Michael s Club is open in the morning for a glorified continental breakfast (fruits, cheeses, meats,

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.
car rental company in new york 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, car rental company in new york 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.
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 car rental company in new york 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.
Michael s Club is open in the morning for a glorified continental breakfast (fruits, cheeses, car rental company in new york 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 Caf� coffees being served car rental company in new york here) and we have been having lattes every morning along with good conversation car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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.
Our next port was Puntarenas, Costa Rica .home of the famous Caf� Britt coffee. Another tropical car rental company in new york 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 morning of the Panama Canal dawned car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york 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, car rental company in new york 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 � 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 car rental company in new york 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. car rental company in new york 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 car rental company in new york table) and it was smooth sailing the next day till we got to Fort Lauderdale.
The disembarkation was not smooth! car rental company in new york Port Everglades is undergoing car rental company in new york some renovations and the space for the luggage was limited car rental company in new york resulting in long waits to disembark. Lots of folks were grumbling and some probably missed their flights. car rental company in new york 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