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

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

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

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

Chose this as were different ports of call from our last Carrabean cruise. Ship is ready for a refit as parts were worn eg. Seats,shower and decor, The crew we great,all very polite and helpful and would go out of their way to speak to you. Enjoyed the cruise but one thing set it back for me,there were too many gay people on board and they took over. The entertainment was great but doing a back to back cruise we saw some of the shows twice,but were still good.Doing a back to back gave us time to visit the Everglades without worrying about having to catch a plane. We did three of the ships tours but found them a little expensive as you could get the same tour on shore for a lot less money.One we did on St Thomas was lovely but didn’t give you enough time on the beach,enjoyed the snorkelling tho. Read Less

Relaxation. Cruised many times in the Caribbean and never bored with it weather is always good perfect at this time of year to let us escape winter cold and snow. Celebrity Solstice class ships offer the perfect mix of luxury and size and amenities to meet our needs. Equinox goes into dry dock next month for a major refit. She'll be A brand new ship when she returns to service in June. It was evident that painting and varnishing were not being kept up because of this refit. Wish we were able to sail on her again afterwards. This was a back to back two week cruise for us this time. Entertainment was very repetitive one week to the next. Far too many comedians and repeat Production shows. Likewise menu in main dining room was very repetitive one week to the next. Murano specially dining though expensive was excellent. Disappointed with silk Harvest dining. Read Less

Overall the cruise to the western Caribbean was very good. The whole getting on board zprocess was painless and having valet service on luggage going home was well worth the money. Stayed over the night before (JW Marriott) and the transfer to the ship was easy. We had booked our own shore excursions, which I would highly recommend on any cruise so no problems there. I am not a cruise efientienoto but this was my least favorite ship. The layout made you wonder what were they thinking. Entertainment was a joke. One good act and two okay comedians. Cruise director was from another planet! Captain (first female American Captian) was great and very personalable. Had no piano or any kind of sing along entertainment. Bars were closed at night for no reason. Pool closed at 10:00 except they were cleaned at 9:00 and you could not be around the pool (can’t figure that one out). I think they thought everyone went to be at nine or something. Food and wait staff was very good except for the soups. They ought to throw the soup chef overboard. With the exception of the French Onion (an ever night menu item) and a watered down broccoli soup everything was like they opened up Campbell’s tomato soup threw some beans and elbow macaroni and called it Pasta Fabiola or Minestrone soup. Just butchered it. Makes me made thinking they could pawn that off as soup. Ship is going in for make over in May. It wasn’t that bad as far as condition goes but like I said layout was not good. Not enough room around the one outdoor pool. The whole top deck was covered in grass, real grass where you could not do anything except have a picnic ( on the windest deck). Had a glass making set up on the top deck which was real unique. Made a star fish (that didn’t turn out half bad). I would definitely recommend that as a nice sovereign of your cruise. Anyway not my favorite ship even through it was voted best cruise ship for 2019 (not sure how they can do that when we are only in the first quarter of 2019). Still thinking the Norwegian cruise line is best suited for our age and taste but it is all a matter of personal preference. Read Less