Millennium Review - March 2016

[Natalia&Nick]

Ship - ok inside, old outside - rust, old pools, dirty old steps, disgustingly stained doors on 11 to Aqua rooms. Etc!! 2/5

 

Staff - amazing. Esp in Blu. Igor and staff simply brilliant. 5/5.

 

Food - mostly average and occasionally totally unacceptable. Bistro on 5 and Qsine were foul. 1/5.

 

Ents - low key as expected, shows wonderful, cruise director full-on but great!! 5/5.

 

Evening Chic - utter shambles. 10% dressed well, 50% had total disregard (t shirts accepted in the dining rooms). Back to European dress standards for us in the future!! 0/5

 

Celebrity - a huge let down. Bali needlessly cancelled. A tender was no risk and paying adults can make their own decisions. 0/5

 

Overall - we make our own experiences but doubt we will cruise with Celebrity again. Millie is an old ship in a state of need and not befitting a 5 star brand. Wish we had known before we booked. But it's all about personal taste and standards, right?

[Cassicruiser]

I have cruised on Millie twice in the past 2 years, and yes she is an older ship, but we found her immaculately kept and we loved our time on her. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again. Loved the pool area, food was great, didn't find anything dirty or run down. Only thing I really didn't like was the layout of the buffet, but that's all I could fault.

 

Different people- different views I guess.

[Clarea]

Thank-you for the report.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your review.

 

Keith

[livingasia]

Why was Bali cancelled?

 

Interesting review and the polar opposite of my experience on the same ship 2 months ago.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report, sorry some things were not up to snuff. Just a FYI, Celebrity is not a 5 star brand, you need to go to Crystal for that.

[biker1972]

Millie in for refurbishment in April.

[crazycatlady82]

Bali is a known terrorist hot spot. Australian government has warned against going there since February.

 

You say that adults can make their own decision, but I'm sure if somebody got hurt or killed, somebody would sue.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[portofrome]

Thanks for your report.

[Lastdance]

This is what I was afraid of from the Mille, but since I am after dry dock, I will reserve comments until then...

[Jane2357]

This is what I was afraid of from the Mille, but since I am after dry dock, I will reserve comments until then...

 

We are on Millie on May 27th - after your cruise - so please come back and give us a post dry dock update!

 

Honestly - I love the M class ships, even though they are older. With Millie in Alaska this year and next year Infinity for 15 nights of Panama Canal - I trust X to keep em up to snuff. Was just on Connie in January and she is very well kept.

[jbuch02]

Sailed Millenim for a month in Janaury so got to know every part of the ship inside and out.

 

She is the oldest M class ship and, in some respects, it shows. However, constant up keep while at sea and in port keeps these vessels in great shape both from a mechanical and appearance standpoint. Rust is a fact of life on ocean going vessels. So is routine wear and tear. Both were present on our recent voyage but neither was a problem for us.

 

Declining MDR food quality with Celbrity is a fleet wide issue and one can only assume is revenue driven at the corporate level. IMO, celebrity has still managed to offer very good food, mostly above industry standard, in most venues and specialty restaurants continue to have the same very high quality food and service that I experienced with my early sailings with Celebrity 15 years ago.

 

I do think the up charges for these restaurants have gotten too high but there are several ways to obtain reasonable pricing by packaging specialty dining options or taking advantage of demand driven discounts which are almost always offered while on board. Moreover, the MDR is entirely acceptable with good, maybe not comparatively great, offerings nicely prepared and served.

 

The crew were too a man/woman, outstanding. Officers visible and circulating. If Celebrity does one thing well it is training crew members how to interact with passengers on a day to day basis. It makes a difference in how cruisers on Celebrity seem to perceive their cruise compared to other lines, at least that's my perception.

 

I do think, however, that Celebrity in general, not specific to Millennium, is seeing other industry competitors closing the gap with regard to this perception. With industry wide costs associated with a leisure cruise increasing and Celebrity seeming to increase a little faster than others, it's a hard market within which to keep market share. For me, it's gotten more likely that I'm going to not just shop value Celebrity cabins but also look seriously at their competitors.

[teachatthebeach]

We sailed the Millennium in June 2015 and found her to be a wonderful ship. We wouldn't hesitate to sail her again.

[1982CruzStart]

Ship - ok inside, old outside - rust, old pools, dirty old steps, disgustingly stained doors on 11 to Aqua rooms. Etc!! 2/5

 

Staff - amazing. Esp in Blu. Igor and staff simply brilliant. 5/5.

 

Food - mostly average and occasionally totally unacceptable. Bistro on 5 and Qsine were foul. 1/5.

 

Ents - low key as expected, shows wonderful, cruise director full-on but great!! 5/5.

 

Evening Chic - utter shambles. 10% dressed well, 50% had total disregard (t shirts accepted in the dining rooms). Back to European dress standards for us in the future!! 0/5

 

 

Celebrity - a huge let down. Bali needlessly cancelled. A tender was no risk and paying adults can make their own decisions. 0/5

 

Overall - we make our own experiences but doubt we will cruise with Celebrity again. Millie is an old ship in a state of need and not befitting a 5 star brand. Wish we had known before we booked. But it's all about personal taste and standards, right?

 

I agree with you. Our first cruise on Celebrity in a suite and it was a big disappointment. We are on one in fall 2016 but only because I couldn't find another cruise with the same timing to substitute. I am hoping for the best.

[TeaBag]

Natalia&Nick, sorry you did not enjoy Millie. We are still on board and we find the food in Blu wonderful but the service is slow due to what we think is understaffing.

 

We loved our first time in a suite with a huge balcony last cruise, but we are also enjoying our Aqua cabin this cruise. We have the most fabulous room steward this time. We have sailed more on this hip than any other in the Celebrity fleet.

 

Before you give up on Celebrity, try one of the S class.

[Natalia&Nick]

Yes we did Equinox which was in a different league. You know, we thought the service in Blu was top notch.

I'm amazed someone commented they like the pool areas. We found them to be grimey - not unclean, just too old to get clean, lots of rust and lots of old things that just couldn't be put right. Take the pool, for example. When you're in it, you can feel the layers and layers of paint over the rust and in some places you can actually feel the water squishing around underneath. The pool safety signs are old and rusty. There is no shade on the top decks which leaves people scrapping for breezy corners depending where the sun is during the day.

The steps up to 11 from the back are a real mess.

She is just an old ship and we don't like old.

But we had a ball regardless!!

[scorchestra]

I'm amazed someone commented they like the pool areas. .

 

Oh, don't be so amazed. Some people actually enjoy their time and find joy and beauty in many things. I'm glad I did not read your negative review before booking. And it really isn't much of a review.

[Natalia&Nick]

Thanks. As I said, we all have our own experiences and standards and it's good Millennium was up to yours. I'm afraid she wasn't up to ours and are not alone in that view. We had a great holiday, but will choose more carefully next time.

[wales4ever]

Thanks. As I said, we all have our own experiences and standards and it's good Millennium was up to yours. I'm afraid she wasn't up to ours and are not alone in that view. We had a great holiday, but will choose more carefully next time.

 

Totally agree with you both. Will take a huge offer to sail with Celeb again.

[The_Big_M]

I can appreciate your impression. I would also say Celebrity has not prioritised this class of ships any more, since they created Solstice class.

 

I would say that though that their justification for removing Bali was sound. There have been a number of terrorist attacks lately, including attacking tourists, including cruise tourists, and Celebrity would have been wrong to visit there in spite of the increased danger.

 

They offer 'luxury' cruises, not adventure holidays with the risks advised. Different markets and customers, so they have to cater for them. Giving a warning to their passengers would not have been sufficient or appropriate.

[Mickey22]

I was also on the Millie from Hong Kong to Singapore in an aqua room on deck 11 and from Singapore to Sydney in a suite. I agree the aqua room needed some repairs, had trouble with the sink not draining and the toilet not flushing but we had a wonderful room attendant who kept everything clean and repairs were taken care of quickly.

As far as Blu is concerned we found it to be wonderful, food and wine were very good and the staff exceptional. Luminea also very good with a variety of menus and another great staff.

 

We were disappointed to miss Bali, safety must come first and I am glad for the people of Bali that nothing happened. I am sure the 200 crew members who were going to have a chance to see their families were also disappointed but with all that is going on in the world today Celebrity made the right decision.

 

As for evening chic nights, I saw very few tuxedos and long gowns, people were dressed nicely, many men in suits or sport jackets, collared shirts and women in cocktail dresses or pants with dressy tops. We have always chosen to eat in Blu or a specialty restaurant to avoid having to pack the overly dressy clothes so the new dress code is fine with us. What others choose to wear has no impact on our ability to have a good time.

 

Overall the Millie is ready for a face lift but is still a great ship with as good a crew as you will ever find.

 

Jane

[Natalia&Nick]

I agree the staff are wonderful, which makes it all the more shame the ship is in disrepair. In answer to a previous comment, I actually wish we knew this before we booked which is why I take my responsibility to share with this community.

We also thought there were aircon problems. We just couldn't get our cabin cool enough and in the buffet there were pockets of warm/close air and cool air.

Re chic night, it was fine by us after some consideration. On one night, we chose to eat in Select and there were lots of men in normal t shirts which I think is a shame. We asked the maitre d' about this but she said people just refused to change.

[blrabbit]

I was also on the Millie from Hong Kong to Singapore in an aqua room on deck 11 and from Singapore to Sydney in a suite. I agree the aqua room needed some repairs, had trouble with the sink not draining and the toilet not flushing but we had a wonderful room attendant who kept everything clean and repairs were taken care of quickly.

As far as Blu is concerned we found it to be wonderful, food and wine were very good and the staff exceptional. Luminea also very good with a variety of menus and another great staff.

 

We were disappointed to miss Bali, safety must come first and I am glad for the people of Bali that nothing happened. I am sure the 200 crew members who were going to have a chance to see their families were also disappointed but with all that is going on in the world today Celebrity made the right decision.

 

As for evening chic nights, I saw very few tuxedos and long gowns, people were dressed nicely, many men in suits or sport jackets, collared shirts and women in cocktail dresses or pants with dressy tops. We have always chosen to eat in Blu or a specialty restaurant to avoid having to pack the overly dressy clothes so the new dress code is fine with us. What others choose to wear has no impact on our ability to have a good time.

 

Overall the Millie is ready for a face lift but is still a great ship with as good a crew as you will ever find.

 

Jane

Hi Jane,

How was the HK to Singapore itinerary because we are looking to cruise from 12/21-1/2.:)

Bob

[Mickey22]

Hi Jane,

How was the HK to Singapore itinerary because we are looking to cruise from 12/21-1/2.:)

Bob

 

Bob,

Hong Kong is great, the Peak, the Big Buddha, Maccao(sure I am spelling this wrong), fishing villages and cooking classes, lots to see and do.

 

Vietnam, Ha Long Bay we did an overnight on a Paradise Privilege boat, there were 5 of us and 3 cabins so it was perfect.We went in the caves, cruised the bay visited a Pearl Farm, had a cooking class.

 

Vietnam, Hue/ Danang visited the Tombs of Khai Dinh and Tu Duc, had lunch on a boat on the Perfume River followed by a bike ride.

 

Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City went to the CuChi Tunnels (while this is now a tourist attraction it is also very disturbing if you are old enough to remember the war), had lunch on the Saigon River and a 12 mile bike ride through rice paddies, villages and ending in a rubber plantation, and a quick tour in Ho Chi Minh City.

[Mickey22]

Bangkok, Thailand overnight. First day we went to Samed Island for a beach and snorkeling day. Next day we did a full day tour of Pattaya including an elephant ride, botanical gardens and show.

We chose not to go into Bangkok but spoke to people who did, it was a 3 hour bus ride each way, some felt it was worth it and some did not.

 

Singapore, Plenty to do, had a Singapore Sling at Raffles, rode the HoHo bus, saw the view from Marina Bay Sky Park and spent an entire morning walking around Chinatown.

 

We had a wonderful time and the weather was great, no rain but very hot. Let me know if you need any other information.

 

Jane