Observations From The Poop Deck- Equinox Aug 1

[Oceangoer2]

On 8/2/2021 at 11:37 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

accoutrements.

Love it!  So her "additional items of dress" fill 8 bags....where does she put her actual wardrobe?

[Oceangoer2]

On 8/2/2021 at 11:59 AM, cltnccruisers said:

So you have to already be in a suite to be eligible?  Makes sense.  We've always been happy with our balcony staterooms on the Solstice class.  We got bumped to concierge once on Infinity - just called out of the blue.  Best parts of that were the embarkation day lunch and the debarkation day breakfast in the observation lounge. 

Any cabin class is eligible for move up.  Check the X site menu, there's a link which explains the process.

[Oceangoer2]

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Well I have to report that the Equinox wins over the Edge in its teatime scones in the Retreat Lounge (butler made an express comment there is no longer a Michael's Club). Though I liked the idea of bite sized ,the original biscuit sized scones still offered on the Equinox were warm adding to their appeal. Next in line was the creamy sweet cheese cake, which made the donut bland and the eclair cream center bitter. If one must, I recommend starting with the eclair, then donut, followed by scones and finishing with the creamy cheese cake. I passed on the quiche. (My diet on land consists of no sweets).

Tea time would encompass my dinner diet...however, I would have the quiche!

[Oceangoer2]

7 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

The show last evening was Topper. The first time we saw the show was on this Equinox in 2018 and again in 2019, both times I felt it was one of the worst shows, next to Elysium, that I ever witnessed. But for some uncanny reason it has now transformed in my mind to one of the best I have ever  been allowed to attend.  Show events I once took for granted are so much more appreciated once again.

Agree on both....saw them too many times....Topper was nonsense and Elysium never had a point....but...after 2 years not sailing, I'm sure I'll love them both.

[morpheusofthesea]

25 minutes ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Morpheus, are you a writer? I love your posts. It's like reading someone's daily diary. Please keep writing and letting us know your adventures. P.S. I have never sailed in a suite but after reading your posts, I feel I have to eventually treat myself and DH to this luxury.

Dear FLCruiser97,  You are most kind, indeed.

[FLCruiser97]

8 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Dear FLCruiser97,  You are most kind, indeed.

You are welcome! Enjoy your cruise.

[hcat]

16 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Agree on both....saw them too many times....Topper was nonsense and Elysium never had a point....but...after 2 years not sailing, I'm sure I'll love them both.

That whole group  of shows were def bad esp if  compared to the shows on EDGE..  Might be worth seeking out a lounge with some nice music !

Enjoy!

[morpheusofthesea]

There is a different 'vibe' going on here aboard cruise ships at this moment. One can sense it. I felt it last month aboard the Edge as well. Being on board the Equinox only two days and I feel it again. It is a sadness, a fear behind the smiles and 'feigned' cheerfulness in the daily greetings. As if all are just waiting for the 'other shoe to drop'. We all are hoping and many are praying for the best and an end to this scourge, especially on this industry. One has to be on board to experience it for themselves. It is too hard for any cruise critic to be critical of anything at this moment (not that I am critical of anything that I have experienced ). It is just so hard, everyone is trying so hard to please.

[FLCruiser97]

23 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

There is a different 'vibe' going on here aboard cruise ships at this moment. One can sense it. I felt it last month aboard the Edge as well. Being on board the Equinox only two days and I feel it again. It is a sadness, a fear behind the smiles and 'feigned' cheerfulness in the daily greetings. As if all are just waiting for the 'other shoe to drop'. We all are hoping and many are praying for the best and an end to this scourge, especially on this industry. One has to be on board to experience it for themselves. It is too hard for any cruise critic to be critical of anything at this moment (not that I am critical of anything that I have experienced ). It is just so hard, everyone is trying so hard to please.

I have that vibe from shore also. We are on the Equinox-Sept 5 and are hoping and praying that Celebrity doesn't cancel our sailing. We've waited too long. Just a short 33 days left.

[jcpc]

8 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

The show last evening was Topper. The first time we saw the show was on this Equinox in 2018 and again in 2019, both times I felt it was one of the worst shows, next to Elysium, that I ever witnessed. But for some uncanny reason it has now transformed in my mind to one of the best I have ever  been allowed to attend.  Show events I once took for granted are so much more appreciated once again.

