Celebrity does a great many things very well. The service I have received here is second only to Oceania. The entertainment is the best on any cruise line I have ever travelled. For service I remembered the names of four people, my room attendant, our regular barman, and both my waiters in the main dining room. This is an excellent part of the cruising experience and I can't compliment Celebrity enough on getting this part right. Other than that there were service issues - lack of staff and slow responses, undertrained staff, and a great deal of maintenance taking elevators out of service. Embarkation and disembarkation were perfectly flawless - everything went incredibly smoothly and very little time was spent on these. I carry all my bags on and off myself - this was a pain point in the past but I haven't given anyone the chance to improve it as I just take care of it myself at this point. Even if you come in clueless to the port - they are very accommodating with letting you bring in all your bags, other ports I have encountered pushback. This port they said there may be a problem but to let the x-ray operator and security decide that - the minders in the front didn't tell me no erroneously (something that has happened at Ft. Lauderdale twice). They merely offered to help me and prepare me for possible disappointment without delivering pre-emptive disappointment (such as trying to refuse to let me carry on my own bags). When we disembarked with all of our bags we faced no resistance and crew were waving goodbye. Tips: Don't do automatic gratuities, or if you do don't consider them sufficient. I tip my servers at the bar and my room attendant directly, and throughout the entire cruise and not just at the end. For a mere $2 tip on the first night I was able to get attentive bar service and not have to wait at all. I did give additional tips but not every day and in the end I tipped an average of between $1 and $2 a day to my bartender. I gave my room attendant by far the most tips and I had many requests that were all followed up very quickly. If you are craving something let the maître d' know about it. I was able to get chicken tenders and fried chicken wings delivered to my table for dinner because I was craving them. They are not on any menu and they were delicious. You can ask guest relations for a great many things, don't hesitate. I have had change made, sticky tape to fix something, and other entertainment requests filled here. Criticism: The food was bland. The food was boring. The menu options are very much the same and even different dishes seem to taste the same since they share the same butter, salt, gravy and lack of spice variety. In my experience the food on the larger ships (Edge Class) has been better than the smaller ones (Millennium Class). I took a 12 night cruise and we never had ribeye on the menu, something I did see on my Iceland cruise this year. We did have prime rib two nights and our lobster night (6 day or less cruises have omitted lobster night). The Indian food dishes are bland, the exact opposite of what you expect from a cuisine known for extracting every last bit of flavor from each ingredient. The sauce was also very thin and watery - I have never been to an Indian restaurant and had mostly clear water drip out of the dish and to the edge of the plate. These thin sauces lack the needed consistency to carry all the flavor, although the spices being absent entirely would have remained a problem even with a properly thick sauce. Meat and seafood are horribly overcooked. The prime rib is the exception that proves the rule - it was available medium rare. Every other piece of meat was well done and dry. There are occasional bits that were not overcooked but you noticed those because they were uncommon. Shrimp is terrible - rubbery and overcooked. The lobster was overcooked but less so than the shrimp. On occasion I had a moist soft piece of fish, the majority of the time it was dry and lacked a good mouth feel. Fruit was unripe and or of poor quality. I asked for no melons, pineapple, and or oranges. I was served strawberries, five or six blueberries and up to three raspberries, one blackberry, and half or a whole unripe mango. I often took one bit of the mango and it was tough and flavorless so I ended up wasting the rest of it. In the Oceanview dining area you find the occasional strawberry but blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are nowhere to be found . . . ever. If I get a burger at the grill I accept I get a premade frozen beef patty. If I am ordering a burger at the sit-down dining room I would like a hand made patty - something a bit more. If you offer steaks you can offer a hand made patty. Tuscany breakfast had the spot on fresh orange juice - no complaints. The rest of the menu was poor in quality, accuracy to the menu, and flavor. Premium items kept running out, such as berries and mango. I think the issues with the food are driving my desire to find another cruise line. The food used to be better on the ships and its decline is the sole factor I am looking elsewhere for cruising. If I could say anything to the CEO of Celebrity it would be to re-examine the pricing to bring back the quality of food people have come to expect, once they try the cheaper offerings they may never end up coming back. I don't mind paying more if it means the food will be better, although I am price sensitive I only have so much vacation time and even though the service feels like luxury the food gives the impression I am on a bargain cruise. I am concerned that they may have reorganized some of the food to the specialty restaurants - and if that is the case then they need to bring it back or I need to consider only cruising at the aqua class or above to get access to Blu and unlimited specialty dining. Service outside of my primary people was not very pleasant. When I went for breakfast in Tuscany or lunch in the sit-down main dining area there were problems. I ordered items and consistently what they brough out was missing things. Bagels on the menu replaced with a single bagel-hole. Capers and onions on the menu absent from the plate. When I ordered lunch they were very slow to bring out the bread, take our orders after seating us, forgetting to bring out a second menu for my wife, never bringing a children's menu when requested, bringing the wrong food to the table (someone else's order - not our order incorrect), and bringing the incorrect item or incorrect preparation of the item. For example I ordered the burger that has gruyère cheese, onions, and mushrooms. I was served an ordinary mast grill burger with American cheese. I don't consider this overly picky, I ordered on thing and without asking they substituted it for something else. I could have saved a lot of time and gotten the regular burger from the grill but I wanted the different cheese - which I didn't get. At one point the waiter spilled ice cubes on the carpet and just left them there. Not a big deal, so why do I point it out? Waiters kicked the ice cubes and they ricocheted off my feet and shins leading me to jump in my seat and wonder what was hitting me. It was chunks of ice being booted by fleet feet scurrying about the dining area. There were too few staff and some of the staff severely lacked training. My wife doesn't eat dairy, they brought her coffee at least once with milk in it - had she been allergic this would have been a major problem. Luckily she is only lactose intolerant and ended up with diarrhea and not anaphylaxis. One morning they brought her hot water for breakfast instead of coffee. There were no tea bags so it wasn't an accidental switch of coffee for tea, it was just a bunch of hot water they had incorrectly brough as coffee. Luckily our room attendant chased down the room service person for them to correct it, as we were unable to get their attention. We could hear the attendant shouting for them to stop as she chased them down the hallway. Cheers for our attendant, jeers for getting an order so wrong you brought something not on the menu at all. Elevator issues throughout the trip. Elevators stuck between floors - on occasion half the main bank of elevators in mid-ship were locked between floors between 8AM and 8PM. I saw wires hanging out of the elevator and reported it, this led to a day of repairs where twelve hours later that elevator was still out of commission. Elevators were being cleaned around 12PM on the ship and therefore out of use - it would make more sense to me to do the cleaning during off peak hours. My room had a few minor maintenance issues: 1) hair dryer would get too hot and stop working - advised to use it less so that it didn't overheat (I advised they should get a better hairdryer); 2) nuts missing off of drawers - staff initially claimed everything was fine, then they added cheap nuts that didn't resemble the adjustable hand screw versions that were missing; 3) broken hinge on the refrigerator minibar; Overall if the food was better I could recommend Celebrity Cruises without hesitation, but do to the issues with the food I can recommend the other aspects of the cruise line but if you are into the food experience then you really should consider looking elsewhere.

