Semi-LIVE Equinox January 2, 2023

[jd99]

14 minutes ago, bjahil47 said:

There was not a complete refurbishment in 2019 and most cabins were not refreshed.

That's what I keep reading. Is there any way to know which cabins are and which are not refreshed? Seems like someone somewhere would be keeping a list but I have not found it despite extensive searching online. 

 

[toddmanka]

2 hours ago, jd99 said:

That's what I keep reading. Is there any way to know which cabins are and which are not refreshed? Seems like someone somewhere would be keeping a list but I have not found it despite extensive searching online. 

 

Top 2 decks have been refurbished 

[KKB]

2 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

There was not a complete refurbishment in 2019 and most cabins were not refreshed.

Several sites say they were but I certainly cannot confirm myself 

[chamima]

2 hours ago, jd99 said:

That's what I keep reading. Is there any way to know which cabins are and which are not refreshed? Seems like someone somewhere would be keeping a list but I have not found it despite extensive searching online. 

 

 

I would suggest opening a new thread on the main Celebrity board with that question as the title.

Someone will know.

[cnkgirl]

12 hours ago, KKB said:

Cabins were refurbished in 2019

We were on equinox in April 2022 and our cabin has not been refurbished unfortunately.

[aml3679]

Following 

[KKB]

7 hours ago, cnkgirl said:

We were on equinox in April 2022 and our cabin has not been refurbished unfortunately.

Ours was in November.

[Betsynh]

18 hours ago, jd99 said:

That's what I keep reading. Is there any way to know which cabins are and which are not refreshed? Seems like someone somewhere would be keeping a list but I have not found it despite extensive searching online. 

 

Ours on deck 10 still sports the lovely tan decor. Lol. Still totally fine! 

[Betsynh]

We’re in Martinique today. We figured out that we can use Verizon’s $10/day international calling plan to catch up with everyone while we’re here! It’s a lot more affordable than a day if iffy Wi-Fi. Close enough to land by 7:30am our time to tap into local towers. On the Best of Martinique all day tour today. Chilling at the Rum Factory. 🤣🛳

[phoenix_dream]

Can anyone on this cruise confirm that the changes mentioned in another thread (about "Ambush charges") are in fact correct?  Other than the lobster one which has been confirmed.

[Betsynh]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

Can anyone on this cruise confirm that the changes mentioned in another thread (about "Ambush charges") are in fact correct?  Other than the lobster one which has been confirmed.

Not familiar with what that is. So far so good in our end and been checking our account daily. 

[Betsynh]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:40 AM, jd99 said:

Thanks so much for the gluten free advice. My oldest daughter is celiac snd had a great dining experience on the Edge so we were hoping the Equinox would be good as well. 

Tell her to ask for the chocolate mousse. It’s not on the MDR menu, but since the flourless chocolate cake hasn’t materialized yet, it’s a great second choice. I don’t like crème brûlée. Lol. 

[Betsynh]

For all you comedy lovers—I thought Celebrity Central was the open entertainment area on deck 4 forward. Nope… it’s a full comedy club down the hallway behind the sign. Wound up standing after waiting 30+ in the open area, but the show was worth it. 

[kearney]

You can tell if your room has been updated... the new color scheme is built around a blue gray color...vs older design was a Maroon and cream color scheme. Cabins not updated have new blue gray drapes, bedding and blue decorator pillows.. but carpet is still mainly maroon... the warn color scheme kinda clashes with the cooler blue gray scheme. But unless you really look for it... you might miss it. Also... I wonder if the refurbishment extended to bathrooms... because our Equinox bathroom still had the maroon cream tile scheme... not sure if the plan was to update that area or not.  I vaguely remembered Silhouette still having the older scheme in the bathroom..but not sure

[phoenix_dream]

Curious - have any of the Sky Suites been updated?  Last we sailed in a corner S1 a few years ago post-refurb ours was not.  Wondering if any of them were?

[Betsynh]

44 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Curious - have any of the Sky Suites been updated?  Last we sailed in a corner S1 a few years ago post-refurb ours was not.  Wondering if any of them were?

