Millennium Review 4/3 - 4/10

[boatman]

We arrived the day before and stayed at the Wyndham. The Wyndham was ok and considering we arrived at 9 pm and just needed a place to rest we didn’t need a place to sight see etc. We took the shuttle from the hotel, tipped driver to do so, at 10:15 am to the pier. We arrived at the pier by 10:30 and were on board dropping our carry offs in our room by 10:50. We were greeted with the champagne or mimosa and offered escorts to our room to drop off carry ons. We declined and proceeded to the room ourselves. We had cc 8177 aft side balcony room. The room was nice and long with plenty of room for the two of us. The balcony rather small but could fit two very comfortably. The CC room had the fruit, champagne, nice towels, special showerhead, extra hair dryer, but it did not have the upgraded bedding. No duvet or nicer sheets although the bed did have a Pillow top mattress cover. It was comfortable enough. We dropped our stuff and toured the ship while videoing. The ship was very clean with a moderate atmosphere of art. The public rooms such as the theatre, Metropolitan rest, cinema, champagne bar, rendezvous lounge, Cosmos were all roomy with a contemporary atmosphere. I was not overly impressed with this but it was pleasing and we felt comfortable and relaxed with the surroundings.

 

We confirmed our dinner table and our Olympic reservations and then had lunch. The food was nice and hot and very tasty at the buffet. Afterwards we headed back to the room to unpack and get ready for the Lifeboat drill. Before the drill we decided to suit up and head to the aqua spa. We spent 1 hour there using the pool and Jacuzzi then the men and women’s locker room with the free dry sauna. Only a handful of people were there and we thoroughly enjoyed this area on embarkation day. We vowed to spend an hour or more per day there.

 

The lifeboat drill was the same old thing, met in the casino then proceeded to our lifeboats etc. Dinner this night is not open seating but it is casual. We met our tablemates and really enjoyed them even though they had 15 to 20 years on us both. The assigned seating and dinning in the evening on Celebrity make up 75% of our cruise nirvana. We love this aspect and at least as of now would not consider anything other than this avenue. Anyway food was very good with great presentation and our waiter was very proper and polite as well as efficient. We missed the show this evening as it was before the late seating. We did hit cosmos and partied and danced till 2 or 230, don’t remember.

 

Monday sea day - Breakfast delivered at 9 am and enjoyed it on the veranda, Very warm and sunny on our veranda at this hour. Not much wind out there either. Afterwards straight to aqua spa, did the pool, whirlpool then sauna to sweat out the poison. Then did the aqua spa grill for lunch, she had salmon I had chicken, pretty good but for the hungry man well he needs more. Headed to room to get pool area stuff and then back to pool. We arrived there around 1230 found one lounge in the center between the pools; we both sat there and waited for another lounge to open up. Then we noticed after twenty minutes a large bag was occupying the lounge beside us with the woman in the next lounge chair retrieving items from it in now and then. Wife and I looked at each other and I just got up lifted the bag off the chair and set it beside the woman’s lounge and plopped in the lounge. She never said a word except hello. Not too bad I thought. Pool band was playing at this time and they were very good. Three and half hours there and then to the room to shower and prep for dinner. Drinks on the verandah in formal ware with Kenny G playing on our cd boom box, enjoying the sun going down. This time of the evening still remain a vivid memory as I write this. Formal pictures were next, we went at 700 and was finished by 715, no lines at this time. Martini bar was next and after three or four Apple Martinis with vodka we were ready for dinner. Of course we danced a few songs but each time we had to traverse one deck below in to the rendezvous to do so. This area is open from the deck above (the martini bar) or champagne bar. We did not like the pre dinner dancing avenues on this class of ship. Dinner was wonderful and presented as is expected from Celebrity. We caught the show afterwards, a production show, which was very good and better than the productions shows of prior celebrity, cruises. Then danced in Cosmos till 3 am, with room service delivered at 430 am. It consisted of clam chowder and Caesar salads. Enjoyed it on the balcony.

 

