Celebrity EQUINOX - Inaugrual Transatlantic 5th November 2009

[Schplinky]

Thanks for the wishes...

 

And we are staying just outside Brasov, so will see many of the things mentioned. A few nights in Bucharest, and then to Istanbul.

 

Shoes? You are gay men..well, assume you aren't, Linda:o ...so you all MUST see the attraction, no? No matter how much weight you gain or lose, shoe shopping is always an option! So if you love to shop, it's the one thing you can successfully shop for, no matter how many martinis and goat cheese souflees you have had!:D Plus, shoes finish the outfit. Haven't any of you see a good looking, well dressed person, and then noticed the scuffed shoes...ruins whatever good effect any of the rest of the clothing has...And don't get me started on the horrible "Working Girl" business suit with trainers look! (O.k., so in some ways, I am a walking stereotype...:rolleyes: )

 

Lee and Mike, have a great trip.

 

Andrew

 

 

I do hate the suit and trainers look a great deal! No shoes could be that uncomfortable.

 

I really don't like shopping for shoes because I have wide feet. Everytime I see a pair I like, I can't have them. If they fit me, I don't want them.

[Seadragon555]

Rich and I are more of the laid-back kind of people...athletic shoes & saddles....however, both of us seem to buy a lot of clothing. I have already started buying stuff for the cruise.

I wish the cruise was starting tomorrow....I am not too patient when it comes to trips....I want them NOW!! Plus, it is cold & windy here in Iowa today (although sunny) but it just makes me long for a nice vacation to someplace warm.

I had read someplace that Celebrity doesn't allow jeans on deck after 6 p.m. For those of you that have sailed Celebrity before is that true?? I live and work in jeans. I could see it in relation to the dining room but to not be able to wear them to the bars or shows seems kind of out-of-touch. Also, how formal is Celebrity on "formal nights?" Would a tux be better then a dark suit? I know that it says in the FAQ section that dark suits are acceptable but have gotten the impression that they may actually want more....just wondering.... The other cruise lines we have been on the dark suit was totally acceptable with guys in a tux then those in a suit.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weekend....take care....

John

[Blue Peter]

Rich and I are more of the laid-back kind of people...athletic shoes & saddles....however, both of us seem to buy a lot of clothing. I have already started buying stuff for the cruise.

 

I wish the cruise was starting tomorrow....I am not too patient when it comes to trips....I want them NOW!! Plus, it is cold & windy here in Iowa today (although sunny) but it just makes me long for a nice vacation to someplace warm.

 

I had read someplace that Celebrity doesn't allow jeans on deck after 6 p.m. For those of you that have sailed Celebrity before is that true?? I live and work in jeans. I could see it in relation to the dining room but to not be able to wear them to the bars or shows seems kind of out-of-touch. Also, how formal is Celebrity on "formal nights?" Would a tux be better then a dark suit? I know that it says in the FAQ section that dark suits are acceptable but have gotten the impression that they may actually want more....just wondering.... The other cruise lines we have been on the dark suit was totally acceptable with guys in a tux then those in a suit.

 

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weekend....take care....

 

John

 

 

Hello John,

I have sailed Celebrity Cruises a few times. They are a Premium Line, meaning a tad upscale. Therefore the dress code goes accordingly. That is my understanding. ...

Evening Attire

Evenings aboard Celebrity include three types of dress: formal, informal and casual.

 

Formal attire calls for an evening gown or cocktail dress for ladies and a tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit for gentlemen. Elegant, formal evenings include the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner, the Captain's Farewell Dinner, and a third or fourth "formal" night for those cruises sailing more than seven nights.

 

For your convenience, arrange for tailored, elegant formalwear to be delivered directly to your stateroom with Cruiseline Formalwear. With an elegant line of eveningwear for ladies and classic, stylish formalwear for men, you'll look as famous as you feel. To order, visit Cruise Line Formalwear or call 800-551-5091 or 305-252-8572.

 

On informal nights, ladies may wear an informal dress or pants and blouse, while gentlemen may wear a jacket and tie with slacks. Casual nights call for casual, comfortable wear, so women may opt for a pantsuit or sporty outfit while gentlemen may choose a sport shirt and slacks.

 

The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the appropriate attire each evening. Dining in jeans, t-shirts, shorts, tank tops or swimsuits detracts from the overall ambience and is therefore not allowed in the main dining room after 6:00pm.

 

A casual dress code applies at all times onboard Celebrity Xpedition.

My experience is that indeed after 18h00 the dress code is restricted. ... I do not recall seeing anyone wearing denim on evenings even on casual nights. One may see a lot a khaki trousers being worn for instance on those evenings.

 

Some lines such as Carnival will cater to people that do not wish any repressed dress code.

