On Millennium 6 Aug Alaska Sailing - Any Questions?

[trabeler]

On 8/7/2021 at 12:41 PM, maggie.1008 said:

We sail on Aug 27th. Do you have many children on board ?

 

I'd guess that there are less than 20 or so kids under 12 and maybe another 20 or 25 teens.  

 

On 8/7/2021 at 1:32 PM, NevadaJo said:

Wish we had opened the two masks packets. We had plenty of our own so we never opened them. Just an FYI. Our Celebrity Suite still had a shower curtain. 

 

Wow.  Surprised the suites weren't updated.  We did discover that the new insides on 7 (our floor) and supposedly also on a few other floors have a problem with the new shower door that the door is a little too wide so the magnets don't line up to properly secure the door closed.  Our attendant says its on the future list to fix but in the meantime gave us a large binder clip to hold the door shut.  Works like a charm.

 

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

What did you have (if you don't mind me asking, lol)?

 

And have you noticed whether they are offering discounts on any specialty dining onboard?

 

In Tuscan we had crabcakes, calamari, a lobster pasta (half size to share), filet mignon, and the branzino.  Everything was excellent. 

 

Concerning discounts - I haven't seen anything advertised at all.  They also haven't had the specialty representative at the entrance to Oceanview (other than at embarkation lunch), which is usually a sign they're looking for customers.  I'm wondering if with the reduced staff on board they aren't anxious to fill up the specialty restaurants?

[trabeler]

Hello from Endicott Arm & Dawes glacier.  Had a lucky day yesterday with weather in Ketchikan and even saw some sun mid-day. Yesterday's lunch buffet theme was italian so lots of calamari, cannolis, and other treats.  They also had a pasta bar with a fairly extensive variety of specialty mushrooms and some odd vegetables (such as sea beans).  

 

Today it's been a mix of mist, rain, and a few clear spots as we sailed up towards the glacier.  Very little ice in the channel so we were able to get fairly close.  We're now on the way to Juneau with arrival at 1:30 pm.  They plan to open the helipad to everyone for the sail in to Juneau, one of the benefits of less passengers.  Yesterday they had a helipad gathering for the sailaway from Ketchikan that appeared to be for elites and maybe suites, with officers, hot chocolate, and some mixed drinks.  

 

Chatted with one of the officers who confirmed that there are about 970 passengers onboard, down from around 1300 that were on the previous sailing.  They are also at reduced staff of around 700 or so.

 

I heard second hand from someone that there were some adults who were able to get their pre-cruise antigen test done by Celebrity at the pier in Seattle.  Supposedly they were charged $70 for the test but no insurance was accepted.

 

During some early morning wandering around the ship I discovered that they appear to have the port side of aquaclass isolated to use as quarantine cabins (with tables in the hall for no-contact food delivery, etc).

 

To answer the question about what is different onboard as compared to pre-COVID times, here's my list so far.  Please consider that we haven't sailed Celebrity since 2017 so some of these things may have already changed.

 

- No sparkling wine or mimosas on embarkation.
- The first formal night captains welcome has changed to a social where the officers hang around the foyer and interact with guests.  No drinks are handed out and there was no introduction of the officers or speeches.  I asked one of the bartenders and was told that this is a new protocol to help limit the crowding that usually happens at that event.
- Everything at the buffet is served by staff except at the drink stations.  There is salt/pepper, etc at each table. You can grab your own pre-wrapped cutlery or they will hand it to you.  You can get something at one of the food stations and bring that plate to another station to get something added to it, however.

- The new muster drill process is awesome.  Watch a video in your room on the interactive TV or via the app and then report to the muster station at your leisure to check in (and get a sticker on your seapass card).  The captain did one muster announcement just prior to sailing and sounded the alarm.

 

Most everything else is as we remember from prior sailings.

[briguy1314]

Wow. Less than 1000 guests. That’s crazy! Thank you for the recap. Sounds almost as if it’s business as usual (maybe except the buffet service) 

hoping when we sail at the end of the month more kids will be back in school and less will be on board 😬😬

 

My TA did also mention that Aqua rooms were off market for quarantine rooms (we weren’t able to get our same room once we were moved to this ship for that reason). Here’s hoping they won’t need them!

