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"Semi-Live" Aboard the Celebrity Infinity - Panama Canal Nov 21 - Dec 5, 2010 W/Pics


sayvan
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We spent the next 3 hours at the beach. We had arranged for our water taxi to return to get us around 3 pm. The sand on the beach was very soft and very clean. We were told not to swim on the Pacific side as the waves were high and the undertow was very powerful. We did venture over to the Pacific side but did not go to deep into the water. On the Sea of Cortiz side we had a great time relaxing, swimming and doing some snorkeling. Below are some more pictures from our adventures at this beach.

 

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Pacific Side:

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Vanda snapping some pics

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DW's footprints in the sand..note the golden colour of the beach:

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Area where we did some snorkeling:

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The waters around lovers beach were full of colourful fish including a few stingrays. You could swim out just of the beach and find more than enough to enjoy. I snapped a few underwater pictures of the what we saw as we took turns using our equipment. You can also rent some gear on the beach if you wanted.

 

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Our water taxi arrived as scheduled and we headed back for more solid ground and take a look around some of the shops and the area around the Port. This is a nice little port however, again I have to say the Amigos can be very bothersome if your not ready for it. They are constantly asking if they can help you then of course looking for the tip in the hat. As I stated earlier, if you politely pass them on their way they would move on.

 

After some stops in the shops we grabbed a local beer and then headed for the tenders back to the ship. I found Cabo to be a nice little place and would definitely go back. In fact, I just might sooner than you think.

 

Boats docked in the harbour:

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Infinity in the background

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A pic of me just to prove I was really there and I am not making this up!

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Once back on the Infinity we headed for deck 10 and a bite to eat. I headed for the Pizza station. The Pizza on this ship was the best. They had the regular pizza like pepperoni, cheese and vegetable and they always had a special of the day. The variety was great and I made a stop here each day...

 

After some pizza and few drinks we headed out on deck to watch the sunset and get ready for the sail-away. While we were in Cabo, the RC Mariner of the Seas was also in Port. Never been on a RC cruise but the ship looked very nice. As we were sailing out of Cabo, another ship was just arriving. This was the Crystal Symphony which we had seen in L.A before we left. After the sunset and we had sailed away for Cabo San Lucas it was time to get ready for our evening.

 

Mariner of the Seas:

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Crystal Symphony:

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A last look at the Arch:

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After a nice shower and a quick nap.... we headed out for our night on the ship and late dinner (which we love by the way). We started the evening by heading to the theater and tonights show was the musings of comedian Glenn Hirsch. Normally, I don't care for a full show of the comedian as I feel they go on too long. Overall, this guy was pretty good. He did the typical routines of buffet lines and all the food cruisers eat, he played with the audience a bit and did manage to hold my attention for the most part. I would give him a 6 out of 10 on this night.

 

After the show we had our pre-dinner drinks in the rendez-vous lounge and watched folks dancing to the Celebrity orchestra. We had yet another amazing dinner although a few of our table mates were in the S.S. United States Dining room for dinner tonight.

 

After dinner we headed to the Constellation Lounge on Deck 11 for the Dance party. Tonights Theme was 50's and 60's songs and the event started off with a very fun game of "name that tune". The lounge was packed and it was hard to find a seat. The night went on with the party band "Fusion Wave". I think I may have spoke about these folks before but they are probably the best party band I have yet to see on any cruise ship. After a few more hours in the Lounge, we called it a night. The time was changing tonight so we were losing an hour... god knows we needed every hour we could find on this trip.

 

As I close the chapter on Cabo San Lucas, I leave you with some final sunset shots of this beautiful port. Tomorrow would be a sea day.... after today we needed it!

 

Once again.. thanks for coming along on this journey.

 

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Great report and photo's brings back our memories of the same trip 4/09.The Infinity will be going into dry dock late 2011 so hopefully they will get rid of those horrible dryers (lets hope). We also sailed on Infinity 1/31/10 South America/Antarctica as well as Valpariso to Buenos Aires 1/05. Looking forward to sailing on her again after being refurbished and more cabins added.

