Infinity 10/3 Panama Canal Sailing - We're Back!

[pandas4cheri]

Hello to all of my new Cruise Critic friends!

 

It has been so hard getting back into "the real world". Al and I had such a wonderful time, and we met such nice people!

 

I printed all of my pictures, and got them into an album, as well as the photos we bought on the ship. When I look at them, I feel "homesick". I just keep telling myself that without "the real world", there will be no more cruises!

 

For those interested, who knew about my weight loss before the cruise, I did gain on the trip, but only 4 pounds, which I think I can lose easily. It was very hard to resist the food, but I did stay away from a lot of the carbs, and I did some sort of workout every day.

 

Al, the "Starring You" Jokester, got one day off after our return, but he too is back to the grind. The cats forgave us for being gone, and the dogs seem relieved that we finally came home.

 

Let's hear how everyone is doing!

[Oceans&Rivers]

Hello to all of my new Cruise Critic friends!

 

It has been so hard getting back into "the real world". Al and I had such a wonderful time, and we met such nice people!

 

I printed all of my pictures, and got them into an album, as well as the photos we bought on the ship. When I look at them, I feel "homesick". I just keep telling myself that without "the real world", there will be no more cruises!

 

For those interested, who knew about my weight loss before the cruise, I did gain on the trip, but only 4 pounds, which I think I can lose easily. It was very hard to resist the food, but I did stay away from a lot of the carbs, and I did some sort of workout every day.

 

Al, the "Starring You" Jokester, got one day off after our return, but he too is back to the grind. The cats forgave us for being gone, and the dogs seem relieved that we finally came home.

 

Let's hear how everyone is doing!

 

What a great idea you have of posting here in the "regular" Celebrity forum. This way many more people will have the opportunity to learn about your cruise. Will you be posting your pictures to the Internet?

[ccletzgo]

I want to hear EVERYTHING!:D The condition of the ship? Night life? Service? The second week of food?

[sammamishcruiser]

I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!!

 

Just today we booked the Panama Canal 16 days on the Infinity 9/25/09!!

 

So,

How was the ship?(we were on the Millennium in September).

Food?

entertainment?

Panama Canal? (have never been)

What cabin did you have? (we have the same as on Millie-6072)

How is the weather this time of year? ( I have never even been to Mexico!!)

 

I'm sure I will have many,many more Q's, just can't think of any right now!

 

So glad you had a good cruise!!

 

 

Melody:D

[gman44]

Hi Cheri! We leave on the Infinity westbound Panama Canal cruise next Sunday. (Can't believe it's almost time!) We would love to read a short (or long) report on your trip. Food, service, general condition of the ship and maybe a few words about the ports. Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Paul

[atb]

We were on Infinity for the 10/3 Panama Canal Cruise.

The food was good - and our assistant maitre'de stated they were soon returning to the old menus with the longer (more comprehensive) always available list.

The menu selections were interesting - and we always found something we liked. DH usually sticks with fish - and I alternate between everything but fish. This was a 16-day cruise - and they did rerun a few menus.

Soups were good as always - salads not so much. I also asked for extra vegetables with the entree and that helped.

Service as always was exceptional. Dining Room, State Room Attendant, and Bar Service.

The entertainment was ok - but we did not go to every show. We are not so big on comedy and ventriloquist acts, but the music choices were great. The enrichment series was good as well, but pretty lean.

The small groups around the ship were OK - but I would have to say I have seen enough acapella to last me for a VERY long time.

As to the condition of the ship. I never know what to say. I don't go around looking for flaws - so they must be gaping holes and dirt for me to notice, and I did not see anything like this. It's like your car. Once you drive it off the showroom floor - it starts to age.

The weather was TOO HOT and MUGGY for me (I carry my own heating system with me :( ).

The ports were OK - but the street vendors and beggars are VERY pushy.

 

 

embarkation was a breeze - but we were delayed approximately 1 hour for disembarkation. Once off - that was a breeze as well. The Non-US line was moving more slowly - so I would imagine non-US citizens would not agree with this assessment.

I am an unabashed cruise cheerleader. Every day at sea is better than a day anywhere else. :D

[pandas4cheri]

If I can figure out how to do it, I will post some pictures from the cruise. In the meantime, here is a brief recap:

 

Ship and Cabin

This was our second cruise on the Infinity. Our first was to Alaska. The ship is 6 years old, and while she's a beauty, she is starting to show her age, and is due for a facelift. She is going into dry dock in mid-November for 2 weeks to get new furniture, carpeting, paint, etc. There are also some mechanical issues. We had a power failure one night which caused the fire detector to go off, and we heard we had lost some propulsion as well.

