Quick summary of our cruise from Jan 25 to Feb 2 on Celebrity Equinox in the Caribbean

This isn’t a full review but a quick summary, since I’m short on time and won’t be able to do a proper one.

Our cruise started in Port Canaveral (Orlando), and there are no longer direct flights from Paris. So, we had to take a connecting flight with British Airways (code-share with American Airlines):

Paris / Miami / Orlando and the return Orlando / Philadelphia / Paris.

Three days before departure, I went on British Airways’ website to check in and buy exit-row seats so my wife could stretch her legs. That’s when I saw that one leg of the return flight (Philadelphia / Paris) had been canceled.

I called the airline, and they confirmed the flight was indeed canceled, and the agency I bought the ticket from had been informed back in September. But the agency never told me—or just forgot. So, I called GO Voyages, and it was the same old story: blah, blah, blah...

They offered me a flight with two connections, the last one in London (with an airport change at my expense—about 80 €). I refused because I’d bought a ticket with only one connection, and on top of that, there were taxi costs for the airport change.

After some back-and-forth, GO offered to refund the ticket—but in a month. So, I ended up buying two last-minute tickets at my own expense while waiting for the refund.

Never again with GO for flights—their customer service is terrible, and everything is outsourced....

The cruise I was disappointed with this cruise.

Isa was right—the service at Celebrity has really gone downhill.

The buffet was fine—everything was fresh and varied. But in the restaurants (especially the main one), the dishes were really basic (as the Canadians say) and simple (nothing like Princess).

The ship showed signs of wear and was even dirty in some places. I had to ask for our cabin to be redone when we arrived because the bathroom didn’t seem very clean.

The "Elite Club" perks are fading fast—so much so that you don’t even feel like going (just a glass of sparkling wine and some mediocre appetizers). You have to fight to get another drink if you don’t like that sparkling wine...

Before, in Concierge Class, the bottle of sparkling wine was in a champagne bucket on the coffee table with ice. Now it’s just in the fridge.

The appetizers served in the cabin around 5 PM weren’t appetizing at all. The list goes on...

Luckily, I didn’t pay much for this cruise, or I would’ve really regretted it.

The ports of call (Key West, Nassau, Puerto Plata)

I’ve already stopped at these places before, so it was just beach time and sightseeing...

Still, I had a great week under the Caribbean sun, and it was a nice break.

I’d only cruise with Celebrity again if the price was right or there was a big promo.

See you soon for more adventures! Alfred

Hi Alfred,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Flights have really become a mess—there’s no long-haul trip without changes anymore, and agencies aren’t doing their job. Not to mention the outsourced services where you end up with incomprehensible reps who barely speak our language, even though you’re expecting service or an answer from a company that’s supposed to be based in France... No further comment.

I’m not really surprised by your disappointment with Celebrity. In 2023, we took two cruises on the Reflection and the Silhouette, and it was far from the Celebrity we used to love. The meals were pretty ordinary too, even in Aqua Class.

I totally agree with you about the perks of the Elite card—the receptions we used to get as complimentary have turned into pathetic meet-ups.

At least the sun didn’t let you down, and the stops were nice.

Hi there, Thanks for this little recap of the Celebrity cruise—too bad it’s on the decline now... For flights, I haven’t used Go in over 15 years. Last time, my flight was canceled and they didn’t even notify me 🙁 Now I always book directly with the airlines—it’s much safer 😉 Mich74

Hi, For flights, the best approach is to search on Google Flights or Skyscanner and then book directly on the airline’s website. What’s the point of going through a middleman whose usefulness isn’t even proven?

Hi Alfred, sorry to hear you were disappointed! I’m leaving on the Infinity next week—I’ll be in AQUACLASS and I hope the restaurant is better because I’ve really noticed a real drop in quality at the main restaurant. On the other hand, like you, I think the buffet is still just as good, except for the desserts, which are less refined. What a dirty trick with the flights! :(

Hi Alfred,

Thanks for your feedback.

Flights have really become a mess—there’s no long-haul without changes anymore, and agencies aren’t doing their job. Not to mention outsourced services where you end up with incomprehensible reps who barely speak our language, even though you’re expecting service from a company that’s supposed to be based in France... No further comment.

I’m not really surprised by your disappointment with Celebrity. In 2023, we did two cruises on the Reflection and the Silhouette, and it was far from the Celebrity we used to love. The meals were pretty ordinary too, even in Aqua Class.

I totally agree with you about the Elite card perks—the receptions we used to get for free have turned into pathetic meet-ups.

At least the sun didn’t let you down, and the stops were nice.

Hey Catherine,

Sorry for the late replies—I’ve been pretty swamped lately.

No comment on the flight situation. Just so you know, I’m still waiting for my refund!

As for the cruise, I think the quality has really dropped with Celebrity (at least on this ship). Isa’s supposed to be taking the Millennium class this week, I think—we’ll see how she feels about it when she gets back.

Have a good weekend

Hello, Thanks for this little recap of the cruise on Celebrity—too bad it’s declining... For flights, I haven’t used GO in over 15 years. Last time, my flight was canceled and they didn’t even notify me 🙁 Now I always book directly with the airlines—it’s safer 😉 Mich74

Hi Michel,

Most of the time, I do book directly with the airlines. However, for this trip, there was a pretty big price difference, which is why I went with GO. Now I totally get the negative reviews about that agency.

Hi, For flights, the best approach is to search on Google Flights or Skyscanner and then book directly on the airline’s website. What’s the point of going through a middleman whose usefulness isn’t proven?

Hi Alain,

I always use Skyscanner for flights and compare afterward. Like I told Michel, for this ticket, the difference between BA (the airline) and GO was pretty significant.

Hi Alfred, sorry to hear you were disappointed! I’m heading out on the Infinity next week—I’ll be in AQUACLASS and really hope the restaurant is better, because I’ve definitely noticed a real drop in quality at the main restaurant. That said, like you, I think the buffet is still just as good, except for the desserts, which are less refined. What a dirty trick with the flights!

Hey Isa,

Have a great cruise on the Infinity! Let us know how you feel when you get back—and especially if this drop in service is happening on that ship too.

No comment on the flights!!!

Hello! So, what flight did you end up finding? Air France is reopening a direct route to Orlando. As for the food on Celebrity, according to Rose Allois, it’s still way better than NCL, which you’ll be trying soon. I’ll be able to compare too since I went on Celebrity last summer and I’m doing NCL in two weeks.

Hello So, what flight did you end up finding? Air France is reopening a direct route to Orlando. Otherwise, regarding the food on Celebrity, according to Rose Allois, it’s still way better than NCL, which you’ll be trying soon. I’ll be able to compare too since I did Celebrity last summer and I’m doing NCL in two weeks.

Hey Nath,

So, I booked a round-trip flight from Paris to Miami to Orlando with AA, with a 2h30 layover on the way there and 1h on the way back.

Yeah, I saw in *L'Écho Touristique* that AF is "reopening" its direct route this year because, for now, a layover is mandatory to get to Orlando.

Let us know how NCL compares to Celebrity when you get back.

Yes, I’ll do it. When it comes to the ships, they’ll be roughly the same size, so comparing them will be easier. Because last time it was the Celebrity Summit vs. the NCL Spirit—two small ships.