Sort of LIVE Celebrity Millennium Nov. 28 and Dec. 3rd B2B's

[dmwnc1959]

Passengers and luggage being loaded into transfer buses

 

[dmwnc1959]

9:15am

Final call for all disembarking guests...

 

An empty pool deck

[dmwnc1959]

9:20am

Got halfway across the exit gangway from the ship to the terminal and foot traffic came to a complete stop. There's a line of disembarking guests now from the promenade deck all the way down the upper floor of the terminal leading to Customs and Immigration.

 

Looking back at disembarking guests

 

Foot traffic stops. Halfway cross the gangway

 

The line, to get to the line, to clear Customs

 

The line behind me

[dmwnc1959]

20 minutes later made it to the luggage claim carousels

 

 

Now the line for Customs and Immigration clearance.

[dmwnc1959]

 

 

 

 

I swear I was one of the last 30 people off the ship.

 

9:55am

Now a taxi to the Amtrak Station

[dmwnc1959]

10am

In a taxi heading for the Silver Star and an 11:50am departure for Tampa. The fare is not a flat-fare as if going to the airport. The traffIc southbound I-95 backed up for a couple of miles, the ship and 10 wonderful nights of my life now miles behind me.

 

Arrive at the Amtrak station, set in what looks like a commercial and industrial district in north Miami, at 10:25am and a fare of $32 plus tip.

 

There's a local rail station about 1 block from here which I would have taken but with so much luggage

It would be a bit of a hassle.

 

The RCCL building Port of Miami

 

One last look out of the taxi

 

Arrive at the Amtrak station

 

Ticket in hand

 

Waiting on the train

 

That's it for now.

 

I hope this was as fun for all of you as it was for me. Probably my best cruise EVER thanks to all my old friends (CT) and new friends (Cruise Critic).

 

More to come later....

 

Pictures of all ten days and the Celebrity Millennium.

 

Ciao for now! :)

[crazygirl!]

I really enjoyed all of your posts and pictures - thanks so much for bringing us all along on your cruise!

[snorkelmom19]

See, I told you that there was lots of great art in Roatan and it was worth taking a look. So glad to see you had a great trip! Wishing you many more good days.

[dmwnc1959]

THANKS crazygirl, and your'e welcome! It was fun, wasn't it.

 

See, I told you that there was lots of great art in Roatan and it was worth taking a look. So glad to see you had a great trip! Wishing you many more good days.

 

I was a bit surprised at how really nice some of local arts and crafts were. If I didn't have to worry about checked and carry-on bags with Amtrak and again with United next week, I would have bought some.

[momto3gr8boys]

Dave,

 

I am sitting in cabin 2150 right now. Thank you soooooo much for the water, duct tape and air freshener! I took a picture to upload here, but i cant figure out how to do it on my phone. We are very excited for our cruise and we will keep the "happy vibes" you left behind with us as well!

[dmwnc1959]

Dave,

 

I am sitting in cabin 2150 right now. Thank you soooooo much for the water, duct tape and air freshener! I took a picture to upload here, but i cant figure out how to do it on my phone. We are very excited for our cruise and we will keep the "happy vibes" you left behind with us as well!

 

ENJOY!!!! You're more than welcome! Have a GREAT cruise and please let us know how the TCM Cruise goes?

 

I'm sitting in a coach car Amtrak now near Sebring, FL. Definitely NOT the same as Celebrity! ;) Ate lunch in the dining car, good food but again, not Celebrity.

 

 

 

Also watching Celebrity Infinity going through the Panama Canal with Carnival Inspiration.

 

[dmwnc1959]

If you have Tapatalk go to the Celebrity Cruises Forum on Cruise Critic.

 

In the upper right corner is an arrow, tap it and choose New Topic.

 

Once you have a thread going, or want to post in any thread, hit REPLY and open the little bar at the bottom of the Reply Field that says Open Advanced Option.

 

Either take a picture using the camera or upload from your album and choose Tapatalk Hosted.

 

You can upload up to six pictures, then hit SEND.

 

Also, to earmark a thread as a Favorite use that arrow in the upper right corner again and tap SUBSCRIBE. It will then show up by tapping the MORE button on the bottom o the Tapatalk screen and look in Favorites.

[NYCruiseNoob]

Dave, thanks for documenting our trip so nicely. I hope you made it home safe and sound. I enjoyed sharing that sunrise over Cuba with you. (Sounds like a great name for a drink!)

