Posted By: Steve_W
Celebrity Equinox & new cruiser thoughts - 01/13/2016 04:01 PM
The last time we cruised on a cruise ship was 25 years ago, to say the least the boats have changed a bit. We chose the January 2, 2016 9 night Celebrity Equinox cruise on the recommendation of many cruising friends. The ship was very elegant, the Concierge cabin was great as was the service, food and entertainment.
We had the unlimited Classic drink package, all ship board gratuities included and it covered most beers, liquors, frozen drinks and some wines. There is a Premium package available. My online research before the cruise found a lot of discrepancies on this drink package and I wanted to share what we actual experienced to help future cruisers. The Classic package limited beers to $6, liquors to $8 and wine by the glass to $9 + soft drinks and bottled water. My wife was able to get many types of martinis, as well.
The prices are the same throughout the ship, so an $8 Pina Collada is the same price everywhere. Server just swipes your Sea Pass card and that's it, no receipt. If you choose a drink that exceeds the Classic limit, the server will tell you and you will sign a receipt. We didn't choose anything over the price limits, so no overcharges. There is no limit to the number of drinks per day, though we did hear that Carnival has a limit on their package.
We really liked having two consecutive days at sea outbound and the same on the return. Between St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Martinique and St. Kitts, we liked St. Maarten the best. It was an easy walk from the docks to the main shopping and beach area, clearly designed with cruisers in mind.
Experienced cruisers we met were very happy with the ship and service. The captain was very visible, playing in the volleyball tournament, appeared in 3 of the shows, saw him nearly every day around the public areas. Crew seemed to like him a lot.
Loved the cruise and looking forward to the next one. After owning a sailboat for 20 years and bareboat chartering in the BVI's, I was hesitant to take a cruise and didn't feel herded around at all.
We had the unlimited Classic drink package, all ship board gratuities included and it covered most beers, liquors, frozen drinks and some wines. There is a Premium package available. My online research before the cruise found a lot of discrepancies on this drink package and I wanted to share what we actual experienced to help future cruisers. The Classic package limited beers to $6, liquors to $8 and wine by the glass to $9 + soft drinks and bottled water. My wife was able to get many types of martinis, as well.
The prices are the same throughout the ship, so an $8 Pina Collada is the same price everywhere. Server just swipes your Sea Pass card and that's it, no receipt. If you choose a drink that exceeds the Classic limit, the server will tell you and you will sign a receipt. We didn't choose anything over the price limits, so no overcharges. There is no limit to the number of drinks per day, though we did hear that Carnival has a limit on their package.
We really liked having two consecutive days at sea outbound and the same on the return. Between St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Martinique and St. Kitts, we liked St. Maarten the best. It was an easy walk from the docks to the main shopping and beach area, clearly designed with cruisers in mind.
Experienced cruisers we met were very happy with the ship and service. The captain was very visible, playing in the volleyball tournament, appeared in 3 of the shows, saw him nearly every day around the public areas. Crew seemed to like him a lot.
Loved the cruise and looking forward to the next one. After owning a sailboat for 20 years and bareboat chartering in the BVI's, I was hesitant to take a cruise and didn't feel herded around at all.