Enjoy your cruise and again thanks for sharing your photo's.

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Had a bit of a sleep in this day. Didn't get up until 8 am. I really do hate to miss a second on a cruise ship. As per usual, we headed right up to Deck 10 and the Oceanview Café.

 

After breakfast, we would head to our usual spot on Deck 11 near the mast bar. Today, the weather is very warm, the sun is shining and the Bloody Mary's are flowing. As you look out at the ocean, the water is almost like glass. Today's plan is simple... do nothing but lay around ...maybe take some photos of the outdoor decks and of course put my new fitness plan into action!

 

If you recall from previous post's I only made it to the gym once...I had a new fitness plan and today it began. On Deck 11 was the walking track. My plan was simple. Get a drink at the mast bar and take a lap! Each lap would have to pass the mast bar and well... I would need to refuel and take some liquid along for the lap. The perfect exercise plan for the perfect vacation!

 

As I walked my laps I also took a few snapshots of deck 11 and 10 along the way.

 

Smooth waters perfect for a day of cruising.

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Shuffle Board

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Shot of the window I referred to earlier with a great view in Oceanview Café

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Starboard Deck 11

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Thanks for the many details of your trip. I can almost feel the breezes and warm sun as shown in your photos. Question, did the band Fusion have am African descent woman singing the lead? We are on Mercury earlier this year and Fusion band on her was absolutely the best cruise band I have ever heard.

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Although I did not get pictures we also saw a few Humpback Whales just off the starboard side of the ship today as well. It couldn't get any better... or could it?

 

here are a few shots of the Basketball/Tennis courts:

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Steps heading to the outdoor Oceanview Grill Bar:

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Oceanview Bar (Aft):

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After a full day outside and once the sun had set we headed back to the room and the evening was upon us. We decided to try Micheal's the Martini Bar before dinner tonight. The Bar was packed and clearly a popular spot.

 

After a few drinks we made our way to the Trellis restaurant and dinner. After dinner it was back up to the Constellation Lounge for the Decades party with the Party Band "Fusion wave". Tonight's theme saw the band playing numbers from the 1950's right through to the 80's. Once again the lounge was packed and everyone was having a blast.

 

Here are a few more pics from the day.

 

Kids area Deck 11 Aft:

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Aqua Fitness (note I am not in the pool):

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A serious discussion at the Mast Bar over how many laps we did today!

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Tomorrow we would be in Acapulco....

Edited by sayvan
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Thanks for the many details of your trip. I can almost feel the breezes and warm sun as shown in your photos. Question, did the band Fusion have am African descent woman singing the lead? We are on Mercury earlier this year and Fusion band on her was absolutely the best cruise band I have ever heard.

 

The two lead singers on the Infinity Fusion Wave were both from the Philippines. One was a guy and the other a woman. Both had incredible range... I will have some pictures of them later on.

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Thanks again for taking the time to post this thorough review. I am loving reading about it and very much enjoying the fabulous pictures. Look forward to your next segment.

 

thanks for reading... I should have some more later tonight... just sorting through some pictures from Acapulco....:)

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So, I see that you have cruised on Carnival a lot. How does Celebrity compare. I am sure that many would like your review of that comparison.

 

I was on the Infinity on the same cruise but went from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego. We had a TERRIFIC time and love Celebrity; so much so that we are sailing on her sister ship, the Millennium, in February to the southern Caribbean.

 

Don (the "doc" of docandbabe)

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Thank you for the review. We were on the Infinity in May for Alaska (our first time on Celebrity) and will be on her again in September for a Transcanal cruise leaving from Seattle to Ft Lauderdale. Since you like to have a few drinks did you purchase a drink package? We did in May and really liked not having to worry about a bar tab.:eek:

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So, I see that you have cruised on Carnival a lot. How does Celebrity compare. I am sure that many would like your review of that comparison.

