Live from the infinity - 10/24 transatlantic

[gordylad]

great reports what is the news on the weather?

[Cruiseluv19]

thanks for the review. we almost booked this cruise and are now regretting it but at least we can experience parts of it thru this review.

 

thanks again....

[ghstudio]

Weather. This transatlantic has not been as smooth as previous ones...just luck of the draw. But, in fairness our previous ta's in both directions have been exceptionally smooth.

 

We did have on night of 7 meter seas and 70 mph winds, followed by a night of maybe 4-5 meter seas, but neither was all that bad....sounds worse than it was..and for the most part we just slept through it. Since then we've had moderate seas, a few short showers, but mostly clear or partially cloudy skies. The seas...if you look across the water there is some white breaking of small waves and the ship has a slow pitch and roll which you really only notice when you focus on it. Hard to say how many are effected by the seas.

 

The temperature has been a steady 71F, day and night irrespective of where we are...on the TV. One should probably surmise that the instrument providing temperature to the tv page is probably not working correctly. It's now fixed and it's 84F. In reality, it's been windy on deck, but they provided light blankets so you could sit outside on the first two cooler sea days. Now it is really in the 70's, so no blankets needed. Inside the ship there are cooler and warmer areas...some women always have something warmer to put on, if needed.

 

This is the first day I've worn shorts...it's beautiful out, with some slow boat motion.

 

On an unrelated topic, this is a no food day...we ate at Qsine last night. Must have eaten at least 10,000 calories...followed by much needed pepto bismol snack back in the room. Excellent fun meal....too much food.

 

Aqua spa cafe menu today is the deviled egg or poached salmon special dish with 15 minute wait.

 

There have been two concerts at 2pm on sea days. Outstanding...standing room only.

[SWPD]

Any luck in getting an idea how many elites will be joining us?

 

Weather. This transatlantic has not been as smooth as previous ones...just luck of the draw. But, in fairness our previous ta's in both directions have been exceptionally smooth.

 

We did have on night of 7 meter seas and 70 mph winds, followed by a night of maybe 4-5 meter seas, but neither was all that bad....sounds worse than it was..and for the most part we just slept through it. Since then we've had moderate seas, a few short showers, but mostly clear or partially cloudy skies. The seas...if you look across the water there is some white breaking of small waves and the ship has a slow pitch and roll which you really only notice when you focus on it. Hard to say how many are effected by the seas.

 

The temperature has been a steady 71F, day and night irrespective of where we are...on the TV. One should probably surmise that the instrument providing temperature to the tv page is probably not working correctly. It's now fixed and it's 84F. In reality, it's been windy on deck, but they provided light blankets so you could sit outside on the first two cooler sea days. Now it is really in the 70's, so no blankets needed. Inside the ship there are cooler and warmer areas...some women always have something warmer to put on, if needed.

 

This is the first day I've worn shorts...it's beautiful out, with some slow boat motion.

 

On an unrelated topic, this is a no food day...we ate at Qsine last night. Must have eaten at least 10,000 calories...followed by much needed pepto bismol snack back in the room. Excellent fun meal....too much food.

 

Aqua spa cafe menu today is the deviled egg or poached salmon special dish with 15 minute wait.

 

There have been two concerts at 2pm on sea days. Outstanding...standing room only.

[cinnamon]

We are onboard Eclipse, ready to sail in an hour. We have vouchers for Elite drinks but not for tonight or the Senior Officer's Cocktail evening. 3 vouchers each, dated for each day.

 

Our Elite breakfast will be in the Tuscan Grill.

[cinnamon]

PS

We have no ports till St. Martin so 8 days to relax. Looking forward to getting to warm sunny weather.

[Kwenz]

Ghstudio, really enjoying your posts. We are sailing Infinity when she returns to Europe in April. We have not done a TA yet so your posts are giving us a sense of what to expect.

[ghstudio]

Aqua spa cafe specials: grilled critic char or shrimp. The ship is smart....they set the tables with place mats and silverware in the morning to indicate they are for food. It's 12:15 and I just walked around and even with the settings, three were being used as game tables....people just have no clue.

 

Buffet lunch: there seem to be a lot of tables for 4 with 1 person. Some are likely couples or groups with one holding lie others get food, but also some with one person just reading. There are likely enough tables, but everyone looks for a Table before getting food because you don't know if you'll find one once you have your food.

