LIVE BLOG! From the EQUINOX - AUG 25th Sailing - CHICAGOPAUL

[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.

[Sandy1975]

It seems like you got a great price for Concierge with go best! Enjoy!

[bighairtexan]

Following along. I'll be getting on the ship as you're going home.

Other than Luminae and Michael's the thing I'm most excited about is SLUSH. I've never been on a ship which had SLUSH even though I've cruised Equinox several times. Please have one of every drink on the Slush menu and report BACK w/ your recommendations! :D ;)

Hey it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it!

[abbydancer2003]

We were on the Equinox last month, and will be back next year. I love reading live threads, so following.

[chicagopaul]

Good Evening, errr early good Morning Everyone.

 

Our flight was scheduled to board at 6pm and depart at 6:35. We boarded at roughly 6:30 due to a mechanical issue, however they boarded us by accident because the issue was not resolved. So half the plane sat boarded while the other half sat outside the gate anxiously waiting to get on board.

 

The delay was due to malfunctioning door on the plane used for catering. Upon closing the door the food service staff notice the door did not latch and alerted the flight deck. It took just over an hour to fix. I will credit AA that they made an announcement every 10 minutes not only apologizing but explaining in detail what was happening and how they were fixing it. Our captain did the same and she was fantastic.

 

Thankfully they fed us lots of liquor while we waited.

 

 

Our meal was pretty decent and while there were a couple quirks in service, overall the flight soft product was solid.

 

 

 

We landed around 11:17pm, almost an hour past our scheduled time. Luggage came out immediately (thank you priority first) and there was no one in line for a cab. We had a great cab driver who knew exactly where he was going and we were at the Intercontinental (at Biscayne and the river) quickly. Taxi total was $26.50. With tip we gave him $32 in cash.

 

Check in was quick. There are lots of steps in front of the hotel. One of the Bell man saw us with luggage and helped. I can’t complain given the price of the hotel but it is important to note the service to expect at different hotels. Here I don’t mind grabbing my luggage. But at a 5 Star, think Four Seasons, Ritz, Mandarin etc. I don’t even want to have to open my car door let alone touch a piece of luggage. Though expectations need to coincide with the price point. For 11,000 chase points I’ll carry my own luggage up 5 stairs!

 

Check in desk was extremely friendly. We’re in room 2718 in case any one of you want to send flowers or bars of gold.

 

We decided to stop by the bar for a late night bite and of course a drink. The restaurant here is Torotoro. Food here has always been consistent. We split a burger and tuna tartar tacos. The burger was cooked very good but the tacos, while miniature, were excellent. Pricing was good. Compared to the hotel we live in, it was cheaper here even before what our resident discount would be in Chicago. After those two items plus a couple martinis our bill was $68 including an automatic 18% gratuity.

 

 

 

 

So now we are back in our room and will update you in the morning!

 

 

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[Chrissi3010]

Good morning Paul (and everybody else of course),

it's great to follow another blog of yours! We did nearly the same itinerary last october on the Equinox, just one day more. I loved Bonaire most where we took a watertaxi to Klein-Bonaire (small protected Island just like paradise; there is nothing on it, no bar, no shop, no nothing, which fortunately seems to keep many people away ;) ). We snorkled there and just enjoyed the perfect turquoise water and stayed there for half a day. I can only recommend it.

 

Enjoy your trip; Looking forward to your reviews. Will be a nice daily "to-do" again. ;)

 

Regards from Germany

Christine

Edited August 25, 2018 by Chrissi3010
picture added

[dutchclogs]

Following and looking forward to meeting you in person on board :cool:

[dutchclogs]

We had a similar experience on British Airways. We flew from Amsterdam to LHR to MIA . We were all boarded nicely on time at Schiphol when it was announced that one passenger had decided not to travel after checking in his/her luggage. Had to wait for ground staff to locate and remove before we could take off. Delays are always a concern, especially with connecting flights but safety must come first andhappily all went well.

We were also fortunate to get through Miami airport smoothly. Did you also have to be checked by a sniffer dog by the way?

[rcsharp121]

Looked forward to following along! We board the equinox in February. Enjoy the martinis and the martini bar!

