Celebrity Equinox Cruise Before Irma

We were on the Presidents Easter Caribbean cruise the week before Irma caused so much devastation. I have tried to cover all the relevant points and tried to answer a lot of the questions that have been raised on the CC forum over the last few weeks.

We are a couple who enjoy our own company and have no great desire to build relationships with other passengers. We had a Concierge booking and were given $300 OBC and Classic drinks package by Celebrity.

We arrived in Miami from London on the Saturday evening and spent the night at the Sheraton hotel at the airport. Got a Uber for the first time from the hotel to the port at 10.30 on the Sunday morning. It was painless and the car arrived within 5 minutes. Embarkation was no problem and we were on the ship by 11.15. I brought on my two bottles of wine along with four cans of Coke and four cans of 7-up with no questions asked.

We walked the ship for a short time then went to the MDR for the Concierge lunch. This was excellent with a choice of three starters, four entrees and three sweets.

Cabins were ready at 1.00pm. The Concierge bottle of sparkling wine was in the fridge with footstools on the balcony. There was plenty of cupboard space in the cabin and toilet but shelf space in the toilet was limited, you had to hold your toilet bag while searching for items and had to put it back in the cupboard rather than sit it on the shelf.

We had Select Dining mainly to get a table for two at dinner time. After the lunch, we went to MDR on Deck 4 and identified an ideal table with the privacy we were looking for. We asked a waiter who introduced us to Maria who looks after Select Dining in MDR on Deck 4. She was very helpful although told us that many couples were interested in that table but she would do what she could. She did get it sorted and she managed to get the table times sorted to allow three couples to use the table every evening during the dining times. We had excellent waiters and bar staff and they gave us great advice on the food and upcoming ports.

The quality of food in MDR was good, the choices were limited and on some occasions we had to take the standard chicken, salmon or steak which was available every night. I can understand why some cruisers go to the Speciality restaurants as the choice was limited on some evenings.

The dress code for evening chic was really flexible. Some men had tux or dinner suit but most had open neck button up dress shirt, long or short sleeved. Ladies wore absolutely anything within reason.

The choice of food at breakfast and lunch in the buffet was excellent, on all occasions there were many dishes that you really wanted to try but it was impossible to try everything. I would find it surprising if everyone could not get what they wanted in the buffet.

Café al Baccio was great for a coffee and a pastry, one issue was that if you wanted it “to go” you queued at the counter and if you wanted to sit in the café you had to take a seat and be served by a waiter. Unfortunately there was always a queue at the counter so you either had to wait at your table for 10 to 15 minutes for service or you went up to the counter and ordered your choice.

The ice cream at Café al Baccio was not any better than the buffet, not worth the $ if you don’t have it included in your package.

The Concierge canapes were delivered every day to the cabin around 4.00 and were varied and mostly appetising.

There were plenty of sunbeds throughout the ship including many in the shade.

We had the Classic drinks package which was great for us, the choices were fine and we didn’t have a problem finding drinks that were included. There was no problem getting cans of soda, I asked at every bar on the ship for cans of Coke and Sprite and was never refused. If you didn’t ask for cans they used soda from 500ml bottles which was fine as they were finished pretty quickly and all drinks were fresh. I never saw a soda fountain being used anywhere on the ship.

I used $100 of the OBC in the casino, you visited the cashier and they give you promotional chips that could be used at the tables but could not be cashed in however all winnings at the table were paid in normal chips so very quickly you were out of the promotional chips and had normal ones. I played blackjack and within 30 minutes I had used all my promotional chips and had $100 of normal chips. Unfortunately one hour later the dealer had all of my chips.

It was great to visit a casino with no smokescreen to negotiate, I visited a few times to support a smoke free casino. This seemed to be a popular decision as the tables and slots were really busy most nights.

The entertainment was good, the ships team of singers and dancers were great especially when they performed well known songs. They were also great at the discos around the ship.

Details of the ports visited:

Puerto Rico – Just got off the ship and walked around the shops. Not a great deal to see and were back on the ship for lunch. There were trips available but we just wanted to do our own thing and then get back on the ship.

St Thomas - The transport at St Thomas was perfect, 10-seater shuttle taxis were right outside the port and just filled up and took the 10 minute journey to the market for $4. The market was nothing greta but the shops were only a 2-minute walk. There is only one street and the shuttle taxis drive along it all day stopping every few yards asking if you want to return to the ship. Very convenient.