Tuesday arrived in Casa de campo at noon. We slept in till 11:00, showered got some lunch at the buffet and headed to our Catalina Island excursion. Waited very long in the theatre then proceed to the excursion boat right outside on the pier. They had beer and water for sale on the boat ride over. The initial part of the ride was rough but very fun waves splashing into the barge type boat. Once we reached the island that blocked the influx of rough ocean the seas died down and the ride was nice. There were several excursion boats there from different ships I assume. we were greeted with pina colada and or rum punch. Just one though the did have a cash bar if you wanted more. We packed a collapsible six pack cooler with six cold miller lites. The beach was a real soft brown type of sand and the water was warm warm and pretty clear. Wife enjoyed the sun, I snorkeled to the far right by the cliffs. I ventured out I would say 300 yards along the cliff side and I found small areas of coral with probably 50 to 100 fish swarming around. Some small colorful fish and then mostly 12 inch long fish with some color. One stingray but it was small compared to the ones you see in Grand Cayman. I was out there about an hour and half then headed back to my wife. We drank our beer then stopped by one of the shops on the beach, which were at the back of the beach. We only went there because a Dominican republican stopped by our lounge chairs and gave us two free necklaces and asked us to stop by his shop if we intended to do any shopping. Wife bought a mahogany bowl with lid and I bought a small wooded ship for my collection. Head back to tender and the ride was identical to the ride over. We were at the ship by 540. The stay on the island was right at 2.50 hours. We hurried to the room for our showers, as this was our night for the Olympic at 7pm. Captain gave his announcement about the helicopter incident around 615 or so. You can read more about this on these boards. Pre dinner we took pictures outside the Olympic at the entrance doors. I wore tux with and wife wore cocktail dress. Our dinner was fabulous. A great experience and worth the money to us. I had Caesar with the shrimp scampi, both of which were prepared tableside and my wife had Caesar with some type of fish I believe. Oh by the way for those of you who need to know this meal is in fact a four course meal which includes the cheese portion as one of the courses. To get the five-course meal you must use a different menu with wine selections for each course at the expense of an additional 29 bucks per person. We were satisfied with the regular menu and I had purchased a bourbon and water and she had a glass of wine, which we just carried in with us from the bar just outside the Olympic one deck up. Anyway the meal and service was outstanding, the wine guy was sort of pushy but not so much as to annoy us. The cheeses are something else. They do smell. We were completely satisfied with the experience and would do again but only for one night of the seven night cruise. Afterwards was Island night on the pool deck and we danced line dancing and limbo etc.. We ended the night at cosmos with dancing till 230.

 

Wed - San Juan - we awoke early with breakfast delivered to our room, enjoyed it on the balcony. We just explored this stop on our own, we went to the forts and took pictures. We did take a cab to one of them and then walked to the other and then back down the hill to the ship. The forts were nice and the history of them was fun to read and sort of a novelty if you like that type of stuff. We were back on board by 230 at which time we promptly hit the Aqua spa for an hour or so, then to room for some make up sleep. Three hours of it, and up at 630 showered, had a drink on the balcony, met table mates for pre-dinner drinks in martini bar then off to dinner, was very good we both had beef tenderloin. We went to the show afterwards I think, we only went to three and half shows with the three we enjoyed being production shows, I think this one was fantasea and it was the best of all I think. It was done really well and was very entertaining, with them changing the stage presentation every 10 minutes or so and the songs were very popular and up to date. If I were to recommend a show not to miss this would be the one. Afterwards we hit cosmos and danced till about 130 this evening.

 

In the wee hours of Thursday morning around 4 am I believe we stopped in I think St Johns for a refuel. I planned on being up to experience this but didn’t make it.

 

Thursday - St Thomas, Up very early watched us arrive in port from our balcony had breakfast in the aft portion of the ship with Belgian waffles and made to order omelets. Then off the ship to downtown, took taxi bus 3 dollars per person. Shopped downtown wife bought prada knockoff, I bought $1.50 beers and and a straw hat. Bought other gifts from the craft tent area, they did bargain and you can get quality t-shirts as well as cheap ones here. Took taxi back to ship and met table mates on their way out to a beach the waited ten minutes for us to change and we headed to Coki beach. Beach was very small with soft sand but the water was super clear and the snorkeling unreal for a beach. I literally had hundreds of colorful fish swarming around me and get this you could do this only 20 feet off the beach. I did snorkel further out to find some coral and more fish and one sea horse. Took 20 or so underwater pictures, fish would eat out of your hand. We stayed for about three hours with the first hour be rainy and the rest sunny and hot. Had a few very strong drinks there at the bar on the beach. A tikki type bar. Headed back to ship, round trip ride was like 14 per person to this beach. Headed straight to the aqua spa for an hour or so, this place is really nice if one puts in the effort to use it. Headed to room for shower, drinks on balcony then to martini bar to meet tablemates for pre dinner martinis. Dinner again was great as was every dinner we had there. We did order things that weren’t on the menu such as Caesar salads some nights and shrimp cocktail, never a problem. The veal was much better than I expected since I love beef. I think wife had lobster bisque or something like that. Afterwards I don’t think we did a show but did the Karaoke, from 11 to 1am. Wife sang three times, one by herself and two as a duet. It was fun and the crowd was into it. Some real good singers and not so good singers. This was held in the rendezvous lounge and was adequate I guess. The public rooms on this ship didn’t overly impress me with the functions that they had in them. We stopped by cosmos for a while then to bed by 230 am.

