Host Andy's Insights - Live From Equinox

Hi Everyone,

We're having a very enjoyable time onboard Equinox. Not one of our best sailings, but we are happy. At this point, I'd call the cruise average to slightly above average, but there's still plenty of time for things to improve.

Instead of a full post cruise review, I plan to share my cruise insights while onboard Equinox, so my thoughts are current. Hope you enjoy my insights.

Embarkation : Excellent ! We arrived at the pier around 10:45, and had no problems securing a wheelchair for Mom, which is crucial. Thankfully, we also had outstanding assistance from a great shoreside person, who made the embarkation and check-in incredibly easy. We were onboard by about 11:30 am. Interestingly, my sister arrived about an hour later, and reported the embark was awful - mostly due to pc issues with the pier agents. Glad that we missed out on the drama. Pre-Cruise, we received several alerts, advising us to arrive around 2 pm. As our travel plans could not be changed, it turned out to be a good thing by arriving early. On a related note, many guests are experiencing issues with their seapass cards. We are not experiencing issues, though my sister is on card #5, and I've noticed long lines at guest relations.

I must sadly report, that most, if not all of the pier agents will be losing their jobs on May 31st. In another savings effort, Royal Caribbean has poorly chosen to hire outside agents who will be making much less, and not receiving any of the benefits that the current employees receive. It's decisions like this, that deeply sadden me, as it's a lousy corparate cutback, especially as so many of these wonderful folks have been in the Royal Caribbean family for years. I'm hearing they can re-apply, at the lower salary and no benefits. I wonder if the executive (who's probably making six figures) is proud of their "accomplishment", while hurting many lives. Personally, I think it sucks.

The Ship : Equinox looks as great as ever. Very clean, with the usual visual of Celebrity employees cleaning constantly.

Cabin : 2104 Concierge Deck 12. So much to talk about. Cabin visuals are fine, in an excellent mid-ship location. However, there's a constant loud noise in the bathroom, probably from above. It's affecting our sleep, along with various noises, possibly due to a public bathroom located directly above. Cabin attendant is very poor. He's brand new on the ship (as is his assistant). The cabin attendant is making numerous excuses for his shortcomings. I'd highly recommend avoiding this cabin. I'm finding that all new (or new to the ship) cabin attendants and assistants are assigned to Deck 12, as if it's a penalty zone. Why, you ask ? There are less cabins on this deck, and they make less money. Something is very wrong with this setup, as some of the more expensive cabins are located on this deck. Celebrity needs to look into this. A minor issue : our cabin refigerator has not worked since Day 1. Finally, a very nice electrician came to the cabin moments ago. After checking it out, he came to the conclusion that "it's broken" (wow, he's good LOL), but would either repair or replace it by tonight. Better late than never.

BTW, we are supposed to receive canapes each afternoon. They are back with the silly "order form", where you must select your delivery time. It also states that you must be in your cabin at the time of delivery, or they will not be left in your cabin. I thought that practice ended some time ago. Apparently, it's back. Ugh.

Luminae : Can't share any firsthand insights about it, as we're in Concierge, so we're unable to experience the venue. As with other ships, they have not received the new tables and chairs..... but the venue itself looks *very* nice. I've spoken with several guests who are dining in Luminae. They have mentioned that the cuisine is good to very good, but I have not heard any raves. I've heard comments about service being very slow. On the bright side, it seems you can order from the MDR menu if you aren't happy with the Luminae menu. BTW, Luminae is not open for lunch on Sea days, which is utterly ridiculous - especially as Celebrity sold it that way. I hope Celebrity will reconsider this ill-advised decision.

Silhouette Dining Room : Very disappointed in what they've done to the beauty of the venue, by adding Luminae. It absolutely ruins the Dining Room, as there's now only 1 entrance. On a positive note, they've opened the dining room 5-10 minutes early on most evenings, which is helping to avoid a mad rush by the entrance, had they not done so. Last night, they opened the MDR closer to 6 pm, and it was wall to wall people outside. In addition, the additional wall from Luminae, takes much of the sunlight out of the MDR, and, there's an endless stream of guests trying to reach their tables - all coming in, from one side of the MDR. Once again, it seems that Celebrity ran with a hot idea in Luminae, but did not think things out fully, and executed poorly. Too late now. What's done is done, and we must learn to live with it.

