Celebrity Millennium Reviews

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Our previous cruising experience includes four cruises on two other cruise lines and we traveled with and without children once on each of those cruise lines. We were looking forward to this cruise as a time for us as a couple to relax and enjoy lots of activities and pampering like we'd experienced on the other ships. That is not what we received. The boarding/embarkation experience and the disembarkation experience were both better than we have experienced on other lines so that part was terrific - the highlight of the trip, sadly. Hardly any waiting getting on or off the ship. Our last Carnival Cruise had horrific delays getting off the ship so this was a welcomed experience. However, it went downhill from there. We were not informed that this cruise was the "last before 3 weeks in dry-dock". If you find out that kind of info about a cruise...RUN AWAY QUICKLY!!! They weren't waiting for dry dock to begin repairs. This news was evident from our first encounter with staff once aboard. Our cabin steward informed us her assistant had already gone home because they were headed to dry-dock the following week. That is how she explained the empty tissue holder in our bathroom and unlocked mini-bar missing items when we checked into the room. We never had any opportunities to get to know her or feel like she cared about us at all since we had prepaid gratuities. There were none of the famous towel characters we have always had on other ships (a highlight for our kids to see pics of when we return home), or polite conversation with her as we passed in the hall as she was always too busy talking on a radio or to other staff. We've always tipped our stewards above and beyond when they go above and beyond. No extra tips earned on this cruise. This lackluster service continued throughout the ship. It was the most unfriendly crew I've ever seen. They don't seem to care if they receive extra tips or not. After an exhausting travel day, we were looking forward to sleeping in until 10 or so on that first morning but that was not to be. We were greeted at 8am by the banging of large hammers on steel directly below our room. This continued non-stop until we finally got dressed and left the room 1.5 hrs later. So much for relaxing. Many areas of the ship were closed. Many of the open areas were often filled with the smells of paints and stains. The main thing open was the pool area which was so crowded we couldn't find chairs so we only got to use the pool once and it was so deep we couldn't touch so there wasn't much relaxing to it as you either had to tread water or hold onto the rail since there wasn't much room to float. We did work out once in the fitness center but many of the group exercise classes offered had an additional charge which was another disappointment. We love to be active on our cruises and this ship did not offer any of that. To compare, Navigator of the Seas on RC offers: roller-blading, ice skating, mini-golf, rock climbing, pools, sports court, fitness center, towel-folding classes, and more. This one had only the sports court (which we didn't make it to because it was secluded amid lots of construction so we weren't even sure if it was open), pool, fitness center, and the closed down mini-golf. We went to the "movie theater" which consisted of a projection screen in a small conference room with uncomfortable chairs and bad picture quality on the screen. This ship seemed more like a con to try to get you on board to bleed you dry of additional funds rather than an all-inclusive vacation experience. Other ships in their fleet may be different but we're not willing to take that chance. We had friends who brought their children on board at a charge of $700 per child and were greeted with news that every area of the ship for the children was closed. They moved the children's "camp" area to a storage closet with some video games in it. Mini-golf was closed, ping pong was closed the first few days, shuffle board sticks were broken or missing, etc. They were so livid they are pursuing refunds for the children because there was nothing but a very deep pool to entertain them. The staff at the guest services desk made no effort to rectify the situation for them. We were thankful we'd left our kids at home. This is definitely not the ship to bring young children on. Stick to Royal Caribbean or Carnival if you are bringing the family. We took ours on the Navigator of the Seas and we'll be hard-pressed to get our kids on a lesser ship after that. On this ship, even the older guests were complaining of nothing to do. One older couple told us they had complained and been given a complimentary dinner in one of the paid dining places. Wish we'd have complained more loudly. They seemed to roll up the sidewalks at midnight. I heard complaints from many of the older folks that they were kicked out of the casino at 1am with nothing else left for them to do. For those of us who like to get the most out of our vacation $, this was not the place to do it. If you didn't like dancing in clubs or singing, there really wasn't anything else to do after the main stage show of the evening. On this ship, we had a balcony room on deck 6 but it was so covered in sea-spray/salt and had such cheap "Motel 6" type lawn furniture made of plastic straps and was so unclean we had to clean it off before being able to use it. I tried to sit outside one night at sea and birds kept dive-bombing