After cruising with Princess three times, we decided to try Celebrity. The Equinox is a smaller and older ship compared to the Royal & Regal Princess. Overall the ship was in good shape. It is apparent that they are letting some routine maintenance items go since the ship is going into dry dock later this spring. Our biggest issue with the ship was the pool area. The outdoor pool area is small and the chairs around the pool area are placed with no room in between them. The walking/running trail on the upper level of the pool deck had chairs infringing on the walk. The indoor pool area was no where near at capacity. The grass on the top deck is a unique feature, but there is a lot of wasted space. The entertainment on our week long cruise was lacking. Only one production show. The cruise director Simon, was very energetic but not very visible around the ship. We found the number of activities and the selection of musical entertainment was significantly less than what we were used to with Princess. The waiters and bartenders were excellent. We found the quality of the food in the main dining room comparable to Princess. However, we were not pleased with the buffet. The layout is very confusing and there is no traffic flow during busy times. The buffet food quality was just ok. As far as deserts, the best thing on the ship were the cookies and the ice cream. The other deserts were very bland. During our entire cruise, we were constantly approached during breakfast and lunch about booking specialty dining. We did have one dinner at Murano, which was excellent. We were never approached by any photographer or spa person during our week long cruise, which is not the case on Princess. Captain Kate was very visible during the cruise. Her morning updates which included trivia were very enjoyable and she was on the gangway shaking everyone's hand as they left the ship. We did have a bad experience on an excursion, and Celebrity handled the situation appropriately. We would definitely consider sailing with Celebrity again but Princess will still be our go to cruise line. Read Less

Celebrity to us is EXCELLENCE. The only issue is that there was a private function going on-board at the time -- 800 people. We had asked about this prior to leaving, but the Celebrity rep said there was not a function going on, which obviously was not true. We were a bit inconvenience at times. But overall, service was generally very good, with very good entertainment. We loved both comedians, as well as the guest group UpTOWN which were a MoTown type of act. The cuisine is 2nd to none as always. Leaving out of Miami saw a much OLDER crowd that were were used to, even on Celebrity cruises. As age 52, my wife and I felt like we were the youngest on the ship! Captain Kate, the first female of a cruise vessel, was awesome -- it is great how she gets out and interacts with the passengers on board. Read Less

Great cruise, it was a part of a "family gift" on occasion of my parents-in-law's wedding anniversary. Everything went smooth, from the booking to the debarkation. Embarkation in Miami was trouble-free, luggage was delivered as expected. Onboard activities were satisfactory and excursions were mainly value-for-money. The itinerary was changed a bit, we visited Samana instead of Punta Cana in Dominican Republic, due to adverse weather. We were scheduled for a dune buggy excursion in Punta Cana, which we were looking forward to, but luckily we could book an ATV excursion in Samana at no additional cost - that excursion turned out to be the best of all the excursions I was on. MDR was fantastic, in general all the food places were great. My girlfriend and I both had the premium non-alcoholic drinks package, which meant that virtually anything non-alcoholic (including virgin cocktails) was available. I personally feel like I didn't use the package to its full value, but that's totally my own fault, I probably should have taken the soda package instead. We didn't really use/see any entertainment activities onboard, we were in the casino one night, because all guests got a free 5$ casino credit, and my mother-in-law managed to win 120$ on her first 2$ spin on the slots - so I guess you could call that a success! The ship itself was great, this was our first time cruising so I don't have anything to compare with, but the ship didn't feel ten years old. We already booked a new cruise on Equinox in January 2021, same stateroom as this cruise, so we are looking forward to see how much is changed with the "Revolution". All my best recommendations for this cruise! Read Less

We booked this particular cruise as we are a bit older, and like our cruises to be a bit more relaxed, not the constant party like some other cruises. The service was top notch, our room steward (Jorie) was one of the best we have had in the eight cruises we have been on. Regi in the dinning room was also exceptional, when something wasn't 110% he made sure it was brought up to his exceptional standards. He always had fantastic recommendations, and brought small samples for the table to try. The gang at the Martini Bar, World Bar, and Sunset Bar were also very accommodating. As we had C-3 concierge staterooms our embarkation was very fast, less than 10 minutes from security to ship. Debarkation was also very quick, maybe twenty minutes from waiting in the dinning room to the shuttle. Kudos to the Celebrity team. We also took advantage of the Future Cruise and booked Celebrity Summit for 2021. We do not find Celebrity to be the best when it comes to entertainment, and shows. The two we did catch were very good. We saw the late night comedian and a matinee show with a singer( Julie ?) Read Less

