Comments on Millennium October cruise and response

[iandjm]

Hi,

 

I had cause to write to Celebrity following my cruise in October and have now received a response. Here is a copy of the letter I sent passenger relations.

 

I am writing following my recent cruise on Millennium (21 October 2007 , stateroom 8091).

I have travelled with Celebrity Cruises many times now and I must say I found my most recent cruise very disappointing. I have noticed both a decline in onboard organisation, standards and the ships maintenance which gave me a cruise far below the advertised ‘premium’ standard.

I would like to add that I have cruised many times with other cruise lines such as P&O, Princess and Cunard, so have a good idea of the current quality of other cruise brands.

I have enclosed a CD of photographs taken of Millennium on the October 21st cruise, showing the somewhat neglected condition I found the ship to be in.

The cruise started off with a small, but annoying problem with my ‘sea pass’ card, which was not available at check in. I had to obtain it from guest relations on the ship. The card I was issued with did not work when I went back to the boarding security point, as instructed, to get my security photo taken. I had to return to guest relations to get the card re-programmed. The re-programmed card then did not open the stateroom door, and had to be programmed once again. Not a great start to the cruise.

I was on Millennium in May and November 2006 and was amazed to find the same tv programmes (identical episodes of The Lucy Show, Andy Griffith Show, Red Skelton Show etc) and movies (The hunchback of Notre Dam / Frankenstein etc) playing on the stateroom TV’s on this cruise. I find it unacceptable to have identical stateroom TV programmes playing on the ship for over 17 months.

On the second week I checked my onboard account, using the stateroom TV and found two entries that were not mine, they were for $13 and $2. I queried this with guest relations and they obtained the bar receipt, which I had to go and verify. I confirmed the receipt was for items that I had not ordered, that were billed to my stateroom, and signed by someone else (obviously the person who ordered and received the items). The totals were credited back onto my account. I thought the issue was resolved. The next day to my amazement the bartender, who made the error charging the items to my stateroom, knocked on my door and showed me the receipt again.

I was very disappointed this happened and in my opinion he should not have called and ‘accused’ me of ordering the items in a somewhat aggressive way. I resent having to ‘prove’ that the signature on the receipt was not mine, to the bar tender. This was the most unprofessional thing I have ever experienced in my cruising career.

During the cruise I attended several quizzes organised by the entertainments staff. They were terribly organised, and appeared to be totally unprepared. At one quiz the questions were read out from a quiz book. By the time it came to read out the answers the host had lost the pages the questions came from and the whole quiz became a farce. At another quiz, the pictionary quiz, the host had not even brought pens.

On the Civitavecchia night we went to the quiz in the extreme sports bar and found that my 2 friends and I were the only people there. We said to the entertainments staff that we would like do the quiz against each other, but were amazed that they were not in the slightest bit interested in hosting the quiz, and just carried on talking to each other.

I am also extremely puzzled as to why the bars are not open in a lounge when there is an event such as a quiz taking place in them. This is both poor for guests, and means your company misses out on revenue too.

These were examples of the lethargic ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude we experienced from the entertainments staff. In contrast the Theatre production and guest shows were fantastic, as always.

On the Civitavecchia overnight evening the ‘Celebrity today’ newspaper was very inaccurate. It stated in the dining times section that there were the two normal sittings for dinner. It was in fact open sitting (and so chaotic on the late sitting that we did not even dine that evening). The paper also stated that Cosmos and the extreme sports bar were open. They were in fact closed. We were told Cosmos was closed in order to decorate it for the Halloween party the following evening. This was actually untrue, as there was a crew party being held there that evening. Once it was realised that Celebrity today was incorrect, corrected details should have been sent to every stateroom, as I have experienced on P&O cruises when a single detail was found to be incorrect.

This was a good example of the shambmolic organisation we found on Millennium. Other examples were the Celebrity today TV channel showing the next days weather as being 15 Deg C and the Celebrity today paper showing 25 Deg C. In the end I just did not know what information to believe onboard the ship.

Outside the Olympic restaurant, playing on the TV screen there is the restaurant promotional video (which is also played on the stateroom TV’s), the programme describes the many superb dishes available in the restaurant, one being the Waldorf pudding, as served on the SS Olympic. We dined in the restaurant on one evening and looked forward to the Waldorf pudding as this was authentic to the original ship experience. We were surprised, and disappointed to find the pudding was not on the menu any more. When asked about it we were told that it was now special order only, requiring a days notice. As we were not dining in the Olympic restaurant again on the cruise we were unable to experience this special dish. This is yet another great example of inconstancy and poor information on the ship.

