Thread: Celebrity Infinity, 16 day Panama Canal 9/25/09

Here we are on the Infinity for the 6th time! This cruise takes us from Seattle through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale for a total of 16 days. We overnighted at the Westin Hotel (which we booked on Hotwire for $88 as opposed to the $198 if you book direct from the hotel). This was a good choice--very nice hotel. The short taxi ride to Pier 91 was $12 plus tip. Not bad!

The boarding process in Seattle at Pier 91 was quick and efficient. We never stopped walking from the time we dropped off the bags till we arrived at the check in desk. No wait at all at about 11:00am. We went through the usual formalities of check in and boarded the ship for the beginning of another great Celebrity cruise.

We have a tradition of eating lunch at the pool grill on the first day. We quickly discovered a new addition to the regular menu of hot dogs and hamburgers……..the minute steak! It is a small steak, grilled to order and has fantastic flavor! I must say, we had that for lunch many days! The general buffet on deck 10 seems to have more lunch choices than I remember from past cruises. There is also the usual pasta section in the general buffet line but the pizza station, soup, sandwich and salad station and Asian station are available if you turn to the right as you enter the buffet. Also, more ice cream flavors are offered at the ice cream stations….usually 8 plus the soft ice cream and various sauces and toppings.

For breakfast, we usually go to the buffet on deck 10 where I can get my oatmeal and bran muffin. (turn left as you enter the buffet) BUT…we discovered another new addition since our last cruise in April…The Eggs Benedict station! Yum! They offer 6 different types of Eggs Benedict…the traditional is what I like, so I have had that a couple of mornings instead of the “healthy” breakfast. Also available is the waffle and pancake station plus the Asian breakfast station. These are located toward the aft, so when you enter the buffet area turn right to access these choices.

There were 2 Seaday Brunches in the dining room on this cruise, but we did not go because of Bob's low sodium needs. Everyone was raving about how good they were!

The food in the main dining room is good….not great, but very enjoyable. Bob had to send a tough steak back to the kitchen and we got a call from guest relations the next day apologizing and saying that the complaint had been sent to the executive chef. Funny…the very next night they did not have available what Bob had ordered for dinner (pre-ordered for salt free preparation) and brought him a very good filet mignon instead! Our wait staff is a little slow, but always gets the orders correct and the waiter also greets us by name.

Our aft balcony Concierge Class cabin (#7206) is just as we remembered from cruises past. Nothing unusual to report here….the cabin itself is like all the other CC cabins, 191 sq feet, but it is the huge balcony that we really enjoy! When we arrived in the cabin at 1:00PM, our Captain’s Club info packet detailing the new Elite benefits and the special events planned for the entire cruise was on the desk. Also, on the desk were our onboard credits. The champagne and fruit bowl were on the coffee table and the flower vases were placed on the desk. Also a lovely long stemmed rose was on the counter in the bathroom. Our cabin steward, Santana, was extremely good! He cleans the cabin while we are at breakfast so we are good to go for the rest of the day. We are greeted by name in the morning when we see him and he is quick to open our door for us if he sees us coming down the hall. It is a very friendly, happy ship and this is true from the Captain on down to the ones polishing the banisters or vacuuming the carpets…they are always quick to smile and say hello.

The new Captain’s Club Elite benefits are great! We have used the internet minutes and the laundry service as well as the Michael’s Club social hours.

Michael’s Club is open in the morning for a glorified continental breakfast (fruits, cheeses, meats, pastries, etc) with fresh squeezed juices and champagne for mixing those morning Mimosas. After our breakfast upstairs we head to Michael’s Club for our coffee. The coffee is excellent (it is the Cova Café coffees being served here) and we have been having lattes every morning along with good conversation with new friends. In the late afternoon Michael’s Club opens again with cocktails, wine, beer and soft drinks available, plus various hot and cold appetizers. Although it’s not on the “official” menu, they were making Pina Coladas and other cocktails as requested. The service is outstanding, even when the club is full. There are 130 Elites on board plus about 30 suite passengers eligible to use the Club, however there is seating for only about 85. The word is that another tier above Elite will be rolled out sometime in the not too distant future…..no details are forthcoming until the official announcement, but it was confirmed by several folks in the know.