We flew to Barcelona a day before the cruise and took a taxi (32.50 Euro) to the Andante Hotel ($112) in downtown Barcelona. The Andante is two blocks from Las Ramblas and 1/2 mile from the Shuttle Bus-to-the-Cruise Terminal station. This is our 43rd cruise so we know the system. We are also mid-70's and in excellent physical condition for our ages so this review may not be applicable for all passengers. Upon arrival at the hotel, we got a city map from Registration and set out on foot. We walked Las Ramblas for a mile to La Pedrera (Casa Mila), turned east for 1/2 mile to La Sagrada Familia passing by the Cathedral of St. Joan, south to the Arc de Triompi, through the Ciute della d'Parc, the Picasso Monument, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Sea, through the Gothic area to Barcelona Cathedral, and south on Las Ramblas to the Columbus Monument. Dinner at the Andante is expensive so we ate at Leones Restaurant a block from the hotel. There are also two mini-marts within a block of the hotel. The next morning we walked through the nearby Boqueria and bought inexpensive croissants (3 for 1.95 Euros) which is far less expensive than the breakfast at the hotel. In fact, I suggest bringing breakfast bars from home. We walked by the Palau Guele and the Picasso Museum, both of which, were closed in the early morning. Our boarding time on the Infinity was 1:00 so we left the hotel at 11:30 and walked 1/2 mile (with our luggage) to the shuttle bus-to-cruise terminal parking area. (Walk to the Columbus Monument, cross the busy street to the waterfront, turn right by the waterfront and walk 200 yards). The shuttle is 3 Euros each and will drop you off at any of the four cruise terminals. If you feel like doing so, one can walk one mile to the terminal. The walk, however, is on a high bridge, and with a backpack and 40 lb suitcase, think long and hard about that first. Check-in with Celebrity is smooth and we were on the Infinity within 15 minutes. Our room is one floor below the pool, bars, Pool Grille, and Oceanview. Most of the downstairs activities are on Deck 4 which is an easy downstairs walk. The Oceanview restaurant will be very crowded as hungry folks are boarding. Most of the passengers on Celebrity cruises are in their 70-80's. There were a few children on our cruise, however. Many passengers have mobility issues and expect to see many walkers, scooters, and wheelchairs. As a result, getting on and off the ship can be painfully slow on occasion. We do not do excursions preferring to do our own thing. To avoid crowds, we always wait for the excursion folks to depart the ship before having breakfast and leaving the ship. All of our meals are in Oceanview by choice. We prefer sitting to ourselves rather than engaging in conversation with strangers. The meals in Oceanview are nutritious but routine. We enjoy the bar scene and the bartenders are efficient and fun. Curtley and Geneva in the Pool Bar, JoJo at Sunset, and Jesse, Bari, Greg, Nemo, and Brian at Rendezvous will make you happy. We had the complimentary "Classic Package" which allowed for beer, wine, and drinks up to $10. If you order something more expensive, you must pay the difference plus 20% gratuity. We do not attend the entertainment performances. I heard one passenger say the shows were, "So-so". Complimentary Wi-Fi can be used only for e-mail. We were told that photos could not be sent but I was always able to send one photo per message. There is a walking track on Deck 11 and we used 32 minutes as 2-Miles as our gauge. Crazily, the walking track passes through the smoking area... who designed that? In regards to smoking, there are many Europeans on the Infinity, and many, many Europeans smoke. Unlike the United States where smoking is banned in many places, the area aft of the Pool Bar is full of hackers challenging respiratory disorders. We are not gamblers but the Casino Bar on Deck 4 is fun. There is a TV which displays sporting events. We always enjoy watching folks gambling and donating their money to the Infinity. Day 2- Sea Day Day 3- Sea Day Day 4- Lanzarote, Canary Islands: Docking at Arrecife, there is a 3/4 mile walk on the Malecon. (shuttles are provided). We visited an old Catholic church and the free old Spanish fortress of San Jose. There is a "Las Ramblas" shopping area. Day 5- Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: Docking at Las Palmas, we walked a mile around Santa Catalina Marina. There are many school children playing on the brown sand beach. Day 6- Tenerife, Canary Islands: Docking at Santa Cruz, we walked 3/4 mile in the city center where there are many modern shops and a nice park. Day 7- Sea Day Day 8- Casablanca, Morocco: We took the complimentary shuttle to United Nations Plaza and then walked 1.2 miles to the Hassan II Mosque. To go inside one must be with a guide and the cost is around 30 Euro. Day 9- Tangier, Morocco: We rode the complimentary shuttle to Place 9 Avril and the "Medina". Up the hill is a Catholic Cathedral and the Mosque of Mohammad V. Please pronounce it Mohammad the 5th, not Mohammad Vee, as we heard! We walked the narrow streets to the waterfront and returned to the ship while walking by the Great Mosque of Tangier. Day 10-Cadiz, Spain: This city was our favorite! There are hundreds of narrow streets and alleys to explore. A walk on the Malecon looking out at the ocean is rewarding. The beautiful Cadiz Cathedral was not open. Behind the cathedral are the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. There are several beautiful parks in Cadiz. Day 11- Malaga, Spain: This city was our 2nd favorite. We walked one mile into the city center (shuttles are available) and explored the Alcazaba and the Roman amphitheater. One can see the Castile de Gibralfaro above the Alcazaba but we did not walk there. The Malaga Cathedral is also impressive. Don't miss the Bull Fighting ring on your return walk. Day 12- Sea Day Day 13-Barcelona: We chose to remain in Barcelona another day and we stayed near the airport at Salles Ciutat El Prat Hotel ($200). (The taxi fare from the terminal to the hotel was 26 Euros.) This is a nice hotel with a complimentary shuttle to the airport. The restaurant at the hotel is expensive so we ate 1/2 a block away at Cal Roger.

