Friday, November 6, 2009…My Equinox diary

We have been very busy since we boarded the ship yesterday. We began at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Rome Airport where we almost joined another group from Kentucky who were taking a bus from the hotel to the pier. We had made our own plans to return to the airport (10 minutes) and then catch the Celebrity bus transfer to Civitavecchia from there. We decided it make sense to cut out the step of going back to the airport if it only cost us a few bucks more.

Notre Dame Basilica

But, plans change. Their bus was very late so we decided to go ahead and transfer back to the airport and catch that transfer as originally planned. It went very smoothly…Celebrity handled our luggage to the bus and then, because it was nearly full, it left almost immediately. So we had a smooth trip and actually arrived at the pier at the same time as the Kentucky bus, around 11:30 a.m.

Celebrity check-in was extremely efficient so we zipped through the lines and were onboard the Equinox quickly. This is the mark of a first-class operation. As cabins would not be ready until about 1 p.m., early boarding passengers could have lunch in the Lido (on this ship called the Oceanview Café) and explore the rest of the ship.

We snuck a look at our veranda cabin and quickly got in line at the Customer Relations desk where we requested a change of cabin. We asked to change for two reasons, one being that we prefer the cabin configuration where the sitting area is next to the veranda, rather than the bed. It appears that half of the veranda cabins are one way and the other half are the other way.

The other reason is that we personally prefer the port (left) side of the ship for transatlantic cruises because the sun is in the southern sky during that part of the year so you will have sun on your veranda for most of the crossing. Conversely, cabins on the veranda side will have shade throughout almost the entire cruise. Just depends on what you prefer.

They have to wait until everyone is checked in (about 6 p.m.) to confirm cabin changes but we were fortunate and were able to snap a similar cabin on the port side with the configuration we liked. It was a few more steps to walk, but we figured that is part of our fitness program.

We spent some time exploring the ship but early seating for dinner came fast and there we ran into another snag. We went to the table where we were assigned, only to find out that there were too many assigned there…and four couples had planned to dine together. So we did eat there, but have been assigned to another table for this evening.

We had planned to take in the opening show but my back continued to bother me and we decided to make an early evening of it.

This morning I opted to visit another part of the ship many of you (hopefully) never experience. I had to see the doctor about my ongoing back pain. Celebrity’s medical clinic is first class and although I had to wait a bit due to the first day rush, I was able to get the medications I needed and was loaned a heating pad. Don’t know what this has cost (I will report that back to you later), but the convenience was well worth it to me.

This afternoon we took the bus shuttle into the French port city of Marseilles. There we happened upon a local tourist trolley (7€ each) that carried us high up in the city to the lovely Basilica of Notre Dame where we could overlook the entire city. It turned out to be just what we needed…a look at the streets and shops of the city, as well as many of its historical monuments.

Tomorrow: Barcelona, one of my favorite European cities

Saturday, November 7, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was spent in Barcelona, one of my favorite cities in Europe. The weather was mild and the sun shone all day. (One thing we heard from the 300 or so folks who were on the Equinox for the past two weeks for its last regular Med sailing was that it was a gray and dreary trip, raining almost every day. These folks are called back-to-backers and will have been on board the ship for almost a month when this cruise ends in Ft. Lauderdale.) So far on this cruise, weather has been cooperative.

La Sagreda Familia

Some years back I spent several days here so I wanted to be sure Chet got to see the highlights and, for me, that was the fantastical buildings by Antonio Gaudi and most particularly the Sagreda Familia church. So we booked a shore excursion that took us to the church and by several other Gaudi buildings and then included wine and tapas at three local tapa bars. Seemed like a perfect combination!

We left the ship at 8:30 a.m. and headed directly to the church, driving through the old part of the city and seeing many of its most famous buildings, old and new. Then we got out of the bus at the church and we able to view it from all sides.

This is without a doubt one of the most amazing structures in the world. It was begin in 1822 and has not been finished yet. Construction is funded entirely through donations, therefore its formal name, in English, is the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family. Many refer to it as a cathedral, but I don’t think it actually is one…at least yet. Maybe when it is finished in 20 years or so.

