we chose this short cruise for the entertainment it being a 60s cruise which was excellent. afraid it stops there, the food in the buffet was very good but the seating arrangement was not good to say the least the tables were much too close together it resembled a school canteen. the evening food was over cooked and quite boring,we requested a table for 6 or 8 and got a table for 2 squashed between two tables of 4,it was so close the waiter had to lean over diners heads to serve .Our drinks took 40 minutes one night to arrive as there were not enough waiters. we usually cruise 2 to 3 times a year and this was our first and last Celebrity cruise. we should have taken more time to read the reviews before we booked still the groups were amazing. the sunset balcony room was ok. not a patch on P& O or Cunard. Read Less

It was our first Celebrity Cruise, we were looking forward to it, until two days before the date of embarkation when we received a very strange e.mail from agent informing us that Celebrity does not allow a holder of a Syrian passport aboard the ship ! However, after so many prolonged e.mails providing proof of documentations to seek a final decision, only 'by the day of boarding', someone from the company in USA did call and confirmed that it was wrong information given by the Immigration Officer on this Ship. No compensation of the stress caused or even apology of any kind has been delivered to us for that awful time, unknowing if we were going on our holiday or not after we booked a taxi and an overnight Hotel in S'hmton. Leaving that unforgettable tensed experience behind us, we were extremely satisfied during the express embarkation process, helpful desk staff, early boarding and ready room at 11AM. The ship was absolutely beautiful and modern, great dinning restaurants and to our taste. Very smiley and welcoming staff in general. Relaxed dress code in all occasions. Entertainment was very good especially the ship own show and the singer (Ben). Buffet Food and beverages were tasty, good variety and presentation. Select Dining was great in all means, Personalized friendly service which was a credit to them (Jesus, Sheilish and Alina), loved the New York Steak and Onion soup. We had easy wondering across the floors/amenities using the panoramic lifts, and enjoyed the different ambience of the public rooms. The ship motion was very stable and smooth. Missing on the excellent: - Dining/Buffet (night buffet was poor, buffet restaurant's carpet needed frequent vacuuming) - Embarkation (ship was noticeably vibrating when disembarking at ports, had to pay shuttle bus to zeebrugge 12 Euro return ! - Definitely needs diversity of activities for Young adults, LGBT and new movies in the Cinema. - Entertainment in other areas than the Theatre was unrecognized - Lack of directions to the Sauna made us unaware of its existence till the last day, and no steam room. - Some public rooms were unutilized or required some promotion - Shore Excursions were highly priced - of course as a Cruise fanatic, I will always ask for additional discounts towards the cost. I Will Cruise Again on this Ship - if Celebrity made some courtesy towards the mess they created on my expense. Read Less

We recently completed a wine cruise on the Infinity.  If I may use a baseball game as an analogy, it was a blowout for Celebrity.    The ship was clean, crew friendly & happy - there was a good vibe in the air.  Our stateroom attendant Jogi & his assistant Daniel were first up to bat.  We found them friendly & helpful and they made our days run smoothly.  Definitely a home run there.   Next up was the dining room.  I was so pleasantly surprised to find the food really, really good.  It's been a year since we cruised, and they have updated the menu - adding many new dishes - liver and onions for example.  The food on formal nights was especially nice with lamb and beef the heavy hitters.   Starters and desserts were consistently delicious.  The staff were wonderful especially the congenial assistant waiter Shiv. He remembered us and always had a smile on his face. The dining room scored a grand slam. However the  select dining system was a let down...again!  We have not had the best experience with this mode of dining, but early dining is too early and late too late.  We have tried twice in the past with similar experiences, so decided to make advance reservations long before the cruise.  We had requested 7:30 dining for an 8 top.  Now if they offer advance reservations, don't you think they would save a table for that time?  It was pretty much  like the past 2 cruises, so select dining unfortunately struck out.   We chose the complimentary classic beverage package, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The sunset bar or near the sunset bar on cool days was our chosen haunt. The bartenders and servers were funny and pleasant. Contrary to what some have written, there is red, white and rose wine available that fall into this package.  At dinner we had several different sommeliers. They were all professional and kept our glasses full. We visited Cafe Bacio every morning and enjoyed seeing those friendly faces each day.  