Alaska+Millennium=Memories to Treasure (with Lots of Pics)

[surgie]

Thank you for your great pictures and review. We will be on the Millennium in May to Alaska in cabin 1133 so it was helpful to see your cabin pics as well.

[sky61]

Celebrity is a great line for Alaska, the pace of the ship really compliment the pace of the ports. :)

 

 

It is a wonderful line and I agree that the pacing was very thoughtful. We also appreciated the vibe which was so relaxed and the crew who were the best...friendly and helpful.

[workstocruise]

We will be on the Millenium in August. Please tell me about the ship. Is she in good shape, the entertainment, the Buffett, did you eat anytime in the MDR at night? There are some bad reviews out there about this ship and I'm hoping they are wrong. Thanks. Enjoyed your pics.

[sky61]

Thank you for your review. Your photography is wonderful. I'm glad you liked our fair city. Was that Cabin #1130, your Dad was in? If so, we sailed in the same one also in Alaska. We loved it.

 

 

Thanks! I'm no pro but I enjoy taking pictures and take a lot of them.

 

We all loved Vancouver and can understand why time and again it comes up as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable cities to live in! There was so much more to see that we must make more trips. And the food! Dynamite!

 

My parents had 1138 and we were in 1141 (one cabin between us).

 

Happy Sailing.

[sky61]

Thank you for your great pictures and review. We will be on the Millennium in May to Alaska in cabin 1133 so it was helpful to see your cabin pics as well.

 

You're welcome. I know I always appreciate being able to see pics of the inside of the cabin and storage areas. I am so excited for your trip being right around the corner! Awesome. Are you on that May 12th roll call that is so busy? What a fun group. Enjoy...I know you will!

[cruise47]

Thanks! I'm no pro but I enjoy taking pictures and take a lot of them.

 

We all loved Vancouver and can understand why time and again it comes up as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable cities to live in! There was so much more to see that we must make more trips. And the food! Dynamite!

 

My parents had 1138 and we were in 1141 (one cabin between us).

 

Happy Sailing.

 

To the OP thanks for sharing your cruise photos and thanks for sharing your cruise vacation with your parents.

[sky61]

We will be on the Millenium in August. Please tell me about the ship. Is she in good shape, the entertainment, the Buffett, did you eat anytime in the MDR at night? There are some bad reviews out there about this ship and I'm hoping they are wrong. Thanks. Enjoyed your pics.

 

 

We met some of the nicest, friendliest people from Texas on a Spring cruise last year! I don't know what they put in the water down there but at the risk of generalizing I usually find Texans to be full of spirit and kindness. Must be the lack of snow ha ha.

 

I read some bad reviews, also, which made me a bit nervous before going. I mean we chose this specific cruise because we love Celebrity's product. The food is tasty, fresh and beautifully presented, the art is original and thoughtfully collected, the crew is professional and the passengers are cultured and interesting.

 

Did I notice wee bits of wear and tear? Wee bits. Maybe a carpet edge in the hallway looked a bit tired, perhaps a tad of rust on a lower railing. Nothing that took away from the pleasure of the cruise. And constantly things were being cleaned, painted and shined.

 

I would go on this ship again in a heartbeat. First of all, the size of the M Class was perfect for my parents, who we were traveling with. They could navigate the length of the ship without too much trouble and it was easy to move across from Port to Starboard. The crew was great. Really great. They seemed to really work together as a team and made me instantly feel welcomed and "vacationlike."

 

We always go immediately into the Library (open 24 hours!) to scoop up a book or two and this paid off once again. Now we had something to curl up with a plaid blanket and while sipping coffee. We also swam in the Solarium a lot (it's beautiful and was not the least bit crowded). While we were on board brand new fitness equipment was installed (all new ellipticals and treadmills) so that was a nice bonus, too.

 

Now I am a girl who loves to put her dancing shoes on and I will tell you that this was not so much that kind of a cruise, although there were some opportunities for dancing, mostly people seemed to be in the mood to relax with a glass of wine while listening to music in the evening. There was the typical assortment of live bands. My favorite was Sean Roach, who played acoustic guitar and sang. There was also a house band (didn't love them but lots of people seemed to enjoy their music), a pianist/vocalist, a DJ who was definitely decent and another DJ duo who were fun.

 

There was also a fabulous aerial duo (Jocka & Maria), a comedian/juggler Ivan Pecel who was good, and the usual cast of dancers who we saw two nights and enjoyed. I don't want to forget the Naturalist on board, Dirk Younkerman, who gave talks several times and also had "spotlights" you could watch on tv if you couldn't make his live talk. He also spoke over the speaker system when there was something especially cool to see (like whales) and helped direct people to the action.

