Millie 10-day

[beachfanatic]

Would love to hear reviews on anyone back from the Millie 10-day out of san Juan.

[tori0417]

ooo! me too me too!!!! We are doing that cruise for our honeymoon!!

[PeterO]

Would love to hear reviews on anyone back from the Millie 10-day out of san Juan.

 

Any info would be great. We leave on Jan 22 - can't wait.

[lipping larry]

if you go to the nov 6, 09 sailing their is a lot info. see you on 1/22 on the Millie Lary

[jaybird from SC]

Would love to hear reviews on anyone back from the Millie 10-day out of san Juan.

We arrived back home late last night after our 11 day southern caribbean cruise on Millennium and loved every minute of it. It was very port intensive with only two sea days. The food in the MDR was sometimes good but usually "so so"-The shows were a singer who was very good, a harmonica player and banjo player both good but a little boring after awhile. The impressionist was just ok. The new dance group is very high energy and they do some good dances. We felt they needed a little more "variety" in their show. We had a balcony cc cabin on deck 9 and loved it. The Milly is a great ship and one of our favorites. Enjoy your cruise....We sure missed not being pampered today....

[mardon]

Tori - your post shows Freedom of the Seas Honeymoon cruise. They are talking about the Millenium. Freedom of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean and Millenium is Celebrity.

[cruiseman111111]

Mini review sounded good...

[fernem]

I have yet to write a proper review of this sailing. Returning home and Thanksgiving got in the way. But I must say that our ten day sailing out of San Juan was really lovely. The ship looks exquisite. With the exception of the Cova Cafe, which I believe I found more charming before its update ... and it is now quite elegant, just less charming in my eyes ... the ship has been redone beautifully. Same great art. Don'f forget to check out the conservatory as well. High up and a beautiful spot, replete with padded lounge chairs and orchids.

 

I found the food great. I am a vegetarian and the Food and Service Manager, Manfred ... from Austria (I am afraid his last name escapes me right now) ... and the Assistant Maitre d', Edmund, both went out of their way to get great creative vegetarian food prepared for us nightly. For the diabetics among us, the desserts were extraordinary ... beautifully presented and delicious. I think the kitchen tries very hard to create wonderful food and was most often successful. The brunch was very good as well and the special event in the Cosmos lounge for Captain's Club members was very well attended, fun, and had free sushi and other snacks and wine and champagne for the asking. Also a very nice touch.

 

I think the staff on this ship is magnificent ... friendly and professional and determined to exceed expectations.

 

We took a tour with Mandoo on Grenada that is not to be missed if you can get assurance that he will be your personal guide. His small bus (large van?) is new and airconditioned and comfortable and Mandoo himself is brilliant, articulate, informative, and giving. It's the most interesting tour I think I have ever taken. We did the half day tour that ended up being around five hours. Grenada is a beautiful island with great natural resources. (If you do take a tour with him, bring crayons or school supplies which he donates to poor villages in need.)

 

We also took a tour with Spencer Ambrose on St. Lucia. Spencer took real good care of us ... drove us all over, bought us lunch and fresh bread and cookies along the way ... but he barely spoke about his island. The road was also long and windy. I wouldn't do this tour again. I would do what we did six months prior ... take the ship's catamaran excursion to the Pitons. It was four hours on water with a swim off the boat in a beautiful cove and all the rum punch and music you wanted.

 

We ate in the Olympic Restaurant ... yet again ... and it was absolutely worth the thirty dollar upcharge. It was small and intimate and the waiters were concerned about our satisfaction and pleasure. If you have company at your table, I also recommend the wine paring. They know so well what goes best with what that we were just so pleased with the experience.

 

On most islands we just shopped and wandered around and then took a taxi to a gorgeous beach for a few hours. It was exquisite.

 

The only problem with dining that would need correcting next time was the time it was served. We chose late dinner and this meant we were entering the dining room at eight forty five. This really turned out to be too late. We didn't leave until ten thirty p.m. on very full bellies. I walked the upper deck for a half hour each night just to digest a bit. It was a pleasant solution but I think next time we have to eat earlier.

