Cruise Ship Reviews : Celebrity Cruises Reviews

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axelgrease saw things this way:


Old ship, if you want Solsticizing you need a Solstice Class ship, September 13, 2014
Reviewer: axelgrease

Pros: Itinerary

Cons: Blu, the dining room used for Aqua Class, did not measure up to the real Blus

Date of cruise: August 25, 2023

Departure port: Harwich

Region visited: Europe

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 9093

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

I have cruised with Celebrity three previous times, all in Aqua Class with its Blu dining room. The attempt at copying this in the Millenium Class ship is a failure. I am sure the Aqua Cabin was smaller and the Blu dining room was not up to par with either the food or service. If I sail Celebrity again it will only be on a Solstice class ship

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Jlgeee saw things this way:


Boarding in BA was a preventable disaster. Once on board the saga continued..., January 25, 2014
Reviewer: Jlgeee

Pros: Decent food & service in MDR. United States restaurant good but very pricey.

Cons: Boarding problems at initial and subsequent ports. Ship in mild disrepair.

Date of cruise: January 5, 2014

Departure port: Buenos Aires

Region visited: South America

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: 7212

The Buenos Aires boarding process was a fiasco, with poor facilities exacerbated by Celebrity's poor organization and lack of communication. Average waiting time was 3+ hours and some people weren't processed until the next day after the immigration staff closed down for the evening. Once onboard we were greeted with a broken laundry and broken hot water system. From this inauspicious start there was no way the ship could have recovered passenger goodwill in two months, let alone two weeks. The issues continued at tender ports where Celebrity deboarded people taking their tours first, making passengers that booked independent tours 1 to 2 hours late for their tour. They did an adequate job on board, but nothing special. Food was slightly above cruise line average. The specialty restaurant United States was excellent, but very pricey at $50 per person supplement. By comparison, Cunard's restaurants are equal in quality and around $20. Cyclists will be disappointed by finding only two bikes in the gym.

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jhbitner saw things this way:


Celebrity has slipped bigtime, January 2, 2013
Reviewer: jhbitner

Pros: Itinerary and the quality of the room service

Cons: The food quality has suffered tremendously.

Date of cruise: December 7, 2012

Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Region visited: South America

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 7034

We have cruised previously on the Millennium on an Australia-New Zealand cruise and this review will compare the ships and the services five years later. Upon arriving at the pier to embark, we were greeted with a extremely long line, and very late embarkation, because of a intestinal outbreak on the previous cruise. We were kept in the hot sun in long lines waiting to be processed onto the boat. At least they did offer free bottles of water. Upon arriving aboard minimal services were offered while they continued to disinfect the ship. We were no allowed into the cabins until late. I felt sorry for the crew because of the stress they were under because of the situation. Cabins were standard for the Millennium class of ships. Cabin service was excellent. It was obvious they were going to extra efforts to disinfect. Pool service, at least what we used, was normal and met expectations. Entertainment had gone way downhill since the previous booking with Celebrity. The quality of the shows and performers was not up to expectations. It is obvious that the monies being spent were not to obtain the best available entertainment anymore. Food. The quality of the food on our previous cruise with Celebrity had been the best we had ever encountered on a cruise. I would have had to rate is a solid A. Not only was the food great, the variety was outstanding, the preparation was above reproach, and the service in the dining room when we used it was stellar. You were served fast, efficiently, and very graciously. What a change with this ship. The food was at best a C, sometimes a D to F. Only once in the dining room did it reach a better grade than that. The service in the Ocean View restaurant was abysmal at best and the variety was not good. When you go to the salad bar and can not even find staples such as tomatoes offered, no one to refresh the bar and keep it stocked, etc., you can see that Celebrity is really cutting corners. At his point I would rate the food much below even Norwegian Cruise line which is not known for their cuisine. Service in the Trellis restaurant was also very poor. It took us between 2 to 2.5 hrs to have dinner at the restaurant, I take it because of a cutback in staffing, and the food was just not worth the wait. The good part about all this is neither of us gained weight on the trip because the quality of the food was so poor. I ran into many longtime Celebrity cruise people on the ship, and without exception, they were saying that this was their last Celebrity cruise, that the cruise line was degrading its bottom line so much that it was not worth it. If I had not already booked another Celebrity cruise before I took this cruise, I would not do so. Wish I could find a way to get a complete refund on the cruise and the air flights now.

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lrose5734 saw things this way:


We were disapointed in the ship's condition, entertainment and food., November 21, 2011
Reviewer: lrose5734

Pros: The staff went out of their way to please us.

Cons: The food was only fair in the main dining room, entertainment and ship was poor.

Date of cruise: October 28, 2011

Departure port: San Deigo

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 3020

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

The ship was in poor condition, the food in the main dining room was only fair, the entertainment was poor, there were few activities at pool side.

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Starboy90056 saw things this way:


Didn't meet our expectations., January 7, 2011
Reviewer: Starboy90056

Pros: Specialty restsurant, embarkation, debarkation

Cons: Nothing but the specialty restaurant was excellent

Date of cruise: December 19, 2010

Departure port: Valparaiso, Chile

Region visited: South America

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 2060

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Did not measure up to most of our 27 other cruises. While everything was fair to good, nothing except the specialty restaurant was truly excellent.

