Is Equinox an OK ship for an RCL cruiser's first celebrity ship

We are Experienced cruiser 's on several lines and have just reached diamond status on RCL, we have seen a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise on Equinox in 2019 that we would quite like to book and wondered if this would be a good choice of ship for a first timers outing on Celebrity. We are being offered a balcony cabin on deck 6, is this deck OK, 6210, which states an obstructed balcony, and we wondered how obstructed it is and also is it above anything bothersome? TIA

Nothing wrong with the Solstice class ships. We have done the Eclipse a few times out of Southampton and had no problems at all...great ship. Looks like the obstructed view is due to you being just above the lifeboats and the one under and slightly in front of you is a tender, so its a bit bigger. Great location on the front of the hump otherwise, but I don't think the obstruction is a 'deal breaker'. If you look at this photo https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/cabinpics/64/reg/968761385328125.jpg your cabin looks like it is level with the back of the last tender, but its not. Also, you have the big white box (crew escape system) just under you.

Simon

We just sailed on the Equinox a month ago. It was our first Celebrity ship. We loved it. But we've been on 3 Royal Caribbean, 1 Princess, 1 NCL, 2 MSC, and really have loved them all.

Can't address the cabin as we were on a much higher deck. One thing I do remember is we really enjoyed the Buffet for lunch and breakfast. I felt it was set up in a way that long lines did not form and we never had trouble finding a window table either.

The hot glass show was interesting to watch along with all the entertainment.

When trying Celebrity, the Solstice class is probably the better choice. For some they are the nicest ships around.

We love them.

However, the general ambiance is a bit more laid back than on RCL (we also were RCL cruisers before).

The emphasis on Celebrity ships, especially compared to the larger Royal ships, is more on a loungy, comfortable "modern luxury" feeling than on all the wow factor gimmicks that Royal offers. I describe it as more "grown up".

In case you like to know more about the Solstice class, you might like our in depth look on Reflection (a bit different than Equinox): http://travellove.one/Ships/Celebrity-Reflection/celebrity-reflection.html

If you YouTube videos of the ship you can get a better idea of the obstruction with that cabin. It wouldn’t be my ideal choice but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker either.

The S class ships are wonderful. After several RCL cruises we find that we like Celebrity a lot more.

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We loved the 10 day Equinox this past September! Personally if I was looking at a balcony cabin I wouldn't get the obstructed one. On the other hand, when we went in September it was too hot to use the balcony. We spent the majority of our time at the Solarium.

I hope its a great ship for a first experience with Celebrity as I will be on this ship in January after 10 cruises on Royal. Everything I have read and heard so far seems positive.

We've sailed numerous times across several different lines, including RCCL. We've sailed 4 times on the Equinox and even occupied cabin 6210 once (6240, which is on the opposite side of the hump once, as well).

We love the S-class ships and the service on the Equinox is excellent, for the most part. We recently sailed on the Explorer of the Seas, which is an older ship, but never have I sailed on a more beautiful or better maintained ship in all my cruises. I also loved the entertainment on RCCL. However, the food and lines, lines and even longer lines for everything sent me back to Celebrity and Princess. I did experience long lines in the MDR on the Equinox last month, but that was an anomaly.

I love the lawn up on the top deck of the Equinox ... and their indoor pool area is so wonderful. It is a much more subdued experience on Celebrity with an older demographic (mostly couples in the 50's and 60's and very few families with kids) ... at least on the cruises in which I've sailed. It is right up my alley, but others may like more activities scheduled or a more kid friendly environment.

Don't forget that you can enjoy the benefits of reciprocal status of RCCL on Celebrity. So, with some restrictions, you should be able to take advantage of a one category upgrade without charge (2D to 2C) if you are worried about obstruction from your veranda. 2C still have obstruction but not as much as you would find on 2D. Most, not all, 2D cabins have the top of the tender boats to the railing of your balcony, whereas in the 2C cabins, the lifeboats are level with the flooring of the veranda. In either, you can see straight out but just not directly down onto the water.

