Video trip report/review: Equinox Ultimate 10 day 3/27/15-4/6/15

I'm in the process of sorting through my pictures and videos and decided to share my journey with you through words and video. My son Will and I were lucky enough to have an ultimate "Will and Molly trip" for Spring break this year. Will is 18, a high school senior who is autistic and we've often traveled together for Spring break, usually to places we can drive to from our home town of Madison, WI. This year we turned it up to 11! Spring break cruise!

Here's our journey, Day 1:

Stayed at (Not) Comfort Suites Airport. We had arrived at midnight to learn that the room I have reserved with two beds turned into a 1 bed room. Needless to say, we didn't sleep much sharing a small bed. I'll clear up the mix-up post trip. No need to dwell on the negative.

We walked (about 1/2 miles each way) to M&E Marina Deli for breakfast which we found on Yelp. Nice NY style deli with bagels, omelettes and egg dishes. My poached eggs were perfectly done served with rye toast, sausage patty and home fries (6.50). Will had an everything bagel with cream cheese (5). On the walk back to the hotel, we shopped at the Dollar Tree and CVS to pick up some last minute stuff (fun and/or necessary like sunscreen.)

We hung out in the hotel room. Will took advantage of the hotel Internet since he decided that we were not going to use our OBC on slow WiFi. (This was a big deal, BTW, for him to not have Internet for the whole trip.) I re-packed some of our stuff to deep-six the winter jackets and unearth our swim gear.

Checked out and requested a cab to take us to the port. There was a gentleman in line before me who requested a cab that could hold 4 adults and 10 pieces of luggage. When told that the cab would be a car and that they had no vans, he insisted on just 1 cab. It was both comical and amazing to watch as they managed to squeeze in ( not unlike what it must be like loading a clown car.) Our cab ride was fairly uneventful (12.50 fare + tip).

Embarkation was smooth, although Will almost plowed down an elderly couple when we were separated briefly. While waiting in the short Aqua Class line, I reminded him to defer to the elderly because even if he said excuse me, they might not hear him (like his Grammie) or be unsteady on their feet ( also like his Grammie). From what I could see of the early embarkers, this may be of concern.

We ate in the Aqua Café. Will had a detox (blueberry) smoothie and deviled eggs ( one of his favorites) and I had miso salmon that was delicious. We then headed to our cabin 1518 on deck 11. We met our cabin steward, Marlan. Will set up his laptop to continue his writing that needed Internet (play by post Dungeons and Dragons.) I explored the ship, taking some pictures including menus to share with Will. Stopped by Café de Baccio to pick up a couple of sweet treats and brought them by the cabin.

Our bags were by the cabin door so we brought them in to start unpacking. Off to muster in the Equinox Theatre. Back to room to unpack some more. Then I started feeling movement. Holy cow, it was already sail away. I retrieved our giant bubbles bought at the Dollar Tree and showed Will how there wasn't any need to do anything but hold the wand because the wind would "blow" the bubbles. Handed the wand to Will who flicked it and the wand broke in two with the important part dropping into the water. Oh well. I hoped we wouldn't get fined. Note to self- cheap store has cheap quality.

Finished unpacking while taking long breaks to lounge on our balcony. Changed for dinner in Blu. It was busy the first night at 7 and we were seated in a fairly dark corner. At first, it seemed like it was a forgotten corner, but once we were "found", we were treated with attentive service. I was concerned that Will wouldn't like the menu at Blu, but he loved the meal proclaiming it much better than what he typically had on Princess. Phew, that went well and I needn't have worried. Will and I both had the blue cheese soufflé, corn soup. For our entrée, I had the filet mignon and Will had the chicken. I asked the sommelier for a Pino grigio to start and she suggested a Shiraz to pair with the filet. Both were covered (as was Will's Coke) in the classic beverage package. For dessert, we had the dulce de leche which was scrumptious.