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adamwford saw things this way:


A good holiday/cruise experience, but not a great one, November 13, 2010
Reviewer: adamwford

Pros: The dining

Cons: On board activites and entertainment, standard of stateroom

Date of cruise: October 10, 2010

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Central America

Cabin category: Balcony

We recently sailed with the Celebrity Infinity on October 10, 2010, on its 14-night itinerary from Fort Lauderdale, via Grand Cayman and Columbia, through the Panama Canal and on to Costa Rica and Mexico, disembarking in Los Angeles. Despite the reviews we had read prior to boarding, our expectations of the ship were still quite high given Celebrity is a five-star line. How bad can it really be? we thought. Its Celebrity! It was my second cruise (my first on NCLs Norwegian Jade through the Med, which was exceptional) and my partners first. Overall, we had an enjoyable, relaxing holiday. Not a fabulous holiday, but an okay one. In general, the Celebrity Infinity is desperately in need of some TLC. And we believe its about to go in for a major refurbishment, so hopefully a lot of this review wont be that relevant to future cruisers. What is relevant I believe is the standard of Celebritys cruise offering overall. While the ship itself is rough around the edges paint peeling, water stains on the walls, paint smears on the glass balcony panels to name a few - its also quite grubby and in need of a good clean! Thats nothing to do with age of the ship, and everything to do with the attitude of the cruise line itself and the pride it takes in its fleet. More on that later. Firstly, the high points. The food on board was excellent. The quality and standard of presentation were very good. We ate mainly in the Trellis Restaurant. The waiters were fabulous and the sommeliers certainly knew their stuff. We enjoyed some great meals, excellent wines and good company with those seated at our table. The formal nights were a lot of fun and the dessert presentation on the final night was spectacular! Outside of the main restaurant, the food standards are pretty much maintained. The buffet is adequate. Well stocked as you would expect. We ate one night at the specialty SS United States which was lovely, if not a little overdone even for a fine dining experience. The health grill is great when youre sick of burgers and fries for lunch (even though the burgers are amazing!). Special mention to the specialty buffets spectacular. One sore point on the dining experience Celebrity has to address its smoking policy and Im a smoker! Smoking is currently permitted at the rear of the ship on the outdoor seating for the buffet, and its dreadful. You cannot enjoy breakfast or lunch while the table next to you is chain smoking with their morning coffee. Surely during the main dining hours, smoking should not be permitted where most people are consuming food? Also surprisingly good, given the reviews we read prior, was the standard of the common entertainment amenities on board the ship. Again, despite needing a bit of a scrub in places, the presentation of the main foyer, bars, casino, and health spa and cafe still verges on impressive. In general the staff were helpful and attentive, although theres a lack of smiles and that sparkle we expected. We later heard that 300 staff were leaving the ship the day we disembarked, so perhaps everyone just needed a holiday. The all-important pool area is dated, but useable - although the old plastic sun lounges on the upper deck are shockingly uncomfortable. Lets hope they go off to be recycled during the refurb. The equally important Celebrity Theatre, the venue for most of the ships nighttime entertainment, was sadly unimpressive and in desperate need of a makeover. Special mention to the billowing red cloth used to represent flames in the torches that line the walls - just plain tacky. But the seats were comfortable, so thats the main thing I guess! Our stateroom was satisfactory but only just. Ive never been tempted to clean a hotel room before taking up residence, but in this case I felt I had to. There were stains on the furniture and mirrors, toothpaste rings in the glasses, tears in the sheets and salt crusted on to the verandah railings. The air conditioning broke down twice. The dress pillows and coverlet on the bed had seen much better days (not recently either). They were relegated to the wardrobe for the rest of the trip. Incidentally some of the stains I scrubbed didnt come off, so the room probably was reasonably clean when we moved in, but the fact I had to try speaks volumes! Things improved a little from there. Our stateroom attendant was a nice chap, though he constantly seemed a little stressed and overworked. However the room was serviced efficiently. The food standards followed through to room service, which was good. One other sore point on the staterooms. No iron is provided and you cannot access one anywhere on the ship. This is very inconvenient when you have to dress for dinner each night. Celebrity says its for safety reasons. The cynic within me says its another opportunity to reap revenue from the guests. You might want to do what one of our fellow diners had done and sneak a travel iron on board or do what we did and dine creased. The entertainment and activities on board score the lowest points of all. If you are coming on board this ship expecting to be wowed by the sheer scale of the entertainment and activities on offer (which we were), you will be sorely disappointed and a bit bored. Across the board, the standard of entertainment feels second rate. The Celebrity dancers and signers worked hard in their two or three outings, but their lack of maturity just didnt deliver. The dancers ill-fitting costumes indicate theres probably quite a turnover of talent, and it showed. Their final show showed some promise, but it was too little, too late. Party poolside band Top Notch sounded more like karaoke than a professional music act. Call me old fashioned, but I like my singers to sing in key at the very least. From perennial activity favorites like bingo, to the ice carving and fruit sculpting demonstrations by the pool, everything was done with a tangible lack of enthusiasm, energy and imagination. One glimmer of hope was the Celebrity Beyond The Podium speaker series. There were two speakers both passionate about that they were talking about, and both excellent. Celebrity needs to take this principle and apply it across their entire entertainment offering. Anyway, thats quite a rant. Call me a whiner, but I feel better having got everything off my chest. Look, all in all we had a relaxing holiday, and thats the main thing. And we got to sail the Panama Canal, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The cruise wasnt up to the standard we expected and theres no doubt Celebrity needs to pick up its act in a lot of areas, without hiding behind the age of the ship.