I hear you!  I sail Celebrity quite frequently and, as such, don't really attend too many of the shows anymore.  I am, however, looking extremely forward to seeing all the shows on my September Edge sailing because it's been so long since I've seen ANY live performances anywhere.  That said, I still think Topper was a lousy show 😁

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Morpheus, are you a writer? I love your posts. It's like reading someone's daily diary. Please keep writing and letting us know your adventures. P.S. I have never sailed in a suite but after reading your posts, I feel I have to eventually treat myself and DH to this luxury.

I have to agree. 

[Silkroad]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

There is a different 'vibe' going on here aboard cruise ships at this moment. One can sense it. I felt it last month aboard the Edge as well. Being on board the Equinox only two days and I feel it again. It is a sadness, a fear behind the smiles and 'feigned' cheerfulness in the daily greetings. As if all are just waiting for the 'other shoe to drop'. We all are hoping and many are praying for the best and an end to this scourge, especially on this industry. One has to be on board to experience it for themselves. It is too hard for any cruise critic to be critical of anything at this moment (not that I am critical of anything that I have experienced ). It is just so hard, everyone is trying so hard to please.

Eloquent and moving post. Thank you for sharing your impressions with us.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Silkroad

[choochella]

1 hour ago, FLCruiser97 said:

I have that vibe from shore also. We are on the Equinox-Sept 5 and are hoping and praying that Celebrity doesn't cancel our sailing. We've waited too long. Just a short 33 days left.

We too are on the Sept 5 sailing and are praying this variant doesn’t get any worse that the cruise may be canceled. 🤞We’ve had 4 cruises canceled over the last year. I am so ready!!

[Jim_Iain]

21 minutes ago, choochella said:

We too are on the Sept 5 sailing and are praying this variant doesn’t get any worse that the cruise may be canceled. 🤞We’ve had 4 cruises canceled over the last year. I am so ready!!

We are in the same boat (sic) as you and on the same ship.    I'm tired of all these re-bookings.

[terrydtx]

51 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We are in the same boat (sic) as you and on the same ship.    I'm tired of all these re-bookings.

Same for us, Aug 27th on Equinox,  since last year 5 cruises canceled, tired of not going anywhere even if it is just floating in carribbean for 10 days.

[morpheusofthesea]

I just have to report that the menus in the Luminae Restaurant are the same as the Luminae Restaurant on the Edge and I am now trying to fathom why, why the food is better on this Equinox than on the Edge. I had one dinner the other night of the best sirloin I have ever eaten in my life and tonight I found the loin of lamb on the menu which I had on the Edge which I had a hard time chewing, but I gave this entree a second chance and the Chefs here on the Equinox did not fail me. Tender to the point I could almost cut it with my fork. One can not help but eat and eat well on this ship in the Luminae. We have the added 'perk' with this suite of complimentary specialty restaurant dining but will not be able to report on any of them because we are so satisfied with the Luminae service and cuisine that we will stick with the Luminae. We already discussed that on our return to Edge in Sept 2021 we will avail ourselves of this complimentary specialty dining perk and will be able to report back then of more observations.

Edited August 4, 2021 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

This 'ship within a ship' concept has brought us back to cruising after many years. Celebrity has brought it to a new high. We feel that cruising in this suite class is the best life has to offer. At the comedy show tonight the Master of the Equinox, Capt. Tasos Kafetzis (a comedian himself), was introducing his staff (as most captains do every cruise). When introducing his hotel manager he remarked that "this is the man tasked with making sure one gets the service one deserves and should one not receive the service one deserves,........ then one is not deserving of the service.".(audience laughs) He finishes "I am glad we are the same page !"

[floatplan]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We have the added 'perk' with this suite of complimentary specialty restaurant dining but will not be able to report on any of them because we are so satisfied with the Luminae service and cuisine that we will stick with the Luminae

 

If you've never been you should eat at Murano.  Check out if they have a lunch.

[morpheusofthesea]

We discovered another nice 'treat' during this morning's breakfast in the Luminae. Our waitress was standing nearby and witnessed my delight at selecting several pastries from the pastry tray presented by another lovely young lady going table to table. The pastry dish only fits one pastry, comfortably at a time and I was having this young lady pile two or three on each plate (I commandeered DW's pastry plate in this endeavor). Our waitress witnessing my maneuver immediately came over to my aid with several more pastry dishes. Then she had the most brilliant idea and suggested I might need several pastry 'bags' (the same bags provided passengers at El Bacio), in case I could not finish these pastries at breakfast I could enjoy them later in my cabin. Brilliant! I flagged down the pastry tray young lady and got 2 more chocolate chip muffins to go.

