Infinity Sails Again June 25th

[FlorenceItaly]

I appreciate the candid reviews.  Thank you.

[12cruise2]

The Infinity served as the covid isolation ship for crew the last few months.   They would bring a tender next to the Equinox and any other Celebrity ship in Fort Lauderdale on days when they were in port and transfer sick/recovered crew members on/off the ship.   I'm sure that's why the a/c is not working correctly--they had it turned way down so as to not pass recirculating air from one cabin to another.  We ran into the same a/c, or lack thereof, problem on another brand of cruise line last month as it turned out we were in cabins that had been used for passenger isolation for a previous, quite long cruise.  Sounds like the Infinity is not ready for cruising in a lot of ways.  So disappointing.  Shows that these cruise lines do not have the cash flow to do what is needed seems to me but desperate to start cash flow. 

Edited June 26, 2022 by 12cruise2

[12cruise2]

I have another question--are they using the atrium area on deck 3 for live music/dancing/whatever in the evenings?  If so, what time?  We are in cabin 3103 and it's just a few cabins off the atrium.  I had no idea, since we're new to Celebrity as this will be our second cruise on them, that they partied hardy in the atrium area.  We had a problem on the Equinox with the atrium music; had I known, I would have booked another room; I figured since the atrium was not listed as an entertainment area, we'd be fine and away from the base from the music.  Not!

[cruising sister]

2 hours ago, IDL said:

I am on the cruise in Aqua class on deck 9.  My expectation was after 2.5 years I dry dock that the cabins would be made ready for passenger occupation this cruise but sadly not the case.  As mentioned the a/c is not cooling adequately, our veranda door was off the track, the garbage bin in the bathroom (strangely the only one in the cabin) is broken, the cabin steward informed us he does not empty the mini bar (day two and still waiting).   Registered complaints with cabin steward and called guest relations to no avail.  Ended up going to guest relations last night at 11 PM to get cabin issues address and they sent repair men (oh and by the way we were out of the cabin from 5 PM- 10:30 PM last night and the room steward had not even made the cabin up- bed not made, morning towels still on the floor, etc.).  We have cruised on Celebrity many times but not since the pandemic.  It will be an one and done on the Infinity for me- ship is ready to be retired.   Booked on Oceana next summer on the Vista out of London which I will start looking fwd to as the Infinity experience is lacking for me.  

Your situation is much worse. I know lots of new crew. Our room attendant is new and very nervous. I hope things get better for you. I am sure by next cruise they will be better. I expected things to be bumpy but not broken. 

[mk960072]

On 6/25/2022 at 2:15 PM, cruising sister said:

We are on the ship!  We had 11:00 check in.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport North.  It is my first time staying there.  It is convenient but not very clean.  They have a shuttle that is $15 per person if needed.  I don’t think I will be staying there for my solo cruise in September.

 

Now back to the cruise.  Check in for the Retreat was quick and did not look busy for non retreat guests either.  Everyone and I mean everyone was super excited to see us.  They were cheering and clapping. The captain was personally greeting everyone. They really wanted to make it special for her first time back in service and she is the last Celebrity ship to get back to work.

 

I was on the Infinity in 2017 and she has had some work done since then.  The carpet in the common areas looks clean and newer.  The furniture in the lounges looks in good repair.  She may be old but she is looking good.  

 

We are in cabin 6145, it is a sky suite next to the Penthouse suite AFT.  It has some challenges and definitely needs an update.  There is only one electrical outlet for the whole cabin and very limited storage.   I knew this ahead of time and we brought only one carry on each. 

 

We ate lunch in Luminae (my first time)

It was very clean and bright everyone was super attentive.  We walked through the Ocean View cafe and it looked great. The desserts were outstanding.  The crew serves you and I am ok with that.

 

 I received a call from Celebrity as I was boarding the plane yesterday asking about our room preferences. I was panicked and told her no welcome wine, empty fridge, fresh ice and extra pillows.  Our Personal Retreat Host/Butler greeted us but did not seem to be to excited to do the few things I asked such as empty the fridge and keep us with fresh ice and take away the welcome wine.  I have read other threads regarding this so I asked about afternoon snacks and he told us to go Michaels Lounge.  We really don’t want the snacks but I thought I would ask.  I am keeping an open mind on this as my only other suite experience is the Haven on NCL.  Our room steward was very pleasant and I know she will do a good job.  