After dinner, we decided to go back to our cabin. Will wanted to hook up his computer to the TV to watch a DVD. Even though there was an empty HDMI port, the TV would not change the input source. By this time, I was already in my PJs so Will went to find some tech support. A tech support crew member came to the cabin with a "super" remote that could unlock the input so Will could watch his DVD. Yay! I was so exhausted, that I crawled into bed, put my ear plugs in, and put my eye mask on and fell asleep while being gently rocked by the boat. I *think* Will watched his DVD.

Here's our video for day 1:

MadisonMom (Molly & Will)

Looking forward to reading your cruise in AQ cabin. Hoping to enjoy it so I don't need to book one myself. ;)

We were on this cruise, looking forward to your review

Hi Madison,

I made the mistake of watching your video first before reading your introduction. Watching the video I am thinking, "Boy this lady sure has a young looking partner. LOL! I figured it out. Looking forward to reading and seeing more. I do like your use of the words Trip Report.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Hi Madison,

 

I made the mistake of watching your video first before reading your introduction. Watching the video I am thinking, "Boy this lady sure has a young looking partner. LOL! I figured it out. Looking forward to reading and seeing more. I do like your use of the words Trip Report.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

LOL!!! I guess I am a cougar because I married a younger man (6 months younger to be exact.)

BTW, I love your trip reports. I used many of the photos to help prepare my son for our trip.

-Molly

LOL!!! I guess I am a cougar because I married a younger man (6 months younger to be exact.)

 

BTW, I love your trip reports. I used many of the photos to help prepare my son for our trip.

 

-Molly

Hi Molly, (I got it right this time)

So glad you found my Trip report useful. Like I said previously looking forward to more of your Trip Report.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Day 2: Formal sea day, Saturday

I woke at 6:30, did my StrongWomen workout in the fitness room. StrongWomen is a routine that needs hand and ankle weights. The fitness center had hand weights, but no ankle weights. I asked one of the trainers and he suggested using the pulley machine. I am so uncoordinated that, even with his instructions, I couldn't get the hang of the machine. Not a big deal, I just did it without the ankle weights.

Checked in at th cabin, Will was still sleeping. I went down to get a tea at Café de Baccio, checked-in at the cabin, Will was still sleeping. I took my tea and Kindle to the relaxation room. Finished my tea, checked in at the cabin and Will was gone. I took a fantastic, albeit quick, shower. By the time I was dressed, Will came back to the cabin. He'd already eaten breakfast at Blu and stopped by the library where he found the latest graphic novel by a favorite author (score!) I then went to Blu to eat breakfast on my own. I had the smoked salmon plate- no bagel. I met a couple from FL by way of NYC who said this was their third time on the Equinox. I asked for their much do list which included the galley and ship tours. They also like the casino.

Then off to the Cruise Critic get together. Pam (LadyDivit) made some awesome name tags. I wore mine most of the day and it helped spark conversations. Thanks, Pam! I had a chance to ask one of the ship staff if we could have a tour of the bridge. She said that she'd put us on a list and if they have a bridge tour, we'd get an invitation. Will and I spoke with a couple who weren't CC, but we just in the sky lounge waiting for trivia. We then spoke with a couple of women from the UK one of whom had spent a vacation in Kohler, WI golfing. I wish we could have met more CC folks, but it was then time for the Taste of Equinox where the specialty restaurants gave presentations and some hard sales for booking meals. Just a small sample from each restaurant of the actual food.

We decided to eat lunch in the main dining room today. We were immediately seated with two other, very nice, couples. I found it strange that they didn't ask if we wanted to sit at a 2-top. We were just led to a table presumably with the last 4 other people who showed up at the same time. One of the couples, I didn't see for the rest of the trip but the other, younger couple from Atlanta I ran into quite a few times over the 10 days. I wish I had written their names down because I am so bad at remembering names!

Make-up party. I volunteered to be the model for the make-up party. I've lost 120 lbs in the last 2 years and rarely wore make-up so I need all the help I can get. As the model, I had my formal make-up done. I bought the foundation and eyebrow make-up as well as had pictures taken. I never felt more beautiful.

