Celebrity Equinox Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We arrived at the terminal at 1:00 P.M. And were having lunch at 1:30. It was the easiest check in we every had. Our room was ready and the luggage arrived. The life boat drill could use improvement ,left standing for a long time waiting ,drill was late starting and most people were tired and fed up. The dining room food and staff were top notch , the variety and quality of the food left nothing to be desired. Breakfast and lunch at the buffet was never crowded and the multiple types of food available. Our room was clean and neat and our steward was attentive to our needs, which really wasn't too many.We have sailed on the Equinox before as week as the sister ships , so we did expect the same standards. The disappointment come in the entertainment in the theater, so should I say lack of same. There was only one night of the general cast singers and dancers, on other nights we had a male singer, comedian, pianist, female singer all on a bare stage with the backup band ,a lot of fake smoke and flashing lights. We let the Officers and Cruise director know our opinion. Overall we has a very good time and the final chore of leaving the ship was handled well.

THE EQUINOX IS A BEAUTIFUL SHIP STAFFED BY AN EFFICIENT, FRIENDLY CREW.  THERE IS A VARIETY OF DINING CHOICES. MANY ACTIVITIES ON BOARD .  A GOOD SELECTION OF PORTS OF CALL.

THAT  BEING SAID THE DISAPPOINTMENT WAS WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT. IN THE PAST THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS EXCELLENT..  

THIS TIME HOWEVER, THE PROGRAM WAS NOT READY -- ONLY ONE PRODUCTION NUMBER AND THE TENORS WERE UP TO STANDARD.  

HOPEFULLY,  THE NEXT CRUISE WILL BE BACK TO WHAT WE WERE ACCUSTOMED TO.

The Equinox was nicer than expected and service was the best ever.  It was a 10-day trip with a mostly adult crowd (probably 30 or less children on board).  The entertainment was the only thing that wasn't wonderful!  Celebrity is definitely cutting back on the shows and even the dining room "entertainment", which we really missed.

I got the feeling on this cruise, our 7th with Celebrity and 2nd on this ship, that the line is trying to cut costs a bit. There seemed to be slightly less choice at the Ocean View cafe, and some evenings entrees in the dining room were not as memorable as they could be. The entertainment is in the process of a major overhaul - not to the good on this voyage. Gone is the Circ-type show, which we were looking forward to. We were told that this cruise was the transition point to a new entertainment program. There wasn't much variety, and some performers were not up to the former standard. Overall, still a good time, but Celebrity repeat cruisers will notice a difference.

Celebrity has really lost ground since my last cruise with them.  Furnishings were worn in the stateroom.  Food was very ordinary and inconsistently prepared in the main dining room.  Staff were consistently friendly and hard working, but not always professional and efficient.  I probably won't cruise with them again.

Overall - very good, excellent service by all staff - but trip could have been better if:

1. more interesting activities, especially during 7 days of cross-Atlantic … boring unless you want to buy art or drink or gamble.

2. more reasonable prices ... $40-$60 per person for bingo!!! Are you kidding???

3. selection of stuff to buy - this was a cruise from Barcelona Spain... no souvenirs from Spain - just stuff from Greece and italy

4. Although food was excellent, would have been nice to see Paella on the menu – this was a cruise that started in Spain and stopped at 2 other cities in Spain.

5. Internet access/speed was a disgrace ... felt like the old dial-up speed (or even slower)... had to upgrade minutes just to be able to check emails once a day... totally unacceptable - every day there was a long line in the iLounge of disgruntled internet users.

Being a Captain's Club Elite member, I assumed a similar trip experience to prior sailings.  What I didn't expect was that my expectations would be exceeded.  The food choices better reflected a healthier rather than merely a gluttonous dining experience.  If one wanted to leave the cruise without having gained an inordinate amount of weight due to excessive indulgence it was now possible with cleverly crafted food selections with sensible portioning.

