Jim_Iain - 9/5 and 9/17 Equinox B2B - Come along for a Live Blog

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Main dining room.   
 

 

We always wondered how they accessed the bottles of wine at the top..  

 

[Hatteras51]

18 hours ago, hcat said:

 

I believe this was the mini bridge.. the big one  had already collapsed if I recall correctly.   (5 yrs is a long time..)   was a great Halloween  cruise with overnight  stay in Aruba....

 

On prior trips we used to have dinner at El Gaucho. Not even sure it is still there??

El Gaucho is still there and open for business. 

[Hatteras51]

21 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

This is false information, but maybe that’s what Celebrity wants? Aruba only requires masks while indoors, there is no longer a curfew, but restaurants must close at midnight and casinos at 1:00 am. Also, Aruba doesn’t care about vaccination cards. They require a negative PCR test within 3 days of arriving, but seems that cruise ships usually don’t have to follow this if one port for only one day…..not sure about an overnight 

Hi Purplsmurf. I haven't chatted with you in quite a while.  You are correct about the current curfew and requirements.  We were there for several weeks  last June. They lifted the mask requirement while we were there, along with some of the other restrictions.  I'm sure that you know that they had to put the restrictions back in place when delta hit the island and numbers went back up. Since they just recently lifted the restrictions again,  it looks like the cruise lines didn't get the memo. Fortunately,  numbers are trending down in Aruba again,  so hopefully,  they are almost through this surge.

[brockmom]

31 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

We always wondered how they accessed the bottles of wine at the top..  

 

We had the most wonderful sommelier years ago….who enjoyed our group of 6 sooo much…she actually snuck us in for a tour . It was soooo cool to see how they navigate in there and how they store things . And yes….a very tall ladder. 😉 

[Hatteras51]

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Just Googled on it and it is still in business since 1977.    Looks fantastic. 

Unfortunately the natural Bridge collapsed a few years ago, but there is another that the locals refer to as baby bridge.  Oops, just realized that you were talking about El Gaucho, not the natural bridge. Sorry...

Edited September 21, 2021 by Hatteras51

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, brockmom said:

We had the most wonderful sommelier years ago….who enjoyed our group of 6 sooo much…she actually snuck us in for a tour . It was soooo cool to see how they navigate in there and how they store things . And yes….a very tall ladder. 😉 

I thought I saw two people in there one time when we were having dinner but they were not clearly visible and did not stay very long.  A ladder would make more sense than a pull system with wires to take one up and down. 

 

I think I''ll ask for a tour when we are on Reflection in December.

[Hatteras51]

8 hours ago, brockmom said:

It certainly was about 10 yrs ago when we did a stay on the island. We both remember the steak we ordered was like a small roast beef when it came on the plate. Lol. What the heck were we going to do with that ! 
we stayed at an all inclusive resort so no doggie bag was needed! 😉 

Recent reviews though on trip advisor sounds like they have slipped ! 
😊

Yes,  El Gaucho is not as good as it used to be. We vacation in Aruba every year, for several weeks. We haven't been to El Gaucho in years as we feel that there are better restaurants. However,  a lot of people love it. 

[Blue_Flame]

We'll be sailing Equinox this November (hopefully). We're hoping to buy some Apple merchandise with OBC and wondered if you've noticed whether or not they have Air Pods and Air Pods Pro (the bluetooth earphones) in inventory. We realize that their merchandise offerings change, but we're curious as to whether or not they are currently in stock.

Thanks and continued safely in your travels.

[goofysmom99]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Will you do a review and pictures in a separate thread?

Come on, say yes!😁

I'm being a recluse on this sailing because I have more upcoming shortly.  Can't risk a contract trace again.  I might try on a later sailing.

[LGW59]

4 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'm being a recluse on this sailing because I have more upcoming shortly.  Can't risk a contract trace again.  I might try on a later sailing.

Love it, a relaxing recluse, enjoy that cruise!!

