Millenium Review

[knightgrad03]

We just sailed on the Millenium, January 18th Auckland to Sydney, and want to post the following review. The countries of New Zealand and Australia are amazing, and the citizens of those countries are even more amazing. The places we visted was the only saving grace for this trip.

We booked 4 cabins, and all 8 of us walked away with the same view. Many more on the ship also fealt the same way...

Celebrity Cruiseline, and more specifically the Millenium are undoubtedly the worst cruise we have EVER taken. The entertainement, cuisine, staff (especially shore excursion staff), and cleanliness on the ship were below average at best, and I feel this is being quite conservatvie. Here are the issues we faced:

Cuisine: The food in the dining room was on most nights average, nothing like the acolades Celebrity speaks of in their commercials and advertisements. Meats were consistently overcooked, and even after they were sent back, came to us overcooked again. Our waiter was just as frustrated as we were, and tried his best to accomodate us. The lamb was among the worst ever tasted. In fact, 2 people from our party became so frustrated they decided not to come back the dining room. As far as the food on the 10th deck buffet, the plates were often covered with old food, and the glasses not properly washed. The only thing warm items on the buffet were the fresh cooked pasta and the salad (which obviously should not be warm). As much as I hate to say it, the food on Carnival was much better than anything we had on this cruise.

Ships Condition: Since the ship was just refurbished in 2004, I knew there would be some wear and tear. What I saw looked like old beat up motel rather than a luxury cruise. Carpet was torn, and loose ends made for easy tripping hazards, especially for the outdoor carpeting on the look out on the platform above deck 11 forward. There was the smell of raw sewage by the entrance to the main dining room on many occasions, and also the smell of urine near our cabin. There was also the smell and site of mold in many places throughout the ship. My stateroom and my parents stateroom had mildew all over the bathroom shower, and the shower curtain. The toilet seat was chipped and appeared to have dried urine stains that could not be wiped off the toilet seat. Both of the balconies we had were covered in mold and mildew. We couldn't even sit in the seats because they were so bad, the seats were finally cleaned after several days into the cruise, however the balconies remained in a disgusting condition. Again, not something you expect based on the advertising Celebrity does.

Shore Excusions: The one shore excursion touted by Celebrity as being "top notch" was absolutely the WORST shore excursion we have been on, and the biggest waste of money. What occurred on the excursion was nothing like what was described in the overview. For $225pp we expected much more than a 6 hour bus ride out of a 7 hour excursion. What little we did get off of the bus was spent rushing us around to get back on the bus. In addition, the group ran out of water, beer, and other refreshments. When brought to the shore excursion desk's attention we received nothing but excuses for the tour guide, and a very cold attitude. Finally they came back and said the best they could do is offer us a $45pp credit. This is unacceptable.

Activity Staff: This is the only part of the cruise where I fealt they went above and beyond to try and take people's minds off of how terrible of a cruise ship the Millenium is. Valerie, Drew, Katie, Ben, and Bilge did an exceptional job when given very little to work with. My hats are off to them. I wish the other staff on the cruise had the same attitude they did.

Overall, this is the worst cruise we have ever been on. There is no possbile way I could ever refer a friend or colleague to a Celebrity cruise. I have had much better bookings on Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean than this. I feel that for the money we paid for this cruise, and the level of service that was provided by ship's staff, and the quality of the ammenities and food, we would have had better service at a Holiday Inn. The sad thing is that all 8 of us in the booking feel the same way, and there were many more passengers that also shared the same views. When it comes to Celebrity, all I have to say is "Buyer Beware"

I sent an email to Celebrity earlier this week, and received a call from one of the customer service associates. This person could only apologize and stated that the this was not typical of Celebrity and asked for us to give them a second chance by offering us a $100 credit toward a future Celebrity cruise. I had asked for a refund for the shore excusion that we booked through Celebrity because of the discrepencies, and he stated we received the service (which was not what was described/advertised) and therefore would not issue a refund. The conversation was very scripted, and further reinforces my negative view of Celebrity. I am even thinking of cancelling my cruise with Royal Caribbean because of their customer service attitude. :mad::mad::mad::confused::confused::confused:

[pseudochicken]

Now you have me a bit worried... I'll be sailing on her in June for a southbound alaskan cruise... eek!:eek:

[yvrnavigator]

I am also booked on the Millenium for August with my 7 year old son, North- and Southbound Alaska cruise.

