EQuinox

[mom2tjanddj]

We are in the Equinox right now. It's a beautiful ship, and we are having a good time.

 

I don't mean to be overly negative, but I can't help but be disgusted at how much you have to purchase that is no longer included in your fare. It's getting ridiculous, and most things aren't even reasonable charges.

 

The main dining room has only been a step up from cafeteria food. And we our on night 5, and no one towel animal in our room.

 

Just a little disappointed

 

 

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[davekathy]

We are in the Equinox right now. It's a beautiful ship, and we are having a good time.

 

I don't mean to be overly negative, but I can't help but be disgusted at how much you have to purchase that is no longer included in your fare. It's getting ridiculous, and most things aren't even reasonable charges.

 

The main dining room has only been a step up from cafeteria food. And we our on night 5, and no one towel animal in our room.

 

Just a little disappointed

 

 

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I'm curious. Just what do you "have" to purchase that is no longer included?

[PROCRUISE]

I'm curious. Just what do you "have" to purchase that is no longer included?

 

Have to concur also.

As far as I know towel animals are no longer a given on Celebrity and of course food is subjective. That being said, I'm also interested in what you feel that you now have to purchase that apparently was included in the past?

[awhcruiser]

I would love to know the answer! As to the comment about the MDR being like cafeteria food, I am not cooking it nor cleaning up afterwards!

I'm curious. Just what do you "have" to purchase that is no longer included?

[Algebralovr]

I've never known Celebrity to have a thing for towel animals. We had those on Carnival, not Celebrity.

 

What do you have to purchase that used to be included?

 

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[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

My experience on Celebrity has been that towel animals are hit or miss depending on your cabin steward. Perhaps you could tell your steward that you enjoy towel animals and see if one shows up one evening.

 

Perhaps too, newer cabin stewards may not even be trained to do a towel animal. Maybe the more experienced stewards know how to do them, but newer ones may not get that training. Or perhaps they do get the training but only make them for passengers with children on board.

 

By the way, I am 73 but do appreciate the towel animals.

[I&J Cruisers]

The food in the MDR is mediocre at best used to be excellent. Aqua Spa Cafe used to have very imaginative and delicious salads and small plates, no more. Not enough variety to eat there more than once or twice in a week. Fresh squeezed orange juice at the buffet disappeared several years ago. Desserts at dinner are not what they used to be. $100 a couple to eat in Moreno is ridiculous. There is plenty more but suffice to say they keep the bottom line prices artificially lower because that's what people are looking for. It is a business after all. If you want to approximate what used to be "Cruising" try suite class or one of the so called luxury lines. That's what it costs to provide the product we were used to.

[2theship]

We've been cruising Celebrity for more than 20 years, with and without children. There's been a thread on a social media site about no more towel animals and I'll say the same thing here as I said there: I've never seen a towel animal on Celebrity. Royal Caribbean, yes, and even on Princess but never on Celebrity. I'd far prefer that the cabin attendant does a good job on my bathroom and keeps my ice bucket filled.

 

I don't argue that watching the bottom line is making a difference in food and services. Recently, I came across the pricing of our first cruise in the mid 90's. I adjusted for inflation and the per diem was significantly higher than what we're paying for our most recent cruises. And, I'm comparing a cabin with a porthole to Aqua Class.

 

Celebrity's motto used to be "Let us exceed your expectations." Now, maybe we're all expecting too much. I don't expect the food in the dining room or buffet to match the expensive steak houses or seafood restaurants we have locally.

[Loujul]

I've never known Celebrity to have a thing for towel animals. We had those on Carnival, not Celebrity.

 

What do you have to purchase that used to be included?

 

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Glad to see your post. I was thinking the same thing. I thought only Carnival did the animal towels. I love the Equinox, but I see the writer's point. If you don't have a beverage package, Cafe Baccio could be an added expense, as well at the smoothies on the Aqua Cafe. But overall, I can never pass up a burger at the Mast Bar. Pass the French fries please! I'll just grab an iced tea!