[Arzeena]

39 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'm being a recluse on this sailing because I have more upcoming shortly.  Can't risk a contract trace again.  I might try on a later sailing.

I understand. Be safe and enjoy your cruise.

[Ken the cruiser]

54 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'm being a recluse on this sailing because I have more upcoming shortly.  Can't risk a contract trace again.  I might try on a later sailing.

You by chance won’t be sailing on the Edge, will you?

[leafsnation]

We are on the same B2B Nov 7 and 19.

Thanks for real time time updates.

We fly in to FLL a day before so no access to the Health Questionaire . Hopefully can fill out at checkin.

Bob

[funatseascott]

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Scott -  the trick to posting video is you have to first post it to a site like YouTube and then drop that link into the message and wait a couple seconds and it populates. 

 

I wish you could just paste it to CC. 

This shows my techie along with my social media skills.  I don’t have any accounts on YouTube, fb, Twitter, etc, just here.  lol 

[abbydancer2003]

4 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I won't hijack this thread but have to post this one picture of Summit al Bacio on a SEA day!  Veeerrry strange.

Pretty much what it looked like every day we were on the Summit.

[goofysmom99]

45 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You by chance won’t be sailing on the Edge, will you?

No, Edge is not until April.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

11 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a pre-tied.  Just our preference.   Tongue and Cheek --   I would compare it to a woman wearing falsie instead of the natural look.  They just don't look natural.

 

One tie site explains it like this -- (but remember they are selling Bow Ties)

 

Are pre-tied bow ties acceptable?

 

Pre-tied bow ties look pre-tied and lack the character of a self-tie. The pre-tied bow tie is suitable for children, and for those who lack or no longer have the dexterity to tie and adjust bow ties for themselves. We don't recommend the pre-tied bow tie, even as a “starter” bow tie.

 

When I made a few I mad them with either elastic in the back or a hook.  Still had to be hand tied but with elastic you could get it a bit tighter while tying.  The hook let you tie it without putting it on, which incidentally isn’t exactly as easy as one might think! 

[goofysmom99]

19 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Pretty much what it looked like every day we were on the Summit.

I am surprised for a bit under 15% occupancy from a US port.  Was the ONLY person in Rendezvous last night.  Outnumbered 4 to 1 by the musicians (who are very good).

[canderson]

6 minutes ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

When I made a few I mad them with either elastic in the back or a hook.  Still had to be hand tied but with elastic you could get it a bit tighter while tying.  The hook let you tie it without putting it on, which incidentally isn’t exactly as easy as one might think! 

What I've always thought odd was that inherent in their designs, the companies making these pre-tied bow ties don't even TRY to make them look a bit more like a hand-tied version.  There's a reason that you can spot one from a mile away.  NOBODY can tie one that tight through the center (the thicknesses of the fabric simply won't allow for that), and NOBODY can make the outside edges of the loops match within 1/64"!  You'd think that some company out there in the faux bow-tie business could make a fortune just putting a little more effort into the design.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

16 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

No, Edge is not until April.

That’s cool. I just thought I’d ask. I’m just going through Edge withdrawals as I haven’t seen an Edge blog since mine ended back on Aug 28. 😎

[Benthayer Gonbak]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

Oh my my my...... .this  meal would put me over the edge!  The  pea and crab, soup and sea bass alone...what a great meal! I would even have to taste the cherries jubilee...  Hope they have  some of these choices on Reflection in January..our first time in a suite. My mouth is watering!

 

I  try to do my best with my type 2 diabetes..trying to put  neg off side effects as long as I can,  and  the need to use insulin. I test often and wear a monitor a few times a yr to see how my food intake affects my blood sugar values..amazing technology.  We like to walk..not as far as you go,  also bike and I garden and swim.  We miss  going to the gym since Covid but do some  weights at home...not the same.  My fav is the leg press..may try the gym at our Fl community if it is sparsely used...

