Dinner
We were scheduled at the early seating 6:00PM as requested. The Trellis dining room is very elegant, live music often. We thought the menu to be amazing: choice of 3 appetizers, 3 soups (one cold), 3 salads, 5 entrees and several desserts. We were utterly spoiled by our superb waiter, Alexandru Brad (table 584), a Romanian young man who quickly learned our likes. Whatever we wanted, we got and more. We asked to keep our waiter the entire 28 days, we had such a good time with him and his team. We also enjoyed the buffet breakfasts, omelet stations, the poolside grill and the spa café restaurant. There was always a large variety of menus. There is also alternative dining on deck ten, a little more casual, but with nice menu and table service. We went twice and enjoyed ourselves. During a 2 week cruise, there are 3 formal dinners and the balance between informal and casual, which was fine with most.

The Ship
We loved Infinity! With full capacity of 1950 guests, we never felt crowded. There were always areas to be found for quiet reading. The staff was constantly cleaning. There were plenty of loungers by the pools and we were even supplied with blankets for cool days. We mostly enjoyed the Thalassotherapy pool and hot tubs, especially during cool days, which were numerous. We used the gym facilities on sea days, as we tried to walk off a few calories. We had a tour of the galley/kitchen. It is amazing what goes in the ordering and preparation of meals for all guests.

Entertainment
We thoroughly enjoyed the Infinity dancers and singers. What energy and high quality performance! Not to miss. There were three major productions shows during each 2 weeks cruise. We attended them twice. Several guest performers were wonderful as well: Jan Stirling (pianist), The Marquez Jazz Trio, The Rosario Boys Quartet etc. The various ship performers/bands were quite talented as well. There was always entertainment to be found somewhere on the ship. Our cruise director Jeff Potts was excellent at his job. Celebrity: They organized Cruise critic parties for each of the two week trips. Thank you. Also, they prepared a lunch feast for back to back cruisers. (with ice sculptures and all.) Thank you.

Celebrity went out of their way to please their guests and make our vacation as pleasant as possible. The entire staff was amazing, and we were treated royally on this cruise. During sea days, we relaxed and participated in a few of the on board activities. There was always something for everyone. Every day, Celebrity Today, the daily information paper delivered to our stateroom gave a short history and points of interest of coming ports as well as all activities on board. We were well informed. The ship chose to limit the loudspeaker announcements, which was appreciated by all.

The Ports
Remember, these are our experiences and opinions.

Cartegena: A Colombian acquaintance showed us around the city, the old monastery, Fort San Felipe and the Old City, and Boca Grande (the new hotel zone) all very worthwhile visiting. Loved the Old City!!! Super hot and humid. Upon returning at the ship, we were handed cold facecloths and punch. What a thoughtful touch from Infinity. (And hot chocolate on cool days.) Thoroughly enjoyed the Panama Canal transit. Lush vegetation, amazing learning experience.

Manta-Ecuador: Took a cab with another couple, 30$/3hours per couple. Took us to Monterchristi's open market where Panama hats are made and sold along with other Ecuadorian crafts. We returned to the Civic Square in Manta for more market shopping. We could have avoided Montechristi as we saw the same wares for sale. Ecuadorians are very soft spoken and warm people. We enjoyed our visit.

Lima-Peru: We rented a cab with a wonderful couple whom we met on cruise critic, the driver agreed to accompany us everywhere, The Plaza de Armas, The Cathedral, The Franciscan Monastery (Catacombs), the market and lastly to a flower greenhouse where we purchased flowers 4$/2 doz. No problem taking them aboard. The Plaza in downtown Lima was amazingly grand and beautiful. We watched the changing of the guard. The Peruvians we met are wonderfully warm and welcoming. Taxis can be rented at the pier for an average of 15$/hr. Great day, great weather! PS. The downtown area felt very safe- lots of police. Be prudent: leave valuables on board. We enjoyed the ½ hr scenic drive to downtown Lima, quite a bustling city of 3 millions.

Arica-Chile: Arica is a mid-size seaside town of 185,000 bordered by desert and some fertile valleys. We took a cab for a 2/hr visit to the cathedral, el Morro de Arica, San Miguel de Azapa where we saw an interesting and beautiful cemetery, geoglyphs. We returned and strolled downtown. A worthwhile long enough visit in a very nice and safe port city.

La Serena-Chile: What a beautiful town! Gorgeous architecture, very clean and spacious. A good blend of old and modern shopping. Get a taxi at the pier and get dropped off the Plaza de Armas for own walking tour.

