Celebrity Millennium - the worst Celebrity Cruise Ever

[not2old]

Short answer is no, as long as they are maintained and dry-docked for refit on a regular basis. X has NOT done this with the M class. Sure, they spruced up the public spaces during the "Solsticesizing dry docks, but the cabins are circa 1999. I have to agree with the posts of those who have been disappointed with the Millie. It's almost as if they use it as a training ship for new crew. We've been on her twice in the last year and compared to the S class ships we've sailed on, she doesn't come close. Bad service or no service, food quality unacceptable ( lower cuts of meat, cold at serving, etc.), missing lights in the cabin, moldy grout in the bathroom, broken doors, etc. And, yes, we brought all these items to the attention of management. I'm a pretty easy guy to please as long as I get what you promise me. Millie does not deliver on that.

Not trying to cut in on the thread, but, we just left the Summit and this was our worst cruise ever. The ship was a designated training ship even though Guest Services denied this, The ship was filthy, dining (early) in the MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you. The smoking area on deck 10 had the dirtiest, broken down furniture and it was never cleaned unless someone called Guest Services and asked numerous times for someone to clean it. There was almost non existant bar service unless you went to the bar to get your drink and brought it back to your chair. The crew put on a good front, but if you took the time to listen, they weren't happy either. The list could go on, but the bottom line is that the M class ships seem to be the "red headed stepchildren" of Celebrity. We love the smaller ships on Royal Caribbean but if you want a great cruise, stick to S class on Celebrity. Just our opinion, hopefully others may have smoother sailings.

Edited October 13, 2014 by not2old

[CruisingChick]

Not trying to cut in on the thread, but, we just left the Summit and this was our worst cruise ever. The ship was a designated training ship even though Guest Services denied this, The ship was filthy, dining (early) in the MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you. The smoking area on deck 10 had the dirtiest, broken down furniture and it was never cleaned unless someone called Guest Services and asked numerous times for someone to clean it. There was almost non existant bar service unless you went to the bar to get your drink and brought it back to your chair. The crew put on a good front, but if you took the time to listen, they weren't happy either. The list could go on, but the bottom line is that the M class ships seem to be the "red headed stepchildren" of Celebrity. We love the smaller ships on Royal Caribbean but if you want a great cruise, stick to S class on Celebrity. Just our opinion, hopefully others may have smoother sailings.

 

I guess I was on a different ship. All the service we had was great. Our stateroom was spotless and in great shape. I always saw people cleaning.

 

I have no idea how they could give an already assigned table to some one else. Never heard that before.

 

We don't smoke so avoid those areas like the plague.

So sorry you were disappointed with things. We had a great time.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

[Christine Frances]

I guess I was on a different ship. All the service we had was great. Our stateroom was spotless and in great shape. I always saw people cleaning.

 

I have no idea how they could give an already assigned table to some one else. Never heard that before.

 

We don't smoke so avoid those areas like the plague.

So sorry you were disappointed with things. We had a great time.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

I haven't either! Do you think they were talking about Select Dining? I have never seen a "filthy" Celebrity ship. The M ships are less "glitzy and modern" than the S Class but they are beautiful ships in their own right. If you are used to "new & shiny" you will find a difference with the M class. We sail both gladly:)

[need2bespoiled]

Wow! Arno is posting live from the Millie and is saying nothing about poor service.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2109695

 

True, he is, but not sure how fair a comparison can be made to someone who is a VIP, access to Michael's club and likely the top cruiser onboard.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[wallie5446]

True, he is, but not sure how fair a comparison can be made to someone who is a VIP, access to Michael's club and likely the top cruiser onboard.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

True, but Arno has a keen eye and watches for cracks and rumblings of problems in the X armor:D

 

Besides the OP said the were but a notch from Elite+ so they would be attending the same Elite happy hours together.