Perhaps the cabin questions need to be directed elsewhere. We’re in an inside cabin on deck 10. We don’t get to mingle with the Retreat folks unless they join for excursions. I have no clue how to help with cabin questions. 

 

Tonight’s performance Topper was well done. Great costumes, music and energy with singers, dancers and acrobats. Best so far in our opinion. 
 

Our waiter indicated 200 staff finish their contracts with this cruise! 

 

Pete is the cruise director and has been hilarious. We’re enjoying the little “balcony” area in the back of decks 14/15 (halfway up the stairs). Verizon is still picking up Martinique cell tower and it’s just after 8:30 ship time. We departed at 6pm. Stretching our $10! 🤣

[carolyn22]

35 minutes ago, Betsynh said:

Perhaps the cabin questions need to be directed elsewhere. We’re in an inside cabin on deck 10. We don’t get to mingle with the Retreat folks unless they join for excursions. I have no clue how to help with cabin questions. 

 

Tonight’s performance Topper was well done. Great costumes, music and energy with singers, dancers and acrobats. Best so far in our opinion. 
 

Our waiter indicated 200 staff finish their contracts with this cruise! 

 

Pete is the cruise director and has been hilarious. We’re enjoying the little “balcony” area in the back of decks 14/15 (halfway up the stairs). Verizon is still picking up Martinique cell tower and it’s just after 8:30 ship time. We departed at 6pm. Stretching our $10! 🤣

A really stupid question from me - how can you tell that Verizon is picking up the Martinique tower?  I’m going to be on the Equinox in a few weeks for 28 days and also have Verizon. I’m thinking of adding Travel Pass. 

[countess5]

Sorry to ask again, but can you share the nights that are chic nights?

 

Thank you

 

Cheers! 

[deliver42]

We're on the same cruise next December. Can't wait. Did you have to get tested before the cruise or did they drop that on longer cruises?

[jean87510]

On 1/3/2023 at 10:58 AM, Betsynh said:

So excited to finally be on the Equinox! We’re mid-50’s/early 60’s New Englanders who think we’re still in our 40’s. We booked this Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise  since we haven’t been to three of the five islands on the itinerary. I wanted to share some quick thoughts and tips about our experience since I didn’t find many (semi) live reviews.

 

First, we were assigned 11:30am check in as our window. The hotel shuttle dropped us at 10:55am and there were plenty of baggage handlers, etc., so we progressed through the check-in line with no questions. Check in was a breeze — room keys were waiting outside the cabin — so it’s all done electronically. The only hold ups were people that didn’t do any online prep… and this is definitely an older crowd on this trip. We had a short wait and were heading to the ship around 11:35am. PRO TIP— always pack your bathing suit and sunscreen in your carryon! We had a great time enjoying the solarium pool (so warm—not salt water) and hot tub before our luggage arrived. We had the whole pool to ourselves.

 

Since I’m gluten-free, I typically head to the main dining room for lunch on embarkation day. I hadn’t done enough research, as the MDR wasn’t open for lunch and we were directed to the Oceanview Cafe (buffet). This totally stressed me out, but there was a supervisor by the entrance who told me how to read the signs — food is reasonably well-marked — and showed me the GF dessert area and indicated they have GF pizza and will have GF pasta tomorrow. The pizza took about 15 minutes to cook, but it was actually one of the best GF pizzas at sea I’ve eaten. They give you a whole one, so it’s a little overwhelming, but it was good enough that hubby polished off what I couldn’t eat. There’s an ice cream station in the Oceanview Cafe and all the ice cream is GF, as well.

 

I love a ship with a good atrium, and the Equinox didn’t disappoint! There are so many quiet nooks and crannies and plenty of seating (we are not at capacity this week). I’m writing this from the Library area on deck 10. It’s 7 stories up from the music below, so just enough vibe to feel like you’re on vacation without tripping over scooters and too many people confused about where they want to go next.

