Infinity... Just a few thoughts from our recent cruise.

[SraLiz]

Hello All-

Just a couple notes from our recent (July 23) Infinity cruise to share with you.  My sister and I cruised together and we found the ship to be generally in good condition.  This was just a quick get away for us and we really just wanted to lay around and relax for a week.  We are seasoned cruisers with over 20 cruises each,  on different lines.  Celebrity is my preferred brand and Disney is my sisters.  We both were on the Edge last year and while it's beautiful, we prefer the smaller ships.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have.  

 

Embarkation was immediate.  We had the 11:00 am time and literally, I walked right on.... my sister on the other hand.... not so much. LOL  She forgot her actual vaccine CARD and the Port Authority would not let her through.  They sent her outside to wait for her husband to drive the 2 1/2 hours back home to find her card and take a picture of it and send it to her.  Well... that was a crazy conversation between her and the PA so I just move on up the escalator and found a Celebrity rep.  The lovely young lady found her uploaded vax card on in the Celebrity check in information and I took a picture of it and sent it to my sis.  I was on the ship and all ready to find a drink when she arrived.  So... the lesson here is.... REMEMBER to take your card or take a picture of it. LOL 

There was no welcome aboard Champaign... but we found some at the bar...no bit deal.  I am not sure if it's because we were some of the first on or not.  Also, there wasn't anyone telling people where to go.  We didn't have any issues because we have sailed similar ships but we did find several people just standing around just inside the doorways asking "what do I do now", "where do I go now".  That leads to another observation...this cruise was filled with first time cruisers!!  It was either their first time or their millionth time.... no one really in between.   I find that AWESOME that so many people are getting out there and trying the cruise life!

 

We had a concierge room on deck 7.  I loved the location but I would not choose the concierge level again unless it was a really, really good deal.  (which is what we got with this one LOL).  The room was well appointed and clean for the most part.  I found some papers in the bedside drawers and a pill bottle in the bathroom, dust behind the TV (which was a small flat screen but no video on demand or account checking apps).  The shower tile floor had some issues.  A couple of tiles actually came up/off during our week and the remedy by our attendant was to lay a washcloth over the area. LOL  It worked but seriously???  Our room had a curtain in the shower.  I just left it open and showered as normal.  The water really didn't get out into the bathroom.  The towels are in seriously need of a refresh.  But on the other hand... great for exfoliating! LOL  I really think cabin cleanliness  is a result of the quick turn around time.  The cabin attendants just don't have time to clean properly.  We have to be out of the room by 8:00am and we walked on the ship at 11:00 am... how can they clean that fast??  The balcony was a hot mess... but it was not the fault of the cabin attendant.  Tons of rust, the glass was smeared with something that couldn't be cleaned, chipped paint etc.  We still sat outside and enjoyed our balcony but it was clear maintenance was not done while it was the "quarantine ship". 

While on the topic of cleaning and maintenance...  we found several "lights out" around the ship.... for the whole week!  One light in the stairwell and one in one of the ladies rooms.  All week...the same lights out.  What the heck? The common ladies rooms were generally well kept.  Some had attendants in them, some didn't.  I love the hand towels and those were fresh.  The crew was constantly cleaning.  Cleaning the stairwells, the pool deck, the Oceanview Cafe, the casino.  Public areas were very well maintained.  I could tell some carpets were new, some cabins updated ( I did look into a suite on our floor and it had new carpet, bedding and beautiful dark cherry finishes).  It seems they continue to work on updates as they are sailing.  

 

