Celebrity Infinity Panama Canal

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

My DW and I are considering a Panama Canal Cruise on the Infinity. We have always wanted to see the canal and the ports on the west coast of Central America and Mexico. But I'm hoping I can get some help on some questions and any thoughts about this itinerary.:)

 

We live very close to Fort Lauderdale and our preference would be to fly out and then return to Fort Lauderdale, but I'm wondering if there is any reason an east to west sailing would be better? I wouldn't think so, but you never know!

 

Also, any observations with regard to the ship itself would be greatly appreciated. Not exactly sure what cabin we would book, but most likely Aqua Class, so are some areas better than others? How about the west coast ports does anything stand out?

 

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts:)

Edited July 30, 2014 by Cruzin with BQ & CQ

[captdave]

What year are you planning, 2014 or 2015?

 

The wife and I are doing the 17 night out of San Fran on September 15, 2015 (Aqua A1).

 

Aqua Class A1 has 1 cabin left, A2 has 12 left.

 

For the $100 difference I would do A1.

 

CaptDave

[softail]

My DW and I are considering a Panama Canal Cruise on the Infinity. We have always wanted to see the canal and the ports on the west coast of Central America and Mexico. But I'm hoping I can get some help on some questions and any thoughts about this itinerary.:)

 

We live very close to Fort Lauderdale and our preference would be to fly out and then return to Fort Lauderdale, but I'm wondering if there is any reason an east to west sailing would be better? I wouldn't think so, but you never know!

 

Also, any observations with regard to the ship itself would be greatly appreciated. Not exactly sure what cabin we would book, but most likely Aqua Class, so are some areas better than others? How about the west coast ports does anything stand out?

 

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts:)

 

We did the Millennium from Miami to San Diego because we live on the west coast and wanted a short flight home at the end. So i can understand what you want to do. I myself cant see any reason why one way is better than another. But maybe someone will have an opinion on it. I myself like the port in Costa Rica for all the different excursions available. Enjoy tour cruise. Larry

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

What year are you planning, 2014 or 2015?

 

The wife and I are doing the 17 night out of San Fran on September 15, 2015 (Aqua A1).

 

Aqua Class A1 has 1 cabin left, A2 has 12 left.

 

For the $100 difference I would do A1.

 

CaptDave

 

thanks Capt Dave. No sooner than 15, but more than likely 16. Just doing some advanced planning which is half the fun!

[bighairtexan]

Going West you keep adding hours to your day while going east you have to turn your clocks forward. That's about the only thing I can think of that would make westbound more attractive.

[ozark74]

We did the Canal this spring and loved it. Would do it again in a heartbeat. The canal crossing was amazing. In Guatemala we did the ruins tour thru the ship. It was a very good tour. I would not do an independent tour there. There was a police car following us the whole time. Cabo and Puerto Vallarta we our favorite stops. The Infinity was in great shape. The most important thing is just having any balcony to watch the progress thru the canal. Getting off in San Diego was probably the easiest disembarkation that we have ever had. It was very fast.

[Rogueperson]

My DW and I are considering a Panama Canal Cruise on the Infinity. We have always wanted to see the canal and the ports on the west coast of Central America and Mexico. But I'm hoping I can get some help on some questions and any thoughts about this itinerary.:)

 

We live very close to Fort Lauderdale and our preference would be to fly out and then return to Fort Lauderdale, but I'm wondering if there is any reason an east to west sailing would be better? I wouldn't think so, but you never know!

 

Also, any observations with regard to the ship itself would be greatly appreciated. Not exactly sure what cabin we would book, but most likely Aqua Class, so are some areas better than others? How about the west coast ports does anything stand out?

 

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts:)

 

we're booked on the Eastbound run in November of 2015. I thought about losing 3 hours coming back, but on a 15 night cruise, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

The other issue obviously is that flying west would mean you would probably need to spend an extra day flying over, as getting back from the west coast can be done after you get off the ship. The 3 hours you gain on the ship, you'd have to pay back all at once, while going westbound, those three hours could help you get to the port on time. Personally, I get fairly stressed with air travel, but if i go the day before, I should have plenty of time to get to the ship on time.

[downsmead]

The April 2015 on the Infinity is a 17 day cruise starting in FLL and ending in San Francsico which, upon release, was offered with some competitive pricing. It has a good mixture of sea days and ports. It has some very good South America stops and also half day in Puerto Vallarta and an overnight stop in Cabo. Most other Panama canal trips are only 15 days I think.

[BillB48]

The direction of your Canal transit will not have any bearing on your enjoyment of the Canal. The pro and cons regarding what direction you select for your cruise are centered around transportation to the ship, your transportation options when the cruise is over, whether you prefer the time changes going west or east and any other personal preference. Having been through the Canal a number of times in both directions, either direction is equally rewarding.

 

Having said all that, I prefer the east bound cruise. Why? I live not too far from FLL, so it's a short drive home and I prefer to get the flying out of the way in the beginning. Sound familiar?:D

[michaelsop]

I'm also in the planning stages for a canal cruise. My thoughts are I want to do the west bound because of gaining time going west and also less air travel time going west to east.

 

I thought I read somewhere on CC that Celebrity may have a bigger ship crossing in May of 2016(new locks?), has anyone else heard that?

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

Having said all that, I prefer the east bound cruise. Why? I live not too far from FLL, so it's a short drive home and I prefer to get the flying out of the way in the beginning. Sound familiar?:D

 

Without a doubt!:D I feel so blessed to have such great access here in FL to all the cruise options. I agree that getting the flying out of the way on the front end is very nice. Thanks again!

[teecee60]

My DW and I are considering a Panama Canal Cruise on the Infinity. We have always wanted to see the canal and the ports on the west coast of Central America and Mexico. But I'm hoping I can get some help on some questions and any thoughts about this itinerary.:)

 

We live very close to Fort Lauderdale and our preference would be to fly out and then return to Fort Lauderdale, but I'm wondering if there is any reason an east to west sailing would be better? I wouldn't think so, but you never know!

 

Also, any observations with regard to the ship itself would be greatly appreciated. Not exactly sure what cabin we would book, but most likely Aqua Class, so are some areas better than others? How about the west coast ports does anything stand out?

 

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts:)

 

I did a 14 night eastbound Panama Canal trip on Infinity 3 years ago as my FIRST cruise on Celebrity. Loved it so much I am now an X addict. :D

 

Infinity was GREAT, and has been Solsticized/upgraded since then. Hope you enjoy the ship, and the INCREDIBLE experience of the Canal as much as I did.

 

I would never want to be on a balcony during the Canal transit. You will miss more than half of the view. Get up on deck and roam for the whole day with unlimited views in all directions. Bring sunscreen!

 

I agree with you that flying out, with debarkation at home, is better than having to fly back after the cruise. Time zone changes are a non issue for me, but YMMV. Whatever you decide ENJOY! ;)

Edited July 30, 2014 by teecee60

[fleckle]

Some people who live in either Florida or California like to do the round trip B2B in order to avoid needing to fly one way.

 

That seems like a good way to do it, if you can spare the time and money, even if it means taking a low priced guarantee cabin one way.

 

One year we tacked on a one-way westbound Panama Canal cruise in front of a cruise from California to Hawaii, and that was a great way to do it too.

 

The reverse would work well for someone living on the west coast, taking an eastbound Panama Canal cruise before a transatlantic or Caribbean cruise.

 

Then there are those wonderful Infinity South American repositioning cruises that include the Panama Canal.

Unfortunately, it looks like the prices for those have sky rocketed since we did it about 7 years ago.

 

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

I so appreciate all your responses! Thanks so much. I have a little goofy thing about wanting to sail on Infinity, and it kind of weird, but I want to dine in the SS United States dining room. Why is that? I had my first birthday on the actual SS United States in July 1953. I so much want to see the artifacts, and some how connect with my past. Weird I guess, but I'm thinking it will be fun!

 

I also want to see the canal of course!:D

[BSinPNS]

At least for the baggage. It's nice not to have to ensure bags under 50 at the end of the cruise. If the ship is leaving from San Diego, there are hotels across the street from the port and San Diego is a great town to visit. Have Fun.

[cl.klink]

Our first cruise was Infinity through the canal, leaving FLL and going to Chile. It was a great cruise on a great ship. I liked going through the canal east to west (actually it's north to south at that curved point of the isthmus) because the history of how the canal was built unfolds chronologically in that direction. The French unsuccessfully started in the Carribean side, and their failed attempt can still be seen as you approach the version of the canal that the Americans later built. Daming the Chagras river created Gatun Lake, then the largest man made lake in the world. The lake then allowed ships to cross most of th isthmus. They just had to add locks to get ships up there. The gravity of the lake water coming out was the only energy needed to raise the ships. This concept is easier to think through as you approach from the Carribean side, enter e locks, and immediately arrive in Gatun lake. Later, as you approach the Pacific side, the challenge was removing the mountains in that region, which was a huge undertaking but more brute force than clever ingenuity, it felt to me. Truly one of the great achievements of our species, given what was and wasn't known when they started, and given the clever ideas they had to come up with to make the canal happen. It's still one of the highlights of my life that we sailed through this (family events still better, but not much else).

 

Any of the M class Celebrity ships are a nice way to cross through the canal. Sleek and beautiful and classy.

 

Go and have a great trip, any direction you like. (But go east to west!).

 

- Joel

[Nanatravel]

We just enjoyed the Infinity and the West to Eastbound itinerary in April from San Diego. Pre-stay was at the Best Western Plus which included a great breakfast buffet near the port. We have done the full canal transit from East to West (Acapulco) and I wanted to try it again as we loved it so much. I have a dear friend living in San Diego, so it gave us a pre-cruise opportunity to visit and catch up. Flying Southwest (free luggage) was fairly easy from Charleston to San Diego and FLL home to SC. As you live in FL, your air cost would only be one way. It was a nuisance changing your clocks so many times, but it really did not effect our trip.

 

The itinerary only gave us 2 new ports of call, but I arranged different private tours in all locations accept Puerto Quezal. We were there on Easter Sunday, so booked the ships bus transfer to avoid the often mentioned traffic jam issues (we had no issues) and hired a local walking guide ($10 per person). For Cartagena, Colombia, absolutely try to get Dora the Explorer. Wonderful woman, historian, local guide at a very fair price; she really kept the group moving not wasting lots of time on shopping but giving ample time to shop. Hope that makes sense. If you have not been to Panama, I would do a ship's tour at Colon. That was the one port of call where there was limited private tour guides. The one I hired although a good guide/historian, was not a good vendor overall. I was very upset about not getting back to the ship in time and it was his fault! We did make it, however.

 

If you have any particular questions about the ship or ports of call, please don't hesitate to email me at screen name at sc coast dot net.

[Turtles06]

I so appreciate all your responses! Thanks so much. I have a little goofy thing about wanting to sail on Infinity, and it kind of weird, but I want to dine in the SS United States dining room. Why is that? I had my first birthday on the actual SS United States in July 1953. I so much want to see the artifacts, and some how connect with my past. Weird I guess, but I'm thinking it will be fun!

 

I also want to see the canal of course!:D

 

We were on the Infinity TA last fall, and very much enjoyed the dinner we had in the SS United States. Lovely setting, excellent food, and impeccable service.

 

Hoping to do a Canal cruise one day, possibly combined with one of the around the Horn sailings, but that's for after retirement. :)

 

Have a great trip, whichever way you decide to go!

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[alcpa1]

We were on the Infinity from Valparaiso, Chile through the Canal to FLL last year in an A1 Aqua class cabin, deck 11 aft. Fantastic balcony to view the sites and listen to the almost silent mules escorting the ship through the locks....mesmerizing.

Don't wait for possibility of one of the larger ships in '16. The new, larger canal may not be finished by then. It is way behind schedule for a lot of reasons. Just the scope of the project is daunting.

I don't know which ship is doing this next spring but if it's the Infinity you will have a great time. And the itinerary is much more compelling than the Mexican and Caribbean ports.

Our only regret is not booking a b2b starting in Argentina.

[Turtles06]

I so appreciate all your responses! Thanks so much. I have a little goofy thing about wanting to sail on Infinity, and it kind of weird, but I want to dine in the SS United States dining room. Why is that? I had my first birthday on the actual SS United States in July 1953. I so much want to see the artifacts, and some how connect with my past. Weird I guess, but I'm thinking it will be fun!

 

I also want to see the canal of course!:D

 

Ironic timing; this is in today's paper:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crumbling-ghost-ship-ss-united-states-fights-to-return-from-the-brink-of-the-grave/2014/07/30/c8a25464-181a-11e4-9349-84d4a85be981_story.html?hpid=z6

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

We were on the Infinity from Valparaiso, Chile through the Canal to FLL last year in an A1 Aqua class cabin, deck 11 aft. Fantastic balcony to view the sites and listen to the almost silent mules escorting the ship through the locks....mesmerizing.

Don't wait for possibility of one of the larger ships in '16. The new, larger canal may not be finished by then. It is way behind schedule for a lot of reasons. Just the scope of the project is daunting.

I don't know which ship is doing this next spring but if it's the Infinity you will have a great time. And the itinerary is much more compelling than the Mexican and Caribbean ports.

Our only regret is not booking a b2b starting in Argentina.

 

Hey Thank you! This certainly does give me something to think about beyond jus a California back to Florida itinerary.

[Photo_Traveler]

You will love the cruise! Be sure to Look up Dora the Explorer on Trip advisor for a quick concise tour of Cartagena.

 

Also, please read the Infinity reviews for March and April. We enjoyed the ship and the wonderful itinerary. However, there were issues. Please read my review and the Swansforever review for two different viewpoints.

 

As a Photographer, it really doesn't matter that much which direction you go through the canal. The canal goes North to South or South to North. We liked starting at Panama City.

 

We had lots of issues about food. But, our complaints were based on luck. We had select dining. If you find the right pair of servers, all is usually OK.

 

The twelve day Noro-virus lockdown was a huge problem. Lines were created. One could not enter a shop without at least one squirt of Purell. On the good side, the spread was contained (even though the sick passengers would not self identify).

 

Enjoy!

Mike

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[LF2C]

I'm so jealous! all this talk of west to east or east to west and a few hours forward or back. We're doing the Infinity Panama (FL to SD) this coming November and living in England we will have a 5 hour time difference to start which will be 8 hours by the time we arrive in SD.........don't even want to think about the flight back to UK from SD, but at least it's direct! :D

We're doing it this year because it's the 100th anniversary.

[SC_Floaters]

Sue & I did the California to Florida, 15 Day, Panama Canal on the Infinity last November.

 

We had a really great time, I would do it again.

 

The California to Florida had a really nice itinerary.

 

We met a nice couple and they have a blog at:

 

http://cruisethesea.blogspot.com/2013/12/infinity-112213.html

 

And a Picasa Photo Site at

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Infinity112213?authkey=Gv1sRgCKvo38qa6NrRvwE#

 

Sue & I are in Photo # 320...

 

[Cruzin with BQ & CQ]

Sue & I did the California to Florida, 15 Day, Panama Canal on the Infinity last November.

 

We had a really great time, I would do it again.

 

The California to Florida had a really nice itinerary.

 

We met a nice couple and they have a blog at:

 

http://cruisethesea.blogspot.com/2013/12/infinity-112213.html

 

And a Picasa Photo Site at

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Infinity112213?authkey=Gv1sRgCKvo38qa6NrRvwE#

 

Sue & I are in Photo # 320...

 

 

The photos are great. We soooo much want to do this cruise. It will be our first of many adventures when we retire in a couple years! Thanks again:D