Infinity - 10 Night Cruise To Alaska - Review

[cechase]

Last January we booked the 10 night Alaska cruise on Infinity departing Vancouver on September 3, 2006. After we booked this cruise, we became aware of many negative comments concerning Infinity on Cruise Critic, primarily about the pod problems. Shortly before our cruise Celebrity announced that the cruise after ours [9-13-2066] would be cancelled and Infinity would be going into dry dock to hopefully fix the problem by replacing the left pod. We were also informed that Infinity would only cruise at a maximum speed of 19 knots. [Note: As a result of the reduction of speed, the itinerary for Infinity was slightly changed for two ports, however, we left and arrived at the designated times, except we were one half hour arriving at pier 35 in San Francisco because of dense fog.]

 

We arrived at Vancouver's International Airport a day before embarkation, and obtaining our luggage at baggage and finding a taxi to our hotel was a breeze. The taxi ride was fairly long from the airport, because there apparently are no freeways in Vancouver. The cost of the taxi ride to the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place Vancouver Hotel was approximately $45.00 US with tip. [The taxi driver did accept US dollars with very little conversion] The ride was interesting, because it seemed that we were in China, then Japan, then in Viet Nam :D, and once over the hill and descending to our hotel we could see water and Stanley Park.

 

We selected Pan Pacific Hotel because of its convenience to the Canada Place cruise terminal and for the view. We had the Alaska Cruise Package which included a harbor view room, breakfast, and transfer of our luggage to Celebrity at Canada Place. Be forewarned that this package is not cheap!

 

Our room on the 20th. floor of the hotel was really great, lots of sitting area, an extremely comfortable bed, and a suprisingly large bathroom. But the real thrill was the view - we were looking out at most of the bay and Stanley Park. I was totally enthralled at watching the take off and land of the float planes. That evening we went down to the Cascade Lounge and had cocktails with two couples that we met on our Cruise Connection Roll-call, Lu-Ann and Ken from San Diego and John and Gail from a suburb of Toronto, Canada. Great conversation which lasted through out the cruise with both couples and my dear Nedra and I miss them very much now.

 

The next morning, I went out for a little jaunt to see where Infinity was docked, and discovered that she was located on our left. We had a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, and then Nedra at about 11:30 p.m. suggested that maybe we should check out and get aboard. So we checked out, took an elevator to the street floor of the hotel, went about six paces to our right, and took an elevator down to the cruise terminal. We walked past the bus parking, then to immigration and customs, and then meandered over to the Celebrity check-in.

 

We arrived at check-in and the little ribbon "ropes" steered everyone to the Express Pass line where there had to be 200+ pax waiting to check-in. I looked to my left and saw the suite check-in line which was empty. Told the Celebrity rep that we had a suite and requested that she lift the rope which she did. Our check-in took less than 2 minutes.

 

We boarded and received the usual glass of champage, and our first impression of Infinity was Wow! We went up to our Royal Suite 6138 and dropped off our carry-ons. We sort of explored the suite and the very large veranda with its hot tub [which we never got to use because of the weather] and were very delighted. We have had five Royal Suites on C-class Celebrity vessels and made a little comparison. The C-class vessels have a much larger walk in closet than Infinity, but the separate vanity for Nedra in our bedroom was much better than on the C-class vessels [she had a great view of outside while doing her thing :D]. The sitting area and dining area were exceptional, and we spent a lot of time in those two areas.

 

The muster drill was not quite as organized as we have experienced before, but part of that opinion is biased by the fact that we mustered in the Rondevous Lounge and it was crammed with people. While mustered outside on the deck a lady apparently had a seizure and we thought the response from the crew was lacking - she need space and air, and everyone sort of crowded in.

 

We departed on time at 5:00 p.m., went to the Rondevous Lounge for our usual cocktails before dinner. Then sat down with our table mates for the cruise, the aforementioned LuAnn and Kenneth, who through out the cruise were so very delightful. Both were a "kick and a half". LuAnn would brighten any room into which she entered, and Kenneth had a wonderful wry wit.

