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INFINITY Five stars *****

C 2 C

By C 2 C,
in Celebrity Cruises

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ArtM

ArtM

Posted
Posted

Anita

 

It doesn't really count as a theme night, but there was a late evening chocolate buffet one night.

 

If you like chocolate, there was an outstanding assortment of chocolate desserts available in the main buffet area. They were both decorative and great tasting.

 

Just dumb luck that we had skipped dessert that night. That will now be part of our regular schedule, however :)

 

Art

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cruisensusen

cruisensusen

Posted
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We took the 11 day trip from Ensanada to Hawaii on the Infinity and it was the BEST vacation of our lives. John the cruise director was AWESOME! Never had a cruise director I have liked and admired more than John. Jennifer the social hostess was awesome too. Too bad they both left the ship after our trip. At least I know John is going to the Summit, don't know where Jennifer is going. The staff was the best, friendly and helpful. I discovered chocolate martini's and am now hooked on them and so far have not found any land based bar that can make them as good as the Infinity. We also got invited to the Captain's table for dinner one formal night. In the 19 cruises I have done I had never been to the Captain's table. It was a great experience. We met some great people at the table that night.

I highly recommend Infinity to everyone and I hope to travel on her again in the future.

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travelpig

travelpig

Posted
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I was also on the Infinity and one of our highlights was a tour we booked on the internet. It's a Hummer tour that takes you out to where they did films like Jurassic Park,Windtalkers, Godzilla,Fifty First Dates and even the current tv show "LOST". The owner is also the driver, he picked us up right at the pier and it was a six hour tour. The Hummer will seat only 4 adults and 2 children .

A great trip and something different. His website is http://www.koshawaii@yahoo.com

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ArtM

ArtM

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As far as tendering, here's the math:

 

There are four tenders in the water with a capacity of about 120 each. RT time is about 20 minutes; a lot of that is the time it takes to load and unload the tenders. In fact, the rate limiting issue seemed to be the loading and unloading; more tenders would not have helped.

 

Each of the 4 tenders has to do about 5 trips if everyone wants to go ashore; that pushes the time to clear the ship to about 2 hours.

 

Return from shore on Maui did get backed up because there were 3 TSA employees doing hand searches of everyone's carryon going back to the Infinity. Reportedly, 500 people in line at 2:30 PM, a half hour before the Infinity was supposed to leave. Celebrity asked for more TSA screeners, but none were provided.

 

Art

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L11

L11

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There were about 20 of us in the bar across from the tender dock laughing at y'all in the long line. When the line finally got down to the last few, we sauntered across the street and caught the last tender. We were the ones yelling 'h=ll no, we won't go" from the top deck of the tender (that was a loooong line and we had quite a few beers by the time it was a reasonable length).

 

Linda

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hancock

hancock

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We sat and had lunch and drinks, watching the line for 2 1/2 hours before getting online for the tender. We got back to the area about 12:30 and found the line to be about 2 blocks long. People kept coming and the line stayed long. The line was moving very slowly. Couldn't see wasting our time on Maui standing on line. For those who were elderly or infirm, it was a dangerous situation. They should not have had to wait in the heat. Once it got closer to our designated departure time, it seemed that the line started to move faster. We were on the second to last tender to leave that day.

 

They have to do something to correct the situation. I would ask all my fellow cruisers to complain about the situation and length of stay on Maui. When Infinty returns to Hawaii, Celebrity has Maui listed as a short stay again. They shortchanged us!

 

Aloha! Nancy S.

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ArtM

ArtM

Posted
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Nancy S.

 

I heard from one Celebrity employee or other on the Infinity, that the port stop in Ensenada had to be made at the time it was because the port authorities would not do it at 3 AM.

 

All things considered, since Ensenada was doing Celebrity a favor and getting no tourist business out of the stop, Celebrity probably had to take what it could get.

 

If this theory is right, it would very nicely account for the shift from the originally scheduled (Aug '03) 7 PM Maui departure to 3 PM that we had.