The Captain’s Club hostess is Maria Nunez and she is in Michaels’s every evening during the social hour. Also, the Hotel Director Leonie Henry and Cruise Director Alan King come in to mingle in the evening. As an aside, Maria sent me a rose along with a personal note on my birthday. Just one of those extra touches we have enjoyed from Celebrity.

When we left Seattle the weather was sunny and about 70 degrees. Perfect for sail away. We had 2 chilly sea days until we got to San Diego where the weather was again sunny and nice. We did not go ashore, but enjoyed the activities on the ship. We had another sea day and then arrived in Cabo San Lucas, a tender port. Sunny and warm….but wait! The winds picked up and it became unsafe to run the tenders. We watched as they were unloading those incoming tenders and it was very difficult to exit the little boats with all the bobbing up and down. They were using local tenders as well as the ships tenders. One of the crewmen on a local tender fell as he was attempting to secure the tender to the loading platform. Fortunately, he was not crushed between the tender and the ship! They fished him out and he continued to do his job…shaken and wet, but safe! A number of shore excursions were cancelled because of the high winds.

Another sea day and this is the day they held the “Captain’s Club Celebration”….a party for past cruisers. Instead of holding it in the evening, as in the past, it was at 11:30 am for the first seating guests and 1:30pm for the late seating folks. Cocktails, wine and champagne were flowing as well as various hot and cold offerings including sushi. The couple with the most cruises was honored (96 cruises!) and there was a bit of entertainment by the Celebrity Orchestra, the string quartet and the acappella group.

Our next port was Huatulco where the heat was even greater than Acapulco! We went ashore and walked around the shops a bit and then returned to the ship. Many folks stayed on the ship today because of the heat.

The next day was another sea day for enjoying the onboard activities.

Our next port was Puntarenas, Costa Rica….home of the famous Café Britt coffee. Another tropical day in paradise! Hot is the standard for our days now. We took the shuttle from the ship to the end of the dock---a long, hot walk if you choose to go that way. There is really nothing much there except the local venders with their tents set up all along the beach walk to the left of the pier. You really need to go on a tour if you want to see anything of interest. No beach front bars to enjoy here! There are eating places and bars, but not directly on the beach.

The next day was a sea day with the Panama Canal crossing the day after.

...continued.....
The morning of the Panama Canal dawned partly cloudy and it was overcast, but not rainy for most of the crossing, which made it much more comfortable. The last time we did a full transit it rained off and on which resulted in extreme humidity. We were given a certificate (suitable for framing. .LOL!) to commemorate the crossing. There was an ongoing narration for the whole crossing that was heard in all the public venues as well as on channel 19 on the stateroom TVs. The helipad was opened up for those wanting to get a better view of the canal and operation of the locks. I have to laugh….one lady went out to the helipad at 3AM to make sure she got a good viewing spot!

We sailed under the Bridge of the Americas around 7AM and were given number 17 to enter the canal. The first 2 locks and passage through the cut were right on schedule…in fact, we got to Gatun Lake ahead of schedule. However, we were delayed for some reason going through the Gatun Locks. We waited and waited in the same spot--about halfway into the first of the 3 locks. Finally we moved on in and the transit was completed.

It is quite interesting to watch the operation of the locomotives (formerly called mules) as the ship progresses through the locks. Our ship had 2 Canal pilots on board and 4 sets of locomotives keeping her centered in the locks so as not to scrape the sides. There was only about a 1 ½ foot clearance on each side…..so close that we could reach out and touch the walls as we passed through! Cables are attached to the ship and winched in tight by the locomotives…the pilots tell each locomotive when to move forward and how fast as well as the degree of tension on the cables. Each locomotive would ring a bell when they had heard and executed the order.

