My review of our Equinox cruise from May 5 - 15....

Pre Cruise: We stayed at the SLS Brickell. Very nice place, great location and great service from front desk. Manny, you are awesome!! Prices are high once you're there. Beer by pool? 10 bucks. Valet? 40 bucks. But hey, you're in Miami and about to go on a cruise! In Miami, we went to Little Havana for our first Cuban Sandwiches! OMG! They are awesome! We then visited a brewery, which I heard they are opening quite a few more of... Dinner was a little hole in the wall taqueria which was awesome! Headed back to hotel for some sleep, went to the awesome gym in the morning then headed to the ship!

Embarkation: Since we rented a car in FLL and wanted to drop off in MIA, we had to arrive early to avoid paying the rental for 2 days. We dropped off at MIA airport and got on a shuttle. It was easy and convenient (National car rental). Line was short when we got to the 'pier', about 20 people in line. There was a delay in getting everyone off the ship, they could not find a couple!! They finally found them and we were onboard by approx 11:30. I was impressed at the elegance and cleanliness of the ship, and the service was great! Everyone has big smiles and greeted us wherever we went! Our room was ready at about 1:30/2:00.

Muster: It took a while due to slow people and drunk people (in our station) not cooperating and just complaining and complaining. I was glad to get it over with. Took approx 30 minutes.

CC Meet and Greet: I didn't expect many to show up, but there must've been close to 100!! Staff definitely represented, they had close to 10 in attendance.

Cabin: We stayed in a balcony cabin in Concierge. It was nice, but nothing spectacular, your standard balcony cabin. There seemed to be a lack of storage space, especially for a 10 day cruise. Also, we could only find two plugs in the desk area and one useless one on the ceiling in the bathroom (plugs would fall out!). Room was clean and tidy. Only flaw I saw was that paint is peeling on the balcony ceilings, paint chips everywhere! Canopies were ok. Service was great, room always cleaned twice a day. We had an issue with the safe, our cabin steward notified engineering and it was taken care of right away. We also needed an extension cord for my CPAP machine. Again, it was take care of immediately. Suggestion: At night, look out for your chocolate treat and eat it or place it somewhere! I slept on mine and when I woke up, I was shocked as to what I found by my ‘lower back’! The sheets looked like someone had a HUGE accident during the night! As we left the room, I saw our room attendant. I explained to him that my WIFE had slept on her chocolate and that it really was chocolate! He laughed and said not to worry! Obviously, my wife explained to him that it was really me, lol!

Room Service: We only used it twice, but boy are they quick! Club sandwich and burger was great! They also called after to make sure we received everything in a timely fashion! Great service!

MDR: My wife and I kept hearing how great the food was on X. It was definitely good, but I would not say great. We're not picky, but I think I got caught up in the hype and was expecting more. Was it bad or terrible? Not at all, my gaining 6 lbs proves it! Service in the MDR was mediocre. I'm not sure why, but we always seemed to be the last ones served and the last ones to leave! And no, it wasn't because people showed up late, we were all on time. We had a table of approx 8. Sommelier was great, always seemed to be all over the near empty wine glasses! Bar service was good, not great, but good. Favorites: The daily steak that is offered, frog legs, escargot, prime rib, shrimp scampi pasta, the lobster (!) and the french onion soup. There was one food that I enjoyed even more, see Gastrobar below, lol!

Oceanview Cafe: I have to say that the food here was.... GREAT!!! Sure, it gets crowded, but no long waits, maybe a minute or two. For breakfast, I'd get two over easy eggs and got them in just a couple of minutes. The reason it takes time is because of the people that hover over the counter while they wait for their eggs or omelets! If they would back up and let people order or get their sausage, there wouldn't be all this congestion! The workers in the Oceanview are awesome! Always smiling, singing and greeting me! I got to know a few of them and will miss them! Lunch here was also very good. We had dinner one night and I loved it! I'd pick this over specialty dining (I'll explain shortly). They had steak to order and a great variety of food!! I'd make late-night pizza runs, and the pizza was very good! I heard complaints that it's not great or like NY pizza! Of course it's not, but it's very good!

Specialty Dining. We had dinner Tuscany one night. A group of about 15 of us sat at two different tables. Food was very good, but... They bring out WAY to much food before you even get your main course! So don't make the mistake that we made and order many sides or appetizers! I had the rib eye which was great, but I was only able to eat 1/4 of it!! What a waste!!! We also went to Silk Harvest. It was great at the moment (we were all 'starving'), but after serious consideration, lol, we realized the next day that it was just ok. I would NOT eat here again, I'd rather eat at the Oceanview! My wife and I also had lunch at Sushi on 5 (?). We both agreed that it was just ok. Shrimp tempura rolls and the Miso Ramen were ok. Again, I'd rather eat at the Oceanview.

