Celebrity Infiniti changes: a few plus and some real misses

[ghstudio]

Just returned from the repositioning cruise for Santiago to Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal. Overall, it was a good cruise with a few bungles that were hard to miss. (note: this was a fourth cruise on the infinity over the years...so we have some background to compare to).

 

First...the food is getting noticeably better. Lunches have theme dishes, dinners have some "not on the menu" chef's specials...the small dish of three spreads for your bread from Blu are now in the MDR as well....the glasses in the MDR are all Riedel. With select dining moving to the main deck (4) there was no wait, with or without a reservation...and we dine at what's usually the peak..7PM (we like to share tables which is probably easier than trying to dine on a 2 top). After the first night, elites were issued three coupons for drinks each night with the usual rules: no martini bar, etc. The constellation lounge on 11 remained elite only from 5-7pm, even though they took the coupons and they still served hors d'oevers in that lounge. But much confusion because the daily events sheet implied that the lounge would be unavailable the night of the captain's party, there really was no change....so the room which was usually pretty full was actually pretty empty and the other bars were jammed. This also occurred on some other captain's event. Fundamentally, the constellation lounge was really available to elite passengers every night.

 

Second....there were multiple entertainment groups on board....two string duets as well as some pretty good singers/piano bar style singers. I don't know about late night, but during the day it was live entertainment. The loud music in the Martini bar (and for a short while, everywhere on Celebrity ships) and the DJ's blasting music around the pool seems to be a thing of the past.

 

Third...the crew is as good and friendly as ever...they really go out of their way to make your cruise enjoyable...and they try to remember and use your name which is both difficult and a nice touch.

 

Fourth: As expected slot machines seemed very tight. There was a cash texas holdem game very night with a dealer (no machine on the infinity). The blackjack tournament now cost $30 to enter and that includes a $10 lottery ticket....which leaves $20 for the prize pool. That's different than before, but they want a profit from somewhere....essentially they take 1/3 of the entry fee which is pretty steep....but they are up front about it. $10 minimum tables (21, three card poker, bacarrat, craps) and one $50 blackjack table. I mention that $50 table because this was the first cruise where I ever saw anyone playing at that table....we had one individual who played that table during the day and at night betting $500 a deal. That's very very significant money. Watching (with, I admit both fascination and envy) there was no way to tell if he was winning of losing.

 

 

 

But there were some misses:

 

First...the cruise was through the Panama Canal....the Celebrity life speakers talked about arctic exploring and race car tires/driving. There was no speaker about the Panama Canal or any other port.....in fact the didn't even hand out port maps for some of the ports.

 

Second: A guide came on board to talk through the Panama Canal over the ships sound system. Great....but the sound system on the Millenium is so poor, or at least what was set up for that guide, that you could not hear her. We were with many others in the constellation lounge and it was a whisper, at best. I went to the front of deck 11 outside and also could not here her even though I was standing under a loudspeaker. Finally, at about 3pm when we were just passing through the very last lock, someone figured out how to turn the volume up. Big goof....big waste of money Celebrity paying that guide......and someone on board should have been responsible for guest experience. (no, this wasn't just us....it was a widespread dis-satisfaction).

 

Third: The Jewish holiday of Passover fell during this cruise. Several years ago, we were on the equinox and the ship really surprised us with an area of the buffet set up with table cloths, water and wine glasses and waiters served a very nicely prepared passover meal. We have raved about that experience to friends (and I've raved here as well). If you look, Celebrity specifically says that they have Jewish clergy aboard for Passover and some other holidays...as well as talking about christian clergy on their web site. We asked if there would be a service/meal for passover when we boarded...and we were told they would check and get back to us the next day....well, it took four days for them to decide/discover that they were going to have a passover meal. They did not announce it....you had to know to ask about the meal...it was never on the daily (although the catholic mass was on the daily (???). Our experience at the dinner was quite different than the first time. The infinity set up part of the buffet area for the dinner. They had a Seder plate for each table (as they had at the first one) and they served manischewitz wine (which is awful, but traditional). But no table cloths and no waiter service...it was a buffet. But wait, there's more. For some reason which they blamed on customs (which no one understood), the ship did not get it's shipment of Matzoh and supplies so the chef creatively did what he could...the chef actually baked some Matzoh, as best he could...and they made Matzoh balls out of something (hardest matzoh balls I've ever tried to eat). Lots of nits...but when you put them together, we walked away very disappointed.

