Just back from Millie cruise

[adjburch]

Just back from Millie cruise. (2/04/07 -2/11/07) Will have to make this short and sweet. Manage florist and it's VALENTINES.

 

No pod problems. Made all ports. Have done other cruises but this is the first on Celebrity.

 

Each day I took the time to talk to at least 5 other couples. All were different ages. This was the majority reply I received~~

 

Most said it would be their last Celebrity cruise. Said the service was not what it should have been. Said there wasn't enough employees pool side to take drink orders. Plastic tumblers for soda where way too small. Too many SENIOR, SENIOR, CITZ. on this one.

 

Note to anyone going on this ship ~~I felt the shows were good. The food was good and the service in the dinning room was great. The staff was over all good except the drink servers around the pool. If you go, take a LARGE travel mug or LARGE tumbler with you so you will not have to make as many trips to bar with your over 40.00 for a soda card.

 

We booked the country side excursion. The celebrity book list it at 45.00 per person. They charged us 64.00 per person and they should take this excursion off their list. It wasn't worth 6.40 a person.

 

Other than that, everthing was great. As to all the couples I took the time to meet and chat with, I told them that maybe they should give Celebrity another chance. Maybe it just had so many senior citz. because it leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale?? It didn't bother me but most of the younger couples fussed about all the wheelechairs and walkers.

 

If you are under 65, you might want to check into other cruise lines before booking this ship. We were a group of 4 couples from mid 40's to early 60's and believe me, the other couples I took the time to chat with were all ages.

 

So far I like Princess the best. Have to say that I will stick with Princess.

 

As you all know, not everyone is happy with every cruise. They all have good points and then they have a couple of bad points. What you get out of your cruise is what you put into it.

[barryod]

Thanks for your report adjburch. We're leaving on Millie on 3-4-07 and do hope we'll experience a better cruise then those poor young cruisers did. How they tolerate those seniors is beyond me. To think that they had to walk around wheel chairs and walkers. It's just terrible. Maybe they'll be able to put down the two silver spoons they were born with in thier hands and report thier own experiences rather than you having to do it. Sounds to me that some people need to take thier faces out of thier bellybuttons and realize it's not all about them. I'm 57, not in a wheelchair, but if I ever am I'll cruise wherever I want from whatever port I want and people will just have to deal with it!

 

Barry

[andersonsrus]

We were on the same cruise and had a wonderful time.

A cruise is what you make of it. We had none of the problems you mentioned. 3rd Celebrity for us and booking later this month for another.

Maybe give them another chance...

[adjburch]

I agree. I think if you pay you can go on the cruise and what you get out of it is what you put into it. The sr's didn't bother me at all, so I have to agree that some where spoilt. I had a nice time but I like Princess the best.

[Lois R]

Hi:) , sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. I went on Millennium in

December and had a wonderful time.

As for the Countryside Tour, I also took it. I respectfully

disagree....I had a great time on it.

 

Did you go to the Excursion Desk and speak to them about

the overcharge? Did they say the price went up?

I paid 45.00. We went to the Sugar Cane Fields and they

took us to a large nursery...it was quite fun.

Then we went to see how cigars were made. We had a fun guide

and driver. I felt it was worth my $.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Barry, I sailed the week before Christmas...Dec 17th and the

food, service and overall experience for me was wonderful.

[smdubowsky]

Thank you for your review. We were on the Millennium the week before you and we found an answer for your pool problem. When we were thirsty we just got up and walked about thirty feet to get a drink. It worked well ;-)

 

As far as the age of the cruisers, I would agree that there were a good number of seniors on the cruise. While we did find the average age of the typical passenger on this cruise older than we have experienced on other cruises (We're in our mid-fifties), I personally found some of the older folks to be a hoot. There were also some honeymooners and multi-generational families on board.

 

I agree with your assessment that this phenomenon is a function of the port of origin and would bet that other lines have the same passenger profile when they leave from Ft. Lauderdale. When cruise ships are not booked full up they offer special deals to the local folks who in this case are mostly retirees. When we took the Constellation out of San Juan last year, there were a lot of Spanish speaking passengers.

[gands]

Gee....I never knew my cane/wheelchair/walker was an inconvenience to anyone but me!

[madelineKen]

We were on the Jan.27th cruise. We noticed that the service was not up to the quality we expect on Celebrity. This was our 13th cruise with Celebrity and our 7th on Millenium class ships. Pool butlers were nowhere to be found. Towels ran out before noon. Difficult to get a drink by the pool. Waiters to carry trays were largely absent from the buffet restaurant. And, the worst thing was the toilets which didn't work in our Concierge cabin or in some of the public restrooms. This was DISGUSTING!!! We called the various departments and were told that they knew about the problem. Hope they are fixed by now. BUT, the pods worked.