Yes, this kind of report makes me a little nervous but at the same time I know from so many experiences and tripreports, that one's person worst cruise of their life could be another best.

 

I will monitor how trip reports on the Millenium will look like over the next few months and hope that the conditon of the ship will be taken care off, if I would find out that they are not I would consider cancelling my cruise and re-booking to RCI or Princess.

[yvrnavigator]

Now you have me a bit worried... I'll be sailing on her in June for a southbound alaskan cruise... eek!:eek:

 

 

Just found this; http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=857472&highlight=millenium

 

I hope it will ease your hard a little and you can look forward to a beautful ship and a wonderful cruise.:)

[wolfshadow]

It certainly doesn't sound like the same ship I was on last June, that's for sure! And, I don't believe I've ever talked to any of the customer service people you did. Sorry you were so disappointed and like you said, maybe you should just stick with Norwegian and Carnival if you feel their product is so much better. :confused:

[Sheik]

I will sail the M within in about 1.5 week. The reviews I read and one of my friends opinion about this cruise (he went 4 weeks ago), Í'm not worried at all. Thanks for the review, but it is nothing like the stories I've heard.

 

2 Years ago I read a terrible review about the disgusting food in the main dining room onboard the Brilliance of the Seas. I was on the same cruise. I found it one of our best experiences, so luckily reviews are very personal.

[KiwiAtSea]

We just sailed on the Millenium, January 18th Auckland to Sydney,

 

Hi knightgrad03, Sorry to hear the cruise wasnt what you hoped/expected. I'll be on her in April, well aware it's one of her last voyages before the re-furb.

 

A matron at our local hospital used to have the motto: Expect the worst, hope for the best and take what comes. So I'll be doing that ;)

 

Can you please tell me what Embarkation in Auckland was like? Good stuff/bad stuff, any tips?

 

Thanks.

[tamsno]

Hi. We'll be on the Mille Mar 1 Syd-Auck. Please share what the tour was that you disliked so much so we can beware. We have private tours in most places but have scheduled 1 with Celebrity. Thanks.

[knightgrad03]

Hi knightgrad03, Sorry to hear the cruise wasnt what you hoped/expected. I'll be on her in April, well aware it's one of her last voyages before the re-furb.

 

A matron at our local hospital used to have the motto: Expect the worst, hope for the best and take what comes. So I'll be doing that ;)

 

Can you please tell me what Embarkation in Auckland was like? Good stuff/bad stuff, any tips?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Embarkation was a little disorganized at first, but then they seemed to get their act together and things went smoothly. I would get their early, and you can find a spot to hang out at the Auckland Hilton, then get in line around 10:30 and you should be on the ship by noon. When it comes to the overall cruise, I hope your experience is much better than ours.

[knightgrad03]

I am also booked on the Millenium for August with my 7 year old son, North- and Southbound Alaska cruise.

Yes, this kind of report makes me a little nervous but at the same time I know from so many experiences and tripreports, that one's person worst cruise of their life could be another best.

 

I will monitor how trip reports on the Millenium will look like over the next few months and hope that the conditon of the ship will be taken care off, if I would find out that they are not I would consider cancelling my cruise and re-booking to RCI or Princess.

 

 

I wouldn't be too worried for the August, the ship is supposed to go into drydock this may or june. You are correct on the trip report, when my wife and I sailed the Carnival Destiny on the Southern Caribbean a couple of years ago we hear that the ship was in horrible condition, overrun with children, and mediocre food. That wasn't the case at all, and it turned out to be a great cruise.