We stopped at Key West, Bimini, Grand Turk, and Puerto Plata.  Key West was just a walk around and enjoy the sight's kind of day.  We had ton's of fun.  I was not impressed with Bimini nor the Resorts World complex.  We originally went to the public beach and found 2 chairs and an umbrella were renting for $73.  So we walked over to Resort World (literally next door, same beach) and found $44 per person got us a chair, table, umbrella, restrooms and a drink.  They had other packages as well... $69 got you lunch and $99 open bar (but no food).  Now I know you think $99 for open bar is high... but the individual drinks are $21 EACH (the menu says $16 but they tax you as well)... so if you are a drinker, the open bar is a good deal.  We are drinkers... but not at $20 a pop for an 8 oz drink. What I found strange is there were NO waiters walking around to take orders.  You had to go up to the bar.   Grand Turk is a nice place to hang out.  If you haven't seen the Mercury/ John Glenn Space Exhibit please, take time to see it.  It's really interesting and it's an outside walk around exhibit.  Takes all of 15 minutes and it's really interesting.  Be aware... there are men who try to sell you lounge chairs and shells.... go past them... all the chairs are FREE just past the little Tiki Bar at Margaritaville.  We did the 2 hour snorkel trip to the "wall" and it was fun.  I would like to go again and spend more time there.   Drinks at Margaritaville were cheap compared to Bimini.  $12 for a nice sized mixed drink.  Food prices reasonable as well.  Puerto Plata has a brand new cruise port.  Opened in December 2021.  Nice shops, clean, nice bars with friendly staff.  Great drink prices as well.  There is sand and loungers but I wouldn't really call it a beach.  You can't get into the water, the shore is filled with boulders.  They are working on the port, adding new areas.   We walked over to the Fort.  Its an easy walk (maybe a mile and a half each way) and there were police officers the whole way at almost every intersection.  We though that was because there were no traffic lights or stop signs... lol... we were wrong.  As we tried to go a different route back to the ship... from out of nowhere a man in uniform from the transportation station jumped out in front of us and and turned us around.  "Lady, listen to me" he said "you can't go that way, please, turn here and follow the path" .  When we asked our server at the bar in the cruise port, she smiled and said "you two would have never made it back to the ship".  I think that perhaps has more to do with the construction than safety concerns.   The police are there for a reason.  Follow their directions.  We didn't feel unsafe at all, just be aware.  Several people we chatted with took the excursion to to the waterfalls and had a fantastic time.  Several walked downtown to the shops and had a lovely time as well.  

 

Dinner at Le Petit Chef is a must.  The show is cute but really the meal is wonderful.  It's never crowded so the chef is cooking for a small group.  We went the first night (with a discount) and there were 12 of us in the whole restaurant.  Very nice meal.  Tuscan was a total waste for us.  Lack of staff made the whole experience long and drawn out (over 3 hours for the 2 of us).  We had a reservation but had to wait because the group in front of us couldn't find a table they liked.  Literally we watched them sit, take menus and then get up to move tables... 3 times.... what the heck? So we waited almost 25 minutes for our table for 2.  Then the waiter came right over and said "do you know what you want" we were like ummm no we haven't opened the menus, how about a cocktail first? The whole evening was just off.  Our poor waiter was the only one in our section with 6 tables seated all within 30 minutes of each other.  The food was nothing spectacular.  Defiantly not Ruth's Chris or Jeff Ruby but not "Fancy like Applebee's" either LOL.  I wont return.  Sushi on 5 was fine.  Food is good but again staffing issues made the meal slow.  Ocean view Cafe for lunch was fantastic.  Always a great selection.  Wonderful salad bar and YES there is a fish and chips day.  I tried the fish but did not care for the breading, too soggy and too much of it.  I pulled it away and put the fish on my salad and it was delish!  Dinner in the main dining room was very nice.  Always found something we liked.  The steak Diane was delish as well as the lobster an beef wellington.  Soups were good, salads fresh and always happy to give you extra vegetable instead of potatoes.  After embarkation concierge lunch sandwiched in-between two tables of 2 (so we were actually a table of 6 lol) we asked for a table for 2 not close to anyone.  Our wish was granted each night with a lovely, quiet table by the stairs.  We enjoy open seating and we do actually enjoy sitting with tablemates, but I think the Open Seating doesn't allow you to sit with the same people each night.  So we feel like you are interviewing for a new job each evening. LOL  Martini Bar was a hot spot and the drinks were wonderful.  We actually met and ended up spending a lot of time with the Kostas, the Director of Food and Beverage.  He is a wonderful young man and a great brand ambassador.  We chatted frequently throughout the week and he seems to actually want to hear our opinions.  

 

The pool decks never felt crowded and there were always servers coming around to check on us.  We stayed on the upper deck with a nice breeze.  Someone always picking up glasses and trash, taking used towels off chairs unoccupied.  No issues there at all. 

 

Overall we had a fantastic week.  Met loads of fun people and look forward to our next Celebrity cruise.  I am off on the Edge in September and Sis is on the Equinox in January.   It's true the Infinity is an older ship, but this would not prevent me from taking a vacation on her again.  Her crew makes up for any and every flaw you can find.  I am sure she will get a freshening up soon and will continue to make people happy for may trips to come!

 

[jcpc]

Thanks for posting your thoughts.  I'm sailing Infinity next month and am looking forward to a nice, relaxing cruise.  

