we were on the Equinox last year, loved it and rebooked on her for this year. Overall the quality was good. Service excellent, bar service great. Food? The main dining room the food was excellent. As for the Specialty restaurants, quality seemed a bit lower than prior year. I will admit that the Chateaubriand for 2 was horrible, we left 90% on the plate . When asked how was your dinner wh honestly told the waiter of the quality . Now , It was resolved as we were invited back for a " we are sorry dinner" Steak Dianne was prepaired at our table .. This is what you call service and respect for customers. We are committed Celebrity cruisers , and have always liked the service. We appreciate that food prices have gone up and the cruise line has and is trying to balance quality with price.The cruise line shoud I hope take into consideration the the food consummed in the specialty dining rooms gives a credit to the general food costs in teh main dining room and buffet. Don't be cheap. We will be giviing the Specialty Restaurants another try on our next cruise in September 2019, on the Infinity. Cabin was always clean. Was it because of the ship's age, or some other problem but the water for the shower, too hot and no adjustment worked, and toilet flush did not operate one or twice during the cruise ( both were quickly attended to. ) This is what you call service . We are Looking forward to our September cruise. Read Less

We had such a relaxing, wonderful cruise. Everyone was so great from check in to departure. The food, and staff in Blu, and at specialty dining(Murano and Tuscan Grille) were amazing. We loved our bartenders! Thank you Jede Astawa, Jose and Pedro. Hope to see you next time! We loved the gym, Persian gardens and sauna. The solarium is beautiful as well. We spent quite a few days at the pool. The sunset bar was great too. The staff at celebrity did everything to make the cruise so special. We celebrated our 34th anniversary. There was champagne waiting in our room. Every afternoon there was a delicious surprise waiting for us from cheeses and fruit to shrimp or different meats. The guest entertainers were wonderful. Ashlie Amber was sensational. The comics were very funny. We love to dance and there were so many opportunities to do just that.(especially “silent disco”) the pool party was fun and the dancers from the show did a little something to entertain. The band was wonderful! Read Less

Just returned from Stomptime’s first ever Ragtime/blues/jazz cruise. (Caribbean Miami to Miami). This was a fantastic cruise with quality talent. The musical lead was Brian Holland. Included were Stephanie Trick, Paolo Alderighi, Sonny Leyland, Jeff Barnhart, Fredrick Hodges (all piano), horns by Baker, Caparone, bass by Pikal and Rocha, drums by Danny Coots and others. Annie Sellick provided female vocals. There were two to four hours of music each evening as well as daytime sea day q&a sessions with the performers. At least one cocktail reception for all. Music was performed in sea lounge as private party. Celebrity provided great support and the sound techs were great. A wonderful experience. The music was a mix of ragtime/early jazz, blues and traditional jazz. The folks are planning to do one again, this time in Alaska on the Millenium. (Tentatively June 2020). We would encourage you to check it out if you’re a jazz buff. Read Less

The summary: Celebrity customer service needs retraining. Four to 5 different answers when calling. We lost 50% of our vacation time and the “Executive Customer Service Team” first said they wanted to make things right, but instead of giving a any refund or credit, basically said piss if we have your money too bad, as long as people keep paying us we don’t care. The full details: Our cruise and flight arrangements were made directly through Celebrity’s Certified Vacation Planners with a promise from the agent that if for whatever reason we missed the ship, they guaranteed they would get us to the ship "AT THE NEXT PORT". The following is a detailed account of how our trip went: April 19th We drove to DC from NJ to stay at a local hotel before our flight the next morning. We received messages at 5:51 pm that American Airlines flight 1178 to Miami had been canceled. All 3 couples immediately got on the phone to Celebrity's Emergency Travel team. They eventually got us all rebooked on JetBlue Flight 1279 to Fort Lauderdale. April 20th We were at the airport by 4am. As we're waiting in line our JetBlue flight was canceled. We again immediately call Celebrity's Emergency Travel Team, who eventually inform us there are no flights available from any airport around us to Florida that will get us to the ship in time. All 3 of us then received conflicting information. I was told they could get us to the ship Tuesday, April 23rd in Costa Maya, another couple was told we could get on the ship Sunday, April 21st in Key West, and the 3rd couple was told that a refund or credit for another sailing would be possible, but we had to wait to speak to a supervisor and they don't come in until 9am. We proceeded to wait at the airport for almost 5 hours until a supervisor came in. Once we had finally gotten a supervisor on the phone it was at that point that we were informed of the Jones Act and no, we wouldn't be getting on the ship in Key West. Also, if we were to cancel, a credit towards another sailing would not be possible. We would only receive back our port fees and taxes. Our only option at that point was to be flown to Cancun and then driven to Costa Maya on Tuesday. Our last "written" communication from Celebrity's travel team would be our flight confirmations to Cancun. It was at that point that our group was split up. Two of the couples flew through Charlotte to Cancun and we flew through Atlanta to Cancun. When we left DCA we had no confirmation, verbal or written, of where we were going to stay in Cancun. When we arrived in Atlanta we had a text from the rest of our group that we would be staying at the Courtyard Marriott Cancun Airport but still no word on HOW we were getting there from the airport. I again called the emergency travel team to confirm where we were staying and ask HOW we were getting there. They confirmed it was the Courtyard Marriott Cancun Airport and that as soon as we went through Customs there would be someone with a "Royal Celebrity" sign to take us to the hotel. We cleared Customs and entered the room where we were told our driver would be and were bombarded by everyone BUT our driver. The more specific instructions would have been to go OUTSIDE and eventually find our driver who had a sign with our names on it. While the Courtyard Marriott was a serviceable hotel, it was definitely not on par with the accommodations that we were expecting being on board the Equinox. On the Equinox we had purchased the Go Best package which included the premium beverage package and of course food was included on the ship as well. We believe that we should have been put in a resort that would have reflected those amenities we would have gotten on the ship. An all-inclusive beach resort where we weren't landlocked and trapped in an airport hotel 10 miles from town and beaches would have been more appropriate and acceptable. For the 3 day stay at the hotel we had a total of $323 out of pocket for food and beverage and an additional $6 to pay for Cancun’s “Eco Tax” that was not covered in our room rate. That was money we had not anticipated being spent out of pocket on this trip as it was really meant to be spent on the ship or in our ports of call. April 22nd We knew we were to be transported on Tuesday, April 23rd, 4.5 hours south from Cancun to Costa Maya but we didn't know how or what time. I called the Emergency Travel Team and inquired about it in the morning on April 22nd at 9am Cancun time and they said "they were still working on it" but would confirm with me later that day. I requested a phone call back and they agreed. Another person in our group called a little later that morning and was told we were being transported via bus with a 7am pickup at the hotel. When I called back to confirm that afternoon at 3:30pm since I had never received a phone call back they told me that our pickup time was 530am. Which lead to another phone call by the others in our group and 530am was the time given to them as well. April 23rd Our drivers picked us up at 530 in taxi cab shuttles not really meant for long distance transport. They had a list of who should be in each transport as there were others in the hotel besides the 6 of us. It was at this point that our group was split up again. We arrived at the port around 10am. Our passports were photographed, our bags were searched and then we were told to walk. No one from the ship met us. We had to all walk 3/4 of a mile, through all the tourists in port, in 85+ degree blazing sun, down a pier with hundreds of cruisers walking at you, with all our luggage to the ship. We eventually get to the ship, where there is an officer standing outside the ship with luggage from the downliners that made it there before us and also 1 of the other couples in our party. We proceed to show our passports and the boarding passes I had printed as part of my cruise packet. He looked through the stack of seapasses he had and ours were not there. He radioed for our keys and someone else brought ours along with the other couple's and we finally were able to board at 11am. We were promised our luggage would be delivered to our stateroom in 30 minutes. 4 phone calls and 3 hours later our luggage was finally delivered. We were offered upgraded dining one night for the "inconvenience" that it took so long to get our luggage. It was really another day wasted. At this point all of us were looking forward to relaxing and trying to make the best out of the vacation we had left. We had high expectations especially cruising at the Concierge level on Celebrity. Celebrity is a brand that everyone recognizes as a premiere cruise line and we certainly did not receive that level of service from your Emergency Travel Team nor from the crew and staff once we boarded the ship. We were underwhelmed by the service provided by the pool bar bartenders and the cook at the Mast Grill. The Sunset Bar bartenders weren't much better. All of your staff seemed quite overwhelmed at every turn. The Gastropub service was horrible, we literally watched people walk out because they couldn’t get served and it wasn’t even crowded. I don’t know if it’s always like this or if it’s because the Equinox is going into dry dock next month. The highlights of our trip were the Catamaran/Snorkel excursion in Cozumel, the Martini Bar and its amazing bartenders, and the Silent Disco. We only wish that we hadn’t missed the Silent Disco that took place prior to us boarding the ship. Our Main Dining Room wait staff and sommelier were also very good. To summarize: 1. The consistency and communication from your Customer Service Team and Emergency Travel Team was horrendous. They constantly gave conflicting information to the people in our party. They never communicated anything to us in writing beyond our flight confirmations. They never returned phone calls when we requested returned phone calls to provide us with the information they did not have at the time. Remember, at least one couple was initially told we COULD get flights to Key West. This communication failure goes back to our initial booking of our cruise and flights and being told by the travel team the benefit of booking through them guaranteed that if we missed embarkation in Miami they would get us on the ship “IN THE NEXT PORT” Our first port was Key West on Day 2. Your travel team didn’t get us on the ship until Day 4. 2. The failure of the Emergency Travel Team to put us in accommodations that would have been close to equal of what we were expecting to receive on board the Equinox. Expecting us to pay for food and drink out of pocket when we just paid over $4400 for an all-inclusive cruise is absurd. 3. The fact that we had to transport our own luggage 3/4 of a mile from port to ship in Costa Maya. Absolutely not something anticipated nor expected. Again this is something that should have been communicated by the Emergency Travel Team. While we were informed once we got to the ship that you did not have "port privileges" to assist us with our luggage, might I suggest partnering with the excursion operators that rent golf carts to alleviate this rather strenuous task? 4. We booked and paid for Concierge level and never met our Concierge, Noeme. Considering the difficulties we experienced in getting to the ship and getting on mid-way through its sailing some type of personalized service would have gone a long way in making us feel welcome on board. We also missed some of the perks of Concierge level because we didn't get on in Miami. 5. Our friend's anniversary was never celebrated in the Main Dining Room as it was supposed to have been. I don't know if because we were with another couple celebrating their honeymoon that our anniversary was deemed not important, but again it was a missed opportunity by Celebrity to show us its premiere service. The total cost of our trip, subtracting our airfare, was $4003.70. If you divide that by the 7 day cruise it comes to $571.96 per day. We missed 3.5 days, HALF of our cruise for a total of $2001.85 and Celebrity did the bare minimum to make that up to us. You put us up in an airport hotel at approximately $84 a night with us responsible for our food and drink. Celerity declined to assist or "make it right" in any way what so ever including no credit for any future cruise, which I would not use anyway. Read Less

