Millie post refit

[J18ktleo]

No problem. We will email some when I get home. We loved the room. It was larger than many people's home. We disn't want to leave !!!

 

That would be awesome! I kept looking over the rails...never saw anyone on the balconies! Checked the halls on our way down to see if there was anyone there or a cart...really quiet hallway! Looking forward to seeing it!

 

Jeani

[Goofyisme]

We are in a CS would love any pics of the balcony! Can't find any just yet. Thanks

 

We are pulling them together and should post soon.

[Phxazzcruisers]

That would be awesome! I kept looking over the rails...never saw anyone on the balconies! Checked the halls on our way down to see if there was anyone there or a cart...really quiet hallway! Looking forward to seeing it!

 

Jeani

 

Just sent some inside pictures. Did you want pictures of balcony also?

We did not get to spend much time on the balcony this cruise, it was too cold to sit out there. We did get to use it a lot in February and your friends will love it in Asia.

[IMNiles]

We were also on the first post-refit cruise.. She looks great, and we enjoyed the new venues. Not everything was redone, so there was a bit of a schizophrenic feel to it when you would move from a contrmporary new venue into an original more-traditional venue, but everything was in good repair. I was surprised to see that the balconies had not been repainted (though some of this happened on our cruise), but it looks like most of the "soft goods" were replaced shipwide. The martini bar got a lot of traffic, though crush (next door) seemed a bit quiet. We did miss having the molecular bar from s class. The piano entertainer aboard (Patrick hall) was fantastic, but the dance band less so. Rendezvous was frequently a ghost town. QSine was great fun, and I loved the airy top-deck location (much better than S). I also loved the new beer selection in michaels (say hi to tomslav and jovana), but the venue was frequently empty and only open at night.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions. We were in a deck 9 port side (nearly aft) C1.

 

Juliana, the captains club hostess, was fantastic.

[takemewithyou]

We were also on the first post-refit cruise.. She looks great, and we enjoyed the new venues. Not everything was redone, so there was a bit of a schizophrenic feel to it when you would move from a contrmporary new venue into an original more-traditional venue, but everything was in good repair. I was surprised to see that the balconies had not been repainted (though some of this happened on our cruise), but it looks like most of the "soft goods" were replaced shipwide. The martini bar got a lot of traffic, though crush (next door) seemed a bit quiet. We did miss having the molecular bar from s class. The piano entertainer aboard (Patrick hall) was fantastic, but the dance band less so. Rendezvous was frequently a ghost town. QSine was great fun, and I loved the airy top-deck location (much better than S). I also loved the new beer selection in michaels (say hi to tomslav and jovana), but the venue was frequently empty and only open at night.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions. We were in a deck 9 port side (nearly aft) C1.

 

Juliana, the captains club hostess, was fantastic.

 

Who was the cruise director?

Captain? Hotel Manager?

[IMNiles]

Who was the cruise director?

Captain? Hotel Manager?

 

Captain taramas. Difficult to understand on the pa ("thisisyourcaptainfromthenavigationalbridge") but very friendly. The cruise director "Steve". (hi Steve!) was a temporary replacement post-refit, and cry congenial. Not sure when the regular will resume. Sorry I did not meet the hotel manager.

[BILL-WI]

Who was the cruise director?

Captain? Hotel Manager?

 

Sheldon Thompson was the hotel Director and Touch Ung was the Associate Director.

 

BILL

[BILL-WI]

I just saw video from the Millennium Panama Canal cruise and on the deck of the corner FV there were two loungers, multiple tables and 4 reclining chairs.

 

The video you mentioned is mine and can be seen here.

 

Now showing on screen one of the YouTube theater...

 

Rosie and Bill do the Panama Canal!

 

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

 

If you have any questions, just ask..

 

BILL

[takemewithyou]

Captain taramas. Difficult to understand on the pa ("thisisyourcaptainfromthenavigationalbridge") but very friendly. The cruise director "Steve". (hi Steve!) was a temporary replacement post-refit, and cry congenial. Not sure when the regular will resume. Sorry I did not meet the hotel manager.

 

Sheldon Thompson was the hotel Director and Touch Ung was the Associate Director.

 

BILL

 

Thanks to you both! :)

[J18ktleo]

We had a young girl as CD...was very different than CD's in the past, not sure if she was in training or staying on...interesting fit.

 

Never saw/met the Hotel Manager which was a shame...really would've liked to...never saw our room steward the entire time except at embarkation. Never saw the carts in the halls...couldn't reach by phone...real frustrating!

 

We had Patrick Hall also as well as Cesarios (who was on Infinity with us) and they were good. Also had string quartet in Cafe El Bacio very often.

 

Didn't understand how they had the A'Capella group perform with the band blasting them out in the background...isn't A'Capella without musical accompaniement???

[new2cruiser]

If any of you have any specific questions about the Millie post refurb I will be happy to answer.

Have never been on Millie just the Solstice and booked 2 cruises for this n next year. Now thinking of doing Hong Kong > Singapore and Millie does this stretch for 2013 and 2014.

Would be grateful if you could please tell us what the cabins are like for 2A/2B as we have only tried 2A on the Solstice and loved the bed by the bath layout. We like to be in the middle of the ship ie midship and mid high as we're new to cruising !

:DMany thanks,

ec

[IMNiles]

Have never been on Millie just the Solstice and booked 2 cruises for this n next year. Now thinking of doing Hong Kong > Singapore and Millie does this stretch for 2013 and 2014.

Would be grateful if you could please tell us what the cabins are like for 2A/2B as we have only tried 2A on the Solstice and loved the bed by the bath layout. We like to be in the middle of the ship ie midship and mid high as we're new to cruising !

:DMany thanks,

ec

 

IIRC, the arrangement of the room can actually vary by cabin within a class - some are bed-by-the-door and some are bed-by-the-bathroom. When you pick one you like, you can usually do a search and find out more about the cabin. Our C1 was bed-by-the-bathroom, as were the two other balcony cabins we saw. Know that the veranda cabins on M are smaller than the same class cabins on Solstice (Solstice are around 194sqft and M class are 170). You need to move up to concierge class to get 190sqft on M. As on most X ships the difference between the levels within a type (e.g. 2a vs 2b) are usually just location (but watch the warnings about obstructed views if it matters to you). Also in rooms with connecting doors your couch may be truncated to accommodate the door.

[more from les]

We were on the five nighter from SD to Vancouver, and have mixed feelings about the 'new' Millenniium.

The Cruise Director Caissie, a tall Australian lady, did not impress. Some senior officers did not engage with guests as well as on previous Millie voyages [maybe five nights was not enough]. There were many staff on first contracts and we found a disappointing lack of confidence and product knowledge [though likely this will change over time].

We found our enjoyment in Cafe al Bacio of the String Trio, the a cappella group [who sang unaccompanied in Cafe al Bacio - band backed them when on the mainstage or the Captain'c Club event] and Patrick diminished by the bleeding of noise from below on deck four where the p.a. music and crowd enjoyment of the barmen in Martini Bar interfered. At times we could not hear the un-amplified performers who found it difficult to hear each other and stay on key. Design flaw or scheduling problem? Koray, the very friendly bar manager was sympathetic but said he had heard complaints about this since Millie left Miami.

 

Some other aspects were at the usual very high standard - loved lunch in Olympic - terrific list of wines by the glass in CellarMasters [though it was not open often enough - the Seapass cards do not work on the machines for tasting pours]. Bistro on Five is delightful haven from the noise and bustle elsewhere... worth the $5.

 

Someone needs to change the Captain's script for navigation details - he used the temperatures 12 C and 59 F [which is not an accurate conversion anyway] for four days straight for air, sea temperatures and the forecast for the next day.

 

Perhaps we are too old and set in our ways to appreciate the changes.

Les

[softail]

When we were on Infinity post-refurb had the large aft FV balcony...they WOULD NOT give us loungers, said they were for suites only! Friends in a sweet 16 did get one but it was old...found hidden somewhere!:rolleyes:

 

Just came of May 28th and three of my friends had FV Balconeys and they had loungers

[CruisingGoddess]

What are the new specialty restaurants? I only know about Olympic and Qsine.

 

I'm on an August sailing and we can still only reserve Olympic through Celebrity's web site.

[Orator]

We were on the five nighter from SD to Vancouver, and have mixed feelings about the 'new' Millenniium.

The Cruise Director Caissie, a tall Australian lady, did not impress. Some senior officers did not engage with guests as well as on previous Millie voyages [maybe five nights was not enough]. There were many staff on first contracts and we found a disappointing lack of confidence and product knowledge [though likely this will change over time].

We found our enjoyment in Cafe al Bacio of the String Trio, the a cappella group [who sang unaccompanied in Cafe al Bacio - band backed them when on the mainstage or the Captain'c Club event] and Patrick diminished by the bleeding of noise from below on deck four where the p.a. music and crowd enjoyment of the barmen in Martini Bar interfered. At times we could not hear the un-amplified performers who found it difficult to hear each other and stay on key. Design flaw or scheduling problem? Koray, the very friendly bar manager was sympathetic but said he had heard complaints about this since Millie left Miami.

 

Some other aspects were at the usual very high standard - loved lunch in Olympic - terrific list of wines by the glass in CellarMasters [though it was not open often enough - the Seapass cards do not work on the machines for tasting pours]. Bistro on Five is delightful haven from the noise and bustle elsewhere... worth the $5.

