Norwaylady goes b2b in the Mediterranean on Infinity 24.5-10.6.23 LIVE

[Norwaylady]

After dropping off the bags on the second it’s 3h before departure, we walked straight thru security. 

 

We went straight upstairs to Marco Polo Lounge. (It’s a contract lounge serving the majority off network airlines in VCE and the only lounge in the airport) 

The lounge has been updated and refreshed since last visit. More space and different zones. Great 👍🏻 

This lounge has a outdoor patio😎

 

They have a buffet style food offerings. It’s salad, fruits, cake, sandwiches and Italian pastries. 

For drinks it’s red/white wine. Water, ice tea, Coca Cola, juices and barista coffee. 

Free WiFi. 

So not the greatest lounge compared to other places. But you can relax and have a meal with drinks👍🏻

 

Today’s dinner was a glass of wine, yoghurt and fruit. Dessert was a americano and a small Italian pastry cake

A excellent 3-course menu😂👌🏻

 

We fly Swiss airlines🇨🇭VCE-ZRH-OSL

It’s in the Lufthansa umbrella ☂️ (Lufthansa-Swiss-Austrian-Brussel-Eurowings airlines) 

It’s a good airline and works very well. 

It’s Swiss hospitality🇨🇭

 

 

Our flight boarded on time. But it was a bus gate🚌 So we left a few minutes behind schedule. 

The captain announced that we will be on time in Zürich. 

It’s operated on a A320. Seating 3+3 in economy and 2+2 in Biz (middle seat empty) 

Economy has food for purchase. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flight was 95% full. 

We are seated on 14D/F

Lucky us had the middle seat empty❤️👍🏻 it’s better for the Queens fear of flying. 

She needs a little space🤪🤪🤪

 

Connection in ZRH is only 40.mins. But they have a good airport and it’s very efficient to have a short transit time. 

Luggage is marked to OSL🇳🇴

 

Our flight to ZRH was a little bumpy, nothing crazy or bad. 

It was cloudy and turbulent winds before we went above the area. 

The Queen was not super happy about this🤪🙄🥴 

 

They give out a bottle of water and a chocolate to all passengers in economy. 

 

We touch down 20.27 and next flight leaves 20.55🤪🤪 (those stairs pays off to walk up and down on the ship😂) 

We parked in the same pier, a65 and next flight was from a84. 

We were parked and connected to the terminal 20.32

 

We went off in walk-fast speed against the next flight. At 20.43 had we arrived at the gate and went straight onboard. 

Flight was already boarded and we were the last passengers to arrive. 

 

Flight is 95% full. 

It’s operated on a E190-e2. 

Seating is 2+2 in Eco and 1+1 (seat empty) 

Flight time is 2h 25.mins 

It’s a smaller aircraft, so the Queen is not to happy about this. (There’s a reason why she doesn’t fly on WF/Wideroe🤭) 

 

Service is same concept as from VCE. 

We are seated on 19D/20F. 

No empty seating for us this flight🫡

 

We arrived on time in Oslo 23.15 and bags were on the belt 23.30. So we only waited 3.mins for them👍🏻

Mr Dad picked up the Queen and I. So I was home in bed 00.30😴😴😴

 

The cats were overwhelmed happy to see me😂❤️😍🤪

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Great review…thanks so much for making the effort.  I’m sitting here in “dry dock”waiting for a kidney transplant…5 years+ in dialysis and will hopefully return to cruising shortly.  Reading reviews like yours lets me live vicariously, keeps me informed and hopeful for a future on the sea!  Thanks again.

[WNCtourist]

Thank you for the comprehensive review. I really enjoyed it.

[StellaGrace]

Thank you for this very entertaining review, although I enjoy all of your reviews!

[Travelexpert35]

Thanks so much for your fabulous review. I loved following along with you and your Mom. It brings back wonderful memories of when I cruised with my Mom in 2017 when she was 87. She’ll be 94 in August. Looking forward to following you and your hubby on your next adventure.

[az4ship]

Thank you again for the wonderful review. I can’t wait for your next trip

[Lastdance]

Love all the little details, especially those pertaining to the queen.  You have so many great memories from this trip with just the two of you!  I know your Mom is glad to be home, especially because she does not enjoy flying.  You are a very special daughter!

[bunnyette]

What a wonderful review!  Thank you

[countess5]

Thank you for taking the time to share a live!  Knowing the time it takes after doing one, I really appreciate it! 

Your shared experiences were outstanding! 

 

Until next time!

 

Cheer! 

[FizzyBlue]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review every day. I will be on the Infinity for the first time in October and I've enjoyed following your adventures😊 You've been very informative.

[hcat]

Top 10  review!  Thanks

 

CGTNORMANDIE..Hope All Goes well.. and we see you back at Sea very soon!

[peanut head]

I'll add to the obvious...thank you so much for letting us tag along.  Your pictures and prose made us feel like we were with you.  

[theopup]

Thanks for letting us come along!

[Norwaylady]

Verdict of Infinity⚓️

 

So, the million question everyone ask is:

Are Infinity ready for the shipyard to be transformed into pieces of 🔩🔩🔩 or be revitalised to a edge styling 🤔🤔🤔 

Is it awfully wear & tearing visible from the moment you enter the gangway🤔🤔🤔

Will I regret sailing on this ship🤔🤔🤔

Is she really in the awful state someone is claiming? She’s on the edge of being a carnival cruise🤣🤣🤣

 

Tricky questions🙄🤔

The quick answer: YES & NO

 

I will give you the long edition📜🤓

 

So, as everyone know, Infinity has been in service for many years and her big revolution dry-dock was cancelled. 

So she is a older lady⚓️

 

What really can tell her age is the lack of electrical sliding doors out to deck/restrooms/etc. That’s one of the first things you will notice. It’s not a problem at all, but it shows off the age of the ship. 

Minor details in public restrooms, some doors are hard to close, you need to put on weight when you lock the door. Otherwise it won’t close. 

 

Carpets are widely well kept. 

Those that were mostly worn out were downstairs on the gangway areas. Really not a big deal😉 (think of all those people walking in/out in all types of weather and shoes🥴 please tips me if you find a carpet that will stand against this type of adventure😝) 

Furniture is in good shape. (Some of the big yellow chairs in Al Bacio is very well used in the stuffing. So you will be seated a few cm lower than normal🤭) 

 

The theatre seating is good and this type of solution/ love seat+table is my ❤️ 

The curtain over the stage (not the curtains to move) the balcony curtain has some holes that are visible. (Could be of technical reasons) But it’s visible and as the devil of details, I see this asap the first night😂😂😂🤭

The stage/theatre is not as high-tec as on Edge. But they can have lots of different shows and concerts. So you will be entertained🥳🥳🥳

 

Staterooms. 

We did a tour’d Stateroom😜 1109 and 9175. 

A AQ class on the “newer” cabins on deck 11 and an “old and golden” CON on deck 9. 

By the look you can’t asap see that the cabin on deck 11 is a few years newer than on deck 9. 

But again, the devil of details is onboard🤣🤣😅

The wooden panels on deck 11 are slightly lighter in colour and the tiles in the bathroom is different. 

Other than that, they are identical. 

 

Our phone in 1109 was dead ⚰️🪦 It had connection for date/time but no tone🙄🫠  as said before, we discovered it on the last morning on turnaround day😅🤪🫠

 

Our AC in 1109 was perfect for those seeking a cold storage🥶🥶🥶🥶

It was freezing cold. 

We turned it up and up to warmer, all the way to beyond 🔥🔥🔥 but still 🥶. 

The first 2.nights we had frosty smoke when we were breathing out….. 

So we slept in pyjamas and used the bathrobe as blankets on top of the duvets. 

Even on max heat, it was significantly colder in our stateroom than in the hallway. So maximum 18c in the cabin. 

 

We did send a message on the “we want to hear from you form” but we heard nothing….😂😂😂insight of our little phone problem, it might not be strange🤔🤭 

 

Move to our “old-but-Goldie” deck 9 cabin went painless. We did our things and housekeeping did take care of the rest👍🏻

 

The first impression is okay. No big wear & tearing here. So cabins is approved. Both in shape as expected👍🏻

What I don’t like is stains that easy go away…. On deck 9 it’s more visible signs of need of a deeper cleaning of the chair and desk top. (Again minor details, but I see things like this asap🫣🤭) 

The door to the bathroom is not in perfect condition. You need to “take the door with you” to close it… and when you want to leave, you need to lean on it heavily🤭

Probably it’s possible to adjust it a little and it will be better. (When they get older and used, they often need to be readjusted) 

 

The night light in the bathroom was broken on deck 9. So only dark or full light. Don’t know if the lamp is broken or if it just need a new light bulb 💡🤔

So a few issues on deck 9, but nothing deadly😉

AC was more to our temperature liking👍🏻

 

WiFi is awful, yes. But they are working on it. See it as a phone detox😜 

When it’s functional it worked great. 

I managed, since I could use my phone as home on this sailing. 

But until they have sorted it out, this is not the ship to do planned teams and zoom meetings on😝 

 

In all ports of call has the ship had maintenance visible. On deck 11 they brushed off rust and put on base coating+ paint. So our balcony had a notification every day we returned back to the ship: Newly painted, be careful. 

So they are hanging on to keep her fresh. 

Great👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

 

Several people report that the ship smells sewer and it’s outlined as the entire ship is rotten 🤢😵‍💫🤢

Well, we could smell it one day on deck 2/1 when we walked down the stairs to the gangway and a very chemical smell another day. 

Other than that, it smells of cleaning products and steam cleaning. 

Nothing strange in public areas on deck 3/4/5 or in our stateroom. 

 

M-class ships are somewhat special. They have a beautiful layout of the floor plan. And a classic vibe. All crew in m-class sailings are super friendly and nice 👍🏻 (not saying the crew on S or E are bad, but there’s something else onboard M🤗) 

 

Food is a personal preference. But almost everything has tasted excellent or good. Again. I’m a devil in details and “unfortunately” I do cook a lot…. Because I like it😍 So I’m over the “average” level cooking skills. So I’m not harder to please, but I do have some preferences for presentation and taste….. clean cuisine is a very good place to describe my taste. 

The pastries chefs & I will never be best friends😅😘 I’m not a big cake eater.

🍋🍋🍋 lemon tart now and then, but other then that…. Not a big eater of this. 

The Queen on the other hand was very happy for the selection🍰🧁🍪🍩 not everything was 100% to her liking, but she was happy for the rotation and options available every day. 

 

Entertainment has been excellent. In 17-days it’s only 1 thing/show/pop-up we didn’t like. But again, it’s a personal opinion. 

NYC3 are not bad, but it’s not my favourites. They were the weakest evening show. The concept is good, but it needs to fit your audience….. and they need to understand that 80% of their guests are older…..

The guest entertainment has really delivered and satisfied me. 

The Queen was very happy and really enjoyed it. She thinks the same about NYC3😂😂😂

CD Brittany has been out & about on the ship and the activity team has delivered daily activities and DIY activities available.  I’m not the biggest user of this on a Mediterranean cruise, but they have always something going on. 

 

Captain Kirk is a very friendly and fun Greek ambassador🇬🇷💙 

He is “bjuda på” as we use in Scandinavia language. (A very positive and friendly thing🥰) 

 

So would I not book Infinity?  NO, she’s not falling apart😂😂😝

I don’t see a big reason not to book her. If the itinerary is good and this is the route you want to sail, then there are no reason to say no. 

If you only like new things, no classic’s or you sail only in suits. You need to think about it…. ( there are no retreat deck exclusively and the Michaels lounge is not grand in size) 

 

Do I have a booking on Infinity? YES

 

Hold on, arm doors, cross check and report!  

