August 9th celebrity millenium. Engine problems!

[Northern Aurora]

I agree with Deserttraveler -- while the Kenai Peninsula is not my favorite part of my state, there is so much more to do in and around Seward than if the Millie had spent four days in our state capital, Juneau, or any other port on that itinerary.

And the compensation certainly is generous.

[Shining Clem]

[quote name='Host Andy']Hi Rnrcruzin,
While that's VERY funny... over the years, Celebrity has generally been extremely generous when past sailings were deviated or canceled due to pod issues. Millennium's current sailing, is an excellent example of Management's efforts to make things right in a tough situation. Kudos are well deserved, along with their onboard team - who must have their hands full.
Frankly, from all the griping I've read about Carnival's compensation for disrupted cruises/guests... IMO, they could take a huge lesson from Celebrity.[/quote]

You are so correct Host Andy- Not just Carnival, but look at the more recent debacle with the [U][I]SilverSea Shadow[/I][/U]; serving questionable food to passengers (per reports), hiding rotten food & dirty equipment in crew cabins and then requiring underpaid scullery crew to sleep with it. :eek:

That is an entirely different issue, but we have been appalled at how Silversea handled it. Virtually no acknowledgment of an apparent long time pattern of poor/dangerous food handling & storage. Then the outrageous explanation that the lowly crew members, in a panic, shoved perishables into the crew areas, when the beige-suited CDC inspectors showed up at the pier. As if they were not ordered to do this by the Food & Beverage & Hotel Manager; tracking right back to shore side management and [I]V Ships[/I]. Some of the food crew wouldn't even eat the food. They still haven't honestly stepped up to the plate, if you read the Silversea boards.

It seems to us, [U]Celebrity[/U] has rather quickly announced what the problem is and a hopeful timeline for resolving it. They have not beat around the bush, hemmed and hawed, and left people stewing. When Celebrity installed the azipods on new ship builds, they certainly didn't think they were getting a defective product.

The captain and crew are to be commended for bringing the ship into a port safely. And the next one, Vancouver, is a port which has strong potential and knowledge for solving any additional problems. Have people never had a car break down? Picked up a nail in a tire? (Sh*t does happen!)

In addition to the compensation to pax, this must be costing Celebrity quite a bit extra in other costs and arrangements, from having to pump out and dispose of garbage, trash & waste (when you flush that toilet, it has to go somewhere!), to extra port fees, getting parts & people to Seward to fix the problem, to hiring buses, to having to spend more on fuel as they high tail it to Vancouver. All this is probably the half of it.

Some people will just be ornery, because that is their nature (regretfully we see a lot of that lately). A few will be caught in a situation for which between such factors as age, illness, distance or other responsibilities; this cruise was a singular event. Our sympathies, but it is still Alaska and there are similar Alaska type activities to partake in.

Hopefully most will be able to make lemonade and carry on!

Travel should be a bit of adventure! :D:cool:
Otherwise, stay home and watch baseball in your recliner. Being stuck on a pampering ship in Alaska is so much better than being at home, having to come up with making dinner & cleaning up!

[midwestchick]

[SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Maybe I should plan my next cruise on the Millie. :D ;) Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me...especially if anyone booked with the drink package included. It will be interesting to see if they run out of alcohol...lol [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]At least all the pax are safe and it sounds like there are still things to do. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='Gonzo70']Disappointing, but wow, that is the best compensation package I have heard of. Kudos to Celebrity for really stepping up here. Hope people can still have an enjoyable vacation and that the ship is repaired for the next sailing.[/QUOTE]

Actually I have received the EXACT same deal from Carnival. :)

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='flagger']I talked to my colleague who has a group of 24 including her and her husband on board this afternoon. The sun came out finally. The did a trek around Seward with free shuttles into town. I know some of her clients are doing Sea Kayaking tomorrow. Also others are doing a cruise around Resurrection Bay tomorrow which my clients are also doing.

My clients spent the day dog"sledding" with the Seaveys and posted a picture of a musher dog on her facebook page. They will do a half day salmon fishing trip on Monday where the silvers are running.

Some people were seen leaving the ship but not en masse. According the the CC story, about 20 had left by the time it was updated. My colleague saw a few more.

