Beautiful ship with attentive staff
Celebrity Equinox Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
10 Night Eastern Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 16, 2010
Ship: Celebrity Equinox
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
This is a beautiful, first class ship. We had a stateroom with balcony, which couldn't have been more comfortable. The food was excellent in both presentation and taste. There was so much to do every day, even days at sea were packed with activity. The staff was courteous and kind. I would definity cruise on Celebrity Equinox again, but never in the summer because of so many unruly, dreadfully rude children who ran wild. There were many children with no apparent adult supervision. You had to watch your step because they would run into you and cut in line. That factor was completely unexpected. Also, it was very hard to find an empty deck chair as people would stake them out early by placing items on the chairs to hold them. My daughter and I had to walk around and around the pool area hoping someone would vacate a chair. I don't know where some people's manners have been left, but there were clean towels out on the swimming deck, and people would come and grab a pile of towels, so that at the end of the day, there were no clean towels left. Here's another heads up. The Celebrity contract discloses that each person is charged a stated amount per day for tips (depending on the level of the room). We paid $11.50 per person per day. What they don't tell you is that anything extra that you purchase, for example drinks or spa services, they add a manditory tip around 10% and then have the gall to add another line for a discretionary tip on top of that. The person who gives you your ticket to sign usually stands over your shoulder, and you feel cheap not adding more. We had never been on a cruise before, and sometimes it seemed that there was another more privileged sub-world on board. They were invited to various Captain's receptions and qualified for the specialty dining area, like Blu. I still don't understand who gets to eat there.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
Pros: The cleanliness of the ship, the variety of activities, the quality of the food and caring staff
Cons: Terrible, bratty kids running all over the place with no adult supervision. Mandatory tips included with extra items, like drinks and spa services which are not disclosed in any pre-cruise literature.