Celebrity Infinity Review
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This was our first Celebrity cruise, chosen for the itinerary more than for the ship itself, although it was relevant to us that Infinity was small enough to fit in the 'old' locks which we wanted to travel through rather than the new ones.
The embarkation process was relatively quick and painless. We found the staff onshore and onboard to be generally friendly. The ship isn't big by today's standards, so the pools and general facilities were limited accordingly, but we didn't feel we'd missed out. The cabin review is covered separately below. The entertainment was generally very good around the ship in the evenings, with live music in various venues, and especially in the theatre where each night there was a cabaret or show, and on sea days there were excellent presentations from guest speakers Bill & George on the Canal & the local wildlife respectively. The entertainments team onboard also hosted various events and activities during the daytime for people to join in. There's no lap deck so you can't walk all the way round the ship, but there is a path marked out on the top deck which you can use to walk/run as far as you wish and the top deck also has an outdoor cinema. On the Canal Transit day, access to the helicopter pad at the bow was opened as an additional viewing point for guests. We didn't use the casino, but it looked pretty busy most of the time when we were passing through it. There's also the spa, gym, library, internet spot and shops, as well as plenty of bars around the ship to choose from, in addition to several places where you can just grab a bite to eat if you need topping up between meals! The internet access seemed pricey to us so we didn't take it, but lots of people we met had got a package of some sort and seemed pleased with their deal, so each to their own. The communal areas of the ship were kept clean and tidy, and the staff were very proactive with the hand gel at the entrances to the restaurants.
The buffet on the top deck was expansive, with a very large selection of foods from around the world to choose from. We had breakfast here on the two days when our shore excursions were too early for the main dining room to be open for service, and also took a couple of lunches here when we got back on board after being ashore. No complaints about the food at the buffet - all very good - we particularly enjoyed the daily variety offered at the ice cream bar - just the usual battle to find a table, which is a common feature of self-service buffet restaurants worldwide so nothing new here.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony 2C
Our cabin was set up as a twin when we embarked, so we simply requested it to be changed to a double and our cabin steward dealt with this efficiently while we were exploring the ship.
The cabin - whilst not particularly large - contained a good sized bed, a small sofa with a coffee table and a desk with a chair, TV, safe, fridge/minibar (stocked & charged to your bill for anything used), hairdryer & tea tray, and dressing gowns hanging in the wardrobe. The storage was just about enough once we'd managed to get one of the suitcases underneath the bed, but the other suitcase had nowhere to go so stored in the wardrobe, which compromised the space for clothes and footwear.
The cabin was serviced twice daily and the bathroom was kept well stocked with toiletries and fresh towels throughout the cruise, and a laundry service is offered. There are clearly issues with drainage or something in the bathroom, causing a very unwelcome bad smell in this small unventilated area - we were thankful for the ability to open the balcony door for fresh air, which wouldn't be an option in an inside / outside cabin. The pillows weren't great, and the covers were very warm at night when the air cooling was reduced, but the bed itself was quite comfy.