Live from the infinity - 10/24 transatlantic

[ghstudio]

More...

 

1) there was no separate VIP entrance/gangway to the ship at La Rochelle, our first stop.....everyone just used the same one. Maybe the VIP ship entrance was a trial?

 

La Rochelle : There was a free shuttle to the center of town which was good as we docked in the middle of nowhere. Free wifi in most every cafe in town...absolutely nothing at the port itself not even a place to buy candy...nada...you have to take the bus to any civilization. There were a few hireable taxis, but not many.

 

2) did I mention that we asked our sommelier if we could exchange the welcome bottle of sparkling wine. He said he could swap it for something of equal value, but indicated we couldn't use it as a credit towards a better bottle of wine (as we did on our last four celebrity cruises in the past 12 mos). new celebrity policy or ship policy or sommelier policy....who knows....

 

3) we have not been asked to show our room card when getting elite drinks with coupons...if you have a coupon, they will give you a drink.

 

4) lamb chops last night in blu. I can't stress enough that the food in blu is good, it's served very nicely, but the best part is that you can hold a conversation with others in a normal voice...it's just a much quieter restaurant. Tables for two are not really that close together on the infinity.

 

5) formal night last night. I didn't notice any man in blu that wasn't wearing at least a sports jacket. All at our table wore a blazer but no ties. Most were in suits or sports jackets with a few kilts and tuxedos.

 

6) there are six children on board, at least in the children's program. The young woman who runs it really likes kids, is extremely personable and worked on Disney before switching to celebrity. If she's typical, your kids will be in good hands.

 

7) 2 for 1 drink today is an apple martini (again) $7.50...served in the constellation lounge from 10pm until close. Tomorrow it is red sangria in the rendezvous lounge from 6pm to 11pm. The 2 for 1 moves around

 

8) for fixed seating in the MDR, the doors remain open for 15 minutes after the assigned time. If you are in fixed seating, you can't just wander in when you want...as some have suggested on cc.

 

9) there is a footnote in "infinity today" that "dining in blu is reserved for our aqua class guests only". I don't know if that comment has always been there or if they are really limiting dining and suite guests are no longer welcome on a space available basis....or for breakfast. Perhaps the extra load of suite guests being admitted, even on a limited basis, caused the backup/waits reported by others on different cruises....or perhaps there really is no change in policy.....who knows...

 

10) the aqua cabin shower doors and I continue to not like each other. I can minimize water leaking out the bottom of the doors, but no matter what I do, I step out of the shower onto either a wet floor or a wet towel if I have guessed correctly where it will leak. I have mastered the water jets though so I no longer have nozzles trying to drill a hole through my body, or worse, spray a jet of water onto the bathroom walls because someone misadjusted them. Once you master the controls, it's a nice shower, but I wish they didn't leak.

 

11) two US 110V and 2 European 220V plugs at the desk in the cabin...all are grounded outlets

 

12) new captains club will be announced next month....but we've heard that before. I was unable to get any additional info and you can bet I tried.

 

13) a work in progress: here's the story on vouchers on this cruise. For this cruise, They have redefined the captains club menu to be any drink under $8 or beer under whatever. Effectively, on this cruise, as a trial, there is no special captains club menu..it is the classic drink package menu.

 

14) another trial: due to complaints from some elites about no hors d'oevers with drinks during cocktail hour, suddenly his d'oevers appeared in the sky lounge tonight which is called the constitution lounge on this ship for reasons only known to celebrity. They are going to continue to have the hors d'oevers each night, but only in that room. I expect chaos and a mass feeding frenzy when word spreads, but we'll see. Actually it was a very nice spread with some good cheeses, olive spread, four or five types of canapés and three or four cold cuts, bread and bread sticks, all set up in front of the bar as a sort of buffet. It will probably change and evolve...it is a work in process. So far it's working well and the hors d'oevers seem to be a hit.

 

15) we continue to be able to get double wines (a pretty full wine glass) with 2 elite drink coupons at the rendezvous lounge on the way to dinner. Not a great selection...two reds and two whites (same as I the classic package choices, I think, at the rendezvous bar)...but the price is right.

 

16) we saw a waiting line for blu at about 8pm. I'm sure that is cruise dependent so our experience with this group of passengers may have no relation to anyone else's cruise. There were some empty tables but they hadn't been cleaned and reset...but the line disappeared pretty quickly as people were seated.

 

17) blu seems much better run on the infinity then it was on the millennium earlier this year. The maitre d has come over at every meal to check on us and requests for more of something or some change in an item have been quickly and transparently handled. Cudos to this staff in blu.

 

18) I haven't seen the top officers walking around but the ship seems to have excellent management so there's no reason I want to run into an officer. However, it may be that I just haven't been where they were walking...I tend to avoid crowded areas.

 

19) casino has gotten more lively and to my surprise (and the casinos as well) there is activity at the craps table...unusual for ta's. I have seen nobody at the $25 blackjack table and only a couple of folks at roulette. Each night they have a cash texas Holdem game (using the electronic table...no live dealers) and it's not been full when I've watched.

 

20) sadly, I've returned the money the casino apparently loan me last night....alas, Lady Luck has abandoned me.

 

21) I don't understand why having a new towel every day wastes energy or harms our seas. When I get back I'll start a thread on that topic. I'm thinking that asking for a new towel each day may require more people to wash, fold, etc...but I'm just missing how this saves our seas or conserves energy.

 

22) remember when celebrity claimed they didn't charge for exchanging money...well there is now a note that says there actually is a charge for exchanging money but it's built into the rates. No, there has been no change...but there is, and always has been, afaik, about a 5% charge built into the rates. However, it is (according to celebrity) the same as you would pay if you walked into a Bank of America branch in the us to make the same transaction. Afaik, celebrity doesn't add a charge to the bank America rates...but maybe someone knows more on this. We change money at bank ATMs ( not the one on board) using a bank card that actually charges the official exchange rate with no added cost (or that cost is extremely small) and refunds any ATM charges....I love that card:).

 

23) we have had no trouble in the uk or France using a us issued credit card with no chip. Of course your experience might differ.

 

24) onion soup: admittedly I am getting paranoid on this...I keep getting onion soup with few or no onions. One of my travel group ordered the onion soup tonight and complained that there wasn't enough soup, it was all onions(which I verified)...Grrr! Of course there is no way for the waiter to know....it's a kitchen quality control/training issue.

 

25) this afternoon, the specialty restaurant sales folks were offering $30 dinning in the ss United States restaurant (murano equivalent). Apparently there aren't enough willing to pay the $45 they are now asking (and that includes us).

 

Note: I'm pretty much writing these notes at random times, so just ignore trying to figure out any timeline...last night, this afternoon, etc...it's somewhat edited random thoughts.

 

More later

 

GH

[ghstudio]

Overall comment to date

 

This has been an excellent cruise on a very we'll run ship with a friendly, outgoing crew that are eager to make everyone have a great experience. We've found that ships have personalities based on the officers and crew and the infinity is top notch! I've mentioned this before but the infinity is in wonderful condition. A few months ago, we found the millennium with buttons missing in some elevators, things dangling from walls in some public bathrooms, many spots that needed maintenance, etc. don't get me wrong though, we still had excellent cruises but the millennium, but even though it had been solsticized, showed its age. The infinity today is what we expected the millennium to be.

 

Blu is also better....hot food comes to the table hot. They can make poached eggs (they just couldn't do that right on the millennium). Coffee, pastries and juice are quickly offered at breakfast...and reoffered during the meal. The maitre d, the sommelier, even the waiter from the night before come over to see that we have everything we need or just to say good morning. It's these small things that really make a big difference.

 

We did have one afternoon into the mid evening with some rocking that kept one of our party in their room (deck 11) but he ordered a light dinner from room service and all was well. Other than that weather has been windy but delightful.

 

We've also found the passengers on this cruise to be very friendly. We haven't seen any loud complainers, no snapping of fingers to get someone's attention, no chair or seat hogs, no two way radios beeping and so on. Very few children, but those we've seen have been very well behaved (not running around screaming, etc). (Remember, these are my personal observations...others might agree or disagree based on their experiences).

