The Ship
The cruise ship I went on is The Celebrity Equinox. As with all their cruise ships, The Celebrity Equinox is made for the luxury traveler that expects superior guest experience and 5-star amenities. From a wide range of dining options inspired by the incredible regions you visit to luxurious spa treatments, Celebrity Cruises is the ultimate luxurious experience.
Check-in Process
The check-in process was incredibly easy. I was a bit worried upon arrival to the dock seeing long lines of people waiting to get on their cruise ships, but turned out all those lines were for OTHER cruises that were poorly managed. Celebrity Cruises had their check-in system down, it was extremely fast with almost no wait time. The staff is extremely friendly and diverse from all over the world. I loved that all the members on board had their names and where they are from on their name tags. It was a great conversation starter to really get to know the crew.
The Room
I stayed in the Veranda Stateroom, which has ample indoor and outdoor space to create your private sanctuary at sea. The personal veranda was the perfect spot enjoy the sunrise and have breakfast on the sea. The cruise had a welcome gift in my stateroom that included fresh chocolate covered strawberries, a bottle of champagne, and a note from the cruise director. After a long day of traveling, they were exactly what I needed. I popped the champagne as we set sail to the Caribbean!
Michael’s Club
I wanted to point out the utmost customer service that was provided by Adriana Diaz at the Michael’s Club on board. She is a fantastic concierge and extremely welcoming. Michael’s club is an exclusive 24-hour lounge features a large-screen TV, reading areas stocked with magazines, newspapers, and books, plus a continental breakfast. Complimentary pre-dinner drinks and tapas are served 5:00 PM –8:00 PM daily, and the dedicated concierge can help arrange your specialty dining, shore excursions, and even handle inquiries about various ports of call.
Update: Michael's Club is now just for Suite guests
Dining
Lazar, the amazing restaurant manager on board.
There are endless dining options on The Celebrity Equinox. I believe there are 13 restaurants on board, all managed by Lazar Brkic, the restaurant manager. Lazar gave me a tour of all the restaurants and explained the inspirations and stories behind each restaurant. I didn’t think I would run into him again after the first day, but I ended up running into him every day on the cruise and he was friendly and made sure to take care of all my dining needs and questions each day.
I got to meet Alexander Capello, the Executive Chef on board, who came from Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. He gave me a tour of the kitchen before service and I am so impressed by the amount of work that goes into food service each day. Everything on the ship is freshly made daily. There’s even someone that dedicated to baking bread each day and that’s all he does. It definitely changed my notion on cruise dining.
Murano Restaurant was definitely the highlight of all the restaurants for me on the cruise. It is also the only restaurant on the ship that allows open fire. The lobster dish came with a table side presentation, which was very cool to watch!
On Board Experience and Entertainment
There is an itinerary that is left in your room each day after turndown service that has a full schedule of what the cruise has scheduled for entertainment the following day. Most of the activities are either very early in the morning or later in the evening leaving the day open for guests to go off on their excursions. I want to point out that there was never a time I felt like there were too many people. There are so many things to do on board that you will never feel like you’re on a ship with over 2000 people.
Excursions
There were SO many excursions to choose from at each destinations. The crew on board is very knowledgable of all the activities. You can always pick and choose depending on your preference.
Final Thoughts
The library on board. How amazing is this?
I was very hesitant about going on a cruise and everyone told me I would be bored out of my mind and surrounded by elderly people, but that was completely not my experience with Celebrity Cruises. It completely changed my notion on how cruises are, and I would 100% go on a cruise again, but only with a luxury cruise. I don’t think I even saw a single kid on the cruise and that was my main concern- being stuck on a ship with 10000 kids screaming and running around.
I had such a good experience and I really connected with the crew on board. I love how diverse the crew is and everyone is there because they absolutely love their jobs and have a passion for travel. Everything is executed and managed meticulously, and the staff is all very knowledgeable in their functions.
The only thing I would recommend is…. Bring larger shorts! Because you’re definitely going to be eating a lot on board! If you’re ever thinking about going on a cruise, I highly recommend going with Celebrity Cruises. Toss out everything you think you know about cruises, because Celebrity Cruises is in a whole different category of its own!