Celebrity Equinox: Behind the Scenes

Closed toed shoes must be worn.

“Huh,” I said to my husband as I read aloud from the contract. “This is going to be interesting, since the only closed toed shoes I brought on this Caribbean cruise are the gold glittery ones that I wore on my birthday. Who brings closed toed shoes on a cruise? And what are we going to be doing that requires them? What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?”

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It was my husband, in fact, who had gotten me into this mess in the first place. It was his idea for me to take the “Behind the Scenes: See How It Works” tour bright & early on the last day of our trip across the sea. For a not insubstantial amount of money, I was about to embark on a three-hour tour with four ex-Navy guys old enough to be my grandfather & a couple from New Jersey on the tour “just to see the theater – it’s all so fantastic!” I just smiled meekly & said I was a travel writer who hoped to learn more about cruising.

Our tour started on the Bridge. This is the crème de la crème spot on the ship, offering 180 degree views across the vast ocean of nothingness ahead. Well, that’s not quite true: while we were on the bridge, chatting away with the Captain & the First Officer we passed the Norwegian Epic, which I readily identified awkwardly floating on the horizon, a Royal Caribbean ship & a few container ships. Some interesting facts I learned about the massive Celebrity Equinox (1000’ long, 250’ wide) which may calm your fear of cruising: the ship can make a 90 degree turn in 2.5 ship lengths (think about that! this huge, multi-ton cruise ship can make a 90 degree turn in 3000’!); the ship can come to a complete stop by reversing the azipods (the turny thingys that hold the propellers) in four minutes (four minutes!); other ships are kept at least two nautical miles distance apart – a sophisticated radar system allows them to identify any nearby ship, their submitted route & other information with just the click of a mouse; the ship can sail in as little as 10m of water (that’s only 32′! – ok, never mind…).

After not nearly a long enough time to soak in everything there is to soak in on the bridge, we headed to what was arguably the coolest part of the tour: the helipad. Ruining the dreams of Jack & Rose wannabes everywhere, most cruise ships now sport a helipad at the bow, which means the area is off limits to passengers. Except us lucky few. I stepped up the very bow of the ship, wrapped my hands around the hot wood railing & took a deep breath of sea air. All I could hear was the wind whipping past my ears & the hull of the ship cutting through the Atlantic with the sharpest precision. All I could see in any direction was cobalt blue. I felt totally at peace & totally alone, until my moment of serenity was broken by the Chief Safety Officer explaining that yes, the helipad is there for emergency evacuations & no, he has never been a part of one, & no, the helicopter doesn’t land on the ship, they use the helipad to lower a basket for the person being evacuated (duh).

After gawking at the crew’s outdoor sunbathing/jacuzzi/bar/snack bar area, we headed back into the ship & deep into the front of the hull. Donning hard hats, mouths dropped as we were lead into the mooring area, where the massive ropes & anchors area stored. The blue & tan ropes are so grand, so thick, so expansive. 16-18 ropes stabilize the ship when it’s in dock. The first line let out is called the spring line – it extends toward the stern. The second lines to go out – the breast lines – keep the ship parallel to the dock. The rest of the ropes work in different directions to stabilize the ship. The 14 ton anchor is only dropped when the ship is anchored off shore & the passengers are tendered in on smaller boats (usually because the water in port is too shallow for the ship). When the anchor is down, the azipods work together to stabilize the ship. The mooring area is one of the most difficult, stressful & dangerous areas on the ship to work – it is loud & chaotic when the ropes are being let in & out. We shook the hands of a few of the brave young men who worked in the area & thanked them for getting us in & out of port safely.

Our little group wandered to the middle of the ship next, down secret crew corridors that the public never sees. Like a multi-lane highway (nicknamed I-95), a long, wide corridor runs the length of the ship, allowing a crew member to walk from the very front all the way to the back in less than five minutes. Walking these passageways allowed us a glimpse into crew life. They have their own library (Pages), their own gym (B Fit), their own bar, their own mess hall, & their own Internet café. Crew members pay for their own phone calls home ($20 for a two hour phone card), as well as their own Internet time, which is often why you’ll see crew members on shore at the ports using free wifi. The Human Resources Officer told us that friendships easily develop among the crew, especially those who are from the same native country. While being away from their families is difficult, many crew members can make a better living on board than they could at home & the money they send back to their families is needed & helpful. 71 nationalities were represented on our sailing of the Celebrity Equinox, with the largest number coming from India & the Philippines. Crew members & officers eat together, with Celebrity believes helps boost crew morale. Crew members sleep in cabins on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th & 9th decks, some with bunkbeds, some solo cabins with a shared bathroom.

During the tour we also stopped in the dressing rooms for the theater (where we learned that costumes are disinfected with a water & vodka solution), the engine control room (where we learned that divers inspect the azipods every four weeks & actually watched the engines working on video screens), & the giant refrigerators & freezers that hold the 36,000 eggs & 500 pallets of food that are brought on each cruise.

Our final stop was in the galley of the main dining room, where we met the chef. He talked about the 2300 meals they serve nightly during the first & second seating, the 2,000 lobster tails they go through on formal night, & how the menu changes every three months (it recently changed in mid-April). All food is cooked to order, with 75 line cooks in full swing at dinner time.

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The tour was interesting & certainly unique. We saw things passengers would not see otherwise on any cruise line & I left with a greater appreciation of how much it really takes to run a cruise ship (although viewing the crew areas felt a little voyeuristic, which is why I don’t have many photos). However, it wasn’t cheap ($150) & is definitely something I’d only do once. The ex-Navy guys I was with though? I can bet they’re doing it every single cruise :)