Most are taking it all in stride as a floating hotel, but of course some grumpy people have been seen at Guest Relations being rather grumpy.[/QUOTE]

If your clients need anything, There is also Godwins who does glacier dog sledding, Seavey's is on the ground/dirt. It also is Kenai fjords that you want the boat tour of NOT Resurrection Bay. 6 hours on the water is the min. I ever recommend. The bay tours are pretty worthless compared to Kenai Fjords- no close up glacier and little wildlife - significant reasons for a boat tour. Exit Glacier is also enjoyed by many, there is a shuttle bus across from the depot.

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='Host Andy']Hi Rnrcruzin,

While that's VERY funny... over the years, Celebrity has generally been extremely generous when past sailings were deviated or cancelled due to pod issues. Millennium's current sailing, is an excellent example of Management's efforts to make things right in a tough situation. Kudos are well deserved, along with their onboard team - who must have their hands full.

Frankly, from all the griping I've read about Carnival's compensation for disrupted cruises/guests... IMO, they could take a huge lesson from Celebrity.[/QUOTE]

I received the exact same compensation from Carnival, maybe there are just more complainers aboard?

[Texed]

[quote name='Shining Clem']Travel should be a bit of adventure! :D:cool:
Otherwise, stay home and watch baseball in your recliner.[/quote]

[B][COLOR=darkred]Great post Clem. :)[/COLOR][/B]

[h20cruzer]

Sorry to hear the ship is having issues. I think the compensation for those who cruise often is great, for those one's on a once in a lifetime adventure probably not so much.
Myself I would be happy. I bet the Martini bar is hopping!!!!!
Norma

[subtchr]

What happens when the Zaandam arrives tomorrow? Is there room for two ships at Seward?

[Shining Clem]

[quote name='Texed'][B][COLOR=darkred]Great post Clem. :)[/COLOR][/B][/quote]

The CLEM-ster sends you a play bow and lots of tail wags, in appreciation for your kind message.

(He also wants you to know if you have any extra biscuits or carrots, he'll accept those too! :D ;) He's a good sailor; went on the [I]luxury[/I] ferry ;) - haha! - across Lake Champlain - a 15-20 minute crossing. Tail wagging the whole time.)

[c-legs]

[quote name='subtchr']What happens when the Zaandam arrives tomorrow? Is there room for two ships at Seward?[/quote]

Yes.
Some seasons ago, there were [B]two[/B] ships regularly slotted for Seward.,on fridays.

[c-legs]

Hi,
There seems to be some confusion here ( and it was expected to arise);between a '' [B]pod''[/B]-related disruption and the current electrical breakdown faced by Millie's officers/crew.
A ''[B][I]pod''[/I][/B]-related incident can only be addressed [U]in drydock[/U] . The ''M'' class has had painful recurring issues in their early years with their specific azipods...with the last one, IMO, occuring April 2008 ( or perhaps ot was 2009) with Millie,ironically, while sailing away from Sydney; she had to [I]slowly[/I] sail back to Sydney and onward to Garden (SP??) Yard for emergency drydock work. The typical azipod-related failures need 95-105 hours from drydocking to float out, just to work at the azipod ,open up the casing and attend to whatever replacement fix is needed ( typically:replacing a prematurely worn out radial forwardtrust bearing, which is what plagued them in the initial 5+/- years). Those things are massive, no way can anything be done to them while in ''wetdock'' in port.

The current propulsion motor mechanical breakdown can be fix wetdock. Yes, she experienced a similar issue while in S.E.Asia in the spring, and yes, that one was fixed while in port, delayed things noticealy and cancelling a major port of call
. Same is predicted by Celebrity this time around.

It's still amazing that from sometimes afternoon thursday, the head engineer, his crew and the bridge officers identified the problem and its solutions, sourced the needed parts, got delivery arranged to Seward for sometimes sunday ( tomorrow) albeit with the help of a 10 hour time zone difference between France and Alaska, set up the logistic for repairs to be finished by tuesday and established a normal pace straight open sea sailing to Vancouver to arrive amost spot on ,next friday;,,;all the while, the hotel director, his crew and the bridge officers had all the resulting shoreside and shipboard challenges handled, seemingly with little ''rioting'' from the troops....;and management worked out the various compensations guidelines within 12-18 hours !!!

Celebrity, in my opinion, has agian stepped to the plate big time.!!!
Their compensation packages, as explained in their press release, is noticeably above and beyond what could [I]practically[/I] expected.
It's remarkable that only 20 guests chose to leave the ship in Seward.

But;; [B]no: [/B]this current incident is not ''[B]pod[/B]''-related.