Amazing trip! Happy to provide this thorough review. Glad we arrived in Athens 2 days earlier to get adjusted to the time and to see/taste the best of Athens. There were only a few other reviews of this cruise, and some were mixed. Those who loved it, really loved it (that would be us). Some of the negative comments noted the outdated appearance of this older ship. We found it to be lovely and well maintained. We are an active/healthy 69/63 year old couple. We enjoyed the food, entertainment, staff, activities, ports, and time of year to travel to Greece. - Value: great option -- we intentionally chose an inside room but opted for a higher floor. This was the last trip offered for the year, and the price was less than other times of year. It was a perfect time to go. We had the best weather, and didn't have to fight the enormous crowds in the heat of summer. Embarking/disembarking process was very smooth the entire time. Very calm water as the ship doesn't have to travel fast to get to each port. - Food: we did NOT eat in any specialty restaurants on the ship; we did enjoy a few nice restaurants off the ship on port days. We ate in the main dining room all but one night at the late seating. 8:30 pm is a little late for us to eat, but it worked out well. The food was overall delicious (some better than others) and there were nice choices. Our waiters Randal and Sandeep were terrific. The buffet on Deck 10 for breakfast, lunch, and snacks was great -- lots of great food options including several healthy options (salads, fruit, lean grilled meat/chicken). The bread, at the buffet and at dinner, was our weakness -- all made fresh daily in the kitchen on the 3rd fl. Many of the desserts were tasty as well. Great coffee, iced tea, water, lemonade options at no add'l charge. The ship was very conscientious about helping anyone with allergies or dietary needs. - Drink/WiFi Package: we did not purchase this through the ship. We did have some wine on the ship a couple of nights with dinner; we also enjoyed local wine off the ship at different ports. Celebrity offers basic WiFi at no charge -- we were able to message each other and other passengers via the app. We were also able to send iMessages to family (including photos) while on the ship. We bought an eSim card for data for $10/month for 5 GB -- we used about 3 GB (googlemaps, What's App, Worldle and other games, etc.). A few passengers on the ship told us they bought the ship's WiFi package but didn't get good service. We didn't need to phone anyone, so the separate eSim data plan we got was good for us. - Cabin: the interior room has lots of storage space. We like it dark for sleeping. The bathroom is small, as is the shower, but doable. Our bathroom sink had a knick in it but not a deal breaker by any means. Our bathroom did have a musty smell to it. Our room attendant came in to "clean" more, but the smell did not really go away. We got used to it. We really weren't in the room a lot. - Entertainment: some of the best entertainment we have seen. We saw every evening show offered. The variety and caliber of performers enhanced the joy of the cruise. Much of the entertainment skewed to "older"/baby boomer age passengers which was great for us (Beatles, ABBA, Frankie Valli, Motown, Whitney Houston, etc.). The ship's singers and dancers for Broadway night were so good that we ate at the buffet instead of the main DR so I could go back and see the 2nd show. The ship's bands were great as well. Our cruise director was so proud they offered a lot of live music, which we really loved. - Activities: we played Music and General Trivia a few times; I played one game of Scattegories; we did NOT participate in any of the nighttime game shows that were frequently held during our dinner time. We have done similar games on other cruises, so it was ok to pass on that. We attended a few dance classes as well as dance/fitness classes (we like to do this at home). It was a lot of fun and we met several new friends. One downside: one of the activities' crew was 20 minutes late for a game she was supposed to lead (and didn't seem prepared for), and she couldn't teach the dances properly out on the pool deck (she would mix up R and L, but we all managed to get it). Our cabin was on the floor with the Library, and several of us did jigsaw puzzles in there on and off throughout the cruise (sometimes just a few minutes in between other activities) -- it was a lot of fun meeting people that way. - Cleanliness: we were very impressed. Hand sanitizers were highly visible; several staff joyfully greeted us before entering the buffet to offer hand sanitizer. Tongs/serving utensils were used for each item; no one re-used plates, cutlery or glassware. Several food items were served to us at the buffet by staff wearing gloves. The bathrooms were all clean; nice individual cloth towels lined bins for drying your hands. Staff regularly cleaned/supervised the bathrooms to ensure everything worked and was spotless. - Ports: We really liked this cruise option as we had 2 days at sea and visited 6 ports. Two of the ports got changed a few months before the trip, which was fine. We would have loved to have gone to Crete but that was not one of the options even to begin with. We did a combination of excursions at the ports off the ship (2 from Celebrity; 2 from Viator; and 2 walking on our own). We also did an amazing 4 Hour Food Tour via The Tour Guy our first day in Athens; and a combination tour of the Acropolis and Museum with a tour guide on our second day in Athens. Both of those were well worth it. - Ship Ports: Day 1 we were on the ship by 1 pm; Day 2 was a wonderful day at sea. * Santorini (we chose a Celebrity tour because it was easier access from the ship to the port and we had some ship credits to use (we also didn't have to walk up or ride a donkey or wait for a cable car). We did take the cable car down and it was a 15-20 minute wait which we expected. It was a good tour, but I wouldn't say a great one. Our bus stopped at about 9:30 am at a local winery for olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, crackers and 3 different wines -- a bit