Celebrity Millennium - the worst Celebrity Cruise Ever

We were on Celebrity Millennium going back-to-back from Alaska and Transpacific. The service in the Metropolitan restaurant was so horrible that 4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left after the appetizer, we waited for 45 minutes and the still weren't served the entree for lunch, this happened 3 times during the Alaska Cruise and 5 times during the Transpacific cruise. Celebrity - are you reading this? Get your act together!

Also, when we were the Blu, even service was slow 4 days out of 14 days. This is unusual as The other ships such as Solstice and Silhouette have impeccable service. They must have the worst staff sent to Millennium. I almost wanted to withdraw all my tips but I didn't, I should have! We are elite members and had to experience such sloppy service. Also, the staff (cruise director) on Millennium weren't as good as the other Celebrity ships. What is going on with Celebrity Millennium? Did you have a bad experience on Celebrity Millennium on a recent cruise? Please let us know here.

We did the Millennium Alaska a few months ago, and everything was wonderful. We were in a sweet 16 veranda, our cabin steward was great, the ship was clean and all the staff seemed very eager to please.

Even at the beginning, we wanted to sit outside, but all the seats were taken. One of the bar servers went inside to grab us a couple of chairs. This went above and beyond.

I cannot address the MDR, because we do ultimate dining, and everyone at the specialty restaurants knocked themselves out for us, making sure we had a great table, suggesting things that were off-menu, etc.

The post cruise tour went like clockwork, and there again, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful.

About the only complaint we had was embarkation, where there were not enough staff checking people in, and it went fairly slowly.

Otherwise, our experience was as pleasant as it has been on the S class ships.

Teri

German, did anyone speak to the maitre de or hotel director or staff director? If not, the poor experience is on you. If you did complain AT THE ONSET OF THE PROBLEM, then shame on Celebrity.

I can't help but note that you prior sailing history includes Seaborn and AWA. In fairness, those experiences cannot be compared to Celebrity.

Sorry you did not enjoy yourself. We have been on a couple of cruises that were unsatisfactory in certain ways (usually food related), but we just found work arounds and enjoyed other things. And, generally, we do not return to those cruiselines.

German, did anyone speak to the maitre de or hotel director or staff director? If not, the poor experience is on you. If you did complain AT THE ONSET OF THE PROBLEM, then shame on Celebrity...

:eek: It's not fair to blame the customers for poor service. They should not have to complain to get good service. Waiting for 45 minutes between lunch apps and entrees is unreasonable, and means that Celebrity staff are doing something wrong.:eek: How would people feel if Celebrity said COMPLAIN AT THE ONSET OF ANY PROBLEMS OR YOUR POOR EXPERIENCE IS ON YOU????

:eek: It's not fair to blame the customers for poor service. They should not have to complain to get good service. Waiting for 45 minutes between lunch apps and entrees is unreasonable, and means that Celebrity staff are doing something wrong.

That is flawed. :eek:

What is "fair", about not communicating in allowing someone to improve on one's performance?

Not being fair is, "NOT COMPLAINING", to management and then going on an open forum like Cruise Critic just to blame. Nothing get's accomplished or improved. Communicate, it's not a perfect world.

We were on Celebrity Millennium going back-to-back from Alaska and Transpacific. The service in the Metropolitan restaurant was so horrible that 4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left after the appetizer, we waited for 45 minutes and the still weren't served the entree for lunch, this happened 3 times during the Alaska Cruise and 5 times during the Transpacific cruise. Celebrity - are you reading this? Get your act together!

 

Also, when we were the Blu, even service was slow 4 days out of 14 days. This is unusual as The other ships such as Solstice and Silhouette have impeccable service. They must have the worst staff sent to Millennium. I almost wanted to withdraw all my tips but I didn't, I should have! We are elite members and had to experience such sloppy service. Also, the staff (cruise director) on Millennium weren't as good as the other Celebrity ships. What is going on with Celebrity Millennium? Did you have a bad experience on Celebrity Millennium on a recent cruise? Please let us know here.