As for the MDR service and cuisine.... spotty is the word that comes to mind. Service is generally too slow, despite asking to be served a bit faster. Cutbacks seem very obvious. On night 1, I was served a slice of Prime Rib, that was razor thin. The taste was excellent, but was about 1/4 the cut, of what's been served on recent sailings. Yes, it was delicious, and I asked for a 2nd slice, which was nearly as thin as the first one. Mashed potatoes and veggies are miniscule portions as well. The other issue is food temperature. Everything is cool or warm. Hot Appetizers, Soups and Entrees are not hot. An example.... last night, we ordered the crab cake appetizer. The outer part was warm, and the center was cool. My sister had the Escargot, and they served it with the garlic butter mostly unmelted. Clearly, one or more persons are not paying attention in the Galley. On a very positive note, the Sirloin steak from the left side of the menu has been outstanding. Again, not served very hot, but delicious nonetheless.

Casino : Very friendly staff. They've added about 40 new slot machines on this sailing, which look great. My sister is enjoying them very much - though not winning. What else is new ? LOL. They also have a new player rating system for table games, which is slowing up the game quite a bit - maybe because it's new. Hope it gets better in time.

Crew : Mixed results so far. Some are absolutely wonderful, but I've also noticed many who fail to say hello, or do not smile. I'm hearing there was a large turnover on embarkation day, and an even larger turnover coming when this sailing ends. Hopefully, they will get it together very soon.

Bistro on Five..... Seven..... Ten : What began as $7 for the first few days, became $10 last night. Yes, the new menu has arrived - the one with the new entrees, daily specials and milkshakes. I think the menu looks great, and we plan to try it for lunch tomorrow..... but, as always (other than embarkation day) the place is near empty. Last night, I noticed a few officers dining there, and maybe 2 paying guests. While I applaud Celebrity for trying some new ideas for Bistro.... I must ask.... If nobody went when it was $5 and $7, what makes them think it will do better at $10 ??? I sincerely hope Bistro attains much success with the revamp, but I'm skeptical.

Gastrobar : My observations are virtually identical as to what I observed in January. Very few guests at the bar, and virtually nobody ordering anything from the menu. Unless Celebrity can figure out ways to promote this venue pre-cruise, and moreso, while onboard.... I cannot see how it survives under present conditions. IMO, it can be saved, but Celebrity must be far more proactive in promoting the venue. Perhaps consider some discounts or BOGO food coupons for Captains Club members.

Entertainment : Mostly Excellent with one exception. We were totally wowed by the Beatles tribute show a couple of days ago. it was by far, the best Celebrity show we've ever seen. We hope Celebrity will offer more shows like this going forward. Last night's show, singer Claire Vinkesteijn, was outstanding as well. If you are lucky to have either (or both) of these shows onboard, they are not to be missed ! Guitarist Canaan Cox, and party band Front Row, are excellent as well.

Now, for the exception : Unfortunately, the Miami DJ's are onboard (again), and IMO, are dreadful. It's loud banging whenever they perform, and, it's the same beat all the time. To me, that's not music - it's noise. On most occasions, guests leave after a few moments. While I'm sure they are good at what they do.... IMO, they should be performing at some trendy club in Miami, not on a cruise ship.

Internet : So far - very good to excellent. A few hiccups and outages along the way, but it's been fairly reliable, and with good speed. Also getting a strong Wi-Fi signal from the cabin, which is a huge plus - as I must connect several times per day.

While there have been some disappoinments, and the overall experience is not as outstanding as what we experienced on Equinox in late January, we are determined to have a wonderful time. Hopefully, things will improve during the second half of the cruise.

Please do not be overly concerned with the shortcomings. I must be fair & balanced, and, call things as I see them. With that said, it's especially important to note there are many positives on this sailing, and, we remain very optimistic for the balance of the cruise !

I will try to post another installment in a couple of days. Hope you enjoyed my insights !

Thanks for posting and keeping us up-to-date on your current sailing.

I hope your cruise starts to get into the "excellent" range.

No mater what, I hope you have a great trip.

Hal

We had a loud noise from our bathroom on Silly last Sept. and a man came and turned something on the shower and it was gone! Good luck.

Hi, Andy!