 

So...good ship, good staff, good food, good weather and good passengers.....that's the combination that makes a good cruise. But, of course, it would be an even better cruise if the casino god smiled on me....:)

 

GH

[cruisestitch]

Would that every cruise could be as you describe... Good ship, good crew, good food, good weather, sounds like the perfect combination. We wish you Good Luck to complete the package.

[ghstudio]

Would that every cruise could be as you describe... Good ship, good crew, good food, good weather, sounds like the perfect combination. We wish you Good Luck to complete the package.

 

I may have to retract the good weather statement given the forecast for tomorrow's stop in Vigo :( but it's beautiful today in gijon where I'm sitting on a square sipping coffee and wifi-ing.

[drarill]

I may have to retract the good weather statement given the forecast for tomorrow's stop in Vigo :( but it's beautiful today in gijon where I'm sitting on a square sipping coffee and wifi-ing.

 

GH I'm enjoying your review so much. Gijon is really beautiful, are you staying in Vigo or going to Santiago?

[ghstudio]

GH I'm enjoying your review so much. Gijon is really beautiful, are you staying in Vigo or going to Santiago?

 

We've been in Vigo before...yes good city to wander around. This time we are taking a privately arranged wine tour with a small group....unless we decide to just skip it due to weather

[cinnamon]

Loving reading your comments. Stay safe in the brewing storm. Hopefully you are well south of it.

Here in the southern UK we are battening down the hatches.

[voyager90265]

Great review! All the best as you continue on your journey! Counting down until we board the Eclipse for our voyage on Sunday!

[QuiltNurse]

Loving the commentary and your attention to details. We enjoyed he Infinity very much last year and feel like we are right there with you.

[bakcd]

What a treat to read your reviews. We were on the Infinity for the eastbound TA and British Isles in May and had great cruises. In March we return for the Buenos Aires - Valpariso sailing as well as the return trip through the canal to Miami. We will experience Blu for the first time and are reassured with your positive comments.

[elena7seas]

Hi GH:

 

We're really enjoying your On Board review, especially how detailed and comprehensive it is.

 

Glad you're having a great trip, and hope you managed to avoid the unsettled weather.

[miched]

We just got off the Infinity on 24 October (12 Oct Wine Immersion Cruise). 1100 Captain's Club and 300 Elite.

 

Most of the large martinis are now $13 in the Martini Bar. One of the bartenders did comment that their business has slowed...

 

We did have a kettle in our cabin (stored in the cabinet at the desk), not sure if it stays on for the TA.

 

Are the martinis that cost $13 still covered by the premium package? All of the drinks were before and wondering since they now charge more for the package if they upped the $12 limit.

 

Thanks

 

.🎃

[chamima]

Are the martinis that cost $13 still covered by the premium package? All of the drinks were before and wondering since they now charge more for the package if they upped the $12 limit.

 

Thanks

 

.🎃

 

??? Large martinis with top brands are $11 plus tip on this voyage. Perhaps they had the 'tip included' pricing on the wine immersion cruise...or clusto is posting the with tip price.

 

 

I think the $13 included the tip.

That's what happened last year on our Aus/NZ cruise.

 

 

cute pumpkin :D

Edited October 27, 2013 by chamima

[miched]

To GHStudio

 

When we were in the AQ cabins on the M class we also had a problem with the water leak in the showers. It is from trying to add glass doors that just don't work. We solved the problem by picking up a few towels every day from either the pool area or spa. We would then roll them up and lay them by the door to serve as a dam to block and absorb the water.

 

Thanks for the great info about the changes and what is new.

 

 

.🎃

[doktor]

Oct 7th off the Century, and had apples for many days and then changed to pears.

[TeaBag]

Enjoying the review very much. We will have to try Infinity based on your recommendations.

[cluso]

Are the martinis that cost $13 still covered by the premium package? All of the drinks were before and wondering since they now charge more for the package if they upped the $12 limit.

 

Thanks

 

We did not have a drink package, but we do have the premium one in December. We asked the bartender and he said it would cover the large martinis.

