Whar's New on Equinox since 2016?

[Boiler Fan]

:)We have cruised Celebrity eight times - the last time in February of 2016 on the Reflection. We just booked a Western Caribbean cruise on the Equinox for Feb. 2019. Since it will be three years since we were on a Celebrity ship, can anyone tell me what we will find different? Have the specialty restaurants on Equinox changed? Looking forward to cruising again. Thanks! :)

[dkjretired]

:)We have cruised Celebrity eight times - the last time in February of 2016 on the Reflection. We just booked a Western Caribbean cruise on the Equinox for Feb. 2019. Since it will be three years since we were on a Celebrity ship, can anyone tell me what we will find different? Have the specialty restaurants on Equinox changed? Looking forward to cruising again. Thanks! :)

 

Not sure of last time you were on the ship but Bistro on Five is now Sushi on Five....Ala Carte restaurant.. Currently Qsine is doing some new things with Petit Chef. There are a couple of threads on this.

[39august]

No Hot Glass show. The space is how used for charging people to learn to blow their own glass bauble. I had looked so forward to the hot glass show.

[rleigh]

No Hot Glass show. The space is how used for charging people to learn to blow their own glass bauble. I had looked so forward to the hot glass show.

 

I believe there is still a hot glass show with the optional blow your own for a price. I read that Corning Museum is a non-profit company and would not allow a price for admission nor hands on. The new provider, Hollywood Glass, out of Fort Lauderdale can do this. That`s what others have reported, at least. If you think about it, the old Corning show only used the space for 1-2 hours per day. The new provider is better using the facility.

[Cruise Raider]

Not too many changes but Cellar Masters is now the Gastro Bar. That might have changed before or after you sailed on them but in case it was after, the Gastro Bar serves craft beers and doesn't have a huge selection of wines anymore. They also serve some pub style small plates for a charge.

The Bistro on Five no longer has crepes but they serve sushi and some noodle dishes / soup. I believe it has an al a carte menu with per item charges. My neighbors, that went on a cruise with us, tried it and loved it.

Also, the internet has been upgraded and is quite fast and no longer seems to drop connections.

I read there were some changes to the Corning Glass Blowing shows. I think I read it was now in a classroom setting.

There has been a change on how you take out money from your onboard credit from the casino. It's now done by giving you promotion chips / credits. Only your winnings can be cashed out for money now. The promotional play is 'use it or lose it' ... in the casino.

If you have the classic beverage package, you can now just pay the upcharge for your drink if it exceeds the package limit. You no longer have to upgrade to the premium package for cocktails that exceed your limit.

[oneputt18]

Not sure of last time you were on the ship but Bistro on Five is now Sushi on Five....Ala Carte restaurant.. Currently Qsine is doing some new things with Petit Chef. There are a couple of threads on this.

Equinox has never had Qsine, she has Murano, Tuscan, Silk Harvest and Sushi on Five.

Also, as mentioned, Gastrobar, serving pub style food (for a fee) and craft beer, also doubles as a sports bar.

 

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[wineandbeach]

Didn't realize Equinox doesn't have Cellar Masters - we enjoyed it on Reflection. Is there any kind of Wine/Champagne bar?

[oneputt18]

Didn't realize Equinox doesn't have Cellar Masters - we enjoyed it on Reflection. Is there any kind of Wine/Champagne bar?

Nope, no more wine bar or anything similar.

[FredZiffle]

I believe there is still a hot glass show with the optional blow your own for a price. I read that Corning Museum is a non-profit company and would not allow a price for admission nor hands on. The new provider, Hollywood Glass, out of Fort Lauderdale can do this. That`s what others have reported, at least. If you think about it, the old Corning show only used the space for 1-2 hours per day. The new provider is better using the facility.

You can't really call it a show now. The instructors banter a bit while assisting paid customers make their glass object, but it is nothing like it was previously under Corning. Also, while Hollywood Glass may be open for business for a longer period than Corning was, the facility was virtually empty whenever I passed by, so I'm not sure it's a better use of the facility. I could easily see this experiment being replaced within a year because it's not generating sufficient income for X or for Hollywood Glass.

[spammie]

No more Molecular Bar :(, it's now the World Bar.

[Cruise Raider]

Didn't realize Equinox doesn't have Cellar Masters - we enjoyed it on Reflection. Is there any kind of Wine/Champagne bar?

 

Unfortunately not! As much as we love the Equinox, we almost would rather sail on the Solstice as we love Cellar Masters. I like a beer now and again, but would rather try a new wine while cruising. The bars, even if they are open, don't have all the choices you used to be able to get at the wine bar.

[Aloha 1]

Wish they'd just get rid of the glass venue on all Solstice Class ships and put in the Lawn Club Grill.

[Georgia_Peaches]

You can't really call it a show now. The instructors banter a bit while assisting paid customers make their glass object, but it is nothing like it was previously under Corning. Also, while Hollywood Glass may be open for business for a longer period than Corning was, the facility was virtually empty whenever I passed by, so I'm not sure it's a better use of the facility. I could easily see this experiment being replaced within a year because it's not generating sufficient income for X or for Hollywood Glass.

Really? We had a completely different experience back in April. The Hollywood Glass venue was full each day it was open. So much so, I regrettably didn't get a reservation to participate. I was convinced, largely from comments in similar threads to this, that the popularity of this would fade and there'd be little interest in paying for such an experience and reservations wouldn't be necessary. Perhaps it is all relative to one's sailing. The days when I did stop by to see if I could be a spot in line, there was a show, though limited, and a full compliment of people watching.

 

But to answer the OP's question, IMHO, though some of the venues may have changed names and types, we found the service and experience to be without fault.

[LeftcoastBC]

so...Is there a restaurant open any more to hang about in (not concierge) other than the buffet while those of us that manage to get on early wait for our rooms ??

[39august]

The Spa Cafe and Mast Grill should both be open I believe. Unfortunately, the Spa Cafe no longer does fresh cooked items, only small plates with ready made foods.

[garyl62]

:confused:

 

Paper Straws.