 

We like early dining (5:30pm) and got a window table for two in the Solarium and were done in time for the 7pm show. Tables were very close but arriving early helped with the flow although I felt bad for the waiter since each of his tables were at a different stage of the meal. Nevertheless, the food was good and they brought warmed up GF bread (the usual). The menus were well-labeled — except for the dessert menu — so I did NOT have to pre-order for the following day. That was really unusual but much appreciated!

 

After dinner, we went on a hunt for live music — the Take 3 musicians were pretty amazing but classical puts me to sleep on a full stomach. We cruised past the duo in Ensembles lounge — decent but too crowded. Waited a few minutes for the house band in the atrium and it turned out to be their 1950’s set. They sounded good, but not quite our vibe. Still searching, so decided to chill in the library and call it an early night. The nice thing about a 10-day cruise is that we don’t have to do everything on day one!

 

Quick shout-out to Len our cabin steward! We’re in an inside cabin on the Concierge deck so we’re his only guests without all the fancy perks. We were missing tickets for two pre-booked shore excursions but the desk took care of that right away. And, my RCCL visa points that I converted to OBC never made it. Guest Services is working on that for us… she said it happens all the time, so print out a copy of your confirmation! You’ll probably need it!

 

Great night sleeping! Loved one of the two pillow choices in our cabin—others on our deck apparently get a “menu” of pillow options. Headed to Tuscan Grille for the “Elite” breakfast option, open from 8-10am. Luciano, our waiter, was a total hoot. Menu is limited but I got a mocha latte, smoothie (think cold breakfast drink rather than frozen smoothie) and cheese platter. Hubby had fresh OJ, fruit plate and a couple of danish. It was enough to keep us going vs. a hot MDR or OVC breakfast.

 

Tried the morning archery session — it was a riot. Ran into another CC couple we met at the sail away party and challenged them to a smack down. They beat us by 3 points, but what we didn’t know since we went early, is that you can hit the cones to knock the balls off — you don’t have to only aim for the balls. Not so jealous of their lanyard prize…

 

Decided to camp out in one of the basket loungers in the solarium and happened upon a chair massage person giving free 2-minute neck/shoulders (it’s 10:45am right now on Day 2 sea day). She’s encouraging people to sign up for the full massages, but the quick/cheap version was great. It’s funny how the solarium has A/C, so it’s not stuffy or humid… the perfect location to enjoy the view and sunshine while we northerners acclimate to the tropical climate.

 

More to come!

Thank you!! Going on Equinox in February.  Did not know about the archery or the air conditioned Solarium!  

[jean87510]

Also, if anyone wants to check out upgrades on the ships, use a google search and look at videos on YouTube  Its actually how and why I picked my AquaClass room on the Equinox instead of the Retreat.  I would share a link but can't because it's a travel agency.  The OP is in an inside cabin and can't answer questions about retreat upgrades.  

[chamima]

13 hours ago, carolyn22 said:

A really stupid question from me - how can you tell that Verizon is picking up the Martinique tower?  I’m going to be on the Equinox in a few weeks for 28 days and also have Verizon. I’m thinking of adding Travel Pass. 

 

If you add the pass make sure to put your phone on Airplane mode when you leave islands . If you leave the phone on you just might pick up connections from random islands you pass  and get charged $10 (or multiple $10 on a sea day). This might have happened to someone we know.......... 🤣

[chamima]

@Betsynh - If you're bored one day or one evening could you stop by the shop on the ship that sells liquor and find out what kind of bourbon they have for sale. We have a TON of OBC and my husband likes good bourbon so I thought that might be somewhere to spend it.

Thanks!

[CaroleSS]

14 hours ago, Betsynh said:

Tonight’s performance Topper was well done. Great costumes, music and energy with singers, dancers and acrobats. Best so far in our opinion. 

Topper? Holy cow! We were on the Equinox back in 2016 and 2017 and saw the show! I can't believe that they are still doing that show 6 years later!

[chamima]

1 minute ago, CaroleSS said:

Topper? Holy cow! We were on the Equinox back in 2016 and 2017 and saw the show! I can't believe that they are still doing that show 6 years later!

 

I had the same thought.

Topper was good the first 3 times we saw it.  😨