(RS) Infinity Oct 27th - Nov 4th 1st Time Cruiser Review (Long)

[Barwick Cruiser]

My thoughts exactly. seems like such a simple thing really. I'm not a huge "pool guy" but love the T pools and will spend and hour or 2 in there.

 

I agree, use the regular pools to quickly cool off when laying in the sun but can spend so much time in the t-pool...at least until my skin gets all pruny:D Love that large stream of water that just pours down onto your neck and shoulders!

[MicCanberra]

I agree, use the regular pools to quickly cool off when laying in the sun but can spend so much time in the t-pool...at least until my skin gets all pruny:D Love that large stream of water that just pours down onto your neck and shoulders!

 

yes, very nice indeed. Miss that pool.:D

[momster0102]

hi - we are joining the Infinity on Nov 4 in the penthouse suite, so I am very eager to hear what the "perks" are for your Royal suite. We are also newISH cruisers, first time on X.

 

Looking forward to your missives!!!

[BILL-WI]

Have a FUN cruise and I hope is better than your expectations! Good LUCK in the casino. I hope you were able to rent a Cabana on Labadee...they are big time fun!:):)

 

BILL

[David Kane]

Greetings!

 

The final, ultimate work slog was predictably, ridiculously busy what with it being fiscal end of month and a general sense of mild panic as I quickly tried to instruct my team how to perform "easy" tasks like manually restarting the roof mounted air handlers in case of a power outage. Ah, to be appreciated! Outlook away message set, monthly financials run, I am finally free to begin to enjoy this vacation (and apparently write poorly constructed sentences).

 

Planning - Called my credit card company and turned on their Traveler program. The only amusing bit here was that they wouldn't accept "the Caribbean" as a destination (unlike, you know, "China") so I had to go through the itinerary, island by island. Apparently they are honored everywhere but Haiti and St. Barts. What an odd little exclusion! Printed out postings for our cabin door and XZ made us a nice itinerary of already-scheduled activities.

 

Expectations - XZ had a nice exchange with the Michael's Club Concierge. Between this and the CC Roll Call I am beginning to enjoy the aspect of "knowing," or at least knowing of, some of the people we'll be on the ship with in advance. This is a contrast from a normal vacation and one I had not fully considered previously. Or is it previously fully considered? Or considered fully previously? Ok, probably not that last one.

 

Packing - Somehow...perhaps due to too many sequins, XZ's main checked bag weighs in at exactly 50 lbs. I am already anticipating that the airport scale will be heavy by, what, 1 lb.? and at 51 lbs., that's $75 dollar checked-baggage-fee territory. Luckily the Providence airport is so chill we'll either (somehow) redistribute on the fly or they'll let us slide. I have yet to begin really packing; that is left for tomorrow. Normally, I wouldn't bring my computer on vacation, but I have been enjoying posting to CC and wouldn't mind live-blogging the cruise...for as long as those free internet minutes hold out! Likely the videos and photos will have to wait until we get back.

 

Thanks again to all those that have been replying to this thread and all the well wishes. Based upon another excellent comment by Cle_Guy I am now looking forward to the T Pool (however you spell/pronounce it).

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The T pool is the thalasotherapy pool and it is wonderful! Don't miss it.

 

Have sailed in a royal suite on Infinity and loved it. We had the head butler (Gene) and he was fabulous. Am sure you will have a wonderful first cruise. My guess is you will want to do it again. And again.

 

[alainamarie]

Hey there! I'm looking so forward to your review because I have an almost identical itinerary in December on Connie! Wishing you safe travels and hoping for some insight to your port adventures!!

 

-Alaina

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

Greetings!

 

The final, ultimate work slog was predictably, ridiculously busy what with it being fiscal end of month and a general sense of mild panic as I quickly tried to instruct my team how to perform "easy" tasks like manually restarting the roof mounted air handlers in case of a power outage. Ah, to be appreciated! Outlook away message set, monthly financials run, I am finally free to begin to enjoy this vacation (and apparently write poorly constructed sentences).

