We Booked an Old, Last Minute, Cheap Cruise. Fabulous idea ... or terrible MISTAKE?!
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- čas přidán 12. 04. 2024
- What were we thinking?! Would it go horribly wrong? We've all seen those adverts: luring you in with tempting deals, and impossibly low prices! But is there a catch? We decided to put it to the test and booked ourselves aboard the Celebrity Infinity. Almost the oldest ship in their fleet. Would it be creaking, would it feel out of date?
We were sailing from Athens in Greece, on a fabulous sounding itinerary...let's see how it went!
In this Episode we provide a full review of the Celebrity Infinity.
* Celebrity Cruise ship
* Celebrity Cruises Entertainment
* Embarkation Day Celebrity Cruise
* Celebrity Mediterranean Cruise
* What is included in a Celebrity Cruise
* Celebrity drinks package
* cruise ship tour
* Celebrity Cruises Mediterranean
* Best Celebrity Cruise ship
* Celebrity Cruise lines
* cruise news
* cruise vlog
celebrity cruise behind the scenes tour
The Restaurants, Main dining rooms, and Speciality Outlets
The cabins
The pool Area
Celebrity Cruises Entertainment
The deck areas and Rooftop Garden
Who this cruise suits
The buffet
Embarkation Day Celebrity Cruises
Newest Celebrity cruiseship
This is part one of our coverage for this ship. Video 2 will be our Video Diary, where we show you what a typical day aboard feels like, the activities on offer, and what you can get up to. It's our arnchair guide, in which you'll feel really immersed.
Sister ship to :
Celebrity Summit
Celebrity Millennium
Covered in this video:
celebrity cruise
Balcony cabin
Le Petit Chef
Raw on 5 sushi and Japanese seafood
Fine Cut steak House
cruise news
luxury ship
princess cruise
royal Caribbean
icon of the seas
utopia of the seas
carnival cruise
Cafe Al Bacio
Oceanview Buffet
Sunset Bar
Celebrity Constellation
Largest cruise ship
Hi, welcome to Ritzy Travel Guide, my name is Bill, we are here bringing you our latest travel reviews from around the globe! We'll be travelling right around the world on cruise ships, all inclusive resorts, tropical destinations... and the deals of the day.
In this video :
If you enjoyed this video please let us know in the comments box! In the meantime you can watch our video on the newest Celebrity ship here:
czcams.com/video/7LZ1mYhuV3U/video.html
You guys are unbelievably entertaining. My wife and I love your videos and sense of humor. Great job guys!!!
Really kind of you to say, thank you John!!
Hi Bill, excellent suff and yes please to old footage, from someone that still watches the Love Boat for that nostalgia!!!
Ha ha, and why not watch the Love Boat!! Thanks for letting me know and the old footage
@@ritzytravelguidecñtz
I prefer the older, less glitzy, ships so long as the service and food are good.
The service was absolutely excellent, and the food in the Main Dining Room very good.
Bill your wife is a delight. Beautiful inside and out. Another brilliant, amusing and informative video. Thanks 😊
I am indeed a very lucky Guy! Your comment will really make her day! Thank you so much 😊
Excellent coverage on this older Celebrity ship. Yes times are a changing, we've just returned to the UK from the Celebrity Solstice this weekend on our Bucket list cruise, Singapore to Sydney ( we picked this ship over the Edge ) from our previous experience on the Edge. Yes an older ship but spotlessy clean, good shows, and great guest speakers, and lets not forget the indulgent Cafe el bacio for coffee and cake.
Thanks for this very enjoyable coverage.
Hi Steve, what an amazing bucket list cruise from Singapore, I'm sure you had a really memorable trip.
We love the Cafe Al Baccio too, one of our favourite places are sea!
I stumbled on your videos in preparation for my wife and I upcoming trip to Rome, followed by a cruise on Celebrity Ascent to Barcelona this summer. Your videos stand out for several reasons; good filming at a pace that you can get to see and enjoy what you are looking at; your commentary is both informative, but fun. This is not serious, depressing stuff, it is a cruise! We really enjoy your sense of humor and find your insights both unique and entertaining. Our first cruise was about 20 years ago aboard the Celebrity Zenith. We ate dinner at a large table in the Main dining room with 6 other fellow travelers that were assigned to the same table . The Zenith was old and small, but it was all new and amazing to us. One of the other couples told us this was their 30th cruise, and offered a piece of advice that I remember and follow to this day. “ A bad day on a cruise is usually better than a good day at work “.
Looking forward to seeing more stories about the older cruise ships, or pretty much anything that you offer. Thanks…
Hi Alan, what a lovely message to read, thank you so much. You're so right, it's not meant to be depressing stuff, hence we try to be as cheerful as possible! And I might very slightly modify you're sentiment: "A bad day on a cruise is nearly ALWAYS better than a good day at work!!'. What a fantastic mantra.
Wishing you a great time in Rome, and Barcelona, and aboard the Ascent!