[Andy]

Thanks for your report adjburch. We're leaving on Millie on 3-4-07 and do hope we'll experience a better cruise then those poor young cruisers did. How they tolerate those seniors is beyond me. To think that they had to walk around wheel chairs and walkers. It's just terrible. Maybe they'll be able to put down the two silver spoons they were born with in thier hands and report thier own experiences rather than you having to do it. Sounds to me that some people need to take thier faces out of thier bellybuttons and realize it's not all about them. I'm 57, not in a wheelchair, but if I ever am I'll cruise wherever I want from whatever port I want and people will just have to deal with it!

 

Barry

 

Well said Barry. We usually sail out of South Florida.... and yes, there are usually quite a bit of Seniors, including several of my immediate family members. It always gives me pleasure when I see Seniors Cruisers having a great time. I am more than happy to sail with Seniors, as well as ANY age. We are all there for the same thing, and that is to have a great time !

 

A Cruise is what you want to make of it. If others feel they need to pick apart their Cruise, they probably wont have a good time. Me ? I am just happy to be away from work, and my daily grind. We always make the best of every Cruise, even when there are problems.

 

For those of you that like to gripe about Seniors ? Try having kindness and consideration. Remember.... you too will be there someday !

[Drew B]

For those of you that like to gripe about Seniors ? Try having kindness and consideration. Remember.... you too will be there someday !

 

 

It depends on WHICH seniors. The nice, friendly ones who try to interact and get along are lovely. The ornery, crotchety ones who think the world revolves around them and have long ago given up any urge to censor themselves are a NIGHTMARE. Of course, there are bad ones and good ones in any age group...

[two rabbits]

Just back from Millie cruise. (2/04/07 -2/11/07) Will have to make this short and sweet. Manage florist and it's VALENTINES.

 

No pod problems. Made all ports. Have done other cruises but this is the first on Celebrity.

 

Each day I took the time to talk to at least 5 other couples. All were different ages. This was the majority reply I received~~

 

Most said it would be their last Celebrity cruise. Said the service was not what it should have been. Said there wasn't enough employees pool side to take drink orders. Plastic tumblers for soda where way too small. Too many SENIOR, SENIOR, CITZ. on this one.

 

Note to anyone going on this ship ~~I felt the shows were good. The food was good and the service in the dinning room was great. The staff was over all good except the drink servers around the pool. If you go, take a LARGE travel mug or LARGE tumbler with you so you will not have to make as many trips to bar with your over 40.00 for a soda card.

 

We booked the country side excursion. The celebrity book list it at 45.00 per person. They charged us 64.00 per person and they should take this excursion off their list. It wasn't worth 6.40 a person.

 

Other than that, everthing was great. As to all the couples I took the time to meet and chat with, I told them that maybe they should give Celebrity another chance. Maybe it just had so many senior citz. because it leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale?? It didn't bother me but most of the younger couples fussed about all the wheelechairs and walkers.

 

If you are under 65, you might want to check into other cruise lines before booking this ship. We were a group of 4 couples from mid 40's to early 60's and believe me, the other couples I took the time to chat with were all ages.

 

So far I like Princess the best. Have to say that I will stick with Princess.

 

As you all know, not everyone is happy with every cruise. They all have good points and then they have a couple of bad points. What you get out of your cruise is what you put into it.

 

Thanks adjburch, for your fair and well balanced report of your cruise. I guess I am one of the few who feels that after paying a lot of money for a cruise, that you do have a right to expect good service.

[Piepkorn]

We took Millie on a 12 day trip in July from Venice to Barcelona. It was our first (and last) cruise on Celebrity. We took Celebrity due to the itinerary, and we were told the food was much better than RCCL, and it was.

 

It was evident on our trip they were extremely short of help. Public areas were never cleaned after midnight until the day shift came on. The dining staff was tired and overworked, yet provided the best service. Our cabin attendant provided the worst service of any cruise we have ever been on.

Bar service was lacking in all areas. During shows there might have been 2 waiters for the whole venue. By contrast, on a recent RCCL 3 day trip, I counted 11 waiters at one of the shows.

 

Our trip had a wide mix of ages, and about 650 kids under 18. There was really no place to 'hide' from the kids, even at the adult pool we were inundated with them.