 

Planning - Called my credit card company and turned on their Traveler program. The only amusing bit here was that they wouldn't accept "the Caribbean" as a destination (unlike, you know, "China") so I had to go through the itinerary, island by island. Apparently they are honored everywhere but Haiti and St. Barts. What an odd little exclusion! Printed out postings for our cabin door and XZ made us a nice itinerary of already-scheduled activities.

 

Expectations - XZ had a nice exchange with the Michael's Club Concierge. Between this and the CC Roll Call I am beginning to enjoy the aspect of "knowing," or at least knowing of, some of the people we'll be on the ship with in advance. This is a contrast from a normal vacation and one I had not fully considered previously. Or is it previously fully considered? Or considered fully previously? Ok, probably not that last one.

 

Packing - Somehow...perhaps due to too many sequins, XZ's main checked bag weighs in at exactly 50 lbs. I am already anticipating that the airport scale will be heavy by, what, 1 lb.? and at 51 lbs., that's $75 dollar checked-baggage-fee territory. Luckily the Providence airport is so chill we'll either (somehow) redistribute on the fly or they'll let us slide. I have yet to begin really packing; that is left for tomorrow. Normally, I wouldn't bring my computer on vacation, but I have been enjoying posting to CC and wouldn't mind live-blogging the cruise...for as long as those free internet minutes hold out! Likely the videos and photos will have to wait until we get back.

 

Thanks again to all those that have been replying to this thread and all the well wishes. Based upon another excellent comment by Cle_Guy I am now looking forward to the T Pool (however you spell/pronounce it).

 

We look forward to these inputs.:D

[kathynorth]

Subscribing!

 

I'm looking forward to more details about the ship, activities and crew. We board the Infinity on the 4th!

[evelyn inkpen]

Dave's going to post a more detailed review about the hotel and trip here - but I just had to say we're finally on vacation!! After a very early flght followed by lunch and a short nap at the hotel, I'm now reading a book and looking out of our 12th story balcony to the perfectly blue ocean.

 

Positives about Embassy Suites:

-The price was great. $120 for a night, with quick shuttle from airport today and shuttle to ship tomorrow. We found out it has complimentary breakfast tomorrow and cocktails tonight!

-The room is Fantstic. So nice we would come back to stay here. Two rooms: one nice living room with couches, table and kitchenette area (microwave, fridge, sink, etc), and lovely bedroom with very comfy pillows.

-The hotel itself is huge with an open airy courtyard in the center, very friendly staff and centrally located to tons of restaurants & stores (grocery, liquor, clothes, dollar store, etc). I think you could easily pick up anything you forgot to bring in a short walk.

 

I can't say enough about staying here & would highly recommend it. The view from the 12th floor is stellar and we can see the dock where the ship will be tomorrow. Right now Carnival and one other is here. The locals in the gift shop were very helpful for recommending places to eat and said there will be *8* ships docking tomorrow. Which is a lot... apparently max for the port. Should be interesting chaos boarding, but vacation is about not caring if there are lines - palm trees, the ocean breeze and drinks say I have plenty of time to have no cares in the world.

 

Brief note about finding lunch in FLL. Not a lot of places are open until 5pm for dinner. We ended up eating at ... *sigh* the Outback. Going to a nifty looking Mexican place tonight.

 

Next up, I'm getting our tip envelopes ready to hand to the butler and Royal Suite staff when we first meet them. Then buying some wine at the liquor store just a short walk away. Lastly, planning what fancy yet comfortable dress to wear for our first embarcation and I Can't Wait!!

 

See you all tomorrow. The weather is postively beautiful :)

-inkpen

[momster0102]

Dave's going to post a more detailed review about the hotel and trip here - but I just had to say we're finally on vacation!! After a very early flght followed by lunch and a short nap at the hotel, I'm now reading a book and looking out of our 12th story balcony to the perfectly blue ocean.

 

Positives about Embassy Suites:

-The price was great. $120 for a night, with quick shuttle from airport today and shuttle to ship tomorrow. We found out it has complimentary breakfast tomorrow and cocktails tonight!

