Tell me about Celebrity please... (infinity)

[queenpailhead]

So I've only cruised once, on Allure of the Seas this past summer in 3 balcony rooms with our 4 kids. Dh and I are looking for a shorter Thanksgiving 2019 cruise and are batting around 4 right now... another RC cruise, 2 Carnival, and Celebrity INfinity to Key West/Bahamas. We found a pretty good deal but I'm a major researcher and while info on Carnival and RC is pretty easily obtained, Celebrity doesn't seem to have the same info out there. I figured this was the place to ask...

 

So, a few questions (and I'll take ANY other info you think I need):

Classic beverage- I'm not a huge drinker but am I going to be frustrated by the limitations of the package?

What is the main attraction of Celebrity? (like RC is known for entertainment, Carnival low prices/party atmosphere, etc)

We may go cheap, but we've also priced out balconies through some TAs and all of them are pushing the concierge class- from what I'm reading the perks aren't that thrilling though. Thoughts?

Finally, the reason I have been considering the Carnival cruises are the ports- one goes to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios (don't care about OR but would love to go to Grand Cayman) and one goes to Grand Turk/Amber Cove, and Grand Turk really interests us. Infinity goes to Key West and Nassau, and I know nothing about Key West's port really and I've heard Nassau is the "worst" of the Bahamas ports. 

 

[jelayne]

The Infinity is a much smaller and older ship than the Allure with out the bells and whistles of water slides, ice rink, flow rider, rock climbing, mini-golf.  By the way no Celebrity has slides, ice rink, mini-golf, etc.

 

We are Elite + on Celebrity and Diamond on Royal.  We find the entertainment better on Royal but think the food and service is better on Celebrity.  We prefer Celebrity as it has a more adult feel ( 1 announcement a day- no constant reminders of bingo or art action starting), there are fewer children on board but  holidays and school breaks attract more families.  

 

The Classic beverage package covers most drinks, speciality coffees/teas, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices and for most meets their needs. 

[sddsddean]

RCI and Celeb are fairly similar, though I've always been told to think of RCI as 4* hotel and Celeb as 5* (that's what I've been told...don't shoot the messenger!). However, I think your main consideration may be your children. If you are planning to use the kids clubs, I think RCI would be better suited to your needs. Celeb is perfectly adequate in this respect, its just RCI ships tend to have more to do for the younger guests.

 

Simon

[queenpailhead]

No kids this trip! If so I likely wouldn't consider celebrity and go back to a "megaship." 

[sddsddean]

In that case, definately give the Infinity a go. We sailed on her for 4 weeks round South America in 2012 and had no problems then. Quite often the smaller ships are more 'inviting' than the mega ships.

 

Simon

[sjb317]

We did a B2B on Infinity earlier this month.  We had debated upgrading our classic package but after a few days, decided the classic was more than adequate.  We did have to pay a little extra in the Martini Bar but ended up spending a total of $30 for both cruises which was way less than upgrading our package.  Also, I love the coffee bar on Celebrity and most of the specialty coffees were covered by our classic package.

 

IMO, both Royal and Celebrity are very similar in terms of food and service.  The big difference is in entertainment, Royal offers more, especially on the larger ships.  Celebrity did have some pretty good live music on Infinity, the house band was excellent.   But I will say there was not much to do after dinner. We had late dining at 8:30 so the show for us was at 7pm.   After dinner choices were a bar or casino.   Not much activity on the ship after 1030.

 

Key West was a port on both of our cruises. First stop we rented bicycles on the dock and biked around the entire island. Second cruise we did a snorkeling excursion,  the catamaran sailing was fun but the water was too rough for me so I did not do much snorkeling.  Key West is a very pretty port, very walkable, with lots of bars and restaurants.  We’ve been to Nassau so many times we usually stay on the ship.😀

 

Sherri🙂

 

We enjoy 

 

 

[j3000]

we just did the Nov. 15-19  4-night run to KW & nassau.

we got a pretty good deal too ..i think...

stayed in cabin #313X, which i thought was fine. ( i think that section of cabins might be a bit newer than other cabins, as it was re-claimed from the conference center. great location in mho)

weve done RC, Carn, Princess . this was our 1st Celeb.

would compare Celeb to Princess feel. nice civil crowd...dining etc

food was good. no real complaints ( we dont do the spec. rests)

all in all, shes  not spanking new , but clean  & QUITE ADEQUATE FOR A 4-NIGHTER...WHICH IS LONG ENOUGH ON ANY CRUISE FOR MOI..

I NeVER THINK TOO MUCH OF THE "ENTERTAiNMENT' ON CRUSES, BUT i MUSt SAY I GOT A KICK OUT OF THE GUY WHO DID ALL THE SINGER IMPRESSIONS SHOW!

 

oops ...sorry for all CAPS! hic!

 

if you're getting a good deal- go for it!

Edited November 30, 2018 by jargey3000

[ghstudio]

Carnival and Celebrity have a number of differences...but in your case, pick the cruise based on itinerary.  Key West and Nassau are not great ports.....grand cayman and the sting rays are exciting...and Grand Turk as well.  

 

In answer to your questions...

 

1) The classic drink package is all you need unless you want high end liquors....it includes most of the drinks you'd have at home.  It is not "bar scotch/vodka/etc)....it's a good package.

 

2)Celebrity is known for being what Carnival isn't 🙂  It's a quiet cruise...relatively few kids....better (subjectively) food without needing to go to a specialty restaurant...essentially, it's much more lay back.  Entertainment is adequate.  Carnival ships are generally more lively, more activities, etc.

 

3)On the infinity, the concierge cabins are about 20 sq ft larger than regular balcony cabins...additionally, at times, you get better perks (choose 2 vs 1 option, etc).  Regular balcony is fine.

 

4) I repeat....take the cruise that goes where you want to go.  All cruises are enjoyable....don't worry about cruise line differences.

[RobertoF]

We just got off Infinity for this year's Thanksgiving cruise (5 night).  We did Allure a few years ago.  There is no comparison.  Allure is so much better.  And I like big and small ships equally, so I have no bias toward big ships.  There just is not much to do on Infinity.  There also is not much to do in Key West and Nassau.  Personally, I would stay away from Infinity with this itinerary.  Other lines have a lot more going on.  You might think Celebrity is an elegant line with great food and service, but I did not find those aspects any better than other lines.  I would view a four-night Key West/Nassau cruise on Infinity as something to do if the deal was really good (I've seen oceanviews on Infinity for under $70/pp/night; they also sometimes give a lot of OBC), but otherwise I would look for RCL or Carnival if you want more action.  Personally, for just a couple and no kids I would go for real elegance on Princess or Holland America (which will not be as "old" over Thanksgiving).  Good luck!

[phoenix_dream]

We are taking that same cruise in a couple weeks as part of a B2B.  Love Celebrity and Infinity is one of our favorites.  Celebrity is much more refined and relaxing, without being boring, as compared to RCI.  Smaller ship, but we like the size and it is certainly not small, just more intimate.  If price is not that different, I would recommend the Concierge Class room for the extra few feet of cabin space - it can make a difference.  What I really recommend is Aqua Class, if that is an option, for their restaurant, Blu.

 

I disagree that there is not much to do in Key West.  It is one of our very favorite ports.  It all really depends on what you like.  If you are into beaches, then yes, there is not much of that.  But there is snorkeling, boating, etc..  We are not into that very much, so we love to just walk around town.  It is all very close to the area where you dock.  You can easily walk to the entire town with lots of nice shops and restaurants and bars.  There is the Mel Fisher Museum, an aquarium, Earnest Hemmingway house, and the southernmost point of the US - all within walking distance.  If you like, they have a couple trolley type rides you can take - one is HO/HO and the other is a tour.