 

Friday- Sea day- pretty much the same as the other sea day except we bought some shipboard deals for cologne, jewelry, watches etc.. This was our last formal night so we took it easy. We dressed early had pictures met our tablemates for drinks. We had lobster this evening; I ordered surf and turf with no questions. We left the show early as it was a single musician and was old after the first two performances. We headed to the Martini bar then to the midnight buffet for a gander. Then to karaoke for the last half hour then dancing till 2 or so.

 

Saturday Bahamas- Slept late as arrival not till noon, Did the aqua-spa after breakfast, on the balcony for port arrival with mixed drinks. Browsed around and ended at Senor Frogs for a few more drinks and fun dancing around. We were back on board ship by 345 and yes back to the aqua-spa for 45 minutes or so. Afterwards we packed our belongings and prepared for our last casual dinner. Did the tip thing and exchanged info with tablemates. The show was early this night so we did not attend. We had our last dance in cosmos around midnight then to our balcony for our singing of it’s been a lovely cruise.

 

Sunday Debarkation- Went smooth, off in 30 minutes after arriving in port. We had a rental car since our departure wasn’t until 430. Went to las Olas Blvd for browsing and some coffee. Ended up at bimini boatyard to dine outside with the yachts. At airport around 300 for flight at 430. Arrived home in Cincinnati 11 pm. It was over.

 

 

Overall experience and the ship itself - Our CC room was nice and it was our first balcony. We think it was worth it and we did use the balcony for viewing, and breakfast and evening drinks. Fresh air and the sound of the ocean at night are never to be forgotten. The room was 191 sq feet and you do notice this difference from the standard 172 sq ft rooms. The ship was clean and as I said before very contemporary which I found that I prefer more traditional old world atmosphere of the C class ships. The grand ballroom on the century as well as the dinning room on the century are hands down better than anything found on the Millennium. We did thoroughly enjoy our cruise and our glad that we have now tried all three classes of ships from Celebrity. We will stick with the C Class for the less crowded feeling, the elegance and atmosphere as well as the true ship feeling. The Olympic room and the Theatre were outstanding on the Millennium and are what sets it apart from the C class. The pool area on the Millennium was laid out better than the C class also. The cruise itself was very romantic and the traditional ways of Celebrity cruise lines remains in tact on this class of ship. Well done. If you have any question I will do my best to answer them. I hope you enjoy your next cruise.

[LEESRE]

Many thanks for this report I have enjoyed reading it.

We are off on Millennium in two weeks on the transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona, hope we enjoy the cruise as much as you did.

 

Thanks again

[mari10]

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience with us. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. We also had a great time on the Millennium. Your cruise reminds me of mine, filled with a lot to activities with not much time to sleep.

 

Thanks again,

Mari

[tango49]

We are also on Millennium in two weeks on the transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and we hope we enjoy the cruise. We ware last year on the Constellation, and it was very good

[LEESRE]

Boatman,

I noticed that you went to Coki Beach can you help please. Are there any bathroom facilities and beach bars, chairs etc.

Were there many people there and how long and what price the taxi's etc.

 

thanks

 

Also tango49 have you signed up for the cruise crictic party??

[Andym]

Great Review, where did you get all the energy?

[chessbriar]

Boatman,

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Just a quick note to keep in mind. You mentioned you prefer the C class for a less crowded feeling. It's amazing what perception can do for you. C-class 77,000 tons and 1870 passengers. M-class 91,000 amd 1950 passengers.

 

Apparently layout can make a difference. I think it comes for the lack of a savoy.

[boatman]

The ride to coki beach was 7 per person one way for a total of 14 for round trip per person. Nice hilly ride and you did get to see some of the island on the way over. The beach itself was nice, I would say about 40 foot deep by 300 yds long. There were bathrooms and what they called showers but they were more like a trickle just to wash off your feet. The bathrooms were not the best, probably what you would find at a municipal baseball park that are not kept up to standards, but they did serve there purpose. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent each costing 5 bucks. There were also rentals of snorkel stuff. There is a dive shop in a tent/pull type trailer that you could discover scuba if you like. Several patrons took part. There were five ships in port that day and it really wasnt too crowded at Coki but there were several people there I would say at least 120. The ride over took a full 30 minutes. It is a nice stop but if you are going for beach only I would probably choose meagans bay over this one. I have only been to these two beaches. But the water and snorkeling are really good. ON first arrival it doesnt look that promising but once on the beach and after a drink and snorkel I was satisfied.