First and foremost, it was a good cruise. I'm a firm believer in a cruise being what you make of it. Embarkation was incredibly smooth. I don't think we've made it through check-in and onto the ship as quickly on any other cruise as we did this one. The staff on the ship, specifically our wait staff in the MDR and our room steward were fantastic. Easily some of the best we've ever had. The food was pretty good in the MDR as well, although I think Celebrity may be off a bit on their portion sizes. Some dishes were way too much, when it should be less, and not enough when it should be more. We had a concierge class cabin, which was great, although most of the perks were just sort of "eh". My husband is Elite and gets better perks. This was the smoothest sailing I've ever been on. There was hardly any rocking, the entire time. The shows were amazing. We weren't a huge fan of the comedians that they had but the shows and the magician were great. This was our first cruise, out of 17, where we actually wanted to attend as many of the shows as we could. All the ports were great. We were even able to tender into Grand Cayman, which I missed the last time we were supposed to stop at this port due to high winds. We did all of our excursions independent of Celebrity and paid way less per person than what they wanted for the same trip. There were a few things that really irked me, though. My husband and I are fans of winding down at the end of the night playing some card games where it's kinda quiet and we can actually hear each other talk. So on previous cruises, there's always been the library or the card room that's pretty closed off from a lot of noise. It's been great. We expected the same thing on this ship. However, the card room and the library are both positioned in a manner that when there's a band playing in the grand foyer, and there typically is up until about 11pm every night, the sound drowns out everything. Both the card room and the library are not closed off. The only place we were able to find quiet enough in the evening, aside from our own cabin, was in the World Class Bar. They seemed to have a bit of an issue stocking the bars, too. Several times over the course of the cruise, my husband would order a drink from a bar menu and he'd be told "we don't carry that". So it was a little strange they'd list a drink they don't carry. We were usually able to find what he wanted in another one of the bars but that was after a couple days and having that, "oh, hey look! that beer is here" moment. For example, at the Passport Bar, my husband ordered a specific beer that was on the Passport Bar menu and the bartender told him "we don't have it" and when my husband asked about it being on the menu, the bartender just sort of shrugged. I can understand being OUT of a particular thing, but not carrying it at all when it's on the menu is a bit ridiculous. Debarkation was a bit of a disaster. Mainly due to the fact that other than a sheet of paper they give you with your luggage tags, there's no real communication about it. We were told two different things in regards to where to wait for self-assist and even then, where we actually needed to be was different. It was a bit stressful. I'm cruising on Celebrity again in June so I won't say that I'd never sail on them again but this cruise certainly wasn't up there in my list of the best cruises. It was still a good cruise, though. Read Less