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I just have to report that the menus in the Luminae Restaurant are the same as the Luminae Restaurant on the Edge and I am now trying to fathom why, why the food is better on this Equinox than on the Edge. I had one dinner the other night of the best sirloin I have ever eaten in my life and tonight I found the loin of lamb on the menu which I had on the Edge which I had a hard time chewing, but I gave this entree a second chance and the Chefs here on the Equinox did not fail me. Tender to the point I could almost cut it with my fork. One can not help but eat and eat well on this ship in the Luminae. We have the added 'perk' with this suite of complimentary specialty restaurant dining but will not be able to report on any of them because we are so satisfied with the Luminae service and cuisine that we will stick with the Luminae. We already discussed that on our return to Edge in Sept 2021 we will avail ourselves of this complimentary specialty dining perk and will be able to report back then of more observations.

 

I think it may also be dependent on the batch of meat they acquired.    Prep is one thing but the quality of meat does vary.

 

A couple years ago we were in Muranos.   We have known the Restaurant Manager for over 12  years and he insisted on serving us.    I was rather shocked when I ordered the Rack of Lamb and he looked at me and said NO.    I can not serve that to you because I have received reports that it is not up to our standards.      I ordered something instead and was surprised when my meal came he also brought me a Rack of Lamb  so I could see what he meant.    It was like shoe leather and he quickly took it away. 

[morpheusofthesea]

It is a most beautiful day today sitting out on the cabin veranda. DW has gone for her 'walk-about' and I am sitting here eyeing the bagged pastries. I just can not be tempted. I know we set the clocks back one hour, but it is just moments away for lunch. I would not want to have the pastries interfere with my chicken fried rice, special ordered in the Luminae. It just so quiet on this balcony. One can hear the typing of the laptop keys and lapping of the waves.

[cangelmd]

19 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

There is a different 'vibe' going on here aboard cruise ships at this moment. One can sense it. I felt it last month aboard the Edge as well. Being on board the Equinox only two days and I feel it again. It is a sadness, a fear behind the smiles and 'feigned' cheerfulness in the daily greetings. As if all are just waiting for the 'other shoe to drop'. We all are hoping and many are praying for the best and an end to this scourge, especially on this industry. One has to be on board to experience it for themselves. It is too hard for any cruise critic to be critical of anything at this moment (not that I am critical of anything that I have experienced ). It is just so hard, everyone is trying so hard to please.

Agree completely. It’s like a meme photo of the baby bear hanging on to the side of the tree by his claw tips- I’m OK!

[terrydtx]

9 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

It is a most beautiful day today sitting out on the cabin veranda. DW has gone for her 'walk-about' and I am sitting here eyeing the bagged pastries. I just can not be tempted. I know we set the clocks back one hour, but it is just moments away for lunch. I would not want to have the pastries interfere with my chicken fried rice, special ordered in the Luminae. It just so quiet on this balcony. One can hear the typing of the laptop keys and lapping of the waves.

With all those pastries maybe you should be doing the walk about with your DW, LOL  What is your next port stop? Enjoying every minute of your trip.

[cangelmd]

12 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

It is a most beautiful day today sitting out on the cabin veranda. DW has gone for her 'walk-about' and I am sitting here eyeing the bagged pastries. I just can not be tempted. I know we set the clocks back one hour, but it is just moments away for lunch. I would not want to have the pastries interfere with my chicken fried rice, special ordered in the Luminae. It just so quiet on this balcony. One can hear the typing of the laptop keys and lapping of the waves.

Ah Morpheus, you are on my side of the ship, I’m watching the freighter as well. About to go shower for lunch and wine tasting. I’m going to be looking at whose getting fried rice. We rarely do Luminae for anything other than dinner - lunch first day, breakfast last day is usual for us - but we were at lunch yesterday and DH enjoyed the chicken so much that he got talked into a repeat of it today. I’ve got dibs on the onion tart it was served over. 
Are we neighbors ?

[morpheusofthesea]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

  What is your next port stop?

I think it is somewhere in Mexico. Do not really care that much about ports of call. We book ship and cabin. This reply and "We do not bother to get off the ship" , we find brings solace to the crew that visit these ports weekly and are forbidden to go ashore. That is another observation we have found among the crew. We tell them "You are not missing anything". We have all had those experiences, of meeting people on cruise ships and how wonderful and exciting their tour was compared to everyone elses.