It was so much fun to dress up for once! It was a lot of fun to shop thrift stores to find some formal clothes in smaller sizes than the last time I dressed up for a formal night. I even convinced Will to have his picture taken. We spend most of the time avoiding the photographers on board because Will doesn't like flashes in his eyes. Take a look at our formal photo in the video. I think we cleaned up pretty well, even if I do say so myself! I included a side-by-side of me in 2010 and this year so you can see the 120 pound loss, too. As a total aside, I think the Celebrity photo was better (clearer, better lighting and background) than the Princess one from 2010.

Excellent dinner at Blu. We shared pheasant and the lamb. Lamb was excellent the pheasant was dry. Met a couple of other diners from Canada who shared a university/steel plant connection -small world. These ladies were another couple that I ended up running into many times on the ship. They were really big Hot Glass Show fans.

We went to the theater production, but left early because Will was unimpressed. Spent a little time together at the Passport bar then back to the cabin for the night.

Classic beverage package notes: unless you are really picky, there is good wine included in the Classic beverage package. The sommelier in Blu would recommend a paired wine for your courses, if you asked. I was also able to have my brandy old fashioned from most bars. Later on in the cruise, I ordered a drink of the day thinking that it would be a reduced price and covered in the Classic bev. package. Apparently it isn't, I learned the hard way.

Day 3 Sea Day, Sunday

I woke up feeling like death warmed over. Did I drink too much last night or was it sea sickness? I think a combo of both. I ate some breakfast and retired to my stateroom for a anti-nausea pill and bed. Felt a bit better by lunch time which we had in the main dining room. This time we were seated at a 4-top with two ladies from Texas. The service for lunch was really poor. Wrong dishes, forgotten desserts, mysterious wine served that wasn't ordered, etc. Will said that he'd rather not eat in the main dining room again for lunch.

In the afternoon, was the Roll Call Slot Pull. It was very popular - 3 machines going and it was crowded and loud. It was $15 per person, 4 "pulls" each. Some other people won big which was a good thing because most of us lost. For each machine, the biggest winner and biggest loser each won a prize. Will won a die key chain for being the biggest loser on our machine. It was lots of fun. I stuck around for a while and then heard that we broke even which made me think that I wasn't getting any money back so I left. Apparently, it meant that we each would get our initial $15 back. Many thanks to Pam for tracking me down to return our money!!! Our roll call was the best!

Will and I tried to make it to dinner at Blu by 5:40 so we could sit near the window. Because we ate our wonderful dinner early, we made it up to the Sunset Bar for the first time to see the sunset and take pictures.

The production show on Sunday night was a Beatles tribute band. I went early to save a seat for Will in the back (bar seat) row in the theater. Those seats are much easier for Will because he can move a little without bothering nearby seats. The Beatles are one of Will's favorite bands, so I found it odd that he wasn't there at the start of the show. This was one of those times that I wish I had a way to contact him easily. Other guests kept asking about the saved seat and I felt really guilty about turning them away. I recorded the first few songs and then gave up and went back to the cabin to find Will watching his DVD. Oh well, best laid plans don't always work out. To get a small taste of the show, take a look at this video report of Days 2 & 3:

-Molly

Very cool stuff, thanks for taking the time to make these vids!

You got 2 cabins!! LOL.

Ready for some excursions after relaxing sea days.

Congrats on your weight lost! It is a life style change and sounded like you are going exercise is regular part of it. I like exercising and walking on my cruises. I also take stairs all the time, unless Martha looks at me and lets me know otherwise.

I tried to use the stairs up and elevator down as my doctors have advised me because of my really bad ankles. Having a cabin on the 11th deck and the restaurants on deck 5 gave me many opportunities to climb the stairs to get some cardio.

Well done on your weight loss - you look great! Thanks for the trip review, I'm enjoying it.

Laura

LOL!!! I guess I am a cougar because I married a younger man (6 months younger to be exact.)

 

BTW, I love your trip reports. I used many of the photos to help prepare my son for our trip.

 

-Molly

Molly, I'm loving your "Trip Report" and video recap. I recall meeting you and Will when I was giving out the name tags. I'm Bev! I know how the name thing goes. My son too has mild autism and likes his quiet time. Loud noise bothers him as he has extra sensory issues and great hearing unlike his dad!

