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hrmkr

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    Shuttle needed from FLL to Miami hotel and then from Port of Miami back to FLL

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    On 5/1/2024 at 10:46 PM, capriccio said:

    Some additional information would help people make recommendations:

     

    • How many passengers?
    • When are your traveling?
    • Budget (in dollars)?
    • What time do you arrive in FLL?  Hotels are cheaper in Fort Lauderdale than Miami so if arriving late in the day with no Miami specific plans for the late afternoon and evening, you could save money by getting a hotel in Fort Lauderdale and traveling directly to Port Miami the next day.

    Sorry for not responding sooner.  We are cruising with other people but for now, it would be just for 2 of us. Jan 10, 2025. Not looking to break the bank but don't want someone that is cheap and unreliable.  I guess paying the going rate.  We arrive in FLL at 11:30 AM

    Nightly shows on the Equinox?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 1/25/2024 at 3:30 PM, phoenix_dream said:

    Onboard now. It's been a little different this sailing as they have a new production show staff who just joined. They did Life earlier and tonight I think is the Broadway show ( forget the exact name). We were hoping for Topper but nothing yet. On this cruise they have only updated the app the day before or even day of. We've had a lot of guest entertainment,  mostly very good- more than usual I suspect to fill the gap while the new staff gets fully acclimated 

    What was the guest entertainment?  

    Celebrity Equinox cruise review (1/27-2/5/24 Sailing)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by hrmkr
    typo

    Was the ship really that bad later in the evening with no activity? We are looking for things to do after going to the show in the evening.  Is the activity primarily at the Sky bar at night?  First time on Celebrity.  We have been on Carnival, Royal and NCL where there is a piano bar, sing along bar and just a bar with someone playing music (80's, or classic rock).  Anything like that onboard?

     

    How was the entertainment other than the shows?  What type of music was being palyed at the different bars?

    Slot Pull question

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I am organinzing a slot pull on our cruise on the Equinox at the end of Feb.

     

    I know that I want to talk to the Casino Host to get things organized and scheduled.  Also, hoping that they can maybe give a few prizes.

     

    Does anyone know if there is a way to get in contact with the Casino Host before boarding the ship to make the needed arrangements?  If not, I guess I will just make all the plans (date/time) and go talk to them on the first day onboard.

     

    Thanks

    • Like 1

    Recently off Equinox, Dec 19th-24th 2023. What did we think? Come inside. (long)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    The Fun Researcher, thank you for the detailed review.

     

    For the evening entertainment, what was there to do after going to the show?  Were there many venues that were open to go listen to music other than the Sky Lounge with a DJ? 

     

    What type of music was being played throughout the ship?  Rock, Jazz, Classical, etc?

     

    In what way was it "sleepy".  Did it completely die at night?

     

    Thanks

     

    Hotels that will hold your luggage near Port Everglades

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    We are flying into FLL the day before our cruise in late Feb.  We arrive around 9:00 AM.  Trying to find a hotel (near the beach) that will hold our luggage.  We want to drop off our luggage and hang out on the beach before we can get into the Airbnb we are renting later in the afternoon.

     

    I know down in Hollywood that Margarittaville will hold luggage as long as you are spending some money at the resort (buy lunch or drinks)

     

    Any hotels maybe closer to the cruiseport ?

    First time sailing on Celebrity- Specialty dining question on Equinox

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 12/17/2023 at 2:30 PM, kathynorth said:

    We've enjoyed all 3 of these specialty restaurants on various S class ships. We're cruising on Equinox this Feb and have purchased a specialty dining package. My favorite is Murano, especially the lobster cooked tableside. 2nd is Tuscan, as others mentioned nice view if you like eating early. 3rd is Petit Chef. If you like the dinner show aspect, although with limited menu choices, then I'd move Petit Chef up the list. 

    We will also be on the Equinox in Feb. We are sailing on the 24th.  You?

    • Like 1

    Type of entertainment on the Equinox

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 12/20/2023 at 11:21 PM, markeb said:

    There are no “Broadway type shows”. There are two primary production shows that are a mix of music and aerobatics. There are typically comedians and other musical performers. 
     

