Host Andy's Insights - Live From Equinox

[Cooso]

The one answer that would be helpful was did Celebrity provide blank or pre-printed name tags at the Connections Party? They did not for most of our cruises but some rollcall members said they got them on their cruises.

 

Kathy

 

We had sticky names on the 5th April cruise too. I do wish they'd do them with screen names as well but a RC lady did those for us.

 

My only niggle with the connections party was that celebrity arranged another event 45 mins after our party in the sky suite too so we all got booted out before we could chat to everyone!

[TourDeCruise]

Cooso & MadisonMom, thanks! If you had the Connections name tags on your cruises and Andy did too on the current cruise, then we probably will have them for our Transatlantic cruise that starts on Monday. That would make our rollcall happy.

 

Kathy

[julia]

We had sticky names on the 5th April cruise too. I do wish they'd do them with screen names as well but a RC lady did those for us.

 

My only niggle with the connections party was that celebrity arranged another event 45 mins after our party in the sky suite too so we all got booted out before we could chat to everyone!

 

 

Ummm.... I'd be niggly about that also! :(

[Beanb41]

On our recent Solstice cruise the Cruise Critic Members were known as the "Sol Mates" - appropriate if one thinks about it. I produced blank "Solmate name Labels" which I posted our Roll Call for use as members wanted. Some did use them some didn't. They were Avery Compatible ones.

 

Re the Connections Meeting ours was 45 minutes before a Trivia session and as we all know nothing stands in the way of trivia. With all the meeting places on these ships there is no reason for planning a conflict.

 

To be honest unless one has a tight Roll Call a connections party is a pretty much non event although we have signed up for it on our next cruise. Our first cruise on the Century the 30 minutes could have been better spent elsewhere

[Andy]

Thanks, Andy. You are wonderful spending so much of your time helping us and that is why we express wonderful comments.

 

You already answered about Bistro on Five going up to $10 during your cruise. Don't worry about Croque Madame at Bistro on Five; I will find out on Monday!

 

The one answer that would be helpful was did Celebrity provide blank or pre-printed name tags at the Connections Party? They did not for most of our cruises but some rollcall members said they got them on their cruises.

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy,

 

It's the same way as others reported. Celebrity provided name tags, but with our full names, (not our CC "handles"). I kindly requested to the event coordinator, that it would be great if they added our handles on future sailings. At any rate, you should have some form of name tags.

 

We also had the same issue, where a trivia event was being held immediately after the meet and mingle, so we were very rushed. Cruise Critic was very kind to provide many CC logo items, which we raffled off, but I had to move very fast LOL.

 

While I sincerely wish we had more time, I strongly feel it's very gracious of Celebrity to provide so much to our community and members, so I'm not about to be negative on the time issue. At any rate, We had a great time at the Meet and Mingle !

 

Speaking of great times, have a wonderful time on your sailing !

Edited April 25, 2015 by Host Andy

[Andy]

Hey Host Andy - do they still have the live Texas Holdem table in the casino? I saw where you mentioned extra slot machines so I was concerned they may have removed some stuff to make room.

 

thanks for the great report!

 

Thanks for your kind comments alexspepa. As another member mentioned, the Texas Hold 'em table has survived the Casino update. I have not noticed much play there, but that can change from sailing to sailing.

 

Hope this helps !

[Andy]

Thanks, Andy. You are wonderful spending so much of your time helping us and that is why we express wonderful comments.

 

You already answered about Bistro on Five going up to $10 during your cruise. Don't worry about Croque Madame at Bistro on Five; I will find out on Monday!

 

The one answer that would be helpful was did Celebrity provide blank or pre-printed name tags at the Connections Party? They did not for most of our cruises but some rollcall members said they got them on their cruises.

 

Kathy

 

As always, it's my pleasure.

 

Good news. The Croque Madame is on the new menu. I tried to get a paper copy of the Bistro menu tonight, but was told there aren't any. They are now laminated. If time permits, I will try to take a photo of the menu, and post it when I return home.

 

We dined at Bistro yesterday for lunch. We were very pleased with the new menu items, although the 3 shakes and 2 floats were not available this sailing. I was told the machine had not arrived yet, but they were hoping to have it on Monday.

[TourDeCruise]

Andy, thanks so much for prioritizing my questions, for your comprehensive report, and for "wonderful" wishes for our sailing. If you don't get a picture of the Bistro on Five menu, I can get one on our cruise and post upon our return or during the cruise. I'm glad to hear about the Connections name tags. We have 283 registered for the Connections Party; many rollcall members have been following your "Live" thread. I'll still report about the likelihood of name tags for our Connections Party on our rollcall thread, which they will be happy to hear/read.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise! And thanks again, Andy.

 

Kathy (& Jack too)

[laryco]

Just found this thread ....thanks Andy......hopefully the crew and cruise will be operating smoothly by the time it docks in Bacelona...

[elena7seas]

Hi Andy:

 

As always, I so enjoy your live reports, and think it's fabulous that you take the time to answer so many questions, and in such a balanced way.

 

My next cruise is on Royal Caribbean, so I have been haunting the RCCL forums lately, and several people over there are lamenting that they don't have a "Host Andy" of their own. :D

 

We are very lucky to have you here!

