Germancruiser

My first X- cruise was back in 2001 ( 32 years old back then)  when the Millenium debuted. Coming from RCI I found the experience a huge step up from RCI.

Since then- obviously many moons have come and gone. 20 cruises with them- and I am still booking X from time to time. So yes- I like them still. My prefered Line now is Cunard, though.

What has changed- A LOT! Food- still very good, but not up to the experience of 23 years ago.

The ship got louder by the year. They - quite understandable- want to attract a younger clientel.

They have to be carefull though not to drift more and more into the direction of Carnival, RCI or Costa.

I don´t need the Captain dancing on top of the Martini - Bar- also I find the Senior officers in the Pool not so very amusing. They have entertaintment staff for that purpose.

The concept of the Edge Class- well they have their great parts and their downright catastrophic part. Apex´s Maiden voyage was an unforgetable experience, also because it was right after the Covid crisis. The Martini Bar in the middle - well that´s more like a showroom- nothing cozy - nothing intimate about it anymore. To loud, to noisy- the problem also is that all decks above are affected of the noise and therefore of not much use to us. So we stick to M- Class ( as long as they are still around) and S- Class.

Thank you Cosmo- that sound rather prommising- I am boarding Infinity in three weeks - so I look forward to a well maintained ship.

The OP was on the wrong ship, can´t put it any other way. I was just wondering how he could stick it out for so long. I started with RCI- back in 1996 and loved it. The bigger the ships got the less I liked RCI. I stopped very early sailing with them- the biggest ship was the then brand new Voyager o.t.S. The last was Brilliance- after 8 years of sailing exclusive with X ( along with their Vision Class of ships the Radiance Class was where my favorite. ) - in 2008 and even back then I noticed how much they changed. So I simply stick with X or Cunard- and I am sill sailing with them.I have no desire whatsoever to sail on these floating Resorts. They are prefect for families- and - as they are very popular people love them - so all good- there are cruise lines and ships for every taste these days.

Exactly my thoughts. That is- quite simply rather " cheap" of Cunard. I hope they change that again- back to " normal"!

That´s the one thing about my beloved QM2- Cunard, that annoys me greatly- that the " Always availlable" part in the regular menues in Britannia have vanished. I just learned from The Old Bear that one can ask for them in Britannia. Really that was not a great idea- to remove these items from the menu.

LB NJ- I hope you did tip him acordingly... LOL.

Grandeur was my first cruise - well my first cruise on a Mega- Liner- as the Grandeur was called during her Inaugural season- that cruise was in 1996. Loved the ship- loved RCI - unforgetable cruise- since then I spend almost all my vacations on board ships. Grandeur is slowly approching her 30th year- an old Lady now. I was rather shocked, seeing those  pictures. Well not the hardware- the ship itself- but of the maintenance level. Shabby is not chic my opion. This shabbyness of furniture could easy remedied. A 30 year old ship is an old ship - no question about it. Old pipes, old superstructur and so on. But soft goods- no excuse for that. They charge a pretty penny- so RCI should not let that happen.

I stopped sailing RCI about ten years ago- just no longer to my liking- to much Party to less class! The then new introduced towel policy was the turning point for me. Cruising with RCI is just no longer someting special - the experience - well the last one - changed beyond regocniton - compared to the 1996 experience.

Thx for the Update Deltablue. Mrs. O´Connor hosted the Remembereance Service for the first anniverarry of 9/11- on the way from England to the USA, in the midst of the Atlantic- and she did a great job - I will never forget that first anniversarry.

I was quite surprised- Clo O´Connor is still CD with RCI. She was CD on board Brilliance of the Seas back September 2002. Really a great personality.

I just found out, that i never postetd my little review of Infinity not in the Review- but on the main X- board. So here is my reflection of Infinity - over year ago- but rereading made me even more look forward to March.

I just read the post with topic, that nobody wrote an Infinity- Review lately. So here it goes.

Review of Infinity curise Oct. 2022

What I will write now, may be considered a homage to the Millenium Class of ships and here of the Infinity, which we debarked 10 days ago.

I sailed all Celebrity ships , except Reflection, Equinox, Edge and Beyond.

When I found a 7 day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale and saw that the Infinity doing so I just booked this Western Caribbean Itinerary. Ideal- I always had a soft spot for this class of ships – Millenium being my first X- ship ever- just when she debuted. My last X- cruise was in 2021 the Maiden Voyage of Apex. ( Not “my” ship)

I purposely don´t go into the ports of call- since they are well known.

This was my 3^rd time on board Infinity ( after 2007 and 2012)  so I was curious to see how se appeared now- in her 21. Year of Service! She got no refit, due to Covid even the colouring was not changed as of yet.

Boarding and Embarkation went flawless- much much better then in pre Covid – times. As is the custom now the cabin cards were waiting for us, when we arrived at our cabin about 30 minutes after leaving the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.

The cabin and in fact the whole ship where spotless. Cleaning and keeping up the cleanliness where constantly maintained. The overall experience was just as it was when sailed her more than 10 years ago. Yes, there is a bit rust on the outside, when you look up from you balcony. But that’s about all can say for seeing wear and tear.