Your "tongue-in-cheek" humor, and intelligent insights are off the charts. Keep up the great work! BTW, the long wait in queue for evening dining is attributable to short staffing issues. Empty tables exist because there is no one available to provide service -- an issue which may even extend back to the kitchen.
Hi there, thank you so much for your very kind words.
Yes, I think you're absolutely right, it is due to short staffing. Which is an absolute shame, as the dining staff are so friendly and so willing!
My first time watching your videos and I just loved it. I’ve subscribed and can’t wait for future videos. Thank you for being you and don’t change a thing!
Many thanks Danny, very kind of you to say!
What a fun video! Great that you could take the last minute deal! I’d love to see some of your old cruise footage. Thank you. 😎
Thank you Judy!
I am elderly and absolutely prefer the older more comfortable ships. You do understate the vast savings you experienced.
Hi there, fully agree that older ships are very popular with some cruisers. It makes for a wonderfully diverse cruise market.
Concerning the savings, it was also partially due to the fact we sailed out of season, and at last minute.
Hence my comment it's great to be able to make these savings, even for newer ships too.
I'm younger but I agree! Give me these older ships that actually feel like ships rather than massive crowded theme parks any day!
What irritates me is that Celebrity “had” an upgrade system in place for these older “M” class ships. One or two even had it done. They were stem to stern “ Revolutionized”. However, their new president (who came from Royal Caribbean), has decided to cancel that program, while they continue to charge ever increasing premium prices for cruises on ships that are extremely dated and in less than fine condition.
Yes, it is extremely surpring they have elected to leave the Infinity, and a few others, by the wayside in terms of sympathetic and needed upgrading.
One could also be controversial and point out that many of the ships they are neglecting are on the European and Asian circuit, not those in the lucrative North American region. But that's a hot potato subject for another day!
Excellent video as it's good to see the choices available for all budgets. The quieter mid size ships do seem appealing. Would be great to see the old videos of previous cruises :)
Hi, yes Mid size are our absolute favourite!
Brilliant concept comparing older and newer ships. As always you created an excellent video. And yes, I’d like to see your old cruising footage. 🙏
Many thanks indeed !
One area where Celebrity is downgraded is presentation. The "old" Celebrity had the pastries on a white linen folded tray and a special pastry chef presenting them. The food is not the same as Celebrity in their prime. It may still be good, but it isn't outstanding anymore.
Love your commentary and presentational style.
Hi Kathy, very kind of you! Thank you
Awesome video! And a big YES to seeing the old footage 😁
Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Bill, Thank you for the comparison. You did an excellent job of showing what happens to a once-great ship after years of service. While one can have an enjoyable and less expensive cruise on an older ship, they must bear in mind, as you aptly pointed out, that the ship is old, maybe outdated, and will not offer the same quality as a newer ship. During its last refurb, the drawers on the night stands should have been thoroughly checked to make sure they were in good working order, and not just a drawer to hold something.
Many thanks!
Enjoyed your videos! Yes, I like to see your old footages.
Thank you Diana!
Before having our daughter we were on 5 straight cruises with Celebrity back in the early 2000s. We loved the Millenium class ships. We just started cruising again last summer, again with Celebrity. Our first cruise back was on the Celebrity Summit. The ship has seen better days. However, the nostalgia was definitely there! We are actually going on our first Edge Class ship in June. We are so excited. It will be interesting to compare and contrast both experiences. Thank you for another great review! Please keep them coming!
Wow I loved your old cruise footage. Amazing 👏👏👏
Thank you so much!
Really enjoy your channel. Looking back series would be great to see.
Thank you Brian!
Hey Bill another fun video! It would be great to see your old vintage cruises! A solo video like this one comparing the new cruise ships vs the older cruise ships! Fun to watch old cruise footage!
Thanks George!
Crackin' video ❤
We'd be very interested in watching the back catalogue of older cruises from years ago - that would be fascinating! Thanks as always for the great videos!
Many thanks Terence!
Hi Bill! I would love to see your old footage from past cruises! Was the weather good in Greece in March? Looking forward to seeing the upcoming videos about the ports there! This was a very interesting video! Thank you.
Hi Erin! The weather was really quite pleasant, about 18c/64F. Nice touring temperature and easy crowds. We would thoroughly recommend Greece in Spring or autumn 😊
We'd like to see your older cruise footage - would be very interesting!
Thanks Terence!
Well done great video, brought back some great memories, if you can get a deal on one of these, totally worth it!👍
Many thanks!
I love the older footage! Please share more!
Thanks for letting me know Melissa!
A thumbs up for a compilation of older cruises!
Thanks Sonja!
Love to see old footage. What an excellent idea Bill. I like the look of older ships.
Hi Lesley, me too, it's fascinating to see how cruise ships have evolved and used to look!
Sailed the Infinity in 2004 and the Equinox in 2010 and 2014. I loved them then. But after seeing your video on the Ascent, that is the one I would like to try. Not surprising. I wouldn't want my 2004 Avalon back in place of my 2023 Tesla, even though I loved the Avalon when I had it.
That's a great analogy!!
Thanks for the video. Would love to see some of the vintage footage !
