Live From Infinity!

[peteranddan]

Hi All

 

Spent last night at the Pan Pacific. Wonderful hotel, even if it is a convention centre. Great views, and we were upgraded to a suite at the hotel.

 

Embarkation today was an absolute breeze! It took us all of about 15 minutes to check in, go through customs and get on the ship. Muster drill was long, hot and manotanous, as they alway are.

 

We're in RS 6134 and the room is very nice, spacious and very few signs of ware. Our butler, Carl came and introduced him self, showed us the ammenaties of the room but disappointingly would not give us the CC breakfast menu. He instisted that if we wanted anyting that we needed to pencil it in. I hope that's not a sign of things to come with our butler.

 

The ship is lovely and the staff, very friendly. After all I've read on these boards I am finding some differences as to what I've ready so far. For instance the staff member who took us to our room from the pier, had no problem excepting the tip I offered him for leading us here, not that that's a problem, just contrary to what I've read.

 

OK folks, here's your chance, ask away with the questions and I'll do my best to check in each day and answer.

 

Have to shower before dinner (late seating). We have table 402 which is two over from the captains table right next to the big windows at the back.

 

Peter

[maureenk]

Would you be able snap pictures of the dinner menus and post them after you return? I think the dinner menus are posted outside the dining room all day for the current evening. I don't think that has been done since Michael Roux's departure.

 

An update on how close you get to Hubbard would be great too. Lot's of discussion here of late.

 

Hope you have a wonderful trip. We'll be sailing on Infinity soon! Thanks! Here's to plenty of good weather....

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

Hi guys!

We'll sail Infinty on November 11, Ft. Lauderdale to Valpariaso. We've been on her twice before. Has the bedding been replaced with their new softgoods? She was in drydock recently for pod repairs. Any sign of the old propulsion system problems?

With the departure of Michele Roux, are there any changes to the menus?

Sorry for so many questions--- Go enjoy yourselves!

 

Paul and Joe

San Francisco

 

[fud2468]

Paul and Joe--Was the Infinity in for more pod repairs since our first Alaska trip on her was cancelled last August?

We're booked for Sept 2 and hope the same thing doesn't happen again!

Ray Mac

[MVPinBoynton]

Paul and Joe,

Who is the CD and is he/she any good? I don't know if the CD will change before our end of Aug cruise, but it is still good to know who it is.

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

Paul and Joe--Was the Infinity in for more pod repairs since our first Alaska trip on her was cancelled last August?

We're booked for Sept 2 and hope the same thing doesn't happen again!

Ray Mac

I undestand that she was in drydock in May for one week for pod replacement (?) and that the problems have been solved. Time will tell, I guess.

The last time we were on, Damien was the CD. He was OK, but no Simon!

[XatSea]

 

OK folks, here's your chance, ask away with the questions and I'll do my best to check in each day and answer.

 

Hi Peter.

Thanks for the offer. Could you provide the names of the:

Captain

Cruise Director

Captain's Club Hostess:

 

We were onboard Infinity for 28 days from Buenos Aires back to Florida.

 

You have a great table location but check out casual dining as well.

[peteranddan]

Wonderful nights sleep. I'm assuming the bedding was changed during drydock a few weeks ago as it is incredibly comfortable! Wonderful linens and all new carpeting in our cabin.

 

Breakfast was surved promply by Carl, our butler at 7:30 per our request and all items that we had penciled in were there...including the Baileys. No liqueurs in the minibar :( . Fresh berries, french toast, lox and cream cheese, bagels, danish etc...I'm full!

 

The ship seems almost abandoned, very few people out and about this morning. That may be becuase the weather today is grey, cool and foggy. Perfect for a lazy day of book reading with a wool blanket out on the balcony.

 

Had a pedicure at the spa this morning and watched a pod of about 8 dolphins playing at the same time...wonderful.

 

I will attempt to get snaps of the dining room menus as requested but quite frankly they are the exactly the same so far as what has been posted here.

 

We are going to the specialty dining room on Wednesday, Hubbard Glacier evening.

 

Patio door is open behind me and I can hear the gentle sound of the water.

 

The ship is beautiful with contemporary art. Everything is nice and clean and there is hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE!

 

The only negative thing I can think of so far is the fact that the cocktail staff during sailaway on deck ten were like a flock of vultures attempting to sell their wares. It got to the point of annoying acutally and I just kept joking with my partner, not to make eye contact.

 

Anyway...that's it for now. One night down, first formal night tonight. Our dinner partners are charming, one couple 40ish from Miami and one couple 50ish from Isreal who only speak broken english but happily smiled through dinner.

 

OK..gotta go now...internet is slow and minutes aren't cheap.

 

I'll do my best to answer questions. We're going to book our next cruise (Mediterranean July 08) on board, probably today :p . I'll let you all know how that goes.

 

The DS is a young gal from Ontario, Canada...non descript so far...infact, I can't for the life of me recall her name and I can't find it in today's daily...sorry. I'll dig it up.

