Millenium
 

has anyone sailed the Millenium the last few months? We are leaving Dec. 7th, and wanted any last minute advise. we are sailing the Eastern Carribean.Thanks

We've been on the Millennium. It's quite beautiful but very difficult for staff to work on, especially in the dining room. They have such a great distance to travel from the kitchen to the dining room, not to mention the supersonic escalators that they have to stand on with heavy trays, that we found the staff somewhat less willing to go get that little extra item you forgot to request while ordering. We noted that the service was not up to Celebrity's high standards but was still quite good overall. Notably, we were on a Meditarranean itinerary and the staff had tons of free time. Hence, we concluded that they were not quite as attentive generally since the less you do, the lazier you get (ever have a slow day, and as the day progresses you almost pray for nothing else to disturb your reverie?).<BR><BR>Another thing was that the construction standards on Millie were definitely not like those of other Celebrity ships built by Meyer Werft. The Millie was built by a French shipyard and the quality just did not match that from the German yard noted above.<BR><BR>One visit to the Olympic Restaurant is a good idea. It costs about $25.00 or so per person but it's neat and the food's fantastic there. Yet, having visited this alternative restaurant once, the next time we would probably elect to stay in the main dining room.<BR><BR>One other problem we noted was that the balcony cabins in the mid-ship area overlooked lifeboats with an obstructed view of the ocean. Definitely an annoying design feature when you pay all that much extra for a balcony!<BR><BR>We definitely prefer the Century Class Ships as well as the Zenith and Horizon.<BR><BR>Nonetheless, overall, the impact of this ship from a visual and sensory perspective is excellent. The food was still top quality, and service was merely good (for Celebrity anyway, which has generally higher service levels). Moreover, I expect that when she is sailing in the Caribbean or similar type itinerary where more people tend to stay on the ship, the crew will be sharper and more up to the Celebrity standards unlike the Mediterranean itinerary.

I also found the service and food on the Millennium and Summit to be not that of the older ships. I wouldn't call it anything to write home about.<BR><BR>Still an enjoyable experience.<BR><BR>Paul

We sailed Millennium in February in the Caribbean.<BR><BR>Our service was poor, especially in the dining room. Part of it is because of wait staff has so far to go to get our food. We were often booted from our table before our desserts arrived. The food quality was also inconsistent and lacking in flavor. Maybe because it was prepared wrong more often than right.<BR><BR>I do have to say that the dining room is stunning - absoutely gorgeous! I loved watching out the big window in the front (?) of the dining room.<BR><BR>I would not sail her again. There are so many other ships that I prefer the service/food and design better on.<BR><BR>Hope your experiences are different than mine!

Did any of you write letters of complaint to Celebrity or its parent company RCCL? <BR>I found that complaining helps improve things! I sailed the Voyager summer of 2000 then again summer of 2001 and I found that the quality of the food improved greatly over that time period due to passenger complaints.

Oh yeah, I was thinking about taking this ship this summer. I like the way they will be doing 10 day cruise. You leave from Florida, but they sail to the Southern Caribbean to some great ports of call. I hope they improve the service. But I have often found this to be true of brand new ships that often have unseasoned crews.

Actually I did write and was very satisfied with the response.<BR><BR>Though my complaints in the letter about the ship did not relate to the dining, we had more serious problems on that sailing.

We sailed on the Millenium in the Med in June (our first cruise, so not much to compare to) and I have to agree about the service. Although our waiter was very good, it was hard to get service from any other waiter ie at breakfast or lunch in the buffet area,<BR>as they know that they will not be getting tips. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience. We thought the ship was great, but of course, it was also the itinerary that was the highlight.

Do you think we should try the Olympic just the one time?Also, how were the activities? Was the staff helpful for esp. getting off the ship the last day? We have an 11:00 flight, and we are a bit worried. How was the entertainment? No one has mentioned that yet. Thanks

Everyone who went to the Olympic raved about it! No one regretted the $25/per person. The only complaint was that they try to push expensive wine at each course. This can be very expensive!