[emdmistycc]

Thanks for posting about Infinity.  Appreciate your thoughts on the ship and also about each of the ports.

glad you enjoyed yourselves.

Sailing in September on Infinity so like reading feedback .

 

elaine

[hcat]

Thanks for a nice review. Glad you had a good time.

 

  From your experiences, we will pass on going to Bimini ( overpriced for sure!),

or Puerta Plata, if possible.

 

  You are lucky your A/C worked in your cabin and hallway,  and you did not have mildew in your shower stall and on the curtain..  Infinity is/ was a nice  cozy shp but needs a serious overhaul from inside out.

[SraLiz]

Our AC worked really well.... almost too well! I had to put a robe on one night cause I was so cold LOL I didn't dare touch the controller... I was afraid it would stop working! LOL

JCPC & Elaine- y'all will have a great trip! ENJOY!!!

[1620rock]

Thanks for your trip report.  Glad that you had a good cruise despite some maintenance issues with your cabin.

 

We will be on the same itinerary in September and these ports are new to us except Key West so it is great to have reports from recent cruises.   Seems like Resort World is the better option for Bimini especially with the pool since there have been some recent reports of jelly fish in the water.  

 

We would like to snorkel the barrier reef in Grand Turk.  Did you go on a ship excursion to the barrier reef or did you book something a the beach?   What was the boat like for the snorkel trip and if you booked it at the beach do you remember the cost?

[eroller]

Thanks for the candid review.  Very much enjoyed it.  I sailed on INFINITY almost 20 years ago to Hawaii and loved it.  Happy to return in September with some friends.  I realize she is now 20 older and never received that extensive refit, but she has great bones.  I love the M-Class ships.  Great size and layout.  Wonderful pools and decks and this cruise is all about lounging on deck.  I can deal with a little wear and tear.  Funny you mentioned the balcony.  The same was true on QM2 in March.  Covered in rust and you could barely see through the glass rail. Definitely deferred maintenance.  The worst condition I’ve ever seen her in. 
 

One question.  In Bimini is that beach and pool at Resorts the same as the Virgin Beach Club that Virgin Voyages uses, or something totally different?  I heard when a Virgin ship isn’t in port you can pay to spend the day at their Beach Club.  

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

Thanks for posting your review. I will be boarding the Celebrity Infinity on September 3. I received an incredible price on an AquaClass stateroom and couldn't resist booking this cruise. 

[GEORGIEGIRL]

Nice review of your cruise. Thanks for taking the time.

 

We will be on her in 4 weeks and I have a few questions.

 

01) Do you have copies of the "Daily Planner"? (not exactly sure what Celebrity calls them) {If you do can you post them please?}

02) Was the ship full/sold out?

03) What "Theater" shows are being offered?

04) Did they have "Pool Games" like other cruise lines?

05) Did they have "Themed" nights like a 70's or 80's, etc..?

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Thanks again.

[NutsAboutGolf]

19 minutes ago, GEORGIEGIRL said:

Nice review of your cruise. Thanks for taking the time.

 

We will be on her in 4 weeks and I have a few questions.

 

01) Do you have copies of the "Daily Planner"? (not exactly sure what Celebrity calls them) {If you do can you post them please?}

02) Was the ship full/sold out?

03) What "Theater" shows are being offered?

04) Did they have "Pool Games" like other cruise lines?

05) Did they have "Themed" nights like a 70's or 80's, etc..?

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Thanks again.

 

Was on the 7/16 sailing

#1 Everything should be in the app, occasionally the main shows don't appear until like the week before.  Many of us throw out the papers

#2 My sailing was just under 80% full

#3 Celebrity seems to really like musicals they can have the same exact shows from ship to ship (I've seen the show "Broken Strings" on 3 different ships now), 6 of the 7 nights on my sailing were musicals, some shows may have dancing, a storyline or aerialists, the one non-musical show was a magician.  One night, in addition to the 7pm and 9pm musical, they had a comedian at 1030pm.  Also, every night they do a passenger participation "game show" at 8pm

#4 Only thing I recall was Capt vs passengers pool volleyball

#5 One night there will be an "full moon deck party", I believe it used to be known as the white party; DJ on the deck, blacklights about 2/3 dress in white (not required) and the hot tubs are open

[musik07]

I am glad to hear things out of the cabins seem to be improving. Particularly the buffet, MDR and bars. We sailed the second sailing and based on that I would have told anyone to run far far away from Infinity. Dinner near three hours most nights, just a few bar servers on the pool deck and only two bartenders at the pool bar so it was a long wait. No 'large' martini glasses so the martinis were half of their normal size.  We also had a lot of issues with the shower in my cabin, it seemed to be leaking and every time the shower ran the carpet would get wet next to the bed.  They offered to bring an industrial blower in but there was already no room in the cabin and I never could have slept with that. 