 

Okay, some comments about Infinity. The public areas were absolutely beautiful, clean, bright and gleaming. We did not observe any wear and tear even though because of comments posted on Cruise Critic we were on the outlook. The elevators were large compared to the elevators on the C class ships and did not display any wear and tear [except one had a large crack in the right hand side glass in one elevator] and had the appearance of an elevator that one would fine in a five star hotel. Our Royal Suite was immaculate, showing no wear and tear, and the jaccuzi tub in the bathroom was huge! We did notice that our veranda furniture, four chairs, large table and two lounges were made of wood, rather than the plastic that are found on most verandas. [Our cabin steward brought the padded coverings from the two lounges in every night because we were on an Alaska cruise.]

 

As to ports and excursions, that will be left to a supplement. Our reaction to our sixth cruise on Celebrity within the last two years - wonderful! Much credit for that opinion needs to be given to our large Cruise Connection group with over 80 pax registered. We had a very active roll call. Celebrity's get together for us was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 4, 2006. For the first time in our experience the cruise director [Eric Bohus] did not really participate. So Kenneth [he belongs to the aforemention LuAnn] took over, and amongst the laughs and applause we all got to introduce outselves. The result is that we all made new friends with whom we met over the cruise. While we had dinner with LuAnn and Kenneth, we spent a lot of time with Gail and John, Bob the Fish, and kept running into many others, including Bill and Nancy from Hillbourgh, CA., etc. [Opinion - This is what cruising is really about!].

 

We need to extend certain Kudos to several members of crew. Our butler John Morales was absolutely top flight and tied with our best butler Stanley on Mercury in January. Stanley was a butler on our deck, and recognized Nedra from our cruise in January, flashed his big smile and hugged her [actually hugged her every time he saw her.]. Denis and his assistant were absolutely incredible cabin stewards, our Royal Suite was kept impecably clean and we probably had to ask for ice twice during the entire cruise. Carla our waiter at table 428 was very professional, but also so charming and efficent - she was a delight.

 

Sadly, we have to report some negatives in our opinion. We felt that the food in the dining room was no where as good as we experienced on Century twice. The beef dishes were either overcooked or undercooked, and not particularly edible. The selections have become too routine. The lobster on farewell night was tough - over cooked, and needed a meat cleaver to cut. Both of us on this 10 night cruise lost weight. We realize that food and food quality is very subjective, but we were very very disappointed. Perhaps Celebrity should consider moving away from Michael Roux, and considering other alternatives. Another negative was the wine selection. On our first five cruises on Celebrity, we were always able to get a bottle of La Crema charonnay at a somewhat reasonable price of $34.00. The first night we were able to get a bottle, but after that it was not available in the dining room, and was off the wine list. [We were able to get it in the S.S. United States restaurant.

 

As disappointed as we were with the dining room, we have nothing but good things to say about the S.S. United States restaurant. Our dear butler John obtained a reservation for us, LuAnn and Kenneth and John and Gail in the restaurant. They not only had a bottle of La Crema, but the ceasar salad was the best that I have ever had. The service was impeccible, and the entries were absolutely wonderful.

 

The final negative is not the fault of Celebrity, but that of the City and County of San Francisco. Disembarkation was total choas! There were no exclusive lanes for taxis, buses and limos. Everybody emptied out [us and a Princess vessel] on the very busy Embacadero, which had two stop lights with in close proximity to each other, and with cops who did nothing other than pick their noses. The result was that many pax had to wait in line for two hours to get a taxi. When San Francisco's cruise terminal is compared to Vancouver's Canada Place, the city fathers of San Francisco should hang their heads in shame.

 

To be continued - fabulous Alaska!

[Welshlady]

I looked at the Infinity bridgecam last night for the 3rd -14th Sept and it seemed mostly open sea, at times rough sea! I didn't find the Hubbard Glacier at all and just 2 ports, perhaps Juneau and Ketchikan?? What was the itinerary supposed to be?

[J&G]

Welshlady, we made every port and like cechase said all on time. We were in Sitka on the 5th, Hubbard Glacier (magnificent) on the 6th, Juneau on the 7th (another super glacier), Skagway on the 8th, Icy Strait Point on the 9th and Ketchikan on the 10th.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on the cruise (both ports and Infinity).

