Equinox 2/1/13 - 10 night Ultimate Caribbean in AQ Review

[prim8keeper]

Where is that hammock-esq thing located? Please tell me it isn't only for suite or AQ guests. It looks amazing.

 

lol, it is located near the Solarium. They are really cool. I took that photo very early in the morning though. It was the only time I ever saw them empty.

[mmpgoodtogo]

lol, it is located near the Solarium. They are really cool. I took that photo very early in the morning though. It was the only time I ever saw them empty.

 

I am going to live in that thing. All 10 days!

[prim8keeper]

:p Congrats on your wedding, may you have many happy years and happy cruising ahead....

Like everyone who read through your reports, they were so honest and warm hearted, felt like we were all there with you (OH NO)! LOL..

My DH and I are heading off to Fla this Friday for the same cruise, I am kind of nervous about our deck (6), got mixed reviews, but looking forward to it, anyway....the ship is 100% booked, so there was no changing rooms....

It's our 10 exclusive Celebrity cruise, first time on the S class ships....

 

Trying to talk DH into the drink package, I am more of a sipper of the bubblies and like to experiment with some of the drinks you mentioned, I have a few days to do some persuading....

 

We did most of these islands in the past, Dominica is the only one we haven't visited, booked a tour with bumping...(Levi)...

 

Did you find that getting lounge chairs around the pool together a difficulty?

 

Well looking forward to reading more on your review today later after work...

Thanks again.. I have a similar camera, hope I get some pics that are as good as yours...:rolleyes:

 

Thanks! We only really spent time up on the pool deck one day and while it took us a while to find chairs we were able to find them. I think it also helped that it was towards the end of the cruise so I think a lot of people were spending less time in the sun. That said the first sea day it was nice people seemed to be up there at the crack of dawn. Our one friend who walked on the track said after 7 am it wasn't worth it anymore because people were already moving the chairs.

 

I'm going to talk about the drink package at the end in my final thoughts as far as the pluses and minuses. Hopefully I'll finish this review up today!

[prim8keeper]

I am going to live in that thing. All 10 days!

 

I don't blame you. They seemed very comfy. Get someone to bring you drinks and you'll never have to leave. I think there are only two on the ship though, one on each side.

[Tommy3putts]

Thanks for the great review. Congrats on the wedding. Your review was very informative and I especially enjoyed the pictures of the ship.

[prim8keeper]

After spending the last of our OBC at the shops we decided to head back to the cabin so we could start the terrible task of packing. I wanted to take care of everything before dinner so we didn't have to worry about it. I figured this way we could just relax for the evening. All we would then need to do after dinner is to go back to the cabin, throw the clothes we were wearing in the suitcases, and then place them outside the cabin. While I took care of this my DH went to find our state room attendant so that we could tip him extra for being so great during the cruise. When we got our forms earlier in the cruise for disembarkation I had left the time slot blank since we had a car. We were assigned to group 17 which was at 8:30 am.

 

Once we were all packed and ready for dinner we went up to the top of the ship to grab one last drink at the sunset bar. It was a fitting way to end a great cruise.

 

 

Once the sun had gone down we headed for the Molecular bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. I needed one last tanned russian! The bartender asked if we had been spending any time at the Martini bar to which we said, "yes." He then referred to the bartenders there as "flair monkeys." I think he regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, but I found it to be hilarious and gave him an extra tip. We then headed off to dinner in Blu. Again the maitre d' and even some of the wait staff we had talked to during the cruise asked us where we had been most of the cruise. I don't know if they were actually concerned, or just were fishing for an extra tip, but we just kept telling everyone we had been dinning with friends around the ship and that everything was fine. I mean it really was.

 

Dinner in Blu was very good. I think this is the night I had the risotto. It was cooked to perfection, however it was so rich I couldn't eat more than a few bites. I was looking forwarding to getting back to our healthy eating habits at home. We skipped dessert and decided to make one last stop at the cafe and then the martini bar. The ship was very quiet by this point as I assume most people had gone to their rooms to finish packing so they could have everything out by 11 pm. After our cocktails we took one last stroll on the top deck and then went back to our cabin. We also made sure to go around and give extra tips to those who had really gone out of their way to make our cruise special.

 

 

Once in our cabin we quickly changed so we could have our luggage out on time. Shortly after I had set our bags out we could here them collecting them. We decided to call it an early night since we had a long day ahead of us.

[Jellzy]

Great review and photos Tom!

 

Are we there yet?

