Celebrity Infinity - Panama Canal April / May 2017

[BritinSoCal]

First up, we usually sail Princess (now Elite) - primarily 'cos - well, our first cruise was an Alaska Inside Passage and since then I guess we just have. I'm not sure whether we're typical Princess Cruisers or not :confused: although we apparently hit their age demographic (late 40's - mid 50's). Then again we'd rather consider ourselves as ageing punks growing old gracelessly :D

 

A Panama Canal full transit is on our bucket-list but due to work commitments we're forced to look at a April / May time frame and at first glance Celebrity Infinity (either East-West or vice-versa) fits the bill.

 

Reviews of both ship and cruise here are a bit of curate's egg tbh (guess it's all about personal opinions!) so thought I'd ask the questions here both about the cruise itinerary and ship, and any thoughts on Celebrity vs. Princess (not to bothered about cabins - we're more sleep, shower and... people), more interested in thoughts about restaurants, buffet, entertainment.

[Subman738]

I don't have any answers based upon personal experience but my brother does a lot of cruise and Celebrity is his favorite line. Also several co-workers like Celebrity. I have booked this Panama Canal trip since it has been one of my mothers bucket list items and mine I will admit. Hopefully we can meet up for a drink.

[shipshape sam]

We did a partial transit on Island Princess (entered via Gatun locks and once in Gatun Lake, turned around and later that afternoon came back out to Caribbean via Gatun locks) and have done 2 full transits of Panama Canal on Celebrity Infinity, both starting in FL and ending in San Francisco, CA.

 

Both ships were great ships to sail. We enjoyed all 3 cruises and ate in MDR. Entertainment is changing all the time, so what we had onboard will be different as to what is offered IMHO. Live music, in general, less available whether by less time, less members in a group, less groups.

 

Our food was great in MDR of both ships and also in speciality restaurants. We liked Celebrity's speciality restaurant better as it was more relaxed and quiet to us.

 

As to age, I would guess Celebrity is a little older, but considering the itinerary and most are 10-15 days, I would think Princess would have an older passenger profile for that sailing too.

[BonPecheur]

We are taking this same cruise in April 2008 ! I hope you will post some reviews of your trip ! have you made any excursion plans yet ?

[TeeRick]

First up, we usually sail Princess (now Elite) - primarily 'cos - well, our first cruise was an Alaska Inside Passage and since then I guess we just have. I'm not sure whether we're typical Princess Cruisers or not :confused: although we apparently hit their age demographic (late 40's - mid 50's). Then again we'd rather consider ourselves as ageing punks growing old gracelessly :D

 

A Panama Canal full transit is on our bucket-list but due to work commitments we're forced to look at a April / May time frame and at first glance Celebrity Infinity (either East-West or vice-versa) fits the bill.

 

Reviews of both ship and cruise here are a bit of curate's egg tbh (guess it's all about personal opinions!) so thought I'd ask the questions here both about the cruise itinerary and ship, and any thoughts on Celebrity vs. Princess (not to bothered about cabins - we're more sleep, shower and... people), more interested in thoughts about restaurants, buffet, entertainment.

 

We took the 16 day Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity late April/early May of this year. Miami to San Diego. It was an extraordinary cruise and great experience overall. Celebrity service, food, and the ship overall were excellent. The lectures every day were very good and the day you cruise the canal locks and through Lake Gatun is narrated by an expert. New locks open now. Most of the ports are very hot and extremely humid this time of year as it is the start of rainy season in May. If you prefer it a bit cooler or a bit less humid you might go earlier in the season.

[BonPecheur]

We took the 16 day Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity late April/early May of this year. Miami to San Diego. It was an extraordinary cruise and great experience overall. Celebrity service, food, and the ship overall were excellent. The lectures every day were very good and the day you cruise the canal locks and through Lake Gatun is narrated by an expert. New locks open now. Most of the ports are very hot and extremely humid this time of year as it is the start of rainy season in May. If you prefer it a bit cooler or a bit less humid you might go earlier in the season.

 

If you don't mind me asking, how was the room you stayed in ? We are in 1140 and have heard both great and not so great reviews (noise from theater etc.)

[shipshape sam]

We took the 16 day Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity late April/early May of this year. Miami to San Diego. It was an extraordinary cruise and great experience overall. Celebrity service, food, and the ship overall were excellent. The lectures every day were very good and the day you cruise the canal locks and through Lake Gatun is narrated by an expert. New locks open now. Most of the ports are very hot and extremely humid this time of year as it is the start of rainy season in May. If you prefer it a bit cooler or a bit less humid you might go earlier in the season.

 

Did you go through the new locks since Infinity is able to go through the old/current locks?

 

I am ready to do another Panama canal cruise. I love the heat! T-shirts/shorts/flip-flops/baseball hat and a beer in hand! I am dressed for the day. :)

[hcat]

We were just on Infinity to ABC Islands...ship is in good shape and no glaring issues. Our cabin attendant in AQ was excellent..and ship seemed fairly clean overall. Blu was disappointing...slow service...uninspired meals. Enjoyed Tuscan, Q sine and even the MDR and buffet. Room service was a disaster!

 

Plenty of live music and things to do on board...

 

They are now keeping the solarium pool at 105 deg..same as hot tubs which made it less appealing for a swim..and fewer lounge chairs there now..replaced by new loungers and more tables...used as a card room by many.

 

The gym was good and we enjoyed the Persian Gardens..I also enjoyed the spa...get all deals and pricing in writing!

 

We are booked again for a Pacific Coastal.....after that heading back to Silhouette...Enjoy your cruise! Canal is a great itin...book excursions early!

[Rogueperson]

I was on the opposite itinerary last year, San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. 15 nights.

 

First and foremost, I don't know your demographic, but we felt the cruise aged us out a little. At early 40s, we felt young on this ship, but granted, it is a much longer cruise. It felt like the average age was 60+, with a smattering of younger people. We were on our honeymoon, so this was expected and we weren't looking to party. But I have to say, the population on this ship left us in the dust. I only wish I'm that active at that age.

 

Food on Celebrity takes more chances, in my opinion. There are some hits, and some misses. The hits are generally good, but unfortunately, the misses were spectacular too. Even with those hiccups, they edged out ahead still, but not as much as they used to. A giant hit, especially if you drink wine, your own sommelier at dinner. That was amazing.

 

I'm not sure if its all cruises, Celebrity, or because it was a longer cruise than normal for me, but I started seeing a pattern in Celebrities' activities. It felt a little too structured for my taste. Every day, they would have similar activities at the same time. Show time, lectures, activities, they were all in the same time frame.

 

Ports. You get to stop at a couple places on the west coast that you would not be able to on a shorter cruise. West coast of Guatamala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua are great stops. The Volcano tour in Costa Rica was hit or miss. Apparently, clouds can come in and cause a total whiteout. I have to admit, the whiteout by itself was pretty impressive. Gives new definition to head in the clouds.

 

all in all, as much as I loved this itinerary and cruise, I will probably not go on it again, and if i do, it wont' be for another 20 years or so.

[BonPecheur]

I was on the opposite itinerary last year, San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. 15 nights.

 

First and foremost, I don't know your demographic, but we felt the cruise aged us out a little. At early 40s, we felt young on this ship, but granted, it is a much longer cruise. It felt like the average age was 60+, with a smattering of younger people. We were on our honeymoon, so this was expected and we weren't looking to party. But I have to say, the population on this ship left us in the dust. I only wish I'm that active at that age.

 

Food on Celebrity takes more chances, in my opinion. There are some hits, and some misses. The hits are generally good, but unfortunately, the misses were spectacular too. Even with those hiccups, they edged out ahead still, but not as much as they used to. A giant hit, especially if you drink wine, your own sommelier at dinner. That was amazing.

 

I'm not sure if its all cruises, Celebrity, or because it was a longer cruise than normal for me, but I started seeing a pattern in Celebrities' activities. It felt a little too structured for my taste. Every day, they would have similar activities at the same time. Show time, lectures, activities, they were all in the same time frame.

