from Millennium

[Hebe]

Sunshine

As a stockholder of RCL, I guess I have to disagree that the cruiseline should refund 50% everytime a ship misses a port. In the case of the QM2 - people were not getting any ports - just a start and end.

If I think over our cruise history, I think I must say that about 40% have had to change itenery based on weather. I have never received a penny of compensation for that.

I think weather will also be a factor on vacations no matter if you are on sea or land. If we continue this thinking then I guess we need to start protesting at hotels because we planned to spend the day on the beach and it rained.

I just read about a person who stubed her toe on the gangway so now that should be a free cruise. I really think people are now making this a game and trying to figure out how much money they can get back.

I seen people boast on the boards on how they got compensated or upgraded.

Yes -- I agree -- if the cruiseline caused the problem -- that is different.

Well my 2 cents.

[shaq]

We are back from the Millennium 1/8/07 cruise around Cape Horn and would like to mention issues we believe Celebrity should address in their own best interests as well as those of their current and future passengers.

They are as follows:

(1) Our cabin, 8161, was clean but certainly needed to be refurbished as the bedspreads, the carpet and the draperies all displayed the affects of age and use.

(2) Our cabin stewart, Rolando, had one of the poorest attitudes I have every witnessed from anyone in the customer service industry. We asked for our mini-bar to be filled since it was empty when we boarded the ship. The cabin stewart asked for our Sea-Pass which we refused to give him since you are supposed to pay for things you consume from the mini-bar when you comsume them. It took 3 days and 2 telephone calls to Guest Services to get the mini-bar filled.

(3) We were in the second seating at table 503 which is located at the aft of the ship and overlooked the 1st floor of the dining room. It had a full view of the captain's table which was completely set up every night for him and his party. He never once showed up for dinner, a fact acknowledged as usual by our excellent table wait staff. In my opinion this is a snub to all of the passengers because he is the "top" PR man on the ship and should be out and about.

(4) We never saw the captain walking about the ship during the entire cruise.

(5) The stench of sewage permeated the area of the Emporium and the entrance halls to the theater from the first day to the last.

(6) From the start of the cruise until our arrival at Montevideo, every departure from and arrival in all ports was late.

(7) The food served in the main dining room was no where near the quality of food served on other Celebrity cruises.

(8) Celebrity publishes a daily newspaper which clearly lists the dress codes to be followed in all restaurants for that particular day. However, because of Celebrity's apparent extreme interest in their bottom line, the do not enforce their own dress codes for fear of driving passengers away. On the in-formal and formal nights we saw how Celebrity allowed passengers into the main dining room dressed in shorts, jeans, T-shirts, sandals and sport pullovers. If Celebrity does not want to follow its own dress codes, then they should make all their cruises casual.

(9) We were told the long waits experienced by passengers returning to the ship on tenders was because one of the tenders was inoperable. How can that be when a tender is also a life boat!

(10) Communications from the captain were always made by Simon, the CD, and were always late.

Remember, don't shoot the messenger. These are items we believe Celebrity should be addressing for the good of all.

Shaq

[c-legs]

:) Good morning, Shaq

Thanks very much for your '' cool, calm, collected and factual'' post. We need more of this and less of the whining ambulance chasers-type posts.

One thing is emerging throughout all recent threads and posts relating to issues with Celebrity, and it is disturbing: COMMUNICATION...or lack of it.
Does it not strike everybody that most problems ultimately are due to poor, lacking or shabby communications ??? Would seem easy to rectify....
Problems WILL arise....what differentiate the good operators and the not so good ones is how you deal with problems, i-e-; how you communicate with your affected guests...failing which you create a second problem....

Another thing: Wasn't Millie in drydock last November ??? How could so much soft goods and '' smell'' issues not have been fixed...??? Puzzling...!

Let's all keep looking for happy sailings
Cheers
CG
;)

[katiebeth]

Dear Shaq and others with concerns regarding the Millennium,

So sorry to hear about your disappointing cruise on the Millennium. Your comments seem to be consistent with what several others have been posting with regards to issues of concern on this particular ship. Many of these same issues have been reported over the past few months from others who have sailed on the Millennium. The fact that the problems have continued makes me wonder what, if anything, Celebrity is doing to address these concerns.