-The room is Fantstic. So nice we would come back to stay here. Two rooms: one nice living room with couches, table and kitchenette area (microwave, fridge, sink, etc), and lovely bedroom with very comfy pillows.

-The hotel itself is huge with an open airy courtyard in the center, very friendly staff and centrally located to tons of restaurants & stores (grocery, liquor, clothes, dollar store, etc). I think you could easily pick up anything you forgot to bring in a short walk.

 

I can't say enough about staying here & would highly recommend it. The view from the 12th floor is stellar and we can see the dock where the ship will be tomorrow. Right now Carnival and one other is here. The locals in the gift shop were very helpful for recommending places to eat and said there will be *8* ships docking tomorrow. Which is a lot... apparently max for the port. Should be interesting chaos boarding, but vacation is about not caring if there are lines - palm trees, the ocean breeze and drinks say I have plenty of time to have no cares in the world.

 

Brief note about finding lunch in FLL. Not a lot of places are open until 5pm for dinner. We ended up eating at ... *sigh* the Outback. Going to a nifty looking Mexican place tonight.

 

Next up, I'm getting our tip envelopes ready to hand to the butler and Royal Suite staff when we first meet them. Then buying some wine at the liquor store just a short walk away. Lastly, planning what fancy yet comfortable dress to wear for our first embarcation and I Can't Wait!!

 

See you all tomorrow. The weather is postively beautiful :)

 

inkpen

 

 

Hi Evelyn Inkpen! We are sailing in the PH in November. So where did you get the idea of handing tips to butler and RS staff when you meet them? I have gotten conflicting advice about tips (everything from tipping at time of service to tipping $100 as we disembark). Thanks for your input.

 

Oh PS - by the time I got around to booking a hotel (2 mos ago) your room was up to $279. So consider yourself a smart shopper!!!

Edited October 26, 2014 by momster0102

[warmwinds]

I'm still fascinated with the 4 tuxes. Really? Or is that a joke? Do you OWN 4 tuxes or were you your own traveling wedding party? You do know they have a dry cleaner on board where you could clean the same one after each wearing...

 

Can't wait for the rest of this...

[MicCanberra]

I'm still fascinated with the 4 tuxes. Really? Or is that a joke? Do you OWN 4 tuxes or were you your own traveling wedding party? You do know they have a dry cleaner on board where you could clean the same one after each wearing...

 

Can't wait for the rest of this...

 

Black Tux, white tux, grey tux, blue tux perhaps?:p

[David Kane]

Greetings!

 

Saturday was officially the first day of vacation and we began it, and spent it, by packing, packing, packing, my god the packing!

 

Preparation - Checked and double checked all documents. Passport, photocopy of passport, all reservation paperwork, travelers checks, copious amount of change for tipping purposes, numerous chargers and cables for phones, cameras, and computers, appropriate amounts of toiletries packed in zip lock baggies for the TSA, ties, cuff links, copies of all travel plans e-mailed to my parents in case of emergency...and everything checked again because there is nothing worse than realizing you forgot, say, all your suit pants and end with an awkward Jimmy Buffet like combination of suit coats and shorts.

 

We also prepped for cat care (we adopted a shelter cat a number of years ago and so feel very little guilt leaving her for a week...but we also have a caretaker coming in daily to refresh her food and water and scatter her fake mice in new and interesting places for her to discover) and made far too many trips to the dumpster to make sure we didn't accidentally leave food moldering in, say, the kitchen trash; a mistake you make once and never again.

 

Finally, we managed to sneak a few homey touches into our luggage; stand-up framed pictures that usually sit on our bar and an assortment of tapestries to hang over the balcony for sail away and general decor.

 

Unfortunately, due to all this preparation, we had to miss our friends housewarming party, but, at the end of the day, we did manage to sneak in a pre-Halloween party that put us at home right around 11pm...with 3 alarms set for a 3:45am (!) wake-up.

 

Expectations - I printed out all the advertised Suite amenities just to see if what was touted is what is presented. It may be a little petty, but I actually want to see what the heck a pillow menu looks like! On the hand I have no idea how I'll be able to correctly identify the Hangroe (sp?) shower head. I guess it will...have a label of some kind?

