Millennium - Dry Dock

[ladyjane550]

I have heard that the Millie is showing it's wear. When was it last in Dry Dock? I have sailed on RCCL and Princess and wanted to try a different cruiseline, but I am worried about being disappointed. If anyone has been on her lately please let me know.

[d&a Delaware]

Topic much discussed on another thread. Try this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=596416

[mahdnc]

We sailed Millennium in June and I thought she looked in excellent shape. Our best comparison was Infinity and we sailed her when she was brand new.

 

BTW, Millennium had its last scheduled dry dock back in April 2007 which lasted for 2+ weeks. There was an installation of an auxiliary diesel unit to provide electricity. But carpets, etc were replaced.

[dbh62ark]

But carpets, etc were replaced.

I was on the May 25th sailing. The carpet in my cabin and the carpet in a number of cabins that I visited (I'm not a travel agent so was just visiting fellow passengers) was in really bad shape. It had NOT been replaced (7th floor 2B balcony cabins and elsewhere on 6th, 7th, and 9th floors).

 

Donna

[chessbriar]

She was in drydock back in either March or April 2007

[mahdnc]

Donna,

 

I should have said that some of the public areas had their carpet replaced. The carpet in our cabin was not replaced either although it was in very good shape.

[dbh62ark]

Dona, As a stockholder it does seem strange that after just coming out of dry dock that lasted over 2 weeks that these kind of basic maintenance items on the Millennium would not be taken care of. X is still a good cruise line, but as I have said before "you can only live off your past reputation for so long". With the number of much newer ships coming along from other cruise lines I would hope that soon Celebrity will form some kind of a maintenance plan that is effective.

Yes, you would think so. This is not a budget cruise line. See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=568198&highlight=carpet for a similar thread.

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

Donna,

 

I should have said that some of the public areas had their carpet replaced. The carpet in our cabin was not replaced either although it was in very good shape.

Yes, we saw some new carpet in the public areas too. But the curtains and carpet were bad in nearly all of the cabins that we were in.

 

Donna

[dkjretired]

Dona, As a stockholder it does seem strange that after just coming out of dry dock that lasted over 2 weeks that these kind of basic maintenance items on the Millennium would not be taken care of. X is still a good cruise line, but as I have said before "you can only live off your past reputation for so long". With the number of much newer ships coming along from other cruise lines I would hope that soon Celebrity will form some kind of a maintenance plan that is effective.

 

They may not have been done because most have a major misconception about the purposes of drydocks. Ships are not put in drydock to change carpet etc but to do maintenance that can't be done at sea. Pretty much all the things mentioned in this thread do not require drydock to be completed and can be done on a normal basis.

[dbh62ark]

They may not have been done because most have a major misconception about the purposes of drydocks. Ships are not put in drydock to change carpet etc but to do maintenance that can't be done at sea. Pretty much all the things mentioned in this thread do not require drydock to be completed and can be done on a normal basis.

But what happened to logic with the cruise lines (and yes, this applies to others as well)? Changing worn and stained carpet during a drydock would be a good plan for the cruise line and for the passengers.

 

Donna

[pniffer]

I came off the Millie on Sunday. I had never sailed Celebrity before but was anticipating a standard better than anything I had experienced before (see below for my previous sailings). I was quite disappointed at the standard of soft furnishings and lack of repairs in some places. For example, the stateroom I had was CC class, and the curtain was quite dirty where the doors slide onto the balcony, and some of the decorative metal rings were missing from the wardrobe doors. By the Cosmos nightclub was a huge clock type neon lit sign, of which several lights were missing or damaged, and the feature at the side of the pool which lit up at night was also 35% damaged. The bench seats in the buffet restaurant were positively grubby in parts. This I was not expecting in this standard of ship. I am due to sail Zuiderdam in November, and I am wondering how this will compare to the Noordam which I thoroughly enjoyed last year.