Three different major architects and untold artists have worked on this masterpiece, however, Antonio Gaudi was the major visionary, even though he died in 1926. Two of the facades of the church are nearly completing and work is forging ahead on the final section.

Tasty tapas

This is one place in Barcelona that every visitor must see. I also strongly recommend the Park Guell (Gaudi’s never completed garden city) and the Picasso Museum, even though we did not make it to them today. Many Mediterranean cruises depart from Barcelona, so if you happen to book one that does, be sure to come in a few days early to explore all this lovely city has to offer.

But on to the tapas! As most of you probably know, “tapas” are the wildly popular small bites that are sold in tapas bars all over the city…and now the rest of the world as well. It is a bit like ordering dim sum…they have all sorts of snacks displayed and the rest are pictured. Usually, one would order two or three of them with a beer or wine…and then head on down the street to another such bar.

Living statues on the Ramblas

We did visit three fun tapas bars, all very different..and despite the fact we began around 11 a.m., the wine certainly did slide down easy.

We finished up around 1 p.m., early enough for us to explore a bit more. So Chet and I left the group which was returning to the ship and decided to walk down La Ramblas from the Placa de Catalunya to the statue honoring Christopher Columbus. It took about an hour to stroll down this most famous pedestrian boulevard where we passed an array of flower stands, bird shops, souvenir shops, sidewalk artists and many entertaining “living statues.”

The produce market

We stopped off to spend 15 minutes inside the Mercat de la Bouqueria, one of Europe’s most famous city markets. It was full of colorful produce stands as well as those selling meat and seafood, candies and spices. This is always a good photo opp.

If you are interested in exploring on your own, you should know that you can take the ship shuttle down to the oceanfront and from there catch the bright red Barcelona Bus Turistic. These open-air, double-deck buses travel all over the city on three routes, offering 44 off/on stops and you can easily cross between the routes at special intersections. This is all for one price, 21€ for one day or 27€ for two days. You can pick up the brochure right at the tourist desk in the ship terminal as you leave the ship.

The tourist bus

We then caught a cab back to the ship (10€ with tip) which we considered worth it. We were back by 3 p.m. giving time for Chet to nap and me to write.

Tomorrow: A short day at Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and our first formal night.

Sunday, November 8, 2009…My Equinox diary

On every cruise we have ever taken, especially when we go by ourselves, there always seems to be some serendipity…that special unexpected surprise that is ever so pleasant.

And so it was on the very first night of this cruise that Chet and I were having a drink at the bar before dinner when we struck up a conversation with the couple sitting next to us. He was wearing a University of Michigan ball cap so we knew we have something in common (Michigan is our permanent home).

We soon learned that they were originally from Michigan, but now live in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. That they were into boating (as are we), etcetera…all the usual chitchat as we found more things in common.

Then he said, you know you might know someone…do you know a guy named Chet Janssens? And Chet said, “I am Chet Janssens.” And so it was that Chet reconnected with Tom Jantz and his wife Lynne, who both knew Chet when he was in high school! They played on the same basketball and baseball teams together and hung around with the same group of guys.

A cafe in Valldemosa

So last night we had dinner in the Tuscan Grill specialty restaurant with the Jantzes and caught up on our live over the past 40 years or so. The dinner was great but it was often times hard to appreciate the food when we had so much to catch up on.

Thus far today….

Today we were on the island of Majorca in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain. We traveling to a charming village in the mountains called Valldemosa located on the northeast coast. It was pretty quiet there, being Sunday morning, but Chet and I enjoyed a cappuccino in a local café before re-boarding the bus to travel to another part of the island.

There, in the village of Andratx, we went to the Santa Catarina winery where we we had a festive wine-tasting. That put everyone in a good mood…we bought a bottle of the Macia Baile 2006 red and a couple of bottles of good Spanish olive oil to bring home. I always think consumable souvenirs are the best!

We returned to the ship at 1:30 and it sailed at 2:15…so we had our first afternoon at leisure. I headed to the AquaSpa where Crystal gave me a great deep tissue massage which I followed up with the sauna and hot tub. My back is feeling so much better.

A festive wine tasting

Tonight is the first formal night and we will be dining with the captain. More on that tomorrow.