I was once told the cherries themselves were sugar free.  They are tart but I asked what it was sweetened with.  The box had been discarded!  Cherries are still fruit so a bit of caution to diabetes but if they are truly unsweetened including without cornstarch that could help perhaps. 

[funatseascott]

We took a private bus to Baby Beach today, so we could take a tour of the east side of the island.  Drove by the prison near baby beach.  How many prisons have oceanfront views???  Baby beach gets its name from being so calm and shallow that families and babies frequent there.  Not sure if true or not, but it was calm near the shore and shallow for a long distance.  We snorkeled but not nearly as good as Arashi yesterday.  Very little coral and mostly the same fish.  There really are only a few good spots and seems to have more people at those spots.  I only went once today for 30 minutes as it didn’t interest me enough to go back out.  The further out you go, the more current you have, so keep this in mind.  As the day progressed, the beach became very active with no social distancing.  There were plenty of loud people yelling from the water to the people on land and vice versa.  Lots of drinking only got the voices louder as the day progressed.  If you like the louder and more active beach with drinking, this will be great.  For us, we won’t be back here.  It was more expensive to get there, beach chairs and shade for $60, have to pay $2 to use a bathroom, no Wi-Fi and not peaceful has no comparison to other beaches.  After leaving the beach, we ran into wild mules getting handouts.  Best stop was on the way back to the ship.  As we like looking for jerk chicken, our driver said he would stop to let us get some on the way back, so we didn’t get any lunch at the beach.  We picked up 2 orders of jerk wings from O’neil Caribbean Kitchen.  We had them finished before getting back to port.  Very tasty but not very spicy.  We are glad we stopped and would go back but not out of our way though.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

5 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Jim, or any X veterans:

Other than Lumiere for suite pax, do Celebrity ships have any upscale lunch venues where you can  sit and get unhurried lunch table service with  at least a partial ocean view ( inside or outside, with or without an upcharge)?

 

I will be in a Sky Suite on Edge, first X cruise, in November.  I am not much of a breakfast eater ( usually just get something light delivered to the suite preceded by my coffee) and instead prefer a calm, sit-down, unhurried early 3-course lunch. I have been studying the dining options online and they are a bit overwhelming.  My guess is Lumiere will be my best bet, though it does not open for lunch until 12?

 

Thank you in advance.  I appreciate everyone's practical advice, input and enthusiasm.

I almost always eat breakfast in the main dining room! Meet a lot of spouses in suites there too!  I don’t have to stand and wait for an omelette to be cooked or wander all over.  At least on sea days!  

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Jim, or any X veterans:

Other than Lumiere for suite pax, do Celebrity ships have any upscale lunch venues where you can  sit and get unhurried lunch table service with  at least a partial ocean view ( inside or outside, with or without an upcharge)?

 

I will be in a Sky Suite on Edge, first X cruise, in November.  I am not much of a breakfast eater ( usually just get something light delivered to the suite preceded by my coffee) and instead prefer a calm, sit-down, unhurried early 3-course lunch. I have been studying the dining options online and they are a bit overwhelming.  My guess is Lumiere will be my best bet, though it does not open for lunch until 12?

 

Thank you in advance.  I appreciate everyone's practical advice, input and enthusiasm.

Many choices on EDGE....if they let you into  the mdr for lunch they serve a nice selection,  Our fav for lunch was the Grand Bistro..great menu,  outstanding soups,  excellent table service, wine list, dessert..great sea views,  popular with officers.  Also for a more cafe like experience  indoor and outdoor seating, try Eden cafe.  We tried but could not get  lunch res for the seafood restaurant.,too bad..looked awesome.  No one goes hungry on EDGE.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

2 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'm being a recluse on this sailing because I have more upcoming shortly.  Can't risk a contract trace again.  I might try on a later sailing.

sorry to hear you got caught in even one contact trace.  With passengers off in every port I assume that’s easier to happen than one might think.  Stay safe.