musik07

I am traveling to the island and was wondering if anyone has ever gone to the sanctuary and back on their own in a taxi without reservations? I will be traveling as a volunteer with Autism on the Seas and since we don't know our schedule or if we are accompanying a family on a tour until the day of or before, we cannot usually book excursions in advance.  How possible would this be, especially the availability of a taxi to get back to the ship! I may only have 2-3 hours but holding a sloth is on my bucket list! 

I was just on the Oasis in mid June. Overall it was an amazing trip! The crew on the Oasis seemed to be a great group overall. I didn't have a negative interaction with a crew member from check in to disembarkation. I will say I didn't once see my cabin steward as our schedules never seemed to match up, however the room was cleaned while we were out every morning for breakfast and pool and any requests we left on notes were always handled 🙂 My biggest area of disappointment on the trip was the food, particularly the beef dishes. I feel like quality has really gone down since my last royal cruse in 2015. However, I didn't go hungry and it was better than I would eat at home, with the exception of the steaks! That wouldn't stop me from traveling again at all. 

The Sunset Martini at the martini bar is my go to. I need to get my hands on the recipe to make it at home.  On our Infinity Cruise this summer the bartender in the Constellation Lounge made a sangria he claimed was the best on the ship. Having tried both Sangria options at the Sunset bar I couldn't help but agree. 

My last few flights (including one to Vancouver) have all gotten in late at least 2 hours. Maybe it is bad luck, maybe just a sign of the times. I would figure a few hours for delays, and then 2-3 hours at the airport. When we flew through Vancouver last there was a 'baggage delay' and it took over an hour after we were through passport control to get our bags. We then waited at for a taxi for a good bit of time.I think we arrived at our hotel 4 hours late. May be worth it to travel with a pack of rapid tests that are acceptable for an online proctor service incase you miss your appointments! 

I am glad to hear things out of the cabins seem to be improving. Particularly the buffet, MDR and bars. We sailed the second sailing and based on that I would have told anyone to run far far away from Infinity. Dinner near three hours most nights, just a few bar servers on the pool deck and only two bartenders at the pool bar so it was a long wait. No 'large' martini glasses so the martinis were half of their normal size.  We also had a lot of issues with the shower in my cabin, it seemed to be leaking and every time the shower ran the carpet would get wet next to the bed.  They offered to bring an industrial blower in but there was already no room in the cabin and I never could have slept with that. 

3 hours ago, Lastdance said:

This hotel does have quite a lot to offer; hopefully, in the near future, updating the rooms/areas is on the agenda.

 

 

 

We just stayed on July 1 and my parents said the room we were in was updated compared to the room they stayed in on their  last trip in April!  Overall it's a great place to stay. Included breakfast, nice pool, evening reception and a bunch of convenient restaurants. We ate at Duffy's after the evening  reception at the hotel and we didn't wait on a Friday evening! 

14 hours ago, teacherman said:

One additional item - We left the ship and went to the airport for a Delta flight.  The Delta terminal was VERY crowded, as so many cruise passengers kept arriving from the several ships.  At 9:00 am, they announced that they would only be checking in passengers who had flights scheduled for before noon.  It would appear that Delta is also short staffed and could not just keep checking in luggage so far ahead of flight times.  Just want to report this as there were not as many ships arriving as there will be in the winter time.

 United does the same in FLL. When we flew Newark to FLL on the way down we ended up arriving earlier than three hours and had no issue checking in (we factored in an hour of traffic based on construction overnight and had no delays so we were 4 hours early) early. In FLL they were clear that you couldn't check in until 3 hours before the flight. Unfortunately there is very limited seating outside of security in Terminal 1 and only a Starbucks. Luckily our flight was moved from 6:30pm to 3pm so we had much less of a wait. In an airport where so many passengers are coming off cruise ships early in the morning (especially on the weekends) it seems they would have some more area dedicated to waiting for passengers before security. 

1 hour ago, justhavingfun said:

Cruised Infinity 9 / 16 , 4 people 2cabins , kept mask on at all times out of cabin , clean hands after sitting down right before eating , Lysol the room daily, and after room steward left , On Saturday the 16th woke up about about 5:30 am to get ready to disembark, one person in first cabin had slight sore throat, no other symptoms, other 3 people felt fine . As precaution  we brought at home Covid test , all 4 people tested positive, retested 1hour later just to be sure , Yes all positived, both couples tested negative one day before cruise , we drove to port ,we wore mask as we drove , live in Miami, 2 days later 3 people started showing signs slight fever , slight sore throat, all 3 very mild symptoms,  everyone both shots and booster, no one had caught Covid before cruise. Say what you may we feel we fought Covid on this cruise , Just be warned ,we wore mask when ever out of cabin , both wives sprayed cabin daily with Lysol (each brought 12cans Lysol each) LOL , All I can say is if you cruise play it safe pack meds and things you will need if you catch Covid , we were will prepared but didn’t need any of it on ship . Just telling what happened to us ,  Take Care

We were aboard the week before you. I masked 3 weeks prior to the cruise to make sure I tested negative, wore my mask while traveling, in elevators and crowded areas. I brought Lysol wipes and single packed wipes for the airplane. We flew home and I woke up from a nap on the plane with a fever and feeling off. By the time we got home that night I was coughing, sneezing, congested and miserable and had tested positive on a rapid test that I carried along with me.  My parents thought I was ridiculous for bringing a thermometer, but I was able to take my temp fairly early on as well and I had cough medication and fever reducer available to me right away.  I traveled with my parents and they both ended up positive as well. When I walked off the ship on the morning of the 9th I felt fine, maybe a bit tired but we had just been on a cruise for a week and I had been up late the night before and we got up early so it wasn't alarming. I feel like the possibility of getting covid is just a part of traveling right now. 

I am interested to hear how your sailing is. We were on the first western (July 2nd) and our experience was so-so. Unfortunately we all came home with COVID and it seemed like it must have been quite prevalent on board. Our biggest issues were the lack of communication onboard and the slow service in the dining room and at bars (also being served martinis in super tiny glasses, like 3-4 sips per martini). Hoping it is better for your sailing!

3 hours ago, eroller said:

 

I’m curious as well.  Right now a future booking is between INFINITY and EXPLORER OF THE SEAS.  Normally I would gravitate towards Celebrity without question, but recent reports of INFINITY are cause for hesitation.  Like you I can’t tolerate lack of a/c, especially in the Caribbean. 

 We were on the 2nd cruise and we felt that the AC was much better than we expected it based on the reviews we read before we left. My cabin (a balcony on deck 6) was cool and public areas were cool/comfortable. I will say that near areas where doors opened frequently it was hot but that is to be expected with the heat and high humidity! 

We got off of Infinity yesterday and served ourself in buffet all week. They seemed extremely understaffed. In fact we notes a lot of food wasn’t labeled and didn’t have proper allergen labels either. 

2 hours ago, RTShaker said:

I use a taxi. They have flat rates from the airport to downtown. $36 to Pan pacific.

 

flat rate chart

 We did the same in 2019. Glad we didn't uber because we sat in traffic for 40 minutes.  With the flat rate we absolutely got a better deal!

Thank you for the pictures! She looks great. Any information about what you do at Bimini tomorrow will be great. We are still 'winging it' for both Bimini and Belize City next week! 

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

Good morning from our sail into Nassau and a very happy International Day of the Seafarer to the crew of the Equinox and the entire Celebrity fleet!

 

As Captain Matt proudly announced this morning, today Celebrity Infinity will set sail on her first post-shutdown cruise, meaning that the ENTIRE CELEBRITY FLEET IS OFFICIALLY BACK IN SERVICE!!! 👏🏾🙌🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🎉

 

We got to celebrate this incredibly happy occasion with Captain Matt and some of the crew on the pool deck this morning.

 

I want to say a huge thank you to the crew of the Equinox and the crew of all the Celebrity ships that I’ve had the privilege of sailing on over the 9 past years.  

 

When I think about it, Celebrity cruises have been a part of so many special moments in my life: The time my husband told me he was falling in love with me under a starry sky on Reflection, when he asked me to be his wife during a surprise photo shoot on Silhouette, when we eloped in Mexico on a Christmas cruise on Infinity and the first time our daughter told me, on a mommy-daughter skip back to our room after picking her up from Camp @ Sea on Millennium, that when she grows up, she hopes she can be just like me.   And a million more incredible travel experiences and memories made that I will never forget.

 

It’s all only possible thanks to these awesome crew members who work long hours for months and years on end just to give us all a vacation.

 

In much less happy news, when I got back to my room last night, I found disembarkation instructions for tomorrow waiting for me.

 

I’m planning to stay onboard today to get a massage and take advantage of one more day on the quiet ship before packing time, the ship’s Elysium production show, dinner at Tuscan Grille and lots of sad good byes and thank you envelope deliveries.

 

Coming soon: a back in time report on yesterday afternoon/evening.

 

 

We are heading out on Infinity next week. Reading your review has been great to help pass the time before we board!

11 hours ago, George C said:

We sailed infinity a few weeks before the world went crazy , ship definitely needed a refurbish . I don’t particularly care for this class being upgraded to a retreat , I think the outside retreat area is a joke , no bar , no pool. But love celebrity suite perks on all classes of ships. Did summit earlier this year in Royal suite, our infinity was also royal suite. 

I noticed a post a few weeks back where someone posted a close up of the ship and stated that someone whose child is a dancer onboard had taken it and said there were people all over painting and getting the ship ready. Hopping everything will be cosmetically nice 🙂

We are getting on on the 2nd so I am looking forward to hearing how everything is onboard!

This is worrisome as Hertz is the only vendor to have pickup/drop off points in Anchorage and Seward! 

We canceled our July 2020 Caribbean cruise  (assuming it would be canceled and didn't want the money tied up in FCC) with a refundable deposit. With the great deals we have seen just booked the whole family (5 adults) for Alaska next July!  My parents are still hopeful they will be on their September Oasis OTS cruise and a 2 week BTB in January so we feel pretty confident. We will reassess once flights come out and discuss how we feel. We booked refundable deposit just to be safe. 

Cruising with my grandmothers over Thanksgiving when we were in high school. One of my grandmothers has since passed away and one is 90 and not doing so well. The memories of that trip are some of my fondest (even when we couldn't find one grandmother on CoCo Cay for 45 minutes). I wish I had digital pictures, I am going to have to dig them up at my parents on one of my next visits.  It was just awesome family time that I didn't quite appreciate enough as a teenager.

My first cruise as an adult with my best friend (on Carnival we were broke!). We went mid-May and went through the first two named storms of the season. I remember laying in our cabin one night and her going "Why are you slamming the drawers" and I thought it had been her, but it was the ship rocking. We played more cards and drank our fare share on that trip! Also got to swim with dolphins in Nassau which was a first and super cool.

Alaska on the Millennium this summer. It was just my mom and I and we made so many memories, like seeing bears in the wild eating salmon out of a stream, beautiful sunsets from Cosmos lounge most nights with a drink in hand, and seeing the northern lights (just a minor show). The most unexpected was when we went to the dining room on our last day after Hubbard Glacier and just as we were finishing the waiter came and told us to come to the window and there was a group of Orca out the window. One breached about 50 yards from the ship. I didn't get a great picture but it was magnificent! 

Just now, Northern Aurora said:

 

 

Is that hospitality room downtown still at the Eagan Convention Center?  

Yes! We were hoping to be able to use it as we were celebrity cruisers but it was only for those with Celebrity excursions. We checked onboard

I also forgot to add if you take a Celebrity sponsored excursion there is a hospitality room downtown where you  can leave you bags. Since we had booked a transfer independently we didn't qualify. The savings in taking and independent tour completely offset the cost to store bags at the airport. 

I wish we could have stayed a night in Anchorage and really explored and gone to see different things, however teachers started back at my school about 40 hours after we arrived at my parents local airport. I was so beat I ended up spending the night at my parents and having to rush around on Sunday to get everything done. 

We had a similar situation the summer. Most of the celebrity excursions we were interested in were for people with flights after midnight. We took the Alaska Cruise Transportation bus that stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Center. The bus ride was good, the wildlife center was good but our guide was AWFUL. She was all about telling self-promoting stories and jokes. I actually looked up some of the information she was telling us and it was incorrect. Once we got to the airport we attempted to check our bags around 11:45 (8:30 flight) and were told no. They had a place at the airport where you can leave your bags for the day. We left two suitcases and two carry on's.  I carried my backpack which held all of the meds and technology for my mom and I (we didn't want to leave it in the airport basically just sitting out behind a rope). We then took the public bus to downtown, and walked around and had a great early dinner. The bus was VERY easy and we felt completely safe. We actually took public transportation in Vancouver as well and remarked that both places had such easy to navigate public transportation and locals were helpful when they saw us looking at maps. We took a bus back around 5:30 and had plenty of time to check in, get through security and even grab a snack before flying.  It was great to walk around, see some sights and eat before flying home. One thing we both noticed is that the scales at united seems to add 5 pounds to our luggage (we weighed them before leaving the ship) and we had to do some quick rearranging and throwing away of half used bottles of shampoo and sunscreen. Leave yourself room for souvenirs! 

3 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

 

Hey Norma! Steve is our cruise director. I can’t remember ever having him before. I’ll take a photo of him and post it. 

We had Steve the first week of August. He is very nice and personable. He did a presentation on the last day (after we did Hubbard Glacier) where he talked all about his travels, the lessons he has learned and the people he has met. It was a great way to spend an hour or so! 

21 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

I know a couple of you were asking for the wine list by the glass and one person was specifically interested so they could help make a decision on the premium package. 

 

Here is the wine list from Blu and Cellar Masters menu that is kept on the tables throughout the bar. I assume there is a more extensive list somewhere that I’ll try to find but wanted to get you this info now. 

 

 

 

 

If you like crisp, not sweet (but not super bitter) whites try there Vermentino at Cellar masters. It is very refreshing, and clean tasting. Not bitter but not sweet. I got a glass on our way to dinner most nights. I was surprised that for the price per glass it was so good!