Photos by Chet and Cynthia Janssens

Monday, November 9, 2009…My Equinox diary

(I was unable to post this yesterday because the internet connection was down so I am catching up today.)

So what happens when a shore excursion goes awry?

Today we were in Cartegena, Spain. I didn’t know much about this port on the Costa del Sol and only three shore excursions were offered (not enough for 2,800 passengers). So we chose the trip to Elche and the Palm Tree Park ($57 each) as I enjoy botanical gardens.

We left Cartegena at 9:45 a.m. as planned and rode in a bus about an hour and 15 minutes. The trip was supposed to begin with a “panoramic drive” through Cartegena but that didn’t happen…there weren’t any special views on this route … and I don’t think many of us realized how long the drive was.

But that was not the problem. There were extremely high winds today and once we arrived at the park around 11 a.m. we discovered it was closed for the day due to safety concerns…they didn’t want anyone injured by falling palms or fronds. So what to do? We were already there.

You have to give credit to our guide, Emilio. He discovered fairly early that we might have an admission issue so he declared early that “The Spanish are good at improvising.” So first he set us up in a couple of adjoining cafes – “Have a cup of coffee while I work this out.” — so we could use the toilets. Then he returned us to the bus and offered a couple of options. We voted on his offerings and this is what we actually did:

Elche’s main industry is making shoes. So first we went to the Salvador Artesano shoe factory near the city center. This turned out to be not much more than a big shoe outlet…but I can tell you that a whole lot of yellow bags were carried onto our bus, so the half-hour stop had merit for some. (I now have a spiffy pair of black leather shoe boots that are going to look great with jeans.)

Then Emilio took us to the old city of Elche and gave us a personal tour of the Basilica of Santa Maria, which was quite lovely inside. Then he set us loose to have lunch and shop on our own. We headed for a nearby eatery, called, interestingly enough, Café Paris, and enjoyed a leisurely European lunch with several glasses of wine…all for 13€ (about $19). It was nice to finally slow down…

Then we intended to do a bit of shopping (it seems we always need something from the local farmacia) but forgot that everything but restaurants close down at 2 p.m.. So we strolled around for a half hour before catching the bus back to the pier at 2:45 p.m.

I give credit to Emilio for being resourceful in coming up with an alternate plan for us and managing to actually conduct a democratic vote that stood up! I give credit to Celebrity for letting us all know, via Emilio, that we would all receive a 50 percent credit on the shore excursion because it did not go as planned.

By the way, last night we were invited to have dinner at the captain’s table (one of the perks of this job) and had a lovely evening with Capt. Apostolos Bouzakis and four other couples, all veteran cruisers on Celebrity. (Matthew and Melanie had been on over 50 Celebrity cruises and have four more scheduled in upcoming months.)

Tomorrow we have a day at sea and we are so ready for this. We have been in ports for the past four days and we all need a break! There are still parts of the ship that we have not even seen. So tomorrow we will crank it down a bit and see what all Celebrity has to offer on board the Equinox.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was our first full day at sea and it was lovely not to have to go anywhere or be anywhere. Almost everyone we talked with said they really had taken it easy today, resting, reading, napping or whatever.

There was a huge roster of activities offered but Chet and I did only one of them. We played Jackpot Bingo, which we find to be fun and often we win something. However, we found the charge here too high…it costs $30 for one sheet of six cards or $50 for two sheets. Fifty dollars for two of us to play bingo? Each time? And the payouts were pitiful, between $50-$100 …even the cover-all only paid about $120.

They offer bingo twice a day on sea days but we won’t be playing, at least until the very end when the big jackpots are offered.

The Equinox is such a large ship that there is plenty to do at no charge, but there is a charge for several extras: Fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice costs $2.50; a smoothie is $5; cappuccino costs $4; an espresso costs $3. There is a stand that sells gelato however you can get ice cream and yogurt for free upstairs). And there is a small bistro that sells special coffees and crepes. Unfortunately, the bistro and the gelato bar are tucked into a part of the ship with little foot traffic so it is a wonder they do any business at all. We never see anyone there.

