My heart goes out to the families of those lost in last week’s tragic accident involving the Costa Concordia. It’s obviously disconcerting to read about such a tragedy, especially to those who have never cruised before. I have received numerous questions in the last few days about cruising safety and why I like cruising so much. I can’t comment to the safety procedures of Costa or Carnival Corporation as I’ve never set foot on one of their ships. Believe me, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so given the right set of circumstances, but I’ve frankly been so happy with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that I just haven’t felt the need to. I’ve never felt anything less than well cared  for and safe aboard any of the cruise ships I’ve sailed on (26 cruises with many more to come).

Much the same as on any aircraft, I never ignore safety drills aboard cruise ships. While remote, there is always the possibility that something unplanned could happen, and I want to be ready. This accident, while tragic, has no deterring effect on my desire to cruise much like no aircraft accident has ever deterred my desire to fly. Fortunately, such accidents are exceedingly rare.

Today, I received separate emails from both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity reiterating their commitment to safety, a commitment I never doubted. A link to a video was included and I wanted to share it with you here. Is it one company’s opinion of itself? Yes. But I’m confident that it’s true. So yes, MJonTravel will continue to cruise and I hope you will too.

MrsMJonTravel and I recently completed an 11-night Mediterranean cruise aboard the downright gorgeous (IMHO) Celebrity Equinox.  There’s so much to say, and so much to write about that I just don’t think it’s possible to place it all in one post.  So part 1 of my review will focus exclusively on the ship itself.  Subsequent posts will cover the ports of call and the things we did while we were there.

The Cruise

Our 11-night, July 5, 2010, sailing aboard Celebrity Equinox originated at the port of Civitavecchia, about 45 minutes outside of Rome.  The itinerary included stops in Santorini, Mykonos, Istanbul (2 days), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Athens, and Naples, along with 3 sea days.  We booked our cruise through our travel agent, Michelle, at McCabe World Travel in McLean, Virginia.  I can’t say enough about what a great asset an experienced travel agent can be on trips like this.  Michelle also arranged our private tour of Ephesus, which I will post about separately.

Embarkation

We arrived in Rome 5 days before the cruise to do some touring, and ultimately travel down to Naples where we would visit friends who were cruising with us.  We traveled with them by car back to Rome and Civitavecchia on embarkation day, so I am not able to share any insight into the transfer process from the airport to the port.  Arriving by car, you must park first, then take a shuttle bus to the terminal where you drop your luggage and accomplish check in formalities.  The terminal appears to be a temporary facility, basically a huge tent.  There was a confusing mish-mash of people and luggage at the drop off point, but we were ultimately able to figure things out in a couple of minutes, drop our bags and proceed towards security.

We arrived around 2PM, which is a little later than I normally prefer.  I know the cruise documents tend to always say arrive at 2PM, but my experience has been that ships are usually boarding by noon, if not before.  I like to beat the crowd.  For what it’s worth, 2 other friends of ours arrived in Rome the morning of the cruise, and were on board the ship before noon.  While things were a little chaotic in the terminal, we were through security and standing at the check in desk within 5 minutes.  I had completed online check in several days before our arrival, so the process at the desk was painless and quick.  One item of note: Celebrity collects your passport and holds them until the last sea day of the cruise.  This has something to do with Turkey not being an EU member according to the letter of explanation provided.  The whole thing worked out fine, but it is not something I’d experienced previously, so be advised that you won’t have your passport for most of the cruise.  And with that, we were off to board the ship.  The whole thing was pretty painless.

The Ship

Equinox was built by Myer-Werft in Papenburg, Germany and entered service last year.  I believe that this is the same shipyard that produced Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class of ships, and call me crazy, but I think I can see some of the influence of RCL in Equinox.  Lots of glass, beautiful atriums, etc.

Celebrity Equinox

The Lawn Club

After boarding, we dropped our carry on bags in our stateroom and headed to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch.  The Oceanview Cafe was excellent.  Granted it’s a buffet, but Celebrity exceeded my expectations for food quality and presentation in this area.  Following lunch, we met up with our fellow cruisers and headed to The Lawn Club for a pre-sail away cocktail.

Muster drill took place around 5PM, and I have to compliment Celebrity.  Our muster station was Michael’s Club on deck 5.  No more dragging your life jacket to muster.  You proceed to your station where you will be provided a life jacket (if needed).  For the drill itself, we watched a very well produced video detailing the procedures we should follow in the event of an emergency.  Soon enough, we were on our way back up top for sail away.