our balcony and almost hitting me. One got injured and laid out there on the next balcony making sad noises all night. Our friends had a child lean up again their balcony rail and it bleached her brand new shirt - apparently some cleanser the staff had used on the rail was not washed off or else had blown onto it from the construction on other decks, we're not sure. The cost of the balcony was definitely not worth it so we'll save our money in the future and stay inside like we have done in the past. The caliber of entertainers they had on board was great but there just weren't enough options for things to do. Some of the best activities offered were offered on days we were in port and out on excursions so we couldn't participate. Other times, when they offered something good, they offered all their good activities for that day at the same time or in the same location so you had to choose and then had nothing else to do. While listening to the staff answer questions for the galley tour, we were constantly bothered by the trivia challenge game going on right behind us in the same room. Thank goodness we like to dance because we wouldn't have had anything to do the entire last day at sea if we hadn't gone to the different dancing classes taught throughout the day. We hoped that the renovations which were forthcoming for the ship would add activities and upgrade existing things but we were informed they are primarily just adding 5 new dining experiences which will all charge you extra money. This being a highly rated ship, we found the focus was almost exclusively on the food and very little on the service. Even the chocolates on the bed at night were "fancy" - chocolate with some added thing like lavender or citrus which skewed the flavor so we gave up on them. What happened to mint? While it was nice to be able to choose what time we would eat dinner on the select dining option, many times the time we wanted was already full so we had to go earlier or later than we wanted anyway. Once there, it usually took 1 hr 45 minutes to 2hrs+ for them to complete meal service which kept us from being able to enjoy many of the evening activities. Again, the food selections were either very plain (the set menu of options on the left side of the menu didn't change all week) or very "fancy". For someone who doesn't adore mushrooms or seafood, this was very disappointing. Few were the appetizers that sounded appetizing to the average palate and other than mushrooms and seafood there really isn't much that I don't love. Some of the dishes were wonderful such as the quail (which had lots of mushrooms) my husband had and loved but this was the first cruise where he didn't ask for a second lobster because this one was not cooked properly. For a ship boasting of their food, I gained half the weight I did on previous cruises just because there wasn't much tempting me and I'm quite a foodie. Our waiter barely spoke to us except to take our order and made no conversation to try to add to our experience or earn add'l tipping. On other lines, we have enjoyed fun shows from the waitstaff during dinner so this was another disappointment. The atmosphere at dinner was blah. One evening they attempted some form of show but only a limited number of tables could see or hear what they were doing and we had no view at all from where they seated us and dozens of other tables around us - a complete waste. I could not note one point of service that I felt came close to what we've experienced on other ships. We can still recall the name of our waiters from most previous cruises because they were so fun and friendly. Not this time. He kept disappearing and didn't have time to visit. The only time you got attention was if you dared to touch the wine list, if you did there were two folks ready to take your order. We don't drink alcohol so us touching it was only happening so we could see each other or make room for other things. The food on the ship is touted as top notch because everything is made fresh on board. Don't be fooled, that doesn't make it taste better, it just takes longer to prepare. The ice creams were homemade but only one flavor tasted as good as any brand we've had from a supermarket. We were sent a bottle of champagne with a note that said for us to enjoy the rest of our trip. We don't drink alcohol so I asked if we could trade it for sparkling juice or anything. We were told no, that it was the thought that counted. Thought doesn't count when it's thoughtlessly something the person will never use. We just left it in our room. There were no credits offered on our room price or anything that would be a gesture on the part of the cruise line to acknowledge they should not have had passengers on board with all the construction on board. That lack of service being tolerated is why you won't likely ever find us cruising on any future Celebrity sailings. We docked in Cozumel next to the Oasis of the Seas and everyone we talked to on the pier said they wished we could just go and take an excursion over to that ship where there might actually be things to do and to plan our next cruise on that ship. For the price paid for this balcony room, we could have been on the Oasis and that's probably the most disheartening thing of all. Our plane ride home was spent next to a couple who had been on the Oasis and they couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was and describing the shows, the activities, the ship. That ship will likely be our next cruise destination.

