 Expert Review |  | | | | |
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The 91,000-ton, 1,950-passenger Celebrity Infinity, which debuted in 2001, is the second ship in Celebrity Cruises' Millennium-class series. Like near-identical sister ships Celebrity Millennium (2000), Celebrity Summit (2001) and Celebrity Constellation (2002), Infinity debuted with a bevy of once-novel features, including a two-story library, a retro ocean liner-themed alternative restaurant and a lovely bank of all-glass seaview elevators. While the Millennium quadruplets have been surpassed in size, amenities and technical innovation by Celebrity's grass-covered, partially solar powered Solstice-class ships, the line's fundamental dedication to art, natural woods, and sleek Scandinavian styling lends Celebrity Infinity and its sisters an elegant, contemporary air -- even after some ten years on the scene. And at 1,950 passengers -- compared to 2,850 on the Solstice-class vessels -- those looking for a more intimate Celebrity experience will do well to consider the "mid-sized" Millennium class. Editor's Note: The line is also confident that the most significant problem with Infinity -- a recurring pod propulsion issue on the Millennium-class ships that has led to a number of canceled and shortened cruises -- may be behind it. In early 2010, Celebrity's parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. settled a longstanding lawsuit with Rolls-Royce, one of the designers of the faulty pod system, for $65 million. An RCCL press statement from the time noted that the two companies have been "successful in improving the reliability of the design." | | |  top | | | | Dining
The striking Trellis Restaurant, Celebrity Infinity's main dining room, offers formal breakfast, lunch and dinner. The highlight of the two-tiered restaurant is a huge, paned showcase window that extends from floor to ceiling. Tables are mostly set for combinations of six, eight and beyond (more intimate settings are extremely limited). There are two options for dinner in the Trellis Restaurant. Passengers can go with traditional, set seating (two times to dine) or opt for the more flexible Celebrity Select dining option, which was introduced in early 2010. With Celebrity Select, passengers have the option to dine any time between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and to decide whether they want to eat with their own party or at a mixed table with other cruisers. They can also make specific dinner reservations for each day of their cruise online in advance, make reservations onboard or simply show up when ready to eat. Cuisine at The Trellis was generally excellent; the menu featured a nice mix of traditional and imaginative fare that included vegetarian options for each course. From the waitstaff team to the sommelier, service was seamlessly perfect and personable. Other options included The Ocean Grill and Cafe, which is the ship's poolside buffet restaurant. The Ocean Grill has something available nearly 24 hours a day. Pizza and pasta are freshly made; you can choose your own ingredients. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., what is a sandwich station during the day becomes a sushi bar with a range of items from California rolls to tekka maki. Ginger, wasabi and soy sauce are all available, too. On the port side of the Ocean Grill, between 6 and 10 p.m., is the alternative casual dining option, which has table service and offers regional specialties. A suggested gratuity of $2 per person is recommended. A note: No one was ever presented with a bill, so try to have a couple of dollars with you when you go, and tip in cash. The SS United States, Celebrity Infinity's $35 per head alternative restaurant, is excellent, serving no-holds-barred four-course meals. The most commonly ordered entree is the buttery soft filet mignon, preceded by a prepared-at-the-table Caesar salad. While the experience is well worth the extra tariff, the overall tone of the restaurant is a bit condescending -- what with the explanation that a bottle of Cotes du Rhone red wine came from the, um, Cotes du Rhone region of France. The AquaSpa Cafe is the ship's healthy eatery. It serves light meals in a cafe surrounding the spa's thalassotherapy pool. Fresh fruit and vegetables are available until 2 p.m. Late risers can partake of pastries at Cova Cafe di Milano (Cova Cafe for short); the noshing is free, but you'll have to shell out for coffee in whatever form. Room service is available 24/7; passengers can order selections from the menu during dinner, and a door-hung card assures you'll get breakfast when ordered. I love the fact that they phone before delivery -- breakfast and an alarm! Tipping for room service is customary and greatly appreciated. | | | | top | | | | Public Rooms
