Going on a cruise was, by far, the coolest thing I've ever done for my birthday! After my birthday was ruined last year by my now ex-husband, this cruise more than made up for last year! Having last traveled out of the U.S. in 2008 to go to Paris, being able to visit 4 different Caribbean nations in less than a week and a half was the best travel experience I've had since Paris! Additionally, I did more on this cruise than I've done in the past year, and even as a solo traveler, I had a truly amazing vacation!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Overall, was fast and easy. However, upon producing my travel documents and providing my room number as requested, the agent could not find me in the system. She proceeded to look me up by last name, and said that I had been assigned a different room number from the one I booked. We went to agents at the desk right by the gangway, and they confirmed I had the room number that was showing on the agent's tablet. It was then that my express pass finally showed the room number that was on the agent's tablet. Once onboard, I had trouble getting into my room, but when I finally opened the door, I saw that I had been given a room with a veranda! You can only imagine my surprise to see that when I originally booked an interior room!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
All the food was absolutely delicious! I dined in the main dining room for dinner every night except for my birthday, where I was treated to dinner at Le Petit Chef by a fellow solo cruiser! I had lunch twice in the Oceanview Cafe; certainly got my fill of food there, and it was really cool to sit right by the windows and watch the sea going by! The other times I ate lunch, I went to the Mast Grill; it was very relaxing to eat lunch outside and feel the warm air!
Silhouette Restaurant
5 out of 5
I thought the restaurant was very elegant, definitely the classiest restaurant I've ever eaten in!
Le Petit Chef at Qsine
5 out of 5
The animation on the table showing your dinner being prepared was most enjoyable to watch, and each course tasted amazing!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Always something to do! I enjoyed going up to the Sky Observation Lounge for the trivia and music challenges. In the theater, I attended a tribute to Queen Elizabeth, and listened to a couple presentations about ships. I went to a very interesting and informative seminar about a few modern-day artists, as well as attended an art auction (didn't bid on anything, just came to watch). Those things are just a handful of the activities I took part in, and I enjoyed everything I did so very much!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Absolutely spectacular theatrical productions put on by the ship's singers, dancers, and orchestra! The singers and dancers are incredibly talented, and their costumes were so colorful and glamorous! The songs they performed included several Broadway classics and modern pop hits. I also went to a stand-up comedy show after dinner one night that made me laugh incredibly hard, and on another night, I went to a combo comedy/magic show that I participated in due to sitting in the front row; I even received a balloon animal for taking part in the first magic trick! There was also a trio of three young men who performed a varied repertoire of songs, and a violinist who also did the same; it was awesome to hear such a fast-paced song as "Smooth Criminal" being played on a classical instrument! To sum it up, the evening entertainment did NOT disappoint!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everything was just wonderful! The guest relations staff were all very friendly and able to resolve my issues and concerns. The wait staff assigned to my dinner table were always happy to see everyone, and were glad to let people from other tables join us when they wanted. (It was just 3 solo travelers assigned to a table with 12 seats, so we enjoyed seeing more seats occupied and were glad for the additional company)! On the last night of the cruise, the head waiter was told by someone that it had been my birthday the night before, so I was presented with a slice of cake and sung to; having dined elsewhere on my birthday and been given cake then, it was awesome to have received a slice of cake and been sung to 2 nights in a row! My room steward always replaced my bath towels and washcloths, even when I didn't place them on the floor to indicate that I want new ones; it was lovely to come into my room every evening and see how neatly my bed had been made, and to see a couple chocolates and the next day's activity list placed on the bed!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Equinox is a gorgeous ship! It has the perfect amount of luxurious interior for a ship that's part of a cruise line that strives to give passengers a luxury experience without charging them thousands of dollars. The entire ship, inside and out, was impeccably clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
As stated in the embarkation feedback, I had been assigned a room number different from the one I booked, but upon entering my room and seeing that I was upgraded to a room with a veranda, I certainly had no reason to complain about being given a different room! I loved standing on the veranda and watching the waves created by the ship, as well as looking at ships out in the distance. Being able to watch storms in the distance was pretty awesome, too! My room was extremely comfy and cozy, and the bed was nice and firm; just the way I like it! The shower was so wonderful, with excellent water pressure and water that got hot in just a matter of seconds. My room was kept incredibly clean throughout the entire cruise!
Ship tip
Ignore what other cruisers say about Celebrity Cruises being geared towards an older crowd. Yes, there isn't family-oriented entertainment and activities (at least for the most part), so it's only natural that older people would want a cruise where there aren't hundreds of kids running around. Having said that, I saw several people in their 40s and younger (I celebrated my 36th birthday on board, and I had an absolute blast the entire cruise). So just go and have a fantastic time, regardless of your age!
I think that Willemstad was my favorite port city. A lot of the buildings have the same architectural style as Kralendijk, but they were even more plentiful and the colors were even more vibrant! Walked around with a fellow solo cruiser from my dinner table after our paths crossed, and we had an enjoyable time together seeing what there was to see. The grounds close to where the ship was docked were really pretty; lots of palm trees and a fountain and a really neat old fort that's also home to a mall!
Had planned to just walk around town with a fellow solo cruiser, but ended up going on a bus tour because the other cruiser wanted to after being told it was only $25. The tour, sadly, was not even worth the low price. We were taken mostly through neighborhoods, and it took forever to reach the 2 points of interest on the tour. Still got some pretty great photos of the coast, at least, plus a couple photos with me in them at one of the points of interest on the tour and the "I ❤️ Aruba" sign.
Beautiful waters and city! Walked right up to the shoreline and let the waves go over my feet. I loved the architectural style of the buildings, and thought they were very colorful. Came across a time capsule that's set to be opened in 2042, so I thought that was a pretty cool find while walking around!
Just walked around and took pictures, which I still really enjoyed. Didn't wander terribly far from the coast, but thought that George Town was a charming city!
Left my room with my luggage at around 8:45, and had an extremely quick disembarkation from the ship to the outside of the terminal! Having said that, I'm sure it was partly because most passengers had already left the ship, but for a first time cruiser who didn't know what to expect, I was still most pleased with how quickly I was able to get to the outside of the terminal.
Thank you for your insight into your cruise. I am going on a different ship to the same ports. I have been on the Equinox before. Ever since my wife passed away I’ve been going on cruises alone. Glad to see even though you went alone you still went. I was also curious about your screen name. Does it have anything to do with Oklahoma? I’ve been to OKC more times then I can count.
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