We took a western Caribbean cruise on the Equinox in April and had a very enjoyable cruise. Embarkation Embarkation was easy and we were on quickly. We ignored the suggested embarkation times in Celebrity’s email. Getting a glass of bubbly when you get on is great. The terminal area was crowded with five large ships turning around that day. The cabin/suite experience is We had a S1 corner aft Sky Suite. It was our first time in a suite on Celebrity and we enjoyed the extra space in the suite and the somewhat larger balcony. The bathroom has a tub/shower with a curtain, not a glass door. We prefer a glass door. Only one sink in the bathroom and it was a little tight for space. The rainfall shower head was about 6 feet and 1 inch high so that was tight too. Plenty of storage space but short on hangar space and hangars. The room didn’t stay very cool at night. The sitting area inside was spacious. Since we were in the aft, we felt the aft thrusters on early morning port arrivals and it was hard to sleep through that. Otherwise it was very quiet. The seas were extremely calm so there was no ocean-motion to speak of at all. Our butler and room attendant performed well and our butler gave us a tray of cheese and crackers every afternoon and replaced our bottle of sparkling wine when we ran out. We went to Michael’s Club as suite guests a few times. It was nice, and quiet, but there was no wow factor there. We would not recommend booking a suite just to get into the Cub. Nobody there ever asked if we were allowed into the Club, we just walked in. Priority tendering was nice in Grand Cayman. Food and beverage Dining and wine are important elements of a vacation to us. Celebrity did an overall very good job here. We ate in Luminae as suite guests and the food there ranged from good to excellent. The seared scallops on the second Chic night were excellent. The so-called signature Luminae burger was huge but didn’t live up to it’s billing as it was not very flavorful. The seared scallops and Caribbean lobster on the second Chic night were the dining highlights. Breakfast was good there with plenty of options and great pastries. The sommelier, Yan, did an superb job and helped us pick bottles for each dinner by showing us the next night’s menu so we could discuss it. Our server, Luis, was also very good and would bring items from the main dining room or even Blu. The other servers also appeared to be very helpful, friendly and efficient. We didn’t try any of the special restaurants. We did have lunch from the Mast Grill or the Oceanview Cafe a few times. The pasta station in the Cafe was excellent! Bar service was good to very good at the bars. The mixed drinks were consistently very good to excellent. Entertainment We didn’t go to a lot of the shows but we did go to the first comic and the magician. The comic was very funny, and a family friendly show. The magician was very full of himself and rude on a couple occasions. We like to play blackjack but on this cruise the blackjack tables paid 6-5 for a blackjack, which to us isn’t really blackjack. Many tables used a continuous shuffle which we don’t like either. The $50 table paid 3-2 for blackjack but that’s too steep of a minimum for us. We saw very little blackjack being played and the casino seemed quiet. We didn’t see any educational or enrichment lectures offered on board. Port shopping previews don’t count. There were a number of activities during the day but some were with an extra cost, such as wine tastings. We did one wine tasting and it was ok; the wines were average. It was hard to get a lounger by the pool on sea days. There was a variety of live music throughout the ship which was very good. The duo Drift were excellent! The Silent Disco was a blast and needs to be experienced to truly appreciate it! Excursions We did the Salsa, Salsa and Beach Break in Costa Maya through Celebrity. It was an early 8:30 departure for making salsa and drinking tequila! It was a fun excursion for us and we were back on by noon. Costa Maya itself didn’t seem like a port to explore without an excursion. We did the Chef’s Market and Private Dinner in Cozumel. The executive sous chef went with 7 passengers and a guide and driver to a chocolate manufacturer, several markets in Cozumel, as well as a tequila tasting. We then had lunch at a nice spot in Cozumel. That part lasted about 4-5 hours and our guide gave us a great background on Mayan history and culture. At about 7 that evening, we regathered on board and met the chef for a galley tour (during dinner, very cool!) then a special seven-course meal in Tuscan but based on local flavors. We didn’t eat what the chef bought in port but it was a delicious dinner. There was also a huge amount of food! We didn’t do excursions in Key West or Grand Cayman, we explored the towns on our own. Cozumel could also be done on your own. In all the ports, you could certainly book your own excursions. Disembarkation Disembarkation was fine. We had a full breakfast in Luminae but had to be done there by 8:00. Getting off was quick, Customs was quick, and getting a taxi was easy. Read Less

Just finished the cruise. Let me start with the positives. Embarkation in Miami was super smooth, Despite Equinox's age, our cabin was well maintained, spotlessly clean, bed and linens very comfortable, and cabin attendant was amazing. Specialty restaurants were excellent, (well, Murano was superb, Silk Harvest was very good, Tuscan Grill was just okay. Oceanview buffet offerings were fresh, well presented, and perfectly fine for buffet food. Service in the main dining room was accommodating and refined. Now the rest... We cruised on Solstice in 2016 and it was everything we had heard Celebrity to be. Not here on Equinox. Here's why: - Bar staff in most locations were full of attitude, indifference, and generally behaved as if they were working in an elite Manhattan club where they are doing you a huge favor every time they serve you. Neither my party, or the others we were hanging out with were inebriated or behaving badly. The playful displays in Martini Bar are great, but the act of providing service is beyond them. I witnessed a passenger ask at the coffee bar whether any of the desserts had peanut butter. Rather than answer the question (or go look himself) he replied, "Go look at them. They are all marked." Passenger understandably didn't want to leave the front of the line to go 15 feet back, so she just left without any treats. Female bartender in Quasar several nights would completely avoid eye contact with patrons in order to not serve them. She would stare out over everyone's head as if she were looking something far away and ignore patrons trying to place an order. - Celebrity wants to tout itself as a wine-focused cruise line, with special tasting events (for fee.) Meanwhile, we had the premium beverage package. Most bars were sold out of all premium options. Gastropub had a menu with about 6 red wines by the glass. They only had 2 of them. Same with the white wines. I brought 2 nice bottles of Burgundy (around $65 retail) to enjoy on-ship. Ended up bringing them to the restaurant because they had nothing decent to pour. (Out of this, out of that. Every time I asked about another option, nope - they are out.) Then they have the nerve to charge me the $20 corkage fee to serve me my own wine. (I completely understand charging a corkage in lieu of selling us drinks, but we had paid for the premium beverage package. So ultimately I was saving them from pouring me all their wine by drinking my own. Just irritating. My other half drinks only IPAs. Several restaurants had many options on the list. Forget it. They had Rebel IPA (the most commercial non-craft option imaginable) and 1 bar had some Dogfish, but ran out of it quickly. We shared our comments with a beverage manager who was very nice. He tracked down the last 5 bottles of Dogfish on the ship and placed them in our cabin. Then back to the Rebel. What irritates me most is paying well over $100 daily for the 2 of us to have the premium package, yet they are unable to pour much anything that they label as such. I finally started going to Murano and begging the sommelier to serve me individual glasses of wine, then paying the uncharge between the premium max and the per glass charge. (So now I'm paying even more to have a decent glass.) I'm sorry Celebrity, you can't sell people Premium Beverage packages and then try to serve them $8 Castle Rock pinot noir all evening. The bartender at the Gastropub literally told us, "Don't look at the menu. Just look at the bottles displayed on the shelves, as that's all we have." - Programming - They want tout that they offer classes and enrichment activities. Every "class" is basically just a sales pitch...jewelry...shopping (you know they are getting kickbacks from the retailers that get mentioned in this pitch), art auctions during which tipsy vacationers get bamboozled to buy prints or giclee at ridiculously marked up prices." While the main shows' cast is highly talented, and there was something interesting each evening, there was little going on to do on the ship other than shopping, spa, or gambling. The only fun events were a white party that got people of all ages out dancing by the pool, and the silent disco, for the same reason. Everything else on the ship ultimately is geared toward the Holland America set. Staff by the pool do not enforce the rule against reserving of chaise lounges. Countless passengers had their crap sitting out hour after hour on chairs, never to return. I tried on both sea days to get a spot in the shade or in the solarium. I even asked a staff person for help, thinking they have a way to put a note with time on the chairs. Guy just jabbered back the policy, "No reserving is permitted." I explained that it is being permitted currently and that I needed his help to find a space. He was no help. Food in the main dining room, while prepared adequately, does not feel indulgent or that of a cuisine-focused line. Grilled steak. Grilled salmon. Everything with mashed potatoes and vegetable medley. It's slightly elevated nursing home food. Celebrity wants to target the 40 something traveler, but delivers an experience that seems more in line with the 65+ traveler. Excellent live musicians around the ship, playing Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Nicks, Kool and the Gang. Maybe Celebrity intended to market to 40 somethings, but it's primarily an older set who books. Ultimately, I feel like I'm on a cruise targeted to my parents friends. I'll be 50 this year and this felt like a cruise targeted to my parents. 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We love Celebrity and this is our fourth cruise. The only reason I took a point off was because stopping in Punta Cana was a complete waste of time. This in my opinion should be removed from the itinerary. There is absolutely NOTHING to do unless you pay $$$ to visit a resort. I also understand the ship is being refurbished and it needs to be. More furniture for the Lawn. Staff as usual AMAZING. They are always such a credit, so helpful and want you to have the best experience possible. I always choose Celebrity because the food is consistently serious. Far too many towels by the poolside this year but that could be spring break. I managed to find a super quiet spot on the 5th deck which was less windy and packed out. ALL cruises need to up their involvement for helping the environment and cleaning up oceans. Encourage recycling. Educate people onboard. I was pleased to see paper straws and recycling stations but still plastic bottles of water. Let’s give all passengers a reusable water bottle and commit to The Ocean Cleanup. Read Less