 

Ports. You get to stop at a couple places on the west coast that you would not be able to on a shorter cruise. West coast of Guatamala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua are great stops. The Volcano tour in Costa Rica was hit or miss. Apparently, clouds can come in and cause a total whiteout. I have to admit, the whiteout by itself was pretty impressive. Gives new definition to head in the clouds.

 

all in all, as much as I loved this itinerary and cruise, I will probably not go on it again, and if i do, it wont' be for another 20 years or so.

 

We are in between those ages, so looks like we will fit in :) What room were you in ? We are in 1140 and have heard mixed reviews in regards to noise level from the Theater

[Turtles06]

Did you go through the new locks since Infinity is able to go through the old/current locks?

 

 

It costs a lot of money for a ship to go through the Canal, and even more via the new locks. I think we'll see that the ships that can fit in the old locks (the Panamax ships) will continue to go through them.

 

We're on a Canal transit in a few months; I can't wait!

[LWRcruisers]

We are in between those ages, so looks like we will fit in :) What room were you in ? We are in 1140 and have heard mixed reviews in regards to noise level from the Theater

 

 

 

1140 is an excellent cabin. It's an aft facing aqua cabin, and has a larger balcony. You might have noise from the movies shown on deck 12. This would not be a problem for me, but it's all personal choice. I would be thrilled with 1140. The movies might be a problem if you go to bed early.

[shipshape sam]

It costs a lot of money for a ship to go through the Canal, and even more via the new locks. I think we'll see that the ships that can fit in the old locks (the Panamax ships) will continue to go through them.

 

We're on a Canal transit in a few months; I can't wait!

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

 

Guess it makes sense to charge more for the new locks that allow larger ships to transit the canal. Was thinking it would be nice to transit via the new locks. I still love the Panama Canal itinerary and hope to do again in a couple of years.

 

If you have never done Panama Canal, make sure to view the locks from lots of vantage points. One of our favorites was when we were coming in and being on a low level looking up. Mid level and being able to touch the canal walls was interesting too.

[TeeRick]

Did you go through the new locks since Infinity is able to go through the old/current locks?

 

I am ready to do another Panama canal cruise. I love the heat! T-shirts/shorts/flip-flops/baseball hat and a beer in hand! I am dressed for the day. :)

 

New locks opened a month after our cruise. We did see them and our tour included a visit to their new visitor center. I think in general there is a long wait for ships to go through the new locks and also more cost. Most cruise ships the size of Infinity barely fit in the old locks but they will likely continue with them - just guessing though.

[TeeRick]

I was on the opposite itinerary last year, San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. 15 nights.

 

First and foremost, I don't know your demographic, but we felt the cruise aged us out a little. At early 40s, we felt young on this ship, but granted, it is a much longer cruise. It felt like the average age was 60+, with a smattering of younger people. We were on our honeymoon, so this was expected and we weren't looking to party. But I have to say, the population on this ship left us in the dust. I only wish I'm that active at that age.

 

Food on Celebrity takes more chances, in my opinion. There are some hits, and some misses. The hits are generally good, but unfortunately, the misses were spectacular too. Even with those hiccups, they edged out ahead still, but not as much as they used to. A giant hit, especially if you drink wine, your own sommelier at dinner. That was amazing.

 

I'm not sure if its all cruises, Celebrity, or because it was a longer cruise than normal for me, but I started seeing a pattern in Celebrities' activities. It felt a little too structured for my taste. Every day, they would have similar activities at the same time. Show time, lectures, activities, they were all in the same time frame.

 

Ports. You get to stop at a couple places on the west coast that you would not be able to on a shorter cruise. West coast of Guatamala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua are great stops. The Volcano tour in Costa Rica was hit or miss. Apparently, clouds can come in and cause a total whiteout. I have to admit, the whiteout by itself was pretty impressive. Gives new definition to head in the clouds.

 

all in all, as much as I loved this itinerary and cruise, I will probably not go on it again, and if i do, it wont' be for another 20 years or so.

 

Agree that the longer Celebrity itineraries like Panama Canal are more geared to retirees - there were not any school-age children on our cruise but there were some young to middle age adults- but the majority was older folks. The daily activities are fixed for most cruises - I think people do like some structure and routine. We enjoyed the food (mostly dined in Luminae) and the entertainment changed every one of the 15 nights and was quite good. Enjoyed the lectures as well. The central and S. American ports were actually fairly dirty with a lot of garbage everywhere but looking past this the areas were in general very interesting - agree that the Pacific coast of central America is quite beautiful.