 

Cheers,

Chris

[NeuroQueen]

Great, great review. The pictures were so nice. I have not cruised with Celebrity yet but I'm going to look at the schedule tonite. Thanks for doing this labor intensive review. You have helped so many of us! Safe travels!!!

[dmwnc1959]

A quick review (still working on the pictures) since some of the details and various aspects of the cruises have already been covered.

 

- My cabin, a category 8 ocean view Deck 2 #2150 was a great choice in a great location. During my 10-nights on the ship I never heard any noise from the hall or the one cabin next door. I did use the heavy bed blanket as a precautionary damper across base of the cabin door to block any light or noise seepage from the hallway outside.

 

Only in Grand Cayman did we use tenders, and by 7am they were setting up the tender platform directly below by cabin which would have woke you up if you weren't already.

 

The cabin has been described in significant detail with pictures previously in this thread.

 

I had the room steward empty the fridge to hold my bottled water purchased ashore, as well as my medications. The room was quite adequate in every aspect.

 

- The ship: yes it's 11 years old, but boy is it beautiful and in really good shape. Yes, I saw the rare rust spot, very rarely seen worn upholstery on the backside of a chair, maybe a tiny bit worn here and there in the carpeting (again, very rarely seen), but absolutely nothing that would make me love this ship less. The ships crew were constantly cleaning the public spaces and wiping down interiors railings and glass.

 

- The pool deck and solarium were always in use, the latter more so on sea days by people playing cards and reading books. At times it was so noisy there was no relaxing going on here. The Pool Butlers were always around, not sure if Chair Hogs were a problem. The thelassotherspy pool was always busy, and depending on the sea conditions, was more like a small wave pool sloshing back and forth.

 

- I thought the crew and waitstaff to be quite friendly and efficient. Assistant Waitress Ayse behind the food bar at the Cova Cafe and the Sushi Chef Syska in the lido cafe excellent with their everyday greetings of warm welcomes and smiles.

 

- The food was uniformly very good. I ate in the MDR during the first half of my B2B, sticking with fish dishes, healthy choice side dishes, and the sorbet or desert. It was alway quite tasty.

 

During the second half of my B2B the lido cafe was my choice for dinner. There are ample selections here for a few nights, but at the end of this 5-night segment I was pretty much sticking to pasta and/or sushi.

 

The full list of options in the lido age were covered in a prior post in this thread.

 

The food in the AquaSpa cafe also quite tasty but in small portions. Ate here several times and always enjoyed it.

 

The tasty treats in the Cova Cafe enough to get you by until the next main meal, always a delight with a nice selection. The Tapas were just too small for me to get anything out of it without looking like a little piggy. Delicious none the less.

 

- Entertainment: for the most part there is something for everyone with a couple of excellent stand outs. Metropark and 60280 (pronounced Sixty to Eighty) were always good and great fun. The juggler Mike Price absolutely brilliant in the opening show, and Boogie Wonderland in the Celebrity Theater is not to be missed.

 

I never made it to Cosmos for the late night party crowd.

 

The piano player Patrick Hall in Michaels Club and John Winter as a guitar solo singer were nice to sit and listen to before or after dinner.

 

- Kids: we had 59 the first cruise and 74 the second cruise (I think those numbers are correct as previously reported). Never an issue, most very well mannered and cute. Very, very few teens aboard.

 

Only twice did I have to step up and say something: once with two kids pushing all the elevator buttons on all four of the glass elevators, and then riding them up and down endlessly. I was sitting in the Cova Cafe and saw them go up and down no less than ten times in just a couple of minutes. Finally when I was heading to Deck 10 an needed the elevators they were still playing around. They admitted (when asked) that they were playing on the elevators.

 

The other time at the ping pong tables Deck 11 by eXtreme when they were flattening the ping pong balls and endlessly and relentlessly banging the paddles quite hard and very noisily on the hand railings.

 

- Ports of Call: all four ports had something to offer. There were lots of shore excursions covering literally every aspect of beach, sightseeing, and history/culture.

I just stuck close to town and only a few blocks from the ship.

 

- I did not have a Beverage package but found the bar service efficient and friendly when I ordered my ginger ale.

 

- Beyond the Podium art series a must for true art lovers. Always educational and the lecturer personally travelled and experienced, not just someone parroting off of a slide show. Met her once in the Cova Cafe when she sat with us for lunch. A truly kind and interesting woman.

 

- Only a couple of times did a group take over a public space for a private function but nothing that was overly inconvenient. There were at least two weddings onboard, as well as one at grand Cayman with the after wedding reception in the Cosmos.

