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Millennium Oct 22, 2011 Review with 'Nora'

Mr. Luckytoo

By Mr. Luckytoo,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Mr. Luckytoo

Mr. Luckytoo

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My wife and I were on the 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise sailing from San Juan on Friday October 22. This was our 7th cruise for 2010. This year we’ve done two on RCI, two on NCL and one on Princess. Last year I sailed on Celebrity’s Equinox doing the Southern Caribbean and absolutely loved that cruise, mainly because in my opinion the S-Class ships are the ultimate in design. Since we are planning to do another cruise on the Equinox in 2011 my wife convinced me to do the Millennium (M-Class) because she had sailed on the ship five times in the past. My goal for this review is to attempt to stick to the ‘facts’ about the Millennium (Millie) and yes even compare the ship and staff to other cruises that we have done this year.

 

The itinerary for this sailing included the following ports: Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Aruba and Curacao. We’ve been to all these ports in the past with the exception of Grenada and Curacao.

 

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Just a little background so that this keeps things in perspective; we aren’t really beach people when it comes to cruising because, well we live in Florida and only have to walk a few blocks to reach the sandy shores any day of the week. We enjoy cruising as a means to just get away and relax. We’re in our late 40’s, we love to travel simply ‘experience’ places, people and food. Getting the time away from our business is our biggest obstacle so we do a lot of traveling on the weekends and when there is time available.

 

Since the ship was leaving at 8 pm we decided to fly on the day of the cruise. We left central Florida at 11:30 and landed in San Juan at 1:30 with no problems.

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Our taxi ride to the port was fast and the taxi dropped us off in line at 2:15 pm. This was the first time we had left San Juan at the Pan American pier. The prior two times we sailed from San Juan we left from the piers on the other side of the canal closer to old San Juan. However there was another Celebrity Cruise ship docked there, I believe it was the Mercury. Right now there are two Celebrity ships leaving from San Juan so make sure that you tell your taxi driver the name of the ship and don’s just request to be taken to, “…the cruise ship.”

 

We dragged our bags into line in the heat and were greeted by a Celebrity representative giving out the health forms. Then we waited….and we waited…and we waited. The line was moving extremely slow and the weather was getting hot. Thank goodness Celebrity has some of the crew handing out the cold hand towels and it was very refreshing. After 20 minutes in line a porter with a mobile cart appeared and we were able to give him our luggage. Since we had another 20 couples in front of us we ‘jumped’ at the opportunity to hand off the bags. This was the first time I had a porter tell me that ‘tips are greatly appreciated’ but I was so eager to get out of the heat I didn’t get annoyed at him in the least.

 

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From there we went to the security screening line and the TSA people. As I was waiting for the TSA I observed the port porters taking people’s luggage - one at a time! I have never observed a less interested porter staff in my life. It almost looked like these men were getting paid my the minute as they were so slow it was painful to watch.

 

The TSA lady was screeching to the passengers to sand in a single file line to her left. Now I understand about security and the need for order but this person’s attitude was very annoying. It wasn’t enough to stand in single-file but we hand to stand in the exact location prior to going thru the x-ray machine. Then to treat everyone like a child before going thru the metal detector really started to get to me, I have never had a TSA agent be so condescending. Yes I’ve had many TSA agents with Napoleonic complex’s but this lady’s body language and mannerisms put her at the head of the class.

 

Once thru the TSA grasp we walked up to the Celebrity check-in which tooth 3 minutes to process our credit card and get our room keys. From there we walked up to the ship and boarded without any additional delay. As we handed over our sail-pass we were greeted by smiling faces and the obligatory anti-bacterial hand lotion. As we stepped into the Millennium I looked around and yes, there it was, a staff member offering a complimentary class of sparkling wine/mimosa! Yes, I had 'returned' to Celebrity and my wandering in the "service-less" world of other cruiselines had come to an end.

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Our total time from arriving at the port to stepping onboard the ship was a total of 35 minutes. Twenty minutes standing in line to have our bags taken, 5 minutes to proceed thru screen, 5 minutes for actual check-in and to walk onboard. I have to say that this debarkation pier was not as nice as the pier closer to old San Juan.

 

More to follow...

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Mr. Luckytoo

Mr. Luckytoo

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Once aboard the ship we proceeded to our cabin on deck 8. We had a balcony on the starboard side of the ship located in the rear area of the ship. One of the things I was concerned about was the condition of the cabin. When we reached the cabin our cabin steward was there to introduce himself and ask if there was anything we needed. I asked him to remove the contents of the mini-fridge which he promptly proceeded to do - he simply placed the contents outside of the fridge while still in the cabinet so that if I wanted any of the products they would be available. The cabin was clean and ready for us to move in for the next 10 days, however the luggage had not yet arrived - I wasn’t expecting it until after dinner.

 

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Now this was our 4th balcony cabin this year and the Millie was ‘overdue’ for it’s refurbishment (from what I had been reading on C.C.). We were sailing in concierge class (cc) something that NCL and Princess don’t have. What’s the difference? Well cc on the Millie means that we had some flowers in our cabin, daily canapés, a welcoming bottle of bubbly, daily fresh fruit and an expanded breakfast menu.