 

I mentioned in the beginning that we did eat in the buffet. I only ate one breakfast in there and there was a huge selection of everything from a custom omelette station to fresh berry muffins. We ate lunch in there several days and always found something each of us enjoyed. Often we grabbed a "snack" there late afternoon and the chefs and kitchen staff were constantly keeping things looking fresh and well supplied.

 

We only ate in the MDR one afternoon and it was not my favorite meal but that was partly due to the tiny table. It was only myself and DH and I'm sure they gave us the "squishiest" table section which was probably reserved for non-regulars. Anyhow I did enjoy the onion soup and also vaguely remember having a yummy dessert but what that was escapes me.

 

You know I can certainly get picky and detailed about certain things but after experiencing this incredible trip I just can't believe that people who are negative were even on the same ship. Sigh. Anyhow I read all the reviews I can but then do what I think you're doing...go into my trip knowing that my having a good time is very dependent on my own state of mind and openness to change and new experiences.

 

Did the bathroom smell a little funky? Yup. Not sure why but luckily I had read on these forums that people had that experience so I brought a little Glade pop-up air freshener with us and voila! Problem...potential complaining...solved. I brought one for Mom and Dad, too.

 

Basically the best entertainment for us was the glorious landscape, spending time together without having to worry about the phone ringing or job pressures, getting time with Mom and Dad and watching them have fun (that was a real gift!) and the feeling that we were on an adventure.

 

I wish you the best and hope you have a joyful time on your cruise!

[quiltingdiva]

I really enjoyed reading your review with all the great photos. We have Alaska on our bucket list. And..thank you for the nice reference to Texans. We get a lot of bad press down here (George...border patrols...ahem...) but for the most part, we are just hard-working folks trying to do as well as we can. And we like to have a good time while we're at it! :)

 

Thanks again,

[sky61]

I hope to get a few pictures up each night so here comes Juneau, our next port of call (7am-8:30pm). There are so many options of things to do in each of these ports and lots of people choose to do flying trips from this port or whale watching. I've actually been on several whale watches here on the East Coast and I know it's not the same but I was hungry to see a glacier so we opted to make this another budget day and took one of the shuttles (there are several companies lined up in little booths right where the ship docks-I think we did the blue Mighty Great Trips shuttle but they're all pretty much charging the same price...around $20 round trip for around a 14 mile journey...such a deal!).

 

My parents opted out of this as they knew there would be a bit too much walking so they went downtown and did some laundry (yep...Dad loves his clean laundry and he can book an Aquaclass cabin but he just can't justify spending $4 or whatever to wash a T-shirt. Love him. My DH can justify that price. Love him, too.).

 

So we went to Mendenhall Glacier. Spectacular! Amazing! Left us speechless.

There is a wonderful little museum/visitor's center and I think we paid $3 for entrance which included a really good movie introducing us to how glaciers are formed and a bit of history of the area. Then we walked along a path that brings you very close to the glacier. Here are a few pics. I wish my parents could have joined us but luckily this was to be the first of several glaciers that we saw on this trip!

 

 

 

[sky61]

We took the shuttle back to town and were glad to have left early enough to beat the crowds that were now pouring into the Visitor's Center. If you decide to do this I'd recommend going on the earlier side because I'm sure people had to wait due to full shuttles later in the day.

 

After eating lunch on the ship, where we conveniently bumped into Mom and Dad, we all went back out to ride the Mt. Roberts Tramway together. I am putting in a link for you to see what this is if you don't already know. It is a bit pricey (a more thorough reviewer would have this info at her fingertips...once again I am humbled) but so worth it!

 

This is what it looks like when your Mom has fun! Yay.

 

Here are some views from the top. Yes, I am afraid of heights, but I did it and so can you. My former Paratrooper father had no problem with it, by the way.

 

Edited March 12, 2015 by sky61

[sky61]

There are viewing platforms, gift shop, snack bar with restrooms and the Juneau Raptor Center at the top (where you can see Lady Baltimore, a gorgeous eagle who was blinded in one eye and lives at the center).

 

 

 

Some people hike up the Mountain. I wasn't one of those people.

[sky61]

I really enjoyed reading your review with all the great photos. We have Alaska on our bucket list. And..thank you for the nice reference to Texans. We get a lot of bad press down here (George...border patrols...ahem...) but for the most part, we are just hard-working folks trying to do as well as we can. And we like to have a good time while we're at it! :)

 

Thanks again,

 

Well maybe all the good hearted Texans I met here on Cruise Critic and on board ships have just helped me to see what a great state that is and what a good humored, intelligent group of people live there.

