Live from the infinity - 10/24 transatlantic

[timetravellers]

Leaving tomorrow evening for our flight to Miami so that we can board Infinity on Thursday.

Thank you for a wonderful review. Makes the wait even more exciting!:)

[ghstudio]

A sincere note of praise....

 

Each ship has a personality and much of that is due to the leadership team, starting with the captain. We have seen both cruises with smiling faces everywhere and a few where you could just feel there were some issues.

 

The infinity, our cruise on the infinity, is, in our experience, unique...and I attribute this to the captain, Anastasia's lekkas, the staff captain, Thomas hinderhofer and the hotel director, Paul Kelley. They are by far the most visible officers we've ever experienced. The captain walks through blu almost every night and stops to talk...to chat...with various tables or anyone who catches his eye. He's occasionally sitting having coffee in cafe baccio and chatting with passengers or staff...he's always engaged with passengers. His staff captain, Thomas, is clearly a rapidly rising star...he's also everywhere, participating in most every passenger/officer event. He also stops to chat with anyone and is seen most nights in the constellation bar during the elite cocktail hour or at almost any other event. Finally Paul is seen walking around just talking with passengers. They are all exceptional people people....not just managers. I would expect Thomas to become a full captain quickly, albeit probably not with celebrity who seems to only hire Greek captains.

 

These three really do make a difference....and their friendliness extends to most every celebrity individual on board....everyone smiles, everyone says good morning or have a wonderful day....our cabin attendant is very efficient and always around asking if there is anything she can do for us. It's really remarkable....and appreciated by us.

 

Is everything perfect....no, but to a large extent the "flaws" are out of the ship's hands. Several areas are understaffed...the ship just needs more bartenders, waiters and busboys. This effects many areas including blu or peak cocktail times around the ship. The change in the aqua spa cafe was corporate driven and is a significant downgrade, IMHO. The quality of the food is determined by corporate.

 

Note: I will be sending a similar note to Michael Bayley. These three individuals deserve recognition from the top.

[cruzky]

ghstudio,

 

 

Thanks for the amazing review.

 

I do have one question. On the Infinity are beer and soft drinks dispensed by draft beer/fountain soft drinks or are they now using cans?

 

Thanks,

 

Roseanna

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

A sincere note of praise....

 

Each ship has a personality and much of that is due to the leadership team, starting with the captain. We have seen both cruises with smiling faces everywhere and a few where you could just feel there were some issues.

 

The infinity, our cruise on the infinity, is, in our experience, unique...and I attribute this to the captain, Anastasia's lekkas, the staff captain, Thomas hinderhofer and the hotel director, Paul Kelley. They are by far the most visible officers we've ever experienced. The captain walks through blu almost every night and stops to talk...to chat...with various tables or anyone who catches his eye. He's occasionally sitting having coffee in cafe baccio and chatting with passengers or staff...he's always engaged with passengers. His staff captain, Thomas, is clearly a rapidly rising star...he's also everywhere, participating in most every passenger/officer event. He also stops to chat with anyone and is seen most nights in the constellation bar during the elite cocktail hour or at almost any other event. Finally Paul is seen walking around just talking with passengers. They are all exceptional people people....not just managers. I would expect Thomas to become a full captain quickly, albeit probably not with celebrity who seems to only hire Greek captains.

 

These three really do make a difference....and their friendliness extends to most every celebrity individual on board....everyone smiles, everyone says good morning or have a wonderful day....our cabin attendant is very efficient and always around asking if there is anything she can do for us. It's really remarkable....and appreciated by us.

 

Is everything perfect....no, but to a large extent the "flaws" are out of the ship's hands. Several areas are understaffed...the ship just needs more bartenders, waiters and busboys. This effects many areas including blu or peak cocktail times around the ship. The change in the aqua spa cafe was corporate driven and is a significant downgrade, IMHO. The quality of the food is determined by corporate.

 

Note: I will be sending a similar note to Michael Bayley. These three individuals deserve recognition from the top.

 

I agree. Our last cruise on the Connie was that way. The atmosphere on the ship absolutely depends on the top officers. Glad to see that Infinity now has a better group.

