Relatively brief review: Oct. 15th Italy & Greece aboard the Equinox

I have been back a week from my FABULOUS trip aboard the Equinox, and thought I'd post a relatively brief review.

First, a little about us. We are from Colorado and were celebrating our 10 year anniversary with this trip. It was my 5th cruise, my hubby's 6th, but our first on Celebrity. Our other cruises have all been on Carnival and we've enjoyed each and every trip. There will be comparisons between Carnival and Celebrity as I go, but they are just my opinions. I have my own business and DH tends to work long hours. We vacation for relaxation and to re-connect. This was my very first time overseas, but DH's 3rd trip.

On to the actual review!

Pre-Cruise:

We arrived in Barcelona late in the evening of Oct. 13th. We stayed at Hotel Duquesa de Cardona with views of the port. The staff here were great, and it was so exciting to get a glimpse of our ship the morning of departure! We spent the entire day of Oct. 14th roaming Barcelona using the HOHO bus. Found it to be a great, reliable, and interesting way to traverse the city. Major points for us were Camp Nou (DH is big FC Barca fan), the Gothic Cathedral, and Sagrada Familia.

Oct. 15 - Embarkation:

I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Up early, plenty of energy, could not wait to get on board. This led us to arriving at port at about 11:20, 10 minutes before we could even hope to get on the ship. Oh well. :) The lines were long and there was some kind of delay at the port. Whatever, we were on vacation and even standing in line at the port was exciting. It was just after 1pm when we got on the ship and we were able to immediately go to our room! I was fully unpacked into the room before the safety drill!

DH and I love participating in formal evenings, but didn't want to lug our suit bag through international airports during a 16 hour travel day. Based on advice here, we just put his black suit and my two dresses into one of our checked bags. Upon unpacking, I found the suit to have made it without wrinkling! :eek: My dresses and his shirts, on the other hand, were a mess. I sent them out, got them back the next day pressed beautifully. Thanks for the advice CCers!

*I found the safety drill at Celebrity to be handled better than at Carnival. With Carnival we've always crowded into hallways and stood around for 20 minutes. Celebrity had us in the dining room with a little video to watch. Not extra fun, but more comfortable the Carnival.

Oct. 16 - Sea Day:

We had room 7288 'on the hump' with a lovely extended balcony

This is what we usually vacation for. I love the ocean and somehow don't get enough of it in my daily life in Colorado. ;) We slept in. Sat on the balcony and read. Really just relaxed.

That evening was our first formal night and we had a great time. I saw way more tuxes than I typically do on Carnival, but we still felt like we fit in. DH wore a sleek black suit with white shirt and black tie, and I had a black cocktail dress.

*Overall service on both Carnival and Celebrity is great. The service was more personal on Celebrity, though. I am accustomed to our room steward knowing us by name, but many people throughout the ship began to know us. I think we are relatively quiet, friendly & polite to crew, but nothing special. Yet everyone from the concierge to the dining room host seemed to recognize us and greet us throughout the ship. Super cheesy, I know, but I totally felt like a 'Celebrity' :D

Oct. 17th - Rome

We tend to do ship excursions, or to just look about the port on our own. With this being a lifelong-dream kind of trip, we booked some major excursions. For Rome, we booked the Preferred Eternal City tour. It brought us to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Vatican. Being 'Preferred' it had a smaller group. We loved it. The tour guide was AMAZING, the sights were phenomenal, and the others in the group were fun! It really was a long day, but we got to see so much and learn so much. Wonderful day.

Oct. 18th - Salerno

Another big excursion day. Here we had Cruise the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. The ferry ride along the Amalfi coast was amazing. Truly breathtaking scenery. Then we had time to walk the small town of Amalfi. After that, we were off to Pompeii. This excursion had a larger group, so it wasn't quite as personal as the Rome excursion was. However, our guide was still knowledgeable and we saw amazing things. Another wonderful day, but we could have used another hour in Pompeii.

Oct. 19th - Sea Day

Ahhhh. Relaxation. This was the 2nd formal night, and for the first time in my cruising history we skipped it! We really just wanted a low-key day after two intense port days.