 

All in all, still was a great cruise. Millie was one of the best riding cruise ships we have been on. We'd do this itinerary again in a second, albeit on a different cruise line.

 

Dave

[npb]

On the other hand--- we hate having bar waiters bug us at pool and at theater.

[gunn2]

we just got back from the feb 4-11 cruise also and i left loving celebrity as much as on my first cruise . maybe i was just more easily impressed because i was on a 7 day break from buffalo new york but i thought everyone was friendly and wonderful and i came back thoroughly spoiled and happy.if i have to come up with something that was less than perfect it was caso de campo.we werent real thrilled with that but coming back to the ship early was fine and the hot tubs were bubbling and life was pretty darn good.

[rxdoll]

HAve they discontinued waiters at the buffet line? I'm sure the senior population considered this type of assistance when they chose celebrity. I am traveling with a spouse who had suffered a stroke at a young age. We too appreciate help with a tray, and frankly an atmosphere where he can relax and not worry about being run over by a fast crowd. I am a health professional, so I can understand why seniors would choose this environment. Hooray for them in taking a cruise! Managing someone with a disability, luggage, meds and all is becoming more commonplace. So if you have to walk around them or even a bit slower for a few paces, take into consideration the motivation of these people. It takes a lot of resolve to take a cruise with a disability, and the people that care for them are getting a needed break as well.

[adjburch]

Since Valentines is over I thought I would post some of the things I didn't have time to post.

 

We were a group of 4 couples that booked this cruise nearly 1 year in advance. We all paid in full the day we booked. We were all excited to be trying out Celebrity because we had read and heard about the wonderful service.

 

When my spouse and I went to our room Sunday evening we opened the door were a little surprised. The mirrow was busted and had runs thru the glass all the way across. It had little pieces of tape holding it together. Our butler came in right away and I asked could we be moved to another room and was told that the cruise was booked and no other rooms. I'm thinking well, we won't be in the room a lot but I have to confess, I worried the glass would fall out and someone may get hurt.

 

We were the last of our group to arrive. Plane was late but hey, we made it just before time to sail.

 

The 8 of us had planned to meet at the pool on deck 10 as soon as everyone arrived. We let the busted and broken glass go, decided not to complain and rushed to meet everyone. My spouse's sister and her husband said that their toilet didn't work. They called guest services and was told that someone would be there shortly. They waited for 2 hours and no one came. They called again and was told someone would be there and an hour later no one had come to see about it. They knew their time to sit and wait was running out and it was time to meet everyone so they came on to the pool area. I told them that everyone must be busy trying to get all the luggage out and to come to our room.

 

The next day, Monday, no one had come yet to see about or fix the toilet problem. It was around Wednesday before anyone showed up and they were good sports to go to a public area or our room. Someone worked on it but it never worked right~~even after they "fixed" the problem.

 

I never saw a Pool butler when I was on deck 10. I just walked to the bar and waited to get a drink. They must have been short handed. I found it was easier to get a drink in the Casino.

 

The night of Le Grand Buffet we went to take pictures. Everything was lovely. We got in line and walked thru to get some pics and a little woman forked my spouses brother in the butt with a fork and told him to get out of her way. He was in line taking pictures and she broke in line and started sticking him with a fork and told him to get out of her way she wanted something to eat. He was a good sport and tried to explain to her that it was still just PHOTO SESSION TIME and could he help her to a seat. She told him NO and stuck him again.

 

Needless to say we thought it was funny but he was getting tired of getting forked. She told him she was going to be FIRST in line to eat. Gee, she must have been very hungry?

 

Like I stated before I took the time to chat with others each day. Some complained over silly things and some had reasons to complain.

 

One lady was very upset because most of the chase chairs on deck 10 had books and towels on them every morning when she got there and she saw one other woman put stuff on 14 chairs. She came over and was really upset because no one was there to use the chairs that had towels and books in them. She sat at my table and asked if I had ever seen anything like it. I told her she may want to come earlier the next day and she said she had tried that. Said she sat the day before and waited to see what time they would show to use the chairs they had their stuff in and it was 3 hours later! I told her she missed her chance to use the chair the 3 hours they were away and that tomorrow she should move it to the next chair and if they showed up and were upset to tell them she was warming the chair. She didn't think that was a good idea.

 

This same day I was at a table smoking and I heard one lady upset that they were out of towels.

 

Opps... have a meeting and have to stop for now. Will try to post again later.

[Drew B]

Managing someone with a disability, luggage, meds and all is becoming more commonplace. So if you have to walk around them or even a bit slower for a few paces, take into consideration the motivation of these people. It takes a lot of resolve to take a cruise with a disability, and the people that care for them are getting a needed break as well.