 

Art

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Host Karen

Host Karen

Posted
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safein, we ate in the United States several times and the restaurant was not full when we were there. However, we were told that the Friday and Saturday nights prior to our return were booked solid. Port nights will obviously be the slowest evenings for the restaurant. I guess it depends on whether you prefer more people dining with you or less.

 

As I recall, there was a 50s night, a country & western night, and an island night.

 

As others have posted, lava flows could be seen from the starboard side. Deck 4 was relatively uncrowded. I suppose most passengers were on their balconies or the upper decks. We were very surprised to see cameras flashing right next to the lava flow. It's hard to imagine people hiking out there when it's pitch dark, but the shot of the lava flow in the foreground with the ship in the background must have been awesome.

 

As far as the tender line on Maui, I think it was a result of passengers heading back after having lunch on the island, as well as a number of excursions plus the 11:30 whale watching tour arriving at the pier simultaneously. (When we made a quick trip back to the ship at 11, there was no line and only 10 people on the tender.) While we would have enjoyed more time on Maui, I don't think Celebrity would assign an early departure if it wasn't necessary to ensure our timely arrival in Ensenada -- especially in light of all the passenger requests to leave later.

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hancock

hancock

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Art, I do understand about the necessity to arrive in Ensenada at a decent hour. However, we were originally scheduled to be in Maui on Monday the 13th with a 7pm (or later departure)rather than Wed. the 15th.. Considering we spent a full day at sea, Sunday, sailing around in a circle(at least it seemed that way), they could have made different arrangements for Maui. The wait in line for the tender/security procedures was uncalled for. They needed more help so our time wouldn't be wasted.

 

Nancy S.

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Texed Holiday Sharing Rare

Texed

Posted
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We boarded the Infinity as you got off and everything everyone said is still true,the ship,the crew,the food is wonderful.We are totally spoiled and are not looking forward to getting off on Jan,3.It is going to be hard to go back to real life.We have had fantastic weather all the way.We are on our way to Aruba and then 2 days at sea,love the sea days.We have the most fantistic Butler you could ask for on deck 9 in room 9089,hope some of you get to enjoy his service and company.It has truly been a wonderful cruise.The specialty restaurant was great.Excellent food and service and tableside presentation.The life boat drill was at 5:15 the first day.The oceanview cafe has a waffle station at the rear of the ship every morning and it is not to be missed.The aqua spa cafe has very good food also,lunch everyday 12 noon -8:00.And the bread sticks in the Trellis Restaurant are to die for.Any more questions just ask, Texed

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ArtM

ArtM

Posted
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Nancy

 

That sea day in the middle of our cruise is beyond baffling. From the itineraries I'e seen for other cruises, it is not unusual for ships to be in Maui from early one morning to late afternoon or evening the next day.

 

FWIW, if cruising time to Ensenada was really an issue, using Hilo as the final port would have also worked to save 4 hours of sea time.

 

Art

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Petoonya

Petoonya

Posted
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I was on the Infinity 12/5 sailing too. But feel that there are factors beyond our knowledge, maybe even our comprehension, that have gone into the decision for a short-short port stay in Lahaina. (?)

 

Did Summit an 11 day Hawaii-Vancouver a year ago with the overnite in Lahaina and it was so very nice. But that was a very expensive stop for the cruise line as far as port charges- and with X trying to maximize profits, why not cut it out? These cruises for 2005 and 2006 (all including the 10, 11, 14 and 15 day) are selling briskly even with the short stay in Maui. So whats to motivate X to extend the stay? I don't see that Princess or HAL has an overnite in Lahaina even tho their ships do stay a few hours longer than Infinity and Summit. I would not choose a HAL or Princess ship because they stay longer- they don't compare to the X experience.

 

I rebooked another 15 day Hawaii for next year despite the short stay in Maui- it's still the best deal out there....even tho I'll add to the collective grumble :(

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