 

There was a violin and accordian duo from the Ukraine, I think, that were exquisite. Their music was rich and deep and made you stop in your tracks to listen. There was also a blues guitarist ... Anton something ... who also was good and fun to listen to.

 

All in all, a great cruise and a lovely experience.

 

I can't wait to start planning another one soon.

 

fern

[cjcmack]

I have yet to write a proper review of this sailing. Returning home and Thanksgiving got in the way. But I must say that our ten day sailing out of San Juan was really lovely. The ship looks exquisite. With the exception of the Cova Cafe, which I believe I found more charming before its update ... and it is now quite elegant, just less charming in my eyes ... the ship has been redone beautifully. Same great art. Don'f forget to check out the conservatory as well. High up and a beautiful spot, replete with padded lounge chairs and orchids.

 

I found the food great. I am a vegetarian and the Food and Service Manager, Manfred ... from Austria (I am afraid his last name escapes me right now) ... and the Assistant Maitre d', Edmund, both went out of their way to get great creative vegetarian food prepared for us nightly. For the diabetics among us, the desserts were extraordinary ... beautifully presented and delicious. I think the kitchen tries very hard to create wonderful food and was most often successful. The brunch was very good as well and the special event in the Cosmos lounge for Captain's Club members was very well attended, fun, and had free sushi and other snacks and wine and champagne for the asking. Also a very nice touch.

 

I think the staff on this ship is magnificent ... friendly and professional and determined to exceed expectations.

 

We took a tour with Mandoo on Grenada that is not to be missed if you can get assurance that he will be your personal guide. His small bus (large van?) is new and airconditioned and comfortable and Mandoo himself is brilliant, articulate, informative, and giving. It's the most interesting tour I think I have ever taken. We did the half day tour that ended up being around five hours. Grenada is a beautiful island with great natural resources. (If you do take a tour with him, bring crayons or school supplies which he donates to poor villages in need.)

 

We also took a tour with Spencer Ambrose on St. Lucia. Spencer took real good care of us ... drove us all over, bought us lunch and fresh bread and cookies along the way ... but he barely spoke about his island. The road was also long and windy. I wouldn't do this tour again. I would do what we did six months prior ... take the ship's catamaran excursion to the Pitons. It was four hours on water with a swim off the boat in a beautiful cove and all the rum punch and music you wanted.

 

We ate in the Olympic Restaurant ... yet again ... and it was absolutely worth the thirty dollar upcharge. It was small and intimate and the waiters were concerned about our satisfaction and pleasure. If you have company at your table, I also recommend the wine paring. They know so well what goes best with what that we were just so pleased with the experience.

 

On most islands we just shopped and wandered around and then took a taxi to a gorgeous beach for a few hours. It was exquisite.

 

The only problem with dining that would need correcting next time was the time it was served. We chose late dinner and this meant we were entering the dining room at eight forty five. This really turned out to be too late. We didn't leave until ten thirty p.m. on very full bellies. I walked the upper deck for a half hour each night just to digest a bit. It was a pleasant solution but I think next time we have to eat earlier.

 

There was a violin and accordian duo from the Ukraine, I think, that were exquisite. Their music was rich and deep and made you stop in your tracks to listen. There was also a blues guitarist ... Anton something ... who also was good and fun to listen to.

 

All in all, a great cruise and a lovely experience.

 

I can't wait to start planning another one soon.

 

fern

 

Thank you Fern for such an honest review. We are first time cruisers travelling on Millie at Christmas and this review has heightened our excitement for this trip. Thank you again Carolyn

[caribegal]

My dh & I are also on the Millie cruise departing Jan. 22.10. Was just wondering, is there a comedian on this cruise? We were just on a fantastic Princess cruise last month and saw 2 different comedians, one was beyond hilarious and the other was very good. Makes for a fun night, but have not heard of any on the Millie.

[cruiseman111111]

Both are laughable.

