HopefulCruiser123

Hello, We will be cruising on Celebrity Equinox and passing through the Strait of Gibraltar at the end of April in 2025. Gibraltar is not one of our Port stops. Our stop after going through the Strait will be Cartagena, Spain. We are curious as to whether anybody has been on this itinerary before and knows if the passing through the Strait occurs in the daylight hours or when we will be fast asleep. Enquiring minds would love to know. Thanks.

WOW! Great information everybody. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I just checked a little further. I'll be picking the car up in Barcelona. One place I looked at has SUV's that look like they have a lower wheelbase (I'll be checking that out). I made a temporary dummy reservation for THIS year (they aren't accepting reservation for 2025) in the same month and specified picking up in Barcelona and dropping off in Toulouse. It would be for 23 days of rental. The vehicle was $62.81 per day, unlimited miles. I went with the basic collision and theft insurance (that was $433) The one-way fee added $901 to the reservation, I included a one time fee of $26 for cross border driving. Taxes were $590. Total was $3393 US dollars.. This was with a company named SIXT rent a car. Looking at the reviews of this company, I am not sure. But Avis also has a rental package for the same thing with a little more coverage (windshield and roadside assistance) for about $100 more. So I feel pretty confident that I WILL be able to get a car, one way and will be able to cross borders and drop in another country. . Like I said.....we'll see.

Welp! I'll let you know how it goes. I've done a little research on it and have read that it is possible (though expensive). But time will tell if I am successful or if I have to rent three separate, one way cars.

Hello, I will be a 66 year old female, and my husband will be 65 when we take a 16 day Transatlantic cruise on the Celebrity Equinox in 2025. He is a paraplegic who uses a manual, non-folding wheelchair. 11 years ago we sailed on the Silhouette and I wrote a live cruise review with some accessibility-related commentary and perspective by my husband. The upcoming trip will be much more than just the cruise. We are planning to rent a car and travel through Spain, Portugal and France, where we will ditch the car and finish the rest of our trip using public transportation. The last two weeks will include another transatlantic cruise from Southampton to NYC aboard the Queen Mary 2, and then several days in NYC before we will rent another car for our return trip back to South Carolina. My question is whether or not a review of the entire trip (either "live-ish" or as a retrospective) is appropriate for Cruise Critic. I am sure the cruise portions will be appropriate, but since the majority of our trip and navigating our way through Europe will be land based, would a full review here be considered "irrelevant". Nobody wants to watch somebodies else "home movies" 😝 2025 is a long way from now and if it would be considered excessive for Cruise Critic, then I'll let the idea go. If it would be of value and welcomed, then I think I would enjoy doing it. If it would be considered inappropriate, does anyone know of a better web based forum where it would be relevant?. I know I have had a "Ka-Jillion" questions myself about how we are going to make this trip work and if the information I learn would make other's travel easier, I would be more than willing to share. Opinions?

Me - light drinker. Daily maybe a couple of glasses of white wine, possibly a single mixed drink, one cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice in the morning, water any other time. DH same except a couple of craft beers per day, several glasses of wine (most likely exceeding the $17 limit) perhaps 3 mixed drinks per day. Do you think that the premium drink package for both of us will allow Celebrity to feel as though they have “been made whole?” I ask this only with regard to the rule that both parties in the same cabin must have the same package, regardless of drinking habits. Do you believe that Celebrity Cruises (aka RCCL) feels satisfied? (also, would this be considered a poll?…sorry. It’s New Years Eve.)

WOW! Just Wow!

