Process Details for the Celebrity Millennium Sint Maarten Sailings

[registrar]

Bon Voyage 🛳!!!

[Fouremco]

Great job, both the reporting and the photos! Keep up the good work, but don't forget to go and have some fun too!😊

[Seany527]

Some other things worth noting-

 

Celebrity is testing for COVID at the check in location so if your test is not valid, you can take one. I don’t know how much it costs. 

 

The crew is serving us at the buffet. It’s actually very nice and I would be ok if it stayed like that forever. For 1- it’s a lot cleaner and 2- I eat a lot less 😅

 

The muster drill you watch on the tv in your cabin and then proceed to your muster station where they show you how to put on a life jacket. They scan your card and then give you a green sticker to put on your room card to show you complete the briefing. 

Other than this, that’s pretty much all to report. When I first boarded it felt surreal to be back. Now that I’ve been on for a few hours, it feels like I never left and I’m back at home. 

It’s nice to talk to the crew and share in the excitement with them. “This is the first drink I’ve made for guests in 15 months” one said to us at the Rendevous Lounge. 

 

I’ll get to answering your questions and I’ll update any significant changes about sailing and what it’s like once we arrive in each port. 

[Cruising89143]

Looks as though embarkation went smoothly. Thanks for the updates. Photos are great.

[Susanb10567]

6 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

Some other things worth noting-

 

Celebrity is testing for COVID at the check in location so if your test is not valid, you can take one. I don’t know how much it costs. 

 

The crew is serving us at the buffet. It’s actually very nice and I would be ok if it stayed like that forever. For 1- it’s a lot cleaner and 2- I eat a lot less 😅

 

The muster drill you watch on the tv in your cabin and then proceed to your muster station where they show you how to put on a life jacket. They scan your card and then give you a green sticker to put on your room card to show you complete the briefing. 

Other than this, that’s pretty much all to report. When I first boarded it felt surreal to be back. Now that I’ve been on for a few hours, it feels like I never left and I’m back at home. 

It’s nice to talk to the crew and share in the excitement with them. “This is the first drink I’ve made for guests in 15 months” one said to us at the Rendevous Lounge. 

 

I’ll get to answering your questions and I’ll update any significant changes about sailing and what it’s like once we arrive in each port. 

Thanks for all the updates. What are the health and safety protocols on board? Do passengers have to wear masks? What about social distancing? We are booked on the Edge in July so it is so exciting to see a ship set sail.

[loupana]

Thank you for all the details, sounds so exciting wish I could be there. Hope you have a wonderful time and it sounds like it's off to a good start.

[abbydancer2003]

Thank you for doing this.  I'll admit I'm tearing up a little reading about your on board experience.

 

[Jazzbo]

Thank you so much for posting!  I am so excited that I'm grinning from ear to ear.  Fingers crossed for our October 22nd TA on Reflection. 😀

[franco2]

Hi Sean 

Watching your posts from Scotland and appreciate all the information you are providing

We have not been on the millennium but we were on the refurbished Summit which was 

Was excellent.

Hope you have wonderful time 

James.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Seany527]

17 hours ago, Gtrgrad said:

Let us know what you think of the hotel as we are booked there at the moment.

It’s a pretty good resort. There’s not a lot going on but I’m not sure if it’s always like that or if it’s due to so few guests. 
 

The good-

 

Price. It was really cheap and I happened to check a few days before we left and the price dropped by $75 so I canceled and rebooked. For the night it was like $125 including taxes. 
 

The staff was super friendly. I had read online that check out was at 11am, but I guess I was reading old documents because since COVID they changed checkout to 10am. This wasn’t a problem and they were fine with us leaving the room at 10:45. 
 

The beach is very nice with soft sand and lots of space and quality beach chairs. Probably one of the nicer beaches in the Caribbean. 
 

You can see the cruise ships from the resort, so it adds to the excitement and was my primary reason for selecting Divi.  
 

The not so good-

Service for meals was painfully slow. Even to get beer. The food service also has limited hours and places close early. After 7 I think there may have been two places to get dinner. The menu options were also extremely limited, but the food was pretty good overall. 
 

While the location and view from the room was great and it was ready earlier than their 4pm check in time, it was not very clean. There was a woman’s hair tie in plain sight next to the bed. There was looooong woman’s hair in the shower and when I dried myself off with the towel there was a long hair stuck to my arm. Eeek.  
 