[knightgrad03]

It certainly doesn't sound like the same ship I was on last June, that's for sure! And, I don't believe I've ever talked to any of the customer service people you did. Sorry you were so disappointed and like you said, maybe you should just stick with Norwegian and Carnival if you feel their product is so much better. :confused:

 

 

I actually feel that the Royal Caribbean brand is the best product...

[rebeccalouise]

I am sorry that people have had a bad time on Millenium. I have sailed her twice and was pleased both times (May 2005 and July 2007).

 

I am sure that you will have a great time.:)

[TC Cruiser]

I had my best cruise experience to date on Mille in January, 2008. I didn't notice any strange smells, ripped carpet, or anything major in need of repair. But while onboard they were replacing carpet in the Olympic dining room.

 

Food was pretty average, as I recall. Food in Olympic was superior to the main dining room. This year I sailed on the Solstice and the food was much improved, both in taste, temperature, and presentation. It's a whole new menu so those sailing soon on the Mille might enjoy the same cuisine.

 

Perhaps things can deteriorate in a hurry on a cruise ship and she may be long overdue for an overhaul.

[Sky Sweet]

I actually feel that the Royal Caribbean brand is the best product...

 

Hi knightgrad :)

 

My husband and I also had one of our best cruises on Royal Caribbean. It was our Brilliance of the Seas Mediterranean cruise to the Greek Isles this past June.

 

Even though this ship was six years old at the time, it looked brand new. The food in the main dining room was very comparable to Celebrity, but its buffet was much better. I also preferred its entertainment, but realize that can be very subjective.

[mek]

quote=Sky Sweet

 

My husband and I also had one of our best cruises on Royal Caribbean. It was our Brilliance of the Seas Mediterranean cruise to the Greek Isles this past June.

 

Even though this ship was six years old at the time, it looked brand new. The food in the main dining room was very comparable to Celebrity, but its buffet was much better. I also preferred its entertainment, but realize that can be very subjective.

 

This is a perfect example of how things can change and how oppinions can differ. We did the Brilliance in June of 05 and found the food to be lacking in variety, taste, and quality. The buffet was just OK. That expereince made me stop sailing RCCL, and we are Platinium. I'm glad you had a great time on the ship - the itinerary was wonderful and we had fantastic trip.

[Sky Sweet]

quote=Sky Sweet

 

My husband and I also had one of our best cruises on Royal Caribbean. It was our Brilliance of the Seas Mediterranean cruise to the Greek Isles this past June.

 

Even though this ship was six years old at the time, it looked brand new. The food in the main dining room was very comparable to Celebrity, but its buffet was much better. I also preferred its entertainment, but realize that can be very subjective.

 

This is a perfect example of how things can change and how oppinions can differ. We did the Brilliance in June of 05 and found the food to be lacking in variety, taste, and quality. The buffet was just OK. That expereince made me stop sailing RCCL, and we are Platinium. I'm glad you had a great time on the ship - the itinerary was wonderful and we had fantastic trip.

 

Hi MEK :)

 

Just to clarify - I think that the food we had in the main dining room on Brilliance of the Seas this past June was comparable to the food we had on Celebrity within the same time frame.

 

However, I don't think it was as good as the food we had on our first eight Celebrity Cruises.

[wolfshadow]

Let's be a little more respectful towards those whose views might differ from our own. I am a major fan of Celebrity, but I too had a rather lackluster experience on Millennium not too long ago.

 

I sailed with Millennium in May 2008 and was also highly disappointed. I had just been on this ship a few years earlier, and the condition of the vessel had GREATLY deteriorated. I have never been so disappointed with the condition of a Celebrity ship in my life, and I would have to agree with much of what the author of this thread has to say.

 

We also found carpets literally coming apart at the seams, food quality that didn't meet our expectations from previous itineraries with Celebrity, cabins and bathrooms that were WELL past their prime and covered in rust stains, broken grouting, etc. On our itinerary in May, the water desalinization plant on the ship literally stopped working on and off for several hours during a two-day period. This resulted in what was very obviously salty, not properly treated water affecting everything from tap water to bar beverages to coffee. Celebrity didn't even bother making an announcement to acknowledge the problem. I was able to figure it out on my own by pulling aside an officer from engineering and speaking to him on deck as he happened to be passing by.