We’ve been on three cruises with Celebrity. Specifically on the Equinox. We were looking forward to relaxation, few kids and good company. The MDR was fabulous, food was good and service outstanding. Food used to be a little better in the past but still good. Couldn’t have asked for better evenings. The pool was very relaxing on port days on sea days we steered clear of the pool and took advantage of other activities in the ship. It’s an easy vibe on the ship with lots of little hideaways for relaxing and romance. No climbing walls and slides just pure relaxation. The staff are incredible and take pride in what they do and are always professional and helpful. They don’t see there families for months but still smile and provide outstanding service. It humbles you. The ports were good, loved Puerto Rico it was our favourite. The people are friendly and the food was amazing. Read Less

My teenage daughter and I just returned from our very first cruise and we loved it! The Equinox is a beautiful ship and everywhere we went there were staff members cleaning and keeping it beautiful! My daughter is a "germophobe" and appreciated that they was hand sanitizer everywhere :) All the common areas were very nice and with the exception of the pool deck they did not feel crowded. The public bathrooms were immaculate and in one of the bathrooms there was an attendant who would open the stall door, clean the seat, squirt your soap in your hand, turn your water on and hand you a towel (a real towel, not a paper towel) to wipe your hands. The pool deck and solarium were busy during peak times as expected, but we were always able to find a chair somewhere. The solarium pool (adults only) was not very crowded but the outdoor pool was pretty crowded during the middle of the day on sea days. Our cabin (6165) was spacious for the 2 of us and there was plenty of storage. The bathroom was more spacious than I anticipated and had lots of storage space. We enjoyed our balcony very much. Each morning it was nice to sit out there and look at the ocean or watch the ship pulling into the next port. The beds were comfortable. We took everything out of our mini fridge the first day and used the space to store the water and soda we brought with us. I read complaints that the fridge didn't keep things very cold, but I thought it worked just fine. Our room was serviced twice a day but we often had to request items (additional shampoo, etc) and I felt that our stateroom attendant should have replaced these items without being asked. From what I have read, our experience was not the norm and service is usually better than what we encountered. We were very pleased with the dining options. We did not visit any of the specialty restaurants because we thought the food that was included in our cost was very good. In the main dining room our waiters were very attentive and remembered our preferences. We enjoyed the food and if we ordered something and found it not to our liking the waiter would replace it with another item. They seemed to genuinely want us to enjoy our meal. We thought the steak and desserts were especially tasty. The Oceanview Cafe had more options for food than you can imagine! Everything was hot and tasty, and we especially enjoyed the omelet station, stir fry station and desserts. The selection at the Mast Grill was limited but very tasty and was perfect for a quick lunch on sea days. There was a drink machine at the Mast Grill as well, so it was convenient to grab some tea, lemonade or fruit punch to cool off while sitting by the pool. Being first time cruisers, we thought there were a good variety of activities. We enjoyed trivia, game shows and poolside activities. We went to 2 production shows, 2 comedians and a magician. They were fairly good. Our favorite thing was Silent Disco! So much fun to watch everyone sing and dance to their own music! The fitness area was adequate - I had to wait for a treadmill but not for long. There were plenty of activities but also plenty of spaces to just hang out and relax. Each port had something different to offer and we enjoyed them all. In San Juan we took a food and history walking tour, in St. Thomas we took a shopping/signtseeing/beach tour, In Nassau we went to Blue Lagoon Island and in Punta Cana we went to Scape Park and Juanillo Beach. We really felt at home on the ship and it was nice to come back at the end of our port days. We loved every minute of our trip and hoping to do it again! Read Less

This cruise was a birthday celebration for my wife, Suzy. Every step of the way, Celebrity made this cruise vacation very special. As usual, all of the staff and crew on Celebrity made our cruise very special. I reserved a Celebrity Suite which was simply amazing. Besides the usual items for the Solstice Class ship, these are some of the special things we enjoyed this cruise. -Check in - Expedited and personal check-in embarkation / disembarkation. Special area for sail away from Miami port -Michael's Club - Stored carry on luggage in Michael's Club while we explored the ship while awaiting for our cabin to be prepared. Michael's Club is the Suite only lounge which will soon be converted to the retreat. Great spot for pre-dinner drinks and different events. The staff arranged for silent disco. They mentioned it was the first time and it was an absolute blast. Really fun event. Also, there is a concierge that was absolutely amazing. She was able to get me a reservation for the glass blowing. The glass blowing demonstration is a must do. - Cabin - Celebrity Suite. I thought this cabin was a tremendous experience. A little pricey but with all of the amenities and services, I think it was worth it for a special celebration. Approximately 400 square feet and a larger balcony. - Luminae Restaurant - Suite class restaurant with meals prepared to order. We had dinner in the Tuscany Grill one evening but quite honestly, the Luminae makes the specialty restaurant unnecessary. We did the specialty restaurant after our Chef's table so everything would pale in comparison - Chef's table - I believe this was an additional $150 per guest but the meal was an incredible experience. The Executive chef, the Head Wine Steward, and an executive officer were present. - Reserved seating for the performances during formal nights - Butler service - All 4 upgrades for a suite. You do get two upgrades with the Concierge Class but the beverage package for the suite class is the Premium package which we upgrade. . - Premium coffee and teas - One of our favorites is Tea Over Ice in the afternoon. Refreshing I have cruised a variety of cruise lines and cabins (around 20 and counting). It has been a full evolution from it doesn't matter what cabin since we were rarely in the cabin to a Celebrity Suite which left us wondering how we would go back to Concierge class. Regardless of your cabin choice, this is a wonderful ship for a cruise. Read Less

We sailed out of Miami on Saturday, April 6th. This was our 17th cruise. What is normally a short wait to board the ship, we waited in line for an hour and a half until we finally were able to board. Once on the ship, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and toured the ship which seemed to be ship shape even though it is headed for dry dock in early May. Our cabin number 8295 was a balcony. Jed, our room steward was the ultimate professional. My wife had previously broken her foot and Jed made sure that her ice bag was filled morning and night. The room was well-kept with plenty of storage and closet space. We saw a few shows and they were what you would have expected on a cruise ship. Although I thought the food choices to be somewhat limited, the service was impeccable. We had the late seating at table 218. Our Waiter, Dave B., Assistant Waiter Saroj and Sommelier Yan performed flawlessly, and catered to our every request with the utmost professionalism. Although we normally do not a need to deal with the Maitre D', my wife inquired about different vegetarian choices. Stipe Kozul, the Assistant Maitre D' made sure that my wife received an excellent Indian dish the following nights. He stopped at our table numerous times throughout the cruise and catered to our other requests. We enjoyed his professionalism, hometown stories and his great sense of humor. (I'm sure his wife in Italy now knows too!) On sea days, don't forgot to grab a burger or hot dog at the upper pool deck grill........delicious! Most of our group of 31 met every evening at the Martini Bar. Hector was the BEST bar waiter we ever had. A smile never wavered from his face and his service was top-notch! Since we've been to the Western Caribbean many times in the past, and with my wife's broken foot, we stayed aboard ship with the exception of Key West. She needed to pick up new "Cat Shirts" at the Hemingway House. We also purchased some street art and had lunch at "The Blue Macaw." the Bloody Mary's were spicy and delicious! All-in-all a great cruise with great friends! Read Less

Great ports of call - Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman. Overwhelmed by all the written information we had to read to know what was going on each day. We had an ocean view room on deck 3 aft. Took awhile for us to get comfortable to where things were located. Most staff were excellent. Except the last day we had a staff member make a direct personal (body shaming) comment about us needing to get some exercise. (More to the story but all I am going to say here) The pools, restaurants, cafe and sitting areas were nice. We went on shore excursions at each port. The casino on-board didn’t pay out at all. We had the classic drink package although I don’t think we made up for the cost. We met lots of nice people from all over the world. We carried our own luggage off the ship through the terminal because we had number 49 which meant we would be nearly last to get off. Read Less