The Overnight call in Civitavecchia combined with the terrible mis-information left the ship feeling somewhat deserted that night, and I felt we had as good as lost a night of the cruise.

Our Pisa Tour (39A) was changed from its original 7am departure time to 8.30am, this information was sent by letter to our stateroom, which we appreciated. It’s a shame that the Celebrity today newspaper for the tour day then told us to meet for the tour at 7.30am. We heard that many guests took this information as being correct, as we are always told to check the paper for meeting times, and arrived at the tour meeting point an hour early.

One evening we noticed ‘piped’ music playing over the public address speakers in the stateroom corridors. This was fine until we retired to bed at midnight, and could hear the saxophone music playing once in bed. I called guest relations and it was still playing at 1am. It took 2 more phone calls and a lot of explaining to get the music turned off.

Room service was also unreliable. Frequently cutlery was missing. Or hot water was supplied, but the tea bags we ordered were missing. On one occasion we ordered corn flakes, but received a bowl, spoon and milk, but no cornflakes. I appreciate the people do make mistakes, but nearly every order we made contained one or more errors. This in not what is expected form a premium cruise line.

Sadly the polite un-hurried breakfast delivery I had experienced on Celebrity before was replaced by a very flustered woman throwing the tray onto the table and running out of the stateroom as fast as possible!

I found the ships maintenance to be poor. Some carpets were frayed. The condition of the teak decking (See photos) on deck 10 by the pool (the original teak decking, not the new imitation decking) was terrible with the ‘corking’ poking out or missing, and the wood damaged and un-maintained. The 40 year old decks on QE2 are in a dramatically better condition than Millenniums.

The non slip decking on deck 11 had bare patches and rust on it. This looked very neglected indeed. (See photos). Many of the elevator call buttons did not work or light up. One of the glass elevators failed on several occasions and stopped between decks when I was in it on one occasion, leaving me trapped until it re-started. On deck 11 power/compressed air box’s also had missing lids, looking very untidy.

The LED strip lights (over the auditorium) were party blown, as I noted they were as far back as 2004. This looks very poor. In Cosmos there is still a large tarpaulin cover over the dome overlooking the dance floor. This has been there since 2004. Why is the glass dome, which obviously leaks, not repaired? Also one of the large ceiling lighting quadrants was not illuminated, as it should have been. On deck 11 outside Cosmos one of the pieces of art containing neon airport codes had many of these broken. I noticed this back in 2004. These are all small things, but added together leave the ship looking neglected and run down.

The condition of the staterooms was poor (See photos). In the bathrooms the mirrors backing was coming off. The basin had burn marks in it, and the grouting was soiled. Our net curtains were very dirty and had holes in them and the bedside light fittings were corroded and rusty. These are things that I would not expect to find on any cruise ship, let alone one of Celebrity’s fleet.

On deck 1 the smell of raw sewage when leaving or returning to the ship was at times overpowering and nauseating. It’s not exactly the welcome back to the ship that we expect!

The standard of shipboard maintenance is to be honest terrible. It is a terrible shame to see a lovely ship such as Millennium being neglected.

In Dubrovnik for some strange reason we were tendered, not as usual conveniently into the old town, as we did last year, but into the port near to where cruise ships sometimes berth. We then had to get a shuttle bus, which we were charged for, to the old town. To be honest charging for shuttle buses is unacceptable. I appreciate that some cruise lines do charge, but it really is up to Celebrity to stand out above the other cruise lines and not charge for them. I would rather that these additional charges were incorporated into the cruise cost. The inconvenience of having to first tender to the port, and then catch a shuttle bus led to a lot of queuing and waiting around. I feel the day in Dubrovnik was somewhat marred by this.

In Livorno Millennim berthed in the docks and once again had to pay for a shuttle bus into the town. I was told that we were not allowed to walk from the ship to the town, so had no choice but to take the shuttle bus. It was very wrong to charge for this shuttle bus here, as there was no other way to leave the ship and visit the advertised port of call, Livorno.

