Recent Millenium cruisers - is it ship-shape??

[Sammy1]

We're considering booking a South-east Asia sailing for late fall of 2018 on the Millenium. The itinerary looks fantastic, but we're torn over the wide range of conflicting reviews of the ship. I understand the Millie had a major refurb in 2016, but can recent cruisers please comment on the condition of the cabins and public areas, as well as the eating venues. I would love to put my wife's mind at ease and book this cruise. Any comments would be greatly appreciated! :D(yn)

[twincheryl]

Millenium was our first Celebrity cruise last month. It was so great that we cancelled our British Isles cruise on RCCL and booked the Eclipse for next summer! We loved the decor and everything else about the ship. As great as any other ship we’ve been on, although we do not sail the newer, giant ships. We are not terribly picky, but did not find even one thing that I can make a comment about. Have a wonderful cruise!

 

 

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[anniegb]

We're considering booking a South-east Asia sailing for late fall of 2018 on the Millenium. The itinerary looks fantastic, but we're torn over the wide range of conflicting reviews of the ship. I understand the Millie had a major refurb in 2016, but can recent cruisers please comment on the condition of the cabins and public areas, as well as the eating venues. I would love to put my wife's mind at ease and book this cruise. Any comments would be greatly appreciated! :D(yn)

 

I sailed the Millie after the refurb (2016) and thought the ship was tired . I was in an Aqua cabin which was fine but many of my fellow cruisers complained of poor bathrooms.

 

I thought the standard of food in the Oceanview cafe was very poor.

 

Entertainment was sub-standard.

 

Sorry but you did ask.

 

Annie

[Bo1953]

I sailed the Millie after the refurb (2016) and thought the ship was tired . I was in an Aqua cabin which was fine but many of my fellow cruisers complained of poor bathrooms.

 

I thought the standard of food in the Oceanview cafe was very poor.

 

Entertainment was sub-standard.

 

Sorry but you did ask.

 

Annie

 

No need to apologize for your experience.

 

bon voyage

[Sammy1]

I sailed the Millie after the refurb (2016) and thought the ship was tired . I was in an Aqua cabin which was fine but many of my fellow cruisers complained of poor bathrooms.

 

I thought the standard of food in the Oceanview cafe was very poor.

 

Entertainment was sub-standard.

 

Sorry but you did ask.

 

Annie

 

Yes, I did ask. Please don't apologize.

I'm looking for any comments/observations/insight so we can make an informed decision..

Thanks!

[Mr. Click]

We did Alaska in August 2016 and Hong Kong to Shanghai in March 2017 on the Millennium and we loved both trips. The ship and the crew helped us love it. While the ship is not new it was in drydock in May 2016 and the crew from the top down to the guys scraping paint were all just the best.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We sailed in a Royal Suite in August so I can't comment on the general condition of staterooms since the RS were refurbished. We were just talking about this today and the only area of the ship that I thought needed attention were the public rest room, ladies rooms. A lot of the doors and dividers were literally shaking because of missing bolts. The doors were also heavy and they do not have the automatic openers that the Solstice class ships have.

 

We went to the solarium, spa, buffet, specialty restaurants, theater, ect., and found them to be in acceptable, if not good, condition.

[cachouonacruise]

Thank you very much also for the feedback on the Millenium. Planning an Alaska cruise in 2018, the Millenium's itinerary is one we're considering. Other options would include Radiance of the seas, Island Princess and the Solstice ( we loved our time on Solstice this spring on the repo from Hawaii to Vancouver)

 

 

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[twincheryl]

Thank you very much also for the feedback on the Millenium. Planning an Alaska cruise in 2018, the Millenium's itinerary is one we're considering. Other options would include Radiance of the seas, Island Princess and the Solstice ( we loved our time on Solstice this spring on the repo from Hawaii to Vancouver)

 

 

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We have also been on Radiance... if I had to choose again, it would be Milennium for sure!

 

 

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[LuAnn]

We were on "Millie" this past April...Hong Kong to Tokyo...great cruise and the ship was A OK. We had one of the "new" AQ cabins aft but all the areas including the cabin were in good shape IMO. A fantastic cruise...go for it!!! LuAnn

[lj77346]

We just returned from the Millennium's Sept. 24, 2017 cruise around Japan and the ship was in good shape and we had the smoothest, quietest cruise that we can recall. We had an ocean view cabin on deck 2 and the only problem we encountered was a toilet that would not flush consistently. From the first day, the pressure in the toilet seemed poor and almost every other day we had to call to have the plumber come and get the toilet to flush. The staff on the ship was friendly and efficient. Food is subjective and we are not fans of the buffet, but the aqua spa cafe was a nice alternative at lunch and the food in the main dining room was good - we didn't have to worry about being hungry. Entertainment is subjective as well and we felt that both the production shows and featured performers were good. We feel that the Millennium provided a very good cruise experience for its cost.

