Felt like coming home
Celebrity Infinity Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 237
4 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: November 24, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Infinity
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 6104
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
This was our third cruise in a year on Infinity. Mind you, we've only been on 4 cruises total but we've come to appreciate this ship. We felt comfortable from the moment we stepped aboard. Normally, we wouldn't take such a short cruise but we had vouchers that expired at the end of the year and this was the only cruise that we could tack onto another one we'd booked a year before. We were beat from that cruise and Infinity was just what the doctor ordered. Classic cruising with the best crew and staff.Embarkation
Bags were taken by a porter as we exited our Lyft. Going through security was fairly painless. It was after going upstairs that things got complicated. Signage for priority boarding was on the left and on the right. The woman directing people at the top of the escalator told us to go in another direction - not a priority line. When we finally found the right place to be there were no agents assigned to that line. We waited for the agent to finish with the family she was checking in then did our check in. We were directed to a lounge area that had inadequate seating for the number of people who had priority status. There was no one from the ship. We waited. And waited. Met some nice people and answered questions about Infinity (this being our 3 cruise with her). We waited some more. A rumor went around that there was a customs/immigration issue. But still no word from Infinity. Nearly 2 hours later we were told we could board. We went up another escalator. As we headed to the ship we could see non-priority passengers waiting below. It reminded me of TSA in the Denver airport. At the ship were given the choice to head to Michael's lounge or to Luminae for lunch (which was scheduled to end in a half hour). We went to lunch, finally on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food on Infinity has always been good. The Tuscan Grill on the first night was just as good as our last cruise. Our server, Katrina, was a delight. While the food was already good she elevated the experience with her bright smile and willingness to serve. Café al Bacio has a great variety of coffee drinks and a great selection of cakes and pastries. Sushi on Five for one lunch had some service problems but we all enjoyed the food. All other meals were in Luminae where service was nearly always impeccable and the food even more so. Original, too, We were offered MDR menus in Luminae but only once ordered from it. The MDR food was good but not as good as Luminae would have made it. Kudos to Bruno, Prince and Yuri for taking care of us so well.
Onboard Activities
You can't run out of things to do on a good cruise ship. This is true of Infinity. However, this cruise was meant as a relaxation cruise after 8 days on MSC Seaside so we mostly sat in various venues and people watched.
Entertainment
iBroadway was just as good as it was last year. I'm glad I went again. Shades of Buble (not an imitation but an interpretation by a trio) was pretty good, too.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
I was greeted by every member of the crew I encountered. Everyone was pleasant. When I needed help, I got it with a smile.
Ship Quality
I love the size of this ship - not too big, not too small. You definitely get a feel of classic cruising. Are there signs of age here and there? Yes, but everything was clean and after it's refurbished next fall it will be better than ever.
Cabin / Stateroom
This is a Celebrity Suite. There are 8 total, all opposite the midships elevators, 2 on a floor. The cabin is spacious with a small table for 4, a sofa bed (uncomfortable to sleep on) and easy chair in the living room and a separate bedroom with a queen bed or 2 twins. A walk in closet for 2 with a make-up area is in the bedroom. There's a desk area in the living room. Windows are floor to ceiling but curtains were closed most of the time because of the sunlight heating up the room. Some furniture was showing its age but everything was clean with one major exception. The bathtub in the good-sized bathroom with double sinks had mildew and mold in the grout. A LOT of mildew and mold. This did not happen between the time the bathtub was cleaned that morning and when we got into the cabin a few hours later. We notified our butler and the concierge. Several people had fallen down on the job as had previous passengers who did not notify staff of the problem. The tile behind the soap dish was covered in black with mold. Thankfully, staff got right on the problem. By the time we got back from dinner nearly all the mold and mildew had been removed. The next day they came back and regrouted. We received many apologies and a small token for our trouble. Kudos to Celebrity for fixing the problem. But it should never have happened in the first place.
Ship tip
Book a suite for the butler and Luminae. You won't regret spending the extra money.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We only visited the shops at the end of the pier. We didn't have time to do that last year. Fairly pushy sales people at many of the jewelry shops. Many shops we've seen at other ports. Plenty of opportunity to get last minute souvenirs if you didn't get them in town.
Disembarkation
We had extra on board credit so we booked a transfer to the Miami airport. Getting our bags was fairly easy with the help of a porter and going through immigration was fast because we had priority debarkation. Buses were waiting just outside the terminal. If our journey ended there my rating would have been 5 stars. However, the driver dropped us off at the back side of the Delta terminal - downstairs and at the far end from check-in. That was a long walk. Had we known we would have spent the $32 (for 2) on a Lyft and probably would have saved some money, too, in addition to getting dropped off at the front door