 

Again, thanks to all for the kind words. To answer a few questions; yes, I have 4 Tuxes. I generally loathed men's fashion earlier in life, having to wear suits to work. However, for our wedding, I decided to buy my Tux instead of renting and it was one of the best and most fashion forward decisions I have ever made. I wear it absolutely everywhere I can, including to a number of friends weddings where I have been mistaken for someone in the bridal party or, alternatively, a chauffeur. Once we became big Downton Abbey fans the collection started growing every Christmas. I fell in love with French Cuff shirts and bow ties (which my Grandfather wore for all the years I knew him) and, from there, cuff links became a small obsession. For this cruise I've added a nice pair of faux sharkskin spats just to be amusing.

 

Secondly, yes, we are preparing tips...heck...pre-tips beforehand. It seems a good way to start things off on the right foot with a lot of the staff. I wouldn't call it trying to curry favor, per se, just an acknowledgement that we appreciate the nature of the job they do and the sometimes thankless nature of it, up front. We will still allow the per-day tips to accumulate to our account automatically and add additional cash gratuities where appropriate, probably to the bar tenders and casino dealers.

[DebbieMacG]

Pre tips can be seen as an insult so please bear that in mind :eek: obviously there's no harm in tipping extra for great service but after/during that event in my experience.

 

Have a great cruise :D

Edited October 26, 2014 by DebbieMacG

[jzad]

I think I'm really looking forward to this review! :)

 

 

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[need2bespoiled]

 

Expectations - I printed out all the advertised Suite amenities just to see if what was touted is what is presented. It may be a little petty, but I actually want to see what the heck a pillow menu looks like! On the hand I have no idea how I'll be able to correctly identify the Hangroe (sp?) shower head. I guess it will...have a label of some kind?

 

 

We've only seen a pillow menu in a couple of cabins. It's usually part of a bigger (small) book. Remember, not all restaurants have printed menus, but that does not mean the menu does not exisit. Heck, most restaurants don't have printed dessert menus anymore.

 

I also don't think you'll find a shower head label.

 

My advice is, go and enjoy yourself, don't bother with the list unless you have something you feel your missing, and then are told "no, you can't have it". Otherwise, make you're own list of what is important to you, and will make YOUR day better. Between the Concierge and your butler they'll honor almost all reasonable requests, and if you let them, they'll surprise you by providing experiences and fun that you didn't even know you'd enjoy :D

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[wallie5446]

Oh My! The pure joy of reading the wonder a first time cruiser has! We were you in 1987:eek: you must prepare for your vacation planing to be forever changed. Since you will feel like you have been given the key to a house out on Mansion Row, and have free reign! Looking forward to your reports of your sailing.

EW

[Project_gal]

My advice is, go and enjoy yourself, don't bother with the list unless you have something you feel your missing, and then are told "no, you can't have it". Otherwise, make you're own list of what is important to you, and will make YOUR day better. Between the Concierge and your butler they'll honor almost all reasonable requests, and if you let them, they'll surprise you by providing experiences and fun that you didn't even know you'd enjoy :D

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

This is great advice. What I usually say is that the butler and other crew are there to make YOUR cruise perfect for YOU. That is likely to be very different from other people's ideal cruise. If you let your butler [and, now, presumably Michael's Club Concierge] what you want to achieve, let them determine the best way to achieve the objective. They may well pleasantly surprise you!

 

As for pre-tipping: we used to think that we should do this [particularly because we were from a nation not necessarily expected to tip well] but stopped when we realised that the accepted wisdom on Cruise Critic was that this is seen as tacky. We saw not variation in the service we were given.

 

We also love the Embassy Suites hotel in Fort Lauderdale. For future reference [and we all know that the OPs will be cruising again!], you can often get a better rate at the hotel booking through Celebrity because they do so much business with the hotel.