[Cap_D]

If anyone is still reading, how does the state of the room get excused?  The minimum should be no missing tiles, nice towels, no rust on the balcony, etc.  The room sounds like it's 20 years old, and if it was a hotel it would be debadged.  Is the fare significantly discounted?

[cruzeluver]

Thank you for the review. We board Infinity a week from Saturday. Will be our first time back on M-class in many moons.

 

Glad to hear about the excursion in Grand Turk as we have it booked. We have been contemplating La Petite Chef and think we may pull the trigger.

 

Ryan

[SraLiz]

1620rock-

We booked the 2 hour trip with Celebrity.  They also offer a 3 hour catamaran trip that stops on a beach.  I am not sure I would book either one again. I prefer private tours, but we had OBC to use.  I did not see anyone hanging out selling tours on the beach.  But perhaps in the cruise port itself there may be some.  The 2 hour tour was on a boat that was full with 60 people.  No frills, water and rum punch.  The equipment was fine.  The reef is really just off the shore.  It was funny, one of the crew showed us where he lived, LOL 

 

eroller-

No where did we ever see any signs of Virgin in Bimini.  This Resorts World is on the Hilton property.  There is a free trolley that makes 3 stops.  We decided to ride the trolley around before deciding where to get off.  LOL What a trip! All 3 stops are within walking distance of each other.  It looks to me like Hilton owns all the property in this section of the island.  The trolley stops at the Hotel where you have an infinity pool, then the fishing pier where there are a couple shops, then Resorts World then the public beach.  

 

Georgiegirl-

I am sorry we don't have any of the planners.  We actually asked our attendant not to deliver them after the first day because everything is on the app.  The only thing we found different was the "sale" papers that come in them.  The sales are not listed on the app.  We were about 1800 passengers we were told. The Theater is really hit or miss.  As a high school teacher.... these shows (with the exception of the Piano Man and the Comedian) reminded me of HS Musicals.  LOL  The piano guy was AMAZING and he preformed another night in the lounge.   Get there early, people were sitting on the floor!  We went to the adult comedian show in the theater and he was super funny.  The only pool game we saw was passenger vs officers volleyball.  There were no themed nights on our cruise.  We did have 2 silent discos.  

 

Hope this helps.  Have a great vacation. 

[eroller]

29 minutes ago, SraLiz said:

 

 

eroller-

No where did we ever see any signs of Virgin in Bimini.  This Resorts World is on the Hilton property.  There is a free trolley that makes 3 stops.  We decided to ride the trolley around before deciding where to get off.  LOL What a trip! All 3 stops are within walking distance of each other.  It looks to me like Hilton owns all the property in this section of the island.  The trolley stops at the Hotel where you have an infinity pool, then the fishing pier where there are a couple shops, then Resorts World then the public beach.  

 

 

Hope this helps.  Have a great vacation. 

 

Thank you this helps for sure.  Sounds like it’s two different properties, the Resorts/Hilton and the Virgin Beach Club.  Good info about the trolley.  Thank you.  

[kwokpot]

47 minutes ago, eroller said:

Thank you this helps for sure.  Sounds like it’s two different properties, the Resorts/Hilton and the Virgin Beach Club.  Good info about the trolley.  Thank you.  

The Virgin Beach Club is way further down on Bimini and not connected to the Hilton or Resorts World, beaches, although it does utilize their trolleys. The Virgin Beach Club was always kinda fuzzy until you're there or look at Google Maps. When first proposed it was described as it's own private enclave. Then later descriptions implied it was just an extension of the Hilton and Resorts World Beaches, which is not the same as a totally separate enclave. If you look at Google maps Satellite view you'll get a definitive answer. TBH it's a bit of both. It's a totally separate Beach Club that sits within the the Resorts World Hilton complex but isn't connected at all to the Hilton Hotels. Having said this who actually owns the beach club and/or developed it is still not clear. There definitely is joint agreements as to the usage.  

[kywildcatfanone]

Thanks for your update.  We are on our first Celebrity cruise on Infinity in October.  Did the A/C on the ship overall seem to work fine?  I know the first week or two people complained about it. Would be my biggest concern.

[SraLiz]

KY Wildcat Fan...LOL I love it! We are in Frankfort...hope you are close by!

I never needed a shawl/rap or sweater but I wasn't hot either.  I found all areas of the ship to be very comfortable.  I love it super cold when I sleep and was fine every night except the one I needed the robe on LOL

[kywildcatfanone]

4 minutes ago, SraLiz said:

KY Wildcat Fan...LOL I love it! We are in Frankfort...hope you are close by!

I live in Georgetown about 3 miles from the Franklin County line, lol.   We are probably real close.  Eat in Frankfort all the time, closer than going into Georgetown.

5 minutes ago, SraLiz said:

I never needed a shawl/rap or sweater but I wasn't hot either.  I found all areas of the ship to be very comfortable.  I love it super cold when I sleep and was fine every night except the one I needed the robe on LOL

I am so glad to hear about the A/C. I prefer it cold.  Can always use a blanket, lol.

[eroller]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

The Virgin Beach Club is way further down on Bimini and not connected to the Hilton or Resorts World, beaches, although it does utilize their trolleys. The Virgin Beach Club was always kinda fuzzy until you're there or look at Google Maps. When first proposed it was described as it's own private enclave. Then later descriptions implied it was just an extension of the Hilton and Resorts World Beaches, which is not the same as a totally separate enclave. If you look at Google maps Satellite view you'll get a definitive answer. TBH it's a bit of both. It's a totally separate Beach Club that sits within the the Resorts World Hilton complex but isn't connected at all to the Hilton Hotels. Having said this who actually owns the beach club and/or developed it is still not clear. There definitely is joint agreements as to the usage.  

Thank you. 

[crimsonbird]

7 hours ago, cruzeluver said:

Thank you for the review. We board Infinity a week from Saturday. Will be our first time back on M-class in many moons.

 

Glad to hear about the excursion in Grand Turk as we have it booked. We have been contemplating La Petite Chef and think we may pull the trigger.

 

Ryan

We are on the Infinity right now.  Save your money on le Petite Chef.  It is great is when there are just a few guests. We tried it again on this cruise as we loved it in the past...it was awful.  They were understaffed and the amount of guests were too many for this type of venue.  

[SraLiz]

23 minutes ago, crimsonbird said:

We are on the Infinity right now.  Save your money on le Petite Chef.  It is great is when there are just a few guests. We tried it again on this cruise as we loved it in the past...it was awful.  They were understaffed and the amount of guests were too many for this type of venue.  

Dang...that's so disappointing to hear!  

 

[DShier1a]

In regards to the vax card. Does it have to be the original card stamped by the nurse who gave the shot....or does the QR code issued by the Canadian government work.My husband of course lost or threw out his original stamped card 

[Stockjock]

I have a Greek Isles cruise booked on RCCL.  They swapped ships and I consider the replacement, Enchantment of the Seas, to be inferior to the ship (older) and cabin (much smaller, far worse layout) versus what I had previously booked.

So I did a refundable potential replacement cruise on Infinity.  It's about $1,000 more, but the cabin is a lot bigger and I suspect the food and service would be much better.

But I am concerned about the age and condition of Infinity.  Early this year, we sailed on Summit, which had been revolutionized and was in really nice shape.  But to my knowledge, Infinity hasn't had a major upgrade in quite a few years.

Is this a legitimate concern?  Any further thoughts about the condition of Infinity?

Edited August 11, 2022 by Stockjock

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

wI have a Greek Isles cruise booked on RCCL.  They swapped ships and I consider the replacement, Enchantment of the Seas, to be inferior to the ship (older) and cabin (much smaller, far worse layout) versus what I had previously booked.

So I did a refundable potential replacement cruise on Infinity.  It's about $1,000 more, but the cabin is a lot bigger and I suspect the food and service would be much better.

But I am concerned about the age and condition of Infinity.  Early this year, we sailed on Summit, which had been revolutionized and was in really nice shape.  But to my knowledge, Infinity hasn't had a major upgrade in quite a few years.

Is this a legitimate concern?  Any further thoughts about the condition of Infinity?

Speaking only for us, we wouldn't be concerned. Cruise line, food, entertainment, condition, age, size of the ship is subjective. We never book or not book a cruise based on someone else's positive or negative opinions or experiences.  IMO. never been on a bad ship (no matter the cruise line) yet. But we book for the itinerary. That's what is important to us.