If you’re thinking about trying a Celebrity Cruises vacation and wondering what the onboard experience is really like—especially when it comes to food, entertainment, and day-to-day life—this detailed review of our 8-night Celebrity Infinity Mediterranean cruise from Greece will give you everything you need to know.
(This blog contains affiliate links)
Please also read my overall review of the Infinity if you haven’t already. Celebrity Infinity Mediterranean Cruise Experience: Full Review & Photos
Let’s just start by saying it: the food on Celebrity Infinity was genuinely delicious—some of the best we’ve had at sea, on par with land-based restaurants. On top of that, service was consistently attentive without being overbearing. This is especially true as I also sailed with Virgin Voyages and I still think Celebrity has the best food. Here’s the full story.
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
Dining on Celebrity Infinity: Surprisingly Excellent
Main Dining Room: Flexible Seating, Great Service
When booking the cruise, you can choose between fixed dining or “anytime” dining. We went with the flexible option and were usually seated on Deck 4. On busy evenings, they hand out pagers so you can wait in the adjacent lounge, but that only happened once during our trip.
On embarkation day, we were hoping to have lunch in the main dining room but found out it closes early—so we headed to the buffet. (Tip: Don’t expect MDR lunch service if you board in the afternoon!)
We ate dinner in the main dining room every night. Our first table was near the center, where the blue lighting from the ceiling made for unflattering photos and uncomfortable lighting. The next day, we asked to be seated away from the blue zone—problem solved.
Menu Highlights & Customization
The Celebrity Classics section of the menu features daily staples like Caesar salad (which we ordered every night), French onion soup, and roasted chicken. You can also order two entrees or ask for a customized version—just let the server know.
Our favorites:
- Grilled steak and lamb chops were absolutely perfect
- Sicilian dessert cannoli was a thoughtful regional touch
- House-made ice cream changed daily and was always a hit
- One night we paid $17 extra for a lobster tail—but were disappointed. The rice served with it was dry and flavorless. We’d skip the upcharge next time.
Even better? The butter and dips served with the bread basket rotated daily—sometimes sun-dried tomato, sometimes cheese-infused. And the bread itself? Always warm and crispy, especially the French baguette.
Stellar Service Makes a Difference
We dined at both 5 PM and 8 PM slots during the cruise and received top-notch service every time. The sommelier quickly noticed we didn’t order wine and didn’t press us. One server even made the effort to explain every dish in English. Another told us her sister married a Taiwanese man—such sweet interactions really made us feel at home.
One evening, there was an activity where guests waved their napkins to show appreciation for the crew. Our table was a bit off to the side, and not everyone around us participated.
Top left: Celebrity’s signature dessert, which only appeared once—very tasty. It had three flavors of ice cream inside and was topped with torched meringue. Right before disembarking, we celebrated my dad’s birthday. We found a candle at Crete and asked the server to prepare a birthday cake and insert the candle. The staffs even sang Happy Birthday for us. That was also the only night we ordered champagne and red wine.
Breakfast in the MDR: Quiet, Calm, and Customizable
We only had breakfast in the main dining room on sea days since most port days started early. The menu includes eggs Benedict, omelets (a bit dry but flavorful), and sweet options like French toast and pancakes. You can customize your omelet fillings and juice is included too.
I thought the American-style omelet was a bit dry but still decent. You can choose your own fillings.
The server will also ask if you want juice. Usually, we weren’t seated by the window, but on our second breakfast, my mom asked to move to a window seat—it was great for photos. The ship’s waffles were average; the crust wasn’t the kind I like.
Buffet Dining at Oceanview Café: Diverse but Not Always Amazing
The buffet has a circular layout, which isn’t the most intuitive in terms of traffic flow. Our first meal onboard was lunch here—and to be honest, we weren’t impressed initially. Options felt limited and bland. But things improved from there.
What stood out:
- Banana bread was moist and authentic
- Croissants (especially chocolate ones) were shockingly good—better than what we had in Barcelona
- Multiple milk options: full-fat, low-fat, and even soy
- Great tea selection: Tetley, Bigelow, and local Greek teas
- Breakfast includes yogurt (plain, fruit-flavored, and even Greek yogurt as we neared Greece!)
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
During breakfast, servers walk around offering bread. The croissants were insanely good—crispy and layered. The pain au chocolat was amazing too—better than what we had in Barcelona. Eating quality croissants every day was such a treat.
They’ll also ask if you want coffee. According to my dad, the coffee served by the servers was hotter and tasted better than the self-serve kind.
The Asian breakfast station offered congee, though I didn’t try it.
The sautéed potatoes were also good. The American-style pancakes weren’t my favorite.
My breakfast staple was croissants + yogurt with toppings. The onboard yogurt was house-made, high quality, and unsweetened. Since you get fewer vegetables at sea, I felt that yogurt in the morning was good for digestion.
We usually ate breakfast around 7 AM—waking up earlier than on workdays! After breakfast, we’d tidy up and head out by 8 AM, since most excursions or transfers started soon after. If anyone needed a bathroom break, it’d be tricky, so we made sure to eat early and leave time for restrooms.
The yogurt bar had lots of toppings—granola, dry oats, wet oats, jams, fruits. Once we neared Greece, we discovered a Greek yogurt station. Greek yogurt is thicker and richer in protein than regular yogurt. Taiwan usually only has Greek-style yogurt, which is not the same.
What’s shown here is real Greek yogurt.
This photo was taken before dinner service—no food or people yet.
We once returned to the ship and noticed the mirrored ceiling reflected the ocean—so beautiful.
Dinner buffet themes changed with the port—like Turkish snacks when we docked in Turkey.
You could try Turkish desserts at the buffet—convenient, but super sweet!
There was smoked salmon at dinner—I have no idea why I’ve never grabbed any.
They took dessert seriously—Black Forest cake, pound cake, red velvet (which I missed!).
We mostly dined in the main dining room, but once we grabbed some skewers upstairs when hungry. One buffet station always served Indian food. The flatbread on the left is naan—meant to be eaten with curry, but tasty on its own.
Buffet ice cream came in many flavors—same as the main dining room. There was also soft-serve, though I didn’t try it.
At night, they also had a pasta and pizza station.
I always had the Bolognese—it was perfectly al dente and hot.
The American pizza was solid—four flavors, simple and satisfying.
Deck 5 Café al Bacio: Coffee, Tea & Free Cake
This open café on Deck 5 offers complimentary cakes and cookies—you don’t need to order a drink to enjoy them. But if you do, the tea is by Tea Forte (a premium brand), and espresso drinks are also available.
We tried the cheesecake here—rich, classic, and delicious. The waffles, however, were soft and not crispy.
So many to choose from!
The waffles were freshly made but not crispy.
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
Martini Bar on Deck 4: Unexpected Entertainment
Though we didn’t drink here, we walked by twice and both times caught the bartenders performing impressive cocktail-shaking shows. Tip: watch from the front to truly appreciate the flair.
Entertainment on Celebrity Infinity: Hit or Miss
Theater Shows
Every night there was a show at the theater. The first one we saw was a musical revue. The performers were talented, though the costumes were a bit underwhelming. Sometimes the vocals felt overly dramatic. (Compared to the shows I saw on Norwegian Spirit 1 year ago) But it’s nice that they sing songs that’re internationally known.
Still, one highlight was a soloist performing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” in a classic black gown—it was powerful.
This is a lovely musician couple who is both on the cruise with their 2 year old.
Another night featured Jack Rhodes, a modern magician who’s been on Britain’s Got Talent. His mix of magic, storytelling, and multimedia made his act stand out.
Cruise Director Sarah interacted with the live band
We were impressed by how good the band is backing up guests during karaoke without missing a beat.
Other shows included:
Liar’s Club: four crew members gave fake definitions of obscure words, and the audience guessed the real one. The Greek captain joined too, which made it more fun.
Stand-up comedy: a British comic joked about numb legs and long toilet breaks. Not our style, but the audience laughed a lot.
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
Other Evening Events
Constellation Lounge Parties: ABBA Night, 60s Night, and 80s Night were crowd favorites. ABBA hits like “Dancing Queen” brought back Peace Boat memories for me.
Silent Disco was also a hit—you wear headphones and switch between three music channels. Most guests preferred the green one, which had classic pop. At one point they played “Gangnam Style”—a fun surprise because they finally know how we felt when listening to these “foreign” pops.
Who Cruises on Celebrity Infinity?
We joined a few Facebook groups before the trip and noticed that Celebrity Cruises tends to attract retired travelers from the U.S. and UK. There were also a few Spanish-speaking guests (since we boarded in Barcelona) and a small number of Asians.
We met Koreans, heard Vietnamese being spoken, and ran into a Hawaiian-Chinese family during a shore excursion. Kids and teens were rare.
Enrichment: Port Talks & Lectures
We caught a few onboard lectures, including a helpful overview of Crete. If you miss the live version, you can rewatch it in your cabin.
The ship offered lectures about upcoming ports, like Crete. If you missed them, you could watch recordings in your cabin.
There was also a “Captain’s Corner” session where the captain shared nautical fun facts. Small touches like this made us feel connected to the ship and its crew.
Other Fun Moments
Guess That Tune Game: A lively trivia game hosted by an enthusiastic team. Passengers hit a “buzzer” (actually the host’s hand!) to guess songs.
Art Auctions: A Picasso replica sale was held one afternoon. Lugging all those framed artworks must’ve been a workout!
Mahjong at Sea: One of the sea day surprises! The Blu restaurant was converted into a mahjong space. We even met a Texan lady learning the game—she adopted a Chinese child and wanted to connect with her culture.
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
Smooth Disembarkation in Piraeus (Athens)
Celebrity handled both embarkation and disembarkation flawlessly. It took us only 8 minutes to board and about 5 minutes to leave the ship on the final day. If you had an early flight, you could request 7 AM self-disembarkation. We chose the second-to-earliest group and were outside the terminal by 7:55 AM.
Taxis were readily available across from Terminal B. Though we’d seen €60 Uber estimates, the driver quoted €80 for a large vehicle to fit all of us and our luggage. We didn’t haggle—convenience won.
Not sure where to stay in Athens? Explore this Hotel Map to easily find and compare the best hotels in the heart of the city
Final Thoughts: Is Celebrity Infinity Worth It?
Absolutely. The cruise was full of thoughtful touches—from food customization to well-organized activities and quality entertainment.
I found Celebrity Infinity’s activities well planned. We didn’t even join everything—like darts or dance classes. The 9-day, 8-night itinerary included two sea days, which were perfect for relaxing. If you’re considering your first international cruise, I recommend 6–10 day trips.
Fun fact: Over 100 guests from our sailing chose to do back to back—a total of 16 days onboard.That wasn’t possible for us, but 8 days felt just right. Despite concerns about January Mediterranean weather, we had smooth seas and no seasickness. Other ships had delays, but our captain kept us right on schedule.
Check sailings and prices at Cruise Direct
Despite concerns about rough seas in January, no one in our group got seasick. And our captain ensured timely arrivals at every port—even while other ships faced delays.
This is my brother’s Youtube another video about this cruise. He speaks in Mandarin, of course just look at the videos he took on the cruise and have the auto translated subtitles on is a good idea.
My Mandarin version of this article can be found here.
Ready to book your own Celebrity cruise? Check sailings and prices here and start planning your next getaway at sea!
Viator: Athens All Included: Acropolis and Museum Guided Tour with Ticket
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady (2025): Expert Cruise Tips
Resilient Lady Mediterranean Review(2025): Best All Inclusive Cruise
12 comments
It’s great to see that the Infinity has healthy meal choices too. How do they do on handling allergens (like gluten free needs)?
They do it perfectly if you tell the waiters you have allergies! Also pasta station is a good place to go as you can tell them what you should avoid.
It looks like the cruise had a great variety of meals. My weakness on cruises is always the dessert section!
I absolutely recommend the dessert on this cruise! They are sooo good.
Wow, the food on the cruise looks amazing. And I would have definitely enjoyed watching the bartenders showing off at the martini bar as well as the on-board entertainment. Thanks for this thorough report!
We were so lucky to have seen it twice so I got a good shot! It’s actually my most viewed shorts on Youtube~
So much good food. My husband and I always take the stairs to work off all of the calories!
That’s great exercise on board! I do that as well.
The food looks so good! I would’ve definitely left with a few extra kilos 🤣
The funniest thing is that I didn’t gain weight with all these desserts but I gained weight on another cruise(VV) because I had too much ice cream…
I bet I would just be eating the whole cruise. A cruise around the Mediterranean is on my bucket list.
It’s so relaxing not to worry about food! Just to choose what to eat! There are many Mediterranean cruise throughout the year, I have another post sharing my Virgin Voyage experience on Eastern Med.