Edited October 27, 2013 by cluso
quote

[SWPD]

1. Can you find out how many Elite's are on the 7 Nov. sailing?

 

2. Can you still get a free Bellini for breakfast?

 

I like the idea of the coupon and using them at the Rendezvous lounge to take to dinner.

 

Thanks

[cluso]

1. Can you find out how many Elite's are on the 7 Nov. sailing?

 

2. Can you still get a free Bellini for breakfast?

 

I like the idea of the coupon and using them at the Rendezvous lounge to take to dinner.

 

Thanks

 

Yes, they still have all the Elite drinks for breakfast.

[kelmac]

 

 

 

10) the aqua cabin shower doors and I continue to not like each other. I can minimize water leaking out the bottom of the doors, but no matter what I do, I step out of the shower onto either a wet floor or a wet towel if I have guessed correctly where it will leak. I have mastered the water jets though so I no longer have nozzles trying to drill a hole through my body, or worse, spray a jet of water onto the bathroom walls because someone misadjusted them. Once you master the controls, it's a nice shower, but I wish they didn't leak.

 

 

GH

 

Hi GH,

 

We were in Aqua Class cabin 1107 in June (Infinity). We would head down to the pool deck every afternoon and pick up one of the pool towels and place at the base of the shower door. Our Cabin steward though it was a great idea and would pick up the wet towel each evening while we were at dinner. All around a bad design, but we learned to live with it.:)

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Kel

[ghstudio]

Perhaps I spoke too soon. I am writing this as we cruise towards 22-26 ft seas with 45 kph winds forecast for this evening on our way to Vigo.

 

10pm: Our ship has slowed to 11 kts and actual wind right now is 29 kts. We are pitching and rolling a bit...they are giving seasick pills at guest services for those that want them. The casino and show are pretty full and, so far, it's not as bad as it sounds.

 

Hors d'oevers again in the sky lounge and obviously word spread because it was pretty full, despite the weather.

 

We decided to eat a little early to eat before it got messy. Obviously we weren't the only ones...we got to blu at 6:40 and we're told there was no chance of even a two until 8pm. The maitre d' then called the mdr and arranged for us to get a table for six and he even escorted us to the table. He dropped back about 30 mins later to make sure everything was ok which was really nice. So, unintentionally, we had the opportunity to compare dining in blu vs dining in the mdr. It reinforced what I've said repeatedly...the food in blu is slightly better but the atmosphere and noise level are much better in blu. It was prime rib night in the mdr and it was not great (I am being very kind). My wife had a white fish which she had eaten in blu a couple of nights ago and the fish in blu was much better. Additionally, the waiter in blu took the skin off the fish..in the mdr, they left it for my wife to remove. Service in the mdr was very good, once the waiter discovered we were there...since we came in much after the early seating had started,he assumed that the table was empty and was quite surprised to see us.

 

Offsetting the change in the weather, I did well in the casino after dinner so while my stomach may not be all that good, I am still happy :) hopefully this time it will not be just a short term loan.

 

Just checked the tv and we are now cruising at 15 kts (good) but the wind has picked up to 44 kts (not quite so good). Clearly the seas are rough...lots of creaking, some bumpiness, rocking and swaying, but not even close to throwing something off a counter (revised..a plate did fall off our cabin table during the night, but that was it)..it really sounds worse than it is....however, I reserve the right to modify my view as the evening progresses...it's now 10:30pm. Neither my wife or I have taken any motion sickness medicine and we seem to be ok.

 

Highest wind we saw during the night was 70 kph. It was a long night where it was best to stay in bed...walking, even to the bathroom, was tricky. Our balcony door was closed but whistled in the heavy wind. And then there's my favorite the new aqua shower doors that not only leak at the bottom, they hit the wall if the weather gets bad because there is nothing holding them.

 

At dinner last night, either something hit a window in the mdr or it shattered spontaneously (can happen). It was very loud and we were just one table away. No damage, other than the window; they are safety windows like a car just much thicker, but it was a bit unnerving when it happened.

