Great time but needs improvement.
Celebrity Millennium Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska
7 Night Alaska Hubbard Glacier Southbound (Seward To Vancouver)
Sail date: June 10, 2011
Ship: Celebrity Millennium
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 13 years ago
Review summary
While the ship was nice it definitely shows signs of age. There were many obvious aspects that need a facelift and a little TLC. We had a good overview of the dining options because we typically started with room service, dined buffet at lunch, and ate at the Metropolitan at night. First, the room service was always very good and delivered exactly on time or even a few minutes early! It arrived hot, fresh, and nicely presented. The lunch buffet gave diners a wide variety of choices and everthing was pretty good but not exceptional. First I need to mention that even though a passenger pays extra for the Concierge Level and makes their select dining choice weeks before the cruise...the seating is not guaranteed. We had selected the early 6pm dining option. On our first night we were disapppointed to find that our little table was crammed up against a column in the back of the restaurant. It was at the top of the serving escalator and directly adjacent to the dirty dish bin table. It truly should not have been a location for anyone! When we asked the Matre'd about moving we were told there were no seats at the 6pm seating. We would have to move to 8:30. While this wasn't what we desired...we were so upset about the table and lack of ambiance we decided to bump our time down in the evening. We were then placed at a table by the window. The main reason I say this is because it DOESN'T matter whether you pay for an upgraded room OR book your choice early. The Metropolitan (seated dinner) was never very good and sometimes inedible. My dad stated that one of his steaks was the worst he had ever had his entire life...82 years of it! I had to agree. While the shrimp cocktail was great (hard to mess up) everything else was either mediocre of way below. One evening we dined in the Olympic restaurant which is their upscale choice and costs $35 more a person. We ordered a bottle of wine and told the waiter that my 19 year old daughter didn't drink and did not need a wine glass. She ordered the six course option that can be paired with wine at $53 more a person. She only wanted the food and made her selections. When the waiter came by to tell her about her wine that would be coming she explained that she didn't drink and only wanted the food selections. While the food was good...it was not worth the extra cost. My lobster was tough but the steaks were better. If you are choosing a cruise because of good food...this is not the one for you. Where the food was lacking...the service was not. Everyone on the ship took the greatest care in making sure all passengers were happy and had everything needed. The shows were great! We attended the early show every evening because our dinner was set at 8:30. They were all pretty typical of what one would expect on a cruise but the performers truly did put their heart into each performance. The seating in the theater was good and it seemed that there was not a bad seat in the house. Every evening I spent about an hour after dinner in the casino. To be honest it appears that this ship is the graveyard for slot machines that have expired in other casinos! They were old, outdated, and many times the lines did not horizontally align. While it was fun (casinos usually are) this one definitely needs some revamping. One afternoon they offered free slots where each machine was loaded with one dollar. Unfortunately, the machine I sat at never came on. They did give me a dollar and a free drink but I missed the fun of playing with everyone else during the free session. Overall the cruise was enjoyable. Just seeing Alaska made it worthwhile and breathtaking. If I were to book another cruise I would steer away from the Millenium. I may give Celebrity another chance but probobly not.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
Pros: Service Staff and Alaska scenery.
Cons: Food.
Recommends Celebrity Millennium? No.
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