We loved our cruise and will write this as a comparison with our recent cruise experiences on Holland America which we have sailed with 3 times in the last 20 months. Wife and I travelled without kids. We are around 50 yrs old and have cruised together about 8 times. EMBARKATION - We arrived very early at 10:00 and had to wait about 90 minutes before we could board. Once we did it was easy on. No issues here. Embarkation was also smooth and easy on all our HAL cruises. WINNER - draw CABIN - Cabin was comfortable and well laid out. I liked the curved edges at the end of the bed, making walking around it somewhat easier. The bathroom was also larger than our HAL ships. HAL was better in closet space - including shelves for clothes that needed shelves versus hangers. Service was outstanding in both - zero complaints here. WINNER - slight edge to Equinox DINING - It was a tale of three meals here. Breakfast was similar in the buffet parts. HAL had a larger variety but Equinox had corned beef hash and grits one day - both my favorites. We did the Equinox breakfast in the dining room on debarkation day and had amazing service - the best we have ever had at breakfast anywhere. No less than 6 people were nearby providing service in every way possible. HAL did not have near the service level and a much slower meal - an hour or more. However, HAL had a much better breakfast menu with more exotic choices. Equinox was standard fare. BREAKFAST WINNER - draw Lunch was much better on the Equinox with many more choices including Indian every day which I love. Desserts were also MUCH better on the Equinox with more and better choices. HAL had the better carving station with lamb served on a number of days. LUNCH WINNER - Equinox Dinner on the Equinox was good but a half-step below our HAL experience. Service was outstanding on both with a slight nod to Equinox. Menu of choices and quality were both better on HAL. Equinox wasn't bad, but I had more choices of starters and entrees that I liked on HAL where there were too many times I reverted to the "available every meal" choices on Equinox. DINNER WINNER - HAL PUBLIC AREAS - Here were preferred Equinox for a few reasons. 1 - We enjoyed the Solarium where we could have climate control, comfy chairs, and no music. If we wanted a more lively, fun experience we would move to the outdoor pool where there was always music, sometimes a DJ and even a band. The HAL pool deck was smaller, often more crowded, and always quiet. 2 - The bars were more plentiful on the Equinox but always busier because it seemed everyone had a drinks package. On HAL virtually no one had this so bars were often quieter. 3 - We didn't do shops, spa, gym and casinos so we can't speak on those. 4 - HAL did have three banks of elevators, preferred over the two banks on Equinox. Our room was near the back of the ship so it was always a long walk to the nearest mid-ship elevators. WINNER - Equinox ENTERTAINMENT - We are both fans of live music. Nothing can compare to the BB Kings club on HAL - the clear winner in best entertainment. However, they begin at 9:00 most nights. Outside of this, Equinox was the clear winner. They had live music day and night. Quality was ranged from OK to very good. Singer / guitarist Chelsea was outstanding as was the house band Nu Image. We also enjoyed the shows much better on Equinox. Singers were better and the shows added a third dimension with aerialists and acrobats. We did not see any comedians but really enjoyed Not Really Three Tenors and saw both their shows. Activities - there were more and better activities on the Equinox including our favorite the Silent Disco. Such fun - don't miss it! There were more daytime activities on Equinox as well including the Hot Glass Class where we both made drinking glasses as souvenirs. WINNER - Equinox PORTS - Our cruise went to Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. I prefer the ports on HAL better. In Alaska they go to Glacier Bay and in the Caribbean they go to the private island - both favorites of ours. Winner - HAL DEBARKATION - Slight nod to HAL but likely not the fault of Equinox as we heard that debarkation was delayed because there were not enough immigration agents meet the published debarkation schedule. PRICE - We are deal hunters and value is very important to us. This and outstanding service and food is what drew us to HAL. We paid about $500 more for this cruise versus a simlar cruise on HAL. However, we got great value in an included drinks package and on-board credit. You are almost certain to pay more on Celebrity but I still feel like we got great value. WINNER - HAL OVERALL - We thoroughly enjoyed all our HAL cruises but this was a half-step up in overall experience. The key difference for us is activities and entertainment. The pool was more fun, there was more to do, and the evening shows were all well done. The ship (and overall line I expect) is aiming towards the 40-60 year old crowd with no kids. HAL seems to be positioned in the 55-75 age groups. If you can afford it, our recommendation is Equinox (and I expect other similar solstice class ships) over HAL. Read Less

We have had such incredibly positive experiences on the Celebrity Equinox cabin 8204, that, not only do we have no intention of venturing away from Celebrity's fleet, we cannot justify abandoning the Equinox. We have had the stars in our eyes snuffed out by more than one cruise, but each time we return to the Equinox, they are burning bright again. Every member of the staff is not only a pleasure to deal with, but they all seem to sincerely like one another, which makes the experience that much more pleasant. the meals offered in the regular dining area are exceptional. Though we did give the Tuscan Grille a try one night (outstanding!), we did not feel that they specialty restaurants were the only place to get quality food, like it felt on other ships. I was a little disappointed in the changes they made with regard to the glass blowing. Whereas before it was simply displays of professionals performing magic with the glass and pigments, it has turned into a kindergarten project where people can make their own ashtrays or whatever for a fee. I am sure that was due to customer requests, but I was mesmerized by the group from Corning's talent last trip. Read Less

Overall we were very happy with our cruise aboard the Equinox. I'll start with the positives and end with the negatives, there were only a few. The staff in the dining room were amazing. Our Sommelier was so friendly and funny and he made sure we all had a great time in the dining room. For the most part, the food in the main dining room was excellent, pro tip: if you can, let the waiter tell you what to order. Those were always the best meals we had. Our cabin steward was top notch, always asking us what else he could do to help. Our room was attended to twice daily which was nice and our room was almost always made up when we returned from breakfast. Kudos! The ship is beginning to show it's age, but it's hardly a criticism as I know she is due for a major overhaul in a few weeks so I did my best to overlook that. There were a few mis-steps in Murano and we decided that it was not worth the splurge, the main dining room was great with the exception of the anytime menu. Those items were really not that great but we only ordered them on the last day of the cruise as we couldn't find another choice we both preferred. Again, go with the waiter recommendations, they were excellent every time. Some of the bartenders were a bit rude and put out about helping us. Celebrity certainly needs to tighten up on their training. There was a bit of a hard sell for beverage packages and spa services which got a little annoying. Embarkation took forever as did disembarkation and my traveling companion god a little irritated with both. I tried to roll with the punches but I must admit it did set a negative tone to the beginning and end of the trip. Celebrity please work on that. The entertainment was hit or miss and I do think Celebrity could spend more money in that department. The singers were really not that good in the main shows, there was a great jazz band and the guest comedian was hilarious! Overall Celebrity did a great job and it was VERY apparent that they truly want to be the best cruise line (and the Equinox the best ship) in the world and I very much appreciate the tremendous effort of the vast majority of staff and officers in creating a great experience. A few tweaks here and there you guys and you've got it! Thank you Celebrity, keep up the good work and you have my loyalty! Read Less

Embarkation took 1hr and several attempts. (because we were British?) booked a table for 2 in the restaurant but were put on a table for 8. Told it would be sorted but it wasn't really. A table for 8 split was split into a table of 4 and 2 twos with a six inch gap in between the tables. No privacy. Usually sail on princess but found this ship (celebrity Equinox) tended to rock about probably due to its narrow beam which princess never do. ) To many smoking areas around bars which made it uncomfortable for us non smokers. No cocktail lists around bars to chose from. Now the positives- excellent WiFi at sea. Nice classic drinks package. Very friendly staff. Lovely dining area at the rear of the ship. No areas to busy. Great adults only pool. Nice selection of food in the buffet.. Good amount of lifts which meant no queuing. Read Less

