hcat

that's what the buffet is for.

we had a good TA but cruised more than she did and ended up knowing more about the ships ..she would call us for info. Very happy with the Cruise Planners but may need to start with a TA..connected with someone new recently..we'll see what happens ahead! Not all.outsourced call centers are bad..but prefer ones in my time zone!

How do late boarding times work with the Concierge Lunch, which I believe is back on boarding day?

agree.. we try to avoid the first cruise after a ta. There is usually a boarding delay for one ir more reasons you mentioned.

We search for want we want to book online.. although not that easy on the Website. But we always call in to book the cruise. To date the reps in US or Jamaica etc , always have been helpful and find great cabins and good deals. Glad we booked recently before this apparent change. We will be making final payment later this week on our Ascent cruise. Hope it can still be done by calling in to the reps. Next we may be forced to chat with bots..a useless endeavor. Wonder if CAP CLUB reps were also let go.?.They usually assist in applying cred card points to OBC.

Our last Royal C cruise was a few yrs ago on Oasis.. MDR menu, food and service were sub-par. The deli along the Central park smelled awful and was over crowded. The steak house was better than the MDR as was the Specialty dining at night near the adult spa area. None was as good as X....at least not back then. We do not plan to return to Royal C..

yes great advice..due to several recent hacks to ins co data and others we now have several free credit monitoring services. They monitor and report anything out of the ordinary. last week one of cred cards was hacked... company caught it stopped the fraudulent charges, cancelled the card ..We are waiting on the new card!

We like the classic prime rib and some beef but not in large quantity.. salmon and other healthy choices including salads are what we look for..BLU works for us. A good stuffed baked potato can be the basis of a meal for me. fish and beef prices now are very high but a creative chef can work around it..

Looking forward to Ascent..and some of the new offerings.hope BLU is good! Can't fathom the mashed potato binge. How much more would it cost them to offer a loaded baked potato? Or other veggies..squash, corn, peppers?

They were def in use...not much ado except, the idiots of X back then, located the area adjacent to the kiddie pool. Brain dead, tone deaf. btw..those kiddie pools are long gone. wish they still had them...might prevent hot tubs being used as kiddie pools!

Conversions to suite status is an update to generate revenue. Inf needs sewage system, and AC system overhauls.. New shower enclosures should replace "mildewy" shower curtains. Bigger TVs., and de-rusting balcs.

as long as disembarking folks do not miss flights at least they are still on the ship..but without their luggage. those waiting to board are often on line in the hot sun..happened to us in Port Ev...and maybe also delayed in Bayonne.. We have not yet cruised from Tampa..no idea about port facilities for those who must wait for ship to be cleared. we try to avoid first cruises after crossings!

cruises after any TA often board late..issues with inspections etc, and whatever slows down disembarkation

thats great..enjoy!

decent looking piece of prime rib..

All great photos and happy reviews! Thanks for sharing pics of your beautiful suites! Seems being in the Retreat in Sky Suites is an experience above regular staterooms, but the upper suites are a huge step up! Priced accordingly!

OP seems to be in UK..may be diff rules or work arounds

we recently booked Silhouette Concierge Class before 10/4...non ref fare. We got the full "all in".. (but do not need the wifi). It includes grats and classic alc. We did get the 75% 2nd guest discount. Our other 2 bookings (Ascent Aqua and Apex SV) are also non ref fares with the "all in" that included grats. We decided we are not going to compare fares under the "new" "grats not included" system..It would only lead to confusion and second guessing. Hate playing the numbers games! While we are happy with our current bookings.... we will pause further bookings on X til we taste the food on board. After 3 cruises in diff categories on diff ships, we should know what comes next!

What specialty restaurants are on Infinity? Will any new ones be added during the drydock? While Infinity is a NO for us we'd love to see Constellation refurbished. Tampa as a port seems not get the highest marks but is a convenient drive from our winter place .

We would not go back to this ship.. On our last cruise on her (AQ Class) a few yrs ago our cabin had mold in shower and on shower curtain... bleach was not much help . Our A/C failed more than once..in our cabin and hallway. There was a sewer back up in a cabin down the hall from us..blowers going all day to dry wet carpet. Oddly we sailed on her for a Pacific Coastal..before that had no cabin issues! Too big a gamble as to what the cabin will be like..

Who decides in the menus.? From recent reviews it seems there are fewer offerings, combined categories of soups/ appetizers, poor quality meat/fish, lots of pasta and nothing creative or outstanding . Someone reported an 1$ upcharge for extra veggies...C' mon now! Seems E Class ships are better than others but no rave reviews lately.other than EDEN!

I watched the video review for as long as I could...but it was just boring. Did not learn much that could not be learned from Cruise Critic posts. We had a one and done Sky Suite experience on BEYOND last winter We..liked the larger room but not the bthrm layout or tub/ shower combo. Never used the larger balc. Our butler was "always there"...not in a good way. We liked the early boarding and disembark perks..Disliked Luminae..The Retreat and pool areas were ok..Glad we did not get hooked on suites.. We won't have dashed expectations on our upcoming X cruises.. We are already prepared abt the decline in quality of food! But hoping for enjoyable experiences.

OP Sorry you had such a bad cruise..and then Covid on top of that. The Infinity was once a beautiful up to date ship in its prime years....But it has been in constant decline for quite a while ..Should not be offered for cruising..maybe use for spare parts.

E Class has fairly ok basic gyms..so the classes are not needed.. They have enough to do some cardio and resistance ..just to keep up a bit while away. most of the lectures and demos at the gym and spa are all about selling..we avoid!

We will have our first hand experiences since the menu and food quality changes in January. Not big beef fans, never eat tilapia, but won't love watered down soups or food buried in sauces! We are not X cheerleaders but have enjoyed cruising with them for many years. Our cruises these days are down to one or 2 per year. Next up is AQ Class on Ascent (with specialty dining,) , Concierge Class on Silhouette, then Sv on APEX. if we book another line, probably it will Cunard , but not looking to adjust to something totally new for future cruising. .If X really disappoints, we may just stay home or go land based