 

The good news is that Celebrity apparently has a MAJOR renovation planned for Millennium just before the summer season this year, which includes the addition of new public spaces, a new restaurant, etc. Sounds like Millennium will be back to superb condition shortly.

 

I will vouch that Celebrity, other than this one bad experience, typically takes care of their ships in a fashion that I would say is generally superb to the rest of the industry. That is what caused me to be so disappointed with them this past May.

I don't know how I was being disrespectful, as you say. I only stated what was true for me. And I was on then a couple of weeks after you. And we had an awesome sailing. We did not see any of the wear that you say you experienced either. That as stated is the truth pertaining to our experience. I was just agreeing with what the OP was saying as she did state she would rather sail with Norwegian or Carnival instead of Celebrity. I even apologized for her for being disappointed. There are a few others that seemed to have had more of the same experience that we had. I wasn't being disrespectful and I don't appreciate you insinuating that I was. :rolleyes:

[ccletzgo]

It seems that as a ship is getting near a dry dock date that the maintenance starts to get ignored. :(

 

I have noticed this with reviews of any ship nearing a dry dock date.

Its not right. I'm sure its easier to take care of some of these maintenance issues at dry dock then other times, but Celebrity should not become lax.

 

I also have to say that the Millenniums New Zealand cruise prices have been so extremely low that If I were on the sailing I would be able to over look a few things. :o NO, thats not right either, as the product should be consistent no matter the fare, but wow, the prices are REALLY, REALLY low..;)

[fernem]

Just to throw in my two cents...

 

I thought the Millennium was in great shape the first week of September 2008 and the food in the MDR was way nicer ... presented better, tasted better, more variety ... than on my lovely Radiance of the Seas the year before. I cannot imagine how the Millennium could have possibly been viewed as so dismal by the OP and some others. Obviously, it appears to be the case ... but I for one had a marvellous time on a beautiful ship when I was on her. Even without a refurb, I would love to be on her again. (I am on the Constellation in less than a month now and am quite excited and hope to have as lovely an experience as the Millennium provided.)

 

fern

[Blueparrot]

knightgrad03, I could have written your review. Your experiences were they same that we experienced on another Celebrity ship a month ago. It appears that Celebrity's problems are not confined to one ship. We have sailed on several other cruise lines and never had a off experience. While we always enjoyed sailing with Celebrity in the past, I think we will avoid doing so until we start to hear that things are improving and will concentrate on other lines instead.

[wolfshadow]

:D:D Actually, I am a him, not a she but that's ok...I have been called worse. When I was comparing Celebrity to NCL or Carnival, I was comparing quality. Celebrity boasts their top rating in Conde Nast magazine for quality, and all these amazing acolades. If they lived up to half of these I would have been extremely impressed. My arguement is that if you went to a restaraunt and ordered prime rib and it came overcooked, you would send it back. If it came back overcooked again, you would then ask to speak to the manager. If you stayed at a hotel, and the room had mold, and mildew both in the bathroom and in the living area, this would not be acceptable. If you payed for a service based on a description, and what occurred was completely different than the description, this would not be acceptable and you would want a refund. Why should I think that just becuase I am on a cruise the same service should not be expected??? Just a thought...

 

But I did not think the poster was being disrespectful, just posting his/her point of view.

Thank you and I apologize for calling you a she! :D It was being said as being my point of view. And, Celebrity has lived up to those high standards on both of our cruises with them. Food and service for us were awesome and we have eaten and stayed at many 5 star establishments. I may not have the cruise experience as many others on here have, but it doesn't mean I have no experience. As you can see, there are some that have had your experience and some that have had mine. It doesn't make one of us right and the other wrong, just different experiences! ;)

[Lynnees]

Strictly a different point of view - we were a group of 10 also on this cruise. Although there were a few what we considered minor issues, I cannot fathom why you would call this the worse cruise ever.