St Maarten – Took a private taxi for $65 which took us to Mullet Bay for one hour to walk the beach get some photos and watch the planes from a distance. Then went to Maho beach. Spent an hour walking the shops just up from the beach then returned just as the big planes were landing. It was an amazing sight, we watched a few planes then got the driver to take us to Front Street for some shopping, after that we got the water taxi back to the ship.

Dominican Republic – This was the first ship to stop at Punta Cana and having done some pre-work we decided to stay on the ship. Talking to everyone including the staff when they came back it was the right decision. There was a 20-minute tender journey each way with nothing in the centre and the taxi drivers were charging extortionate fares. A few of the staff told me that it will difficult for the cruise lines to continue to visit this port.

Bahamas – Beautiful arrival with views all around, three other ships in port at the same time. We walked around the market and bought a few gifts then walked along the shops in the main street. Nassau was a nice stop and it was great to see the other ships and the massive hotels in the distance.

After the cruise the food experience anywhere was going to be a disappointment and this was really evident when we arrived at Miami airport for departure. The choice and quality at Miami airport was the worst I have experienced in 30 years of travelling. Believe it or not the only food we could eat was the fries in Burger King. Why they can’t have a restaurant that serves good food is beyond me.

After leaving the ship we booked a day use at the Marseilles Hotel at Miami Beach for $85. It was the perfect location and the staff and room were great. We spent the day walking the beach, shops and restaurants and then back to the hotel for a shower and then dressed for the airport.

Overall it was a great cruise, the ship and the staff are first class, I would have no hesitation in returning to Celebrity. The Guest Relations desk was the quietest that I have ever seen, that tells you everything that you need to know about the ship and the staff.

Let me know of any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

"The ice cream at Café al Baccio was not any better than the buffet, not worth the $ if you don’t have it included in your package."

One small note -- AFAIK the gelato is not included in any package. There is one coffee drink you may be able to order which includes some gelato, but scoops or cones are not included in packages. (Certain Captain's Club members get one scoop free but that is due to loyalty, not any package)

can you tell me who the entertainment was (band wise and music wise)

Thank you for the review

Thank you for your review of Equinox.

Nice review, thanks!:) We were on that cruise also, reading your comments brought back some pleasant memories.

It is sad though, to see the damage and destruction Irma brought to islands we had just visited. We spent our day at St. Maarten on Orient Beach. The pictures I've seen since Irma are horrifying.:o

Sherri:)

Thanks for taking the time to share about your vacation.

The entertainment was pretty varied and on the whole at a good standard.

The resident bands were Dancing Town and Up & Up. Each of them consisted of varied musicians with girl singers, they played different music, mainly favourites from the 60's through to present day. They both appeared at least once a day at the various bars and many passengers danced along to them. Both bands were good and worth sitting at the bars listening to even if you didn't get involved in the dancing.

The cruise singers and dancers were excellent, they performed a few large production shows in the theatre which were pretty good. We really enjoyed the Celebrity Rox which took place in the main foyer, the entertainers really excelled there and put on a great show with many people dancing. We also liked the Broadway Cabaret where they sung songs from the most popular musicals.

Four Seasons tribute band December '63 performed on the main theater one night and at the pool the next night, they were excellent with top quality singers.

Other acts in the main theatre comedians Rich Aronovitch and Ralph Harris who were funny and handled a heckler well.

Magician Chris Funk also performed in the main theatre and some his tricks were incredible, he also was a good entertainer.

There was also a solo guitarist and a singer/guitarist, both of these performed in the smaller venues and from what we seen were very good.

The DJ also kept things going when the bands finished their gig, we particularly enjoyed the 80's disco music after Celebrity Rox. Some of this music we had not heard for 30 years and it was a marvellous night.

I think that this covers all of the entertainment, apologies if I missed anyone. In general we enjoyed the entertainment, some was more professional than others but really could not complain about any of it.

It is interesting to "meet" another couple that likes their own company. I am always surprised by all the social people who get together for everything. I like to be with DH and watch the world.

We usually get a table for two, and invariably get to know the people around us quite well, but that is the limit of my socializing.

Sounds exactly like us, great to watch the world go and do our own thing. We really enjoy getting to know our waiters, bar staff and cabin attendants where we can have a good conversation then get on with our own interests.

Also do admire people who like to get involved in everything, there has to be a place for all types. Cruise life is probably more suited to the social type but we find enough time for ourselves to really enjoy our vacation.