The Grand Foyer, a three-deck atrium, lies at the center of Celebrity Infinity; its highlight is a sprawling onyx staircase. The main "cruise business" area is here -- including the shore excursion boutique, bank, and guest relations. The Constellation is Infinity's top-deck lounge and is comfortable and contemporary with fantastic views on three sides; we loved the wooden section dividers with port holes. It's used during the day as an observation station and for various activities. The Celebrity Theater is another success; seating 900, it spans three tiers. The highlight? The eye-catching sight of a series of flaming torches behind glass that, on closer inspection, are actually handkerchiefs lit by under-lights. Another great public spot is the Cova Cafe di Milano, midship, which surrounds the Grand Foyer one floor below. A coffee and wine bar, it's designed to replicate the Italian original. Forward of the Cova Cafe is Infinity's enormous shopping venue, the 14,000-square-foot Emporium. Along with the usual logo shops and duty-free items, there are several jewelry and watch shops, and, instead of cluttering the aisles with specials as on most ships, there is a circular central kiosk area for the daily discount offerings. Less successful: A bunch of nondescript lounges -- the Rendezvous, the Martini Bar and the Champagne Bar, are lumped together, Notes CD library is tucked away in a hard-to-find glass turret, and Michael's Club, a lounge which Celebrity describes as an "intimate hideaway" was such a "hideaway" that it was rarely populated by more than one or two people. There are also several meeting rooms, a movie theater (which can double as a meeting/presentation venue) and an Internet center and computer lab. Passengers on Celebrity Millennium can surf the Web in the cyber cafe at a flat rate of 75 cents per minute or package rates of 100 minutes for $70, 200 minutes for $120, and 500 minutes for $250. This rate applies to both the desktops in the Internet center and to your own laptops when using Wi-Fi. | | | | top | | | | Cabins
Of the 1,059 cabins aboard Celebrity Infinity, 853 are oceanview, and 538 of those have balconies. The ship also offers 50 suites, ranging from penthouses (1,690 square feet) to more petite but elegant Sky Suites, as well as 26 accommodations that are fully ADA-compliant and wheelchair-accessible. Infinity's standard cabins, from the least expensive insides to outside balcony cabins, are decorated with soft hues, elegant furnishings, rounded-end beds and comfortable seating. Standard cabins come in at roughly 170 square feet. Balconies add about 40 square feet more. They are certainly not the largest cabins afloat, to be sure. All standard cabins come with mini-bar fridges, safes, telephones and interactive televisions (channels include CNN, ESPN, several movie channels, several in-house channels and TNT). The "interactive" part includes ordering room service, checking your daily bill balance and playing video slots and blackjack. Editor's Note: Unlike many ships where cabins are predesigned and all (save suites) roughly occupy the same square footage, the lower down you go on Infinity the smaller they get. Our Deck 2 doll-cabin was barely large enough for two (desk drawers that can't open all the way because they are blocked by a bed, the inability to sit at the desk without leaning the coffee table onto the tiny futon couch, the minimal drawer space). Infinity's "Concierge" cabins are about a foot longer than the standard cabins down the hall. There were some additional perks afforded to Concierge passengers, including a pillow menu, daily fresh fruit, nightly hors d'oeuvres, use of binoculars, robes, Hansgrohe shower heads, hand-held hair dryers and expanded room service breakfast menus. Also included are priority check-in, express luggage delivery, priority embarkation and disembarkation at each port, shoeshine service, a Celebrity Cruises tote bag and main/specialty restaurant seating preference. We peeked at even posher cabins and the view of the Royal Suite made us wonder if we'd gotten off Infinity -- and onto another ship. It was gorgeous, with separate dining area, plush living room furnishings, high-tech accouterments, in-room laptop, marble bathrooms with Jacuzzi tub, huge private balcony. This is a ship where your investment into higher level accommodations really does make a difference. If space matters, that is. | | | | top | | | | Entertainment
One passenger was overheard saying that the variety of entertainment options presented were like a "three ring circus" and someone responded "no, a six-ring circus." I go with the latter. Activities mostly followed cruise ship standards (art auctions, bad hair day seminars, vegetable carving, wine tastings, bingo and ballroom dance lessons). The ship has a cinema that shows movies-just-out-on-video. Celebrity's nightly theatrical performances, ranging from Broadway compilations to piano concertos, won raves from passengers on my cruise. Another highlight was the performance of a harpist each night in the Cova Cafe. In late 2009, Celebrity introduced a new enrichment and activities program called Celebrity Life onboard Infinity. Programming is divided into three themes. "Savor" focuses on culinary themes and features wine-tasting and appreciation classes, mixology (including "Molecular Mixology" workshops developed by The Liquid Chef, who creates high-end cocktails and muddled drinks with unusual ingredients), cooking demos and cooking competitions. "Renew" combines fitness classes (like body-sculpting, strength-training, yoga and tai chi), spa treatments, medi-spa cosmetic services (BOTOX and anti-aging facials) and wellness seminars (on topics such as youth-enhancing lifestyle tips, nutrition and stress management). The "Discover" program has the broadest reach, as Celebrity has partnered with several well-known companies to offer a wide variety of educational opportunities to its cruise passengers. Lecturers from Smithsonian Journeys, the Smithsonian Institution's educational travel program, will come onboard to teach about history, culture, art, architecture and nature. Passengers can learn languages onboard with Rosetta Stone, study star-gazing and astronomy, preserve vacation photos and memories by scrapbooking with the StoryTellersClub, take technology classes (everything from iPods to Photoshop) through the line's "digITal" series and enjoy ballroom and world dance classes and competitions hosted by Celebrity's professional dancers. Fortunes, the ancient Egyptian-esque casino, is your typical flashy onboard gambling den -- albeit it quite small for a ship this size -- possessing the usual (slots, blackjack, etc.). | | | | top | | | | Fitness and Recreation