Fresh squeezed orange juice and bottled water was enjoyed as well.  We didn't feel the need to upgrade to the premium, so my advice to anyone considering this, live with the classic package for a few days then decide.   Qsine was open for lunch at a special price on the last sea day.  Really fun experience with the molten lava crab dish earning top honors.    The buffet is what it is.   Entertainment was great - we enjoyed the shows especially the comedian Fred Klett.  Funny guy!   The female big voice singer was simply too loud for me - had to leave early as it actually hurt my ears.  Fellow cruisers hit it out of the park as well. We met wonderful couples from New Zealand, England & all over the US. We reunited with a couple we had met on an Azamara cruise 5 years ago. People were polite with a smattering of chair hogs. I shook my head at the woman who brought her fake purse and laid it on the lounge because people are more reluctant to move personal belongings. There were no lap dogs, no crazy scooter drivers and few children aboard. The ports of call were wonderful - we had actually done this same cruise 2 years ago, and finding more places still to visit decided to have another go. This year,  Celebrity offered complimentary shuttles to most city centers, or included instructions on how to DIY.  This practice is a pleasant change as some of the ports are not well located.  Another great idea they have adopted is overnighting in most of the ports.  We were able to leave the ship at Le Havre and overnight at Mont St Michel rejoining the next day.  Our wonderful outing was made easier by renting a car and using our own GPS.    There was a medical emergency while we were at sea.   A helicopter came and evacuated the patient with little fuss or fanfare.  The captain announced what was about to happen, I was impressed with the way things were handled.   And finally, on this particular cruise, we ended with two consecutive sea days - brilliant - great to decompress before hitting the London traffic which was horrific by the way.   At the end of the day, Celebrity won and won big.  It was a great cruise and we're looking forward to the next.   Read Less

This was an 11 night immersive wine cruise departing from Harwich, U.K. This was our first Celebrity experience and one which we would not like to repeat. The pre-cruise dealing on Celebrity Cruises website was awful with many of the website menus hidden or difficult to access. We booked a Concierge class balcony room on deck 8 with the Celebrity Select dining option. On embarking we were told that the staterooms were not available for another hour as they were still being cleaned! When we were finally allowed in we discovered it was not clean and there were no hand towels. The shower curtain was filthy, the carpets dusty. The appearance of the rest of this ship was shabby at best. Stains on seats in the Trellis Restaurant, table surfaces and elevator buttons tacky to touch. The ship felt very overcrowded with all the public area seating occupied during sea days it was overwhelming. The food in the Trellis Restaurant was mediocre at best being served warm on cold plates. All the crew appeared to work hard but there weren't enough of them. On the plus side the speciality restaurants were excellent and the Martini Bar a real gem. The Shows were some of the best we have ever seen and the ports of call and excursions very good. Read Less

I agree with previous comments about this cruise. My wife and I have been regular Celebrity cruisers and were very disappointed about the downturn in Celebrity standards. Food in the main restaurant is now all "plated up" and as a result is not sufficiently hot. additional vegetables can and were requested but again arrived lukewarm and overcooked.Someone in the Celebrity management has obviously decided that the way forward is special restaurants from which one can choose, bad decision! such are overpriced and on this cruise the Qsine restaurant staff were discounting in an effort to attract custom. In early Celebrity Cruises there were no such restaurants nor were they required as the basic food offered and delivered was excellent. I agree also with the slow service in the cafes and bars and such we believe are the result of the "all inclusive" drinks packages available. Having said all that, it is a simple result in economic terms that if cruise prices remain constant against a background of rising costs then standards will drop. We just feel a marketing decision has been made which is wrong. On the plus side, embarkation and disembarking procedures leave other companies in the shade and when saying this a particular thank you to the Harwich terminal staff who helped when a return to the parked car was required. The staff were in general courteous and helpful notwithstanding some communication problems! Entertainment was good as was our Stateroom and steward. Overall we were left with a feeling of sadness at the lowered standards and will have to think very carefully before using Celebrity again which, after in excess of twelve cruises with them is a great shame. Read Less

