Norwaylady

Verdict of Infinity⚓️ So, the million question everyone ask is: Are Infinity ready for the shipyard to be transformed into pieces of 🔩🔩🔩 or be revitalised to a edge styling 🤔🤔🤔 Is it awfully wear & tearing visible from the moment you enter the gangway🤔🤔🤔 Will I regret sailing on this ship🤔🤔🤔 Is she really in the awful state someone is claiming? She’s on the edge of being a carnival cruise🤣🤣🤣 Tricky questions🙄🤔 The quick answer: YES & NO I will give you the long edition📜🤓 So, as everyone know, Infinity has been in service for many years and her big revolution dry-dock was cancelled. So she is a older lady⚓️ What really can tell her age is the lack of electrical sliding doors out to deck/restrooms/etc. That’s one of the first things you will notice. It’s not a problem at all, but it shows off the age of the ship. Minor details in public restrooms, some doors are hard to close, you need to put on weight when you lock the door. Otherwise it won’t close. Carpets are widely well kept. Those that were mostly worn out were downstairs on the gangway areas. Really not a big deal😉 (think of all those people walking in/out in all types of weather and shoes🥴 please tips me if you find a carpet that will stand against this type of adventure😝) Furniture is in good shape. (Some of the big yellow chairs in Al Bacio is very well used in the stuffing. So you will be seated a few cm lower than normal🤭) The theatre seating is good and this type of solution/ love seat+table is my ❤️ The curtain over the stage (not the curtains to move) the balcony curtain has some holes that are visible. (Could be of technical reasons) But it’s visible and as the devil of details, I see this asap the first night😂😂😂🤭 The stage/theatre is not as high-tec as on Edge. But they can have lots of different shows and concerts. So you will be entertained🥳🥳🥳 Staterooms. We did a tour’d Stateroom😜 1109 and 9175. A AQ class on the “newer” cabins on deck 11 and an “old and golden” CON on deck 9. By the look you can’t asap see that the cabin on deck 11 is a few years newer than on deck 9. But again, the devil of details is onboard🤣🤣😅 The wooden panels on deck 11 are slightly lighter in colour and the tiles in the bathroom is different. Other than that, they are identical. Our phone in 1109 was dead ⚰️🪦 It had connection for date/time but no tone🙄🫠 as said before, we discovered it on the last morning on turnaround day😅🤪🫠 Our AC in 1109 was perfect for those seeking a cold storage🥶🥶🥶🥶 It was freezing cold. We turned it up and up to warmer, all the way to beyond 🔥🔥🔥 but still 🥶. The first 2.nights we had frosty smoke when we were breathing out….. So we slept in pyjamas and used the bathrobe as blankets on top of the duvets. Even on max heat, it was significantly colder in our stateroom than in the hallway. So maximum 18c in the cabin. We did send a message on the “we want to hear from you form” but we heard nothing….😂😂😂insight of our little phone problem, it might not be strange🤔🤭 Move to our “old-but-Goldie” deck 9 cabin went painless. We did our things and housekeeping did take care of the rest👍🏻 The first impression is okay. No big wear & tearing here. So cabins is approved. Both in shape as expected👍🏻 What I don’t like is stains that easy go away…. On deck 9 it’s more visible signs of need of a deeper cleaning of the chair and desk top. (Again minor details, but I see things like this asap🫣🤭) The door to the bathroom is not in perfect condition. You need to “take the door with you” to close it… and when you want to leave, you need to lean on it heavily🤭 Probably it’s possible to adjust it a little and it will be better. (When they get older and used, they often need to be readjusted) The night light in the bathroom was broken on deck 9. So only dark or full light. Don’t know if the lamp is broken or if it just need a new light bulb 💡🤔 So a few issues on deck 9, but nothing deadly😉 AC was more to our temperature liking👍🏻 WiFi is awful, yes. But they are working on it. See it as a phone detox😜 When it’s functional it worked great. I managed, since I could use my phone as home on this sailing. But until they have sorted it out, this is not the ship to do planned teams and zoom meetings on😝 In all ports of call has the ship had maintenance visible. On deck 11 they brushed off rust and put on base coating+ paint. So our balcony had a notification every day we returned back to the ship: Newly painted, be careful. So they are hanging on to keep her fresh. Great👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Several people report that the ship smells sewer and it’s outlined as the entire ship is rotten 🤢😵‍💫🤢 Well, we could smell it one day on deck 2/1 when we walked down the stairs to the gangway and a very chemical smell another day. Other than that, it smells of cleaning products and steam cleaning. Nothing strange in public areas on deck 3/4/5 or in our stateroom. M-class ships are somewhat special. They have a beautiful layout of the floor plan. And a classic vibe. All crew in m-class sailings are super friendly and nice 👍🏻 (not saying the crew on S or E are bad, but there’s something else onboard M🤗) Food is a personal preference. But almost everything has tasted excellent or good. Again. I’m a devil in details and “unfortunately” I do cook a lot…. Because I like it😍 So I’m over the “average” level cooking skills. So I’m not harder to please, but I do have some preferences for presentation and taste….. clean cuisine is a very good place to describe my taste. The pastries chefs & I will never be best friends😅😘 I’m not a big cake eater. 🍋🍋🍋 lemon tart now and then, but other then that…. Not a big eater of this. The Queen on the other hand was very happy for the selection🍰🧁🍪🍩 not everything was 100% to her liking, but she was happy for the rotation and options available every day. Entertainment has been excellent. In 17-days it’s only 1 thing/show/pop-up we didn’t like. But again, it’s a personal opinion. NYC3 are not bad, but it’s not my favourites. They were the weakest evening show. The concept is good, but it needs to fit your audience….. and they need to understand that 80% of their guests are older….. The guest entertainment has really delivered and satisfied me. The Queen was very happy and really enjoyed it. She thinks the same about NYC3😂😂😂 CD Brittany has been out & about on the ship and the activity team has delivered daily activities and DIY activities available. I’m not the biggest user of this on a Mediterranean cruise, but they have always something going on. Captain Kirk is a very friendly and fun Greek ambassador🇬🇷💙 He is “bjuda på” as we use in Scandinavia language. (A very positive and friendly thing🥰) So would I not book Infinity? NO, she’s not falling apart😂😂😝 I don’t see a big reason not to book her. If the itinerary is good and this is the route you want to sail, then there are no reason to say no. If you only like new things, no classic’s or you sail only in suits. You need to think about it…. ( there are no retreat deck exclusively and the Michaels lounge is not grand in size) Do I have a booking on Infinity? YES Hold on, arm doors, cross check and report! The Queen really enjoyed X🥳🥳 YES That’s great news for my me🤭❤️(and perhaps 🤔 X💙) So we are booked on a fabulous 10-n sailing in May 24 on INF to Greek Isle & Istanbul in a balcony😅⚓️💙🇬🇷 It’s an overnight stay in Istanbul👍🏻 (the Queen had 🤩 in the eye’s when I suggested this itinerary. She LOVES Istanbul😍😍😍) So she was all ready finished packing in her mind😝😅🤩 Next tour on INF will be in late June 24…. Yes, I will be back🤭😜😅 Then I, Mr & our nephew is sailing on a Greek isle 7-nights cruise. It’s the cruise we gave away for his confirmation💙⚓️🇬🇷🥳 So I will celebrate my 29 year birthday in Athens the day before the cruise🥳 💙🤭🇬🇷⚓️ (you see ladies only celebrate 29, 29, 29 after a specific year…) Next round is in late September 24…🇬🇷💙⚓️ Yes, another sailing on INF…. This sailing I’m bringing my cousin❤️ She could have been my younger sister😂 or my niece💙😅 She really wanted to go on a cruise, so she asked if I could travel with her💙 (she has been joining me to Thailand 🇹🇭 twice and when she was younger I used to “babysit” her in summer holidays. Aka bringing her to Copenhagen a few days for Tivoli, travel to Kiel on Color Line etc…..) So it’s not a problem💙💙💙 I will gladly sail by her. She’s very similar as me in lifestyle and she’s not a big party party girl😝🤣🤣So we are the ultimate dream team on tour😂💙👍🏻 So YES, I will be back💙 Next adventure is on Edge from Rome to Singapore⚓️ We, Mr & I are looking forward💙❤️💙 We have tried to book this itinerary since 2019…. Let’s just say it’s been postponed several times🤪🤪🤪 So we are READY🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳⚓️ It might be a live………🤗📯📜

