Just off the Sept 13th Equinox Ancient Empires. Here is my review and notes.

There is an email address at the end if you have questions for me. Bob


Much of this being entered onto my laptop while on my veranda looking at the Mediterranean waters go by…

I tried to score the parts of the cruise to give you a sense for how we felt about each part.

13 day Celebrity Equinox Ancient Empires cruise. Departed Sept 13th 2009.

My wife and I are Celebrity Select Captains’ Club members so we have cruised on Celebrity a bunch, RCCL, and Princess before. First time to the Med. We are 48 and 51 years old.

Weather. We had sun almost every day of our trip. Could not ask for more. The temperature was between 80 and 95 each day. Hot in Cairo and Israel-Galilee, but very bearable. No hotter than Washington DC in the summer.

Flight from Virginia (USA). Direct flight via United. Worked well. Baggage in Rome was slow in coming (30 minute wait) but it came and off we went. Met another couple in the airport where all the drivers were with signs. Easy place to spot right outside baggage claim. Our driver was late getting to the airport, and waiting for us at a 2nd exit (probably 100 feet away), so we waited an hour or so for him. But no problem since we were early and had another couple joining us that we got to talk with. Flight and trip to the port. A- due to slight mix-up with the driver.

Drive to the port was fast (1 hour or so). No traffic Sunday morning. Got to the port and ship. Check in took 15 minutes maximum, with no wait. The only thing unusual was that they took your passport for 5 days until we went to Egypt. This was an Israeli requirement. We were a bit uncomfortable with this since it meant we went to Greece and Turkey without a passport. Turned out to be no problem. On the first at sea day, we had to visit Israeli immigration officials who were on the ship. Took 5 minutes, no issues. Check-in. A.

Back to our arrival. Got onto the ship with the customary entrance photo (which we do because it is fun but always throw away because we have just got off the plane and most always look terrible).

Our first impressions of the ship were WOW. And this continued throughout the cruise. It was a beautiful ship. Elegant, well designed, easy to get around. The most beautiful ship we’ve ever been on. We felt the same about the ship design, decorations, etc throughout the cruise. We were able to get lounge chairs easily the day we were at sea. Everything was very comfortable. Solid A.

A few themes that the ship designers followed:

• Stylish but not trendy
• Sophisticated but not snooty
• Elegant but not formal
• Intelligent but not scholarly
• Clever but not contrived
• Confident but not cocky
• Enriching but not life changing
• Authentic but not predictable
• Natural but not green
• Playful but not juvenile.

They did a great job with these themes.

We got onto the ship about 12:30pm, ate lunch on deck 14 (great food, great variety) and were allowed to enter our room at 1pm.

Our room was a veranda room on deck 8. The rooms were also beautiful. Ample size and efficiently designed. The chairs on the veranda were very comfortable (2 chairs and a table). Bed was very comfortable, everything worked just great. Our room steward was the great, everything handled, our questions answered immediately, and our requests also handled. Simple things like asking for shower gel rather than bars of soap in the bathroom. Room and room steward was an A. Would have liked a larger closet (13 days!). The rest was perfect.

One thing also while I think of it. When you take photos (formal pics, etc), they show up on your TV so you can preview them…a nice touch. We never watched any TV, but it had regular TX stations and movies.

We wondered around the ship on the first afternoon, checking all out all the parts of the ship. Bars, restaurants, internet café, etc. Spectacular. We can usually find something the we would change on a ship, but this one was almost impossible to pick at. The designers really did a good job on traffic flow, decoration (artwork), etc.

The Internet café worked well as did the wireless in our room. Easy to email back home, but a little pricey ($~0.60 per minute). Time flies when you are on the Internet. So we composed longer emails on my laptop, then logged in and paste them into my browser, and shipped the email. Saved a few $$$. We got a 25% discount on a package of minutes since we were a Select member.

We did not find the ship crowded, except for dinner and the shows where many people were together.

Our meal the first night went well. We had a table for 4 with a really nice couple from Ohio, late seating. I recommend late seating on this cruise since you do not feel time constrained at the ports. One thing that we did not expect was the large percentage of 2 person tables, which we do not like since we enjoy meeting new people on cruises. If I were doing it again, I would have requested a table for 6 when I booked the cruise.