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Great things we enjoyed: ?Our cabin stewards [Wayan and his assistant] were very friendly and great. They have done their best to accommodate our daily needs with smiles. ?Our dining room waiters [Teguh and Dana] were also great. ?The entertainment team is one of the best we have seen among other competitors ? especially Kimika Duo [they are fabulous ? we have seen them performed several times in the past at the Caribbean Princess and HAL], the production show ?iBroadway? was very well presented with very talented and energetic cast [not too crazy about ?Boogie Wonderland? ? a little corny], the Full Tilt, the dance band [sorry, I forgot their names ? the Filipino group] and your show room band [very tight and solid sound, pleasant to listen to]. ?We enjoyed the bright, spacious and casualness of the buffet restaurant on deck 10 and simply loved the Solarium pool, Jacuzzi and the total relaxing ambiance especially during port days. ?We enjoyed the bright, spacious and casualness of the buffet restaurant on deck 10 and simply loved the Solarium pool, Jacuzzi and the total relaxing ambiance especially during port days. ?Fortune Casino was great ? it allows us to win a few and lose a few ? not just simply taking our money. There were variety slot machines to select from without having to wait for availability. ?Cosmos was one of our favorite hang out places during the cruise - very elegant and quite relaxing. ?The library was cozy and quiet sanctuary for those who love reading and relaxing. ?The tall and very friendly female gift shop staff assisted us with our cologne selection [sorry, we cannot recall her name]. ?Bertrand, Ocean Grill?s waiter, was very friendly and pleasant to chat with during our morning breakfast routine. NOT so great things which disappoint us: -The Construction through out our cruise. We were not once warned that our cruise was going to be a WIP Cruise [Work in Progress] when we first made our booking. We chose to go on a cruise to ?get away? from the hustle and bustle of city life, hectic work schedule, construction noise and other home improvement inconveniences. We love to lounge in the promenade deck to relax, enjoying fresh air, the scenic beauty of nature and the peaceful open ocean. During our cruise, various sections of the promenade deck were barricaded, workers were constantly working, pounding or scraping. Some sections were closed off through out the cruise. The promenade deck resembled an abandoned industrial construction site. The Sunrise Deck 11 also resembled another construction site - lumber stacks by jogging track, construction crew pounding, scraping, moving heavy equipments and having very loud exchange in the jogging track area, unsightly barrier surrounding the children play area and construction supplies and equipments were placed just about everywhere with no regard to guests? convenience. -The ?term? Dry Dock was used constantly, once we were on board the Millennium from crew, construction workers and officers. It would have been nice if we were told about this when we first made our reservation, prior to finalizing our booking and spent the additional monies for the upgrade to Concierge Class. We had to be selective as to where to eat our meal - some sections might be subjected to constant drilling, pounding or scraping noise. During sea days, the Pool and the Solarium turned to an over-crowded zone - guests were hoarding lounge chairs, tables, etc. Other lounging areas on the ship were not accessible due to construction, water everywhere and lounge chairs were stacked and roped off. The promenade deck was also a construction zone - lounge chairs were dirty or stacked - workers were painting or scraping - carpet rolls were stacked all over public area. -Concierge Class Upgrade - misleading [save your $$$, do not upgrade]. Amenities were not delivered as promised - we had to ask through out our cruise for various amenities. Priority boarding/early embarkation was supposed to be Concierge Class privilege - but all category passengers benefited. Restaurant seating preference was not accommodated as promised - we asked for private table for two - we were seated in a large table w/a group of other passengers - Maitre d' not willing to assist and ended up w/table location in the least desirable area of the dining room for the rest of our cruise [same thing happened with other couples]. -Service in general was mediocre and uncaring. Some cooks or buffet servers were very unfriendly toward guests but very nice toward officers and fellow ship mates. Suggestion: decline the auto-gratuity and tip those individuals generously - especially if they deserved it. -Most meat items both in the main dining room or buffet were tough [especially steaks, even filet mignon]. Order lamb shank, fish or lobster instead - they were great!