After dropping off the bags on the second it’s 3h before departure, we walked straight thru security. We went straight upstairs to Marco Polo Lounge. (It’s a contract lounge serving the majority off network airlines in VCE and the only lounge in the airport) The lounge has been updated and refreshed since last visit. More space and different zones. Great 👍🏻 This lounge has a outdoor patio😎 They have a buffet style food offerings. It’s salad, fruits, cake, sandwiches and Italian pastries. For drinks it’s red/white wine. Water, ice tea, Coca Cola, juices and barista coffee. Free WiFi. So not the greatest lounge compared to other places. But you can relax and have a meal with drinks👍🏻 Today’s dinner was a glass of wine, yoghurt and fruit. Dessert was a americano and a small Italian pastry cake A excellent 3-course menu😂👌🏻 We fly Swiss airlines🇨🇭VCE-ZRH-OSL It’s in the Lufthansa umbrella ☂️ (Lufthansa-Swiss-Austrian-Brussel-Eurowings airlines) It’s a good airline and works very well. It’s Swiss hospitality🇨🇭 Our flight boarded on time. But it was a bus gate🚌 So we left a few minutes behind schedule. The captain announced that we will be on time in Zürich. It’s operated on a A320. Seating 3+3 in economy and 2+2 in Biz (middle seat empty) Economy has food for purchase. Flight was 95% full. We are seated on 14D/F Lucky us had the middle seat empty❤️👍🏻 it’s better for the Queens fear of flying. She needs a little space🤪🤪🤪 Connection in ZRH is only 40.mins. But they have a good airport and it’s very efficient to have a short transit time. Luggage is marked to OSL🇳🇴 Our flight to ZRH was a little bumpy, nothing crazy or bad. It was cloudy and turbulent winds before we went above the area. The Queen was not super happy about this🤪🙄🥴 They give out a bottle of water and a chocolate to all passengers in economy. We touch down 20.27 and next flight leaves 20.55🤪🤪 (those stairs pays off to walk up and down on the ship😂) We parked in the same pier, a65 and next flight was from a84. We were parked and connected to the terminal 20.32 We went off in walk-fast speed against the next flight. At 20.43 had we arrived at the gate and went straight onboard. Flight was already boarded and we were the last passengers to arrive. Flight is 95% full. It’s operated on a E190-e2. Seating is 2+2 in Eco and 1+1 (seat empty) Flight time is 2h 25.mins It’s a smaller aircraft, so the Queen is not to happy about this. (There’s a reason why she doesn’t fly on WF/Wideroe🤭) Service is same concept as from VCE. We are seated on 19D/20F. No empty seating for us this flight🫡 We arrived on time in Oslo 23.15 and bags were on the belt 23.30. So we only waited 3.mins for them👍🏻 Mr Dad picked up the Queen and I. So I was home in bed 00.30😴😴😴 The cats were overwhelmed happy to see me😂❤️😍🤪