Cheers

[DragonOfTheSeas]

[quote name='c-legs']Hi,
There seems to be some confusion here ( and it was expected to arise);between a '' [B]pod''[/B]-related disruption and the current electrical breakdown faced by Millie's officers/crew.
A ''[B][I]pod''[/I][/B]-related incident can only be addressed [U]in drydock[/U] . The ''M'' class has had painful recurring issues in their early years with their specific azipods...with the last one, IMO, occuring April 2008 ( or perhaps ot was 2009) with Millie,ironically, while sailing away from Sydney; she had to [I]slowly[/I] sail back to Sydney and onward to Garden (SP??) Yard for emergency drydock work. The typical azipod-related failures need 95-105 hours from drydocking to float out, just to work at the azipod ,open up the casing and attend to whatever replacement fix is needed ( typically:replacing a prematurely worn out radial forwardtrust bearing, which is what plagued them in the initial 5+/- years). Those things are massive, no way can anything be done to them while in ''wetdock'' in port.

The current propulsion motor mechanical breakdown can be fix wetdock. Yes, she experienced a similar issue while in S.E.Asia in the spring, and yes, that one was fixed while in port, delayed things noticealy and cancelling a major port of call
. Same is predicted by Celebrity this time around.

It's still amazing that from sometimes afternoon thursday, the head engineer, his crew and the bridge officers identified the problem and its solutions, sourced the needed parts, got delivery arranged to Seward for sometimes sunday ( tomorrow) albeit with the help of a 10 hour time zone difference between France and Alaska, set up the logistic for repairs to be finished by tuesday and established a normal pace straight open sea sailing to Vancouver to arrive amost spot on ,next friday;,,;all the while, the hotel director, his crew and the bridge officers had all the resulting shoreside and shipboard challenges handled, seemingly with little ''rioting'' from the troops....;and management worked out the various compensations guidelines within 12-18 hours !!!

Celebrity, in my opinion, has agian stepped to the plate big time.!!!
Their compensation packages, as explained in their press release, is noticeably above and beyond what could [I]practically[/I] expected.
It's remarkable that only 20 guests chose to leave the ship in Seward.

But;; [B]no: [/B]this current incident is not ''[B]pod[/B]''-related.

Cheers[/QUOTE]

Thanks--this really explains it well.

I have only sailed on X three times and loved each one of them. We decided a couple of years ago to sail on RCL exclusively until we hit diamond and then sail on X again. [wanted to maximize our perks] We have a RC homeport in Baltimore and can sail easier/cheaper from there. We were bummed when X sold Mercury. She was a great little ship--and just up the road. :D

I feel this is a very nice compensation package. They could have done less and still been considered generous. But, I agree that the experience will be different for experienced cruisers that can more easily go with the flow [pun intended] and those that are cruise newbies.

[ghstudio]

these continuing pod problems aren't encouraging when we're planning to be on the infinity in the Antarctic early next year. That's not a place where I'd like to be without engine power.

As far as finding/diagnosing the problem, they have access to the pod internals from the inside of the ship. There's not much room, but they can enter the pods and see what's happening.

[C 2 C]

[quote name='c-legs']Hi,
There seems to be some confusion here ( and it was expected to arise);between a '' [B]pod''[/B]-related disruption and the current electrical breakdown faced by Millie's officers/crew.

Cheers[/quote]

Nice post c-legs...

I also agree that Celebrity responded in aver timely, generous manner.

[Ontario Cruiser]

We were to sail on the Millie from Auckland to Sydney I think it was March 2008 and they had to cancel due to mechanical failure just a week before sailing and gave us a full refund and free cruise and paid some monies for air cancellation if not booked through Celebrity. We were able to hop on the Infinity for the same date in South America and quite a few of us did this.
Now we are waiting to see what ports we will miss on our Rome to Singapore cruise Sept 17th on the Ocean Princess. They aren't as generous with compensation
Oh well we are back on the Eclipse TA Nov 3rd
Ontario Cruiser

[BEAV]

[quote name='Host Andy']Hi Rnrcruzin,

While that's VERY funny... over the years, Celebrity has generally been extremely generous when past sailings were deviated or cancelled due to pod issues. Millennium's current sailing, is an excellent example of Management's efforts to make things right in a tough situation. Kudos are well deserved, along with their onboard team - who must have their hands full.

