Looking to book Alaska on Infinity..

[dw1gator]

1. Do all the balconies (for the rooms) have a top cover?

2. Are all the balconies (except for family view) the same size?

3. The trip is 14 months away and all the family views are booked. Is this common?

4. What is the advantage or disadvantage of booking a "guarantee" as opposed to just getting a certain room when you book?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[BSeabob]

Hey Welcome.

The Infinity our favorite ship (right now )

All balconies on all ships are pretty well covered from above to some degree. That's just the nature of the room(s) above. On the Infinity however I can tell you that some are covered MORE than others.
The ones on the Deck immediately under the Pool/Buffet deck are covered with the extended solid deck above. Way more than the normal stacking.

Aft cabin balconies are HUGE compared to others. Covered area and then open to the aft. Narrow and long. Balconies on the "Hump"s that show as odd shaped on the deck plans are also bigger. Your view aft or forward though is restricted depending on where you are on the hump.

I think that the FV cabins may have a tendency to be booked further ahead but that seems a stretch. Is your info from the net or did you phone?

Guarantee. Basically means that you are going to be happy with the cabin & price that you get in the "CAtegorey" you pick. You may or may not (most likely not) be moved or upgraded. You need to be pleased with any cabin that you may bed assigned in that cat. Conversely pick your cabin. you get the one you want and where it is etc etc.

Infinity is a fairly large ship with three elevator banks. For persons with limitations on mobility being near a bank is advantages. That counts for me being lazy on some days.
This link should show some PICS. It's my buddy Jim's. Go to their trips and have alook at any of their Infinity trips. We were there too
<http://web.mac.com/jimbellomo/Travel/Travels-with-Jim-and-Kathleen.html>

 

[BSeabob]

Here's a shot of an aft deck.... Lens puts it out of whack a bit but you get the idea. it's huge compared to other cabins aboard except for suites. Use the lounge for size comparison and the whiter cover is canvas for the sun and then there is open area above. Doesn't show up all that well in pic.
<img src=http://www.thepreismans.com/ALAS_2129.JPG>

 

[daysatsea]

I believe that they have changed the categories (to a higher category) for those cabins with larger balconies for the 2010-2011 cruise year. Our usual 2B cabin with an larger angled balcony has been recategorized to a 2A.
Also, how many people are you looking at booking for a FV? Early in the booking season, unless you are booking for 4 a FV will not show up as available. (As it gets close to sailing, they show up no matter how many people you are booking for).

 

[ricnpala]

Rooms 6016-6030 and 6021-6035 have larger balconies than the standard one. I select them for all of my cruises. The ship layout doesn't show them as larger but they are. Twice the size (in depth) actually and if you have mulitple parties going with you, they are a great place to gather and watch the world go by.

On 2 occasions, after selecting one or more of the above rooms, Celebrity bumped me up to a Concierge Class on deck 9. I preferred my old room frankly. Nothing to write home about for Concierge Class. And just recently for my May 29, 2009 Alaska cruise, I was bumped up to a Sky Suite on deck 6. Larger room, came with a butler that delivered cookies and tea automatically in the afternoon, and then some h'orderves just before dinner. Again, nothing to write home about. I do love the balconies because it's nice to have a place to hang out that isn't crowded on an "at sea" day.

Also if you are doing Alaska on the Infinity in 2010, be sure and go to the Brent Nixon talks during the cruise. He did 5 talks about whales, bald eagles, orcas, bears, sea otters and seal lions. His website is: http://www.naturetalksbybrentnixon.com. He is spending both this summer and next summer on the Infinity doing his "nature talks".

We did the Bering Sea "Deadlist Catch" tour out of Ketchikan and it was worth it. We did 2 whale watching excursions out of Juneau and Victoria and both were a bust. Felt like I threw my money overboard.

Enjoy your trip. You won't be disappointed.