Which Mediterranean itinerary/ship?

[Caren.M]

I took advantage of the Black Friday sale and put deposits down on two Celebrity cruises.  I will only keep one of them so looking for some feedback.  Here they are:

 

Edge 7 night (Aug 2022) - Deluxe Porthole w/Verandah - Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, sea day, Portofino, Corsica, Florence/Pisa/LaSpezia, Rome  

Infinity 8 night (Sept 2022) - Deluxe (large) OV room - Rome, Florence/Pisa/LaSpezia, Nice, Provence/Marseille, sea day, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Valencia, Barcelona

 

I know the Edge is newer and nicer, and I like a nice room. Cabins are larger, too. The Edge is about $1000 more for the cruise (solo pricing) but with a balcony. (OV on Edge is similar pricing to OV on Infinity, and I may change to OV).  I've been on Constellation and Reflection and loved both ships!

 

Which itinerary is preferable?  I have only been to Rome & Florence so the other ports will be new.  I plan to travel solo so that's a consideration, too.  

 

Thank you for any thoughts & feedback!

[jelayne]

I would choose the Edge.  I like the Edge itinerary better and although we like the Infinity  it’s is in need of updating.  The Edge is not at all like either the Infinity or the Reflection and, IMHO is better.  Some are put off by the Infinite verandas and although they are not our favorite the rest of the ship is exceptional.  The 4 MDRs are excellent, the pool & solarium are great , The Club is a nice addition for night time entertainment and day time activities. The walking track isn’t a small flat loop but changes elevations and you are not dodging lounge chairs the entire way.

[Alakegirl]

Infinity….eight nights is almost always preferable to seven.  Use the money you save for fabulous shore excursions or specialty dining

[4774Papa]

9 hours ago, ccmacentee said:

I took advantage of the Black Friday sale and put deposits down on two Celebrity cruises.  I will only keep one of them so looking for some feedback.  Here they are:

 

Edge 7 night (Aug 2022) - Deluxe Porthole w/Verandah - Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, sea day, Portofino, Corsica, Florence/Pisa/LaSpezia, Rome  

Infinity 8 night (Sept 2022) - Deluxe (large) OV room - Rome, Florence/Pisa/LaSpezia, Nice, Provence/Marseille, sea day, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Valencia, Barcelona

 

I know the Edge is newer and nicer, and I like a nice room. Cabins are larger, too. The Edge is about $1000 more for the cruise (solo pricing) but with a balcony. (OV on Edge is similar pricing to OV on Infinity, and I may change to OV).  I've been on Constellation and Reflection and loved both ships!

 

Which itinerary is preferable?  I have only been to Rome & Florence so the other ports will be new.  I plan to travel solo so that's a consideration, too.  

 

Thank you for any thoughts & feedback!

Personally, since the itineraries are very similar, would take the cheaper cruise.

[terrydtx]

We had a similar decision for our cruise in 2023 in the Mediterranean, a choice between the Infinity and the Edge.  We chose the Apex cruise because it is a much newer ship and has all the upgraded amenities, we wanted with a Sky Suite. The Infinity is a smaller ship but because of Covid she failed to get her much needed Revolutionizing upgrade in 2020 and as of today it has not been rescheduled. We will not sail on any non-Revolutionized Celebrity ship in the future. We sailed in the partial Revolutionized Equinox in an Aft Facing Sky Suite which included the Retreat upgrades just prior to Covid. However, the Equinox did not receive the majority of cabin upgrades because of dry docking issues and the furniture in our SS showed signs of extreme wear and tear and desperately needed replacing. The Infinity would have been less cost but that was not part of our consideration. The Edge has a lot more to offer than the Infinity in restaurants and activities.