We(26m/25f) really enjoyed this cruise. This was our second celebrity cruise. Embarkation and disembarkation went fast and smooth, not much waiting at all. I was kind of expecting the entertainment to be lacking due to some other reviews I read, but we thought it was great. The on board singers/dancers/acrobats were amazing! We went to all their shows and were amazed at every one. I particularly liked Elysium the best! The magician, juggler, and Jane Curry were also awesome to watch! We missed the motown group, but heard they were great. Cruise Director Dan was awesome and had some hilarious one liners. The full moon white pool party was great fun. We tend to eat in the ocean view more then anywhere else, so can't comment on the food too much. There was lots of options and the desserts were endless. I do wish they had oven roasted chicken breast every night though!! Our cabin was always kept clean, twice a day. Our cabin steward was great and very helpful. In San Juan we walked to both forts, cathedral, and to the umbrella street. Got some great pictures. In St Thomas we took a shuttle that cost $10 ea to Magens Bay, which was a beautiful beach. Punta Cana was cancelled as I expected it would be due to weather. We went to Samana instead which I was happy about. We paid $120/pp for a ziplining excursion through celebrity, which was very fun. In Nassau we did the dolphin encounter and beach day on blue lagoon island. This is a very beautiful island that I will be visiting again. Overall very happy and booked our next cruise while on board. Hope it's the same entertainment! ;) Was very disappointed to return to -30 degree Celsius temps back home. Read Less

Went on a cruise in December 2018 on the Equinox and it was really great, especially the experience at the Murano restaurant! Outstanding service, excellent food, really enjoyed it! We were 7 people and were all satisfied. The weather was fantastic and the sailing went well. We loved the restaurant dedicated to Aquaclass passengers only as it was more quiet than the main dining room and the personnel was more attentive since they recognize you because they have less guests to take care of. Our cabin was spacious and well maintained. We would definitely recommend the Equinox and would go back any time! The itinerary was also very good as we only had two sea days, one at the beginning of the trip and one at the end of the trip. We visited Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya and Grand Cayman island. All very nice and fun to see. Can't wait for my next cruise on the Serenade of the Seas and the Summit! Read Less

I was looking forward to this post-holidays getsway. Weather was cooperative all week. I chose to stay on the ship rather than venture off in Grand Cayman/Mexico because the excursions offered did not excite me; I wanted to take advantage of the ship’s amenities and resort feel, instead. No regrets in that department. This particular cruise attracted an older crowd (which I liked) than the same cruise in December a friend took and despised because there were many 30-40 year olds who partied loudly, apparently. My January cruise likely averaged 60 years old so it was an enjoyable experience on sea days-everyone having a fun time without craziness. The Aqua Class cabin on deck 11 was lovely and spacious. Celebrity always does a goodjob about providing good amounts of storage space. The balcony was also spacious (two chairs, ottomans and a table). Although there was an overhang from the pool deck above, you could still get plenty of sun during the day if you chose to sit out there and see valuable amounts of the horizon. My cabin attendent, Belvin, was terrific and took great care of my cabin and my comfort. The only ‘bumps’ I ran into was food-wise. The daily hors d’oer es brought to the cabin each afternoon were unappetizing and lacked toothpicks to eat it/sample it. I was not about to dig my fingers into potato salad, marinated olives, guacamole, etc each day. Blu dining room offered great service and management (Linda), but the menus were lacking creativity for the most part. Best menues there were on the first and last nights. Dinner in Murano was disappointing because the frisee salad was not ‘dressed’ as described and the sea bass was tasteless and dry. Even the mashed potatoes were inedible-very dense and flavorless. Dessert was very good, however, and we brought a bottle of champagne from our cabin to dinner to enjoy with that course. Overall, I have to say this was not an enjoyable meal and certsinly not worth the extra $50-there was nothing special about this dinner experience. The Oceanview Cafe buffet lunches were quite good. Had dinner there one night which was an exasperating experience-I chose the fresh fish-made-to-order area but the expeditor was disorganized. People didn’t know where the line formed, orders were taken randomly, grilled fish tended to sit and get cold for some. Plus, no fresh lemon to add to your plate. This area needs work-it is a great idea and I was looking forward to my entrees but my particular experience took away the pleasure of eating there. On a positive food note, the Mast Grill on 14 was reliably great, as was lunch in the Silhouette dining room where you could get a nice salad and glass of wine served in a gorgeous Reidel glass. Service there was hectic but well done, just the same. Officers were very visible which I like to see. Live music, however, left much to be desired. The rock band was LOUD and as a result, many cruisers left the pool when they were to appear. A duet of two women in Ensemble Lounge sang terribly off-key every evening, so we took our cocktails in Sky Lounge for the final four nights of our cruise. Read Less