[J & G]

Thanks so much, Fern. We had read some reports that Millie was in questionable condition and that the food was not so great. I am thrilled to hear that you had such a great cruise. We will be aboard in Feb. Thanks, again!

[CINDYSUE]

Hiya Fern!!!! I was on the same cruise as Fern. We also went on some of the same excursions. I would disagree with her about Spencer's tour. Would take it again in a minute. Loved the beach between the Pitons! Wish we had had more time there. Also disagree about the food. It was really a step down from what Celebrity used to be. Was not what I could call bad, just not as good as we always had on Celebrity's ships. We had never sent dinners back before, and several at our table did this time. The had a lot of pureed food. Felt like they were serving baby food to me sometimes. That was the bad part. Good part is the ship is beautiful, the crew was fantastic and I loved all the islands. Yes be sure to try to do Mandoo, Spencer Ambrose, Silvermoon and Curcaco Actif tours. They were all fantastic and well worth the money. We had a great time and met wonderful people, like Fern and her mom and sister.

[drb]

 

 

I think the staff on this ship is magnificent ... friendly and professional and determined to exceed expectations.

 

We took a tour with Mandoo on Grenada that is not to be missed if you can get assurance that he will be your personal guide. His small bus (large van?) is new and airconditioned and comfortable and Mandoo himself is brilliant, articulate, informative, and giving. It's the most interesting tour I think I have ever taken. We did the half day tour that ended up being around five hours. Grenada is a beautiful island with great natural resources. (If you do take a tour with him, bring crayons or school supplies which he donates to poor villages in need.)

 

 

 

fern

I don't want to step on your review but would like to add that we used Mandoo's services last year on Grenada and I agree with you that it was perhaps the best tour we have taken. Having been forewarned, I will see if we can get Spencer to loosen up when we tour with him in a couple of weeks:D

[fernem]

Hiya Fern!!!! I was on the same cruise as Fern. We also went on some of the same excursions. I would disagree with her about Spencer's tour. Would take it again in a minute. Loved the beach between the Pitons! Wish we had had more time there. Also disagree about the food. It was really a step down from what Celebrity used to be. Was not what I could call bad, just not as good as we always had on Celebrity's ships. We had never sent dinners back before, and several at our table did this time. The had a lot of pureed food. Felt like they were serving baby food to me sometimes. That was the bad part. Good part is the ship is beautiful, the crew was fantastic and I loved all the islands. Yes be sure to try to do Mandoo, Spencer Ambrose, Silvermoon and Curcaco Actif tours. They were all fantastic and well worth the money. We had a great time and met wonderful people, like Fern and her mom and sister.

 

Hiya back, Cindy!

 

Sorry your food wasn't so good. Mine was brilliant. But I spoke with the head chef, the restaurant and beverage manager and the assistant maitre d' and they all rallied to create special vegetarian food for us! On the other hand, my mother seemed to love her food a lot ...and we're fond of saying she ate her way through Noah's ark! So I suppose it all depends, doesn't it? :D

 

I guess I found Spencer disappointing. He was wonderful to us ... and the beach by the Pitons (which my poor mother kept calling the Tetons :o ) was fantastic, for sure. But after a tour with Mandoo, it became that much more glaring that he told us practically nothing about the island! But he surely was a nice and kind man, and a capable man ... and we did bring him supplies for the kids his wife teaches!

 

Happy sails, Cindy. I hope we meet up again some time.:)

 

fern

[mypyr]

We are going on the Mille 2/12 sailing..how do we find out more about Mandoo's tour? I would love the info-thanks. Also, any other outstanding tour info would be greatly appreciated. My dh wants to do the Segway tour in St. Maarten and the Zip Line tour in Barbados with my 11 yr old. Does anyone have any info or feedback about either one of these? Thanks!

[chihuaha]

My wife and I were aboard Mille for the 10 day cruise out of San Juan 11/27-12/7. It was our 5th cruise but the first on X. All our prior experience was with NCL and "Freestyle" so we were very curious to try a more traditional cruise with assigned seating, dressier evenings, etc. The net-net is we were very pleased and would sail this ship and this port line-up again in a heartbeat.