Thanks so much!
I was giggling when you were fussing w the drawer 😅 But I must say, an older quieter ship, w excellent food, clean, smaller capacity and quieter ports sounds perfect to me. Enjoyed the footage from 2003 and would enjoy seeing more. ✌🏻
Thanks Kate!
Great video Bill. We too have been on an Edge class ship and were wondering what the older Celebrity ships would be like. Thanks! (You should definitely mine your collection of old cruise videos!)
Many thanks Chris, I shall go mining!
Hi Chris we have been on the Beyond and our last cruise on the Infinity. We loved them both and we would book both again. We liked the small friendly service on the Infinity, with a personal touch, and the very relaxed atmosphere. Only downsize we though was the lack of choice for pay restaurants and the outside area was a little dated compared to Edge class. Happy cruising 🎉
Thank you for this travelogue on a cruise ship
Hi Karen, you're welcome!
Yes they can, we loved the Aquaclass cabin on deck 11 and friendly staff and cruise buddies were great. We had a fabulous time.
Thoroughly enjoyed your video review of Infinity, many thanks for providing such interesting & informative content.
We are off on Queen Anne in June of this year, really looking forward to that.
Would you mind sharing the cost of your cruise please? Also who do you book your cruises with?
Many thanks & keep the videos coming!
Regards
Billy
Hi Billy, have a great time on the Queen Anne in June, very exciting!
That particular cruise on Infinity, we paid approximately $625 per person. It was a last minute itinerary change as the crisis in the Middle East meant Celebrity had to alter their intended Israel and Suez visits.
We mostly book direct with the cruiselines themselves. Nothing against agents, who often have good deals too. Just the way it works out. We're on the mailing list for them all, and trawl through endless emails all week!
We find the best deals are often way, way in advance, or last minute.
@@ritzytravelguide Thank you for your prompt rely. Blimey! That was a great deal wasn't it?
Thoroughly enjoyed your Ascent video as well, I must get organised & book an Edge Class Cruise soon.
@billybrent1 Yes, give the Edge Class ships a try, let us know what you think afterwards!
Hello again Liverpool Kev here again....Thank you so much for an excellent video...Nostalgic for me...I worked on Infinity twice...once in a passenger cabin and another time in crew accommodation....(noisy)...my agent was sworn at for complaining haha...Fond memories though...I would not like to be on a massive ship...even if more polished...my first cruise (non working) was P&O Oceania...a really nice experience...I volunteered to do stand up comedy in the main theatre which got me work at a later date...ooh er...Happy memories...Thank you again...Liverpool Kev
Hi Kev, great to hear from you. What a coincidence you worked on Infinity! You'll know it like the back of your hand! Fond and nostalgic memories indeed!
I’d really like to see your old videos . Thank you !
Thanks very much for letting me know Antony!
I would definitely enjoy seeing your old cruising footage in future episodes Bill. I’m also looking forward to your port video on Ephesus. I went there years ago but would love to return.
This was an interesting episode. I think apart from the dated cabins, what struck me was the dreary, rather dark lighting especially in the main restaurant. These days, the new ships seem to have brighter lighting which helps to give a much more modern feel.
Hi Lisa, lovely to hear from you. Ephesus was a delight, as were the other port stops, such as Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Knossos. It's a gorgeous part of the Mediterranean. Hopefully getting those videos out over coming weeks.
We went on a Greece cruise to islands and Turkey. Turkey was CLOSED due to the census! No one allowed out of their domicile except for us cruise passengers! Streets empty except for police with their guns.
We were able to tour because we did not count as residents, though hotel guests were. We were able to see Ephesus and a rug shop (I think the owner was the mayor's brother). LOL . Very weird, like a Sci fi movie....no one there. Sadly, I could not visit the market (closed too)
@karensheppard1471 Wow, that must have felt weird!
We have watched a couple of your videos this one we liked very much. Would like to see a cruise for October 😊
Hi Suzie, thanks very much!
Great video we would love to see your older footage of your trips.
Thank you very much Jo, so kind of you to say!
Some of my best cruises have been on these older ships - they're taking such good care of them. I'm not fully sold on those glass portholes in the floor of the buffet - I think that would go straight for my stomach, haha!
Hi Fraser! Those portholes are kind of quirky and fun!!
Just found your channel and subscribed. Really enjoyed this video. You talked about how you sailed on the Summit many years ago. We just sailed on her last Oct and we loved her. She has been all updated and is a wonderful cruise ship. You and your lovely wife should book a cruise on her again to see the wonderful updates to her. We would also love to see your older videos about cruising. We are in our 50's now and we love to go cruising.
I have a short video showing the room updates to the Summit on my channel if you would like to take a look. Wishing you both all the best.
Hi Sean lovely to hear from you, and thank you so much for your kind words.
It's great to hear the Summit has been refreshed, we have beautiful memories from our time aboard her, sailing round Alaska.
