We are experienced cruisers, primarily on Princess, but we wanted to try something different so chose Celebrity. I was expecting to find Celebrity superior in every way, based on all the fantastic reviews on CC. Although we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, I wasn't blown away by Celebrity and the differences weren't as vast as I expected. I do think the atmosphere is a little more sedate and the passengers slightly more upscale. Then again, that could be due to being a 10 day Mediterranean cruise vs. a week in the Caribbean. The Equinox is a beautiful ship and I was impressed with the overall ambience. It was easy to navigate, well organized and felt smaller (in a good way) than it was. I have no idea if the ship was full, but agree with others that everything ran very smoothly, from embarkation/debarkation to finding places to sit in the buffet. Only disappointment with layout was the lack of a walking/jogging deck. The designated "jogging deck" consisted of weaving in and out amongst the pool chairs and fellow passengers, it was a joke. The gym was nice though, so we resorted to the treadmill. I missed my afternoon laps around the deck though. Several months ago we requested, but did not receive, anytime dining. I continued calling prior to the cruise and was repeatedly told that it was "full" and unavailable. It was suggested that we arrive early on the first day and head straight to the DR upon boarding, to make our request, which I did. The DR attendant said they would let me know within 24 hours. My name was first on the "list". The next day I received a message that my request could not be accommodated. I have nothing against a fixed seating, but the times just didn't work for us. We almost always eat between 7:30 and 8 pm at home and I just didn't think I could wait until 8:45 for the late seating. I decided to talk to the Head Maitre D about the situation. He agreed to let us have a spot, although he was reluctant to inconvenience his existing anytime diners by having to wait for a table. As it turned out, we were easily accommodated every night, sometimes by ourselves, but sometimes seated with others, which was fine with us. Luckily, the anytime dining Maitre D, Emilia, was a doll and always made us feel welcome. The wait staff was very attentive and we were so happy to have the ability to choose our own dining time. I know many Celebrity regulars are fans of fixed seating, but I wish it hadn't been so difficult to choose anytime dining. We took advantage of the 2 for 1 specialty restaurant offer on the first night, and ate at Murano. I had the Dover sole and my DH had the filet, both were excellent. OTOH, we also tried Tuscan Grille and found the food to be fairly ordinary, nothing outstanding and not worth the cover IMO. Food in the main DR ranged from very good to just OK. Nothing memorable in the appetizer, soup or salad category but some of the entrees were very nice. I think when serving so many people, it is difficult to get fish or steaks that are consistently prepared. The best dishes were those that are slow cooked and can't easily be overcooked such as the beef short ribs, lamb shank, osso bucco etc... We also really enjoyed the veal "steaks" with linguine and the rack of lamb. The waiters all made recommendations and they were usually dead on. For the most part, the food in the DR is somewhat bland for our tastes, but I guess that is to be expected when serving the masses. The coffee was slightly less lousy than the coffee on Princess, but nothing wonderful. Oceanview Cafe was excellent however. I really enjoyed some of the ethnic food, curries and satay, as well as the beautiful salad bar. The room was a pleasant surprise. We loved the layout (bed next to balcony) and the bathrooms are far superior to Princess. The closet was roomy and could have held a lot more clothing had they provided more hangers. We had a nice angled balcony on deck 6, room number 6243, (slightly obstructed by lifeboats below but no big deal). I was very excited to enjoy our balcony after having been surrounded by smokers on previous cruises. Unfortunately, deck 5 right below us, is one of the designated smoking areas and the seating was right below our balcony. As it was frequently in use, it rendered our deck anything but "smoke-free". We chose the cruise primarily for the itinerary and we were not disappointed. Every port was wonderful and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I was also very impressed with the service on the Equinox, not that I've ever found anything to complain about on any cruise, but the crew were consistently top-notch. Probably my biggest disappointment was the wine menu. Considering that Celebrity restricts the amount you can bring on board to just two bottles, I was hoping they would have a plentiful selection of good but moderately priced wine. Very few bottles were under $40. We tried many by the glass, hoping to find something decent, but they were mostly mediocre. We attempted to order a Chianti one evening (well over $30 a bottle) and the sommelier as much as told us it was lousy, being made from the third press of the grapes. We finally settled on a bottle of Rutherford Merlot each night, knowing that although it was over $40 with tips, at least it was palatable. There are loads of good wines available all over Europe and the States for $10 to $12 a bottle. Even with over a 100% markup, these could be offered from 25 to 30 a bottle. We finally quit drinking wine in the evenings, and took advantage of local beer and house wine offered on-shore during the day, for much less money than what we could purchase on board in the evenings. I will gladly consider Celebrity for our next cruise but they haven't won my complete loyalty yet. I guess there are pros and cons with every cruise line, and as always, it's a matter of priorities, mine being the itinerary and price. Overall, I would rate the cruise a 4 plus, but I didn't have that option!