Celebrity Millennium Review-Part 1

Below is a review of our B2B cruise on Celebrity's Millennium -- June 20 - July 4, 2014. I had hoped to imbed some pictures into my writeup but for some reason, I can't seem to make it work; my pictures are stored on Shutterfly. So, I have attached a link below my signature with my pictures.

Background: My husband and I are in our 60s and this was our 14th cruise to Alaska. Many years ago, I first fell in love with the beauty of Alaska while visiting my husband during one of his work assignments. Although we have cruised many times before, Alaska still remains one of our favorite destinations.

Flights: Using our Alaska Air miles, I booked our “free” round trip tickets as soon as bookings were available. The day of our flight we left Sacramento at 7 AM and arrived in Vancouver at 1:00 PM. After deplaning, we spent about 30 minutes going through the Immigration process. Once through Immigration we claimed our luggage (free luggage carts are available for your use), exchanged some money and made our way to ground transportation to catch a cab to the Hyatt Regency on Burrard. Total time for all activities prior to the cab ride was about an hour. Cab ride to the hotel was about $45.

Hotel: During past visits to Vancouver we have stayed at the Hyatt Regency, Marriott Pinnacle and the Pan Pacific. For this particular cruise we chose to stay at the Hyatt since we had a “free night” award. The Hyatt is a very nice hotel, close to a drugstore (so you can get all those last minute items), and has a great central location.

Ship: For our B2B we chose to sail Celebrity’s Millennium based on its itinerary. I should also mention that we have done 3 previous B2Bs with the same ship and itinerary - I guess you can say we have enjoyed our time on the Millennium and its itinerary.

Embarkation: The cab ride from the Hyatt Regency to Canada Place was around $8. We arrived at Canada Place around 11 AM. Embarkation was underway and we made our way through the processing lines with little to no wait time. After processing, we were given our sea passes and told we could immediately board the ship since we were in Aqua Class. After the usual “welcome aboard” pictures we made our way up the ramp, initialized our sea passes and headed for the Oceanview Café buffet for a quick bite to tide us over until dinner.

Lag time: We knew cabins would not be ready until 1 -1:30 PM so we made our way out to the pool area where there appeared to be a lot of activity going on. Informational tables had been set up around the pool so cruisers could get a look at dining room menus, spa offerings, drink packages, shop offerings, etc. There were also a couple of drawings that took place during our wait. Kudos to Celebrity for finding a way to keep people busy while waiting for their cabins to open.

Cabin: We chose aft Aqua Class cabin 1140 for our B2B cruise. I couldn’t believe my luck -- I somehow managed to reserve this much sought after cabin on the very first day that Celebrity opened its bookings. The cabin itself was very nice and we had all the amenities that came with the cabin (except a lighted mirror which showed up in week 2). The veranda was adequate with two chairs & footstools and one table. There was a small overhang and a nice size balcony. The view below was that of the Sunset Bar. Although there was a smoking section a little to the right and below our cabin, we did not find this to be a problem.

Cabin attendant: Rafina was our wonderful cabin attendant. Rafina always asked if everything was Ok and did we need anything. If you get Rafina, you know you are in good hands.

Blu: Dining in Blu (restaurant reserved for Aqua Class) was a wonderful experience. The food and service was excellent. Our only problem with Blu is that the tables are too close together for our liking. We had one very uncomfortable evening when two people were seated at the table next to ours. Clearly, they were uncomfortable as well as they lifted their menus to cover their conversation every time they talked. As much as we enjoyed Blu, we only ate there twice.

Emergency Lifeboat Drill: The mandatory lifeboat drill was at 3:45 PM in our designated area. As we sat comfortably in our seats we couldn’t help but laugh as we listened to late comers complain about standing and not having a place to sit. Seriously people, arrive earlier and you won’t have this problem!

Sail Away: The time was here and everyone was anxiously awaiting our departure from Vancouver. Unfortunately for us cruisers, our departure was going to be delayed a few hours because the ship had to wait for a number of passengers from an inbound Houston flight. I’m assuming the Houston passengers used air arrangements by Celebrity so that is why we waited. Scrambling passengers coming up the gangway was definitely a welcomed sight for those of us who were already on board the Millennium. Within a short period of time we were casting off and sailing under the Lion’s Gate Bridge.

Inside Passage: From past experience, we knew that the Oceanview Café would be a little crazy on the first day at sea so we opted to have our breakfast delivered to our cabin. Our breakfast was delivered to our cabin on time and as ordered. We tipped $2 for the service.

After breakfast, we got out of the cabin so Rafina could refresh the room. We walked around the shops, visited the casino (made a few $s), visited the photo gallery and then went up to Solarium deck to relax and watch the beautiful scenery.

Around noon, we had an early lite lunch at the Oceanview Café. Since today was formal night, we ate lite so we could enjoy our 6 PM dinner reservations at the Olympic Specialty Restaurant.

