After much research, and the advice of a trusted friend and travel agent, we decided to go on the Millenium. My wife had been on two previous cruises; one to the Caribbean with RC, and last year in the Med with Regency for two weeks with her mom. I had no interest in either locations; being from Hawaii I like going places on vacation that are different, and enjoy fall colors in particular. So we decided Alaska was the ticket, and Celebrity would provide the quality that we are used to. I should add that we own a 5 star timeshare that has gotten us used to top flight accommodations, i.e. Hyatt, Marriot, Hilton Grand Vacations in locations like Incline Tahoe, Park City, Whistler, etc. So it was with some excitement that we booked a suite, figuring that we would want the extra space and the promised level of extra service that the Celebrity website bragged about.

So we arrived in Seward and got on board; that part was easy, we had beat the rush that was soon to come. We went to our cabin, and it looked quite nice, and then left to explore Seward, which is a fascinating town, and did not seem to have the endless jewelry stores that we would encounter in the next ports, which is another story. The aquarium was interesting and recommended. At any rate we returned to our cabin to bathe and get ready for our first night on board. The first bad sign were the pubic hairs in the tub; then my wife took a hand towel and wet it down, muttering that the floor was filthy. I didn't believe her until she got off her hands and knees and showed me the once clean towel covered with dirt and grime on the bathroom floor. Not the sort of dirt from one or two missed cleanings; caked on dirt. Not an impressive start.

We had been invited to the Olympic the first night, their special dining room, and that was indeed a highlight. In fact, although it's an additional $30 pp in retrospect we should have eaten there every night. Exceptional service and food. The next night we ate in the main dining room, and the food was good, but the service was not, and the crowds were noisy. Afterwards we walked around the ship and discovered an undocumented feature, the Water's Edge dining room, apparently an experiment on the 10th deck port side. This was where we ate the next two nights, and found it to be much more relaxing than the main dining room. I'm not sure if they will continue it, but it was a much better option than the main dining room. My wife did say the food was much better than the other cruises that she had been on, and I will say the breakfast buffets were quite good, and many people were at the buffets at all hours. Read more