Punam

21 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We did this on Scenic, not AMA, but I think the experience would be the same.  There were no walking tours that started from the ship – there were always coaches that took us up the steep hills to the ridge, and from then any walking was no steeper than on other European river cruises.  The one exception would be Porto, but there are funiculars to get up the hills and AMA is very good about dividing up the excursions into active, regular and gentle walkers.

Thanks 🙂 I was wondering about the 3 days in Lisbon, but you're right. Ama has differend levels of excursions. Forgot about that.

Speaking of this cruise, I wanted to book it but can't walk steep hills and I'm told the journey is very hiily. Can you tell us what the walking was like? 

Thanks. Makes sense.

56 minutes ago, texasstar said:

I was on an Ama cruise in August.  I know of one passenger that admitted to testing positive.  They were quarantined to their room, and their spouse was moved to another room.

Admitted is the magic word. Thanks much 🙂

I can't get a straight answer from Amawaterways before booking my trip, so I'm hoping someone here can share their experience. People I know got covid while on an Amawaterways river cruises and told to leave the ship. He and his wife were left to find a hotel and help. They didn't know which hotel would accept them at that point. They'd been on the cruise for 3 days before having symptoms, but since they had fevers they thought they could stay in their cabin until they felt better. Prior to booking they were told it depends on the severity of the case and if it was only like the flu they'd be told to stay in their cabin and the crew would leave food in the hallway for them. That's not what happened.

Has anyone experienced similar, or was this just a one time poor service issue?

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Neither ship has been revolutionized.  The Constellation had a pretty good refresh in July of 2021 just before her restart which included new carpet, paint, furniture, etc. in most of the public areas.  I don't think any of the cabins have had refurbishments since before the pandemic but they were in decent condition when we were on in late 2022 and late 2021.  On both cruises, we really enjoyed the wait staff and food in Luminae but crew and chefs will have changed over several times before your cruise.  I wouldn't hesitate to book the Constellation again.

 

I haven't sailed the Infinity so I can't speak to the condition of that ship.

Thanks so much!

3 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Book both than go with the one that has the best reviews in 2024 🤣

Can't do that without losing a deposit somewhere, I don't think?

Can't do that without losing a deposit somewhere, I don't think? 

We enjoyed both before the pandemic and are considering booking one of these ships for a Med cruise in 2024. I've read all the not great reviews re food being lesser-than in quality and selection. We always book a Sky Suite and like the location of these cabins. That, and the itineray are the attractions for us. But I'd hate to board and find out the cabins are in poor shape (subjective, I know).  Internet says Infinity was refurbished in 2015, 2018 and 2020, so I don't know which is true or what they call refurbishment. New carpets in the hall, or are the cabins clean and updated as well? Has anyone sailed either/both ships over the last year and found them to be ok, or was it a poor experience? Does Celebrity have their act together now, or still struggling with insufficient staff? I appreciate tings can be different in 2024, but I'd appreciate any feedback.

7 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I am sure someone who has sailed with them will answer you but I have been on 2 river cruises and both were casual.......nobody wore anything close to formal stuff.  Is that what you saw on the website?

I was looking at the same exact cruise......that itinerary looks really good.  I don't own any long dresses so none are going with me LOL....actually, I am not a dress gal........it is pants for every trip. 

I will be waiting to see what answers you receive from previous Tauck cruisers.

The formal wear was on Youtube where a Tauck rep showed the boat etc. I'm a pants girl too 🙂 Have you seen AMA IMPRESSIONS OF THE SEINE & PARIS? That looks lovely also and the time in Paris is longer (with their extended stay pkg) but the trip doesn't start in London... decisions, decisions 🙂

Other than the <cough> price of Tauck's  - Cruising the Seine, plus Paris & London - the thing that makes me pause are the videos of formal wear at dinners. I don't want to wear pearls and a long dress like yesteryear. Jacket and ties for the men? Is that really how it is? Nice dinners are lovely but I don't want stuffiness. Does that make me more of a non-Taucker? I like the itineraries. Just don't want to be feel uncomfortable.

18 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

Also, when we were in Croatia and Montenegro last year, they said the heavy winds usually start the week after we were there, so by the first week in October.  I guess they are really pretty regular.  That can bar you from docking at a few locations in the Adriatic area.  We missed Split due to the wind and the worst of it wasn't even hitting that area yet.

Yikes. Good to know. Thanks very much!

THANKS everyone 🙂 Always helpful here!

11 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

Venice often deals with Acqua Alta at that time of year - high water that can flood the city.  It was really, really bad last year.  We missed it by about 10 days.  The wind can also be a big issue in October.  Those are the two main concerns. 

When we were in the Med. during the first week of October, that's what we had a problem with - high wind and big waves.  It's just that time of year.  Who knows though?  You could have warm days with flat seas.  