Our next port was Cartagena, Colombia. We arrived at noon and again chose to stay onboard because of the heat. There were mixed reviews on the various shore excursions and since I can’t give you any first hand info, I will not comment about this port.

Our last 2 days were sea days. We ran into some pretty choppy seas which had the Infinity rocking a rolling for our first day after Cartagena. The barf bags were out, but I didn’t see anyone who looked like they were in need of them. It settled down in time for our last formal dinner (enjoyed at the Captain's table) and it was smooth sailing the next day till we got to Fort Lauderdale.

The disembarkation was not smooth! Port Everglades is undergoing some renovations and the space for the luggage was limited resulting in long waits to disembark. Lots of folks were grumbling and some probably missed their flights. One couple who was waiting with us had a 10:45 flight! NEVER book before noon---1:00 is even better because you don’t know when there will be delays! I don’t know when the last color was called, but we, who were supposed to have priority disembarkation (but didn’t), didn’t exit the ship till shortly after 11:00, easily located our bags and waited in another long line for Customs and Immigration. There were only 5 agents processing the whole ship of over 2,000. We had no trouble getting a taxi right away and arrived at the airport at about 12:00. The taxi was $14.10 plus tip. It is metered and not a set fare like in some cities. Check in at Southwest was on the curb and the security line in the airport was not long at all. We made our 1:00 flight but it was too close for comfort!

It’s over, boo hoo! We have an Alaska cruise booked for May, but will be looking for something in January or February to tide us over.

If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them.

Thanks for the great report Char

Great review Char. I thoroughly enjoyed my 11 night Infinity Alaska cruise in May. It's a very friendly ship and they do all they possibly can to please. I enjoyed the $2 Bloody Mary's served at the entrance to the buffet area.

Reggie

Welcome back Char!

Great report, now I'll have to try Celebrity

Brilliant report Char! I enjoyed reading it, thanks!

Thanks for the report Charlene. I have been waiting for you to get back. Remember me asking if you could remember to take note what the dancing was like ? big floor ? Lots of people ? balroom music etc ?
Also do the passengers mostly dress up for formal nights ? Do they have any theme nights ?

Well you did ask if we had any other questions

Thank you Char for posting your trip report.
I enjoyed reading about your cruise.
I am with Judy, its time to give Celebrity a try

Originally Posted by tonylinsdell

Thanks for the report Charlene. I have been waiting for you to get back. Remember me asking if you could remember to take note what the dancing was like ? big floor ? Lots of people ? balroom music etc ?
Also do the passengers mostly dress up for formal nights ? Do they have any theme nights ?

Well you did ask if we had any other questions

Hey Tony!

I did not forget! There was dancing every night in the Rendezvous Lounge on deck 4 before early and late dinner as well as after dinner untill late. As to how crowded it might be---it would depend on how many dancers were on your particular cruise. We had a number of dancers on ours and it was always busy, but no one tripped over anyone!

There is also a dance floor on deck 5 above the Rendezvous Lounge between the Martini Bar and the Champagne Bar. Not so much dancing there as below. The music ranged from your typical ballroom dances to line dancing! Music was supplied by the Celebrity Orchestra as well as the jazz group and party band. The Constellation Lounge on deck 11 forward was mostly disco and party dancing starting about 10:30pm.

There was a mix of tuxes and suits for formal nights. We had 3 on this cruise. Bob always takes his tux.

This is what we wore on the last formal night. We also dined at the Captain's Table that evening and 2 of the gentlemen wore suits and 2 were in tuxes. The majority seemed to be following the evening dress codes.


The theme nights vary on different itineraries. There is usually a 70's/80's dance party in the disco one evening. There are a few deck parties also if the weather permits.

Happy Birthday, Tony!

For LuLu.

This is Puntarenas looking down from the Constellation Lounge at the front of the ship. Not much to see there except the loooong pier! No beach side bars.