Celebrity Infinity Immersive Wine Cruise - September 2013 We booked Aquaclass on the Celebrity Infinity. Included in the cruise deal (we booked through Iglu) was free car parking at Harwich and the Classic drinks package. Harwich The car journey into Harwich was easy, the car park is well sign posted and there are plenty of staff there to guide you where to park. We arrived at 11 am, the advertised opening time for parking. Just before you park your luggage is taken from your car at a drop off point and transported to the ship. At the car park there was a shuttle bus waiting to take us to the ship which was moored close by. Check-in This was a fairly quick and painless experience. There was a long row of check-in staff which meant a short queue and wait to obtain your sea pass. You do then have to run the gauntlet of the photographers wanting to take your picture before boarding or those who want to sell you a drinks or dining package but we just politely smiled and declined all offers. Tip: wait till you get on board, have a good look round, see what deals are being offered before parting with your well earned. With Aquaclass you fast track security (you are given a red card which acts like a magic wand). We had our own security check-in line which had about 6 in the queue whereas the great unwashed (I jest) were in a queue of at least 50. One of the 50 was well peeved that we had moved through so swiftly and attempted to climb over the rope barrier, only to be accosted by a member of the Aquapolice who gave him short shrift. I believe he did not pass go and did not receive his $200 on board credit The security checks are not as thorough as airports so no need to remove shoes or belts. Through security and safely on board! From arrival at the car park to getting on board must have been no more than 20 minutes. I was well impressed. On board you are greeted with a glass of bubbly or Buck's Fizz (well the ubiquitous Celebrity Blanc de blancs). The ships tannoy announced that the ship was still being prepared but passengers were able to make use of the Oceanview Cafe buffet on deck 10. We went straight up to our cabin and were pleased to see it was already prepared for us. Our cabin number was 1133, one of the 4 new cabins on Deck 11 built at the back, sorry, aft when the ship was "solsticized" in December 2011. The Cabin Cabin 1133 is a lovely cabin with a decent sized balcony that comfortably takes a table, 2 chairs and 2 foot rests. Immediately below is the Sunset bar on deck 10. The port side of this outside bar allows smoking and our cabin is on the port side. I can categorically state that smokers below do not affect you in any way when you are on your balcony (I am totally smoking intolerant), nor does any smoke/soot/odours etc. from the ships funnel have any affect whatsoever. There are no privacy issues either. Only if you have your deck chairs near the balcony can anyone see you. You are only really visible to those in the bar if you were to stand close to the edge of your balcony and they would have to be looking up. To the right of the cabin is a stairway which conveniently leads down to the bar. (I did the journey in 16 seconds on day one!) This stairway is really only used by those who reside on deck 11. The door is heavy but well dampened so it doesn't shut with any great noise. I was not bothered in any way by the noise coming from the bar when on our balcony. You cannot hear anything from the bar when you are in your cabin with the door closed. The view is fantastic, it is totally unrestricted, save the Maltese flag that flutters in the wind to your left on port days and below where the canopy of the bar overhangs. I can't remember how long we had to wait for our luggage to arrive but I would say it came about 5 pm which wasn't an issue as we had brought an overnight bag onto the ship with us. Another perk of Aquaclass is a complimentary bottle of Celebrity own label Blanc de blancs (looks and tastes, ahem, a bit like Champagne and widely available on the ship for $7 a glass or "free" with Classic drinks package). Dining Aquaclass guests have their own private dining restaurant Blu, others can't pay a supplement to get in. The food is excellent and in the main "healthy". You obviously have the MDR option, Oceanview Cafe (aka feeding time at the zoo), or pay for the speciality restaurants. We were regular visitors to Cafe al Bacio (CaB) as they do speciality teas and coffees (as well as alcoholic drinks) the vast majority of which are in the price range of the Classic drinks package. Tip: If in doubt just ask your waiter. Entertainment We never chose this cruise for the entertainment element and didn't visit the theatre once. Saying that there was a singer/pianist (Jeremy Oren) who appeared at CaB afternoons and evenings who was excellent and interacted well with guests during his entertaining routines. He has a huge catalogue of songs and always played the many requests that were made. Celebrity Excursions Nothing to report I'm afraid as we had our fingers burnt on our first Celebrity cruise 2 years ago and vowed never to pay again and to organise our