Millennium - recent Alaska feedback 2014?

[shipfriend_max]

Hi @all,

 

for Alaska in 2015 we consider Millennium.

As I know it could be a littlebit too early to have some longer Alaska reviews of Millennium in 2014, I just would like to ask for some feedback to those people who have just returned from an Alaska cruise with Millennium.

 

-How did you like the ship?

-How were service/food/overall condition etc...?

 

Because most Alaska reviews (2012 and 2013) were very good, while some Asia reviews also were negative...

 

Hapl would be great. :)

Edited June 5, 2014 by celebrity_fan

[SnorkelMoose]

Hey! I just posted this a few minutes ago on the Alaska board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2040525&page=2

[shipfriend_max]

Thank you very much!

Sounds great that you enjoyed the Alaska scenery!

I am not worrying about the ship's condition, since sistership Summit was in a very good shape - and when you book a 15 year old ship, I think you cannot expect the same conditions as from a ship built in 2011. ;)

And some uncough passengers, you can have everywhere...

[SnorkelMoose]

That's true. It was just weird how so many people seemed completely uninterested in the ports. The passengers were actually the most depressing part of the trip.

 

As for the Millennium's crew, they went out of their way to make sure our cruise wasn't Code Red, as it was during their previous Asian sailings. They had hand sanitizer stations EVERYWHERE, and staff members stood at the entrance to the Oceanview Cafe to ensure that everyone used the sanitizer before walking in. There was one particular crew member working the breakfast shift who was overly enthusiastic about his responsibility. He always had a huge smile on his face, and he'd greet everyone with "washy washy!" and a spritz of sanitizer as they walked past. His name tag even said, "Washy Washy - Philippines," which I thought was pretty funny.

 

The ship wasn't spotless, of course. Someone put a half-eaten slice of pizza on a stairway bannister, and people would often eat their food with their hands while still waiting in line at the buffet, but again: this is due to passenger behavior, and is not a reflection of the ship's condition.

 

The one thing that truly bothered me about the ship was the way they had the buffet set up. It's a huge circle, and it easily takes up four entire rooms' worth of space. The problem is that each side of the buffet "circle" doesn't offer the same dishes, so it took some strategy to navigate. One part was Asian food (the stir fry was excellent!); another was pasta, salads, and an assortment of side dishes; there was one section for meat and more random assortments of side dishes; the desserts were placed wherever they would fit (FYI: Jell-O was offered every single day). Not all of the beverage machines would be operating at the same time, so finding a cup of coffee was an adventure in its own right. That being said, the hot chocolate they offered was great for one's on-deck whale watching/chair lounging sessions!

[shipfriend_max]

Also in the Caribbean on Summit we had some weird passengers, especially some latin families with children... but, as you said, weird pax are everywhere.

 

Yeah, I also really loved the stir fry and the pasta stations.

I did not really have a problem with the layout of the buffet restaurant, for me it was quite easy to find my way around.

And I really love the outside sitting area aft! One of my favourite spots at the ship!!!

 

So I think, all in all we could book Millennium for Alaska without any hesitation.

[Diploj]

My wife and I were on the May 23 - May 31 northbound Millennium cruise from Vancouver. We had a great time. I am waiting for my longer review to publish in the Millennium reviews sections, but we thought the ship - while showing her age a little bit - was in perfectly fine condition. It seems to me that people like to nitpick the little things rather than focus on the big picture (and the big picture was that the crew was great, the food was very good, the drinks were pouring, views were spectacular, and we had a ton of fun).

 

I was very worried about Noro virus given what I had read about previous voyages but I wasn't aware of any issues on our ship. Crew was very diligent about getting passengers to wash hands when entering or exiting the dining areas (like the aforementioned "Washy-Washy" guy).

[shipfriend_max]

It seems to me that people like to nitpick the little things rather than focus on the big picture (and the big picture was that the crew was great, the food was very good, the drinks were pouring, views were spectacular, and we had a ton of fun).

 

Thank you very much for your reply!!

Yeah, I also rtecognize that there are many people who complain about little things and minor "problems" - I recognized it from one very uncough and ridicolous user, who was on Millennium the 13th - 26 of April (Asia cruise).

So we really liked Summit and consider Millennium without worrying about anything.

[olemissreb]

There was one particular crew member working the breakfast shift who was overly enthusiastic about his responsibility. He always had a huge smile on his face, and he'd greet everyone with "washy washy!" and a spritz of sanitizer as they walked past. His name tag even said, "Washy Washy - Philippines," which I thought was pretty funny.

 

 

"Washy washy" was on our Millie cruise last year in Alaska. He was so funny! I often wondered how many cups of coffee he had before getting to his station in the morning- waaaaaaay too peppy for me at such an early hour in the morning!

[shipfriend_max]

Lest the topic gets forgotten...

Maybe any others have been in Alaska with Millennium in 2014 now?

Would be great to hear about your experiences! :)

[terigo]

We just got back from a northbound cruise/tour on Millie. I am putting my thoughts to words, and will get a review going shortly.

To sum it up, we had a great time, and the staff were wonderful. The passengers were a mixed bag from a variety of countries, and we did not meet any bad apples. About the only nitpicky thing that I didn't like was our cabin steward did not change our towels if we hung them up on the hooks behind the bathroom door. He only changed them if we threw them on the floor. This struck me as odd, but not a major issue in light of the whole experience.