[ghstudio]

We are nearing Nassau and we are rocking and rolling....unfortunately I am not talking about the music. We've apparently had some falls and crushed fingers already and walking, even with reasonable sea legs is not exactly a straight line. Cloudy as well....not our best day.

 

Grand brunch today. All the usual stuff with shrimp, sushi, gravlox (which only seems to be served at the brunch), omelette stations, etc. yes there were swans with whipped cream inside in back of the dessert table (as always hard to reach). A number of small fruit tarts. It was a very nice spread. It's not so nice watching folks put the tongs down on top of the food instead of on a plate provided for the tongs....however in fairness, the smoked fish had tongs on top of the platter of fish and there was no place to put the tongs except back on the fish. The celebrity food handlers wear gloves....but passengers don't so it's no wonder that norovirus spreads so easily on ships (as far as I know, we don't have any problems on the infinity).

 

There are reports that two cabins flooded for some reason. Presumably they moved the folks to other cabins.

 

I tried the "bloody Scotsman" craft drink and as strange as the drink sounds, it was a very good drink. Try one.

 

The last two nights, we have had a wait at blu....if it's full, there's not much they can do. We waited in the rendezvous lounge and the maitre d' came out to get us. Sometimes the show schedule causes everyone to eat early or there is some other cause. It really didn't bother us. I don't think it's caused by suite passengers dining in blu.

 

I have to say a few words about service in blu. Everyone is friendly and they cover for each other, but as we talk with folks there are more complaints about asking for something and it never appearing..or no one is passing around the sweet pastries..or no coffee server in the morning. (The sommelier, Nash, in blu is, however, terrific and somehow handles the entire room alone). I chalk it all up to staffing and I'm sure that's a hq decision, not a ship decision. I think the ship does as well as it can with the personnel it has.

 

It's not just a blu problem. The worst example of this was actually the night they had the select/elite officers reception (which we skipped since we hate mobs) Since there was a huge group expected at the event, they pulled bar waiters from the other bars so there was almost no service in the almost full rendezvous lounge...and coupons don't help if there are no waiters to get a drink.

 

Comment on lobsters...they are warm water lobster tails, not Maine lobsters. They are perhaps elegant to some but my advice is to pass on the lobster and order something else. I know you won't listen to me, but after you order the lobster meal, you might just agree with me.

 

GH

[ghstudio]

We are nearing Nassau and we are rocking and rolling....unfortunately I am not talking about the music. We've apparently had some falls and crushed fingers already and walking, even with reasonable sea legs is not exactly a straight line. Cloudy as well....not our best day.

 

Grand brunch today. All the usual stuff with shrimp, sushi, gravlox (which only seems to be served at the brunch), omelette stations, etc. yes there were swans with whipped cream inside in back of the dessert table (as always hard to reach). A number of small fruit tarts. It was a very nice spread. It's not so nice watching folks put the tongs down on top of the food instead of on a plate provided for the tongs....however in fairness, the smoked fish had tongs on top of the platter of fish and there was no place to put the tongs except back on the fish. The celebrity food handlers wear gloves....but passengers don't so it's no wonder that norovirus spreads so easily on ships (as far as I know, we don't have any problems on the infinity).

 

There are reports that two cabins flooded for some reason. Presumably they moved the folks to other cabins.

 

I tried the "bloody Scotsman" craft drink and as strange as the drink sounds, it was a very good drink. Try one.

 

The last two nights, we have had a wait at blu....if it's full, there's not much they can do. We waited in the rendezvous lounge and the maitre d' came out to get us. Sometimes the show schedule causes everyone to eat early or there is some other cause. It really didn't bother us. I don't think it's caused by suite passengers dining in blu.

 

I have to say a few words about service in blu. Everyone is friendly and they cover for each other, but as we talk with folks there are more complaints about asking for something and it never appearing..or no one is passing around the sweet pastries..or no coffee server in the morning. (The sommelier, Nash, in blu is, however, terrific and somehow handles the entire room alone). I chalk it all up to staffing and I'm sure that's a hq decision, not a ship decision. I think the ship does as well as it can with the personnel it has.