Did the 11/4 sailing. The food and service were very good, no complaints.<BR>Do to 9/11 everyone must go through immigration every time the ship reenters US territory, disembarkation at Ft. Lauderdale included. The ship was cleared about 9AM and as Captains Club members we disembarked about 9:30. Our flight was at 11:55 and with all the security lines we arrived at the gate at 11:20. They were however calling people out of the security lines that had 11AM flights so I think you'll be alright.

No one has given me a hint as to the entertainment and the activities. Anyone?????? Thanks

Theresa, do you mind sharing some of the other problems you had? I would like to know before I "plop" down money and book this ship. I would hate to spend 10 days trapped.

The other problems deal with my mom who has is visually impaired and uses a Seeing Eye dog who I traveled with on this trip. To make a long story short - cruiselines that dock in any US Port must comply with ADA regulations. We ran into some problems here along with staff who had never dealt with a service animal on board. If you want me to elaborate more - email me directly.<BR><BR>I did write Rich Sasso and was pleased with his response. I believe it was sincere and he indicated their committment to honoring ADA regulations and has hired someone to make sure that these issues do not happen again.<BR><BR>FYI - my mom and her Seeing Eye dog will be featured in March's issue of Cruise Travel Magazine. I think the issue will be out at the end of January/first of February if anyone is interested. If you do not subscribe to the magazine - it can be found at Barnes and Noble.<BR><BR>

Bette Ann - I thought the pool side activities were a blast. <BR><BR>As far as entertaiment, I preferred Princess' entertainment. I am also younger than the average Celebrity cruiser which may account for my preference - I am 30. The lounges and showrooms were gorgeous and very well done. They went above and beyond in decorating.<BR><BR>The ship was truly the most beautiful ship I have ever sailed. Though I had this "uncomfortable feeling" through out the entire cruise - sort of look but don't touch feeling. I didn't feel as relaxed or enjoyed it as much as I did on the Grand which I had sailed 2 months previously. Just a personal feeling.<BR><BR>If you do book the ship - try to get an aft balcony. We had cabin 8176 and we had a balcony that was 10 x 20'. IT was huge! The aft balconies are fantastic!

Theresa: Thanks for the reply! And I will be looking for that issue of Cruise Travel. How cool!

Thanks Theresa, I and my husband are 50, but my son and his girlfriend are in their early 20's. Is there a dance lounge? Alos, do you have to reserve a poolside chair early by putting a towel on it? Did you eat brekfast in the dining room or poolside? Just curious. You have been a great help, thanks so much.....

I ate breakfast at the buffet and very much enjoyed it. There is also an excellent breakfast in the "spa" area near the thallosopy (sp?) pool - a lighter breakfast with fresh squeezed orange juice, healthier foods, etc. . I ate lunch a couple of times in the dining room but never breakfast.<BR><BR>I don't remember a dance lounge but my guess is there is one. There are tons of lounges and they are all a little different. I was with a large group and we normally got together in a lounge and just talked.<BR><BR>As far as the pool area and deck chairs - we were always able to find a chair but it wasn't always near the pool. I often went up a deck and found a chair there overlooking the pool.

Actually there is a dance lounge. Our group had a cocktail party in this huge lounge that was a very high point on the ship. It had a great view with several windows looking out.<BR><BR>There was an area near the front that had a wood floor that was big enough for a band and dancing. Sorry - can't remember the name. It was a huge lounge though.

We also sailed on the 11-4 sailing of the Millennium and were not impressed with the food or service on board. Compared to other Celebrity ships (such as the Zenith) this ship really could stand some major improvements in the service and food departments.<BR>The buffets for breakfast and dinner were of low quality and the items seemed to repeat too often for a 7 day cruise. The dining room was a bit better, but still not up to the quality that we have grown to expect from Celebrity.<BR>The one thing that we found to be outstanding was the entertainment on board. Some of the best shows that we have seen to date onboard a cruise ship. Very talented performers and great costumes.<BR>Just shows that there are different strokes for different folks. That is why there are so many different ships to choose from.<BR>We would not sail on this ship again for any reason as we were not impressed by anything (except the entertainment) that it had to offer.