Was the service the only reason why you consider this such a bad experience? Our problem with the Millenium last year on the same itinerary, was not the service. We did not like that it made the impression of being a tired ship going home with the last strenght. We noticed this on the food and on the production shows. I think this is a very hard itinerary for Celebrity and at this route they do not manage to meet the standards we are used to.

:eek: It's not fair to blame the customers for poor service. They should not have to complain to get good service. Waiting for 45 minutes between lunch apps and entrees is unreasonable, and means that Celebrity staff are doing something wrong.:eek: How would people feel if Celebrity said COMPLAIN AT THE ONSET OF ANY PROBLEMS OR YOUR POOR EXPERIENCE IS ON YOU????

Agree! They should get good service anyway, esp in a specialty restaurant! I know people in the food service industry prefer to have complaints aired out while the customer is still there to try to right the situation, but unless it's totally ridiculous, I'm not going to say anything. I don't think a restaurant or any other place should give better service to only certain people (like friends, people that have complained before, Yelpers, etc); they should give the SAME good service to all. I don't think you should have to complain to get that same good service.

Yes, I did complain to the maitre de of Metropolitan restaurant but the same problem happened the next day. We did complain to Blu and they did improve the next day. I am not sure why Celebrity Millenium is so bad compared to the other Celebrity Cruises. We are Elite on Celebrity and almost coming to Elite Plus. We will still cruise on Celebrity Cruises, just not the Millenium.

German, did anyone speak to the maitre de or hotel director or staff director? If not, the poor experience is on you. If you did complain AT THE ONSET OF THE PROBLEM, then shame on Celebrity.

 

I can't help but note that you prior sailing history includes Seaborn and AWA. In fairness, those experiences cannot be compared to Celebrity.

 

Sorry you did not enjoy yourself. We have been on a couple of cruises that were unsatisfactory in certain ways (usually food related), but we just found work arounds and enjoyed other things. And, generally, we do not return to those cruiselines.

It was the service that was bad that just wreaked the cruise. Other passengers also complained to the front desk. The port of calls were quite good. Celebrity - are you reading this? Please improve your service on Millenium!

We were on the Millenium several times from 2011 through 2012 with no problems and service then were great. I am sad to see it go downhill.

Was the service the only reason why you consider this such a bad experience? Our problem with the Millenium last year on the same itinerary, was not the service. We did not like that it made the impression of being a tired ship going home with the last strenght. We noticed this on the food and on the production shows. I think this is a very hard itinerary for Celebrity and at this route they do not manage to meet the standards we are used to.

The Millenium was the only bad Celebrity cruise we have ever been on. It did turn me off of M class ships. It was tired and the only dirty cabin I've had. Yes, they did come in and really clean, but the drapes were still so dusty, I sneezed every time I opened them. I got in the pool and broke out in a total body rash. No, I do not have allergies. Went to the ship Dr and he gave me prednisone, but I had a huge bill. Would never go on that ship again.

....we waited for 45 minutes and the still weren't served the entree for lunch, this happened 3 times during the Alaska Cruise and 5 times during the Transpacific cruise....I almost wanted to withdraw all my tips but I didn't, I should have!

Did you also get poor service on breakfast and supper? Did you also get bad service from stateroom attendants and housekeeping staff members? Why do you punish all staff on board for a bad performance on a specific waiter?

Was the service the only reason why you consider this such a bad experience? Our problem with the Millenium last year on the same itinerary, was not the service. We did not like that it made the impression of being a tired ship going home with the last strenght. We noticed this on the food and on the production shows. I think this is a very hard itinerary for Celebrity and at this route they do not manage to meet the standards we are used to.

I wonder if the OP was on the last sailing before repo. We saw a pathetic level of organization on Legend of the Seas that had all the Diamond levels saying "If this was my first cruise on Royal, we'd never go again."

Sometimes when staff is getting ready to change, things can suffer. I blame the leadership on the ship if this is the case or if the ship seems "tired". The hotel director is key on this. I have sailed on an older ship of another line where the cruise was one of the best ever due to the amazing hotel director. I want to sail another ship where this officer is in charge (he went on vacation and then was reassigned).

I really hope the Millie's problem gets straightened out before our April cruise. We loved the Millie when we first sailed on her in Australia.