 

We are putting together a full review but in the meantime if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask here.

 

J & M

[lipping larry]

who was the captains club person? What did you do on shore days? beaches, tours, etc. thank you Larry

[chihuaha]

who was the captains club person? What did you do on shore days? beaches, tours, etc. thank you Larry

 

As first timers on X, Captain's Club was not available to us. There is a desk on deck 3 for those who need their services, open most days 9-11:30 and again late afternoon.

This is a rather port-intensive cruise (8 of 10 days in port 8A-5P or so). We booked shore excursions ahead of time on all but two (through X on the website) and added two more during the cruise. Most of them are well covered in the individual port forums, but I'll mention a couple we thought were unusual or not often commented on.

In Curaco we took the "Culinary Delights" excursion (CU46) and it was a hoot! Our thinking was that by the seventh day we would be beach/snorkel/rum punch burned out and would want to do something "different". Sixteen of us laughed, drank wine, danced, and made a delicious Dutch West Indian lunch to share (see photo).

On Aruba, we took the half-day trip to De Palm Island, which was a great alternative to the busier beach-break type excursions. It's a private island just offshore east of the airport set up as an all-inclusive day resort. Open bar, lunch and snacks, excellent snorkeling, small but fun water park, banana boat rides, nice white andy beach with plenty of shady spots under bahias and semi-protected logoons, all included in flat rate. Helmet diving and SNUBA are available for an additional charge.

Quick list of our other excursions already well covered on the Ports forum:

Tortola: Two tank SCUBA dive on the wreck of the Rhone (TT12)

St Maarten: Captain Morgan sail and snorkel adventure (SM79)

St. Lucia: Land and Sea to Soufriere (all day tour) (SL72)

Barbados: Tiami Sail Turtles Beach (BB95)

Grenada: self-guided downtown tour (had been here for a week on another vacation)

San Juan: Old and new San Juan City tour, ending at airport

We spent the two sea days regrouping from the active shore trips. The thalassotherapy pool in the AquaSpa on Millie is free to all and a great quieter venue away from the busy open-air pool area. We were also fortunate to get a bridge tour on the first sea day between Grenada and Curacao.

We hope to have a complete review posted just after the holiday.

M & J

[BBJJTJ]

As first timers on X, Captain's Club was not available to us. There is a desk on deck 3 for those who need their services, open most days 9-11:30 and again late afternoon.

 

This is a rather port-intensive cruise (8 of 10 days in port 8A-5P or so). We booked shore excursions ahead of time on all but two (through X on the website) and added two more during the cruise. Most of them are well covered in the individual port forums, but I'll mention a couple we thought were unusual or not often commented on.

 

In Curaco we took the "Culinary Delights" excursion (CU46) and it was a hoot! Our thinking was that by the seventh day we would be beach/snorkel/rum punch burned out and would want to do something "different". Sixteen of us laughed, drank wine, danced, and made a delicious Dutch West Indian lunch to share (see photo).

 

On Aruba, we took the half-day trip to De Palm Island, which was a great alternative to the busier beach-break type excursions. It's a private island just offshore east of the airport set up as an all-inclusive day resort. Open bar, lunch and snacks, excellent snorkeling, small but fun water park, banana boat rides, nice white andy beach with plenty of shady spots under bahias and semi-protected logoons, all included in flat rate. Helmet diving and SNUBA are available for an additional charge.

 

Quick list of our other excursions already well covered on the Ports forum:

Tortola: Two tank SCUBA dive on the wreck of the Rhone (TT12)

St Maarten: Captain Morgan sail and snorkel adventure (SM79)

St. Lucia: Land and Sea to Soufriere (all day tour) (SL72)

Barbados: TiamiSailTurtlesBeach (BB95)

Grenada: self-guided downtown tour (had been here for a week on another vacation)

San Juan: Old and new San JuanCity tour, ending at airport

 

We spent the two sea days regrouping from the active shore trips. The thalassotherapy pool in the AquaSpa on Millie is free to all and a great quieter venue away from the busy open-air pool area. We were also fortunate to get a bridge tour on the first sea day between Grenada and Curacao.

