Hello Kruzseeka

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Hello Kruzseeka :)

 

Edited June 10, 2014 by CRUISIN LINDA

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Doesn't look good in Bergen today!

 

http://www.bt.no/kamera/videokamera/Floyen-panorama-2342769.html?xtor=AD-13#.U5gMviimWLU

 

Click the triangle to see it live. (after a silly advert :rolleyes:)

 

When we were there last September, it was raining as we arrived, but by about 11am the sun was out and it was lovely :)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

This was our sail in

 

 

This was later in the day

 

[geomagot]

is kruzsee cruising on the celebrity linda? (i wondered why she hadnt been on here for a bit)

 

nice ship eh? look at all those lovely balconies:cool:

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Yes geo, she is on the Infinity. Waiting with bated breath to hear her report :)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I think the Spirit is in too, but I can't see for the rain :eek:

[joeholiday2]

I must admit I forgot she was off cruising.

 

I feel bad now about not wishing her a bon voyage.:(

 

Hope you are having a great time Kruzsee..:D:D

[joeholiday2]

Spirit is docked at the end of the Bryggen, can just make out her blue funnel.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Spirit is docked at the end of the Bryggen, can just make out her blue funnel.

 

I think I can see her, in front of the Costa ship :confused:

 

Where people are standing, is that where you go on the funicular railway? We are going to Bergen in September with Fire and Ice and would like to do that. Anyone know if it is it near the ship?

[joeholiday2]

Where they are standing is the top of the funicular Linda.

There is a nice park up there. If you want to walk it down there are paths that zig zag down through a forest, but it's quite a walk.

 

Spirit is the last ship you can see on the right hand side, just before the camera starts panning to the left. You can just make out the blue funnel.

 

If you dock where the Spirit is now you can walk along the Bryggen to the funicular, I guess 10-15 mins, if you dock where the Celebrity is then the shuttle bus drops you close to that lake with the fountain you can see, again it's around 10 mins walk.

 

Make sure you get to the funicular early, we go the first one up and had a small queue, you should have seen it later. :eek::eek:

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Ah! there's the rub! Not early risers, especially on holiday :o

 

I can see the Spirit now, doesn't she look tiny? And the other two are not VERY huge ships. Off to see who is in with us in August :)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Actually, it will be September by then (4th) We shan't look too small as the Saga Saphire is in with us :) But also a big Costa one :(

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Doh! Just realized the ship I thought was the Spirit was the smaller Costa ship :o She is 53,000 tons and looks exactly like the Dream (I expect she will be the next one foisted on to Thomson ;)) Yes I have now found the Spirit.

 

When we were there on the Crown Princess, we docked somewhere near the fish market. We walked through some gardens and came to the fish market then went to the Bryggen and then got the ho ho bus round the town, but didn't know about the funicular. Must be more thorough in my research!!

[gillhalfpint]

We are on Fire and Ice too. Not a lot of activity on the roll call yet. Looking forward so much to it. Bergen 4th Sept and the funicular sounds good. We are early risers, cannot sleep in on a cruise - enjoy watching sail ins too much!!

Edited June 11, 2014 by gillhalfpint

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Kruzseeka has just sailed out, on her way home. How sad am I? Not on a cruise and following someone else :o:o:D

[kruzseeka]

Hello everyone! Yes I'm back - very sad too! :(

Had a wonderful time and just could not believe the weather. Apart from a very active thunderstorm as we arrived in Bergen, (well spotted Linda) it's been wall to wall sunshine and really warm. Everyday we thought it would break but our luck held. Don't think we dare go again as it couldn't be that good again. :rolleyes:

 

Tried getting onto the site once or twice but wifi not always that easy to find and if we did, the world and their wife were using it too so it was very slow. Managed to send brief messages home but it was a bit of a challenge!

 

The Floybanen (funicular) is just at the fish market end of the Bryggen - up the hill, a white building with Floybanen over the entrance and a flag flying on a tall flag pole often to be recognised by the queue! Definitely worth doing if the visibility is good as you get fab views.

 

Yes we spotted the Spirit too and even sat chatting to a couple of passengers in the tourist office as we waited for the rain to stop. And like your experience Linda, the sun did come out later. :)

[geomagot]

welcome home kruz good to have you back...hope you had a great time:cool:

[happy v]

Welcome back Kruzseeka, can't wait to hear your views on

Celebrity.

[Jim The Scot]

Hello Kruz

 

Look forward to you're review.Isn't,t Iceland a great place

[kruzseeka]

Yes Jim - Iceland was fab. That was one of the main reasons for going. We actually made it to the Blue Lagoon this time too. Quite expensive but what an experience!

 

Anyway here are my thoughts on Celebrity (well the Infinity) a much newer ship than we are used to although you wouldn't chuckle at some of their regulars complaining that it had seen better days! :rolleyes: Launched in 2001!!!! :rolleyes:

 

Outward travel:

All went smoothly – booked through Celebrity though as wanted to be sure if our flight was delayed they had to take care of us. Did have quite a delay waiting for coaches at Copenhagen – not something we are used to as always find Thomson very good in that respect!

Registration easy and straightforward – important to register your CC on arrival and tick the box which allows your own bank to do the currency conversion though as I’d read if you let the cruise company do it they can charge their own (more expensive) rates.

Cabin:

Very comfortable beds, aircon responsive and good, ensuite quite spacious and good storage – no plumbing issues whatsoever!, largest basic cabin we’ve ever had, plenty of drawers but hanging space a bit tight, free safe which never mal-functioned once, tea and coffee making (very quick kettle!), TV with usual channels, extremely good sound insulation (or we were blessed with the quietest neighbours ever!).

Ship:

Lacked WOW factors and attractions (not that we are bothered about that) but very attractive interior, tasteful with lots of sculptures, art work around. Glass lifts – sometimes had a bit of a wait but quite big so took 15ish people at a time so were seldom left standing with full lifts arriving. Lots of glass internally, always bright and sparkling.

Nice selection of bars (one lovely, large observatory one at the front also served as an entertainment area), coffee bar, martini bars as well as large casino, lot of shops – but plenty of space and always possible to find a nice spot to relax/have a drink etc

Outside space – lots of deck and pool space. Covered Spa with pool and Jacuzzi also outside pool both with loads of loungers which we never saw filled. (Did have quite a lot of pax from the Far East who perhaps don’t go in for sun bathing so may not be typical). Have 30 minute rule about stuff left on beds and pool attendants keeping note.

Everywhere very clean and saw staff wiping down walls, ceilings etc although not handrails so much! Plenty of sanitising dispensers around but few staff on duty reminding people to use them at restaurant entrances. We’re pretty conscientious about that but realised on a couple of occasions we’d gone into the mdr having forgotten. Seemed a bit lax especially in the self service where some passengers clearly didn’t bother! However no sign of illness on board.

We were never aware on the larger number of passengers on board apart from a few busy times in the self service and if you were unlucky and arrived back at the ship at the same time as excursions. We did have a long wait one day to board but the security is tight – much like going through airport security each time you board. Everything scanned and you’re checked out if the machine bleeps as you go through. Still can’t argue with them taking care over our safety.

Dining:

We elected when booking to go for Select Dining for our evening meal ie you choose when you want to go in. You are seated on the mezzanine of the mdr for select dining. Very pleasant. There are two fixed sittings otherwise on the lower restaurant level. We went early and never had a problem – sometimes a bit of a queue as we came out but not aware of undue delays. You can check in and get a pager to call you when your table is ready. We thought the evening meals were excellent. So tempting and most days spoilt for choice. The quality of food, variety and choice were superb imo. Apart from the ever changing daily menu there was also a separate stand-alone menu with ‘old favourites’ such as shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, poached salmon, chicken breast, steak, crème brulee, apple pie and cheesecake so that if you weren’t keen on the main menu choice, you could mix and match from the alternative one. Desserts were enticing and very well presented – éclairs, meringue, pecan pie (superb!) etc. All made with quality ingredients.

Self service didn’t do it for me though. Loads of choice – pasta station, pizzas (they were very good) burger bars, sandwich bars (decide on your own filling and bread), salads, ice cream bar, sushi, evenings: stir fry, curry, entrees with roast and veg style. We didn’t use it at nights but at breakfast found it frustrating. Queue for toast (freshly done), eggs/omelette station (queue to be cooked to your order) then go to English breakfast for your bacon etc. All very good but if you weren’t careful you were wandering from here to there a lot whilst your food was cooling down. It’s big (so much choice!) but as a consequence it’s very strung out. At times it was so busy and frustrating (we elected to go into the mdr some mornings instead). The pancake station was good!!!! I liked the seating areas though, lovely large floor to ceiling windows and separated up so it felt more intimate. Nice outside deck/bar at the back but not very big. Desserts here looked good too. Small squares (which we are used to) but mini fruit tarts, éclairs, cheesecake, mini chocolate pots sort of thing – really nice quality.

The restaurants had designated opening times which meant there were lulls between availability so you had to think ahead and make sure you went whilst stations were still open. Nothing much available after 9.30 pm though!!! But complimentary room service available 24 hours.

Lovely coffee bar (payable) but complimentary desserts served here much like those in the self service and dining room.

Had three formal nights but dress code gnenerally very relaxed.

There are other payable restaurants. The people on the next table to us tried them on formal nights as they didn't want to dress up but said it hadn't been worth it as the food was so good in the mdr.

Service:

Very mixed nationalities on board but without exception we found service efficient and there seemed to be plenty of staff on hand in the bars – also the theatre. They were extremely friendly and helpful and always greeted you with a smile and quick to recognise you.

Entertainment:

Two excellent bands playing in two bar venues. One very like Top Men. Other musicians around the ship (Martini Bar, coffee bar etc) ok.

Only three production shows over 14 nights – they were really good though (much better than P&O) pity they weren’t used more. Other nights we had a magician, quartet of singers, excellent comedian, Elton John tribute act, female singer with comedic elements and violinist Analiza Ching (sp?) who was on BGT apparently and extremely talented, a Mentalist (!yikes - definitely a weak link!) a couple of combined shows with some of these acts and a welcome show. Surprisingly although we were a little disappointed in the number of what I’d call proper shows, we were quite impressed with the entertainment and the theatre was superb. No obstructions, excellent views – even arriving 5/10 minutes before a show you would still get very good seats – mainly because none of them were bad.

There were quizzes, competitions and fun games in the observatory bar at different times – some very good and funny but perhaps not as much buzz as Thomson. However we only had about 10% UK passengers – I think the balance and response to that sort of entertainment will be different sailing out of the UK.

There were also some absolutely fascinating and excellent lectures on whales, dolphins, seals etc on sea days - very suited to the itinerary and we actually did spot some whales - and seals in Lerwick.

Trips:

We went on a couple of their trips which were very good and not bad value – possibly marginally more expensive than we’ve been used to but not much. I've got a price list if anyone wants a comparison.

Drinks:

Now this is the sting – drinks prices were extremely high. A bottle of wine (about the cheapest) was around 40$ with 15% service charge added, or a glass @ 10.5$ and upwards. Good to look out for the social hour when they are effectively offering a glass of wine at half price 4 – 6 pm or 10 – midnight. Also included in that are about three different cocktails and some beers. If you can get a deal with the wine package included or even consider buying it that would be a big plus. Of course you can’t expect cheap deals with that kind of perk thrown in so you have to accept that’s the price you have to pay - either a more expensive cruise price or with deals you pay high drinks prices on board. Wine packages were available but still extremely expensive. Having said that we were very satisfied with the price we paid for our cruise so just coughed up on drinks!