 

- The various Celebrity Life activities (trivia, tours, arts and crafts, bingo, karaoke, xBox Kinect, and 25 total options) always kept you busy, if you wanted to be.

 

- Overall a superb cruise, and with all of my new friends from Cruise Critic and CT, made it the best cruise EVER. Thank you so very much to all of you for making me feel so welcomed into your families and groups.

[lauriek]

The Duck and I got home last night so I finally got to read all your entries on the trip. What a great recap! I joked and talked with more people this trip than ever before. It was a shame our CC group was sooooooo quite, NOT! Thanks for the trivia games, and enjoy your time in Tampa! Most fun cruise ever.

Laurie

[NYCruiseNoob]

Dave, are you going to post your great photos anywhere else? I'd love to get copies of some of them.

[dmwnc1959]

The Duck and I....Most fun cruise ever.

Laurie

 

Did the duck get any of that wine? ;)

 

Dave, are you going to post your great photos anywhere else? I'd love to get copies of some of them.

 

I have a ton of pictures, unfortunately it may take until next week to start putting them up on Flikr. Spending five days in Tampa with family I haven't seen in seven years.

 

Once I start posting them it will be linked on this thread so keep an eye out. I still have to get them downsized them then eilinimate 50-60% to make for less repetition.

 

THANKS for the quality time when we got a chance. It was a pleasure meeting you!

 

:)

[kathisu]

David, it was great meeting you on board. Sorry I missed meeting some of the other CCers, but our suite was too inviting to leave it very often. Glad you could stop by. Enjoy your family visit. Safe travels home!

[freshair25]

 

 

We're adjusting to reality, enjoyed the concierge class, meeting all the CC people, and reading this blog from home (Dave @ "work" attached). Until next cruise, the armadillo says adieu.

 

Terry & Dennis

[debshomespun]

Thank you so much for bringing us all along on your cruise. We will be sailing on our first Celebrity in Feb/12 on the Millennium! You posted some great info on the ship. Really looking forward to sailing on Celebrity.

 

Have a wonderful time in Tampa with your family, and safe travels home!

[ammaoftheseas]

Dave it was a pleasure meeting you. Did you try the crystal light yet? Let me know what you think when you do. Thanks for the info and the posting tips.

[dmwnc1959]

David, it was great meeting you on board. Sorry I missed meeting some of the other CCers, but our suite was too inviting to leave it very often. Glad you could stop by. Enjoy your family visit. Safe travels home!

 

I don't blame you. The Penthouse Suite was sweet!!! Loved meeting your beautiful family and friend.

 

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We're adjusting to reality, enjoyed the concierge class, meeting all the CC people, and reading this blog from home (Dave @ "work" attached). Until next cruise, the armadillo says adieu.

 

Terry & Dennis

 

Great picture of the ladies from the show! And I can see my bald spot in the other one... ;)

 

Thank you so much for bringing us all along on your cruise. We will be sailing on our first Celebrity in Feb/12 on the Millennium! You posted some great info on the ship. Really looking forward to sailing on Celebrity.

 

Have a wonderful time in Tampa with your family, and safe travels home!

 

I do hope you enjoy your cruise as much as I did!!!

 

My family are keeping me busy. I worked some on getting the pictures downloaded and downsized. Hope to start posting some in the next couple of days.

 

Sunday we're going to the cruise terminal to see the three cruise ships docked.

 

 

Dave it was a pleasure meeting you. Did you try the crystal light yet? Let me know what you think when you do. Thanks for the info and the posting tips.

 

We mixed the Crystal Light last night and today in two separate containers. Both are excellent! Thank you so much!!! Now I'll have to look for it when I get back home. :)

 

Hope we all run into each other again one day!

[misha1]

ENJOY!!!! You're more than welcome! Have a GREAT cruise and please let us know how the TCM Cruise goes?

 

I'm sitting in a coach car Amtrak now near Sebring, FL. Definitely NOT the same as Celebrity! ;) Ate lunch in the dining car, good food but again, not Celebrity.

 

 

 

Also watching Celebrity Infinity going through the Panama Canal with Carnival Inspiration.

 

 

Our friends are on that Infinity cruise, I was hoping I would see them waving at me from the bow but no go ;)

[dmwnc1959]

View from my room at the Intercontinental downtown

 

Celebrity Millennium in the turning basin heading for her berth

 

November 28, 2011; from left to right are the Norwegian Sky, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Destiny, Celebrity Millennium, and Majesty of the Seas

 

The Majesty of the Seas, Celebrity Millennium, Carnival Destiny, and Carnival Imagination