Just back - Infinity

[KenM]

Just returned from the Infinity last week.

 

Flew into Seattle and drove up to Whistler for several days prior to the cruise. Whistler is a fantastic place with much to do. If you have done Vancouver before- TRY Whistler..The winter Olympics in 2010 will have most of the events from Whistler..Suggest you go now before the rural nature is destroyed by the "Commercialization" which is about to hit... It will never be the same OR as good..

Fine dining, ATV tours in the mountains, dog sledding on the peaks( was probably the last week since the snow was melting fast). WE did it all and the people of Canada are really helpful and FRIENDLY..

 

The cruise was the typical CELEBRITY--OUTSTANDING service, food and the entertainment was really great.. The menu had more selections then Princess and the quality was much better.. NO RAIN until we were returning on Saturday and hit a storm that had the ship rocking like I have never experienced- 12-18 foot seas....

For those going in the near future- forget all the naysayers- Celebrity is AOK and you will have a great trip...

 

I would suggest that you fly directly into Vancouver vs Seattle even though the airline ticket cost is higher; especially when you do the trade on the car rental, gas, hotel and food vs going straight into Vancouver - unless you want to do Seattle ..

One great feature of flying directly out of Vancouver is having your baggage directly shipped from your room to your home airport on your return flight, provided you are flying out of Vancouver on the DAY that you arrive back in port...They provide special transportation from the ship and you bypass the long airport lines. Yes you can buy a special transportation Voucher even if you didn't book your flight with Celebrity..

I really wish that we had done that vs. the trip back to Seattle and the flight out the next day..We wasted so much time getting to our rental car and then waiting 40 minutes at the border. Did not get back into Seattle until 4pm Sunday..

 

If you have any questions, just fire away..

[mothergoose]

KEN: You are right in seeing Whistler now, before 2012 ruins it's ambience, which is nice now, but was nicer many years ago.

Thanks for the wonderful positive comments about us Canadians, we are known for our friendliness and kindness and are loved where ever we travel.

 

Come back again and experience the wonderful hospitality. We are on the Infinity April 08 Panama and are so looking forward to another Celebrity Cruise.

 

Sabrina

[soooo excited!]

By any chance could you give me the dress schedule for the week ,

I know it's always casual the 1st night, and usually the 2nd night is 1st formal night, but after that I'm not sure of anything.

I really need to know - we want to eat in the "States" dining room - probably twice (will have to make reservations ASAP upon boarding ) - which I know is informal - but I don't want to miss the Formals or informals in the dining room either - and I want to make sure I have enough 'really nice' clothes - there's always the on-ship cleaners. I never get to dress up - had to buy a bunch of new clothes for our cruise - which isn't until next year - I'd like to catch some end of summer sales if I don't have enough for the week.

(and I'm not exaggerating about needing clothes - I live in the country - dressed up is clean jeans with no holes - you should see my regular wardrobe !! LOL !!! nowhere near cruise casual !!!! )

 

How will the ship look to someone whose NEVER been on a cruise ship before and only ever dreamed of it ???????? I can't wait. and we're booked in a CS - we were waitlisted for the exact one we wanted and it came through today - eeeeek !! it's all a bit overwhelming !!!

 

If you think of any other hi-lites of the trip - feel free to share !

 

and glad you like us Canadians - we're pretty good folk, eh !:)

[MSNCruiser]

Just returned from the Infinity last week.

 

Flew into Seattle and drove up to Whistler for several days prior to the cruise. Whistler is a fantastic place with much to do. If you have done Vancouver before- TRY Whistler..The winter Olympics in 2010 will have most of the events from Whistler..Suggest you go now before the rural nature is destroyed by the "Commercialization" which is about to hit... It will never be the same OR as good..

Fine dining, ATV tours in the mountains, dog sledding on the peaks( was probably the last week since the snow was melting fast). WE did it all and the people of Canada are really helpful and FRIENDLY..

 

The cruise was the typical CELEBRITY--OUTSTANDING service, food and the entertainment was really great.. The menu had more selections then Princess and the quality was much better.. NO RAIN until we were returning on Saturday and hit a storm that had the ship rocking like I have never experienced- 12-18 foot seas....

For those going in the near future- forget all the naysayers- Celebrity is AOK and you will have a great trip...

 

I would suggest that you fly directly into Vancouver vs Seattle even though the airline ticket cost is higher; especially when you do the trade on the car rental, gas, hotel and food vs going straight into Vancouver - unless you want to do Seattle ..

One great feature of flying directly out of Vancouver is having your baggage directly shipped from your room to your home airport on your return flight, provided you are flying out of Vancouver on the DAY that you arrive back in port...They provide special transportation from the ship and you bypass the long airport lines. Yes you can buy a special transportation Voucher even if you didn't book your flight with Celebrity..

I really wish that we had done that vs. the trip back to Seattle and the flight out the next day..We wasted so much time getting to our rental car and then waiting 40 minutes at the border. Did not get back into Seattle until 4pm Sunday..

 

If you have any questions, just fire away..

 

Thanks for the info. I'm so glad you liked the Infinity. I will be sailing her in 11 days. You said you experienced very rough seas. Where was that? I thought the inside passage would be smooth. Maybe you were out at sea during the rough period? There must have been many ill people on-board. I will be staying in one of the aft FV cabins. Did you get a sense how bad the motion was at the aft of the ship? Many posters have said the aft cabins do not experience that much motion, but I'm just wondering your point of view.

 

Who was the Cruise Director? Did you like him/her?

 

Again, I'm glad you had a positive experience.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[dls1277]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your review. Can you please tell me if you can purchase that voucher for baggage and transportation after you are on the ship?

 

Thank you.

[bonbon663]

Ok, I'm worried too about the rough seas. When you experience waves as big as you describe, does the ship rock a lot? I've never been on a cruise before, and am going in less than 2 weeks, and one of my biggest worries is sea sickness. I'm coming prepared with all the remedies suggested, but is there anything the ships' motion can be compared to? Especially in rough seas. Like the feeling of an elevator coming to a stop, or car ride on a gravel road, plane turbulence...something I can relate to. I'm just trying to visualize how bad it can get.

[luckylady1]

When we were on Mercury we had 14 foot swells. The ship was rocky enough that the water in the covered pool was splashing out and going all over the room.:eek: If you think you might be prone to seasickness my advice is to take bonine before you get on the ship because if you wait until you are sick then they don't work. I don't get seasick but my DH does and we found out the hard way not to wait.:o

[tromvest]

We will be sailing on the Infinity in May of next year and just wondered if the ship was in good condition and how were the beds? I know that Celebrity will be putting on new beds next year and I hope they do it before my trip.

 

Thanks

[GMoney]

Great comments; I really appreciate this kind of insight. Can anyone comment on the hiking in Whistler?

[KenM]

OK I will try to answer all the questions.

 

Clothes to bring- formal nights were Monday and Friday.. They do NOT enforce the dress code at ALL. First night out- the table next to us wore shorts...YES THEY HAD THEIR BAGGAGE>>>>.The men wore T shirts most other nights. Maybe it was a cultural thing.. They were not American or Canadian.

 

Formal nights- I saw MANY people with just sport shirts, some had sport coats..They walked right past the people at the door...

WEAR WHAT YOU WANT seems to be the attitude...UNFORTUNATE...

By the way- I don't have a problem with this since I dress daily and when on vacation, I really don't want to wear a suit BUT I WILL SAY THIS TO CELEBRITY- If you print it ENFORCE IT>>>>>>you just confuse the hell out of everyone.. I dressed but was not happy that they let those in to the dining room who did not.....

 

WE were invited one evening to the Captains table but we were with two other couples and I could not leave our friends. If you get a chance and have never been to the captains table, go for it.................

 

What I really like in the dining room was the diversity of the people from around the world, and they were all there......It was interesting to watch...

 

While in drydock, it appears that they have replaced much of the carpet in the public areas...The ship was very clean- I looked...

 

We were in Open water after leaving SITKA when we hit the rough seas, I asked our waiter how how often this occurred, he responded "sometimes" ..

 

The beds were really comfortable in concierge level.....The best that I have experienced..........

 

Celebrity is the best as compared to Holland America, Princess, and RCCL in service and overall quality in order shown...

 

Hope that I answered most questions...

 

PS - GO TO WHISTLER.....

[soooo excited!]

Ken, maybe you were invited to the Captain's table because they noticed you followed the dress code !!! wow, I'm just starting to cruise and it looks like I'm going to be too late for the 'dress up ' part - by next year nobody will be dressed formal if they keep this up. I'm thinking we will eat in the specialty rest. the 2nd formal night - that way we can dress up and not look out of place !!!!!! I already bought the clothes !!

thanks for all your info - glad to know the ship looks good.

 

It seems they have changed the itinerary for next year - it's not SITKA,

it's Icy Straight Point - I wonder why they changed it ? anyone have a guess ?

 

One more thing - was boarding OK - is it easy for a newbie to find their way around ? did you wait long for luggage ? just wondering what to expect.

[bonbon663]

I'm so looking forward to my cruise coming up, and I'm getting worried that now I'm going to be TOO formal. I have two full length dresses for the formal nights, one being black with black beading. I plan on wearing my hair up with sparkly dangly earrings. Is this too much???

 

I hope not, because I leave in 10 days. I'm also concerned about boarding. What does a first time cruiser need to know before going on Infinity?

 

Thank you

[cruzin4us]

I'm so looking forward to my cruise coming up, and I'm getting worried that now I'm going to be TOO formal. I have two full length dresses for the formal nights, one being black with black beading. I plan on wearing my hair up with sparkly dangly earrings. Is this too much???

 

I hope not, because I leave in 10 days. I'm also concerned about boarding. What does a first time cruiser need to know before going on Infinity?

 

Thank you

 

You will never be too overdressed......you will probably find you take way too much clothing, as we all do.

