We visited only 4 of the 6 ports. Our two highlights: In Cartagena we walked around the non-touristy

Us: Late 40 s on our 12th cruise 5th with Celebrity Cruises (hereafter referred to as X). Traveled with a third person (sister) and hence booked a Royal Suite for the additional space. Our focus was on food, service, accommodations, and itinerary. With the exception of the Behind the Scenes galley hampton inn savannah tour we did not attend any shows or participate in any Celebrity Life activities such as on board lectures. hampton inn savannah We arranged our own travel arrangements to/from the port.
Fellow passengers: 75% were over the age of 60 fairly typical although not terribly unexpected for this length of cruise and the destination. While the majority of the passengers were from North America hampton inn savannah a very large percentage of the passengers were German. Cultural differences were evident on the elevators and in the buffet hampton inn savannah lines.
We had most recently sailed on the Silhouette and so we ll make comparisons to a true Solstice Class ship and the Solstice-ized version. Essentially the changes were simply the repurposing of various unused/little used areas (see CC s before/after hampton inn savannah slideshow) adding Solstice venues. In most cases the changes were very well done, the best of which we thought was the transformation of the flower shop into Qsine. Who would have thought that an orange and black decor could work together except for Halloween?
hampton inn savannah Infinity is 11 years old but still possesses an elegant pedigree. The draped Grand Foyer is understated and graceful. Dark and light wood is used throughout the ship to add warmth and stateliness. Yes there are areas where Infinity shows her age but she is still lovely. The ship does not possess the modern lines of the Solstice ships nor the same level of sophistication, but it is easy to learn the ship s layout and get around without a lot of hassle.
We found the food to be very good to excellent throughout the ship. There was one miss but a substitute was brought immediately: Osso Bucco was offered in the Trellis Dining Room one evening. Mine arrived completely inedible fatty and tough. Once I brought this to my waiter s attention I was offered either a replacement or a different entree. I chose a NY Strip (a daily offering) which arrived promptly and cooked perfectly. The point being that you must let someone know when something is not to your liking and not suffer in silence only to complain later.
The Oceanview Cafe (buffet area) is set up in a two service line format (versus an island/station format on other ships). This leads to occasional waiting times and butting in of rude passengers. Table campers were a slight annoyance, but we never had trouble finding a clean/available table. Bar servers were readily available in all dining venues.
hampton inn savannah The passengers on this cruise were not drinkers or gamblers lounges were full of people with empty tables in front of them and there weren t more than 5 people in the casino on our way to dinner (8:30), hampton inn savannah although after dinner there was more action in the casino. The early shows seemed to be well attended based on the number of people pouring out of the theater as the show let out. Free events with giveaways were well attended. We overheard one couple commenting on the specialty restaurants say Why would we pay to eat at another restaurant? We ve already paid for our food. On another occasion a couple arrived at a Single Malt Scotch tasting in Michael s Club and sat down. When they heard there was a charge for the tasting they got up and walked out. It was just that kind of crowd.
We visited only 4 of the 6 ports. Our two highlights: In Cartagena we walked around the non-touristy area then had lunch at La Cevicheria, a great find off the beaten path. This is a definite stop if you like ceviche fresh and delicious. The restaurant, while small, is clean and the service was great. Our second highlight was a ship sponsored shore excursion hampton inn savannah in Puerto Vallarta conducted by Vallarta Adventures, Outdoor Experience . The excursion combined zip lining and rappelling in a beautiful jungle setting and was so professionally managed by an outstanding and energetic team that we felt it was one of our top 3 excursions ever!
In Puntarenas, Costa Rica and Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala we shopped hampton inn savannah at the pier for local crafts and tee-shirts. We took a snorkeling excursion in Cabo San Lucas that was fun, but the water was rather murky. We stayed on the ship in Colon, Panama.