[queenteacher]

I'm alway curious at the posts about the 'terrible' food. Exactly what are you used to eating? I understand they are cooking for thousands at a time and in that regard they do an excellent job. I'm not a bad cook and enjoy preparing dinner in the evening when at home. On the ship I look forward to the variety of choices at dinner. If something wasn't to my liking (that didn't mean it was terrible, I just didn't enjoy it) they always were kind enough to offer me another option. At home, dinner is dinner, lol - there are no options if it's not what you wanted.

 

We enjoy the dining experience, slower service gives us time to enjoy the meal and each other's company. I really don't like when i'm out to eat and 30 minutes after I sit down the bill shows up on the table.

 

As far as towel animals, they are cute and a fun treat when I get back to the cabin after dinner. But truly, I'm just happy there are towels that are clean and hanging, :rolleyes: I live in a house full of boys. Our room stewards have always been so nice and helpful...you'd be amazed at how far a few kind words and appreciation can go.

 

You are on vacation. Enjoy the experience, meet new people, learn new cultures and make the best of every situation. You could be at home on the couch watching re-runs of House Hunters and eating pizza that was delivered.

:D

 

Just to give a bit about my cruising experiences, I have been on around 20 cruises from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Celebrity, Cunard, and Norwegian and find that every cruise was a great week away and I can never wait for the next one.

 

Becky

[tbugstwo]

I just sailed on Equinox two weeks ago and had a great cruise.

 

True, some of the food in the MDR was not as good as what was expected. However, most was very good. No way it was "cafeteria food". The Steak and Fries, the Pasta with Shrimp, the Chicken Kiev, the Broiled Salmon, and the Red Snapper were all delicious. The lobster tail was not good.

 

We would always check the posted menu before dinner and if it did not appeal to us, we ate at the Oceanview. The steaks, chops, and fish were all grilled when you ordered. Good selection of side items and excellent desserts. We really enjoyed sitting outdoors at the back of the ship eating our dinner at our own pace, too.

 

As far as towel animals, who cares?

 

Paying for specialty restaurants is on ALL cruiselines.

 

Definitely having the premium drink package included by our travel agent was great. We sampled premium liquors that were excellent. The Zacapa Old Fashioned at the World Class Bar is unbelievable!

[JaniceB]

I just sailed on Equinox two weeks ago and had a great cruise.

 

True, some of the food in the MDR was not as good as what was expected. However, most was very good. No way it was "cafeteria food". The Steak and Fries, the Pasta with Shrimp, the Chicken Kiev, the Broiled Salmon, and the Red Snapper were all delicious. The lobster tail was not good.

 

We would always check the posted menu before dinner and if it did not appeal to us, we ate at the Oceanview. The steaks, chops, and fish were all grilled when you ordered. Good selection of side items and excellent desserts. We really enjoyed sitting outdoors at the back of the ship eating our dinner at our own pace, too.

 

As far as towel animals, who cares?

 

Paying for specialty restaurants is on ALL cruiselines.

 

Definitely having the premium drink package included by our travel agent was great. We sampled premium liquors that were excellent. The Zacapa Old Fashioned at the World Class Bar is unbelievable!

 

Love the idea of sitting outdoors having a dinner at sea. I am going on my first Celebrity cruise and will have to try this especially if they grill to order. I will have check the menus and pick a night to try this.

[awhcruiser]

Where is the like button?

I just sailed on Equinox two weeks ago and had a great cruise.

 

True, some of the food in the MDR was not as good as what was expected. However, most was very good. No way it was "cafeteria food". The Steak and Fries, the Pasta with Shrimp, the Chicken Kiev, the Broiled Salmon, and the Red Snapper were all delicious. The lobster tail was not good.

 

We would always check the posted menu before dinner and if it did not appeal to us, we ate at the Oceanview. The steaks, chops, and fish were all grilled when you ordered. Good selection of side items and excellent desserts. We really enjoyed sitting outdoors at the back of the ship eating our dinner at our own pace, too.

 

As far as towel animals, who cares?

 

Paying for specialty restaurants is on ALL cruiselines.

 

Definitely having the premium drink package included by our travel agent was great. We sampled premium liquors that were excellent. The Zacapa Old Fashioned at the World Class Bar is unbelievable!