*Food. We tend to always enjoy cruise food. I am not cooking and DH is not cleaning up - what could be bad?! :D In a Carnival vs. Celebrity competition, the main dining food and the buffet food seem comparable. Most dishes are delicious. However Celebrity wins in the specialty restaurants. We went to all three and had three AMAZING meals. Then there was Bistro on 5 which we ate at 3 times. The onion soup there is just wonderful and the Italian crepes are indeed everything you CCers made them out to be!

Alright, well this is turning into a longer review. :) I'll continue later!

Look forward to hearing more!

Mum,

Love your enthusiasm. Thanks for posting. :)

Glad you had a fab cruise! We were onboard then too celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary! We had an amazing holiday, now back to the cold & rain of Northern Ireland lol

Congratulations to you both :)

Thanks for the review.

So glad you have had a good cruise!

One of the great things about cruising the Med. is being able to 'tag on ' city breaks like Barcelona! Like you the football stadium was a must!

We love it when you can arrange different start and finishes like Rome/Venice then you get your cruise and two city breaks.

Shutterbug - congrats on your anniversary too! I told my DH I have high expectations now for 15. :D

Chemmo, Texed, and Tings thanks for reading!

October 20th – Santorini

I was looking forward to this day and dreading it. I was thrilled about the location, but petrified of the near-vertical funicular to get to the town. Deep breath. Into the gondola. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the view, but nor did I embarrass myself, so I counted that a victory! :) We wandered through Fira, then hired a car to take us to Oia. This had to be the single most picturesque place we went. Just breathtaking views as we wandered the streets up and down the cliff side. We had great souvlaki for lunch while overlooking the caldera. Then we took the public bus back to Fira. There was quite the line for the funicular since it was getting closer to departure time. However, it moved swiftly and I found myself back on the ship having survived two trips on dreaded, mostly vertical funicular. :D

*Quick note on the weather – it was warmer than I had anticipated. I was expecting high 60s, but there was a lot of high 70s. Next time I find myself in Italy and Greece in October, I will bring just a couple extra summery outfits.

October 21st – Kusadasi

I really enjoyed everywhere we went, but all-in-all this was my least favorite location. I had thought we’d just wander the Turkish Bazaar and pick up some souvenirs, but the high-pressure sales just wasn’t my thing. We should have booked an excursion to Ephesus, and next time we certainly will. Still a very interesting location and another amazing day of our trip! :D

October 22nd – Mykonos

This was the middle of our longest stretch of ports. With my tour book in hand, we were heading to Little Venice for lunch, then up the hill to windmills. We took the Celebrity transfer bus and headed into Mykonos Town proper. There were lots of street musicians (we must have run across four or five!), but my favorite was the guy playing his saxophone with his English Bulldog as we entered the town. :D We sauntered through crowded shopping alleys, poked our heads into the open chapels, and found our way to Little Venice. We tried the dolmades at a local restaurant and sat right on the water. After lunch, we walked up to the windmills. This seemed to be a very easy town to get around in, and the one time we got turned around a sweet, elderly Greek lady pointed us in the right direction. Seriously, I think I found each port more exciting than the last! :)

Great review! Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the trip!

Very much enjoying this review.. very light and bright writing style. We've been to some of the same ports ( I share your fear of the funicular, esp going down..but also survived...eyes closed)

looking forward to Equinox in January...

Happy Anniversay!

We were in Mykonos recently on the Reflection. Happily remember saxophonist with English bulldog. Thanks for bringing back the happy memory.

Thank you for your review.

Your excitment and positive spirit is wonderful.:)

It reminds me of my first time cruising in Europe out of Barcelona.

mnco, hcat, buddrs, Azulan - thanks for reading! I had a great trip, and am glad to be bringing some memories back for some of you too!

Oct. 23rd – Athens

I know I’ve said it before, but this was another wonderful location!

We booked ‘Athens Sightseeing and Acropolis Tour’. It wasn’t our first choice, but our first choice and second choice tours were sold out before we booked - and we booked our excursions a month early! So, if there is something that is really important, be sure to book it well in advance. Anyway, this excursion ended up PERFECT for us.