 

We are mostly through it now....8am. We'll probably be a little late to Vigo and our wine tasting tour due to the lower speeds all night.

 

Arrived Vigo at noon ( instead of 9:30) but left 3 hours later than planned so we had pretty much the same amount of time.

 

Bought some liqueur at a vineyard but the security was port security looking for tsa like things, not alcohol and celebrity had zero inspection. I could have brought back scotch, gin, etc.

 

Captain walked around blu tonight...stopped to chat with our table. Said he was up all night with the 7 meter seas and said tonight we would only have 5 meter seas. It's now night and we are pitching, etc, but not as much as last night so no one seems to care. I noticed that last night white "barf" bags appeared in bathrooms and near the exit of some venues and they are still there, just in case. Always good to be prepared.

 

EXCITING NEWS, (at least for some on cc): loud music has disappeared from everywhere including the martini bar. We haven't had any loud canned music all cruise and I just noticed. The music you hear is live jazz, string trio, vocals, piano. There may be a loud dance bar somewhere, but it's not midship. Not sure if this will continue, but, personally, I hope so.

 

Remember last night we had to eat in the mdr. Since prime rib was on the blu menu, we asked the maitre d if he could save some for us to eat tonight when we did eat in blu again. Yes...they kept them for us...they are extremely accommodating. Alas, the blu prime rib apparently came from the same cow as last nights in the mdr. The sauce was much better, but the meat was the same...I recommend eating almost anything else.

 

I can now confirm that when I walked out of the casino last night with winnings, it was just a very short term loan which I repaid tonight with interest.

 

GH

[ghstudio]

The nits and other stuff

 

1) captains club letter to elites: there are two senior officer parties, one is for select dining and late seating...the other is for early seating. We are in aqua, dining in blu. If you believe the written word, we aren't invited to any of the events. Now aqua/blu isn't new, is it? We don't get a senior officers party? who writes/checks the stuff that's distributed? ( obviously we really are invited, but shucks, you'd think by now they would have updated the invite lists.

 

2) ditto on captains club celebration. One has to wonder when the captains club and celebrity's web booking system will realize that there is an aqua class on celebrity ships that doesn't dine in the mdr.

 

3) CAUTION: If you purchase an open passage booking, it is automatically assigned to the same travel professional in your current record. That means, I think, you have to use it through that agent! You may be able to change that when you book on board so be careful

 

4) CAUTION: in the past you could transfer an on board booking to a TA of your choice within 60 days if booking. Reading the current new program, the reservation seems to go to "travel partner", whatever that means, "to further service your needs." This one could be a biggie, because our TA has different offers on different weeks, so it looks like I might lose control of when the reservation is moved and therefore lose control of my TA provided perks. I think You can stop the automatic assignment, but you have to do it when you book on board so be careful. No mention of 60 days to transfer, but you may cancel or change your reservation up to 75 or 90 days prior to sail date. It's hard to understand all the nuances.....

 

5) CAUTION: the fine print on the future cruise program says "combinable with one additional offer of your choice available up to the final payment due date". I remind you that you can't apply for the stockholder obc until well after final payment! Although the folks in future cruise sales insist it's combinable, I wouldn't count on that unless celebrity changes the words, they, presumably carefully, wrote into the fine print.

 

6) remember all that talk about a VIP entrance to the ship when in port? We have not seen one in our first two stops...and I think this was the ship that was supposed to have one. I guess it was a trial that wasn't worth continuing. I actually applaud celebrity for trying new things and then being able to then decide it sounded good, but doesn't work well.

 

7) the buffet in the constellation lounge has continued from 5-7 and it's good. There is some internal bar confusion about what wines are in the classic package or, for this cruise, on the elite menu which is the classic package menu. Each bar seems to have their own view of what wines are included. In the constellation lounge they say only Cabernet is the only red on the classic package. Rendezvous lounge has three or four reds on the package. I checked and while the constellation lounge has all the same wines, they only tell you Cabernet is included. I guess it's a training/communication problem

 

8) this is one celebrity really should fix. The captain makes various announcements during the cruise and some of them such as weather or late arrival information are pretty important. However, they don't play the captains message into the cabins,...only the public spaces. If you are in your cabin, you may not even hear that there is an announcement going on. I have no problem with any of this. But where I do have a problem is that there is no way to review or hear what the captain said after he makes the announcement. If you miss the announcement, you may never know there even was an announcement. This would be easily solved if they put the captains announcements (audio) on one of the tv channels and there is even a channel already that shows where we are, speed etc with no audio. Seems like this would be an easy improvement.