Last time I was in a Sky Suite (11 years ago) we had a butler. We really didn’t take advantage of his services very much. He brought breakfast once and very neatly set the table on our Verandah. We didn’t care for the coffee at all, so thereafter I ran down to Cafe al bacio each morning while DH got dressed and brought back two cups of coffee we liked. Other than that, we skipped breakfast each morning. I did hand my butler a list on embarkation day of restaurant and hair salon appointments I was requesting he make for me and a request to see if he could arrange for a bridge tour during our sailing. I asked for ice twice a day. I asked for the mini fridge to be cleaned out. After that first day (and the one breakfast on the Verandah), we really didn’t need him for anything else. From reading this thread, it sounds like on our upcoming transatlantic retirement celebration cruise on Equinox in 2025 (if the world is still turning by then 🤪), and depending on this particular crew and staff, I will be navigating the reservation process on my own and I will need to specifically call the “retreated” staff for ice. For reservations, I think there is an app I can use (?) to make at least the restaurant reservations. Not sure about the method for salon appointments. I won’t be taking advantage of room service (I don’t think I will, anyway) because that is usually a disappointing experience either from a service or quality standpoint. So it should never be equated with the butler service IMHO. Terrydtx has taken some ribbing for actually using the services of the butler perk that he paid for when he purchased his cruise fare. I say kudos to him and it is up to the cruise line to provide adequate staffing to fulfill the promises made when making the sale. We book the sky suite for the extra room and a few of the extra perks like the drink package and then pretty much go the way of the majority of the other passengers. Our booking had $50 OBC and we prepaid the gratuities. I know we will have a fabulous time, and that I will gain a few pounds, and make some new friends along the way. And on that last night on the ship I will be a little blue knowing the journey has come to an end.

Thank you. I’ll give this a try.

Sometimes when people have a disproportionate reaction to something that upsets them, its because there is something "else" that is really bugging them. The something "else" in this case might have more to do with the overall cost of the Sky Suite itself. The trigger of the disproportionate reaction would be compounded by a sense of diminished value when comparing the cost of the Sky Suites today to when they included the Butler service. In other words, I think there is probably something more than just the lack of the butler going on here. One could spend a little too much time reading Cruise Critic and find all kinds of reinforcement to the notion that they have been "cheated". That being said, I do think that Celebrity could dull the sting a bit if they removed from their website and promotional material any mention of the Sky Suite experience including anything that could be mistaken for a butler. To leave it on there means they intend for you to think you have access to a butler and that he (or she) is going to unpack your clothes for you (will the Retreat host do this?) make your dinner reservations (same question), restock your mini fridge every day (do they if you are in a Sky Suite?). Moments ago, I double checked the website and it clearly says " All our suites on Celebrity Beyond feature fresh color palettes and design details by Kelly Hoppen. As always, you’ll enjoy a butler, so you never have to lift a finger" Celebrity wants you to think that the Sky Suites are just a smaller Suite with all the same benefits, but in fact, they are not. This just sets people up to be disappointed. Why would Celebrity want to do that? Is it really worth it? Or is it just too complicated to make a new category for Sky Suite perks? A lot of people would still pay the higher price for a larger room. Some people probably wouldn't. Are they afraid they might have to lower the price of the Sky Suites if they bill it as just a larger room with privileges like the Retreat Lounge and deck, premium drink package, and Luminae as your dining room? It wouldn't change my mind about booking a Sky Suite. I don't care about a butler. But I do like all those other perks. Years ago I stayed in a Grand Suite on RCCL and with it came the Concierge lounge. This lounge was open to all Suite Guests and inside the Concierge Lounge was a Concierge. He was a very nice fellow, but he didn't do much. He was kind of like an information desk, tucked away in a windowless room where I could get a drink and a snack. But my expectations had not been that he would be much more than that. So it was fine. There is something to be said with "managing expectations". And by the way Future Cruise Credits are kind of insulting unless you are the kind of cruiser that cruises often. For those of us that do not cruise often at all....it's like saying "Oh...too bad, so sad. Here let me sell you something else".

Does anyone have access to a price list and descriptions of available spa treatments on Equinox?

We have only been on one Celebrity cruise (Silhouette) and it was fantastic. That was nearly 11 years ago. We booked the same cabin number (a Sky Suite) on her sister ship, Equinox for Spring 2025 Transatlantic. The price for this cruise is about 2 and a half times the first cruise. We already know that we won't have a butler this time, and that is fine as we don't really need one. We got the suite for the room size and there was nothing larger that is handicap accessible. We have prepaid tips (with full faith that the service will be very good), and will tip additional if service is exceptional. Last time we purchased the premium drink package, this time it is included. Last cruise was 7 days, this one will be 16 days. I am okay with being charged an additional $2 plus gratuity for an occasional glass of wine and who knows, maybe even on the cocktails we order. I figure it can't add up to more than a few hundred dollars even if we do nothing but drink all day and that every drink we had exceeded the $17 limit. I do draw the line at paying extra for a cookie!🙀 and would probably just decline. I agree that the nickel and diming is really annoying and doesn't lend itself to the pampered feeling that cruising typically provides. But I am not going to let it ruin my vacation. I have already decided that I am not cruising on a budget and I am just going to go with the flow. Maybe if Celebrity offered a package that was named "All Inclusive" and made it truly "All Inclusive", it would be worth it to some people to purchase it up front and not be disappointed by incurring ANY additional charges. Our return trip is on the QM2. We are booked in a preferred balcony room, 7 nights, complementary gratuities, no drink package yet. The price is just a little under half the price of the Celebrity Cruise. Just for comparisons sake.