[dblane]

Great review, Tom. Donna and I miss out on sailaways and sunsets because we do early seating dinner. I love the Cafe too. We had the premium alcohol pkg also and had many wonderful coffees there. Love to sit in the high back chairs by the windows and read in the afternoon. Dominica was my fave and I wish Donna and I had gone to the beach in Barbadoes with you guys. Next time!! Thanks again for setting up such great tours for us. Looking forward to doing it again in 2014.:D

[prim8keeper]

Day #11: Disembarkation Day

 

 

And with the sun came the reality that our cruise was over. Despite planning on trying to sleep in until around 7:30 am I was awake before dawn. I decided to sit on the balcony for a little bit before we got ready for the day as we were not even back in port yet. I was trying to wait until around 8 am so we could leave the cabin on the late side and then just hang out in Blu enjoying breakfast until we could get off the ship.

 

 

Once we were ready, we packed up our backpacks and headed down to Blu for breakfast. I really think Blu should come up with a special menu for this day. They were out of a laundry list of items. While I don't have a problem with that, I just think it might make it easier on them. The poor woman at the table next to us gave her order and then the waiter said they were basically out of all of it.

 

After finishing breakfast they still had not called our number so we went to our designated waiting area which was the theater. Oddly enough this was the first time we were ever in the theater. They had CNN playing on two large screens to keep people entertained while we waited. I sat there trying to go through my hundreds of emails on my iphone.

 

They finally called our number and after a short wait we were easily able to disembark. We then quickly found our luggage in the terminal and then headed for immigration. I thought this went much faster in pier 18 than it did when we disembarked at pier 25 on Solstice. I think it only took us around 30 minutes from the time we left to ship until we were through immigration.

 

We were then able to walk right onto a Park N Go shuttle and were off to get our car. I had prepaid online so all I had to do once we got there was hand them my print out and we were good to go. We then quickly set out on our 10 hour drive back to Atlanta.

 

I would like to thank everyone our roll call. You guys were amazing, and I'm very excited to be cruising with so many of you again next year. I'll try to post my final thoughts either later tonight or first thing tomorrow. In the mean time I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

[JoePDX]

Thank you for the excellent review!

 

I never take for granted how lucky Jeff and I are to be able to travel. The wonderful places, the historic sites, the works of art, the relaxing times and most importantly the people we meet along the way..... Maybe one day that will include the two of you.

 

Joe

[prim8keeper]

Thank you for the excellent review!

 

I never take for granted how lucky Jeff and I are to be able to travel. The wonderful places, the historic sites, the works of art, the relaxing times and most importantly the people we meet along the way..... Maybe one day that will include the two of you.

 

Joe

 

Thanks! I was actually thinking pretty much the same thing as I was writing that last section.

[prim8keeper]

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

Drink Package:

 

I really like having the premium package since it allows you try a variety of drinks. It also means there is no bar bill at the end of the cruise and I like the all inclusiveness of it. That said for 10 nights or longer I'm not sure I would get it again. Towards the end of the cruise I did not drink as much. That said because we are such big coffee and water drinkers we still ended up breaking even. I would defiantly not recommend the package to anyone who will be going on a port intensive cruise. In the future I will probably do the non-alcoholic package and then pay for my cocktails as I go. Although for our next cruise we do have the package because of the 123Gone promo. It was just too good to pass up!

 

Service Cuts:

 

I know some people have commented on the boards that they thought staff has been cut back some. For the most part we did not notice this. The only place we did notice this was in Blu. It seemed like their were few waiters than there were on our cruise in 2011. They always seem overworked. We even saw the maitre d' taking down and setting up tables on multiple nights. One night in particular they seemed really short staffed and there was staff in there from both Tuscan and Silk Harvest helping out.

 

Aqua Class:

 

We will most likely continue to book aqua class as long as we feel the price is right. We are also trying to get as many points right now as well so we can reach Elite. Given the choice between congeries and aqua, we go for aqua so we can dine in Blu. I really think it is just something you have to try so you can make up your own mind.

 

Ports:

 

This was our first time to all of these ports and we really loved them. I know most people say St. Thomas and St. Martin are just shopping ports, but I think both have a lot more offer if you get out away from the cities. We absolutely loved St. Kitts and Dominica. I would love to see X add Dominica to more sailings.

 

Overall:

 

We really enjoyed this cruise. Between the people on our roll call, our friends, the ship and the ports, I don't see how anyone could not have had a good time! I really do think it is as much fun as you make it. I also think it really helps just to go with the flow when something goes wrong. After all, you are on vacation so how bad can life really be? I've seen so many people yelling at the staff on board and at the end of the day there is only so much they can do.

 

What's next?

 

We enjoyed this cruise so much we are doing it again next year with a large chunk of the roll call from this year. We have also booked Bermuda for next summer. We were able to get AQ 1140 so I am excited to have our first aft cabin and to sail on an M class ship. We are also waiting for the new Caribbean itineraries to be released next month so we can book with our friends for 2015. Now that I have multiple cruises in my signature I feel like I've finally arrived as a true member of cc.

 

Thanks to everyone who post on cc. The amount of information I have been able to learn from these boards has been incredible.

 

THANK YOU!

[SeaGams]

Tom,

 

What a great review, and I am so incredibly proud of you and the job you've done!

 

THANK YOU!

[Hollywood Traveler]

Loved the review. I think you deserve a big HUZZAH! from all of us.

 

(There. My first time. No longer a huzzah virgin.)

[JoePDX]

Thanks! I was actually thinking pretty much the same thing as I was writing that last section.

 

That is exactly what made me feel rather nostalgic....

 

Again, thanks for a great read!

 

Joe

[miXterOB]

Tom,

That was a totally perfect review on all counts.

We'll be doing the Ultimate 10 day on Equinox in December for the holidays and we even have 1610 as well. It will be a repeat having done the same cruise three years ago.

While I agree with you on Dominica, I really don't want it overrun so I hope we can keep it our little secret. We absolutely fell in love with it.

 

I'll be using this review as I plan our holiday cruise.

Thanks for all the guidance

 

Congrats on your marriage!!!

[smmountaingal]

Thank you for the pictures and all your details. We are on this ship in September for the Italy and Greece cruise. This will be our first S class ship and we look forward to exploring the beauty of the Equinox. All your photos and details about the lounges and restaurants is extremely informative.

[prim8keeper]

Tom,

That was a totally perfect review on all counts.

We'll be doing the Ultimate 10 day on Equinox in December for the holidays and we even have 1610 as well. It will be a repeat having done the same cruise three years ago.

While I agree with you on Dominica, I really don't want it overrun so I hope we can keep it our little secret. We absolutely fell in love with it.

 

I'll be using this review as I plan our holiday cruise.

Thanks for all the guidance

 

Congrats on your marriage!!!

 

Thank you! I don't think we have to worry about Dominica becoming overrun. With only the one pier I wondered if part of why there are so few visits is because they can only accommodate one ship per day? It didn't look like they were really set up well for tenders either.

 

EDIT: Out of curiosity I looked it up and there are actually three places ships can dock on Dominica but there is only one in Roseau and I guess tendering is an option.

 

Edited March 13, 2013 by prim8keeper

[prim8keeper]

Thank you for the pictures and all your details. We are on this ship in September for the Italy and Greece cruise. This will be our first S class ship and we look forward to exploring the beauty of the Equinox. All your photos and details about the lounges and restaurants is extremely informative.

 

You will really enjoy the S-class ships. There is just so much to do. I'm still working on the list I made for our first cruise of everything I wanted to do. I still have to watch the hot glass show, use the Persian gardens, use the relaxation room, eat at the Aqua Spa Cafe, do the galley tour, and see a show. Although the med cruises are so port intensive I'm not sure you'll get to any of that. I've heard that towards the end you are so tired its too much work to even eat in the MDR on formal night.

[miXterOB]

There were two ships there when we were in Roseau and that did not seem to be too bad. I may be wrong on the number...the cerebral nooks and crannies want to say that there were three but I'm not certain.

[prim8keeper]

There were two ships there when we were in Roseau and that did not seem to be too bad. I may be wrong on the number...the cerebral nooks and crannies want to say that there were three but I'm not certain.

 

I did look and there are three places you can dock in Dominica so you are correct.

[Vol fan]

Excellent review, Tom. You set a great tone in your narrative and one can tell what a wonderful time you had on the cruise. I'm so glad we finally got to meet you and Pete and share a little of the cruise with you and all of the Roll Call on such a beautiful ship. Still on the fence about the cruise next year, but we may be joining you all again.

Thanks for the pictorial as we can all come back and look at it over and over again to refresh our memories of the cruise.

Happy Sailing!

[crazygirl!]

I really enjoyed your review and I'm so glad you had a wonderful time. Thanks for letting us share in your adventure!

[podsnel]

Great, great, great review- thanks so much for sharing! And thanks for posting about the monkeys- so sad to hear they are exploited this way, but glad to have the knowledge.

 

Enjoy Bermuda (NOT Barbados, lol)- it is gorgeous!:)

[debandbruce]

What a wonderful review!!! Congratulations on your marriage I wish you many, many happy years together. We love the S class ships, have done the Eclipse and the Silhouette. I am leaving in 2 weeks for a B2B on the Silhouette. It's a 15 night transatlantic then a 12 night Rome to Venice. On the second leg we will be in 1610 as well, so excited about that balcony!!!

Your cruise on the Equinox had a wonderful itinerary, all the islands are so nice. We love Dominica and St Kitts. We went to the same beach club in St Kitts that the 2 of you went to, we will be going back there for sure! Your photos have added to my excitement and the days can't go by fast enough!!!!

Our TA goes to Coco Cay, San Juan and St Maarten before crossing the Atlantic, your St Maarten pics have me dreaming of sun and sand.