 

 

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So was cc worth the extra up charge over a regular balcony? That’s a decision I’ll leave to each person. In our case I had no regrets - in fact we have cc on our next Equinox cruise.

 

The cabin on the Millie was fine but what I did find interesting is the position of the balcony. Since my wife and I had been to most of the ports we weren’t in any rush to get off the ship.

 

 

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In fact we spent a LOT of time on our balcony - whether it was breakfast on the balcony or 1 night we had dinner outside on the balcony as well. When I looked down I had a birds-eye view of the Royal Suite two decks below. While it didn’t bother me I would remind cruisers in the Royal Suite to be careful about airing their dirty laundry in public because…well they say a picture speaks a thousand words so:

 

 

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We made our way up to deck 10 and the buffet area where it was busy but not yet crowded. What struck me was this - the Millie had trays! On the RCI, NCL and Princess ships there were no trays! Not only were there trays but these trays had a cloth liner which prevented the dishes, cups and glasses from sliding. I noticed several crew members actually taking the trays and escorting people to seats. While my wife and I did not partake of this service I find it refreshing that it is offered, especially for people who require assistance. An important thing that I noticed was the smiling faces of most of the staff.

 

Now when it comes to buffet lines and food I felt that the Millie was no better and no worse than any other ship that I had been upon. The pizza which we obtained was very unappetizing and below standard. On other occasions when we stopped by the pizza station the quality was better but as a whole I felt that the pizza was very average. I would equate the pizza to poorer quality Pizza Hut food. The calzones were a welcome change but again the quality was average at best.

 

By this time we heard the announcements for the Muster Drill so we proceeded to our Muster Station. Thank goodness our station was located inside the Rendez-vous lounge on Deck 5 and not outside. On RCI we were required to line up outside and squeeze against the wall of the ship in the heat. On the Sky it was the same routine. The Princess ship and the Epic allowed us to remain indoors but both those lines had us ‘check in’ with staff members. Here on the Millie we simply showed our room cards and were told to sit/stand and pay attention to the crew members. Wow! Celebrity actually treats it’s customers like the adults that we are. :cool:

 

Next MDR

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seafun

seafun

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Thanks for taking the time to post this review. Your timing is perfect! This time next week I'll be on the Millie, enjoying a very similar cruise! :)

Looking forward to reading the rest of it. Hopefully you'll wrap it up by Tuesday, when I fly to Puerto Rico, LOL.

Happy cruising! Tom :D

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sanjim

sanjim

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As a suggestion, if you are interested in meeting your fellow cruise critic members, make sure your group has its own scheduled party, our group on Oct 22 didnt have one, nobody was interested in meeting before the roll call party. The roll call party was held at 10 AM on first port day, when everybody was in port or on tours.

 

I would have personally licked to have meet MR Luckytoo, it seems we had simmular cabins We were on the starboard side of the ship, the only thing missing was the bauld guys head in the royal suite below me.

 

So far Mr Luckytoo I can agree with 100 percent of your review.

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sanjim

sanjim

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>We are on this cruise too. Will you be attending the meet and greet?

Maybe I was not clear enough, The meet and greet was held on the first port day at 10 AM . There were only 8 or 10 people that attended the meet and greet, because everbody was in port on tours or doing their thing on the inland. They were 90 people on the cruise critic group , all signed up for the meet and greet. ?S?o look at your port schedule and see where you are on the that day. If you do not have a sea day the day after you board the ship, your meet and greet will probably not be well attended.

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Mr. Luckytoo

Mr. Luckytoo

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Now we requested the early MDR so after the muster drill we proceeded to the MDR for our first meal on the Millie. Since food is so subjective to many people I’m not going to discuss our MDR experiences with the food. Our service however I will discuss. On the first night we were seated at a table for 6. My wife had originally requested a table for 2 since this cruise was a ‘birthday’ present for us and we wanted some quiet time.

 

The service the first night was good and on the second day we were sent our new table reservation for the two of us. Our waiter, Jason, was very efficient. He’s a 12 year veteran and we could tell. His assistant however, Russell, was not very efficient. Russell was very nice and always had a smile on his face. But unlike Jason you had to ask Russell some things more than once. Yes this is a minor critique and overall we had a very pleasant time in the MDR.

 

The MDR on the Millennium is very traditional. Lots of wood with purple lighting in some of the fixtures I could see how the designers used the M-Class as a focal for the S-Class configuration. It is a 2-story structure located at the rear of the ship. There are many tables located next to the large portholes which allows natural light to enter. In addition the MDR has blinds that can be raised and lowered. The artwork on the blinds is very nice and the overall appearance of the MDR is one of simple elegance.

 

We were seated on the second floor (Deck 5) of the restaurant very close to the back. The select dining is located on the same deck but on the starboard side of the ship. The kitchen is located on deck 3 and the waiters have a very long walk from the kitchen to the their stations. We never received any cold food and most meals were finished in 60-90 minutes. Our head waiter was Bruno who was very friendly and showed up to the table on most nights. One thing that I liked about our MDR wait staff was their willingness and commitment to making our dining experience unique and special for us. Let me provide an example.

