Miaminice

The name change to "Prime" is just a sales pitch. Before it was just A1 and A2 - same thing without lipstick on the pig 🙂 Aqua is great - no matter if A1 or A2. On the contrary - on S class we decline the free upgrade because we prefer A2 locations over A1.

That´s not true! Aqua class gives you the right and option to dine in Blu. However, you are not limited to Blu. You can dine at the MDR any time you want. We almost exclusively book AQ - because of BLU. But every once in a while we dine at the MDR and made reservations. They were not cancelled. We walked up, mentioned the reservation... and went in.

The topic says Infinity

On S-class the A2 are better than the A1 staterooms, IMHO. We book A2s forward and choose a stateroom under the spa, Persian Garden, Salon etc. Very quiet!

When we sailed on Apex last time in October 2022 this was printed in the daily program. But there were no seatings. People who wanted to change early to late or late to early on the first day where told not to worry as there are no more seatings. it seems the times in the program are just as inaccurate as their IT system.

You also have that option when you book Aqua - and Blu doesn’t have seatings. it just shows the inaccuracies in their IT system. Celebrity stopped seatings on E-class because people were assigned a specific dining room when booking early or late. And of course that created a lot of work because guests wanted to change and also enjoy the variety. Anyway… if you prefer 6pm then choose 6 pm and/or just go at 6 pm if it’s anytime dining. No problem.

You are correct: Same rotating menu in all four dining rooms PLUS the regular daily classics PLUS singature items based on the theme of the restaurant. Menus can be found on the website or the app. Usually you can have dishes of one restaurant in the other. However, during peak times I heard them kindly refusing to do it. The are still dealing with a lack of staff. Early/late dining doesn´t exist on E-class anymore. They gave up on it after a while. It´s still in the IT system but not practised on the ships. You go any time you want. On all the E-class ships. BTW: the four dining rooms IMHO are a huge improvement over the big MDR on other ships and one of the great features of E-class. Love Apex - sailed on her 4 times - so enjoy!

I think first thing you need to know is that Eden and Eden Restaurant are different things. Same area but different decks. Eden Restaurant is fabulous. But it’s fine dining and you want to take your time - easily over 2 hours. Don’t choose a time which makes you rush to a show. It would e a wasted experience and waste of money.

To answer the easy part of your question first: You can let them know it´s your anniversary. I think even in the check-in forms. They will surprise you - most of the times with a cake after dinner. The card was a different story. I am trying to keep it short 🙂 I spoke to one of the lovely concierge ladies because of a totally unrelated matter. She looked up my room number, saw my name and saw that the booking was made in Germany which surprised her. I explained that the simple reason was that I am German and we live in Germany. She seemed even more surprised and said; "But you have no accent! I thought you were American." I smiled, we chatted a bit and I told her that we - my wife and I - had the same thoughts when we met many years ago. We met as seat neighbours in a plane from JFK in 2009 and started a conversation in English. We both have a 'history' with English, me American, my wife with British English. That time we chatted in English for three hours before we realized we could actually both speak German. While I chatted with concierge Katarina, concierge Crisha arrived and Katarina told Crisha with a big smile how my wife and I met. Since both loved our "fairy tail" story, I told them how the story continued... because my now wife and I said good bye after the flight without exchanging names and numbers. I still managed to find her again and now we are married for 12 years. Concierge Katarina and Crisha apparently both liked our love story and my wife and I later found the card in our stateroom. So the reference wasn´t to an anniversary but just to our time of being married. I know it is a long story - but believe me, this is the nutshell version 🙂

We usually use www.athens-mytransfer.de and have them pick us up around 8am. Last time in June from Infinity.

You´d think that some things don´t require signs but common sense 🙅‍♂️ Unfortunately there seems to be a lack of both...

Unfortunately not. I always used to take them home after previous cruises - just to throw them away at home. So this time I left them on board.

If you didn’t receive a positive info or found a charge on your credit card, don’t waste time on further inquiries. You didn’t get the upgrade 🤷🏻‍♂️

Well, I used to… when I was young 🤣 We live in the Black Forest near the Black Forest High Road which is a popular turf for motorcyclists. Many years ago I had a (real) motorbike as well and we often did tours to the nearby Alsace region and even to Tuscany once. Times changed, interests and hobbies changed and the motorbike just sat there without being moved for a year or two. So eventually I sold it. Even if we didn’t rent a standard motorcycle in Greece now, I have the license. So we were able to rent scooters with a larger engines - which was good in hilly terrain. And for Birgit sitting behind me, the larger scooters are also probably more comfortable than a standard motorbike. So in a nutshell - currently it’s just a holiday thing. And even then, this has been a first for quite some time. BTW in one of the shops Birgit overheard another lady mentioning that she was there by sailing boat. So I guess a charter.