[cechase]

Welshlady: What John said below is correct and will be covered in my supplement to my review. As for the Hubbard Glacier, I believe that we were almost so close, that I was thinking of getting some "old ice" for my martini :D

[cechase]

Before discussing ports and excursions on our cruise, there are several more comments we would like to make concerning Infinity.

 

We found the staff and crew through out Infinity to be smiling, engaging, and always welcoming us and bidding us "good morning", "good afternoon" and "good evening". [We thought that this upbeat attitude was remarkable because Infinity was entering dry dock at the end of the cruise - which would have a negative effect on those of the staff who rely so much on tips.] This attitude continued even with the casino staff, who were cheerful and several of whom remembered my name through out the cruise. [Note: I broke about even and Nedra scored a nice jackpot the last night and returned home with more than she went with :D].

 

Bob the Fish and I were treated to a tour of Infinity's bridge. We were told that this privilege is not often granted because of security, and our invitation arrived on the morning of the visit and we were requested to keep it confidential. So a small group of us were escorted to a place where there was a simple door [hatch], and stepped out onto the huge bridge. The array of equipment on the bridge just boggled my mind. There are three duplicate controls for "conning" Infinity, one in the center and then duplicate controls on each wing of the bridge. [Each has a left pod and a right pod lever as well as thruster controls.] I did note that on the left pod lever on the left wing that there was a note - 70% attached to the left pod lever, which I assumed was the maximum power to be used. There are video monitors all over the place, with an entire section devoted to weather and another devoted to communications. Bob and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

 

Another delight was a tour of the galley. The invitation again was on short notice, but Nedra greatly enjoyed the opportunity to tour the galley - and she remarked how absolutely spotless the area was, as well as how immense it was.

 

The weather on this cruise was sort of up and down. We had rain, and some rather rough seas, but then we had sun light in Skagway and Ketchikan. For the first time on any of our cruises, Nedra became sea sick and it knocked her out for a little over one day. She had good reason, because the Captain announced that he was going to try to out run a storm and that it would take about 4 hours in very high swells. I estimated the swells to be about 20 feet and because there was considerable distance between swells allowed them to have greater effect on Infinity. I chatted with a gentleman who had a cabin on deck 2 [Continental Deck] and he said that the top of the swells were coming up almost to his window or port hole, and he estimated them to be 30+ feet high. Nedra had lost one of her sea sickness wrist bands [that push against your wrist] so while she was in bed I was able to purchase another set for her, and they seemed to work for the rest of the cruise. We actually had only this one bad stretch of rough seas on this cruise.

 

We really felt that the tendering and excursions were handled very well and in an organized fashion. The only misstep occured in Sitka when all of us were returning to the ship seemingly at the same time. We had a huge and I mean huge line of pax waiting for the tender to return. The four Infinity tenders were all at the ship, and there was a considerable wait. However, we did have a very funny moment when one gentleman [name to remain confidential] in a loud voice mentioned sex with his wife - and we all broke out laughing.

 

In Sitka on Sept. 5th., we took the Russian American & Raptor Tour. The Raptor clinic is something not to be missed. Injured birds are brought there to be cared for, treated, educated by other birds believe it or not, and released back into the wild. We were treated to seeing a vet give shots to a bird, an American bald eagle who can not be released back in to the wild, but is used to educate others [very close up I should mention]. There are a number of American bald eagles, hawks and falcons to be seen at this facility, including one rotund owl. One of the remarkable things that we observed is that eagles can turn their heads 210 degrees [and we saw it in real time while the eagle was prenning himself] and that the owl can turn its head 240 degrees! The Russian American part of the tour was a tour of Sitka, and watching six women perform Russian dances.

 

On September 6th., on a very overcast day, Infinity slowly entered Yakutat Bay, and we sat transfixed in our suite watching all of the little islands pass by. [Absolutely a wonderful "eye candy".] There was some rain as our veranda was very wet. We watched our progress on the TV channel showing a chart of the bay and the position of Infinity [i forgot to mention in my first post of this review that our suite had two very large flat panel TVs.] We kept going slowly until we were close to the end of the bay where the sea face of the Hubbard Glacier is found.

