Just back from Millenium Nov. 2-14 cruise

[Kapuna]

This was the New Zealand / Australia cruise . Good itinerary but not so good onboard experience .

 

Although we had some bad weather in New Zealand , the sights were generally beautiful with especially inspiring vistas in the fjords . Australia weather was perfect and Melbourne and Sydney very enjoyable .

 

The ship needs renovation . On the first day our room keys would not work at all , balcony furniture was ragged , etc . Service in the main dining room was slow , but the alternative dining on deck 10 was excellent . Tuxedo rental was pretty much a waste of money .

 

Overall we were satisfied with what we saw but Celebrity fell short of expectation .

[kenevenpar]

Can you go into more details? Was tux rental a waste because no one was wearing tuxes or was quality bad? Electronic room keys are problematic from time to time on All ships. How was the food in the main DR? etc.

 

Thanks,

 

Ken

[Sky Sweet]

This was the New Zealand / Australia cruise . Good itinerary but not so good onboard experience .

 

Although we had some bad weather in New Zealand , the sights were generally beautiful with especially inspiring vistas in the fjords . Australia weather was perfect and Melbourne and Sydney very enjoyable .

 

The ship needs renovation . On the first day our room keys would not work at all , balcony furniture was ragged , etc . Service in the main dining room was slow , but the alternative dining on deck 10 was excellent . Tuxedo rental was pretty much a waste of money .

 

Overall we were satisfied with what we saw but Celebrity fell short of expectation .

 

Hi Kapuna - Thanks for your review :)

 

Did Celebrity fall short of your expectations based on previous Celebrity Cruises or what people had told you about Celebrity?

 

Was the tux a waste of money because not that many people were wearing them?

 

Does the ship need renovations because its decor is dated, soft goods were worn, or due to more major issues?

[dadsbdaycruiser]

I too was on the same cruise... and am booked with a larger group on the Millenium for Alaska. The ship is going into drydock, and I think they are defering some maint because of this (I spoke with several onboard, they said all the soft goods and most of carpeting will be replaced, as well as quite a few other changes- couldn't promise, but sounds like some of common rooms will be moved around and more alternative dining added). It is a wonderful trip- and yes, there is some maint needed, but in general we really liked the ship, and the spa cafe and service were wonderful. There weren't a lot of tuxes, as there was a large German group which had sailed from Honolulu as well as more then half the ship was on B2B cruises, and as such it made for a bit more casual cruise. The docking spot in Sydney was PERFECT and you couldn't find a hotel with a better location, don't know if this will change later in season. Several ports told us we were the first cruise ship they had seen this season. We had a lovely cabin, and there were quite a few who booked later on and liked it. I will be interested how the ship changes after drydock- as I will be on one of the first cruises after the drydock and one of a few months before so I think I have a good idea of the condition as it goes in. I suspect the ship will be very nice- I went on the Century shortly after it was redone, and they did a good job, but I am afraid that some of the wonderful crew that have been on the ship together will be missed. If you have a chance to do this trip, DO IT. The scenary is amazing- I would have loved a stop in Tasmania before as I have been there before and loved it and it actually is quite similar to New Zealand. I was afraid a 12 day would be too long, but could have done another week.

[Kipling]

-----Tuxedo rental was pretty much a waste of money .

 

Like the others I would be grateful if you could elaborate on this?

Cheers

[DallasTravelers]

We have yet to book our excurions for this trip. Can you recommend any that you enjoyed or heard others discuss at the various ports.

[DallasTravelers]

We have not yet booked our excursions but we leave in two days. Can you recommend any of the excursions?

[new-oz]

This was the New Zealand / Australia cruise . Good itinerary but not so good onboard experience .

 

Although we had some bad weather in New Zealand , the sights were generally beautiful with especially inspiring vistas in the fjords . Australia weather was perfect and Melbourne and Sydney very enjoyable .

 

The ship needs renovation . On the first day our room keys would not work at all , balcony furniture was ragged , etc . Service in the main dining room was slow , but the alternative dining on deck 10 was excellent . Tuxedo rental was pretty much a waste of money .

 

Overall we were satisfied with what we saw but Celebrity fell short of expectation .

 

THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THE NEWZELAND/OZ CRUISE.....

 

Did you do any trips and if so what do you recommend?

 

We are expecting the ship to look a bit tired after 8 years of service but does this really affect the overal experience of the cruise?