early for wine, but very nice. We had just eaten breakfast so we would have preferred to stop here later in the day, but it probably fit the ship's schedule logically better. Our tour guide did tell us specific info. about Santorini while we were on the bus, but our next two stops were really touristy shopping areas: Oia (lots of shops selling very similar items); and then Fira for more shops although it was a nicer area to see). We chose to stay longer so we shopped a little and had a nice lunch overlooking the water. The restaurant had free WiFi. We were back on the ship by 4 pm in time to go to the solarium/therapy pool, and veg and read. * Ephesus in Turkey. This was our favorite port and excursion. Our daughter had been there and loved it and told us we had to try the Baklava there. We chose a private tour via Viator: EPHESUS PORT TOURS - ask for our guide "Memo" - he was the best (www.ephesusporttours.com). Memo met us at the port (arranged in advance) and included a separate driver, it was just the 2 of us with Memo in a comfortable van seeing the key sites as well as anything else we would like to see. We went to Ephesus and paid the 40 Euros ea. and the Terrace Houses (an additional 15 Euros ea.). We took a photo with the Virgin Mary statue but didn't go to the actual House of the Virgin Mary by choice (used more to pray at). By request, we stopped at a family operated pottery shop to see a demo and view amazing pottery while sipping strong Greek coffee; (we bought a few items that "called out to us"). Then we went to one of our guide's favorite local and reasonably priced restaurant for a delicious assortment of Turkish food and wine. It was adjoined to a carpet making shop so we witnessed a woman hand crafting a beautiful carpet. The owner invited us in for apple tea (delicious) and a demo of a variety of rug textiles for us to feel with our bare feet. No pressure to buy anything (and we didn't). I told our guide about my desire to taste the best Baklava, and he took us to his favorite tavern where we had the BEST Baklava (we were going to share one, but we bought another as it was sooo good). Memo escorted us back to the port entrance in time for us to relax and enjoy the solarium before getting ready for the show and dinner. * Mykonos - after reading about this island, we chose to walk around on our own without any paid tour, allowing us time to eat breakfast on the ship at our leisure. It was a lovely island but a little disappointing: just shop after shop after shop. We did walk a lot to get to the famous windmills, and the weather was perfect, so no real complaints. We went back to the ship in time for lunch and activities, so it was a shorter day off ship for us by choice. * Kavala - we chose to see this island on our own and walked (a lot uphill) to the famous Castle Fortress and then around the coast to try a local restaurant. Several passengers did the same thing we did; others took a tour of Phillippi which we heard was very good. We bought a couple souvenirs (Kavala logo-ed hand towels) and tasted kurambies, a traditional sweet treat that is made from a combination of sweet dough, butter, and castor sugar. We were back on the ship by 3:30 pm in time to relax and enjoy the solarium. * Thessaloniki was our next stop, and our 2nd favorite port/excursion. We arranged a tour via Celebrity online for a 15% discount, but took the last one seat. I was able to purchase another seat (at regular price) once on the ship due to a cancellation. This was a 7-1/2 hour excursion to Dion and Mt.Olympus followed by a delicious local lunch together -- and well worth it. We had a great tour guide who was a former teacher. She spoke English well and repeated key things of interest for us to learn. We saw the ruins of Dion and then went to the museum displaying actual artifacts. Our bus driver took us to a higher altitude to see Mt. Olympus closer (but we did NOT go up the mountain). We had about 50 minutes free time to wander the quaint city on the hill where we bought a few souvenirs (Olive oil, tzatziki mix and oregano). We were able to sleep/rest on the 1-1/4 hour ride back which was nice. This was the oldest city, and the 2nd largest city in Greece, and a former capital of Greece. Beautiful! * 2nd At Sea Day - we chose to hear our Captain's 2 hour presentation about the inner workings of the ship -- it was a wonder experience, but about 1/2 hour too long. It included Q&A so that made it a full 2 hours. Then we did other activities and enjoyed talking to other passengers from all over the world. * Nafplio (this was our last stop and added to our trip instead of Volos). This is in the south of Greece in the Peloponnese area. We viewed the ship tour excursions and several others from Viator and Get Your Guide, and decided to arrange a driver for 4 people who took us to Mycenae and Epidaurus (3-4 hours). We met 2 passengers in advance via Cruise Critic who joined us. Our driver was good but his English wasn't 100% clear. He did tell us a few things about the area but he was not a certified tour guide. Many of the options we researched were similar, so this was a cost effective way to see the area. Turned out the two stops were free of charge that day because we went on the first Sunday of the month (we did not know this in advance, and the driver didn't tell us either). So that was a 12/24 Euro savings per person. We tacked on to a small tour group at Epidaurus so we did get to learn more while there. Our driver was able to drop us off in the old town so we could walk around more on our own. We also got to find delicious Baklava (although technically not as good as the Baklava in Turkey). We were back on the ship for a late lunch and walked along the outside track on Fl 11 while listening to the music, and met up with new friends we met while dancing on the ship. ------- This is the longest cruise we have ever taken. We did an 8 Day cruise to New England/Canada several years ago (which was also great). We are trying to travel more now that we are retired, so we are just getting our feet wet with longer trip options. We loved this trip so much, we just booked another one to Alaska!