We arrived at Miami port to a very smooth check in process. We were on the ship within 15 minutes. Stateroom We had a balcony stateroom which was well appointed. The bathroom is a little bigger than other lines we have sailed on. Crew Every single member of the crew that we came across on our cruise was highly professional and very friendly. The restaurant staff in particular made our cruise all the more enjoyable. Food We ate in the Sioloutte (main dining room) most evenings. On the whole the food was of a very high standard. They also serve al a carte breakfast (at no extra cost) if you do not wish to go to the standard buffet. The ship has a number of speciality dining restaurants, we tried Murano which was excellent. The speciality dining is quite expensive though. The Ship/Amenities The ship is well appointed in all areas with some outstanding feature rooms. It really is luxurious. The ship has all the normal activities and facilities that you would expect. It is probably aimed at a slightly older crowd, they do have facilities for children but there are no water slides etc. Overall We had a fantastic cruise, and would definitely recommend the Equinox. Read Less

Get ready for my all over the place, rambling review! We sailed on Equinox last year for a 3 day cruise. I really wanted to try the Celebrity brand and we just fell in love. Previously we cruised Carnival and Princess. This was our 5th or 6th cruise. I'm in my 40's, BF is in his 60's. Flew in the Friday before since weather in PA/Baltimore can be iffy in January. Took SAS Transportation ($15/pp) from FLL to downtown Miami. Got a room at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Miami on Priceline for $115. Regular price was $269+. Got two doubles instead of a king but that was no big deal. The Hyatt is beautiful. We went to Whole Foods that evening for dinner and got cheap wine to take on board at CVS, both within a block of the hotel. Ubered ($5 plus tip) to port the next day, around 11. Waited maybe a half hour in line to check-in and then we were onboard. Love that welcome glass of champagne. Headed up to Oceanview Cafe. Absolute zoo the first day, as are first day cruise lunches. Muster drill was in the Silhouette dining room so at least we got to sit. Year before it was in the photo area and we had to stand for over an hour. Dorky video, same as year before. We had a partially obstructed balcony cabin on the 6th floor. It wasn't too bad, the lifeboat takes up maybe 2 feet of your viewing area at your feet. Rooms definitely need renovations. Worn carpets, beat up fixtures, etc. Bathroom nice and big. I was NOT happy with our Steward. First day he came and introduced himself and immediately started talking about the mini-bar. Last year we didn't take inventory of what was in the fridge when we first came on board and we were charged for things that weren't there to begin with. So learning our lesson, we took inventory first thing this time and it must of offended the steward. He kept going on and on about how if we went to Customer Relations to get charges reversed, it would come out of his pocket. Uncomfortable. He also was very adamant about the fact that he was done by 9pm every evening. We always take late dinner and like to have wine and get ready in the room before that. We found ourselves leaving the room earlier and earlier each day to get out of his way. We had to tell him several times that we were on late dinner. It felt like he was constantly intruding. Our room keys stopped working several times. I am an afternoon napper, while my boyfriend liked to run around visiting the bars. If his room key stopped working and the line at Customer Relations was too long, he'd just knock to have me let him back in the room. One evening I was napping and heard a knock. I groggily got up to let my BF in the room (sans clothing, mind you) and the Steward walked in. AWKWARD. Good thing I am becoming less modest in my old age. Lastly, the set of toiletries on day 1 were never replenished on the 7 days we were onboard. We had to ask for soap! And why doesn't Celebrity have ice/ice buckets?? That would have been nice. The room wasn't kept the cleanest either. I know these guys and gals work hard and long hours, really I do. I usually give them extra cash (on top of the ship gratuities) at the end of the cruise. I didn't this time. The food in the main dining room was AMAZING. Other than appetizer sushi rolls at Sushi on Five one evening, we ate in the MDR every night. Yes, the portions can be laughably small. After eating all day, I'm fine with smaller dinner