I posted about the ultimate dining experience earlier.

Teri

[Blue Lagoon]

We just got back from a northbound cruise/tour on Millie. I am putting my thoughts to words, and will get a review going shortly.

To sum it up, we had a great time, and the staff were wonderful. The passengers were a mixed bag from a variety of countries, and we did not meet any bad apples. About the only nitpicky thing that I didn't like was our cabin steward did not change our towels if we hung them up on the hooks behind the bathroom door. He only changed them if we threw them on the floor. This struck me as odd, but not a major issue in light of the whole experience.

I posted about the ultimate dining experience earlier.

Teri

A lot of the enthusiasm from the staff and crew comes from the top down.

Would you know who the captain was on this trip?

[terigo]

A lot of the enthusiasm from the staff and crew comes from the top down.

Would you know who the captain was on this trip?

 

No, sorry....it was an unpronounceable (to me, anyway) Greek name, and I can't recall it now.

[MsB1254]

We just got back from a northbound cruise/tour on Millie. I am putting my thoughts to words, and will get a review going shortly.

To sum it up, we had a great time, and the staff were wonderful. The passengers were a mixed bag from a variety of countries, and we did not meet any bad apples. About the only nitpicky thing that I didn't like was our cabin steward did not change our towels if we hung them up on the hooks behind the bathroom door. He only changed them if we threw them on the floor. This struck me as odd, but not a major issue in light of the whole experience.

I posted about the ultimate dining experience earlier.

Teri

 

There is usually a notice in the bathroom about the "save the waves" policy. If you are willing to re-use the towels more than once you hang them up and if you want fresh towels - you throw them down. The steward was doing what he had been taught to do. Hope this helps for future cruises on Celebrity.

[daisymay1960]

We just got back from a northbound cruise/tour on Millie. I am putting my thoughts to words, and will get a review going shortly.

To sum it up, we had a great time, and the staff were wonderful. The passengers were a mixed bag from a variety of countries, and we did not meet any bad apples. About the only nitpicky thing that I didn't like was our cabin steward did not change our towels if we hung them up on the hooks behind the bathroom door. He only changed them if we threw them on the floor. This struck me as odd, but not a major issue in light of the whole experience.

I posted about the ultimate dining experience earlier.

Teri

 

 

Thats normal proceedure in every hotel ive been in too , hanging towels mean you are willing to resuse them , on the floor means please wash

[shipfriend_max]

In fact, that's how almost every ship and hotel handles it - towels on the floo = please remove; towels hung up = using them again. :)

[Stateroom_Sailor]

That's true. It was just weird how so many people seemed completely uninterested in the ports. The passengers were actually the most depressing part of the trip.

 

Wow, we've got excursion picked on every port! I guess some people just want to soak up the views from the ship? :confused:

[jg2256]

We got off the Millie on Friday following a Northbound cruise and had a great time. We had been on this ship a few years ago and loved it and after reading all the complaints on cruise critic we really had doubts whether we picked the right ship but we can say with confidence that that all is well on the Millie. We had a few nit picky items but the ship was in great condition and staff as attentive as always. There is no doubt however that the wait staff has been cut and this was evident in the dining room for meals other than dinner. Although this only affected us directly one time It was really evident In the buffet where tables were slowly cleared if at all and never once were we approached to get us a drink. Again it was not a big deal to us but might be a big deal to others. Food in the MDR was good to very good. Entertainment was good but the house band Twist of eight was fantastic. They played dance music almost every night in Cosmos for 50's to today and were really good. We had Select dining and ate at different times between 7-9 and only once did we had to wait and only then it was for 5 minutes. Obviously Alaska was great. My opinion is that if you have an Alaskan cruise planned on Millie this summer or next year you will be very happy

[Gradelady]

We got off the Millie on Friday following a Northbound cruise and had a great time. We had been on this ship a few years ago and loved it and after reading all the complaints on cruise critic we really had doubts whether we picked the right ship but we can say with confidence that that all is well on the Millie. We had a few nit picky items but the ship was in great condition and staff as attentive as always. There is no doubt however that the wait staff has been cut and this was evident in the dining room for meals other than dinner. Although this only affected us directly one time It was really evident In the buffet where tables were slowly cleared if at all and never once were we approached to get us a drink. Again it was not a big deal to us but might be a big deal to others. Food in the MDR was good to very good. Entertainment was good but the house band Twist of eight was fantastic. They played dance music almost every night in Cosmos for 50's to today and were really good. We had Select dining and ate at different times between 7-9 and only once did we had to wait and only then it was for 5 minutes. Obviously Alaska was great. My opinion is that if you have an Alaskan cruise planned on Millie this summer or next year you will be very happy

Thank you for your report!

[shipfriend_max]

We got off the Millie on Friday following a Northbound cruise and had a great time. [...] My opinion is that if you have an Alaskan cruise planned on Millie this summer or next year you will be very happy

 

Sounds great, thank you so far! :)

I also think that Millie for Alaska will be a good choice. Such positive feedback luckily mounts up!

Maybe something in Asia went wrong due to Norovirus.

And sadly there are always some nitpicky complainers... :rolleyes: