Greece virgin vs celebrity

[cusematt4]

Hi all,

 

For a couple in their 60s (diamond on rcl), we are debating a first time cruise to cruise on either celebrity infinity vs virgin resilient lady.

 

We are excited to try a new line, whether celebrity or virgin.

 

We are looking for a refined experience that’s still fun with good entertainment, live music and food.

 

Both ships have amazing 10 night itineraries next year to Greece.

 

For the infinity - we are concerned that it may be a dated ship based on pictures we’ve seen and its age.  It seems like a lot went untouched during its recent drydock.  We also unsure what to expect entertainment wise.  Is there food live music,  Nightly shows including variety entertainers such as comedians (in addition to the production shows)?

 

Virgin seems like it could be a fun and different experience with awesome entertainment and dining.  It is more expensive than a cruise on the infinity when comparing in and accounting evenly for wifi, tips, etc.  But we aren’t sure if it may be too hip and dj centric focused.

 

If both cruises were in April we may try virgin, but with Virgin being late May and us wanting to avoid 80-90 degree weather, we are leaning Infinity in April.

 

Has anyone been on both ships or on both lines?  Is the infinity still a nice and good ship with good food and entertainment?
 

Thank you

[kaysha2004]

I'm Elite Plus on Celebrity, Diamond on RCL, and Virgin is my new favorite brand.  I have eight cruises so far with Virgin and four more this year.  The Celebrity Infinity is one of four of the oldest ships in their fleet, built in 2001.  The lifespan of a cruise ship is about 25-30 years, which is why you may have seen that Celebrity is not investing much in keeping it attractive.  You can only slap on new paint and replace the carpet so many times.  An old ship is still an old ship.  Creaks, odors, and rusty balconies are what comes to mind with the older ships.  They don't have the newest technology and they were built with smaller cabins in all classes.

 

Virgin is in a different league than Celebrity, meaning it's so much better.  The music on Virgin is varied, from jazz, pop, typical pool music but not blasting, singers, soloists, comedians, magicians and specialized shows, but not production shows.  All the food is fresh and made to order.  Even the "buffet" is not self-serve, and they make everything in small batches to keep everything fresh.

 

For the pricing, I agree Virgin costs more than Celebrity.  It wasn't that way a couple of years ago.  They were actually cheaper than Celebrity, but their prices have exploded.  Greece in May is not nearly as bad as July and August.  It's the Mediterranean, so warm and balmy days are the norm.  I took a Greece cruise with Virgin last September when all of the fires were happening throughout the country and it was 90 degrees.  I loved the cruise anyway!  I used an umbrella for sun shade in addition to a wide-brim hat.  Lots of sunscreen and water too.  

[Roel94]

I done older ships on three lines..I agree you can only do so much, I would do Virgin. I am older Abd I perfer their cabins,food and Sip Bar Abd The Dock, if you can pay for Rock Star nand enjoy Richards Rooftop,the spa and your bar in cabin. 
 

my least favorite meal was the Mexican. The wake  and razzle dazzle my fave. Also the best pizza I had in about 20 years at sea. 

[cantgetin]

I've done a total of 6 lines with significant loyalty on 3.  Celebrity is the closest to VV of any that I've seen but I haven't been on the ship you are considering.  Virgin is different, and in many ways is better.  It used to be a lot cheaper than similar cruises on other lines, but 2024 and 2025 prices reflect the popularity of the line, I guess.  I absolutely love the hammock on Virgin. I dob't like that they don't have a library or lending bookshelf, but we have dealt with that thru book swap groups on FB.  There are many good features and food options on VV.

I don't think Virgin is the line that the creators envisioned.  It is not the clientele that was shown in the early ads (I called them 20 somethings spending daddy's money).  The average age on most sailings is 40s-50s with shorter sailings skewing younger.  We were told on our last transatlantic that the average on the ship was 53.  That is a bit younger than we found on Celebrity, but not much.  We like VV better, but I can't say it is a total apples to apples comparison.  As you noted, we are comparing an older Celebrity ship and a sailing a few years ago to brand new Virgin ships with  multiple sailings over the last 20 months.  I guess the best thing I can say is that we got off our first VV sailing with 3 more booked.