[new-oz]

I too was on the same cruise... and am booked with a larger group on the Millenium for Alaska. The ship is going into drydock, and I think they are defering some maint because of this (I spoke with several onboard, they said all the soft goods and most of carpeting will be replaced, as well as quite a few other changes- couldn't promise, but sounds like some of common rooms will be moved around and more alternative dining added). It is a wonderful trip- and yes, there is some maint needed, but in general we really liked the ship, and the spa cafe and service were wonderful. There weren't a lot of tuxes, as there was a large German group which had sailed from Honolulu as well as more then half the ship was on B2B cruises, and as such it made for a bit more casual cruise. The docking spot in Sydney was PERFECT and you couldn't find a hotel with a better location, don't know if this will change later in season. Several ports told us we were the first cruise ship they had seen this season. We had a lovely cabin, and there were quite a few who booked later on and liked it. I will be interested how the ship changes after drydock- as I will be on one of the first cruises after the drydock and one of a few months before so I think I have a good idea of the condition as it goes in. I suspect the ship will be very nice- I went on the Century shortly after it was redone, and they did a good job, but I am afraid that some of the wonderful crew that have been on the ship together will be missed. If you have a chance to do this trip, DO IT. The scenary is amazing- I would have loved a stop in Tasmania before as I have been there before and loved it and it actually is quite similar to New Zealand. I was afraid a 12 day would be too long, but could have done another week.

 

 

Thanks for your really helpfull advice...

 

Do you have any tips for making the most of/best of this cruise trip?

 

Many thanks

 

Laurence from the UK

[Kapuna]

I am happy to provide more details ; "dadsbdaycruiser" has given a good summary .

 

1) Tuxedo rental . Although I had provided accurate measurements neither the jacket or trousers fit and had to be altered . Moreover , substantually fewer men than I had expected wore tuxedos and I would not have felt out of place without one .

 

2) Maintainance . Let me just say that we received two letters of apology from management regarding the problems we encountered .

 

3) Food . We thought the menus in the dining room were pretty repetitive and the food quality not outstanding . But the food and service in the alternative dining were excellent .

 

4) Excursions . We found the shore excursion people to be poorly informed and less than helpful . In some ports they sold us shuttle tickets when free shuttles were available and port information handouts were inaccurate or outdated . Many excursions could be bought on the dock at much lower prices than through the onboard office .

 

5) Comparison with other cruise lines . We did a similar cruise on Holland America and had a higher level of satisfaction , but at a considerably higher price for comparable accomodations .

 

Overall , we do not regret taking this cruise and are willing to take the good with the bad .

[new-oz]

I am happy to provide more details ; "dadsbdaycruiser" has given a good summary .

 

1) Tuxedo rental . Although I had provided accurate measurements neither the jacket or trousers fit and had to be altered . Moreover , substantually fewer men than I had expected wore tuxedos and I would not have felt out of place without one .

 

2) Maintainance . Let me just say that we received two letters of apology from management regarding the problems we encountered .

 

3) Food . We thought the menus in the dining room were pretty repetitive and the food quality not outstanding . But the food and service in the alternative dining were excellent .

 

4) Excursions . We found the shore excursion people to be poorly informed and less than helpful . In some ports they sold us shuttle tickets when free shuttles were available and port information handouts were inaccurate or outdated . Many excursions could be bought on the dock at much lower prices than through the onboard office .

 

5) Comparison with other cruise lines . We did a similar cruise on Holland America and had a higher level of satisfaction , but at a considerably higher price for comparable accomodations .

 

Overall , we do not regret taking this cruise and are willing to take the good with the bad .

 

Thanks for your reply - cheers

[Kipling]

 

1) Tuxedo rental . Although I had provided accurate measurements neither the jacket or trousers fit and had to be altered . Moreover , substantually fewer men than I had expected wore tuxedos and I would not have felt out of place without one .

 

 

 

Thanks for that.

I will try to get away with a jacket and tie.

Cheers

[bug_dan]

Kapuna,

 

We were on the Ensenada to Hawaii leg of the Millenium's Oct 6 2008 sailing to Australia.

