I was worried about the reviews leading up to this cruise because they were hit or miss. People nitpick, and complain about anything. The entertainment was great, and the food was good. The ship was in good shape. Zero complaints.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was organized chaos just like every other ship. Give your luggage to the guys outside when you get dropped off and then walk inside. We only waited a few minutes. It was perfect.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I was worried about the food because of the mini hit or misread reviews, I read in the months leading up to the ship. I have zero complaints about the food in the buffet or the main dining room. Obviously, some dishes were hit or miss and you can’t like everything, but you can have as much as you want and try anything you want. Overall, the food was good, and it was what I expected and hoped for. I ate like a king, and Service was just fine. We averaged 90 minutes to 2 hours in the main dining room each night and even made the early 7 o’clock shows when we wanted to starting dinner at 5:30. Zero complaints; don’t read the reviews that say service and food was not good. Service and food was great and what you should expect.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
For a cruise that averaged the age of 67, I was pretty much never bored. There was always something going on. The staff did a good job of keeping everyone entertained. The entertainment staff was nice, personable and visible, and knew me by my first name.
What more can you ask for?
Entertainment
5 out of 5
I was worried about the entertainment because of the mixed reviews, but I’m here to tell you, you have nothing to worry about and you’re missing out if you miss any shows.
On our nine night cruise, we had four shows by the celebrity staff, and they were all solid in their own way, and the entertainers were all talented.
The guest entertainers that they booked were all excellent as well. I’m not gonna mention who they were because they probably won’t be on your trip, but they did a hell a hell of a job booking guest entertainment.
The live bands spread out all over the ship were great, and they even had live band karaoke.
The house band was spectacular and even had to learn on the fly almost every night when they had a guest entertainer. They never missed a beat.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was always visible and knew me by my first name. We even met the captain multiple times. The staff was very nice and personable at every level.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I read a lot of review reviews that bashed the ship for showing its age. I’m sorry, but the ship was in tremendous shape and clean, considering its age and it was about to go into drydock. Zero complaints.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had an inside cabin on floor number 10. The room was just as big as the balcony room we saw on the same floor in the back of the ship. Obviously, inside rooms are not for everybody, but we were just fine with it. It was clean the state room attendant was very nice and always around and made up room in the morning and the evening. You couldn’t ask for anything better and we even gave him a little something extra which everyone should have
This is another great port. You can walk around, which we did, but we also took a tour. So we got the best of both worlds. We saw a lot of the island and we did some things on our own.
We did our own thing the first day, and then we took a tour the second day which took us to the natural bridge and many other places. It was a good tour. and we also went to Eagle Beach, which was one of the better beaches I’ve ever been. It was clean, beautiful water.
We sailed the Mediterranean on Equinox in 2011. We loved everything about her and the Celebrity vibe in general. I take ALL food reviews with a grain of salt- Lol. It’s so subjective. I don’t know their tastes in food and they don’t know mine. For our tastes & expectations, we generally avoid buffets for anything except cookies or cheese & crackers. Most wouldn’t agree with us. I Enjoyed reading your review!
You are right about the whiners who get apoplectic when everything isn't perfect. On our last cruise, high winds kept us from making port in the Grand Caymans. Did it ruin our cruise? Of course not!
Thanks for sharing your cruise experience with us and including the details of the trip you enjoyed. Can't promise to never read another Equinox review, but appreciate the sentiment.
I sailed on this ship for my very first cruise, and even though I was definitely one of the youngest passengers, I had the time of my life. Like you, I thought the food and entertainment were amazing, and thought the ship was gorgeous, despite its already somewhat advanced age! Thanks for your lovely review!
Appreciate your realistic, detailed review. As we enter our retirement years, we are partial to Celebrity and they have never disappointed…. beautiful ships with excellent crews!
So glad you enjoyed everything. We know how great Celebrity is and their meals have always been delicious. If I ever see negative reviews I believe they are fake. Celebrity is a 5 star cruise line!
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