 

We hope to have a complete review posted just after the holiday.

 

M & J

Did you book the half day all-inclusive day resort through the ship's shore excursions? What was the name of the resort on De Palma Island?

[chihuaha]

Did you book the half day all-inclusive day resort through the ship's shore excursions? What was the name of the resort on De Palma Island?

 

It's just called "De Palm Island" and is run by De Palm Tours of Aruba. Their web page is http://www.depalm.com/ (we have no connection with them). You may be able to book direct for less but we went through the ship for convenience.

 

Celebrity offers two different half day excursions there. The first is AR73-DePalm Island Snorkeling Adventure, $72pp:

 

Visit De Palm Island, Aruba's premier snorkeling site. By air-conditioned motor coach, enjoy a 20-minute ride through Oranjestad. After a 5-minute ferry crossing to the island, you'll be given an orientation of the facilities. After collecting snorkel gear and receiving instructions, enjoy the pristine waters, coral formations, and colorful fish or just sunbathe. At the conclusion of the tour, you will return by ferry and bus to your ship. Please note that your tour includes complimentary snacks and beverages during your stay at De Palm Island.

 

The second tour looks to be essentially the same, AR10 in the Celebrity brochure, but the description is longer (also "from $72 pp"):

 

Board your air-conditioned bus for the brief transfer to the ferry landing. It is a short five minute ride across the protected lagoon to the private island. Upon arrival, receive a brief orientation to De Palm Island and its amenities including the Blue Parrotfish Water Park. Then enjoy your free time to snorkel, sunbathe, swim, enjoy the water park and water slides, or maybe even play a game of volley ball or dance a little on the Caribbean and Latin tunes. The island's surrounding waters teem with al sorts of tropical fish. Unlimited beverage and complete lunch buffet are included. Beach chairs and fresh water showers are provided for your convenience. De Palm Island is great for the entire Family! Unlimited food and beverage included. Please note the minimum age to participate is 8 years of age.

 

They also package a half-day visit to DePalm Island with some other land elements in longer tours. Check the shore excursions listing for your specific cruise to see which combos are offered, depending on time in port.

 

The resturant, which is on a small pier over a logoon, discreetly throws treats (read leftovers) to the fish so they are quite tame and will follow you around looking for a handout. We saw the largest blue parrotfish we have ever seen anywhere, maybe 40-50 pounds, like a big grouper, on the reef next to the restuarant.

 

This is clearly not an inexpensive "beach-break" type excursion but we thought it was reasonable value for what we got, and pretty much what was described in the excursions blurb quoted above.

 

M & J

[cruiseegirl]

I have not written a proper review yet and plan to, but for now here is a summary. I have cruised only RC and Carnival prior to this for your comparison.

 

Cabin: we booked the "belly" stateroom on Deck 2. This was a bigger stateroom from the other 2 ships we have been on. The housekeepers were very attentive and our room stayed spotless. But we would find out from our dinner mates that we had missing the beach towels for our use and when there were surveys, we would not receive them in the room.

 

Dining room: first them me tell you that I am lactose intollerant so my eating experiences are challenging. I was taken care of. Let me assure you that if you have any comments, questions, complaints or ANYTHING, they will take care of you. Our waiter, Anil, was absolutely fantastic! Every evening I would get to look at the next night's menu to order my food. ANYTHING on the menu they would altar for my needs. ANYTHING! Now for me desserts are always missed and I end up eating tons of fruit. But not the Milli, they made me special dairy free desserts every night that were unique and very tasty! I got the flauns, the creme breeles too. ;)

 

Now if you ask my dear hubby that loves meat and potatoes, he thought the food was ok. He only fell in love with one meal. BUT he also did not let them know what he did not like therefore they could not take care of what they did not know.

 

Our table mates loved the food and even order double entrees sometimes.

