Review of Equinox E. Med. Cruise 5/11/12

[sooper]

That's the camera I was thinking of getting for our trip. Any tips for shooting in manual mode?

 

I took an intro class and that helped me, but if you're good with reading the manual that would suffice. Play with it a lot before your trip and shoot in different lighting, F stops, and ISO and get used to the menu buttons. I didn't do this and got some strange looking colored photos for this trip.:rolleyes: When in doubt, shoot in auto in addition to the manual mode. ;)

 

Sorry to overload you with questions - you mentioned getting on the last tender before it was open to everyone. Does that mean you got priority tender tickets delivered to your AQ stateroom the night before Santorini?

 

When you left Oia, did you get a general sense for the availability of cabs?

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful review!

No problem...glad to help. There was no priority tender tickets for AQ. We got the tickets that was being given out to people who wanted that tender boat. After our tender anyone could just get on the next boat without a ticket.

 

To Oia the taxi stand was right next to the bus station, but there were not many taxis waiting. We had to wait a few minutes for ours. I don't know about the taxis from Oia, since we left from Ammoudi Bay. We didn't have an issue because the restaurant called a taxi for us and it was only a few minutes wait.

[sooper]

The rain had stopped, but it was sprinkling off and on.

 

We made our way to Little Venice and the windmills.

 

 

After wandering around the various little alleys and an artificial tasting gelato later, we decided to get back to the ship.

 

With a big lunch, we had a light dinner.

 

Crab cakes from before.

 

Beef risotto - very tasty

[sooper]

We checked out the dessert extravaganza.

 

There was live music and dancing too. We left and returned later with a group and a DJ was in charge of music, but he did not want to play our request. Finally he reluctantly played our request at the very end as it appeared no one else wanted to dance. I remember there was a lot of Pitbull songs. :rolleyes:

 

The next day would be at sea so we could go on all night. But the DJ and the bar stopped servicing and we were directed to Quasar. There was just weird extremely loud preset music but we hung out anyway. I'm convinced they made the music so crappy and loud to get everyone to the bar. :p Once in a while a danceable song was played and we got on the floor. Someone popped in the DJ booth but would not take requests. Why not?? :confused: Such a simple thing to do to keep the few customers around late at night. I was getting tired and a headache and lost interest so we bid goodnight to our friends and went to bed.

[sooper]

Day 9 - At Sea: We did have to get up somewhat early (in my book) as we had a designated area for the CC brunch gathering - another nice arrangement from our roll call. The setup and the food looked great, and we enjoyed chatting with many of the friends we'd made.

 

Honestly though, I was there for the gathering and not the food.

 

Hello there - didn't I meet you all last night? :D

 

But had some nonetheless...

 

After the gathering we went to Guest Relations to pick up our passports. Then I wrestled with Mr. Jack and tripled my money. But it was only a short term loan until after dinner...:rolleyes:

[sooper]

Post 23 - Mussels cocktail

 

Post 42 - Fisherman

[sooper]

We had not planned to dine in the specialty restaurants, but with a group and a 2-for-1 special we were glad to try Tuscan Grille for dinner.

 

Delicious Cioppino, and not too salty!

 

Fantastic calamari

 

The seafood in the pappardelle was great, but the pasta was overcooked

 

Really very very good French onion soup

 

Shrimp and scallop scampi - good, but I had a bite of someone's lobster pasta dish and would've liked that instead. Listen to the waiter's recommendation!

 

Great filet

[sooper]

We celebrated a birthday. Beautiful cake, but we didn't get to eat it.

 

Interesting looking candy strawberry

 

Standard tiramisu

 

Delicious creme brulee

 

Really enjoyed the dinner, the company, and the conversation. Had some interest in the big show but we stayed late, which was alright. Still managed to find some time to donate to Mr. Jack. And then we turned in for the last day's tour - it was sad to think about the end of the cruise. :(

[sooper]

Day 10 - Naples: I had booked a Pompeii and Amalfi coast tour with Sorrento Silverstar and thankfully the 6 other CCers in my group all showed up. :D

 

First stop was the impressive Pompeii where our funny guide met us:

 

 

Two hours went by fast, and then we drove towards Ravello:

 

Lemons as big as footballs:

[sooper]

Another great lunch with local vegetables and seafood:

 

 

 

 

Four people shared a plate - that's self-control ;)

[sooper]

Some overcast and not as sunny as we'd like, but at least it wasn't raining.

 

 

Many lemon-y souvenirs, we got some limoncello and candies:

 

Very scenic drive, would love to return for another visit.

 

 

[sooper]

 

 

One last canolo in Sorrento before the ferry ride back to Naples.

 

Our driver had pre-purchased the ferry tickets for us. The booking process and the responsiveness from the company were really great. Would recommend.

 

Back to our cabin - goodbye Naples

[sooper]

Last dinner at Blu:

 

Escargot

 

More fish

 

Prosciutto wrapped veal - tender and nice

 

One last martini and we lingered until the bar closed, and the casino bar closed, and moved to Quasar. But still had to say farewell to the people we shared this wonderful cruise with.

 

Day 11 - Disembarkation: We had another breakfast in Blu and said goodbyes to the fantastic waiters. Met some friends who were also taking the train into Rome and walked our bags off the ship at around 9:30am. It was surreal that was the end, but I know that we would meet again in the future.

