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.
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