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StartrainDD saw things this way:


LONG, detailed review mostly written during our eastbound Panama Canal cruise, November 12, 2010
Reviewer: StartrainDD

Pros: Quality and quantity of live music and entertainment far exceeded expectations

Cons: Embarkation and debarkation were the weakest moments of the experience

Date of cruise: October 24, 2010

Departure port: Los Angeles

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 3111

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

Infinity Panama Canal Cruise 10-24-10 The hotel shuttled us over to the port at about 10:20 a.m.ww Luggage handling went fine, filled out the health forms and then found that due to Delays in disembarkation they were not yet checking in new passengers. At about 11 someone announced that check-in would begin and only the Concierge level check-in area would be used. It was a mad rush to line up. It seems like Celebrity could have avoided this by issuing numbers for a check-in queue without lines as guests arrived. We didnt fare too badly and had our sea pass at about 11:25 and a boarding group 3 pass. By noon boarding had not yet begun and the check-in line now exceeded the capacity of the back and forth line queue. In talking on board with other passengers the line apparently moved pretty fast and no one reported a check-in wait longer than 45 minutes. Boarding actually began at about 12:15 and we were on board at about 12:30. will say that any displeasure at the embarkation mess was soon forgotten as everyone on board was extremely welcoming. We walked past the Spa Caf, the pool grille, the ice cream man Have dessert first!, and checked out the general buffet. Everyone without exception said Welcome aboard! We ended up doing a combination of foods including steamship of beef, spa cuisine, and some wings from the grill and were very pleased across the board. Also, all the pools were open and fully operational, including the T-Pool. Before we had finished our lunch the announcement was made that cabins were ready. After leisurely finishing our lunch, we proceeded to our cabin and were very pleased with cabin 3111, an ocean-view on the third deck. We carried our swimsuits on in a bag so we changed into them and headed up to the T-Pool. We lazed away the rest of the afternoon until about 3:15 PM, and headed down to our cabin, hoping our luggage might be there in order to dress for dinner before the muster drill. To our surprise ALL our luggage was waiting for us! We were able to be 90 percent unpacked and dressed for dinner when called for the muster drill. The drill itself was longer than typical as all instructions were repeated in German. Apparently there is a large group of travelers on board from Germany. After the drill we proceeded to the aft bar on deck 10 where we met many of our fellow Cruise Critic roll call members. It was a great time meeting many we have been making plans with on-line. We have been assigned table 535 in the dining room, a table for six. One of the other couples was a no-show this first evening. The couple that joined us we were amazed at how much we have in common, so we are hoping for many great dinners together! After dinner we listened to the quartet in the Rendezvous lounge for a while but still adjusting to the time change, we did not make the show. The clocks were moved ahead one hour tonight so that will help us with our adjustment! Monday morning sunrise was not until 7:50 a.m. We were on deck about 7:10 and the eastern horizon was just showing signs of daylight. Breakfast watching the sun come up was a treat, as was having the T-Pool all to ourselves again for an early morning swim. Afterwards, I strolled the ship taking photos, and we got cleaned up for our Cruise Critic connections party, at 10:30. Our connections party was well attended and several officers as well as the cruise director visited. They began mingling but cell phones rang and they all excused themselves. Our party was cut short as at 11 another private group had the room, speaking only in German! We enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing near the pool and took advantage of a 2 for 1 deal on some beverages. We were going to go to the first Panama Canal lecture but were so relaxed at the pool that we decided to stay poolside! Our first formal night dinner was good and again our table for six only had four. We enjoyed a little dancing before and after dinner, and actually made it to the production show which was quite enjoyable. I was actually surprised to find that the cast of singers and dancers numbers 15! Tuesday morning we were again up early and saw the sunrise. We eagerly watched the approach to Cabo San Lucas, our first port call. Not being on a ships tour we ended up with tender #13, and waited about 40 minutes in the theater for our number to be called. ack on board about 4:15 and a quick burger and turkey burger for DW at the Breezes grill was needed to hold us over until dinner. I enjoyed the outdoor hot tub while listening to the music of the party band and watching the ship turn and sail away from Cabo. Tuesday night was another time change, so we are now on central time Wednesday morning. This made sunrise at 8:05 so even though we slept later, we still saw the sunrise as we finished breakfast in the spa caf. We enjoyed the T-pool, for ourselves for a while and then one other couple came in. The T-Pool was warmer today (very nice) while the hot tubs at the T-Pool were cooler. While relaxing poolside we were impressed with the constant maintenance and cleaning going on all around the pool. Its still early in the cruise, but I will say that the Infinity shows greater pride in cleanliness and maintenance than the Summit we sailed to Bermuda in June. The crew of the Infinity certainly seem to enjoy their jobs and have been most accommodating. We did seven laps around the deck today (about 1.4 miles) and DW really enjoyed the gym as well. I attended a lecture on cruise ship navigation which was very educational. Wednesday is also the first of two main dining room brunches, which we enjoyed at about noon. I attended a class on travel photography in the early afternoon and it was quite good. I made it to the pool deck just in time to see the ice carving demonstration and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the pool deck. We were alone tonight at our dining room table, just two at our table of six. We are really getting to like our waiter Martinho from Portugal and his assistant, Andreas from Indonesia. Before and after dinner, and again after the show, we listened and danced to the quartet in the Rendezvous. The show tonight was a singer, Lelani Marrell, and she was very good. Again, this is a matter of taste as we did hear several negative comments about Lalani. Thursday morning we sailed into Acapulco bay before daylight. Celebrity brought on a real mariachi band for a pre sail away party poolside. They were excellent and we really enjoyed them. We were back at our dining room table again with our new friends, just the four of us. It appears our fifth and sixth chairs may remain vacant for the duration. Friday we visited Huatulco. Friday morning marked our fifth morning in a row that we watched the sun rise! A record I do not expect to break anytime soon! We did our own thing to go swimming/snorkeling at nearby LaEntranga Bay. Our taxi driver on the way to the bay stopped twice to show us nice vantage points and we appreciated his extra effort. The water was delightful and we truly enjoyed Huatulco. Friday was our second formal night and dinner was excellent. The double-thick sirloin was an excellent steak! Both Thursday and Friday we skipped the show. Thursday was a magician who I heard was very entertaining, while Friday was the Infinity cast in a salute to the 70s. Friday evening the sea really picked up during our first seating dining. At the end of our mealtime many dressed in their finest were carefully swaying their way from the dining room. We witnessed a special Celebrity touch as the maitre'd and a number of the dining room waiters walked the more