[NeuroQueen]

We just disembarked Equinox on Friday and had wonderful food the entire 11 days. The Buffet was the most expansive that I have seen in many cruises. I agree that having a meal at the back of the buffet outside was wonderful. We ate dinner there many nights after a long day in port.

[Cruise Raider]

I recently sailed on the Equinox (about 3 months ago) and again on the Solstice even more recently (last week) and had wonderful cruises on both sailings. The food ranged from very good to outstanding! Yet, as I was standing in line at the stir fry station, there was a lady in front of me that seemed to need validation about her never ending complaints, even going as far as to calling the food 'rubbish'. I wouldn't bite, though ... I was having a fabulous time even though she was trying to convince me that I wasn't. Hahaha.... joke was on her. She spent her whole cruise complaining so much that she forgot to enjoy it.

 

I look back at my first Celebrity cruise, which was nearly 2 decades back. I had gotten a very good deal and got an inside cabin....way back when. Now, the prices are still comparable to what they used to be (with higher taxes only), yet, the prices of everything else has gone sky high. Plus, for the same pricing, I can get free gratuities, a free beverage package and with any luck, a good deal of onboard credit. Everything for my latest cruise was all paid for so used my obc to get an iPad. Photographs have gotten very pricey but that is really our only splurge ... our one embarkation photo per each cruise. Cruising, if you do your homework, is the absolute best bargain still out there .... but, shhhhhhh....don't tell the cruise lines. I don't want prices to go up. :D

[miched]

20 plus cruises on X and never had a towel animal.

 

Had them on Carnival.

 

Don't cruise for towel animals and I think that X tries to be more of an adult line.

 

Can't say the food is any better or worse, and seeing the way that most passengers are sucking it down as if it were their last meal it can't be that bad. I can only relate it to any land base restaurant where it seems great at first because it is different and new but after many times it seems to get a little old and repetitive. Don't mean it is worse than it was.

 

I agree with the extra charges though as some things that use to be included now have an extra charge, or eliminated. Look at the daily schedule of events, over 50% are either a sales event or are a infomercial disguised as a seminar, and others have that almighty * that signifies a extra charge.

 

Entertainment is getting worse. It had never been a strong point of theirs but the productions shows are high school level, and most of the lounge groups are very sad. Recently on the Equinox there was a magician that was straight out of the entry level magic trick kit. I heard that he was a last minute replacement.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Sphynxlady]

On Eclipse in January I was surprised with a towel animal for my birthday. Many years ago there used to be one each cruise. Just a sweet extra touch. To me Celebrity is the best!

[Algebralovr]

See, we generally make our own entertainment, and enjoy being able to decompress from daily life. Pretty much always have a beverage package of some kind, just to cover soda, bottled water and chai. I just roll it into the costs.

 

Beyond that, if you want the cruising of 20 years ago, cruise a higher end line. I checked costs for an AI ir beach rental, and found cruising from FL ti be a bargin

 

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[GordonJasmine]

As to those towel animals: we had them with NCL and hated all the extra room that they took up.

[lhsail]

Just off the Equinox last week, our first Celebrity cruise in a while only because Princess and NCL have provided close to home and price/itinerary options we chose as of late. Basically, we were reminded of everything we've always liked about Celebrity. Was the food in the dining room perfect every night, no, but certainly much better than cafeteria food. We did Anytime Dining, but found a waiter and stuck with him, the best waiter we've had in several cruises. Buffet options were plentiful and my husband had an awesome steak at lunch one day from the buffet.

 

Our cabin steward was also the best we've had in several cruises. Personally, the towel animals are cute but they won't make or break a cruise for us.

 

As for additional charges, Celebrity is no different than any other mainstream cruise line today. We've cruised for over 30 years and the base price of cruising is not keeping up with inflation, not even close. Cruise lines are a business, they have to make money. If they aren't increasing the basic cruise fare they've got to make money somewhere. The consumer's choices are to not pay for the extras, pay them and move on or go to a cruise line that is more expensive and more inclusive. I'd rather they keep the base price low and let me choose the extras I want to pay for.