[evelyn inkpen]

Hmmmm great advise on all! I am thinking back on all the international travel I've done before and tipping ahead of time is certainly something I was thinking about doing from a US perspective. We have pretty set standards and expectations here on service and tipping (espeically with waitresses). When I've been abroad to Italy and France I would get mixed reviews with tipping - thou I don't think I've ever had anyone show obvious offence at getting some extra cash. I did have some people chase me down in the street after leaving to give me my 'extra change' cause they thought I had left it by accident. Usually it would end with a smile and 'oh thank you' when I said it was for them. In Thailand & Mexico the prices were so utterly low on everything that nobody seemed to mind me throwing in a few extra Baht or Pesos, but it was seemed as odd.

 

I'm not a fan of throwing money around or wasting it (heck we both work hard with a long commute to enjoy fun vacations!), but I do want to show appreication for hard work. We alway leave a tip for the Maid for instance. And when vacationnig at Disney, I call the Head of Houskeeping early on to thank them for what an excellent job they do. This had resulted in Fantastic towel animals and an overabundance of free shampoos. :)

 

I do really like your advise on the tipping envelopes thou. I might just ask Gareth our Michael's Club Concierge when we get on ship before doing anything - just to check. He seemed very nice when I chatted back and forth with a few pre-cruise emails. Nothing is more awkward than an early social blunder! Thank you for the advise.

 

Right now I'm up at the crack of dawn (well technically the sun isn't up yet). I was so excited last night - much like trying to will your self to sleep on Christmas Eve - that I couldn't go to sleep. Thank goodness for early air travel yesterday morning. It caught up to me at last and I crashed around 10. This morning I went to the balcony to see if Infinity was here yet! I did see a telltale blue fin with a white X sticking up behind the other ships, but couldn't get a good night view alas. We'll just have to wait till this afternoon... Anticipation!!

 

Oh, one last thing about the hotel. Even if not staying at the Embassy Suites, I would recommend swinging by. It's one of the taller buildings here and the view of the ships/port is just very nice. There are plenty of balconies to view from and they don't need hotel keys for access. Plus the glass elevators are fun!

 

Cheers all and thanks again for the smart travel advise. Now to russle up some coffee.

-inkpen

 

As for pre-tipping: we used to think that we should do this [particularly because we were from a nation not necessarily expected to tip well] but stopped when we realised that the accepted wisdom on Cruise Critic was that this is seen as tacky. We saw not variation in the service we were given.

 

For future reference [and we all know that the OPs will be cruising again!], you can often get a better rate at the hotel booking through Celebrity because they do so much business with the hotel.

[David Kane]

Greetings!

 

(What with all the comings and goings I seem to be constantly behind a day in this review. I am uncertain how the updates will be once we board; I may wake up from a haze and realize it's suddenly Thursday! This update seems to ramble a bit; I have time on my hands!).

 

Sunday is travel day. Up at 3:45am for a 6:40am flight out of Providence on Southwest. TF Green airport, once again, gets serious points for no-hassle flying, perhaps one of the best regional airports in the country (it claims to be an "international" airport, but that's just because anywhere outside of New England is considered a different country for most Rhode Islanders ...flying to Virginia? better bring that passport and turn the water off before you go!).

 

Bags and XZ dropped off at the Skycap stand while I parked the car in the long term lot. Because this trip is fated to be awesome the Skycap weighed our main bag in at 51 lbs. and then tagged it with a wink and a nod and no $75 overweight fee (someone will have to re-pack one of her 8 lbs. gowns for the flight back...you never get that lucky twice).

 

The flight down was full and uneventful. Somehow I even managed to get a Rum and Coke gratis from the flight attendant (more than likely because I was the only one ordering a drink at 7:30 in the morning, but the heck with it, I'd already been up for 4 hours!).

 

Upon arriving in Ft. Lauderdale (15 minutes ahead of schedule) the string of exception luck continues; our gate was the closest one could get to the exit; just this side of security. Upon collecting our luggage (which now sits at 1 under-seat carry-on/overhead bin carry-on a piece, the fifty...one lbs. wheeled juggernaut, "big red" (a duffle-like pull behind) and my hefty nylon suit bag) we are immediately attended to by a very polite Skycap who deftly hauls everything aboard a cart and deposits us at the hotel shuttle debarkation sidewalk.