You are welcome! Yes, Japan can feel “foreign” and unfamiliar at first, but it’s also very rewarding. We really fell in love with the Japan and its people after our first visit and we are really looking forward to our next trip.

Thank you! Consider the Paros Agnanti for your trip. We really enjoyed our stay there! I can offer you a teaser for Japan. Here are the travelogues of our two previous cruises: Japan on Millennium https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html Japan on HAL Westerdam https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 14 - Paros - THE END On our last full day on Paros we had another late and relaxed delicious breakfast. However, the sad feeling of having to leave soon slowly crept up on us. We had really gotten used to the authentic smiles of the outstandingly friendly hotel staff. And of course the good food. And the sun, and the service and and and… 😁 Next week we won’t have the same view from our offices. After doing a whole lot of nothing on our lovely terrace for the next few hours we started off on our last excursion and headed to the Butterfly Valley about 20 minutes away. During the months of June to September, swarms of Jersey tiger moth butterflies settle on this small oasis. They choose this place to spend the last phase of their life. Small paths wind through nice gardens of wild plum trees, laurels and past an ancient byzantine watermill. All the plants had sleeping butterflies on them in the shady areas. Two years ago we had planned a similar trip to Paros after a cruise on Apex. Unfortunately some islands, including Paros were eventually closed due to Covid and we had switched to Zakynthos. That time we had booked a different hotel on Paros - the Summer Senses Luxury Hotel. Nosy how that hotel was like, we decided to take a detour and take a look at it - for future reference so to speak. We had to ring the bell at the gate of the hotel and told them that we’d like to look at their hotel. We were met by a friendly young man and were given a short introduction and a tour of the lobby and pool area. After a while, the reservations manager joined us and we were offered a welcome drink. They were all very kind and friendly. The hotel was nice to say the least. However, after we left, we drove through the only small beachside village close by. It was tiny. Paros town was half an hour away through the mountains vs. the short 10 minute drive from the Paros Agnanti Resort where we were staying now. The short distance to Paros from the Agnanti gave us the opportunity of just driving into town whenever we felt like it. We had made the right choice of picking a different hotel in the end 👍 So should you ever travel to Paros, the Summer Senses Luxury Resort is nice but a bit remote and the Paros Agnanti Hotel is a very good choice offering lots of close by possibilities. Making the most of those possibilities, we had a light snack while driving back at a beachside restaurant. When we reached our Paros Hotel Agnanti again, it was time to pack our bags and prepare ourselves for next day’s departure. Later in the evening we drove to Paros and had dinner dinner in one of the many close by restaurants along the promenade by the sea. It was delicious again and unfortunately our “last supper” in Greece. While I was writing this last part of our travelogue, we were waiting for our flight to Frankfurt at Athens Airport and by now we are already back to reality for a few days. All good things must come to an end. And boy, was this a good trip. We sincerely hope that you liked tagging along and we are grateful for all your kind words in the comments along the way. Hope to see you all again in October, when we’ll do another cruise in Japan on Millennium. We love Japan and we are already excited. So bye for now from Greece and Efcharisto for joining us.