 

Peter

[minniemom]

Her name is Becky or Rebecca. WE were on Inifinity 6/3/07, and we really liked her. She was cute, enthusiastic, and my 82 year old parents really thought she was so sweet. They played the NOT so newlywed game on night. It was great, and I thought she did a wonderful job. Didn't seem to be having pod problems that I was aware of. It was very rocky 2 of the nights, and 2 day, but a little dramimine helped that problem.

Had a Wonderful time.

[wellesley1]

Hello, Peter. You are very thoughtful to post live!

I am coming aboard July 8th for our first ever cruise and first time in Alaska. I do have a few of questions:

(1) How long should we plan on for dinner? (We are in the first seating.) (Is this a 40 minute meal, hr, etc.? Does it depend at all on whether it is a formal, informal, or casual night?)

(2) How late does the entertainment (ie shows, music, comedy) go into the evening?

(3) Is the outdoor pool heated? And are they allowing children in the indoor pool?

(4) When you get to Hubbard, can you please comment on how close you get, how long you are there, and suggested clothing and/or how cold it is there (ie do we need hats and gloves if we plan to watch from the deck?)

(5) Please comment on the temperature extremes- how cold does it get, how warm does it get.

(6) Finally, I would appreciate your comments on the dress for formal nights- Are the men adhering to the tux/suit guidelines, or are there many cheating with blazers?

Again, thank you so very much for your observations and comments. I wish you and Dan a wonderful cruise!

[wellesley1]

Peter,

I meant to ask, how is cell phone and internet coverage while cruising? (You mentioned internet is slow- is it only dial up or is something faster available?)

Thanks!

[peteranddan]

Hello, Peter. You are very thoughtful to post live!

I am coming aboard July 8th for our first ever cruise and first time in Alaska. I do have a few of questions:

(1) How long should we plan on for dinner? (We are in the first seating.) (Is this a 40 minute meal, hr, etc.? Does it depend at all on whether it is a formal, informal, or casual night?)

(2) How late does the entertainment (ie shows, music, comedy) go into the evening?

(3) Is the outdoor pool heated? And are they allowing children in the indoor pool?

(4) When you get to Hubbard, can you please comment on how close you get, how long you are there, and suggested clothing and/or how cold it is there (ie do we need hats and gloves if we plan to watch from the deck?)

(5) Please comment on the temperature extremes- how cold does it get, how warm does it get.

(6) Finally, I would appreciate your comments on the dress for formal nights- Are the men adhering to the tux/suit guidelines, or are there many cheating with blazers?

Again, thank you so very much for your observations and comments. I wish you and Dan a wonderful cruise!

 

We have late seating for dinner. Dinner begins around 20:45 and we were finished last night at around 22:30 so approx 1.5 hours.

 

I beleive that there are two shows, one for the early diners and one for the late..but I could be mistaked. We attended the late show that started at 23:00.

 

The outdoor pool is heated and there are two large hot tubs. The indoor poos has a large sign at the entrance that states that only persons 18 year of age and older are allowed in. It's the spa thasalotheorpy pool and it is very hot. You can't last a long time in it.

 

In our first port today, Ketchikan and it is very cloudy but not raining...yet. The weather is coolish I would say approximately in the 60's.

 

Will talk about hubbard when we get there.

 

Last night was first formal night. There were definately more men in dark suites and ties than tuxes. We had our tuxes on and I had to keep excusing myself from the table as I was overheating! There were several young (15 - 18) gentlement in suits but with no ties and at the show after dinner there were several youngsters and adults in casual ware (jeans etc). Didn't effect me...don't care, but everything you hear about the fashion police is not true. They didn't turn away a single person due to dress code infringements.

 

More later...

 

Peter

[peteranddan]

Peter,

I meant to ask, how is cell phone and internet coverage while cruising? (You mentioned internet is slow- is it only dial up or is something faster available?)

Thanks!

 

My cell died in Vancouver and I forgot the charger at home :rolleyes: , so not too sure about the cell coverage although I have seen several people using blackberries...

 

We have a PC in our room and the connection is quiet slow. It is all based on satalite. Sometimes is reacts more quickly than others.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Peter

[wellesley1]

Thank you for the helpful information. My DH's employer requires him to be accessible by internet/phone even on vacation, so I am hoping that is not a problem. Have you tried to use your laptop outside of your cabin?

What time did you arrive at the pier for embarkation and how did that work out?

I hope Ketchikan was enjoyable for you, and that you get a great viewing of Hubbard today. We are going to do a flight with Island Wings when we are in Ketchikan next week. Any tips for us in Ketchikan?

[peteranddan]

Thank you for the helpful information. My DH's employer requires him to be accessible by internet/phone even on vacation, so I am hoping that is not a problem. Have you tried to use your laptop outside of your cabin?

What time did you arrive at the pier for embarkation and how did that work out?

I hope Ketchikan was enjoyable for you, and that you get a great viewing of Hubbard today. We are going to do a flight with Island Wings when we are in Ketchikan next week. Any tips for us in Ketchikan?