You look fabulous since your weight loss. Love the hair, color and make-up, so flattering.

Can't wait to see and read more.

Molly, I'm loving your "Trip Report" and video recap. I recall meeting you and Will when I was giving out the name tags. I'm Bev! I know how the name thing goes. My son too has mild autism and likes his quiet time. Loud noise bothers him as he has extra sensory issues and great hearing unlike his dad!

 

You look fabulous since your weight loss. Love the hair, color and make-up, so flattering.

 

Can't wait to see and read more.

Bev!! I'm so sorry that I confused you with Pam. I am so bad with names!! I'm trying, though. Your name tags were great! Thank you for making them for our group! Also, thanks so much for the gracious compliments. Since the weight loss I feel 20 years younger. The last 25 years have been being there for my kids, now I'm able to concentrate on myself and I'm having a lot of fun. Cruising is great for people on the autism spectrum, IMO. It's very predictable. Same bed every night. Will loved seeing the menus in the morning to decide what he was having for dinner. We could preview excursions and other ship events. I knew he was safe (most of the time) so I could relax. I think having the Blu restaurant was a big plus because it was smaller and quieter than the main dining room. We also avoid the buffet because of noise and it's so large and overwhelming, although Will found the pizza bar which he liked.

-Molly

Day 4 Monday St. Thomas

Leisurely breakfast in Blu. I put my contacts in and realized that I forgot to pack non-prescription sunglasses. So off the ship to go

shopping for sunglasses. Here's a quick top - go past the first few shops to find the exact same sunglasses for $10 instead of $13. Walking back to the ship, an ambulance came racing down the pier and the paramedics went aboard. I hope whoever that was for is alright.

Back at the cabin around 11 am, I checked the excursion tickets. They said our excursion was at 8:30 am! We missed our excursion. Adding stress to an already stressful situation, I accidentally locked myself out of the safe! Security came in about 15 minutes and unlocked the safe. 10 minutes to get down to the gangway and ask if we can get on the 11:45 excursion. The shore excursion woman said, "I saw that 7 people missed the first excursion and worked with the tour to get you all on the 11:45 am trip." Wow! I was blown away by this service. Once again, Celebrity came through!

The Champagne Catamaran Snorkel Tour to St. John was wonderful! It started with a 20 minute open air ride to the marina. It was a little like a roller coaster ride up and down the steep hills and narrow roads. Then onto the catamaran. It's a barefoot tour, so be prepared to remove your shoes (and worries) before boarding the vessel. Joe, the Captain, was funny and gave great instructions (especially for this first timer.) We sped over to Honeymoon Beach on St. John. We were given the options of jumping in, climbing in, dingy to the beach or staying on the boat. First timers were recommended to dingy to the beach. I had brought along a water viewer for Will because I was doubtful that he'd snorkel. Will waded in about waist deep and proclaimed that the water was too cold. Luckily, Suzanna from the crew had just arrived back at the beach with the dingy to ferry Will back to the boat. Meanwhile, I had a marvelous conversation with Roger, who owns (with his partner, Bill) an independent living company. Now it was time to try snorkeling! OMG! snorkeling is wonderful! I saw some beautiful fish, sting rays, and coral. I want to snorkel again! Will loved the time on the boat. On the way back, rum punch, mimosa, tropical juices,bread, cold cuts and cheese were offered to eat. This was a fantastic excursion for us because it was a nice blend of boat, beach and snorkeling.

A side note about swim gear: I needed to get new swimsuits for this trip. I'm very pale, sunburn easily and am over 50. I found what I think we're the best suits on Lands End's website : swim leggings/ swim crops with zip up rash guards and a sports bra. They cover up, but are kinda fun, too, with the added bonus of looking like street clothes. I put a picture in the video, so you can see them full length. Will also wore Lands End swim trunks and a men's rash guard top. Neither one of us had a sunburn on this trip!