 

At this point we come to realize that we probably should have called for the shuttle, you know, back in the airport proper at the bank of courtesy phones instead of just waiting for one to magically appear (can't plan for everything, I suppose). Because XZ topped her charm tank off at a 10 this morning she borrows a phone from a pilot standing next to us an calls the hotel (while we have cell phone like devices we ditched actual cell service about 9 months ago because we were just sick of it and it has been one of the best decisions we ever made. A lot of people, my parents included, tend to worry about how we would contact someone in case of an emergency...which I always find confusing because I would do it the same way I did it from, you know, 1991 until 2002! Of course you'd have a better time trying to find a pay phone on American Pickers than you would in public these days...).

 

The shuttle arrives not 4 minutes later and we are in the lobby of the Embassy Suites shortly there after; and what a lobby it is! This hotel is *gorgeous*. Of course, it now being the grand hour of 10:30, our room isn't ready yet, so we stash our bags with the Bell Hop and head on out to look for...brunch? On the way over we asked the driver where the good restaurants were within walking distance of the hotel and were given several recommendations, none of which proved to be open at 11:00am. I was joking with him that we'd come all this way and we'd just settle for Outback and, lo and behold, that was the closest place open. Sometimes I like to pretend I am classy and just fall short.

 

After a "No Rules, just Right" mini-lunch we return to the hotel and, surprise surprise, our room is ready, because this trip is awesome. We are stationed up on the 12th floor overlooking darn near everything. If you book a room here I would heartily suggest asking for this floor; unless you don't like heights (I can almost touch the overhead trusses from the open-air atrium and, on the little porch, I could probably make the roof with a good jump). I am uncertain of the provenance of this hotel, but it definitely seems to have a unique age and class to it; I'll have to look that up when I get home.

 

Several hours vanish in which showers are had and naps are taken. Determined to not eat at another chain restaurant for dinner we take the driver up on his first choice and walk over to Carlos and Pepe's for some authentic (and expensive) Mexican fare (note: there are also several Italian places right next to the hotel but, being from RI, I am not going on vacation to eat even more Italian food, but the establishments did look nice). The food here is fantastic, the ambiance is dark and stately - everything a good Mexican bar should be, and the staff is charming. The prices are seriously up there ($18 for Tacos!) but well worth it (this is vacation after all) as everything appears to be made from scratch (no Tex-Mex BS here should be their motto!). XZ apprises me that the hand-made margarita is the best she's had and, after two of them, it is time for me to escort her back to the hotel, located just across the parking lot!

 

We arrive back just in time to catch the Manager's Reception (complimentary - from 5:30pm until 7:30pm...woah!) but not wanting to over-indulge before we board we have a drink a piece and spend the rest of the night watching football and reading in our room.

 

Tomorrow begins the day of days!

 

As always, thanks to all for the advice! Based upon it, we are not going to be pre-tipping as to not appear classless. We will save our prepared envelopes for the end of the cruise. Also, comparing the list of what Celebrity advertised versus what is presented was a joke - it just tickled me that things like shower heads were listed as a Suite perk on their website. Like "Your Suite comes with complimentary chairs!"...that sort of thing.

[Mickey22]

Glad to hear Embassy Suites gets such a good review from you. We will be there next week before we board the Infinity on Tuesday!

 

Jane

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks for the review so far, I'm sure you are going to have a great time and like many of us will become addicted to cruising :D

 

Great decision on not pre-tipping. :)

[zoncom]

Please listen to others. Tip at end to insure the best of service.

[CatlinSTJ]

Bags and XZ dropped off at the Skycap stand while I parked the car in the long term lot. Because this trip is fated to be awesome the Skycap weighed our main bag in at 51 lbs. and then tagged it with a wink and a nod and no $75 overweight fee (someone will have to re-pack one of her 8 lbs. gowns for the flight back...you never get that lucky twice).

 

 

You would be surprised with Southwest - unless it is obviously way over the limit, they seem to just tag it and move on rather than holding up the line while passengers redistribute items. Nice to see that they exhibit common sense rather than trying to make money by nitpicking every minute detail.

 

Enjoying the review!

 

 

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