 

Ketchikan was very nice. We shopped until we dropped. Good prices and friendly service.

 

We are in a Royal Suite so there is a PC in the room. Didn't bring a laptop with us. We haven't used our cellphone yet, but there are many others who use theirs dialy and it seems to be fine.

 

We arrived at the pier around 13:00 and the only issue was trying to grab a porter to take our luggage. There were a fair number of people at that time. Since we are in a suite we had our own area to check in. There is also a seperate line for Captians Club. The rest seemed to be moving quickly. It took us about 20 from arrival at the pier to being on the ship.

 

We were at Hubbard yesterday and that was a little disappointing. We could only get within approximately 10 miles due to the large amount of calving and ice in the channel.

 

Juneau was today and the Mendenhal Glacier was beautiful and made Hubbard feel like less of a loss. Had a great tour wale watching and saw many, and very close, a lot of eagles and even more rain! My sugar coating didn't melt and it was a wonderful day.

 

Tomorrow is Icy Straits Point and we are arriving one hour prior to the schedule and leaving one hour early.

 

For anyone wondering about dress code issues and fashion police on the Alaska itineraries, don't panic. Honestly, tonight is a casual night and we chose not to go to the dining room but wanted to see the comedian. We were in jeans and t-shirts...all was fine. Informal night before last was a bit of a joke. We wore the requested suit and tie and we saw everything from polo shirts to suits.

 

Anyway, Carl just delivered dinner to our room and it's getting cold. The roomservice is fairly diverse with the likes of burgers, salads, lasagna, deserts, beverages, pizza etc.

 

One last thing, we went to the USS United States for dinner last night, the specialty restaurant. We enjoyed our experience so much that we made another reservation for Saturday night.

 

We also booked our next cruise, Medditeranean July 08 yesterday on board.

 

Take care,

 

Peter

[MaryL31]

I am SO JEALOUS!!! Infinity (Alaska) was my first cruise ever (in 2003), and

I was SO spoiled...Enjoy!!!!!!

[SHIPLUVR]

Hi Peter : we're coming on after you - our 2nd time on Infinity in 7 months. We've enjoyed reading your reports. Thanks for taking the time.

[peteranddan]

I'm certainly glad to report back as the info on these boards have been a godsend.

 

We left Icy Straits Point about an hour ago. Started the day off with drizzle, but just as we were leaving the sun came out and it's still sunny. Hopefully those coming after us on Sunday will have better weather. Oh well, the weather hasn't made a difference. Everything has been pretty much wonderful. A few rude people...but that will happen where ever you go.

 

The town of Hoona is nothing much to see. All of the shops are at the cannery where you tender. There are about 18 in total (shops). I'm trying to remember, I think there was one or two jewelery shops (like they need more after Ketchican and Juneau), native art and trinkets, small souveniers and one small store for nothing more than salmon. Smoked salmon, teryiaki salmon, salmon jerky, salmon cavier. Everyone was friendly and the native people extect to be paid for taking photos of them in their native dress. I went to take a picture of one teenage fellow and he flashed a handfull of cash as if to say that a tip was expected. I gave him a couple of bucks and got a couple of shot of him.

 

Formal night tonight. One couple we have met has been invited to dine with the captain tonight. Nice. We are now at a table of 6 by ourselves. One couple found it too late to dine and we sat next to the other couple in the USS United States, but they made no mention of moving and they were only at our table the first night. That's ok too, as I don't feel as intimidated if I want to order multiple items from the menu with no one else around.

 

Tomorrow's our last day, and it will probably be nothing more than a pay-per-view movie and roomservice.

 

Feel free to ask anything else I might be able to answer.

 

Peter

[LynandBill]

Hi Peter,

 

We are going on the Millennium and have booked CC 6136. I believe you have a tarp like cover over your balconies, on the Millennium they do not . Without the tarp does it look like 6136 is under cover at all?

Thanks,

Bill

[peteranddan]

Hey Bill

 

Just poked my head around the corner of our balcony over to 6136. There is an overhang that looks like it's approximately 3 feet or so over your balcony doors. Not too sure if the folks next door in that cabin are even alive as we haven't heard nor seen them the entire trip.

 

There are two regular deck chairs on the baclony with a small table which, in my opinion, would easily be kept dry by the overhang is there should be any inclement weather.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter,

 

We are going on the Millennium and have booked CC 6136. I believe you have a tarp like cover over your balconies, on the Millennium they do not . Without the tarp does it look like 6136 is under cover at all?

Thanks,

Bill

[LynandBill]

Hey Bill

 

Just poked my head around the corner of our balcony over to 6136. There is an overhang that looks like it's approximately 3 feet or so over your balcony doors. Not too sure if the folks next door in that cabin are even alive as we haven't heard nor seen them the entire trip.

 

There are two regular deck chairs on the baclony with a small table which, in my opinion, would easily be kept dry by the overhang is there should be any inclement weather.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter,

Thanks for checking that out for us. Wish we were on that balcony right now with a nice glass of wine. Enjoy!!!

Bill and Lyn