First, to set context: My wife and I have been on 25+ cruises on 8 cruise lines. This review is about our experience in a Celebrity Penthouse Suite on the Equinox, a Solstice-class ship, our first cruise with Celebrity. Prior to this cruise, our most recent cruises had been multiple stays in the highest-level suites on Oceania and Regent as well as multiple trips in butler-serviced rooms on the Paul Gauguin. If you’re interested in our perspectives about the highest-end Celebrity experience in that context, read on!
Summary: All things considered, this was the best cruise we’ve ever taken. The ship was in excellent shape, food and wine were outstanding, and the staff was amazing. We’ve already booked multiple additional cruises in the Penthouse Suite on Solstice-class ships. More detail on each of those topics is contained in the sections below. Please keep in mind that this is about the top-end experience on Celebrity, your mileage may vary.
Embarkation/Disembarkation: The process of getting on the ship was very smooth, on a par with what we experienced in the Owner’s Suite on Oceania. We boarded the ship at Terminal G in Miami, where there were separate security and check-in lines for Suite and Premier passengers. After check-in, a representative escorted us up the boarding ramp and we were quickly scanned in onto the ship. Celebrity staff with champagne was waiting just past security check-in.
The cabin was very spacious and very efficiently laid out. Decor suited us very well--understated elegant, but *not* the cold chrome "modern" look a lot of people seem to be going for. Furniture and beds were very comfortable. Lots of storage and drawer space--we probably didn't use half the drawers.
The baths were amazing. Two full bathrooms, and the master was bigger and nicer than any bathroom we've ever stayed in. That includes the cruises we've mentioned above and some of the nicest suites at Four Seasons. Even the guest bath was nicer than many of the baths we've had on other ships.
The balcony was also spacious and well-arranged, we spent multiple hours on it every day. We think it's the best balcony we've ever been on, and we've had balconies that were the entire back end of a ship (stern) as well as some that were half of the front end (bow).