We were dropped off at the airport 14.30. So back to start🔙 Our transfer to VCE and Padua tour is a X shore excursion. It’s the only option for a tour+airport drop-off they offer. Booking a private individual tour or transfer from Ravenna to VCE is painfully expensive💸💸💸 Train station in Ravenna is not in walking distance and train service in Ravenna is limited. So you must change trains to be able to go to Venice. So Ravenna is really not a good start or stopping point of a cruise. Prepare to pay big 💵💵💵 to get there. Due to flights, we would not be able to make the direct flight in the morning docking in Ravenna. So we need to book the afternoon/evening flight via something in Europe. So we are flying Swiss via Zurich home. Flight leaves VCE 19.05. So plenty of time….. What is very important to know in VCE is that they don’t accept baggage until 3h before your flight. This means that we are not allowed to drop off bags until 16.05. So we had many hours to “kill” before we really wanted to be at the airport. And since we have luggage, you need to plan…. The tour was only 6 guests today, the majority of the ship was on transfer to VCE or BOL (Bologna) airport. So we had 07.30 meeting time in Rendezvous lounge. At 07.45 we were escorted downstairs to the gangway and pinged off for the last time……💙⚓️ You need to proceed to the tent to collect your luggage and walk it outside due to customs regulations. Our car today was a MB Vito (the typical private tour cars on shore excursion) All 6 suitcases and carry on was stuffed inside the trunk. So same space inside the car as a usual tour day in Italy/France. We were ready for departure from the port 08.10. Our guide was rechecking departure flights, so no one was leaving to early. We arrived in Padua 10.30. Then a local guide meet us for a walking tour in the city centre and basilica Saint Antony of Padua. The tour lastet for 2h. We went into the church during service, so we were not allowed to take pictures from the service area. But the rest of the church was okay 👌🏻 After visiting the basilica, the tour continued to the city centre on foot. It’s a large market area and Padua university. We ended the guided tour in the Jewish quarter of Padua. The synagogue is still located here. After the guided tour, we had 1.h free time for lunch or walking around. We had a little snack and a aperitif🥂 The travel time from Padua city centre to VCE airport is around 30.min. They dropped us of at departure and pointed out direction for each of our airlines areas. All in all a good tour and a nice way to kill some hours before a flight home in the afternoon. If your option is shuttle to VCE and arrive at the airport 8-9h before departure, don’t do it. You will have a hard time to find seat at the airport and you are not allowed to deliver/check in bags before 3h before departure. X should offer an option of mosaic in Ravenna+VCE/BOL transfer also. So you have an opportunity to pick your type of adventure. (I have docked in Ravenna as a port of call before and the mosaic is worth a visit) Until the shuttle service/prices are getting better, I will think twice before I will use Ravenna as a port of start or ending point of a cruise. This is not X fault only. Italian travel/tourist destinations should understand that when they terminated Venice as a cruise port, they need to have infrastructure to make the change to Ravenna more travel friendly and easy to reach the airport in either Bologna or Venice. I will answer out questions and give my verdict of Infinity tomorrow. Now it’s time to drop off the bag’s😌