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 13 - Paros - Antiparos Paros‘s little sister island Antiparos is only a short ferry ride away from Paros. So we thought we‘d just hop over and see what it’s like. The process was easy. In Pounda, close to Paros town, we rolled onto the ferry, paid €10 and off we went. The most enjoyable ride across the turquoise blue sea didn’t even take 10 minutes and we rolled off the ferry again. A 10 minute drive brought us to one of Antiparos’s main attractions – the cave. At the entrance of the cave, there is the white chapel of Agios Ioannis Spiliotis, built in the 18th century. It is only after you go down a few steps from the main entrance and enter the underworld through an opening which looks a little like the mouth of a skull (ok, this is my imagination running wild 😁) that you notice how humongous this cave is. Once inside you can hardly see the bottom of the cave 100 m down at the end of 440 steps, and you know why the people coming out of the cave were panting and sweating. The cave has amazing stalactites and stalagmites in all its chambers. The oldest stalagmite in the cave is located at the entrance and is estimated to be around 45 million years old. This is also believed to be the oldest stalagmite in Europe. The formations all over look amazing and play tricks with your eyes. After a while you see pipes of an organ, a sleeping dragon and I swear, there was a statue of Buddha. However, whatever you see makes you feel tiny like an ant in comparison to this huge artwork courtesy of Mother Nature. IMG_4677.mov Back up in the real world, we had to get used to the bright sunlight again at first before we could admire the brilliant view from up here. We had packed our swimwear and decided to visit one of Antiparos’s many beaches, the beach of Agios Georgios around 5 km away. Embalmed with another layer of 50+ sunscreen we welcomed a refreshing dip in the Aegean. From the water we could see the ruins of an old monastery on a small island and tour boats crossing over carrying tourists. Dried by the scorching sun in a few minutes we continued back to the ferry port, parked our car and walked along the quaint shopping street. Me waiting outside in the shade whenever Birgit entered a store, still in search of that ONE dress (still unsuccessful). All jokes aside, we both agreed that 99 % of all the shops on all of the Cycladic island we have seen so far are well kept, beautifully decorated and just overall pretty and tasteful. An inviting taverna with apparently mostly Greek patrons was the spot for a late lunch. Filled eggplant rolls, Tzatziki, Sfakiani from Crete… soooo absolutely delicious. The ferry ride back went just as swift. We rolled on and a few minutes later we crossed over to Paros. Back at the hotel we made use of our patio until late and then decided around 9pm that we had deserved a dinner after climbing all the steps in the cave. We had passed some restaurants halfway to Paros a few times and decided to give one a try. It has tables on the beach. I am deliberately writing ON, not by or at the beach. Look at the photos and you’ll know why 😁

Thank you for your nice comments! In the meantime we are back home and stuck in our normal everyday life. But the reports of the next few days will follow soon...

Doable if you leave the ship early. Prebook a taxi or car! Taxi lines can be chaotic and looooong at Barcelona port.

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 12 - Paros - Daytrip to Naxos At 10 in the morning we took one of the sleek catamaran ferries over to Naxos. It’s interesting to witness how the ferries here work, just like trains or busses where we live they are the regular method of transport here. They arrive, cars, trucks and people hurry off and on and - probably the only difference - sail away on the minute. From our comfortable seats on the ferry - any airline would be proud of them - we could see the marble arch of the Temple of Apollo from far away. The landmark of the island standing proud right next to the port of beautiful Naxos town, or Hora. We walked to a nearby scooter rental through the typical alleys and rented a 200cc scooter, fit for the inclines on Naxos. After filling in the papers and paying €30 we were on our way exploring yet another Greek island. We rode up the Tragea valley to the mountainous village Halki and turned at a sign pointing to the Temple of Dimitra. Unfortunately it was closed. However, the path leading to the entrance lined with Oleanders was also very pretty. When we reached Halki a bit later, we parked the scooter and walked down the small but picturesque little pedestrian street. The smell of the local pastry Galaktoboureko made us hungry again, but the sight of a barbecue next to an inviting taverna won us over. We had lunch in the shade of a tree. The Halki Special was delightful. Before returning to the scooter, we followed the path to the small Byzantine church. The path lead to olive groves filled with olive trees of a size, and probably age, I’ve never seen before. The next village Filoti was only 2 km away. We looked at the beautiful church and then did what we skipped in Halki. We had a Galaktoboureko for dessert. Then we drove up and over the pass on Mount Zeus to the north side of Naxos. Zas, or Mount Zeus is the highest mountain of the Cyclades. The ancient Greeks believed that this was the birthplace of Zeus. The road over the pass was curvy, pretty steep in parts and took me back to the days when I still rode a motorcycle back at home in the Black Forest. The views were breathtaking. On the way up as well as on the way down. An hour later we reached Apollonos and the short path leading to the 10 m long incompleted Kouros statue dating back to the 8th century. Archeologists haven't come to a conclusion regarding whether the statue depicts the god Apollo or the god Dionysus. We continued by taking the coastal road back to Hora. Another hour spent zipping along the cliffs, taking hairpin curves in and out of little bays and being rewarded by not just the fun of riding the little motorcycle but by absolutely magnificent views. Since I was driving I couldn’t take many photos. But believe me, I could have stopped behind every turn. Even when there was no view, the road was pretty as it was lined with huge blooming Oleanders. The greatest danger was being smacked in the face by one of them behind a hairpin curve because they almost blocked half of the road in parts. Back in Naxos town/Hora we returned the scooter and continued on foot. The Portara was our first go to. It rests on a small peninsula close to the port. I won’t do much explaining - the pictures tell the story. After dipping our feet into the Aegean Sea we entered Hora”s streets again and had some homemade lemonades on a rooftop lounge. Refreshed by the cool drinks we followed the narrow alleys up the hill to Naxos’ castle. We found pretty wine bars and beautiful restaurants everywhere. Although it was the more touristy part of Hora, we decided to have dinner close to port so we could just get up and walk to the pier when it was time to catch the last ferry of the day. At 9:20pm on the minute we sailed back to Paros on “Highspeed 4”, a beast of a ferry. I have always been fascinated by these streamlined catamaran ferries reaching speeds over 40 knots. Besides a huge cavern for cars there’s a huge passenger deck on top. With shops, snack bars and even a playland for kids. Economy seating was very comfortable already. And if you wanted to spend more, there was even business or VIP class. Back at our hotel we fell into our beds - very happy about another great, fun filled day.

