Honest feedback and advice required

[BigAl94]

Hi All, hope current issues with Millenium get resolved satisfactorily and quickly. We have never cruised before and are due to go on a Med cruise on Millenium from Barcelona on 7 October. I have paid a deposit and am due to pay the balance to my TA by the end of July.

 

I am becoming increasingly concerned by what I have read on various forums on the net, Celebrity was recommended as being "a cut above the rest" by my TA (it's a 25th wedding surprise) but I read of reliability problems with the pods, various reports that the ship and its furnishings are getting "tired" along with falling service standards and now this issue of them apparently running the ship onto rocks which thankfully just caused damage to the props and not to the hull. I am beginning to wonder if I have made a big mistake, are Celebrity all they are supposed to be or should I pull the plug and look elsewhere.

 

I hope my concerns don't annoy faithfulls, but given all I have read, I fear they are well founded.

[mafig]

I answered you in the other thread.:)

 

Still have time to see how this plays out.

[BigAl94]

Thanks, I thought I might be hijacking the other thread. Yes, I learned about the issues with the M class here and on other sites, I will be talking to my TA who I have known for years re why this wasn't mentioned.

[caviargal]

Hi All, hope current issues with Millenium get resolved satisfactorily and quickly. We have never cruised before and are due to go on a Med cruise on Millenium from Barcelona on 7 October. I have paid a deposit and am due to pay the balance to my TA by the end of July.

 

I am becoming increasingly concerned by what I have read on various forums on the net, Celebrity was recommended as being "a cut above the rest" by my TA (it's a 25th wedding surprise) but I read of reliability problems with the pods, various reports that the ship and its furnishings are getting "tired" along with falling service standards and now this issue of them apparently running the ship onto rocks which thankfully just caused damage to the props and not to the hull. I am beginning to wonder if I have made a big mistake, are Celebrity all they are supposed to be or should I pull the plug and look elsewhere.

 

I hope my concerns don't annoy faithfulls, but given all I have read, I fear they are well founded.

 

All of your concerns are valid and you need to weigh possible disappointment with your desire to take this particular cruise to celebrate your special anniversary. There are other options to X if these issues are a real concern and if rolling with the punches is too stressful or simply not to your taste.

 

The pod problems are sporadic but real. Some posters feel that to have an itinerary altered (slightly or significantly) or ports cancelled is no big deal. I am not one of them. While I can accept ports being altered or cancelled due to weather which could compromise safety, and have had this happen on many occasions, that IMO is quite different from adjustments made to accomodate known problems or unresolved issues.

 

Some posters feel that a "bad cruise is better than a good day at work" or similar. Can't say that I agree with that either. A Med cruise is quite an investment in terms of money, planning and time and missed or delayed ports would be a disappointment to me personally.

 

I have not been on the Millenium but have read reports of her appearing "tired" in some areas. Again, there are some who are just fine with Celebrity's standards of maintenance. I was very disappointed with the condition of Mercury when I was aboard 18 months ago but the perspective of others on the same sailing was different. IMO, it is a matter of priorities and what matters to some does not matter to others.

 

Whether X is truly all it is "supposed to be" or not is also a matter of opinion. There are many who really enjoy Celebrity and find the niceties offered a step up from most of the other lines. If it is your first cruise, you are not as likely to notice much a difference in most aspects of the ship as there will be nothing to compare it to and many are impressed by their first cruise, no matter the ship.

 

If you are more comfortable switching to a line where the reviews are more consistent and would be less stressed doing so, than IMO you should do that. Pod problems cannot be predicted, period, and X has more than its share of these compared to other lines who use azipods on their ships.

 

If the reason for your cruise is primarily the experience of being at sea and enjoying the ship, I would make your decision based on that.

 

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful 25th anniversary:).

[amagar]

What a thoughful, level-headed reply!

**

That said, a couple of other scraps of opinion for BigAl.

 

We choose our cruises based on a flexible combo of itinerary, cruise line and price. Celebrity is our favorite mass-market cruise line, but only by a hair. If Princess has a better itinerary...or if Holland America offered a balcony for a good price, we wouldn't hesitate to book. (And since you're sailing in October, you won't have to worry much about being overrun with children).

 

If I was in your shoes, I would be concerned, too. But if you are happy with both the price and itinerary, I would hold tight. Lots of time. ** Also I would hope other fearful cruisers would cancel and that I could scoop up a jumbo aft balcony someone else abandoned (may be worth calling travel agent on the day after your final payment is due to see if there are openings).

 

Cheers to your for such a romantic surprise. And if you should cancel and book an alternative line, I'm sure you're wife will be just as thrilled.

[gracecarmo]

On any cruise line, stuff can happen. We have been on over 35 cruises and have had some sort of issue on many of our cruises. Missed ports due to weather, some missed ports due to engine trouble, and also propeller damage similar to the Millenium.

I always have a plan "B"....ready just in case of missed flights, etc.

 

Just book a cruise and look forward to a grand time.

[Pisces11]

On any cruise line, stuff can happen. We have been on over 35 cruises and have had some sort of issue on many of our cruises. Missed ports due to weather, some missed ports due to engine trouble, and also propeller damage similar to the Millenium.

I always have a plan "B"....ready just in case of missed flights, etc.

 

Just book a cruise and look forward to a grand time.

 

This is wonderful advice. I honestly feel that sometimes cruise sites breed complaints that the great majority of cruisers don't feel. Look at the percentage of people that commented on your post vs the number on a cruise ship and you will understand what I am saying. I was just on the Infinity and if I had followed the advice on cruise critic, I would have cancelled our cruise which would have been a shame since we had such a great time. We also really liked the Infinity and thought she was a beautiful ship. If you look for things, you will find them. I think sometimes that people that read Cruise Critic look for things so they can report back. You are placing way to much importance on people that complain about a sofa being worn. It's silly in the scheme of things. BTW, Celebrity is not the only line that has Pod problems. Celebrity is a great cruise line but that won't stop us from cruising other lines. My husband and I will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary next year and we will be looking for a special cruise on a Celebrity ship because the line is special.

[lvz2cruz]

We sailed Millennium last December. We were on the first cruise after an emergency drydock to repair the pods. We worried she would not be done in time for us, but she got done just in time. Our cruise was fantastic. I could not think of anything that could have been better. It was so wonderful that we booked the same cruise the next year. Then a few weeks in a row in January, ports were missed because of problems again. At this point we "chickened out" and cancelled and rebooked to another shiip. With our kids' school schedules, that is our only week to cruise.

You have a tough decision and no one (I consider myself a loyalist and totally understand) should judge you. This ship has its history, but any other one could have a problem between now and then.

I think once you board, you will be very happy with the experience on Millie.

Happy anniversary and congratulations.

[caviargal]

BTW, Celebrity is not the only line that has Pod problems.

 

They certainly have had far more issues with pods resulting in delays, changes and cancellations than any other line. As a TA, I always make my clients aware of the history and these possibilities. No other line mass market line currently sailing has this many issues with pods, though some have had lesser problems. My RSSC cruise was cancelled 3 days prior due to pod problems but the precedent had not been set as it had with X.

 

While some are advising the OP to just chance it, they should also be aware that a "grand time" to some does not include the problems that some seem to easily dismiss.

 

JMHO and if you were my clients celebrating an important occasion, I would not tell you to simply dismiss the possibility for problems and count on having a "grand time". :(

[Pisces11]

I think the reality of traveling nowadays is that you are much more likely to have a horrible experience flying then on a cruise ship. People need to put things in perspective. People are much more likely to post if they have had a bad experience.

[bobbyleduck]

Dear Big Al:

 

Go on your cruise. Enjoy yourself. Be flexible. Enjoy yourself.

 

We, nine of us, cruised on Infinity in March, through the Panama Canal. I read about all of the POD problems, but also read what the majority of people had to say, which was generally positive. In the end, we went and though there were problems, none of them were sufficiently important enough to have a negative impact on our "vacation of a lifetime."

 

I spent months enjoying the ongoing conversation with other Cruise Critic members who were sailing on the same cruise. A lot of us became friends while cruising and at least three of the couples, and their families, will be cruising on the TA cruise aboard Millenium in early December.

 

I suggest you check out that roll call and converse with Pamela (PamelaPage), David (Daffydd), and Donna (CajunLiner). They are experienced cruisers, who have cruised aboard Millenium class ships, and continue to do so.

 

We enjoyed our Panama Canal cruise aboard Infinity and I would never miss an opportunity to cruise aboard a Millenium class ship in the future.

 

Am I biased toward Celebrity? No! It was my 4th cruise and the three previous were aboard various Carnival ships. I have enjoyed each and every cruise and would have to line up with the people who find cruising to be one of the best ways to vacation. I can't wait for my next cruise, and just wish I were joining my "new" friends aboard Millenium on December 2. In fact, I really wish I was sailing a back-to-back cruise aboard Millenium beginning in Venice a couple weeks earlier than December 2.

 

Finally, if you would like more information about our cruise aboard Infinity, through the Panama Canal, just go to my review at:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=28065

 

I am not, and have never been a travel agent. I have no agenda, except to encourage people to embrace the positive whenever possible. Don't get down ahead of time, and make plans in advance to have a great time.

 

You will be traveling to some marvelous places, get the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and most probably enjoy your very own "cruise of a lifetime."

 

Bob

[chrismch]

There have been some great responses re: staying with your cruise. Now I would like to weigh in with my thoughts...There is not much difference with Princess or Celebrity (been on both in the last 5 months). RCL & Carnival draw a younger crowd - thus heavier drinking ( ie. the people "falling" off ships). HAL - an older crowd not much night action. All these are mass markets lines with lots of similarities (been on all). The other "upscale" lines that cruise the Med are Crystal & Oceania - at 50%+ rates. Lovely ships - but how much are you planning on spending?

 

If you are uneasy about the pod problems, you should immediately look into prices and destinations on Princess. You might not be able to equal the rates or itineraries that you have even with 3 months away. My next Celebrity cruise has gone up $1100 per person since we booked over 1 yr ago. And maybe these pod problems are like lightning - never strikes twice in the same spot (or cruise itinerary)!

[mafig]

So, BigAl, what did you decide to do?

 

What did your TA say about not informing you of the pod problems Celebrity has had?

 

BTW, congrats on your anniversary! Hope you can keep whatever you decide to do a surprise.

[cruizelvr]

It has been a while since we were onboard Millie but I can't imagine Celebrity letting her go in a state of disrepair. The service is great and the ship is beatiful, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Repairs and problems can happen on any cruiseline.

 

Celebrity had Infinity break down for a Panama Canal cruise and they "stole" our ship to use and cancelled our cruise 2 weeks before spring break, we were able to re-book a different cruise through Princess, for the same time frame. Celebrity gave us all our money back AND a FREE cruise for use anytime in one years time! I think we made our pretty good.