[Rob the Cruiser]

If you don't mind me asking, how was the room you stayed in ? We are in 1140 and have heard both great and not so great reviews (noise from theater etc.)

 

We stayed in 1141 on Panama Canal/South America itineraries. We would take 1138, 1140 or 1141 without hesitation. Yes, there is noise from the theater but noise from Oceanview Bar and the churning of the ocean is just as loud. (While sitting on balcony. No noise when inside with slider shut.)

[Turtles06]

Hope you have a great cruise! ...

 

If you have never done Panama Canal, make sure to view the locks from lots of vantage points. One of our favorites was when we were coming in and being on a low level looking up. Mid level and being able to touch the canal walls was interesting too.

 

Thanks, and thanks for those tips. I was already planning to be moving around for the different perspectives, and will now make an additional note to make sure to be on a lower deck for one of the three Gatun lock chambers. (We are going N-S, so those will be the locks where our ship will be raised up.)

 

Thanks again!

[shipshape sam]

Thanks, and thanks for those tips. I was already planning to be moving around for the different perspectives, and will now make an additional note to make sure to be on a lower deck for one of the three Gatun lock chambers. (We are going N-S, so those will be the locks where our ship will be raised up.)

 

Thanks again!

 

It is confusing in that we think east and west, but at the canal, you are traveling either north or south. From Caribbean (Gatun Locks), you would be sailing North to South and from Pacific, sailing South to North.

 

Easy way to remember is that Gatun Lake is about 80 feet higher that Pacific Ocean and Caribbean, thus to get into Gatun Lake or river, you have to rise about 27 feet with each lock. Likewise, when you are leaving the Lake you have to drop down 80 feet via the 3 locks.

 

Not sure the configuration of the new locks. Older locks had 3 together on the Caribbean side. On Pacific side there are 2 locks together and then 1 lock by itself as I remember. Last Panama Canal cruise was 2009.

 

Hope you have a great cruise and create a lot of memories. Our 2009 sailing we were 2 days into cruise and were told H1N1 virus would prevent us from visiting the 3 Mexican ports of call. It was a big disappointment, but then we had 3 interesting additions.

Edited November 19, 2016 by shipshape sam

[BritinSoCal]

Thanks everyone for feedback and comments.

 

April / May will most likely be hot and sticky, but it's then or wait 'till we retire (might be closer to the average cruise passenger age though!) - having said that I've spent a lot of time in Singapore without too many problems and as has been mentioned, shorts, T-shirt, floppy hat (or cap) and an ice-cold beer would appear to be the way to go!

 

In addition, Celebrity seems much cheaper than Princess for this itinerary - there's probably a reason(!) alongside the old adage you get what you pay for - but the savings can go towards another vacation!

[shipshape sam]

Thanks everyone for feedback and comments.

 

April / May will most likely be hot and sticky, but it's then or wait 'till we retire (might be closer to the average cruise passenger age though!) - having said that I've spent a lot of time in Singapore without too many problems and as has been mentioned, shorts, T-shirt, floppy hat (or cap) and an ice-cold beer would appear to be the way to go!

 

In addition, Celebrity seems much cheaper than Princess for this itinerary - there's probably a reason(!) alongside the old adage you get what you pay for - but the savings can go towards another vacation!

 

Celebrity Infinity is a great ship. Panama Canal is a great destination.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[BunnyLee]

Well we just finished the Celebrity Infinity Panama trip out to California. The cabins are more than adequate, the room steward was excellent. The food was good and service in dining room good. We like The Tuscan too.

 

The cons were as follows: Guest Services not too helpful. They would tend to say "No" or "What you should have done is ..." Also, stores are not open on excursion days, so if you need some emergency supplies like personal care products you are out of luck unless you find someone who has what you need and is willing to help you out.

 

The best ports were the stops in Mexico but the call times back to ship to those ports were the shortest at about 2:30.

