Thoroughly enjoyable
Celebrity Millennium Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 55
7 Night Alaska Hubbard Glacier (Vancouver Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 01, 2017
Ship: Celebrity Millennium
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 9000
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
I loved it, as did my companions. I was a little concerned, prior to leaving for our holiday, having read some negative reviews. Yes, the ship is a little older than some but it is in good condition generally. All I can say is that I had a great holiday.Embarkation
We thought we’d arrive early and avoid the crowds so got there about 11.30 only to find that many others had the same idea. We deposited our bags and went upstairs to join what seemed like a sizeable queue but it moved quickly enough and before long, we had checked in and moved on to US Immigration and Customs. We joined another queue there and a while later (maybe 20 mins) we were cleared to embark.
We then embarked the ship, to be greeted by staff who took our photo for our sea pass cards (very quickly) and we were offered a glass of orange juice or prosecco. Very nice - a lovely introduction to Celebrity Cruises.
We were on the ship by about 12.30 so went on a quick sight-seeing tour, then a bite of lunch and a glass of wine and at 1 pm approx (as promised by a number of public address announcements) we were informed that our staterooms were ready.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We tended to have breakfast and lunch in the Oceanview Restaurant. This tended to be very busy but we always succeeded in getting a table for our party of four without too much difficulty. I would point out that the ship was fully booked so was working at full capacity. There was a good variety of food to suit all palates, salads, pizza, curries, casseroles, a large roast carved by one of the chefs, surrounded by the usual accompaniments, etc., noodles and many other choices. The food was hot and tasty. Waiters were present to take drink orders from anybody interested.
Breakfast also had an excellent variety available, fruit, English breakfast ( rashers, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausages, beans, tomatoes, black pudding), American breakfast included bacon, sausages, hash browns etc. You could also have omelettes cooked to order, eggs benedict, pancakes, waffles and many other options.
We went to the Main Dining Room each night. Portions there were small. After a couple of nights, we started ordering a starter, soup and then main course, dessert and coffee and found this worked well for us. We had select dining and presented ourselves for dinner at around 7 each evening. Some evenings, we were accommodated immediately; other evenings, we were give a pager until a table for 4 was ready. We were never waiting long, no more than 15 mins at most. The staff in the dining room were very efficient, regardless of where we were seated in what is a huge dining room. We took our time over our meal and were usually finished in good time to catch the 9pm show.
Onboard Activities
We spent some time in the Solarium while on board and the men spent some time in the sauna looking out a large window at the scenery beyond. They also used the well equipped gym. We did the tour if the galley which was very interesting and attended an interesting presentation given by a former member of the Canadian Mounted Police which was very informative about life in the Alaska/Yukon during the Goldrush days.
Entertainment
The entertainment was good. The first night, there was an introductory evening, with short performances from artists who were to appear during the week. During the course of the week, there were three shows by the Celebrity team of singers and dancers which were great, a guest singer who was called Jesse Hamilton Jnr who was good and certainly knew how to work a crowd. I should point out that he was backed by an excellent five person “orchestra” and this contributed significantly to the atmosphere, ambience and our enjoyment of the various shows. Another night, the show consisted of a cirque type act by Yulia & Alan Reva. This too was good and it is clear that they are very talented at what they do. There was a comedian another night but we missed this performance.
Children's Programs
We did not travel with children and did not take any notice of facilities as a result.
Service and Staff
The staff were excellent (in all areas) throughout the ship. They were always very pleasant and friendly. They never failed to say hello when passing you in the corridor . All in all, we had a fabulous holiday – all four of us were in agreement. There is no doubt that they are a great asset to the company.
There is no doubt that they are a huge asset to the company.
Ship Quality
The ship is well maintained and clean. There are artworks on display in various parts of the vessel and it seemed to be in good condition generally. The toilet flushing system failed to work on our side of the deck for a short time one day but it was corrected quickly.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our Ocean View cabin, No. 9000 on Deck 9 was great, quite roomy as ship cabins go. We enjoyed the extra space as we had 3 full sea days on our itinerary. The cabin was kept spick and span by our Attendant Newman ( probably incorrect spelling but I don’t know the correct spelling) who was always very pleasant and efficient. We thought about getting a balcony cabin but we decided against , given the itinerary and we were happy with our decision. I don’t think we would have used a balcony with the weather we had ( which was actually better then we expected). It was too cold to sit outside, while at sea, without a coat; and where’s the pleasure in that? We were travelling with another couple who had Cabin 9001 which was a similar cabin on the port side of the ship.
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
Vancouver is a beautiful city. We did the Hop on, Hop off bus to see the sights first and then walked where we wanted to go.
Thumbs Up
2
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
We didn’t book any celebrity Shore Excursions, choosing instead to do our own thing and this worked well for us. Icy Strait Point was first. This is a quiet stop and we really enjoyed ourselves there. We walked into the town and stopped for a drink at The Office Bar and while there, we availed of their wifi. The locals were very friendly and pleasant.
Next stop was Juneau. We hired a car here through Juneau Car Rentals, walking to the office from the ship. It took about 20 minutes or so. We drove to the Mendenhall Glacier first. This is beautiful! It is well worthwhile to walk to Nugget Falls as you will get a closer view of the glacier from there, together with the waterfall. We later drove to St. Theresa’s Shrine which was lovely although there was a heavy mist there which shrouded the scenery. We spent the afternoon rambling around Juneau which is a pretty town. By the way, we got wifi in the library adjacent to the dock. The library is located on the fourth floor of the building.
The final stop was Ketchikan. This day, we chose to walk around the town on our own. We visited the Totem Heritage Centre which was interesting. We then went to Creek Street and saw the salmon (so many salmon!) in the river waiting for their chance to battle upriver to their destination of choice. We stopped for a drink in the Totem Bar and had a chance to use the wifi there. Then, a little shopping in the town and back to the ship for dinner.
Disembarkation
We had a late flight and were on one of the last disembarkation times. We walk off, collected our bags and walked to the street and onward. From what I could see, the queue of people in the Port Building awaiting taxis seemed long. We managed to hail a taxi on the street without much difficulty.