About us: DH and I are in our 70s and very experienced cruisers…I think we’ve cruised at least 40 times since we were married in 1980, including a phenomenal Southeast Asia cruise on the Celebrity Millennium in 2019, just after that ship completed the Revolution. DD and DSIL, in their late 30s/early 40s, came with us and are also experienced cruisers. Why we chose this cruise: We did a wonderful Eastern Mediterranean cruise in 2014 on a Princess ship. We wanted to take another cruise in this region for three reasons. First, we loved Istanbul and wanted to spend more time there. Second, that cruise stopped in Istanbul on a Sunday, when the Grand Bazaar was closed…and we really wanted to experience the Grand Bazaar! Third, that cruise’s stop at Mykonos—its only stop at a Greek island—had to be cancelled because of weather conditions. This itinerary included an overnight in Istanbul and stops at three Greek Islands—just what we wanted. We knew the Infinity was older, maybe a bit shabby in spots, and hadn’t undergone the Revolution rehab, but that was all okay with us. At this point we choose cruises by the itinerary rather than by the ship, looking on the ship as a floating hotel. Prepping for our cruise: The Celebrity app is great! We used it a lot before we left. DD made dinner reservations for every night; we completed our embarkation info; and we marked things we might want to do on board. During our cruise, the app sent me reminders of each event on my calendar. Tip: More onboard activities are added later, so pull down on the Daily Planner during the cruise to refresh and update it. And the papers dropped off in your cabin each evening are worth browsing—they have more info than what’s in the app. Packing for a 10-night cruise was a challenge, especially because Celebrity ships do not have a self-service laundry. (We always wonder, if Princess can have them, why not Celebrity?) And Celebrity’s laundry service is exorbitant ($60 a bag, although about two-thirds of the way through the cruise they offered a 2-for-1 special). In the end we all packed enough hoping to get through the cruise without doing laundry. It helped that forecasts were for highs in the 70s and 80s—our clothes were lightweight, so more fit into our suitcases. PRE-CRUISE: ATHENS DH and I have found that jet lag is harder for us to deal with as we get older. So we arrived in Athens three days before the ship sailed to give us time to get over jet lag before we boarded. Our hotel arranged a transfer from the airport to the hotel. We stayed at The Marblous Hotel in Plaka. It was a great choice. It’s a small boutique hotel, very clean, with very helpful staff. The location in Plaka was perfect—we could walk virtually anywhere we wanted in no more than 15 minutes. We splurged on the Marblous Queen room, which was spacious and had a view of the Acropolis. DD and DSIL were in the Rooftop Suite, which was also very spacious but didn’t have much of a view. A wonderful Greek breakfast was included. We could choose 2 entrees per person from a menu of about 20 items. This was DD’s and DSIL’s first visit to Athens, and they made the most of it. They took a hop on-hop off bus tour, a tour of the Acropolis and a tour of the Agora in Monastiraki. They also visited a museum of Greek archaeology, using their 3-day HOHO bus passes to get there. Since we had already visited Athens, we took things easier, walking around Plaka, Monastiraki, and Anafiotika. Almost everyone we interacted with spoke English, and a surprising number of signs were in English, so we had no trouble communicating. We found a great “restaurant row” along Adrianou in Monastiraki and ate dinner there twice, overlooking the Agora and with views of the Acropolis. CRUISE DAY 1: BOARDING IN PIREAUS This was the smoothest, fastest boarding we’ve ever experienced. Through these boards, we found PK Travel to provide us transportation from our hotel to the pier. We chose 12 noon as our boarding time. We asked our driver to pick us up at the hotel at 10 AM. We were at the pier by 10:30 or so, where we were shown into a large tent to wait for boarding and given cards showing that we’d be in Boarding Group 2. Staffers with tablets stopped by our seats to check our passports and Xpress Pass, then gave us a sticker to wear to show that we were checked in. Boarding began at 11 AM; Group 2 was called at 11:03 AM. After a short walk we were on board, starting our cruise an hour early! Our cabin was already ready, so we dropped our carry-ons there and headed to the Oceanview Café for an early lunch. By the time we finished lunch, our bags were outside our cabin. Altogether this was the smoothest, fastest boarding we’ve ever experienced. The ship is lovely and very clean. The public spaces are in beautiful condition. The passengers are multinational—I heard a lot of languages I didn’t recognize. I would bet the passengers represented dozens of countries. The staff were friendly and very helpful. We did notice fewer staff offering to get beverages for us—we typically had to go to the bar. The photographers were available for posed photos on dress-up nights but otherwise largely absent (fine with us!). I’ve always thought of Celebrity as having a multinational crew. It’s still multinational, but most of the crew are now Asian, reminding me of Holland America cruises. I want to give a shout-out to Johanna, our server in the Trellis Dining room who also works the Oceanside Café during breakfast. We were seated in her section every night at dinner. She was incredibly cheerful and attentive and made our meals fun. Onboard activities and entertainment now include a number of arts and crafts classes (origami, macrame). Unfortunately, they and most of the trivia games, which we love, were offered during the day when we couldn’t participate because we were ashore. Our cabins: We wanted a veranda cabin on Deck 9 because shade is important to us and those verandas have huge overhangs. On this cruise, guaranteed cabins were a LOT less expensive than assigned cabins. So we booked V1 Prime Veranda Guarantee and were assigned cabins 9171 and 9012. Our cabins were clean but shabbier than the ship’s public areas. There were rust spots around the veranda…but it was still heavenly with that huge overhang providing shade. A drawer in one of the nightstands was missing its back…but our room steward got that fixed in a couple of days. The sliding door to our veranda was incredibly hard to push open and closed…but we came back from port one day to find it sliding like butter, opening with a touch of a finger. The closet had about 18 wooden hangers—the annoying theftproof kind that must be detached from a hook—and a couple of dozen cheap wire hangers. There were a lot of drawers, but they were too small to hold folded t-shirts, so we used all those wire hangers. We found space for everything—we always do, no matter how long the cruise! There is a huge cabinet over the TV that we didn’t use. We had a LOT of electronic devices: phones, tablets, smart watch chargers, hearing aid chargers, etc. There are 2 US and 2 European outlets at the desk. Power strips are not allowed, so we brought a small USB port with 6 USB outlets, plus international adapters for the 2 European outlets. That worked out fine. Internet service: Our cruise booking included basic wifi for one device per person. It was fine for texting each other and for checking things like emails and social media, which is we wanted to do (we’re on vacation to unplug!). Sometimes images on social media or in emails loaded slowly or not at all. DH wanted to watch some Netflix and Amazon Prime movies on his tablet, and he was able to do so with the basic wifi package, especially if he watched at off-times. But he wasn’t able to load some websites on his phone or tablet. Food on board: We do not have high expectations for cruise ship food—except in the specialty restaurants—but were pleasantly surprised by the