 

The Queen really enjoyed X🥳🥳 YES

That’s great news for my me🤭❤️(and perhaps 🤔 X💙) 

So we are booked on a fabulous 10-n sailing in May 24 on INF to Greek Isle & Istanbul in a balcony😅⚓️💙🇬🇷

It’s an overnight stay in Istanbul👍🏻 (the Queen had 🤩 in the eye’s when I suggested this itinerary. She LOVES Istanbul😍😍😍) 

So she was all ready finished packing in her mind😝😅🤩 

 

Next tour on INF will be in late June 24…. Yes, I will be back🤭😜😅

Then I, Mr & our nephew is sailing on a Greek isle 7-nights cruise. It’s the cruise we gave away for his confirmation💙⚓️🇬🇷🥳

So I will celebrate my 29 year birthday in Athens the day before the cruise🥳 💙🤭🇬🇷⚓️ (you see ladies only celebrate 29, 29, 29 after a specific year…) 

 

Next round is in late September 24…🇬🇷💙⚓️ Yes, another sailing on INF…. 

This sailing I’m bringing my cousin❤️ 

She could have been my younger sister😂 or my niece💙😅 She really wanted to go on a cruise, so she asked if I could travel with her💙 (she has been joining me to Thailand 🇹🇭 twice and when she was younger I used to “babysit” her in summer holidays. Aka bringing her to Copenhagen a few days for Tivoli, travel to Kiel on Color Line etc…..) So it’s not a problem💙💙💙

I will gladly sail by her. She’s very similar as me in lifestyle and she’s not a big party party girl😝🤣🤣So we are the ultimate dream team on tour😂💙👍🏻 

 

So YES, I will be back💙

 

Next adventure is on Edge from Rome to Singapore⚓️ 

We, Mr & I are looking forward💙❤️💙

We have tried to book this itinerary since 2019…. Let’s just say it’s been postponed several times🤪🤪🤪  So we are READY🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳⚓️

It might be a live………🤗📯📜

[vickykay]

Looking forward to “cruising” along with you on all your upcoming cruises!

[cruise wizard]

32 minutes ago, vickykay said:

Looking forward to “cruising” along with you on all your upcoming cruises!

 

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ecslady]

Thanks so much for your wonderful live thread and review of Infinity.

[Norwaylady]

On 6/11/2023 at 11:53 AM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Great review…thanks so much for making the effort.  I’m sitting here in “dry dock”waiting for a kidney transplant…5 years+ in dialysis and will hopefully return to cruising shortly.  Reading reviews like yours lets me live vicariously, keeps me informed and hopeful for a future on the sea!  Thanks again.

Best of luck 🤞🏻 Hope everything goes good for you❤️❤️❤️

[Irishredhead21]

Thank you for your wonderful review. I especially enjoyed reading about all the excursion details and useful information about getting around in the various ports. Cheers!

[purduemom1]

Loved “coming along” on this cruise adventure. Looking forward to following along on the next one.  Thanks so much.

[catgirl411]

Really enjoy all of your live reports. Thanks for doing them and I look forward to your next one.

[Stem to Stern]

Thank you for your wonderful report.  We smelled sewer once during our only Infinity sailing in 2016.  We were in stateroom 1130 and got a good whiff from our verandah right after docking in Freeport.

Our Nassau day turned into a day at sea.  And the following sea day turned into Freeport.  Never smelled anything like that anywhere else on the ship or any other ship for that matter.

[bunnyette]

10 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

Next adventure is on Edge from Rome to Singapore⚓️ 

We, Mr & I are looking forward💙❤️💙

We have tried to book this itinerary since 2019…. Let’s just say it’s been postponed several times🤪🤪🤪  So we are READY🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳⚓️

Please definitely do a live report on this itinerary!  Especially the ports

[Norwaylady]

8 hours ago, bunnyette said:

Please definitely do a live report on this itinerary!  Especially the ports

 Maybe I will start the show from Rome to Singapore and then @Jim_Iain will do a excellent live from Singapore to Sydney🤩 ( I know they are booked when I get off🤗😌)  

Time will tell…….🥰

[chemmo]

Thank you for the review on Infinity’s condition. As you may remember from an earlier post I have been dithering on booking…I am much reassured.
 

Booking in place now and looking forward to my first ‘semi solo cruise’…We are booked in the PH so I don’t think we will miss the Retreat deck. We had also been concerned about the lack of speciality restaurants but your MDR pictures have made my feel that the Luminae menu can be well supplemented…

 

Sincere thanks again!