Valparaiso-Chile: Valparaiso is a worthwhile city to visit, a VERY busy cargo port, many plazas, beautiful architecture and several museums. The view from Cerro Cristobal is amazing. We took a cab to Vina de Mar and were disappointed. Not too much to see. Everything is closed on Sunday. We recommend hiring a taxi and guide for an hour to thoroughly visit the city. On Sundays there are several ferias/open air markets. A reminder: Please be returned to "Embarque"(where you go through customs) station (and not the dock) where you catch Bus Shuttle to the ship. We arrived in Valparaiso around 4AM and immediately, loading and unloading merchandise began. Since our room was on starboard side, it was very noisy. You may want to request a port side room to avoid port noises.

The Second Half of Our Trip
These were the ports for the second half of our back-to-back cruise:

Puerto Montt-Chile: Puerto Montt (a tender port) was one of our favorite stops. Got a group of ten in a minivan for a 3/h (which ended up lasting 5 hours) 30$/each. Visited the Petruhue Falls, Lake Llanquihue, Emerald Lake, approx. 2 hr ride each way with stops. AMAZING scenery, view of Orsono Volcano and snow peaked mountains. Much German influence in architecture, beautiful farms and estates by the lake and large modern developments. We returned through Puerto Varas, a lovely tourist town by the lake. A tour in Puerto Montt is a must!

The Fjords of Chile: Slow cruising through the Fjords was a sight to behold: mountain cliffs, glacial valleys, snow peaked mountains. Wonderful days.

Puntas Arenas-Chile: Tender port. Rented a cab for a couple of hours. Visited downtown, the Cemetery (Amazing) and walked around the Plaza (crafts markets) before returning to ship. Lovely town of 120,000.

Ushuaia-Argentina: Beautiful city, surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Rented a cab for 3 hours: Visited Terra del Fuego National Park (7$entrance fee) and Martial Glacier. Beautiful scenery. Lovely shopping and quaint restaurants on main street. Loved this port!

Around the Horn: The ship cruised slowly for an entire day around the horn.

Port Stanley: Very long tendering process. Must provide more tendering boats. Weather was very variable: sunny, windy, rainy, hail. We took a shuttle bus from the pier to Gypso Cove to see the penguins. We saw them but from a distance. Very cute!!!! Walked in town, very busy this day as there were three ships in port. The island is barren, not too much to see but we are glad we got to visit this area. Very choppy seas this night, much ship movement.

Puerto Madryn-Argentina: We loved this port. We took a Punta Tumbo tour. We were 3 in a very nice SUV. Long ride but very much worth the trip as we saw and walked around thousands of Magellan penguins and their babies. What a highlight! We visited Gayman, a lovely Welsh town. Returned to town, Puerto Madryn is a lovely oceanside town with a superb promenade and shops. Great weather and great guide. We lucked out in this port. This was by far our favorite port.

Montevideo-Uruguay: We walked from the pier directly to downtown to the shopping/restaurant area. Lots to visit. A 3hr walk around town allowed us to visit several blocks and plazas. Many wonderful architectural buildings. Before boarding, we sat a little outdoor pub and people watched. One liter bottle of beer: 3$. As you can see, we opted for private taxi tours instead of expensive ship tours. This way, we got to visit touristy and out of the way sights and mingle more with the locals on a personal level. (It helped that I speak the language semi-adequately and at no time did we feel unsafe). Many guests chose ship tours for security reasons.

Buenos Aires-Argentina: Now here is a city!! All 3 million and plus.

Disembarkation
Disembarkation from the ship went well, followed by shuttle to the terminal. Utter chaos at the terminal. (We learned that 3 ships were disembarking) Finally we found our driver/guide who took us to our B&B to Adrogue (30 minutes from downtown), where we spent the next 6 days.

Next day, he took us on an 8 hr personal tour of the city (the best!) Highlights: Teatro Colon (Grand building being renovated), the Plaza de Many (Gov. House, Cathedral. Town Hall, and huge and impressive works of architectural art, depicting ornate Spanish and colonial styles), Recoleta area (beautiful promenade and fashionable stores and homes) and the Cemenatrio de la Recoleta (amazing!), our Lady of the Pilar Church, San Telmo, La Boca (very interesting historically and visually, the setting for painters, artisans, open air tango shows.

Shopping: We shopped two full days on Calle Florida and Lavalle. Incredible experience: Beautiful stores, leather factories abound (I had a jacket made to order, very reasonably priced), thousands of people, outdoor tango dancing, musicians, etc. Very busy city. A visit to Galeria Pacifica is a must. One would need several days to thoroughly absorb and visit all that this city has to offer. We were quite impressed. The train and subway ride (extremely inexpensive) from Adrogue (1-1/2hr) to downtown was an adventure and an experience in itself -- not for the claustrophobics and not up to North American standards. There is also a mini-bus service if one chooses. We stayed at Teresita B&B: very comfortable and quiet cottage, good service. We flew back to Miami with American Airlines. All went well. We returned home on Dec 20th, in time for the holidays. This was a trip of a lifetime which we will remember forever. We made great friends. Would we travel on Infinity again? Definitely Yes, in a heartbeat.