One of the posters asked about the Olympic... check my post earlier on. It's good for a single "taste" but in my opinion not worth going again necessarily. As for writing a letter of complaint, I did, and I also agree it was handled well... I only hope that they will improve things so that Millennium is at least up to par with her sister ships in the Celebrity fleet.

We also cruised on the Millennium in Feb. and thought it was FABULOUS! This was our 4th cruise on Celebrity (#18 overall)and as always on Celebrity, we thought the food and service was outstanding. We were at a large table, second seating and never felt rushed and our waiter and busboy bent over backwards to take care of any request we had. We only ate dinner in the dining room, all other meals were at the buffet, which we felt was very good with many varied selections. The dance club was Cosmos and had great views. Celebrity is our favorite of the 8 lines we've been on and our cruise on the Millennium only reinforced our opinion that they are one of the top lines.

Kathy, I am so glad to hear from you. After reading Toto's, my heart sank. Everyone has different expectations. That is why it is good to get several opinions. Are the buffets all by the pool? I am also curious about the midnight buffet. Worth staying up for? Also, do you have to run to get seats for the entertainment. On all NCL, and RCL, we always had to. Thanks

Also enjoyed the 11/4 cruise. The Grand buffet on Friday is quite spectacular, the best I've seen. I agree with you about Royal Caribbean, the ships were much more crowded, we lined up for the entertainment and the buffets, not so on Celebrity. Enjoy your cruise.

Isn't it nice that there are different ships for different tastes out there? If you are interested in reading my review of what we experienced on the Millennium please feel free to go to <BR>http://www.cruise-addicts.com/reviews/readreview.php?id=0000000783<BR>There are also several other reviews on this site of the Millie both pro and con.<BR>Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Just a note... Celebrity is also my favorite line of the ones I have been on and that is why we were a little disappointed when comparing the Millie to the other outstanding Celebrity ships. That said, we still enjoyed the 2 cruises we have taken on her immensely!

Nancy and kathy, I just read HORRIBLE reviews of the millie on Cruise addicts.com!! Hardly anyone said anything nice. They mentioned the terrible stabilizers, the smell of sewage throughout the ship, horrible food except the meat and salmon. HELP?! Say something positive again, we leave in 10 days!!!

We have cruised 7 times with only one cruise on Celebrity.<BR><BR>We were very disappointed in food and food service. We were upstairs in the dining room and it seemed to take a long time to get our food and half the time it was the wrong entree. By the time they fixed it, we were booted out of the dining room before our desserts were ordered or delivered. The quality of the food is only mediocre.<BR><BR>Overall, it was the least favorite of any of my cruise experiences.<BR><BR>We also did not enjoy the buffet. It was open only during breakfast and lunch and didn't provide the benefits that Princess buffet offers. We went looking for food in the afternoon after we returned to the ship and only room service provided food at that time.<BR><BR>I will try Celebrity again but probably a Century class ship.

bette Ann: Please remember one thing about reviews, they are the writers opinions only on what they saw on their sailing. It doesn't necessarily mean that this is what you will find on yours.<BR>Food we did not like, might be something that you do. We might have had terrible service, but since you will probably not get the same steward or waiter that we did, yours could be perfect.<BR>Sewage smells that I read in one review could be completely gone and the problem fixed before you board.<BR>I am sure that your cruise will be great.<BR>If you went back on the cruise-addicts reveiw site, there are also several that rave about the ship and service.<BR>I hope that you find the ship outstanding in every departement and that you have the cruise of your life while on board the Minnennium.<BR>Toto

Thanks Toto for your words of encouragement. Just this morning, I got an email from someone aho sailed her and loved her, I guess everything is relative. Will write when I get back!

