A little about us: Hubby and I decided on this cruise for our anniversary. We have sailed seven times before, always on RCCL. I almost felt like a traitor for booking with Celebrity but they offered a 10 night cruise instead of 7. I was ready not to like Celebrity but I have to say, we were impressed. We had a magical cruise and below are a few of our observations of what Celebrity does so well and our opinion of what they could improve on.Seattle: We flew to Seattle a couple of days before our cruise to see the sights. Through Price-line we were booked at the Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle. This is a very nice, old hotel that has been well maintained. The rooms and elevators are small but always clean and were well furnished. My advice for touring downtown Seattle is have comfortable walking shoes. Much of it is uphill or has stairs. We enjoyed Pike Place market where the flower vendors decorate the market with beautiful flowers. There is also a fresh fish market with all kinds of seafood laid out in view. It was Mother's day when we were there and we saw people all over the downtown area carrying beautiful bouquets of flowers. Across the street from the market is the original Starbucks.Embarkation: Sorry, Celebrity, you get a D-. This was the worst embarkation ever! We waited in a mob that funneled up to one luggage xray machine that kept on breaking down. Finally got rid of our luggage, only to wait in another security line for our carry-ons. But these were nothing compared to the room full of people waiting to get signed in. We were lucky, we did get to wait in the Captains Club line but it still took us over an hour to reach the desk. Finally, we got to the desk and were helped by a woman who was moving in slow motion. I will cut them a little slack since this was the first ship out this season but really, move a little faster! Then, once on the ship was another line for getting our pictures made for the ships record. They were serving Champagne but that did nothing to make up for the nearly 2 hours it took to board. I kept wondering how long people in the regular lines must have waited to board?Our Cabin: We had an inside, deck 7 cabin. It seemed a little roomier than inside cabins we had had before. There was plenty of room for our clothes and suitcases. The bed was comfy and our cabin steward kept things nice and clean for us. The bathroom was a little difficult to use due to lack of easily accessible storage space. There is no alarm clock so take one if you need one. Captains Club: We are RCCL Emerald Crown and Anchor members. Our loyalty transferred over to CCL as Select members. After 3 days of no coupon book, I left the cabin steward a note. He then left a bottle of wine, which was very nice but how are you supposed to get it open without paying a fee? The coupon sheet they have is worthless. We didn't use a single coupon. RCCL gives some free Internet, CCL only had a discount if you bought the highest price Internet package. RCCL also gives a small gift shop discount which there was none for CCL. This is a new Captains Club program. I would have hated to see the old one. Other Passengers: DH and I are 50. While we were no means the youngest on this cruise, we weren't far from it. Average age was 60 - 80. There were a handful of kids and a few teenagers. (Probably due to the time of year when most schools aren't out for summer yet.) This was also a very international crowd with many from England, Australia and Japan.Food: The food on the Infinity was hands down the best cruise food we have ever had. The food actually had flavor. The deserts were actually sweet and had some flavor. We liked the buffet food and the dinning room food. Worth mentioning are the melt in your mouth Fillet Mignon and the Crepe Suzette. We also had the best asst. waiter we have ever had. He knew our drink preferences after the first day and had them waiting for us. He is from Belarus, has a degree in English, taught English at a medical school, speaks four languages and has a 1 year old child. I really felt like I should be waiting on him.Ports of Call: We like to just get off the ship and tour the ports on foot. That and the excursions on this cruise are very pricey. So that is what we did at most of the ports. Celebrity Life Program: Through this program, they have brought on-board a naturalist researcher named Brett Nixon. He doesn't just lecture, he is a very animated, educated story teller. He gave programs on bears, eagles, sea lions, seals and whales. They are so informative and are not to be missed. Thanks, Brett, we learned so much from you! He is scheduled to be there all this coming summer. I also enjoyed the galley tour that was given one afternoon.Entertainment: We enjoyed the various entertainment on-board but they were a little lacking on what we are used to on RCCL. The production shows were good and the singers and dancers were very energetic. I was worried when some of the first music I heard on board was "Lawrence Welk" like but they played all kinds of music so everyone should have been happy.Weather: We lucked out and had the best weather with only one day that was cloudy and a little drizzly. I had searched the reviews to get an idea of what kind of clothes to take. I would recommend a Columbia or North Face type jacket that has a heavy fleece liner and a water-proof outer jacket. The first few days, we needed our jackets to stand out on deck and also in town. We wore jeans and long sleeve shirts everyday. It was a sunny day when we were at Hubbard Glacier but it was still cold. I had taken gloves but also wished for a knit scarf for my neck and face. At Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait we also wore Under Armor type pants under our jeans.Alaska: Having only cruised in the Caribbean and Mexican Rivera this was quite a different cruise. Unlike these areas, at any point during the cruise, you can see mountains. If you are familiar with the mountains of Colorado, imagine them 100X's bigger, flooding them and running a cruise ship down the middle, that is what Alaska is like. Rarely do you see any thing man-made on the mountains. Just tree covered mountains where the trees come all the way down to the water or where they are snow covered. We were in awe of the beauty and size of the mountains and the mile after mile of mountain ranges.The ship: I have read several reviews on how this ship is in need of repairs. I just didn't see it. It is well maintained and cleaned daily. The carpets aren't worn and we didn't have wobbly chairs. She is due for dry dock in Nov. where they are going to put in more specialty dinning. I hope they don't ruin it, I liked the dinning the way it was. The attitude is very laid back. They don't have PA announcements several times a day wanting you to come play bingo. The crew were very friendly and helpful. They really seemed to care about our satisfaction and their level of service. Even the Guest Relations personnel were smiling and friendly, who on most ships we have found to be grumpy. One day we were eating at the pool grill when one of the crew in a suit was clearing dishes from the tables. Pretty impressive that a crew member with seniority would clear tables. The future cruise lady has helpful but not overly friendly.Disembarkation: We were disappointed that the Captains Club didn't offer a disembarkation lounge like RCCL does. But we didn't need it. They don't make you clear everything out of your room at a certain time so we left our luggage in our cabin. We went and had breakfast, which wasn't crowded, and we didn't trip over everyone's luggage like usual. We got to the theater 15 min. before our appointed time but they were calling our luggage tag color. There were a couple of check points but nothing with a huge line. We found our luggage easily and off we went. So, Celebrity, you get an A+ for disembarkation.What they do best: The Food! The crew, and the basic attitude. Having Brent Nixon and other educational programs. Disembarkation.What they need to improve: EMBARKATION! Captains Club loyaltiesWould we do it again: YES,YES and YES! Would we take Celebrity again? Absolutely! Infinity? You betcha! Alaska? Don't tell anyone, but we have her booked again for next year!!
7109
Plenty of clothes storage and room for luggage.
No alarm clock.
Bathroom storage space was mainly under the sink which is not convenient storage for items used daily.
Very quiet. I never heard our neighbors and rarely anyone going down the hall.