On our call to Villefranche we were tendered ashore, as always in that port. When we were returning to Millennium at 5pm we were one of 2 tenders heading back to the ship at the time. We were shocked to see that only one boarding pontoon, on the non sheltered side of the ship (it is normal practice to swing the ship around using its propulsion pods to give the tendering operation as much shelter as possible) was in operation at that time, the other 3 being stowed. At the time a tender was using the pontoon, so we had to suffer slopping around in the swell for 15 minutes before we could berth alongside. By the time we got alongside Millennium many of us were extremely nauseous, this being made considerably worse by the strong smell of sewage coming from deck 1 on the ship. I was very nearly sick. Come on Celebrity this was an example of really poor organisation, with guests suffering unnecessarily as a result of this.

Day 13 was scheduled to be a sea day. As the distance from Villefranche to Barcelona no way justifies a sea day, we drifted along at 9 knots. There was a reasonable swell on the day, which due to the fact that we did not have the stabilisers deployed (they are not effective below 16 knots), led to the ship rolling around all day. Many guests onboard were feeling sea sickness caused by this. I feel that on that day fuel economy (we were only using the ships single diesel generator on the day, rather than the gas turbines), was put first, and passenger comfort last. This is not acceptable. A call to Mallorca would have been a nice option on the day, rather than drifting at 9 knots for 19 hours.

One of the really superb features of the Millennium class ships was its ultra smooth vibration free Gas turbine propulsion. Since the addition of the new auxiliary diesel generator, vibration can be found in many places on the ship, especially in the Olympic restaurant, and the throbbing sound of the engine, which is far louder than I have ever experienced on any cruise ship, can be heard when on deck. Although I understand the fuel economy issues with the gas turbines, the new engine has certainly made the experience on Millennium far less refined.

I would like to mention that Jovel our assistant Matre ‘d and Ari the bar waiter in Cosmos were outstanding crew and the best I have ever experienced.

As you can imagine all the experiences I have highlighted to you led me to have a far less than good cruise. It is a tragedy to see standards going down hill on Millennium. When onboard I raised the issues with the Hotel manager and the Front of house manager. I trust they have informed you of this.

I can honestly say that after this most recent cruise I feel let down by your company, and I am doubtful about returning to one of your ships in the future.

I would be very interested to hear your comments about the issues I have raised, and seek your reassurance over the matter.

I received a response from Celebrity which along with other things apologised for "my having to wait in the sun for 15 minutes whilst waiting for a tender" I think this proves the letters are not even read properly. I responded explaing the discomfort we experienced whilst bobbing around waiting to use the single boarding pontoon. The response from from Celebrity in the second letter apologised for "the discomfort suffered whilst waiting on the tender in the sun on the non sheltered side of the ship"

I give up! If passenger relations do not even read and understand out letters what hope do we have.

Ian :mad:

[osiebosie]

Wow.

 

I will be sailing on Millie this October.

 

Honestly, I tried reading every word of your letter, and after the fourth or fifth paragraph I started just skimming, since I knew every word was a complaint. I didn't even finish reading it. I feel like you started your cruise out with a small complaint, and just started looking for them after that.

 

We've had many issues come up with every line we've cruised on. We just let them go. I just can't dwell on small negativities like that. Only one cruise ever warranted a letter from me, and that was when the propulsion system of a cruise ship was actually broken and we went nowhere with no reimbursement except port fees.

 

I am sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

 

Shay

[lvtotrvl1]

Sorry, I only got to the third paragraph....I'm sure you have some valid compalints, but it seems that you spent your trip taking notes of what was wrong . I'm sure there were some good points, but couldn't read far enough to find them....sorry.

[iandjm]

the usual tone to the responses as expected .....

 

 

I have been on quite a few Celebrity cruises, many of which have been on Millennium. Many of the points I have noted were also obvious back as far as 2004. I chose not to take any notice of them then, thinking they would be rectified soon. When the same faults are there three years later I decided not to gloss over them anymore, but to actually say something.

 

I could have listed many good points about the cruise such as good food etc, but then when you pay £1600 per person I quite rightly expect these to be pretty good, as they normally are on Celebrity. I don't feel I have to list them to Celebrity in a letter. I am afraid what is a fantastic ship looking tatty and in a poor state of repair (I can compare this pretty well having been on Millennium in 2004, twice in 2006 and on this cruise in 2007), is very worrying. Also the poor organisation and policy's and an entertainments crew that really did not seem to have a clue how to organise things, really is something to worry about.

