We would definitely choose Celebrity again. There are always things we could have done differently in our tours but overall we loved the intinerary.
The Equinox is a beautifully clean, well designed ship with amazing staff.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was smooth and quick. Very well organised.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
So much variety and choice. Ours was a nine night cruise so we choice to eat several times in the speciality restaurants. We particularly liked Silk Harvest but I would also highly recommend the Fillet Mignon with Roquefort Cheese sauce in the Tuscan grill. The main dining room tablet a a bit close together but that okay, we were alway seated quickly and the service was attentive and friendly. So much choice in the buffet. You would be very picky if you couldn’t find something to keep you happy in there. Yes, it gets crowded at peak times but the food was lovely.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Thoroughly enjoyed the solarium pool area for some tranquility. I was surprised to find there was never a problem with space, even on sea days.
There’s as must or as little to do as you wish onboard. Unless you’re into extreme activity such as rock climbing etc. the outside pool had frequent entertainment that you could join in with or just watch. By observation, the Equinox is not the ship for highly active children and teens, but that’s not why we sailed on her anyway.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We only watched one show being the Liverpool Legends, Beatles tribute show which was very entertaining.
The DJ’s and entertainers around the ship were very engaging and impressive.
We loved the Silent Disco. It’s a must if you haven’t tried it. Just have a go. It’s fun to watch but far better to just jump in and have a good laugh.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We would love to recognise and thank Michelle in the Buffet for her entertainment of the guests throughout the morning. What a sense of humour.
Carson in the Silhouette Dining room, for his charm and naturally engaging manner. He was attentive and warm.
Kadek from Bali, our room steward. Nothing was too much trouble. Even when I locked myself out twice, and then room key wouldn’t work, he still kept smiling. Kadek was friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I was surprised with amount of storage space. There was so much room for all our bits and pieces and we never felt cramped. I have a very bad back injury and I was so impressed by the quality of the bed: so comfortable. I would book this room again but perhaps on the port side next time for a change. 8237 is midship with an unobstructed view. It was very quiet but close and convenient to everything.
Ship tip
Make use of the laundry special when you can put as much clothing as you can comfortably fit into the bag for $49.99. We did this 2/3 of the way through the cruise and it was a great help.
We upgraded to the premium beverage package; consider carefully what you maybe drinking throughout the cruise because we found it very convenient, if you can afford it, to just hard over your sail pass at not have to calculate or think out the choices.
The premium internet package is well worth it if you need to stay in contact with home or love to Facebook/Instagram your trip. It works very well, especially at sea using the satellite. In fact, the internet on the ship was far better than any hotel we have stayed in.
Very clean and easy to get around. Hemingway’s House was worth a visit and just for the atmosphere, music and relaxation, Sloppie Joes was fun. Shopping was expensive in most stores.
Really enjoyed our Salsa dancing/ Salsa making excursion. It was great fun. The beach break just across the road was too short though. I could have spent much longer than the hour given: Mahahual beach is absolutely beautiful and crystal clear, with plenty of shade.
Not impressed by the maze of a port shopping area at Costa Maya though. We’ve been to Asia and can cope with the pushy vendors and bartering but we found the port was very overpriced and the aggressively pushy. They were unwilling at all to negotiate on items than we found at 1/4 or the price further away. It seems a shame that whole area is so overly developed and artificial. Would love to have seen it prior to the construction. Love the
After a reef snorkelling trip which was good but not completely clear, we went to Starfish Island which is man made. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours. Upon return to the ship , we decided to take a tender and spend a few hours on the mainland and we loved it. We just walked the streets on foot and took everything in. We loved the people of Belize and found them smiling and friendly. Our experience with picking up a few souvenirs was the opposite of Costa Maya and we left with lovely memories of Belize and the community there.
Our favourite port! We did a private tour to Daniel Johnson’s monkey and sloth hangout, which we found on trip advisor. We would highly recommend this trip. The animals have been taken in after being given up or rescued. They do amazing work here and although it’s small, we had fantastic time. Each group of four were given one guide who explained everything and we had the chance to cuddle a sloth and play with the monkeys. For those wondering, the sloths are not caged, they love in the trees and came down willingly (all but slowly) to be held. Following this we had the most amazing snorkelling tour on small boat out reef. Only took about 15 minutes off shore but the it was incredible snorkelling. Crystal clear and plenty of fish.
We caught an island bus tour just to get our bearings. Then we stayed at a beach bar for the afternoon. Very nice and relaxed. Next time we’d probably choose something different than the bus trip but overall it was good.
Not Celebrity’s fault but customs had a computer malfunction only in the process for non U.S/ Canadian travellers. We waited an hour and a half to get through customs and some people in the line missed their connections to flights. A lesson to be learnt not to book connections so close to disembarkation.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