 

I intend to do my own report on our cruise, therefore I won't say much here except we thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and the ship. Yes, there are a few problems - we've never been on a ship that doesn't have some.

 

However I disagree with you completely with the way you are putting the Millie down on this cruise.

[garykool81]

I don't know how I was being disrespectful, as you say. I only stated what was true for me. And I was on then a couple of weeks after you. And we had an awesome sailing. We did not see any of the wear that you say you experienced either. That as stated is the truth pertaining to our experience. I was just agreeing with what the OP was saying as she did state she would rather sail with Norwegian or Carnival instead of Celebrity. I even apologized for her for being disappointed. There are a few others that seemed to have had more of the same experience that we had. I wasn't being disrespectful and I don't appreciate you insinuating that I was. :rolleyes:

 

I think what rubbed me the wrong way was the "...maybe you should just stick with Norwegian and Carnival if you feel their product is so much better."

 

If you didn't mean it to come out the way I insinuated, then my apologies. I've posted a few reviews myself on various forums, and even when they are mostly positive narratives you still have the brand loyal "thugs" that jump out of the shadows to rip apart anything slightly mediocre that you might have to say about the experience.

 

Perhaps I am just hyper-sensitive to the issue :-)

 

I think one other important thing to remember about cruises is that, aside from ship condition, the quality of service and cuisine can sometimes *greatly* vary from week to week and ship to ship. Procurement quality is greatly dependent upon ports, etc.

[celle]

We just sailed on the Millenium, January 18th Auckland to Sydney, and want to post the following review. The countries of New Zealand and Australia are amazing, and the citizens of those countries are even more amazing. The places we visted was the only saving grace for this trip.

 

We booked 4 cabins, and all 8 of us walked away with the same view. Many more on the ship also fealt the same way...

 

Celebrity Cruiseline, and more specifically the Millenium are undoubtedly the worst cruise we have EVER taken. The entertainement, cuisine, staff (especially shore excursion staff), and cleanliness on the ship were below average at best, and I feel this is being quite conservatvie. Here are the issues we faced:

 

Cuisine: The food in the dining room was on most nights average, nothing like the acolades Celebrity speaks of in their commercials and advertisements. Meats were consistently overcooked, and even after they were sent back, came to us overcooked again. Our waiter was just as frustrated as we were, and tried his best to accomodate us. The lamb was among the worst ever tasted. In fact, 2 people from our party became so frustrated they decided not to come back the dining room. As far as the food on the 10th deck buffet, the plates were often covered with old food, and the glasses not properly washed. The only thing warm items on the buffet were the fresh cooked pasta and the salad (which obviously should not be warm). As much as I hate to say it, the food on Carnival was much better than anything we had on this cruise.

 

Ships Condition: Since the ship was just refurbished in 2004, I knew there would be some wear and tear. What I saw looked like old beat up motel rather than a luxury cruise. Carpet was torn, and loose ends made for easy tripping hazards, especially for the outdoor carpeting on the look out on the platform above deck 11 forward. There was the smell of raw sewage by the entrance to the main dining room on many occasions, and also the smell of urine near our cabin. There was also the smell and site of mold in many places throughout the ship. My stateroom and my parents stateroom had mildew all over the bathroom shower, and the shower curtain. The toilet seat was chipped and appeared to have dried urine stains that could not be wiped off the toilet seat. Both of the balconies we had were covered in mold and mildew. We couldn't even sit in the seats because they were so bad, the seats were finally cleaned after several days into the cruise, however the balconies remained in a disgusting condition. Again, not something you expect based on the advertising Celebrity does.

 

Shore Excusions: The one shore excursion touted by Celebrity as being "top notch" was absolutely the WORST shore excursion we have been on, and the biggest waste of money. What occurred on the excursion was nothing like what was described in the overview. For $225pp we expected much more than a 6 hour bus ride out of a 7 hour excursion. What little we did get off of the bus was spent rushing us around to get back on the bus. In addition, the group ran out of water, beer, and other refreshments. When brought to the shore excursion desk's attention we received nothing but excuses for the tour guide, and a very cold attitude. Finally they came back and said the best they could do is offer us a $45pp credit. This is unacceptable.