[Texed]

We were on "Millie" this past April...Hong Kong to Tokyo...great cruise and the ship was A OK.! LuAnn

 

LuAnn,

That is good to hear. We will be on Millennium at Christmas in S.E. Asia. :)

[Sammy1]

Thanks so much for all the comments so far. Please keep them coming....the good and the bad.

Your comments will likely be helpful for others considering Millie cruises as well. :confused:

 

Sam

[MareT]

We sailed Millennium this past May to Alaska. Ship was fine in our opinion, our second sailing on her. Wonderful crew!

[lisiamc]

We’ve sailed on Millennium twice - once in 2004, before she was “Solsticized” and again just this month. I think she looks great, possibly in better shape now than in 2004! The Solsticization has made better use of many of the public areas, and the ship feels spacious and well laid out. On most of the sea days on the Transpacific, the weather was chilly and wet, so everyone was indice, but it never seemed really crowded. (Well, except for 12.00 in the buffet, but that’s not surprising.)

 

Our cabin on Deck 2 was in very good shape. Our plumbing worked well through the cruise, although we noticed work going on further down the corridor one day. We had some cracked tiles in the bathroom, near the toilet and in the shower, and while we were ashore one day they were replaced, and the floor was regrouted.

 

We were on Solstice in the spring, and I much prefer Millennium. She’s lovely - my new favourite Celebrity ship.

[LuAnn]

LuAnn,

 

That is good to hear. We will be on Millennium at Christmas

Tex...have a great time...enjoy and have a great time!!! Will think of you over the holidays...and the fun we had last year!!! LuAnn

[boom_boom]

We were on the trans-pacific last month and found the ship in excellent condition. No problems whatsoever in our aft family veranda. Capt. Nick was great. Don't pay any attention to the CD. Food in MDR was adequate. Tuscan Grill was excellent.

Liked the live music venous around the ship.

[bitob]

I’m on milennium now in a suite. Ship is tired. Our bathtub has mold. I have friend in verandah cabin. She reports cabin very tired

 

 

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[SargassoPirate]

Just off a B2B from Vancouver to and then around Japan. Haven't posted a review yet as we are still traveling and my tablet won't cooperate, but I'll list some good, bad, and uglys from my notes.

 

The Good:

 

Capt Nick was fantastic, kept us well informed and was very visible around the ship.

 

Food and service in the MDR was excellent, although four inches between tables for two is really a table for four or six. We did the Celebrity Select and moved around until we found a table that worked for us.

 

The ship was clean and well maintained in the public areas and the restrooms that I used had attendants there constantly to keep them clean.

 

Friendly crew everywhere with smiles and greetings at all hours.

 

The Bad:

 

Bring your ear plugs. The production shows were a bit too loud, but most any other live music venue - such as the Rendevous or the pool deck - were amplified beyond all reason. The captain's club host even had the acoustical strings duo amplified in the Cosmos lounge to where conversation - the reason to go there - was impossible. For a less amplified cocktail hour, we started meeting friends near the Martini bar and sat in some comfy chairs and could converse without shouting.

 

Concierge stateroom was comfortable except for mattresses that appear to be as old as the ship. Obviously broken down where people sit on the bed near the nightstand. Flipping the mattresses helped some.

 

MDR and Horizon Court chairs had many with stains on the seat fabric - something that a little steam cleaning would take care of. Shows lack of attention to detail.

 

The Horizon Court is not well laid out with any semblence of a logical traffic flow, with the result it was like trying to navigate a zombie apocolypse to gather a meal. Food was OK, but not worth the effort. We ended up with most meals in the MDR where things were a bit more civilized.

 

The Ugly:

 

Mobility devices were stored in and partially blocked the corridors and stairway crossovers at night - violation of SOLAS and Celebrity policy. Complaints to guest relations did no good. I think the cruise line is waiting for a disaster to make passenger fire safety a priority.

 

During the cooler weather on the crossing, space in the Solarium was a premium and crew allowed people to "reserve" chairs and loungers for the day with a rumpled towel, a paperback book, and a flip flop. Again, complaints to guest relations and the pool deck staff did no good. When I see a chair hog nest that is untouched for four hours, why can't the crew also see it and do their job?