 

I find the ship fairly easy to navigate, and I am direction-challenged. (If I enter a room and turn around a few times, I may have trouble finding my way out!) My biggest (though minor) complaint about the ship is that it is filled with the most hideous artwork I have ever seen.

 

We were in cabin 8010, which is port side, all the way forward, with a balcony. The cabin had plenty of room for two people, and we loved the balcony. (It was really nice the day we went through the canal. It was so hot and humid, and the deck was so crowded. It was nice to easily get out of the heat.) We saw other cabins on the ship, and noticed that outside cabins were actually larger than ours, because the square footage of the balcony was part of their floorspace.

 

Itinerary

I feel the itinerary had a nice mix of port and sea days. We missed Huatulco because we were outrunning a hurricane. Sea days had lots of activities. DH and I really enjoyed the trivia challenges.

 

The day you go through the canal is both lazy and exhausting. You will want to get up early (we started through the first lock at about 8:20 a.m.), and you will probably spend a lot of time walking the length of the ship to see the locks from different perspectives. The transit takes 8 to 12 hours, so it is a long, slow process.

 

Food

The Trellis dining room had good food with nice presentations, but nothing was really remarkable. One dessert was noteworthy for us: it was a baked chocolate meringue disk topped with chocolate mousse. Heavenly!

 

We had (and heard) a consistent complaint about the quality of the beef in the dining room. Except for the chateaubriand we had one night, beef was usually tough, stringy and full of fat and gristle. We had second seating. People we spoke with from first seating said their beef was fine, so perhaps they used up the best quality first?

 

If you have the opportunity, YOU MUST try the S.S. United States specialty restaurant. They offer an a la carte menu, which is $30 per person, or a menu exceptionnel (prix fixe) which offers a wine pairing with each course. That is about $60 per person. There are more choices on the a la carte, but you get more courses with the menu exceptionnel. Also, if you order wine with your a la carte dinner, you will probably spend as much as the wine pairing menu. We went twice, and tried both menues. The night we had the menu exceptionnel, they offered a special chateaubriand for two. It was one of the best pieces of beef I have every tasted. (Clearly, the specialty restaurant gets better beef than the dining room!)

 

The buffet is, well, a buffet. Nothing special, but nothing awful, either. When crowded, it is hard to find a table. I think it is a good choice for breakfast and lunch. Be sure to try the waffles. They make them fresh, and there is melted butter available, as well as syrups, jams, etc. YUMMY!

 

Service

What can I say? Celebrity provides wonderful service. Our room steward was very attentive, and our waiter and assistant were top notch. Every staff member was polite and courteous, and clearly focused on service. My only complaint about staff was the photo staff. We buy a lot of photos, and we found the photographers to be unorganized and confused, and found that they did not put a lot of effort into taking flattering pictures. The photo Manager was very helpful, but his staff, for the most part, acted like the Keystone Cops.

 

Cruise Staff

Allan King was the Cruise Director, and he may be the best we have ever had. He was very personable, with a great sense of humor, and he spent a lot of time mingling with the passengers. The cruise activities staff were all friendly, patient and fun to be with.

 

Be sure to check out the shows. The singers and dancers are very talented, and the costumes were gorgeous.

 

Activities

We are a couple of geeks, so as I said, we spent most of our time playing trivia. We also enjoyed karaoke.

 

Celebrity has discontinued the passenger talent shows. Instead, they have "Starring You". Throughout the cruise, there are competitive activities: Jokester, Karaoke, Dance Duo, Best Photo, King of Infinity and Team Trivia. Team Trivia winners are decided by a series of competitions where points accumulate. For Best Photo, you pay $4.95 to submit a photo, and they print it for people to vote on. King of Infinity is a one-time competition. The other categories are a series of activities where passengers vote. Near the end of the cruise, the top 3 vote-getters are in the passenger show. At the show, a panel of judges picks the winner for Jokester, Kakaoke, Dance Duo and Best Photo.

 

I personally do not like the competitive nature of this. I prefer a straight talent show. The Starring You show was quite a gala event, and it was followed by a festive party in the Constellation lounge with a tasty buffet.

 

If you work out, the gym is beautiful, with lots of equipment and a beautiful view at the forward part of the ship. There is also a regular pool (outside) and the Thelassotherapy pool, which is a heated sea water pool with whirlpool jets. It is indoors.

