LIVE from Millennium... Many positive changes!

[TeaBag]

Thanks for the info, Floris. We're sailing on Millennium in Sept, so this is great news.

[Cruiser Nonna]

Thank you so much for taking your time to update us all - do you know how they are handling this if one passenger is Elite and traveling companion (sharing same cabin) is not in regards to Michael's Club? Are they checking cards? Not a biggie but just interested in how they can control once word is out.

 

Do you have a lot of Elite taking advantage of this on your sailing? The additional information is so helpful and so welcomed -

 

Thanks again for sharing!

[nfox211]

We came off the Millennium on June 12th. My husband shot baskets on the court the day before. They were still painting areas around the court though.

[cityt]

Wondering if Ari is still working as the bar waiter in the Casino. HE IS THE BEST! If he is please say hello from Mr. Dan and Ms. Carole and tell him to expect us on the 9/11 sailing. We'll be looking forward to him pouring us a ""good one!" As far as Michael's Club do the CC cabins get the perk as well or just suites? Thanks!

[Ma Bell]

Elite Captain's Club members and Suites. If CC cabins were included it would be about a third of the ship....not likely.

[nps001]

If I am not mistaken, I believe Ari is now on Solstice. I'm not sure but I think he boared during our May sailing.

[pspercy]

as well as Crepes for dessert

 

That's almost enough to get me aboard by itself !

[elena7seas]

Great news! Thanks for the updates! We sail the 19th and I couldn't be more excited.

 

I hope they open the library, I brought about a dozen books on Alaska and I was planning on donating them to the library. I'd hate to have to haul them back home, my luggage is pretty close to 50# and I was hoping to loose some weight to make room for souveniers. :)

 

For those requesting pictures, we sail 19-26 and plan to post photos as soon as I get back. However, I don't know how to post photos here other than those stupid thumbnails that are too small to see. I use smugmug - I really do not like photobucket. Anyway, dependent on how long it takes me to figure out how to post photos, I'll get them up as soon as I can.

 

Hi Nothriver:

 

I use Smugmug as well.

 

Once you have your pictures loaded onto Smugmug, it's really easy to post them into Cruise Critic (CC).

 

1. Open a window for a new CC post.

 

2. In another window, open your gallery in Smugmug where the pictures are that you want to post to CC.

 

3. In SmugMug, look at the tabs near the top of the screen and click on the following:

 

>> Share

 

>> Get a Link

 

Under the heading "Direct Photo Links", eight choices of picture size will appear, from "tiny" to "X3 large".

 

>> Click on the one you want (I usually try "Large" first and go from there) and this URL will be loaded into your clipboard. (After you click on the size you want, you will see the word "copied" show briefly on the right side of the screen. Don't blink or you'll miss it).

 

(Note: You will be able to see the size of the photo in your post when you do the PREVIEW and can then adjust the size by selecting a new URL from the size list in your Smugmug window.)

 

4. Go back to your CC posting screen.

 

5. Place your cursor in the message where you want the photo to appear.

 

6. Click on the "Insert Image" icon (the little yellow square containing the grey "mountains").

 

This will open a drop-down window where you can now highlight everything that is already in the box (http://) and then hit Ctrl-V (copy).

 

This will paste the Smugmug URL into the box, then you hit:

 

>> OK

 

and voila, your picture should appear in your post .

 

 

(I just checked my directions, and they seem to work. This is the "MEDIUM" size option, as the LARGE was too big in this case. The photo shows the "Elegant Tea" on the Solstice at the end of May).

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

[Nandelion]

I have a question! When exactly are the formal nights? A group of us are sailing on July 10 northbound and the best guess is the 2nd night (at sea day) and when we are at Icy Strait Point (because the 2nd at sea day is the day before disembarkation).

 

Any secrets that are onboard that would help us travelers out?

 

Have a fabulous cruise!

 

Nancy

[glanders]

The changes must be coming fast and furious, as we were on the cruise last week, and there was no Elite lounge, no $50 Internet, and they still had the brunch instead of the midnight buffet.

 

The ship does look great. We were actually disappointed in the shows and the red pleather seats in the theater, but everyone likes different things.