 

Had to endure on-board immigration checks twice and both were a cluster f**k. The crew seemed reluctant to enforce any line control, with passengers butting in line willy nilly - pretending they didn't "see" there was a line, or "gee, the stairs put me here, so I'll just get in line here." I'm a pretty big guy and with my Harley shirt on, I became the line enforcer.

 

We never received the memo on which nights were "shorts and ballcap" nights, but it appeared to be just about every night. There was even an arm wrestling night while the waiter stood by and laughed. Don't worry about any decorum in the MDR, anything goes.

 

Overall, we enjoyed the cruises, but don't expect the crew to enforce any policies and bring your ear plugs and you'll be fine

[bitob]

The suite manager just inspected my suite. He was not happy with its condition

 

 

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[ukbecky]

I was on the recent transpacific and agree with what has been said, although others are kinder in their opinions of mealtimes.

 

The positives-

 

Probably the best captain and crew I have ever sailed with. Really stellar service all around, friendly and accommodating. The bar and restaurant staff were especially good.

 

I enjoyed the speakers and the entertainment overall.

 

Our cabin on 2 was fine and quiet, although the bathroom needs attention- especially the shower where the caulking is coming off all around the floor.

 

negatives -

 

The chaos at each meal and poor quality of the food made us forego the buffet after the first few days. The layout is ridiculous - some things are on one side, some on the other. So I had to do laps, and then more laps to find a seat, or become part of the seating problem by having someone save a table. Ultimately, the buffet food was not worth the trouble.

 

Too much seating for the buffet is outside, and this was not possible on the crossing, due to the weather most days at sea(either cold, wet, windy or all 3). We moved to the MDR for lunch, where they were often handing out pagers unless we joined the line before opening.

 

The time changes(10? straight days) only made the crowd situations worse for meals, since people were parked and waiting for each venue to open.

 

Why not open continental breakfast earlier, or lunch earlier when the time changes resulted in such lines? I was one of those awake at 4-5 everyday and not a thing was open or available.

As an aside, why would football games be listed to watch at the casino bar, but not open the bar?

 

I counted 6 total "true-2s" in the Select dining venue. The rest have you seated so close as to share conversations with strangers, or otherwise appear rude. This was our 25th anniversary and was honestly about us, not 'making new friends'.

 

The machine hogs were present in the gym also, and nothing was done to stop them. It was crowded almost the entire day, with a line when it opened at 6 am. The opening time could probably not be adjusted, so it was up to the staff to enforce rules. They did not. Eventually there were arguments among the passengers. It was very unpleasant and could have been avoided if the staff had simply walked around and politely pointed out the timers on the machines, the signs all over the gym stating maximum times, and the line behind the offenders, waiting for the next available machine.

 

 

The negatives unfortunately added up, and I was about to cancel our booked 2019 cruise, until we decided to eat all of our meals in the MDR or specialty restaurants, where the service and food were excellent.

As it is, I will only book with Celebrity again if the itinerary is unique.

3 meals a day = 3 irritations a day = too many irritations on a cruise.

[hubofhockey]

We booked the Millennium for next June based on our Constellation cruise this summer. As long as the ships are in relatively similar condition, I'm okay. However, we did have one of the new Aqua cabins on the 11th deck, so maybe that gave us unrealistic expectations.

[Holly2]

We were onMillennium in Asia twice. The itineraries are great; the ship is a way to get there. Set realistic expectations and you will be fine. I kept running into passengers who were confused because they had heard raves about Celebrity and didn’t realize they weren’t sailing S class.

[lisiamc]

We were onMillennium in Asia twice. The itineraries are great; the ship is a way to get there. Set realistic expectations and you will be fine. I kept running into passengers who were confused because they had heard raves about Celebrity and didn’t realize they weren’t sailing S class.

 

I think it’s a case of there being a lid for every pot. I think S class is ok, but I love M class. :)

[Sammy1]

We were onMillennium in Asia twice. The itineraries are great; the ship is a way to get there. Set realistic expectations and you will be fine. I kept running into passengers who were confused because they had heard raves about Celebrity and didn’t realize they weren’t sailing S class.

 

I totally agree with you....the ship is a way to get to the great SE Asian itineraries. But, my wife is apprehensive given some very negative reviews, including the few above.

We've only sailed S class ships on Celebrity. In fact, we're booked on a Reflection Med sailing in June.

I checked several of the major cruise lines, and they all operate only their older ships on the +/- 2 week itineraries, so we really don't have much choice it seems. :confused: