Bahamas Cruise Review (Celebrity Equinox)

As promised folks here is the review based on my very first cruise - 8 days ALL inclusive in a balcony suite aboard the Celebrity Equinox that departed Miami for Bahamas on April 15. Ports of call were San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Maartin, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, then Bahamas.

My hope is not only to share my experience but also inform anyone who's never been on a cruise of some tips 'n tricks as well as provide basic information. I was invited to join a group last minute and did have to room with a friend (who brought her service dog Yorkie). Cruise cost to me was $1250 for the 8 day adventure. This included all drinks (up to $9) and food on board. As part of the package we received $150 onboard credit - I selected this best option to allow gratuities automatically paid out of that. So they just take $15 per day and you don't worry about gratuities. The tips you do have to worry about are the luggage boys and shuttle drivers getting you to and from ship if you want to throw $5 here and there. Also, our room steward Hector was excellent and we gave him $20. So plan to have not only spending cash but budget it in these tip factors if you go.

There are other costs to consider however. The flight from Raleigh, NC to Ft. Lauderdale was $120. Returning flight out of Jacksonville, FL to Raleigh was $112. My friend had to rent a car before and after to get us to/from Miami and I estimate that cost another $100.

The above shot was taken from the room balcony while docked in Miami. Believe me when I tell you - you do not need a balcony room - do not pay extra for that! There are countless places to get beautiful photographs around the decks of the ship and no one spent any amount of time on this balcony - too much to do and see onboard!

• Demographics
  If you are looking for a cheap 'party-boat' experience then a Celebrity Cruise is not for you - you want Carnival. From everything I heard however, with Carnival you can expect to be surrounded by drunk obnoxious college kids. Celebrity is high end and takes luxury to another level. There were approx. 2500 passengers and I would estimate the average age to have been 55. H.O.T. chicks in bikini's were there but scarce - and accompanied by a much older man. I think I was the only one of the group not to score nonetheless.

• Amenities
  The amenities were beyond spectacular and blew me away (as you can see just from the shots of the pool / hot tub set up shots above!) The ship itself has 15 stories and was described as - fun-in-front / food-in-rear. There were 8 glass elevators in the center that allowed you to see all the way down (or all the way up) - here you could view the library, for example.

There were probably no less than 20 bars on board, something for everyone in all aspects. Half of the top deck on one side was covered in a plush green lawn that would make the LPGA jealous! There people would enjoy a putting green, bocci or even 'cornhole' (bean bag toss game).

• Entertainment
  The entertainment onboard was absolutely phenomenal - 2 shows per night at 7pm and 9pm. The first night we saw a Motown band called Uptown - really fantastic. There were a total of 3 comedians that were just laugh out loud funny! They did a spectacular Cirque de Soleil type show which wasn't for me but cool just the same.

My favorite was the performance by Darren Dowler (Righteous Brothers, Paul Revere And The Raiders, etc etc). You just have to hear / see this guy - unbelievably talented guy:

• Food
  What can I say about the food but WoWoWoWoW !!! The buffet area alone (below) was bigger than any banquet hall I have ever seen. New York strip steak every night in the fine dining of Silhouette. Thursday was lobster tail night so I went alone for a 5:30pm dinner AND an 8:30pm (group) dinner!! Scored myself 4 tails total as it's all-u-can-eat! More year old scallops than I could count, Beef Wellington, crème brulet dessert man oh man you name it! There was a burger grill above the pool deck I think I hit every day too - opposite side of the Mast bar. All the fixing, always fresh - hey, make it a double, you're on vacation!! All in all I am pleased to say that I only gained 8 pounds!

• Staff / Crew
  There are more than 1700 employed onboard the Celebrity Equinox and they come from 72 different countries. I cannot say enough about the service they provided or the cultural knowledge I gained from them. These people recognized and called me by name on only the second day! That is with 2500 new guests on the gigantic 100,000 ton ship! And man did I move - the group rarely found me and would ask, 'Where's the wanderer?!'. One minute I'd be at the Casino bar and the next the Sky Lounge up top for '70's trivia then down to Quasar for some karaoke fun! The crew was just great - they interacted with everyone and participated with 'challenges' - skill games and other fun stuff where you could earn prizes. They really were the cherry on top of a delightful vacation. Well - the real cherry on top was our Captain.....jaws hit the floor when this drop dead gorgeous 38 year old beauty queen took the stage in the amphitheater - 'You people are paying a lot of money for this cruise...' - she proclaimed, '...and for the money you are paying, this is the Captain you get!'. Love you sweet Captain Kate (do-you-have-a-single-sister-to-sail-with!!)

We were at sea I believe a total of 3 days. First stop was Puerto Rico but it was drizzly out so I did not leave the ship. There was not a lot to see anyway as the place is still hurricane ravaged. Puerto Rico actually lost power completely the next 2 days. You could also see the effects of past storms significantly in St. Maarten and St. Thomas but it was cool to see and shop a little there in the gift stores. Some of the group rented jet ski's but I didn't because it was $50 for just 30 minutes.

Not much more can I say but, then, again - I can't say enough (?) about just how wonderful this cruise experience was. I can only imagine how much better it was for those aboard who were in love and maybe just starting their life together. For me it was probably a once in a lifetime experience and the closest thing to a honeymoon I'll ever get (all my ships sailed sadly in that category!). I hope you all enjoy and learn something from this post from a first time cruiser. I enjoy writing and STEEMing(!) very much, you are all such a truly wonderful community. Hope to get your thumbs Up and resteem on this one. Thank you again so much for reading and always remember:
We aren't here very long - love everyone in this world and do something nice for someone today!

~ Always, your friend and fellow STEEMer . . .