With that being said, 6210 is a great cabin choice, though. You will have some deck 5 below but can see straight out. The location on deck 6 is my favorite ... it is so convenient to everything. You are located near the stairs / elevators as well without being bothered by the noise that can sometimes affect these areas. However, Celebrity's S-class ships do a pretty great job with soundproofing once your door to your cabin is closed. We've even stayed in 6218 on the hump before, which is right across from the iLounge, and loved that location as well. The great thing about 6210 is that the balcony is huge but the obstruction is minimal.

Now, if you are not bothered by white noise, 6240 is even a better option if you ask me. I have been on the forward end of the hump and these verandas do catch the wind a little more than the ones on the aft. It might be preferable, though, in the hotter climates. I had 6240 in Alaska and 6210 in the Caribbean, so both were probably the perfect cabins for the itineraries ... and both have huge balconies. If you find one of those two that are available, nab it!! 6240 worked out even a little better for us as there was an audible white noise in the cabin, strongest in the bathroom, somewhat minimal in the sleeping area and non-existant on the balcony. You can even hear it in the hallway outside this room and a bit down the hall. It must be something from fans or engines below. We loved it as it lulled us to sleep. Not everybody does like white noise, though so will let you use that as your guide. Either way, that is why I mentioned the one category upgrade that is available to you as a Captain's Club member (transferred from RCCL).

Our most recent sailing on the Equinox was all the way aft on the port side. I love those cabins as they are super quiet but next time, I would book on the starboard side. I thought we were far enough back from the smoking area but it still wafted back to our balcony is someone was smoking below on deck 5. There is no smoking allowed on the starboard side of deck 5, though. Those aft cabins are also considered to be obstructed but not by lifeboats or tenders. The balconies are also quite large (not as large as 6210 or 6240, though) and have the awning from the specialty restaurants on the other side of your balcony. So, it is more like an extended balcony that you can't use but it gives the sense of even more roominess. It didn't bother me in the very least. I might even say I preferred it as I am not fond of heights so this just gave me more of a sense of security. Some people aren't really fond of them while others love them. I am in the latter group. If 6240 was available, though ... I would have jumped on it! And, to answer your question, 6210 is pretty much right above Cafe Al Bacio ... absolutely no noise!

If you have any further questions on those particular staterooms, feel free to ask and I will be more than happy to provide any answers I can based on my experience.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to me and wow Cruise Raider you have provided me with excellent information.

I just need to convince my partner we need another cruise in our lives, as we had said we would take a couple years of land trips over cruises, but I am ready to pull the trigger.

Thanks again all.

I hope its a great ship for a first experience with Celebrity as I will be on this ship in January after 10 cruises on Royal. Everything I have read and heard so far seems positive.

I think you will love it! We did an 11 night Equinox in Jan/Feb, for the itinerary, after 11 cruises on Royal and we were blown away. It was such a wonderful cruise that we have booked 2018, 2019 and 2020 on Celebrity .

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to me and wow Cruise Raider you have provided me with excellent information.

 

I just need to convince my partner we need another cruise in our lives, as we had said we would take a couple years of land trips over cruises, but I am ready to pull the trigger.

 

Thanks again all.

No matter what you decide to do ... have a great time!

As someone who has only sailed RCI and Celebrity (see ships in my signature), I think the Equinox is an excellent choice- it has one of the widest varieties of restaurants and bars (we really enjoyed Crush- the frozen drink bar, and will miss it on our upcoming Reflection cruise), as well as the Hot Glass show by Corning.

We wanted a slightly more laid back atmosphere than RCI, tried Celebrity, and haven't gone back. Having the drink package included has been a big incentive.The food on last year's Equinox was really good, though I miss the menus that they had when we first started cruising on Celebrity. On the whole, we find the food much better on Celebrity.

We used to find the service on Celebrity very formal and and the crew a little stiff but they have lightened up in recent years and we have really enjoyed getting to know the servers, bartenders, and stewards.

We haven't found the entertainment as good, so we don't go to many shows. But we do like the live music that can be found at various bars and the silent disco was fun. We also miss a few of the activities, like the mini golf, but the ships are less crowded and that is enjoyable.

Personally, I wouldn't love a balcony on deck 6, since you can see the lifeboats obstruct your view of the water (we usually book on 8) but a balcony is better than no balcony, right? :D

Pull the trigger and enjoy!

Cheers,