Considering Infinity

[Iriel]

40 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

You slept on a tiny sofa?

 

Yes, the first night. I complained as soon as I saw it, but they said they couldn't do anything at that moment. They fixed it by the next noon after I spent the entire morning at Guest Services and refused to leave until they found a solution. It was so disappointing considering how expensive the trip was, and I booked a year and a half ahead, so there are no excuses for this mistake.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, Iriel said:

 

Yes, the first night. I complained as soon as I saw it, but they said they couldn't do anything at that moment. They fixed it by the next noon after I spent the entire morning at Guest Services and refused to leave until they found a solution. It was so disappointing considering how expensive the trip was, and I booked a year and a half ahead, so there are no excuses for this mistake.

 

Your cabin didn't have a bed?? I've never heard of that on any ship.

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, Iriel said:

 

Yes, the first night. I complained as soon as I saw it, but they said they couldn't do anything at that moment. They fixed it by the next noon after I spent the entire morning at Guest Services and refused to leave until they found a solution. It was so disappointing considering how expensive the trip was, and I booked a year and a half ahead, so there are no excuses for this mistake.

Totally confused. What class of cabin were you in?

[Oceangoer2]

On 4/9/2023 at 1:00 PM, room with a view said:

Thanks everyone for your comments. The alternative to booking the Infinity is The NCL Epic .

 

If we booked the Infinity it would have to be a balcony cabin ...not aqua class or higher .

 

We are platinum with NCL - this would be the first time with Celebrity .

 

It's a dilemma going bigger with NCL plus drinks package and a choice of speciality restaurants (part of a package) ...or going smaller with the Infinity with one restaurant plus buffet. 

Why just the Infinity?  Is it itinerary or cabin cost?  As other posters have mentioned, other somewhat older Celebrity ships are in good shape.  If you get everything you're looking for in a cruise from NCL, it's best to not change if Celebrity is an upcharge for your wants and you won't enjoy your vacation.

[hcat]

even pre Covid Infinity was  hit or miss..Way past her prime!

 

our AC was an ongoing miss.in our stateroom. and our hallway. constant need for repairs..they said they pirated parts from other areas on the ship???

 

lots of mildew in bthrm shower..esp the curtain..clorox was not enough!

 

strong sewage smell on our hallway..fans running constantly to dry out wet carpet down the hall

 

try Connie or Millie or Summit

[Iriel]

7 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Totally confused. What class of cabin were you in?

 

7 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Your cabin didn't have a bed?? I've never heard of that on any ship.

 

Sorry for not being clear on my first post. I didn't want to write a long rant. We were 3 adults staying on a wheelchair-accessible balcony. There was a double bed and a tiny sofa. There was no way an adult could sleep on that sofa. It wasn't even for a child. The Guest Services employee even said, "My 9-year-old nephew doesn't fit there!" The next day, they brought a very uncomfortable bed which at least was a normal size. But I had to beg for it. Everyone treated me like I wanted a free upgrade or something. It was insane.

[room with a view]

Thanks for all your kind replies.

We were looking at Europe for Christmas/New Year 2023/2024  and there's not much choice that time of year .

Alternative is the Caribbean ...though longer flights .

[downsmead]

Currently on Infinity; room OK no issues with AC etc. MDR disappointing - meals gone downhill, service mixed. Public areas Ok, though very dark in some areas (Rendevous). Crew great. Internet dreadful - virtually no reception in cabin, have to go to public areas to be able to use it. Modern Luxury it is not. We are regular X cruisers so are enjoying the cruise, but feel if Infinity was the first Celebrity sailing for someone, it does not give a brilliant first impression 🤷‍♀️. 

[room with a view]

Thanks , we have never sailed Celebrity before ... looks as if the cruise lines use their less popular ships in Europe over the winter months . NCL , Marella, Celebrity . 

Never sailed MSC.

[icystorms]

Thanks for this thread.  I just booked a cruise on the Infinity for Nov this year.  The price seems really good, but that makes me a little worried ("you get what you pay for"?). I saw the recent reviews of the Infinity on cc but went for it anyway.  I can get a refund on my deposit until tomorrow, but I feel somewhat reassured by this thread. 

 

I've only been on 2 HAL cruises previously (Rotterdam last year and Zuiderdam pre-pandemic), and enjoyed them both.  I noticed there were fewer good quality activities on the 2nd one, but still ok.  Can anyone comment on the quality of food and activities on Infinity specifically, or Celebrity overall, especially compared to HAL?

[Stupot74]

I'm sailing on Infinity in May 2024 - hopefully any gross defects will be rectified in the January 2024 drydocking.

[Lemonlee]

Where did you hear about the January 2024 dry docking?  We booked later in 2024, but I thought there wasn't enough time in January where sailings weren't scheduled for X to do much of anything on Infinity.

[Stupot74]

1 hour ago, Lemonlee said:

Where did you hear about the January 2024 dry docking?  We booked later in 2024, but I thought there wasn't enough time in January where sailings weren't scheduled for X to do much of anything on Infinity.

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/articles.cfm?ID=521#celebrityhasmultiplerefurbishmentsplannedforolderships

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=1327085&key=b319a0bd3b1d6d80ea8809e72a51a8f8

 

Infinity has only one 7 day cruise starting on the 2nd January, then does not cruise until 2nd February. The 2nd Jan sailing is in Spain, and the drydocking is supposed to be in Cadiz, Spain so it makes sense seeing as the ship is in the right area.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Stupot74
Clarity

[hcat]

On 4/9/2023 at 10:08 AM, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Based on our experience last week, I would disagree that the Infinity is "well maintained," especially in the staterooms and many of the public spaces. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to book the Summit or Millennium. 

Luck of the draw if you get  a cabin with AC issues (we did) or a  leaky toilet or shower ( down the hall from us..blowrr in hallway)  or a mildew condition that  will  not quit in your shower and on shower curtain.(like we did)

 

we had 2 cruises on  Inf close in time., way pre Covid...On one we  had no cabin  issues at all , but on the other we  had constant  AC  trouble.  Repairs often made with parts taken from. other cabins not in use.

 

old ship is one thing but system failures are another story!

[hcat]

sorry  all, I see that I repeated what I posted previously..post #30.  At least my recollection was consistent

[davekathy]

On 4/9/2023 at 3:41 AM, room with a view said:

We are considering the Infinity for Christmas/New Year 2023/24 - our first time with Celebrity .

 

Just concerned about the negative reviews - mainly the age and condition of the ship and cabins.

 

The Retreat is out of our price range ..even though the private restaurant/lounge/ sundeck looks amazing. Aqua Class with Blu - looks amazing too .

 

Has any refurbishment gone into these high class staterooms and the other balcony staterooms been left without any upgrades ?

 

We have been on NCL/RCL/P&O/ Holland America ships ..so are not newbies just new to Celebrity .

 

Are these higher class restaurants open to guests in standard balcony cabins with an upcharge ?

 

thanks

 

 

 

 

We would never  book or not book a cruise, ship  etc based on others positive or negative opinions or experiences.

[AstoriaPreppy]

42 minutes ago, davekathy said:

We would never  book or not book a cruise, ship  etc based on others positive or negative opinions or experiences.

Negative experience is one thing. A ship the company knew needed to be gut renovated (and because of the pandemic, is not) is a totally different story. I’d rather people be prepared than shocked, as we were. Again, we’re elite Celebrity passengers, and the Infinity was not remotely up to our experiences on the entire rest of the fleet. 

[Traveling Fools]

Have booked the Infinity for Sept 2024 for a Greek intensive cruise.  Following is what X says about what to expect regarding the ship.

 

Set sail on Celebrity Infinity, the ship that will be turning heads. We’ll be adding new staterooms and The Retreat Sun Deck and The Retreat Lounge for our guests of The Retreat. Surrender your senses in the newly redesigned spa or shop in new retail boutiques. Whatever you choose, it’ll be the ultimate experience.

 

We have sailed aboard the Infinity a couple of times.  The worst problem we experienced was on a 14 night South American cruise when the ship's propulsion system wasn't properly working.

[39august]

"Adding new staterooms" does not bode well. Sounds like mostly Retreat stuff. 

[doghog]

1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

Negative experience is one thing. A ship the company knew needed to be gut renovated (and because of the pandemic, is not) is a totally different story. I’d rather people be prepared than shocked, as we were. Again, we’re elite Celebrity passengers, and the Infinity was not remotely up to our experiences on the entire rest of the fleet. 

Tier levels are also of no influence. Thanks for making my point by sharing your opinion and experience. I respect both but they have absolutely no influence on our decisions for ships, cruise lines, intinaries, etc.   

Edited August 13, 2023 by doghog

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, Traveling Fools said:

Have booked the Infinity for Sept 2024 for a Greek intensive cruise.  Following is what X says about what to expect regarding the ship.

 

Set sail on Celebrity Infinity, the ship that will be turning heads. We’ll be adding new staterooms and The Retreat Sun Deck and The Retreat Lounge for our guests of The Retreat. Surrender your senses in the newly redesigned spa or shop in new retail boutiques. Whatever you choose, it’ll be the ultimate experience.

 

We have sailed aboard the Infinity a couple of times.  The worst problem we experienced was on a 14 night South American cruise when the ship's propulsion system wasn't properly working.

Could this be a pre-pandemic message?  I understand there's no further renovations being planned for any ship.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Interesting with the new retreat; I said it before and I'll say again, my WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) is that when X "revolutionizes" again it will be and look very different from the ones done in the past.  6 years have gone by, lots of "lessons learned" and now you have new leadership

 

I googled the @Traveling Fools statement and surprisingly, it's on X's site.  Isn't the Infinity the ONLY X ship without Starlink and it's not getting it for months?  For the hell of it, I also checked the Connie and it doesn't have that verbiage.  If anyone else wants to check other ships, you go to the ships page then you have to click on some itinerary and scroll down

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Could this be a pre-pandemic message?  I understand there's no further renovations being planned for any ship.

Good point; who knows.  I will say they're not claiming a "revolution" with new restaurants and public spaces, just a better retreat and added staterooms.  You'd imagine if X wanted to spend some money renovating, the retreat following by new staterooms would be the best use of $$$

[Traveling Fools]

56 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I googled the @Traveling Fools statement and surprisingly, it's on X's site.  I

 

 

 

Yup, that is where I got the info and how it read for the cruise we have booked.  Regardless, we intend on having a great time!

[Traveling Fools]

We first sailed on X's Millennium class in 2003.  The only real problem, and it was a real problem, we have experienced on this class of ship our 2004 South American sailing on the Infinity I previously mentioned. Since their commissioning's, X has upgraded and modified this class of ship.  Post 2010, they added curved balconies to the Celebrity suite (didn't change the bathrooms...just added a balcony) and somewhere along the way added the Luminae restaurant.  While they now refer to the suite experience as the Retreat, I can't imagine X will spend an excessive amount of money on this older class of ship to create an enclosed Retreat.