[BlackPear]

I came off the Millie on Sunday. I had never sailed Celebrity before but was anticipating a standard better than anything I had experienced before (see below for my previous sailings). I was quite disappointed at the standard of soft furnishings and lack of repairs in some places. For example, the stateroom I had was CC class, and the curtain was quite dirty where the doors slide onto the balcony, and some of the decorative metal rings were missing from the wardrobe doors. By the Cosmos nightclub was a huge clock type neon lit sign, of which several lights were missing or damaged, and the feature at the side of the pool which lit up at night was also 35% damaged. The bench seats in the buffet restaurant were positively grubby in parts. This I was not expecting in this standard of ship. I am due to sail Zuiderdam in November, and I am wondering how this will compare to the Noordam which I thoroughly enjoyed last year.

 

That is really disappointing to read. I hope it didn't spoil your cruise too much.

 

How do you feel overall about the Millie or Celebrity experience?

[dkjretired]

But what happened to logic with the cruise lines (and yes, this applies to others as well)? Changing worn and stained carpet during a drydock would be a good plan for the cruise line and for the passengers.

 

Donna

 

I'm not saying they don't do things such as carpet, etc., only making the point that that is not the purpose of drydock. Those things can be done without drydock and are done on a regular basis.

[BILLP1]

Do you think that they could get that much carpet ordered and sent to Italy during an unexpected dry dock?

 

I am sure that is a special order for them..

[ladyjane550]

After all these negatives about the Millie - I think I am going to cancel and go with Princess or RCCL - I never had a problem with their ships. Sounds like the Millie is in very poor condition. I have very high expectations on the quality of my stateroom, and I don't think she will be a good choice for me - I am going to try RCCL - JEWEL of the Seas. I have been on the Radiance and she was perfect.

[dbh62ark]

Do you think that they could get that much carpet ordered and sent to Italy during an unexpected dry dock?

 

I am sure that is a special order for them..

Someone can correct me if I am wrong because there seems to be some misunderstanding on this subject on this thread, but it's my understanding that the Millennium was in dry dock twice this year. One dry dock this summer was unexpected and was due to the ship hitting some rocks in Villefranche (sounds like someone was negligent to me, but that remains to be seen for sure). The other dry dock was in the spring to work on pod issues and had been planned for a long time. There was more than ample time to order carpet to be replaced during the spring dry dock.

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

After all these negatives about the Millie - I think I am going to cancel and go with Princess or RCCL - I never had a problem with their ships. Sounds like the Millie is in very poor condition. I have very high expectations on the quality of my stateroom, and I don't think she will be a good choice for me - I am going to try RCCL - JEWEL of the Seas. I have been on the Radiance and she was perfect.

Have a great trip. :)

 

Donna

[mahdnc]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong because there seems to be some misunderstanding on this subject on this thread, but it's my understanding that the Millennium was in dry dock twice this year. One dry dock this summer was unexpected and was due to the ship hitting some rocks in Villefranche (sounds like someone was negligent to me, but that remains to be seen for sure). The other dry dock was in the spring to work on pod issues and had been planned for a long time. There was more than ample time to order carpet to be replaced during the spring dry dock.

 

Donna

 

There was a scheduled 2.5 week drydock in April after Millennium completed her transatlantic sailing to Europe. This drydock had been scheduled well in advance and one of the major things that was done was the installation of an auxiliary diesel unit to provide electrical power.

 

Then of course was the unscheduled July drydock in Italy to repair the damaged propeller blades.

[dbh62ark]

There was a scheduled 2.5 week drydock in April after Millennium completed her transatlantic sailing to Europe. This drydock had been scheduled well in advance and one of the major things that was done was the installation of an auxiliary diesel unit to provide electrical power.

 

Then of course was the unscheduled July drydock in Italy to repair the damaged propeller blades.

That was also my understanding, so thanks for the clarification.

 

Donna

[penorment]

Oh my, I haven't been on the boards for weeks since my June cruise on the Millie but I have to say my cruise was wonderful. We were lucky to have the cruise before the Villefrance debacle. I had a Royal Suite and my carpets were FINE not perfect but certainly nothing I would base my cruise decisions on. My family can not stop talking about what a wonderful cruise we had. The crew on the Millie were wonderful, the company was wonderful, the ports were wonderful. Yes there was some wear and tear to be seen if you were looking for it. Since I spent way tooo much time on these boards in advance of my cruise I was looking for it but you know what...it didn't matter!!! We had a great time anyway. I did not care what the carpets looked like and guess what, they weren't that bad. Please don't base your cruise line choice on what people say the carpets look like: it is the overall experience that matters and I think our cruise was the best of many(and we have cruised just about all the mass market cruises) though I would like to try the upscale lines like Silversea just for educational purposes of course.