This was our 5th cruise on Solstice class ships and we were very satisfied with our vacation. We have never been disappointed by the service or entertainment on these ships, but they exceeded themselves on this ship. I noticed also that the pool butlers took great care in keeping pool and lounge areas spotlessly clean. The headline band they brought on board at St. Thomas was a band from Nashville called, SavannahJack. Super musicians and really knew how to entertain. Some of the other entertainers were Ashley-Amber Harris, who did a tribute to Whitney Houston and had a great voice, as well as two feature comedians, who I found very funny. There was a wide variety of live entertainment throughout the ship, and we ended almost all our nights meeting back together in the Ensemble Lounge to enjoy one last drink and whoever was playing at that time. They were all great. My favourite stop was St. Thomas, I have been there several times, but tried scuba diving for the first time this round, and even though I am over 60, it was quite doable and interesting. Read Less

First time cruisers, four siblings plus spouses, all empty nesters in our 50s-60s. The eight of us wanted a quiet, memorable cruise with no hitches. That's exactly what we got. The best part of the Equinox is the staff. We made rich connections with our dining hosts, entertainment staff, blackjack dealers and others -- and of course our room steward Lenta. The Equinox is a medium-sized ship -- we had 2,800 passengers on this ship -- served by 1,200 staff from 72 countries. All of them, I mean all, were genuinely happy to serve us. Example: On our second night together in the main dining room, we were served by Mellanie and her team of 3. Between the main course and dessert, Mellanie performed a simple trick of folding a cloth napkin to make a swan. We all applauded, surprised, and she seemed genuinely pleased to entertain us. The next night, we asked to return to Mellanie table, where again she entertained us between courses with a napkin folded to be a boy. (How did we know? Slightly risque trick involving a spoon handle.) We asked for her again on our third night together, where she again entertained us -- she showed my brothers-in-law how to fold the top, and bottom, of a bikini. Very entertaining for us and embarrassing for them. For our last night together, we ate in the Silk Harvest asian fusion restaurant, where we were served by Mellanie's husband, Jon, and his team of 3. Mellanie came up from MDR to greet us. She said she and Jon had talked about our family group, and he had a special dinner already planned for us. We selected nothing; everything was served family style. Jon just kept bringing dishes that were delicious -- and were uniquely suited to our tastes. My wife does not like the smell of fish, so Jon was careful to place the fish dishes to the opposite side of the table, Mellanie had told him about her preferences in advance. Maybe this is standard service on cruise ships; I don't know. But I do know I definitely want to book Celebrity again. More notes: - Buffet dining was OK. Decent food, pretty crowded, terrific view on the top deck. - Main dining was better. Pretty good food, choice of 7 entrees, kinda bland by the third day. - Specialty dining was spectacular. Well worth the cost. Tuscan Grill had the best Italian I've ever eaten with a spectacular view from the back of the ship. And I already told you about Slik Harvest -- best asian I have ever eaten, period. - Two days at sea were dress-up dining days. I thought it was a hassle, but in retrospect, nobody wants to see me in flipflops and a tanktop. - Excursions were crowded and exhausting. Five boats were cruising the same route, so at every stop 20,000 tourists piled out and jammed each port. Read Less

We just finished another great Celebrity cruise - this time to the Eastern Caribbean. We embarked from Miami, which although a favorite city of ours to visit, we arrived just in time to begin boarding the Equinox. Embarkation went smoothly. We've cruised aboard the Equinox once before, which is partly the reason we chose to cruise on her again. We enjoy everything about the ship, beginning with its layout. While large, it does not overwhelm. If you're used to the ever-larger ships popular on lines like RC or NCL, perhaps this ship may seem small and lacking some of the activities you'd find on ships twice its size. For us, and those seeking a true resort-like (not adventure park-like) experience, the Equinox performs wonderfully. Our cabin was on the 7th floor and was a standard veranda room. Our attendant, Fatkur, was exemplary! It was our first time in the aft of the ship, which we found quiet and reasonably secluded, albeit sometimes a far walk on occasion. We dined throughout the ship on this cruise. On our first night, we dined in Murano, the French-inspired fine dining restaurant. We had pre-booked a reservation prior to boarding at a steal of $35. We had among other dishes the tableside prepared lobster, which we could've repeated. We ate at Silk Harvest another night, which is the ship's Asian-fusion restaurant. Although not a culinary hit with us, the service was as expected: impeccable. When word got back to the restaurant's manager that we did not enjoy our meal, he visited us for feedback and to offer us another dining opportunity. Although we didn't take him up on his offer, his reaching out and graciousness cannot go without mention. It was the sort of customer service we've grown to expect from Celebrity staff. We also enjoyed our lunch at Sushi on Five, the obviously named sushi restaurant on Deck 5. We were able to take advantage of another promotional opportunity, as we did on our last Equinox cruise, which did not disappoint. Otherwise, for our meals, we enjoyed them in the main dining room, including breakfast and dinner most days. Of course we lunched in the Oceanview Cafe, the ship's buffet venue. We were never disappointed and always received excellent service - attentive, without hesitation, and with grace. We were able to enjoy the evening entertainment on a few nights - each production we really did enjoy. Similar too, the live entertainment throughout the ship was a nice treat. Overall, we enjoyed this cruise and the ship. You won't be disappointed with either, and the service we experienced has to be our biggest enjoyment. We're excited to see the renovations slated for it in another couple months! Read Less

We arrived a day before the cruise to explore the Design District in Miami and enjoy an excellent meal at Coconuts in Fort Lauderdale. With the proper use of luggage tags, which are obtained by mail in advance of the cruise, embarkation was a smooth and simple process. Debarkation was quite straight-forward as well. The ship itself was large, but not overwhelmingly so. For those who like to burn off a few calories to compensate for increased consumption of food and drink, the ship provides ample walking and stair climbing opportunities. Travelling in Aqua Class provided a room with decent floor space, a good shower and a large balcony. This provided a nice retreat in the face of competing for lounging space on the open decks during prime time. Special thanks to Hector who took care of our room during our stay! We were very impressed with the food, drink and service at Blu Restaurant (exclusive to Aqua Class). We very much like to commend our servers Allan and Natalia for their excellent and friendly service. Both were very dedicated to their jobs and are definite assets to Celebrity Cruise Lines. While not a particular fans of shows, musicals, comedy acts on land or at sea we did enjoy the musicians at various locations throughout the ship. We also recommend the Silent Discos, which proved to be alternatively strange, fun and exhilarating. For those who are rough and ready, we recommend the Triple Play excursion at Costa Maya. We found it an enjoyable to experience the outdoors in a less sanitized, real-life Mexican natural environment. We also highly recommend the Clear Kayak and Snorkel excursion at Cozumel. The activities were fun and the environment was relaxed. The main excursion guide, Pedro, was especially effective, working hard to ensure everyone enjoyed themselves. Overall, we highly recommend Celebrity Equinox in the Western Caribbean as a quality cruise experience. Consider upgrading to Aqua Class if you can for your own good-sized balcony (no need to fight crowds for open deck space), access to the Persian Gardens Spa and Blu Restaurant. Remember to respect others, be polite and smile! Have a good time! Read Less

