My wife and I sailed on Infinity in October 2004 from Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal around to San Diego, a delightful 14-day excursion. At that time, Infinity was of the Panamax class, the largest ship able to traverse the Panama Canal.
Well done video. Why did you select the hotel through Celebrity...price, convenience...? Did it include a transfer from the airport to the hotel and to the ship for embarkation? Were other hotels available through Celebrity with different pricing and amenities? Did Celebrity offer tours of Athens prior to boarding? I was disappointed with the service in Blu the one time I used aqua class, but that was probably not your experience.
Hi. Thanks for watching and as you have asked a few questions I am going to ask you to think about watching and sharing some of my other posts and maybe subscribing? I don’t have plans to become special on youtube and I make them for fun and to be helpful - but it is nice to get views. To answer your questions - The key is flexibility and considering each trip and aspect for its own merits. We did book the hotel through celebrity along with some transfers and flights. All these elements are separate and can be done with or without the others. We do separate comparisons for each trip we do and we tend to take the best offer. On this occasion we booked late, wanted the security that celebrity would take responsibility of getting us there and they were also the better price. We do tend to use celebrity for flights IF we are arriving only one day before. There are swings and roundabouts each time. Yes other hotels were offered with different prices etc but we had a look at reviews etc and went with this one. I am sure ship tours were available but I tend to avoid them and go with private guides who have cruise insurance. However, this is another reason we chose this hotel - it’s location put us right where we wanted to be so no tour was needed. As for Blu. Like any place loss of service can come to a number of things but I do prefer the extra choice and intimacy of Blu along with the easier flexible dining times. Thanks again. Jim
@@themaltedmuse Thanks for the extra information. I was looking at cruises to Greece out of high season and there was this one and another from Viking I'm considering. I've been on the Infinity twice and like the ship, although some of the Captains Club perks aren't as attractive on the older ships, and as you mentioned the positioning of Aqua class cabins is not ideal. When I get some time I will check out some of your other vlogs. Happy travels!
Did you have to pay an extra charge for the backstage tour? Other cruise ships offer free backstage and galley tours. I wonder if Celebrity offers these free tours.
Yes and no - celebrity do offer backstage tours that you pay for BUT you can also get free ones if you are high enough in the loyalty scheme. I did the free one as I am ‘elite +’. If you watch the earlier infinity UA-cam I made I did a galley tour - that is the same, pay or free as a perk.
My wife and I sailed on Infinity in October 2004 from Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal around to San Diego, a delightful 14-day excursion. At that time, Infinity was of the Panamax class, the largest ship able to traverse the Panama Canal.
Thank you for this post drydock review.
Well done video. Why did you select the hotel through Celebrity...price, convenience...? Did it include a transfer from the airport to the hotel and to the ship for embarkation? Were other hotels available through Celebrity with different pricing and amenities? Did Celebrity offer tours of Athens prior to boarding? I was disappointed with the service in Blu the one time I used aqua class, but that was probably not your experience.
Hi. Thanks for watching and as you have asked a few questions I am going to ask you to think about watching and sharing some of my other posts and maybe subscribing? I don’t have plans to become special on youtube and I make them for fun and to be helpful - but it is nice to get views.
To answer your questions - The key is flexibility and considering each trip and aspect for its own merits. We did book the hotel through celebrity along with some transfers and flights. All these elements are separate and can be done with or without the others. We do separate comparisons for each trip we do and we tend to take the best offer. On this occasion we booked late, wanted the security that celebrity would take responsibility of getting us there and they were also the better price. We do tend to use celebrity for flights IF we are arriving only one day before. There are swings and roundabouts each time. Yes other hotels were offered with different prices etc but we had a look at reviews etc and went with this one. I am sure ship tours were available but I tend to avoid them and go with private guides who have cruise insurance. However, this is another reason we chose this hotel - it’s location put us right where we wanted to be so no tour was needed.
As for Blu. Like any place loss of service can come to a number of things but I do prefer the extra choice and intimacy of Blu along with the easier flexible dining times.
Thanks again. Jim
@@themaltedmuse Thanks for the extra information. I was looking at cruises to Greece out of high season and there was this one and another from Viking I'm considering. I've been on the Infinity twice and like the ship, although some of the Captains Club perks aren't as attractive on the older ships, and as you mentioned the positioning of Aqua class cabins is not ideal. When I get some time I will check out some of your other vlogs. Happy travels!
Did you have to pay an extra charge for the backstage tour? Other cruise ships offer free backstage and galley tours. I wonder if Celebrity offers these free tours.
Yes and no - celebrity do offer backstage tours that you pay for BUT you can also get free ones if you are high enough in the loyalty scheme. I did the free one as I am ‘elite +’. If you watch the earlier infinity UA-cam I made I did a galley tour - that is the same, pay or free as a perk.
Well that's definitely shaken not stirred. 🙄
😂