Monday: Arrivaderci Roma, ciao Celebrity Equinox!

Monday October 15th, 2012 

After a very late night of packing I had a good, if short, night's sleep. I had set my alarm for 8:30AM to have enough time to finish packing and try to get out to find a coffee press to take with us on the boat. As it turned out, this was unnecessary. The coffee on the ship is much better than on past cruises. 

Michael and I had no luck looking for that press, but we did have a nice brisk stroll around the Piazza de Spagna's immediate environs and headed back to the flat on Via Francesco Crispi, arriving right at 11:00 just as Alex, our rep from Rentals in Rome was leaving after settling our account and returning our €300 deposit.

We finished getting it together and were out the door at 11:25. Our driver for the trip to Civitivecchia (the port city for Rome) was annoyed that we were a bit behind schedule, but we made good time once we got on the Autostrada. It was a beautiful sunny day, but quite humid. (Steve here: our driver was told 11:00 and we didn't get out of the apartment until 11:25, putting him behind schedule for the day. He was right to be annoyed. I bore the brunt of it as I was sitting in the front seat and he spoke to me in Italian. Comprehending a little of the language can sometimes put you in an awkward position...)

Arriving at the port we found a bus waiting for us that took us to the ship. Our boarding process was quite smooth and we were up in the buffet, or "trough" as we like to call it, in short order. We had a very late brunch then set off to explore the ship. 

(Steve writes from this point) The Equinox is the second in the new Celebrity Solstice-class of ships, inaugurated in the summer of 2009. It's a bigger ship than the Millennium: 122,000 tons, over 1,000 feet long, carrying 2,850 passengers. It also is designed to allow much more natural light and have a very modern feel. The ship's prevailing color theme seems to be white and silver as evidenced by the beautiful double-deck main dining room. Steve said it seemed to be done in a sort of 60's Italian modern style. In general the public spaces are more numerous but smaller and more intimate. There are definitely fewer places to sit in many of the cafes and bars. Corridors and hallways are broken up with many bends and turns, instead of long long straightaways that were common on the Millennium and the Princess ships we've been on.

We decided to book a cabin in Aqua Class, and we're ensconced in number 1525 on Deck 11, just a level below the Aqua Spa. The cabin’s about 170 square feet, with a small seating area between the bed and the bathroom, and a private balcony. There wasn't as much drawer space as on other ships we've been on, but we managed. The décor’s tasteful, and our attendant Carlos (from Columbia) brings us iced tea and bottled water daily. Our bathroom has a multi-nozzle Hans Grohe shower, and a myriad of lotions and potions. We also have lovely robes and slippers. The overall effect is to feel like an extension of the Spa above.  

We also love the Aqua Lounge at the front of the ship on our deck. There's nothing but a floor-to-ceiling windows and a long row of very comfy daybeds there. Just PERFECT for a nap after lunch. 

Our fellow passengers are mostly Americans, with several groups of Chinese, French, and Spanish travelers. Not too many of the "Oh Harry!" types from other cruises, which is a relief. There are a few kids onboard, but we rarely see them. 

We met up with Shaun and Michael as we were touring the main dining room. It seems that they were assigned a table for two (instead of the four of us, as was pre-arranged). In addition, we were given open seating in Blu, the Aqua Class-only restaurant. We worked with the Maitre d’ to find a table that was acceptable and left to walk around the ship some more. Michael and I also took advantage of a deal to book all three “specialty” restaurants at once, and save some of the cost (up to $30 per person per restaurant). We spent about twenty minutes picking dates and times in each of the restaurants, and you’ll read reports of those meals in future posts. 

Our bags were delivered to our stateroom by 4PM, and I (Steve) got unpacked. We stood on our balcony as the ship pulled away from the pier at 5PM, and we sailed into mild seas but watched a thunderstorm hit the Lazio region (where Rome is located) as we sailed southward. 

We met up again for drinks at 7:45PM at a very empty Sky Lounge, then headed over to the Molecular Bar at 8PM for the “Friends of Dorothy” gathering (1960s code language for “gay”, used commonly on cruises these days – sort of like “Friends of Bill W” for Alcoholics Anonymous). There were only a few people there, and it wasn’t much of a gathering. Usually better on the second night anyway. 

At 8:30 we went to our assigned table (701) on the main floor of the Silhouette Dining Room and enjoyed a good-quality dinner. While I’ve have grown increasingly disillusioned with the quality of large-ship cruise food, this was pretty good. The salads were fresh, the meats cooked correctly, and the desserts were creative and tasty. There is a “standard” menu on the left that remains the same every evening (for example, escargots, onion soup and grilled chicken breast are always available). The right side has items that change from night to night. My god – even the coffee was good! 

The table next to us (a group of four from the New York area – I couldn’t tell exactly where, but I did overhear that they were Jets fans), were celebrating their 40^th anniversary. It was a festive affair, even with a hearty (if pitch-challenged) serenade by the wait staff. While we were enjoying our dessert and coffee, a woman from another table came over to talk to the celebrating couple, mindlessly sitting herself on the back of my chair. Had I turned to my right, we would have been “cheek-to-cheek”. While I was tempted to stab my fork in her behind, instead I just stretched as if I was yawning, “accidentally” brushing her butt. She jumped up and said that she hadn’t realized that she was sitting on my chair. I said it was okay, and thanked her for the lap dance. That got a great laugh out of all concerned. 

After dinner, we took the airs on deck for a while, then went to our comfortable bed for a good night’s sleep. I sleep well at sea – the rocking, if any, doesn’t bother me.