Just Embarked the Equinox. IMPRESSED!

[ChucktownSteve]

Can you tell me how this works??? Tired of slot pull lol!

 

I'd be happy to share that info with you. It's a little complicated so if you don't mind, I'd rather email it to you when I return unless you need it for a cruise before next Tuesday. :D

 

Please send me an email at my handle at outlook com.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review!

[ChucktownSteve]

Boy is wifi slow the past hour. Sometimes couldn't even connect. The upload speed is next to nothing. With the pictures, that's making my update a little frustrating. Come on Xcellerate! So now back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

After we sailed, there was a knock on the door with the daily hors d'oeuvres.

This one had a couple of shrimp, some olives & garlic, grape tomatoes and mozzy cheese cubes.

 

 

Well it's time to stop by the Martini Bar for a pre-dinner drink. But I'm tired of the cucumber martini. Catelin suggests a peartini. So I go with that. Here he is making mine and four other people's martinis.

 

 

and the finished product.

 

 

While it was good, I only have one because I hear the World Class Bar, one deck up the stairs right at the Martini Bar, calling to me like the Sirens of Greek mythology long ago.

 

It wound up being my two new, "favorite" bartenders.

 

 

That just happens to be my drink she's about to pour...Johnny Walker Platinum. She impressed me because earlier she was rapidly shaking a drink with her left hand while stirring a drink in a pitcher with her right. Wish I had gotten a picture of that.

 

The World Class bar menu will follow in the next post because we're limited to six pics per post. So here's the restaurants...Blu menu evening of St. Kitts

 

 

And the MDR menu

 

Edited December 14, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ChucktownSteve]

Well here it is as requested.

 

 

I first ordered the Johnny Walker Citrus Gold. I like the Gold but this was just too lemony for my taste so I switched to my tried and true...on the rocks.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to try the Mystic Ketel One for the kewl factor. Unfortunately they had problem with the liquid nitrogen so I could have had the drink but it wouldn't have had the wow factor of the gases escaping.

 

[ChucktownSteve]

Time for dinner in the MDR select. I joined a table of three couples. Here is where the table was located.

 

 

Couldn't they have gotten me any further back???? I ordered the shrimp cocktail and Spiced Duck Rillettes Quenelle. Can I buy an E Alex?

 

 

Couldn't they spare more then three tiny shrimp that have been sitting for hours in water? I then ordered the Grilled NY Sirloin as a last resort. Nothing really appealed to me. (See the previous post for the menu). I ordered it rare because I know it would be very thin and didn't want it overcooked.

 

 

They couldn't spare more than a half scoop of mashed potatoes. I don't remember what I had for dessert. I think it was some type of passion fruit sorbet and some type of chocolate mouse thing.

[ChucktownSteve]

Well after this frustratingly slow internet this morning, it's time to get ready for Cafe al Bacio. We're an hour earlier than Eastern time and they open in 10 minutes. Yea.

 

Oh wait, one more thing. The entertainment last night was Mike Wilson. He is an comic impersonator. He was pretty OK. He had some good bits. Some of it was dated so young people would probably not know the references like Jimmy Durante. But the one thing that irritated me about his show was he kept asking for applause between just about every bit. Apparently the audience was feeling the same way I was. He was OK but not worth clapping at every routine. I did stay for the full performance though. And guess what???? OK I'll tell you (can I get some clapping please?) he had a DVD for sale in the lobby. :p

 

We've been rocking and rolling all night,at what feels like a good clip, on the way to Barbados. We dock at 9am.

[B1G]

Very nice review, thanks! Should have the crab cake :) Yelena is my favorite bartender (WCB). Next time you go there, tell her that the lamp look like a sex toy for adult (on the bar) she will tell you that another guest tell her so :p

[raprice18]

Well here it is as requested.

 

Thank you. We will be on EQ in February. First time on an S class for us also. I have been enjoying your very detailed review immensely. Will email you, as I'd like to know how the roulette pull works as well.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[ChucktownSteve]

We just docked in Barbados. Camouflage clothing and smoking in public are prohibited. We're expecting rain today with a 50% chance.

 

The internet has been down for a couple of hours and is barely operating at this time so I can't upload any pics.

 

I went to the Icafe and it was full of angry passengers who had been wasting minutes. The poor guy working there had to refund several minutes to a lot of people's packages.

 

I heard an announcemdnt that they had renamed the high speed Xcellerate package, DEcellerate package. J/K but not about the speed just the name.

 

More to follow

Edited December 14, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[JustinAllen]

Hey ChucktownSteve...fellow South Carolinian (Florence) here! Thanks for the review! My wife and I will be boarding the Equinox on Jan 2nd. I do have a strange question, could you by chance run by the on-board shops and see if they sell bottles of Dom Perignon and if so, how much they are. Thanks a bunch and keep up the great work on the review!!

[ChucktownSteve]

Hey ChucktownSteve...fellow South Carolinian (Florence) here! Thanks for the review! My wife and I will be boarding the Equinox on Jan 2nd. I do have a strange question, could you by chance run by the on-board shops and see if they sell bottles of Dom Perignon and if so, how much they are. Thanks a bunch and keep up the great work on the review!!

 

The shops won't be open again until we sail this evening. However I don't recall seeing champaign, just liquor. But I'll be happy to check for you.

 

I have found that the shops in port tend to be less expensive than on board. Unless you're using OBC for the purchase.

[ChucktownSteve]

Here are two pics from my cabin showing the seas heading toward Barbados earlier today.