 

Just relax and have fun.........you're in for a great time. When you get back, make sure you post and tell us about your cruise. Everyone likes to read good stories :)

 

Happy sailing................Laurie

[bonbon663]

Thank you Laurie. I will post when I get back, maybe even a little bit when I'm on the ship. As a first time cruiser, I'm not sure what to expect. With all the information from these boards, I feel a little more prepared. Although sometimes too much information is a bad thing. :rolleyes:

[DaisyGirl55]

Enjoyed reading the post about Infinity. I sail her 2 months from today, going to Alaska, and will be on her for 10 glorious days. I will have 3 formal nights, and I don't care what others do - I am dressing up. My DH told me he is actually looking forward to formal nights as it makes the cruise seem all the more special. In fact, I miss the days when cruises would have themed nights, and you could dress up accordingly (C&W, Carribean, 50's & 60's).

 

Chris: what cabin were you in? My cabin is 6000, not a balcony, but an outside room directly in the front of the ship. We have never been bothered by the motion of the ocean, so we are not worried about a little rockin' and rollin' - especially after our cruise last year sailing around the edge of hurricane Rita! If you do an official review on CC, let everyone know so we can go and look at it.

 

I am so ready for this trip!:D

[MSNCruiser]

Chris: what cabin were you in? My cabin is 6000, not a balcony, but an outside room directly in the front of the ship. We have never been bothered by the motion of the ocean, so we are not worried about a little rockin' and rollin' - especially after our cruise last year sailing around the edge of hurricane Rita! If you do an official review on CC, let everyone know so we can go and look at it.

 

DaisyGirl55 - My cabin will be 8166. That's an FV Corner in the back of the ship. OMG, that trip near Rita must have been entertaining :D to say the least. Or not... I'm not too concerned about the motion. That's what Bonine/SeaBands are for.... I've experienced motion to be worse at the front of the ship too.

 

I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip. I will write a a full report when I return.

 

Chris

[DaisyGirl55]

I have figured out most of the abbreviations...but cannor figure out FV Corner? Can you help a fellow cruiser out?

[PKB]

Bonbon663- Go for it and have a great time. Wear your long dresses, your hair up, and dangly earrings and enjoy everyone admiring your good taste.

 

And...get your portrait made with all the different backgrounds on both nights. If you don't like the ones the first night, get them made again the second night. No obligation to buy any of them. They make great gifts.

[CStorm]

I have figured out most of the abbreviations...but cannor figure out FV Corner? Can you help a fellow cruiser out?

 

It's a family view corner aft cabin.

[MSNCruiser]

[

I have figured out most of the abbreviations...but cannor figure out FV Corner? Can you help a fellow cruiser out?

 

We're on Panarama deck at the very back corner of the ship. The advantage to this kind of cabin is the size at appx. 271 square feet and verandah at apprx. 350 square feet. The corner FV cabins have a larger verandah than other FV cabins. That's appx. 350 sq ft. compared to 242 sq. feet. The corner stateroom is appx. 20 sq. feet larger, and has it's own private hallway that can be used for storage of suitcases, etc. All FV cabins are separated in-two by a frosted glass partition that has a sliding door in it. One-half has a queen size bed and bathroom and the other half has two couches that convert to beds. This cabin will sleep four people comfortably. There are only 6 corner-FV cabins on M-class ships, so they are very popular. There are 6 non-corner FV cabins on M-class ships as well. Hope this explains it. :)

[CStorm]

Ken,

I posted a thread about which nights were which dress but I thought maybe you could help me. I'm curious about Tues, Wed and Thurs. I have figured out the rest.

Thanks!

[C 2 C]

The Infinity is in trouble right now. It might not sail this/next week....

Just follow the threads but the pod problem/ bearings are acting up.

[CStorm]

The Infinity is in trouble right now. It might not sail this/next week....

Just follow the threads but the pod problem/ bearings are acting up.

 

I know. I just trying to be optimistic. I'm praying they will have it fixed in two weeks when I leave.:o

[MaggieSweet]

Ok, I'm worried too about the rough seas. When you experience waves as big as you describe, does the ship rock a lot? I've never been on a cruise before, and am going in less than 2 weeks, and one of my biggest worries is sea sickness. I'm coming prepared with all the remedies suggested, but is there anything the ships' motion can be compared to? Especially in rough seas. Like the feeling of an elevator coming to a stop, or car ride on a gravel road, plane turbulence...something I can relate to. I'm just trying to visualize how bad it can get.

 

Hi there,

 

I've only been to Alaska, which I'm told is very mild compared to the rough seas on other cruises. The inside passage is pretty well protected, but it can get a bit wobbly. I'm going to get some "sea bands" for my wrists. I've had several people say they had success with combatting motion sickness. If I had to describe it, I'd say it can be like a turbulent airplane, but it never lasts more than a couple of hours in Alaska--at least in my limited experience. Let's let some of the more experienced cruisers weigh in on this. :)

 

Tammy

[florisdekort]

Sounds like Infinity is still in excellent shape, and so is the service and the food. All the negativity from the last few days is apparently the result of the electrical problems. Hopefully that's all resolved now!