[need2bespoiled]

True, but Arno has a keen eye and watches for cracks and rumblings of problems in the X armor:D

 

Besides the OP said the were but a notch from Elite+ so they would be attending the same Elite happy hours together.

 

Unless Arno was going to Michael's club instead.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[d4m]

 

I also don't see what Elite (or almost being Elite+) has to do with the problem. Everyone should receive the exact same service.

 

I guess I see this differently - were he a person new to cruising, then I wouldn't have put much credence in someone new to the experience. Given that he is almost Elite +, then I would surely trust his observations and trust what he is saying.

 

I guess I calue everyone's opinions regardless. None of the rest of us was there.

[GranthamMommy]

Sorry to hear about the OP's experience. We sailed on Celebrity last year for the first time. We had a few issues on the Millie and did bring out complaints to Guest Services. They sent flowers, bathrobes and a meal in the fine dining restaurant (can't think of the name) The Millie felt like a comfortable shoe. It wasn't all shiny, but EVERYONE we met was wonderful and treated us like we were in the Penthouse.

 

I did have a problem with my meal towards the end of the cruise. The clams in the linquini and clam sauce were BAD. I didn't have to say a word. I guess my face told the story because the waiter was there before I could say a word.

 

Lesson learned - don't order the shellfish towards the end of a 14 day cruise.

 

Happy Sailing!

[emileg]

Not trying to cut in on the thread, but, we just left the Summit and this was our worst cruise ever. The ship was a designated training ship even though Guest Services denied this, The ship was filthy, dining (early) in the MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you. The smoking area on deck 10 had the dirtiest, broken down furniture and it was never cleaned unless someone called Guest Services and asked numerous times for someone to clean it. There was almost non existant bar service unless you went to the bar to get your drink and brought it back to your chair. The crew put on a good front, but if you took the time to listen, they weren't happy either. The list could go on, but the bottom line is that the M class ships seem to be the "red headed stepchildren" of Celebrity. We love the smaller ships on Royal Caribbean but if you want a great cruise, stick to S class on Celebrity. Just our opinion, hopefully others may have smoother sailings.

We were on your cruise. This was our third time on the Summit and found the ship in the best shape of the three cruises. We attribute the cleanliness to the hotel director Paul and his staff. We saw many crew cleaning even hard to get at nooks and crannies. In fact, we felt it was our best cruise ever for the pure cruising experience,not counting the ports, on a M-class ship.

 

If anything, I found it very difficult to sit in any lounge WITHOUT a bar steward coming by to ask if you want something. My only complaint was the lack of napkins at Cellar Masters.

 

If you were in Select Dining, Rosemarie made clear that they don't reserve specific tables. You can request a particular table, but anyone who arrives before you and sees it empty can get it. Except for two nights, we were able to get the table requested. It was just a matter of getting there early.

 

I recall in the past when Select dining was introduced we were told that if we liked a particular table and waiter, we could reserve it at the same time every night. That policy has apparently changed. Too much stress. We will never do select dining again. Lesson learned.

Edited October 13, 2014 by emileg

[deserttraveler]

I found the MDR service on the Vancouver-Yokohama segment of this cruise to be fabulous, and slightly better at dinner than at lunch. I had Select dining, and was with one waiter team for about half the dinners and another team for the other half. Both were great, and the pacing (and temperature) of food service was just fine. I do believe that Celebrity has learned to put its best dining room teams in Select because it is more challenging than fixed-time seating.

 

At lunch, we usually sat with larger tables than at dinner, so, yes, things do take a little longer. I had no lunch experience that came close to the time issues cited by the OP.

 

Because this relocation cruise often has many staff who just got on or who are about to get off, I expected a lot more wrinkles than I encountered.

 

Overall, this was a great cruise and the Millie was in excellent condition. It was my fifteenth cruise, so I have some basis for comparison.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Wow, we've gone from "A cruise is what you make of it. Aww shucks, it's ok if they make mistakes" to a full blown "it's your fault if you get bad service if you didn't complain"

 

Paging CruiseLines: Cut expenses further. Raise prices especially on the sacred Drink Packages. The faithful will pony up. You guys have 'loyal' customers.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We were on Celebrity Millennium going back-to-back from Alaska and Transpacific. The service in the Metropolitan restaurant was so horrible that 4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left after the appetizer, we waited for 45 minutes and the still weren't served the entree for lunch, this happened 3 times during the Alaska Cruise and 5 times during the Transpacific cruise. Celebrity - are you reading this? Get your act together!

 

Also, when we were the Blu, even service was slow 4 days out of 14 days. This is unusual as The other ships such as Solstice and Silhouette have impeccable service. They must have the worst staff sent to Millennium. I almost wanted to withdraw all my tips but I didn't, I should have! We are elite members and had to experience such sloppy service. Also, the staff (cruise director) on Millennium weren't as good as the other Celebrity ships. What is going on with Celebrity Millennium? Did you have a bad experience on Celebrity Millennium on a recent cruise? Please let us know here.

 

I would like to see your math on the 4/10 guests leaving their tables in the Metropolitan, they must have thought they were grabbing fast food too! Since I disembarked the day you embarked, it's obvious to me that you are exaggerating on table flights, so it's hard take the rest as any more than an exaggeration as well. Some people aren't happy unless their miserable, glad you found what you were looking for. ;)

[CapeCodCruiser]

I would like to see your math on the 4/10 guests leaving their tables in the Metropolitan, they must have thought they were grabbing fast food too! Since I disembarked the day you embarked, it's obvious to me that you are exaggerating on table flights, so it's hard take the rest as any more than an exaggeration as well. Some people aren't happy unless their miserable, glad you found what you were looking for. ;)

 

I believe you mis-read - OP said:

 

"4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left" - just their table - NOT every table

 

OP - while I understand your frustration with bad service - I too have low tolerance for bad service - if this problem makes this your "worst cruise ever" I believe you have done alright in the grand scheme of things. Bad service is definitely more noticeable somewhere you have previously experienced & come to expect great service.

[gek]

I was on the Millie cruise from Yokohama to Shanghai and I have no idea what the OP is on about. I can't comment on the MDR but the service in Blu was fantastic. The staff were absolutely wonderful as was the food, the ship and the activities staff. I'll be giving this a 5 star review once I get around to it.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I believe you mis-read - OP said:

 

"4 out if 10 guests on our table got up and left" - just their table - NOT every table

 

True, but I would still like to see the math. Is that an average, did the same people just come for appetizers, or did the OP only visit the MDR once on the B2B?

 

I really do love the Celebrity experience, but this forum is the weariest of all the major cruise lines. :(

[JEDIKNIGHT]

I've had plenty of complaints, recently about the buffet. Yes, call me crazy, I don't make excuses for my cruise-line, I call it like I see it.

 

BUT, the MDR we've consistently enjoyed on Celebrity on 5 cruises so far.

 

Food quality and temperature has been great.

 

Service is great too - those on the most recent cruise you could tell the staff i spread somewhat thinner.

 

But for a mass-market affair, the MDR is fine with me so far.

[phoenix_dream]

I haven't either! Do you think they were talking about Select Dining? I have never seen a "filthy" Celebrity ship. The M ships are less "glitzy and modern" than the S Class but they are beautiful ships in their own right. If you are used to "new & shiny" you will find a difference with the M class. We sail both gladly:)

Agreed. I have occasionally sailed on M class where there were some areas that needed a bit of updating, but overall Celebrity takes good care of their ships. I also have never, ever, in 25 cruises seen a 'filthy' Celebrity ship. I was not on the OP's cruise so cannot comment on that specifically, but I would be shocked to find a ship filthy. I confess I was disappointed on my sailing 2 years ago on Summit, but a Captains Club hostess not to be named on another ship confirmed for us that there was a management problem and it had been corrected. I am trying it again this November and will report back. Personally, while I like S class I love M class ships. Love the size and design, and the T-pool:D. I will take traditional, comfortable, and classy over glitzy and modern any time, itineraries and prices being comparable.

[Dick in Falls Church]

We were on the Millenium from Vancouver to Yokohama. Our service in the MDR was as good as it has ever been. Our room did have a water leak develop. It was fixed shortly and the water dried up. Guest Service called to see if everything was OK. It was. Then Guest Service called to see if we would consider moving to another cabin, to help them out in further repairs. Said we didn't have to do so, but we did. ended up in a suite. Attendants in both locations were excellent.

 

My wife commented that she didn't think the food was quite as good as on some previous cruises, but she managed to find something to eat every night.

Oh yes, they did run out of berries and V-8 juice, but we didn't let it get to us.

 

Have been on the Constellation a number of times--and booked again in Dec. Guess we prefer the somewhat smaller ships (will miss the Century).

[tbugstwo]

Was the service the only reason why you consider this such a bad experience? Our problem with the Millenium last year on the same itinerary, was not the service. We did not like that it made the impression of being a tired ship going home with the last strenght. We noticed this on the food and on the production shows. I think this is a very hard itinerary for Celebrity and at this route they do not manage to meet the standards we are used to.

The Millie did not sail B2B Alaska/Transpacific last year. It came outof drydock in October last year and sailed FTL-Panama Canal-Hawaii-Sydney-Singapore in 4 cruise segments. I know because we were on it for over 58 days on these B2B cruises. Nohing could have been better wih the service on these cruises on Millie. We sailed on Millie's inaugural cruise (Baltics) in 2000, as well as several times between then and last Fall. The Millie was, and still is, one of our favorite Celebrity ships. While not as glitzy as the S class ships, its elegance is undeniable and its crew has always been top notch. Service problems in the MDR at lunch have existed on all of our cruises, including S-class, principally because we are always seated with others who arrive at different times and because we are more harried, trying to eat between various ship activities. That said, we long ago learned to avoid the MDR for lunch and instead go to the buffet or order room service. Happy sailing. Up next B2B Caribbean cruises on the Silouhette for Thanksgiving!

[Safety Squirrel]

Not trying to cut in on the thread, but, we just left the Summit and this was our worst cruise ever. The ship was a designated training ship even though Guest Services denied this, The ship was filthy, dining (early) in the MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you. The smoking area on deck 10 had the dirtiest, broken down furniture and it was never cleaned unless someone called Guest Services and asked numerous times for someone to clean it. There was almost non existant bar service unless you went to the bar to get your drink and brought it back to your chair. The crew put on a good front, but if you took the time to listen, they weren't happy either. The list could go on, but the bottom line is that the M class ships seem to be the "red headed stepchildren" of Celebrity. We love the smaller ships on Royal Caribbean but if you want a great cruise, stick to S class on Celebrity. Just our opinion, hopefully others may have smoother sailings.

 

I also think I must have been on a different Summit - having sailed the September 21st cruise. The ship was definitely not filthy and I found it to be very clean. I never had to go to a bar to get my own drink - there was always someone asking me if I wanted something in various venues, including the theatre, buffet, Café Baccio, etc. Did you talk to all the staff to know that they were not happy. Staff that I talked to were happy to be on the Summit.

 

I am not sure what to make of your statement that "MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you" We had two people request to change from our table as they requested a table for two, another couple joined our table as they wanted a larger table. Nothing was based on "status" that I knew as neither couple has "status" so to speak.

 

I was very happy with the cleanliness, service and talked to many staff members who were happy with their assignments

[Teknofauz]

Not trying to cut in on the thread, but, we just left the Summit and this was our worst cruise ever. The ship was a designated training ship even though Guest Services denied this, The ship was filthy, dining (early) in the MDR was a fiasco as tables were assigned but if someone with more "status" wanted your assigned table you were told to leave the table assigned to you. The smoking area on deck 10 had the dirtiest, broken down furniture and it was never cleaned unless someone called Guest Services and asked numerous times for someone to clean it. There was almost non existant bar service unless you went to the bar to get your drink and brought it back to your chair. The crew put on a good front, but if you took the time to listen, they weren't happy either. The list could go on, but the bottom line is that the M class ships seem to be the "red headed stepchildren" of Celebrity. We love the smaller ships on Royal Caribbean but if you want a great cruise, stick to S class on Celebrity. Just our opinion, hopefully others may have smoother sailings.

 

 

I found this posting so unlike the experience that we had on that exact same cruise. This was our 3rd cruise on the Summit and it just keeps getting better. The ship and our stateroom were spotless. We could not have asked for a more accommodating crew. During the axipod problem, the Captain and cruise director kept us fully informed at all times. We did not witness not experience any problems in the MDR. As a matter of fact, our waiter was one of the best we have ever had. As on all cruises, we were bombarded with people asking us if we wanted a drink. Since we don't smoke, I cannot comment on the condition of the smoking area.

 

We had a wonderful cruise and have absolutely NO complaints.

 

Nancy

[uktog]

We have just returned from our time in a parallel universe. We thought we were on 21 Sept sailing on Summit but from posts popping up on several threads on these boards, I fear the aliens must have zapped us at Bayonne and transported us to a far cleaner happier ship where bar service was the slickest we have had on Celebrity for a long time and the food was way too good

 

I think these aliens are causing havoc everywhere and we are getting these divergent views from several ships as a result

 

 

Ok beam me up Scottie

[dallas16]

We are in beijing having got off the millennium for a couple of days. Embarkation in shanghai was very efficient and there has been lots of useful information from Captain Kosta Nestoridis and cruise director Steve Gayda. The first night service was very good in the metropolitan and we had lots of information on the menu and different choices available, the starter and main course were both very good and the service of a good standard. The second night we did not get to the dining room because of the rough seas but the following night we were back in the dining room, the service was a little slow, some of the food was good and some of the food was not as good but still very edible and could be down to what we ordered, the ship is very clean and the various lounges and different areas of the ship are in very good condition and there are lots of repairs being carried out throughout the vessel while the ship is empty in tianjin as most passengers are staying in beijing, the entire cruise has been of a good standard so far and we would happily sail on another celebrity cruise in the future, we have experienced very few issues with any part of the Millennium or the onboard service and we hope this continues through the remainder of the cruise, everything is very efficient on board. The ship does look older in places but everything looks in very decent condition and there is very little trouble finding sunbeds, lounges to sit in or seats in the buffet.

[midwestchick]

We did the Millennium Alaska a few months ago, and everything was wonderful. We were in a sweet 16 veranda, our cabin steward was great, the ship was clean and all the staff seemed very eager to please.

Even at the beginning, we wanted to sit outside, but all the seats were taken. One of the bar servers went inside to grab us a couple of chairs. This went above and beyond.

I cannot address the MDR, because we do ultimate dining, and everyone at the specialty restaurants knocked themselves out for us, making sure we had a great table, suggesting things that were off-menu, etc.

The post cruise tour went like clockwork, and there again, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful.

About the only complaint we had was embarkation, where there were not enough staff checking people in, and it went fairly slowly.

Otherwise, our experience was as pleasant as it has been on the S class ships.

Teri

 

What is a sweet 16 Verandah...I'm not familiar with that term, only cruising once on X.

[terigo]

What is a sweet 16 Verandah...I'm not familiar with that term, only cruising once on X.

On the M class Celebrity ships there are 16 cabins to the fore of deck 6.... 8 on each side, that are the same price as regular veranda cabins but have oversized verandas. If you google Celebrity sweet 16, you will see images of how they look in comparison to the other verandas.

Oddly, the people at Celebrity seem to know nothing about these cabins, but just about everyone on cruise critic does.

Teri