My parents paid for an excursion on a catamaran. When they got to the boat, it was not a sailboat at all but a regular gas powered boat for 100 ppl. There was no notification or explanation for the change in the excursion. Although my husband and I are in our early 50's, the great majority of guests were much above 65.

The buffet was good, but staff is not super eager to be helpful except on the last day.

 

The other thing that was a huge drawback to us was that the left side of the pool area was the smoking area. This permeated the indoor spa pool area. This was most unpleasant.

[cruisingberger]

We just got off of the Infinity Panama Canal 11-9 through the 24th sailing. We had an amazing time. We chose this cruise for the itinerary as it stopped in both Costa Rica and Panama. It surprised me to see many of the cruise lines didn't stop at one or both of these ports. Anyway, we enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and the MDR for most of our dinners. We only ate at the buffet twice for dinner and maybe 5 times for lunch. The buffet had an "Gourmet Entree", "Mexican food" , "Pizza", "Pasta", "Dessert", and some type of "Grill" section at the back. It also had an ice cream/cookie section at the front and a bar(pay) section on the other side of the front. There were always tea and coffee available along with juices/lemonade and ice tea all day. Sorry, didn't do any pay venues. The spa cafe had good salmon, salads and muffins.We enjoyed the entertainment. Most of it was done by "guest performers" I think there were only 4 shows out of 15 that were done by the Celebrity singers and dancers. They had 3 separate speakers on the cruise. Bill Fall was my favorite. He did several talks on the Canal and narrated us through the canal as well. We did several of the excursions and for the most part they were good, with just a couple of hiccups in Cartagena.We enjoyed the pools and silent disco also. Mainly we enjoyed the crew! The are wonderful. Good luck planning your cruise. We really did have an amazing time.

[IJustWantToGo36]

We enjoyed the entertainment. Most of it was done by "guest performers" I think there were only 4 shows out of 15 that were done by the Celebrity singers and dancers. They had 3 separate speakers on the cruise. Bill Fall was my favorite. He did several talks on the Canal and narrated us through the canal as well. We did several of the excursions and for the most part they were good, with just a couple of hiccups in Cartagena.We enjoyed the pools and silent disco also. Mainly we enjoyed the crew! The are wonderful. Good luck planning your cruise. We really did have an amazing time.

 

What is a SILENT DISCO?

[Jim_Iain]

My understanding is that although the new locks are open only one cruise line has scheduled space to use them. All others will continue to use the old locks.

 

Updates from others would be of interest.

 

More can be read at this link:

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Just-one-cruise-ship-scheduled-to-use-new-Panama-Canal-locks

 

"The new, wider locks on the Panama Canal will open June 26 with the first official transit of a cargo ship, but don’t expect much traffic through them from cruise ships.

 

Only one cruise ship has reserved space to move through the new locks, which are open to one cruise ship a day starting in June 2017, according to the Panama Canal Authority.

 

Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess is scheduled to make a series of thirteen 10-day cruises through the canal beginning Oct. 21, 2017.

 

Most cruise ships transiting the Panama Canal will continue to use the old locks. "

Edited November 30, 2016 by Jim_Iain

[shipshape sam]

My understanding is that although the new locks are open only one cruise line has scheduled space to use them. All others will continue to use the old locks.

 

Updates from others would be of interest.

 

More can be read at this link:

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Just-one-cruise-ship-scheduled-to-use-new-Panama-Canal-locks

 

"The new, wider locks on the Panama Canal will open June 26 with the first official transit of a cargo ship, but don’t expect much traffic through them from cruise ships.

 

Only one cruise ship has reserved space to move through the new locks, which are open to one cruise ship a day starting in June 2017, according to the Panama Canal Authority.

 

Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess is scheduled to make a series of thirteen 10-day cruises through the canal beginning Oct. 21, 2017.

 

Most cruise ships transiting the Panama Canal will continue to use the old locks. "

 

I have heard this also. It makes sense in that I also heard, [read (rumor)], the cost is higher due to being capable of handling larger ships Still would like to see new locks.

 

Guessing Princess 10 is a partial transit. We did a partial transit on Island Princess many years ago.