This is our second cruise on the Equinox as we did the Eastern Med same time last year. It was nice to know where everything was on the ship. First the positives.
The staff was excellent. Shine, Dirk and our sommelier William were fun and knowledgeable in the MDR. Best night was the Top Chef recipes. Our room attendants Jose and Danny did a good job. The Cafe El Bachio is the treasure on this ship. Great beverages and the staff remembered your regular orders quickly. A nice way to wake up in the morning. The Healthy Food breakfast and lunch area in the Solarium is a nice way to break up the standard breakfast fare in the Oceanside Cafe, which is always the same. All the bars were great and we'll miss the Molecular Bar.
Now comes the negatives and they're enough to leave a bad impression. Let's start with the actual portages. Twice we were anchored in actual industrial ports. Transportation was mandatory and a fee. At Salerno, the traffic jam coming back to the ship with container trucks was so bad, the captain actually sent out an apology letter. Our cab driver Tony (a big recommendation) said Naples was empty and it let's you off right in town. Another required a for fee ferry to get the actual stated port, Toulon. Which all feeds into the high pressure hawking of Celebrity tours and the very often dissing of local tours saying, we will not wait for you. Last year the staff explained the ports and told of their tours. All we heard from staff was about their trips and little info on the ports.
Nice. Could use more drawers. On the hump which was easy access to everything.