 

It's not just a blu problem. The worst example of this was actually the night they had the select/elite officers reception (which we skipped since we hate mobs) Since there was a huge group expected at the event, they pulled bar waiters from the other bars so there was almost no service in the almost full rendezvous lounge...and coupons don't help if there are no waiters to get a drink.

 

Comment on lobsters...they are warm water lobster tails, not Maine lobsters. They are perhaps elegant to some but my advice is to pass on the lobster and order something else. I know you won't listen to me, but after you order the lobster meal, you might just agree with me.

 

GH

[h20cruzer]

There is nothing that compares to Maine lobster.

Norma

[gordylad]

Great review.

 

Has it been in your opinion an very unsettled crossing [weather wise]?

[ghstudio]

arrived home.....so a final post

 

- I should add Jenny, captains club hostess, to the list of outstanding celebrity folks. We hadn't met her until late in the cruise, but she is another gem deserving recognition. I hope she is still aboard for our next cruise to the Antarctica in Feb.

 

- Of course you can't resupply in the middle of the ocean...we've started to run out of things like cottage cheese and various berries. Not a real problem, just observed.

 

- The captain continued his walk through blu each evening...always a smile, he'd joke or answer serious questions...a pleasure.

 

- We did have more waits for blu as the cruise went on....never 30 minutes, but perhaps the longest was 15 minutes. Never a wait for breakfast. Service continued to show a lack of personnel...and it seemed to get worse as the cruise progressed. Perhaps they were stealing blu staff for other places.

 

- If you are disembarking in Miami, just prepare for some longer waits and difficulties finding your luggage. Don't expect to breeze through immigration...they had about 12 immigration agents and there was still a line. People were complaining to the celebrity folks on the dock about the delays, but that was out of celebrity's hands.

 

- We've now been on a total of 42 nights of m-class aqua cabins with the new shower doors. My wife, for the very first time, managed to take a shower without the floor getting soaked. Of course we were docked, but we considered it a major achievement.

 

- Nassau turned out to be a wonderful stop just for the conch salad made at our table at senor frogs. They also have high speed internet. Skip the stores and just enjoy the food. If you don't want the food, then just skip the shopping anyway. I priced a few watches and found them more expensive than on the ship...that's pretty bad.

 

- The staff captain joked with us during one of the elite cocktail hours about nassau...he said it would look like a convention of cruise ships. He wasn't far off...there were 4 there with us. Two NCL's, an RCL, and a carnival that was staying overnight.

 

answering some questions posed in this thread

 

- no idea how many elites are on any future cruise...they find out just before sailing.

 

- yes escargot available

 

- on our cruise (and likely only on our cruise) any vodka or vodka drink $8 or under were available using the coupons.

 

- Sorry for the duplicate posts...it's hard to tell if a post made it through given the speed of the ship's internet and the cost of waiting around just to see.

 

- yes, you could buy a drink package for just the remaining days of the cruise...you don't have to buy for the whole cruise....unless you are buying in advance (at the reduced rate).

 

- repeating...craft drinks are only available at certain bars...and different drinks are sometimes only available at some bars. I thought I had a bloody scotsman only to find the next night that that bar didn't have all the ingredients to make it.

 

- Miami: Hertz has a shuttle bus as well as National/Alamo. Budget doesn't and it's about a $10 taxi to get there. Avis is right next door to Budget, but I didn't see any Avis bus either.

 

That pretty much ties up the trip. I enjoyed posting....hope it helped answer some questions or give some insight into a celebrity cruise.

 

GH

[cricketlover]

Thanks very much for taking the time to post, really enjoyed the journey with you.

[KikisDad]

Thank you for taking us on your cruise :D

[wisteria1019]

Welcome home and let the countdown begin for your next adventure.

 

Dawn

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for your comprehensive report.

[S.O.C.I.O.C.A.T.s]

I appreciate and second the comments above. I too have composed and sent a letter to Bagley . . . I might publish it here and definitely will as an Infinity review.