 

 

If I have one complaint with Celebrity in all this is would be with their drink pricing. We had the premium beverage package as a perk, and I don't know that I'd cruise Celebrity again without a drink package of some kind as a perk. Their drink prices are definitely higher than Princess. In addition, there were times when I ordered a glass of wine and got maybe 3 ounces. Since I wasn't paying for each drink I let it go, but if I had been paying $13 for those 3 ounces I would have been very unhappy. Actually, I wouldn't have been drinking.

[wallie5446]

How would one go about 'buying' a towel animal? Who and where would we pay? Would we then loose our pool towel, or the one provided for us to take off the ship for the beach? :rolleyes:

[BettyPC]

My husband & I are cruising Celebrity, Carnival and Royal next year within 6 months of each other. I am going to pay close attention to everything & write about the differences! I bet I am going to love all of them. In May 2018 we will do our first Celebrity journey. Feb 2018 our 6th Carnival & 5th Royal in August 2018.

 

We feel blessed to be able to do these & I will remember to jot down notes!

 

Betty

[griffy116]

We have mostly traveled Royal and are Diamond with them, but will be on our first Celebrity cruise in a couple of weeks. Many years ago, when my Grandson was small, we were on a 12-night cruise to Hawaii. It certainly brought a smile to his face when we would return from dinner to find a towel animal...HOWEVER, as the cruise went on, and the towel animals piled up, lining the back of the sofa and the dresser, we were tempted to ask that they "stop the madness." We know this takes time away from the stewards regular duties and we know how hard they work for the tips. We are pretty self-sufficient and would probably be satisfied with just clean towels and a bucket with ice. We are thrilled with free wash 'n fold laundry we will be receiving...something we didn't get on Royal. It will be a bit nostalgic to see a chocolate on the pillow at night...something we lost many years ago on Royal. We have never felt the need to go to a Specialty restaurant, in spite of the fact that this time, as well as our other cruises, we have OBC and could go if we chose. My Grandson LOVES their escargot and will enjoy the option of having these each night. I've always found something good on the menu and leave the MDR quite satisfied and full each night. I don't think I'll find it any different on Celebrity. My one complaint is the ridiculous prices for the drinks. We are fortunate to have the premium drink price included as a perk because the drink prices have really gone crazy. The Spa prices have always been over-priced, so nothing new there. Other than the drink prices and the specialty charges for food, I don't see where the nickel and dime charges are showing up. Since we will be new to Celebrity, if there are things I'm missing, please let me know.

[lovecruzin]

We are on the same cruise...the first time of 6+ cruises on an S class ship that we have not been in Blu. The first day onboard we purchased the 4 specialty dinner package in anticipation of being dissapointed by the MDR. :rolleyes: We canceled the specialty dining because we were pleasantly surprised by the MDR. We have had excellent service and the food much better than expected. There have been a few misses but thats happened in Blu and Luminae.. Sure the food has changed and maybe isn't what it used to be when we first started cruising 18 years ago. IMO not at all what i would call cafeteria food.

 

As to the towel animals, we've had them a few times, but its never been something I've expected.

 

OP, I hope you enjoy the last few days of the cruise.

[robinbeth]

Hi

 

I know that I am new to celebrity forum... but.. not new to cruises or many islands/Europe forums.

 

I do not understand why you care about animal towels unless there are children in your cabin.

 

As far as drinks ..I have found that if you tip your bartender well a few times , your drinks are LOVELY !!! HA

 

We get a classic drink plan and pay the extra if needed.

 

We also tip our cabin server well at first and afterwards if warranted as you get many perks from a happy cabin attendant

 

We ( husband and I) do not sweat the small stuff on vacation-- we want to get our $ 's worth but understand that everyone has a job to do --- right ??

 

We have always found the main dining room to have amazing meals and would NEVER consider them cafeteria meals-- our servers have always been so attentive and informative !

We usually try 1 or 2 spec dinners but it is NOT always necessary .. and I am a foodie !!!!!!!

 

Not knockin' anyone's issues --- just my suggestions