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Because of many negative comments posted prior to our departure, we were prepared for a less than stellar experience. We knew it was the last crusie prior to going to Freeport, The Bahamas to be retrofited immediately after we disembarked. However, we were pleasantly surprised. We had cruised for 14 days on Millenium in 2008 to Alaska and back to San Diego and it was our favorite cruise, with so many fond memories. Boarding was smooth and quick. WE arrived at the port with our son, his wife and our grandson. We were meeting old friends on the ship and were to meet them on the pool deck as their rooms weren't reday when they boarded. We were on board quickly and were greeted with lot's of smiles and a Mimosa as we walked to the doors. We decided that since it was nearly 1:00 PM we would take a chance and try our rooms before going to the pool deck, so we wouldn't have to lug a suitcase. Our cabin was on the aft of the 9th deck, and was completely ready when we opened the door. We love the extra balconey space on the aft cabins and this was no exception. The champagne was cooling in an ice bucket and a daily planner was on the bed with our tickets to the specialty restaurant for the next night. Our kids had a family cabin on deck 7, so we dropped the suitcases and headed upstairs. The grill was on for hamburgers and fries outside and the buffet was in full swing. We opted for the buffet after a drink and ate on the deck. When we went back to the room later, our room attendent and his assistent came by to see what if we had any special requests. We told them ice on the room during the day and asked if we could have the fridge opened for my husband's diabetic supplies. They happily complied. Our friends were two doors down also in an aft cabin and had a similar experience This was the beginning of 5 days of mostly positive experiences. We did find some paint chips on the carpet of the balcony where they had obviously been prepping for the retrofit, and there were a couple of sections on the lower decks closed off with workmen. Our friend found some rolls of carpet that were stacked against the wall on the back of Deck 3, but overall the ship was functioning normally. Was it a little shabbier than on our cruise 4 years before, yes. But we knew that was going to be fixed. The staff overall was attentive, friendly and helpful. There were a couple of times when the waiters on the deck at the rear of the buffet seemed to be more interested in doing their own thing than getting drinks, and we missed the fact that there were limited amounts of food available between 3:00 and 5:00PM when we returned late from an excursion. None of this was worth getting upset about. We had a late seating for dinner and the food was excellent as was the service from our waiter, Jason, and asst. waiter Natalia. They told us both of them were leaving for other ships as soon as we docked, as was much of the other staff. The Ass't maitre'd told us the last night that if we were late leaving he'd have to give us cover-alls and put us to work. We felt that perhaps the staff had been at minimum levels because of the retofit, but those on board did everything they could to make the cruise special. The two highlights were our dinner in the Olympic which was amazing with marvelous food and service. Also the brunch buffet on the last day at sea with ice sculptures, chocolate fountains ( both white and regular chocolate), omelet stations and carving stations was remarkable. It was a wonderful 5 days, and we are scheduled to go back to Alaska on Millenium in September after the changes. We are so anxious to see the changes and have new experiences.