    The ship has several venues with live music. Expect a rock band (sort of), a string duet or trio, and a couple of wild cards. Sets are 45 minutes, which is kind of choppy when they’re good. There will probably be a silent disco (more fun than you might think) and a DJ. The grand foyer will go until about 11:00, then things will shift upstairs. Any given night will be different, as will any given cruise. 

    What type of entertainment is going on in the grand foyer until 11:00?

    Type of entertainment on the Equinox

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    We are sailing on the Equinox in a few months.,  First time on Celebrity. We have sailed on Carnival, NCL and Royal.

     

    I wanted to see if someone that has recently been on the Equinox can tell me about the night entertainment that is offered.

     

    For example, what was the Broadway type show offered (if any) and how was it.  Are there comedians, magicians, etc.  What type of music is available to go listen to?  Anything else that is offered primarily after dinner.  I know every cruise is different but does the ship die down in the evenings? 

     

    Thanks for your input.

    Review of Equinox and Retreat from infrequent cruisers

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 10/27/2023 at 11:59 AM, lukaaj12 said:

    Hi all! This board has been so helpful as I planned a big cruise for the first time in awhile, so I wanted to repay all of the kindness, tips, and tricks I learned and provide a review of our cruise.  We had an amazing experience overall, with just one complaint really about the butler changes, that I'll explain further below.

     

    My husband and I were on the 10/14 ABC islands sailing on Equinox.  We are mid-thirties, and this was our 3rd cruise together, 2nd on Celebrity, but we haven't cruised since 2017 (having kids and a pandemic got in the way for a bit).  This was my 12th cruise overall, having cruised quite a bit with my family growing up.  My first cruise ever was the Celebrity Century sometime in the late 1990s and I've always liked the product/brand so we have stuck with it and my husband basically loves everything about cruising.

     

    We decided to splurge for our first kid-free trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and booked a corner sunset veranda Sky Suite.  We booked about 18 months in advance, before some of these crazy price hikes went into effect, and took advantage through our TA with some price drops, so ultimately I feel like what we paid with the perks included was around the same if not less than if we had a regular veranda and had to purchase drink package/internet separately.  I was initially indifferent about the Retreat areas but my parents were on the Beyond in Retreat about a month before us so gave us a good idea of what to expect, although I knew we were on an older ship with not quite the same areas, but was looking forward to it nonetheless.  Lots of posts on here throughout the summer and fall had me worried about the level of service, food, and ship, but honestly we couldn't have been more impressed.

     

    Since this was our first trip without the kiddos (we had 2 in 2 years during the pandemic!!) we picked this itinerary to have more sea days for relaxation, as well as explore the ABC islands which were new to both of us (requirement by my husband since I've traveled much more than he has).  We almost exclusively hung out in Retreat areas just for smaller crowds and more attention by staff, which was surprising to me as I didn't think we'd use the areas so much.  The Sundeck was fantastic although the drink service was a little slow as they only had one worker get drinks and no bar up there, we'd sometimes pop down to the Mast Bar to grab things ourselves which was no big deal.  We ate lunch out there most days and found the food to be very fresh and served hot.  But overall we preferred the quieter vibe of the sundeck over the pool decks which got quite crowded and a bit rowdy throughout the sea days.

     

    Our cabin (#1666) was HUGE, much bigger than I was expecting, not sure if it was larger than a typical Sky Suite because it was the corner or not.  It was great to have a large porthole side window, and the balcony was large enough for 2 loungers (we had to request the second one) and a table/chairs, although we didn't spend a ton of time on the balcony.  I found the bed to be quite comfortable and our room attendant/Retreat Host was happy to give us some extra pillows.  Everything in the bathroom was spotless and worked great, although the rainfall shower head was surprisingly short over the tub and my 6" husband had to duck to fit underneath!