 

We finally caught a glimpse of the Hubbard Glacier and it was magnificant. But, we went closer, and then closer, and then even more closer. At that point I guessed that we were maybe a quarter of a mile from the glacier. We could hear huge cracks and observed calving. We thought that this was it - but we were wrong, we went in even closer and I estimated we were about 1/8 of a mile from the glacier. What a magnificent sight. We saw one calving with a chunk of ice about the size of a house splash into the water. There were some substantial ice bergs in the water [remembering that what you see is only out 10% of the berg]. We were so close, that I could not get the whole glacier in one picture. The captain then ran Infinity very slowly parallel to the glacier from right to left. After this awesome experience, the Captain addressed the passengers and told us "that if any captain says that he got this close to the glacier, he is lying" :D. We applaud our great Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis, and you could hear clapping through out Infinity when he made his announcement.

 

We were in Juneau on Sept. 7th., and we took the Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake tour. Again the tendering went off without a hitch. This is a sight which is not to be missed, although the face of Mendenhall is nowhere as spectacular as that of Hubbard. But, one has to remember that Mendenhall is 13 miles long and we were just looking at its face as it sits above Mendenhall lake. At Mendenhall, a ranger showed me a short cut to a bridge overlooking a stream pouring out of the lake, and I was able to observe two salmon make nests and deposit their eggs. This was very very late in the spawning season, so I was very happy to observe these very large fish doing their duty in their last days [they die after spawning.] During my little hike to the stream, there were a number of posters warning of bears, and instructions what to do if you encountered a bear. Nedra told me the next morning that I yelled "BEAR" in my sleep. :D We were not real thrilled about going to the Salmon Bake - but it turned out to be very delightful - with a lot of choices and some very good wholesome food.

 

Next to the Hubbard Glacier our most memorable moment of the cruise occured in Skagway on September 8th. when we took the White Pass Scenic Railway. This is a tour not to be missed. We shared this tour with John and Gail, as we did with three of our excursions. The views and sights were absolutely amazing and just defy description unless you can see it with your own eyes. The Alaskan landscape viewed on this tour was incredibly rugged, one wonders how this narrow gage railway was built in only two years. It is over 124 miles long, but the tour only takes you about 26 miles. If you are going on a cruise to Alaska, our recommendation is take this tour, you will not be disappointed. We did not see any wild life other than two white mountain goats on a far mountain side. I was looking for bears, but alas did not see any.

 

On Sept. 10th. in Ketchikan, we took the Totem Bight State Park & Town excursion and it was very interesting with a very knowledgeable tour guide. We had a very good tour of this town built upon some pretty rugged territory. The Totem Bight State Park is a very serious effort to retain the culture of the Tlingit tribe with approximately 13 totem poles and a replica of a Tlingit lodge [constructed without using any nails.] There is a large gift shop at the park, or I think located just outside of the park, where Nedra did some damage. Strangely enough, there is a number of antique automobiles in very good condition located in the gift shop.

 

We got quite a surprise in Ketchikan, for berthed right in front of Infinity was SilverSea's Silver Shadow. We will take our first cruise on Silver Shadow in December.

 

In conclusion, this was a wonderful cruise, a wonderful experience, and we would cruise on Infinity again in a heart beat. In writing this review, we tried to come up with more negatives, but the only one was that we were disappointed with the food and quality of the food in the dining room. We should note that several members of our cruise critic group disagreed with our comments on that subject - and that is why we mentioned that opinions concerning food are so subjective. We did not go to any of the shows, so can not render an opinion on that subject, and did not receive any feedback on that subject from our new friends. The string quartet that played in Cova Cafe and in the dining room on farewell night was excellent in our opinion.

 

Happy cruising!

[J&G]

Charlie, we really enjoyed reading your review. We totally agree on the San Francisco end - it took us over 2 hours to get from the ship to Hertz in Union Square (a 10 minute cab ride) and to think we were among the first off. I hate to think what it would have been like to be trying to catch a flight.