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Even though we were disappointed with the cruise on the Eclipse(see review)in February, we came back to Celebrity since it was the only ship that matched our schedule. Maybe our expectations were low based on the Eclipse but the Millennium was a pleasant surprise. The embarkation was worse than the Eclipse which was strange since it was a smaller ship and also was not full. We waited about 25 minutes. They should consider a separate line for people that have all their documentation done versus those that need to fill out forms that they forgot to complete. Since the rooms were not ready we had lunch in the buffet. As on the Eclipse it was not very good with long lines and limited selection. It was better on the next few days with a better selection especially with Asian dishes. The room was ready about 2pm with the luggage arriving by 330. The cabin was actually laid out better than the Eclipse with plenty of storage space with drawers and closets that were easy to access. The negative part of the comparison was the smaller and older style bathroom, that is due for a renovation. The dryer on the wall could only be used for 2 minutes before your hand got roasted. Also stay away from Deck 9 since it is right below the pool and restaurant area. We could here the carts being rolled back and forth both early in the morning and late in the evening. On the last night the sound was even worse as they started moving furniture to storage prior to retrofit. The cabin attendants were GREAT. They promptly fulfilled any request and also remembered that you wanted additional bath towels and wine glasses for our afternoon pre-dinner party. The only negative was that they seem to be standing outside your door waiting for you to leave to make up the room. The Main dining room was superior in food and service than the Eclipse. In fact, this was the first cruise we decided not to try the high end restaurant that carried an additional charge. When we looked into the Olympic it was less than 50% filled. Several shipmates who went there to it were pleased and one said they were able to negotiate a lower surcharge than the advertised rate of $40. We only ate dinners in the MDR but the service was great and the only complaint was that they hurried the service and we were generally done in an hour for the 4 courses. One meal was just ok, stay away from sirloin steak unless you bring a very sharp knife. The one area that Celebrity does well is the sushi starting at 530. It is a large assortment. The plan is to get there early since by 6 it is a long line. The pool area was ok and there were no problems in getting chairs except for the last day. The staff did a go job in keeping children out of the adults only area. Also the cruise line was offering 2 for 1 drinks from pool bars. One day it was draft beers, the next mojitos, etc. This was first for us and we learned later in the evening from a fellow passenger in the cruise business was that the ship's alcohol sales were below budget so they used this approach to increase sales. Similar to the Eclipse, the cruise director was a screamer, an American this time. Also the volume of the announcements are so loud that it is impossible to continue any conversation. The evening song and dance show was good and better than the Eclipse. The comedian was ok. He was better on comedy central but I guess that he had to tone down his act due to the kids in the audience. I mentioned earlier that the crew did a great job in keeping children out of the adult only pool area. Unfortunately they did not do 2he same job in bar areas were the parents were drinking and their kids were running around. One time we were forced to move since the kids were screaming. Of course the parents did not care. The exercise area was large enough but they had at least 6 machines that were out of order. One positive note was that the area was staffed even early in the morning. As usual, the first day was packed but by mid-week it was empty. As noted by others the crew was doing repairs and painting on this cruise before retrofit. Parts of decks were closed and the smell of paint was everywhere. Getting off was a mess. First they did not give you the option of a departure time. Since we were traveling with others, our time was 745 while the other one was 1000. We got around that issue by combining the luggage so that it got off at the same time. There were no announcements when you could leave the lounge to depart. Also getting off was hampered by the crew using the elevators to remove chairs for storage at 730 in the morning. Once on shore the bags arrived quickly. Finally the ports of Roatan and Cozumel were the pits unless you wanted to go to the beach or scuba/snorkel. Also at both ports it rained. We booked one beach excursion and the whole experience was poorly organized. Although they had Celebrity people telling you where to go, the local excursion leaders left a lot to be desired.