 

Chessbriar - Prior to the cruise I thought the ship would be more roomy also base on size and number of berths. Dont get me wrong I never felt crowded on the Millenium I just felt boxed in so to speak. The one level aft deck on the millenium was very small and the next level up aft deck is the kids fun place and I am pretty sure it only had a one level promenade on the sides that only went half or little more than half of the length of the ship. The C class I believe has at least three decks of side promenade with some of them transversing almost the entire length of the ship and there are multiple aft decks that are quite room on the Century at least. I just like being able to get outside rather easy than have to go to deck 5 or whatever or go to the pool deck. Both class of ships are the same width I believe and I think the added tonnage is purely due to the additional length. There is definately more decks space on the Century than the Millenium and it is very prevalent at least to me. The Century has charm and character, the millenium has the aqua spa and the olympic much more resort type feel than cruise ship feel to me. Anyway I would go on the M class again but will look for C class first. I think we are going to do the Zenith in November before she is gone on a five day jaunt. Price is unbeatable for Celebrity first class atmosphere even though I know she is ageing. Horizon was our first and of course or favorite cruise, we thought we were royalty on this trip. C class hands down for us though maybe the mercury off the west coast as it seems to be the only c class left in the states. See ya.

[Desertbelle]

Thank you for the review. I am getting so excited about our cruise on her in June that my stomach is jittery. :)

 

This will be our first Celebrity cruise and our first time to Europe, so lots to be excited about!!

[burtshell]

We are also on Millennium in two weeks on the transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and we hope we enjoy the cruise. We ware last year on the Constellation, and it was very good

 

why don't you go over to the cruise critic roll call for the millennium transatlantic may 1st?

 

burtshell

[dollfan]

Was your wife the blonde that sang the duo for the song "Summer Lovin'" from Grease? I watched the karaoke, trying to place you two.

 

I posted my review from this cruise and did a cut and paste from WORD instead of copy. If I would have known it would have taken so long to post I would have done it in a thread. I guess it could take a month or so.

 

We love this cruise also.......great weather and wonderful time....booked for next year on Connie while on board.

[idssms]

Tango from Switzerland

 

We are also going on the Millennium transatlantic on May 1st.

 

Are you interested in joining a group of us for a nice tour of Lisbon at a very reasonable rate?

 

If so, click here and let me know on our roll call link. Learn everything you always wanted to know about the upcoming transatlantic cruise.

 

Link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=3546394#post3546394

 

 

Don from Transatlantic Roll Call,, Millennium May 01 2005

[boatman]

Dollfan - Yes that was her, she also sang Amazing Grace that same evening and one other duo but cant remeber the song. One was with an asian guy and the other with an older man 60+. I am sure you enjoyed your cruise as much as we did. They just go by so quick and then when you get home you think "did I fully appreciate my 7 days or I should have done this or that" Then you start searching for the next one. It is truly addiction for us, we have managed one a year for the past four years which is not too much but considering we have four kids who are into every sport imaginable weve done prettly well getting those four in. Kids are wanting to go and we want to take them but we are waiting on a little maturity to set in as the three boys are close in age and the bickering would send me overboard. Couple more years and hopefully that stage will pass.

[dollfan]

Dollfan - Yes that was her, she also sang Amazing Grace that same evening and one other duo but cant remeber the song. One was with an asian guy and the other with an older man 60+. I am sure you enjoyed your cruise as much as we did. They just go by so quick and then when you get home you think "did I fully appreciate my 7 days or I should have done this or that" Then you start searching for the next one. It is truly addiction for us, we have managed one a year for the past four years which is not too much but considering we have four kids who are into every sport imaginable weve done prettly well getting those four in. Kids are wanting to go and we want to take them but we are waiting on a little maturity to set in as the three boys are close in age and the bickering would send me overboard. Couple more years and hopefully that stage will pass.

 

Oh yes, I remember her, she did a great job, especially spur of the moment singing the duet I spoke about. I had a great time on this cruise also. Maybe we will see each other again on a future cruise. Understand the kids point. You want to enjoy your cruise also and worrying if the kids are misbehaving or disturbing other passengers can take your mind off what is really important......relaxation...

 

Take Care Boatman and DW

[tango49]

Sorry for our englisch. We are speaking French, German and only a little Englisch.

We are making before the Transatlantic, one cruise on the Millenium in the Caraïbes

from 24.04.2005 to 01.05.2005.

Thank you for your proposition but we arn't interresting for a tour in Lisbon.

We are going to Miami, Friday 21.04.2005. Françoise and me are very Happy to go to theses cruises.

[idssms]

Bonjour Tango nous avons installé une excursion de groupe à Lisbonne. Le prix est 37,5 Euros par personne. Était l'essai juste d'obliger 16 personnes à nous joindre. Nous avons un grand groupe aller le millénium et voulons vous accueillir à bord. Nous avons un endroit spécial sur ce conseil qui est consacré à cette croisière si vous voulez nous joindre là. Si vous changez d'avis au sujet de l'excursion à Lisbonne, laissez-moi savent. Je vois que vous faites une double excursion. Ayez un grand temps sur votre première jambe.

 

Don