A near perfect cruise. We have been on 6 cruises previously and this was the best!

SHIP: The Equinox is magnificently designed with spacious public areas. The color scheme and decor is so tasteful, eye-catching while avoiding the usual glitz and neon. Especially being on the ship for 11 nights, you don't want sensory overload. While the ship was virtually full (350 extra attendees of a Wayne Dyer "lifeskills" conference), it was never crowded. Never waited in a buffet line and could find excellent seats in the theaters. The only crowd was in a small theater for a lecture on Ephesus by Dr. John Nichols; he was terrible giving outright incorrect answers and mis-information galor. I asked him about Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsinoe, who she had Marc Anthony's allies murder while she was in the sanctuary of the Temple of Artemis. A marvelous Smithsonian and BBC show described how a well-known Ephesus tomb of a young female is now thought to possibly be that of Arsinoe. Dr. Nichols, a supposed Ephesus scholar, said he knew nothing of this and started answering my Arsinoe inquiry with something about burial practices well before the time of Cleopatra. Not much of an "expert".

FOOD: The food was just as expected, excellent! It was very well prepared. I was especially impressed with the meats and fish. They were NOT overcooked, as is usually the case with mass-prepared food. Although the beef and lobster were expectedly excellent, the braised lamb shank and the lamb chops were my favorites. The burgers in the Mast Grill were superb "Bubba burgers" with fluted edges and all. I won the free Blackjack tournament and got a dinner for two in the Tuscan Grille specialty restaurant. The food was good, but no better than in the Silhouette Dining room; and the service was not as good. Read more