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    July 19 Millie Northbound Review

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by alfredo22
    Tweak subject line

     
    Overall perspective:
    We had a phenomenal time.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Our critiques are real, but ultimately we really enjoyed ourselves.
     
    Ship Condition:
    If you look hard, you can tell the Millie is not a new ship.  There are some layouts that clearly would not be picked if you were building a new ship (Qsine blocking a stairway, sushi on 5 in the middle of a wine bar).  In other places there is a lot of paint trying to cover corrosion.  I would not, however, describe her as worn or tired.  She is in good shape and I think the revolution likely helped substantially.  We liked the “old look,” but we like the “new look” too.  The new colors are much brighter and it did not feel like ikea to me. 
     
    Stateroom perspectives:
    We stayed in CS 8106.  Overall, we were very pleased with the room.  It looks nice in person and met our needs for the cruise.  There were, however, “Kelly Hoppen” functionality issues in both our room, my parents room, and the retreat areas.
     
    On the balcony, there were only two seats, a table, and a couple of monolithic footrests.  There was easily room for a third chair, but that request was too much for my stateroom attendant (who was otherwise very good).  Having the aft balcony of the pair was nice and we spent substantial time out there.  
     
    No USB outlets were available in our room that I could find.  The only bedside plugs were stolen by bedside lamps.  Limited plug availability in the rest of the room.
     
    As previously stated on the boards, the couch faces the TV instead of the great windows.  I “accidentally” rotated it 90 degrees the first morning while everyone was asleep.  Based on the carpet color and cleanliness underneath, I would guess I was the first one to do this in 8106 on Millie since revolution.  This blocked one of the many underused cabinets, but was otherwise great.  Staff didn’t say a word about it but very quickly vacuumed.
     
    My parents stayed in SS 8117.  They had the now infamous chair that doesn’t slide under the desk.  There were some orange highlights they did not enjoy, but it was not offensive to myself or my wife.  The blue highlights in our CS were nicer.
     
    The couch on their balcony was nice, but there is a pole that is not ideal.  We needed that stateroom to support our configuration, but I would not pick it if I had more flexibility.
     
    My kids were in 8119.  There were more plugs and USB outlets in their room than in my room and my parents room combined.  The stateroom attendant for 8117 and 8119 was Jay.  He was great.  At some point my 9 year old was about to get lost on the ship and Jay rescued him.
     
    I will try to find some pictures, but there have been previous photos on the boards of both 8117 and 8106.
     
    In general, Kelly Hoppen furniture is poorly thought out from a practicality perspective.  Thankfully there are hundreds of throw pillows available and they work quite nicely at making oddly shaped chairs more comfortable.
     
    Dining:
    Most nights we ate at Luminae and loved it.  Rolando was our server and he was phenomenal.  Menu was varied and we were able to find something enjoyable with each experience.  Even when we had the full party of 6, we did not have to wait for a table.  At the strong suggestion of the maitre’d Bochi, we did try to aim before or after the big rush of 6:30 or 7.  We definitely noticed improved service when it was less busy, but we weren’t terribly dissatisfied at any point.  Wine by the glass with the premium drink plan is just awkward.  If you want to get better than the equivalent of $10 a bottle stuff (retail price), it gets frustrating.  The “sommelier” was nice but seemed to struggle with getting me things in the $12 to 20 dollar a glass range.  One night I ended up getting a bottle because I was annoyed by his selections.  He also seemed a little too revenue-driven.  For example, the Caymus others have gotten for $55 a bottle when on the drink plan, he offered to me for $90. 
     
    We also ate at sushi on 5.  I have no strongly positive or negative perspectives on the experience.  I would probably do it again if the cruise was long enough, but I found myself questioning the value.
     
    We worked our butler, Nelson, to the bone with room service breakfast.  They weren’t perfect-a couple of times a side dish got forgotten.  The one time it was “important,” Nelson noticed on his own and got it fixed.  To their credit, I made it hard.  Every order form had special requests.  My wife likes a latte- handwritten in every day.   A bowl of berries for the kids handwritten in every day...  Bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese handwritten in one day...  to their credit, they did it right with capers and red onions.  Room service breakfast is never going to be as good as fresh in the restaurant, but when you have a wife and kids that sleep like mine, it really made our vacation much less stressful and I am thankful for it.
     
