Introduction and History

Rolled out in 2009, the Celebrity Equinox became Celebrity Cruises' second large luxury ship (1,425 staterooms) in its Solstice class of vessels. Like its sister ship, it faced the challenge of combining luxury and service for all 2,850 passengers aboard.

Celebrity has taken numerous energy-efficient steps to minimize the ship's environmental impact. A silicon coating was applied to the hull to reduce frictional resistance and trim fuel consumption. Energy-efficient lighting and water consumption, advanced wastewater purification and air-conditioning energy-saving systems are also in place.

Passenger Profiles

A majority of travelers on the Celebrity Equinox are baby boomers and seniors. This ship and its sisters are the most elegant in the Celebrity line and attract the experienced adult cruiser.

Shore Excursions

Shore excursions are plentiful, with a shore-excursion desk on board and an experienced tour manager available to set up tours for guests in every destination. Tours carry an extra fee.

Team Earth, an interactive exhibit on the ship, educates guests about conservation efforts around the world.

Public Areas

Public areas are classical with glistening chandeliers and elegant furnishings. Passengers entering the grand foyer view an enormous multi-colored vase dotted with thousands of Swarovski crystals and suspended in the upper portion of the atrium; it supports a live, 18-ft tree. This masterpiece is one of 500 works of art on the ship designed to give passengers a variety of mixed media from around the world to enjoy during their cruise.

The ship's atrium climbs 12 stories and can be seen from glass elevators, which also enable guests to view each floor's activities.

In spite of its size, the Celebrity Equinox does not feel crowded. Passageways are large and offer numerous quiet spaces where passengers can enjoy pleasant, uninterrupted conversations.

Spectacular pool areas, including the adults-only Solarium pool and lounge area, as well as bars and lounges, give guests numerous choices of public areas for relaxing. Shade is plentiful at the pool area, and changing colorful fountains are synchronized to the music of a lively band.

The 24-hour Internet Cafe has dozens of computers, and passengers are offered high-speed onboard internet access. The library is well stocked, as is the game room. Eighteen boutiques and brand-name stores are artistically arranged along a long boulevard to provide an upscale shopping experience.

The Canyon Ranch Spa provides a wide range of treatments, saunas and steam rooms, plus an elaborate gym overlooking the bow. Sports enthusiasts have a golf simulator, basketball court, volleyball, shuffleboard and a much longer circular jogging track than is found on the Century class. Healthy fare is available at the Spa Cafe for all three meals in a light-filled setting next to the Solarium.

Celebrity Equinox features three shows, and cruisers can access 13 beautifully designed bars, including the Martini Bar and Crush with its ice-topped bar.

One of the most beautiful spaces is the popular Sky Observation Lounge, and the Fortunes Casino features Vegas-style gambling.

Also available are a glass-blowing show at sea (via an alliance with The Corning Museum of Glass); a half-acre Lawn Club with real outdoor grass; a putting course; and "Celebrity Life," an onboard program offering enrichment classes in three categories: Savor, Discover and Renew.

Dining

The Silhouette Dining Room has a dramatic, two-story glass wine tower. Blu restaurant serves AquaClass guests only. Murano is a French-inspired specialty restaurant. Qsine specializes in Asian-fusion dishes. The largest specialty restaurant is the Tuscan Grill, an Italian seafood and steak house. Bistro on Five serves crepes with flair, as well as salads, soups and paninis.

Cabins

The cabins are larger than on previous Celebrity ships, with 85% of all cabins balcony rooms. Modern in decor, rooms are equipped with well-lighted vanity desks with dual-plug outlets. All staterooms are equipped with refrigerators, safes, hair dryers and a sitting area with sofa, desk and flat-screen TVs. Sliding doors open onto balconies with chairs and a table. All sport eXhale bedding featuring CashmereSM mattresses.

There are 130 AquaClass rooms, which provide guests with their own specialty restaurant, Blu, and unlimited access to the AquaSpa relaxation room and Persian Garden, a room with heated lounges and adjacent steam and sauna areas. AquaClass rooms are the same size as the standard staterooms and veranda staterooms, except for the wheelchair-accessible staterooms, which are larger.