 

I am not a new poster, I have been on many cruises all of which in the last few years have been on 'M' class vessels. I am sorry if the points I have raised are not agreeable with everyone. I certainly did not spend 2 weeks looking for problems, they were staring me in the face.

 

The solution is simple tho, I am will not be going on Celebrity again.

 

Happy cruising everyone.

 

Ian

[operafan]

the usual tone to the responses as expected .....

 

 

I have been on quite a few Celebrity cruises, many of which have been on Millennium. Many of the points I have noted were also obvious back as far as 2004. I chose not to take any notice of them then, thinking they would be rectified soon. When the same faults are there three years later I decided not to gloss over them anymore, but to actually say something.

 

I could have listed many good points about the cruise such as good food etc, but then when you pay £1600 per person I quite rightly expect these to be pretty good, as they normally are on Celebrity. I don't feel I have to list them to Celebrity in a letter. I am afraid what is a fantastic ship looking tatty and in a poor state of repair (I can compare this pretty well having been on Millennium in 2004, twice in 2006 and on this cruise in 2007), is very worrying. Also the poor organisation and policy's and an entertainments crew that really did not seem to have a clue how to organise things, really is something to worry about.

 

I am not a new poster, I have been on many cruises all of which in the last few years have been on 'M' class vessels. I am sorry if the points I have raised are not agreeable with everyone. I certainly did not spend 2 weeks looking for problems, they were staring me in the face.

 

The solution is simple tho, I am will not be going on Celebrity again.

 

Happy cruising everyone.

 

Ian

 

Hi Ian......I agree totally. We've decided to never take Millennium again. That 2006 med cruise was below par. We've have no problem with Constellation though, so we're not completely giving up on X. Going to try Solstice in Feb. 09 and go from there. Vicki

[iandjm]

Hi Ian......I agree totally. We've decided to never take Millennium again. That 2006 med cruise was below par. We've have no problem with Constellation though, so we're not completely giving up on X. Going to try Solstice in Feb. 09 and go from there. Vicki

 

Hey, Nice to hear from you again. We did the same trip in October as we were all on in 2006. We had great weather on 2007 too.

 

take care

 

Ian

[CLEMM]

I was on the same cruise in October and I did not hear, see, smell or notice anything. I cannot comment on any problems with the sea pass card, however I can say that I smelled nothing bad, saw nothing worn, found the staff to be pleasant and accomodating. As to the tendering in Villefrance, I would give my left arm to be bobbing around the Med right now. If the worst thing that happens is you spend too much time in the sun while drifting along in beautiful Villefranche than yours is a happy life. Regarding the sea days, I read the itinerary so I was expecting a sea day where it was indicated "sea day". Seriously, if you can't just appreciate the fact that you are able to take a cruise, then maybe cruising isn't for you.

[tbelian]

I'll be the first to admit, right off the bat, I'm a big fan of Celebrity. In fact, the only other cruise line I have been on, and this was just recently, has been Princess. Briefly, in the Celebrity v. Princess 'tug of war', Celebrity wins, in my opinion.

 

I'll also say to the OP that it's perfectly fine to post 'only the bad' (or mostly the bad), and I didnt stop reading at the 2nd paragraph because it was mostly negative.

 

What I would like other readers to consider, however, is that every perspective is different, and a bad cruise is less common than the good ones. Effectively 'your mileage may (will) vary'. Statistically I would say you have a much better chance of having a good to great experience rather than a bad experience, like the one experienced by the OP.

[lvtotrvl1]

I'll be the first to admit, right off the bat, I'm a big fan of Celebrity. In fact, the only other cruise line I have been on, and this was just recently, has been Princess. Briefly, in the Celebrity v. Princess 'tug of war', Celebrity wins, in my opinion.

 

I'll also say to the OP that it's perfectly fine to post 'only the bad' (or mostly the bad), and I didnt stop reading at the 2nd paragraph because it was mostly negative.

 

What I would like other readers to consider, however, is that every perspective is different, and a bad cruise is less common than the good ones. Effectively 'your mileage may (will) vary'. Statistically I would say you have a much better chance of having a good to great experience rather than a bad experience, like the one experienced by the OP.

 

The reason I did not get past the 3rd paragraph was how detailed and long it was becoming. I have no problem with someone not being happy on a particular cruise (I cruise different lines). I also managed customer service for a travel company, and when such a letter is received,they are difficult to really answer. To many small details. The OP really did not ever say what he wanted from CEL. I guess I am just not sure what type of response they wanted...a point by point reply? If so, this needs to be communicated to the person reading it. A quick example...Day 13 was a Sea Day (from the get go), but the OP was not happy with it? What is the response that they were looking for? That they would add a stop for them? I don't mean to sound harsh at all, however, a better response may have been received if the letter was written a little differently.

[iandjm]

some of the photos sent with the letter........

[iandjm]

and the rest . . .

[Schusize]

Wow, after reading the complaint letter, I thought to myself, oh no, I'm on the Millennium in a couple of weeks. It sounds like it’s a tug boat ready to be dismantled. I just ordered a liquor package for the room and thought, I better order 2 more!

 

Then I looked at the poster's pics.

 

If this is the worst of the wear and tear on the Millennium that can be found, then I'm definitely back to looking forward to sailing on her soon in February!

[iandjm]

The reason I did not get past the 3rd paragraph was how detailed and long it was becoming. I have no problem with someone not being happy on a particular cruise (I cruise different lines). I also managed customer service for a travel company, and when such a letter is received,they are difficult to really answer. To many small details. The OP really did not ever say what he wanted from CEL. I guess I am just not sure what type of response they wanted...a point by point reply? If so, this needs to be communicated to the person reading it. A quick example...Day 13 was a Sea Day (from the get go), but the OP was not happy with it? What is the response that they were looking for? That they would add a stop for them? I don't mean to sound harsh at all, however, a better response may have been received if the letter was written a little differently.

 

Day 13 was a sea day in which we had to travel so slowly (due to the distence between Villefranche to Barcelona being so short) that the ships stabilisers were not deployed. Leaving the ship rolling quite a bit, when there was no need for it to whatsoever........

I think the ecomomies of the diesel engine led to just it being used that day, and it being able to only supply enough power for the ship to do 9 knots.

[lvtotrvl1]

Day 13 was a sea day in which we had to travel so slowly (due to the distence between Villefranche to Barcelona being so short) that the ships stabilisers were not deployed. Leaving the ship rolling quite a bit, when there was no need for it to whatsoever........

I think the ecomomies of the diesel engine led to just it being used that day, and it being able to only supply enough power for the ship to do 9 knots.

 

Sorry, again I ask, what would you like Cel to do for you? Again, I am not trying to be difficult, just would like to know what your solutions would be, and what you wanted to hear from Cel? I was on a Disney cruise, when we woke up in the am, we could still see Port Canaveral quite clearly..the Captain announced that morning that we needed to go slow so as not to arrive in Nassau early...actually said we could have walked faster than the ship was moving....things happen that are out of our control on a cruise. It is a choice we make when booking one. They have changed over the years, I agree whole heartedly with that...but to keep the prices down for the majority of people to be able to afford the cruise is also important . I have learned over the years in business...if I don't like how something is done, I need to come up with ideas to change it, otherwise the complaining will fall on deaf ears.

[Xcruiser]

Day 13 was a sea day in which we had to travel so slowly (due to the distence between Villefranche to Barcelona being so short) that the ships stabilisers were not deployed. Leaving the ship rolling quite a bit, when there was no need for it to whatsoever........

I think the ecomomies of the diesel engine led to just it being used that day, and it being able to only supply enough power for the ship to do 9 knots.

 

Ian, are you saying that even though they didn’t need to use the extra speed and fuel because of the distance they should have to utilize the stabilizers?

 

Also I’m confused about the use of the diesel generator for propulsion power as I thought they were installed for supplying power while the ship was in port to save fuel. Are you sure they were not using the turbine’s at that time for propulsion?

 

I know some don’t like bad reviews or posts especially if they are sailing on the ship soon. I will be sailing Millie in a couple of weeks and while it bothers me to read it, I would rather it be know and placed in the public domain before I sail. That way Celebrity can address the issues in the near future.

 

Thanks for you post.

[xamsx]

Wow, after reading the complaint letter, I thought to myself, oh no, I'm on the Millennium in a couple of weeks. It sounds like it’s a tug boat ready to be dismantled. I just ordered a liquor package for the room and thought, I better order 2 more!

 

Then I looked at the poster's pics.

 

If this is the worst of the wear and tear on the Millennium that can be found, then I'm definitely back to looking forward to sailing on her soon in February!

 

I guess this is a perfect example of how opinions vary. I thought the wear and tear was atrocious in those pictures. Some items are inexcusable. The problem with neglecting small maintenance items is that it makes me wonder what larger items have also been neglected.