Olympic Restaurant: My comments here reflect OUR experience; others might have had a difference experience. For the first time in 8 visits to the Olympic Restaurant I regrettably have to say that we were VERY disappointed with the service during our meal.

We arrived promptly at 6 PM, were seated by the window and introduced to our waiter. Water, butter and bread were brought to the table and then service went down from there. Our waiter took our order but wasn’t real eager to make a salad substitution for me (Caesar vs. the exotic type on the menu) --- I have done this in the past with NO problems. Our drink order (ginger ale) took FOREVER to get as well as a refill on our water.

My husband’s meal was delivered by someone other than our waiter and NOT prepared table side like it was supposed to be. We glanced around the dining room and noticed that other people were getting their entrée prepared table side, just not us for some reason.

NO ONE ever came by to see if our meal was OK. When we finished our meal we had to wait quite a while for someone to clear the plates. Once the dinner plates were gone we were handed a desert menu by yet another person who was not our waiter. We informed the young man that we had already preordered our desserts with our waiter when we placed our dinner order. Because the soufflés always take longer to make, our dessert order is placed along with our dinner order and that has NEVER been a problem.

Once our desserts were finished yet another person showed up --- this time with the bill and only then did the person ask how our meal was --- we were too frustrated to say; we just wanted out of the restaurant. We have never had a meal at the Olympic where our waiter has abandoned us like he did. Needless to say, we did not tip anything extra like we usually do.

Ketchikan: Weather was rainy today. We booked the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen tour and, as usual, had a great time listening to the crew’s life experiences as crab fishermen on the Bering Sea. One of the highlights of the tour is seeing the eagles soaring above and diving for food as you view this incredible sight from the boat. Kids, as well as adults were also seen enjoying handling some of the marine life that was being exhibited.

On a side note: Ladies, this boat has the best restroom facilities --- just like home.

Icy Strait Point: Another gloomy day with some sprinkles. We booked a whale watching excursion with Glacier Wind Charters. This was our 3rd time taking this excursion and we had a great time. Shawn and Teresa, the owners, are great people and we always enjoy our tour with them. On our outing we saw numerous bald eagles that were drying out their feathers along the rock wall just as we were pulling out of the boat slip area. Our sightings included: humpbacks traveling in groups, lots of flukes and blows, harbor seals and one whale that unexpectedly breached in front of us --- too quick to get a picture even with our sports mode on --- I did get the splash though.

After our whale watching excursion, we took a nice walk back to the dock, visited the shops, watched the zipliners, walked along the shoreline and then made our way back to the ship. We always enjoy our visit to Icy Strait (Hoonah) --- so serene.

Juneau: Our weather started out gloomy and then went into heavy rain. We booked a whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv. Our Cpt. was Liz and we had a fabulous time despite the rain. Liz was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. We saw some humpbacks, harbor seals and eagles. The water was a little choppy due to the rain and made it a little difficult at times to get pictures when the boat was rocking --- that's Mother Nature for you.

Skagway: Since we had heavily booked two weeks of excursions, we decided to designate Skagway as our “down time” port. Today, was cloudy and windy so we decided that we would have a leasurily breakfast in the Oceanview Café and take a stroll into town. We walked through the numerous shops, picked up a few souvenirs and visited a couple of museums.

Qusine: We decided that we would eat in Qusine for dinner tonight. Qusine is another specialty restaurant that offers a unique dining experience. The food and service were excellent and the atmosphere and concept fun. If you have a hearty appetite and looking for something unique, Qusine is the place to go. I only mention “hearty appetite” because some people who have eaten in Qusine and only ordered a few dishes thought the food-$ value was a bit much. On the other hand, some people who are lite eaters and enjoyed the experience thought it was worth the money --- only you can decide for yourself.

Hubbard Glacier: We woke up very early and had our usual room service breakfast. We gathered our cameras and made our way up to the top deck of the ship to secure a good place to take photographs. To our surprise, deck loungers were lined up along the viewing railing; something we have NEVER seen in all our cruises. The deck loungers were definitely an unwelcomed sight as it prevented people from getting close to the railing. I can certainly understand the need to rope off a section of the deck for those that have special needs but that was not the case. In many instances, we saw people using the loungers as place holders for their spot at the railing; they weren’t sitting in them, just blocking space off. If you remove the loungers you can get a couple rows of people along the railing. We just thought this was inconsiderate and rude to do this. We decided to leave and find another viewing spot. After a little searching, we did manage to find a special spot that allowed us to be sheltered from the weather and still get some good photographs.

Our journey into Hubbard was slow and precise. We got very close to the glacier (under a mile), we saw some glacier calving and harbor seals. Well worth the visit.

Thanks for the report!

Seward: Today, was disembarkation day for some but since we were continuing on another week, it was our opportunity to take one of our favorite tours: Kenai Fjords National Park tour.

We woke up again to a partially cloudy morning that soon turned into a beautiful sunny day. Since no room service was available for breakfast, we made our way to the Oceanview Café to pick up a lite meal. About 8 AM, we disembarked the ship, made our way over to the Kenai Fjords office to get our tour tickets and walked around Seward for a bit before boarding our boat tour.