 

We also have 21 nights booked on the Edge in 2024 for New Zealand and Australia. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by terrydtx

[Lady Arwen]

We sailed on Infinity in the Med just prior to the covid shutdown.  We had a lovely time, but we were a little disappointed in the condition of the ship.  Public areas were not too bad, although looked somewhat tired.  Our cabin was in desperate need of complete refurbishment.  We had cabin 9001, which is a very large, forward oceanview and that was perfect for us.  However, the furnishings were old and dreary.  The carpet was soiled and quite thin.  The bathroom had seen much better days.  Our cabin steward was a gem and she tried so hard to make our room feel clean and fresh, so not her fault, just simply an aging ship.  I would not sail on Infinity again, unless she was Revolutionized.  We’re sailing next on Apex so we get that new ship feel!

[terrydtx]

33 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We had a similar decision for our cruise in 2023 in the Mediterranean, a choice between the Infinity and the Edge.

My error, it was between the Infinity and Apex.

[George C]

Definitely go for the 8 days , I agree edge class is really nice but on a European cruise you aren’t spending that amount of time on the ship because of the longer shore excursion, we have sailed both ships in last couple of years. 

[terrydtx]

15 minutes ago, George C said:

Definitely go for the 8 days , I agree edge class is really nice but on a European cruise you aren’t spending that amount of time on the ship because of the longer shore excursion, we have sailed both ships in last couple of years. 

Even 8 nights is way too short, we would do a B2B cruise, which is what we do now when we cruise outside of the US. The nice thing is Celebrity does most of their Mediterranean cruises with alternating weekly cruise itineraries. The cost of airfare is easier to swallow over a 14-night cruise.

[George C]

35 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Even 8 nights is way too short, we would do a B2B cruise, which is what we do now when we cruise outside of the US. The nice thing is Celebrity does most of their Mediterranean cruises with alternating weekly cruise itineraries. The cost of airfare is easier to swallow over a 14-night cruise.

Totally agree, but if it’s a choice of 7 or 8 I will take 8,  our last European was 12 days and stayed a couple of days before cruise in Barcelona.

[Caren.M]

Thank you all for your very helpful feedback!  Since I am going on an older Royal Caribbean ship this February with family, I might treat myself to the newer Edge.  I may downgrade to an ocean view cabin to save some money (or maybe not!).  I do look forward to sailing in an M-Class ship again, as I like that size, but will wait for the updates. 

 

I plan to stay 3 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona, and two nights after in Rome, so will be there longer than a week.  Agree, one week is not enough!

[George C]

14 hours ago, ccmacentee said:

Thank you all for your very helpful feedback!  Since I am going on an older Royal Caribbean ship this February with family, I might treat myself to the newer Edge.  I may downgrade to an ocean view cabin to save some money (or maybe not!).  I do look forward to sailing in an M-Class ship again, as I like that size, but will wait for the updates. 

 

I plan to stay 3 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona, and two nights after in Rome, so will be there longer than a week.  Agree, one week is not enough!

We stayed at a really great hotel in Barcelona, Hotel universal Barcelona, there is a couple great suites on 9th floor , also pool and bar on roof which is one floor up with a great view of Barcelona.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’d go with the Edge simply for the itinerary. When people ask for itinerary recommendations in Europe, I try to not see the ship name and just base my recommendation off the itinerary. Europe is so port intensive, the ship just doesn’t matter as much. It’s all about experiencing as much as possible.

[Miaminice]

If you like a nice stateroom, forget about the porthole veranda. IMHO they are dreadful! We even declined a free upgrade to one of them.

 

For budget reasons we chose one of the new PO Panoramic Oceanview staterooms and really liked it - although we usually only sail in verandas. 
 

We also enjoyed the Infinite Veranda - AQ in our case. But it all comes down to the price. The PO is a very good compromise.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Miaminice

[HappyCamper49]

On 12/7/2021 at 11:23 AM, George C said:

Totally agree, but if it’s a choice of 7 or 8 I will take 8,  our last European was 12 days and stayed a couple of days before cruise in Barcelona.

Our 12 night, 2019 Eastern Med cruise was on the Reflection and like you, we spent a few pre-cruise nights in Barcelona!  We love longer cruises, but it is just a personal preference.