So for the price and for one night, it was good. But I wouldn’t spend a week there. 
 

Here’s a picture of the resort map as well as a pic of the view from the room, building H2. 
 

 

[caymancouple]

Thank you so much for the posts.  Random questions, any idea how many passengers there will be?  Who is the hotel director?  Thanks

 

[janetmojo]

We board in three weeks and your posts have me so excited, almost made me cry talking about the crew and their excitement!  We are staying three nights prior at Sonesta Ocean Point.  Thanks again for posting all the details, looks great to me!

[cruisequeen4ever]

What a momentous occasion!! Thank you so much for taking as along with you! Bon voyage!! 🛳

[Seany527]

22 hours ago, micheleata said:

Thanks!  Looking forward hearing about the trip!  I hope you will post pictures!

Yes, I’ve been trying to but it’s extremely difficult/annoying for some reason. 
 

Here are some pictures from yesterday at the airport. 
 

Once you walk up and down the ramp, this is the line you wait it. Next to the restroom they do COVID testing for $125. 

 

 

 

This is a wide shot of the entry area. The woman in pink directs you to one of the 4 check in counters who reviews your documents and stamps your covid and EHAS form. 

You will then follow the queue where the next group of agents review your forms and confirm your travel information. Then you grab your luggage and exit the airport. More details are outlined in post #1

 

[micheleata]

Thanks!   I have been following along.    Have a great time!

[FLcruisergrl]

28 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Thank you for doing this.  I'll admit I'm tearing up a little reading about your on board experience.

 

Same! The rush of emotions that the passengers and crew must be feeling right now!

[Seany527]

3 hours ago, kangelop said:

Thank you so much for your detailed experience.  Did your Walgreen's test say it was naso-pharyngeal on the results?

No they did not. They also did not say the source of the swab. But no issues at all. 

[abbydancer2003]

9 minutes ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Same! The rush of emotions that the passengers and crew must be feeling right now!

I expect there will be people crying on the gangway for the next few months.

[weregoingcruising]

I can't THANK YOU enough for taking the time out of your cruise to do this trip report.

THANK YOU

Nick&Irene

[C-Dragons]

4 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

I expect there will be people crying on the gangway for the next few months.

 We probably will be on our cruise next month. 

[C-Dragons]

@Seany527 thank you for letting us travel along with you vicariously. I hope you have a wonderful cruise. You give us hope that we will actually be able to sail next month. Enjoy every moment!

[MrsBBuffalo]

Thank you!  Thank you!  We are a multi-generational family of 8 that will be sailing on Millie in 3 weeks and your posts are giving us peace of mind and allowing us to finally get excited about this cruise and traveling together after 15 months.  The photos are a huge help, and no, you are not writing too much.  We have stressed over our COVID testing process and timing so much, but our current plans should be fine according to your experience.

 

I saw the staff wearing masks.  Do pax have to wear masks?  Unvaccinated children?

 

We will keep following and will appreciate more info about the ship and ports, BUT not at the expense of your fun and enjoyment, okay?  Bless you!

[scrapcreator]

Thank you for the detailed reports and photos!

 

 Bon voyage! 🎉

[SeaHunt]

Thanks for doing this! Now I so wish we had booked it too, but my DH made me promise to wait until things shake out. Nothing you've mentioned looks bad to me and I would probably agree to even more protocols just to be onboard LOL 😄

 

 

[mab4285]

4 hours ago, imtired1959 said:

From their website today it says 72 hours prior to arrival in St. Maartens and NOT prior to boarding:

 

Celebrity Boarding Requirements:

• Celebrity Cruises requires all guests age 16 and above to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to sail date. As of August 1, 2021, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination is required in the form of the original vaccination card. No photocopies or photos accepted.
• All guests ages 2 and up must present a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to arrival to St. Maarten. This requirement differs from St Maarten entry requirements which are 120 hours prior to departure. Name on test results must match those on government issued identification. 
• Unvaccinated children between the ages of 2-15 who are not vaccinated must complete an RT-PCR at the terminal prior to boarding. 

I called their TA assistance line today since I’m an agent. The email is the current procedure. They are supposed to be updating the site. They were confused and verified up three levels. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by mab4285