 

Someone needs to change the Captain's script for navigation details - he used the temperatures 12 C and 59 F [which is not an accurate conversion anyway] for four days straight for air, sea temperatures and the forecast for the next day.

 

Perhaps we are too old and set in our ways to appreciate the changes.

Les

 

Know Cassie from other cruises and found her to be excellent. Has a fine voice. She was one of the few who mixed with the passengers. Shame that Touch wasn't HD. He substituted for a short time and did well. The Senior Staff on Millie needs study the senior staff on the Equinox to learn how they should interact with passengers.

[Gonzo70]

What are the new specialty restaurants? I only know about Olympic and Qsine.

 

I'm on an August sailing and we can still only reserve Olympic through Celebrity's web site.

 

Bistro on 5 and Blu were added in addition to Qsine.

[Tortuga]

I don't post very often, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in this time for the sake of those curious about the new changes.

 

Like some others reporting in here, we are just off the 5 day trip on Millie from San Diego to Vancouver.

 

I think you have to remember that this 5 day "Wine Cruise" was actually just a slightly dressed up "repo", and no matter what line you are on, there tends to be not quite the same attention to detail by the crew on this sort of shorter trip, who are often in the midst of a changeover as well, and are gearing up for the start of the next season. I have experienced this phenomena on several other lines, so I don't find it unique to X. (I was recently on a Princess repo where they spelled my first name wrong on my "seapass" and for some reason couldn't fix it, so I was "Frsnk" for the rest of the 2 day trip. On the same trip, the room steward kept calling me by the name of the fellow who's cabin I was upgraded to at the last minute.... probably because he couldn't figure out how to pronounce "Frsnk"! Talk about travelling incongnito...) Much of X's crew were just transferred to the ship 2 weeks earlier following the refurb and were just getting used to the changes on the ship as well.

 

I also find that many of these shorter repos attract more first timers and may be a less sophisticated crowd than one usually finds on X's longer trips (call me a snob if you want, but they did seem to be having lots of fun, so I'm not being all that judgemental). However, that particular scenario is often (but not always) a function of price, and again, you will find that same situation on most other lines that do repos as well. (Although there are some lines that do not seem to demonstrate the correlation, regardless of length or price!)

 

Anyway ... We had a great time! Here's a mini review for a mini trip.

 

Boarding was a breeze. Got there around 10:30 and zipped through the check in process. Unfortunately we had to then sit and wait for a while to actually board because apparently debarkation of the previous cruise was held up by customs, but we were still on and exploring before noon which is a plus in my book. Maybe it got busier at the check in later on, but ... the early bird ... etc.

 

As always onboard M class ships, we went straight to the Spa Cafe for a terrific salmon fillet (you have to ask for it, but they will always make one up for you fresh and bring it to your table while you eat your soup and salad.) then dumped our bags in the room as soon as the fire doors were opened (they closed them off so that you couldn't go down to your rooms "early") and started to explore the new changes, which overall ... we liked. Personally I like the M class partly for the low passenger to tonnage ratio and although I was a bit concerned that all the new cabins would add 200 passengers and eat up a certain amout of "personal space", it didn't feel crowded on the ship to me at all, so I have to say it isn't an issue.

 

Our AQ cabin was great! ... what a shower! This is probably the cleanest I've been on a cruise if nothing else. I'm surprized there was any hot water left for the rest of the passengers. ;) We had a cabin on deck nine, which only had the refurbished bathroom and bedding, but we spoke to some of the new deck 11 cabin occupants who said that while the cabin layout was similar, everything was brand new. They said there were no noise, slammin exit door, or smoke problems from the aft bar and overall seemed impressed with it except for having to go outside and use the stairs at times to get around. However, no matter where your cabin is... you're going to have to walk somewhere to get around. I don't see it as a negative, myself.

 

Our cabin attendant, Laurence, was able to get or do everything we asked for. No water jug in the room, anymore unless requested, but they did deliver the iced tea daily in Aquaclass. :) Persian Gardens perk was relaxing on the sea days. T-Pool not too busy considering the extra passengers on board now.

 

Didn't eat in the MDR so can't comment, but Blu was fabulous in both service and quality of food for both breakfast and dinner. I agree with many that it is Blu that makes the AQ worth while (as long as its not too much more price-wise than CC) ... but not sure if I can go back to MDR again now...hmmm. Changed our prime C1 6135 cabin to A1 for our next trip on Millie at the end of August as a result. (Although I did that online after the cruise, as the "Future Cruise Guy" (with no name) couldn't get on line...)