Mast grill (by pool): I ate here a few times, the burgers are very good! I love that you can ask for bacon, onions and mushrooms if you like. Then you can add your own toppings at the end (lettuce, onion, tomato, etc.). Fries are AWESOME! Not as good as McDonalds, but very good!!! Sometimes it gets quite hot, I love that fact that they sell beer at the front of the line. So if it’s hot, grab a beer while you wait to get your burger!

Slush: I have to say that slush was not a big deal. Drinks were just ok. If I had to pay the $13, I’d be upset. Drinks are small and just ok.

Gastrobar: This was my favorite watering hole! Lots of decent beers! I tried quite a few of them with the recommendation of the head bartender (I can't remember her name, but she was Croatian and awesome!). Oh, the food there! No one seems to order food, so we decided to order the Sticky buns with pork and the Truffle steak fries. OMG!!! Incredible, please try them!! We told a few in our group about them, and when they tried them, they were floored!! A must order!!!!!!!!!!!

Martini Bar: Tried quite a few, the Margarita martini and Pomegranate became my favorite. Great spot to meet before dinner. Great service here too! Fun and entertaining to watch the bartenders kick butt!

Chairhogs: Yes, there were many!! That was a total downer! I'd get a seat and notice that the on the saved chairs, sometimes NO ONE would show up! Towards the end of the cruise, people just started dumping stuff off of the chairhogs chairs or just take the chairs! This was in the main pool. For the Solarium, I was always able to find 2 chairs... people come and go.

Public areas: Ship is nice and in great shape. We hung out on the lawn, by the shops, all over! All areas were nice, it's not difficult finding a good place to chill. The gym is very nice and has great equipment, try the bikes, they're awesome!! Library was very nice and lots to choose from. No, I didn't read, but I'd walk thru it many times a day when going back and forth to my room, lol!! Game room seemed to be crowded throughout the day. Elevators seemed to be quite slow! We heard many people complaining, but it didn’t really bother us. Speaking of elevators: When you come back on board after visiting a port, you come to the elevators (many people)… Keep walking and PASS those, there’s another set of elevators AFTER the first. No one goes to those! We did that at every port and never had to wait!

Entertainment/Activities: I have to admit, I was worried that there would be nothing to do on X or that it would be boring. Well, it was not. There are things to do. Volleyball and other activities by pool (my team lost the volleyball game). Silent Disco was a BLAST!! Funny part of it is to take your headphones off and listen to people sing, OMG, lol! Live music by pool should last longer, they only play for 45 minutes!! There’s live entertainment throughout the ship throughout the day and night. Chic nights were ok, nothing special like the ‘old’ days. Many people did NOT dress up, very casual. There were some that did dress up, but they were the minority. Music in club was really good, great variety, from Old School to New Wave to Latin. So don’t be worried, there are things to do!

Grand Cayman: We originally opted to stay on the ship, being that we’ve already been there a few times. However we got off, walked around the port then had a drink at a close-by restaurant. We then headed back to the ship. The tender process was great, both ways. No long waits or long lines (we got off at about 11 and got back on at about 2).

Aruba: We were invited to the helipad as we arrived in port, it was awesome! Aruba is beautiful, but I expected a lot of colorful buildings, which I didn’t see to many of. We did the party bus tour (can’t remember the name, the have the red colorful busses) that took us throughout the island. Carlos was great at explaining the history of the island. We did some shopping after. We then did a sunset cruise, our group of approx 20 or so. We had a blast! It was a beautiful evening, great music and decent drinks! Great place and awesome beaches!

Curacao: This was my favorite and we’d like to go back! We walked off ship, did some shopping and waited for the floating bridge to open! After waiting almost an hour, we decided to take the fairy to the other side. Shopped some more then a lady, Natasha offered us a 2 hour tour of the island in an AC bus for $15. Being that it was hot, we jumped on it. We toured the island, went to Curacao liquor facility and sampled a few, visited a VERY NICE beach then headed back. It was definitely worth the money. If you’re interested in this tour, you can find their booth on a corner after you cross the bridge, it’s a tours booth or something like that (information?). Or, they might just walk up to you and offer you a tour like what happened to us. Trust me, it’s easy to find!