I'm now heading off to your channel to see your video!
great video, we jusy travelled on the celebrity Reflection on a Med cruise in may 2023, found it amazing, and yes I would hate the 5000-7000 guests on newer ships.. decor was little outdated, but spotlessly clean and excelently maintained ... I loved it !!
Hi Joan, lovely to hear from you. Coincidentally we are pricing up a potential cruise on the Reflection for next year!
Would love to see footage from yester year. 👍
Hi Tony, thanks for letting me know!
I Love watching you and your wife on trips. This one of the Room was Funny to me and I hope you didn't pay a lot . 😊
Thank you so much Kimberly 😊. We did get a good deal with the cruise, and always love to travel, quirky ships or otherwise!
Very informative. Ive loved this review. Very funny too " for those that don't have any teeth" . Im still laughing😂. I shall look out for all your videos now. X
Thank you so much Jackie, lovely to have you with us 🙂
That pool deck area looks great very spacious.
Hi, yes, the pool decks were spacious. Very comfortable.
Hello Bill, I enjoyed watching the video .If you don't mind, too share the price ,and did you have to buy a drink package .thank you .
Hi Cheryl, we didn't buy the drinks package, as it was port intensive, and were ashore almost every single day. So we paid as we went for the drinks
The cost of the cruise was about $620 per person, for Ocean View, for the 10 night sailing. Typically in the Mediterranean it costs double to triple that with Celebrity. Because, we booked last minute, and in low season, we were able to get the good price.
I am incredibly grateful for giving us a more “European” point of view of cruises review. It is difficult for me as a European myself to relate to US reviewer and your channel gives me the best review to pick our future cruises. Also I love your humour ! Thank you
Thank you very much for your kind comments, Berenice!
We sailed Infinity twice. In 2008 and 2011 both Alaska. We liked the ship.
thanks you! you just safe us from s nightmare in MSC vituosa. can we have a suggestion of a small-medium ship which is quiet (in August) ?
Hi, can you give a bit more information. Such the geographical area you want, is it for kid, or older people ?
Nice vlog. Was on this cruise. Loved it. Mainly for the itinerary. Main reason heavily discounted cruise fare due to it being a re routed cruise. . It was originally meant to sail Israel and Egypt but forced to re route due to Middle East conflict!
Hi there, yes we loved the itinerary, really fascinating port stops!
Hi Bill, yes please do show us your older videos - love to see how things have changed. My first cruise being on Uganda in 1977! Best wishes, Trev
Hi Trev, that cruise on the Uganda would have been fascinating!
Indeed, the elephant tusks in the gentlemen's smoking room remain my abiding memory (even though as a 12 year old I was a tad young to truly embrace the delights of hand-crafted tobacco products!). Haifa was cancelled due to war in Israel!But the acropolis in Athens was a sight to behold, as I'm sure you noted too!
@trevebacon3834 Yes, the Acropolis is indeed awe inspiring. During our trip we loved Knossos too, as well as Ephesus, Thessaloniki and Rhodes. The Ancient Wonders cruise circuit is a great one.
Great video guys 👍🇬🇧 and my wife said she really wants your wife's adidas tracksuit and gym gear 😄😎👍
Ha, ha, yes it's very bright gym gear! She has a collection of them, really glow in the dark!!
We had 3 cruises on Infinity ,all post COVID. I found that little worn furniture and carpet id not bother us. Any bad drowning was fixed within very short time. We liked old way : constant place in restaurant,the same waiter,who knows our names and preferences,less people around, almost no children,etc. the first cruise was just after COVID and we booked Aqua class for the balcony cost. That cruise was like a luxury. Generally,we enjoyed them a lot. Actually much more than newest Holland America. Of course new ship is better,we liked Edge and Epic. Just like everything new and “ younger” . The only thing : the prices must be lower on older ships. Like on used cars. And the companies would have own notch in business
Yeah that was definitely a hospital bathroom
Very enjoyable and entertaining video Bill. Thank you. We were worried your wife would spill on her lovely white top during dinner. Furthermore, you’ve answered a lot of questions. Looks like the normal Celebrity package with excellent food. Value for money? Absolutely! Please keep up the good work and keep these videos coming.
Good point about my wife's white top! The duck came the nearest to spoiling proceedings, in the dripping stakes!
We would love to see your old videos please 😊
Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
I think it's a very good and well thought out assessment. I was just on a 4-day Celebrity Silhouette which was not a last minute booking. But it was priced on par with Cunard Britannia Class as far as cost per day. An older ship for sure but it was quite nice all things considered. I had always sailed Cunard so Celebrity was a wake up call so to speak. Perhaps not as elegant as Cunard but the food quality was light years better as was the gym. The room was ok. It was difficult to figure out exactly what you get in Aqua Class as opposed to the next level down. Celebrity is rather opaque in their explanations and rather than tell you in a clear concise manner, they make you look it up. As best we can tell, we had better soap and shampoo and that's it! Service was terrific. We too found the open dining process convoluted and opted for the buffet. But we liked the buffet and it was nice that for brekkie and lunch you could eat outdoors. We also found that the cabin cabinetry and draws were broken and cheap. In this respect, the Cunard cabins are definitely nicer. But we found the bed to be comfortable. All in all, we liked Celebrity and will give them another look. If Queen Anne is not a game changer for Cunard, then it's time to shift brands. Food and gym are what we like and Celebrity, even on an older ship, made Cunard look old and dumpy in my humble opinion.