Actually, as I spend most of the year in casual clothing, cruising is to me an occasion to dress up and feel fabulous and to reminisce of Ocean Liners crossings. That is why I love Celebrity Cruises. ... Going for cocktails prior of after dinner as well as some shows is part of the whole thing. ...

Although, now, in late evenings, in observation lounges/turned Night Clubs on Celebrity ships, I have seen any type of dressing up. So anything goes any night ... And the later it gets, the more gay it becomes. I have experienced this on Century and Constellation, but I must say that both were Transatlantic crossings. ... On Summit, to Alaska last spring, past 23h00, the lounge was just about vacant.

[Blue Peter]

Everyone,

I am so excited as we leave tomorrow morning to Florida. We will board MV Century on Monday for the Transatlantic crossing to Amsterdam. 14 days of glorious sailing across the pond. ...

I am sure that Lee and Michael will have had a great cruise as they will be disembarking Century and we will board her. ... I cannot wait to return (actually, not really) to see what they thought of her.

We shall all be reminiscing of all this once we board MV Equinox next year.

[ottawapuppy]

Lee and I just back from our four-day cruise on Century. I wouldn't want to speak for Lee, but I LOVED the ship. We had a great time, met lots of really nice people. I really love the decor of the ship, our room was quite nice, if not a tad bit small. The Martini Bar was delightful, the coffee in the Cova Cafe was great (The Aspen Coffee...YUM!). The Loyalty Embassador, Sue was AMAZING. She had all kinds of things planned for us Capt. Club members, we got treats in our room, and invitations to events like the Fancy Tea, bridge tours and more. Tendering in Key West was a disaster, but we were compensated for that. Lots of line ups on the ship though, but I guess that is expected for a smaller ship. They need more deck chairs too, there is place on the deck for more.

I am very jealous of Francois being on Century for the TA!

 

Mike

[Seadragon555]

Michael & Lee: Welcome home...I have read so much about Century's rennovation that I wondered if you would be impressed with the ship or not. Glad it went well (except for Key West). At least your upcoming cruises will be on larger ships. It will be interesting to read your impressions of Solstice before traveling on the Equinox...hope all the new stuff works well. :D

Again, welcome home....the days will fly by before your next cruise.

John & Rich

[Schplinky]

Michael & Lee: Welcome home...I have read so much about Century's rennovation that I wondered if you would be impressed with the ship or not. Glad it went well (except for Key West). At least your upcoming cruises will be on larger ships. It will be interesting to read your impressions of Solstice before traveling on the Equinox...hope all the new stuff works well. :D

 

Again, welcome home....the days will fly by before your next cruise.

 

John & Rich

 

Thanks!

 

We found that Celebrity was a touch more formal than RCL (most of our experience) and while you can dress more casually at the outdoor bars (pool and aft) and in the casino, folks dressed more for the dining room, theatre and main lounge. That said, a dark suit has always worked for us and we've never felt out of place. You'll see more tuxes on a longer cruise but I don't think a dark suit would be a great exception.

 

We actually plan to rent tuxes because of the amount of luggage that will free up for our travels, especially in this age of such limits! We did that on Brilliance and it worked really well.

 

I've been pooped all week because of the cruise and then a business trip to Toronto but I hope to have enough verve to write a review soon.

[Seadragon555]

Lee and Michael: Thank you update on dress on Celebrity...your information along with Francois' is very helpful in planning (I plan ahead, Rich waits until the last minute and then expects me to tell him what to pack, keep track of the tickets, reservation confirmations, etc. Does anyone else have that problem??).

Also, why was tendering in Key West such a nightmare? As many times as I have been in Key West I have never seen a ship tender there....they are always at Mallory Pier.....but maybe the popularity of visiting Key West has increased the number of ships there at one time. Just knowing the city and everything it has to offer, I imagine you still had a good time once you finally got there! ;)

Need to get to bed....has been a very long week for me, too.

Take care everyone and have a great weekend!

John & Rich

[ottawapuppy]

Lee and Michael: Thank you update on dress on Celebrity...your information along with Francois' is very helpful in planning (I plan ahead, Rich waits until the last minute and then expects me to tell him what to pack, keep track of the tickets, reservation confirmations, etc. Does anyone else have that problem??).

 

Also, why was tendering in Key West such a nightmare? As many times as I have been in Key West I have never seen a ship tender there....they are always at Mallory Pier.....but maybe the popularity of visiting Key West has increased the number of ships there at one time. Just knowing the city and everything it has to offer, I imagine you still had a good time once you finally got there! ;)

 

Need to get to bed....has been a very long week for me, too.

 

Take care everyone and have a great weekend!

 

John & Rich

 

Key West was a disaster (for some) because of a conspiracy of reasons. First, our berth in the port was taken by some military ship, which I think they knew the night before because it was in our Daily Celebrity paper the night before that we would be tendering. Then, they didn't/couldn't hire a proper tender service so they had to use the ship's own little tender boats, which didn't really hold all that many people. We were required to anchor a distance from shore due to churning seas (although th weather was fine). Then, two of three of the boats experienced mechanical difficulties. Ours lost power on the way back to the ship but they got her going. With only one boat working well, and the tender being 30 minutes each way, you can imagine how many people could actually get into port on a short 7a.m.-2p.m. call.

 

Before tendering actually started, they announced that due to the difficulties, they wanted everyone back in the tender line by 1 (shortening the stay to 7a.m. to 1 p.m.). We had friends who waited two hours in the theater for a tender before giving up and they later found out that only 5 tenders that weren't devoted to shore excursions or priority tickets (which we had), made it. We were in line to return over an hour and thought that longish but the really inconvenienced were those who showed up at 1, since the last of them finally boarded the ship at quarter to four.

 

We ended up spending an hour or two wandering the streets aimlessly because of the very short time we had but we had been there before and that was our plan. I felt badly for those with excursions. The ride back to the ship was like being a rubber ducky in a whirlpool tub. We dipped, tossed and turned. The tender dipped so far into the water that folks stopped thinking it was funny after a while and looked concerned or sick.

 

Onboard, they announced that they were sorry and that they would extend our stay in Cozumel by 2 hours. That would end up being not much of an extension, since we were also 90 minutes late getting there.

 

We just sort of accepted it as an unfortunate situation that was not really well coordinated but then later that night, we got a letter in our rooms saying they were truly sorry, we were getting $100 shipboard credit and that there would be a 90 minute sailaway party from Cozumel with free cocktails the next night. Considering we hadn't even complained, we thought that was very generous.

[ottawapuppy]

Sorry, I just posted as Mike but the previous pos was written by me, Lee (Schplinky)

[Schplinky]

I know it's WAY early but is anyone thinking of tours? We might do one in Marseilles because we might like to go to Aix but otherwise, I'm not so sure. We're gong to Rome a few days early, we've been to Barcelona before and the other places don't sound like you need a tour.

 

When we stopped in Livrono (Florence/Pisa) last year, I was struck by how it was really an enormous container port. Does anyone know if any of our ports this cruise are like that?

[Compass Rose Monica]

Hi FODS! I'm a FOFOD of David and Larry. ;) We've been on two cruises together ...we'll they're together and I've been solo, as my husband Tony hasn't been able to schedule his vacation time the same as me and I WON'T miss my vacations... so they've been great friends allowing me to hang out with them while touring and at the martini bar. This is our/my first TA cruise. Tony is a pilot for USAirways and has to bid for vacation dates, so hence the "our/my" for now. We'll know by Dec. if he's on board with me.

Been chatting with Lee and he mentioned this forum, so I thought I'd take a peek and say hello.

I must say those ship photos with the rough seas were amazing! I hope for smooth sailing!

You're welcome to check out my Equinox pages for port information and I plan to add more information.

Anyway, Hello!

Monica :cool:

[Seadragon555]

I know it's WAY early but is anyone thinking of tours? We might do one in Marseilles because we might like to go to Aix but otherwise, I'm not so sure. We're gong to Rome a few days early, we've been to Barcelona before and the other places don't sound like you need a tour.

 

When we stopped in Livrono (Florence/Pisa) last year, I was struck by how it was really an enormous container port. Does anyone know if any of our ports this cruise are like that?

 

Lee: Rich and I have been to Barcelona together but neither of us have been to Italy. We were planning on going a few days early, too, and see some of the sights. Obviously there is nothing listed on Celebrity's site for tours yet but I know there are independent companies that one can use to arrange tours...just finding reputable ones is always a concern. We definitely are not the world travelers like so many others!!

 

There is a new hotel being built in Rome by the H10 Hotel chain that is to open in 2008. We stayed in one in Barcelona and it was extremely nice with wonderful food! We are hoping that Celebrity will offer the one in Rome for a pre-cruise stay....otherwise we may book it ourselves.

 

Monica: Welcome!! Hopefully your husband will be able to join you on the cruise. I know all of us are "stressed" with work but for me the days at sea are the best parts...just to relax, read, and soak up sun so a TA fits me just fine. Again, welcome to the Equinox Forum!!

 

John

[Compass Rose Monica]

John, thanks for the welcome! I was told that TA cruises are the best to really get to know our fellow passengers and create friendships. Tony thinks November is a good time to bid on vacation. Fingers are crossed!

Lee, I believe our ports are not the same as Livorno, which I well remember - huge! I think we should be able to get off the ship and dive into the towns to enjoy. For Marseille, Tony is interested in visiting the island of Chateau D'if, which the movie The Count of Monte Cristo is based. I, of course, would prefer to take the local bus to Aix in Provence, an easy 2-30 minute bus ride. So, I don't think any tour is necessary.

My "Equinox" web site has port information and I'm still adding informations slowly. For Rome, I have a list of information that I put together for my Oct 07 trip (same cruise that David and Larry was on). It includes some sights to see, audio tours, and budget hotels. Check it out. I LOVE to travel and I love to plan my trips; and I enjoy helping others. Wish I could get into the travel business.

Well, time for bed. Tony and I are off to NYC Saturday for 3 nights, so have a great weekend everyone!

Monica :cool:

[rvcastle]

Hi all, Adam and I (Roy) will be on the cruise also. Is anyone going from the DC area ?We are trying to decide between getting a hotel in Rome and then going to the ship or getting a hotel in Civitavecchia to be at the port.

[Schplinky]

Hi all, Adam and I (Roy) will be on the cruise also. Is anyone going from the DC area ?We are trying to decide between getting a hotel in Rome and then going to the ship or getting a hotel in Civitavecchia to be at the port.

 

Welcome aboard! I'm not from DC but I LOVE the area. We have friends in Oakton and I try to go down once or twice a year. It's a great city.

[Compass Rose Monica]

Hi all, Adam and I (Roy) will be on the cruise also. Is anyone going from the DC area ?We are trying to decide between getting a hotel in Rome and then going to the ship or getting a hotel in Civitavecchia to be at the port.

 

Hi Roy, if you click on My Equinox page below my signature, there is a All about Rome document. In that I have a list of Rome hotels. They're budget hotels, probably averaging $150 but in good locations. ;)

Monica :cool:

(From Frederick, MD)

[Blazerboy]

Hey, all!

 

Welcome back Lee and Mike. Glad you had fun.

 

Welcome Roy and Adam, too.

 

And welcome Monica...what would we all be without our FOFOD's?:D

 

Transylvania and Turkey were FABULOUS...almost as good a cruise!;) (actually, it was so good, Ed's got the land travel bug, and I'm going to have to cure him of that! We even dined with a Transylvanian Count one night, but, no, my neck is still unpuntured (darnit, as he was really cute!)

 

Lee, as Monica said, the bus to Aix is easy. We actually took a cab one way (and got ripped off!) and the bus back. Bus was MUCH nicer, and even easier. My advice would be to pay for the shuttle or grab a cab to the center of Marseille, and then take the bus. A tour isn't really necessary.

 

Andrew

[Schplinky]

Andrew!

 

Welcome back! I imagine it was hard to leave the Count behind. We think about catching the land vacation bug but these cruises keep coming up...

 

I think Francois should be back from his TA in a while, too.

 

Lee

[Seadragon555]

Hi all, Adam and I (Roy) will be on the cruise also. Is anyone going from the DC area ?We are trying to decide between getting a hotel in Rome and then going to the ship or getting a hotel in Civitavecchia to be at the port.

 

Welcome, Adam and Roy! If you haven't read all the postings, this is Rich and John (me) from Des Moines, IA. We are doing the back-to-back on the Equinox starting 10/23/09 through the TA to Ft. Lauderdale. It will definitely be a test of our friendship to be together for 28 days.

 

Just wanted to say "hi" and welcome you to the Equinox Forum....sounds like we have a very adventurous & well-traveled group so far.

 

John

P.S. Monica: You should be a travel agent!! Your knowledge is extremely helpful. Hope you had a good weekend in NYC!!

[Compass Rose Monica]

.....

 

John

P.S. Monica: You should be a travel agent!! Your knowledge is extremely helpful. Hope you had a good weekend in NYC!!

 

Thanks John! I'd like to do something in travel. Maybe someday. I'd actually like to be a private tour guide. An expensive tour guide. :D

Tony and I had a great time in NYC. Here's the link to my journal if anyone is interested in reading it. Photos to follow soon!

http://monicapileggi.blogspot.com/

Monica :cool:

[Compass Rose Monica]

 

And welcome Monica...what would we all be without our FOFOD's?:D

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew - just saw this posting of yours. Looking forward to meeting all of the FODs and having a martini or two or three or four or.... ;)

Monica :cool:

[Schplinky]

There is an article in the Out Traveler this month called Three Gay Days in Rome:

 

http://www.outtraveler.com/features.asp?did=795

[Karynanne]

Andrew, don't forget to count me in as a FOFOD also!

 

Karyn

[Blazerboy]

Forget to count you? I may make you a bridesmaid!:D

 

Andrew