 

Don (the "doc" of docandbabe)

 

Hi Doc, As I stated at the start of my review I wasn't really planning on a comparison. I will however, at the end of my overall review provide my thoughts on the Celebrity experience with a few comments about previous cruises. In short, I would definitely cruise Carnival again (and will in February) and I would definitely cruise Celebrity again.

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Thank you for the review. We were on the Infinity in May for Alaska (our first time on Celebrity) and will be on her again in September for a Transcanal cruise leaving from Seattle to Ft Lauderdale. Since you like to have a few drinks did you purchase a drink package? We did in May and really liked not having to worry about a bar tab.:eek:

 

I debated long and hard about the drink package. I read every possible post on the subject on cruise critic. In the end, I opted not to take the package. The friends we were travelling with did take the premium package. I managed to have more than enough drinks and still came in under the cost of the classic package. Let's just say...it pays to tip your server! ;)

 

(Whisper) PSST.... we also managed to sneak a few onboard as well.....

Edited by sayvan
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Well I have made it back to continue my review after not being able to find the time yesterday.

 

Today we would be arriving in Acapulco, Mexico. This was one of the port's I was really looking forward to and allow me to be clear...It did not disappoint in any way.

 

I woke up early and grabbed some breakfast then headed back to my room for my camera. We were scheduled to arrive in Acapulco at 8 am and the ship was a bit early. We were actually off the ship by 8:30 am.

 

The cruise into Acapulco bay was simply magnificent. Glittering and glamorous I would say about the view. This port had everything to offer, a nightlife (although we were leaving by 6pm), beautiful beaches, numerous water activities and of course the famous cliff divers.

 

The view was spectacular from the 11th deck of Infinity. Whether you were on the port side or starboard there was so much to take in. By the end of the day, I had taken over 300 pictures. Thank goodness we live in a digital age or the money for my next cruise would be spent on processing the film!

 

Here are some of those views as were sailed into this busy, yet serene port of call.

 

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We had a planned excursion today but not through Celebrity. We had booked our excursion through Rudy's Van tours. During the pre-cruise chat on our roll call, we had booked this excursion and opened it up to a few members from the roll call. Of course, the more folks we could get, the lower the individual price would be.

 

During the connections party we had met with our fellow cruise critic members and concluded that we would meet in the Grand Foyer of Infinity and then all leave the ship together (or so we had thought). We had agreed to meet as soon as the announcement was made that we were clear to go ashore. Thus, myself and my DW along with our friends Vicki (who actually made the booking with Rudy) and Craig headed to the meeting location. We arrived there around 8:20. then we waited.... and waited... no one was around. Finally, we decided to head off the ship and sure enough, there everyone else was waiting outside. Not sure what really happened but in the end we all met up.

 

We were supposed to actually have Rudy but because of the delay we ended up with one of his other driver's Jose. Jose did a great job and tried his best to show us as much as possible taking us on a wide range tour from how the everyday people live and of course how the rich and famous live. I personally enjoyed the tour as we really did get a great look at all of Acapulco. I am not sure that everyone enjoyed it (at times the Van was awkwardly quiet) but hey, I wasn't about to let anyone else's attitude hurt my good time! I felt a little bad for Jose who was trying to keep everyone engaged. The van was a little hot as the air conditioning was struggling to keep up so perhaps some were bothered by this.

 

Our tour started with a drive through the market area where many of the locals would go to buy the things they needed for day to day living.

 

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Even the Chickens get a tan in Acapulco!

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Yep.... thats a pig's head.... not sure how you cook that!

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After the tour of the Open Market, Jose took us up the mountain where we pulled over for some spectacular views of Acapulco Bay.

 

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Infinity docked in the Bay:

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Vanda and I with the view below:

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After this stop we then made our way toward the Chapel of Peace. Along the way we stopped for a few more great views of some of the Rich and Famous homes

 

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Julio Iglesias house (or so they claimed):

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Street in Acapulco:

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Well I will be back later... time to eat.....

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