 

Excursions

We took two ship excursions: Sea Turtle Release in Acapulco and the Wildlife Excursion in Costa Rica. Both were wonderful, and I highly recommend them. Be aware that it is a 3-hour drive each way in Costa Rica on a really, really awful road.

 

We heard a lot of people complain about the tour bus drivers in Central America, and there were a couple of accidents.

 

We secured a tour guide right off the ship in Columbia, and had very good luck. Remember in Columbia that guides in white shirts speak English. Other colored shirts may not. Be very clear when you negotiate a price, including price per person, where you will go, what you will do, and how long your tour will last.

 

I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect. You will have a wonderful time, and meet lots of great people.

 

Thanks!

[Lois R]

Hi, thanks for both reviews:). I booked one night at the USS

UNITED STATES for a short 4 night cruise in December.

Cheri, sounds like you loved it:).

Would you remember who the Maitr'd in there would be?

[pandas4cheri]

I don't recall the name of the maitre'd, but I know he was from Turkey, and his name starts with an "I". He was wonderful, and he was also in charge of the Aqua Spa breakfast area in the morning. That is a place to get healthy choices like fruit, yogurt and egg white omlettes.

[Lois R]

Hi Cheri:) thanks, I have been on all the other M Class ships

but this will be my first time on Infinity. I love the Aqua Spa

Cafe:D

[pandas4cheri]

I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!!

 

How is the weather this time of year? ( I have never even been to Mexico!!)

 

Melody:D

 

Melody,

 

Fall weather is hot and humid, except maybe in Catalina, if you stop there. Humidity in Mexico doesn't really let up until late November.

 

Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia are hot and humid all year long. They are very close to the equator, so that is to be expected. Pack plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent, and drink lots of water. By the time you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.

 

You will also still be in hurricane season. We tend to only think about hurricanes on the Atlantic side, but they are in the Pacific as well. As I mentioned, we missed a port because we had to outrun one, and the Captain said that same hurricane was due to hit Acapulco. (Luckily, we had already been there.) It is disappointing to miss ports, but the Captain is looking out for the well-being of the passengers.

 

Have a great trip!

[sammamishcruiser]

Ch éri

I believe we were at Catalina and San Francisco at the same time!! I was on the Millennium, Catalina 10/05 and San Francisco on 10/03. The Infinity was at both places.It looked like people were getting on the ship in San Francisco, several of us we talking back on the ship, we were not sure if they were coming or going, but we did'nt leave the ship until after lunch so you were just getting on. Maybe we have even seen each other! The weather in Catalina was beautiful! We took a tour and went all over that island!!

 

It sounds like you had a great trip through the Panama Canal. Another question, Would you stay on the ship through the canal or get off and do a tour. We have a pick-up only at cristabol(sp) I'm not sure what they are talking about. can we get off the ship if we don't have a tour and is it worth it? I'm sooo confused!!??

 

Thanks for all your input

Melody:D

[sammamishcruiser]

Cheri

We also went to the specialty restaurant on the Millennium called The Olympic in a word FANTASTIC. Anyone considering this MUST do it and be sure to have the goat cheese souffle! It is to die for, my mouth is watering as I write this!

 

I totally agree with you about the beef in the dining room. tough, like shoe leather, and that's being nice!

 

I agree with you about the waffles! YUM YUM!!

 

Melody

[shipcutie]

Hi. I was on the same cruise as Cheri, and I agree with her review. I will eventually write a review of my own once I get organized. I have some information on private tours, etc from the perspective of a disabled person.

 

Anyways, as for staying on board during the canal crossing: I stayed aboard for the full transit, while my mother took a ship excursion. Three of the ship excursions that should have been back at 7PM did not arrive back until 9:15, apparently due to traffic. Mom said that it was poor planning to try and take people all the way to Panama City in that short amount of time, as you do not get off the ship until the afternoon. In fact, they planned to tender people at 1PM, but it was after 3 until they even got off the Infinity. By the time they got to the city, it was dark and they could hardly see the historic attractions, let alone take photos. Of course, I am not sure about tours that stayed in the area, but I thought that I should let everyone know about this. Staying on the ship seemed nice a quiet to me. I had a lounge almost to myself for several hours and could watch the crossing from a comfortable couch. The crossing is quite slow and since you go though three sets of locks, it is similar each time. I still found it very interesting and remarkable if you attend the lectures and/or read up on the process, history, engineering, etc. I think it is a personal preference as to getting off the ship or not, keeping in mind that you should still be able to observe one or two sets of locks before leaving the ship. Also, even though it states that you are docked at Cristobal Pier for two hours, those passengers who stayed aboard the ship will not be allowed to get off and look around. Those who went on tours did not have time to look around either, so I am sure that the local people were not impressed that tourists were not spending money there. Some passengers had the impression that we would be allowed off the ship to look around. It would have been nice since we ended up docked there longer. However, they did bring some local products on board for passengers. The mola designs are beautiful.