Have you made your concerns known to those higher up at Celebrity headquarters? I am wondering if they have been made aware of these very legitimate concerns. I can't imagine that they would not be doing everything in their power to straighten things out. Also, did you fill out the survey at the end of the cruise and make comments regarding the problems you experienced?

I would love to hear from someone who has made their concerns known and received some type of response from Celebrity. It would be reassuring to know that Celebrity is aware of these issues and are taking immediate steps to address them.

We love Celebrity and sure hate to hear that things may not be up to the standards (rightly or wrongly) they we have come to expect when cruising with Celebrity.

Would love to hear from anyone who has received a response.

Thanks,

Nancy

[katiebeth]

Do you think anyone from Celebrity reads these boards so they know what passengers and loyal Celebrity cruisers are saying?

Nancy

[Linda-E]

Shaq,
We agree with all your items EXCEPT - the Captain ate in the dining room for second seating on the first formal night. We had the pleasure of dining with him then. On the other formal nights there were other officers who dined with passengers at that table (most, I believe were Elite or Suite).

CG,
Judging from comments from previous Millennium passengers, it appears that the smell started after drydock. Not sure how that could happen! The drydock seems to have been for mechanical maintenance. Our cabin had new drapes and bedspread but, old work carpeting, burns on the sinktop and an old, chipped toilet seat.

Nancy,
We are waiting for a reply from Celebrity. I do believe that they read these boards occasionally but not sure whether they do so on a regular basis.

[SunshineCity]

It's hard to believe I was on the same ship during Christmas and New Years.

Well Said Hebe. I couldn't agree more.

[yannisusa]

Shaq I can not believe any of those things you are saying about the Millennium regarding the dress code. Sandals and T-shirts on informal/formal nights? I have been on 26 cruises with Celebrity. I have noticed occasionally very few people without jackets and ties on informal nights but never with sandals and t-shirts. My last cruise on the Millennium was last May. I cannot believe things went downhill in such a short time. My question to you is did Celebrity did anything right during your cruise?

Yannis

[kannna]

Please remember that shaq was the one who wanted everyone on the TA to report things to the cdc before he had even been on the ship. Take what you may from that.

[shaq]

Yannisusa,

Regarding the informal and formal night dress codes and actual dress by many passengers, all is true. On our previous Celebrity cruise on Infinity last year, there was a much better general respect for the published dress codes.

Yes, Celebrity did do some good things and I am listing them below:

(1) The email boarding doc really make the boarding process proceed very easily and quickley.

(2) In Valpariso the Celebrity staff on the pier was well organized and boarding went extremely quickley.

(3) The Guest Relations Staff were excellent in handling your issue and then following up on it with you until it had been completed.

(4) The dining room wait staff and the Olympic Restaurant wait staff provided excellent service as did the Somalier.

(5) In general the staff was open, friendly and helpful.

(6) The addition of the Naturalist as a daily speaker was extremely informative regarding the flora and fauna we would be seeing on the cruise as well as the glaciers and mountains.

Shaq

[ajpack]

The smell didn't start after drydock..it was there for our Oct. 13th cruise...Barcelona to Venice. There were also many problems with toilets not flushing, not only in cabins, but in some of the public restrooms.

We also had a lot of problems keeping our minibar stocked. My husband just wanted a few beers in it...finally we gave up.

[katiebeth]

I agree that the smell most likely has nothing to do with drydock.

We experienced the same sewage smell on the Infinity in June on an Alaskan cruise. Based on what I read on these boards it continued throughout the summer. The Infinity had not recently been in drydock so there was no relationship.

Please don't shoot the messenger! I am just stating a fact. Besides the odor, we had a wonderful time and received terrific service from an outstanding crew.

Just wish Celebrity would get a handle on the odor problem.

Nancy

[Linda-E]

Did you see the review of the most recent Millennium cruise? [URL="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=293376"]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=293376[/URL]

Especially interesting to see that the Hotel Manager left and the Assistant Hotel Manager promoted during the first week, and that the Captain left and was replaced during the second week of their cruise. We had dinner with the Captain on the first formal night and he had no plans to leave the ship any time soon.

Still waiting for a reply to our letter to Celebrity ...
Linda

[AgSg]

[quote name='katiebeth']I agree that the smell most likely has nothing to do with drydock.