Hi Sam, lovely to hear from you, and many thanks indeed for your detailed and well considered thoughts. I heartily agree with your conclusions.
Interesting comparisons you make between Cunard and Celebrity. Yes, the food on Celebrity in the Main Dining Room can often be better than Britannia. But I think the older Cunard ships overall are in better condition that Celebrity oldercships.
Queen Anne will be a very key test for Cunard. It will be a fascinating launch, and litmus test of how Cunard moves forward, and can hold onto its client base.
Thanks Ritzy! I'd get on this old ship any time and loved the novelty of you comparing it to your APEX(?) cruise. Just subscribed even though I thought I already had my site didn't acknowledge it. Wish I had more cruises to compare to yours to but have had only one this millennium. A trans-Pacific San Francisco to Sydney on the Queen Elizabeth in '18 Britannia balcony. Excuse me if I bragged about its fabulousness to you before.
Hi there, lovely to hear from you. Your Trans Pacific San Francisco to Sydney sounds amazing. I'm sure you had so many fabulous memories from that!
@@ritzytravelguide Yes! Previous cruise was 1965 trans-Pacific on ancient P&O Oriana with family. I should do a time travel comparison too! I can't even...Many trips between now and then but non-cruse. The best from Silicon Valley, California.❤
I sailed on the original Pacific Princess, and her sister ship Ocean Princess several times, and LOVED them. I was so sorry when they were sold. I would gladly sail on them today.
Those Princess class of ships were timeless!
@@ritzytravelguide Being small (relatively) they felt warm and fuzzy. I miss them.
Thanks! Always love getting your perspective on ships. Next, try a Solstice class ship that has been moderately revolutionized. They may be the happy medium. I agree with you on the Sky Lounge being a plus. There's just nothing like that on Edge. There's Eden, but that's different. Also, yes, nice theater. I think the one area you could have expanded is the difference between the Summit back 20 years ago and now. The specialty restaurants didn't exist 20 years ago, there was only 1 and it had the Normandie statue on it. I've always found the Millennium ships a bit dull lacking some of the buzz of the Solstice and Century class ships. I don't think it's the age, it's something about the design. As for the pool, I expect old machinery to sound old from time to time. I have a 22 year old Volvo and some things sound old for sure. But I love that it still feels solid and goes down the road confidently. I see a lot of refurbished and changed areas on this ship and some original stuff. But I think overall it looks good. If you want a more refreshed Millennium ship, pick the Solstice or Millennium. I think my main disagreement with you is on the dining room. I love it. I don't know, maybe it can be spruced up but I think it is magnificent in its look and feel. I don't like what they've done to the Summit and Millennium's dining rooms. But others may.
Overall, I enjoyed this review immensely and love you wife's colorful attire.
Hi Benjamin, great to hear from you. Yes, we very much want to revisit the solstice class, as we were last on them about 8 years ago. As we speak we're checking on the Celebrity Reflection, and trying to get ourselves booked on a great itinerary with that!
I shall pass on your kind compliments to my wife about her attire!
@@ritzytravelguide Great, thanks!
Thank You Bill, great professional and helpful videos.
When you make a video on Azamara, if possible please comment on how this small ship moves in rough seas and if many cruiser are affected by included alcohol in combination with seasickness
Hi Anastasia, sure, no problem will give lots of feedback on the Azamara trip. Though,we are sailing on the Italian Riviera, so I'm not sure the seas will be very rough!
I couldn’t care less about decor. Non-functional drawers? That’s an issue.
Great video. The S class is the sweet spot.
It might well be, thanks Melvin
Haha, that TV looks old to you, but in 1999 they were still putting CRTs (Tube TVs with the curved glass front) on ships. Flat panels then were still very rare and expensive! So that area has been refit at least.
That's true!
Hi Bill, great video.I must say I was surprised how dated infinity looked.we went on Constellation 2 years ago and it had been upgraded,and is back in dry Dock as we speak,our inside cabin on deck 7 had proper shower door and no wood panels.booked on her again for 20 days back to back in october.and were in the same cabin.Tuscan grill was far more updated.weve paid £2599 with flights,classic drinks package and WiFi.Gordons gin and Bacardi does me fine.Great to see your old vids I have many from 1998 onwards ,requards Phil.
Hi Phil, great to hear from you. Yes, for some reason Celebrity has decided to hold back on giving the Infinity a meaningful overhaul. Rumour has it the Infinity was scheduled to have a major revamp just before covid hit. It then understandably held off on that, and everyone thought that following covid it would have the same major revamp that many of the other older Celebrity ships have had, such as with the Summit, Constellation and those in the Solstice class. However the Infinity entered dry dock a couple of months ago, just before we boarded. To everyone's surprise the updates were very minimal indeed. I have absolutely no idea why Celebrity is choosing to hold back some of their ships and not others
We took our first cruise in 1993 and would love to see your ride down memory lane.