 

But I do know what you mean. Being from Massachusetts...yikes...I get a lot of flack. But let's not even get started on that :rolleyes: We are in a lovely New England town with the ocean a block away, funny and trustworthy friends, good jobs, lots of museums and all the seafood a girl can eat so I'm pretty happy for now.

Edited March 12, 2015 by sky61

[cage keeper]

Love your review. We did a B to B on Millennium in Alaska. Inside southbound, just two of us. And Family aft Northbound with 11 family members. (not in one cabin). Their Aft's are awesome. Can't wait to go again.

[fishmom]

Thanks so much for your review. We are doing the itinerary southbound in late May. Love every detail you share. Also appreciate your relaxed humor and style. Don't mind at all that you are taking your time to post...as long as you get us all the way to Seward! LOL.

[ladies_cruizin]

My DH and I are also on the south bound cruise the end of May. Love your review. So excitted to hear more.

[tweety33]

My DH and I are also on the south bound cruise the end of May. Love your review. So excitted to hear more.

 

we are also on that cruise, come on over and join the rollcall:)

[tweety33]

Thank you for writing this review and including the pictures. I appreciate it and am enjoying it. Getting excited for my upcoming Millennium cruise, first time to Alaska & on Celebrity. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[sky61]

To the OP thanks for sharing your cruise photos and thanks for sharing your cruise vacation with your parents.

 

Sharing the photos allows me to relive the cruise all over again. I'm glad you are enjoying them. As for the parents...well last year DH decided to have a "year of the parents." We went on a cruise with his Mom in the Spring (Caribbean Princess) and then my parents in the summer. Maybe it was my son getting married the year before that made me so aware of the passage of time.

 

We all had such a magical time and it really made me feel grateful for the chance to spend time with them.

[sky61]

Love your review. We did a B to B on Millennium in Alaska. Inside southbound, just two of us. And Family aft Northbound with 11 family members. (not in one cabin). Their Aft's are awesome. Can't wait to go again.

 

Wow! I like how you roll! :D Best of both worlds.

 

And yes...the Aft was incredible.

[sky61]

Thanks so much for your review. We are doing the itinerary southbound in late May. Love every detail you share. Also appreciate your relaxed humor and style. Don't mind at all that you are taking your time to post...as long as you get us all the way to Seward! LOL.

 

Thanks for your patience. :) What fun you are going to have on your cruise. I bet it will just stunning in late May!

 

We'll make it to Seward before you go. We developed a real fondness for Seward and hope to make it back someday.

[sky61]

My DH and I are also on the south bound cruise the end of May. Love your review. So excitted to hear more.

 

That late May cruise is so popular! I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. I'm curious about the wildflowers, especially. I love flowers. We saw some but I think you might see some real beauties.

[sky61]

Next stop Skagway. Alllll Aboard! Did I mention that Dad is a train buff? Model Railroading, Amtrak, he loves them all. So part of the "hook" to get him to agree to coming on a cruise in the first place was the promise of some cool train rides. Not that I needed any convincing to take a train.I grew up with stacks of track and carefully packaged engines in the corner of the dining room, along with baggies of green moss and every copy of Model Railroading magazine going back to the 1950's.

 

We did the Celebrity excursion White Pass Scenic Railway. I really debated about this (with myself...and I argued back quite a bit until finally I got so sick of the constant bickering that I just gave myself the silent treatment). The Yukon Route that went into Canada sounded cool, too and a lot of people raved about the ride back, which stops at different scenic vistas.

 

In the end I went with train all the way because I knew that's what Dad craved and we all thought it was the best. We sat in the same car but got seats on each side of the train so we could trade for good views but honestly it was all pretty awesome and I spent most of my time standing between the cars anyhow. It was super windy and a bit chilly once we reached the higher altitudes but the landscape was just out of this world and I had a fleece, scarf (just a light one but it worked!) and light gloves so I was fine.

 

 

This shot makes it look really crowded and squished but we had plenty of room and you could get up and walk around and go between cars. There were restrooms on the train. I like to know things like that...

 

[sky61]

Because my Dad's love of trains has rubbed off on me a bit I took koo-koo amount of photos on the ride. I will whittle them down to a few here so you get the feel for the ultimate awesomeness that went on here.

 

 

 

[sky61]

Three more shots taken from the White Pass Train.

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2015 by sky61

[sky61]

I'm really interested in the mechanics and metalwork so these kind of things appeal to me: