24 Days on Equinox

[dinosaurdem]

Result of having a new CEO - More selling, some higher onboard prices, and more announcements. According to staff, more IT support and a pending increase in the food budget to continue to differentiate Celebrity.

The Ship - Beautiful and well maintained. Restrooms sometimes poorly placed or sized related to areas with large numbers of people, but attractively designed and well-maintained. Extremely loud music and other activities in Atrium. Techno noise on occasion. Only moderately talented venue musicians, with the exception of a young, and brilliant, classical/flamenco guitarist. Party band female singer consistently flat. How about a little classical music? Cirque show was terrific.

The Staff - Consistently friendly, helpful and positive, with the exception of some shore excursion staff, who seemed to be insensitive to, and defensive about, Mobility impairment issues.

Blu - Excellent for breakfast, particularly grains. Dinner was noisy, with a somewhat limited menu, heavy on small birds, fish, pasta, and steak, with an occasionally very good night. French onion soup, escargot, and Bernaise are always available. Staff, at all levels were very pleasant.

Murano - Not really a French restaurant, more continental. Very good steak, lobster (warm water),and lobster bisque. Tough duck breast, acknowledged by staff. Very good with a staff anxious to please.

Tuscan Grille - A steakhouse with an Italian flair. Very good steaks, onion soup, appetizers, and better pasta than other Celebrity restaurants. Charming and efficient staff.

Silk Harvest - Disastrous first night with bland pad thai (no dried shrimp or fish oil) and tom yum goong . Both were "blanded" into tastelessness. Staff encouraged a return visit and with their help we enjoyed souped up soup, shrimp and vegetable tempura, crab Rangoon, and Hunan beef, a remarkable turn around.

Bistro on Five - Very good cowboy crepe (add jalapenos) and Italian desert crepe. Spouse liked chicken panini. Staff were pleasant, but seemed more inexperienced.

Mast Grill - Good burgers, fries, and dogs, poor location.

MDR Select Dining - No noisier than Blu, with more varied menu. Service about the same as Blu. Time for a new menu.

Sushi - Fair.

Oceanview Café - Food at breakfast, good and varied with an excellent Benedict bar. Lunch and dinner food looks better than it tastes, except for salads and sandwiches,

Aqua Spa Café - A pleasant low calorie alternative with good fruit and salads.

Chef Denise Rosettani is a treasure. She is the executive sous chef for the specialty restaurants and is pleasant, charming and committed to good food.

Coffee - Expensive, need a coffee card.

Barcelona - Outrageously expensive cabs with add-ons often equaling the meter fair.

My wife reminds me that the chocolate cake and ship-made ice creams were terrific.

[Mulege]

Our recent Mediterranean Reflection cruise did not offer bubbly or mimosa upon boarding and no string classical music. Missed the music. Is this being phased out?

[dinosaurdem]

Had the champagne, not the music.

[DWhit]

Did you get to see the jazz quartet with the female lead singer/guitarist? Andrea Lisa Quartet, I believe. They were some amazing young musicians on the early October med cruise.

Edited November 20, 2013 by DWhit

[ariawoman]

Our recent Mediterranean Reflection cruise did not offer bubbly or mimosa upon boarding and no string classical music. Missed the music. Is this being phased out?

 

Were you under any sort of restriction when boarding? We didn't have it on the Summit either on 10/5 but I assumed it was due to the code red from the prior sailing and the odd boarding time (we got pushed like 6 hours).

[Mulege]

No restrictions, regular boarding time and procedure. They did offer a free glass at the Oceanview Cafe. Used to be a small and nice touch upon boarding which set X off compared to other lines.

 

There was a jazz quartet with a female singer, very good.

[skt4cruise]

Mimosa/champagne offered upon entering on Reflection in April. I like this touch, brings on the vacation feel!

[jelayne]

No champagne/mimosa upon boarding the Solstice in October.

[dinosaurdem]

It's interesting that of all the comments, positive and negative, about Equinox, this thread has gotten sidetracked by discussion of whether we get a glass of cheap bubbly. Is this really as important as say the shore excursion desks response to mobility issues or the food budget?

[Benpb]

We were offered bubbly on boarding Equinox in Barcelona in August.

We also found that the taxi fares were very reasonable. A taxi at about midnight from our pre-cruise role call paella near the top of the Rambla to the Hilton Diagonal Mar at the far end of town, by the beach and large shopping centre only being 10 Euro.

 

I guess there are some taxi drivers that push their luck...

[A Sixth?]

Bubbly and such on boarding the Equinox May 29th this spring.