 

Activity Staff: This is the only part of the cruise where I fealt they went above and beyond to try and take people's minds off of how terrible of a cruise ship the Millenium is. Valerie, Drew, Katie, Ben, and Bilge did an exceptional job when given very little to work with. My hats are off to them. I wish the other staff on the cruise had the same attitude they did.

 

Overall, this is the worst cruise we have ever been on. There is no possbile way I could ever refer a friend or colleague to a Celebrity cruise. I have had much better bookings on Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean than this. I feel that for the money we paid for this cruise, and the level of service that was provided by ship's staff, and the quality of the ammenities and food, we would have had better service at a Holiday Inn. The sad thing is that all 8 of us in the booking feel the same way, and there were many more passengers that also shared the same views. When it comes to Celebrity, all I have to say is "Buyer Beware"

 

I sent an email to Celebrity earlier this week, and received a call from one of the customer service associates. This person could only apologize and stated that the this was not typical of Celebrity and asked for us to give them a second chance by offering us a $100 credit toward a future Celebrity cruise. I had asked for a refund for the shore excusion that we booked through Celebrity because of the discrepencies, and he stated we received the service (which was not what was described/advertised) and therefore would not issue a refund. The conversation was very scripted, and further reinforces my negative view of Celebrity. I am even thinking of cancelling my cruise with Royal Caribbean because of their customer service attitude.

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. I think your experience was a prime example of "when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong." By that, I mean that one bad experience creates an overall attitude of expecting the worst.

 

We were on the Millennium cruise immediately before yours and we had a great cruise. I have to say that we did not experience even one of the problems you encountered.

 

Overall, although Millennium is looking a little tired in some places, we were impressed with her cleanliness (especially in our cabin and in the public bathrooms, which were kept immaculate) and with the standard of service. We did not experience any sewage smell anywhere, particularly not near the dining room. And we never saw even one dirty plate in the buffet.

 

I know that your mileage may vary, but I think you are over-reacting a little in condemning the whole of Celebrity based on one cruise experience.

[Aussie Cruisers]

We just sailed on the Millenium, January 18th Auckland to Sydney, and want to post the following review. The countries of New Zealand and Australia are amazing, and the citizens of those countries are even more amazing. The places we visted was the only saving grace for this trip.

 

We booked 4 cabins, and all 8 of us walked away with the same view. Many more on the ship also fealt the same way...

 

Celebrity Cruiseline, and more specifically the Millenium are undoubtedly the worst cruise we have EVER taken. The entertainement, cuisine, staff (especially shore excursion staff), and cleanliness on the ship were below average at best, and I feel this is being quite conservatvie. Here are the issues we faced:

 

Cuisine: The food in the dining room was on most nights average, nothing like the acolades Celebrity speaks of in their commercials and advertisements. Meats were consistently overcooked, and even after they were sent back, came to us overcooked again. Our waiter was just as frustrated as we were, and tried his best to accomodate us. The lamb was among the worst ever tasted. In fact, 2 people from our party became so frustrated they decided not to come back the dining room. As far as the food on the 10th deck buffet, the plates were often covered with old food, and the glasses not properly washed. The only thing warm items on the buffet were the fresh cooked pasta and the salad (which obviously should not be warm). As much as I hate to say it, the food on Carnival was much better than anything we had on this cruise.

 

Ships Condition: Since the ship was just refurbished in 2004, I knew there would be some wear and tear. What I saw looked like old beat up motel rather than a luxury cruise. Carpet was torn, and loose ends made for easy tripping hazards, especially for the outdoor carpeting on the look out on the platform above deck 11 forward. There was the smell of raw sewage by the entrance to the main dining room on many occasions, and also the smell of urine near our cabin. There was also the smell and site of mold in many places throughout the ship. My stateroom and my parents stateroom had mildew all over the bathroom shower, and the shower curtain. The toilet seat was chipped and appeared to have dried urine stains that could not be wiped off the toilet seat. Both of the balconies we had were covered in mold and mildew. We couldn't even sit in the seats because they were so bad, the seats were finally cleaned after several days into the cruise, however the balconies remained in a disgusting condition. Again, not something you expect based on the advertising Celebrity does.