 

Some comments on the buffet lunch: looks pretty good. I tried the hot and sour soup which was different than I'd had, but it was refreshingly spicy and tasty, but with very few vegs. A small plate of spaghetti Bolognese was also tasty. Others had Chinese mixed things...chicken, some wontons and similar or Indian food. All was reported as tasty. There was also cream of chicken soup and a cold soup...special was fish and chips, as well as some other British focused food ..(eg. Bangers, mushy peas,...). Two types of salad bars....one was serve yourself with all the related health exposures...the other was where they prepare the salad based on what you want, pretty much like the aqua spa cafe. There is a sign for a sandwich bar, but it didn't see anyone ordering sandwiches. The pizza was flat rectangular with a nice thin crust..I will definitely try it at some point. I'd give the buffet a big thumbs up compared to millennium and even the solstice ships we've been on. For me, it's actually a better choice then the aqua spa cafe....that's a big change.

 

I also wandered around the buffet breakfast this am...there were 4 omelette/made to order egg stations with no lines, salmon, smoked fish, ham and some other meat cut to order, of course bacon, etc...a poached egg station and way in the back pancakes, waffles etc. They also had some wonderful cheese and much more including fruit. It's really a great breakfast spread....with so many choices to get started on your 12000 calorie intake for the day.

 

Craft drinks seem to be bar specific in that all bars don't have all the ingredients. Not sure if this is the plan or just a start up snag.

 

Last night in blu the most interesting thing to me was flank steak...but it was offered on a salad (they always offer one salad with meat or fish). I asked if they could make the flank steak into a regular dish with some vegetables...they are wonderful in blu and I had another terrific meal.

 

We went to the port shopping talk this am, something we never do, but we wanted to hear what they had to say about Nassau. The port shopping lady was perfect...if you could describe the perfect shopping lady. Lives in boa raton and lived in ny..she must be the life of any party with her incredible enthusiasm about everything. I commented to my wife that the presenter should cut down on her morning coffee:). But she did her job superbly. Those who want a fancy new cuts of diamonds that "flashes fire even in the dark", new cut black diamond jewelry, yellow emeralds and other, you can only buy these things in the Caribbean, rare stones are turned on and will follow the shopper around to get the special discounts and offers....just part of cruising.

 

Comment on the officers....I'm not sure who is running the ship or the hotel because the top officers in every area are always walking around talking with passengers or enjoying the ship. The captain had coffee at cafe bacio, he watched the concert in the theater, the head of the hotel and staff captain always seem to pass through blu at dinner, the staff captain and head of the hotel were in the officer staff poker tournament last night won by the staff captain. They are by far the most visible officers and managers I've ever experienced on a cruise and perhaps is one reason that every staff member is friendly and almost all willing to help in any way they can.

 

And the weather today is perfect.....

 

GH

[ORV]

"grilled critic char"

 

Not even sure I want to know what that is.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your observations. One of the best and informative "Live From" threads I've seen. Keep up the good work.

[Member123]

"grilled critic char"

 

Not even sure I want to know what that is.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your observations. One of the best and informative "Live From" threads I've seen. Keep up the good work.

 

Probably just a glitch because of fat finger typing or automatic word correction and wanting to post information when the internet connection is available. I'm positive that this was supposed to read "grilled arctic char" which is a fabulous fish cousin to salmon.

[ORV]

Probably just a glitch because of fat finger typing or automatic word correction and wanting to post information when the internet connection is available. I'm positive that this was supposed to read "grilled arctic char" which is a fabulous fish cousin to salmon.

 

I liked it better when I thought they were grilling critics. :eek:

[Cindy]

I liked it better when I thought they were grilling critics. :eek:

 

LOL! I have this vision of complainers lined up...

[ghstudio]

Arctic char...sorry

 

sign in the ilounge on a large screen:

 

"The Internet is currently overloaded and unstable"

 

This notice hasn't changed since we boarded.

 

Given today's technology and celebrity's drive for profit, one would think that celebrity would prioritize upgrading the system. We actually have the newer, upgraded system but it can't keep up with demand.

 

WARNING: although one of the login/logout screens indicates that if you just disconnect from the wireless, you will be logged off....it doesn't always work and when it does work, it still can take 2-3 minutes to sense you aren't connected and sign you off. Please be careful and actually log off...don't rely on the system to do it for you. (This is based on a discussion with one of the ilounge techs who says they always have a few passengers who get massive bills because they just turned their computers off without logging off).

 

Stores: $5.95 for a can of shaving cream and $7+ for deodorant...other toiletries similarly marked up. The stores are having ongoing unveilings, road shows, grand openings as well as $10 sales, 50% off sales! but we have found no good prices unless you want something with the celebrity name on it, in which case 50% off a high price is still a high price! but it's better than when it's not on sale. The watch I've had my eye on is less expensive on amazon then it was on the ship's super watch sale.