 

Yes, we should be considerate of those with special needs, but they should be considerate of us, too. There is a big difference between waiting behind somebody with a disability who is moving as quickly and efficiently as he/she is able and waiting behind somebody who is indecisive, inconsiderate, and blocks traffic because he/she thinks that he/she is the most important one there. I've seen BOTH types on X...

[adjburch]

Has anyone else had a room on Celebrity that had busted and cracked mirror?

[greywolf19]

Have been on 30 Celeb cruises and have discovered that [and this holds true where ever you are] if there is a problem and it's not handled well then you immediately go up the chain of command ..

I generally wait about 2 hours for a problem to be corrected .. if not .. up the chain of command stairs I go .. because regardless of where I am .. if I am on vacation especially .. I will not spend time 'hoping' the problem will be fixed ..

This method does bring results and quickly .. every company has people who 'can do' and those who can't or will not do ! believe it or not those forms we fill out at the end of each cruise are read ! and no ships officer want's his name mentioned in a negative way .. it really hurts them in the pocket !! and career wise .. the same is true for any of the employee's .. they all get a score card at the end of each cruise and both the + and -'s are listed for all to see ..

[cruise crazed]

I also was on the February 4th Millenium cruise. I had a great time. There were quite a few senior citizens but most were pleasant to speak with. I have no complaints. It is not that everything was perfect but I could not have had a more relaxing, nice vacation. Service and food was fine.I have been on other Celebrity cruises and found this cruise to be up to par.

I went on the Carribean princess 5/05 and 5/06 and was on the Zuiderdam

5/04. I enjoyed all of those cruises also. I had a nice but different experience on every cruise I have taken.

I think it all depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. None of them were perfect but I that was not my expectation.

Certainly there are legitimate complaints that need to be addressed but I would encourage everyone to relax and enjoy.

[adjburch]

The busted and cracked mirror was on the wall behind the bed. (THE HEAD OF THE BED) Since I was told the ship was full I didn't make a big fuss. I do feel that this could be a DANGER to future passengers and wondered whom to contact. Any suggestions?

[rebeccalouise]

I am so sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the Millenium and that they were short-handed by the pool as you discribed.

 

I was on the Constellation (sister ship) in April of 2006 and the cruise was flawless. I was on Millenium in 2005 on a two week Transatlantic and it was absolutely wonderful.

 

The ship is going into drydock in April, so hopefully all these issues with toilets, cracked mirrors will be sorted out. I hope so since I am sailing her in July.

 

From the other comments you made and from the looks of the other cruises you took, Celebrity just might not be your cruise line. Carnival and Royal Caribbean certainly have younger crowds. I have sailed Princess and didn't think the service, food or vibe was as good as Celebrity but can see that your trip was tainted by the cracked mirror and your friends toilet issue. I can understand that.

 

I think it you are one that likes to decompress, a person who isn't looking for a lot of stimulation- other than looking out at the sea, relaxing in the indoor heated pool, dancing before dinner and meeting new friends- then you'll like Celebrity. I think it is an old-fashioned style cruise line and that's what I like about it.

[jackdiamond]

We were also on the February 11, Millennium cruise; and, we enjoyed it very much.

We always book conceirge; hence, we experience no problem with pool chairs etc. Both the T-pool and regular pools are used for exercise regimens and our balcony is utilized for resting.

Perhaps the structure of the Solstice class ships will solve most of the supposed problems to which allusion has been made in many of the comments concerning pool use and so forth, since 85 percent of the rooms will be balconies.

[sad mama]

We always book conceirge; hence, we experience no problem with pool chairs etc.

 

I wasn't aware that if you booked concierge that you have priority with pool chairs. Am I missing something?

[flutepilot]

And, the worst thing was the toilets which didn't work in our Concierge cabin or in some of the public restrooms. This was DISGUSTING!!! We called the various departments and were told that they knew about the problem. Hope they are fixed by now. BUT, the pods worked.

 

This is not Celebrity's problem, but a problem with IDIOTS:mad: who put items in their toilets which do not belong. This clogs the entire system on that line, and the clog must be cleared before any toilet on the entire line will work. We had a similar problem, and have been told exactly what I said. Having researched it further myself, it is true. It's as if somebody put a block in the main sewer line in your neighborhood at home, which would cause the entire area to stop up.

 

The only cure is to find whoever is doing it and put a rather large charge on their shipboard account for the nuisance to all others. Maybe the word would get out and the problem would stop.

 

Dan