 

Fourth: The evening after passing through the Panama Canal, we were told to reset our watches ahead one hour (essentially from central to eastern time)...and that would have been correct Fort Lauderdale time.... EXCEPT that our next stop was Grand Cayman which is on the same time as Panama.... so ships time was now one hour ahead of Grand Cayman time. Now there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't have waited to reset passenger/ship time until we left Grand Cayman other than to perhaps hide the fact that we actually arrived at 5:30AM Grand Cayman time when even the sting rays are still sleeping.....and we left at 4PM as was on our revised schedule, but really that was 3PM Grand Cayman time....and port stops are always shown in "local time" to allow passengers to make independent tour arrangements. IF this sounds confusing, you can imagine how we felt :) I suspect someone on the bridge just made a mistake...but you know, these are trained folks who are supposed go get charts, times, etc correct all the time......being off an hour is really a big mistake if you are navigating. Hopefully everyone made it back to the ship although many ship excursions were re-scheduled.

 

Some comments on the ship....

 

The infinity is really showing it's age...especially in the cabins where the bathrooms are let's just say "tired". Doors are sagging and don't close well, the balcony railings are in pretty grim shape as are the pipes above which are peeling. The martini bar hasn't cooled correctly (that layer of frost) for years now. It's not as grim as I make it sound, but there are always reminders that you're on an older ship.

 

There is apparently an new bar...called infusion...but while it's behind the same counter as the gelato and bottles are put out each night so the bar is presumably active...there seems to be no bartender...and on the daily where they list bar hours, there's no mention of infusion anywhere.

 

The aqua spa cafe has once again improved...no made to order hot dishes, but now you have a selection on 11 or 12 small plates that they make up for you on the spot (you don't just pick one up). It's a fixed menu every day.

 

 

Hopefully, I've given a balanced view for those who will be on the Infinity in the near future. We would sail on the Infinity again because we sail based more on itinerary than ship...but given our druthers, we'd book an S-class.

[vulcan1971]

ghstudio - thanks for sharing. Do you know anything more specific about any extra updates to be made on the ship when it goes into dry dock to fix the propulsion issues?

[ghstudio]

As always we heard many conflicting “I spoke to xxxxxx, and he shared that they will be doing the following”. You can count on their fixing the pod.....beyond that it’s really speculation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[bunnyrab]

ghstudio, thanks for a very informative review of your time on the Infinity. We will be sailing on her in September. Our question for you is: as an elete do you get 3 coupons daily which you must turn in even in Constellation lounge. In other words a max of 3 free drinks daily?

Thanks Heather.

[ghstudio]

Whether or not they use coupons on your cruise, elite drinks are only available from 5-7....and there is a list of included liquors/drinks. If they use coupons each elite receives three coupons with their name and date each coupon is valid. If they use coupons they will collect one for each drink wherever you use it. If they don’t use coupons, then drinks are unlimited between 5-7 at the event.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[CruiseLifeIsTheBest]

Thank you for sharing! We will be on Infinity in December and I've been a bit nervous after reading recent reviews. Have not been on an M class ship for a while and do love S class. We are pretty easy to please though and got what I considered a steal on Aqua class which will be a first for us. Hoping Blu covers any trade-off on older M vs S. Hearing positive about the crew is wonderful as crew is definitely one of the most important factors for us. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

[sdnich]

We were supposed to be on the April 2 infinity cruise but lucky to be able to move it to the 17th we are really looking forward cruising on infinity even with the ship being a little bit worn and tired ! I’m sure it will be very clean since there will be no one on it until it arrives in San Diego!! As long as it is running and is able to pick us up I will be happy!! Friendly Service good food and good weather is all I ask!!! I also just watched a great documentary on the building of the Panama Canal was not sure how much information I would get from the speaker so we are glad we got that covered! that would be very irritating not to be able to hear the information if you were not aware of all of the facts! Thanks for the review

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BOLOTRAVEL]

Thanks for sharing!! We will be on the Infinity April 17 cruising from San Diego through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale. I've heard rumors the M Class will be replaced with Edge Class ships over the next few years. One thing I'm always assured of is the great service Celebrity provides. And the food is always excellent. My wife and I cruised on the Mercury's final cruise several years ago, and although she was an older ship and a bit tired, we still loved her and the entire cruise. On vacation I always look past the small inconveniences, appreciating the fact I'm on a vacation, and more so that I'm a on a cruise. And a Celebrity cruise at that!! 😁

 

We can't wait to go on our Celebrity cruise on the Infinity in 2 weeks!!

 

Again, thanks for the Infinity update!!

[Northern Aurora]

Thanks for the review.