[vana]

Hello,

 

Thank you for this great "live" report. We were on the Infinity on Sept 30th cuise and 1) they did have the VIP carpet but was always on the side and never seemed to be in use eventough we were in a suite. 2) the TV does provide the captain's announcement. Can't recall which channel but it's the one with the bow of the ship (I think...).

 

Have a great crossing,

[SWPD]

Can you find out how many Elite's are on the 7 Nov. sailing?

 

 

The nits and other stuff

 

1) captains club letter to elites: there are two senior officer parties, one is for select dining and late seating...the other is for early seating. We are in aqua, dining in blu. If you believe the written word, we aren't invited to any of the events. Now aqua/blu isn't new, is it? We don't get a senior officers party? who writes/checks the stuff that's distributed? ( obviously we really are invited, but shucks, you'd think by now they would have updated the invite lists.

 

2) ditto on captains club celebration. One has to wonder when the captains club and celebrity's web booking system will realize that there is an aqua class on celebrity ships that doesn't dine in the mdr.

 

3) CAUTION: If you purchase an open passage booking, it is automatically assigned to the same travel professional in your current record. That means, I think, you have to use it through that agent! You may be able to change that when you book on board so be careful

 

4) CAUTION: in the past you could transfer an on board booking to a TA of your choice within 60 days if booking. Reading the current new program, the reservation seems to go to "travel partner", whatever that means, "to further service your needs." This one could be a biggie, because our TA has different offers on different weeks, so it looks like I might lose control of when the reservation is moved and therefore lose control of my TA provided perks. I think You can stop the automatic assignment, but you have to do it when you book on board so be careful. No mention of 60 days to transfer, but you may cancel or change your reservation up to 75 or 90 days prior to sail date. It's hard to understand all the nuances.....

 

5) CAUTION: the fine print on the future cruise program says "combinable with one additional offer of your choice available up to the final payment due date". I remind you that you can't apply for the stockholder obc until well after final payment! Although the folks in future cruise sales insist it's combinable, I wouldn't count on that unless celebrity changes the words, they, presumably carefully, wrote into the fine print.

 

6) remember all that talk about a VIP entrance to the ship when in port? We have not seen one in our first two stops...and I think this was the ship that was supposed to have one. I guess it was a trial that wasn't worth continuing. I actually applaud celebrity for trying new things and then being able to then decide it sounded good, but doesn't work well.

 

7) the buffet in the constellation lounge has continued from 5-7 and it's good. There is some internal bar confusion about what wines are in the classic package or, for this cruise, on the elite menu which is the classic package menu. Each bar seems to have their own view of what wines are included. In the constellation lounge they say only Cabernet is the only red on the classic package. Rendezvous lounge has three or four reds on the package. I checked and while the constellation lounge has all the same wines, they only tell you Cabernet is included. I guess it's a training/communication problem

 

8) this is one celebrity really should fix. The captain makes various announcements during the cruise and some of them such as weather or late arrival information are pretty important. However, they don't play the captains message into the cabins,...only the public spaces. If you are in your cabin, you may not even hear that there is an announcement going on. I have no problem with any of this. But where I do have a problem is that there is no way to review or hear what the captain said after he makes the announcement. If you miss the announcement, you may never know there even was an announcement. This would be easily solved if they put the captains announcements (audio) on one of the tv channels and there is even a channel already that shows where we are, speed etc with no audio. Seems like this would be an easy improvement.

[neverbeenhere]

SWPD as you know we are with you on the 11/07, from the hosts we know, they don't know the number until just before the sailing(frequently not until the day of) And, yes, we would like to know the number too.