 

I will try to attach some pictures I took today. They are mainly food oriented as we were hungry. I will catch snaps of other parts as the cruise goes on. 
 

Thank you for the pics.  That answered my questions about sailing Infinity.  Regarding afternoon snacks, you can tell your Retreat Host what snacks you would prefer such as chips, olives, cheese, etc.  I dont usually care for the snacks they bring and after-all the Retreat Host is there to ensure your stay is delightful.    

[Sam.Seattle]

4 minutes ago, mk960072 said:

Thank you for the pics.  That answered my questions about sailing Infinity.  Regarding afternoon snacks, you can tell your Retreat Host what snacks you would prefer such as chips, olives, cheese, etc.  I dont usually care for the snacks they bring and after-all the Retreat Host is there to ensure your stay is delightful.    

Answered your question?  Good or Bad?

 

6 hours ago, trickbabe said:

 

She does look good! Any word on how many passengers are onboard?

Not yet, but watching closely.

[Sam.Seattle]

More Pictures

[FlorenceItaly]

How are the soft goods in the non suite cabins, anyone know?  Have they been replaced or is it the same color scheme(maroon) and shabby curtains(gold color )?

[mk960072]

2 hours ago, IDL said:

I am on the cruise in Aqua class on deck 9.  My expectation was after 2.5 years I dry dock that the cabins would be made ready for passenger occupation this cruise but sadly not the case.  As mentioned the a/c is not cooling adequately, our veranda door was off the track, the garbage bin in the bathroom (strangely the only one in the cabin) is broken, the cabin steward informed us he does not empty the mini bar (day two and still waiting).   Registered complaints with cabin steward and called guest relations to no avail.  Ended up going to guest relations last night at 11 PM to get cabin issues address and they sent repair men (oh and by the way we were out of the cabin from 5 PM- 10:30 PM last night and the room steward had not even made the cabin up- bed not made, morning towels still on the floor, etc.).  We have cruised on Celebrity many times but not since the pandemic.  It will be an one and done on the Infinity for me- ship is ready to be retired.   Booked on Oceana next summer on the Vista out of London which I will start looking fwd to as the Infinity experience is lacking for me.  

I Love Oceania and cant blame you for the way you feel thus far on Infinity.  We have sailed Edge and Millennium post pandemic and did not have any issues.  Sad that after all this time with the ship not sailing that she is not in better shape to accept passengers.  Best of luck! 

[mk960072]

10 minutes ago, Sam.Seattle said:

Answered your question?  Good or Bad?

 

Not yet, but watching closely.

Bad I am afraid.  The bathroom looks dreadful and needs an update.  They should have at least updated the suites in 2021.  For what one pays for a suite, Celebrity needs to do right by the paying customer and ensure the room is stylish, current and meets the same decor as other suites on other Celebrity ships.  

[cruising sister]

2 hours ago, mk960072 said:

Bad I am afraid.  The bathroom looks dreadful and needs an update.  They should have at least updated the suites in 2021.  For what one pays for a suite, Celebrity needs to do right by the paying customer and ensure the room is stylish, current and meets the same decor as other suites on other Celebrity ships.  

[crimsonbird]

How was dinner?  Keeping fingers crossed that it was good.  

[cruising sister]

This is an older ship so anyone sailing on her needs to know that or don’t come on board. I find the common areas are in much better shape than the cabins. They have had some sprucing up. I knew my cabin would be different as it connects to the Penthouse suite and had different decor. It definitely needs work but luckily it is nothing that had impacted my trip to much. I am using FCC that was going to lose so don’t feel awful about the problems but still no excuse for what others are experiencing. 
 

if you want the suite life it is limited. We are enjoying the smaller restaurant and the pampering but the ship does not have dedicated space other than Michael’s Club and Luminae so be warned. This is my first suite experience in Celebrity I will be on the Equinox in September in a suite so I can compare. 
 

 

[cruising sister]

 

7 minutes ago, crimsonbird said:

How was dinner?  Keeping fingers crossed that it was good.  

We ate in the Ocean View at lunch and it was ok. Limited choices and lots of new workers. I asked for butter at the bread station and she gave me a quizzical look and said they did not have any. A supervisor swooped in to correct her and brought out the butter. Desserts were good. We smiled and thanked her hoping she did not feel bad. 
 

Luminae has been excellent and very attentive. 

[towel-animal]

9 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Luminae has been excellent and very attentive. 