We experienced the same sewage smell on the Infinity in June on an Alaskan cruise. Based on what I read on these boards it continued throughout the summer. The Infinity had not recently been in drydock so there was no relationship.

Please don't shoot the messenger! I am just stating a fact. Besides the odor, we had a wonderful time and received terrific service from an outstanding crew.

Just wish Celebrity would get a handle on the odor problem.

Nancy[/QUOTE]
Nancy,

We were on the TA after the drydock. We noticed the sewage smell a couple of times but it went away very quickly. The smell seemed to occur during rough seas.

Albert

[Linda-E]

We have received no response yet from Celebrity. Anyone else?

Linda

[katiebeth]

Dear Linda,

Sorry to hear that you have not received a response from Celebrity. It is discouraging to hear that they have been so slow in responding.

I have dealt with their "customer relations" department on an issue regarding cabin assignments on our upcoming cruise on Millennium and found them to be anything but helpful. I did finally e-mail [email]jbernheimer@rccl.com[/email] and did receive a response. (I got her name off of these boards). It is a shame that so many companies are willing to spend millions on advertising and so little on responding to concerns of loyal customers.

I am sure that an acknowledgement of your correspondence would go a long way. I think most of us are only looking for something along the lines of ...."so sorry that your cruise did not meet expectations, we are working quickly to address the issues that you have raised, etc. etc." I believe that you and others, are deserving of a more timely response.

Please keep us posted.

Nancy

[dagadget]

My Wife and I are going on The Millennium on April 16th. I have read good and bad about a lot of ships. I was in the US Navy for a lonmg time and we had smell problems too but only when we had very rough seas and a lot of pitching and rolling. Still I do not think that this will be a major problem on my first cruise. Going to be on the Sky Deck CC 9038. Still looking forward to it with interest regardless of what I hear. Personal experience will decide for me.

[Krewzz]

I was on the Millenium from Dec. 24/Ft. Lauderdale to Jan 8/Valparaiso and would like to share some thoughts and also solicit feedback. I am a cruise newbie; that was only my second cruise, but I was traveling with family members who have cruised extensively on Celebrity and other lines. We did not smell any of the odors discussed above, but did find the staterooms to be in need of sprucing up. Carpets were worn, bedspreads were showing age. The common areas to us looked to be kept up.

Overall, we had a great time. My experienced co-travelers said the dining room service was among the best they had on any ship. We were all quite pleased with the food.

I did not feel the staff was completely first-rate and it seemed that if Celebrity was trying to climb up towards the first tier of luxury lines, the experience on the Millenium showed they had a ways to go, although we all felt Simon was excellent. My co-travelers have told me not base the impression of the staff on one or two incidents that might be isolated, but as a newbie, I would like to get some opinions on the following observations I made:

1. John on the activities staff was hosting challenges of the sexes trivia. One day the captain of the men's team was a teenage young man with a stuttering problem. John requested our team to replace him because he, John, had too much trouble understanding the young man. We all refused and were amazed how someone in a service capacity could be so insensitive.

2. I noticed Todd the fitness person and the yoga instructor, a young man I think from Australia, walk among the passengers and not make eye contact or say hello. Seemed to not fit into the characteristics of what the staff should be like.

3. The pool butlers never helped passengers. We noticed ladies carrying chairs, etc. and they never offered to help.

4. At one point when the bank was closed, I asked the Guest Relations counter if I could cash a check at the bank when they opened. The lady told me no, that the ATM was the only way on the ship to get cash. So I used the ATM and paid the fees. Later when the bank was open, I asked and they told me they do cash checks. I went back over to Guest Relations just to let them know they had given me incorrect information. The response was they cannot know everything that goes on the ship. I replied that they should have said they did not know instead of give out incorrect information, especially pertaining to the next counter over.

5. The night before disembarkation, the assistant cabin steward, Vency, asked if I would leave my bags out by 9:30, even though the sheet said 11PM. I questioned that because I was in the late dinner seating and did not want to have to rush back, especially on the last night when saying good-byes. He told me he had to be up early and wanted everything ready. Then he asked if 10:30 was ok. Told him I would try and accommodate him. I had the bags out at 10:45, and was a bit annoyed.