delicate guests arm-in-arm out of the dining room. Saturday morning brought a very bright and warm day at sea. We witnessed the first real incident of chair hogs as by 8:30 all the shady pool chairs on the non-smoking side had towels, books, hats, etc all over them, yet the pools were still closed (from yesterdays rough seas?) and maybe four people were actually sitting near the pool. The pool deck is nice but there is not much of a breeze there, so we found a couple of deck chairs on deck 4 to relax away a good part of the morning. A full slate of at-sea activities was offered. After enjoying an outdoor lunch on deck 10 aft, we headed to dance lessons. Afterwards, I attended a Panama Canal lecture on the building of the canal during the American era. It was well done. We finished up the day by spending some time at the pool listening to the party band, getting ready for dinner, and enjoying dinner and some dancing in the Rendezvous. We made the variety show with a comic and the singer from the other night. This was enjoyable but certainly not the strongest show of the cruise! Sunday morning brought an early Sunrise (no, we did not see it!) and sailing into Punta Arenas, Costa Rica. We had prearranged with 16 other friends to take an extensive tour with Charlie Soto of Okey-Dokey tours. We very much enjoyed our stay in Costa Rica and our tour with Charlie. We made it back to the ship at 6:10 for a 6:45 all aboard. We quickly changed our clothes and made it to dinner! Once again, we were alone at our large table. Dinner service was faster tonight! Monday was a day at sea. We participated in a tour of the galley. The galley tour ended with the SS United States specialty restaurant galley. We were given a small treat and exited into the SS United States, where a cooking demo was being prepared. We stayed for the demo and while somewhat entertaining, it became more of a sales pitch for the specialty venue. I attended the last lecture on the Panama Canal and the expansion project and thought it was excellent. Late in the day (after dinner) a variety show was presented tonight with many of the house performers from all over the ship. It was well worth attending. Tuesday was the Panama Canal crossing, the main event of the cruise and I was sick! I managed to get out on deck for crossing under the bridge of the Americas, but after that spent the rest of the day in the room with a lot of sleeping. My dear wife was charged with taking photos of the crossing and some friends helped her out. By late evening I was feeling better. I was able to watch the ship go through the Gatun Locks out our window and on the TV monitor. Seeing the sides of the canal about a foot from the window was neat. We did not use room service before today, and wont bother again. Room service gets an F-. Later in the week talked with friends in CC Class cabins and they also said room service is the one area that the Infinity seems unable to get right. Martinho was very concerned when I did not make it to dinner. Wednesday we sailed leisurely (I was told at ~8 nautical MPH) toward Cartagena, Columbia. Used the T-Pool early in the morning and relaxed nearby on loungers. Today is the second brunch of the cruise. We went to the brunch at noon. The prime rib was a 10! Cute and delicious desserts and nice ice sculptures completed the excellent presentation. Wednesday afternoon was the Captains Club party. This was some event! The packed nightclub had nearly 600 in attendance. The open bar menu had something to please everyone. A large food service was also provided (which we did not use as we had just eaten). They served drinks for over 60 minutes and the event lasted 90, including great live performances. A great white egret has become a stowaway on the Infinity. e or she must think she is flying without effort as she has perched herself directly in front of the nightclub windows. We have to believe she cant see in the windows as a dozen of more were watching and taking photos less than three feet from her. Wednesday night the nightclub was again hopping for the Newlywed/Not so newlywed game. It sure was entertaining Two couples finished tied for points and were both given dinners at the SS United States. Thursday morning brought us to Cartagena, Columbia. The sail-in to Cartagena is very pretty, the new city sparkles on the water. We had prearranged a tour here with Dora, one of the top rated guides. It was our first time to set foot on another continent and a day we will never forget, but that is a story for the ports of call board! We keep hearing snippets about a hurricane hitting Haiti on Friday. Those poor folks dont get a break. This caused the ship to reroute its course back to Ft. Lauderdale to go around he west side of Cuba. Thats a bit longer, so we will be moving at near flank speed the next two days. A bunker vessel came alongside to provide additional fuel to ensure we have enough to reach FLL. We again were alone at our romantic large table for two for dinner! Martinho and Andreas honestly seem to miss their guests when they choose another venue for dinner. The ship really started rocking after leaving Cartagena with the bags out by all the elevators. Tonight was the Celebrity sweep in the photo area where various departments are offering end of the cruise discounts. We took advantage of a photo offer. A variety show with guest performers was presented followed by the Celebrity 20th anniversary party in the nightclub. The show was good, but not as good as the performers separately. The anniversary party was a lot of fun until we couldnt stay awake - this was two late nights in a row! Friday morning was quite fun! The ship is rocking but the pools are open. We used the T-pool and had it to ourselves. Just floating back and forth with the waves is very relaxing. The hot tubs are REALLY hot today! The T-pool is pleasantly cool. Got cleaned up for the main event - somehow we scored a bridge tour invite! The bridge tour was actually a bit of a disappointment. The bridge itself is very impressive, spacious, and spotlessly clean. They only really show you the starboard side control area. Two men on our tour dominated the session with endless questions about minutiae that most seemed not very interested in. The junior officer hosting us answered these questions but seemed unable to turn the conversation to items of a more general interest Back to the pools we went and enjoyed another great sea day! An enjoyable final formal dinner was followed by a production show with the ships cast. This was quite enjoyable. Both before and after the show we were able to get in some dancing to the Baires quartet, performing tonight in the Martini Bar. Tonight was also the dessert extravaganza but as it began at 11 we gave it a pass. Saturday brings our final day on the ship. It is noticeably cooler outdoors and the wind is blowing very strong. We take in the crews talent show, always something not to be missed. Following the show and the crews goodbye wave from the theater stage, the Celebrity Chefs competition was held. As one of our Cruise Critic group was a guest chef, we decided to stay and cheer them on. She ended up winning! During dinner an announcement was made that arrival in Fort Lauderdale would be delayed until approximately 9:00 A a.m. Some people were extremely upset and I felt bad for the guest services staff. I had suspected arrival would be late as we needed to take the longer route around Western Cuba to avoid a hurricane / tropical storm. I dont understand why the guests were not informed earlier. Due to the change at Ft. Lauderdale, we did not put our bags out and instead managed to handle our five suitcases ourselves. We were off the ship about 9:35 a.m. and checked in and through security at FLL by 10:30, plenty of time for our 11:50 flight. Summary - What really stands out about our cruise on the Infinity is the live music and entertainment. It was much better than our prior Celebrity cruises. Food is subjective but we would say overall it was good, not great. But good is good. We loved the convenient location of our cabin, #3111. Our MDR wait staff was wonderful. *****!