 

can’t wait to hear how the rest of the trip goes!

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, trabeler said:

I heard second hand from someone that there were some adults who were able to get their pre-cruise antigen test done by Celebrity at the pier in Seattle.  Supposedly they were charged $70 for the test but no insurance was accepted.

 

This is true, but the availability of the pre-cruise testing at Pier 91 for the Millennium was just done for this first cruise after the mandatory Covid testing requirement announcement.  Passengers should not expect this availability going forward.

 

Today was the Serenade OTS first sailing requiring a pre-cruise Covid test, and those passengers who  arrived at Pier 91 without a Covid test result were directed to an off-site location (at their own expense), where they could receive a Covid test for $180 each person.

 

Best advice is to do the mandatory Covid testing in your hometown (if possible).

[cruisemom42]

@trabeler  Great info!  It's nice to hear they are keeping the number of passengers down on these early sailings. The one thing I have worried about is crowding onboard. Also interesting to hear where they are quarantining passengers (if needed). 

 

Anything you can share about entertainment onboard?  Music, shows, etc. I know in Alaska a lot of the entertainment is the sightseeing, but still would like to know. 

[phoenix_dream]

13 hours ago, briguy1314 said:

Wow. Less than 1000 guests. That’s crazy! Thank you for the recap. Sounds almost as if it’s business as usual (maybe except the buffet service) 

hoping when we sail at the end of the month more kids will be back in school and less will be on board 😬😬

 

My TA did also mention that Aqua rooms were off market for quarantine rooms (we weren’t able to get our same room once we were moved to this ship for that reason). Here’s hoping they won’t need them!

 

can’t wait to hear how the rest of the trip goes!

 

 

That's really weird about the AQ rooms.  We had no issue booking one on our Sept cruise.  I heard that the quarantine rooms, on some ships at least,  were on deck 2 so they could be close to the medical area.  

Edited August 10, 2021 by phoenix_dream

[schittenden]

I saw last night that Millenium is Green again on the CDC COVID ship color chart. That seems like excellent news. Looks like a great cruise so far. We’ll be onboard next week. 

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, trabeler said:

Hello from Endicott Arm & Dawes glacier.  Had a lucky day yesterday with weather in Ketchikan and even saw some sun mid-day. Yesterday's lunch buffet theme was italian so lots of calamari, cannolis, and other treats.  They also had a pasta bar with a fairly extensive variety of specialty mushrooms and some odd vegetables (such as sea beans).  

 

Today it's been a mix of mist, rain, and a few clear spots as we sailed up towards the glacier.  Very little ice in the channel so we were able to get fairly close.  We're now on the way to Juneau with arrival at 1:30 pm.  They plan to open the helipad to everyone for the sail in to Juneau, one of the benefits of less passengers.  Yesterday they had a helipad gathering for the sailaway from Ketchikan that appeared to be for elites and maybe suites, with officers, hot chocolate, and some mixed drinks.  

 

Chatted with one of the officers who confirmed that there are about 970 passengers onboard, down from around 1300 that were on the previous sailing.  They are also at reduced staff of around 700 or so.

 

I heard second hand from someone that there were some adults who were able to get their pre-cruise antigen test done by Celebrity at the pier in Seattle.  Supposedly they were charged $70 for the test but no insurance was accepted.

 

During some early morning wandering around the ship I discovered that they appear to have the port side of aquaclass isolated to use as quarantine cabins (with tables in the hall for no-contact food delivery, etc).

 

To answer the question about what is different onboard as compared to pre-COVID times, here's my list so far.  Please consider that we haven't sailed Celebrity since 2017 so some of these things may have already changed.

 

- No sparkling wine or mimosas on embarkation.
- The first formal night captains welcome has changed to a social where the officers hang around the foyer and interact with guests.  No drinks are handed out and there was no introduction of the officers or speeches.  I asked one of the bartenders and was told that this is a new protocol to help limit the crowding that usually happens at that event.
- Everything at the buffet is served by staff except at the drink stations.  There is salt/pepper, etc at each table. You can grab your own pre-wrapped cutlery or they will hand it to you.  You can get something at one of the food stations and bring that plate to another station to get something added to it, however.