Everyone who sails big ships these days knows that these fees are part of the new cruising reality. But I still find them annoying to the extreme.

We spent most of the afternoon reading and I finally finished “The Shack.” After dinner, we took in the show which was a mixture of the acts that perform around the ship. I found this was a very nice way to showcase the talent on board and we will now make a point of looking for some of our favorite musicians. The a cappella group called Sound Decision was excellent!

Boats high and dry in Lazarote during low tide

Wednesday, November 11, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today is Veteran’s Day (celebrated as Remembrance Day in the UK). There were a few observances on board the Celebrity Equinox. There was a memorial service in the morning which about 300 passengers attended, followed by a reception for veterans and then a moment of silence for the entire ship. It was nice to see that the special day did not go by unnoticed.

I took some time off for myself this morning and got an excellent pedicure in the salon. Peta Gaye Warren from Jamaica pampered me for an hour and a half…so even though it was probably the most expensive foot job I have ever had it seemed worth it.

We reached Lazarote (rhymes with Pavarotti) in the Canary Islands at noon. This is a volcanic island that is quite dark and barren in its center. We did not take a shore excursion here today but rather walked around the capital of Arrecife, where once again we were caught by all the stores closing from 1:30-4:30, as they do in Spain. So we really did’t see much except for a number of small boats in the lagoon that were high and dry due to the low tide.

Most people who did go in excursions visited the Parc Nacional de Timanfaya which is located in the black volcanic plains. They reported that the views were stark and moon-like. Some of them actually rode camels in this black desert.

Like most of the Canary Islands, Lazarote is a popular beach resort for Europeans and Brits, although I think its lack of greenery makes it as pretty as other islands.

Many of the shore excursions arrived back to the ship nearly at dinner time so this evening on board was fairly calm. When we arrived back in our rooms that evening they had sent us a summary of our account for the first half of this trip. Probably a smart idea so passengers can check for errors but who really wants to know?

Tomorrow we go to the island of Tenerife, also in the Canary Islands, and that is our last day in port. Then we leave for six days a sea.

Photo by Chet Janssens

Thursday, November 12, 2009…My Equinox diary

The rocky shoreline of Tenerife

Today we visited Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. This island is quite different from Lanzarote, which we visited yesterday. There are basically two sides to this island, the southern part, which faces the Sahara Desert, is dry and arid. The northern part (separated by high mountains) faces Europe and is moist and green.

Our shore excursion today took us through both of these parts of the island. First we headed northeast where we stopped briefly for photos at Playa de Las Teresitas beach. This is a wide white sand beach with sand that has been imported from the Sahara. Most of the other beaches on the island are composed of black volcanic sand.

Then we drove over the mountains to the small town of Taganana on the north coast. The bus ride on a curvy, narrow road was a nail-biter. We were sitting in the first row of seats and many times I found myself staring at a stone wall before the bus swung back into its turn. Our drive, Augustino, was exceptional and we all decided he deserved the biggest part of the tip.

At Taganana we visited a black sand beach and then stopped to sample the local wine along with some bread, cheese and olives. This red wine was extremely light but quite tasty…perfect for 10 a.m.!

The local wine of Tenerife

Then we continued our drive through the mountains, passing through the Silver Laurel Forest, one of the oldest in Europe, returning down the mountain through the town of La Laguna, which used to be the capital of the island.

Back at the ship around 12:30, we hopped the free shuttle back into the capital city of Santa Cruz. Here we walked around the bustling streets and located the supermarket where we bought some Diet Cokes and extra bottled water which are quite costly on board.

Then, realizing that we would be eating ship food for the next six days, we stopped for lunch at a local café. We would recommend the El Aquila restaurant at the Plaza Alferez Provisional…Chet enjoyed a sampling of local hams while I had a delicious avocado and shrimp salad. Live harp music set a lovely mood.

Back at the ship we were able to see the bustle of last minute provisioning and fueling as we embark on our sea crossing.

Tomorrow we begin our sail…3,410 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

Friday, November 13, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was Friday the 13th but no one here on the Celebrity Equinox would have known it. The weather was just about perfect with a smooth following sea…a fine beginning to our six-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The card rooms are busy

If all sea days go by as fast as this one then our week will be over in no time. It seems that the day just flew by. There was certainly plenty to do. Some 59 activities were listed in the daily program. But what I noticed is that most people were occupying themselves with more mundane activities.