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monty saw things this way:


This was our second Celebrity cruise., October 29, 2010
Reviewer: monty

Pros: Our stateroom configuration was nice.

Cons: The food was not good and the room steward was the same.

Date of cruise: October 10, 2010

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 2011

Good for children: Yes

We've sailed on the Mercury (Alaska, May 2010) and the Infinity (Panama, October 2010). We had heard that the Celebrity line food was great by older seniors who'd sailed w/them quite a number of years ago. Had to change our stateroom three times on the Mercury (water hammer vibrations) but wanted to give this line another chance. The Infinity food was not good; I had diarrhea while touring in Cartagena from either the fish from the dining room (only had a couple of small bites as it tasted fishy) or the breakfast that morning (bacon, wheat toast, oj). Dining room meal presentation was nice, but didn't taste right. Cold fruit soups were mostly what I ate as they were delicious. Buffet was equally unappetizing - ate mostly just salads and yogurt because I didn't want to get sick again. There was debris on our bathroom floor (ocean view on second deck) when we first checked in which stayed there until the eighth day. This was the first time in seven cruises that we had to continually ask the room steward for soap, shampoo, conditioner and ice. Also didn't care that after a turndown one night, my previously folded lounge clothes that I only wear in the room were spread out on the bed by the steward. This guy also said I should mark "excellent" on all his services. Our waiter, Armand, and his assistant, Jacky (she was adorable and was always attentive to our needs, were wonderful. My husband contracted pinkeye on the fifth night on the ship and also got sick. There were quite a number of passengers coughing (I mean really hacking!). Celebrity can't help passengers getting sick, but the pinkeye was a little suspect - our hands and fingers are rough and cracked from constant use of hand sanitizer and it still didn't help. Overall, I don't think we'll be sailing with Celebrity soon.

