Today, day seven, is our last day onboard. It's a sea day, and that presents an opportunity to share a bit about the people with whom I'm sailing. How seasoned are the crew? What was the service like? Are the passengers avid cruisers, and why did they choose this sailing?
The crew
Although I spoke with some crew members who are on their first-ever contracts, most said they have been on at least one other ship, with most having worked for Celebrity for years.
Interestingly, I chatted with several who helped to launch the line's newest ship, Celebrity Apex, when it debuted during pandemic shutdown last year. Eventually, it became clear that their contracts had stalled, so they were repatriated, with many then called to head back to work on Celebrity Millennium.
For me, service across the board was nearly flawless, and after more than a year without passengers onboard, it was as if the crew had picked up right where they left off without missing a step.
Guest services went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable during my brief quarantine after two passengers tested positive for the virus, my room steward left my room impeccably tidy, and the onboard salon squeezed me in for blowouts on ridiculously short notice when my cabin hairdryer just wasn't cutting it.
As I mentioned in previous posts, the crew seemed genuinely thrilled to be back onboard and in the rhythm of ship life again. Crew are generally friendly and helpful, but this was a different sort of vibe -- one that was much more familial and sincere. There was laughter. There were tears. Enthusiastic expressions of "Welcome back!" and "It's so good to see you!" were shared regularly.
Of course, it probably helped that Celebrity now includes gratuities in its fares, so there's less pressure for the crew to perform. When the pressure is off, it makes for happier employees.
There were also more crew on the sailing than passengers (roughly 700 and 600, respectively). Hopefully that meant life was a little easier for some of the traditionally hardest-working departments, such as housekeeping and dining, which had fewer cabins to clean and fewer tables to serve.
The passengers
Throughout the sailing, I've been making new friends on shore excursions and dining with other passengers who are also cruising solo. Given that this voyage is the first one allowing Americans in more than a year and that fares are pricey due to limited availability, I was unsurprised to learn that many of the cruisers onboard with me are avid cruisers and specifically those who cruise a lot with Celebrity.
At my dinner table in the main dining room are Helen, Erin and Michael, all of whom have reached the upper echelons of Celebrity's Captain's Club loyalty program, frequently travel solo and just wanted to get back to cruising.
Similarly, Tommy, Rick, Curt and Jose cruise quite a bit -- often in suites -- and were excited to be back onboard. It was a particularly special sailing for Tommy and Rick, who are now engaged, following a karaoke-night proposal.
However, I'm most fascinated by Kristina and Julio, who decided to make this voyage their very first cruise ever.
Originally, the pair was scheduled to sail to Alaska last year for a friend's 50th birthday, but that plan fell through when the pandemic hit. When they were asked if they wanted to rebook, this was the cruise they chose.
"I purposely tried not to have any expectations ... but it's been great," Julio said. "I have been so impressed by the staff. They have just been amazing."
I asked if they had concerns about cruising so soon after the pandemic, particularly in the wake of last year's negative press, and they admitted there was only some slight hesitation.
"We were very nervous because we have been pretty locked down with COVID," Kristina said, explaining that she's from North Carolina, where at least some restrictions have been in place since the governor issued a lockdown in March of 2020. "We, out of our friend group, were the first to travel. They thought we were crazy."
"Everybody being vaccinated and the reduced volume of people was the biggest attraction," Julio added. "They helped ease our worries, but it was already booked before I really started processing."
They also thought there might be some complaints among fellow passengers, thanks to the new protocols and requirements.
"We thought it might be a cruise full of Karens," Julio said. "But I've only seen a couple."
How they think Celebrity did
My dinner mates had some minor gripes, citing Celebrity's new Always Included offerings -- which roll gratuities and free basic Wi-Fi and beverage packages into most cruise fares -- as potentially devaluing some of the perks passengers can earn with their loyalty status. But, overall, they were thrilled to be back onboard and had glowing things to say.
If you read my day six coverage, you'll know that I was quarantined in my cabin for 13 hours after two passengers -- who were on the same Barbados shore excursion as me -- came up positive for COVID-19 during testing required for re-entry into St. Maarten for disembarkation.
Because Tommy, Rick, Curt and Jose were on the same excursion, they were also required to quarantine until they could be tested and return negative PCR results (which they all did). Although they agree that Celebrity handled the situation well overall and made their quarantine comfortable by offering free movies, Champagne and room service, Curt and Tommy said they wished they could have enjoyed the time somewhere besides their suites.
When Kristina and Julio heard the captain's announcement about the positive tests, they were initially nervous.
"When they had two [positive cases] right in the initial testing, I thought 'What's going to happen if a bunch of people test positive? Are we going to be trapped?'" Julio said.
"The fact that they were transparent was beautiful," Kristina said. "I got such relief [from that] .... I actually appreciate that they ... have the contact tracing ability."
When I asked if they'd consider sailing again, Kristina shared that they're already planning a second sailing, noting that the experience was on they'd like to have again. "We will definitely be back."
Did you miss the rest of the coverage from this sailing? You can find it all here:
- Preview
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: Onboard and Unmasked (Day 1)
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: The Buffet Is Better; the Wi-Fi Is Not (Day 2)
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: Ship-Sponsored Excursions (Day 3)
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: Squeaky Clean (Day 4)
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: Exploring on My Own in Port (Day 5)
- Live From Celebrity Millennium: A Third-Party Excursion and a Night in Quarantine (Day 6)
Ashley Kosciolek
Ashley boarded her first cruise more than a decade ago and never looked back. Since then, she has written thousands of expert cruise tip features; ship, port and shore excursion reviews; and industry news articles. Her work has appeared on Cruise Critic, USA Today, the Associated Press, NBC News, the Miami Herald and Huffington Post.