I'll start this review as I have started all of my previous ones, with a bit of an introduction: My wife and I do 2-3 cruises a year, nearly all of them with Celebrity. We are 30 & 26 years old respectively, and have sailed the Caribbean a half-dozen times. I will be writing this with the target audience of "First Timers" and will hope to shed some light on what we enjoy, and don't enjoy about cruising with Celebrity, and on the beautiful Equinox. Why this cruise? My wife is a school teacher, so we take a 7 day cruise every year on her Spring Break. We don't have bitter winters here in Central Alabama, but the end of March is the perfect time to hop down into the beautiful weather that the Caribbean offers year-round. We started off cruising Carnival years ago, but ultimately made the jump to Celebrity as we wanted something more sophisticated and relaxing. We don't like to be charged for every single item on a cruise, so we love that Celebrity allows us to go for the "all inclusive" package. We book through a wonderful Travel Agent who only does cruises. We went on board with a drink package, prepaid tips (paid by TA), and $450 on board credit. With Celebrity, the OBC can be used to book excursions, specialty restaurants, on board shopping, or virtually anything else you buy on board. Frankly, its one of the main reasons we sail with Celebrity. All in all, we got a beautiful Concierge Class Balcony and all the perks for well under $3000 for the entire trip. We brought about $500 US in cash for port spending and tipping on board.We have found that, with all of the inclusions, its really hard to beat Celebrity on price. Add in the service and the wonderful food, and its a no-brainer for us. We also have been fortunate enough to have my parents join us for each of the last three spring break cruises. Its wonderful to be on any cruise ship, but even better when you can spend the time with family. My parents being older, do not want a "party cruise". Celebrity offers a wonderful atmosphere that allows everyone to have a great time but not at the expense of others. The Equinox: After having sailed on her twice, it comes as zero surprise that the Equinox wins "Best Overall" on CruiseCritic every year. Its a beautiful ship with a very user friendly layout. At 121k GT, it sits right in the happy medium of cruise ships in terms of size. There is plenty to do, plenty of room, and yet still small enough to be able to get comfortable with the entire ship over the course of 7 short days. Our two favorite areas of the ship are the sundeck and the main atrium. Both are absolutely stunning whether it is day or night. Decks 3-6 are where all the magic happens. Bars surround the atrium on all sides but they are presented in a way that is very classy and doesn't ever feel crowded. The four main bars that we frequent are all very different in design and styles, and they are spread out in a way that no place ever feels particularly crowded. The martini bar and the Gastropub are opposite each other from the atrium. One serves decadent martinis in dozens of flavors and all is served in a beautiful lounge and a solid ice bar top. The Gastropub has the feel of a rustic craft beer bar that has an awesome selection of beers from around the world. This bar has ESPN running on TVs so it was crowded while the NCAA basketball tournament was going. The World Class bar is a really cool bar near the art gallery and shops. This bar has two "mixologist" that are expert beverage makers. I go here to experiment and try new drinks that I may not have tried otherwise. This requires the premium drink package, but you can literally tell them you like whisky, citrus, and sweet drinks and they will come up with something you've never tried before. Its a wonderful place to hang out before dinner or after shows, especially if your wife enjoys shopping as much as mine does! This last bar is my personal favorite: The Sunset Bar. Its an outdoor bar that is open from morning til late at night. It is at the top of the boat and at the aft, so the breeze and views are breathtaking. The Equinox, like all Solstice class ships, are covered in real grass on the aft 1/3 of the top deck. Its something extremely unique about Celebrity and its really neat to be in the middle of the ocean and have grass between your toes. All in all, its a wonderfully balanced ship. Its large enough for there to be plenty of options in how you spend your days, but small enough to still feel intimate. Captain Kate Mccue: Oh Captain, My Captain! I'll admit I was a skeptic at first. Not that I thought she was a bad Captain, but I didn't believe a Captain could have a significant impact on a cruise vacation. Most Captains that I have sailed with are only worried about doing their jobs, getting us to and from our destinations safely, and they allow the entertainers and the service staff to provide us a good time. And while that is completely fine, Captain Kate is amazing! Her personality infects the entire ship and everyone stops what they are doing when she speaks over the PA. She is an awesome Captain, and every single bit as good as she is advertised. I cannot say enough how impressed I am with her, other than it would be a mistake for Celebrity to ever let her go! Stateroom: Concierge Cabin (C2) Room 1249. The stateroom is the same as any veranda on the ship outside of Suites, but this cabin does offer a unique feature that only a few cabins on the entire ship offer... a larger balcony. The Equinox has a few "bump outs" or "humps" in her design that cause a few of the cabins on each floor "bulge" out a few feet. At the angles of these "bumps" you get a slanted balcony. From the nearest corner, it is no smaller than any other balcony on the ship, but at its widest, its nearly twice as long. Our deck chairs came with ottomans and the chairs reclined enough that we effectively had loungers on our balconies. We didn't get quite the breeze off the balcony due to where we were, but the extra balcony space will be missed on the cruises that we dont have it. Room layout is spacious enough for a cruise cabin, our bed was near the balcony compared to others that are near the bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom, its about average in size if you are used to balcony rooms. The shower has simple but elegant sliding glass door that doesn't waste any space. In concierge class we had access to slightly better bathroom toiletries and cosmetics. My wife didn't seem particularly impressed with the shampoo, but there could have been other factors that led to that. Dining: In this section is where we found the best and worst that our particular vacation had to offer. We went into this cruise knowing we would be doing a night or two in specialty dining, specifically Murano. I'll dive into the specialty restaurants in a bit, but lets get the not-so-pleasant out of the way. Please understand that we have never had an issue in the Main Dining Room. Celebrity does dining very well, and I'd even argue that it is one of their strengths. This time, we just weren't impressed. My wife, myself, and my parents got sat at a very nice four top. The MDR is crowded as it is on all ships, so that didn't bother us. We had a very nice and attentive head waiter, and the food both nights that we dined there was excellent. The bar/drink service however, was severely lacking. My father and I managed to get our wine quickly enough usually, but my wife and mother waited 15-30 minutes for their bar drinks every time they ordered. It became such an issue that our poor head waiter would go off running to get the drinks himself. This isn't a major issue, I am aware of that, but I expect more from Celebrity. After two identical services with the identical problems we called our Concierge (perk of concierge class) and told her about the issue and she asked if she could inform the Maitre'D. Literally 5 minutes later the Maitre'D had ran up to our rooms to apologize, hear our feedback, and promised to improve the service going forward. People, this is what makes Celebrity different. There are 3000 people eating dinner in his beautiful dining room, and he stopped mid-service to run up to our room to personally apologize and ask how to fix it. The next day we got back from a day at port and my parents and I each had a bottle of nice champagne from the Maitre'D, it was a wonderful gesture and we were impressed. Now as it turned out, we had a reservation at the famous Murano that evening. When we left Murano we were so blown away that we called our Concierge and asked her to book us in specialty dining for the remainder of the cruise. These restaurants are not free, nor cheap, but our concierge got us 20-40% off the listed price each night we dined in a specialty restaurant. So, in the end we never got to go back in the MDR, but I am convinced that the issues would have been fixed. Murano If you do one thing on a Celebrity Cruise, eat dinner at Murano. The first night of the cruise they offer it at a discount if you book ahead of time. My father and I are "foodies" and love fine dining. We both agreed that the Murano dinner service and quality of food is an experience that would be incredible even if it weren't on a cruise ship. Every single aspect, from the bread to the Grand Marnier Souffle is perfect. Lobster Murano is a top 5 dish that I have ever experiences and is cooked table side with everything from bacon, to lobster cooked in a cognac mustard creme sauce. We were so impressed that we booked it for every remaining night of the cruise that we could. One night they were fully booked, so we tried Tuscan Grille. It was very good, but with it being a for-fee Italian steakhouse, we left miserably full compared to the lighter and more elegant Murano. Entertainment & Activities This will be rather short as we did not attend any of the main productions in the theater. Celebrity keeps the same shows for 3-5 years before cycling them out, with us sailing on the Equinox as frequently as we do, there weren't any that we hadn't already seen. We did however attend the comedy shows and watch a lot of live music. The comedian was great and the house band was excellent as well. Celebrity offers other activities like bingo, concerts, seminars, and workshops that many find to be fantastic. Admittedly we mainly go find somewhere quiet near a bar, as we are both young and always seem to be around crowds on land, we enjoy a more laid back experience on the boat. Service With the exception of the MDR, which I consider a fluke rather than a flaw, service is impeccable on Celebrity. Tipping is a hot topic on any cruise forum, but I can definitively say that when I hand a bartender or my room steward a $10/$20 bill on the first day, they take care of my wife and I the rest of the voyage. I personally try to find a specific bartender in my most regular bars and tip heavy on days 1/2. I tip $1 a drink the remainder of the time and I am having another drink brought to me before the first one is finished. Celebrity has a wonderful staff and an underappreciated staff/guest ratio. I think the reason they named it "Celebrity Cruises" is because of how they want each and every guest to feel. It really is what makes them so special. Cafe Al Bacio: I couldn't figure out the best place to include this place in any of my previous sections, so I ultimately decided that it needed its own. Bacio is arguably the most loved place on the ship. They are a full service coffee & dessert bar that is open all day. In the morning people are getting their day started with anything from a cappuccino to a cup of decaf, and late at night every table is full with people winding down in the low light setting of an old city jazz bar. The live music from the atrium fills the bar and its just a super unique place to relax and enjoy yourselves. It sounds so simple and quaint, but I am amazed that every cruise ship in the world doesn't mimic this place into their own. Ports & Excursions: We loved every port we stopped at. We are very familiar with the Western Caribbean so only Key West was a first time port for us. Everyone has different interests at respective ports, so I will just tell you what we do every time and you look for more information if you wish. Key West: We wandered on our own, Key West isnt a large town and most of the cool stuff is near the ship. There are tours galore and a really neat aquarium nearby. Grab you a piece of Key Lime Pie and a Conch Fritter and enjoy your first stop of the cruise! Grand Cayman: 7 Mile Beach at Calico Jacks. You go to this beach for the water as it is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. CJ's is great, but very crowded. Costa Maya: New favorite port in the Western Caribbean. The port itself is a maze, but very very beautiful. We find our way out and go to Maya Chan Beach Resort every chance we get. Check it out, its the epitome of a relaxing beach day. Cozumel: I have an answer to the famous Sancho's vs Nochi debate... Sancho's is the best! All inclusive, wonderful service, and a beautiful (safe) beach. We go every time we are in Cozumel and have no plans of changing! In Conclusion: My wife and I fell in love with cruising on our honeymoon and have been blessed to go one more than most our age. Celebrity is a perfect fit for what we want to do and how we want to spend our time on the boat. Its generally an older crowd, but we cruise like "older people". We have 2 more cruises currently booked with Celebrity, and 81 days cannot get here soon enough! Read Less

