We had been on this same ship May 2014 with a completely different experience. I think the ports of call may be one reason this trip was disappointing. Last year we did the Mediterrean We have cruised 9 times on different cruise lines. We choose ports of calls rather than ships. The Equinox came in with a virus and no one could get to their cabin until 7 pm that night. They had to clean the entire ship. We were allowed in the public areas but it was very crowded with people handling this carry-on etc. Many had wheel chairs and walkers. Not a good way to begin.I will say very helpful in trying tot keep us healthy. In the cafe, we could handle nothing until it was handed to us That really slowed down the eating experience! After 72 hours things were back to normal.

It appears there is not enough help . Many people mentioned they thought the experience was different from previous ones. Not in a good way. These folks had cruised many times with Equinox. They seem to charge for everything unless you are in one of their package plans. We book inside stateroom because we are there for ports. We had to ask for water and ice for our stateroom . We never received a Do Not Disturb sign and the cabin attendant walked in several times Oops. The bedding and towels seemed very worn. That could be a result of virus. We were told they had to destroy all linens.Since they have gone to prepaid gratuities, the service has dropped.The first night we had an oreo on our pillow! No more chocolates. Everywhere you went, someone was selling something... On a good note,the shows were outstanding The food was fresh and presented in an attractive way. In closing, we were offered a glass of champagne at dinner for all the inconveniences.