Thanks John!
Enjoyable video, as usual. At the end you said that you were a little bit bored but what about your wife? She is always a ball of energy what with the gym, swimming and no doubt other activities. So does she share your opinion?😃
Hi there. Great to hear you. Whilst we love the Celebrity experience across their entire fleet of ships, we both were of the opinion we prefer the Edge Class of ships, and most recently the cruise we had on the Ascent a few weeks earlier. We prefer the greater choice and variety aboard the Edge Class. Such as dining, entertainment, sports, and general facilities.
I'll be bringing out a video on this very subject, covering the reasons why.
Interesting that eating dinner in the MDR isn't prebookable beyond a 5.30pm sitting. We've found P&O has removed the ability to join a virtual dinner queue on their App on their 4 smaller ships. We always used it in the past, but now you turn up & if they can't seat you they give you a pager to summon you when a table is ready. They always offered the pager before, but we always opted for the virtual queue on the app as you could be anywhere on the ship when you were called to dinner. The pagers have a very limited range, so everyone loiters around waiting to be called. Major downgrade in our opinion.
Hi, yes very similar situation with the Infinity. They issue you a pager, and you loiter. Everybody has to loiter!
I like the older ships. My first cruise was on the HAL Noordam and I liked that one. I have been on the Infinity twice.....'05 and '15.....loved that ship too. Usually cruise on Princess because I prefer to go out of San Francisco.
The Nordam is a lovely ship, we're on her again next year
Nice video,
What camera are you using?
Looks like 360 camera, what brand/model ?
Hi, it's the Insta360 X3
@@ritzytravelguide Thanks for quick reply. Looks nice!
@Vlad2277 it's good fun. There's a slight learning curve in editing it afterwards, but you can get quite creative
@@ritzytravelguide Yes... I was looking into it, but now the rumor that X4 will be released on the 16th... So will wait and see if it's worth buying....
I think Emma Cruises took the identical trip recently
Yes, Emma got off as we got on!
Great video. Could we see more of the itinerary on Celebrity. The smaller, older cruise ships may not be as dazzling as Edge class, but they still stay true to the Celebrity customer service and experience. Felt your tone was a little off in that regard. But keep them coming, please!
Hi there, yes I will be releasing videos soon for the lovely ports and sights we saw!
@@ritzytravelguide Great. Thanks Bill!
On ICON of Royal Caribbean they have the Overlook which is an observation area and it's free.
Enjoyed your video. Please show more vintage cruise moments. Just proves you don’t need to be on a mega ship to have fun. My first cruise was on my honeymoon on rccl monarch of the seas. 1994. It was 880 feet long. Yes it had that furniture. It was described as a floating Hyatt in fodors or formers. It was beautiful. Yeah before internet. It was a gorgeous ship with the Viking crown lounge. Food was better too.
Hi Linda, I love that description.... a Floating Hyatt! We're going on a cruise later this year that I have a strong feeling we're going to be calling a 'Floating Ikea'!!
I know this is going to be an entertaining, engaging, and beautifully done review as this channel always produces. I want to say something about the Infinity before I watch this and Celebrity in general because I'm about 6.5 decades on the earth and a long time Celebrity cruiser. I went on the Millennium in 2000 when it was brand spanking new and aboard other Celebrity ships up to the Edge class. And I think we should look sometimes at the ships as they were new more than that they are now old.
Celebrity is from Chandris Celebrity line and started with the Meridian (an old, at the time, Greek ship). They wanted a more upscale brand and were big on food and presentation and some classic aspects while adding a modern perspective. That really summed up Celebrity's style. The Horizon class ships, from the early 90s, were Celebrity's modern ships but I don't believe they had balconies. They offered a lot of traditional spaces, lounges, great food presentation, and a bit of modern art. They were at a point retrofitted with some aspects of the later Century class ships. They were mid sized (near 50,000 tons). Then the Century class introduced a more upscale ship and a, for the time, megaship. I want to make that clear. 70-80,000 tons, in the mid 90s was considered huge, a megaship. These ships had radical art, screen art, huge aft located dining rooms, cigar lounges called Michael's Club, and were very luxurious. They had great presentation and food (at least early on). What was most unique is on most sister ships, they're the same with different colors and patterns on the furniture. The Century ships weren't. They had their own unique furniture on each ship in the lounges and public areas and they really had an impact defining Celebrity as a premium brand.
The Millennium ship lost that uniqueness. The 4 ships were almost the same from ship to ship, but the patterns and colors on the furnishings changed. The big deal about the Millennium ships were introducing the fancy specialty dining based on old oceanliner themes. Those are gone now and they've been retrofitted with Solstice class attributes. The big deal was another set of elevator banks as the ship was built on a Radiance class Royal Caribbean hull, and that specialty dining room for an extra charge. That's what set it apart. It was an extraordinary experience for not a lot of money. They did lose one lounge, my favorite aft-located lounge from the Century class ships. Overall, I thought the space in them wasn't utilized well but they felt luxurious. So, all of the restaurants you'll see were retrofitted, as well as the piano bar. Michael's Club was originally a cigar bar and was available to all passengers.
