Never sailed the Millennium

[phoenix_dream]

We have been on more than 25 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on Millie the most often. We are currently booked on a B2B May 12, right after her dry dock.

 

Even prior to dry dock, I would not have hesitated to book her again. I personally prefer the M class ships to the S class ships, although both have their pluses and minuses. M class has the wonderful thalassotherapy pool (which I understand is getting an overhaul during the dry dock). That is my favorite spot on any Celebrity ship! At the same time, their spa area does not have the wow factor like S class with the heated seats and all. The smaller size (and it is smaller but not small by any means) to me is more comfortable, and feels more like a relaxing comfortable cruise like the good ole days rather than a floating amusement park (which does not really describe S class either to be fair - but they are more so)

 

Overall, Celebrity does a very good job of keeping their ships maintained and up-to-date. Yes, all the M class ships are older so do not have as many bells and whistles as the S class - but honestly most of what is missing is primarily just fewer options of bars and restaurants - understandable for a smaller ship. Do older ships occasionally show a bit of wear and tear on the furniture, carpet, etc.? Yes of course, but only once in my many X cruises did I encounter a ship where I was a bit annoyed at some of that stuff (Century years and years ago right before a dry dock). But you know what - that cruise also had the best food and best service of any X cruise I had been on so when all was said and done I consider that in my top 10 cruises of all time (and I have more than 30).

 

I would never have stood for a cabin that remained at 50 degrees. Any A/C or heating issues we have ever had (and primarily the former as we sailed mostly Caribbean prior to our upcoming retirement) have always been resolved to our satisfaction within a day. Had that not happened I would have complained further and further up the chain until the issue was fixed or I was able to move to another cabin. Celebrity is known for excellent customer service onboard and it is HIGHLY unusual that such a problem would have been ignored (granted, their on-land customer service staff can sometimes disappoint). I am going to say it again because I feel so strongly about it - HIGHLY unusual - absolutely, positively not the norm.

 

As to noro - not fair to mention it at all unless it was being mishandled. It happens to all cruise ships at one time or another. Celebrity does a great job at cleaning their b**tts off attempting to control it, which is no small task on land or sea. I suspect just the fact that it was there colored their opinion of the sailing - just a thought.

 

I am not a Celebrity cheerleader - I have my gripes like anyone else and if you read my posts on Cruise Critic you will see I am not afraid about expressing what I like and don't like about Celebrity - but honestly most of it has to do with changes they are making over the years that may not fit in with what I personally would prefer. But afraid to book Millie? No way:D

[4774Papa]

Thank you for that info

We are thinking of Milli 9 Dec Singapore to Hong Kong

 

We loved the Millie's Japan and China last Oct/Nov. Japan is great.

[MsBoomer]

We have been on more than 25 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on Millie the most often. We are currently booked on a B2B May 12, right after her dry dock.

 

Even prior to dry dock, I would not have hesitated to book her again. I personally prefer the M class ships to the S class ships, although both have their pluses and minuses. M class has the wonderful thalassotherapy pool (which I understand is getting an overhaul during the dry dock). That is my favorite spot on any Celebrity ship! At the same time, their spa area does not have the wow factor like S class with the heated seats and all. The smaller size (and it is smaller but not small by any means) to me is more comfortable, and feels more like a relaxing comfortable cruise like the good ole days rather than a floating amusement park (which does not really describe S class either to be fair - but they are more so)

 

Overall, Celebrity does a very good job of keeping their ships maintained and up-to-date. Yes, all the M class ships are older so do not have as many bells and whistles as the S class - but honestly most of what is missing is primarily just fewer options of bars and restaurants - understandable for a smaller ship. Do older ships occasionally show a bit of wear and tear on the furniture, carpet, etc.? Yes of course, but only once in my many X cruises did I encounter a ship where I was a bit annoyed at some of that stuff (Century years and years ago right before a dry dock). But you know what - that cruise also had the best food and best service of any X cruise I had been on so when all was said and done I consider that in my top 10 cruises of all time (and I have more than 30).

 

I would never have stood for a cabin that remained at 50 degrees. Any A/C or heating issues we have ever had (and primarily the former as we sailed mostly Caribbean prior to our upcoming retirement) have always been resolved to our satisfaction within a day. Had that not happened I would have complained further and further up the chain until the issue was fixed or I was able to move to another cabin. Celebrity is known for excellent customer service onboard and it is HIGHLY unusual that such a problem would have been ignored (granted, their on-land customer service staff can sometimes disappoint). I am going to say it again because I feel so strongly about it - HIGHLY unusual - absolutely, positively not the norm.