Our Stateroom

Stateroom 1631 was an Aqua Class cabin on deck 11, port side.  I found the stateroom to be very well designed, functional, and comfortable.  Storage space was plentiful.  I appreciated the large 32″ television (by cruise ship standards) though I wouldn’t spend a great deal of time in the room over the next 11 days!

Stateroom 1631 – Celebrity Equinox

I appreciated the little touches that come with Aqua Class including daily bottled water and iced tea, as well as Hansgrohe shower panels.  MrsMJonTravel appreciated the pillow menu.    I think the highlight of Aqua Class was that it includes seating in the specialty restaurant Blu.  More on that later.

Around the Ship

I think all ships are beautiful, but Equinox is especially so.  The ship is simply a touch above others in design and appearance.  I wouldn’t say there’s a “Wow!” factor like you get when you first see a Royal Caribbean Freedom or Oasis Class vessel.  Equinox is simply elegant and impressive.

Celebrity Equinox Tendered in Santorini

Atrium View – Celebrity Equinox

There was no lack of things to do on board.  I won’t mention them all because I can’t.  Some activities we simply did not have the time to enjoy.  I have heard that the hot glass show is not to be missed, but miss it we did.  No time.  Equinox is equipped with a very nice gym that I was able to make use of on a couple of occasions.  I didn’t feel bad for not going every day though, as all of our tours included a significant amount of walking, hiking, etc.  I think this may be the first cruise I’ve taken that I didn’t come back with “more of me” than I left with!

Of course, no vacation would be complete without a little cocktailing, and Celebrity did not disappoint.  Of the numerous bars and lounges on board, I would say that the Martini Bar and Molecular Bar were our favorites.  Check out this handiwork from one of the master mixologists at Molecular Bar.

A Molecular Bar Concoction

Dining

Dining is a highlight of any cruise, and Celebrity Equinox mostly delivered.  A great benefit of our Aqua Class stateroom was that we dined in the specialty restaurant Blu, instead of the main dining room.  Our service was top notch during the entire cruise, and the meals, while a little lighter than typical cruise fare, were uniformly excellent.  Two of our friends were not traveling in Aqua Class, and took many of their evening meals in the main dining room.  I’ll let them comment to the blog, but I believe they found their service disappointing, but it did improve after moving to a new table.  My own experience in the dining room only included one brunch buffet, and one lunch.  Service was disappointing during the brunch, but quite good during lunch.  I’ll have more to say on the brunch service later.

All six of us dined together at all of the specialty restaurants on board including Murano (French), Silk Harvest (Asian), and Tuscan Grille (Italian Steakhouse).  Heck, we went to Tuscan Grille twice!  All of them are unique and wonderful in their own way.  We tried every sushi roll at Silk Harvest, and the steaks at Tuscan Grille were fabulous (and the service was even better).  If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to say that Murano wowed me.  My filet was perfectly done, and finished on open flame tableside.  I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture!

Constructive Criticism

Celebrity offers a wonderful premium drink package.  I don’t remember the price, but believe it to be somewhere in the vicinity of $50 dollars per day per person (plus 15 percent gratuity), you have unlimited access to soda, specialty coffees, bottled water, wines by the glass, beers, and cocktails up to $12 dollars in value.  Suffice it to say we jumped on that.  I’m not sure what kind of issue that many members of the bar staff have with these packages, but it’s obvious that they do.  The pool bar even had a little handwritten sign for drink package receipts that had a “frowny face” written beside it in full view of guests.  I don’t think I’m imagining things when I say that well north of 50 percent of the bar staff I interacted with during the cruise seemed to be annoyed that I’d ordered a drink when they learned I had a package.  When ordering a Mimosa during the brunch service previously mentioned, you would’ve thought I’d offended the wait staff when they saw that I had a drink package.  Not sure what the problem is, but if Celebrity is going to offer the package, they need to fix whatever issue the staff has with it.

MrsMJonTravel and I are Celebrity Captain’s Club elite members, and we receive some really great benefits as a result.  A certain amount of complimentary laundry service, and 90 minutes of complimentary internet service are among my favorite benefits!  Celebrity also offers an afternoon cocktail party each day for it’s Captain’s Club Elite guests.  The only issue is that it’s from 4PM to 6PM.  I’d love to visit with my fellow cruisers, but that’s just too early.  I wish Celebrity would consider moving that to the 6PM to 8PM timeframe.  Just a suggestion.

