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Review of Equinox Cruise 6 August 2010

Januarysent

By Januarysent,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Januarysent

Januarysent

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*Assuming* was my addition based on your words...

 

 

 

That is the assumption. Tipping is more about appreciation of service provided and not feeling that you are better then another. I know anyone who pulls over-packed bags on and off a bus or has to be responsible for a group of people with their own agenda's, they deserve the small token of appreciation. Just my opinion. But I am a bleeding heart conservative liberal. LOL

 

One more time. Don't add words. Not the meaning and not the intention. This review was for the benefit of first time cruisers to make their own decisions, not for agenda pushing.

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Januarysent

Januarysent

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Thank you very much, "Januarysent."

I hope that you will be willing to post your review in the "Members' Reviews" section of the CruiseCritic site:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=382

 

I'm sure that I am not the only member who would appreciate being able to access it there, as soon as possible. Thank you.

 

Already on there in a briefer format. I am really happy that you found it useful.

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C 2 C

C 2 C

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Posted

Thank you for posting a well written and detailed report. We cruised on Equinox in January and met some wonderful staff members. Would you be able to post the names of the senior officers on board?

 

Captain:

Hotel Director:

Cruise Director:

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Januarysent

Januarysent

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Thank you for posting a well written and detailed report. We cruised on Equinox in January and met some wonderful staff members. Would you be able to post the names of the senior officers on board?

 

Captain: Michael Karatzas

Hotel Director: Raffaele Bernardini

Cruise Director:

 

 

Captain: Michael Karatzas

Hotel Director: Raffaele Bernardini

Cruise Director: Dru Pavlov

 

I hope you enjoyed your cruise as much as we did.

 

I am sure I will choose to cruise again based on this first one, and I would be happy if it were with Celebrity. I had wanted to include Egypt and Israel in our itinerary, but the dates Celebrity had to offer did not tally well with school/exams/picking up certificates. The problems is, taking a cruise that does include them in the future will probably mean revisiting some of the same ports, but, at present, I feel that I would rather visit somewhere new. I enjoyed the Equinox so much that I would also be resistent to risking choosing another ship in case I am disappointed, but that is another decision for the future.

 

A decision I very much look forward to.

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

Januarysent

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C 2 C

C 2 C

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Captain: Michael Karatzas

Hotel Director: Raffaele Bernardini

Cruise Director: Dru Pavlov

 

I hope you enjoyed your cruise as much as we did.

 

 

Thank you for the information. In the Caribbean we cruise for the warmth. The Mediterranean is a great destination but Israel is still the top experience for us.

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Januarysent

Januarysent

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Thank you for your wonderfully-detailed review. We'll be on an eastern Med cruise on Equinox in October 2011, so I am bookmarking this thread!

 

 

Nancy

 

Do not hesitate to get in touch again if you have any questions at that time.

 

I would be happy to help.

 

Januarysent

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CruisinManiac

CruisinManiac

Posted
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WHEW!!! I am finally through your review. In one word...FANTASTIC! :)

 

One mention about the tipping. I agree with DivasDare on tipping for a service well done. I understand that Europeans don't tip as much, and don't expect to be tipped, like we do in the U.S. However, I could not refrain from tipping while on my Mediterranean cruise in 2008. I did receive some surprised looks from the luggage handlers at the port of Civitavecchia, but the tip was not refused, so I do think they appreciated it more than we know. ;)

 

For the ship crew, they do expect a tip, but will not show disappointment if they did not receive one. They are trained to smile and be pleasant. Not everyone tips however, and it is their prerogative. ;)

 

I did not drink alcohol during the holiday as I was in charge of a 16 year old the whole time

 

WOW ...BRAVO for you!!! Too bad more parents are not as responsible as you. :cool:

 

DH and I will be taking the Equinox next May, for an 11 night Mediterranean cruise. I cannot tell you how helpful this review will be to us, as we plan to do a lot on our own this time. Thank you, thank you. :)

 

A stateroom question,,, where was the hidden lined bin located? First I have heard about this.

 

You will learn early on not to put chocolate or perfume in these drawers, which become quite warm from the heat from the fridge.

I was planning on keeping my make-up (cosmetics) in a drawer near the dressing table. Do you think it would melt here, or is there another drawer in the vanity?

 

although my daughter, who has long hair, found it difficult to hold the switch down for a long period of time.

Duct Tape!

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Januarysent

Januarysent

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WHEW!!! I am finally through your review. In one word...FANTASTIC! :)

 

One mention about the tipping. I agree with DivasDare on tipping for a service well done. I understand that Europeans don't tip as much, and don't expect to be tipped, like we do in the U.S. However, I could not refrain from tipping while on my Mediterranean cruise in 2008. I did receive some surprised looks from the luggage handlers at the port of Civitavecchia, but the tip was not refused, so I do think they appreciated it more than we know. ;)

 

For the ship crew, they do expect a tip, but will not show disappointment if they did not receive one. They are trained to smile and be pleasant. Not everyone tips however, and it is their prerogative. ;)

 

 

 

WOW ...BRAVO for you!!! Too bad more parents are not as responsible as you. :cool:

 

DH and I will be taking the Equinox next May, for an 11 night Mediterranean cruise. I cannot tell you how helpful this review will be to us, as we plan to do a lot on our own this time. Thank you, thank you. :)

 

A stateroom question,,, where was the hidden lined bin located? First I have heard about this.

