Infinity - Panama Canal crossing - 2 April 2006

[jb_yvr]

We just returned (yesterday) from a Panama Canal crossing on the Infinity. This is not a review - it is just a random selection of my thoughts.

 

This was our second Celebrity cruise - the first one being a Transatlantic on the Century last November.

 

The passenger mix was quite different to the TA. I would guess on this cruise there were sort of two main groups. Late babyboomers and then a really older crowd. Maybe a lot of babyboomers took their elderly parents.

 

I was one of the younger (under 40) people - but I did get to meet and chat with lots of older people - some totally crazy and fun. Most people seemed to have a lot of fun - it was just different fun compared to what I am used to. For example they would do line dancing and stuff which is not my cup of tea.

 

The band (Connexions I think it is called) played a lot of music from before my time - but many people loved it and they would dance all over the pool deck.

 

We were located on the Penthouse deck in a CC cabin. Our cabin steward and especially the assistant steward and the girl that helps him - I think she falls under housekeeping - were great. The cabin was without any problems. The only initial irritation was that our luggage only arrived well after we had already left Miami. (So much for express luggage service) - but the ship was not meant to leave from Miami initially - so a lot of things were not going well.

 

The ship only left around 8pm I think (3 hours late) because they had to wait for stuff. There was a lot of chaos on the pier it seemed and we did not leave from a regular pier but from a tent - again maybe due to the fact that we were unexpected.

 

One odd thing did happen during the cruise - our corridor (we were between suites) deteriorated as time went by - there was this sinkhole in the floor under the carpet that grew each day - sort of scary - what if we fell right through and into the restuarant below?

 

Overall there were few smokers on the ship. However, a couple of the smokers were very inconsiderate. For example, one lit up starboard side deck 10, INSIDE the AquaSpa walking towards the T-Pool. Another man insisted on smoking his pipe starboard side deck 4. I also spotted some crew smoking starboard side deck 4 and 11. They were not uniformed, but wore overalls and no name tags. In the casino they smoked wherever they wanted to - especially under the small no smoking signs.

 

We had three formal nights where I was dressed up in a Tux. However some other gentlemen thought that jeans and even shorts were OK. At the table next to ours a man wore jeans every night of the cruise except one.

 

Women were mostly dressed very well - the men - well not so much. The vast majority of men that showed up at the dining room were dressed appropriately for formal nights though.

 

Informal nights - well that is of course this bizarre evening of conflicting dress codes. I wish they would rather just get rid of them - and maybe add another formal night or whatever to please those who want them. I will certainly not be taking a tie again for informal night - because few people wear them - neither do most places (celebrity brochure, daily, etc) state that they are required - other than the actual sign at the door! Maybe the door sign needs an update. Anyway, no-one really cares it seems.

 

At the speciality restaurant however, even though a tie is not required - every single man was wearing one.

 

We celebrated my birthday in the speciality restaurant. At first I did not like it as it was very formal (compared to the Trellis restaurant - the main dining room) - but after a while I got used to it and it was great. The food was really excellent. It is prepared at your table. I had Steak Dianne.

 

Some staff recommended the Goat Cheese Souffle and the Chocolate Souffle - both excellent.

 

On another note - I found it incredible how rude some passengers were to staff. Saying please and thank you is very basic yet it was totally lacking from a shockingly large percentage of people's vocabulary.

 

Some of the breakfast exchanges I witnessed at the buffet line:

OMELET!

or

EGGS, BACON, SAUSAGE!

 

Also, some people kept the line up for hours by interrogating the server behind the counter at sandwich time as to what exactly it was or was not that they were choosing there. You are taking a finger sandwich - not buying a house!

 

Overall I would say that the service was even better than on the Century - and it was good there. One big difference I found was that the maître d's were very involved at mealtime and they came by our tables in both the buffet and dining room to talk to us.

 

I would say I enjoyed the cruise - it was fun to be on a big ship. Maybe the fact that I discovered this lovely drink called a 'yellow bird' helped. Try it when it is the daily special - you might like it. I first tried it at the Captain's Club event where I had several of them - free of course.

 

By now I am sure you are tired of reading and I am tired of typing and I have run out of thoughts. I am sure other people that were on the cruise might have vastly different opinions to mine.

[tserface]

Thanks for your impressions of the cruise. Did they mention what had happened to Infinity in drydock right before your cruise? Just curious.

 

Tom

[littleboy]

I Just got home from the april 2 cruise also. The one think they did that I know for sure is that they redid all the shops. I don't know how they were before but they looked great now. They are adding more cabins on deck 6 and 7 and had part of the halls were all closed off for a week. I was happen when they opened them up.

Well I will write a review soon but one think I will say that the evening entertainment got better every night. From the four shows put on by the dances and singers to the two acts that were part of broadway type show. I have been on 13 cruises and this was the best. I was very inpressed with all the acts.

 

The day we spend on the canal was the best that is what everyone came for and I was not disappointed

[burniegirl]

The April 2 Cruise Was Super! Celebrity Is A Class Act Cruise Line And The Staff Work Very Hard! My Daughter Works On This Ship

So I Know First Hand!!

 

The Weather Was Great And The Seas Were Calm Beside The Last Day When The Swells Were 11 Feet.

 

Infinitely Sign Up For Your Roll Call On Your Next Ship As I Met

The Best People On This Cruise. My Nurse Buddy Claire Is The Bomb!!

 

Happy Sailing!!