The card rooms are full…with people playing everything from Sequence, to Mah Jongg to Euchre. There are lots of bridge players with a large gathering every sea day at 11 a.m. in the conference center.

The Lawn Club

Almost every comfortable chair is occupied by someone reading…or napping…or meditating with their eyes closed.

The Fitness Center seems to be busy all day long with the treadmills and elliptical machines always occupied. The spa is busy but because of its extremely high prices I don’t think it is as busy as it might be. A 50-minute facial, with tip, costs $185….

One place that is very popular is The Lawn Club on Deck 15. This is a new addition to Celebrity’s newest two ships, the Solstice and Equinox. Up here there are two main features. There is a large lawn of natural grass that is used for bocce, quoits, golf putting, corn toss and croquet. They run informal tournaments and it is open for general play the rest of the time.

Hot glass show

Here also is the Hot Glass Studio where glass blowers from the Corning Museum of Glass perform several times daily. Carl Siglin and G Brian Juk are the main glassblowers and very good narrators as well. They perform for a total of four hours every sea day in an open-air covered theater. There is also a small “museum” attached to the glass studio that explains in more detail how glass is blown. This feature is an excellent and innovative addition to shipboard entertainment.

Today we had lunch with two couples from Midland, Texas…they were Bill and Sonnye Dingler and Don and Minda Parks. They are “back-to-backers,” that is, they took the two-week cruise previous to this one as well. So they have been on board for three weeks already.

Minda and Don Parks

They had many tales to tell of their adventurous touring in Israel and Egypt, including a blown tire on a private van getting them back to the ship in Cairo. They also said they particularly enjoyed visiting Ephesus. Although the weather was poor most of that cruise, the exotic ports made it worthwhile. Bill is a semi-retired contractor and Don is a fine artist (www.donparksfineart.com).

Meeting such interesting people is one of the wonderful aspects of sitting with others at lunch.

Bill and Sonnye Dingler

Tonight was a formal night and there was an excellent show called “Limelight: The Broadway Dream.” The fact that the show tunes were familiar to most passengers made it more successful than the earlier stage production which featured music unfamiliar to most of us.

Saturday, November 14, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was our second full day at sea and we decided to sample as many of the onboard activities as we could. So, this morning we attended a culinary demonstration in the main showroom given by the Executive Chef Steve van der Merwe from South Africa and the Head Pastry Chef Bruno.

On-stage cooking demo

As anyone knows who attends such an event in a huge venue, there really wasn’t much to see…but the schtick between the two was fun and it was an enjoyable hour. And I always like to take away one cooking tip from such a demonstration and this time it was about how to use truffle oil.

Soon after we attended the daily trivia contest run by Cruise Director Gary Walker. Usually held in a much larger lounge, it had been moved to the small Martini Bar so that was a bit awkward. Also, we showed up without a team…so were paired up with two women, but we were at a disadvantage as most teams consist of 5-6 people. We didn’t do very well (except I did know the maximum number of clubs in a golf bag — 14) but I can see that the trivia folks are a passionate crew and there must have been well over 120 in attendance.

After another nice lunch in the dining room (more about that below), we headed to today’s maritime lecture given by David Perry. It was about the great age of ocean liners and the 45 minutes was quite informative. It is obvious that Perry is a hit as several hundred people attended.

Then we headed back to the cabin, answered some emails on my laptop, and then began considering dinner. The days pass quickly this way.

One tip about internet use on the ship:

When you board, you buy a package of internet minutes. We bought 200 minutes for $99. You can then either use these minutes at the laptops in the online center or you can use them on your personal laptop, either in your cabin or elsewhere on the ship.

To conserve minutes, it is best NOT to answer your email online. This burns up minutes. But with your own laptop, you can go online, download your email and upload your answers and then go offline immediately. You can even take a minute or so to update your Facebook page. This way you use only a few minutes.

Then answer your email offline and upload the answers the next time you go online. I have been on the ship for nine days now and I still have about $30 credit left, which is pretty remarkable, because it takes me about 15 minutes to post this blog each day.