Rise & Shine! The ladies had breakfast in mdr. Greek yoghurt, grapefruit, porch egg and salmon. All tasted good and everyone was a happy camper for the last time🥰 We have checked in on our airport/sightseeing tour in Padua. We are a group of 6 guests today.

Bags are packed😩 You all know that feeling😜 Tonight’s show is iBroadway production show. So we are skipping it😝 Since we saw it last week. We went down to Al Bacio for some coffee and a glass of wine. The Queen wanted more coffee😜( you know she didn’t receive coffee on our tour😂😂) After some coffee and a glass of rose (you know the real deal French dry🤩) we moved down to grand foyer. It was a pop-up from Phillipa Healey. Again, a fun show and hits from west end and light mix of hits. Then we walked by Blu to say goodbye to Irwin before we went to dinner in mdr. Today’s dinner menu is good in starters but real blah for mains in my opinion. There’s no fish, just the everyday salmon. And there are 2 pasta dishes, that’s one too much. The chicken is excellent if made properly, but I can’t eat it🥴😝 it’s pineapple 🍍 So we went for shrimp Louis as a starter and then the Queen wanted light grilled green beans in oil, garlic and pepper. Same side she has every night. But just the beans for main. I had the every day salmon. The fish was perfectly cooked. But the sides are boring. They had a bad day making sauce. The hollandaise sauce had crumbled/split. It’s overheating. And they had try all the tricks in the book to save it…. The cold water, some drops of lemon and last option vinegar. You could really taste it. So it was a good dinner in the fish and green beans👍🏻 (Remember, mdr makes Dinner for around 1500 persons every night plated….🤪🫡🙃 so at some point, not everyone can be happy happy🤩 today it was our turn in the lottery of okey, but not perfect) For dessert we hade some ice cream. Then it was straight to bed😴😴

After returning to the ship, it was Al Bacio time☕️☕️☕️ The Queen needed coffee and I hoped for a lemon 🍋 tart🙂 Yes, they had them🍋🍋🍋 and today it was good 👍🏻 Then it was time to start packing….. The last round of canapés has arrived

So, we left for our tour 08.30. It’s a small group “small” only 17 guests😜 Our guide was okay, friendly and knowledgeable. We went straight to Trogir. We walked to the church and had a guided visit. There is a small teaser of dalmantian song on the town square. IMG_8039.mov Usually it’s 9 male singers. We had around 1h of free time before we went onward to the mountains. You have a beautiful view over island and cities down by the coast. We drove up to Primorski Dolac. You visit an old local family farm. They served Grappa and fresh fig’s as aperitif, they sing and play Croatia folklore music and tell about the farm traditions. For a snack, they served local ham, cheese and olives. It’s local bread and olive oil. For dessert, it’s sweet pastries. After this, it was time for departure back to the ship. We arrived on the pier 14.40. All-onboard is 15.30. The Queen had a great time❤️ It was not too many steps or walking around on uneven ground. Perfect for those that like bus tours, some walking city tour and local food. (For me? Not my cup of tea🤪😝 but for the Queens request, yes my lady🫡😂)

Split is docked. 10-15.minutes away from the city centre on foot. Several tour vendors on the pier if you want something last minute and a sightseeing train

Good Morning Split The ladies have eaten breakfast in MDR. greek yoghurt and berries, grapefruit and coffee🙃

Instructions for our departure tour Ravenna: as we all know, Ravenna 🤯😰🥵🤬🥴 for starting or ending a cruise. To call it Venice/Ravenna is stretching the line loooiooong. (Rant finished) Ravenna as a port of call is good. The mosaic is beautiful and it’s a okay stop. (We had a stop by Connie a few years ago) But for start/end of a cruise, it’s a 😵😵😵. There are no infrastructure and it’s awfully expensive to get transportation. The cab/driver company’s is charging wild price and it’s a long distance. We have a late flight home to Norway. So the usual airport transfer was early and we would be at the airport for extra hours deluxe…. So we did bite the bullet of hefty price and booked the tour to Padua+VCE airport. You need to have a flight in late afternoon/evening. If you don’t plan to visiting Venice. Book airfare to Bologna airport. It’s only a good 1h away. It saves transportation time and less expensive. I will give you all the details on how this work🫡

The letter you don’t want to see on your bed…..