Thanks for the update. I was especially sorry to hear about the agents in FLL. I have always found them to be so friendly, upbeat and helpful, and have been seeing some of them for years and years. It is sad that Celebrity has chosen to go with "outside" agents. Cost cutting can come back to bite them - especially since these are the first people passengers come into contact with when embarking on a cruise.

Here is hoping those things that are not up to Celebrity standards greatly improve in the coming days!

Hello Andy,

Very good review. I see you are seeing what we saw when we sailed The Connie in February. One must wonder why those in power seem to be loosing sight of what made us all love Celebrity. I hope Miami reads your review and does something ..... reminds me of the death of Eastern Air Lines ...... which we unfortunately suffered thru. Lets hope for a better ending for Celebrity.

Andy, sounds like a bummer on many topics including the MDR.

Did you book with 123Go? If you did any issues getting drinks and are they still mixing with generous amounts of booze? We'll be on the Silhouette this summer and worry things you mention will cross over.

Thanks for the updates. We're sorry to hear that Celebrity is firing the embarkation agents and going with contract agents at a lower salary & no benefits. As the 1st staff guests come in contact with they are an important part of the whole cruise experience.

Glad we will be on Eclipse which kept Cellar Masters, and not Equinox with the Gastropub.

"I must sadly report, that most, if not all of the pier agents will be losing their jobs on May 31st. In another savings effort, Royal Caribbean has poorly chosen to hire outside agents who will be making much less, and not receiving any of the benefits that the current employees receive. It's decisions like this, that deeply sadden me, as it's a lousy corparate cutback, especially as so many of these wonderful folks have been in the Royal Caribbean family for years. I'm hearing they can re-apply, at the lower salary and no benefits. I wonder if the executive (who's probably making six figures) is proud of their "accomplishment", while hurting many lives. Personally, I think it sucks."

Andy, I agree, this sucks. Those people were a great start to the cruise and like gimletgal, I've enjoyed seeing the same ones over and over again. Celebrity, I think this is a HUGE MISTAKE. These people were such good ambassadors for Celebrity. And they did their job very well. Penny wise and pound foolish. Like many decisions the bean counters seem to be making these days.

I hope things improve. I'm going to be on the Equinox for a B2B in Europe this fall. Will be severely disappointed if there are issues like what you're reporting.

Wonderful report! Thank you for taking the time to write it. Is Molecular still there? And what is te beer menu in the Gastro Bar (and where on the ship did they put it)? Thanks again!! Have a wonderful time

Wonderful report! Thank you for taking the time to write it. Is Molecular still there? And what is te beer menu in the Gastro Bar (and where on the ship did they put it)? Thanks again!! Have a wonderful time

Hi Michael, The Gastro Bar is located where CellarMasters used to be....

deck 4 starboard, mid ship......across from the Martini Bar.

Thanks for the review Andy. I'm. Interested in your comments about the Gastrobar, I'm new to Celebrity and I can't find a lot of info about this anywhere? Doesn't seem very well promoted.

Andy;

Thanks, for your honest candor. We experienced many of the things you comment on during our 3/27 cruise on EQ. I 100% agree that the firing (call it what it is) of the first line staff at FLL is a disgrace for Celebrity.The old adage comes to mind, "penny wise and pound foolish". Looks like the fools are still in charge. We were sorely disappointed in the MDR in terms of speed of service and temperature of the dishes when delivered. The only night we had truly perfect service was during the Final 4 when we had asked our servers to expedite our orders so we could watch our team. Everything came out very fast, was hot and delicious. That should be the norm not the exception.

I hope CelebrityCruises is listening in and that the rest of your cruise goes better.

Hi Andy, thanks for your thoughts. I always appreciate them.

Really too bad about the Pier agents........and I hope the rest of the

cruise goes well.

Wonderful report! Thank you for taking the time to write it. Is Molecular still there? And what is te beer menu in the Gastro Bar (and where on the ship did they put it)? Thanks again!! Have a wonderful time

IMHO, the gastropub has great potential but needs a few tweaks. The beer menu is excellent and includes several beers I have not found outside Belgium (Delirium Tremens at 13.5% alcohol for one). The TV's are badly placed and the sound is off. Not what you want for a neighborhood pub which is what I think X was trying to create. the food menu is interesting but too limited. Add popcorn, nuts, some small share plate types of viands, and you'll have a winner.