Bonaire: Another highlight! We rented a golf cart, I highly recommend it! We toured ALL of the south part of the island, the lighthouse, slave huts, salt mines, dive sights, etc. We then headed for lunch in town, had some great Dutch sandwiches! We then headed up north and saw the most beautiful water we have ever seen! We pulled over at a dive sight, jumped in and snorkeled for about an hour! Many fish and coral all over!! We then shopped a little and called it a FULL day!

Key West: We loved KW! We did the jump on/off trolley and HIGHLY recommend it! I recommend that you do the entire 13 stops first (takes about an hour), after that, you can do it again but jump off at a location that you think you’d like to explore more. We did that and jumped of at stop 2 so that we could go to the brewery! Great wings and great beers! From there, we shopped (hot chili store is great), had a key lime pie on a stick (OMG!) then walked to Sloppy Joe’s for a drink. We then shopped some more then headed back to the ship.

Post Cruise: We had a 5:30 PM flight and had to kill some time. So we rented a car (much cheaper that Uber) at MIA airport and went back to Little Havana for some more Cuban Sandwiches, lol! We then drove to Ft. Lauderdale and had a drink at the Funky Buddha brewery. From there, it was off to FLL airport. Suggestion: If you have time to kill, rent a car! For $50, you can’t beat it!

Overall impression: The age bracket was approx 50 and over, and yes some younger and some older. That didn't bother us at all (we're in our EARLY 50's). Service was very good and we had a great time with our group. Would we go back to X? Yes we would! Is it much greater than other cruise lines? I'd have to say no. We've cruised on Royal, Carnival, Commodore and Princess. I cannot say that X is WAY ahead of the others. As a matter of fact, Carnival's food is quite close to X (I know I'm gonna get flamed!). Service on Princess is right up there. Royal definitely has the edge on things to do on the ship. But we did enjoy the staff and the service and the cleanliness of the ship. If you want a wild time, go on Carnival. If you want lots of things to do, go on Royal. If you want something in between, do Princess. If you want to have some good, clean fun (not wild fun), want a few things to do without all the noise and want to relax and be pampered, then X is for you! We wanted the latter and got it, thanks X, we'll be seeing you again soon!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Oh, we’ll be doing a Princess cruise in October and I will be comparing the two! More to come!

k - thank you for your review, you had a great time!

bon voyage

Thank you for the wonderful review. We rented the golf cart for Bonaire also. Can you give me a little info? Are they at the end of the pier? Is it a long walk to get to it from the ship? Are the carts right there or do you have to go elsewhere to pick them up? (my mom is a little unstable when walking). Thank you for any info you can provide. Great review!!!!

 

 

Aruba: We were invited to the helipad as we arrived in port, it was awesome! Aruba is beautiful, but I expected a lot of colorful buildings, which I didn’t see to many of. We did the party bus tour (can’t remember the name, the have the red colorful busses) that took us throughout the island. Carlos was great at explaining the history of the island. We did some shopping after. We then did a sunset cruise, our group of approx 20 or so. We had a blast! It was a beautiful evening, great music and decent drinks! Great place and awesome beaches!

This one?

Thank you for the wonderful review. We rented the golf cart for Bonaire also. Can you give me a little info? Are they at the end of the pier? Is it a long walk to get to it from the ship? Are the carts right there or do you have to go elsewhere to pick them up? (my mom is a little unstable when walking). Thank you for any info you can provide. Great review!!!!

Thank you very much!

Not a far walk at all.... Exit the gate, make a left. They are set up under a tent at the very end. The carts are just a few feet away. The process can be slow if a lot of people show up all at once. Then you get those that jump in front others. Had a few of those that had to be put in there place. You'll see what I mean, lol. Oh, they have a couple of chairs, hopefully your mom can sit down while you wait.

This one?

 

 

That's that one! Great tour... They make it fun, but bummer that no beer is served, lol! Try to get on Carlos bus!

k - thank you for your review, you had a great time!

 

bon voyage

You're welcome! Yes we did!!

That's that one! Great tour... They make it fun, but bummer that no beer is served, lol! Try to get on Carlos bus!

That was 2008; glad to hear it is still around!

Great review. Short with useful information and not overladen with useless photos. Many of the "reviews" on CC take you longer to read than the length of the cruise and are really diaries and not reviews. My personal opinion obviously not shared by many on CC is that any review that is more than 1 page long is too long and not a review.

DON

Great review. Short with useful information and not overladen with useless photos. Many of the "reviews" on CC take you longer to read than the length of the cruise and are really diaries and not reviews. My personal opinion obviously not shared by many on CC is that any review that is more than 1 page long is too long and not a review.

 

DON

Thanks Don, I appreciate it!

I agree that 'short' overall reviews can be helpful...... I don't want to bore you with my pix, that is what FB is for. Unless someone asks for a pix, then I'd be more than happy to send it to them.

"Just the facts, maam, just the facts!" Joe Friday, lol!

That was 2008; glad to hear it is still around!

Still around and now have about 4 buses!

Great review. We had a great time hanging out with you guys! Love those martini's!

Great review. We had a great time hanging out with you guys! Love those martini's!

Thanks, and likewise! Hope to see you again very soon!!! If I only knew who you were! JK, I know exactly who you are!! :)

Pat & John!

Pat & John!

I knew, seriously, lol!! My only PA friends!

Gastrobar: This was my favorite watering hole! Lots of decent beers! I tried quite a few of them with the recommendation of the head bartender (I can't remember her name, but she was Croatian and awesome!). Oh, the food there! No one seems to order food, so we decided to order the Sticky buns with pork and the Truffle steak fries. OMG!!! Incredible, please try them!! We told a few in our group about them, and when they tried them, they were floored!! A must order!!!!!!!!!!!

klfhngr ... The bartender's name in the Gastrobar was Tijana. What an improvement this place is over the old Cellar Masters.

klfhngr ... The bartender's name in the Gastrobar was Tijana. What an improvement this place is over the old Cellar Masters.

Thank you! I want to give her kudos and let her bosses know.

Is there a way to send her something? I'll explain: l'd order Duvel, and on the second day, she started serving me in her personal glass. Towards the end of the cruise, she said that it got lost! I feel guilty and think that I might have been the last user (another bartender knew that she let me use it, so he used it. I returned the glass and that was it). I'd like to send her a few Duvel glasses.

Hi klfhngr - just a thought....we are sailing on Equinox in 2 1/2 weeks. If you can't find another way to send Duvel glasses to the bartender in the Gastrobar we could arrange to bring the Duvel glasses on board with us when we sail and bring them to the bartender and let her know they are from you. It's always nice to reward a crew member who goes out of their way to make your vacation memorable.

Hi klfhngr - just a thought....we are sailing on Equinox in 2 1/2 weeks. If you can't find another way to send Duvel glasses to the bartender in the Gastrobar we could arrange to bring the Duvel glasses on board with us when we sail and bring them to the bartender and let her know they are from you. It's always nice to reward a crew member who goes out of their way to make your vacation memorable.

Wow, that would be awesome! That might be easier...

Thank you for your review. We were on the same cruise. We did some different excursions than you did. In Grand Cayman, we did the amphibious bus which rides on land, then goes right into the water and rides over ship wrecks and we saw lots of fish. The water was crystal clear in places...amazing.

In Curacao we did the sunset cruise. We enjoyed that tremendously. One really cool thing was as we returned on the boat, the huge sun was setting right over Equinox. What a sight!

In Bonaire we did a little open bus tour of the town. It was only about an hour. The quaint town is not very big. This tour is for those who don't want a long tour and just a quick look around before walking around on their on.

We went to all the shows. Our favorites were the Las Vegas tenors, the pianist who played like Jerry Lee Lewis and played the piano upside down and various other antics, and the African-American comedian who did funny imitations of such personalities as Michael Jackson and RayCharles. The best production show with singers and dancers in my opinion is the one called "Life."

We are big fans of the Ocean View Cafe especially at night when the lights are dimmed, few people are there, there is no struggle to find a seat and it is much more peaceful.

Thank you for your review.

Keith

klfhngr:

Thanks for taking the time to post your review, I will be on board, different itinerary, in September and found your comments on the ship very encouraging.

Nicely written review, thanks.:)

Thanks for the review! We will be sailing the Equinox for the first time in September. I looked at the menu for Gastrobar and it looks good. Based on your review, we definitely will be checking it out.

I have a few questions:

How much was the shuttle to / from Miami? We are planning on renting a car in FLL and returning at MIA.

Golf cart in Bonaire - do you recall how much it was and are advanced reservations required?

Where did you go for the Cuban sandwiches?

Thanks!

Thanks for the review! We will be sailing the Equinox for the first time in September. I looked at the menu for Gastrobar and it looks good. Based on your review, we definitely will be checking it out.

 

I have a few questions:

How much was the shuttle to / from Miami? We are planning on renting a car in FLL and returning at MIA.

Golf cart in Bonaire - do you recall how much it was and are advanced reservations required?

Where did you go for the Cuban sandwiches?

 

Thanks!

Here is all the info on the golf carts. It is $90 per cart, NOT per person. Plus you need to leave $100 security deposit, which you get back when you return the cart.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2423135