Is the Infinity as bad as they say?

[marienbad]

Recent member reviews of the Infinity have been bad to mediocre. Apparently the recent trip from Chile to Miami was a disaster with Noro virus and upper respiratory infectins, but beyond that the ship's maintenance is said to be poor, the food not very good and the staff not helpful. We are considerinng a future cruise on the ship and wonder if others have opinions on the ship and whether Celebrity might address some of these issues.

[lucinjo]

Not really sure what you are talking about. The last 5 reviews were 1 - 5+ stars, 1 -5 star, 2 - 4 star and 1- 1star. I would say that that shows reviews from terrible to fabulous. The 5+ and the 1 were on the same cruise! It was a "code red" sailing, so staff is stretched thin, since all food needs to be served by staff and additional cleaning is done to minimize the spread of infection. I am guessing that the one star reviewer came down with Noro (he talks about being sick) and that the review reflects that.

The "M" class ships are older but well cared for. If you hunt you will find rust, worn varnish and permanent stains on most ships at sea, but Celebrity does a good job of on-going maintenance as well as daily cleaning. I wouldn't have any fears about sailing her.

[marienbad]

Actually friends of ours were on that cruise and had a terrible time. Yes they got a severe upper respiratory infection, but said the food, entertainment and staff were way below what they had come to expect from Celebrity. It is true that this was a code red sailing. That's why I was soliciting other peoples opinions about the ship.

[gkm]

My DH and I were on that cruise as well as the two before it and thought the Infinity was in great shape. We had some of the best food we've had in a long time on Celebrity ships and have even commented how much it has improved. We both had the norovirus on the 1st leg and were well cared for by our cabin steward and the infirmary. We even got a refund for our 24 hour quarantine.

 

We had the best Cruise Director we've ever had on Celebrity ships. Alejandro sails mainly on the South America cruises and was a delight, very personable and visible to all.

 

The staff was friendly and the ship was in good shape. I would definitely recommend a South America cruise. We did like the Buenos Aires to Valparaiso cruise better than we did the Valparaiso to Miami cruise. I liked the ports and scenery better, and sailing around the Horn and through the Beagle Channel is a lot of fun. This is just my personal opinion. I'm not a hot weather fan, and since we crossed the equator, many of the stops were quite warm, and the ports on the western side of South America are very arid.

 

Tell your friend to go ahead and book. It's a great cruise.

 

Garry

 

[marienbad]

Thanks, GKM. Very helpful.

[bphman]

Don't go by reports of rust on the ship. We were on the Equinox inaugural and we saw rust. It is the nature of sailing on the seas. Salt water and metal don't mix. Although I have not been on the Infinity yet (sailing on June 23rd) but did sail the Summit last summer and I can only tell you that each cruise can be different. If crew members are near the end of their contract they may have a little burnout. Food varies because of the use of provisions from different ship's chandlers in different locations. We sailed on the Carnival Liberty in the Med and had such a great time that we sailed her again a few months later and it was a completely different experience. We had the same wait staff by request and cabin steward by chance so we expected the same level of service but it wasn't.

 

She is 13 years old and may lack the glitz and glamour of a brand new ship but that does not make it an old ship. Celebrity is the one line that constantly maintains their fleet and retires their ships earlier than the others. They then go on to other operators for many years of service. By the way, we enjoyed the "old" Summit more than the brand new Equinox. If you anticipate problems, you will find them.

[shipshape sam]

It is interesting how the potential for a ship to go from excellent to bad can happen at such a fast pace, depending on the criteria.

 

For us, the Infinity has always been a great ship to cruise on and we have sailed on her 3 times in 06,09,10. In 06 it was the first sailing after a dry dock.

 

We were on Freedom of the Seas 6 months after her launch, I think in 05, and saw rust on railings, so it is a constant battle to maintain ships while sailing them week after week.

 

I would be careful in assuming the 'sky is falling' conditions on any ship as permanent and the way it is going to be. Ships and their issues have to be fixed or passengers will not continue to sail on them and when the public turns negative, it is like a large ship making a 180 degree turn, it would take a long time for cruise line to gain back confidence in my opinion.

 

I think we were on Infinity 2010 and the Thalassotherapy pool had jets working on only one side. We read about this months prior to our sailing and on our sailing, it still was not fixed, so I can assume some things that do break/wear down are fixed as quick as we might like them and not knowing the reason for the delay does not help the image.

 

I would book Infinity and sail on her again, especially to Antarctica again.

Edited April 10, 2014 by shipshape sam

[4774Papa]

We have done four cruises on Infinity, with some of the best ever cruises.

[stanjj111]

Recent member reviews of the Infinity have been bad to mediocre. Apparently the recent trip from Chile to Miami was a disaster with Noro virus and upper respiratory infectins, but beyond that the ship's maintenance is said to be poor, the food not very good and the staff not helpful. We are considerinng a future cruise on the ship and wonder if others have opinions on the ship and whether Celebrity might address some of these issues.

 

We were on this cruise and IMHO the Infinity experience needs improvement. Food is subjective so I can only compare with other X cruises. In Dec on the Connie we good food and service. The trip was excellent.

 

On this recent trip:

 

We thought that the food was marginal.

Entertainment as expected. Some excellent, some just good.

Room service was poor.

We had a sewage odor in our room. After Columbia the seas were very rough and the room became dangerous. The housekeeping supervisor was excellent and moved us to another room at 11PM. I was quite sick for 1 1/2 days.

 

We have generally had excellent times on X. We know friends (88 cruises) who traveled on the Infinity in Nov. and they said they had issues with the ship.

 

However, sometimes s__t happens. These things can occur on other ship and other lines.

 

Bottom line is that this board is used to express personal opinions. Read them and make a decision based on your requirements and expectations.

[Biker19]

Everything is relative and a snap shot of a moment in time. On its worst day, I think most folks would rather be on the Infinity than on the Costa Concordia. :cool:

[jd1966]

We spent 21 straight days on the Infinity and would sail on her anytime!!

[ghstudio]

we were on the infinity last fall TA, then again in Feb on the second Antarctica cruise and found the ship in very good condition. I kept a live from the infinity blog here...you can search for it. We've just booked the infinity for this fall's TA.

 

Everyone has their own perception of a ship...and the crew/staff have different personalities on different cruises as well. The captain we had on the TA was incredibly visible and his staff captain was always around. Not so on the Antarctica cruise...different captain...different feeling. Food was just as good (or bad) as it's been...we were in Blu and found the food quite a bit better (less salty and hotter) than on the millenium last spring in Asia.

 

The crew will change again before you get on the ship. Norovirus comes and goes. The infinity is a very nice ship in good condition. I don't think you have anything to worry or be concerned about.

[jsf]

Recent member reviews of the Infinity have been bad to mediocre. Apparently the recent trip from Chile to Miami was a disaster with Noro virus and upper respiratory infectins, but beyond that the ship's maintenance is said to be poor, the food not very good and the staff not helpful. We are considerinng a future cruise on the ship and wonder if others have opinions on the ship and whether Celebrity might address some of these issues.

 

If it's on the internet it must be true .... LOL

[marienbad]

If it's on the internet it must be true .... LOL

 

Including everything on cruisecritic.

[CSGuy44]

My wife and I, along with five other couples, were on that cruise. We could not have been happier with the ship, the crew, and the food. Yes, there was Noro for the last week or so. It happens. The crew did a great job in keeping the ship clean, and while at times this caused what appeared to be lack of service and confusion in Oceanview, it was a minor inconvenience. A first world problem really. We would not hesitate to sail on Infinity again!

[marienbad]

My wife and I, along with five other couples, were on that cruise. We could not have been happier with the ship, the crew, and the food. Yes, there was Noro for the last week or so. It happens. The crew did a great job in keeping the ship clean, and while at times this caused what appeared to be lack of service and confusion in Oceanview, it was a minor inconvenience. A first world problem really. We would not hesitate to sail on Infinity again!

 

Thanks. That's very encouraging.

[Nanatravel]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their opinions. Norovirus is no fun at all; for passengers or crew. Let's hope she is a "Well" ship when we board her on Monday.

 

Left the Connie sick in February, but in no way do I blame the ship. On the 5 night cruise food was also subjective; no lobster or scallops, but escargot and chilled shrimp were served nightly. I never left the table hungry.

[marienbad]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their opinions. Norovirus is no fun at all; for passengers or crew. Let's hope she is a "Well" ship when we board her on Monday.

 

Left the Connie sick in February, but in no way do I blame the ship. On the 5 night cruise food was also subjective; no lobster or scallops, but escargot and chilled shrimp were served nightly. I never left the table hungry.

 

Do share your observations when you return. Bon voyage!

[cormike1]

We were on the Infinity for the March B2B sailing and loved it! Having only Princess to compare it to, it is a lovely ship, and a lovely cruise line to sail with. The crew had to work exceptionally hard the last 9 days or so but I still found them friendly and always ready to help if you needed it. It was a zoo, I found, at the buffet at prime time for breakfast and lunch but I will say I found the buffet layout was the problem from my point of view. Once code red hit then that slowed everything down but you are on vacation so who cares...they were trying to keep you healthy! Food is subjective but we never left a table hungry and could always find something we liked. The entertainment was really quite good, with lots of variety so you were able to find something to enjoy. I loved all the little nooks and crannies with comfortable chairs and couches you could curl up in and look at the scenery passing you by or read or just sit and enjoy your time. A bit of rust...who cares....if that is spoiling your cruise you need to back off and start staying at home lol. You are too damn picky I would say....but that is just my opinion haha. Take everything you read with a grain of salt and go and enjoy your vacation. You are lucky you can afford to cruise....just look at your room steward, waiter, etc. the next time you go to complain.

[hihilo]

We were on the Infinity from DEC 7, 2013 >> Jan 5, 2014,

departing from FLL, thru the Panama Canal--- down the west side of S America, around Cape Horn, ending in B Aires. It was an excellent

adventure, wonderful ship with a gracious and helpful crew, & we had no

complaints. ~~~ we thankfully had no CodeRed~~~

I would sail on her, again, in a heart-beat.

[Floyd and elayne]

We did the Transatlantic this past Fall, and thought the ship was great. Food, staff, entertainment couldn't have been better...sailing on her again in August , doing the British Isles...

Some people while cruising, will look for reasons to complain. It's a vacation, just enjoy !!!!

[cruisehome]

we are planning on sailing in October 2014

 

I was thinking of cancelling too because of the reviews but I guess I will stay with this ship

 

thanks

[tailspintom]

I am booked on the next Panama Canal cruise on this ship. Like many of the posters, I follow the reviews on Cruise Critic. I have read those recent reviews and was reminded of our recent experience on the initial trans-Atlantic sailing of the Royal Princess. We read that the ship was somehow deficient because there was no central staircase, the food was poor, the cabins too small and the balconies tiny. Well, it was a fine time on a fine ship. After reading some of the reviews of the crossing, I wondered if I was on the same cruise.

At any rate, I typically throw out the very poor review if it is the exception. I likewise give a smaller weight to the newer, first time cruiser. Not because it is not valuable, but rather because there may not be the ability to compare the experience against an valid expectation.

While we have been disappointed at times, for the most part we have found that our attitude will determine whether or not we enjoy our travels. Expect that something, somewhere, will go wrong. The measure of good performance will be the reaction to righting the wrong.

[AppleApple]

Recent member reviews of the Infinity have been bad to mediocre. Apparently the recent trip from Chile to Miami was a disaster with Noro virus and upper respiratory infectins, but beyond that the ship's maintenance is said to be poor, the food not very good and the staff not helpful. We are considerinng a future cruise on the ship and wonder if others have opinions on the ship and whether Celebrity might address some of these issues.

 

Hi

 

I asked myself the same question. Having just booked a 2 wk cruise on the Infinity I came across these bad reviews and was rather upset but then I thought about it. Some people will always complain because they have a tongue! This one review from a bloke made the Brixton prison more appealing than the cabin on Infinity. I think not. Another complained no laundry service. I have yet to work out why people need to do laundry on vacation. Hello, you can buy and bring enough underwears and outerwares for 14-21 days. The mind boggles.

So let's wait and see. I am going on 30th May regardless. Will be back to update.

[gkm]

For some reason, there was a big turnover in staff when we got to Valparaiso, with a lot of them going on vacation. From what I heard, this also happened in the laundry and I don't know if they were short-handed, or the new staff didn't know procedure. We had been on the previous two legs and had never had any problems, but we put some laundry in a couple of days into this leg of our cruise and had problems getting the correct clothes back. Our poor cabin steward was walking around with stray clothes on hangers asking if any of it was ours. They had things straightened out the second week of the cruise.

 

Garry