We loved the Equinox. We are a family of five, with kids aged 9, 9, and 11. Previous cruise lines include Celebrity, Princess, Norwegian and the now defunct Majesty line (most of our previous cruises were at least 7 or 8 years ago). Mom and Dad had cruised before, but the kids were really new to cruising. We wanted a mix of fun and relaxation, with good food and service. We appreciate nice things, but don't need the best of everything to enjoy ourselves.

Departure city: We spent two days in Miami, our departure city, before the cruise. Rooms for five are really pricey on Miami Beach, yet we didn't want to be in a cookie cutter airport hotel. We found a great deal at the Best Western Inn at the Bay and Marina, and were pleasantly surprised how much we liked it. The rooms were a little dated and the building is "motel style" in some ways with outdoor hallways, and there is no free breakfast. However, the new lobby, nice pool area overlooking the marina, attached restaurant and bar, well-stocked gift shop, free wifi and Macs loaded with software, plus very friendly employees MORE than made up for the shortfalls in our opinion. We spent time at the pool and walked to a nearby grocery store for a few items. We decided to be adventurous and walk 1/2 mile to get on the free trolley that goes up and down Miami Beach. This involved walking over a busy bridge and through a non-touristy area we were fine with, but some might consider sketchy. It was not a walk I'd take little kids on. The staff at the hotel had explained where to get on the trolley. We took it to the South Beach area and easily found access to the beach. It was evening, and while we were careful not to go out too far in the water in the dark, we spent some amazing time in the waves under a bright full moon. We then hit an ice cream shop and took an Uber back to the hotel.

Embarkation: This was fine. We wanted to get to the port early, but as things go with kids - we ended up arriving about 12:30. It wasn't a madhouse, but we did wait in a few short lines. It was probably about 25 minutes from exiting the Uber to walking onto the ship. We were greeted with champagne and our rooms were ready by 1:30. One of the few negatives happened during this time: being accosted by multiple staff to ask about buying or upgrading a drink package. We had waited to buy packages until we boarded, partly because we had a few coupons for 20% off from our TA. One staff member even told us our coupons were expired (not true) and that we should just buy from him and then try to get OBC back from Guest Relations. This was the ONLY time I felt pressured to buy anything on board. Read more