Back from August 22 - 29 Millennium Alaskan Cruise

[luvsdolphins]

This was my husbands and I second cruise, the first cruise being on Carnival about 8 years ago. We had a great time. I had read many reviews prior to our trip and was becoming concerned with what I read. Basically it is all in what you make it, if you are someone who likes to complain constantly then yes you will find something to complain about, it is in your nature. If you are there to enjoy your vacation, I believe you will have no issues and will have a great time!

 

We started off with a flight from Richmond, VA to Anchorage, AK the day prior on 8/21. For anyone who is traveling this long of a distance I would suggest a flight 2 days ahead of when you need to meet the ship. Our flight from Richmond was delayed by an hour, we only had just over an hour layover in Chicago. We were told by the American Airlines staff in Richmond that the flight leaving Chicago was being delayed by an hour so we would have plenty of time. When we landed in Chicago I had a missed call and message from AA that we had missed our fight and had been booked on a flight the following day at 12pm arriving in Anchorage at 7:30pm. Well the ship was leaving Seward at 8pm, no way that was going to work! We worked with an Alaskan Airlines employee and with their help managed to make it on a flight to Seattle then off to Anchorage getting us there the same day we had planned at 6pm, 4 hours later than previously scheduled so not too bad.

 

We stayed one night at the Marriott in downtown Anchorage as part of a package arranged through our AAA agent. The staff at the Marriott was very helpful and a very nice & clean hotel. For dinner that night we ate at Humpy's, casual local restaurant, very good. The next morning we had breakfast at a place across from the hotel, do not remember the name but the best bacon I have ever had! We the boarded a bus from the hotel which took us back to the airport where we got on the train to Seward. Loved the train ride! Lots of great scenery and got a quick glimpse of a moose.

 

The embarkation process was quick and smooth as all of this had been taken care of by the AAA Agent, no waiting at all, right through security and done!

 

We were able to enter our room immediately, we picked an interior room deck 7. These rooms are very small, as I mentioned in my comment above we had cruised before on Carnival and expected a small room but this one was much smaller or at least seemed that way, especially the bathroom. We were not planning on spending any time in the room so not a huge deal but the rooms are small!

 

As far as the ship itself it is an older ship so when booking keep that in mind, as with anything of any age there is wear and tear and it should be expected. There was maintenance going on most of the week in the hallway of this deck where my room was in the ceiling, I thought this was really strange but dealt with it.

 

The food in the buffet area was ok, always found something to eat. People do act like a bunch of inconsiderate jerks in this area so expect that as well, they act as though they are going to run out of food. We always tried to grab breakfast somewhat early and miss the crowd. For lunch it was usually a hamburger or hotdog from the pool grill or pizza from the buffet so not too much of an issue there. My husband and I are very casual people and refuse to dress for the dining room while on vacation (this is our time and why should we dress the way someone tells us we have to right?) so we did eat at the buffet each night as well. We usually did not go until 7:30 or 8:00pm so the crowd was not too bad.

 

The bars around the ship seemed kind of strange to me. We enjoyed the sunset bar during the day (when no rain) but as it got later in the day we usually moved inside. The rendezvous lounge always seemed to have games or presentations going on during the day but the bar was open. Cosmos was usually closed during the day, we don't drink martinis so did not go to molecular, cellar masters was for wine and some beer (don't drink wine), limited mixed drinks options. They need more bar options that are open! Maybe a sports bar or something.

 

Two days prior to disembarkation we booked an airport transfer through celebrity guest relations, $37 per person, rather expensive but we needed transportation and had not planned for this. This has to be my biggest complaint along with the others that traveled with us! This transfer ended up being a tour of downtown Vancouver then made our way to the airport. There were people on the transfer that I am sure missed their flights home. This should by sold by Celebrity as a tour/transfer. We barely made our own flight which was at 11:50am (originally 1:40pm but changed by Choice Air).

 

We did have an awesome vacation, all of our issues are mentioned above but I see these as small issues or inconveniences.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We sailed on the 29th after you disembarked. I'm curious what you thought of the passengers, entertainment, and atmosphere compared to Carnival? We like both lines, only prefer Carnival in the Fall when prices are cheap and less kids/party goers.

 

Celebrity's buffet is not its strong point, but they do make up for it in the MDR. We liked Carnival's buffet a bit better, and Royal Caribbean's even better than that. I would recommend Norwegian for casual dress in the MDR, but I've heard mixed reviews on the food, and their cabins are very small too. :confused:

Edited September 14, 2014 by Stateroom_Sailor

[luvsdolphins]

The passengers on Celebrity seemed to be more mature, mostly older which I did not mind as I am not a party goer and do not enjoy that type of crowd. More of a party atmosphere on Carnival at least when I went. As far as entertainment I did not pay too much attention on Carnival so do not remember.