I wonder if the OP was on the last sailing before repo. We saw a pathetic level of organization on Legend of the Seas that had all the Diamond levels saying "If this was my first cruise on Royal, we'd never go again."

Sometimes when staff is getting ready to change, things can suffer. I blame the leadership on the ship if this is the case or if the ship seems "tired". The hotel director is key on this. I have sailed on an older ship of another line where the cruise was one of the best ever due to the amazing hotel director. I want to sail another ship where this officer is in charge (he went on vacation and then was reassigned).

I really hope the Millie's problem gets straightened out before our April cruise. We loved the Millie when we first sailed on her in Australia.

I have never had bad service on any ship. We were on Century for the last cruise prior to drydock and service was impeccable there as well so I cannot agree with the above statement.

Sorry the OP had such a bad experience.

We were on the millenium in August as aprt of our big alaskan adventure , and I loved the cruise and the ship...........and I thought i hated cruising !! We had done a carribean cruise on RCI and hated every last minute , nothing wrong with the ship or RCI it just wasnt for us . I loved how the millenium looked like a boat and was small . cosy yet spacious i felt very much at home on her

We were on Celebrity Millennium going back-to-back from Alaska and Transpacific. The service in the Metropolitan restaurant was so horrible that 4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left after the appetizer, we waited for 45 minutes and the still weren't served the entree for lunch, this happened 3 times during the Alaska Cruise and 5 times during the Transpacific cruise. Celebrity - are you reading this? Get your act together!

 

Also, when we were the Blu, even service was slow 4 days out of 14 days. This is unusual as The other ships such as Solstice and Silhouette have impeccable service. They must have the worst staff sent to Millennium. I almost wanted to withdraw all my tips but I didn't, I should have! We are elite members and had to experience such sloppy service. Also, the staff (cruise director) on Millennium weren't as good as the other Celebrity ships. What is going on with Celebrity Millennium? Did you have a bad experience on Celebrity Millennium on a recent cruise? Please let us know here.

I guess it's not clear to me why you think people who are Elite should receive better service.

Sorry things weren't to your liking. I've always had wonderful cruises on the Millennium. Too bad things didn't improve after you discussed them with the maitre d'. I've always had good results with that method. Guess I would have gone to the hotel director if things didn't improve after a conversation with the maitre d'.

I have never had bad service on any ship. We were on Century for the last cruise prior to drydock and service was impeccable there as well so I cannot agree with the above statement.

 

Sorry the OP had such a bad experience.

I hate to say it but we have had bad service in the MDR and stateroom attendants on Summit and Constellation. So it does happen. We voiced our concerns while sailing and then when we got home via a letter to Celebrity.

One cruise, if it had been our first Celebrity cruise, we might have never gone back.

I have to say our last 3 cruises on Summit the service has been terrific.

I also don't see what Elite (or almost being Elite+) has to do with the problem. Everyone should receive the exact same service.

Did you also get poor service on breakfast and supper? Did you also get bad service from stateroom attendants and housekeeping staff members? Why do you punish all staff on board for a bad performance on a specific waiter?

Please reread his post. He didn't withdraw his tips. As I read it, he was referring to lunch in the MDR and dinner in Blu. Typically, those venues mean new waiters are likely at each meal. So his experience is not with one particular waiter but rather with a number of waiters. That's even worse. I've had similar experiences at lunch on various ships. I generally have no place better to be, so it's not usually a problem, but many's the time when I've said to my wife "Are we invisible?" because the service was so slow.

I guess it's not clear to me why you think people who are Elite should receive better service.

 

Sorry things weren't to your liking. I've always had wonderful cruises on the Millennium. Too bad things didn't improve after you discussed them with the maitre d'. I've always had good results with that method. Guess I would have gone to the hotel director if things didn't improve after a conversation with the maitre d'.

 

I think he was stating he was Elite, to show they have experience cruising, and apparently on Millenium based on posts 9. They did speak to the maitre de and again at Blu as stated in post 8.