New bedding, new lounge chairs on the open decks. The service impeccable- the quality of food in all restaurants we dined in- just up to X´s reputation of former years- big improvement here. ( a slight – kind of downfall – was to notice foodwise in the last year – pre Covid)

There have been also cutbacks – as I expected. On the buffets lot´s and lot´s of turkey- chicken- no longer 6 variations of yoghurt- just one big bowl of blueberry yoghurt ( must have been on sale, LOL) ! That was not a problem at all for us- but one could recognize those little cutbacks.

What I found out as the week progressed- why so like and prefer the Millenium Class of ships compared to the Solstice and now Edge Class. The cosy feeling- a ship not to small and not to big. A real promenade deck with lounge chairs. With almost every twist and turn one can look out to sea- and is – therefore - kind of connected with the sea- for me the whole purpose of traveling by ship. The shear elegance and style of those ships.

When M- Class debuted each had their own kind of “ Charme”- yet personality, each their own styled Speciality Restaurant- The Olympic, the United States, the Ocean Liner and the Normandie Restaurant. Each their own nod to the golden times of ocean traveling.

Of course there is no rockclimbing wall, not water slide- the list could go on and on.

So, as long as they are around ( with X) I will try to stick to the Milli- Class for the time being!

Oh I will write a review for sure.My last Infinity review was written after our October 2022 cruise. I have to reread myself- lol.

Thanks for all the information- I fear they will not revolutionize Infinity - I rather excpect them to get rid of the Millenium Class step by step- after all Edge Class Ships are out and about. I am glad the four Millenium Class ships are still around though. Can´t wait to board at March 4th.

So RCI does only service the cabins once a day. Hm. I would miss the turn down service also- always wonderful to come back after dinner in nicely done cabin. They can built ships twice the size of Icon - I never will return to RCI. My cruising days started with RCI- back then RCCI or RCL- I forogt which. LOL. Back in 1996- oh dear I just realised that it was almost 30 years ago. Grandeur of the Seas- my very first ship- nickname back then- " Giga- Liner"- it being one of the biggest ships in the world. This cruise got me hooked. I sailed with them up to the Voyager Class- after that- it their ships got to big for my taste. My last RCI voyage being on board the Brilliance of the Seas- back in 2008. Well there is still a little " soft spot " for RCI left- so I follow their progress - and the new ships.

This might be off topic and not at all helpful- none of them- Millenium Class! LOL!

I am sailing the Infinity in March - the last time was October 2022- I found nothing to complain about- not a brand new ship- but all well maintained and spotless clean. Millenium Class  always was and always will be my favorite ship class of the X- Ships.

So I can´t wait to see if I find any difference in March. What I like is that they still keep this class of ships. Well at some point they all will be sold though- so let´s enjoy while they are still around.

I would not call myself a fan of X anymore. I have been- a big fan- for many years. Then the changes came- the ships got louder and louder. I don´t need barwaiters or even the Captain standing on the bar and perform like they are in the theater. I don´t need senior members, including the Captain  in the pool playing games for bored quests to be entertained. I don´t enjoy sitting in the - say- Martini Bar which music so loud you can´t hold a propper conversation. I started sailing with X in my early 30´s and could not stand all that even then- which is now 25 years ago.

That said- I still come back ( from Cuanrd) to X every now and then- they still are a big step above the other mass market lines- the food is still excellent- the service has never let me - us - down.

The Elite Plus- perks are not to be missed either- LOL. Their ships are spottless and well maintained- nice- yet elegant-  interious. My perference are the Millenium and Solstice Class of ships. The new ones- not so much.

Well one could always give the crying childs parents  " The Look"- and wisper- "Make use of birth controll eqipment" . Just kidding, of course- but yes, I would be bothered too.

I agree- she more than earned it!

Even though tradtion would suggest Queen Camilla as godmother, my bet is - as it would be fitting - as godmother HRH The Princess Royal - Princess Anne.

I did the same Essiesmom, very interessting. I am still around- thank the good lord. Even thoug I don´t like Pol Acker- I find it still a nice gesture of Cunard- there is an old saying: " Who looks a gifthorse in the mouth"! True enough- C- Cruisers should stop complaining and just- as I do leave it in the cabin - for use for the next passenger of pass it on to friends or tablemates who like it.

Of course- I, too made fun out of the good old Pol Acker- use it to remove the rust stains on you balcony, etc, etc.

Disgusting behavior - never seen anything remotely like that on Board QM2. Wrong ship for the good woman. Not that it is acceptable in any way - anywhere. Out of the Chart room- up to scrubbing down the deck with a handbrush.

i agree and do exactly the same when I walk around my favorite prom deck! Yes I might try the new QA for one voyage also! 

I so agree deck chair- I stick to the other Queens also- I am not sure why they did not plan the ship with a propper prommenade deck. The only reason for me can be that they want attract a younger bunch of people, who do - some at least- not care about a propper prommenade deck.

Yes those cabins would interesst me, too. Also- does anyone know if the changed all chairs in Britannia? I would suppose so- but one never knows. Thx.

Did they change any furniture on Deck 8 aft?

Oh them days without mobil phones- how wonderful they have been. Sometimes it seems mobil phones came - manners went...!