The suites are stunning, with large picture windows and huge balconies. There is one Penthouse suite, eight Royal suites and 12 Celebrity suites. Sky suites make up the majority of suites. The Retreat is an exclusive suite class experience and includes The Retreat Sundeck and The Retreat Lounge.

Celebrity Solstice has 30 wheelchair-accessible staterooms with wider doors, lowered closet rods, safes, vanity, grab bars, roll-in showers and fold-down shower benches. These rooms are located at the ends of each floor near the elevators and are available in a variety of price categories.

Nonstandard Amenities

All cabins have 24-hour room service.

Advisor Notes

A smoke-free policy for most of the ship's public areas is enforced.

Dress on the ship is resort casual during the day, and guests tend to dress up for dinner in the evenings. There is also an "evening chic" night on the ship, where guests wear sports coats and slacks and dresses.

Comparable Ships

In the premium class, it compares favorably with Regent and is above Holland America and Princess. However, Crystal Cruises, Silversea and Seabourn have an advantage for many upscale, well-heeled travelers, as they are smaller ships carrying fewer passengers and can therefore offer a more intimate, personalized travel experience.

The first Celebrity ships were created by Chandris Cruises as a separate upscale line. Although the initial Celebrity vessel was a second-hand rebuild, Chandris went on to build two new ships, Horizon and Zenith, with a high standard of construction and attention to detail in design and decor. But Chandris had difficulty charging the higher fares to pay for these quality-built ships, and ultimately it sold the Celebrity brand to Royal Caribbean. With its most recent additions to the fleet, RCI has greatly burnished the Celebrity name and gained a reputation for innovation. Celebrity ships offer a high standard of food and service and a sophisticated onboard atmosphere in attractive surroundings.

Fleet

With many of the older ships transferred to other cruise companies, Celebrity's oldest ships, Summit and Xpedition, date from 2001, though both were refurbished in 2012. Smokeless turbine engines power the 90,000-ton Millennium-class ships—Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation—which have well-designed interiors and fabulous dining spaces for a more sophisticated feel than mass-market ships. Solstice-class, which includes Celebrity Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection, brought Celebrity into the megaship era with 122,000-ton ships and a passenger capacity of 2,850. The Millennium class received Solstice-class-style specialty bars, restaurants and enlarged suites as part of a refurbishment program.

Itineraries

With its ever-larger fleet, Celebrity offers itineraries that range beyond North America, the Caribbean and Hawaii to South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and New Zealand, plus long repositioning voyages linking the cruising regions with lots of sea days. As a result of passenger demand, Celebrity now offers 7- and 10-night itineraries around the Mediterranean. The Celebrity Xpedition takes 94 passengers on cruise tours in considerable comfort to the Galapagos Island.

Dining and Decor

Celebrity ships are classy and modern, using high-quality materials and fabrics to create a sophisticated atmosphere throughout. The main restaurants provide dining events in food, service and decor. The specialty restaurants on the Millennium class each has a theme and provides some of the finest dining afloat in some of the most winsome settings. Even the buffet restaurants are attractive and well laid out for circulation and cutting queues. Other locales provide fast food, pizza and snacks, pastry and specialty coffees. The 121,000-ton Solstice class has expanded the fleet’s sophisticated amenities and dining options.

Programs

The line provides enrichment and special-interest lectures, especially when ships cruise to exotic regions. On selected sailings, the Smithsonian Institution will offer talks on history, art and architecture, with marine biology and astronomy experts on others.

Onboard Experience

Celebrity ships provide a cruise experience that is well above what is offered on the mass-market RCI ships in terms of dining, service and atmosphere, but without some of the mass market's trendy bells and whistles. The Lawn Club is one substantial innovation aboard the Solstice class where a real grass outdoor setting provides a large open-to-the-sky space to relax or partake in some of the outdoor games. The Art Studio offers passengers creative classes, from cooking to painting. The famed Corning Museum of Glass stages The Hot Glass Show, which is really unusual on a ship. As Celebrity has expanded its reach to the world, European, South American and Australian passengers are coming aboard in much greater numbers.

Competitors

Celebrity is in the premium category (though with much larger ships) along with Holland America and Oceania, and a few notches below Crystal Cruises in accommodations. A competitor to Celebrity Xpedition in the soft adventure cruise market in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands is the National Geographic Islander, National Geographic Endeavour and Galapagos Explorer II.