 

Alternative dining: Being lactose intolerant and I hate beef and pork...I fell in love with the Aqua Spa Grill. Very, very healthy alternatives and I love to try new things. Although I did find out 3 days before we got off of the ship....you can get Tuna, Salmon, Chicken or Pork Loin cooked to your liking! Had I knows, I would be eating Tuna Steak everyday for lunch...it is on the little menu on the wall at the beginning of the line. Be sure to read all menus and signs as they do not advertise everything. ;) You'll be glad you did.

The Riveria Grill was fabulous b/c they would cook me a veggie burger anytime I wanted. I could not eat the buffet, everything has dairy. The panini and sandwhich area was wonderful, the Asian area was fantastic and my hubby loved the pizza station. I loved the pasta station, I would tell them how to create whatever I wanted!

We also had room service every morning, what a treat...not much to choose from but if you want something for breakfast not on the menu like soy milk, boiled eggs or something, just write it on there and they will bring it. Room service is 24 hours and you have 3 ways to order it, call it in, interactive through the TV or the card to fill out.

 

Excursions: We only booked the hike, bike & swim on St. Lucia. We feel it was not worth the money AT all and then they expected tips afterward that we did not give them. My hubby and I are avid cyclists, I am (or have been) a triathlete so we may not be able to make an honest review. The bike ride was challenging on the heavy mountain bikes on 2 HUGE hills on the little 2 mile ride, my hubby and myself (out of 10 of us) were the only ones that made it without walking the bike up the hills. The hike was 1 mile at the most, they gave us bamboo walking sticks. They explained a lot about the island, the bananas and such so I really enjoyed their information. The swim, was only a little hole of water at the bottom of the waterfall. They made it sound like you could swim, it is not even waist deep. BUT the waterfalls were magnificent and it was nice to let it fall on your shoulders, but only room for one or two at a time.

 

We mostly took taxis and buses to explore the area we wanted to go to and then we would walk and then end up at a beach and/or shopping. I loved it!

 

Itinerary: Now this is where my hubby and I differ...I loved that we only had 2 days at sea, I prefer a lot of ports. He didn't so much. We found we were bored on the sea days and if you are sensitive to burning like me, you won't want to spend your day laying out in the sun. The activities I felt were very disappointing, not many to choose from or there was an extra fee. Actually, everything worth doing was additional.

 

Fitness: the fitness center was great, roomy, lots of cardio machines, weight machines and even free weights. The area for the aerobics classes was roomy enough. They did have a free stretch class at 7 am followed by a shape up/firm up class at 7:30 am that was mostly strength training and little cardio (running up stairs, etc.). Spinning, yoga, chilates, etc. were all additional at $12 and up.

 

General: I loved this ship, it was beautiful! I loved the artwork, the casino, the library, the ping pong, the basketball, the solarium and much more. But the most impressive thing, there was not one staff member that I passed or came across that did not at least speak a greeting. I think they are required to be attentive your needs even if they are not assigned to your room or dining table, I felt very important.

 

Hope this helps. If I missed anything, feel free to ask me.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I have not written a proper review yet and plan to, but for now here is a summary. I have cruised only RC and Carnival prior to this for your comparison.

 

Cabin: we booked the "belly" stateroom on Deck 2. This was a bigger stateroom from the other 2 ships we have been on. The housekeepers were very attentive and our room stayed spotless. But we would find out from our dinner mates that we had missing the beach towels for our use and when there were surveys, we would not receive them in the room.

 

Dining room: first them me tell you that I am lactose intollerant so my eating experiences are challenging. I was taken care of. Let me assure you that if you have any comments, questions, complaints or ANYTHING, they will take care of you. Our waiter, Anil, was absolutely fantastic! Every evening I would get to look at the next night's menu to order my food. ANYTHING on the menu they would altar for my needs. ANYTHING! Now for me desserts are always missed and I end up eating tons of fruit. But not the Milli, they made me special dairy free desserts every night that were unique and very tasty! I got the flauns, the creme breeles too. ;)

 

Now if you ask my dear hubby that loves meat and potatoes, he thought the food was ok. He only fell in love with one meal. BUT he also did not let them know what he did not like therefore they could not take care of what they did not know.