6. The following morning instructions were to be at a designated common area at 10:10AM and requested avoiding the areas earlier to facilitate things. Approx 8:30 the cabin steward asked to make up the room for the next guests, and I was fine with that. Then a bit after 9AM, my pal the assistant cabin steward, Vency, came in and told me I was supposed to be out of the room at 8AM. I challenged him and showed him the instructions I received. Was annoyed, still thinking about the luggage request the previous night. He agreed the instructions did not say that, but said that was the policy anyway. I called up Guest Relations to ask them. They said the official policy was as printed, but that if "I were a considerate person, I would leave the room at 8AM so they could prepare for the next guests." I told them the instructions asked us to avoid the common areas. They replied that we should go to other common areas not involved with disembarkation. The whole thing annoyed me and left me with a bad impression. (BTW - I tipped the cabin steward and asst. the standard amount - but they never acknowledged or thanked me - whatever.)

Overall I did have a good time and am not the type of person to complain, but the last two experiences did leave me with a less that perfect impression of the Millenium. I would like comments if I am being too picky or if my observations are valid.

Thanks.

John

[SunshineCity]

I was on the exact same cruise and feel bad that things weren't as expected for you. We on the other hand have nothing but praise for the waiters, cabin stewards, cruise staff and the entertainment department. They were all fantastic and everywhere we went on the ship, staff were always greeting you. As we boarded the ship, we must of passed 10-15 staff and they greeted us with Christmas Cheer.

Maybe our cabin service was better because we had concierge service, I don't know, but we could not ask for better treatment. The guest relations desk was helpful when we needed them. Did you know that you can get cash in the Casino?

I have been on several cruises and this cruise rates very high. Maybe our personalities are different. I try to treat people the way I like to be treated. I did however notice passengers being extremely rude to the crew and staff and that bothered me. At times I felt ashamed to be witnessing such rudeness. That would have to be the only downfall to this cruise.

So in summary, in my opinion, it wasn't the staff or crew that in need of a tune up but the passengers. Our cabin was in tip top shape, but I did not get on my hands and knees looking for flaws. Anyway some of the top hotels in the world have flaws. I know I am not the only ones who felt this way, many people who were on the same cruise feel the same way I did.

The people who serviced my husband and myself made us feel special and that made our cruise along with the experiences in each port very satisfying.

[kannna]

We were at the episode of BOTS and I recall the young man being asked to repeat himself for clarification. But not to give up his captainship. That young man was incredibly smart and could sing to beat the band and was quite an assett to the men's team if i do recall.

But different people remember things the way they want to i guess.

[Krewzz]

[quote name='SunshineCity']I was on the exact same cruise and feel bad that things weren't as expected for you. We on the other hand have nothing but praise for the waiters, cabin stewards, cruise staff and the entertainment department. They were all fantastic and everywhere we went on the ship, staff were always greeting you. As we boarded the ship, we must of passed 10-15 staff and they greeted us with Christmas Cheer.

Maybe our cabin service was better because we had concierge service, I don't know, but we could not ask for better treatment. The guest relations desk was helpful when we needed them. Did you know that you can get cash in the Casino?

I have been on several cruises and this cruise rates very high. Maybe our personalities are different. I try to treat people the way I like to be treated. I did however notice passengers being extremely rude to the crew and staff and that bothered me. At times I felt ashamed to be witnessing such rudeness. That would have to be the only downfall to this cruise.

So in summary, in my opinion, it wasn't the staff or crew that in need of a tune up but the passengers. Our cabin was in tip top shape, but I did not get on my hands and knees looking for flaws. Anyway some of the top hotels in the world have flaws. I know I am not the only ones who felt this way, many people who were on the same cruise feel the same way I did.

The people who serviced my husband and myself made us feel special and that made our cruise along with the experiences in each port very satisfying.[/QUOTE]

As I said, overall it was a good cruise - I was just pointing out some specifics that led me to question the staff. I did forget to mention that our waiter, Sandu, was absolutely tops.

I don't know if our personalities are the same, but just to comment: I treat people very well, my career demands it. I don't like rudness either. I don't think I need a tune up. Several commented on the cabin flaws - not a big deal, just observation, and I don't think these people were on their hands and knees either looking. Was at parties in a couple of Royal Suites, and agree they did look to be in excellent shape. I had a Veranda on Deck 8, so I wasn't in steerage, by the way.

I agree with your general points, but in your suggesting the points might apply to me, I think you were a bit condescending. Perhaps because I am not an experienced cruiser, that is par for the course.

[Krewzz]

[quote name='kannna']We were at the episode of BOTS and I recall the young man being asked to repeat himself for clarification. But not to give up his captainship. That young man was incredibly smart and could sing to beat the band and was quite an assett to the men's team if i do recall.

But different people remember things the way they want to i guess.[/QUOTE]

You might not have heard, but John did ask that we choose a new captain. We did not of course. Several of us were delighted that the young man participated. As you noted, he is quite talented. I also got to know his family - great people.

[SunshineCity]

I never said you specifically needed a tune up. Some people in general need a tune up. Kanna who commentated above said it correctly. Some people remember things differently. I pointed out that I totally received different treatment than you. If you feel that is condescending then perhaps it is easy to see why you had problems.

And I have read where people have done their own cabin inspection. Really how much time do you really spend in your cabin.

People expect different things in life. I expect kindness and respect from people as that is how I treat others. The passengers that I witnessed being rude were mostly seniors and I came to the conclusion that some of them are nasty and mean and expect when they snap their fingers people should jump. I repeat I was ashamed of the way some of them acted. I had a wonderful cruise.

My mom had a saying that everyone call tell a story the way they want it to be told...............................

[Krewzz]

[quote name='SunshineCity']I never said you specifically needed a tune up. Some people in general need a tune up. Kanna who commentated above said it correctly. Some people remember things differently. I pointed out that I totally received different treatment than you. If you feel that is condescending then perhaps it is easy to see why you had problems.

And I have read where people have done their own cabin inspection. Really how much time do you really spend in your cabin.

People expect different things in life. I expect kindness and respect from people as that is how I treat others. The passengers that I witnessed being rude were mostly seniors and I came to the conclusion that some of them are nasty and mean and expect when they snap their fingers people should jump. I repeat I was ashamed of the way some of them acted. I had a wonderful cruise.

My mom had a saying that everyone call tell a story the way they want it to be told...............................[/QUOTE]

I had no issues with you pointing out that you received different treatment. That is fair. And to reiterate, much of my treatment was good. I just felt that instead of taking a few experiences at face value and commenting on those, you suggested that maybe my perspective was the issue - and if that was your intent, I took issue that that. You did mention those things in response to my post, so it was a possible inference. But perhaps that was not your intent at all. Difficult to try and analyze people in a discussion forum.

[AgSg]

Hello,

At the moment, we are sitting in our hotel room at the Santiago Marriott with a beautiful sunrise above the Andes. We just got off Millennium on March 19 (March 5 Buenos Aires departure). We had a marvelous time and experience on this cruise. This was our seventh time on Millie and she has not disappointed us. We will admit that she does have some rough edges that Celebrity needs to deal with (some stains on cabin carpeting, some worn carpeting at the landings, etc.) We were on the transatlantic in November and can report that some of the item we noticed back then have been corrected. Therefore, Celebrity does seem to be addressing the issues. We can also report that we did not notice any sewage smell this time. We were on deck eight aft in a concierge cabin.

The cruise experience is what you make it. On this cruise, there were complainers on board who were rude and nasty. However, the crew as always was courteous, kind, and willing to do all within their power to please. This is what always stands out on our previous Millie cruises.

We had several days of very rough weather and by this I mean 35-40 foot seas and winds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The captain made several announcements during these events and kept everyone aware of the situation. The great news is that we made every single port. Weather at the cape was fantastic and the captain made sure that all on board got a great view of the area. In Puerto Madryn, we had disembarked almost all of the passengers, when very high winds came up. We were not there, but understand that the ship started swaying back and forth against the dock. It was so violent that the gangway fell into the water. The ship had to be moved to the center of the bay and a tender service started. As far as I know, all shore excursions took place and everyone made it back safely to the ship. The waters in the bay were rough and winds were sustained at forty knots. This was a very serious situation. However, wait time for the tenders was less than ten minutes. A standing ovation must be given to the crew on how they handled this surprise tendering exercise.

We made arrangements for a Santiago and winery tour today and have to get ready. Our flight leaves for home tonight at 10:40PM.

Good sailings to all! :)