 

You weren't in cabin 7188 per chance:D We too had problems with the door. After returning to the ship on Kauai, our key cards wouldn't open the door. We went down to customer service and were told that we must have gotten the cards near a magnet, or had them near credit cards. The cards were reprogrammed and we went back to the cabin, but the new cards didn't work either. Back down to deck 3 and talked to the same clerk. She contacted maintenance and by the time we got back to the cabin someone was there. He confirmed that our cards wouldn't work, then tried his card, it wouldn't work either. About that time a supervisor came along and opened the door with her key. The maintenance man then proceeded to reprogram the door lock then left with my wife and I in the cabin. We decided to go up for our usual ice cream, only problem was now we were locked in the cabin:D We called the desk and they sent another maintenance man up and he finally got the door fixed or so we thought. On our last day in Honolulu, we left the ship before 7 am to move our car, but when we got back to the cabin, the key cards would no longer work. I'm jealous, we never got so much as we're sorry, let alone a letter.

[tak2]

I am happy to provide more details ; .3) Food . We thought the menus in the dining room were pretty repetitive and the food quality not outstanding . But the food and service in the alternative dining were excellent .

 

.....

 

Are you referring to casual dining on deck 10, or Specialty dining? Or both? Perhaps I should plan on having the majority of dinners at those two places.

Are the formal nights better in terms of food quality in MDR?

I'll be on the March 2009 cruise.:D

Hope my bed is comfortable( our group have 8145/8147)

[Kapuna]

I refer to the alternative dining on deck 10 . Yes , the menu is better on formal nights ; we wound up eating in the dining room only on formal nights . By the way , the steak on the room service menu is great .

[dadsbdaycruiser]

Olympic dining room was great (alternative). I know one couple who ate there 6 nights- I have dined in Queen's Grill on Cunard, and this was a much better experience. In reality you could go there every night ($400 per person) and have a "first class" experience, that rivals anything Cunard has, and stay in a smaller cabin. The manager of the Olympic dining room was also the manager of the Spa Cafe- which was my favorite place for lunch onboard. Presentation, service and food were all great... and if you have an "extra" 15 minutes, order the hot special it was very good (usually fish of some kind). For excursions, here were our tips:

 

Roturua: Pegasus rental cars has offices in most of the ports and we rented a car and they brought car right to the ship. Price was good ($80NZ I think for a nice sized car) and the driving very easy. We went to the spas, and rafting. Rafting is amazing but not for most (went down 21 foot waterfall)- used Raftabouts, and had a great time (all level 4s and 5s). Went to Polynesian spa and had the "lake package" which was really nice. Ate at the Fat Dog restaurant which was also very good. Looked at thermal spas. Several people we knew went on the glowworm cave excursion with the ship and really liked it- they went to a very cool quirky farm and saw a pig who moondanced.

 

Wellington: Did a winery tour with Flat Earth and loved it. Went with friends we met on ship, and went to 4 wineries, had a great guide and a delicious lunch. They also do a lot of Lord of the Rings tours (the owner of company was an actor)- and I believe they contract with the ship- so book direct and I bet the price is much better (the NZ dollar is really good for us right now). We also saw rain forest and some beautiful scenary.

 

Christchurch: We didn't do so much there- but had a fantastic cab driver pick us up who took an English couple on a tour for $65NZ per hour- would have gone if my friend didn't feel sick. Friends went to Antartic adventure and had fun, we went "punting" on the river, but went towards town- make sure you go through Bontanic Gardens (different place). Christchurch is a very good place to ride a cab into town and has a well organized tourist office which can book anything. Save your money and use them... also if with another couple- take a cab (skip the ship bus)- you might get lucky and like your driver... and long lines for the bus going both ways. Some friends went to Akarona (sp?) and absolutely loved it. Also we drove by some very pretty seaside suburbs which would be lovely in a few months (a little cold).

 

Dunedin: My favorite! Wake up early for the ride in, the scenary is breathtaking. Penguin 4WD (can be booked through ship or on your own) by Natural Wonders (company that ran it) was AMAZING- on Otago Penninsula. Absolutely loved it- scenary, experience- everything. Also went to the "Castle" (built by a tycoon on top of the Pennisula) and absolutely loved the castle and the Gardens. Went with a group $145NZ was better then the ship (they organized the castle and penguin trip).

 

Sounds Cruising: All Beautiful, but Milford is the one to see. Had very good weather for them. We were in Celebrity Suite which was great, but only let you see one side of the ship. Friends had a veranda CC room off the back and had a party- which really was better for the Fjords. The actual room was a bit dated, but verandas let you see both sides at once which was perfect... other option are the outside decks work very well too (outside teak tables on deck 10).