food on the Infinity. We all had prime rib for our first dinner in the Trellis Dining Room, and it was better and a larger portion than we’ve had on recent cruises. We generally avoid the pool-deck buffet, finding the main restaurant more enjoyable and better quality, but the Oceanview Café had a very nice selection of tasty food. Beverages on board: Our cruise booking included the “classic” beverage package, including specialty coffees and basic alcoholic beverages up to $10. We quickly learned that San Pelligrino water is not included and featured cocktails in lounges are all over $10. When I asked for club soda in the Rendezvous Lounge, the staffer told me that it wasn’t included in the classic package (not true!) and all he could give me was a bottle of plain water. I got a couple of lattes from Café al Bacio. Each time I asked for a skim decaf latte, and each time the staffer poured something out of a metal pitcher and handed it to me. That didn’t fill me with confidence that I was getting the right order! I watch my caffeine intake, so I rarely patronized Café al Bacio. CRUISE DAY 2: THESSALONIKI The ship docked close to the center of Thessaloniki, and we did our own walking tour. I read that Thessaloniki has the best collection of Byzantine churches in Greece, so we focused on those. We learned that Byzantine architecture usually dates from the 300s to 1000 and features large central domes, large arches, large vaults (arched ceilings), mosaics, and frescoes (paintings on plaster). Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city, and it would take a lot of time to walk to everything. So I pared our tour to things we could see in a few hours. After disembarking, we walked along the waterfront to Aristotelous Square in the heart of the Ladadika District and full of cafes. We then passed St. Gregory Palamas Holy Metropolitan Church (built in 1891-1914) on our way to the Holy Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). It was built in the 700s and had mosaics and frescoes dating to the 800s. We then walked to the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) Acheiropoietos. It is the oldest Byzantine church in Thessaloniki, built in the 400s. It was built on the site of a Roman bathhouse, and part of the floor is glass so we could see the Roman tiles. We then walked to Thessaloniki’s Roman forum (small compared to Athens) and took a break at a café overlooking the forum. Then we walked to the highlight of our tour: the Holy Church of Saint Demetrius (Agios Demitrios), the patron saint of Thessaloniki. A fire in 1917 destroyed much of Thessaloniki and much of this church, but it was rebuilt. I read that the crypt where St. Demetrius is buried goes back to the 200s, but it is closed on Tuesday, which is when we visited. I also read that some of the mosaics are from the 400s-600s and are considered among the finest in Greece. The mosaics were stunning. We then walked past the Church of Panagia Chalkeon (Virgin of the Coppersmiths), built in the 1000s. It was closed for restoration, but we could see its lovely garden setting. Our last stops were two markets: Kapani Market, where we saw a lot of fish and seafood, and Agora Modiano, which is a more upscale hall of shops and cafes. We then headed back to the ship in time for a late lunch, while DD and DSIL got lunch at a café on Morihovou Square, in a pretty area of cobblestone streets. We clocked 14,000 steps on our walking tour, so we were pretty beat for the rest of the day! CRUISE DAY 3: AT SEA I’m an early riser, and my favorite way to start my day on a cruise is to get a cup of coffee in the Oceanview Café, get a table by a window, and watch the ship come to life as people drift in to get coffee or breakfast. DH and I eventually had our breakfast in the Trellis Dining Room, which we find much more pleasant than fighting the crowds in the Oceanview Café. Our favorite activity on At Sea days is curling up somewhere quiet with a good book. This morning we hung out at the Martini Bar in comfy chairs with great ocean views. After that, our schedule for the day was rest-eat-rest-eat. DD and DSIL treated us to dinner at Le Petit Chef at Qsine. It offers a four-course meal at two fixed seatings. What makes it different is, before each course is served, cartoon animation plays on the table showing a chef in a fairy-tale setting preparing the course. Very creative and fun idea, but the audio quality could have been better. The four courses were a potato-leek soup, fish, beef wellington, and a chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet. There was one possible substitution for each course, but the animation described these four courses. The fish was overcooked and rubbery, but the other dishes were terrific. After dinner we went to “The Other Guys” show, which was a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons tribute with a lot of other songs thrown it. They were excellent. CRUISE DAY 4: ISTANBUL, DAY 1 We visited Istanbul ten years ago on a Princess cruise and found it fascinating. But that stop was on a Sunday, when the Grand Bazaar was closed, so we vowed to return. This time, because of our age and some mobility issues, we wanted to stick to half-day rather than full-day shore excursions. Celebrity’s Day 1 excursions were all either full day or covered sights we’d already seen. So we chose a shore excursion operator recommended by our travel agent: ShoreExcursions.com. The excursion we chose was “Best of the Asian Side,” which ran four hours. (We would see the Grand Bazaar on Day 2.) On our last visit, cruise ships docked in a pretty seedy industrial area. It’s now been transformed into a huge modern cruise ship terminal. It is a long walk (10-15 minutes) from the ship to the terminal entrance. There are several ATMs, which was great for getting cash for tour guide tips. It was easy to connect with our tour guide in the terminal. Just one other couple signed up for our tour, and our vehicle was a super deluxe van with leather seats seating about 10. Istanbul is a big city with a lot of traffic so, as I expected, it took a while to drive over the Bosphorus Straits. Our first stop was at a promenade along the water where we could see Kiz Kulesi (Maiden’s Tower). We had great views of the entire European side, including our ship! We then drove to Camlica Hill, a park where we walked to several viewpoints of the Bosphorus and the European side. Our tour guide treated us to beverages and we sat a few moments taking in the view. We then drove to Beylerbeyi Palace, built in the 1860s, on the shore of the Bosphorus. Our guide guided us through about 15 rooms on the ground and first floors. It was very opulent, with gorgeous Baccarat chandeliers. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside. Our guide offered to take us to a sight not on the tour schedule: the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Bazaar. That was on my must-see list, so YES!!! It’s a beautiful market hall with shops mostly selling spices. Our guide took us to a vendor he recommended, who gave us samples of Turkish delight, nuts and pomegranate juice. We then walked through the Bazaar building and past more vendors outside. It was a great finale to an excellent tour. I recommend the tour to anyone who wants a slower-paced tour seeing a different side of Istanbul. DH and DD, meanwhile, chose a full-day tour. They saw the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi, the Grand Bazaar, and a museum. They also had a Turkish lunch that they enjoyed. They saw crowds everywhere we went, while we saw quieter sights except for the Spice Bazaar. We got back around 1, in time for lunch on board. I spent some of our afternoon on our verandah. It overlooked the harbor, which I found mesmerizing—a nonstop parade of ships, ferries, tour boats and fishing boats. After dinner at the Trellis Dining Room, we saw magician Alex Bellotto, who was terrific. We told our