RexC

I was also on this cruise and am surprised how different people can have completely different cruises. I read Orcagirls review when I came home and although we both had fun we did totally different events, dining and such we both had a great time. If I didn't show up in one of her pics I wouldn't have believed it was the same ship. As for this review I will agree the embarkation was very long with seemingly everyone arriving between 10:30 and noon. Our issues was we learned at the check-in table that we could have skipped some of the line (casino/myVegas) but we were given bad information in line. We were allowed to skip the wait for a boarding group. My frustration with embarkation was gone by the first dinner and cocktail. The wait at bars did happen but every bar had servers walking around and it was never more than a few minutes. 

The best part of this cruise was the people. I found the staff to be excellent and our fellow cruisers to be a friendly, outgoing group of people from a variety of places and life experiences. We made many new friends and hope to see them again in the future and online. 

Did you se the launch?

How full is the ship this trip?

How full was the ship? Curious if the New York cruises are fully booked and well staffed. 

Ginger beer was stocked on Divina in September. It was at all the bars for my Dark & Stormy.

We use T-Mobile and the Bahamas are included in our package. We were able to get 5G from the next island to the north. The reception was better higher up in the ship but worked on the island as well. 

Thank you for all the info. We went with Dr. Dive at a rate of $25 per person. Very professional and a great tour for us.

We will have a port call in Costa Maya next week and are thinking about a snorkeling trip. Are there excursions being sold at the port or are they through the beach bars? We aren't interested in a full beach bar day but would enjoy a couple hour snorkeling trip. What would be the average price of a trip for 2? Thanks in advance for any ideas. 

I've been looking at this as well and have a question. With the 30% discount I assume you can pick your room type (interior, balcony etc.) but if it is a free cruise do they give you an interior? Can you pay the difference to upgrade to a balcony or Yacht Club? I started saving points to do a RC Cruise but their points keep going up, MSC seems like a better deal. 

Our first cruise was on the Enchantment to Bermuda. I am an avid shipwatcher and wanted to photograph our arrival back into Baltimore in the early morning hours. I planned to be awake at 6am and for some reason woke at 3 or 4am by mistake. Without realizing my mistake I grabbed the camera and rushed to the top deck above windjammer to photograph the sunrise. Sadly it was pitch black on the Chesapeake but the entire front of the ship smelled like cooking bacon. I stood there in the dark, alone smelling bacon and not being able to have a single piece. 

I requested a refund of our deposit for an August 2021 Alaska cruise this past Monday. We received the refund to our credit card today. I was expecting a much longer wait. 

We stayed 2 nights in Valpo before our cruise left and did not use a tour guide there. Vina del mar is a short cheap bus ride from Valpo just 15 minutes or so. The town is flat and very walkable with lots of nice restaurants. I think our other family took a day trip to Valpo and Vina with Luis and they did both cities in a one day trip from Santiago.  

I agree you will enjoy all 4 days in Chile. Our daughter studied in Santiago so family members made 2 different visits to see her. We took a cruise leaving Valpo 2 years ago and spent 3 days in Santiago and then 1.5 days in Valpo before leaving. Santiago has many interesting neighborhoods in addition to the great ideas already suggested. We found a cool Italian neighborhood south of downtown. In Valpo the city is great with wonderful restaurants, nearby Vin Del Mar is a lovely city with a beautiful beach one of the few statues removed from Easter Island. Other family flew down and did similar things plus a winery tour day and a trip to Pomaire for its pottery. We all used Personal Tours Chile (one word for the website) and Luis was excellent. 

32 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Another interesting tid bit, which I find hard to believe.  This will be Infinty’s first time to Europe since being built.   Wonder if anyone can confirm. 

I looked at photos of the Infinity on the a marine traffic site and they are pictures taken in various European ports in 2014 and 2013. 

We took a celebrity bus that visited the town of Portobello. While the town is very small it has a couple of old forts and a beautiful church. Lots of history and we enjoyed the visit. The same tour did go to the old locks for a short visit.

We had that same cabin (I think) on the Infinity in 2017 and loved it. Great views and very little noise from the theater above. I was curious and purposely tried to look down onto our balcony. I'm 6' and could see the railing of the balcony but not much else. Very convenient to the oceanview bar and buffet and all the pool areas. 

I'm curious who is tending bar at the Oceanview bar on the stern these days. I spent a lot of time these last spring going up the South American coast.

We did this trip on Celebrity this spring and I will suggest waiting on the helo deck and forward parts of the ship until later in the day. At 7am the observation deck was 10 rows deep and the helo deck was completely filled. Later in the day when approaching the locks at the other end of the canal the observation lounge was nearly empty and there were fewer than 50 people on the helo deck. I think everyone is excited to get the best view first but lose interest as the hours pass. Try watching the ship leave a lock from the stern, view the walls of the lock from down low while everyone is crammed into the lounge at 7am.

Take a city bus to Vina Del mar about 10 minutes away. Beautiful beach and a neat Easter Island museum with a statue head from the island right outside. Valparaiso is a great city and we enjoyed the waterfront, funiculars and great food. We especially liked El Peral and Casa Cervecera Altamira which is a nice brewery/restaurant.

We used this company for an airport pickup and half day tour of Santiago before being dropped at our BnB. Luis was our guide and was excellent. Other family used him for tours a few months later and were also happy.

Guided Tours/Transfers

English - German - Spanish

carola.neubauer@gmail.com

www.chilitours.jimdo.com

We were on in March and the staff were wonderful. At the Oceanview Bar Nicholas, Nestor and Roland made each visit special. The activity staff Nacho and Jeane (?) were fun and worked hard to keep people happy. My life loved the cafe and I could always find a quiet spot to relax and read or watch the world go by. The dinners in Blu were interesting and tasty.

Ship: eg., Millennium, Summit, Infinity, or Constellation

Cabin: 1124

Deck: 11

Class: AQ1

Area/Location: Aft Starboard

Bed Location / View: Wall facing next to bathroom

Quiet? Yes

Balcony/Porthole View: Excellent

Balcony/Porthole Size: Standard

Wind a Problem? No

Soot a Problem? No

Problems / Comments: We had soot on the balcony on arrival, never a problem after this time. You hear the movie from above when on the balcony. No noise issues with the door closed. There is a large vibration when the ship is at about 17-18 knots or accelerating. Above or below that 17-18 range there is no issue so most times it was fine. Very happy with this cabin, great location for buffet and oceanview bar.

On board now...no Noro and nothing more than hand sanitizer every 20 feet. Loving the ship, the staff and the food.

So the Classic Elevator package only works for one floor at a time and the Premium Elevator package will go up to 5 floors? If I get the Premium Elevator package can my wife ride along or must she get off after only one floor? Does the Classic elevator package include select riding or is it only at certain riding times? Is the Elevator Package cold water or warm water as I only use cold water elevators.

Thanks for this excellent review. We are on Infinity next month and this really gave us a taste of things to come. The dailies and menus were great to read.