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tcambron saw things this way:


15-night Panama Canal, September 11, 2010
Reviewer: tcambron

Pros: Service and food top notch

Cons: Ship shows sign of aging

Date of cruise: April 26, 2009

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 2127

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Embarkation: Very slow. There was an explosion on the pier so we had to wait in the terminal for one or two hours. Champagne offered on arrival. Someone escorted us to cabin and carried bag. Ship showed age. Upholstered chairs had some ragged corners and carpet showed wear. All brass and metalwork shiny. Sufficient elevators - seldom crowded and hardly ever had to wait. Main theater was well designed with three levels and with no posts or obstructed views. Other public areas were very nice. Cabin: 170 sq ft. Had two extra beds that were stored in ceiling. Did not have flat-screen TV. Small couch, and small glass table. One chair and stool. Ghirardelli chocolates at night. TV channels limited. TV movies were pay-per-view. TV had interactive channels with account info, room service, pay-per-view movies ($10), etc. Program delivered when cabin cleaned. Newspaper at Guest Relations. In-room refrigerator. Terrycloth robes provided free. Heard noises from hall and from neighbors. Library: Two levels with fair amount of books. Honor system sign out. Each morning had sudoku and crossword at Reception desk. No prizes. Fitness center: Excellent. Many treadmills (8?), ellipticals (8?), stair climbers (3?) and stationary bikes (6?). All had TVs and heart rate monitors. 12-15 weight machines - new and very good. Internet cafe: Did not use. Looked like 10-15 terminals. Cost with small package was $.53 per minute. Movie theater but selection of movies was poor. Had two or three children's movies even though there were only a couple of kids on the ship. Most other movies we had not heard of. Entertainment: Singer Jordan Bennett was excellent. Comedian was good. Magician/comedian very good. Singer Jamala was good. Harmonica player was surprisingly good. Did not go to production shows. Bands were very good but house orchestra was not. Many activities. Golf putting poorly organized and only held once. Did not go to any trivia. Cruise director was visible and okay. Coffee: Fair - good at Cova Cafe but was $3.45 for Americano. Did not order cappuccino in restaurant Large ship (1,950 passengers) - no lines, easy to get around, fast convenient elevators. Extremely clean. Smoking area well defined and outside. Not a problem. Few announcements - could not hear any announcements in cabin. Noon captain's talk. nly a few announcements were in multiple languages. Room service - did not use Dining room nice - two levels - sat on side with window at table for 10 - not too noisy - first seating. Waiter Rodel called us by name. Bus boy remembered to bring iced tea. Excellent service. Salad dressing spooned on by bus boy. Ate dinner one night in Oceanview Grill - service good - expected tip $2 pp - order from menu with a daily special, tablecloths. SS United States specialty restaurant $30pp - did not go. Food very good - service excellent had escargot two nights, lobster only one. Bread was outstanding. Hot and cold soups both good. Oceanview Buffet (Lido) good for breakfast had multiple stations with cooked-to-order omelets and fried eggs. A station with waffles, crepes and fresh fruit. An Asian breakfast station. Sticky buns. Plenty of coffee/tea stations. Excellent food. Lunch had pizza, pasta bar, stir fry, hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, salad bar. Great variety. Layout excellent so that lines were short. No problem finding seats. Waiters seldom refilled coffee and never drinks. Occasionally helped with trays. No fresh squeezed orange juice. Aqua Spa Cafe good for healthier choices at lunch and breakfast - egg white omelets, meat free tacos, fruit, etc. Ice cream free. Late night snacks but we did not go. Cabin steward excellent - introduced himself at beginning of cruise. Often saw him in hall and he always smiled and spoke. Library okay - did not have prizes for trivia. Photographers annoying - Had a large staff and were very intrusive. Captain was Greek and spoke well at three occasions where we saw him. Conservatory with flowers. Priest said daily mass in cinema. Four hot tubs. Paddle ball and basketball court. No galley or bridge tours (security) Disembarkation very slow. Boarding cards did not have picture ID - had to carry photo ID off and on ship. Enrichment series lectures with Bob McAlwee, former NFL official, very interesting. Dr. Hall's lectures on history, etc. boring. Service excellent. Crew seemed genuinely happy and eager to please. Tenders were dirty and seats in need of repair. Got chintzy tote bag. Wine and drinks expensive - $7-9 and $6.50-7 (for high ball) Casino fairly large. Texas hold'em tournaments $60. For 10 players paid $300/$200.

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Fran saw things this way:


Great ship., September 1, 2010
Reviewer: Fran

Pros: I love the Celebrity staff on board the ship. They are great!

Cons: None

Date of cruise: October 1, 2009

Departure port: New Jersey

Region visited: Bermuda

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 5260

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

Every time we sail onCelebrity it is just fabulous. This ship is no exception.

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abbottcove saw things this way:


We were very impressed and will definitely sail on the Infinity again., August 10, 2010
Reviewer: abbottcove

Pros: The specialty restaurant made the BEST beef wellington just for us.

Cons: Cleaning with bleach got on my clothing.

Date of cruise: January 1, 2023

Departure port: Valparaiso, Chile

Region visited: South America

Cabin category: Balcony

We spent two weeks on board the Celebrity Infinity and found it to be superb. The boat was clean, the staff were friendly. In the main dining room, our server's assistant was new and made a few mistakes, but it was no big deal and we worked with him. The specialty restaurant we went to four times because the food was truly a step above the main dining room, which isn't to say that the main dining room food was mediocre at all, we just prefer the fine dining and intimacy of a small restaurant. They always gave us the table we requested and even prepared dishes for us which we requested in advance. The boarding process was quick and embarkation was also. We truly enjoyed the nightly entertainment as well. This is a great ship.