 

Since we are not cruise line loyal, I always appreciate reading the good and the bad about a line/ship/itinerary. While I initially thought the OP went looking for problems, after seeing the pictures I would venture to say he didn't have to look too hard.

 

iandjm, best wishes on your future cruises.

[iandjm]

Ian, are you saying that even though they didn’t need to use the extra speed and fuel because of the distance they should have to utilize the stabilizers?

 

Also I’m confused about the use of the diesel generator for propulsion power as I thought they were installed for supplying power while the ship was in port to save fuel. Are you sure they were not using the turbine’s at that time for propulsion?

 

I know some don’t like bad reviews or posts especially if they are sailing on the ship soon. I will be sailing Millie in a couple of weeks and while it bothers me to read it, I would rather it be know and placed in the public domain before I sail. That way Celebrity can address the issues in the near future.

 

Thanks for you post.

 

Yes they should really have been using the stabilisers for the comfort of the passengers to be honest.

 

The diesel generator is capable of supplying the ships hotel supply and enough propulsion power to achieve 9 knots. I asked one of the engineers and we were only using the diesel that day, with both gas turbines shut down, hence the 9 knots.

 

Ian

[iandjm]

I guess this is a perfect example of how opinions vary. I thought the wear and tear was atrocious in those pictures. Some items are inexcusable. The problem with neglecting small maintenance items is that it makes me wonder what larger items have also been neglected.

 

Since we are not cruise line loyal, I always appreciate reading the good and the bad about a line/ship/itinerary. While I initially thought the OP went looking for problems, after seeing the pictures I would venture to say he didn't have to look too hard.

 

iandjm, best wishes on your future cruises.

 

Exactly....

 

Millennium was in for a refit in March 2007 and also the week and a bit when she was having her prop blades replaced after her collission with the rocks in Villefranche, would have been the ideal time to do some painting and cleaning work. I have been on many cruise ships and have never seen rust and poor paint/woodwork like it. I was on QE2 3 weeks ago and there was not a single sign of neglect like that seen on Millennium. I far from went looking for the problems, they were really obvious.

 

Ian

[caviargal]

I guess this is a perfect example of how opinions vary. I thought the wear and tear was atrocious in those pictures. Some items are inexcusable. The problem with neglecting small maintenance items is that it makes me wonder what larger items have also been neglected.

 

... after seeing the pictures I would venture to say he didn't have to look too hard.

 

iandjm, best wishes on your future cruises.

 

I feel the same way. A picture is worth 1000 words and a

"premium" cruise line should not allow such poor maintenance standards.

[aloanldy]

We were on her the two weeks before your cruise. I had no complaints of her. Is there some wear on her, absolutely, should it spoil anyones cruise, absolutely not!

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. With a letter like that i'm afraid I also wouldn't know how to address that.

 

Maybe you are better off cruising another line. Maybe you will be happier.

 

 

Charlie

[operafan]

Wow, after reading the complaint letter, I thought to myself, oh no, I'm on the Millennium in a couple of weeks. It sounds like it’s a tug boat ready to be dismantled. I just ordered a liquor package for the room and thought, I better order 2 more!

 

Then I looked at the poster's pics.

 

If this is the worst of the wear and tear on the Millennium that can be found, then I'm definitely back to looking forward to sailing on her soon in February!

 

Schusize, we were on the May 06 cruise (same as Ian) and the ship looked pretty worn in places. Overall, it looked pretty good but clearly needed work. There's no excuse for this. Our cabin wasn't well kept. The drapes had holes in them, the shower had mold and the carpet could have been cleaner. There was a terrible sewage odor wafting through the ship periodically and it twice invaded our cabin. I complained, both onboard and from home, and after nearly blowing my stack was offered a generous amount of credits. We accepted the credits and had a lovely cruise on Constellation the following April. That said, the service was great, the ports were great, the food good. I probably wouldn't have been as irate as I was if the "eau de garbage" hadn't been in our cabin but we didn't let it ruin our cruise. For the price we paid, though, the product was unacceptable. As a comparison, we were on Voyager of the Seas in November. VOS turned 8yrs. old during our cruise and looked brand new. It was spotlessly clean and beautifully kept and we all noticed.