Seward is a quaint town and fun place to walk around. We had a couple of hours to kill before our tour so we wandered down to the shoreline, waked through the campground and enjoyed all the beautiful scenery.

At 11 AM, we began boarding our excursion vessel for our 6-hour National Park Tour. Upon boarding, there are lots of upper and lower deck seating to choose from. We like the lower deck as it allows us a quick exit out the door for taking pictures.

Once loaded, the captain gave the safety and general informational talk. Shortly after the speech, a meal is served (chicken Caesar wrap, granola bar and some carrots). There are also snacks and beverages for purchase.

I cannot stress enough that if taking this cruise, PLEASE take sea sickness precautions ahead of time so that you will be able to enjoy all the beauty this adventure has to offer. EVERY TIME we have been on this excursion there is always a handful of people who didn’t take anything or took the sea sick meds after the ocean motion is in effect. Kudos to the crew for the way they handle situations where people get sick --- dignity and compassion.

We have taken the Kenai Fjord National Park tour 4 times now and have never been disappointed. The scenery is spectacular, the wildlife is abundant and the glacier calving is amazing. This is one excursion I always look forward to with great anticipation.

Hubbard Glacier: Once again, we had a successful visit and even managed to get closer than the week before. We saw some calving and were happy that we were there to see and hear this amazing event.

Juneau: For our second visit to Juneau we decided that we would take another whale watching tour; this time we chose Weather Permitting Alaska.

After a lite breakfast, we disembarked the ship and called the number provided by Weather Permitting to touch base with our transportation coordinator. Since we had plenty of time before our tour, we wandered around town.

As the pick-up time approached, we made our way over to the parking lot near the tramway. Another couple joined us and we all got into the yellow cab van for a brief ride to our vessel. At first, we didn’t see anyone waiting for us so we all wondered if we were in the right place. A few minutes later a gentleman introduced himself as Cpt. Harry and led us down to the vessel that we would be taking out that day. Cpt. Harry was our naturalist and the boat captain was a wonderful young woman (I forgot her name unfortunately); both were engaging and very knowledgeable about marine life.

For this particular tour I had high hopes of seeing bubble net feeding. As mentioned before, I have been to Alaska numerous times and have yet to see bubble net feeding – it was on my bucket list and I had my fingers crossed that this would be the day.

The seas were calm and humpback whales were visible. We even saw a series of bubble net feedings; some close and some far away. I was truly in heaven! We spent quite a lot of time out on the water and enjoyed every minute of it.

After the tour was over, Cpt. Harry walked us back to the dock where we were met by our yellow cab transportation back to our ship.

Icy Strait Point: We booked another whale watching excursion; this time with F.I.S.H.E.S. This was our 4th time with F.I.S.H.E.S. Marjorie met us at the usual meeting place and took us to the dock where Floyd was waiting for us. We boarded the “Silver Spoon” and headed out in search of whales. Along the way we saw: numerous eagles near the boat slips, a deer in the grassland near the slips, a brown bear along the shoreline, harbor seals, humpback whales, fukes and tails. We definitely had a good time.

Ketchikan: We have always wanted to see bears but never had the opportunity due to the timing of our trips to Alaska. During this cruise, we knew we would be Ketchikan in July so we decided to make a reservation with Island Wings for their Anan Creek bear viewing excursion. We knew our decision was controversial as it was early in the bear season but I was assured that we would see bears. We realized that if we had gone later in the season the bears would be more plentiful but we didn’t need that to make us happy.

We saw a total of 9 bears (at least visible to us) and we were extremely happy with our decision to take this tour. Michelle, our pilot and A.J., our bear made our experience one we will remember forever.

Vancouver: We were sad to see our B2B cruise come to an end but knew it had to be. We chose to stay an additional day in Vancouver and take an early flight out the next morning.

Overall thoughts: Despite the first week of rainy weather and a few minor glitches we had an excellent time. Would we go again? You bet! We are booked on another B2B for next year. I have already booked air, hotels and some excursions --- can't wait for another adventure!

Great review/report.

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

Keith

Thanks for your review!!

it's very helpful, since we plan to do this cruise in Aug 2015!

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Millennium for the July 19th sailing next year. Can't wait!

You're welcome!

I am just booking our first Alaska cruise so great to read this. We were thinking of doing a return cruise out of Vancouver on Millenium. Do you think Millenium would suit a family with teenagers?

I am just booking our first Alaska cruise so great to read this. We were thinking of doing a return cruise out of Vancouver on Millenium. Do you think Millenium would suit a family with teenagers?

We did not travel with any children on our Millennium cruise. I can tell you that when we were on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Sea there seemed to be more teens around then when we were on Celebrity's Millennium. I am sure both have good programs, I just can't speak from personal experience.

I would suggest asking your question on both the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean board --- perhaps someone from there can help with your question.