[bakcd]

Thanks for the great reports from the Infinity. I hope to see Jenny when we board the Infinity in March. She was on our TA and British Isles sailing in May and was going home when we disembarked.

 

Will you be doing another live report in February?

[ghstudio]

Thanks for the great reports from the Infinity. I hope to see Jenny when we board the Infinity in March. She was on our TA and British Isles sailing in May and was going home when we disembarked.

 

Will you be doing another live report in February?

 

I'll probably do another in feb, but since it's the same ship, I'll likely focus on any differences....and of course comments on the geography.

 

I think Jenny's contract ends before March, but she is hopeful that celebrity will ask her to stay....

[gkm]

Thanks for this wonderful report. Bob and I are looking forward to sailing with you to Antarctica in February. BTW, I posted on our roll call that everyone should follow you as you sailed across the pond. :D

 

Garry

[lilghallinsf]

Wonderful review. My next is a ta on the reflection in April but thoroughly enjoyed reading yours. Got me excited for ours

[sawyer_boy]

On the Reflection there was a group playing cards in the ASC that removed all of the stuff on the table including the sign that requested the use of the table for those passengers that are eating only during the hours that it is crowded. The manger requested them to leave and one of the females (can't call her a lady) said that they are eating and she was waitng for the line to get shorter (there was no line) She then went with a rather sarcastic snooty attitude and got a bread stick and placed it on the table as they continued to play cards. She kept looking around as if daring someone to say something.

 

The only way to eliminate it completely is to post a sign that reads "no game playing or reading during dining hours".

 

The problem today is too many people are inconsiderate and think they are entitled to special privileges.

 

.🎃

 

Yes there is lots of this. I now just move their stuff and if they return when I'm there I tell them the table was cleared when I got their but I always invite them to sit and join me. Most say not at least I offered.

[gold1953]

We were also on this cruise and find your report quite accurate.. except for the reports on the storm. The Captain says the seas were up to 12 meters or 40 ft. The waves broke a window on the 4th deck. We had a sleepless night as our cabin was front and high!!! Wrong choice for sure!!.

 

Over all it was a great cruise except for the tragedy in Nassau where a young member of one of the ships bands drowned. There were a lot of tears on Wed. afternoon.

[crazygirl!]

I really enjoyed reading your posts. Thanks for taking us along with you!

[ghstudio]

We were also on this cruise and find your report quite accurate.. except for the reports on the storm. The Captain says the seas were up to 12 meters or 40 ft. The waves broke a window on the 4th deck. We had a sleepless night as our cabin was front and high!!! Wrong choice for sure!!.

 

Over all it was a great cruise except for the tragedy in Nassau where a young member of one of the ships bands drowned. There were a lot of tears on Wed. afternoon.

 

We were one table away from that window when it shattered. It was not broken by a wave or as some suggested, by a chair....I asked the captain specifically about the window and he said it broke due to flexing of the ship...a spontaneous shatter, not caused by anything hitting it. They apparently carry replacement panes on board and it will be fixed in some port.

 

The captain and staff captain responded at various times to the question of how high the waves were and I also heard the 40' comment. Prior to that, they said 9 meters and indicated the second bad night would be about 2 meters less. I don't believe we were in anything close to 40' seas....

 

I was unaware of the death...

Edited November 8, 2013 by ghstudio

[portofrome]

I agree with you: Jenny is the best CC hostess I have ever met on a Celebrity ship. Thanks so much for your report.

[S.O.C.I.O.C.A.T.s]

Jenny is disembarking at Cartaghena, Columbia, her hometown, this weekend and will be reunited with her toddler daughter.

[S.O.C.I.O.C.A.T.s]

We were right next door to the two rooms that were flooded (9044 and 9046)--broken pipe. The staff responded quickly, eventually removing the carpet and replacing it. However it was an inconvenience. THe couple in 9044 had just moved to that room because their prior room had bad odors. They are on the Panama Canal going on right now and must move again to a deck 3 stateroom because no other balconies are available; sympathy to them for all the headaches on the cruise.