 

As to noro - not fair to mention it at all unless it was being mishandled. It happens to all cruise ships at one time or another. Celebrity does a great job at cleaning their b**tts off attempting to control it, which is no small task on land or sea. I suspect just the fact that it was there colored their opinion of the sailing - just a thought.

 

I am not a Celebrity cheerleader - I have my gripes like anyone else and if you read my posts on Cruise Critic you will see I am not afraid about expressing what I like and don't like about Celebrity - but honestly most of it has to do with changes they are making over the years that may not fit in with what I personally would prefer. But afraid to book Millie? No way:D

Thx, Phoenix! Good to hear such a strong recommendation. I was shocked that the heat issue wasn't resolved, too. I felt badly though, because I had strongly recommended the cruise line and was shocked Celebrity did not resolve it for them. That has not been my experience. They are good friends, experienced cruisers, and easy going. We have sailed with them before. (Not that cruise.) As for the noro, we've been on a Celebrity ship where a few cases had broken out and we were totally blown away about the protocols that were put into play. They really do work very hard to keep it in check.

[loeb]

We sailed on the Millennium twice last year. This was our first experience with Celebrity and we had some reservations about the Millennium after reading the reviews of the ship. The Millennium is an older ship and has the usual problems with age (like most of us), but the crew did an excellent job of keeping it clean and accommodating.

 

I would not hesitate booking a cruise on the Millennium again.:)

[AZNative2000]

We sailed with Celebrity for the first time on Millie in a Celebrity Suite. Our suite was very clean but was in very poor shape from my perspective. Many of the cupboard doors no longer fit properly, some of the drawers were hard to open and close and the bath had moldy tile and the fixtures were all tarnished. All the living area furniture was over sized and worn out. Coulndn't find anywhere to sit comfortably. Overall i was very unimpressed with our stateroom. I hope the Millie drydock includes major work on their cabins.

 

1982CruzStart ... Would you mind sharing your room number? We have booked a Celebrity Suite aboard Millie for 2017. I would hope they will fix your issues during the dry dock but am curious to know if we have booked the cabin you had. TIA!

 

We are also looking forward to Luminae.

 

Cheers!

Edited March 20, 2016 by AZNative2000

[Bucketlistt]

I've just come back from an Asian cruise of 14 nights on Millie. Like you, I've only ever sailed on Solstice class and was a bit concerned.

There was no need to be however, as I found all of the crew to be wonderful and the ship is in good condition.

Sure, there are a few things to touch up here and there if you look & she's not quite as modern as Solstice. She is due for a refurb I believe, but she is still a nice ship throughout.

Embarkation was very fast and efficient & the only issue was that the aircon in our cabin was just ok. Once reported though, it was fixed immediately. They are fast to respond to anything.

No virus on our cruise. Make sure you use the hand sanitizer they offer every time.

Make sure by the way, that you book in advance for the main dining room even as a Select diner (if you are), as it is busier than Solstice in the dining room during peak times.

Enjoy your cruise :)

[1982CruzStart]

1982CruzStart ... Would you mind sharing your room number? We have booked a Celebrity Suite aboard Millie for 2017. I would hope they will fix your issues during the dry dock but am curious to know if we have booked the cabin you had. TIA!

 

We are also looking forward to Luminae.

 

Cheers!

 

We were in 8104. I expected a suite to be kept up based on the price of it but that certainly was not the case. Many people don't spend much time in their cabins and therefore really don't care as much about it. However i like to spend a lot of quiet time in my cabin especially when we are on a port intensive cruise where you are out and about with many people all day. There was literally no where i could sit comfortably and just read.

 

They were very quick to try and fix a leak we had in the bathroom. It took a couple of tries to succeed but they jumped on it immediately it was just hard to figure out where the leak was coming from.

 

One thing that i really did like about the cabin was having a dining table and chairs where we could sit and have breakfast. We like to have breakfast in our cabin on port days where we have an early start. Makes the morning less hectic. My understanding is i am going to miss that feature on the Equinox unless the weather is fantastic and we can eat on our balcony.

 

As i mentioned before the staff was fantastic in all our interactions. In particular Lucy the MC concierge, Randy one of the MC bartenders and our Maitre'd in Luminae whose name escapes me at the moment. Take full advantage of MC. In port our group could gather in MC and would be the first people off the ship even though we were the only members of our group that were staying in a suite. It was very handy in the ports where we had arranged early private tours.

 

We had hits and misses in Luminae. Some of the food was very good and some of it not so much. My expectations i guess were too high after reading all the reviews raving about how good it was.

 

Have a great time.

