Just back from Infinity, May 27

[tromvest]

Embarkation:

 

We flew in the day before the cruise and stayed at the Pan Pacific (great hotel and fantastic views of the cruise ships). I recommend coming in a day earllier. We then took a cab from the Pan Pacific to Ballantyne Pier. It took awhile for us because we needed a van cab and there were not many of them available. We arrived at Ballantyne around 10:30, and just a couple of people were there. We got through very quickly and got on board around noon. I suggest coming early to the pier because I saw that the lines became very long around noon.

 

Ship:

 

The ship was in good condition after the drydock and the pods were working just fine. They needed to replace the chairs in the buffet and the Trellis dinning room. It looked liked they replaced some of the carpet in different public areas of the ship. I did see that they had several roles of carpet on deck 11, so maybe they were going to put more carpet on after our cruise. All the staff was very friendly except for Guest Relations. I kept asking them questions about a form that I was supposed to get and no one working at Guest Relations knew what I was talking about.

 

Room:

 

We stayed in 8166(FV). The room was in very good condition and had a lot of cabinet space for the four of us. They put the new beds in and they were fantastic, but they had not put on the new bed spreads or pillows. Our cabin steward, Marcelo (who was excellent) told us that they ordered them, but they had not arrived yet. They needed to replace the carpet in the room, but it was not a big deal. Also, they needed to replace the two sofas in the room because when sitting in them, you sink down. It was not a big problem for us. The only down side in the room, was the bathroom. It was very small for the four of us and we had to get ready at least two hours before our dinner. They put in a new shower curtain during the drydock. They need to replace the toilet seat and the tile on the floor in the bathroom(it was moldy). The view off of our balcony was fabulous. I recommed this cabin to any family.

 

Food:

 

I have read several times that the buffet food was terrible, let me tell you that they are wrong. Breakfast and Lunch in the Oceanview Grill was fantastic. There waffles are the best I have ever had in my life. I liked how during lunch, they had different themes ranging from Italian to Mexican. The lines for lunch were very long especially during sea days, but we always found a table. There ice cream was very good. I really liked there coffee and cinnamon ice cream. Their frozen yogart was really good and on the last day, they had soft served strawberry and strawberry, chocolate swirl, which I have never had before.

Dinner was fabulous. I like how each night, they tried to have a pasta and a fish dish. Our waiter, Dewa, was very friendly with all of us and was very fast. We were one of the first people finished with our dinner each night. All the meals were fabulous and if these were new menus, I like them.

We went to the S.S. United States room for dinner one night, it was the best experience we have ever had. I would recommed this to everyone.

 

Entertainment:

 

We only went to two shows and they were both comedians. They were not fantastic, but were pretty good (remember, this is not Las Vegas). We also played bingo every chance that we could. It is very expensive, for one pack of bingo, $30. When we went on the Summit five years ago, it was around $20. My son won $240 by playing bingo and I came in first place in the blackjack tournament and won a trophey and $218. This was very exciting for our family.

 

The Infinity is our home away from home and would return their in a heartbeat. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them with the best of my knowledge. Now, I want to plan a Europe cruise for 2009.

[cruiseknotter]

Thank you for your review! It's very helpful. A few questions for you.

I have a wedding planned on Infinity in Vancouver and my group was told to arrive at the pier by 10:30am. You mentioned the checkin process was very quick, then you got on board around noon. Actually that was what I was told. What did you do before you get onboard? I have many guests and I'm worried the waiting time would be boring/too long for them.

When did you get your luggage delivered to your cabin?

Do you remember when are the 2 formal nights?

Have you visited Michael's piano lounge? I requested our wedding reception at this lounge with a pianist. Have you see the pianist playing?

Sorry for asking too many questions. Thanks a lot again!

[tromvest]

We arrived at the pier around 10:30. We sat in a big waiting area with all of the other passengers waiting to board. They was punch and water provided. There was actually a big wedding party waiting when we arrived at 10:30. There were approx about 40 members of the wedding party. They were allowed to board before any of the other passengers around 11:15 to 11:30, I am sure that they arranged this early boarding with the cruise line in advance.

We received our luggage around 2:00.

The two formal nights were nights 2 and 6.

We looked in the Michael's club lounge, but never actually sat in there to have a drink. It is a beautiful room.

If you have any other questions I will try to answer them.

[cinnamon]

Thanks very much for your review. We are sailing on Infinity on 17th June. What was your weather like and do you recommend anything special in any of the ports? Also, do you remember the name of the Cruise Director and was the lecturer/naturalist good?

 

Sorry for so many questions, but the excitement is mounting here!

Cinnamon

[tromvest]

In Ketchikan, we did the Alaska Undersea tour through the ship. It was a simple tour that took you in a submarine to see some underwater sea life. The weather was drizzly and in the 50's.

 

In Juneau, we took a bus to Mendenhall Glacier ($6 per person each way). This was a very nice scenic walk and we got very close to the glacier. Right by the glacier, there was a huge waterfall. You can walk right up to it. While walking back to our bus, we saw a cinnamon black bear about 40 ft away. We talked to some people, who were thinking of doing the helicopter tour over the glacier. They decided to do this instead and they were very pleased that they did this. The weather was cloudy and in the 50's.

 

In Icy Straight Point, we did a whale watching tour with Fishes Hoonah. We saw several humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, and one brown bear. It was sunny and in the 60's.

 

The cruise director is Martin and the naturalist is Milos. Milos talked during the inside passage and hubbard glacier and described the area. He was very good.