Frankly, from all the griping I've read about Carnival's compensation for disrupted cruises/guests... IMO, they could take a huge lesson from Celebrity.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more.

In 2003 an 11-day Ensenada-Hawaii Infinity sailing we were booked on was cancelled 3 days prior to embarkation due to the pod propulsion system issues that plagued these ships in the early days. Of course we were issued refunds for the cancelled cruise, but were also treated to 14 days free cruising (two 7-day B2B voyages) as substitution. We had booked air independently, and they also reimbursed us for the airline re-booking fees.

[C 2 C]

[quote name='BEAV']I couldn't agree more.

In 2003 an 11-day Ensenada-Hawaii Infinity sailing we were booked on was cancelled 3 days prior to embarkation due to the pod propulsion system issues that plagued these ships in the early days. [/QUOTE]

We were on the same sailing.. er cancelled sailing, same rewards..

[flagger]

Someone asked about Zandaam coming in today. Returning guests on excursions had to wait to re-embark until 6pm (don't know when the window began) as the ship had to move to the other side of the pier.

The weather cleared up yesterday. I talked to both my colleague and my clients late last night (Four hour time difference) and they had a good. Celebrity had arranged free tours to Exit Glacier. There were free shuttles into town.

My clients went out on the dogsled with Seavey with about 40 people on a modified school bus sort of like they use in Denali. Their driver even gave them an extended tour because of the delay in being able to reboard.

Today is Kenai Fjords with Major Marine for 7.5 hours. Tomorrow they have free time in the morning and will go fishing for half a day with The Fish House.

[Orator]

[quote name='flagger']Someone asked about Zandaam coming in today. Returning guests on excursions had to wait to re-embark until 6pm (don't know when the window began) as the ship had to move to the other side of the pier.

The weather cleared up yesterday. I talked to both my colleague and my clients late last night (Four hour time difference) and they had a good. Celebrity had arranged free tours to Exit Glacier. There were free shuttles into town.

My clients went out on the dogsled with Seavey with about 40 people on a modified school bus sort of like they use in Denali. Their driver even gave them an extended tour because of the delay in being able to reboard.

Today is Kenai Fjords with Major Marine for 7.5 hours. Tomorrow they have free time in the morning and will go fishing for half a day with The Fish House.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like the lemonade is quite good. Celebrity really seems to be going above and beyond and is setting a new standard for passenger treatment. I switched from another line to Celebrity about 5 years ago because of rude, uncaring service. When all the people on a ship's excursion complained they were told that the line wasn't responsible for their excursion and we needed to contact our credit card company. They lost my business, at least 10 cruises per year.

[mediaman]

In todays news (Sunday, Aug. 11) there is a story that the Millennium has had propulsion problems and is docked in Seward. Celebrity is making arrangements for onboard passengers as well as those trying to arrive on board. It may also stress Anchorage, Alaska City systems. See the link below to USATODAY online travel section with Gene Sloan.

[url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2013/08/10/celebrity-cruises-ship-propulsion-problem/2638417/[/url]

[Orator]

[quote name='mediaman']In todays news (Sunday, Aug. 11) there is a story that the Millennium has had propulsion problems and is docked in Seward. Celebrity is making arrangements for onboard passengers as well as those trying to arrive on board. It may also stress Anchorage, Alaska City systems. See the link below to USATODAY online travel section with Gene Sloan.

[url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2013/08/10/celebrity-cruises-ship-propulsion-problem/2638417/[/url][/QUOTE]

This is old news. The is a very active thread on this topic. You might want to post on it.

[cruisestitch]

Here is the other thread:

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1894627[/url]

[K.T.B.]

[quote name='Orator']Sounds like the lemonade is quite good. Celebrity really seems to be going above and beyond and is setting a new standard for passenger treatment. I switched from another line to Celebrity about 5 years ago because of rude, uncaring service. When all the people on a ship's excursion complained they were told that the line wasn't responsible for their excursion and we needed to contact our credit card company. They lost my business, at least 10 cruises per year.[/QUOTE]

It also sounds like Seward's economy is getting a nice little uptick as well! :D

[flagger]

[quote name='Orator']Sounds like the lemonade is quite good. Celebrity really seems to be going above and beyond and is setting a new standard for passenger treatment. [/quote]
For the record, I just need to make it clear that they have spent money out of pocket for the additional excursions. They know they are getting their money back for the trip, but at least my clients are not getting them from Celebrity!