Hello to the two of you! Yes, we remember that cruise well. We met in Michael’s Club - before Reflection had its refurbishment. It was a nice cruise as well! I remember we had some weird problems with our suite, but didn’t really complain. Celebrity compensated us very generously without us even asking for it. Enjoy your cruise on Reflection! Oliver & Birgit

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 11 - Paros We started the day with another delicious breakfast marveling at the view from the breakfast area. We had decided to make this a lazy day - and that’s what we did. We laid on our patio for most of the day and just enjoyed the view and the sun. And did a little planning for tomorrow. In the late afternoon we drove to Parikia and stopped at the church with the unpronounceable name Panagia Ekatontapiliani, dating back to the year 326. Ekatontapiliani means the Church with the Hundred Doors. According to tradition, the church has 99 doors and a secret door will open when the church of Hagia Sofia in Constantinople becomes Orthodox again. Following our visit at the church we entered the death zone - the alleys with all the little shops. I call it that because Birgit wanted to buy a dress 😉 After what felt like 100 shops later (and no dress but Sandals) we walked along the beach promenade all the way to it’s end. There was a cute little restaurant serving Asian/Thai food. At first we thought we couldn’t have Asian food while in Greece but liked the location and sat down. Boy are we glad we did. The food was delicious and fresh. The Thai pineapple fried rice was served in a freshly carved pineapple. Sooo good! And the view 😍 After dinner we drove straight back to the hotel. We want to get up early tomorrow. We‘ll take the ferry to Naxos for a daytrip. IMG_4483.mov

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 10 - Paros (Lefkes & Naoussa) After the first night in the comfortable beds of our room we were curious about breakfast. It was delicious and we didn’t miss anything! Greek delights, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice AND the view. What more could we ask for?! Thanks to the added sunbeds our terrace was so enticing that we spent some time there after breakfast - doing nothing 😁 Around noon we headed to Lefkes, a small hillside village described as a “quintessentially historic Cycladic village”. It was absolutely enchanting. The typical colors, small tavernas, the views, bougainvilleas you feel like stealing and even the omnipresent cats napping on the stairs - just gorgeous. What better time and place for an Ouzo and a Greek Yoghurt with walnuts and honey, don’t you agree? Nearby Naoussa down by the the coast was our next destination. Definitely another promising contender of the local charm contest. The small fishing harbor and its colorful boats lined by seafood tavernas seemed like an image from a coloring book. Pretty empty in the scorching heat, we could only imagine how lively it would be in the evening. The heat and sun were what made us drive back to the hotel, where we made use of our loungers again and relaxed in the shade on our terrace. Later in the evening we drove to Paros town once more to have dinner. The mixed platter for two would have been enough for four - which made getting up from the deep sofa of the beach bar, where we later had some drinks, even harder.

2023 - Celebrity Infinity & Paros - Day 9 - Disembarkation and Paros The dreaded day had arrived. The last scan of the seapass card and a last farewell to the staff who had taken such good care of us. We left the ship and called the driver of our pre-arranged transfer and he arrived a few minutes later. At the airport we had plenty of time and made use of the lounge access which was included in our really cheap Sky Express tickets. The flight was on time and only took 35 minutes. So at around 12:30pm we were greeted by the agent of our rental car company at the exit of the tiny terminal of Paros. The Paros Agnanti Resort would be our home for the next few days and it took only around 25 minutes to get there from the airport. After a welcome drink we were taken to our room in a golf cart. The room was very spacious and was more like a bungalow with a wrap around terrace. Surprisingly the huge terrace only had a table and two chairs on it. We were missing some loungers so we could properly use the space. We asked for some and found them on the patio a few minutes later - nice! For dinner we drove to Parikia (Paros town). It was hard to find a place for dinner in the charming little streets which reminded us a lot of Mykonos. But only because the choice was overwhelming. One restaurant looked more inviting than the other. Eventually we decided on a seaside taverna and had a lovely dinner. Instead of having desserts we had some cocktails on a trendy rooftop bar and watched the beautiful sunset.