Tuesday: Aboard the Celebrity Equinox, at sea

Tuesday, October 16^th 2012: Aboard the Celebrity Equinox – At Sea

(Written by Steve) Our first full day aboard the ship was an “at sea” day. For some bizarre reason, Allan woke bolt upright at 6AM and headed out to take photos. I woke up around 8:30, just in time for our entrance into the Strait of Messina, that narrow body of water separating the Italian mainland from the island of Sicily (Sicilia – pronounced see-CHEE-lyah). The town of Messina (on the Sicilian side) crowded along the shore. There were many ferry boats making the crossing, as well as a hydrofoil noisily coming from another part of the island (perhaps Palermo?).

Allan was hoping to get good shots of Mt. Etna, but like most volcanic mountains, it was shrouded in clouds. Still, it was an interesting passage, and there was more to see than when we came through in the other direction at night in 2006 (at that time, you could only see the glowing red top of Mt. Etna).

We had breakfast in the Oceanview Café (a/k/a “The Trough”). Allan was thrilled to be able to get all of the bacon his heart desired, and I had a good omelette. The food quality was good, particularly the baked goods (Celebrity understands that proper pain au chocolat doesn’t have chocolate drizzled on top).

We attended a lecture (given by one of the ship’s chief engineers) on how the propulsion system works on the Solstice-class ships. There are four enormous common-rail diesel engines that only generate electric power. This electricity is used by the two Azipods (attached below the hull) to turn the screws that propel the ship. The Azipods can turn 360°, which combined with the three bow thrusters, enables the Equinox to dock (or undock) itself without the aid of tugboats. The ship also features a huge bulbous bow below the waterline to ease our passage through the water. Allan slept through most of the lecture, but I enjoyed it.

Later in the day, I went to the gym and ran for 4K. Not much, I admit, but after not doing anything for a week and a half, it felt good. After showering I ate a good burger up at the Mast Grill and then went back to the cabin for a nap. Allan played Monopoly with Michael on his iPad in the Card Room. We didn’t see Shaun until drinks before dinner.

Tonight was the first of two formal nights, and we got dressed up in our tuxes. I always like the way a man looks in a tux. We met up with Shaun and Michael for drinks (that is, Coke Zero and Sprite) at Michael’s Club (no relation) and then proceeded down to the Silhouette Dining Room for late-seating dinner.

Michael got our table changed so that we weren’t in a high-traffic area. We were now seated at table 235, almost in the middle center of the main floor (on Deck 3). It was far superior, and the experience of eating in the open two-story area made the experience more festive.

I started with escargots (everything’s better with garlic butter!), followed by a good roasted corn soup (not creamy – just right), then beef tournedos. We had good service from Alex, our new waiter, and his assistant. For dessert, it was an orange-cream filled baked phyllo.

After we got changed out of our formal wear, the four of us met up in the Card Room and played a rousing game of Monopoly until after midnight. I actually won (by default).