After dinner at Blu, Will and I stopped by the excursion desk and I booked a snorkel St. Kitts excursion for tomorrow. We then went to the spa to book a massage for Will. We had cell service in St. Thomas, so we also spent quality time on the 'net and calling home.

Day 4 video:

-Molly

Hi Molly,

Just about to call it an evening but, I noticed your update so I had to get caught up on your adventure. Now I have to be honest I generally will not even watch a video that is a slide show. But I can't get enough of your videos. I like your style... Recap your day and end it with a video slide show. Looking forward to reading and viewing more.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Hi Kevin,

Thanks so much for your kind comments! I try to read about your adventures as soon as you post, too. I want to try zip lining sometime because of your reviews!

-Molly

Bev!! I'm so sorry that I confused you with Pam. I am so bad with names!! I'm trying, though. Your name tags were great! Thank you for making them for our group! Also, thanks so much for the gracious compliments. Since the weight loss I feel 20 years younger. The last 25 years have been being there for my kids, now I'm able to concentrate on myself and I'm having a lot of fun. Cruising is great for people on the autism spectrum, IMO. It's very predictable. Same bed every night. Will loved seeing the menus in the morning to decide what he was having for dinner. We could preview excursions and other ship events. I knew he was safe (most of the time) so I could relax. I think having the Blu restaurant was a big plus because it was smaller and quieter than the main dining room. We also avoid the buffet because of noise and it's so large and overwhelming, although Will found the pizza bar which he liked.

 

-Molly

I'm loving this trip report and enjoying the videos.

Congratulations on the weight loss and after reading about the autism, I'm very impressed with your efforts to provide a great vacation for your son. You must be from Madison. Our daughter is too.

Could you please share what was used for name tags for your M&M? I made some for our last 2 cruises but was not able to find anything I really liked.

I'm loving this trip report and enjoying the videos.

Congratulations on the weight loss and after reading about the autism, I'm very impressed with your efforts to provide a great vacation for your son. You must be from Madison. Our daughter is too.

Could you please share what was used for name tags for your M&M? I made some for our last 2 cruises but was not able to find anything I really liked.

 

Hi, I've made these type of reusable name tags for 3 cruises now. I use craft store quality colored Styrofoam sheets, although this time I got them at WalMart $5; cut them to be just a little larger than Avery #25395 White Adhesive Name Badges;and punched a hole in each for people to either pin on or place the tag onto a lanyard. I have a scrapping corner rounder which finishes them nicely. I've added pre-glued little tropical appliques previously but didn't have time for this last batch. Wish I knew how to attach a picture but I don't. When I print out the Name Badge, I use a Ship motif, first name, screen name and home state or country. This way they are reusable with no dates or specific ship name.

Hi, I've made these type of reusable name tags for 3 cruises now. I use craft store quality colored Styrofoam sheets, although this time I got them at WalMart $5; cut them to be just a little larger than Avery #25395 White Adhesive Name Badges;and punched a hole in each for people to either pin on or place the tag onto a lanyard. I have a scrapping corner rounder which finishes them nicely. I've added pre-glued little tropical appliques previously but didn't have time for this last batch. Wish I knew how to attach a picture but I don't. When I print out the Name Badge, I use a Ship motif, first name, screen name and home state or country. This way they are reusable with no dates or specific ship name.

It would be nice to see a picture of the name tags...I'm not very imaginative when it comes to crafty things. They sound wonderful though.

If you have a photobucket account or web picture hosting account, you could upload a picture and post it on here.

Very nice review. I too enjoy your style.

Kudos for you for taking your son by yourself on a cruise.

I have a son with Aspergers so can relate a bit.

You are lucky to have met Bev aka Nanatravel. We met her here on CC and also cruised with her and Sid. She was very very gracious and helpful to my wife and I when we were looking to relocate near her in South Carolina. Invited us to her home and took us around for several "tours'.

LOL, Bev, you know I'm always lurking somewhere. Say hi to Sid and Mark for us.

Louis aka Luigi

Congrats on your weight loss Molly...You look terrific!

Very nice review. I too enjoy your style.

 

Kudos for you for taking your son by yourself on a cruise.

 

I have a son with Aspergers so can relate a bit.