Food. I have read on the cruise boards that the quality of the food has gone down. I did not find this to be true. We found the variety to be improved, and the quality to be similar (very good). The breakfast has great variety, we did not eat that many lunches since we were in port a bunch, and dinner was also very good. They had snacks 24x7 so you could get something to nibble on (e.g., a piece of pizza, ice cream) almost all the time. The portions were smaller which I liked. No more stuffing you with huge amounts of food on midnight buffets. If you want to eat a lot, you can, but most people on this cruise were not first time cruisers. So the food was an A-.

The staff was excellent and as usual, from many different countries. The staff was especially friendly. Our waiter was OK. Food was always on time throughout the meal. Food service was also an A-.

We ate one night at Murano, one of the specialty restaurants. A very beautiful place. Food was excellent and the presentation was exceptional. If you want to spend $60 extra, I would recommend it. A very nice place to bring the wife…

The passengers were a mix people from North American (50%), Italy (20%), Asia (20%) and other parts of the world (UK, France, Spain, Greece…). This is just a very rough estimate.

Music. This was a highlight for us. We really enjoyed the diversity and quality of lounge/roaming performers. Jazz quartet, classical guitarist, pianist, classical string quartet, all great. Many had CDs (i.e., professional grade performers). The only band we did not like was the dance band. We usually like these, but the quality of their music was only so-so. We listened to a lot of music throughout the cruise. So an A for music.

Bars. A number of beautiful locations throughout the ship. Michaels is a very elegant place with wood and elegant artwork. The martini bar was cool. The bar top was frozen
So you placed you martini on a frozen surface. We had a flight of martinis (6 half sized drinks -- like they do wine ) to try out many of them for $18. Great deal. Fun place to hang out. We weren’t martini drinkers before, but drank several great ones here and had fun meeting other people at the frozen bar. The bartenders put on quite a show. About 8 bars all together. Great diversity, easy to find a quite place.

Formal shows. We went to only a few and found them up and down. That’s the main minus to late seating is that you wind up seeing fewer shows since they happen pretty late. I rate these a B. Still very good though. Since we have been on a number of cruises, our expectations for these was pretty high.

Ports. We did not take any of the cruise ship excursions. We arranged all our trips via the Internet or the cruise board. Much more personal and more cost effective.

Our first day was at sea. Good to rest. Sunny and in the low 80s.

Santorini. We rented a Smart car for 60 Euros total (with CDW). The car company met us at 2:30pm right at the top of the cable car. You could walk up, take the donkey, or the cable car. We got priority tender tickets (requested them at the shore excursion desk) which worked out very well. On the first tender ship. I heard others waiting an hour to get a tender to the port. If I had longer in Santorini, I would take the donkey up, since I have not done that, and we like adventure. The cable car was fast and visually beautiful. Like a ski tram/gondola.

So we got our Smart car and off we went. Easy to rent cars in Santorini and I recommend this approach. Brought my Garmin GPS (got the European maps) which helped navigate around since there are no street signs. I found driving easy. The roads are narrow but very manageable. The island was more barren than I expected. We went to the south side of the island first (30 minute drive from Fira) to Black Beach (my wife’s favorite spot with the beautiful cafes) and Red Beach. The beaches are rocky, not sandy like in the US. Then drove to the north part of the island to Oia. A beautiful town. I could have stayed their longer. Had lunch in a café (there are lots) watched the sunset, and drove back to Fira when it was getting dark. Shopped a bit in Fira and took the cable car back around 30 minutes before the ship departed. Small line to depart on the cable car, but nothing like the lines the cruise board talked about. If it was not dark, I would have walked down since the view was so beautiful. We found Santorini to be beautiful, especially after 6pm or so. It was expensive with very few things that we wanted to buy. Just too much tourist stuff. A- for Santorini.

Our next stop was Athens. We took a cab to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. It was better than I expected. I liked the view and the history. We then went top the Plaka and ate and shopped. We found Athens to be a large city
with all the plusses and minuses of cities. Just not enough time to experience any of the off the beaten path areas. Also, watch out for pick pockets in Athens. B+ for Athens. (My wife gives it an A since she loves cities)

Our third port was Turkey, which was a real highlight. We took a private jeep tour with Ekol travel and had a driver and a great guide. Went to Ephesus, which was beautiful. I’m not a big ruins person, but this was impressive. The quality and state of the ruins was really something. We then went to a beautiful Turkish village called Sirince at the top of a mountain. Went to a small Mosque and did some shopping in the village. Very authentic. Then continued our jeep ride further up the mountain on a small and old dirt road. Picked figs and other fruit off the trees out in the middle of nowhere. Really impressive, especially if you like the outdoors and difficult to reach places. Turkey was lush and clean. We didn’t expect this. Returned to the ship stopping by a place where Turkish carpets are made and learned about the process. Score an A for Kusadasi.

Our 4th port was Egypt. We took a 2 day Ramses tour with 5 other people and stayed overnight in Cairo. We had a great guide (highly recommend him – send me an email for info). It was also the last day of Ramadan (more later). It is a 3 hour ride to Cairo so be prepared for a very long day or plan to stay overnight as we did. We first went to Giza to see the Great Pyramid. Quite a sight. Worth doing. The locals hassled you for photos with their camels, etc, but you felt very safe despite the hassling. Just ignore their requests and all will be fine. This feels rude to have to do but we found out is has to be done. Went inside a smaller pyramid and also went on a camel ride (cool for me; not so much for others). Saw the Sphinx as well (right next to the Great Pyramid). Then went to see a synagogue, beautiful mosque, and a Christian church. Stayed in the Le Meridian Pyramids which was a nice hotel. Mostly tourists there. It was the last day of Ramadan so many things were closed, but that was OK since there was much less traffic. Took a dinner cruise boat trip down the Nile at night, which was pretty cool. The highlight was driving through downtown Cairo in the evening when Ramadan ended and seeing all the people in the streets celebrating. Also seeing the crazy unstructured way that people drive in Cairo. The Muslims fast (no food or water) each day from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. The day we were there was the culmination of the fasting so the locals Arabs were very happy. Our the 2nd day we went to Memphis to see more antiquities and then to the Egyptian Museum which we also liked. Our guide was a key to the museum since he explained so very much. 3 hours back to the ship and some well deserved rest…

A few other notes. Bring anti-bacterial wipes. You get sick from the water, but not so obvious, is touching the money (looks clean, but actually very dirty) and then touching your mouth, getting to bacteria into your system. Dollars were accepted most everywhere we went. Definitely consider Ramses tours with 4/6/8 people. Much more informative, personal, and less expensive than the ship tours.

Our next stop was Israel. We are Christians, so these two days were very important to us, and we were not disappointed. The first day we were on a tour with 4 others and went to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Wow. Seeing the birthplace of Jesus, the exact spot where he was crucified, going to the wailing wall, and walking throughout the old city was really impressive. It affects each person differently, but every we met was really impressed with Israel. The 2nd day we went to Nazareth and Galilee. Went to the Church of the Annunciation, the Mount of Beatitudes, Church of the Fish, saw the River Jordan, and a bunch more. Very impressive. 9.5 out of ten.

Then 2 days at sea to rest and enjoy the Mediterranean sun.

Naples. We took a private tour down the Amalfi coast. Skipped Pompeii so we could see Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, and Sorrento. I could have stayed a week in these little towns. Spectacular views. We ate lunch overlooking the sea way up on the hillside. Amazing. Note you do not have time to do the coats and Pompeii. I recommend skipping Pompeii so you can see the coast.
A for the Amalfi coast.

Departure. Anytime you have to leave this cruise, it should be scored an F just for having to leave. But we have another reason to score the departure an F. We had a 6am departure so we could pick up on pre-arranged taxi at 6:30. Departure was very smooth; off the ship very quickly, but when we went to the terminal to pick up our bags, one suitcase was missing. It was nowhere to be found. Rather than fill this up with negative details on an otherwise GREAT trip, let’s just say it is a disaster to loose a bag filled with things you take on a 13 day cruise. Many of your nicest things. We have filled out a missing bag report, but one day later now back in the USA, still no bag…So an F for departure.