My 35 year old daughter and I sailed on the Celebrity Equinox from March 16-23, 2019. Since we both work very hard, we were looking forward to relaxation, excellent service, good meals, sun, and fun. A couple of tips that might help: 1. Aqua Class made all the difference in the world to us. Eating in the Blu restaurant each morning and evening was a delight. The service is outstanding and, within reason, you can eat what you want...order off of the Blu menu which changes daily, or order from the main dining room. In addition, the Sommelier would greet us each night with a recommendation for a fantastic wine or spirit. Being in a small dining room was relaxing and special. 2. We got the Premium Drink Package for $11.80 extra per day per person. (The regular drink package was included in our package.) We are not big drinkers but has a blast tasting top shelf drinks and not worrying about the extra cost. The Premium Drink package includes specialty coffees, teas, water and sodas. This was especially useful to us as we found the coffee on board the ship to be terrible. The room service coffee is undrinkable. 3. We booked excursions on our own and not through the ship. In St. Thomas we went kayaking and snorkeling near mangroves, in Nassau we went to a private island Barmoral, and in Punta Cana we took a shuttle to Juanita Beach. You never have to worry about getting back to the ship on time if you book through a reputable company on TripAdvisor. Our excursions were the best... and we saw beautiful beaches away from the crowds. 4. Check your bill carefully as we were charged for things that should have been included. Read Less

This was our first time cruising with Celebrity after having cruised previously with Royal Caribbean and MSC. We have always had wonderful experiences when travelling with each of the other carriers, but this week and the wonderful experiences we had when on the Celebrity Equinox was extra special. We had a great feeling right from the first day at check-in, it was smooth, no hick-ups, quick and the counter staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It was no time before our room was ready, but while waiting there was a band playing music on the pool deck and by the time we had a quick drink, we are down to our room. We stayed on deck 7. We had a room with a balcony, port side, near the front of the ship. The room was spacious with gobs of storage. Don't forget that suitcases fit under the bed and that there is storage above the bed too. We actually didn't use all the storage, there was so much of it. The bathroom was by far bigger than those we have had on Royal Caribbean and MSC. Gee, the shower pressure was better than we have at home. Our food experience was also second to none. We ate in the Oceanview cafe every breakfast and there was no problem at all to find something for everyone. I am diabetic so I must watch what I eat closely, but I always left feeling full and satisfied that I had a great breakfast (this was important because we were always busy during the day-both during sea days and certainly when we were in port). The Silhouette Dining Room experience was above and beyond what we had expected. Our server, Elbert, his assistant, Mario, our bartender, Gerald and our sommelier, Richard were over the top knowledgeable and courteous beyond. We shared a lot of laughs with each of them and they made each night a truly fine dining experience. We never felt rushed and if we didn't care for something or simply wanted to try something else, there was never a problem. The atmosphere was refined, yet casual, providing for a great supper every night. We capped off every night by heading to the theatre for a very professional, entertaining show. The singers, dancers, acrobats were stupendous. The two comedians we saw had us roaring in our seats. Simon, the Cruise Director was funny, involved and obviously passionate about what he does. it was great to talk with him during the week. If you have a chance, you MUST do the silent disco. It was a blast to sing along, dance and have a great night with everyone doing their own thing. This was one of the most entertaining times we had all week-and there were many of them. Kudos to the MasterGrill on deck 14. We had lunch there when at sea and the hamburgers were great. It was convenient not have to venture too far from our deck chairs when at sea. Demarkation was smooth, we made arrangements to be the first group off in the morning because we had an early flight to catch out of Miami. Guest Relations was very helpful when we needed to change our demarkation time. We were sad that our week came to such a quick ending on Saturday, but we know we will be back. For our four friends that were travelling with us, it was there first-ever cruise and they are now hooked. We have already started talking about planning our next next cruise. Thank you Celebrity. Read Less

Despite the following experience my overall experience was good. My dinner dining was great and my waiter went out of his way to accommodate my requests on more then one occasion. If you would like to do a shore excursion and are disabled, Celebrity does not assist you(due to insurance reasons) so you will need to book private excursions or bring an assistant with you. I had a unique experience on March 16th. While I was cruising I met a friend and on that morning I wanted to take her to the main dining room Silhouette instead of cafeteria. However she was a pescatarian and expressed her desire to go to the Ocean View Cafe. Due to my blindness going through the buffet it always takes time normally this is not a problem but because it was the last day of the cruise. I stated that we could speak to the staff at Silhouette to accommodate her dining needs. We decided to separate so we could all have food that we could enjoy. She surprised me by meeting me at Silhouette and I advised her that if they couldn't accommodate her. When we were seated, I proceeded to advise the wait staff about my dietary needs. My friend requested some roasted potatoes, and they stated there was no available. She then asked for Salmon. The dining staff stated that it was breakfast not lunch or dinner. Another waiter came and asked the same questions, while she was answering him he was giving her dirty looks. She was very upset. We decided we would leave once we finished our danishes and coffee. However she was extremely upset and had to collect herself in privacy. We ended up separating to the 2 different dining areas due to this issue. We were supposed to hang out for the day, but the experience cast a pall on the rest of the day. The issue wasn't their inability to accommodate us but the way that we were handled. I am hoping that the staff gets some additional training. I would love to hear back from someone regarding this issue. Read Less