I am a very light alcohol consumer. My husband really enjoys good alcoholic cocktails and will not be shy about ordering what he wants. We will probably order a bottle of wine with dinner a couple of nights (and take what we don't consume back to our cabin), and I "might" have a ridiculously garnished cocktail once or twice during our cruise or a glass of wine here or there. Since both adults in the same cabin must have identical packages, and since the bottles of wine wouldn't be covered anyway, I think it makes sense for us to purchase the premium soft drink packages and then pay as we go for alcoholic beverages.

Thank you all for this helpful information.

We want to buy on the ship and take to our suite.

We are going to be in a sky suite for a 2 week transatlantic. I have a few questions about having bottles of wine in our suite. I have read on these boards that we will be permitted to bring one bottle each on board. Question #1 - is that limitation the same for cruises longer than 7 days? Question #2 - I think on our last cruise (10 years ago), our cats surprised us with a couple bottles that were waiting for us in our suite on embarkation day. 😺. Can we (they) still do that? Question #3 - Can we buy a bottle of wine once on the ship and bring it back to our suite?

It's been a looonnng time ago, but Murano and Tuscan have both been around THAT long. Tuscan is my vote. Not just for the excellent food, but the views as well. I think Murano had them beat for service, but really, just by a hair. The food was superior to Murano a looooonnnng time ago.

Ooops. I have seen some of the beautiful dresses you wife sports, however!

For me (and I am just speaking for me), the green dress alone does looks more like a modern dress to go dancing or to a cocktail party or restaurant. The shorter red dress with or without the headgear looks more like a theme outfit and I personally would not want to wear it to a venue where that theme was not in play for the evening. The gown at the bottom looks like a gown that would be suitable for a non-theme gala cruise event, and with added accessories could become a roaring 20's theme gown. Your wife is the perfect model for both of those dresses and they look like they were made for her.

No, unfortunately no photos. I remember people lining up for formal night photos and we skipped it. All I have of the original fabric was some neat little, tight elastic ponytail tubes the seamstress made from the same material. I am tall too and now a lot older and nowhere near as daring as I was back then. I guess that is why memories are so precious.

On my 3rd cruise (roughly 20 years ago) I could not find a single formal gown that “spoke“ to me. So I went to a fabric shop and bought some material that was just magical. I have never seen fabric like it since. I hired a seamstress and described a dress I dreamed of. She expertly created my vision. The material was a thin, vertically ribbed material with silver threads that clung to my body and shimmered all the colors of the rainbow when I moved. The front was straight across from shoulder to shoulder and plunged in a wide, deep V in the back and snapped with a small silver Lemay bow at the small of my back. It was form fitting and I never felt more beautiful than when I wore that dress. Sadly, when I returned home, I carefully took the dress to the dry cleaners to be cleaned, where they put that delicate fabric into the pressing machine and returned to me a colorless and completely transparent ghost of that dress’s former magnificence (DOH!).. At least I had the one night.

I do the full strength Keratin treatment a couple of times a year from the salon that colors my hair (appointments are very hard to get and have to be scheduled months in advance), and then in between I get the express treatment, also about twice a year from a local salon where I just get my hair washed and styled. I have kinky, curly, frizzy, color treated hair. Both treatments definitely make my hair more manageable and less frizzy. I plan to have a full strength treatment before my next cruise. I will be spending six weeks in Europe before sailing back to the states. I hope I can find a salon to provide a color and keratin touch up at some point during my European traveling.

Yeah, like they bought Seaborn and Cunard.

I get it. Wanting to get into the spirit of things, I was looking at dresses that might have been fun for a roaring 20’s theme, but I fear would look foolish any other time. I am glad I read this thread. I will just shop for nice dresses instead. Either way will be fun, but it is helpful to know what my fellow passengers will be wearing.