Email if you have any questions or is you want specific photos to equinox.comments@gmail.com.

I hope you found this useful.

Bob

[uktog]

Thanks for your great review
I do hope your bag turns up
A

[Kitcito]

Bob,

Excellent review! I'm glad that the departure problems didn't let it ruin your Cruise. I sen't you an email about Egypt so look forward to hearing from you. Sandra and I took the madden voyage of the Solstice In the Med. in May and it was spectacular in everyway, the designers really did there homework. Were scheduled to be on the Equinox for a 10 day Cariebbean cruise the Dec. so thanks for the good review of the ship.

Keith

[nps001]

Many thanks for your detailed review.

[Smoke Fan]

Bob - Thank you for a wonderful and informative review. A few of your comments made me smile. I agree with you about the Solstice class ships, they are beautiful! Happy to hear that you had a wonderful cruise and I hope your bag turns up soon.
Patty

[ivyannie]

Hello there,
I was wondering if you kept the daily programs from your cruise to see what times things happen onboard. Also we have an 11 year old and wondering how many children you saw onboard?
Thanks
If you can email me the daily programs that would be great
ropedintoit@optusnet.com.au

[brazilgirl]

I really enjoyed your review..the ship sounds amazing and so does the itinerary.

Kim

[Texed]

Thanks for a great review, and we agree Equinox is a great ship.

[Cruiser Susie]

Bob, thank you for a wonderful review... detailed, informative and really well done. I hope your bag is home very quickly!

Who was the guitarist on board? Did he play strictly classical guitar?

Muranos sounds wonderful... hopefully we will go there in November!

Was there a brunch on the cruise? We enjoyed the one on the Constellation in March.
Thanks again for your review!

[mari10]

Bob,
Thanks for your review.
It was very informative.
We're planning on taking this cruise next September.
I'm going to take up on your offer, and email you with some questions.
Thanks,
Mari

[skt4cruise]

By any chance did the cabin have a coffee pot or hot pot? I would like to bring my own coffee and my one and only Celebrity cruise was on Century and they did have pots.
Thanks for the great review...

[elpam]

Bob, thanks, wonderful, informative review. We have included Sirence on our Ephesus tour next May, but I have heard mixed reviews. would appreciate if you would elaborate a bit more on this stop in that little village. elaine

[Capital Cruiser]

Thanks for the great review. We will be doing an almost identical itinerary on the Equinox in less than two weeks and your review has made me even more excited, if that is possible

[pris993]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the ship in October. Doing a repeat of a cruise we did on the Royal Princess in 2007. Loved that trip. Glad to hear you enjoyed the ship so much as we booked this trip primarily for the ship, ports in Israel where we have friends and because we wanted to stop in Paris on the way home. Sounds like the ship will not disappoint us. Can hardly wait.

[sizzle_sisters]

Great review, thanks for taking the time.
The ship sounds nearly perfect.

[Cruisenouvelle]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and observations... please keep us posted re: missing luggage. That really stinks....

[Whasup]

Thanks for your report. Who did you use for your driver in Naples? And would you recommend them?
Thank you!

[readytocruise2009]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

By any chance did the cabin have a coffee pot or hot pot? I would like to bring my own coffee and my one and only Celebrity cruise was on Century and they did have pots.
Thanks for the great review...

No POTS, in our balcony cabin, maybe they can be requested?

[birders]

Originally Posted by readytocruise2009

No POTS, in our balcony cabin, maybe they can be requested?

I am 100% sure that there is no possibility of that. Fire hazards, of course.

[readytocruise2009]

Originally Posted by birders

I am 100% sure that there is no possibility of that. Fire hazards, of course.

Originally Posted by skt4cruise
By any chance did the cabin have a coffee pot or hot pot? I would like to bring my own coffee and my one and only Celebrity cruise was on Century and they did have pots.
Thanks for the great review...

Wonder how long ago Century had?