Summary: Impressed with the ship, staff and food (especially mdr) and surprised that we enjoyed almost all of the entertainment. Seemed very relaxed, we met a lot of very nice passengers to chat to and thought the itinerary very good with not too many sea days given you have to have some to get up to Iceland and over to Norway and back. Would I go again? Definitely!

We visited Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Torshavn, Reykjavik (2 days), Lerwick, Geiranger and Bergen so if anyone wants any info on those ports I’ll help if I can.

[Jakanne1]

Thank you for your brilliant review, Kruzseeka. It seems, as you say, that the only element that let's Celebrity Infinity down compared with Thomson, is the price of the drinks. Does this apply to non alcoholic drinks, water, coffees, etc?

 

Oh, and with the fabulous sounding cakes and deserts, one will probably put more weight on!!

[kruzseeka]

Thank you for your brilliant review, Kruzseeka. It seems, as you say, that the only element that let's Celebrity Infinity down compared with Thomson, is the price of the drinks. Does this apply to non alcoholic drinks, water, coffees, etc?

 

Oh, and with the fabulous sounding cakes and deserts, one will probably put more weight on!!

 

 

Thanks Jakanne. :) Haven't dared get on the scales! :eek:

 

Coffees were 6$ in the coffee bar - also if you wanted one after dinner!!!!! However it was free in the self service. They did serve tea and coffee at breakfast in the mdr though (waiter service). Water available at lunch and dinner no charge - didn't bother costing the bottles as we were happy enough to just drink what was being served. Not sure what the 'packages' involve as we didn't have one but there was a soft drink package available as well as the alcoholic one.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Hi Kruzseeka,

 

Great review, as usual :)

 

I chuckled about the French Onion Soup. That is why DH said the food was repetitive. I do try to explain that it is the 'alternative menu' but he won't listen :rolleyes: Even so 'soup du jour' doesn't neccesarily have to be the same 'tous les jours' ! This seems to be a feature of American ships, they do the same on Princess, and an idea that Thomson could copy I think.

 

On our first time on Princess we were told the coffee after dinner was chargeable, but as we had the same waiters each night, they abandoned that after the first night and said we only had to pay, if we wanted a speciality coffee, but Americanos were free. Have since been with Princess twice and Celebrity once and never paid :)

 

I have to say that the hand gelling was also lax on Princess, none at the gangway, no-one to enforce it at the buffet and none at all for the MDR :eek: No illness though, but it surprised us as they had had 3 outbreaks of noro the year before on the same ship.

 

I think I have said before that I actually like the variety of entertainment on the American ships. I do love Thomson shows, but, when you have been on a few times, they do get a bit repetitive, except Africa,but they seem to have abandoned that :(

 

Drinks - hmmm well, I think I did warn you! Yes we paid $42 for a bottle of wine - once! I think a glass of wine was $7.50, but only about half a glass. They were big glasses though. We thought it would have looked better to have filled a small glass.

 

I am going to get some folders for my upcoming cruises, so shall be after some tips from you soon!

 

Regarding the regular's complaints about the state of the ship, I went on the Princess boards last year before our trip to the fjords and found someone doing a blog live from the ship (now there's an idea for your next cruise, Kruzseeka, now you have a tablet, hee hee) and he said the ship needed a revamp - ha ha - it was built in 2006 :rolleyes:

[joeholiday2]

Hi kruzseeka, many thanks for the review.

The entertainment seems much like the ncl cruise we did a couple of years ago, more variety than Thomson but the main shows not quite as good. Once we found the good band and the piano man we were happy.

 

Drinks are expensive, but as you say if you are happy with the cruise price it's swings and roundabouts.

 

Sent from my Hudl HT7S3 using Forums mobile app

[Jim The Scot]

Great review Kruz

 

What did you think of Oslo?.Been twice and another great place but wow,expensive