So-So Alaskan Cruise

Item: Celebrity Millennium
Rating: 4
Author: drgnsleighr

Celebrity Millennium Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska

drgnsleighr

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Alaska Northern Glacier

Sail date: June 08, 2018

Ship: Celebrity Millennium

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7171

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

If we had it to do over again, we'd choose a longer Alaskan cruise! There was just too much to see .. and some ports had to be cut short in order to adhere to schedule. The ship experience wasn't perfect, but we still had a great time! The shore excursions are excellent, though next time we might be tempted to schedule them directly with the tour companies instead of going through a cruise line. If we go back (when) we'll probably choose a different company to cruise through.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We boarded our ship at Canada Place in Vancouver BC. Our taxi took us directly to the embarkation dock, where a porter tagged and took our luggage. Then we were well-guided toward Customs and Port embarkation processes. All-in-all it took us about 20 minutes to get through security, customs, and then to get our boarding passes. The port staff were extremely friendly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Having cruised other cruise lines, our expectations for Celebrity were a bit higher than usual. Everyone we spoke to about cruising to Alaska suggested that we move up to the "higher" experience of Celebrity. We went into the cruise knowing that Alaskan cruises are a bit more laid back than others. We also were well aware of the fact that the Millennium was one of the older ships. When we first boarded, no surprises. Yes, the ship was older and not as luxurious as others, but we expected that. It was when we started dining on the ship that we felt that things were a bit "run of the mill". Everywhere we turned, it seemed that we were being tempted by Celebrity to buy more "extras". My wife and I love the "all inclusive" nature of cruises. Hearing that things that had been given to us on other cruise ships as part of the all-inclusive package were now "extra charges", we were a bit sticker shocked! We ate lunch in the cafe (buffet) only to find that the food was just "OK" and the desserts were almost tasteless. When we headed over to the main dining room for dinner, the waiter we had first night was just excellent. They moved us the remainder of the cruise (did not select first or second seating), and our waiter was like a robot ... We had to ask for refills, and we never saw him again until it came time to change courses. That's another thing; On Royal Caribbean we had 6 course dinners. Celebrity offered only 3 (unless you wanted to pay for liquor or wine) As the cruise moved through the week, the food only got better the last night! It took so long for our waiters to serve us, we were always 15 minutes late for the evening show. Again, we expected less because it was Alaska. We felt like they really wanted to push us over to one of the Specialty restaurants instead of offering "cruise quality" food in their main dining room. Many, many people we talked to on the cruise had similar complaints. Shutting down the cafe 20 minutes before times ... running out of iced tea. It was just a very "normal" run-of-the mill dining experience!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

The activities were OK. Being an older ship, there just wasn't that much to do on board. We don't gamble, so the casino wasn't used by us. But every time we walked through it, there seemed to be very few people there.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

I have to give this just an OK too, mainly because of the restaurant staff. The restaurant hostesses, cruise director, activities director, and most of the managers we met were just awesome! They went out of their way to smile and offer assistance when folks needed. However, the servers, waiters, etc, seemed to be over worked and robotic. This may be something internal that Celebrity needs to work out. Example: I asked for assistance from 3 different servers in the Cafe. It was a simple thing .... to find me a piece of bread. The first guy told me to look on the other side of the cafe. Then he was gone when I returned to tell him there was no bread there. The second guy told me that they had "pulled the bread to make ready for the 4:00 tea time". It was 3:35. The third guy told me there was bread outside at the poolside grill. The grill was already closed down when I got there ... and besides, I had never seen bread there before. Finally, a lady server saw me struggling and asked if she could help. She walked right into the kitchen, got me a plate full of bread, and handed it to me.... all with a smile on her face. Then, as I turned around to leave, I heard her manager blessing her out because she had broken into the "tea time" food. I politely turned back and told him that he just yelled at the ONLY person on the ship that would help a guest in need! (My wife was sea sick, which was why I needed some bread) Our cabin steward was EXCELLENT! I haven't seen many better!

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Old, tired, not much to do (unless you want to spend some more money!)

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Just don't sail on it with high expectations. My wife and I had started the cruise with low expectations, so we were not as upset as some folks were. If you can view it as "just a means to an end" (i.e., an easy way to see Alaska) you'll be fine.

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