 

 

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[Ex-vogue model]

Just love your live blogs!! Looking forward to your stop at Aruba as it’s a place we’ve wanted to visit for a while so are looking at a celebrity 2020 cruise to visit. Have a great cruise! 🥂

 

 

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[Hatteras51]

Good morning, Paul. I'm so excited to see another Chicago Paul review. We did this cruise last September, with the addition of the Cayman Islands. This was just days after the hurricane, so Falmouth was substituted for Key West. I think that most people were just so excited that the cruise was actually happening that losing a day in Key West was only slightly disappointing, considering the grand scheme of things. Did you get the Go Best package through a promotion? We had that also on Equinox, but I haven't seen it in a while. I always enjoy your reviews. Thanks so much for taking us along .

[SCGirl3211]

My first time following your cruise blog and totally enjoy your vibe! Love all the drink photos and can’t wait to see what interesting things you do at the various port stops. We have been to several of the ports you will be visiting but not all!!

 

 

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[Purplsmurf]

We will be on the Equinox next month with basically the same itinerary with the addition of Grand Cayman. We did the same cruise last September and loved it so much that we are doing it again. Hoping to get to Key West this year. Hurricane Irma made sure we didn’t get there last year .......can you please let us know who the bartenders are at the martini bar? I am friends with a few on Facebook and know that they aren’t there, but wondering if any will be there that were also on board last year. Thank you! Have a great cruise!

[Mr. Boston]

I admire all of the effort that you’re putting into this thread. It’s my first time following your reports. I’ll be interested in finding out what you guys do in the ABC’s as we’ll be there in February. Bon voyage! [emoji568]

 

 

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[Esprit]

Fingers crossed! Thanks for following along again! Hope you’re doing well. Which ship is your daughter on now or is she enjoying a nice break?

 

 

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All good here thanks Paul.

Valentina is on a break and due to fly out to the Celebrity/RCCI HQ mid September !

I'll try and watch your sail away later 🤞

[chicagopaul]

Good Morning from Miami! Well, it is about 10am here and we are all packed and luggage tags placed on the bags. We are heading to the port in about 15 minutes.

 

One item of note is that we forgot to print our express docs until they closed the online check in. We did check in online and filled out all the necessary info, just never printed out the paper work. So we have our cruise booklet with info that celebrity emailed us and they said we will just need to fill out one form at the port and it should be quick and easy. We will see!

 

Here is a view from our room. You have to look on an angle to see it. Not the best view but we will take it. Skies here are a bit over cast so here is to hoping the sail away is a dry one.

 

 

 

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[Hooked!]

Happy Embarkation Day!

 

Thanks for taking us along with you again. I agree, great itinerary. Following you on Instagram as well.

 

Bon voyage!

[clskinsfan]

Following! We are taking our first Celebrity cruise next spring. Looking forward to getting a feel of the vibe onboard through your review.

[bjahil47]

Have a great cruise! We will be on Equinox October 24th for our 4th cruise on her!

[chicagopaul]

Well we are waiting to board right now. Security and check in was a breeze even though we did not have express docs. The staff here has all been very friendly, friendlier than I remember, and all seems very well organized. Though it is early!

 

Not much of a line to check in as you can see.

 

 

 

 

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[emmas gran]

Hi, we board on Oct 26th doing this cruise and the one following.

If at all possible please could you find out when Vlado

F&B Director finishes on Equinox as I hear he is going to Edge

 

Many thx Liz

[chicagopaul]

Cheers from the sunset bar! We have our first drink and already met some fellow cruise critic members! Our bartender here is Taz and he is very nice and talkative. I think the sunset bar will become my morning spot this cruise.

 

 

 

 

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[MisterMet]

Thanks for your posts Paul. Looking forward to your report as we board Equinox on 9/14 for a 10 night Southern Itinerary. Great so far and will give us something to do as we count down the days! Enjoy!

[stinsowm]

Hi Paul,

 

I hope you and Edward have an amazing cruise!! I always love reading your reviews as you make me feel I am right there along with you!!

 

Cheers from Nashville!!

 

Walter

[chicagopaul]

So the storms are rolling in. At least the sunset bar is covered! A couple quick updates.

 

We have the Go Best but the internet didn’t load into the account so we will need to visit iLounge.

 

Deck 14 is getting brand new deck chairs. And no more flower shirts for the bartenders. They have white polos.

 

First impressions are excellent despite the rain haha.

 

 

 

 

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