Maggie North

We have cruised a lot since X started again and have found that music levels are increasingly louder. E class ships are loud because of large, cavernous Martini Bar and Eden Bar space. You cannot find a quiet corner anywhere within the Eden space (even on the ramp) where there is not a speaker above head. We returned from a B2B on Millennium early February and the music was atrocious...techno pop blaring everywhere as early as 6 am in the buffet and lounges throughout the day that were totally empty. We talked with the Hotel Director and Cruise Director multiple times and were told something about decisions are made shore side. We also expressed our discomfort in the post-cruise survey. One early morning in the Sky Lounge, I asked a technician to turn the volume down on the music and he said "they must have left the volume cranked up from last night". In the afternoon, I was able to hear the emcee during a trivia game two levels down in the stairwell, the microphone volume was so loud. We asked our cruise planner to upgrade our upcoming cruises to Retreat so we can enjoy a more relaxing time in the Retreat Lounge. We have also purchased noise cancelling headphones and will use them when we need them. I can't image the logical thinking behind the loud, obnoxious, non-stop music everywhere on the ship.

Thank you. I have used that method to upgrade our Basic to Premium drink package in the past; just wondered if perhaps the procedure would change now that the upgrade is bookable on the website. I would guess upgrading from Basic to Premium wifi would be the same.

I looked at a cruise where we only have AI and it told me I wasn't eligible to upgrade; maybe because the cruise is 490+ days away?? It also appears that gratuities are included; would be nice to not have to add the 20% pp. There is a 5% pre-cruise booking discount, but I did not see a way to factor in the CC discount. I'll keep checking to see if anything changes. Thanks to OP for bringing this to our attention.

We enjoyed the Tasting Menu on Edge in January; was a fabulous way to try all the dishes offered. We asked our server to select for us and we each had a different dish. Portions were smaller than the usual selections, but were plentiful. We did not have a wine pairing, but asked our sommelier to suggest two bottles of wine to accompany the dishes; we were quite pleased with his recommendations. The price for the tasting menu was the same as the normal cover charge; we just paid extra for the two bottles of wine. I am sure you will enjoy your meal at Eden!

I usually don't either, but recently started packing a pair of light-weight tech pants (like Columbia) in black....just in case the dining room is cold, we go on an excursion to a cathedral that frowns upon knees. They don't take up much room. I guess leggings or capris would work just as well. We were hoping to go on this tour on our upcoming Beyond cruise, but it was sold out. We have opted for the same on Edge a few months later. Enjoy!!

We have a Behind the Scenes event scheduled on an upcoming cruise. I looked at our order history....the following screenshot was in the description. I guess capris are okay, but I am sure they prefer that most participants are covered since you walk through storage areas and engine areas.

To add my two cents: we tip extra but not a huge amount, mostly what we are comfortable with adding. We have never had any server or attendant ignore us if they thought it wasn't what the next guy was tipping. We have actually had servers and attendants from previous cruises stop by to greet us even when they weren't part of our current team! It is important to be kind and appreciative also. I do keep a list of names of crew/staff we come in contact with on the Notes app, if only to mention favorably on the post-cruise survey or mention to an officer at Captain's Club events (great idea to utilize the "Attention to Detail" comment card during the cruise as well). We then use that list to formulate our tipping strategy. Since we are from the US, where tipping is part of our culture, we don't mind tipping on a cruise ship where service is always more exceptional than even the finer restaurants on land (IMO).

Truth be told, we book staterooms all over the ships...but higher levels mostly. As soon as we board, we start exploring and decide "this is best location"....then next cruise, we change our minds! Ha! Sometimes when we have cruises close together, we find ourselves walking back towards a previous stateroom...oops!

Ha Ha...sometimes it's worse!! Our cruise next week is such a mess on the app; but all of our future cruises look fine. I have signed out, deleted app, restarted device, re-installed app and signed back in...still looks goofy. I'll just wait until I get onboard; I'm sure it will sort itself out in time!

We prefer the Aqua Class staterooms on Equinox that are towards the front of the ship...we enjoy the close proximity to the Fitness Center and Sky Lounge and don't mind the walk to the buffet or restaurants that are more aft. We have never experienced any disbursing noise, but we are early risers. Also, it is fun to be able to peek into the wings of the bridge when arriving or leaving a port.

My September cruise is from Fort Lauderdale, so it appears vax is required, but no longer need to upload cards. So far, negative test is still required but now within 3 days of boarding. I'll see if that changes before September! Thank you for this info.

Our experience is that on the first night, you will see a card in your stateroom inviting you to one of the restaurants at your appointed time. I believe this is to try to schedule folks so not everyone arrives at the same time for dinner. However, you can always go to a maitre'd or the dining reservations desk (there are usually a few of these on embarkation day) to request a certain restaurant each night. As the cruise progresses, we have arrived at one restaurant to see a long line, then walk across the hall or up the stairs to another one....they are all very excellent. We do tend to return to the one with servers and a sommelier that we enjoy! Enjoy your cruise!