Disembarkation

Getting off the ship is always a little sad, but Celebrity has really got its stuff together.  About 2 days before the end of the cruise, we received a letter in our cabin advising us where and when to meet for disembarkation.  We were assigned to the theater with a 6:45AM departure time.  We did as instructed, and upon arriving at the theater, were immediately directed to the gangway for departure.  We walked off the ship, collected our bags, and left.  Total time investment: 5 minutes!  Absolutely incredible if you ask me.  Customs/Immigration issues are handled behind the scenes between Celebrity and the Italian government.  Basically, you walk off the ship and leave.  I can’t imagine a better experience departing a ship.

In Summary

I can’t say enough good things about this beautiful ship.  My favorite things were our dining team in Blu, the solarium, and the Pool Bar staff who took great care of us, and we rewarded accordingly.  Celebrity Equinox is very well designed, easy to navigate, and overall seems like a “happy ship.”  I think you can book your vacation aboard Celebrity Equinox with confidence.  I’d gladly do so again.  Stay tuned for details about the ports of call.

Thank goodness for sea days!  I’m on vacation, and as fun as touring exciting new international cities is, I need a break.  I love sea days, and I’m not sure I’d mind at all if I spent 11-nights on Equinox entirely at sea.  This ship is simply beautiful.  Frankly, I’ve sailed on bigger, but certainly none better.  As great as the cruise has been, I’ve already noted a few areas in need of improvement on Celebrity’s party, but don’t think for a minute that any of that has spoiled my vacation.

Did I tell you that the ship is beautiful yet?  I know I did, but I wanted to make sure you heard me.  It’s gorgeous.  The glass balconies, the interior centrum, the staterooms, the Martini Bar, the pool area, the spa and the solarium, all are tastefully done, and beautiful.  Our Aqua Class stateroom is quite comfortable, functionally designed, and pleasant.  Storage is adequate, and the shower panels are a nice touch.  Stateroom service has been excellent.  Celebrity’s style doesn’t include towelie animals and chutzpah, but it is refined and elegant.  The pillow menu, the daily refresh of bottled water and iced tea along with fresh fruit are a nice touch.

While the specialty dining experiences have been wonderful, I’d be a little remiss if I didn’t offer a bit of constructive criticism to Celebrity.  Our first main dining room experience was for brunch on day 3 of the cruise.  The food was fine, but for whatever reason, the service was severely lacking.  I recognize that cruise lines of all shapes and sizes are adding emphasis to their specialty restaurants, and that if you want a truly special dining experience you are going to have to pay the upcharge to dine in one.  That said, I think the cuisine and especially the service in the main dining room should still exceed that of your average local TGI Friday’s. 

Sadly, that was not the case during our brunch, where dirty plates sat piled on our table, and “service” left a lot to be desired.  Our request for brunch mimosas were met with surly indifference by the waiter when he realized that the six of us at the table had purchased Celebrity’s premium all-inclusive beverage package.  (Something that I will write more about in my full review)  It was obvious that the waiter was more concerned with pawning off our service request on whatever junior waiter he could con into retrieving our drinks than serving his guests.  I can’t pretend to fully understand the mechanics of how wait/bar staff receive their pre-paid gratuity when serving a drink package holder.  However, I have picked up on a lot of tell-tale signs during our cruise that the bar staff has an “issue” with Celebrity’s drink packages.  My apologies to them for walking on board the ship the first day and immediately spending over $1,000 dollars plus a 15 percent gratuity for the 2 of us for the 11-night cruise.  I digress, but I will opine more on this after the cruise is done.

I do want to note that for lunch today, MrsMJonTravel and I dined in the main dining room, and the service experience was the polar opposite of brunch.  So hopefully, the brunch experience was a one-off deal.

Lodging in an Aqua Class stateroom means our primary dining venue is the specialty restaurant, Blu, and not the main dining room.  Dining in Blu has been a highlight of the trip, with fresh and artful cuisine, consistently splendid service, and a great atmosphere.  Our other specialty restaurant experiences have included Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest.  Both featured food that was out of this world, but our service experience in Silk Harvest left a bit to be desired.  It was obvious that the kitchen and the staff were overrun with business, a fact for which our waiter apologized for.  But suffice it to say that a little slowness in delivery did not detract at all from the wonderful meal.  Our table of 4 enjoyed numerous appetizers, sushi, and a mix of main course offerings that were phenomenal.  Tuscan Grille, the Italian Steakhouse, was equally enjoyable.  I went for the ribeye steak which was out of this world.  Our dining experience there was so great that our party of 6 has made reservations again for the last night of the cruise.  We’ve yet to try Murano, but don’t fear, we will in a few days, and I will report on that experience when I post my full cruise review.