 

Our table mates loved the food and even order double entrees sometimes.

 

Alternative dining: Being lactose intolerant and I hate beef and pork...I fell in love with the Aqua Spa Grill. Very, very healthy alternatives and I love to try new things. Although I did find out 3 days before we got off of the ship....you can get Tuna, Salmon, Chicken or Pork Loin cooked to your liking! Had I knows, I would be eating Tuna Steak everyday for lunch...it is on the little menu on the wall at the beginning of the line. Be sure to read all menus and signs as they do not advertise everything. ;) You'll be glad you did.

The Riveria Grill was fabulous b/c they would cook me a veggie burger anytime I wanted. I could not eat the buffet, everything has dairy. The panini and sandwhich area was wonderful, the Asian area was fantastic and my hubby loved the pizza station. I loved the pasta station, I would tell them how to create whatever I wanted!

We also had room service every morning, what a treat...not much to choose from but if you want something for breakfast not on the menu like soy milk, boiled eggs or something, just write it on there and they will bring it. Room service is 24 hours and you have 3 ways to order it, call it in, interactive through the TV or the card to fill out.

 

Excursions: We only booked the hike, bike & swim on St. Lucia. We feel it was not worth the money AT all and then they expected tips afterward that we did not give them. My hubby and I are avid cyclists, I am (or have been) a triathlete so we may not be able to make an honest review. The bike ride was challenging on the heavy mountain bikes on 2 HUGE hills on the little 2 mile ride, my hubby and myself (out of 10 of us) were the only ones that made it without walking the bike up the hills. The hike was 1 mile at the most, they gave us bamboo walking sticks. They explained a lot about the island, the bananas and such so I really enjoyed their information. The swim, was only a little hole of water at the bottom of the waterfall. They made it sound like you could swim, it is not even waist deep. BUT the waterfalls were magnificent and it was nice to let it fall on your shoulders, but only room for one or two at a time.

 

We mostly took taxis and buses to explore the area we wanted to go to and then we would walk and then end up at a beach and/or shopping. I loved it!

 

Itinerary: Now this is where my hubby and I differ...I loved that we only had 2 days at sea, I prefer a lot of ports. He didn't so much. We found we were bored on the sea days and if you are sensitive to burning like me, you won't want to spend your day laying out in the sun. The activities I felt were very disappointing, not many to choose from or there was an extra fee. Actually, everything worth doing was additional.

 

Fitness: the fitness center was great, roomy, lots of cardio machines, weight machines and even free weights. The area for the aerobics classes was roomy enough. They did have a free stretch class at 7 am followed by a shape up/firm up class at 7:30 am that was mostly strength training and little cardio (running up stairs, etc.). Spinning, yoga, chilates, etc. were all additional at $12 and up.

 

General: I loved this ship, it was beautiful! I loved the artwork, the casino, the library, the ping pong, the basketball, the solarium and much more. But the most impressive thing, there was not one staff member that I passed or came across that did not at least speak a greeting. I think they are required to be attentive your needs even if they are not assigned to your room or dining table, I felt very important.

 

Hope this helps. If I missed anything, feel free to ask me.

 

Thanks for the review. Glad that you enjoyed the cruise.

 

One question: Do you remember the Aqua Spa Cafe hours?

[cruiseegirl]

 

Hi! You are very welcome. The actual hours for the spa cafe was noon-2 I think on every day. It may have been longer on sea days.

[cruisetodive]

Hey LL the hostess name is Donna, she is doing a great job keeping the repeaters happy. We sailed on the Dec 11 sailing , met lots of wonderful folks and enjoyed the beaches with diving in St. Croix;Cane Bay Dive Shop,Dominica; ALDive, Grenada; Native Spirit Scuba and, Curacao with Porto Mari Sports. The Millennium staff and crew met our every expectation.Thanks to cruise critic info on ports and things to do, we had good reference material and went into every port with an idea of what we wanted to do.