 

Shore Excusions: The one shore excursion touted by Celebrity as being "top notch" was absolutely the WORST shore excursion we have been on, and the biggest waste of money. What occurred on the excursion was nothing like what was described in the overview. For $225pp we expected much more than a 6 hour bus ride out of a 7 hour excursion. What little we did get off of the bus was spent rushing us around to get back on the bus. In addition, the group ran out of water, beer, and other refreshments. When brought to the shore excursion desk's attention we received nothing but excuses for the tour guide, and a very cold attitude. Finally they came back and said the best they could do is offer us a $45pp credit. This is unacceptable.

 

Activity Staff: This is the only part of the cruise where I fealt they went above and beyond to try and take people's minds off of how terrible of a cruise ship the Millenium is. Valerie, Drew, Katie, Ben, and Bilge did an exceptional job when given very little to work with. My hats are off to them. I wish the other staff on the cruise had the same attitude they did.

 

Overall, this is the worst cruise we have ever been on. There is no possbile way I could ever refer a friend or colleague to a Celebrity cruise. I have had much better bookings on Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean than this. I feel that for the money we paid for this cruise, and the level of service that was provided by ship's staff, and the quality of the ammenities and food, we would have had better service at a Holiday Inn. The sad thing is that all 8 of us in the booking feel the same way, and there were many more passengers that also shared the same views. When it comes to Celebrity, all I have to say is "Buyer Beware"

 

I sent an email to Celebrity earlier this week, and received a call from one of the customer service associates. This person could only apologize and stated that the this was not typical of Celebrity and asked for us to give them a second chance by offering us a $100 credit toward a future Celebrity cruise. I had asked for a refund for the shore excusion that we booked through Celebrity because of the discrepencies, and he stated we received the service (which was not what was described/advertised) and therefore would not issue a refund. The conversation was very scripted, and further reinforces my negative view of Celebrity. I am even thinking of cancelling my cruise with Royal Caribbean because of their customer service attitude.

 

Dear Knightgrad03,

 

I am sorry that it didn't meet your expectations. :( I am honestly sceptical about some of your "broad brushstokes" so to speak about the physical condition of the ship. While food, shore excursions and people relations can vary as there are 2000 guests, and 1000 crew which makes for thousands of combinations, both good and bad, when it comes to ship condition, in theory reviews should be consistent from person to person.

 

When it comes to these boards, it seems that ship condition also gets differing views. As I was on the sailing directly prior to yours (like celle - hi again!) I can say I had a different experience.

 

As I made up the cruise critic door signs for our roll call, I had about 25 of them, I visited every deck and hallway on the first day of the cruise. The ONLY place where the carpet was unservicable, was deck one at the embarkation/disembarkation point. The reason is obvious as it has the most traffic, and as it rains a lot in NZ, people would be bringing in wet and dirty shoes as well. While I found the colour combination not to my liking, and outdated (peach with dusky blue), I NEVER saw torn, frayed, ripped or worn carpet on any deck or any area. No, I remember that in the RDV Lounge, where the floorboards of the dance floor meet the carpeted area (it is rounded) there are very small frayed parts that are exposed. I am not saying you are lying, but I need to say that I looked for it, and didn't see it, especially the "tripping hazards." I feel as though your view suggests that the whole ship has carpet that is unservicable. Don't flame me, I am not a die-hard fan either, just being honest and fair.

 

I won't comment on anything else as that is personal, and yes, my one experience with shore excursions (in 2005) has made me not book them anymore.

 

I hope that you will find your next cruise - no matter who you choose - will be an improvement! ;)

 

Mark.