Enough on eating.  Ports of call so far have included Santorini and Mykonos, Greece along with Istanbul and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey.  Santorini was a true gem, a place where I’d like to return for an extended stay sometime.  Istanbul was exotic, exciting, and wonderful.  A city I’d love to return to again sometime for a short visit on another cruise.  But Kusadasi and the ruins of Ephesus are among the most wonderful spots I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.  Our visit was made so much more memorable by the experience of a private tour arranged through our fabulous travel agent, Michelle, of McCabe World Travel, in McLean, Virginia.  Our party of six was able to enjoy visits led by a private guide to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and so much more, including a private lunch featuring fantastic Turkish cuisine.  We were transported between touring sites by private, air-conditioned coach.  I cannot say enough about our private tour, and how much more enriching our experience in Ephesus was because of it.  I’ll say more when I write my full review of the cruise, and will post some pictures too.  But in the meantime, if you are cruising to a unique new port of call, do yourself a favor, avoid the cruiseline mass tours, and make arrangements for a smaller tour.  You will be glad you did.

I will close for now.  I’ve got 4 more days of cruise to enjoy, and will look forward to posting a full review of the cruise shortly after I get back home.  But in the meantime, trust me when I tell you that I cannot wait to sail on another beautiful Celebrity Solstice Class ship again.

Hello from Naples, Italy!  After 8 hours of touring Rome yesterday, we boarded a train for Naples, where we are visiting our friends who are now living and working here.  On Monday, the 4 of us will make the drive up to Civitavecchia, where we, along with 2 other friends flying in Monday morning will board Celebrity Equinox for an 11-night Mediterranean cruise.

Not thinking, we did not pre-book our train reservation for the trip down to Naples, so we arrived at Termini station at Friday rush hour to find a crowded mess.  We wanted the Eurostar train, but all were already sold out, so we settled for an inter-city train with first class seats, price 54 Euros for the 2 of us.  I should’ve known that was too good to be true as our train mysteriously disappeared from the board about 15 minutes prior to departure.

After standing in a line that made Amtrak look like a paragon of efficiency, we found that there would be no 5:30pm train, and instead, we would have to take the 6:30pm.  And oh, by the way, seating not guaranteed as the train is full.  Long story short, we stood for the entire 2 hour train ride.  Note to self, and advice to you: have your travel agent procure your train tickets in advance of your trip if you know when/where you are going.  I’m very thankful we did this for our train trip to Venice following the cruise.

I know I promised a review of American’s Next Generation Business Class (NGBC) seats this weekend.  I’ve actually started the review, and could finish it today.  But in order to give American a fair shake, and you a more complete picture, I want to wait for our return flight home before publishing the review.  One, I’ll be mostly over missing our connection to Rome on the way to Italy.  And two, our return trip is aboard a 767-300.  So I can give you my thoughts on our 777 J class flight to Italy, and the 767 flight on the return.  I know there are some service differences as I understand American added a few touches to the 767 service because there is no First Class cabin on those aircraft, and I want to have the full experience before I post about American’s NGBC seats and service.  I will say that I had no issues at all sleeping with the slightly less than 180 degree seat on the 777 flight over.  The 767 seat is a bit narrower, so it will be interesting to see if that makes any difference at all in my ability to get comfortable.  So….never fear, a full NGBC review is coming, but not until our trip is complete.

I’ve returned to the DC sauna (Lord, it’s hot here today), after a successful week in Atlanta.  My week started like all travel weeks should with an upgrade to First Class.  Then I checked in at the W Atlanta Midtown, and enjoyed a great 4-night stay.  And then my week ended like all weeks should….you guessed it, with an upgrade to First Class.  And with all that, somewhere between Atlanta and Washington, I renewed my Delta Medallion status for 2011 by crossing the 25,000 mile threshold for Silver Medallion status.  That’s lowly status, but trust me, it’s helped and I appreciate it.

There wasn’t a whopping lot of news in travel to talk about this week.  About the most exciting thing I saw was this:

Shot by none other than Dan Webb.  Thankfully, all involved walked away unscathed.