 

Melbourne: Love it- been several times before. Visited friends, lots to see. If in town for the Australian Open- GO! It is very inexpensive and a lot of fun and you will see a lot of tennis. Love the botanic gardens, the spa by the pier and the center of town. Easy to navigate by walking and mass transit- there was a tourist center as you got off the ship in cruise terminal, and would be an easy on your own destination.

 

Sydney: What can I say, on one side of the ship was the Opera House on the other was the Bridge. The "Rocks" was 5 minute walk (Pony, Sailor Thai restaurants and all the pubs along main road are great). Love weekend markets in the rocks if that works out time wise . Love Bondi and Coogee Beach. Friends went to the Zoo and absolutely loved it. Bridge Climb is fun, but expensive and do not go if the weather isn't "perfect" (can book same day). I've been to Sydney several times, and think it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Botanic gardens and a charming restaurant is great there for lunch. Fish markets are a fun casual lunch choice. Don't be afraid of going on your own in Sydney and pretty much everything there is great.

 

One last thought... a cab ride from ship is about $30ASD to airport. You don't need to do the transfer... and if you are staying at the Four Seasons (we did and enjoyed it) or one of the downtown hotels on harbor (hyatt as well, as well as a few more) you don't need a cab at all.

 

Hope this helps a little! You will have an incredible trip... and the exchange rates are great right now (we have dollars, pounds have got to be better). Have fun... it is an amazing experience. One last tip- they are moving rates around, and check Celebrity online to see price drops (with the economy so strange- it is changing) and you either might get money back or a better cabin (we did a deluxe guarantee and absolutely loved our Celebrity Suite- didn't miss the balcony execpt for during fjords). Even if you have a TA... check yourself and bug them. They usually can get a rate reduction. If you haven't booked, there are some great deals for these cruises, several we met (including us) booked within a month of departure and airfares are good too.

[Rouge Wave]

Kapuna,

 

We were on the Ensenada to Hawaii leg of the Millenium's Oct 6 2008 sailing to Australia.

 

You weren't in cabin 7188 per chance:D We too had problems with the door. After returning to the ship on Kauai, our key cards wouldn't open the door. We went down to customer service and were told that we must have gotten the cards near a magnet, or had them near credit cards. The cards were reprogrammed and we went back to the cabin, but the new cards didn't work either. Back down to deck 3 and talked to the same clerk. She contacted maintenance and by the time we got back to the cabin someone was there. He confirmed that our cards wouldn't work, then tried his card, it wouldn't work either. About that time a supervisor came along and opened the door with her key. The maintenance man then proceeded to reprogram the door lock then left with my wife and I in the cabin. We decided to go up for our usual ice cream, only problem was now we were locked in the cabin:D We called the desk and they sent another maintenance man up and he finally got the door fixed or so we thought. On our last day in Honolulu, we left the ship before 7 am to move our car, but when we got back to the cabin, the key cards would no longer work. I'm jealous, we never got so much as we're sorry, let alone a letter.

 

WOW, it was like reading what occurred with the key card (8046) when I/we were on Millennium just a week before you were. Over the course of 14 days I ended up with 5 different key cards. (My GF 3) It got to where the Room Steward or his assistant would just open the door up for me/us when they saw us coming. (Yes, I know they will often do such anyway, but this was done overtly, it was clear it was not just the routine)

 

I know it was not just us, I made friends with two different other pax because we kept finding ourselves at the CS desk at the same time with the same card problem. Don’t get me wrong the crew was always helpful although the process for correcting the problem did at first always start with blaming me for getting to close to a magnet..... and the first time I was willing to believe such was the case. (In-fact the outstanding crew service/attitude was the bright spot for this ship) Twice I was walked back to the cabin so the CS person could verify the problem.

 

Yes, the assorted cards were “reprogrammed” numerous times all to no helpful effect and the only thing that seemed to work was a new card being issued. (The cards always showed as being “good” at the CS desk) However, this process really screwed with security each time we re-boarded the ship because somehow, each new card made me into my GF and her into I, from security’s point of view. We would leave the ship and when we got back on, her pic would show for me and my pic would show up for her. This drove security nuts. Then when we went back to our cabin either her card or mine or both would not work.

 

Really we found this all to be rather amusing, I always made sure to have a fresh drink in hand when dealing with the card "problem" at the CS desk and we took it in stride. There were enough other serious issues on this ship with the overall condition and the lousy, horrid food that the card problem was amusing vs stressful.