We boarded the bus and started making our way toward the Acropolis. The Acropolis – where the Parthenon sits. We were literally going to walk through history – amazing! The sky was cloudy for the first time during our trip, but we were still pumped for an excellent day. Anyway, we made it up the hill and found ourselves face-to-face with ancient history! Our guide stopped and gave us a brief history/overview and then let us wander for about 45 minutes. It started to drizzle – no biggie! Out came my super-classy plastic poncho and I was good to go! Then we left the Acropolis for a bus tour of the city. This part was fine, but many roads were closed as the French President was visiting, so not as interesting as it probably usually is. However, it started to POUR. The heavens opened and water gushed out. This is why this excursion ended up PERFECT. We were done. Quick dash through the downpour to the ship. We weren’t obligated to try and do anything else. Warm ship, dry clothes. :D

Quick note about the Acropolis – the walk up is really very easy. I’m not terribly athletic, probably on the downside of ‘average’ :o and it was easy. I was halfway up without even knowing it.

Oct. 24th – Sea Day

This was the first sea day we actually made it to the buffet for breakfast instead of ordering room service! I love eggs benedict and really only get them on vacations, so this was the day! I was apprehensive about ‘buffet’ eggs benny, but they were great! The freshly poached eggs were cooked well (still runny in the middle) and the English muffin was nicely toasted. Yum!

It rained off and on, but we found ourselves some loungers around the indoor pool to hang out in. We read, people watched and napped. At this point I begin to worry about how I will ever, possible, re-integrate into normal life with work, chores, etc. Luckily I dozed off before treading too far down that dark path.

Oct. 25th – Valetta, Malta

DH and I didn’t really know what to expect from this stop. We booked ‘Blue Grotto Boat Trip and Marsaxlokk’. The weather was perfect, our guide was perfect, the tour was perfect... are you sensing a theme here?! The boat trip itself was short, but what wonderful views! Then we went to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. I was worried that the town would be dead on Sunday, but quite the contrary, it was hopping! Every Sunday there is a huge street market with everything from fresh fish to clothing to boot-leg CDs being sold. What a riot it was to walk through the vendors and see it all. We stopped at a bakery and picked up a honey and date ring – highly recommend that. DH said it was like ‘gourmet Fig Newtons’. We are so cultured :rolleyes: . The excursion was only 4 hours, so we had plenty of time to explore Valetta afterward.

We walked along the ramparts all the way around the city. We took about 500 photos. Seriously. The architecture was just amazing – you can really see the mix of cultures that built the city. Very easy to walk around by ourselves (with the help of a trusty guidebook!). We would love to go back to Valetta. It was such a surprising place and a fantastic last port.

Oct. 26th – Sea Day

Oh no, here it is. The LAST day on the ship. It can’t be. Deciding to buck-up and enjoy the day (instead of trying to find a place to stow away), we went to the Hot Glass Show. How did we miss this? The show was SO interesting. The guys were funny, informative and kept a good commentary going at all times. We tried to bid on a piece that we loved, but it went above our budget. We have a last, great meal in the dining room and trudge back to our room. We pack up (had to buy an extra suitcase with everything we’re bringing back!) and load everything into the hall. All good things must come to an end.

Oct. 27th – Debarkation Day

But not yet! We booked ‘Extend Your Stay’ and stayed on the ship until about 2:30. Had lunch one last time at Bistro on Five. We watched excited couples and families board the ship for the next cruise, and when it became too much to bear we left the ship. I don’t think I’d do the Extend Your Stay again. It was like slowly pulling off a band-aid. I need to just rip it off and leave the ship with everyone else. Getting luggage and getting out of the cruise terminal was a little tricky since no one was around to point us in the right direction, but we figured it out and found our way.

We had an amazing trip. I must have been living right to have everything go so perfectly on my trip. Celebrity was wonderful; the Equinox is a beautiful ship. Please feel free to ask any questions!

Thanks for reading!