     

    We typically ate breakfast in the OVC which was fine, albeit very crowded but tons of options and we didn't tire from it.  We ate all dinners but one in Luminae and were blown away by the staff.  We had the most excellent waiter, assistant waiter, and sommelier who really took care of us and made us feel at home the entire week.  If you're going on the Equinox soon and eating in Luminae, ask for Vinod and Sajo!  I am a bit of a picky eater and Vinod had learned my preferences by the second night and would bring me different menus from Blu or the main dining room if he felt like I wouldn't like the Luminae menu, and he really took care of us.  Food was fantastic, really no complaints.  To be honest, I was expecting a lot more sad steamed vegetables and ice cream scoops of mashed potatoes than I had, but we didn't eat in the main dining room so cannot speak to the quality there.

     

    I thought the ship was in great shape, some of the carpets were worn and the public bathroom sinks had some buildup, but I know Equinox is going into dry dock soon so I'm sure those will be addressed.  I had read so many negative things about the ship, I really tried to meter my expectations but honestly was quite blown away and impressed with almost every aspect of our 8 day cruise.

     

    The only thing that didn't work out for us was this Sky Suite butler team.  I read extensively about it through CC posts, and knew what to expect.  We had a card in our room for a Head Butler John, who we never met once during the cruise.  The Retreat Lounge had 2 concierges for all suite guests, Gazelle and Ian who was absolutely fantastic and so accommodating to any request we had.  Our Retreat Host/room attendant Efren was equally wonderful, and was sure to point out different perks and things we got as suite guests (like to disregard the room service charges, etc).  We had called the Head Butler once or twice to assist with a few things, and while he would always answer the phone, he'd tell us to reach out to someone else, or let us know we'd be getting a call to follow up, but there was never anything further.  We leaned on our host and the two concierges who were able to handle everything we needed (nothing major, just some room service orders, and a spa appointment), so we just didn't bother with John after that.  In all it was an annoyance, but there were others to pick up his slack and it didn't detract from the cruise whatsoever.

     

    I love live music and was looking forward to grabbing drinks in various lounges and bars, but I wasn't a big fan of any of the entertainment groups that were on the Equinox.  Plenty talented, just not my personal preference, so we skipped most of that and only went to one of the production shows, which I also wasn't that impressed with.  This was quite different than our 2017 Med cruise on the Reflection where there were multiple musicians we loved and saw alot of throughout the cruise, so just a small disappointment.

     

    We used OBC for 2 different shore excursions.  I'd typically prefer to plan my own adventure but we had received quite a bit of credit, and the excursions were great.  A bit like herding cats in the beginning but well-executed and easy to get off the ship and onto the adventure.  We did a boat/snorkling excursion in Curacao and a kayak/beach snorkle in Bonaire.  We did our own thing in Aruba, heading over to Renaissance Island for the day which included lunch and massages for a flat rate fee (tip I picked up from someone on here- thank you!)

     

    In all, it was a fantastic cruise, everything we were hoping for to celebrate our anniversary and explore some new islands.  I was a bit nervous about the state of the Equinox based on reviews here, but those were completely unfounded.  I do acknowledge that I'm probably not the typical Celebrity cruiser, and I do cruise infrequently, but the brand has held up to me throughout the years and I will cruise on Celebrity again in the future.  It will be very hard to go back to a "regular" cabin after being completely spoiled in the Retreat!

     

     

    Can you please describe the different types of entertainment on the ship (shows, musicians-type of music played), etc..?

    Fort Lauderdale hotels maybe a little away from the cruise port

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    49 minutes ago, FOPMan said:

    Fort Lauderdale's airport and Port Everglades are adjacent to each other (the cruise port is northeast of the airport, Dania is south of the airport).

     

    Dania beach has somewhat limited public beach access, outside of the state park (Its a perfectly lovely state park. I've spent hundreds if not a thousand or more hours there- my father used to work at facilities only accessible by road through the park)

     

    Quarterdeck, at the east end of Dania Beach Boulevard, at the Dania pier, is highly reliable, pretty reasonable, and dining at the ocean's edge.  

    Any recommendations for hotels in Dania?

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