Just returned from Celebrity Infinity, not impressed

[boogs]

We were in "Concierge" class ... However, I would not pay the premium for "Concierge" class again - it did not add enough value for the extra tariff.

 

We all value different things. My wife needs to do her stretching excercises first thing in the morning and the exta 20 sq ft of space the concierge class cabins have makes a world of difference. Being able to do so with the view of the ocean right out the window made a tiresome excercise program almost enjoyable for her. Being able to request different pillow types is also a benefit we enjoy - she likes isotonic pillows, I like down pillows. Both are on the pillow menu, as well as a body pillow useful for people with back problems. Plus, we gained an extra credit towards Elite status. On the M class ships we always do CC.

[yogimax]

I'm neither of that (yet ;)), but have to agree I truly enjoyed my Celebrity cruises. I only know Solstice Class so far, but I've been very impressed with what I have seen.

 

We've only been on Millenium Class - Love the T-Pool!

[Xport]

We were on the 7 night Tracy Arm Fjord cruise July 15-22nd. We have been on 10 other cruises with Royal, already are booked on Oasis next April, and enjoyed them all. We will not sail on Celebrity again. They market themselves as a "premium" cruise line, but my wife and I didn't see it. The 2 other parties with us all agreed.

 

This is my opinion, so please don't flame me in your replies.

 

The ship needs to be refurbished, you can see wear and tear throughout. I believe it is going to dry dock later this year, and it needs the work.

 

Food, was OK. Nothing great. Royal's quality and selection is much better.

 

Gym was OK, they need more free weights.

 

Internet is a huge rip off, .75 per minute unless you purchase a package, then it's a little cheaper. Speed is quite slow. After one session, we didn't use it.

 

Service was just OK. Dining room in particular was terrible. One night it took us 2.5 hours to eat dinner. My brother-in-law waited 30 minutes for a cup of coffee. The staff is not as engaging or friendly as Royal.

 

Excursions were way overpriced. This may be true of all Alaska cruises.

 

On a positive note, the entertainment was very good. Alaska itself is very beautiful and the people are friendly.

 

I also came down with Noro Virus the second day and was quarantined for 24 hours, not a lot of fun. As a result, we received a one night credit for a future cruise on Celebrity. I called the 800# to inquire and they told me it could not be used on RC, even though they answer the phone as RC Customer Service. We'll see about that.

 

I was on this sailing too...

 

And while I agree that Infinity is in some need of a facelift [i knew what to expect from having sailed her in March/April, from prior research on this Board, and from having read Celebrity's renovation plans], my experience--especially in terms of the food in the Dining Rooms and service throughout the ship--was far more positive [as confirmed by my table mates and others I encountered] than your own...

 

I am somewhat surprised by your report of norovirus [which has a 24-48 hour incubation period] on the ship as there were none of the usual warnings to guests, special food handling procedures in the dining rooms, and ship-wide sanitizing activities that typically accompany such events...

 

 

 

And depending upon one's perspective, there were other positives associated with our sailing...

• We enjoyed record-setting weather in Ketchikan [which, admittedly, was overshadowed some by our abysmal weather in Juneau (so as to force cancellation of all flight-based tours)]...
  
• Infinity set a ship record in terms of the distance at which we were able to approach/view the South Sawyer Glacier [less than a half mile] at Tracy Arm Fjord...
  

Ultimately, assessment of a cruise vacation is highly individualized and a function of all sorts of factors that are both within [accommodation, food, service, entertainment, cleanliness, loyalty benefits] and beyond [weather, tour offerings/pricing, personal preferences (I learned that I am not a cold-weather cruiser), and to large extent, even norovirus] the control of a cruise line... I'm sorry that your found your initial experience on X to be less than your expectation...

[Lois R]

I was on this sailing too...

 

And while I agree that Infinity is in some need of a facelift [i knew what to expect from having sailed her in March/April, from prior research on this Board, and from having read Celebrity's renovation plans], my experience--especially in terms of the food in the Dining Rooms and service throughout the ship--was far more positive [as confirmed by my table mates and others I encountered] than your own...

 

I am somewhat surprised by your report of norovirus [which has a 24-48 hour incubation period] on the ship as there were none of the usual warnings to guests, special food handling procedures in the dining rooms, and ship-wide sanitizing activities that typically accompany such events...

 

 

 

 

And depending upon one's perspective, there were other positives associated with our sailing...

• We enjoyed record-setting weather in Ketchikan [which, admittedly, was overshadowed some by our abysmal weather in Juneau (so as to force cancellation of all flight-based tours)]...
  
• Infinity set a ship record in terms of the distance at which we were able to approach/view the South Sawyer Glacier [less than a half mile] at Tracy Arm Fjord...
  

Ultimately, assessment of a cruise vacation is highly individualized and a function of all sorts of factors that are both within [accommodation, food, service, entertainment, cleanliness, loyalty benefits] and beyond [weather, tour offerings/pricing, personal preferences (I learned that I am not a cold-weather cruiser), and to large extent, even norovirus] the control of a cruise line... I'm sorry that your found your initial experience on X to be less than your expectation...

 

Hi Mike:) I am so glad you had such a good time:)

but if you are not a cold weather person? Alaska might not be the

best itinerary;)

 

Happens alot..2 people, same cruise, 2 totally different experiences.

 

PS you have mail;)

[miched]

Any bad situation can make one find other faults with the whole experience. I am sure that the virus affected your opinion.

 

A friend traveled on RCCl. He hated the cruise and ship because it was during hurricane season and rained everyday. He didn't like the food, the entertainment, the cabin, the staff and etc. I sailed on the same cruise a month later and everything was great. I guess because of all of his complaints they replaced the whole crew, changed the menu, entertainers, and etc all within one month.

 

 

 

 

.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Sorry that Celebrity was not to your taste.

 

I would suggest you stick to RCI in the future since you seem to prefer it. If you have something that's working for you, why change it?

[robinm918]

It's safe to assume that frequent cruisers have an allegiance to their line, us included. We chose this particular cruise as it fit the timeframe we needed in coordinating travel with my family.

 

I would have to say one particular bright spot was the Cova Cafe on deck 5 - it was a great place to listen to music and the cookies were very good.

 

The entertainment last week was very good - better than we have seen on RCCL in a while. The comedian, Fred Klett, was hilarious and we enjoyed his 2 performances. The magician, Adam Trent, was equally enjoyable and he appeared 3 times during the cruise.

 

The weather in Ketchikan was indeed spectacular - my husband was at least able to salvage some of the day outside.

 

Thanks for letting us post our opinions, whether or not you agree.

 

Robin

[PS90]

Although I stand by my opinion that getting sick on a cruise ship seems to make people think everything on that cruise ship is horrible, I actually completely agree with the OP about the fitness centers onboard Celebrity ships. They remind me more of a "Curves for Women"-type gym than they do a gym oriented toward anyone who actually uses a gym to lift weights.

[cruise47]

Thanks for your candid review.