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When I booked this cruise, I worried how it might be since it was 2 cruises from dry dock, but I knew it was Celebrity so I hoped it would still be great. I should have trusted the feeling and gone elsewhere. I am terribly disappointed in Celebrity after this cruise. I brought a girlfriend with me to show her how great Celebrity is, and there is little chance she will go on Celebrity again after this. Embarkation was the best part. With the Elite status we were given priority status, and there were no lines. We boarded at about 1230p onto the deck instead of into an atrium, and were given champagne and mimosas. Rooms were open around 130pm, and 2 of the 3 bags were delivered by 3pm. It went downhill from there. Room - With the concierge class we got champagne on arrival, but the bucket had so little ice in it, it wasnt cold enough to drink. We brought our own champagne and soda onboard to drink in the room, and we had to continually ask for more ice to fill the wine bucket and the ice bucket for drinks. The attendant would clean the room in the morning, and leave the sodas floating in warm water. You'd think by the 3rd day they would understand we wanted cold drinks. (The refrigerator in the room really isnt a refrigerator we were told "it is just a holder for the minibar drinks." We were not given extra shampoo or conditioner without asking. For concierge class, I was terribly disappointed. The rooms were decorated fine, but everything was shabby. The balcony was pretty rusty, outside table was all chipped. The bathroom was pretty bad, gross shower curtain, LOTS of broken floor tiles, all of the hardware rusty. Room smelled pretty rusty. On the second day the door fell off the closet, I went to find the attendant who said "yes i saw it was loose yesterday." We had a balcony on the 9th floor, and it is a really poor location for Concierge class. The balcony has a huge overhang so we had no sun and poor pictures. It was also very noisy, upstairs at night they were always dragging something around on the deck. These cabins are supposed to be reclassified as Aquaclass.... I would have to really question if they are worth the amenities for the poor location. Public Areas - Most of the deckchairs were dirty, or missing slats. Lots of trash around the pool area for hours. The best part was one of the railings on the sun deck... it was missing the wood, so there was a beach towel rolled around the metal covered in duct tape. Are you kidding me??? Another highlight was the big plastic blue trashcan they wheeled around the pool and sun decks to collect trash. It was pretty gross. One of our dinner companions had a bathroom door fall off, to which the attendant said "dont worry we're going to dry dock next week". That was the excuse for everything. A lot of the hallways on the lower decks smelled musty and of sewer. I was glad we were on the 9th floor. Elite - The Elite benefits were the best part, except they were not executed well. Free drinks and canapes from 5-7pm on two of the 4 days, but you have to be dressed for dinner (no shorts or flipflops), and since I always have late seating for dinner, we only went once prior to our 6pm Olympic reservation. The continental breakfast really only had a couple danishes and some fruit, so we ate breakfast first, then went to get our drinks. The free wine seminar was done at the same time as the champagne tea, so we missed that too in favor of the tea. We tried to discuss the ship and service issues with the Elite rep, but he didnt seem to care either. Olympic - The Olympic restaurant was the best part of the cruise. The food and service were outstanding. The space itself was badly in need of a coat of paint and a good scrub. They are removing that restaurant in dry dock so hopefully it will get a good clean. The sommelier however needs a lesson in "house wine". I asked for a "house" chardonnay, and ended up wtih a $24 glass on my bill. Not cool. After my complaint, she removed half the charge. Service - The service overall was poor. The dining room waiters were not attentive. We constantly asked for refills of water and tea. The stateroom attendant was the worst I've had on my 12 cruises. Every day we asked for more ice, water in the pitcher, more shampoo, and towels. One day he didnt even clean the bathroom until we asked. While we were in Cozumel the entire deck with the restaurant was closed until dinnertime so they could replace the carpet. So, no dining room lunch service that day. We were never allowed upstairs on deck 12 the entire cruise because they were scraping and varnishing. I went to the guest relations desk to complain one day, and there were so many people complaining, it was a long line. It was pretty sad. They gave out a lot of onboard credits from what I heard. Bottom line, we should have gotten a dry dock priced cruise. I will know now not to book Celebrity this close to dry dock. I am hoping the service issues on this ship are one time issues, and not a signal of where Celebrity is headed. We'll see.

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