 

 

I was planning on keeping my make-up (cosmetics) in a drawer near the dressing table. Do you think it would melt here, or is there another drawer in the vanity?

 

 

Duct Tape!

 

I am sure that the whole tipping thing is partly cultural. You may be right in that European's do not tip, nor expect, to tip or be tipped as much other nationalities. Attitudes on non-European cruises may be very different to what I experienced round the Med and new cruisers would probably need to be aware of that.

 

You will see the door to the brush cupboard at the bottom on the left. The door is at the side, not at the front. The rubbish bin pulls out and is in the middle at the bottom.

 

As for makeup, I think lipstick etc would soften in the drawers. I kept mine in a makeup bag on some small shelves next to the television that have small bars across to stop things rolling off as the ship moves(ommitted to mention these in my review), as I did other items which the heat might affect.

 

Duct tape would have been useful, but I only had hand luggage and had not wanted to take more than I needed. For anyone who takes duct tape on a cruise anyway, and I know that a lot of cruisers do, it's a solution. It's only a problem really if it takes a long time to dry your hair.

 

As for drinking alcohol, it was a bit tricky being on my own. Responsible couples can take it in turns to drink, but that, of course, was not an option me.

 

We had a fabulous time. Now we are back on dry land, we cannot believe we actually experienced such a wonderful holiday. I am certain that you will have just as great a time.

 

Thank you for your compliments.

 

Januarysent

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Podie

Podie

Posted
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Thanks for your great review. I have just begun posting mine on these boards and I strongly agree with two of your points.

 

Many children simply ran wild throughout the cruise. At the "Jazz, Post and Chocolate" function with began at 10:15 PM, we could not believe Celebrity allowed these unaccompanied children to take over what was clearly an adult-only function. It was truly sad.

 

As for the specialty restaurants, we went to Silk Harvest (two for one the first night) and to Tuscan Grill and agree wholeheartedly with your comments. I see absolutely no reason to pay for these restaurants and would never do so in the future.

 

Now, back to my own review!

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MochaZen

MochaZen

Posted
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January,

Thank you for the detailed and unbiased view of the Equinox and your cruise.

 

My lovey, Ken, and I will be on the Equinox in November and while I am not completely new to =X=, I am still a "baby"! LoL

 

Your description of the boat, the drinks package, and your experience with the staff were what I appreciated the most. You have made me feel calm about my upcoming vacation.

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DavidYYC

DavidYYC

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I have also just finished a review of this trip - not quite as detailed though:)

 

Oh and we were on the same flight back to London. BA annoyed me a lot with their rigidity about getting that check-in started. Ridiculous because the other side of security is far more enjoyable..we actually sat in the Arrivals area for most of our time at MPIA as it was quieter, had more seating and better washrooms.

 

Blah - I hate flying.

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cruise kitty

cruise kitty

Posted
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Thanks for the wonderful review, have to say, you're a better Mom than I, if I cruised with a teenager, my review would have said, "They finally cut me off at the bar, as I drank myself into oblivion, as I was in charge of a 16 yo" :D Ok, I'm only kidding, no flames please! Again, thanks for the review, very helpful, we'll be on the E. Med cruise next year.

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fleckle

fleckle

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...........We took only hand luggage, two 22 inch cases, two backpacks and two rather large handbags, so no waiting for luggage at Rome Airport and no risk of ruining our cruise through lost luggage. It was a struggle for us to carry it all through the airport, put into overhead lockers, lift it onto the train and cart it to the hotel and ship and I am not sure that I would do it again.........
Thank you Januarysent for sharing your excellent comprehensive review with us. I am saving a link to it for future refence, as I am guessing many other readers will do too.

 

We also travel with hand luggage for the reasons you mention above and because we prefer to keep all our valuables, medications and other necessities with us, as well as inflatable pillows, our small computer and headsets, snacks, water bottles and hand sanitizer for the airplane. However, we do not find it a struggle to carry it around because we very seldom need to carry anything.

If I may offer a suggestion for future trips:

 

By using rollaboards for your 22 inch cases, you can just pull up the handles and wheel them right along wherever you go. Our backpacks and shoulder bags slip over the handles so that they ride on the back of our rollaboards piggy-back style and we have nothing to carry. When we bring a jacket or coat along, we fold it across the top of the rollaboard before adding the smaller bag, which holds the coat in place so it doesn't slip off.

 

It is a very easy way to travel. Whenever we stop to browse in shops or purchase a snack at a concession stand or use a telephone or bathroom, we have both hands free and nothing on our backs or shoulders weighing them down. We have been traveling to countries around the world this way for well over 30 years.

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d4m

d4m

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Thanks Januarysent! I have now read your complete post twice - love the detail.

 

One question. You said that you went from the Airport to Rome via a train. The question I have is regarding times the train operates. Could you give me information or advice about where I can find the times that trains operate from the Airport into Rome?

 

Thanks so much.

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