[sooper]

A few improvements needed and other comments...

 

Hair dryer: Seriously weak. But maybe it was a fire hazard concern?

 

Spa: I did return to use the steam room and the Persian Garden. The spa check-in staff asked me if I wanted a locker, and I said "sure." Then he asked me if I wanted a robe, and I said "OK." Seemed a bit different from the land spas, so I asked if it was alright to just wrap a towel instead of a swimsuit in the steam room. The attendant shrugged and said that it was up to me, but then asked me: "If you were going to use a towel then why do you need a robe?" Thought that was bit weird, and I understood his point, but his delivery was quite rude. Why did he care about a robe anyway? :confused:

 

I like spas and have been to many, but this was the first one I encountered that didn't provide slippers. The steam room was not very big but was hot enough; would've liked it more if it had the eucalyptus "spa" scent. Did not find the heated tile beds appealing, and with the staff attitude I ended up using the spa that one and only time.

 

Aqua class: Our friendly and attentive attendants gave us extra bottled waters as we drank a lot. We obviously didn't make good use of the Aqua class spa perks. I may miss the spa shower panel. Blu was good, but not so good that I would insist on booking Aqua class next time.

 

Overall: We still had such a fantastic cruise that we booked another onboard. :D

[portofrome]

Wonderful photos and thanks for your review.

[mcleonella]

How was the process of using the train? And is there anything to do in port? Our flight doesn't leave until 6:35 at night and we are wondering if we should join a shuttle that is leaving at 8:45am just so make it to the airport, or if we could take the train later and stress free. Somebody mentioned train strikes and got me all flustered lol

 

Thanks for the great pictures!

[Shooraq]

great review-love the pics! i felt like i was always busy but seems i missed so much, could have used another few days just to enjoy the ship :)

 

You would just be enjoying the nightlife more even if you had 7 more days! :D I admit I didn't enjoy relaxing on the ship the little time we had on sea days. Didn't use the pool, hot tubs, spa, or Solarium! And sadly, barely used the gym either... :eek:

[Iamthesea]

Thanks Iamthesea. Did you have the same itinerary?

 

My camera is the Canon T3, it's an entry level DSLR. Editing the photos with Lightroom made a difference. And the gorgeous sunny weather was a big help too. :D

 

Thanks, the itinerary was a little different. We did not go to Messina this trip.

[Dr. Cocktail]

A huge effort and a great review! You were very fair (well, especially as you agreed with what I felt about Blu!) and confirmed that I may pretend that I need a sodium-reduced diet on my next Celebrity cruise!

 

Many thanks!

[juliawinston]

thanks for all of your food pictures--they are making me hungry :D

[sooper]

Thanks all for your comments!

 

How was the process of using the train? And is there anything to do in port? Our flight doesn't leave until 6:35 at night and we are wondering if we should join a shuttle that is leaving at 8:45am just so make it to the airport, or if we could take the train later and stress free. Somebody mentioned train strikes and got me all flustered lol

 

Thanks for the great pictures!

 

I've taken the train a few times and didn't see a strike yet, just a couple delays for mechanical issues. It is very easy to use but you need to be prepared to look for the right train, platform, and stops to get off. I've seen some shops and restaurants at the port.

 

If you are up for it, you can get half a day's sightseeing in Rome and take the express train to get to the airport in less than an hour. Not sure if there's luggage storage at the Termini though. Or there may be tours available where your luggage would stay on the bus while you tour. I've also seen tour ads at the port for Civitavecchia.

 

Just make sure you have a back up plan, and a back up plan for your back up plan. ;)

[DivasDare]

Great calamari

 

Tasty fried local zucchini and eggplant

 

Grilled scorpion fish - delicious

 

After our nice lunch the helpful owner/waitress called a taxi for us, and we went back to Fira. The cable car line was already long at 3:15pm. Our friends attempted to find the big blue domed church with me, but decided to head back to the ship. I didn't want to give up, so we walked fast to Firostefani. We ended up finding the church...but from below. Still, scenic everywhere we went.

 

Didn't have time to find the way to the top as we had to hurry back to the cable car line, which got even longer by 4pm. I think we ended up on the second to last tender, but the ship did wait for some passengers who arrived even later.

 

Santorini is just one step below heaven and your pictures show it beautifully. I'm now hungry also. :D

[Grumpy100]

Wow what an awesome review. I felt like I just took the same cruise. We are doing the 12 day itinerary next November but I like to plan ahead. We will also be on the Equinox.

Thanks again.

[d4m]

What beautiful pictures and a complete and balanced review.

 

Where is your next cruise heading? Why not try a TA - less port intensive and more days and nights to enjoy!

 

Thanks!

[kat228]

Blackened tuna - very dry, I only had a bite

 

Filet that was supposed to be medium but came tough as leather

 

 

They must have switched chefs...we ordered the exact same things on our first night on the Equinox in November:

 

 

[jennifers490]

You would just be enjoying the nightlife more even if you had 7 more days! :D I admit I didn't enjoy relaxing on the ship the little time we had on sea days. Didn't use the pool, hot tubs, spa, or Solarium! And sadly, barely used the gym either... :eek:

 

what nightlife? Zzzzz lol

 

i didnt use any of those things either, really loved that solstice deck for relaxing though, away from all of the noise by the pool and great lounge beds :)