 

 

 

Yesterday in St. Kitts, I found a store where hats/visors were three for $10 so I bought them. Here's one of them.

 

They must have run out of room to do the fourth monkey. For those not familiar, it's Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil and the fourth one is holding his groin. My father used to have a set of the four in figurines. :eek:

 

The Elevator atrium

 

Also in the atrium is a suspended tree several decks high. Today as we were sailing in, the top of the tree was waving with the ocean motion. It was kinda kewl.

 

[ChucktownSteve]

OK for some of you this is gonna be an awwwww moment.

 

This morning when I was taking out a knit shirt from the drawer, I heard a rustle in it. I looked inside and my DW had stuck a note inside of it while it was on the chair during prepacking prep. It was in the middle of the stack so I didn't notice it until I went to wear the shirt. What a great surprise.

 

 

As reference: she designated me Honey #1, her Honey #2 and Mickey (M) is our rescue miniature poodle.

Edited December 14, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[wendyam76]

Thank you for the excellent review. We sailed on the Equinox at Easter and recognise the Martini Bar and Cafe al Bacio staff - they are fabulous! Thoroughly spoiled us!

Wendy

[minidonuts85]

Have you tried the food at the Gastropub? Please post pics if you do :D

[ChucktownSteve]

Have you tried the food at the Gastropub? Please post pics if you do :D

 

I posted the menu the other day but I don't feel like paying for pub food with so much other food on board. I suppose I could stalk the pub and take pictures of other peoples food. ;) Besides, I'm not much of a beer drinker.

Edited December 14, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ghstudio]

On same cruise...comments on another thread....but I thought I'd post our disappointment in Tuscan grill. After waiting 20 minutes, I had to get up to find someone to get wine. Almost no seasoning on any food. Ministrone soup was tasteless. Steaks were OK, not great..fish very overcooked. We won't be back...new menu is pretty uninteresting. Murano is sold out...the only specialty on the equinox worth extra

 

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

[ChucktownSteve]

On same cruise...comments on another thread....but I thought I'd post our disappointment in Tuscan grill. After waiting 20 minutes, I had to get up to find someone to get wine. Almost no seasoning on any food. Ministrone soup was tasteless. Steaks were OK, not great..fish very overcooked. We won't be back...new menu is pretty uninteresting. Murano is sold out...the only specialty on the equinox worth extra

 

I heard a couple of other people on this cruise say the same thing about Tuscan Grill. It's also the same experience we had in August on the Summit Tuscan Grill. We got ours at buy one get one free. After the meal, my DW and I agreed it was ok at half price but we definitely would not do it again or at regular price. Our steaks did not arrived cooked to temperature and they were tough. Sorry you had a similar experience.

[tweetylori]

I posted the menu the other day but I don't feel like paying for pub food with so much other food on board. I suppose I could stalk the pub and take pictures of other peoples food. ;) Besides, I'm not much of a beer drinker.

 

I say get food porn any way you can. :p

 

Enjoying your review!

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hey Steve,

 

Maybe I missed it but loved the note from your DW. I really like when my wife does those kind of thoughtful things. My wife does too.

Question....maybe I missed it and maybe its none of my business and you can tell me so but why didnt your wife go on the cruise with you?

You sure are making me relive our cruise on Equinox from mid November.

Thanks for the awesome reviews and pictures. You take some great shots.

Is Ricardo at Martini Bar, I see pictures of Catalin. They were both fabulous.

Catalin always said....."Excellent choice"...when you ordered a drink!

Boy a guy always remembers the fun things on a cruise..

Have a good one!

[cruise47]

Well here it is as requested.

 

 

I first ordered the Johnny Walker Citrus Gold. I like the Gold but this was just too lemony for my taste so I switched to my tried and true...on the rocks.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to try the Mystic Ketel One for the kewl factor. Unfortunately they had problem with the liquid nitrogen so I could have had the drink but it wouldn't have had the wow factor of the gases escaping.

 

 

Those drinks look awesome even on paper. Thanks for sharing all those photos. Please enjoy your cruise.

[chamima]

Yelena is our favorite , too.

I like her longer hair!

[ChucktownSteve]

Hey Steve,

 

Maybe I missed it but loved the note from your DW. I really like when my wife does those kind of thoughtful things. My wife does too.

Question....maybe I missed it and maybe its none of my business and you can tell me so but why didn't your wife go on the cruise with you?

 

Let me answer the easy one first. I'll ask Mr. Excellent Choice if Ricardo is still working on board.

 

I believe I may have said this before but I'll be happy to answer since I've been asked this same question many times this cruise already. She developed a two evening program at work 10 years ago for early December that's a big production for them and the second evening was embarkation day so she couldn't go.

 

By sailing solo, I am earning double points (100) which puts me into Elite for our January and Discoverer for our August sailings. Thus my DW will be treated as my level as well on our next two cruises.

 

We'll be doing a 14 night next month to most of the same ports but doing St. Lucia instead of St. Thomas. I am also making this a liquor run to St. Maarten.

 

Thank you for following and enjoying.

[ChucktownSteve]

Yelena is our favorite , too.

I like her longer hair!

 

Jelena (pronounced the way you spelled it) works during the day in Cafe al Bacio. Today Darko was bartender at the pool bar. She's the senior bartender.

[ChucktownSteve]

OK everyone is back on board. Guess what happened to the internet?

 

So I'll continue my picture posting after someone shows me the way to the next whiskey bar. Time to enjoy my cruise again. :D

Edited December 14, 2016 by ChucktownSteve