Hi Michael, The Gastro Bar is located where CellarMasters used to be....

deck 4 starboard, mid ship......across from the Martini Bar.

Hi Lois,

Rudy and I sailed with you on the Silhouette a few years ago. Glad to see all is well with you and that you are still cruising. We were on The Connie the first week of Feb. and Mike and Sharon and Pat and George were sailing The Connie too. We spent Super Bowl Sunday with them in Pompano Beach at Pat and George's condo. The no longer are friends with Chris.

Grace

Hi Everyone,

Update : We've just returned from Dinner. I spoke with one of the assistant Maitre'd's last night (Viorel - who is outstanding). I'm pleased to report that all of the items ordered tonight, were served at appropriate temperatures, and we enjoyed the meal very much. Let's hope my earlier concern is resolved !

Andy, sounds like a bummer on many topics including the MDR.

Did you book with 123Go? If you did any issues getting drinks and are they still mixing with generous amounts of booze? We'll be on the Silhouette this summer and worry things you mention will cross over.

Hi Need2cruisesoon,

We did not book with 123 go, and do not have a drink package. As such, I cannot report firsthand. However, I'm not noticing any concerns with guests ordering drinks. Everyone appears to be served in short order.

As for issues crossing over to other ships ? I absolutely wouldn't worry about it. As a side note, the regular Hotel Director (Christophe Belaubre) returned from vacation today. He's outstanding, and I'm confident things will improve.

Wonderful report! Thank you for taking the time to write it. Is Molecular still there? And what is te beer menu in the Gastro Bar (and where on the ship did they put it)? Thanks again!! Have a wonderful time

Hi ImpulsivePuppy,

The Molecular bar remains (for now) on Equinox. As reported by Cruise Critic today, Celebrity is in the process of updating this venue fleetwide, to be renamed the World Class Bar. Details can be found here : http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6319 .

Hope this helps !

Thanks for the updates. We're sorry to hear that Celebrity is firing the embarkation agents and going with contract agents at a lower salary & no benefits. As the 1st staff guests come in contact with they are an important part of the whole cruise experience.

 

Glad we will be on Eclipse which kept Cellar Masters, and not Equinox with the Gastropub.

Hi Mary Lou,

FYI - Eclipse will have both Cellar Masters (in it's current location) and Gastrobar which is located on Deck 3 - formerly the Passport Bar.

Hope this helps !

How is the Martini Bar?[emoji2]

thanks will look forward to your further review

carol

How is the Martini Bar?[emoji2]

It's great as usual, and very busy !

Mr. Andy,

We will be on Equinox in 65 days and a wake up.

So, thanks for posting. :)

Hi Everyone,

 

As for the MDR service and cuisine.... spotty is the word that comes to mind. Service is generally too slow, despite asking to be served a bit faster. Cutbacks seem very obvious. On night 1, I was served a slice of Prime Rib, that was razor thin. The taste was excellent, but was about 1/4 the cut, of what's been served on recent sailings. Yes, it was delicious, and I asked for a 2nd slice, which was nearly as thin as the first one. Mashed potatoes and veggies are miniscule portions as well. The other issue is food temperature. Everything is cool or warm. Hot Appetizers, Soups and Entrees are not hot. An example.... last night, we ordered the crab cake appetizer. The outer part was warm, and the center was cool. My sister had the Escargot, and they served it with the garlic butter mostly unmelted. Clearly, one or more persons are not paying attention in the Galley. On a very positive note, the Sirloin steak from the left side of the menu has been outstanding. Again, not served very hot, but delicious nonetheless.

 

Hi Need2cruisesoon,

 

As for issues crossing over to other ships ? I absolutely wouldn't worry about it. As a side note, the regular Hotel Director (Christophe Belaubre) returned from vacation today. He's outstanding, and I'm confident things will improve.

Andy,

Thanks for your review! Sounds very similar to our Silhouette experience 2 weeks ago, thinking things already have crossed over! :eek:

Cheers!

Ken

I think if they would open Gastropub on Embarkation Day (like they do with Bistro), it would attract more passengers. We went there once when we were onboard Equinox in February and it was actually quite good. But we were the only ones there!

I'm wondering how people feel about the Passport Bar being turned into Gastropub. In the past, that bar seems to attract a lot of people.