portions. Plus more room for cocktails and dessert. Service was amazing, loved our waiter and assistant waiter. Wine guy and bar guy were great too. We were probably the only two people on board without a beverage package. I only drink 1 or 2 drinks a day on vacation, once a year. The beverage package didn't seem worth it. I would tip an extra dollar or two on top of the 18% automatic gratuity on our drinks and that gave the servers extra incentive to check on us and refill drinks. Last year in the Martini Bar, it was impossible to get a drink. This year, two Martini Bar servers would come up to us right away and get us drinks. I will probably get a beverage package in the future just because it cuts down on the headache of signing everything and it includes coffee and bottled water. We also loved the Sunset bar. Our evening bar guy even found me by the pool one day and got me a drink. Those extra tips do help. Trying to get a drink at a bar directly was just a headache, the bartenders ignored us, it was better to go through a server. Loved coming to the Celebrity tent after port stops to get the icy cold towel and water. That's such a nice touch that other cruiselines do not do. I'm not really into musicals so we didn't go to some of the shows. We did go to all of the comedy shows since I love standup comedy. The first comic was not funny and got most of his jokes from the internet. I knew the punchlines to 90% of them. The second guy was much better. They also showed Bohemian Rhapsody, which we were dying to see at home and just too busy to see over the holiday. Yay! We're probably also the only two people on Earth that hate.silent.disco!! I/we just don't get the appeal at all! My social butterfly boyfriend hated it. I'm as introverted as they get and I hated it. Plus the lines were long and there was no way to get a drink at the bar at the Sky Lounge because it was understaffed. Those 2 poor bartenders and all those people. Ports: San Juan - we just got off the ship and walked around. I had blisters on my feet from new cruise shoes so we stopped at CVS for bandaids and Senor Frog's for a drink. Next time we plan an excursion. First time cruising there so now we know. St. Thomas - took a taxi from the port $4/pp to Emerald Beach Resort which is the beach closest to Celebrity's dock. Rented beach chairs for $7/pp from the resort and just hung out and had a beautiful beach day. Will try one of the further away beaches or an excursion next time. Punta Cana - tender port. I actually like riding on them, it's an adventure. The ride to port isn't very long either but it can get bumpy. So my boyfriend LOVES cigars and we were going to take the Celebrity Cigar, Rum and Chocolate shopping excursion. $69/pp or something like that? Found out, they take you to Don Julio Cigars/Mundo Autentico. If you are staying in one of the Punta Cana resorts, they will pick you up and bring you back FOR FREE to do this!! Yes the Celebrity excursion also takes you to the Dolphin Mall for a few hours as well but it still isn't worth $69/pp. So I arranged my own excursion. :-) I've read mixed reviews about Mundo Autentico but we loved it and would love to go back. There were cigar samples, demonstrations, coffee samples (OMG so good - I wish I would have brought back more than a pound) chocolate samples, mamajuana samples (tastes like Jagermeister to me) lots of affordable souvenirs, I got a pair of Larimar earrings, BF got cigars, etc. Nassau - took a snorkel excursion through Celebrity. LOVED IT. Now I want to snorkel more! I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot about this cruise but we really did love it and can't wait to go back next year after the refurbishment. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted to try a different line.(Previously been on NCL) Service was excellent, always greeted with a smile. We felt like royalty. The Equinox just had a refined feel about it without being stuffy. The ship was sparkling clean, never had to wait long at all before an attendant would come get our drink orders even on busy sea days. Food was very good on MDR, cafe and burger bar. We didn’t try any specialty restaurants. Can’t say enough good things. We will sail again with Celebrity. We had only sailed NCL previously and although I did enjoy NCL, there is no comparison between the two. Celebrity is much more elegant, the staff is more plentiful and friendlier. Also the excursions and disembarkation was much more organized than on NCL. We did book another cruise while onboard the Equinox and look forward to going again! Read Less