I was also on this cruise and totally agree with your review. I have had many cruises on Celebrity, and I think this was my favorite ship. The food was better than on most ships. The crew was the happiest and friendliest I have encountered. The ports were all great. Many people ask me my favorite, but I cannot really choose just one. Fortunately I did not have to depart the ship the day you did. I stayed on for the TA, and it, too, was great. I really enjoyed the sea days to rest and relax from the busy port days earlier.

Thanks for sharing your review.

Carolyn

Oct. 26th – Sea Day

 

Oh no, here it is. The LAST day on the ship. It can’t be. Deciding to buck-up and enjoy the day (instead of trying to find a place to stow away), we went to the Hot Glass Show. How did we miss this? The show was SO interesting. The guys were funny, informative and kept a good commentary going at all times. We tried to bid on a piece that we loved, but it went above our budget. We have a last, great meal in the dining room and trudge back to our room. We pack up (had to buy an extra suitcase with everything we’re bringing back!) and load everything into the hall. All good things must come to an end.

 

Oct. 27th – Debarkation Day

 

But not yet! We booked ‘Extend Your Stay’ and stayed on the ship until about 2:30. Had lunch one last time at Bistro on Five. We watched excited couples and families board the ship for the next cruise, and when it became too much to bear we left the ship. I don’t think I’d do the Extend Your Stay again. It was like slowly pulling off a band-aid. I need to just rip it off and leave the ship with everyone else. Getting luggage and getting out of the cruise terminal was a little tricky since no one was around to point us in the right direction, but we figured it out and found our way.

 

We had an amazing trip. I must have been living right to have everything go so perfectly on my trip. Celebrity was wonderful; the Equinox is a beautiful ship. Please feel free to ask any questions!

 

Thanks for reading!

Loved you review we were on Equinox in September and did most of your ports of call Istanbul - Barcelona. the "S" class ships are great can't wait for our next trip in March 2016. We love the state of Colorado.

Keep sailing

John

We did this cruise about two years ago and it was my favorite cruise that we've taken. Just a little note, we did independent tours in most of these ports, never taking a cruise tour. We had at max. 8 people. We found these tour operators through the port section of CC and also our roll call. We arranged the groups going on these tours through our Roll call. We have never had a problem with these independent tours and we have taken them all over Europe always back to the ship in plenty of time. You can also see more if you don't have to wait for everyone. Remember, your tour is only as fast as your slowest person.

Thank you so much for your review!!

My Boyfriend and I are saliling this exact itinerary on the equinox on October 3!

I visited spain/france/Italy 2 years ago on a two week land vacation but this will be his first European experience and we are soo excited, it will be our first time sailing on celebrity:D (carnival cruisers).

Are there any tips you could probably give me?

Also, in Salerno, is it a good port to DIY? I would like to take an excursion to capri most likely but would also like to take in salerno. This seems to be the one port Iam having most issues researching on lol.

once again thank you for the nice review!:):)

Thank you so much for your review!!

My Boyfriend and I are saliling this exact itinerary on the equinox on October 3!

I visited spain/france/Italy 2 years ago on a two week land vacation but this will be his first European experience and we are soo excited, it will be our first time sailing on celebrity:D (carnival cruisers).

Are there any tips you could probably give me?

Also, in Salerno, is it a good port to DIY? I would like to take an excursion to capri most likely but would also like to take in salerno. This seems to be the one port Iam having most issues researching on lol.

 

once again thank you for the nice review!:):)

I'm so glad you enjoyed the review! I'm so jealous you're going this year - I'm sure it will be amazing!

I can't think of any amazing tips. Be prepared for late-summer weather, it was warmer than I expected. Both DH and I would recommend a tour in Turkey (ship-provided or on your own). The bazaar was neat, but really started to feel like the same three shops iver and over. Seriously, try the crepes at Bistro on 5! So yummy!

Salerno looked like a port you could do on your own! There seemed to be taxis and water taxis around. I don't know if there was a lot to do in Salerno proper, I think Capri, Amalfi and Naples would have more to do. I had wanted to see Capri too! We ran out of time, guess we'll just have to go back!![emoji1]

I hope you have an amazing trip!

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