On June 28th, Mrs MJonTravel and I will board an American Airlines flight to Rome.  As far as I know, I will have no business trips between now and then, so evenings will be dedicated to finalizing trip plans, and getting jazzed about the idea of being on vacation for THREE WEEKS!  We spend a few days in Rome, and then board Celebrity Equinox for an 11-night Mediterranean holiday.  To say I can’t wait for that would be a mild understatement.

I’ll be blogging all the way through, so stay tuned for exciting details about the trip, and my first opportunity to review American’s much maligned Business Class seat on an international flight.

Hello from rural eastern North Carolina.  I flew down this morning to check on my mother.  She’s fine, but this is likely to be the last opportunity I have for a quick visit until after the summer.  Hard to believe, but in 5 weeks, MrsMJonTravel and I head to Rome, and our 12 day cruise of the Mediterranean aboard Celebrity Equinox.  And 2 weeks after we return from that, we head right back to Scotland for a family wedding.  Two trans-atlantic crossings in one summer.  I haven’t done that in a while!

I’m heading back home tomorrow afternoon.  Then Monday, I’m off to Atlanta for the week.  My Delta Medallion upgrade has already cleared!  I’ll be bunking at the Embassy Suites this week instead of my usual haunt at the W Midtown.  Hilton has shown me a lot of promo love this year, and I need a Hilton family stay this week.  Gotta do what ya’ gotta do! 

Historically, if you booked your flights through the cruise line (any cruise line) you had very little choice in schedules, airlines, seat assignments, etc.  This is one reason I have never booked air through a cruise line.  Royal Caribbean must have been listening to our complaints because they are rolling out a much more flexible air travel option on August 3rd called ChoiceAir.

ChoiceAir options can be booked with Royal Caribbean, your travel agent, or online at a special website, which according to Royal Caribbean, has the look and feel of online booking engines you’ve become accustomed to.  And better yet, ChoiceAir staff will have full access to your itinerary on travel day to assist you with alternative arrangements for getting to the ship should you run into any travel difficulties.  This is the primary reason many book their flights through the cruise line, assurance that they will eventually get to the ship if they run into flight problems.  (Note: I always recommend you travel to your port the day before your cruise to avoid any issues.)

Fees for the service will be $15 dollars per person for domestic trips and $25 dollars for international.  Not unreasonable at all.  Royal Caribbean’s sister lines, Celebrity and Azamara are participating as well. You can read more about the program here.

Celebrity Cruises has announced major changes to its Captain’s Club loyalty program, and in my opinion, they are big positives for Celebrity Cruisers.  (Disclosure: I am a Celebrity Captain’s Club Elite member.)  Enhancements include a Captain’s Club Celebration event offering an opportunity for Captain’s Club members to interact with senior officers of the ship, and reportedly will include new things to enjoy such as cooking demonstrations and performances by onboard musicians.

Other enhancements include big discounts on internet access and laundry charges.  But my favorite change is the addition of the “Captain’s Club Lounge” which will offer continental breakfast in the mornings and complimentary cocktails in the evenings.  These services will be offered in Celebrity’s popular Michael’s Club each morning and evening.  I really love the “Diamond Lounge” on Royal Caribbean, and expect a similar experience on Celebrity.  Mrs. MJ on Travel and I enjoy socializing with our fellow experienced cruisers and will look forward to enjoying the new Captain’s Club Lounge on our Celebrity Equinox 11-night Mediterranean cruise next year.

According to Celebrity, more changes will be announced throughout 2009.  You can review complete details of all the benefits available to Captain’s Club members here.

If I haven’t told you lately, I love cruising! Cruising happens to be the preferred way of vacationing for Lady Astrojets and myself, and we love turning new people onto cruising!

Top Five Reasons to Take a Cruise

1. You only unpack once.
2. It’s a good value for your vacation dollar. (Compare to hotels and meals on some island, and you’ll see why.)
3. You get to visit multiple places (while only unpacking once).
4. Almost without fail, the staff onboard the ship of most any cruiseline will wow you with impeccable customer service. (Why can’t airlines do this?)
5. You don’t have to drive the ship, so party on dude!

There are a multitude of choices out there of cruise lines. Some better than others. I have a couple of favorites, Royal Caribbean and their sister line Celebrity. More on why later. But I’m sure you’ll enjoy your next cruise no matter which line you choose. Check out Cruise Critic for some great information on cruising.