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magpie saw things this way:


Fun family Alaskan cruise, July 3, 2010
Reviewer: magpie

Pros: Entertainment, specifically the Celebrity dancers, were excellent

Cons: Service was plus (wait staff) / minus (cabin steward)

Date of cruise: June 11, 2010

Departure port: Seattle

Region visited: Alaska

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 7175

Good for children: Yes

We are a family of four: Me (mom), DH (dad), DD (big sister, age 10) and DS (little brother, age 6). This was our third and seventh cruise; you can figure out who missed out on prior cruises by not being born yet (well, fourth if you count in utero)! This was the second time to Alaska, last was in 2002 on NCL. This was actually a last minute decision because our vacation time has been tied up elsewhere; our last cruise was a Baltic cruise in 2007 (I know there are some cruise enthusiasts out there, snorting in disbelief that we were able to abstain for 3 years!). DH and DD had just been lamenting how much they missed cruising when Celebrity?s exciting deals called out to me, and we were lucky to get a quad balcony cabin. Infinity first sailed in 2001, and while the grand foyer still looks grand, and most of the public areas were still quite nice, we definitely found wear and tear in our stateroom. There are still bulky televisions (I imagine when the rooms are refurbished, they will surely exchange these for flat screens) and our TV was so used it was missing the button for the down volume which could then only be controlled by the remote. We had four broken drawers; two in the closet and and two on the nightstand, that ran the gamut from not gliding smoothly to being just darn stuck such that you needed to yank hard to dislodge it. We did have service personnel come try to fix it but it never opened as smoothly as the nonbroken drawers. The pillows were so flat we needed to ask our room steward (when he eventually showed up) for extra pillows. You needed two to equal one regular pillow. To his credit, he was able to find us enough pillows. Maybe all the real pillows live in the suites or concierge cabins. Another place that just looked old was the bathroom; specifically the toilet seat and the shower stall. One positive in the shower that I have always liked is the adjustable height on the shower spray and that the spray itself can be removed, very handy for those kids? showers! I will have to comment on the service here. This is the first Celebrity cruise (had two prior) that I did not feel treated ?famously.? I?m not sure how much this has to do with the policy of automatic gratuities, because on our previous cruises, gratuities were given out individually at the end of the cruise. With all the hullaballoo about working 24/7, months on end without a break, we?ve never wanted to subtract from the gratuities (and we usually figure the basic gratuity into the cost of the cruise already), but honestly, this was the first cruise we have been on that rather than adding on extra, we would have been a little tempted to take away! There were notable exceptions: Graeme Kelleher, our Captain?s Club host who was very gracious and went out of his way to help us, making for a very memorable cruise experience for our entire family, and Sue, in future cruise sales, who worked darn hard but could not find us a 2011 cruise compatible with our schedule and budget, and our waiter Nyoman who showered attention on the kids (sometimes we felt detrimentally, like in Juneau when we had wanted to eat and head back out quickly, though I also think DD and DS reminded him of his three children back home in Indonesia), there did not seem to be the standout service I recall on our previous X cruises. I particularly did not feel that our cabin steward was as meticulous as those with our previous cruises. Although he was friendly, ultimately, he was merely satisfactory, based on a number of little things. We chalked the initial deficits to him having just returned from vacation (he said he just got back on, and a colleague had prepared our cabin). Clearly, we were a quad cabin, but the bathroom towels were prepared for two. Because DH, DS and DD went to the pool the first day, I asked for the proper amount of towels, and I had to ask not once but twice, and when they still did not show up, DH had to get some pool towels to use as bath towels. The cotton balls and Q tips were nearly empty, there were only thyree (of the expected four) glasses in the bathroom (and this remained so throughout the cruise despite my requesting twice for an additional one), there was residual soap scum in the wire soap holder (this was before we used the shower, and I eventually cleaned it off myself after seeing it untouched the second day, ugh!), and the cabin was missing its umbrella (I was told not to worry, I won?t be charged, but how did that help me in rainy Ketchikan?). Forgive my pettiness, but he seemed also stingy on the toiletries; did he forget we were four taking a shower regularly? When I am on vacation, I shouldn?t have to keep the shampoo and conditioner upside down and then keep slapping its behind to get the very last dabs out. He also forgot to give us our Fun Factory daily schedule for the next day twice. And then this last affront: he forgot our turndown chocolates two nights!! One night, we caught him in the hallway, but the other, all we could do was mourn the loss. Also, in the middle of the cruise (we neglected to notice this earlier now that lifejackets are no longer required for the muster drill), DH noticed we only had three life jackets, of which only one was a child life jacket, in our cabin. Oops. But how can we choose when both children are our favorite? Bottom line on our stateroom aside from the annoyances above is that we were happy to have a balcony (appreciated it most on the Tracy Arm Fjord day) and it was roomy enough where we did not feel crowded despite housing four persons. This will likely change as the kids get bigger. One of our reasons we like Celebrity is the dinners in the MDR. This time around, the food was still good but not exceptionally so as we remembered. Presentation was always beautiful (we took one of the interesting galley tours where we saw how the waiters have pictures of how the plates should look) but tastewise not overwhelmingly fabulous. Several examples: the New York strip we had one night, medium rare, was quite tough, braised short ribs and lamb shank on different nights were both tender but flavor just not robust, lobster tail was distastefully chewy, ahi was cooked too much and there was a sadly overpowering BBQ glaze on an