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Back from panama canal on infinity

Sgt Halftrack

By Sgt Halftrack,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Sgt Halftrack

Sgt Halftrack

Posted
Posted

A little background to start, this was our 5th cruise on Celebrity and 21st over all starting in 2000. Embarkation in San Diego was fine. We flew in that morning and were on board by 1:30. Our CC cabin was ready but having the classic beverage package, immediately upgrading the wife's to premium, we of course broke our cards in at the nearest bar. The drinks were all good.

The martini bar is the happening place, what fun with the show bartenders and a lively crowd every night. INFINITY is in great shape, I don't know what some people are complaining about. I looked for wear and stains because of what I read on these boards and found it very minimal. Thanks to these boards we checked for a discount in Tuscan Grill. Walking up to the desk in that restaurant we were greeted by three of its regular waiters and asked if there was a discount available, they said yes, $30 instead of $45, I offered them $25 and after a brief huddle they agreed. I might as well tell you about Tuscan now. We ate there six times. Twice on discount and four with the dining package. Need I say more? I shall. We worked our way through the menu trying different things each time. Different steaks all cooked perfectly and fork tender. Fishes were tasty and moist, I recommend the Sword Fish. The crab cake appetizer is a must along with the pork belly. On a 15 day cruise many thing become clogged in one's mind, but to say Tuscan was top notch would be an understatement. Going there so often we became well acquainted with the staff who were professional and ultra friendly and polite. We ate in Qusine once, very different but wound up liking it very much. The tombstone dessert there is the best on the ship bar none. Also had sushi on 5, very good also. We ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet most days and found the quality and selection pleasing to our taste. The pizza and garlic bread and marinated vegetables, all in the pizza station, are also must have. We had Select dining, so had different tables and waiters each time. We choose this because we enjoy meeting new people. This for us is a large part of the cruising appeal. The quality of dining room food was OK. The service too. At times it felt crowded and rushed. We usually ate between 7:30 and 8:30. The escargots, French onion soup and creme brulee are still excellent. Another don't miss is the Eggs Benedict station in the breakfast buffet. You can have Canadian bacon, bacon or smoked salmon all covered in a really delicious hollandaise sauce. The evening steaks, chicken, pork chops and fish they grill in the very back of the buffet is also a nice choice.

 

The entire crew never failed to greet a person with smiles and warm greetings.

 

Now the ports. Cabo and PV we stayed on board, having visited there many times previous. Next stop Guatemala. I took the bus tour to Antigua, interesting, the guide complained about his government most of the way there. Next Costa Rica. Did the crocodile river cruise, loved it, then boarded a train, hated it. More like a thrill ride than a sight seeing trip. Actually thought it may jump the track and plummet down hill many times. Very hot also with no AC. The whole trip was hotter than Hell. We were expecting it, but still a shock with all the humidity. The Canal transit was of course the high lite of the trip. Everyone should do it once. I cannot praise the on board canal expert, Bill Fall enough. Informative and entertaining at each talk he made. It takes about all day to go through all the locks and the lake. I will not say much about this part other than it is a marvel. We got into the Atlantic about 5pm and cruised around till morning and docking in Colon. From there we did a land tour to Gatun locks new and old, also recommended. Next stop Cartegena Columbia. We contracted a local guide and our own tour. It pretty much covered the same attractions as the ones offered by the ship but at our own pace. We used Claudia Vidal tours, she was most excellent. Accommodating, informed, friendly and spoke very good English. Google her for full info and contacts.

 

Entertainment was generally good. Not my area of expertise.

 

Next 2 sea days to Ft Lauderdale. We left the ship at the ordered time only to wait in line for TWO hours for customs. I know this is not Celebrity's fault but can't they pressure the port to put enough people on duty when multiple ships are in. Can't they threaten to operate from some place more efficient? Government services suck.

 

This is a quick an dirty review and hope it helps anyone doing this cruise in the future.

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Muushka

Muushka

Posted
Posted

I enjoyed reading about your Panama Canal experience. We've only done it once (on DCL) and plan on doing it on X one of these days. You ate at Tuscan a lot of times! Glad it was so good for you. We enjoy eating there also.

 

2 hours waiting for customs? That is a long time, and sadly at the end of the cruise, hopefully this memory will leave you quickly.

 

And I agree, government services are not the most efficient... trying to be kind here.;)

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fatpaul

fatpaul

Posted
Posted

I did a Panama Canal visit way back in 1975 and don't remember any thing special about the ports or food. Maybe I don't remember much because I was a seaman apprentice in our Navy and had to stay onboard and eat in our mess the whole time. [emoji51]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Azulann "Live from...." Rare

Azulann

Posted
Posted

thanks for your review. I loved my cruise through the Panama Canal on the Century. I need to do a full transit again. I loved 15 day cruise with a sea day between each port. I really liked the Tuscan Grille too. I was on the Constellation this summer and had great seafood in the Tuscan Grille!:D

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

Posted
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Just curious..,when we cruised on Infinity in Oct to ABC Islands, they kept the solarium pool at 105 deg...same as the hot tubs..It was uncomfortable

, oppressive and not good for blood pressure.Was it that way on the canal cruise as well?

 

We were also told they never heard of relaxing spa type music in the solarium...! They have added more tables in place of loungers and used more as a card and game area, but the new loungers(fewer than before) are comfy if you can get one.!

 

We,ll be back to Inf next year.. hope the Solarium pool goes back to reg temps...

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mprcruiser

mprcruiser

Posted
Posted
A little background to start, this was our 5th cruise on Celebrity and 21st over all starting in 2000. Embarkation in San Diego was fine. We flew in that morning and were on board by 1:30. Our CC cabin was ready but having the classic beverage package, immediately upgrading the wife's to premium, we of course broke our cards in at the nearest bar. The drinks were all good.

The martini bar is the happening place, what fun with the show bartenders and a lively crowd every night. INFINITY is in great shape, I don't know what some people are complaining about. I looked for wear and stains because of what I read on these boards and found it very minimal. Thanks to these boards we checked for a discount in Tuscan Grill. Walking up to the desk in that restaurant we were greeted by three of its regular waiters and asked if there was a discount available, they said yes, $30 instead of $45, I offered them $25 and after a brief huddle they agreed. I might as well tell you about Tuscan now. We ate there six times. Twice on discount and four with the dining package. Need I say more? I shall. We worked our way through the menu trying different things each time. Different steaks all cooked perfectly and fork tender. Fishes were tasty and moist, I recommend the Sword Fish. The crab cake appetizer is a must along with the pork belly. On a 15 day cruise many thing become clogged in one's mind, but to say Tuscan was top notch would be an understatement. Going there so often we became well acquainted with the staff who were professional and ultra friendly and polite. We ate in Qusine once, very different but wound up liking it very much. The tombstone dessert there is the best on the ship bar none. Also had sushi on 5, very good also. We ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet most days and found the quality and selection pleasing to our taste. The pizza and garlic bread and marinated vegetables, all in the pizza station, are also must have. We had Select dining, so had different tables and waiters each time. We choose this because we enjoy meeting new people. This for us is a large part of the cruising appeal. The quality of dining room food was OK. The service too. At times it felt crowded and rushed. We usually ate between 7:30 and 8:30. The escargots, French onion soup and creme brulee are still excellent. Another don't miss is the Eggs Benedict station in the breakfast buffet. You can have Canadian bacon, bacon or smoked salmon all covered in a really delicious hollandaise sauce. The evening steaks, chicken, pork chops and fish they grill in the very back of the buffet is also a nice choice.

 

The entire crew never failed to greet a person with smiles and warm greetings.

