Great cruise, but it will cost you....more than you know!
Embarkation
2 out of 5
They sent me Xpress passes through my Smart Phone, however, upon showing my Xpress passes, we were shuffled to a line at a counter, and when it was our turn, they informed us we owed an additional $1500+ for the cruise. I pulled out my receipt, showing a $0 (zero)USD balance. They gave me an 800 number to call, where I was put on hold for over 20 minutes, when they decided to let us on the boat, and we could haggle over it later.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We could only get the 8:30 PM seating in the main dining room, and only went 3 nights out of a 7 night cruise....mainly because the time was not ideal, or the menu didn't sound inviting. The buffet was great, and changed daily. The main dining room food was also very good, but we were put at a table for 4, alone, kind of in a corner, so it was a little odd. We did not do any of the specialty restaurants, because they cost extra, and we felt we had already paid too much when they hit us with the additional $1500+.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We enjoyed the pools and hot tubs, although I prefer my hot tub a little hotter, and there was no settings, and the whole set up reminded me of the portable, blow-up tubs, with one set of air bubbles coming out by your butt all around the tub.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The stage shows were great, but the singers in the stage shows were a little worn out by the end of the cruise. The other singers (by the pool, in the central area, etc.) were good, but not great, and had a short list of songs they did. The magician was more of a comedian, but still very good!
Children's Programs
They had children's programs, but we didn't have children with us.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The staff was very friendly, from the ship personnel to the bartenders, servers and room stewards. The servers were all very friendly, and from all over the world. The room steward was very friendly, but seemed to come at the most inconvenient times...for example, he knows we have an 8:30 dinner seating, but shows up around 7-7:30, when we're getting ready for said dinner. Why not wait until 8:30, when we're actually AT dinner???
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I have to say, we sailed right before the COVID-19 shut-down, and the ship was clean! They had girls posted outside every eating area (except the pool area) with liquid disinfectant, and they were relentless making sure they squirted everyone! (even if you had a drink in one hand, they squirted the other one! lol) I don't know if they are as extreme normally.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was comfortable, the bathroom is tiny, and the shower head was at an odd angle for the small space, but not adjustable. There were loose hinges, drawer pulls, and the mini-fridge is hidden behind a wooden cabinet-looking door, which was fastened to the front door of the mini-fridge, and I'm not sure the fridge was completely closed, even when the wooden door looked closed, because at night you could see light through the cracks.
Ship tip
Watch out for hidden costs and charges. They hit us for tips for servers and room attendants up to 3 times a day, even on days we were in port and off the boat for most of the day. They also hit us up for $18 for the mini-bar, which we NEVER touched!
Again, very touristy - all the shops hawk you to come in and buy, and if you don't plan an excursion, you're ready to get back on the boat after an hour or two.
We took a shore excursion to the 7 Mile Beach Club. I would NOT recommend it. You get crammed on a bus, no empty seats, then handed a weak complimentary punch, herded to chair crammed in so tight, you can barely get through. It took the 1 server so long to get to us, we barely had time to order 1 drink apiece and our food. Our drinks came out about 15 minutes later, and the food was another 20 minutes. By the time it came, they were already announcing that the bus would be back soon.
U do normally pay a standard gratuity. Weather ur in port or not . U do need to research before u go on any cruises. Their are certain Xtras on all cruises if u wish to partake in them . But , u don’t have to play bingo or do the specialty restaurants or alcohol. Little things like that can add up . Sorry, about ur cruise. Wish u had a better time .
I've never heard of a cruise line charging extra at the port. Perhaps there was an issue with your travel agent. You never explained why this charge came up or if it was resolved.
If you don't prepay your gratuities they will be added to your ship board account near the end of the cruise, or some show up daily. A per day gratuity amount is standard with most cruiselines. It covers tips for your dining room staff and your room stewards, and others behind the scene.
Sometimes you can go to the dining room early and request a different dining time if available.
I hope your next cruise is better for you.
I don hope you enjoyed your cruise though 😊 Our first cruise was on this ship, I research a lot of info before sailing and found out about the hidden costs etc ...we made plans for it. Wether getting it or not. I do agree that somehow the itenerary onboard equinox bit costly compared to other ships, but we always have the best experience too!
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