Host Andy's Update From Equinox

Hi Everyone,

We're having an absolutely wonderful time on Equinox ! Most everything is perfect. The ship is in pristine condition, and I cannot say enough good things about the Officers and Crew. They are extremely helpful, with smiles everywhere. Kudos to Hotel Director Christophe Belaubre, who is a huge asset to Celebrity. Captain Panagiotis Mantzavinos, (aka Captain Panos) is very visible and friendly.

Overall, the MDR cuisine has been very good to excellent, though we've had a couple of weak menus over the past 3 days. Items such as beef cheeks (yup they're back) and turkey parmesan, are odd at best. Though we are pleased for the most part, I'd like to see Celebrity add some better entree selections to the weaker menus. The appetizers, soups, salads and desserts are excellent. The steaks are delicious and cooked perfectly. Our Waiter, Joel, and his assistant are outstanding, and eager to please. Overall, MDR service is vastly improved, over what we experienced on Eclipse in November. Restaurant Manager Dejan, and Maitre'd Martin are very attentive, and run a great operation.

Entertainment is very good for the the most part. The shows are outstanding, and the comedian at Celebrity Central was standing room only for his perfomances. Unfortunately, due to poor scheduling / planning by the cruise director (Patti Honacki) and/or entertainment dept, many guests were turned away, and did not have a chance to see him. I'm surprised that knowing the demand after the first night, they failed to move the comedian to the theater for a midnight show on the 2nd night. Oh well....

The pool area is a mixed bag. During the morning and early afternoon hours, it's perfect, with enjoyable canned music. However, later in the afternoon, the Miami DJ's bang away on the drums, and do a great job of chasing everyone away. What Celebrity sees in this type of "entertainment", and I use this word very loosely, is totally beyond me. Besides, they have absolutely no place on a ship carrying a vast majority of older guests. IMO, they are much better suited for the short sailings on Constellation, where they tend to get a younger crowd. On a brighter note, the house band "Front Row" is fantastic !

Random thoughts :

Luminae : The MDR team is super excited about this addition. From everything mentioned, it surely seems that Luminae will offer a very special dining experience. I hope we'll have an opportunity to experience it for ourselves on a future Celebrity sailing. An interesting tidbit : It *appears* they are taking away more of the MDR for Luminae than first mentioned, and I'm wondering how this will affect the MDR experience for Non-Suite guests. While I'm very excited about the new concept... from a functionality standpoint, I sincerely hope Celebrity has thought out all the changes fully. Many Cruise Critic members have contacted me, asking if Luminae will be open for Lunch daily. I've heard conflicting answers, and will continue to see what I can find out.

Murano : We had the best meal I've *ever* had on a Celebrity cruise. To say it was outstanding is an understatement. We were honored to be seated in the beautiful Wine Cellar, making it a special touch to celebrate Mom's Birthday ! I ordered the Lobster Bisque, Pork Belly, Chateaubriand, and Chocolate Souffle. Wow ! Everything was perfect, and it was a truly wonderful evening.... which will no doubt, offer very special memories. Thank you to Ante and the entire Murano team.

Bistro on Five : I heard the new menus were available. Not so. They are still offering the old menus. Too bad, as I was eagerly looking forward to trying the new Bistro menu items, which have been well-received on other X ships. Maybe next time.

Casino : Very friendly staff. As for the gaming ? I have 3 words to describe : Oy. Oy. Oy. Enough said, but there's still time to recoup :)

Internet : Much better than what I experienced on Eclipse in November, though it was out much of yesterday morning and afternoon. It's better today.

GastroBar & Slush: Sorry, but I'm not quite sold on either concept as it currently stands. Other than a few minor changes, including the addition of a couple of TV screens and a new bar, along with the removal of the doors... GastroBar looks very much like CellarMasters, and.... it's deserted most of the time. I cannot imagine that Celebrity is doing any better with this concept, than CellarMasters, and that's not saying much. Appetizers are mostly $6, and the "Large Plates" are in the $8-12 range. I've seen 2 or 3 guests eating food, in the first 4 days of the sailing. Based on the minimal interest (at least on this sailing), I'm baffled as to how Celebrity can justify adding this venue to the other S-Class ships. With all due respect to Celebrity, they should consider waiting a bit longer, to see if this concept catches on... or, possibly consider another concept - (how about a seafood bar ?), before taking GastroBar fleetwide.

As for Slush, drinks are $7 for non-alcoholic variations, $10 with alcohol. This means only the non-alcohol options are included with the classic drink package. The alcohol versions, are included with the premium package. I tried one of the non-alcohol versions yesterday, and it was nothing special. I see nothing wrong with Slush, especially as it's a very small area, which previously produced zero revenue - so anything they gain is a plus.... but they might wish to add some new drink selections, as the current offerings aren't gathering much interest.

Hope you enjoyed my update. I will try to post another onboard update, in a few days !

Thanks Andy, we board in 2 weeks. I too agree about the Miami DJ's. We found them so loud and out of place last year on the Reflection. It is not music, just noise. Hopefully they are keeping them out of the atrium area as we found when they are there you can't hear anyone speak.

Thanks Andy...love your comments. I will be boarding Equinox on Friday, February 13. After two years of planning, can't believe it's almost here.

One quick question...have you seen "Andres from Espana" leading any activities? He was on Equinox in October, 2013...we had an absolute blast with him. Hope to see him again. I'll look forward to more of your review.

Thanks,

Susan

Thanks Andy...love your comments. I will be boarding Equinox on Friday, February 13. After two years of planning, can't believe it's almost here.

One quick question...have you seen "Andres from Espana" leading any activities? He was on Equinox in October, 2013...we had an absolute blast with him. Hope to see him again. I'll look forward to more of your review.

Thanks,

Susan

Hi Susan,

I have not run into Andres, but will ask if he's onboard. Stay Tuned !

Thanks Andy...I am bursting with anticipation :cool:

Thanks Andy for your review. We board on Monday.

Your comments are spot on!! I will say that GastroBar was more crowded than you describe. I don't want to give up on the concept yet. Celebrity needs to do more promotion. Every day they listed the drink of the day at the regular bars - but never listed the special in GastroBar which was usually certain beers at happy hour. Also, I think they need to promote that food is sold here!! Have a couple of appetizers at a special price during a happy hour pre-dinner. The food I tried was quite good (great BBQ pork sliders and flatbread).

Hi Andy. Wishing you and your Mom a wonderful cruise. Patti is. One of the best CDs. She is full of energy and loves to meet passengers.

Do you recall which nights were weak in the MDR? May use those nights for specialty.

Are you able to post the daily activities papers for each day..I have never sailed with Celebrity and would love to see how they compare to other cruises I have been on..we are sailing on her in April...also are u able to post just a few menus...thanks so much for your time :) Happy cruising..hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise

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I'm baffled as to how Celebrity can justify adding this venue to the other S-Class ships. With all due respect to Celebrity, they should consider waiting a bit longer, to see if this concept catches on... or, possibly consider another concept - (how about a seafood bar ?), before taking GastroBar fleetwide. [/Quote]

 

Andy,

Am I correct that Cellarmasters is to be converted to GastroBar on Eclipse during the April dry dock, before the Eastern TA.

Hi Andy

We also board on Monday so I'm excited to read your review.

Thank you!

Did you mention your idea of moving the comedian to the theater to Patti or anyone else?

Maybe they didn't even think of it. :confused:

Thanks for the review Andy. On the Equinox is March and looking forward to it. Reading your quick review has me looking forward to it even more (not that dealing with -30c temps hasn't already done that).

Good to hear all the positives. Still looking forward to the Gastro bar but it sounds like it will a repeat of CellarMasters. Oh well, willing to try it and hope it catches on if nice.

Too bad about the DJ/Drums. Was on the Connie in August and they had a DJ and Sax player. Wasn't bad the first few nights but got old quickly. Thank god they never played around the pool. Hopefully they will be done by the end of Feb :p.

Looking forward to more updates.

Andy: So enjoying your report. It has been two years since we've been on the Equinox but will be back onboard later this year for a B2B2B.