- The new muster drill process is awesome.  Watch a video in your room on the interactive TV or via the app and then report to the muster station at your leisure to check in (and get a sticker on your seapass card).  The captain did one muster announcement just prior to sailing and sounded the alarm.

 

Most everything else is as we remember from prior sailings.

Great info---Thanks!

[sherylc]

I was wondering if either Tuscan Grill or Le Petit Chef is open on a sea day for lunch on your sailing. (I've been on cruises where one day the specialty restaurants offered a lunch in addition to a dinner seating)

[oskidunker]

Are any tours cancelled if it rains? River rafting, zip line or fishing trips. 

[NevadaJo]

1 hour ago, sherylc said:

I was wondering if either Tuscan Grill or Le Petit Chef is open on a sea day for lunch on your sailing. (I've been on cruises where one day the specialty restaurants offered a lunch in addition to a dinner seating)

We were on the July 30th sailing. Tuscan Grill was open for lunch from noon to 1:30.

[TXranchgal]

We are on the August 27th sailing.  Thank You so much for all the great info on your experience so far.  I too am curious about not having a paper copy of our PCR/Antigen test results. .  We are flying into Seattle on the day of the cruise instead of the day before - so hopefully, we will have the results before we leave... and can print it.   Hope a phone copy of the email will work in case we don't get the results before we leave.

Other questions:  Are people wearing masks onboard?

Can you easily identify those that are not vaccinated?

Are there lines to get into the dining rooms either in the morning or at night? 

Are people socially distancing?

Thanks in advance.

[Peteymil]

2 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Are any tours cancelled if it rains? River rafting, zip line or fishing trips. 

I don’t know about the zip line or fish and chips but we have definitely done the river rafting in the pouring rain!I don’t know about the zip line or fish and chips but in the past we have definitely done the river rafting in the pouring rain!

[Peteymil]

1 hour ago, TXranchgal said:

We are on the August 27th sailing.  Thank You so much for all the great info on your experience so far.  I too am curious about not having a paper copy of our PCR/Antigen test results. .  We are flying into Seattle on the day of the cruise instead of the day before - so hopefully, we will have the results before we leave... and can print it.   Hope a phone copy of the email will work in case we don't get the results before we leave.

Other questions:  Are people wearing masks onboard?

Can you easily identify those that are not vaccinated?

Are there lines to get into the dining rooms either in the morning or at night? 

Are people socially distancing?

Thanks in advance.

I believe the only ones that would be unvaccinated on this cruise would be children under 12, since everyone over 12 is required to have a vaccination.

[Locobill49]

Do they offer ship tours of any kind?

[phoenix_dream]

6 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Are any tours cancelled if it rains? River rafting, zip line or fishing trips. 

In Alaska they rarely cancel any tours due to rain. Part of Alaska is actually considered a rain forest!  The only tours likely to be canceled due to rain would be float planes or helicopter tours.

[trabeler]

On 8/9/2021 at 10:11 PM, cruisemom42 said:

Anything you can share about entertainment onboard?  Music, shows, etc. I know in Alaska a lot of the entertainment is the sightseeing, but still would like to know. 

 

Entertainment has been pretty typical.  So far we've had two full production shows (Boogie Wonderland and Elysium).  There was a comedian/impressionist and magician/illusionist so far as well.  Tonight there is a singing group (The Company Men).  The aerialist/acrobat pair from the production shows did a dedicated show last night.  They planned to do a matinee production show today (primarily singers) but we had a fair bit of swell today so they just cancelled that show saying that the singers are seasick.

 

Other entertainment is the normal house band, string duo, guitar soloist, and guitar/singer couple.

 

Since this is Alaska we've had a naturalist on board who has done daily talks on bears, eagles, etc.

 

On 8/10/2021 at 11:49 AM, sherylc said:

I was wondering if either Tuscan Grill or Le Petit Chef is open on a sea day for lunch on your sailing. (I've been on cruises where one day the specialty restaurants offered a lunch in addition to a dinner seating)

 

Nothing special the first sea day but Tuscan is open today for lunch on the second sea day.

 

On 8/10/2021 at 2:19 PM, TXranchgal said:

Other questions:  Are people wearing masks onboard?

Can you easily identify those that are not vaccinated?

Are there lines to get into the dining rooms either in the morning or at night? 

