Celebrity Equinox Review and Pictures

[rollerdonna]

This is my review with pictures of a holiday cruise on Celebrity's Equinox. Links to the Chit Chat page on these boards.
Any questions? I'd be glad to answer them.

Pre-Cruise:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...ay-cruise.html



Day 1:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-1-a.html

Day 2:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-2-a.html

Day 3:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-3-a.html


Day 4:

http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-4-a.html

Day 5:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-5-a.html


Day 6:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-6-a.html


Day 7:
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-7-a.html


Day 8:

http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...e-day-8-a.html



Day 9:

http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...years-eve.html



Day 10:

http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/chi...-day-10-a.html


Celebrity Holiday Cruise - Disembarkation and Final Thoughts



We did something on the very last morning that we should have done earlier in the week - we went to the BLU dining room for breakfast. It was lovely to have someone wait on you, chat
with you, and bring you a hot breakfast. Yes, for the first time all week, I had hot eggs!
The Ocean View Cafe was good, but often the scrambled eggs or omelette were cold by the time you got your bacon, hash browns or potatoes and fought the crowd at the coffee/tea dispensers. So if you are ever in the Aqua Class cabins and are entitled to BLU - go!

Celebrity's disembarkation process involved numbered luggage tags which were carefully attached to all our luggage before leaving them out in the hallway the night before.
Depending on your tag number, you were required to wait your number call in one of many diferent lounges or theatres; ours was the Equinox Theatre.
We sat there for 1 1/4 hours before our number was called, and during this time we had to listen to one of the staff members repeat the same information 100 times.
Once called, it was a long trek to the gangway area, where there was a long line-up to get off.
Many people, some with carry off luggage didn't seem to know where they should be and kept interrupting and butting in. It was organized chaos.
We were finally off by 9:15, then down to the baggage area where the adventure begins.
Numbered areas were well organized and well marked, and more spacious than I've seen before, and all you had to do was go to your numbered area and collect your bags.
However, our bags were NOT there! We were told to wait at the back, but then there was nobody to ask for help. After waiting a while, I stayed with our hand luggage and James started wandering up and down the aisles of luggage in search of our bags.
Eventually I spotted one of mine in the "lost luggage" area, but 2 were still missing.
Thirty minutes of increasing panic later, James finally found both our pieces in different numbered areas. The problem was, all 3 of our lost bags were missing their numbered tags,
which he had so diligently attached the night before! Not sure whether they had been removed by roving kids in the halls, or accidentally in transit down to the hold, but the whole episode cost us a lot of stress and lost time.
We were thankful that we were not trying to catch an early flight at the airport.
U.S. Customs was quick and easy and we were finally outside by 10:00 a.m. and quickly caught our shuttle bus back to the hotel for one more night's stay before heading home.

Well, that ends our holiday cruise on Celebrity Equinox, but I have a few parting observations
to make.
First, we realized that cruising during a major holiday would be crowded and involve more than the average number of kids, but I don't think we fully appreciated just how many. I have never seen so many kids and teens on any ship before, including Carnival. I quite honestly didn't expect so many on Celebrity.
Next, it may seem after reading my review, that we did little else than play trivia and sit by the pool.



Although this is true, and I'll admit to being particularly lazy (after all, it was my vacation!), it was not for lack of other things to do. There were many many daily activities going on all over the ship, including dance lessons, wine tasting, backstage tours, Bingo, cards, seminars, and pool games. Up on the lawn area there were Bocce games and Glass Blowing shows daily.
Basically, there was something for everyone, and you could choose to do as little or as much as you wanted, and that's why we love cruising.
Overall, I loved the Equinox; it was beautiful, classy, elegant, impeccably clean, beautifully decorated for Christmas, and had wonderful friendly staff.
I forgot to mention the incredible Gingerbread House display in the foyer, a main attraction while descending in the glass elevators.



I had one pet peeve though, and that was the bathroom sink in our cabin.



As nice and modern as it looked, it was totally impractical for washing one's face. Just try washing and rinsing your face over a sink that has a huge faucet sticking out right over it - you either bang your face on faucet or slosh water all over the counter and the floor. I had to mop the floor with the bath mat after every wash....
Sink aside, I LOVED the shower! This shower had several jets hitting the body from all angles, and a built in bar in the corner for shaving your legs - best idea ever, and best shower ever!



Food: excellent all around, no complaints there, and my scale can attest to that....
Entertainment: could have been better. A few acts stand out (LIVEWIRE, Full Tilt, and comedian Steve Caouette), but the theatre shows were the worst I've ever seen.
Staff and service: in general, very very good, friendly, helpful, smiling, great personal attention, but the entertainment crew were not the best, with the exception of one girl who we remembered from the Constellation 2 years ago.
Biggest Disappointment: there were 2 actually; no sailaway party, and a not very well organized New Year's Eve party, no co-ordination or synchronicity.
Would I sail Celebrity again? Sure. Maybe not right away, and certainly not over a major
holiday, but they certainly know how to spoil their guests!

The End.

[Manuel]

Thanks Donna!

That was a great review. No one does them the way you do. Your Job should be going on ships and writing reviews.

TM

[Moiraine]

Great review Donna. Love that gingerbread house! I'm glad you and James will be heading out again in March!

[Angela Z.]

So sorry to see this come to an end but glad we'll have another one of your reviews to look forward to in the spring!
Angela Z.

[nlb1050]

Donna, GREAT review. Love the photos that you included.

I have to say that the only line that we have cruised that had a true sailaway party was Princess and they do it up. It is dissapointing not to at least have a really good party sailing from the home port.

[Will]

Excellent as usual Donna!!

[Trip]

I too,loved that cute gingerbread presentation. As I mentioned before this ship has such pretty decorations. Its a good thing we don't have a long wait till you cruise again, but,when you start posting, I will be at sea! You are a tough act to follow! Loved it all!

[rollerdonna]

Don't worry Trip, it takes me at least a week to load and sort and organize all the photos, then to start writing and decide which photos go where, so I'll probably just be getting started by the time you get back!

donna

[Lakers Fan]

Fantastic pictures ,you should write a cruise guide .