I am torn on this subject. We don't like to complain, we own a service busines, and understand what that's like to be told you're doing a bad job. We've been on the receiving end of a very poor review online and it hurts. We often know the weakness exist, and do the best we can to overcome or compensate, but change doesn't happen immediately, and maintenance and capital budgets are not unlimited, so we're somewhat apt to not complain abour services lapses.

We'll generally chat with an officier we've met and built some repore with, trying to be constructive if something really bothers us, which does happen. When we find poor service somewhere, like the MDR for lunch (which we've experiened), we just avoid it for the rest of the cruise, and not go back until our next cruise to try again. We would almost never mention it to anyone. There are many options onboard in most instances and service overall is almost always excellent.

Some areas of the cruise are harder to avoid or change your routine to avoid, such as your cabin. We've only had one experience we thought wasn't great in a cabin. We have dealt with the occasional issue, but they have always been quickly handled with a call, or maybe two.

We too can point to what was our "worst Celebrity Cruise ever", as all of the others were a step above. In the end the opionion of the original poster is just that, an opinion. His thread title is unfortunate, in my opinion, as the issues don't seem to amount to the title, but his or her opinion is still valid.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

The Millenium was the only bad Celebrity cruise we have ever been on. It did turn me off of M class ships. It was tired and the only dirty cabin I've had. Yes, they did come in and really clean, but the drapes were still so dusty, I sneezed every time I opened them. I got in the pool and broke out in a total body rash. No, I do not have allergies. Went to the ship Dr and he gave me prednisone, but I had a huge bill. Would never go on that ship again.

My sailing on the Infinity last year will be my last on a Millenium ship. I last sailed on the Millenium on an Alaska cruise last summer.

They are too old even though they've been refurbished, even though the eleventh floor AQ class rooms are new. The Oceanview cafe design is horrible, and the crowds and lack of seating make it resemble a scene out of Lord of the Flies, especially on sea days.

I stayed in a Veranda on the Millenium in the fall of 2012 ( Panama Canal ) , and the room and bathroom were both old musty and dated, and that was two years ago

I'm sure there are new Celebrity ships on the horizon. The Reflection is now two years old, or is it three?

Once the new ships begin to debut, and the new canal opens, these old ships will be finally put out out to pasture...

Change the title to Constellation, and its what I would have posted in 2012.

We have had 39 cruises, 400+ days at sea on 4 different brands, and Connie was a huge let down after Eclipse and Equinox. It so put us off we have not cruised since, and Celebrity has lost a considerable amount of money, considering we would have taken 5 or 6 cruises by now. We have booked a suite on Eclipse for next year, just hoping it lives up to all the hype!

Are ships that are 12-14 years old really "too old"?

The normal service life of a ship with its original owners is 20-25 years and many typically operate for an additional 10-15 with subsequent buyers.

A 5 year old ship that has not yet had its initial replacement of carpets, soft furnishings, etc. is surely bound too look more tired than a 15 year old ship fresh from a full refit IMO.

Are ships that are 12-14 years old really "too old"?

The normal service life of a ship with its original owners is 20-25 years and many typically operate for an additional 10-15 with subsequent buyers.

Short answer is no, as long as they are maintained and dry-docked for refit on a regular basis. X has NOT done this with the M class. Sure, they spruced up the public spaces during the "Solsticesizing dry docks, but the cabins are circa 1999. I have to agree with the posts of those who have been disappointed with the Millie. It's almost as if they use it as a training ship for new crew. We've been on her twice in the last year and compared to the S class ships we've sailed on, she doesn't come close. Bad service or no service, food quality unacceptable ( lower cuts of meat, cold at serving, etc.), missing lights in the cabin, moldy grout in the bathroom, broken doors, etc. And, yes, we brought all these items to the attention of management. I'm a pretty easy guy to please as long as I get what you promise me. Millie does not deliver on that.

Wow! Arno is posting live from the Millie and is saying nothing about poor service.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2109695

Wow! Arno is posting live from the Millie and is saying nothing about poor service.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2109695

And we were quite happy to spend 28 wonderful days on her this spring:confused:

And we were quite happy to spend 28 wonderful days on her this spring:confused:

REALLY glad to hear that as we will be on a Transpacific in April with lots of sea days.