 

Thanks for starting this trip report!

Curious to know if Luminae on Infinity will allow you to order from the Blu menu at dinner? On Millennium recently, they would allow Luminae guests to order from the MDR menu, but not Blu, even though all three restaurants share the same kitchen space (although suite guests were still welcome to dine physically at Blu on space availability). But in the past, other M-Class ships have allowed it  - so guess it depends on the specific crew/management onboard. 

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by towel-animal

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your posts and photos. I am booked on the Celebrity Infinity in an AquaClass stateroom for early September. I am taking this cruise solo and was able to get an incredible price. This will be my first time dining in Blu.

 

I have taken three Celebrity cruises since July 2021 (Summit, Refection and Apex) and was very pleased with these cruises. Hopefully, the air conditioning and other issues will soon be resolved. I booked this cruise realizing that this is an older ship that has not had the major refurbishment, but I am hoping that this will still be a nice cruise. 

 

Chuck

Edited June 27, 2022 by seacruise9

[BigAl94]

4 hours ago, mk960072 said:

Bad I am afraid.  The bathroom looks dreadful and needs an update.  They should have at least updated the suites in 2021.  For what one pays for a suite, Celebrity needs to do right by the paying customer and ensure the room is stylish, current and meets the same decor as other suites on other Celebrity ships.  

Should apply to all cabins, not just suites.

[cruising sister]

9 hours ago, seacruise9 said:

Hi,

 

Thanks for your posts and photos. I am booked on the Celebrity Infinity in an AquaClass stateroom for early September. I am taking this cruise solo and was able to get an incredible price. This will be my first time dining in Blu.

 

I have taken three Celebrity cruises since July 2021 (Summit, Refection and Apex) and was very pleased with these cruises. Hopefully, the air conditioning and other issues will soon be resolved. I booked this cruise realizing that this is an older ship that has not had the major refurbishment, but I am hoping that this will still be a nice cruise. 

 

Chuck

I am sure you will. The common areas look nice. Hopefully by September they will have the rest sorted out. 

[cruising sister]

I have attached the dailies and a picture of the Celebrity ball cap they gave us. I hope the schedules will answer questions you may have. 

[cruising sister]

I forgot to add that we went to the casino last night. Tables were open and most of the machines working. They had a sign up saying you could use your OBC. You had to go to the cashier and they would give you as much of it as you wanted on a ticket and you could play. I did not try to cash out yet so can’t answer that question. 

[12cruise2]

Thank you for the activities schedules.  To my question re activities in the atrium area--I notice activities posted in the Grand Foyer--is that the atrium area based in front of the guest services area there?  Thank you for your help and thank you for this thread.  Update:  I just looked at the deck plan and see that the Grand Foyer is indeed the area in front of the Guest Relations desk. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by 12cruise2

[FlorenceItaly]

3 minutes ago, 12cruise2 said:

Thank you for the activities schedules.  To my question re activities in the atrium area--I notice activities posted in the Grand Foyer--is that the atrium area based in front of the guest services area there?  Thank you for your help and thank you for this thread.

Someone is posting LIVE from the Summit this week.  This is the same class ship as the Infinity.  It lists the Grand Foyer activities as Deck 4.  I don't think you will have any problem.  Also, have you considered the rooms 3112-3142 on Deck 3?  We have stayed in this hallway several times, and it is very quiet. EDITED to ADD the rooms in this hallway are oversized round windows as it use to be the conference center area.

Edited June 27, 2022 by FlorenceItaly

[12cruise2]

7 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Someone is posting LIVE from the Summit this week.  This is the same class ship as the Infinity.  It lists the Grand Foyer activities as Deck 4.  I don't think you will have any problem.  Also, have you considered the rooms 3112-3142 on Deck 3?  We have stayed in this hallway several times, and it is very quiet. EDITED to ADD the rooms in this hallway are oversized round windows as it use to be the conference center area.

Yes, just this minute I noticed they are on deck 4.  Thank you for the recommendation about the 3112-3142 cabins--we embark July 9--had I been aware of this nuance with these rooms being desirable, I probably would have booked one of them.  Live and learn!  Thank you so much for your suggestion.

[markr100]

Thank you for posting the schedules.  Great to see what is happening onboard.  I'm scheduled for an August cruise on Infinity and this gets me excited to see the different events.  

[Sam.Seattle]

Bimini today...