Speciality restaurants:

Tonight we ate at the Murano speciality restaurant, which serves French food. We had an excellent meal and service was superb. Three of our four ordered the dover sole and declared it perfect. For $20 a person this is an excellent dining option.

Tomorrow we eat at the Silk Harvest Asian restaurant and will probably dine again at the Tuscan Grill before the end of this cruise. The quality of the food and the presentation is so much higher than in the main dining rooms.

Who we met today:

Joan and Paul Brite

At lunch today we met two new couples: Joan and Paul Brite and Tony and Gloria Rossomano, all from Coral Springs, Fla.

They boarded the ship in Rome, after spending three days there. They have been enjoying their cruise but offered some good observations:

1. They believe the ship needs magnifying makeup mirrors in the bathrooms. “Women our age don’t see all that well and we need those mirrors.”

2. Paul suggested that it would be very nice to have telescopes around the ship at night with star charts so we could observe the night skies.

Gloria and Tony Rossomano

3. Paul, a smoker, noted that there is very, very little smoking space in the bars and asks why, late at night, when some bars are mostly empty that they couldn’t open up a few tables for smokers.

Sunday/Monday, November 14-15, 2009…My Equinox diary

These past two days at sea have passed swiftly. Our mornings are generally quiet. Chet gets up and goes to the gym early and then we have coffee in our cabin and go to breakfast between 8:30-9 a.m. Timing is a little off for everyone as we turn back the clocks one hour almost every night.

If the sun shines, the pool is busy

Then we generally go to the top of the ship, to the Lawn Club area, where we find some comfy seats to read for an hour or so (Chet has already finished three books) and watch the many activities going on. There is a putting contest each day at 10 a.m. followed by bocce, quoits and other lawn pursuits. The hot glass show is also going on and it is fun to check out what they are making each day. (They do not sell the pieces on board although they sometimes raffle a few at the end of the cruise.)

Most days we have lunch in the dining room. It takes a bit longer but it is nice to be served and it is a nice place to meet new people and talk about their cruising experiences.

In the afternoon, we generally participate in scheduled activities…like listening to lectures and such. David Perry has been an excellent speaker on the history of cruise ships. Yesterday morning we did go to Catholic mass in the morning.

What are the other people on ship doing? There are more than 350 Germans on board and they all seem to gravitate to the pool area. If the sun is out, then you can count on the pool lounges being full for most of the day. Then there are people learning languages at the Rosetta Stone classes and others are taking lessons in the computer lab. There are also scrapbooking sessions and lots of trivia contests. There are also live music performances throughout the ship.

Fitness center

The fitness center (as opposed to the spa) is always busy. The treadmills seem to be full from morning to night and there is a wide offering of fitness classes. There is also an acupuncturist on board as well as a medical doctor giving injections of Botox®, Restylan®e and Perlane®. How busy they are I have no idea. The costs for these treatments runs into the hundreds of dollars.

My own impression is that the AquaSpa, lovely as it is, is not as busy as it might be and I attribute this to its extremely high pricing. Generally, I would have several spa treatments but have cut back drastically because of the cost and have talked to others who have done the same.

Dining at Silk Harvest

On Sunday night, we had dinner with the Jantzes at the Silk Harvest Asian restaurant. Here the surcharge is $20 per person. The menu is limited but creative and is served family style so that you can sample the many offerings, which include sushi. I thought it quite good and the service was excellent. I recommend the Red Curry Duck entree, but watch out for the habanero pepper that will (literally) take your breath away.

On both nights, we have attended the evening shows and both entertainers were excellent. On Sunday, Greg Bonham, a singer/trumpeter/dancer from Las Vegas performed and on Monday, jazz violinist Doug Cameron took the stage. Both were backed by the excellent Equinox Orchestra, however Cameron’s show was greatly enhanced by the participation of the Inspiration Strings Quartet.

In general, I would say that the live entertainment on this 14-day transatlantic cruise is way better than usual. Both of these entertainers are going to be giving afternoon concerts on coming days and we will be sure to attend.

Only two days at sea to go…