own trips in future. Our first port of call was Le Havre which gives access to e.g. Paris and the Normandy Landing Beaches. I felt really sorry for the American visitors who were likely making a once only visit of a lifetime to the beaches and to the cemeteries of their fallen ones only to find all the US cemeteries were closed due to their Government 's shutdown....absolute disgrace! Staff The waiters and room attendants were fantastic and they deserve every penny our gratuities provide them. Special mentions to Dennis our stateroom attendant and his assistant whose name I'm afraid we didn't catch. Nico in CaB and particularly Anil, Jeffry and Kennet in Blu. Having read many questions posed on this site about the drinks package, can I just say the Classic package gives everything you need unless you insist on expensive wines and top brand spirits. If you are pleasant and courteous to the bar staff (I was amazed how many guests were not) they provide you with what you want, within reason. Summary Infinity is a bit smaller and older than our previous Celebrity ship the Solstice but still retains an excellent standard of food and service in my opinion. We spoke to many fellow passengers who were "well cruise travelled" and in general they all say that cruising standards have slipped a little over recent years, but Celebrity is still up there as one of the best cruise lines. Obviously it all comes down to personal preference and if you try hard enough you can find fault with any service you purchase but to me Celebrity Infinity is a very good ship with in the main excellent, friendly, helpful staff and despite some recent negative reviews on this site I would be happy to recommend this ship to anyone. Finally if anyone is interested and wants to contact me I am happy to answer any questions, particularly about our cabin and provide photos if required. Read Less

We sailed on Celebrity Infinity on September 18. This was our 2nd Celebrity cruise and it was much better than the first one last year to Canada/New England on the Summit. We arrived at Harwich port and were very quickly checked in and our way to the Café for lunch. We then roamed around the ship until it was announced that cabins were ready. When we got to our cabin, we met our cabin steward and assistant, who did an excellent job for us during the entire cruise. Our suitcases actually arrived pretty quickly and we got everything unpacked. Muster drill was scheduled for 4:00 and went smoothly. Then off to the Oceanview Bar for our “sailaway” party with other cruise critic members wearing our mardi gras beads. Dinner was at 6:00 and we were seated at a table for 8 – 2 Scottish ladies, a couple from Florida and another couple from Virginia about 20 minutes from where we live. What a coincidence! Our waiter and assistant were wonderful during the cruise and remembered our names and what types of things we enjoyed and even anticipated what we needed. The following morning, after packing a few essentials, we were off to Paris. We found a hotel room for under $200 so decided to spend the night in Paris. What a wonderful experience!! How could we be so close to Paris (having never been there before) and not make the trip. After our return to the ship, my husband’s tux had been delivered while we were gone so he tried it on. Unfortunately, the pants were too long, but guest services arranged a tailor to come to our cabin the next morning to do the alterations. Problem solved. One of the things that attracted us to this cruise was the fact that it was labeled a “wine immersion” cruise. However, we found that most of the excursions to wineries in the ports were between 8 and 10 hours long because they were so far away. While we may have enjoyed visiting the wineries, we felt like it was too long of a trip. Even though we had never been to any of the ports on this cruise, we opted not to do any excursions and just wandered around the ports on our own and enjoyed the local cuisine. We love sampling the various cuisines when we travel and always look for places where the locals go. The only port that we had specifically planned an excursion on our own was Vigo. I found a tapa and wine tasting walking tour of the old quarter which was amazing. The company was EATour Specialist, SL and Sean O’Rourke was our guide. We went to 3 different local establishments to sample wines and tapas of the region. Sean was very knowledgeable about the food and the wines we sampled. There were 5 other couples from cruise critic that joined us and everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience. Sean was very good at communicating with me before the cruise and answered all of my questions quickly and efficiently. The meeting place was right at the port which was very convenient. Our last port was Porto, Portugal. While we had anticipated sampling ports at the different port houses, we only were able to do a couple. The weather was off and on again rain which limited our wandering to the port houses. After this cruise, I have a different opinion about Celebrity and would sail on them again even though we prefer Royal Caribbean.   Read Less