 

You are lucky to have met Bev aka Nanatravel. We met her here on CC and also cruised with her and Sid. She was very very gracious and helpful to my wife and I when we were looking to relocate near her in South Carolina. Invited us to her home and took us around for several "tours'.

 

LOL, Bev, you know I'm always lurking somewhere. Say hi to Sid and Mark for us.

 

Louis aka Luigi

Thanks, Louis! My husband is a Louis (Lou), too. My son, Will, and I travel a lot together just the two of us. I think our first Will and Molly trip was when he was 7 years old. He's very easy to travel with as long as we have a plan. As I mentioned, cruising is a fabulous way to experience new places and activities while still having a great place to stay and eat every day. I hope we'll get to know Bev a little better on a future cruise. I think we'll be adopting Celebrity as our preferred cruise line, although we heard a lot of great things about Royal Caribbean, so I think we might try that, too.

-Molly

Congrats on your weight loss Molly...You look terrific!

Thanks so much!

My day started early today, so I went down to my second cabin (the Relaxation Room, if you recall) and watched the ship come into port at St. Kitts. It was such a peaceful and relaxing to start an adventurous day for me.

Went back to the cabin to warn Will that his room service breakfast would be there soon. Will had an 8:30 am massage scheduled with Tamara. Once I knew he was up and ready, I went and had breakfast at Blu - my usual smoked salmon plate, no onions, and wheat toast instead of a bagel. I then checked back in with Will before I disembarked to go on the Snorkel St. Kitts excursion.

Once off the ship, I had trouble finding the right excursion group. Turns out I was 45 minutes early this time! So I headed off to explore the town a little (no shops were open in port, yet.) Getting back into port was a little difficult and nerve wracking because I only had my driver's licence and not my sea pass. I retraced my steps and found the sea pass just as a local was about to pick it up. Phew!

Back in port, I easily found the tour group and met Steve another solo snorkeler. Steve and I chatted all the way to the first snorkel site. I've been meeting such interesting people throughout this trip!

This snorkel excursion had a lot more snorkel time at two locations. At the first site, I saw coral, fish, sting rays and then saw the biggest creature I'd seen yet, a spotted eagle ray which was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide! Breathtaking! The second snorkel location was a shipwreck. Apparently, it had blown ashore during a hurricane 8 years ago. We were warned to stay away from the shoreline because the sea urchins were plentiful and the water was shallow over the rocks where they were. I spent some time over two coral formations watching the colorful fish swimming about when another giant eagle ray came up from the crevice right below me. Another breathtaking moment! Back on the boat, one of the crew who was also snorkeling said he had never seen so many eagle rays on one day.

All good things come to an end and I headed back on the Equinox to get some lunch and, hopefully, hear how Will's morning massage went. We had planned to see each other after lunch, but he was eating a Mast burger in the Aqua Cafe when I went there for my lunch. Will told me that his massage was wonderful and was changed from an aromatherapy one to an energizing one because the aromatherapy oils would have not been good for his back (acne) according to Tamara the therapist. Will gets massages regularly at home, but this one was a bit longer and on a cruise ship!

After lunch and a shower, I decided to relax watching the movie of the day, Bad Words. Only two other couples were in the Celebrity lounge watching the truly awful movie with me. After the movie, I stayed for the port presentation and almost won the Tanzanite necklace raffle (off by 1.)

Will and I ate, as usual, in Blu for dinner and then went to the night Hot Glass show for the first time. What an unique special treat to have those artists sharing their talent and expertise on the ship! Will had his Kindle with him and a beautiful woman sitting near us asked Will what he was reading. This led to an interesting conversation with Ariana who turned out to be one of the contortionist entertainers on board. She told us a little more background about the glass show, the artists who were her friends, her book recommendations, her time on board (3 years so far) and much more. We plan to see the Equinox show later that week now that we know one of the performers and where she'll be on stage.

That just about wraps up day 5. Here's the video:

Another great daily wrap-up and video. So you went snorkelling rather than Zip Lining. LOL!

Regards,

Kevin Reid