The 25,000-square-foot AquaSpa, operated by Steiner, is a destination unto itself. The sprawling complex features a generous-enough work-out room with floor space for fitness classes, the AquaSpa Cafe, the thalassotherapy pool (free of charge to use), comfy seating areas, the spa service and treatment areas and a beauty shop. "Renew" is the line's new name for the spa and health aspect of Celebrity Life. Renew combines fitness classes, spa treatments and wellness seminars to help travelers "feel better, live longer and look younger." Seminars offering youth-enhancing lifestyle tips and stress management, medi-spa cosmetic services (BOTOX and anti-aging facials), body-sculpting and strength-training classes, nutrition seminars, acupuncture, yoga and tai chi are all available to help Celebrity cruisers feel and look good -- not to mention keep them away from the dessert buffet. The program is broken down into three categories: "Ageless" (medi-spa stuff like Botox), "Longevity" (pain management options like acupuncture) and "Energy" (fitness classes). Spa services at the Steiner of London-operated facility include facials, massages, wraps and scrubs with specials offered on shore days. More unusual options include the Bamboo Massage, where bamboo shoots of various sizes are rolled and used to massage muscles. Celebrity also has a trained acupuncturist onboard Millennium. In fact, it was one of the first lines to introduce the now-standard cruise spa option. Celebrity Millennium has licensed doctors onboard and offers Restylane(R) and Perlane(R) treatments, as well as Botox. Classes in "Chilates" (Celebrity's name for Pilates) and yoga are offered with an additional fee of $12 per person, but some of the best workouts are to be found at the dance classes, which are offered free of charge. | | | | top | | | | Family
The well-equipped Fun Factory is located at the aft end of the Sunrise Deck, and it has programs for kids, ages 3 to 17. Note: There are no facilities for teens, however, except for the adjacent video game room. (Teens do have their own full menu of programs though, called X Club.) Participation in the kids' program is complimentary (with some exceptions) and is broken nicely into compatible age groups. Potty-trained children are welcomed from age 3 and join the Ship's Mates (3- to 5-year-olds). Cadets (6 to 8), Ensigns (9 to 11) and Teens (12 to 17) make up the balance of the groups. Age-appropriate activities are available for each, and trained counselors are in attendance. Activities include dinosaur studies, sushi-making, miniature boat-building and treasure hunts, while indoor/outdoor Fun Factory facilities include climbing frames and ball pools, paddling pools and water chutes, computer areas (offering plug-in guitar lessons) and The Tower -- a tall, large-windowed space for teens at the prow end of Deck 11. Parents with children younger than 3 are invited to accompany their toddlers into the playrooms. (Infants who sail must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise. However, for transatlantic, transpacific, select South America and other select cruises, infants must be at least 12 months old.) It's $6 per hour, per child, to participate in the "Afternoon Party" from noon to 2 p.m. on port days and/or the nighttime Slumber Party from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. In-cabin baby-sitting is available for $8 per hour, for up to two children (12 months minimum) within the same family.Celebrity Infinity Fellow Passengers | | | | top | | | | Fellow Passengers
Celebrity Infinity passengers tend to be sophisticated, well-traveled adults in the 45 to 65 age range, and indeed, the Celebrity experience is ideal for the "baby boom" generation. Most of the guests are North American, with Britain and other European countries represented. | | | | top | | | | Dress Code
Depending on the destination, the dress is usually casual during the day and resort casual in the evening. On transatlantic voyages, guests tend to be dressier, even during the day. Celebrity is a traditional cruise line, and the typical Infinity guest likes the tradition of dressing up for supper. Plan for two formal nights on a seven- to 11-night cruises and three on cruises of more than 12 nights, with several "informal" evenings, as well. Formal nights find most of the ladies in beaded or flowing gowns and men in tuxes; on informal evenings, women wear cocktail attire, and men wear suits with ties. There are casual dining options for those who choose not to dress up on formal nights, including the ever-present pizza and pasta, the sushi bar and the dining option on the port side of the Ocean Grill. | | | | top | | | | Gratuity
Celebrity automatically adds gratuities for your restaurant and cabin services to your onboard Seapass account on a daily basis in the following amounts: $11.50 per person, per day, if you're in a standard cabin; $12.00 per person, per day, if you're in Concierge Class; and $15.00 per person, per day, for guests in suites. | | | | top | | | | | Expert reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation. | |  | |
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