otherwise wonderful sea bass. There were several dishes that we enjoyed: ?Mamma?s? pork chops, petite filet mignon and rack of lamb were all done very well. I liked that there was a standard menu you can choose from every night if you do not find anything you like on the daily menu (though this was not an issue for us). I already mentioned that our waiter did a superb job, the only thing I can fault him on is that sometimes he spent too much time at other tables (such as chatting with the next table after they had finished their dessert while we were long done with our meal and waiting patiently for plates to be cleared and the dessert menu to be presented). The attention he lavished on the children was appropriately at the end of the meals, but again, on certain nights, this hindered our making a quick getaway. Our assistant waiter was adequate; while he remembered the kid?s chocolate milk every night, he kept forgetting we adults like iced tea, but was speedy and attentive when we reminded him. A novelty was the daily appearance of our assistant maitre d' Andrew; on our previous cruises, we usually saw the assistant maitre d? at the beginning of the cruise and then never again (perhaps at the end, I do not recall). Andrew appeared every evening to wish us bon appetit. Most of our dinners were in the Trellis/MDR, though we also tried the sushi and curries in the Oceanview Caf? a few times. AquaSpa caf? had lighter fare that we had for lunch a few times, and there were tasty wings with the standard fries and onion rings at Breezes Poolside Grill the kids had a few times. However, my absolute favorite item to indulge in on the entire cruise was . . . litchi ginger sherbet! It was so delicious; I became a gigantic fan!! The mango ginger sherbet came in second. The Fun Factory was a blast for DD on our Mediterranean cruise on the Constellation in 2003; in retrospect, this was all due to Steve from Canada, who was undoubtedly the class clown all through his school years. His zaniness made it difficult for us to coax her off the ship! On the Century in 2007 and this last time on the Infinity, while the staff were very nice and indisputably friendly, both DD and DS were less inclined to spend long periods in the FF, DS stating because he could not go into the ballpit at will (needed to wait for free play) and that there were too many other children (!). I think he also was not as enthused because the group encompassed ages 3 to 8 though there is a distinction between the younger Shipmates and older Cadets. On this particular cruise, we were told there were 299 children on board (vs about 130 on the cruise prior). There is now a VIP program, on this 7-day cruise costing $100, where your child has unlimited access to the paid portions of FF (such as lunch/dinner/slumber parties which is otherwise $6/hour when in port). Apparently, they also get a bag of goodies (backpack, t shirt, etc) and a tour of the bridge and backstage theater. One thing I was NOT comfortable with was that DD in the Ensign group (ages 9 to 11) could wander about the ship in supposedly a group of at least 3 unsupervised by FF staff for up to an hour at a time during certain activities (I did not give permission). Even though the ship is confined, we are talking about strangers everywhere, with unknown backgrounds and intentions; as a parent, you can instruct your child to never enter someone else?s stateroom, but how can you possibly predict all the scenarios that a child predator could use to lure your child? That dreary business aside, I will have to say the MOST fun we had on the cruise was on the family scavenger hunt through the Fun Factory, when we were running around the ship trying to gather materials. A big thank you to our new friends Gus D. L. from Arizona who was stationed in the bay area a few years back (I hope it is Gus, I cannot quite read your signature!) and Cherie A. from California (you have beautiful penmanship) who gave us one point each with your signatures! We (yes, including the kids!) thought the shows were elaborate and top notch! The Celebrity Infinity dancers were in three shows: iBroadway, Boogie Wonderland, and Celebrate the World, and all were very impressive. Ronn Lucas, the truly world famous ventriloquist, was excellent; hilarious and hugely entertaining. There was also Dale Scott, a magician whose tricks were good but following Ronn Lucas? humor, his jokes fell flat. There is a new (to us, not around on our last X cruise in 2007) program called Celebrity Life, of lectures/events on areas of interest, including Renew (health, longevity, fitness, etc ), Savor (food, cooking, wine, galley tour), and Discover (learning, with naturalist speakers, dance lessons) that seemed a worthwhile addition to their programs (of course, some were just redressed, since there have always been dance lessons, speakers, health talks). We attended a few of the Savor activities; found the galley tour very interesting, especially the astounding (okay, maybe not) quantities of food consumed on a typical cruise. Exercise wise, DH liked to run on the top deck in the am; I liked the elliptical and stationary bicycle in the gym. It was never too crowded in the gym in that there always seemed to be a machine available (though maybe not your top choice), even on the at sea days. Several other points: Satellite TV had Cartoon Network as the only kids channel; worked out well on the first at sea day when DD was uncharacteristically seasick and did not want to get out of bed. Library suprisingly well stocked; I read Mary Higgins Clark?s "The Shadow of Your Smile" and started Harlan Coben?s "Caught," both very recent releases. Because of allergies and sensitivity, we really like Celebrity?s current smoking policy, so were disappointed to smell cigarette smoke while we were cruising Tracy Arm Fjord wafting from another balcony. Sad that some smokers can be so disrespectful of policy and their fellow passengers. Several times when I needed to call guest relations, it seemed that it took a long time before the call was eventually answered. It seemed that the Infinity had the best berth in both Ketchikan and Juneau. In summary, I?m very grateful circumstances worked out as it did such that we were able to go on this Alaskan cruise, and despite my mild disappointment, overall I remain happy with Celebrity. For families, cruising is a great value, and what I have always loved about traveling with our kids on a cruise (especially in Europe) is not needing to pack and unpack while enjoying the opportunity to see multiple places as well as having the option of the Fun Factory if the kids choose not to explore the port with us.