[C 2 C]

I will not make any excuses for Celebrity. Posts about sub-standard maintenance on Celebrity ships have been disturbing and not infrequent. The very company responsible for not carrying out preventive maintenance is the same company not acknowledging your complaints... because they don't notice; it's no big deal to them and their ships are full. My resolution for this year is to wear dark (rose-colored) glasses so that I will miss the obvious and notice only those things that Celebrity does well.

I love the Mediterranean and the "hotel" provided by Celebrity is a lot cheaper than land hotels. For those responding negatively to the OP's message: The complaints are real, don't shoot the messenger. Celebrity has to be reminded of their shortcomings while the rest of us can hope that things will improve and not affect our own cruises.

Friends sailing on Millennium over Christmas reported that their cruise was better than their Century transatlantic because of the people on board.

Ignore the potholes in the road and enjoy the scenery. A poolside seat on Millennium is much more attractive right now than the gray skies at home. A few sips of my contraband will also improve my view of the world.

 

 

[63galaxie]

Greetings Ian.

 

I, for one, defend your right to voice your complaints. I will be sailing on Millie for the first time in March. I'm glad to know in advance what to expect (and what not to expect).

 

The best cruise I've ever been on was on Century in 2000. The worst cruise I've even been on was on the Zenith. Yet, I've heard glowing reports about the Zenith. And I've heard from people who didn't care for Century. It's all about personal choice, preferences, and perspective.

 

You certainly have cruised a lot, which, in my mind, lends credence to your review, and as much as I love Celebrity (compared to Princess and Carnival), I will continue to try other lines because every ship and even every cruise is different.

 

Additionally, if we don't voice our concerns, the things that really need fixing or cleaning, may go undone.

 

Finally, I want to say that when I voiced my concerns about the problems I encountered on my Zenith cruise, Celebrity responded quickly with an apology. They also offered Future Cruise Certificates, which I felt was not really necessary, but I appreciated the gesture, and yes, we will use two of them on our upcoming cruise.

 

As a result, we are going on another Celebrity cruise, which I hope will be as terrific as our cruise on Century! I can't wait to go!!

 

I hope you find resolution to your concerns!

[katiebeth]

Dear Ian,

 

I must agree with your comments regarding the Millennium. We cruised on her in June of 2006. We absolutely loved the Med. and the itinerary. I would love to go back to the Med. (but not on the Millennium) The condition of the ship left much to be desired. We had a Royal Suite and it was definitely showing wear and tear. We were basically paying Ritz Carlton prices for Holiday Inn accomodations. The curtains were dirty and torn, the bedding was in poor condition, and the carpet was stained. In addition, we had a great deal of mold in our shower. We did write to Celebrity, but received a totally "canned" response that did not address any of the specific concerns we had outlined. We also had a smell of sewage on our deck.

 

We have cruised Celebrity many many times. (3 times to Europe, twice on the Constellation and once on the Millennium). Our most recent cruise was on the Constellation to the Baltics in June of 2007. The Constellation was in terrific and pristine shape. It looked as good as when we first cruised her in the summer of 2003.

 

I don't understand how the Millennium and the Constellation can be so different in terms of maintenance. We also cruised the Infinity in 2005 to Alaska and the Infinity was in fine shape as well.

 

I think the Millennium is in need of a major overall.

 

Overall, I have to say the service we have received on Celebrity has been very very good.

 

Nancy

[Aussie Cruisers]

Hi Ian,

 

I think you have every right to place your opinions, and I read your letter. I am really sorry for your experience. You sound like a perfectionist (like me - so I understand). I am sure that if your room was up to standard, being more lenient on X for the areas where the public go (therefore much higher traffic) would be easier to do, but mould et al in the bathroom is not acceptable in MHO. I understand your feelings!

 

DW and I are on the Milli in a year - so I hope that these things will be cleared up in the next 12 months, or else it will be interesting! :p

 

The problem is that no travel company/airline etc will give refunds/credits to people AFTER the completion of a trip. You need to be persistent and clear whilst on the trip, then they are forced to act as you are there and are waiting for your complaint to be heard and taken seriously. Even just a chat and a sypathetic ear goes a long way, as you know that they will do their best to fix the problem for the guests who are soon to travel.

 

In terms of the damaged art - I doubt that it will be fixed as I assume that the artist would need to fix it... so X could only have it removed and replaced. Unless, it was MEANT to be broken! Perhaps it is the artist making a statement about our world.... so fragile!

 

I hope that you can remember the great things about X and I suggest that you try again if you are willing.:)

 

Mark.