[KLMB]

Thanks for all your information. Did you have any problems getting off the ship in a timely manner and how long was the wait for a cab or van? We are going June 10 and this is really my only concern. Also, can you see in ISP where the zipline comes down? I was wondering how accessible it would be for some members of our party to only want to watch from the bottom. Thank you!

[tromvest]

We were told to report in the Celebrity Theater at 8:10 a.m. We left the ship around 9:15a.m. We took a limo to the airport, and we waited for about 15 minutes. I saw that there were several taxis in line and it did not seem like there was a problem.

 

In ISP, you can stand very close to the bottom of the zip line. I heard that it is about $80 to go down and it takes 90 seconds. Someone said that it takes 45 minutes to drive to the top of the zip line. I hope this helps

[cruiseknotter]

Thank you SO much! I appreciate your response very much!

Did you see whales from the cruise? Is this very rare? I'm debating either doing a whale watching tour or a floatplane glacier tour with my guests in Juneau. If viewing whales from the cruise ship is predictable, I would choose a floatplane glacier tour.

[6502programmer]

First, thanks so much for indulging our questions! I for one appreciate having someone such as you willing to help us out by letting us know what to expect when we get on your ship!

 

I have a few questions. Since you mentioned casinos, can you tell me about when they were open? I've read that they typically open about an hour out of port and stay open well into the night. I was curious whether that was the case on your cruise as well.

 

Would it be possible to get photos or scans of the dailies? I'd like to get a sense of the activities offered on the Infinity this season on this itinerary.

 

Thanks again for your time in answering our questions!

[tromvest]

We saw one whale from the ship in ISP. If you want to do a whale watching tour, I suggest doing it in ISP.

 

The casino opened about 30 minutes to an hour after we left port. The tables opened after the slots.

 

Some of the activities onboard were bingo, wine tasting, name that tune, battle of the sexes, etc.

[ibijim]

Sounds like you had a good time! Our last night in the Trellis Room, we asked the waiter about the big dips in the floor in the dining room and elsewhere. He said that the material used to construct the floors was bad, resulting in a dangerous "giving" of the floor when people (or wheelchairs) went over it. He told us the floors were being ripped up and repaired, and new carpet installed.

[KLMB]

Thanks for the info with getting off the boat and the zipline!!

[cruiseknotter]

For the late seating (8:30pm) people, what time is the show?

I'm trying to organize a cocktail party for my family and was told I can only do it before the dinner. I don't want to have the cocktail party when the show is on. I'm thinking about doing it on the 1st formal night, you said it's 2nd night. Thank you again!

[cinnamon]

Thanks for your info Tromvest, very helpful.

Cinnamon

[tromvest]

For the late seating (8:30pm) people, what time is the show?

I'm trying to organize a cocktail party for my family and was told I can only do it before the dinner. I don't want to have the cocktail party when the show is on. I'm thinking about doing it on the 1st formal night, you said it's 2nd night. Thank you again!

 

Two of the nights, the shows were at 11:00. The other nights, they were at 7:00p.m.

[EMS8]

Hi Tromvest, very nice review. My DW and I will be sailing Infinity on July 1st and we are wondering if an acappella group is on Infinity?

[tromvest]

Yes, they sing in the Rendez-Vous Lounge.

[6502programmer]

tromvest: thanks again for all your insight! Regarding musical entertainment, can you tell us a bit about the styles and performers (would appreciate names if you have / remember them)? My wife and I love to dance, and would appreciate knowing what we have in store for us. Thanks!

[Kane]

The voyage was pretty much what we expected ... no more, no less. We enjoyed it and got what we paid for ... no more, no less.

 

Our prior cruising was all done on on ships with no more than 1,000 folks, so we were expecting more crowded conditions ... which we got. In general, however, it was not a mob scene except at the breakfast & lunch buffets. The ship is large enough to handle the number of passengers without causing problems. The theater was one of the best aboard a ship that I have seen, and capable of handling the crowd(s) with no problem. Sight lines are excellent.

 

The food in the main dining room and buffet was good, but not excellent. The U.S.S. United States dining, however, was excellent ... we took the "Menu Exceptional", which included the wine pairings. A word of advice: when you are seated in U.S.S.U.S., they immediately offer water and glasses of champaign ... which they don't clearly mention is all at additional cost.

 

The so-called dress code is pretty much of a joke. I packed the regular: Blazer and Tux in addition to the casual attire. Surprise! The first formal nite I found myself in a very small majority ... only about 10% (at most) of the men wear tuxes ... same on the 2nd nite. In fact, one of the other passengers stopped me to make a request until he realized I was not wearing a staff nametag and apologized ... this got laughs at our table.

 

The sailing to the Hubbard glacier was pretty disappointing. The closest approach was to within approximately a mile. Could barely see the glacier and certainly could not hear anything.

 

One other silly thing: The "Grand Buffet" was held at midnight, and the staff worked very hard to get everything in place. We had the late seating, which normally concludes about 11:00 PM. The staff were able to get everything cleaned-up and replaced with the buffet decorations and food for the "picture taking" at 12:00, after which they chased everyone out, to permit them to return 5 minutes later to partake of the buffet. I know none of our late seating tablemates were able to eat again one hour after finishing our desserts. The "Grand Buffet" was simply an exposition of gluttony. It would have been orders of magnitude better if they had simply planned it for a lunch (which Crystal does).

 

That said, we did have a good time and, depending upon itinerary, would most likely sail Celebrity again.