    The OVC/buffet food was quite good for a buffet.  It was not fancy like Luminae, but there were plenty of options and the international options were nice.  I was pleasantly surprised with the food.
     
    Conversely, the service was inconsistent.  For bar service, they should just set up convenient bar stations and let us go get our own drinks.  Trying to do it with inadequate staff is a recipe for frustration.  More than once, I just went to the closest bar to get my own drink.  Similarly, at one point my daughter spilled pasta all over the place.  No one noticed or helped even after we notified them.  Thankfully there was no sauce on it...  Lastly, the ice cream station got overwhelmed and the scooper desperately needed backup.  Conversely, the food stations were kept fully stocked and the staff that was available were almost entirely competent and kind.  None of the the issues caused me to have a bad vacation!
     
    Suite life:
    We used both the retreat lounge and sun deck fairly extensively.  We liked the personalized service.  Mary, the lead bartender in the retreat lounge, was of particular note.  She was smart, attentive, and good at mixing drinks and interacting with my kids.
     
    The sun deck is nice, but not world class yet.  It seemed a little underutilized with the notable exception of the Hubbard glacier day.  
     
    The staff there was nice, but it was a lot slower to get drinks or food.  At times we would visit and there didn’t seem to be anyone there who did bar service, just someone who cleaned things up.  A short drink menu of things they can turn around quickly with their local limited bar would help them and their customers.  At one point my wife ordered a cosmo and that just about blew their minds.  While a gin and tonic might come out fast, other drinks could easily take 10 minutes.  Whirlpool temperature should be 5-10 degrees warmer too.
     
    On the Hubbard glacier day, it would have been a no brainer to have mimosas and bloody Mary’s circulating, but alas it was not to be.  They did circulate warm pea soup and beef consommé or broth or something.
     
    Shore side concierge was very kind, but useless to me.  I asked for the mini bar to be cleaned out and no kiwi, walnuts, or pecans to enter the room because of my daughters allergies.  That was a fail on both counts (kiwi on fruit plate for room service).
     
    My children, being young, were able to partake in all the suite things gratis.
     
    Ports:
    Embarkation was awkward.  Vancouver makes you do a lot of walking.  Some of it seemed quite unnecessary.  We had all pre-taken pictures, but the person insisted on retaking several of them.  Security was very annoyed by my retake which was apparently quite bad.  I found that humorous.  I saw the “special delivery,” drop off for RS and PS, but there was no escorting aboard and the lines were equally short for everyone.  Not that we really needed one.  Instead I escorted my family to the retreat and to Luminae soon after.  I got to visit the naughty room!  The staff onboard was quite amused that it was called the naughty room.  For some reason I had decided to lug along my kids white noise machine (marpac).  It is literally a fan in a box, but that was baffling to the security guys.  I tried them to get an electrician involved, but it wasn’t going anywhere and I had important drinking to do.  We have apps on our devices that can be used in these situations!
     
    All of the main ports were suffering from the cruise ship profit-making apparatus.  Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway all were overwhelmed with diamond stores and other tripe like that.  Not sure why people buy diamonds on vacation from chain stores.  Thankfully, Mother Nature was not far away.  We found it very easy to get out and enjoy through many short hikes and excursions.  
     
    In Ketchikan we took the Bering sea crab tour.  Officially it was “on our own,” although the official celebrity tour cost more... they sat right next to us.  If you booked through Celebrity, you got a sticker too!  After lunch at Annabelle’s (an old brothel), we hiked the rain bird trail.  Taxi up to the college parking lot and walk back to the ship.  The last mile or so is on city streets, but downhill.  You can have cab pick you up if desired. Internet describes it as “easy,” but be aware that rating is by people who hike a lot.  With younger kids I would say it was intermediate.
     
    Icy Strait Point is unique.  It is commercialized by the tribe, but only by local businesses.  It is hokey, but in a nice way.  We took a private tour through Hoonah Whale Tours that was phenomenal.  An orca actually swam under our boat (boat was off & orca turned and swam towards us).  It turned out the boat captain’s mom owned a shop in ISP.  I would definitely take a private tour over those big boat tours if you can.  That area in Alaska definitely seems to be better than Juneau or Skagway for whale watching.  The nature trail on the property is very, very short and pretty short on nature too.  Be aware they are building additional new docks.  It appears ISP will be over-run next year.
     