Bette Ann- While opinions are just that--read all the reviews on the ship on www.cruise-addict.com ---good and bad reviews on the ship===<BR><BR>Dining was sub-standard to other Celebrity Cruises-ie Zenith and Century.All the posts that said crew had to go too far to kitchen are DEFINITELY true--kitchen on 3rd floor and dining room on 4th AND 5th floors--even the waiters were complaining that after they picked up the food on 3rd floor ,by the time they made it to 5th floor ,it was cold.<BR><BR>Only food in dining room that was consistently good was beef-ie.filet mignon,tenderloin,prime rib-plus rack of lamb-salmon was good- rest of fish was NO NO NO ===pasta was gluey==and veal was awful!<BR><BR>Olympic report of 1 time is enough was exact- service is FANTASTIC there but the best item on the menu was the steak diane==do NOT order the Caesar Salad as it is NOT authentic and very bland.Appetizers both in Olympic and Main dining room were very good as were soups==salads in main dining room looked like they were made up the day before....so if you like FRESH salad,request something NOT on the menu...like lettuce,tomato,carrots and mushrooms....<BR><BR>Entertainment was wonderful-the BEST we have had on ANY cruise-Broadway style performers with voices to match and great costumes--<BR><BR>Had a cabin on 8th floor with balcony-room was wonderful==<BR><BR>BUT......we did have an awful sewage odor on the 8th floor that came and went all week....<BR><BR>In addition,the ventialtion system blew cigarette smoke from other rooms into our room--and we don't smoke...<BR><BR>And the worst problem was the stabilizers have not been fixxed so the cruise out of FtLaud on a Sunny day and sunny week was INTENSELY ROCKY to the point that the crew put out barf bags at all the elevators--<BR><BR>Pool area was very nice- SPa was great -Spa food for lunch was terrific-tasted great,no lines and no kids....<BR><BR>Breakfast in Main Dining room was WONDERFUL- egggs benedict,Bagels and Lox,omlets and hashed brown with terrific brioche!!<BR><BR>Lunch in Main Dining room was nothing to write home about- we did it once and then stuck to the Spa Lunch--if this was diet food, send the chef to my house!!!<BR><BR>Lounge has a DUO that could play anything and people were up dancing-<BR>Also the Cosmo Lounge has the pool band Prodigy and they were great! Also dancing up there --esp for the 20-30 yr old set as there was also a DJ there.<BR><BR>DO not miss the Newlywed game at nite with the passengers-it is done on just about every ship we've been on and it's a riot!<BR><BR>Our Cabin Steward was good=the guest relations called back to see if stuff was fixxed- sometimes it was , and sometimes it wasn't===but they were very cordial and nice people to deal with.....<BR><BR>Worst complaint was EXCESSIVE rockiness-make sure you take a perscription of ANTIVERT with you or you will be visiting the MD for a shot of compazine like a lot of people on this cruise---<BR>the rockiness was as bad as my first cruise 27 yrs ago THRU a storm and last week on the MIllie , the weather was IDEAL--<BR><BR>I called the Exec.offices of Celebrity today to tell them all of the above and I know the lady wrote it down because she repeated it all back to me....let's see if something gets done!!!<BR><BR>Would I take THIS ship again--NO---<BR>WOuld I take Celebrity again--YES--but a smaller more stable ship!

The breakfast and lunch buffets are set up inside but you have you choice of eating inside or outside (umbrella tables available) or around the spa pool. There is a grill area outside doing burgers, brats, hot dogs and fries out by the pool for lunch and also a pizza station in the afternoons. Two of the midnight buffets were Tex-Mex and tropical in the pool area. Other nights they had gourmet bites, trays of nibble food passed by white gloved waiters throughout different areas of the ship. Since we ate second seating, we never were interested in more food after that. As I said, we were very happy with our dining room service, as were the other 3 couples at our table. Our food was always hot and never had any complaints from our waiter or busboy regarding long distances to the kitchen area. They were always most happy to accomodate any special food request. I eat lots of fish and found those selections varied and wonderfully prepared. My husband and others at our table gave rave reviews to the beef dishes. The soups and salads were very good and the bread fresh made every day. We ate second seating and never felt rushed or unable to receive all of the food we ordered.<BR><BR>We also did not experience the stabilizer vibration problem that others have mentioned. We had an inside cabin and never had a problem with a sewage smell anywhere on the ship. The cabin was large with a king size bed, desk, small table and chair and a mini-bar refrigerator, which the cabin steward will gladly empty so you can use it for your own things. There was plenty of drawer and closet space, a full length mirror, in cabin safe and robes for your use. The bathroom was pretty standard, built in hair dryer and soap and lotion dispensers.<BR><BR>As for your question about running for seats for the shows, my answer is no. Again, we ate 2nd seating and went to the late show and we always found plenty of seats. Same thing with finding chairs around the pool, never had a problem. Plenty of deck space and chairs.<BR><BR>As others have mentioned, everyone has a different experience and likes and dislikes different aspects of the trip. We always go into a cruise knowing we're going to have a great time and it always seem to work out for us. We especially love cruising on Celebrity but to us, ANY cruise beats a week at work!<BR><BR>Go and enjoy yourself, it's a beautiful ship with lots to offer - you'll LOVE it!