 

Say hello to your mom!

[laryco]

Andy, an off the wall question ...Is it possible to join balconies? We are in 1573 and our friends are next door...

Thanks

[gibbsgirl]

I was also on the Equinox in March and complained to Guest Relations and in my post cruise survey that Miami DJs belonged to a "Carnival cruise" atmosphere and not on Celebrity. Had to leave the pool area when they played there. Had to leave to get away from the constant banging on those drums. Hope their contract is not renewed and they find gainful employment elsewhere.

[Andy]

Andy, an off the wall question ...Is it possible to join balconies? We are in 1573 and our friends are next door...

Thanks

 

Hi Laryco,

 

The dividers do open, but I'm unsure if that's the case for every veranda cabin. Unfortunately, I'm only onboard for 1 more day, but will try to find out additional information for you.

[Andy]

Hi Andy:

 

As always, I so enjoy your live reports, and think it's fabulous that you take the time to answer so many questions, and in such a balanced way.

 

My next cruise is on Royal Caribbean, so I have been haunting the RCCL forums lately, and several people over there are lamenting that they don't have a "Host Andy" of their own. :D

 

We are very lucky to have you here!

 

Say hello to your mom!

 

Hi Elena,

 

I wanted to say thank you for your very kind comments. I truly love helping our members, so I'm always happy to make the effort. As always, I'm so glad it's appreciated. Hope to see you on a future sailing.

 

BTW, we are strongly considering sailing on Oasis of the Seas in July - so don't be surprised if there's a "Live from Oasis" thread on the Royal Caribbean forum.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

I wanted to report that things have improved nicely over the past few days. The weather has been fantastic (other than 1 day with showers), and the seas have been extremely calm. Entertainment has been fantastic (other than the dreaded DJ's), and the MDR cuisine has greatly improved since my last report. Last night's Prime Rib, was a very thick cut and absolutely delicious. Tonight's Lobster tail was huge, tasty, and cooked to perfection.

 

While it's always sad when our cruise comes to an end, I'm thankful that it's ending on a much higher note. I will post additional insights, and some closing thoughts, when I return home.

 

Thanks for cruising with me, and I hope you've enjoyed my insights !

Edited April 26, 2015 by Host Andy

[laryco]

Thank you Andy....

[Iamcruzin]

 

By the way DH is 72 and I'm 66 so we're not "kids" who love hip-hop music, etc. and surely were around for the Beatles, many years ago.

That's the problem you are comparing them to the real thing. I saw Piano man on Princess years ago and they mutilated Billy Joel and Elton John.

[chamima]

Glad to hear that everything improved as the cruise went on.

If you get a chance could you grab one of Christophe's new replacement for the "Attention to Detail" cards and post the wording on here please.

It was so much better that I wondered why it wasn't rolled out to all ships.

[phillygirl2400]

Thank Andy!

[Andy]

Glad to hear that everything improved as the cruise went on.

If you get a chance could you grab one of Christophe's new replacement for the "Attention to Detail" cards and post the wording on here please.

It was so much better that I wondered why it wasn't rolled out to all ships.

 

Hi Karen,

 

I tried to get one today, but the card is signed by Mark Zeller (who started this sailing as HD) - so I doubt that's the one you are referring to. I will try to stop by Guest Relations again, and see if there's a separate "Christophe" edition :)

[Andy]

Just a quick note to wish you and yours a wonderful cruise Andy! Thanks for your updates

 

 

Walter

 

Thank you very much Walter. All the best to you !

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

For those who asked if any of the production shows on Equinox are new... the answer is - not yet.

 

New shows will begin on Equinox in November - when she returns to the Caribbean. An exact launch date is unknown at this point.

 

Hope this is helpful !

Edited April 27, 2015 by Host Andy

[hulamoon]

Thanks Andy, always good to read your reviews and thoughts on X.

[ClaudiaB]

Hi Everyone,

 

For those who asked if any of the production shows on Equinox are new... the answer is - not yet.

 

New shows will begin on Equinox in November - when she returns to the Caribbean. An exact launch date is unknown at this point.

 

Hope this is helpful !

 

We're on the Nov. 16 (Thanksgiving) Equinox cruise and I hope the shows will make their debut on this first cruise after the TA.

[Ruthk]

hi Andy - friends of mine sailed on Equinox, in your cabin, and they couldn't sleep because of noise. The office denied having any record of noise and then someone admitted to the public bathroom causing the noise - apparently it was the flushing of toilets. They resolved the problem by giving the couple a $500. credit for future sailings and a bottle of wine.

 

this year we sailed the Eclipse b2b for the month of Feb. and were in 2108 and we had the best attendants ever, so I think unfortunately you just got a couple of bad workers. We have mostly had bad attendants in the last maybe 5 years so we really appreciated attendants who had a smile on their face and didn't complain about how poorly they are paid.

 

As for appetizers. We were told that the form has to be signed and you must be in the room if you want their regular appetizers because there are ingredients that can go bad if sitting out for too long (shrimp). So we asked for cheese and crackers and they didn't need a form signed or have us receive it, which was great.