[1982CruzStart]

CruzStart - We have friends (veteran cruisers) who won't return to Celebrity after sailing with Milli. I think the Equinox will change your mind. You've booked a Solstice Class ship - a brilliant and unique design. There are only two elevator banks, creating an island of quiet in the hotel part of the ship, so when you are ready to retire for the night, the noise from the atrium and clubs do not filter through. Myriad alcoves and hideaways for reading are everywhere. But there are also wonderful and unique bars and cafes to meet and enjoy with friends. Specialty restaurants are great. Even the buffet design is pretty cool, with different stations that help alleviate long lines, and there are buffers between clusters of table groupings making it quieter and more intimate. Except for boarding, muster, and disembarking, we never felt as though we were on a large ship.

We've booked the Millennium in 2017 for the first time because of the itinerary. Any tips you could give would be welcome.

 

We went on the Millie for the the itinerary as well and overall enjoyed the cruise. Unless you are in a suite I really don't have many tips i can give you. i spend a lot of my time in my cabin when not in port as i like to read and watch the ocean go by so i really don't utilize the ship facilities that much. We did use the fitness area and walked the track but that is about it for the facilities. We ate in Luminae whenever we could but did take advantage of the 2 free specialty restaurants. I was unimpressed the couple of times we had to eat in the buffet or the pool grill.

 

The one thing i will recommend if you have some OBC to spend is the Cellar Master's Dinner. It was THE best food and wine we had on-board. They usually have a maximum of 10 people and a minimum of 6 before they put it on but as it turned out there were only 4 of us at the last minute and we had a great time with the other couple. Service, food and wine were all fantastic.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[AZNative2000]

We were in 8104.

 

Have a great time.

 

The one thing i will recommend if you have some OBC to spend is the Cellar Master's Dinner. It was THE best food and wine we had on-board. They usually have a maximum of 10 people and a minimum of 6 before they put it on but as it turned out there were only 4 of us at the last minute and we had a great time with the other couple. Service, food and wine were all fantastic.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Thanks for all your info and observations. We will book the Cellar Master's Dinner. (We do have some OBC :D:D)

 

Cheers!

[MsBoomer]

We sailed on the Millennium twice last year. This was our first experience with Celebrity and we had some reservations about the Millennium after reading the reviews of the ship. The Millennium is an older ship and has the usual problems with age (like most of us), but the crew did an excellent job of keeping it clean and accommodating.

 

I would not hesitate booking a cruise on the Millennium again.:)

Thanks, Loeb!

[Lastdance]

Thanks, Loeb!

 

 

This all makes me feel a lot better too, but I am a picky when it comes to certain things!:cool:

Edited March 20, 2016 by Lastdance

[AuntieSasa]

I'm sailing Millie on the "Short Alaska Cruise" that goes out in May 2017. I have been on the Solstice before as well as a few other cruise lines. I am looking forward to seeing the difference in this ship. I am not worried so much about the cosmetic stuff, but I hope that the service was 1/2 as good as I experienced on the Solstice. Never have I ever been treated so well.

 

I am looking forward to the views, the food, the drinks and all of the new people that we will call friends during our cruise.:)

[sovilav01]

We are booked on the Millenium (next March), first time on Celebrity, and I would like to know if there is a retractable clothesline as we had on the Quest in the shower. We booked cabin 7022, good choice??? Thanks!

[Bucketlistt]

Yes there is a clothesline in the shower.

I'm not sure exactly where your cabin is situated but we were on deck 6 forward and I was a little concerned about it's position, but it was fine and a very smooth sailing for the whole cruise.

[lovescarborough]

We are booked on the Millenium (next March), first time on Celebrity, and I would like to know if there is a retractable clothesline as we had on the Quest in the shower. We booked cabin 7022, good choice??? Thanks!

 

We had this cabin. Yes there was a clothes line in the shower. The view from the balcony towards the front of the ship is partially obstructed by pillions. The bed wasn't particularly comfortable as we could really feel the gap in the middle where the beds are pushed together. In hindsight we should have asked for a better mattress cover. Nothing else wrong with the cabin except the cold water is always warm and the corridor outside had some weird smells ! Cabin steward was first class and never forgot our wine glasses and ice !

[sovilav01]

I think we will upgrade to next category to get a better view.Thanks to both of you!

[Tyom]

Hi,

 

We are sailing on the Millenium, 12th May, 2016, Vancouver to Seward Alaska.

 

We have an early flight from Anchorage and have booked a taxi from Seward to Anchorage airport. Wondering if anyone with 2 to 4 people in their party would like to share the ride and fare to Anchorage airport?

 

Happy cruising,

 

:):)

[Lastdance]

Thank you for that info

We are thinking of Milli 9 Dec Singapore to Hong Kong

 

After our trip on the 20th of May, i will definitely post about the Millie and share my thoughts. Unfortunately, this time we are NOT in a suite, so I can't share their upgrades. We are in a C2.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Lastdance