 

We were on three of the M-class ships in 2017 -- 30 nights on the Infinity, 14 on the Millennium and 30+ on the Summit. The Infinity was definitely showing her age -- much more than either the Millennium or the Summit. But we did find the staff to be excellent, and will be returning this May for a Pacific Coastal on the Infinity.

[Luvcrusn]

Thank you for sharing! We will be on Infinity in December and I've been a bit nervous after reading recent reviews. Have not been on an M class ship for a while and do love S class. We are pretty easy to please though and got what I considered a steal on Aqua class which will be a first for us. Hoping Blu covers any trade-off on older M vs S. Hearing positive about the crew is wonderful as crew is definitely one of the most important factors for us. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

Since they removed the SS United States from Infinity, we've not been back on board. We loved that restaurant. In my opinion, that was the only specialty restaurant on board worth the upcharge. If we return to Infinity, it would definitely be in Aqua Class to dine in Blu. Enjoy!

[portofrome]

Thank you so much for your review!

[ghstudio]

Since they removed the SS United States from Infinity, we've not been back on board. We loved that restaurant. In my opinion, that was the only specialty restaurant on board worth the upcharge. If we return to Infinity, it would definitely be in Aqua Class to dine in Blu. Enjoy!

 

We have done quite a few cruises in Blu on various ships (including the infinity where we were in 1141) and at the current prices for Aqua cabins, we're happy to be in a regular balcony cabin (1A on S-class (for the larger balconies; C2 on M-class at C3 price). The food and service in the MDR have really improved enough that Blu just isn't worth much of a premium any more. The new movie under the stars on Deck 12 cuts into the enjoyment of the larger rear A1's on 11...and the A2's on M-class are almost all directly under the pool deck (potential noise).

 

Note, with minimal bargaining, I was able to negotiate QSine to $25 vs the $45 MSRP. We don't like Tuscan all that much and while sushi on 5 is better than the free sushi they used to serve, Sushi is much better at home.

[Luvcrusn]

We have done quite a few cruises in Blu on various ships (including the infinity where we were in 1141) and at the current prices for Aqua cabins, we're happy to be in a regular balcony cabin (1A on S-class (for the larger balconies; C2 on M-class at C3 price). The food and service in the MDR have really improved enough that Blu just isn't worth much of a premium any more. The new movie under the stars on Deck 12 cuts into the enjoyment of the larger rear A1's on 11...and the A2's on M-class are almost all directly under the pool deck (potential noise).

 

Note, with minimal bargaining, I was able to negotiate QSine to $25 vs the $45 MSRP. We don't like Tuscan all that much and while sushi on 5 is better than the free sushi they used to serve, Sushi is much better at home.

We have not had problems with MDR. We like dining late traditional dining when not in Blu, and that seating tends to be less rushed and more quiet. We also don't care for Tuscan or think it's worth the price, and find Qsine to be a novelty one and done. As for Sushi on 5, DH won't go near it since he dislikes sushi totally. Generally on M class ships if not booking Aqua class, we tend to book Concierge (if the price differential isn't ridiculous) for the large cabins and cabin location.

[Jeka]

Interesting that in your post you mentioned Jewish, christians and catholics. Sure hope the 2 uncapitalized c’s were typos on your part. Perhaps you should turn on your spell check so errors like this don’t happen.

 

Otherwise your review was very helpful and I’ll

assume you weren’t being disrespectful to Christians and Catholics.

 

Thanks

[Silkroad]

Interesting that in your post you mentioned Jewish, christians and catholics. Sure hope the 2 uncapitalized c’s were typos on your part. Perhaps you should turn on your spell check so errors like this don’t happen.

 

Otherwise your review was very helpful and I’ll

assume you weren’t being disrespectful to Christians and Catholics.

 

Thanks

Since the OP did not always capitalize Passover, or indeed several other non religious names, one would reasonably assume these were typos, or autocorrect issues. Further, it is against the CC rules to criticize another member’s grammar or spelling.

[Silkroad]

ghstudio, thanks very much for posting your informative review. I find it very helpful, and I appreciate you having taken the time to write it. I’m glad you had a good cruise, despite the misses:).

[ORV]

Interesting that in your post you mentioned Jewish, christians and catholics. Sure hope the 2 uncapitalized c’s were typos on your part. Perhaps you should turn on your spell check so errors like this don’t happen.

 

Otherwise your review was very helpful and I’ll

assume you weren’t being disrespectful to Christians and Catholics.

 

Thanks

 

And here I always thought Catholics were Christians.

 

Maybe we're looking for the word Protestant.

[Joe Beach]

Were you ever able to find out about future Capt Frantzis activities/schedules? Thanks

[ghstudio]

Sorry...I did not focus on punctuation...catholic vs Catholic....and yes Catholics are a subset of Christians as are Protestants and many other religions. However, as far as Celebrity (and this forum) there was a Catholic Mass on the schedule, and there was an Easter Brunch on the schedule. I just wondered why Celebrity would arrange for a Rabbi to be on board ($'s) but then didn't put a Passover Dinner or Passover Service on the schedule.

[abritinva]

Thanks. Very useful and informative!

[karena1]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Infinity for the first time in Nov for a 4 night cruise. Did it only b/c Infinity is a ship we have not been on and it includes the beverage package. The itin is worthless (don't care about either port), for the most part we will stay on the ship. Might get off and walk around a while in KW but will not get off the ship at all in Nassau

 

Got a great deal on a Concierge Class balcony so we are good.

[ccotting]

We were also on this cruise and we enjoyed it very much. Someone in an earlier review complained about the onion soup, I thought that was great. Overall the food was good. We had a chance to talk with a senior chef and I think the challenge with the food shipment is probably very likely. We had been on from the cruise before and asked why a Argentinian beef was not on the menu, it being very famous and they said Argentine regulation prohibited them from the provisioning which the chef did not understand. He then went on to comment that the SA countries generally were difficult about this. We remarked that Australia was strict about food regulation but the ship we were on during our vacation there was able to offer local delicacies such as Kangaroo and crocodile (!) and how different that was.

 

Interesting your comments about seder, I agree it should have been in the bulletin. At least you had a special dinner. We had nothing special for Easter dinner. So disappointed. An entirely regular menu offering for the day and so we went to a speciality restaurant. I understand the intent to be multifaith but it is nice if they offer options when large groups are on board. On Royal for Easter Sunday, the buffet had a big offering of chocolate easter eggs for everyone to enjoy. No worries about faith, all enjoyed the treat regardless. To put that in another context, we have travelled Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver many times and when the guest population has significant South Asian content, there is always a curry or related dish on the dinner menu (not my ancestry but I love a good curry!). Surely possible for the major faith celebrations when the guest population indicates.

 

Ship decor is in need of a refresh but the staff were lovely, we had great service in all areas. Santiago was lots of fun as was Arica. Lima has great things to see but we understand there were a number of folks with GI issues after eating ashore. Manta was "steamy hot". We stayed in our room for the Panama transit and watched from the balcony. The guide's talk was on the TV and we were very pleased with that as our previous voyage on Royal they didn't do that and, were not sympathetic when we complained. I am sorry you missed it in the Constellation lounge. She was informative without being too detailed historically, a nice balance.

 

Lounges were packed during coupon hours, folks enjoyed. Fair Winds and Fair Seas to those of you taking the trip in future!

[nancyshaw]

Glad to hear the food was good in MDR. We did the panama crossing in November. The food in MDR and OVC was not acceptable. Yes food is very subjective. One mans slop is another mans gourmet.

[ccotting]

I will make one proviso, I thought food was often very highly salted but we are trying to cut down and are more sensitive now to the salt content of food. I never felt it was too salty but i would have been happy with less in some dishes. It is on a par with standard restaurant food salting in the US.

[ghstudio]

We were also on this cruise and we enjoyed it very much. Someone in an earlier review complained about the onion soup, I thought that was great.

 

Interesting your comments about seder, I agree it should have been in the bulletin. At least you had a special dinner. We had nothing special for Easter dinner.

 

I mentioned the onion soup in an earlier thread....and I discussed with the executive chef. My point was that it's different than the one previous cruiser's have enjoyed..a new combination of broths per the executive chef. I think I pointed out that some will like the new broth and some will miss the old one.

 

There actually was an Easter Brunch in Tuscan Grill....hidden under the "restaurant hours" on the last page. I think it was $25. I do agree that it would have been nice and appropriate to do something "Easterish" in the buffet like colored Easter eggs or chocolate eggs. Presumably, Celebrity doesn't have have anyone in HQ who focuses and is responsible for "special days on-board", be it Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Passover or the major holidays of other religions.

 

I thought the food on this cruise was actually far less salty than some other cruises where I would have sworn the only spice they had in the Kitchen was salt. Yes, it was still salty, but, as you say, consistent with local restaurants. I would compliment the kitchen on their use of spice as in "spicy hot" in appropriate dishes...and that's a first on Celebrity. The indian spicy dishes were wonderfully spiced both in the buffet and in the MDR...(admittedly, I enjoy spicy foods). Even the corned beef seemed to have some hot peppers mixed in which made it unusual for most, but I enjoyed it.