server that we needed to leave by 7:45, and she was great about getting our food to us quickly. CRUISE DAY 5: ISTANBUL, DAY 2 Today was, to be blunt, disappointing. We booked Celebrity’s “Istanbul on Your Own” shore excursion, which was supposed to last 5½ hours. The description said we could be dropped off at either the Spice Bazaar or the Grand Bazaar, then picked up to be returned to our ship. We planned to have lunch at a wonderful restaurant we enjoyed the last time we were in Istanbul, then spend the rest of our time exploring the Grand Bazaar and some other historic sights. We were really looking forward to this day—one of the main reasons we chose this cruise was to spend more time exploring Istanbul on our own. The bus left the terminal at 9 AM and dropped us off a few blocks from the Grand Bazaar. The guide told us to return to the bus at 11:45 to ride to the Spice Bazaar. I immediately asked her if we could join the bus at the Spice Bazaar at the end of the tour. My question flustered her; she said she’d have to think about it. DH and I discussed our options and agreed the safer course was to take the bus to the Spice Market, walk from there to the restaurant, then walk back for the return bus. The guide encouraged everyone to come to what she described as a 10-minute carpet demonstration. It was interesting—the speaker was very polished and informative—but lasted closer half an hour. We then walked through the Grand Bazaar, then stopped for beverages at a small kebab shop on a side street. The Grand Bazaar was, to be honest, disappointing—a beautiful building, but almost entirely souvenirs. I wonder how all those shops stay alive when so many are selling the same thing. I’d been to Dubai’s bazaar which is much newer but much more interesting, as most of its shops are for locals. When we disembarked at the Spice Bazaar, our guide told us to return in one hour to return to the ship. We were flabbergasted—this was much earlier than advertised in the description—and disappointed—there was no way we could walk to “our” restaurant, have lunch, and return in one hour. We ended up going to a nearby restaurant, but that turned out to be a disappointment too. Thirty minutes after placing our order, our food hadn’t arrived. By that point, we wouldn’t have time to eat it, so we had to cancel our order and leave. Back on ship in the afternoon, I visited the Shore Excursion desk to see what they could do about our disappointing shore excursion. I explained that the excursion (1) was not described as a tour but was in fact a two-stop tour and (2) was an hour shorter than described. She told me she was not authorized to do anything and would have to talk to her manager, who would get back to me. DD and DSIL, meanwhile, had a great day. They took the small-group foodie tour of the Asia side of Istanbul and loved it. They traveled using Istanbul’s public transportation, including tram, subway, and ferry. They sampled a lot of food, all good, ending up at the Spice Bazaar. Their only complaint was that their tour, like ours, didn’t match the description. There was a lot more walking and steps than described, which was hard on DSIL’s bad knee. CRUISE DAY 6: AT SEA I woke up with a much better attitude. Every cruise we’ve been on has had some kind of glitch or disappointment—including cancelled ports—and we’ve never let them ruin our vacation. Cruising remains my favorite way to travel. It’s such an easy, relaxing way to see a lot of places on one trip. And, as I’ve often told friends, you’re treated the way you deserve to be treated! Where else is your bed made and bathroom cleaned twice a day? Where else are all different kinds of food and beverages available almost anytime you want them, as much as you want? We began our day with breakfast in the Trellis Dining Room. After that we sought a quiet spot to read, write, and watch movies on DH’s tablet. We have long wished that cruises would designate one public space as a quiet library-type area on at-sea days. (Yes, there’s a library, but it’s small and has no view.) This morning we found nice quiet window seats in the Martini Bar, where we settled in with a latte and hot chocolate from Café al Bacio—which, incidentally stocks some sandwiches as well as pastries, making it a good stop for a snacks. Around 10 AM the Shore Excursions staffer called me. She had spoken with her manager who offered me a 25% credit on yesterday’s shore excursion, which I accepted. I appreciated the prompt resolution, although I noticed later that only I got the credit, not DH. The day evolved into our usual day-at-sea pattern of eat-relax-eat-relax-eat. DD and DSIL treated us to dinner at the Tuscan Grille, which is a mashup of a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant. The setting and service were great. The menu was huge—lots of starters, soups, salads, pastas, pizzas, and entrees including steaks. The pastas could be ordered as a half portion, either as a starter or as a side dish. Our server brought out all the available sides so we could share them. The food was, unfortunately, a mixed bag. Our starters, salads, and pastas were all very good. Three of us ordered beef tenderloin and one ordered rib eye. The tenderloins, which we ordered medium and medium rare, all arrived very rare. About half the rib eye was fat and gristle. So if you go to the Tuscan Grille, don’t order any steaks! After dinner we played musical bingo…and won! It was a lot of fun—a combination of name that tune and bingo. The songs were all easy to recognize, so it was really just a fun variation on traditional bingo. CRUISE DAY 7: RHODES Today was a great day. It began spectacularly—we awoke to a phenomenal view of Old Town Rhodes Town from our cabin and veranda. I went up to the Oceanview Café to grab a cup of coffee, and we sat on our verandah and enjoyed the view, including watching all the shore excursion buses come and go. We wished we had ordered room service breakfast! Eventually we got dressed and got a late breakfast in the Oceanview Café, again enjoying the view. Then we walked through medieval Old Town Rhodes Town. Unlike Thessaloniki, I didn’t have a walking tour planned. Old Town seemed more a place to wander, and that’s what we did. We first walked down Aristotelous Street—the main drag, with lots of shops and cafes—to the Street of the Knights of Rhodes, which was much steeper than we thought it would be! We saw the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, which looks like a medieval castle out of a fairy tale, but we didn’t tour the museum inside. Then we started walking through Old Town’s side streets and alleys. We took tons of photos—every street and alley was so picturesque! We stopped at a café for beverages then headed back to the ship. We had lunch in the Oceanview Café, continuing to enjoy the view. DD and DSIL, meanwhile, downloaded an audio tour that they used for their own walking tour of Old Town. In the afternoon, the four of us played 50s-60s music trivia…and we won with a perfect score! DH is a passionate fan of 50s-60s music and takes pride in a long string of winning music trivia games on cruises. Then I treated myself to a 75-minute spa visit with a full body massage, facial, foot and ankle massage, and scalp massage. The staff were great, and it was a very nice experience. Dinner, treated by DD and DSIL, was at Sushi on Five. Unlike the Tuscan Grille, which charges a single surcharge, Sushi on Five’s pricing is a la carte. Two of us don’t care for sushi, but there were other options: chicken dumplings, a kobe slider, and a pork ramen hot pot. We ordered 1-2 appetizers each, then two of us shared two sushi orders and the other two had ramen hot pots. Everything was very good, and it was fun to have something different for dinner. Sushi on Five is separated by Cellar Masters only by an open screen, so we could hear the guitarist playing there. There was only one other table occupied in