Are people socially distancing?

 

Very few people are wearing masks onboard and only kids under 12 are not vaccinated.  Mask wearing is spotty with the smaller kids since it isn't mandatory.

 

I haven't seen lines for anything other than at Cafe al Bacio during early morning prime time on port days.  With passenger load at less than 50%, there has been no waiting in the dining rooms.

 

For social distancing they have blocked out some seats in the theater and also in the casino.  Everywhere else is pretty much normal spacing.  The martini bar is probably the most crowded place on the ship each evening.

 

21 hours ago, Locobill49 said:

Do they offer ship tours of any kind?

 

Yes... they're doing the behind the scenes tour that is sold as an excursion.  I think it is around $90.  

[trabeler]

Hello from day 6... sea day #2.  Yesterday was Skagway and we got very lucky with the weather since it threatened rain all day but never actually rained.  It was extremely windy, however, so it felt quite cold all day.  We were the only ship in port yesterday and heard that another ship wasn't able to get into port due to rough weather.  

 

Today as we left the inside passage we're hitting some significant swell that the Captain says is leftover from yesterday's storms.  Other than the matinee production show being cancelled, all the pools being closed, and a bunch of broken dishes at the buffet, everything else is in service.

 

One thing we've noticed this cruise is that there have been no gangway photographers at the ports.  There has also been no bingo... but not sure if Celebrity still does that or not.  Also no massive shopping events yet where they stack up things in the foyer, etc.

 

They are offering a "fill the bag" laundry special for $49.95, but it had to be handed in by 10 pm on Tuesday night.

 

And a followup on the T-pool... the temperature is still on the cool side and the bubbles are still off on the recliners.  The hot tubs on either side are fully hot and bubbles work, however, 

Edited August 11, 2021 by trabeler
update

[TMaine]

Thank you for the information!  We are sailing on the 3 SEP sailing, looking forward to it!

[cruise kitty]

thank you for your trip report, we'll hopefully be aboard 24th September 🙂

 

[cruisemom42]

One last question for you.... 

 

Someone on the HAL ship that has been sailing the same itinerary this week has reported virtually no live TV all week. They're being told it is due to weak/no signal. Have you noticed a similar problem?  (Not that I care overmuch about news when I'm no vacation....but I'm just curious.)

[briguy1314]

Thank you for all of the updates @trabeler really appreciate knowing what to expect for our cruise! 
super bummer about the weather. Our first (and only time) on an Alaskan itinerary we were so lucky with perfect sunny weather every day. I kind of forgot that it’s not going to be like that. It was also the smoothest waters I have ever sailed. Hopefully no swells for us. 
 

have a great final day tomorrow!!

[trabeler]

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Someone on the HAL ship that has been sailing the same itinerary this week has reported virtually no live TV all week. They're being told it is due to weak/no signal. Have you noticed a similar problem?  (Not that I care overmuch about news when I'm no vacation....but I'm just curious.)

 

We haven't looked at the TV much, but I think that at least half the time we checked there were no live channels.  Both TV and internet have been spotty and neither worked well at all for the day in Skagway.  The internet has improved significantly since leaving the inside passage yesterday.  I think Celebrity is well aware of reception problems as they have a disclaimer each day in the program about it.  I've also experienced problems with the internet (surf package) logging me out periodically.  This is the first time I've had the internet package and not the 90 minute free allowance so I'm not sure if periodic logouts are normal.

[Sam.Seattle]

I am on the millennium this week. And, will be staying on board for next week. This is the first opportunity I have had to review this thread. We are staying in a royal Suite both weeks and have found the suite experience  very similar to our prior cruises with  celebrity. While I still look forward to cruising  getting back to 100% normal, it is truly an interesting and amazing experience being on a ship at 50% capacity. Hats off to the crew as usual working very hard and I’m sure there are smiles under all those masks that I look forward to seeing again.

Edited August 12, 2021 by Sam.Seattle

[jgmorgan]

4 minutes ago, Sam.Seattle said:

I am on the millennium this week.

If you get a chance, please post the earliest time that passengers are allowed to disembark tomorrow on a walk-off basis.  We are booked on Millennium later in the month and have a fairly early flight (10 a.m.).  We also have a refundable back up that I hope to not have to use. 😀