FREDERIKSTED — The Celebrity Equinox is docked at the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in St. Croix this morning.
The upscale cruise ship, registered in Malta, is scheduled to stay at the Frederiksted pier until 6 p.m., according to the Virgin Islands Port Authority.
“Welcome back to St. Croix Celebrity Cruises!” VIPA said on Facebook today.
The Celebrity Equinox is the first cruise ship to visit St. Croix since February of 2020, just before the advent of COVID-19.
Hundreds of staff and crew are expected to disembark from the ship during its roughly 10 hours in port.
Most St. Croix people criticized the visit by the cruise ship on social media, due to the chance that passengers could infect locals with COVID-19. One person, however, did not.
“I don’t understand all the hype about the ship, when we have more than 20,000 we of our own people right here that refuse to get the vaccine, because they don’t trust the people who make it, but trust the same people to cure them when they get it,” Mary Kabbage said on Facebook.
Celebrity Equinox caters primarily to baby boomers and seniors with 70 percent of cruisers coming from the United States and the other 30 percent hailing from Europe.
Public areas are classical and elegant with chandeliers and Swarovski crystals finding their way into the decorations. Pool areas are also spectacular with color changing fountains and plenty of shade. Passengers are required to dress formally for dinner.
Celebrity Equinox is a Solstice-class cruise ship built by Meyer Werft in Germany and last refurbished in 2019.
It is the second of the five Solstice-class vessels, owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises.
She is a sister ship of Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Silhouette, and the Celebrity Reflection.
The cruise ship is 1,041 feet long and has the capacity to carry 2,850 passengers and 1,255 crew members.