kathy, thanks for your note. It's always encouraging when at least a few people have a great time. We are going with an open mind, and hope to have a great time.

Kathy and Bette Ann-- Never said I didn't have a good time-- we did---but there were problems that I mentioned that definitely did occur==<BR>I spoke to my friend today who also went on the same cruise but was on deck 3- and it ALSO had the sewage smell.<BR>My other friend across the hall from us in an inside room also experienced the sewage odor....Just be forewarned...and have a good time.....

I called Celebrity and told them about the sewage smell, and she said she called the ship and said they knew nothing about it. So, I did make the call. I hope enough people complained after the cruise so that they fixed it. Did you, travelpower?

Bette Ann--Yes- I did call Celebrity to complain about EVERYTHING negative--I called the Exec.Offices and spoke to a lady who was going to bring this to the attention of the CEO--<BR>She even took the time to write down everything I said because after I told her everything,she repeated it back to me...so she was listening.....<BR><BR>And I called her the day after I returned- this past Monday--<BR><BR>But please beleive me when I said we had the sewage odor-it was esp.plentiful in the am as we were leaving our cabin to go to breakfast and also around 815pm as we were leaving our cabin to go to dinner...<BR><BR>I spoke to the 6 people I travelled with and another couple that I know that were on the ship and they are going to write letters to Celebirty about this problem......<BR><BR>I certainly don't expect a major cruise line to admit to sewage problems--it was amazing that the woman I talked to even acknowledged a stabilizer problem--but she did say that she thought they had fixxed it as it was apparent when she sailed on the ship also....

Bette Ann--forgot to tell you-- I did fill in the questionaire that the ship gives you-- and yes, I did remark on the sewage smell and the instability--<BR><BR>So maybe the cruiseline really ISN'T reading those questionnaires like they tell us they are doing....who knows---<BR><BR>Anyway-go and have a good time and if you have any problem,call down to guest relations---they ARE aware of the problems but the most they did last week was spray the halls with deoderant--

It is my experience that the cruise reps on the phone have little knowledge of current situations on their ships.<BR><BR>For example - an employee of RCCL was badly injured last week on the private island of Labadee in the employee area from what I understand. The ship returned to Miami a day early so that he could be transported to a hospital in Miami. He was not stable to be evacuated via air.<BR><BR>I called the cruise line to see if they were still stopping in Labadee and they had no idea about this incident.<BR><BR>So it doesn't surprise me that the people on the phone didn't know about the sewege problems.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. owns both the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Lines.<BR><BR>If you want to bring concerns regarding Celebrity Millenium to the attention of management, you can do so through the following contacts.<BR><BR>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.<BR>1050 Caribbean Way <BR>Miami, FL 33132 <BR>Phone (305) 539-6000 <BR><BR>Contacts with e-mail...<BR>Jack L. Williams<BR>President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises<BR>[email protected]<BR><BR>Richard D. Fain<BR>Chairman<BR>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.<BR>[email protected]<BR><BR>Suzanne Vincent <BR>[email protected]<BR><BR>Elizabeth Jakeway <BR>[email protected]

TO the employee of RCL/Celebrity who was reading these posts:<BR><BR>Thank you for posting the address and emails of all the important people at Celebrity that need to know what is happening on the Millie--<BR><BR>Ok everyone- you guys said no one was listening- Now we have emails and addresses so let't write the letters so our complaints will be heard and a good ship doesn't go down the tubes!!<BR><BR>Thank you Celebrity!