Info on Millennium-Alaska

[lrowe70]

We're looking at a few different options for a cruise this summer and one of them is the Millennium to Alaska.

 

It will be my husband, myself(both in our 30s)and our 1 year old son. My husband and I have gone on small ships(Star Clippers and Windstar) which we enjoy, and all of us recently tried Carnival which wasn't exactly our cup of tea. Other cruises we're looking at are on Holland America and Royal Caribbean.

 

Has anyone sailed this ship and have information to share? I did a search and came up with very little.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We're looking at a few different options for a cruise this summer and one of them is the Millennium to Alaska.

 

It will be my husband, myself(both in our 30s)and our 1 year old son. My husband and I have gone on small ships(Star Clippers and Windstar) which we enjoy, and all of us recently tried Carnival which wasn't exactly our cup of tea. Other cruises we're looking at are on Holland America and Royal Caribbean.

 

Has anyone sailed this ship and have information to share? I did a search and came up with very little.

 

I have sailed the Millennium--to Alaska even. Loved the ship. What is it you want to know? Tons of information on these boards--have you tried doing a search? Read any reviews of the ship?

[Phxazzcruisers]

We love the Millenium. The Alaska cruises are great. What exactly are you looking for in your cruise experience? Celebrity's a great line that prides itself on its service. I much prefer them to Carnival.

[seelylake9]

:)

I found this ship a bit outdated, but acceptable. I understand that they are refurbishing it soon however. It has good areas to be outside on deck, walk around, etc.

 

The movie room kind of sucks (bad, uncomfortable seating).

 

All other areas were "OK".

 

One thing that we didn't like on the cruise, was that people serve you at the buffet. I wish they didn't. If I wanted to be served, I'd go to the dining room (which was good by the way). Also, sections of the buffet seemed closed at times, and it seemed that there were not too many choices as far as food options. The food itself was great however.

[lrowe70]

Thanks to those who have replied, I appreciate it.

 

I have read a few reviews and am a bit concerned that the line seems to cater to "old" people. Also it sounds like there are a lot of hidden costs on board for activities and classes. On the positive side it sounds like Celebrity has beautiful ships and they go the extra mile which is much like we experienced on Star Clippers. It also seems to be 100% different from Carnival which is a big plus. ;)

 

We're looking for a ship that has activities and excursions that would be appropriate to bring our 1 year old to. We know there's no kid club or pool he can use, which is no big deal as he is happiest hanging out with us anyway. Activities such as wine tasting or seminars would be interesting to us, but I don't think other passengers would appreciate a baby being there. Out of the lines we're looking at it appears Royal Caribbean would be best for the family angle(we're not interested in Disney, costumed characters don't excite us), but my husband and I feel Celebrity is more "our style". I'm not sure that Celebrity really wants children on their ships?

 

I guess I'm just wanting to hear from anyone who either has a young child or maybe observed a family with a little one on board the ship.

[CarolinaMamma]

We just got off Millennium and had a great experience cruising with our three kids, ages 5, 8 and 12. The crew treated them so well. It sounds like we have similar tastes, and we, too, felt that Carnival and Disney would not be the best fit for us. We also considered HAL. Celebrity's restrictive smoking policy was one of the big reasons we chose the line. HAL gets to cruise Glacier Bay in Alaska, and goes to Sitka, which is something to consider if you are not bothered by cigarette smoke. I believe the demographics on HAL are similar to Celebrity, maybe slightly older on HAL, slightly fewer kids since their kids' club in TINY, and ,more Europeans and smokers.

 

Royal will most likely be ammuch younger crowd and more "festive" atmosphere. It has been many years since we cruised Royal, but at that time, I saw a big difference in the fellow passengers on Royal and Celebrity. Royal seemed more "middle America" and the food was not nearly as good as X. We might consider Royal again if the price were right, but we liked the sophistication of Celebrity.

 

I think if you are going to Alaska between mid June and mid-August when school is out, you will see a lot of families on whatever line you choose. We had a very diverse group on our cruise. Yes, I would say Celebrity skews older, but I like talking to people of all ages. I was concerned that some people would not even want to be in the MDR with my kids, but fellow passengers, including older ones, were constantly complimenting their behavior, complimenting my boys' tuxes, etc. We got a couple of looks when we had the kids out at 10 p.m. At the shows, which is not something we would do at home, but the kids loved the entertainment and we let them sleep in in the mornings.

 

With a one year old, I would think sitting through the dinners in the MDR might be an issue, but it all depends on the kid.

 

If your child is 12 months or over, you can get in-cabin babysitting if you and your husband would like a date night one night. You need to book that right when you get on board though. I think it's $20/hour and they send 2 people. Not sure if the other lines offer that.

[northwoods2]

We sailed on the Millennium in March and had two tables near us in the MDR with toddlers. Only one night for a very short time did we even hear them. Most of the time our table was commenting on how cute they were.

 

We are in our mid 40s and have sailed most of the major lines since we were in our late 20s. I will not do Carnival again - too much of a party atmosphere. Other lines we like better but I would put Celebrity at the top and Princess next.

 

We will be going on the Millennium this July to Alaska with another couple. Last time we went with our kids.