 

Our waiter Jason would tell us the menu for the upcoming night. Something that my wife and I enjoy is the chicken fettuccini alfredo that we had on previous RCI cruises. One night one of the dishes consisted of a fettuccini dish but with tomato based sauces. We asked Jason if we could get a chicken alfredo dish the next night. The head waiter, Bruno came over to the table and promptly took our orders to make sure that we’d have our entrée the following evening.

 

On another occasion we were commenting about the soups on the menu. It seems like Celebrity likes to make very bland creamy soups. My wife and I, on the other hand, prefer more traditional soups and we hadn’t seen any on the menu. In our cabin we had gotten the clam chowder from the room service menu earlier. When I asked Bruno if we could have the clam chowder in the MDR I was told that the chowder was only made in the cooking area on deck 8, not in the MDR galley. My wife and I exchanged a perplexed look. What galley on deck 8? We told Jason how good the clam chowder was and guess what - the next night our waiter Jason had the clam chowder available for us. The best think about our waiters in the MDR was they (1) remembered our names (2) had my wife’s ice tea on the table nightly and (3) was always smiling and really seemed concerned that we were pleased with our service.

 

On one night I requested some Indian food and sure enough that’s what I got. Now I’ve had some Indian food where I live but it wasn’t authentic. The Indian food that Jason brought to the table was very spicy and robust.

 

Overall we felt the food was acceptable and the service was very good. When my friend asked me what I would compare it to I answered some nights like Carraba’s on other nights TGIF and other nights Olive Garden. It was good but not gourmet or to the level that we received in the Olympic.

 

Compared to the food we received on RCI, NCL and Princess I would say it was comparable but the service we received on Celebrity was better than the other lines. Once again our opinion and yes we are picky.

On one night my wife ordered the sirloin from the everyday menu and guess what it came with - French fries! Having read most of the Cruise Critic thread prior to leaving the question of fingers vs. fork leapt to my mind. Fortunately my wife has some manners and the food police didn’t bother us!

 

Main Dining Room Grades:

Service: A

Food Quality: B+

Variety of menu: B

 

Once again this is SUBJECTIVE. The reason I didn't give the quality an A was several minor things: (1) the escargot really didn't have enough garlic for my taste (2) the mashed potatoes were inedible

 

As for variety - one of the things that my wife and I feel is that Celebrity (among other cruiselines) tries too hard to pair unusual foods and create 'special or unique' dishes. Sometimes we just wanted some 'comfort foods'. For example why not have a vegetable soup or chicken noodle soup? Most of the desserts had lots of mousse dishes. We really liked the NY style cheesecake and the apple pie.

 

Next - Ship itself

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Mr. Luckytoo

Mr. Luckytoo

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Celebrity hosted the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet on Saturday morning when the ship was docked in Tortola.

 

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Now we had over 90 people signed up for the event but only a dozen people attended the event. It was held in the Cosmos lounge. The hotel director, assistant director, CD and several other officers were present. Part of the reason for this is the itinerary itself. Someone there asked the crew why the formal night was held on Sunday rather than the 2nd night and the officers responded that due to the port intensity it would allow the guests more of a chance to relax. It's a shame that Celebrity couldn't have scheduled it at a different time so that more guests could attend.

 

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It was amazing how often we later observed these same officers working and playing on the ship throughout the cruise. It was great to be able to put a ‘name’ to the face. Now some ships will TELL you that they are committed to providing customer service but this crew really strived to make us, the passengers, happy.

 

 

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There were several occasions where they had the officers involved in activities for the passengers. For example one night in the casino they had the officers and passengers in a slot tournament. On a different day the officers actually played the guests in a game of water volleyball!

 

The ship is 10 years old and in some places it shows its age. However like a fine wine there are portions of the ship that have gotten better with time. For example there are some things on the Millennium that we just didn’t see on other ships, in particular NCL’s newest ship. For example the library on the Millennium is not only centrally located, quiet and comfortable it’s HUGE! It’s on deck 8 & 9 with a spiral staircase in the middle.

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Another thing that I found that I liked on the Millennium - the Cova Bar area. One morning we wandered down around 10 when most people were either off the ship or up in the buffet area. We watched them just bring out some croissants and place them in the display case. We talked to the ‘chef’ for awhile and he told us how he cooked them right around the corner on a necessary basis. The ham & chess croissants were really, really good. Of course when having a breakfast croissant nothing goes better than a frozen latte.

 

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HINT: If you are feeling rushed in the morning stop on deck 5 for some croissants to go! The cookies are really nice to take with you when leaving the ship too!

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rollie

rollie

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Mr Luckytoo, I'm really enjoying your review, and looking forward to your next installment.

We also were on the Epic back in September, and were, for the most part, left wanting. It will be like a breath of fresh air to return to the Millie.

 

Rollie

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