Three transatlantic cruises, three cruises with much in common, but each with a decidedly different flavor. Our recent crossing on Celebrity Equinox turned out to be my favorite. For the first time, it felt like the passengers were not just an afterthought to a re-positioning of the ship. We sailed from Fort Lauderdale to Civitavecchia April 16-30, my fifteenth cruise but my first time with Celebrity Cruises. I hope it won't be my last, because they get some very important things right, compared with my earlier sailings with NCL and Princess.
Spare you the details? Fine. The ship is beautiful, with immaculately clean public areas. The onboard vibe is modern, relaxing and a bit upscale. The crew did a fabulous job. The itinerary gave us some great ports to explore. The weather was spectacular, with almost no rain and smooth seas during all but a few of our eight days at sea. And I was certainly glad that I purchased the Premium Beverage Package before sailing. Whatever my whim, I just asked, and with a swipe of my card, it was mine - with no slip to sign. Celebrity made me feel like a celebrity!
In the details, though, the difference from one transatlantic to another become clear. On other cruise lines, the crew goes out of their way to greet you on embarkation day and then all but ignores you for the rest of the cruise. On the Equinox, they smiled and said "hello" every time they saw you, every day, whether they knew you or not. No matter the department, I found them to be well-trained, hard working professionals dedicated to service.
9046 is a "hump" balcony cabin, meaning that the balcony is larger than the standard size, and is on an angle. The location is great, convenient to the forward stairs, but it was very quiet. The only noise came from the people in the cabin next door, who constantly slammed their cabin door! The bathroom is well-laid out and the shower stall is spacious.