    In Juneau we did the ship’s gold panning tour.  It was cute, the guide was nice, and our 9 year old was happy.  Amazingly, you actually can get flakes of gold out of the stream even today.  We also did the Mt Roberts tram and hiked around on our own.  Then we took a lyft to the hatchery, which is also good for kids and people who like salmon.  Plan ahead- it is much less interesting when the fish aren’t running.
     
    Skagway we did the train ride and lunch at the brewery.  The weather was rainier there for us, likely impacting my impression of the place.  I had already done the helicopter tour thing, but if you haven’t, Seward is a good place to do it. 
     
    Hubbard glacier was jaw-dropping.  If you can cruise with an afternoon time slot (I think the southbound tours), your odds for better weather are improved, but we did fine.  I certainly didn’t cruise away thinking “gosh I wish we had gone to glacier bay.”
     
    Seward disembarkation was easy from the boat perspective.  The small bus transfer up to anchorage was a little awkward, but that was mainly my fellow cruisers’ fault.  I will neither condemn nor praise the vendor.
     
    Afterwards, the guys went fishing for several days in Elfin Cove at Elfin Cove Resorts.  It was a ton of fun, but their guides don’t have very much experience right now.  I will refrain from doing a full review on cruisecritic.
     
    Travel:
    We had one of those cautionary tales about booking margin into your calendar.  We had about 22 hours of margin to sail away in our planned schedule.  Our first flight (Pittsburgh to Toronto) on Air Canada was cancelled due to a mechanical issue with the plane (a CRJ-200, well known in aviation circles for reliability issues).  After much waiting on hold and standing in line, they were going to be unable to re-book us on any practical schedule that would assure us we would make the cruise.
     
    In a reminder of the value of flexibility, we saw how many flights happened between Toronto and Vancouver and rented a car on our own and drove to Toronto.  Air Canada was then able to rebook us on a later flight the same day.  We ended up about 8-10 hours late into Vancouver.
     
    Air Canada refunded the price of the Pittsburgh to Toronto leg after I submitted a request, but nothing beyond that. 
    • Like 3

    Shoreside Concierge Question

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, Paulras said:

    How soon before the cruise do you get contacted? I got an email a week or two before the last cruise asking for feedback on Shoreside Concierge but never actually got contacted. When I responded to the survey saying no one ever contacted me, I never received a response. Next cruise is in 6 weeks. Nothing yet. 

    I got a call almost exactly a month out from my cruise later this week.  She was very nice.  Asked to get “fridge” emptied in my CS.  discussed some allergy limitations.  No corresponding email.  Decided not to do any dining reservations yet, but she inquired.

    Traveling with my teenagers in different class cabins?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    FWIW, Celebrity will absolutely bend on the rules for ages in a stateroom.  I am cruising next month with my 6 & 9 year olds alone in an inside stateroom (at least by ticketing).  We did this to make sure adults would be able to dine in Luminae.

     

    the stateroom is across the hall from my parents SS, so that was “good enough” for celebrity.  My wife and I are in a nearby CS— likely the kids will end up sleeping in the living room... unless we are real lucky!

     

    if your OV are no where near your suite, this concept may not be palatable to celebrity.

    • Like 1

    LIVE Millennium BKB Transpacific and Alaska 04/27/19

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    6 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

    We joined in Vancouver on Friday. Worst port in the world if suite or Zenith. No priority whatever!!! One check in agent for everyone Concierge, AQ, Elite Plus, Zenith or Suite. Then had a room with 500+ plus passengers from both Solstice and Millennium waiting for boarding to start. Instead of letting the suites board first they did it first come first onboard. Fifty feet later was the MCC to escort suite / zenith onboard.

     

     

     

    I have read a few month of May horror stories about Vancouver.  Hopefully they get their act together.  Don’t want a room of 500+ for anyone!