 

We are on our aqua class balcony (two non reclining chairs and a round table) reading (well obviously I'm typing this note, not reading right now). The weather is terrific....probably mid 70's. Seas have calmed so there are very few white breaking waves to be seen. We are slowly passing what looks like a supertanker on the horizon, we are over 1500 miles from Nassau and we are seeing occasional sea birds...not albatross or frigates but much smaller. There must be some land out here or they are staying on the ship with us. We have seen no whales, dolphin or even flying fish, just water.

 

 

GH

[Northern Aurora]

I've also enjoyed your reports of your time on the Infinity. We have done three cruises on her and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. Is this cruise your first time on Infinity? While they all may be M-class ships I find both the Constellation and Infinity very different than Millennium.

[Go Go Go!]

I have absolutely loved your postings! Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us. Glad you have had such a wonderful crossing.

[jennym1]

Thank you for your postings which I have been watching with interest as we are boarding the Infinity on Thursday for the Panama Canal trip. Sounds great and thanks for the tips. Keep them coming.

[dodger1964]

..On an unrelated topic, this is a no food day...we ate at Qsine last night. Must have eaten at least 10,000 calories..

 

 

Thanks for great review and updates...

 

We leave in 1 week for Barcelona cruise.

 

I am going to make it a point to break your 10k record!

[ghstudio]

Fickle weather... Temperature is nice, seas are calm but it is pouring rain. Of course that doesn't interfere with eating, so most don't care. We continue to have breakfast in blu and cappuccino in the elite lounge. That works for us and we easily make some 10/10:15 activity. Today there is a special 1 hour super sale on some sort of jewelry beads. For me, that's an important highlight of the day, much like sales in filene's basement. I stand safely to the side and watch. Hopefully not too many will be trampled trying to purchase their perfect bead.

 

Okay, I'm now going to be honest....truth vs reality. Transatlantic crossings are not exciting. They are extremely relaxing if what you want is a week to read, play cards and similar..but if you are retired, you likely can do the same at home. Since we live on a Florida key, sitting in the sun is not exactly something unique. Yes, food is always available but for most, the caloric intake far exceeds healthy (actually that's extremely far). Since the aqua spa cafe where you used to be able to actually get a light, almost healthy lunch has changed, you have to brave the buffet. Every time I walk through the buffet I see someone ignoring the tongs and picking things up with their fingers....or using the tongs and putting them down where the part they touched is now touching the food. I am far from a germaphobe...I eat street food all over the world, but buffets really put me off...or should I say the people at buffets put me off.

 

There have been some excellent speakers on this cruise, but they are only scheduled to speak three times. I wish they spoke more...they are pretty much the highlight of the day, unless you have an urge to Zumba or scrapbook.

 

I've commented on the celebrity board that one of the things that distinguishes celebrity from RCL is that on celebrity, you don't have to show up 30 mins before a show to get a seat. On this cruise, seating is very tight and I've had to stand in the back or sit on the stairs. We didn't find this on our eclipse or equinox ta's so maybe it's only an issue on m class crossings.

 

On that topic, I do think that the solstice ships are more suited to ta's. There is more to do, more venues to relax if the weather isn't good...and I suspect that one reason this ship, this crossing, has a bit more ship motion is the size of the ship. If I were doing another TA, I would probably not pick an m class ship unless it had a terrific itinerary. However, We like the infinity and we will be on it again in February and May because of the itineraries. After that, we'll be doing some land trips, river cruises or we'll be on azamara or Oceania which are more like the celebrity many of us enjoyed in the past.

 

 

 

 

GH

[BBsails]

Just a thought: An option to the buffet at lunch could be eating in the MDR. We've done that a couple of times on a TA just to provide a variety of experiences.

 

I've noticed the same thing as you about people in the buffet obliviously positioning the tongs back on the food in such a way that the part they've handled lands on the food.

 

Thanks for your detailed posts.

 

Betsy

Edited November 4, 2013 by BBsails

[wallie5446]

Escargot? Are the on the menu's?

[Lovemychoos]

Escargot? Are the on the menu's?

 

We were on the cruise directly before the TA, and they were available every day in the MDR, and we also had them in Blu, so unless they've ran out I'm sure they still are :)

 

Lou

[d4m]

 

Comment on the officers....I'm not sure who is running the ship or the hotel because the top officers in every area are always walking around talking with passengers or enjoying the ship. The captain had coffee at cafe bacio, he watched the concert in the theater, the head of the hotel and staff captain always seem to pass through blu at dinner, the staff captain and head of the hotel were in the officer staff poker tournament last night won by the staff captain. They are by far the most visible officers and managers I've ever experienced on a cruise and perhaps is one reason that every staff member is friendly and almost all willing to help in any way they can.

 

And the weather today is perfect.....

 

GH

 

Hope the weather is perfect on our TA in a couple weeks - not so perfect last time around:)

 

One of my favorite parts about a TA is seeing a highly visable Captain & crew. Sounds like yours is terrific!

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and keep all informed.

[h20cruzer]

Your description of this TA sounds delightful to me. I am rushed at home pulled 50 different ways, if my biggest decision is go to the elite breakfast or have a late in cafe Al Bacio I will be very happy. Not interested in sales, or any other pitch they have.

Martini bar and sitting on my veranda rain or shine.

Norma

Thanks for all the good info on this TA.

I will be on the Constellation on 11/24/13.

[ghstudio]

Fickle weather... Temperature is nice, seas are calm but it is pouring rain. Of course that doesn't interfere with eating, so most don't care. We continue to have breakfast in blu and cappuccino in the elite lounge. That works for us and we easily make some 10/10:15 activity. Today there is a special 1 hour super sale on some sort of jewelry beads. For me, that's an important highlight of the day, much like sales in filene's basement. I stand safely to the side and watch. Hopefully not too many will be trampled trying to purchase their perfect bead.

 

Okay, I'm now going to be honest....truth vs reality. Transatlantic crossings are not exciting. They are extremely relaxing if what you want is a week to read, play cards and similar..but if you are retired, you likely can do the same at home. Since we live on a Florida key, sitting in the sun is not exactly something unique. Yes, food is always available but for most, the caloric intake far exceeds healthy (actually that's extremely far). Since the aqua spa cafe where you used to be able to actually get a light, almost healthy lunch has changed, you have to brave the buffet. Every time I walk through the buffet I see someone ignoring the tongs and picking things up with their fingers....or using the tongs and putting them down where the part they touched is now touching the food. I am far from a germaphobe...I eat street food all over the world, but buffets really put me off...or should I say the people at buffets put me off.

 

There have been some excellent speakers on this cruise, but each is only scheduled to speak three times. I wish they spoke more...they are pretty much the highlight of the day, unless you have an urge to Zumba or scrapbook.

 

I've commented on the celebrity board that one of the things that distinguishes celebrity from RCL is that on celebrity, you don't have to show up 30 mins before a show to get a seat. On this cruise, seating is very tight and I've had to stand in the back or sit on the stairs. We didn't find this on our eclipse or equinox ta's so maybe it's only an issue on m class crossings.

 

On that topic, I do think that the solstice ships are more suited to ta's. There is more to do, more venues to relax if the weather isn't good...and I suspect that one reason this ship, this crossing, has a bit more ship motion is the size of the ship. If I were doing another TA, I would probably not pick an m class ship unless it had a terrific itinerary. However, We like the infinity and we will be on it again in February and May because of the itineraries. After that, we'll be doing some land trips, river cruises or we'll be on azamara or Oceania which are more like the celebrity many of us enjoyed in the past.

 

Celebrity needs to hire one Mexican national for each ship with the sole duty of showing them how to make tacos. No, you don't make a taco by filling a taco shell all the way up with chili or retried beans....you don't use chili at all. While they are at it, They might hire someone to make their sushi rice as well. Pastries are variable. Some of the sheet cake pans which RCL seems to use for all of their desserts must have accidentally been delivered to the infinity. There seem to be a lot of sheet cake desserts in the buffet. The fruit tarts have gotten smaller everywhere and the larger ones that used to be in the aqua spa cafe and cafe baccio are not to be found.

 

One of our small group tried to get a bowl of Greek yoghurt, and they were willing to pay the $5 charge if necessary at the aqua spa cafe, only to have them tell her that although one of the sundaes is called Greek yoghurt, its not Greek yoghurt.

 

And here's a tip for those that want to be sure they fit in. You must have a tablet or kindle/nook. It seems to be the common thread across all passengers. I have seen just a very few holding one of those antiques called, I think, a book. Clearly they must be on the wrong ship.

 

GH

[Loreto1028]

We are boarding the Infinity on Thursday, so have really been appreciating your updates. Glad I packed both my tablet and my kobo, so I'll be sure to fit in! It's weird I don't remember the last paperback or magazine I read. Everything in read on a gadget these days. I will say that I will probably read at least 5 books while I'm on the cruise, and my tablet certainly takes up less space than the 5 books would have.

 

Enjoy the balance of your cruise, and Happy Shopping!