I checked the app this morning for a cruise leaving next month, to see if needed to upload Vax cards. I saw the updated Health Status section as well and no mention of uploading cards to be validated. I will check again closer to sail date, just to make sure this requirement is no longer needed.

Thanks for the review and photos; my hubby and I were on this cruise! Fourth time on Equinox, but our first time in 6 pm dining...were assigned to a table of 7! Eek! So we quickly made a reservation at Tuscan for the first night, with a request to be moved to a table for 2 in the MDR. Our Tuscan experience was fabulous; everything was delicious. Plus we got to see a favorite sommelier - Carene! By the next morning, we received word that we were reassigned to a table for 2...everytime we saw Melvet, we thanked him profusely. (We were told at Future Cruise Desk that if we have set dining because Select is unavailable, we can request a table for 2). Cruise was great...had a couple of cool excursions to Trunk Bay from St Thomas and Jost van Dyke from Tortola. Service is always so special...everyone was helpful and friendly and courteous. We were invited to several officer events (since we were in Concierge Class); got to meet some fabulous folks! We sail on Equinox again next month, so we hope to see some of the same faces. Our favorite World Class Bar bartender will be back home by then....heavy sigh...but he certainly deserves some time off as he extended his contract due to another crew member's family emergency. Appreciate reading your experience! Thank you for sharing!

I, for one, am dissapointed to see crew service in the Oceanview go away. We have cruised 8 times since last November and if the lines were long, we just simply returned at a later time, or found an alternative. It has been refreshing not seeing "tasters" or "grabbers" in the buffet. I believe one unexpected benefit of crew service is less waste of food; will be interesting to see if that makes a difference going forward. Happy sailing everyone!

There is truly something to love about every class of Celebrity ship. Summit is small and cozy. Love the Rendezvous Lounge that stretches from Port to Starboard....lots of windows! Love the Sky Lounge and Rooftop Terrance (that can be accessed from the aft Aqua Class suites on Deck 11; which is cool). We had incredible service throughout; on a 4 day cruise, enjoyed Sushi on 5 TWICE (wasabi dessert was incredible!). We had a lovely Aqua Class cabin on Deck 11; I think the balconies might be a little smaller, but the cabins were uptodate and comfortable. I did keep making the mistake of taking midship elevators to 11; which only went to Le Petite Chef restaurant...oops! Those aft Aqua Class cabins also had a "back door" access to the Sunset Bar...bonus! Equinox is a little bigger, but just as cozy. We have also stayed in the forward Aqua Class Cabins on deck 11. Really like the proximity to fitness center and spa amenities. As it turns out, we have actually sailed on her the most...who knew? Favorite bar is World Class Bar...amazing bartenders! Murano is amazing and Tuscan has such a great location! As always, service is impeccable! Love the Sky Lounge and Lawn at the back of the ship. Sunset Bar has a great staircase to the back of Oceanview Buffett..very convenient. I think I would decide based on itinerary; plus from Florida, Equinox sails from Fort Lauderdale (which is more convenient for us) and Summit sails from Miami, although very cool sail away!

Depends on your needs. We read all the information that tripinsurancestore provided, then came up with a plan/credit card program that fit our needs. We had always purchased the insurance through the cruise line and had cruise care added to our future cruises; was nice to see all those numbers come off our final payments....can book more cruises now!!

So true! I should have added…after talking to a sommelier to find out what is actually on board!!

We have found that most of the Premium wines by the glass that we prefer are becoming scarce. During a wine tasting, all of the bottles sampled were from their sommelier packages. Perhaps going forward, instead of upgrading to the Premium Drink Package from Classic, we will stick to Classic and opt for one or two of the wine packages. We plan to purchase the package onboard, after looking at the list of wines available.

Elevators are electric; they don't make noise. The noise will more than likely come from the passengers heading to or from the elevators. Although, we have never had an issue as the hallway is pretty far away from the bed. Enjoy your cruise!

I do believe there are supply issues impacting the selection on wines on X; especially the by-the-glass varieties offered. I'd recommend waiting until you get on the ship and ask the sommelier what is available in each category before deciding upon the package. Added bonus is that the sommelier will remember you and serve you accordingly!! Enjoy your cruise.

Perhaps sign out and sign back in; whenever it acts whacky I try this first. If that doesn't work, delete the app and reinstall. Or maybe there is an overdue update. If you are able to see all your cruises and reservations on the X website, I would guess the app just got corrupted somewhere along the line.

Our first Alaska inside passage cruise was on HAL (7 day RT from Seattle) in 2019. Enjoyed the park rangers who climbed onboard to give narration during the Glacier Bay cruising. We also enjoyed a presentation from native Alaskans. Staff served pea soup on the Helipad that was open to everyone to get a closer view of the glacier. Once, the captain announced a bear sighting on shore...and we all hurried to a window! Our next Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seward is on the Millie; I am sure it will be just as enjoyable (but maybe no pea soup!!)