[pniffer]

That is really disappointing to read. I hope it didn't spoil your cruise too much.

 

How do you feel overall about the Millie or Celebrity experience?

 

Overall, very similar to HAL. The point I was trying to make was that I had been led to believe that Celebrity M class was a cut above the cruise ships I had previously sailed, and it certainly wasn't. I would sail again but my expectation would be lower and I would not pay over the odds for the privilege.

 

I did ask the crew what they had been doing whilst the Millie was in the unscheduled drydock in July, and they said that they had been cleaning and doing jobs they otherwise didn't get the chance to do. They spent the rest of the time on the beaches of Sicily!

[pierog]

Oh my, I haven't been on the boards for weeks since my June cruise on the Millie but I have to say my cruise was wonderful. We were lucky to have the cruise before the Villefrance debacle. I had a Royal Suite and my carpets were FINE not perfect but certainly nothing I would base my cruise decisions on. My family can not stop talking about what a wonderful cruise we had. The crew on the Millie were wonderful, the company was wonderful, the ports were wonderful. Yes there was some wear and tear to be seen if you were looking for it. Since I spent way tooo much time on these boards in advance of my cruise I was looking for it but you know what...it didn't matter!!! We had a great time anyway. I did not care what the carpets looked like and guess what, they weren't that bad. Please don't base your cruise line choice on what people say the carpets look like: it is the overall experience that matters and I think our cruise was the best of many(and we have cruised just about all the mass market cruises) though I would like to try the upscale lines like Silversea just for educational purposes of course.

 

Hello there Maureen and David! ( Penorment, Mahdnc and I were on the same cruise). We had a great time also, have to say the interior was prettier and less dated than HAL Rotterdam. Did not notice any wear and tear on the carpets, and have to say that I kept looking for it, seems there's a fixation on these boards with "wear and tear" on the carpets...

 

This drydock had been scheduled well in advance and one of the major things that was done was the installation of an auxiliary diesel unit to provide electrical power. Hope they didnt throw their invoice away on that unit. It was an electrical failure that caused them to drif into the rocks and break the propellers.

 

Maureen, love the way you put it. I would also like to cruise with Silvesea or Regent "for educational purposes". Have to say though that Holland America's service was better than Celebrity, but the ports of call can't be beaten, and like penorment we had overall one of the best cruises of our lives ( done Cunard, HAL, NCL, Windstar before). The itinerary is what makes a cruise, and also the wonderful people you get to meet;) .

 

C ya guys, I need to start making plans for our next cruise...for educational purposes of course :D

[mahdnc]

Hello, Maureen and Piero!!

 

I also like the educational purposes comment. Makes me think you can get a scholarship to go cruising!

[florisdekort]

It is all on they eye of the beholder. Some people see wear and tear everywhere. If you enjoy Pricess, you'll also enjoy Millennium. I was on her last right before the extended dry dock, in March, and didn't notice anything wrong with the carpets and curtains. We did watch a gazillion rolls of new carpet being loaded at the various ports of call during our cruise.

 

But then again, I am not one of these people walking around with my eyes fixed on the floor, trying to find something to write a letter of complaint about. I mostly go on vacations to have fun :D

 

Floris

[dbh62ark]

Overall, very similar to HAL. The point I was trying to make was that I had been led to believe that Celebrity M class was a cut above the cruise ships I had previously sailed, and it certainly wasn't. I would sail again but my expectation would be lower and I would not pay over the odds for the privilege.

Point taken. The fact is that even though some board members won’t hear a word against Celebrity and try to confuse the issue, the reports here and elsewhere state that the carpet is not in good condition (what are all those stains anyway—yuck!!!!). You paid for and had a reasonable expectation that your carpet would be clean, and it was not. Celebrity has the resources to fix these types of issues and could/should have done so. No amount of arguing will change that fact.

 

Donna