Thanks! Maybe we'll try early Sept. again. Price was much better end of Oct, but there's always a reason:)

We did the Med in Sept and May. Calm seas both times although Sept was calmer than May. Thinking of going back Oct 22nd in mid shipsuite. Nobody can predict the weather, but if you sailed this time of year in same area, I'd appreciate your comments/thoughts. 

Thanks!

19 minutes ago, sail2day said:

We were on the Infinity a month ago and found her to be in good shape. The food was amazing, as was the service. You could tell by looking at the hull though that she was in need of a dry dock. There were rust spots and stains in the aft section of the hull.

 

The crew as always was amazing. I would not hesitate to cruise on her again.

 

Thanks so much 🙂

56 minutes ago, lorimay said:

We were on the Infinity in April for a short cruise. Our cabin was immaculately clean but there were some stains on the couch and the bathroom looked old and worn. The decor is obviously dated - lots of mirrors, burgundy and gold. Everywhere we went was clean and maintained although the furniture in many places was showing its age. Many of the chairs in the Constellation lounge were threadbare as were the seats in the Celebrity theater. But they were adding new outdoor furniture while we were aboard. 

 

We had been on Summit previously and really like the size and layout of this class of ship. Big enough but not huge, easy to navigate, enough private spaces. One criticism is that the spa is lacking in "relaxation" spaces. I booked a facial and didn't even get offered a locker in the locker room - had to change in the treatment room - and there was no lounge to sit and wait for your turn. There were some chairs by the fitness rooms but I was not offered time in the Persian Garden (which seems like a nice idea but there is no view or anything - I found it a little claustrophobic when we toured through there).

 

If you keep in mind it's an older ship and come with expectations that the decor will not be new or up to date you will enjoy it. The service and food are pretty much the same no matter what ship you are on. 

Decor isn't a big deal as compared to itinerary, and we're used to the food and service - all ok with us. But plumbing issue that creates rust coloured water, or unhealthy air coming through vents - those are my deal breakers which is why I ask.  Stains - depends how bad and what they're from, but not a good thing either.

Yep, I've developed rashes both times we were on Connie. Clears up if I used bottle water (just a test - obviously). So that's why I'm asking about Infinity. 

16 minutes ago, DanL said:

Punam check this. For us old ships = higher chance of respiratory issue but may we are sensitive.

 

Thanks so much!

47 minutes ago, DanL said:

There was the discussion on this within the last month. Use the search to find it.

Thanks. I tried, couldn't find anything, so I posted here. Obviously not searching for the correct thing. Do you happen to remember if it was under Infinity, or ...?

29 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Hopefully you made mention of this while on your cruise as well as in your PCS. 

Not on the cruise since I mentioned it last year and everyone was very sorry, but... I'm not expecting the staff to fix the problem. Management, yes! I wrote to Celebrity last year, and reviewed this year. 

We sailed on Infinity in a sky suite 3 years ago and loved it. There's an itinerary we like in the Med with Infinity prior to her dry dock. I've read reviews about a smell of mildew in rooms and this scares me because having been on Connie twice and developing skin rashes both times... is it the water? Cleaning agents? Love both ships, but want to be sure they're in ok shape. Pics are of what we encountered in sky suite on Connie a few weeks ago. I'm not a very picky person, but maintenance can be a health issue, so it makes me pause. Your experience? Thoughts? Thanks so much.

Looks like she's going to be dry docked next year. There's an itinerary we like that's prior to the refurbishment but we're not willing to go on a worn out ship. That's relative, I know, so here's what we found on Constellation that we felt was not ok. Skysuite (2 yrs in a row) had seriously stained/dirty loveseats, worn out top sheets. Pics below are from this year. The ship itself is tired, but we're ok with that. So reviews re Infinity are fairly poor, but we were on her 3 years ago and didn't have concerns. Just wondering about her status now. Anyone in a sky suite feel if was iffy? 

Looks like she's going to be dry docked next year. There's an itinerary we like that's prior to the refurbishment but we're not willing to go on a worn out ship. That's relative, I know, so here's what we found on Constellation that we felt was not ok. Skysuite (2 yrs in a row) had seriously stained/dirty loveseats, worn out top sheets. Pics below are from this year. The ship itself is tired, but we're ok with that. So reviews re Infinity are fairly poor, but we were on her 3 years ago and didn't have concerns. Just wondering about her status now. Anyone in a sky suite feel if was iffy? 

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I believe the smaller ships hold 200 in the theater   it is more caberet style seating

the larger ships have a lot more seating

of course  not everyone goes to the shows  so they do not hold everyone onboard

some photos of the Riviera

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/riviera-607/

as for cabins 

it is  a personal choice 

some prefer the PH with more space & a butler

some like the insides

enjoy whatever cruise you choose

Snall theater, but really depends on how many people show up. I don't mind the back row 🙂 Thanks for the link!