 

Like you we also had a problem with the food in the dining room. Although we've never cruised with Celebrity before we thought the dining room food was much better on RCCL's Jewel of the Seas.

 

Had a great time with you, Nedra, LuAnn, Kenneth, Bob and the rest of the CC'ers.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review and will try and write one ourselves.

 

Gail

[seattlelover]

How nice to see a well balanced review. We were on Infinity on 6th August sailing and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

 

Regards

Bev

[Karynanne]

Thank you for your wonderful and informative review. We have cruised on Infinity a few years ago, and look forward to being on this lovely ship again, next month for a Hawaiian cruise.

 

Karyn

[Bobthe Fish]

I think you captured the majority of the cruise in your review and we all had a good time despite some little quirks. Although the ship was beautiful, and the scenery gorgeous, I think it was the people(alot of Cruise Critic types) who made it a very enjoyable time!:cool:

[LuAnn]

Thank you for taking the time to do such a complete review!!! Hope you are feeling better? LuAnn

[cechase]

Thank you for taking the time to do such a complete review!!! Hope you are feeling better? LuAnn

 

LuAnn thanks for the thought - am feeling much better. It was somewhat strange to come down with a head cold just three hours after getting home from Alaska. :D Felt great on the cruise! If you or Ken have anything to add to the review please feel free to post it.

 

The fact that all of us in our little group within the larger group found this cruise to be one of our best - should motivate other cruisers to be more active on Cruise Critic Roll-Calls.

[joelmarj]

Thank you for the review. Boy, it really brought back memories of our Infinity sailing. John Morales really is a charm!

 

Also, just FYI - you can actually order wines from the specialty restaurant wine list in the dining room. Just ask the sommelier and he will summon the list for you! It is possible that they had limited stock availabilty due to vendor supply of the La Crema and wanted to make sure they could supply it in the specialty restaurant. That may be why it was removed from the main wine list.

[cechase]

Thank you for the review. Boy, it really brought back memories of our Infinity sailing. John Morales really is a charm!

 

We agree that John was totally outstanding. It might have had something to do with our giving him a tip almost 3 times the recommended :D.

[cechase]

Just bumping this thread up for other comments on this cruise.

[soooo excited!]

Charlie: thanks for review and all the info. your review has been refreshing. Our VERY FIRST CRUISE ! is next summer - I'm trying not to worry about malfunctioning pods and viruses and the like !!!

 

thanks for this :

We arrived at check-in and the little ribbon "ropes" steered everyone to the Express Pass line where there had to be 200+ pax waiting to check-in. I looked to my left and saw the suite check-in line which was empty. Told the Celebrity rep that we had a suite and requested that she lift the rope which she did. Our check-in took less than 2 minutes.

 

We are staying in a CS ( it's our trip of a lifetime ! ) so now I know to look for the suite check-in line ! thanks ! every review I read teaches me something new - and as first time cruisers there's lots to learn !!

[cechase]

Charlie: thanks for review and all the info. your review has been refreshing. Our VERY FIRST CRUISE ! is next summer - I'm trying not to worry about malfunctioning pods and viruses and the like !!!

 

thanks for this :

We arrived at check-in and the little ribbon "ropes" steered everyone to the Express Pass line where there had to be 200+ pax waiting to check-in. I looked to my left and saw the suite check-in line which was empty. Told the Celebrity rep that we had a suite and requested that she lift the rope which she did. Our check-in took less than 2 minutes.

 

We are staying in a CS ( it's our trip of a lifetime ! ) so now I know to look for the suite check-in line ! thanks ! every review I read teaches me something new - and as first time cruisers there's lots to learn !!

 

soooo excited, you are welcome! Actually, this was the first time in six cruises on Celebrity, where we experienced the ribbon "ropes" and posts to herd pax at check-in. In the past, they have had multiple lines, and Celebrity reps there to guide you to the right place.

 

The CS is really great, as it is at the bulge by the midship elevators and much larger than the usual cabins with lots of floor to ceiling windows. Unfortunately, it does not have a balcony - which is a must for us.

 

Have a great cruise - and that first one is really a great adventure.