The ship whose first job was the Canal
Most ships ease into service with a short, easy inaugural cruise. Celebrity Infinity went straight through the Panama Canal — a fourteen-night transit from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, calling at Caribbean and Central American ports along the way, before she had even finished her first season.
She was christened in Los Angeles by Solveig Wilhelmsen, a member of a prominent Norwegian shipping family — a godmother chosen from inside the industry rather than from outside it. Her maiden voyage had actually been delayed a month from its original date, which meant the Canal transit was the very first thing paying guests experienced aboard her.
That start set the pattern for a career: South America, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, and the Canal itself, again and again. Then, in early 2023, she took on a new role — becoming Celebrity’s first ship to work the Mediterranean full-time, year-round, rather than as one season among several.
There is a quieter fact worth knowing alongside her history: Celebrity Infinity was the last ship in the fleet to resume sailing after the pandemic shutdown, restarting from Port Everglades on 25 June 2022 — more than a year after Celebrity Millennium made history restarting the industry in June 2021. Same class, same shutdown, opposite ends of the recovery. It is a small detail, and it says something real about how uneven that return to sailing actually was.
Is she your ship?
Three questions, one honest answer — including “book her sister instead” if that’s the truth.
Should you book Celebrity Infinity?
We’ll tell you yes, yes-with-an-asterisk, or point you at a sister — which is the answer nobody else’s website will give you.
Where she actually sails
The Canal, the southern hemisphere, and now a permanent home in Europe.
Her career map has always run further than most: South America, including Antarctic Peninsula sailings, the Caribbean, and Northern Europe, alongside the Panama Canal transits she has run since her very first voyage. Celebrity describes itself as a signature operator of regularly scheduled Panama Canal itineraries, and this is one of the ships doing that work.
The bigger shift came in early 2023, when Infinity became Celebrity’s first ship to work the Mediterranean full-time — not one season among several, but year-round. That makes her, more than any of her sisters, the ship to check first if a long European season is what you want from this class.
Celebrity reshuffles this class every year, so treat any single season’s schedule as perishable. The durable pattern is the range: if a Millennium ship is running the Canal, South America, or a full Mediterranean year, it is often this one. The class guide covers where all four are working.
Infinity vs. her three sisters
Close sisters, and the map and the suite enclave are what actually separate them.
1. Where is she? Infinity runs the Canal, South America and now a full-time Mediterranean season. Millennium ranges furthest of all — Asia, Alaska, transpacific. Summit and Constellation stay closer to the Caribbean.
2. Does she have a Retreat Sundeck? No — and this is worth knowing before you book a suite. Confirm this detail for whichever sister you are considering rather than assuming; it varies across the class and it is exactly the kind of thing that gets missed.
3. Which refit has she had? All four went through Celebrity Revolution. Infinity’s landed in November 2020. Summit went earliest, March 2019. Confirm the most recent dry dock for whichever ship you are considering — on hulls this age it matters more than the launch year.
The other three: Celebrity Millennium · Celebrity Summit · Celebrity Constellation
All four side by side, with a ship matcher, in the full Millennium Series guide.
What her refits actually changed
Three rounds of work, and only one of them was transformative.
Her first dry dock, in 2007, was a modernisation rather than a rebuild: the Oceanview Café, Bistro on Five, Café al Bacio and Cellar Masters all arrived, alongside updated décor and carpets throughout.
In November 2011, at Freeport in the Bahamas, she was “Solsticized” — the iLounge computer lab, Qsine, Blu and the Bistro on Five creperie all added, with new cabin balconies.
The real transformation came in November 2020, with her Celebrity Revolution refit: staterooms and suites redesigned by Hirsch Bedner Associates with Kelly Hoppen, and Michael’s Club converted into the Retreat Lounge. This is the refit that actually changed how the ship feels.
Most recently, a nine-day dry dock in January 2026 at Marseille was routine maintenance — machinery overhaul, hull work, certification and safety inspections. It was not a content refresh, and it did not add the Retreat Sundeck that several of her sisters now carry.
Do not assume every Millennium-class ship has the same Retreat features by now — several don’t, and Infinity is one of them. Confirm the sundeck situation for your specific ship and sailing date before you book a suite expecting an Edge-style enclave. It is a small check that avoids a real disappointment on arrival.
What she’s like onboard
What you’ll actually use.
The best cabins to book
A conventional veranda throughout — a real balcony, with a door.
The honest downsides
What we tell clients before they book her.
No Retreat Sundeck. Her 2020 Revolution refit rebuilt the Retreat Lounge but did not add the private sundeck several sisters now carry. If a suite sundeck is part of why you are booking Celebrity, check this specifically before you commit.
She is a 2001 hull, and no refit changes that. Cabin bathrooms, corridors and the fundamental layout are of their era. The finishes are recent; the bones are not.
Her most recent dry dock was maintenance, not a refresh. The January 2026 work at Marseille kept the ship running well; it did not add new venues. Do not expect the freshest interiors in the class.
Far fewer venues than the newer classes. A handful of specialty restaurants against thirty-two on an Edge ship. On a long sailing that is either cosy or repetitive, and it is worth being honest with yourself about which one you are.
No waterslides or water park. True across Celebrity. If that is the point of the trip, book a Royal Caribbean Icon-class ship instead. But the line that usually follows — that families should look elsewhere — is not one we will write: our own four children have sailed this line across three generations and loved it. The full account is in Is Celebrity Cruises Good for Families?
When to book
Her Panama Canal and South America itineraries behave like specialty sailings — they sell to a smaller, more committed audience who book well in advance, and the good cabins on the good departures go early. Her Mediterranean season, now that it runs full-time, is more forgiving but still tightens up for peak summer weeks.
Specialty dining fills on a full sailing — book Tuscan Grille or Sushi on Five the day your cruise planner opens rather than waiting to board.
On fare: Celebrity’s MoveUp bidding programme can lift you a category for less than the outright difference — worth understanding before you pay to upgrade at booking. And if a Retreat sundeck matters to you, that is a reason to look at a sister rather than pay extra here expecting one.
The verdict
The ship built around the Canal, now doubling as Celebrity’s year-round European anchor.
Celebrity Infinity has spent more than two decades doing what this class does best — going places the bigger ships can’t follow. The Panama Canal has been part of her story since her maiden voyage, and since 2023 she has added Celebrity’s first full-time Mediterranean season to that resume.
Book her for the Canal, South America, or a long European season — she is usually the ship doing it. Book Summit instead if a Retreat Sundeck matters to your suite booking. Book the Solstice Series if newer interiors matter more than the itinerary.
And confirm the sundeck situation before you book a suite.
Quick answers
When did Celebrity Infinity launch?
She was delivered in February 2001 and her maiden voyage left Port Everglades on 3 March 2001 — a fourteen-night transit through the Panama Canal to San Diego. She was christened in Los Angeles on 29 April 2001 by godmother Solveig Wilhelmsen, of a prominent Norwegian shipping family.
Has Celebrity Infinity been refurbished?
Yes. Her Celebrity Revolution refit landed in November 2020, redesigning staterooms and suites and converting Michael's Club into the Retreat Lounge. A January 2026 dry dock at Marseille was routine maintenance rather than a content refresh. She does not carry a Retreat Sundeck.
Where does Celebrity Infinity sail?
She has spent much of her career on South America, the Caribbean and Northern Europe, and since early 2023 she has been Celebrity's first full-time, year-round Mediterranean ship.
Which Celebrity ship was the last to restart after the pandemic?
Celebrity Infinity, resuming sailing from Port Everglades on 25 June 2022 — over a year after Celebrity Millennium's historic restart in June 2021.
Does Celebrity Infinity have a Retreat Sundeck?
No. Her 2020 Revolution refit rebuilt the Retreat Lounge but did not add a private suite sundeck. Confirm this before booking a suite if it matters to your trip.
Considering Celebrity Infinity?
Tell us where you want to go.
Your dates, your crew and how you feel about the Retreat Sundeck question — and we’ll tell you whether she’s the right ship and what to book first.
Tap a question or the button and an advisor will answer against current pricing before you book.