 

It's not really the ship's fault that the inet was out of reach so often up the coast. I've done lots of repos and have experienced the same problem in that area before. Was only able to use about half of my 90 minute package (but since I'm elite, it was free anyway so no major inconvenience). I heard X refunding credits to some passengers who had trouble with access, so I figure they handled it as best they could. Nice to see that they have expanded wifi to cover almost all of the ship now, instead of just the central core as it was for many years.

 

Qsine was a neat treat and we found the staff (and the food) very entertaining. A new experience. And Robyn enjoyed the chance to taste and compare a selection of fine wines, an ounce at a time in Celler Masters (which didn't seem too crowded, I must say. Actually ..the word empty comes to mind, but maybe it was just our timing). Bistro on 5 didn't seem too busy either, but perhaps the new venue will take a bit of time to be discovered.

 

The Olympic seemed busier than normal, booking up early in the trip, but service was pretty much as expected, although some changes to the menu made the experience only marginally less enjoyable than previous trips. Slightly less than great, is still great though. The goat cheese souffle was presented a little differently (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and the starters were all in one bunch at the top of the menu instead of breaking them out as appetizers, soup, salad, etc. ... not really a problem since you could just order them all anyway, however, someone not familiar with cruising might think that you only got to choose one item from each category and perhaps miss out. Terrific beef medallions that certainly didn't require a steak knife to cut. I couldn't decide on the chocolate souffle or the Gran Marnier one, so they made up a "custom" combination one for me with both. Couldn't get too much more accommodating than that I figure. We had to cancel the cheese course for lack of room and belt notches. Maybe next time.

 

While it wasn't exactly sunbathing weather after the first 2 days, we spent quite a bit of time up on deck and didn't find it cool until we approached northern Washington and BC. Actually, I was colder out walking by the bay in SF than I was on the ship at sea (but I did have my shorts and a short sleeved shirt on.) Perhaps I'm used to the cooler temps living in BC, but I got a bit of a kick out of seeing some of the diehards out on the pooldeck with four blankets wrapped around them, woolly mittens, and earmuffs trying to keep it feeling Florida-like.

 

The stay in Victoria was a bit strange. Arriving late in the afternoon and leaving at 9PM. We had a brisk walk into town and a quick look around before the stores started closing, but it was still a nice break and a bit of exerise to work of the lbs pick up on board. Not sure what the passengers on Infinity did that night, as they seemed to arrive in port just before we were leaving at 9PM. I guess Victoria was a technical stop for them to appease the Jones Act.

 

The CD was not as personable as most I've met, (that often remembered me by name and said hello passing in the hallways) but I found the other entertainers on board to be very friendly. On the other hand, I have often been fortunate enough to be the "top cruiser" and as such, perhaps get an additional degree of attention. This trip, with only 40 odd X cruise credits to my name, I was a mere pleb ;). (Travelling incognito again?) With over 250 Elite on board, there were a lot of high time cruisers mixed in with all those first timers, which possibly accounts for some of the higher expectations reported... and perhaps justifiably so. With so many Elite on board, the Elite lounge venue was moved from Michael's Club to the Olympic in the morning and the Deck 11 forward lounge for afternoon drinks and appies.

 

Walked off the ship in Vancouver @ 7:45 and was through customs, on the skytrain, and at YVR waiting for our flight in under an hour. Can't get much more efficient than that.

 

Anyway ... in summary... Great trip (for what it was, and at a pretty good price) and an improved ship IMO. Yes, it probably doesn't rank up there with 2 full weeks in the Med or the Baltic in July, but judging from what I observed, I think most passengers really enjoyed themselves. I'd definitely do it again and wish we didn't have to wait till August to do so!

 

Happy cruising everyone.

 

Frank and Robyn

[brassyjan]

great summary of your trip...thanks so much for posting...we are on Millie in Alaska in July and are staying in one of the AQ cabins on deck 9...which cabin were you in?

[BILL-WI]

What are the new specialty restaurants? I only know about Olympic and Qsine.

 

I'm on an August sailing and we can still only reserve Olympic through Celebrity's web site.

 

There is also a Bistro on Five.

 

BILL

[kwokpot]

Was Michaels Club refitted as a Beer hall/sports bar instead of a piano bar?

[new2cruiser]

Many thanks IMNiles, will go n look at the other classes for what is available.

[Gonzo70]

Was Michaels Club refitted as a Beer hall/sports bar instead of a piano bar?

 

Yes.

[CruisingGoddess]

Bistro on 5 and Blu were added in addition to Qsine.

 

Are both restaurants open to non-Aqua Suites/Class passengers?

[Orator]

Are both restaurants open to non-Aqua Suites/Class passengers?

 

Bistro on 5: Yes, $5.00 per person charge.

Blu: No