Sushi on Five during our visit. I suspect that if the restaurant might get more business if it went to a single-price surcharge like most specialty restaurants. After dinner DD and I went to see magician Alex Bellotto in the Celebrity Theatre. It was fun, but I was even more impressed by his sleight-of-hand tricks in his first show. The guys in our group lucked out: the Philadelphia Eagles, our home team, played at 1 PM US Eastern time, which was 8 PM Turkish time, and the game streamed live on cabin TVs! And the Eagles won! It was a great ending to a really fun day. CRUISE DAY 8: KUSADASI We had been to Kusadasi on a cruise ten years ago and had decided to stay in town and walk through its bazaar. The bazaar was disappointing—mostly souvenirs and sneakers, as I recall. So this time we booked the 4-hour “Destination Highlight: Ephesus and Virgin Mary’s House” tour. DD and DSIL booked a longer tour with a similar description. Our tour and guide were great. We had no idea the Ephesus site was so huge—it reminded us of Pompeii. There were four ships in port, so both the Virgin Mary’s House and Ephesus were incredibly crowded—it was impossible to get a photo without people in it. We had earphones so we could easily hear our guide, and he did a good job taking us to sites away from the crowds. The tour was supposed to end with a carpet demonstration in a shop half a block from the pier. We skipped that and headed back to the ship. DD and DSIL’s excursion was similar to ours but also included lunch and a stop at the Basilica of St. John. We all agreed we learned a lot and enjoyed the day. Kusadasi is considerably spruced up since we visited a decade ago. There are a lot of new vacation apartment rentals, and the downtown area next to the pier has several nice-looking cafes and restaurants. The port itself is completely new, with a maze of literally dozens of shops you must weave past to get back to your ship. We had lunch in the Oceanview Café. Today was Canadian Thanksgiving and the menu included roast turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce. We took things easy in the afternoon. With ships on either side of ours, most spots onboard didn’t have any view. But the aft of the Oceanside Café had a nice view of a good bit of Kusadasi. Later in the afternoon we hung out on our veranda, where the weather was perfect and we got a surprise! We faced a German ship that clearly had a spa on one of the top decks. We could see passengers using exercise equipment…and passengers wearing only towels who took them off and sat facing us! Yes, we saw everything, and these passengers weren’t exactly buff. I’m guessing they were in a dry sauna. The German ship also carried about 50 bikes that we saw being wheeled onboard by the crew at the end of the day. After dinner in the Trellis Dining Room, DH and I sat in the Rendezvous Lounge for about an hour, enjoying the music before heading to bed. CRUISE DAY 9: MYKONOS This morning was great. We took a tender ashore and then walked around Mykonos Town. It is lovely—white houses on slate-paved streets, many pedestrian-only. The main sights are the Old Town harbor front, Little Venice (where the houses are right against the water—waves splashed up on them), and a row of (non-working) windmills. But Mykonos wasn’t our favorite stop. We’re not shoppers, and every street seemed lined with high-end boutiques and souvenir shops. We couldn’t find any off-the-beaten-path streets and alleys like in Rhodes. We stopped for coffee but then returned to the ship for lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing. DD and DSIL took a walking tour that they found disappointing because the guide stopped and talked a great deal—and more talking means less walking around and actually seeing things. By dinnertime I wasn’t feeling well so I skipped dinner. Lobster was on the menu in the main dining rooms tonight, but there was a surcharge for it—the first time I’ve seen that on a cruise. CRUISE DAY 10: SANTORINI I woke up definitely feeling sick—no energy and no appetite. So I stayed in bed all day and we missed Santorini. We were disappointed to miss it, but better to get sick at the end of a cruise than the beginning! Our daughter, who’s a nurse, said I had some kind of virus. CRUISE DAY 11: DISEMBARKATION IN PIRAEUS Disembarkation couldn’t have been easier. We were given a disembarkation time and were told there would be no announcements. We relaxed in the Rendezvous Lounge until it was time to disembark. We quickly found our luggage and then were met by our driver from PK Tours. Our flight home left Athens at 10:30 AM. We felt it would be cutting things too close to try to make that flight on disembarkation day, so we booked our return flight for the next day. Our driver took us back to the Marblous, where we stayed one more night. I was still feeling really ill when we left for home, so weak that we asked for a wheelchair to get me through the airports. That turned out to be a blessing, because we were able to speed through customs! Once we were home, DH took me to an urgent care clinic. I tested negative for COVID and flu, but a chest xray showed I had pneumonia! I had a few post-cruise weeks of feeling wiped out, but I’m fine now. I’m just thankful no one else in our group got it and, again, that I got it at the end of the cruise and not the beginning. OVERALL This was a really, really nice cruise. It wasn’t perfect, but we don’t expect any cruise to be perfect. The Infinity exceeded our expectations. It was immaculate, in surprisingly good condition, and rarely felt crowded. The staff were wonderful. The itinerary was terrific—we saw a lot of amazing and beautiful sights that we’re still talking about. The biggest disappointment was that the shore excursions did not always match their description. This was important to us because we chose this cruise for the itinerary. If I did this cruise again, I’d look into more third-party shore excursions. The food and entertainment were a mixed bag. The Oceanview Café food at lunch was among the best buffet food we’ve had on recent cruises. We especially appreciated the rotating menu of international options. The Trellis Dining Room food was okay. The biggest food disappointment was the uneven food quality at the specialty restaurants. Entertainment is not a priority for us, so we didn’t mind its inconsistent quality.

On our embarkation day there was a taxi strike in Athens and immediately Celebrity sent us an email detailing the shuttle buses that they implemented from the nearest metro station. We enjoyed a seamless transfer from the station to the port and onto the ship. This is our first ever Celebrity cruise and were so impressed with their service which didn't disappoint throughout the cruise. Our Inside Cabin was spacious with ample storage. Only minus- there was no kettle and cups to make tea and coffee. The food was perfect- I am vegan and had plenty of choice. We enjoyed the fantastic buffet for breakfast and lunch. We had early dining at the Trellis dining room and had the most amazing service. Once I didn't like the meal I was given and they whipped it away to bring something else. There was so much choice in entertainment that we would have had to have stayed on another week just to experience everything. The live bands and shows were fantastic. The staff were amazing and could not do enough to give us a great holiday. The only disappointment was that I requested Customer Services to arrange door decorations for my husbands birthday (which other guests enjoyed) and this wasn't done. The port visits ran by clockwork and we didn't have to wait to both get off the ship, and get back. Another minus -there isn't an onboard laundry - Prices for drinks and gifts were reasonable. However the Spa services were outrageously high. We were, however, not pressured to book anything Disembarkation was quick and easy. We would definitely cruise again with Celebrity.