The updated equipment in the fitness center made the experience exciting rather than merely arduous with the hope of imminent replacement- this had already taken place.  

Staff and crew were affable, friendly, and made one feel special and important rather than just another passenger on an endless conveyer belt of ongoing voyages.

Boarding in Barcelona and embarkation in Ft. Lauderdale were both smoothe, efficient and well thought out.

All in all,

Celebrity should be celebrated!

Excellent food.

Excellent service.

The shows and the entertainment were not as good as we expected based on previous cruises with the Celebrity line.

There were a couple of shows that were good but the rest either put me to sleep or we walked out.

The DJ and the band were horrible always the same music no variation.

Can not blame the cruise director Alejandro since this was the first trip on this vessel he took over the position in the last minute and he inherit all the entertainment from the previous director, not sure who he was.

Enjoyed the cruise very much.  Only issue with rough seas occurred between Lanzarote and Tenerife.  This was my 2nd Celebrity cruise, the first was in 2014 on the Reflection in the Eastern Caribbean.

I had a Verandah room to myself.  Being able to just sit outside and watch (or listen) to the ocean go by is very relaxing.  Many instances of rainbows due to early AM showers.

My table assignment got changed due to circumstances beyond my control, but the Maitre'd, Martin, was very helpful and my new table turned out to be full of fun and friendly fellow cruisers.  Oleksand the waiter and Nona his assistant were very capable.  Oleksand explained each night's menu and especially emphasized the relative taste of the seafood dishes.  Not everyone likes a strong tasting fish.

The cabin attendants kept things clean and neat, although some minor details were sometimes overlooked.  Nothing earthshattering but not in keeping with what you expect from a high end brand like Celebrity.

The Molecular Bar was gone, replaced by World's Best.  Interesting craft cocktails, I had a Zacapa (rum) Old Fashioned.  Surprisingly good.  Santos clearly knew his business.  I understand a Whisky Bar is going in at the old Patio Restaurant location.  Not sure why Quasar was closed.  The Wine cellar was replaced by a Gastropub featuring craft and mass market beers and ales.  Had a HUGE handmade burger cooked to order.  Very good. Always went up to Sunset for a nightcap.  Rumors afoot that it will get a makeover in about a year.

Ate at Murano's twice, the second time as a guest of my table mates.  The flambeed lobster is just wonderful, and of course the cooking show is half the fun.  Did a Progressive Dinner, starting at the Gastropub, then on to Silk (tempura shrimp was excellent, not doughy at all!), the Tuscan Grille (via a brief Galley tour) and a wonderful filet mignon, finishing at Murano's for dessert.

Was not able to do the Behind the Scenes ship tour (3 hours, bridge, engine control room and more, ending with lunch with the officers $150) as I was at the spa.  Had a hot stone massage.  Next time will do just a swedish massage.  Coletta did my nails, very nice and enjoyable.  Finally figured out that the spa staff has productivity goals of some sort.  This is why they push products and enhancements.

I spent 3 days in Barcelona with friends.  Fabulous time.  The shore excursions at the rest of the stops were fine, nothing overly outstanding but I picked ones that interested me and was not disappointed.

Embarkation was fine in Barcelona, the usual crush and chaos (this was my 4th cruise overall.)  Disembarkation went well.  I chose to carry off my own stuff and was off the ship by 6:20 AM (we were tied up about 5 AM at the dock,)  Wound up in a line with a CBP officer who was busy photographing and fingerprinting everyone.  I have no idea why.  The Non-US line next to mine cleared out, so that officer started waving us over.  He had also photographed and fingerprinted some of the non-citiizens, but simply ran our passports through the bar code reader, and took our declarations.  Very pleasant fellow and I still wonder why the other guy was doing what he was doing.

All in all we had a wonderful time.  Thanks for suggesting the staterooms at the rear of ship.  The view was wonderful and with having a stateroom next to our friends we were able to take down the balcony partition for an even better view.  

The couple of suggestions to Celebrity revolve around the entertainment.  While the shows were of a high quality the intensity of the volume was sometimes unbearable..Please turn down the volume!!  Also the performers were mostly from the UK.  We sometimes had difficulty understanding them.  We would have preferred more of a mix from other parts of the world.

The staff in all departments were most helpful and competent.

The chefs (over 100 of them) on the Equinox are excellent.  The Oceanview Cafe always has many different choices that allow for healthy eating and goodies, if you want them!

A beautiful ship with a great crew!

Wonderful cruise and ports of call.  The staff, food, entertainment and cleanliness of the ship was excellent.  Jill & Gary provided a no stress vacation for us...everything from booking, transportation to and from cruise ports, pre-cruise stay in Barcelona was fabulous.  Our cruise room was great...roomy and enjoyed our conceriege service.  Many on board ship activities as well as time for a quiet afternoon.

Thank you Jill and Gary for a wonderful time.

Jo Prusha

Omaha, NE 

I have never been on a cruise ship before, where everyone, absolutely every crew member I talked to or had contact with went over and above my expectations to be friendly, courteous and helpful. Everyone from the cabin steward to customer relations to restaurant staff did an excellent job of making us feel totally welcome and like they really cared about us as individuals.  Any time there was even the smallest issue, it was immediately addressed and corrected.  Any company that is in the business of making customers happy and satisfied should take the time to observe the crew of the Celebrity Equinox.  My compliments to the captain and his officers for putting together a fine, well trained crew.

What a great vacation!  Every single detail was perfect.  The service from beginning to end was excellent, and we have traveled with and Celebrity several times.  This vacation truly exceeded our expectations.   We are ready to do this again, and again, and....

It is a beautiful ship and the services was great but the food quality and variety is not what I expected. The buffet served same type of food every day and the main dinning food choices were minimal.

Service was impeccable in general. Our cabin was situated poorly (all that was available). Always had trouble finding a place to sit in the Oceanside dining area as well at the Aqua Spa Café. Entertainment was of high quality. Of all the Specialty restaurants, The Tuscan Grill was the best as far as quality of food and service. Overall experience was good, however now that we have taken our first repositioning cruise, we have no desire to repeat the experience.

what a great time we had from beginning to end. Thank you George and Herald from who made this an Amazing, fun filled, adventure filled, beautiful time. We will always book with them for the future. Sissy and Tom 🚢❤️

A stunning ship! We had a very pleasant and enjoyable cruise on the Celebrity Equinox. The choice of ports was good. Food in the Silhouette Dining Room was good. Very good central atrium space with glass lifts and exposed library, card room and other relaxation rooms. Overall the interior decor and artwork is very good when compared to most other cruise lines.The staff was very friendly and helpful, particularly those in Guest Relations and the Jewellery and Fragrance store assistants. On-board dancers and bands were very good.

Everything was perfect except the 1 excursion booked through Cruises Only. And we could not use the $70 free excursion because the times available would have caused us to miss dinner.

Corazon was our room valet, and she was wonderful; excellent job. Dudley was our asst. waiter, and we loved him; beautiful smile, and so nice; did a great job...deserves to be a full waiter. Cyrel was our waiter and did a good job. Food was unbelievable...always good, and such a variety. Ship clean & sanitized. Room nice size and comfortable. /we joined our balcony with 2 other couples and enjoyed hanging out on it. We thought the evening shows were marginal. Two magicians, and they did 2 of the same tricks. We looked forward to a staff variety show, but there was none. Compared to other ships, the evening entertainment was definitely lacking. Woman singers were good.  We loved the covered drink package, that was included, as was the tip package and $300 on board credit. Celebrity was extremely efficient in organizing passengers, esp getting on and off ship. Could not hear announcements in our room..had to go out in the hall. Liked the way the safety drill was handled.  Al in all, a super trip.