 

I had the surf and turf in Olympic, and the "lobster tail" was four thin slices of tail meat. Of course, that, too, could have changed since last week.

 

Let's hope things continue to change for the better.

[cruise47]

Thanks for the great update. Sound like Celebrity is launching a whole new cruise atmosphere.

[mardon]

Tomorrow - June 21 is Nicolus Ellapen's birthday. He is Asst. Matre D on the Millenium.

 

Say Happy Birthday tomorrow - Sunday and tell him the Wendts miss him and send their birthday wishes.

[nativetexan]

Thanks for the info on the basketball court. Yippee!!!

[raymay]

Nicolas Ellapen is the best Assistant MatreD we have ever had....he will be 29 Tommorrow.

[cruise47]

Thanks for the updates.

 

To all the fathers on board: Happy Father's Day !!

[bububr]

Thanks for the updates!

 

Any Idea if Jean from New Zealand ( Hotel/Housekeeping director) is onboard?

 

If so please say Hi from Dave and John in Chicago and we'll be back again in September for our anniversary!

 

Thanks for taking the time as always to keep us updated!

 

Dave:eek:

[bububr]

just reread your post...answered my own question...:o

 

Dave:eek:

[mardon]

raymay - how do you know Nicolus? He is the best. We had him for our waiter for 7 cruises. happy for his promotion. are you on the ship right now?

 

marlene

[raymay]

We were on the Mlle May29-June 12 and he is the best.

[cruise47]

When we first started sailing Celebrity our waiters would greet my spouse as Madam (last name) and I as Monsieur (last name) nightly. I missed this from today's waiters.

[mardon]

Raymay, i had to laugh when i read your email. I actually cut and pasted your comment about him being the best. We email him and he calls us. We are like his parents in the states. We love him. I think it is funny that he must have told you it was his birthday today. Anyway, happy you met up with whom we also consider the best. Hope you had a great cruise. We booked the Panama Canal for Sept. on the Infinity because HE was suppose to be there as Asst. Matre D. He boarded the Infinity in April to find out they had too many Asst. Matre Ds and sent him to the Millenium. He felt so bad. He called us right away. He can't control that. We have never done Panama Canal so we are staying with our plans. We have done Alaska 3 times already. Can't book the cruise just to follow the waiter or Asst. Matre D. I know he has a new girl in his life who is on the Infinity and now they are split up. We will meet up with him some day but happy you got to meet our favorite guy.

 

marlene

[Bridge Maven]

Wondering if Ari is still working as the bar waiter in the Casino. HE IS THE BEST! If he is please say hello from Mr. Dan and Ms. Carole and tell him to expect us on the 9/11 sailing. We'll be looking forward to him pouring us a ""good one!" As far as Michael's Club do the CC cabins get the perk as well or just suites? Thanks!

 

I doubt it because on other cruise lines, the entry level suites (comparable to Celebrity's sky suites) don't even get the perks that passengers in other suites have.

[montgomeryfamily]

Floris, thanks for the update. As to the open bar in Michaels, is it really an open bar or is there a list of drinks from which to select? We would like to know because we are interested in the non-alcoholic blender drinks? Thanks.

[raymay]

Marlene, We had him the first week of our cruise and then they moved him to another section and we were so upset but couldn't move because we were with my aging parents who couldn't walk too far. He still came to see us and chatted with us when we saw him . I really let all the management know how good he is and wrote good comments about him. We are going again on the Mlle Sept 4-19 and have requested him again. We are also booked on the Infinity panama Canal but may have to cancel. Tell him hello from the White's and Happy 29th Birthday. Marita

[bryanwal]

Hello,

 

I’m LIVE on Millennium. Some interesting changes since I last cruised on her late December 2008:

 

Dry dock improvements:

 

...

- 3 spectacular new production shows, created by Qudos Entertainment, with an all British cast and fabulous new decors: i-Broadway, Boogie Wonderland and Simply Ballroom. A must see and a major improvement over the standard product shows that have been running on M-class ships the past 8 years.

 

These are the same shows (at least the same names) that we enjoyed with a different cast on the Apr 24-May 8 Honolulu - Vancouver sailing. I wonder if anything was different about them.