We sailed for the second time on the Millenium. We did a Pre Cruise #3B with Celebrity. I have posted a review separately. After reading it you may want to re think/cancel that aspect of your trip. Our first sailing was January 2002. The ship was neat and clean however, it appeared tired. Our cabin and overall service was very good. It took us under 10 minutes to get on the ship. We were Concierge Class. We had a challenging start as Celebrity as Celebrity seated us at a table of Non English Speakers. Why they take all types of information pre-cruise and then don't seat you with fellow cruisers our age remains a mystery. We went to the Dining Head from South Africa- Jayson who was rude and condescending. He placed on a table of six with no additional people and did not solve the problem. We wound up dining with other people who we met on the ship. The first stop- Hubbard Glacier was amazing. As a Concierge member we stood on the Front of the ship on the Heli-pad. Captain Nicholas got us 4 tenths of a mile from the Glacier. You could hear the glacier cleaving. It was amazing. We had dinner in two specialty restaurants - Qsine which was outstanding with a very eclectic menu and Sushi on 5. Jerry mad our visit to the restaurant memorable. My wife took the galley tours which she found interesting along with the sushi demonstration. She has done this on all of the 16 cruises we have been on Why Celebrity does not provide a taste during the tour is a mystery.

The excursions were interesting> normally we book with Viatour or a local tour operator. However, in Alaska there is no price differential so we booked on the ship.The next stop was Juneau The Helicopter to the Norris Glacier and a dog sled ride. This was the highlight of the trip The best excursion we have taken and a memorable experience. There is a new Tour operator and they did a great job. The people running this excursion were friendly, know legible and forthcoming. The Musher was very nice and playing with the dogs was a treat. We then took the Yukon excursion. The next stop was Skagway. The literature gives you the impression that this is a 7 hour train ride to the Yukon both up and back. Instead it is a bus ride up to the Yukon. This is really not the way to view the scenery, a stop at the Yukon Suspension Bridge Park which is a Yawn.The bison Chili served was great. Getting your passport stamped was nice. Then to the Yukon rail-head for a ride on a 27 gauge old fashioned train. I thought it was too long and boring. Encourage you to do something else in Skagway. The next stop was Icy Strait Point . We were blessed seeing pods of whales breaching from the ship. The town is nice and the food on the local dock was very good and fresh. We took the Captains choice excursion. This was a 20 person small boat tour with a whale sighting guaranteed. This was also excellent. We saw 10-12 whale pods breaching from 50 yards away A magnificent sight! We also saw sea lions seals and sea otters up close. I would definitely take this tour in Icy Strait Point. The next stop in Ketchikan. If you are a Cruise critic reader you will know the town sucks and you need to do a tour. Unfortunately, our Float plane tour was cancelled due to fog. We viewed the town in a short period of time and re-boarded the ship Overall the Cruise was good this time of year. A little rain, not to cold and NO BUG's or Crowds. Somewaht disappointed in Celebrity's response to our pre-cruise problems but overall I would take and will take Celebrity again Please note this ship goes into drydock Jan 2019 with a $70MM upgrade to Solstice class