The Solstice class ships kept a lot of the Millennium ship designs but had its own type of hull. They added a lot more specialty restaurants but still retains the Michael's Club lounge as a cigar lounge for all and then turned it into a piano bar. I liked it best as a piano bar. The Martini Bar was the real big hit in those but it proved to be small. Some of the specialty dining was a big hit as well. It offered a lot of intimate spaces so they had a charm. All of the Celebrity ship decor is "retro modern." It's based on elements of art deco and 20s to 60s and early 70s style in public clubs and spaces but with a more modern look. So, the ships were evolutions of each other. For the existing Celebrity fleet, the Solstice class is my favorite but my all-time favorite is unequivocally the Century class.
The Edge ships, IMO, lose that magic. They turned trendy modern using the ubiquitous gray and light colored woods found in almost all new modern designs of this time. These Edge ships will be dated in 20 years as 2020s ships due to this character. All of the types of comments on the Infinity's staterooms will apply to the Edge in maybe 7 or 8 years IMO. They kept all of the restaurants from the Solstice class and added more. They did the ship within a ship thing so the front area of the ship, above the theater, is the suite passengers area. As a result of this, there is no more sky observation lounge. They also moved the Martini Bar, a 1930s recreation style, to a more contemporary, run-in-the-mill (IMO) hotel multi level lobby style and added a dance floor to make it the trendy "heart of the ship" plaza/atrium/whatever it is called. They made a 2 story area called the Club to serve as a multifunciton space and a space in the back for interactive entertainment (Eden). As you can tell, I'm least enamored to those ships as I think they lost the spirit and feel and soul of the previous class of ships. I do understand while those new to Celebrity may love them.
So, Celebrity is trying to bring Edge like character to all of their ships in something called "revolutionizing" them. They've redone some areas of the Millennium class Millennium and Solstice while the Infinity and Constellation have far less extensive changes. The up side is, the Millennium and Solstice have "modern" staterooms and much better buffet areas. The downside is their dining rooms are now trendy looking beige with pops of teal look and they've lost the classic elegance of the original. The move toward beige and gray is just not one I care for. The Infinity and Constellation still have their classic dining rooms and I hope they keep them for as long as they sail. So yes, the Infinity may be "dated" but everything becomes dated. There is good in some "dated" aspects IMO and downsides to some "modern" ones. I just go for character and mood and feel I'm not wedded to old vs. new, just observe the character and feel and look and wish to preserve the most characterful. But there's a lot of subjectivity into what is characterful.
Benjamin thank you very much for your expansive and very well crafted and thought out comments. There's so much you wrote that is spot-on and to the point.
There is undeniably a need for these more 'classic' types of cruise ships. Their layout, and feel absolutely suits some people, and should be encouraged to remain in service for as long as practicable. It just needs the cruise lines to spend the necessary money on them, to keep them relevant, sympathetically refreshed, and worthy of inclusion in their fleet!
Great style. Would enjoy some comparisons of long ago sailings to today. Obviously the cruise industry was not very cutting edge in many ways, and ships fail to keep up with modern expectations for hospitality.
Yes, I too am fascinated about the sailings of yesteryear, and ships of a bygone era. I'm hoping to get another video out soon.
If you haven't already seen it, I have part 1 of my video series, on How Cruising Used to Be here:
czcams.com/video/Fl6M9t21sQY/video.html
Chances of the Infinity joining Tui's Marella fleet one day and finally getting the refit it deserves?
Much like they did with Galaxy and her sisters
Very high chances that TUI, Ambassador, or Fred Olsen continue to buy up these older ships. Or one of those full time Residences at sea outfits
We're going on the Equinox in November & I'm kinda afraid of being disappointed. Our last 4 cruises have been on the Edge class ships, which we love. We were on the Equinox for our 10 yr anniversary & it just so happens that the Spain / Portugal cruise out of Barcelona in November we'll be celebrating our 20 year anniversary. I told my husband we'll be spending so much time at the ports that we hopefully won't mind the older ship. And we have the AquaClass for the 1st time, so maybe it won't be so bad having another option for dinner in the Blu restaurant..
Hi there, have a fabulous time on the Equinox in Aqua class for your anniversary. Spain and Portugal are always such lovely places to visit.
Please let us know afterwards what you felt about your cruise, and the Equinox
The Equinox is much newer. It's a generation newer and a different ship than the Millennium class. It's not like the Edge, however. It's much more of a retro-modern ship with a huge, bright main dining room and lots of the same specialty restaurants that are on the Edge ships. There are plenty of great dining options on the Solstice class ships.
We took the infinity to the Canary Islands and Morocco in December and while there were some tired places, same great food and service plus $1000 obc.!
Hi Barry, fully agree, the service and food are both excellent!