Cruise Compass Split

Philippa Healey did a excellent show🤩 It’s west end/opera/piano. Tonight it was a pop-up from the acrobatic team in grand foyer. IMG_7977.mov A short, but good program🤩 (Same they did on the captain’s club event) Today was lobster 🦞 night. We had the salmon roulette, lobster and duck🙃 all tasted good and plenty of food in the duck 🦆 For the dessert, we had the usual espresso macchiato and ice cream😜

Will stop by🤓

Will stop by🤓

After getting back onboard and locating the Queen, we decided that tomorrow it’s time for a new adventure. So we picked a tour for the Queen❤️ So we will go on a adventure 08.30 tomorrow😎 After running some more stairs on the ship and have the first umbrella 🍹 drink on this journey, it was time for dressing up to evening chic💃🏻 Tonight’s show is Philippa Healey and the orchestra.

I think the Queen was a bit hungry🤭 Since she arrived 1,5h before me😂😂

I have just arrived back onboard. today’s canapés had arrived….. I think it’s a 🐁 mice in my cabin😂😂😂 The Queen had arrived and is safely seated in a sun lounger by the pool😎

The Queen was finished for today’s walking tour. So I dropped her off on the shuttle back to the ship. And I continued to the fortress. It’s upstairs outside the city centre. Number 4. You need to walk upstairs to the entrance and it’s more steps inside. You get a lovely view over the walled city and they have some of the original canons. The ticket is the same as the walled walkway. So keep your ticket 🎫 Dubrovnik is a beautiful city. Just be prepared for lots of stairs, uneven walking and slippery stones on the wall walking.

The bus take you in to Old Town/Pile gate. The Tourist Office Is located at the drop-off point. We walked into the old town from Pile Gate. We walked thru the city centre to gate 51/13 on the map. It’s a gate out to the old port/pier. We jumped on a 45.min sightseeing glass bottom boat. It takes you around the old town from the ocean and to Lokrum island for fish viewing and the caves in the mountain. Great way to see the city walls and crystal clear ocean. After our boat adventure, I was itching to get up on the city walls😅💪🏻 I parked the Queen for coffee and off i walked🙌🏻 You need a ticket for the wall. Okey🤓 Hold on your hat and wallet😱😳💸💸💸 3,5€😅 NO 🫣 35€ pr person to walk the walls🫡🫨😬 So I paid, said to myself, this is your souvenir🤭 You have a beautiful view over the city on the walled walkway. It’s stairs up and down. Downhill and uneven ground. So I walked fast up and down, visited towers and took pictures. A full round took me 1h. So a decent 💪🏻workout 🏋️‍♀️ I would say for average Joe, minimum 2h. It’s stairs up and down, and steeper hillside in one part. IMG_7908.mov The temperature is high and on hot Sunny day’s, you need minimum a 🧢 cap and water bottle. After the walk, I went on a search for the Queen🤓 She had walked onward to see more of the city. So I found her on the market space😌 We did some shopping of souvenirs to give away to my niese on 4year and Mr🥰 After some shopping, we decided to sit down to have a coffee and ice cream😋

Today’s plan is Dubrovnik on our own. We have booked shuttle ticket to old town. It’s 15$ pr person via the ship. Usually Mr & me would have walked in. It’s only 3,3km flat walking. A great opportunity to have a view of town and the area🤩 So on arrival Dubrovnik you have taxis waiting on the pier. It’s fixed price from port to the old town. 18€ pr way/car. So if you are more than 2. A taxi is cheaper to use.

Good morning from Dubrovnik

Paperwork Dubrovnik

Tonight we did follow our sail out from Kotor on sunset bar, deck 10. So we didn’t attend the production show we saw last week. For dinner we had chop chop salad, escargot. Main course, the gnocchi and salmon. Dessert was apple pie and ice cream. The Queen tried the cannoli dessert, but the biscuit layer was very overcooked. So it went out the back door😝 After dinner it’s was bedtime 🥱

So, just run down to dinner. a teaser of sailing out of Kotor tonight. I really hoped we were leaving on time/early. But my luck for time were not perfect. IMG_7780.mov