Thanks Andy...love your comments. I will be boarding Equinox on Friday, February 13. After two years of planning, can't believe it's almost here.

One quick question...have you seen "Andres from Espana" leading any activities? He was on Equinox in October, 2013...we had an absolute blast with him. Hope to see him again. I'll look forward to more of your review.

Thanks,

Susan

There was a very funny tall slim 'Andreas from Espana' with the Entertainment team on the Infinity in October 2014, I wonder if that is the same guy moved ships? He was very memorable.

Andy;

Thanks for the quick update. Will Ante still be on board for the 3/27 sailing? He's one of the best Maitre 'D's on Celebrity. Also, I second the request for menus or at least the Chef's Daily Recommendation from the Today papers. Many of us would like to plan our specialty restaurant reservations and any advance knowledge is helpful!

Mr. Andy,

Thanks for posting. :)

Thank you for your review. We too LOVED the Equinox. As for food, I totally concur. On one night of our cruise our waiter who always gave several recommendations for dinner only suggested items from the left side of the menu (for the newbies) that is the same menu they offer every night. Make you wonder.

It still did not detract from our overall cruise experience as we always had plenty to eat.

Host Andy:

Thanks so much for your insights on your voyage on the Equinox!

Just curious though... does any of the staff know who you are when you are dining in special venues and such?

Or are you actually "undercover" and treated as a regular guest? :eek:

Andy

Thanks for your report. I know you have enjoyed Eclipse in the past [as have we] and are so pleased to read good reports of Equinox as we have booked the ship for Christmas/New Year 2016/17.

Also, so pleased to hear that Ante is still around. If you return to Murano, the sole was excellent on our latest cruise [on Eclipse] - so good I had it three times - well worth ordering.

However, most of all, I hope you and your Mum continue to have a great time on Equinox.

We would appreciate all the information you can give us before then. :D

Is there currently construction going on for Luminae? I am also going to be on the Reflection the week before the Suite dining starts, so curious how they are building this dining venue with a cruise going on?

Slush - What was the NA drink you tried? I have two in mind.

Was the first Formal night the Captain's Formal and what was on the menu? We have made reservations at Tuscan for the first Sea Day night.

What itinerary are you on?

Thanks so much, Andy! :)

Thanks for sharing your information now go back and enjoy your vacation.

 

 

Murano : We had the best meal I've *ever* had on a Celebrity cruise. To say it was outstanding is an understatement. We were honored to be seated in the beautiful Wine Cellar, making it a special touch to celebrate Mom's Birthday ! I ordered the Lobster Bisque, Pork Belly, Chateaubriand, and Chocolate Souffle. Wow ! Everything was perfect, and it was a truly wonderful evening.... which will no doubt, offer very special memories. Thank you to Ante and the entire Murano team.

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for the review. I'm excited to follow your future additions as we will be sailing on Equinox in a few weeks!

You mentioned dining in the Wine Cellar of Murano. Is this the luck of the draw or does it require a special reservation or a higher fee in order to dine there? We are traveling with a group of friends and we had planned to dine in Murano - it would be fun for our group to be seated in the Wine Cellar! Any info on how to go about securing such a great spot would be most appreciated!

Tammy

Andy,

Am I correct that Cellarmasters is to be converted to GastroBar on Eclipse during the April dry dock, before the Eastern TA.

Hi upwarduk,

Yes, that's what I heard on Eclipse in November. Hope this helps !

We would appreciate all the information you can give us before then. :D

 

Is there currently construction going on for Luminae? I am also going to be on the Reflection the week before the Suite dining starts, so curious how they are building this dining venue with a cruise going on?

 

Slush - What was the NA drink you tried? I have two in mind.

 

Was the first Formal night the Captain's Formal and what was on the menu? We have made reservations at Tuscan for the first Sea Day night.

 

What itinerary are you on?

 

Thanks so much, Andy! :)

Hi iamthesea,

We are on the 10 night itinerary. The first formal night was the Captains formal. No construction for luminae yet. Will see if I can obtain construction info.

The slush drink was the one that resembled a pina colada.

Hope this helps !