@@ritzytravelguide to the point where we cancelled our specialty dining the food was so good. The way I figure it the dumbest person in Harvard will get a better job than the valedictorian at a community college. Give me the order ships of celebrity anytime over the newest MSC or Carnival
Liked your program but Cheezy😮
Free lobster tail for dinner? We book Celebrity Infinity 7-day Greek Isles and Greek from 6/1 - 6/8. It is our first cruise. Any advice?
Go, yes, Celebrity serves Lobster one time during the cruise in the Main Dining Room, usually on Chic Night. Have a great cruise in June! Greek Isles will be a lovely destination.
Hi will be on the celebrity millennium in June for a 12 night Japan, cruise
Have a great time, Japan should be a fabulous visit!
"Almost Bakalit..." Bill! 😂
It was almost like that 😂
It's only 4 years older than the QM2 so it's surely more to do with any refits. (QM2 has no USBs of course...).
Hi Andrew. Yes, you are absolutely right, Infinity is only a little older than QM2, but we feel that QM2 has been kept far more up to date, with sympathetic, and systematic upgrading. QM2 recently came out of dry dock, and had a far larger scope of upgrades, compared to Infinity. Such as changes to furniture throughout, lighting, carpets, decor and ID. (though not cabins nor USB!)
It's a shame that Celebrity has decided against anything more meaningful
The prime rib recommendation for those with no teeth and the duck having hanged in the engine room for two weeks :) My favorite comments!!
Thanks Alan! I did have a few other comments, but didn't put them in the edit, for fear of people complaing that I was being a bit flippant!
I thought that they were funny and of course, tongue-in-cheek 😂 I agree that the midsize ships may be the sweet spot.
The Murano French Dining Room on Century, is the best dining, I've had in cruising!
I've not tried that!
@@ritzytravelguide It should be the same, as their other "French Dining Room's" on several of their Century & Millennium Class vessels. Honestly, The Disney Magic & Celebrity Century, are the benchmarks I judge other ships on. Larger is not better: much like Vegas, larger properties, you have less service standards! Even on Royal Caribbean, the Monarch & Majesty, had much better service and dining. The staff got to know you and would remember you from past voyages. That "smaller ship intimacy," can't be offered on a 6,000+ passenger mega-liner.
When did you sail the Century? Celebrity's dining standards are much lower now.
I would never sail on one of those new, huge ships. The mid-size is more to my liking. Looking at older cruise videos would be fun. Thank you for your honest opinions.
Thanks Joan
In 2000, these were considered at least large ships. Now they're "smaller" and even "small."
@@benjaminsmith2287 Yes. It's crazy, isn't it?
@@joanfreestone1707 Yup!
yes for the old footage
Thank you Sharon, I'll jot you down in the yes column!
We like the older ships. They are more relaxed, less walking as we are getting older, and the price is better because the newer the more expensive. Also, most of the big ships require reservations for your shows. I'm on vacation ,I want to be more spontaneous. Yes ,the old footage is enjoyable to see. We were on the Summit about 7 years , the cabins were refurbished.
Hi George. Yes, it's interesting that the Summit was refreshed to a far greater degree than the recent dry dock for Infinity.
I had eggs Benedict on the Millenium when it was new. I got very sick!!
Bad luck
Food looks like Michelin star kitchen compared to Cunard QM2 😂
The food was very good!
It used to be, the oldest ships were often the most expensive; due to them being sent to the most exotic locations, such as Tahiti.
Hi George, you're, absolutely right, such as the Paul Gaugin. These days the cruise lines have so many older ships in their fleet, they're sending them out like Catherine Wheels to any port they can think of!
@@ritzytravelguide I was thinking for the Pacific Princess and HAL's Prinsendam.
@@ritzytravelguide It was kind of genius, as the non-competitive ships went to expensive places, while the newest/best fought it out, in the Caribbean.
@@ritzytravelguide I should add, some of these ships, had/have a "cult like following." Let's add the Rotterdam to the list: how many "World Cruises," did people go on her?
Just love the older ships.ill take a 2,000 passenger ship over a 6,000 one.
Me too!
I use to sail on those MAGA ships and I got tired of the long lines, noisy brawls late at night and the lack of tranquility. We sailed a midsized Princess ship and we were shocked on how much we enjoyed it. We are now booked to sail on the Infinity in a few weeks starting from Athens and we know the cabins are ancient but it will remind us of our very first cruise on Celebrity with the Zenith.
Have a fantastic time, it's a fabulous itinerary from Athens!
Yes I would love to see older footage of Cruises Kim Gilmore
Thanks for letting me know Kim! I'll do my best to dig some old footage out!
How do you take those shots from the air or off the back of the ship? Do you have a drone?
Hi, taken with a 360 camera
@@ritzytravelguide How does that work? It looks like magic.
@cruisecrazy7066 it does feel a little bit like magic! It goes on the end of a pole. And takes panoramic videos all around!
@@ritzytravelguide OK...But how do you delete the pole and your arm from the video?
The software does it. It's known as an 'invisible pole'. It's a Insta 360 X3 model