My cruise ship voyage started in Ravenna, Italy (about two hours south of Venice), and the embarkation process felt pretty standard. There wasn't too many people in line, and there were many Celebrity employees available to help you with the process. I wish the cruise staff offered a welcome drink when you boarded or something.
Rating: 5.5/10
Room
I stayed on a room with a balcony. The room felt reasonably-sized and did not feel too small. The bathroom was reasonably-sized for a cruise ship as well. I slept on a single bed which was small for me, and the mattress wasn't terribly comfortable. The rest of the room had a sofa which could fold out into a bed, as well as a desk, and a TV where you could watch actual TV channels. There was a mini-fridge with various drinks such as water, sodas, beer, and mini liquor bottles, but using these drinks came at an extra charge, even if you already had a drink package. There was also enough storage in the room and bathroom for your luggage to put under your bed, as well as drawers and closet space for your clothes and other things. There were European and American plugs for use as well, but I wish there were plugs by the nightstands.
Rating: 6.5/10
Food
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| I forgot to take pictures of my food on this cruise FYI |
There are many places to get food on the Celebrity Infinity. The main place to get food was in the Oceanview Cafe on Deck 10 (which is the main buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). There was much variety in the food, ranging from different cuisines such as English, Mexican, and Indian, and there was seemingly something for everyone. The food overall tasted decent. There were foods that I enjoyed (such as the pasta and the ethnic food) and other foods (such as the pizza) that just tasted okay.
There is also the main dining room restaurant on Decks 4 and 5 for your sit down dinner. I thought the food tasted better than the buffet food and was presented nicely, but there wasn't much variety in the menu day-to-day, I was usually stuck ordering the same vegetarian and fish options until I got sick of the dining room food and went to the buffet for dinner on the last days of the cruise.
There are specialty restaurants that you can book for an extra fee, such as the Sushi and "Le Petit Chef" restaurants, but I did not go to any of those restaurants during my cruise.
There is also a Spa Cafe and a Grill restaurant by the pool that serves food and drink as well, but I did not order anything from those spots.
The buffet restaurant closes at 1AM every night, which I thought was reasonable for this ship and cruise line considering the general clientele of people who go cruising with Celebrity.
Ratings:
Buffet: 6.5/10
Dining Room: 7/10
Shopping
A large section of Deck 5 contains all of the major shopping on the ship. There are shops for purchasing Celebrity-branded souvenirs, jewelry, perfume, duty-free alcohol, and more. The shops regularly offer deals on various items throughout the duration of the ship's voyage.
Pools
There are two pools on the ship. There are the main outdoor pools in the pool area that everyone can access. There are two pools that are flanked by two hot tubs and numerous beach chairs around the pools, as well as the upper decks. Each end of the pool area has its own bars where you can grab a drink. The area can get very busy at times, but I thought the pools were fine.
The other pool is the Solarium, which is an indoor adults-only pool with two whirlpools, which are part of the spa facilities. I loved this pool. The pool was nice and warm, with jets and waterfalls that will soothe your body. This was one of my favourite places to be on the ship.
Ratings:
Main Pool: 6.5/10
Solarium: 8.5/10
Entertainment/Things To Do
There are a number of activities and things to do on the ship, and there is something for everyone, but the activities definitely cater towards a senior audience. I always tried to go to the events that had alcohol involved.
The Celebrity Infinity has theater shows every night, and overall, I thought they were hit and miss. Some of the Broadway-style shows the theater group did was reasonably entertaining, and then there were some shows (such as the magician show) which I thought were downright boring. Again, these shows were created with an older audience in mind.
I also liked going to the Fortunes Casino on Deck 5, which had all of your slots and table games (including single-0 roulette), and a bar if you want a drink. The casino was non-smoking, which I thought was great.
Along with the restaurants, there are numerous places to grab a drink on the Celebrity Infinity, including the Martini Bar on Deck 4, the various lounges and the night club, and there are bars by the pool deck as well, among other places.
Ratings:
Theater Shows: 6/10
Casino: 7/10
Bars: 6.5/10
Onboard Activities
There were a number of onboard activities in addition to the organized activities that you can take part in. In the pool area, there were table tennis tables set up so guests can play. At the top deck of the ship was a sports area where you can play basketball, soccer, and pickleball. There was also a kids club and a teens club with things to do for those age groups as well. I found that there weren't as many activities as when I went on the MSC Seaside a few years ago, and a number of the activities that did exist catered more to senior audiences.
Rating: 6/10
Nightlife
There were a few places where you could spend your late night after the theater shows. There is the Rendezvous Lounge on Deck 4 where you can chill out on a comfy lounge chair and watch a live band or karaoke while sipping on a drink. Along with the casino which I have already mentioned, I spent most of my late nights at the Constellation Lounge, which served as the nightclub on the ship. The ship DJs were kinda mediocre, but they were playing music for everyone to vibe and dance to. The drinks were free-flowing and the lounge was very comfortable, probably because the lounge was air-conditioned and did not feel stuffy at all.
Rating:
Nightclub: 7/10
Service
I thought the service on the Celebrity Infinity was decent. The staff always had a smile on their face and always said hi to you. The room staff were great and were always around to tidy up your room. The buffet staff were attentive and were always ready to serve. The bar staff at the bars were solid as well, especially at the bar at the back of the ship and the nightclub. My issues with the service came at the main dining room. There were people in our party where the food was taking extremely long to be served to them. Also, the lady serving my wine would sometimes forget to serve me my wine.
Rating: 6.5/10
Internet
My cruise package came with basic Wifi, which was terrible. It didn't even work half of the time, and I could only check messages and see pictures. I was not able to watch videos or stream.
Rating: 3/10
Other Things To Note
- I highly recommend downloading the Celebrity Cruises app, as this is your base for checking-in, as well as viewing your onboard credit (which did not work for me), as well as viewing your activities/excursions. You can also view the deck plan and see what is currently open on the ship.
- There are spa facilities on the ship, where the paid services are very expensive. There are also gym facilities on the ship as well for use.
- There is a coffee bar on Deck 5 where you can get decent coffee and sweet treats, and there is also a gelato bar across from the coffee bar where you can get gelato for a charge.
- Other facilities on the ship include an internet lounge, a library, and an outdoor theater at the back of the ship where you can watch movies and sporting events.
Verdict
Overall, I generally enjoyed my time on the Celebrity Infinity, and I thought my experience on the ship was decent, but the experience did not blow me away by any stretch. The food was good, and I enjoyed certain facilities and activities, such as the nightclub and the pool. However, I recognize that I am not necessarily the target audience for the Celebrity cruise line. The large majority of the guests on this ship voyage were over the age of 50, and most of the shows and activities reflected that. Also, because Celebrity Infinity is an older ship, many of the decorations and furnishings looked dated and tired. I would only recommend sailing on the Celebrity Infinity if you were able to get a deal and get certain perks like I did, such as included packages and a reduced cruise fare. This was still a much better cruising experience than the MSC Seaside.
Final Rating: 6.5/10
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