    Real Ginger Beer on Board?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    1 hour ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

    I have a drink package (booked before we found out), so I'm hoping I could just ask for one and they'd give it to me? Either that or I could just order a virgin dark and stormy haha

     

    Tell them you are pregnant and they will do anything for you!

     

    • Haha 2

    finial payment issue - maybe

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I just did my final payment a week or two ago.  I also noticed it sat in pending on my credit card for longer than normal.  Easily may have been 4 days or more before it posted.  Not familiar with the currency card, but I wouldn’t freak out too much yet.

    Beverage Package - please help me do the math!

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I am working similar math for my two kids in July right now.  I looked very briefly at the current sale- seemed like it didn’t apply to non-alcoholic packages.

     

    Only real advantage I am seeing is not having the kids need to worry about money if they are involved in a very rare transaction without us.  That just seems improbable or so infrequent as to not be worth it.

    Suite Guests - How to you utilize your Butler?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Ten years ago or so on Summit we got the now-extinct upgrade fairy visit to an SS.  Our butler was good, and despite it being so long ago I remember one unique request.

     

    One afternoon we were out on the balcony and had closed the door behind us.  Thanks to some loose internal hardware in the door, it actually locked DW and me out!  Thankfully we had wine and snacks...  I mean our neighbors were out on their balcony.  We asked them to call our butler for us.

     

    When he arrived he was quite worried and agitated.  His immediate response in a stern tone- “Who did this to you?”

     

    then we had kids and took a hiatus from cruising, but we return this year- in a CS and my parents along with us in an SS.  (and the kids along for the ride in less luxurious accommodations).

     

     

    • Haha 1

    Millennium Revolution -

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

     

    Most artists rendering doesn't go to the extent to put the reflection of things in glass. With only 744 followers, I don't think this account is such an influencer that it would be used for advertising. Seems true to me...though very different from all the other pictures.

    I think it’s funny how we all did the same thing....  and what is with her lips?

    • Like 1

    I Thought Celebrity's Changes Were Driven By Changing Demographics - Not True

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 1/2/2019 at 9:56 AM, K12Guy said:

    There seems to be so much accurate about your presumption. From what I see of the 20 - 40 crowd these days is very few of them seem to take life seriously and they seem to live "in the moment", as if they will never age and their desires/expectations will not change. It might be that development teams working for the cruise lines are being driven, not by those with experience and knowledge, but by those with recent college degrees who think they know everything. Of course we've all been there, right? We know sometimes, as adult youth, it takes a whack to the forehead to realize we really don't know a lot (in spite of great education) about life. In the meanwhile there is an aging demographic that refuses to sit back and die off, being more active and living life more fully than ever before. It's truly a dichotomy for cruise development teams trying to figure out which demographic will keep their ships full and money in their pockets. 

     

    Ironically, in twenty or thirty years, long after this keyboard is silent, someone will be lamenting that the current crop of young adults have unrealistic expectations and the millennial crowd will be groaning about how much they hate the changes that are being made and all the growth toward retrofitting ships to the early 2000 themes, including a new ship that has 'suite preference' staterooms and amenities. But lounge hogs will still be a problem on every ship.

     

    So, we will tolerate the changes and enjoy being pampered for our fourteen day fall cruise of New England and Canada, and do everything we can to put up with the very few young adults that actually will be aboard.

     

    As the token under-40, I will quote Horace from the 1st century BC below.  I think Celebrity’s goal is merely to gain as many new people while losing as few past cruisers as possible.  Not setting yourself up for the future would be a mistake.  Then again, Eden and loud dining settings might have been a mistake too.

     

    Our sires' age was worse than our grandsires'. We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.

     

    http://mentalfloss.com/article/52209/15-historical-complaints-about-young-people-ruining-everything

    Last time Millennium and Solstice class ships refurbished?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 12/29/2018 at 12:18 PM, fstuff1 said:

    ahhh.. so the Infinity underwent Refurbishment in October 28, 2018?

     

    and from shirazcruiser's link above, another one is scheduled in 11/20/2020???

     

    Look at that.  Sure enough, that is out of date. No Oct 2018 refurb occurred on Infinity that I know of.  The link shirazcruiser posted is correct for future refurbs.  Mine works for past refurbs.  Sigh.  

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