Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Equinox Pre-Cruise Get Together

Sunday, 9 August 2009, was one hot and humid day. The temperature rose to the high 90’s with the heat index hitting 100.

Inside my house with the a/c running non-stop, I hosted a pre-cruise get together. We’re all sailing on the Celebrity Equinox in the fall, which sails from Rome, Italy to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A 14-night transatlantic, we will stop in Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cartagena, Lanzarote, and Tenerife, followed by 6 hopefully-smooth days at sea.

This is the inaugural crossing of the Equinox, which recently left the dry docks. “The new ship will sail its maiden voyage roundtrip from Southampton on July 31, 2009; it'll cruise an eight-night Norwegian Fjords itinerary, calling in Stavanger, Flam, Geiranger and Oslo. The first cruise will be followed by a 10-night "Best of Europe" itinerary, calling in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar en route to Rome. The ship will then sail a series of 13- and 14-night "Ancient Empires" cruises from Rome, featuring two new ports of call: Haifa and Ashdod, Israel. These voyages also include an overnight stay in Egypt's Alexandria.” (Celebrity Equinox Review - Countdown to Launch. M Paloti. Retrieved 11 August 2009 from http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=382).

All of us a great time, enjoyed some delicious foods, and even had an "AA" session in the family room where we all took turns introducing ourselves. There were lots of laughs, as we talked about past sailings, where we lived, and how much we are looking forward to getting onboard this beautiful ship.

Photo:
Back Row: Glenn, Susan, Caryn, Wally, Carolyn, Terry, Pat, Mark, Mark, Barry, Michael, Lorraine

Middle: Carol, Rich, Bonnie, Marilyn, Skip, MaryRuth, JR, Mary, Sherry, Linda, Nessa, Monica, Tony
Front: Sharon, Janet, Kathi