 

Congratulations to Al for winning the joke part of staring you. As this was my first Celebrity Cruise, I have no experience as to the regular talent show that they had before, but he should be proud of his writing. The parody was too funny. I also enjoyed the trivia and games and agree that Allan was a great cruise director.

 

That is all for now.

[oavcech95]

 

Congratulations to Al for winning the joke part of staring you. As this was my first Celebrity Cruise, I have no experience as to the regular talent show that they had before, but he should be proud of his writing. The parody was too funny. I also enjoyed the trivia and games and agree that Allan was a great cruise director.

 

That is all for now.

What funny things.

I will also take the Infinity on December around the horn, could someone tell me how is the Starring at you thing, when is do and all that. Thanks.

[sammamishcruiser]

Shipcutie

Thanks for the info on the canal, we were leaning toward staying on the ship, I think that is what we will do, as we have my DH, parents with us - 81 and 80 but very, very active, no problem walking or anything, she is very hard to keep up with LOL. They have done the Panama Canal Last Thanksgiving, on Princess, and really want to go again, this one offers different ports, so we will all see something new and different.

 

Melody:D

[pandas4cheri]

Hello, Melissa! You were completely correct about the tours in the canal, and Melody, don't feel bad about being confused. We were all confused, and we were on the cruise!

 

Everyone went through two sets of locks, then those on tours got off the ship to tour, while the rest of us went through the third lock. I did not hear any good comments about the tours, and several people said they were going to ask for refunds. We stayed aboard, as DH is an engineer and wanted to squeeze every possible moment out of this engineering marvel.

 

I would do this cruise again, and would consider a tour, since I was not able to set foot in Panama. However, I am wary after the horror stories I heard about the tours. Ship tours are expensive, and I think the only way you can disembark is if you are on a ship-sponsored tour. (Not positive, but pretty sure.)

 

Yes, Melody, we were with the Millenium in S.F. and Catalina. I believe that is where we parted ways. There were three ships in port in Cabo, which made it very crowded. I think the other two ships were Holland America (or Princess) and Royal Caribbean.

 

As for Starring You, there are several categories, and for the most part, people participate in competitions throughout the cruise. Joke-telling (Jokester), Karaoke, Team Trivia and Dance Duo had three or more competitions, and passengers voted on the people they thought did the best job. (Trivia was the exception, where you earned points in each game and the top point-earner was the winner.) Photos were submitted and displayed a day or two before the show. King of Infinity was a one-shot thing. If you were among the top three vote-getters for Jokester, Dance Duo, Photo or Karaoke, you were invited to perform in the Starring You show, or you had your photo displayed during the show. A panel of passenger judges picked the winner from the top three in each category.

 

There was a "red carpet" interview of each contestant by the Cruise Activity Manager, which was broadcast in the theatre. Each winner recived a trophy, which was presented by either one of the ship entertainers or cruise staff. The show was video taped, and each contestant received a copy of the DVD.

 

DH had a good time, and it was cute the way they played it up like the Academy Awards. As I mentioned before, I did not like the whole competitive nature. But that is just MHO. On regular ship talent shows, those who wish to perform just sign up and perform. I always get the feeling that the cruise staff dreads the talent show, that it is a real chore. We always hear that they don't get a good response, that no one wants to participate. However, I have never been on a cruise that had less than 10 people participate, and I have been on some where they had to turn people away because too many people signed up.

[sammamishcruiser]

Hi all-

Here is my real issue with staying on the ship. Growing up in Seattle and in a family that always had boats, the one through my high school days was 40-feet, I have been through the Hiram M. Chittendem locks here in our area many, many times. If anyone out there has done both, is there really any difference? Not that I'm not very excited about going through the Panama Canal, ITS A CRUISE!!!, but what are the differences? any?

 

I don't want to sound like I won't enjoy the Canal if we stayed on the ship. I'm sure that I would not be bord at all. Is it worth it getting off. My MIL was able to get off ( no tour) but again different cruise line and different ports. She said the area was pretty dirty and run down, but then again she's not much of a shopper. :confused:

 

Thanks everyone for all your great information!!

 

Melody:D