 

Now the ports. Cabo and PV we stayed on board, having visited there many times previous. Next stop Guatemala. I took the bus tour to Antigua, interesting, the guide complained about his government most of the way there. Next Costa Rica. Did the crocodile river cruise, loved it, then boarded a train, hated it. More like a thrill ride than a sight seeing trip. Actually thought it may jump the track and plummet down hill many times. Very hot also with no AC. The whole trip was hotter than Hell. We were expecting it, but still a shock with all the humidity. The Canal transit was of course the high lite of the trip. Everyone should do it once. I cannot praise the on board canal expert, Bill Fall enough. Informative and entertaining at each talk he made. It takes about all day to go through all the locks and the lake. I will not say much about this part other than it is a marvel. We got into the Atlantic about 5pm and cruised around till morning and docking in Colon. From there we did a land tour to Gatun locks new and old, also recommended. Next stop Cartegena Columbia. We contracted a local guide and our own tour. It pretty much covered the same attractions as the ones offered by the ship but at our own pace. We used Claudia Vidal tours, she was most excellent. Accommodating, informed, friendly and spoke very good English. Google her for full info and contacts.

 

Entertainment was generally good. Not my area of expertise.

 

Next 2 sea days to Ft Lauderdale. We left the ship at the ordered time only to wait in line for TWO hours for customs. I know this is not Celebrity's fault but can't they pressure the port to put enough people on duty when multiple ships are in. Can't they threaten to operate from some place more efficient? Government services suck.

 

This is a quick an dirty review and hope it helps anyone doing this cruise in the future.

 

We were on the same cruise and had a great time. It was disconcerting to stand in line for customs so long when we had planes to catch. I was told by someone who was working the port when we were standing in line for customs that the customs officers decided to take a 25 minute break in the middle of processing. Also there was only one person processing US citizens and only 2 persons processing international passengers. When we went through the station, one officer was processing and another one was just standing there talking. So much for efficiency.

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  • 1 month later...
Bluesharp

Bluesharp

Posted
Posted

Thank you for this review. We will be on Infinity going back to the Pacific in May taking it all the way up to Alaska. Hoping that Canadian Customs in Vancouver will be better prepared, than what you experienced in Ft Lauderdale, when our trip ends.

I was looking for dining information and appreciate your review of the ship's offerings.

Have a great day.

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  • 1 month later...
jimbojude

jimbojude

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the informative review. A good heads up about the discount at the Tuscan. I made note of that. Was concerned about what I was reading concerning excursions in Colon but you seemed to pick a good one. We are booked on the April 2, 2018 Fort Lauderdale to San Diego run. Really looking forward to it.

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scanditaly

scanditaly

Posted
Posted
Thank you for a great report. We are planning on Infinity on same trip October 9th. You did not mention your cabin.

 

 

It was Concierge Class. It was tucked away right at the beginning when the drink package was mentioned.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Marina Harvey

Marina Harvey

Posted
Posted

Thank you for your review, very informative!

We are looking to board on Infinity in May 2018 and got a bit scared of some negative reviews of her shape. So glad to hear your opinion, we are not picky people and now I'm sure we will survive.

You did mention the upgrades from classic to unlimited beverage package. Just wondering if our classic package is a part of a perks would it still be possible to upgrade and how much did it cost you to do so? Did you use internet on the ship and how good/bad it was if you did? Any feedback on a shore excursions? Thanks!!

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uncleboo

uncleboo

Posted
Posted

HI THANKS for the review i go in may this year from fl and end up in Calif

i have read some reviews that werenot so good about the ship so i appreciaue your positive message and review

is there a package to buy for upscale dining?

 

also did they serve any type of decent steak or beef in the mdr?

 

did they have alot of onboard activities

thank you

Dana

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Sgt Halftrack

Sgt Halftrack

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HI Boo and Marina, we talked to the kids director one day and she told us there were only 13 on the trip. We rarely saw them. I think the premium bev upgrade was about $10 per day, check Celebrity's web site. You can upgrade any time after you board for at least the first few days. We did pre buy a specialty dining package that gave us significant savings. Again check their current offers as they change often. But be aware if business is slow they will offer discounts, or just ask. MDR food was fine but specialties were SO much better. As far as activities go it's pretty laid back. No rock walls or surfing like R C, lots of trivia, the never ending art auction, music and shows every evening and a fun bar scene. The talks on the Canal were great and talks about ports were good too. One more tip, take an umbrella, not only for rain but for the sun. Hope this helps.

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