Millennium LIVE Suite Review w/ Kid (3/3-3/7)

[cinderellen]

I have loved reading all of your trip reports but this has been my favorite. 

[lola2013]

How lucky you are to have each other…what a special relationship!

 

[GenerationX]

Good Morning from Nassau and hello to our fellow cruisers on Summit docked across the parking lot! Carnival and HAL ships just started docking on either side of her as well so looks like it’ll be a busy day in port.

 

The major downside to these 4/5 day cruise itineraries is that they’re over WAY to quick.  I’m a little glad that the cruise after this one is a 10 night, I’d be tempted to book a B2B but there’s no way I could keep Gen Z out of school that long.

 

I even got curious and looked at whether there was anything else on Celebrity that was 4/5 nights and sailing out of PE or Miami on Monday/Tuesday, but no such luck.  

 

Before it’s time to wake Mini Me to start our day in port, here’s all about our evening chic night:

 

After dressing, we went to the Retreat Lounge and caught the end of the suite guest senior officers party.  Gen Z was so excited to meet Captain Pierre and I got the impression that the feeling was mutual.  He congratulated her on her first cruise and getting an early start on her path to Zenith. (Honestly I think with how many points Zenith takes I think 9 may be about the age you have to start to get there. lol) I told the captain what a fantastic crew he has and made a point of mentioning a few of the people who’ve given exceptional service to him by name.

 

(BTW, I talked to the captain’s club about it and apparently at 9, for legal/data privacy reasons Gen Z is too young to have her own captain’s club number/account yet, but once she’s old enough we’ll set one up for her and they assured me that she will be immediately awarded all the points for her earlier cruising to that point.  Still waiting for confirmation on whether the age for that is 13 or 18 but will report back.  If anyone knows that answer please feel free to chime in!)

 

There was a live guitarist playing and the lounge staff was serving hot appetizers. I wanted to get a picture of Gen Z with the Captain but as soon as they finished their chat she said “if you’ll excuse me, sir” and  made a b-line for the guy holding a tray of fried shrimp.  The little lady has her priorities. Once again, fruit don’t fall far.  

 

While we were snacking the suite manager and concierges came over and delivered a special present to Gen Z. I guess there are perks to being the only kid upper level suite guest! 

 

After the event, Gen Z and I made a stop by the gelateria (one of her favorite places on the ship) because she wanted to say “hi” to the nice lady who works there, Ms. Vicky (one of her favorite crew members on the ship) and luckily found the captain and his officers wrapping up an early dessert.  I apologized profusely for interrupting them and ask if we could trouble them for a photo and the gentlemen were happy to accommodate us.

 

For dinner in Luminae, we got there right around 6:45 and the restaurant was pretty quiet and there were still quite a few tables open.  By the time we left a little after 8, it seemed to be getting much busier.  I ordered off the Luminae menu and started with the Tuscan soup and then had both the poached lobster and the lamb chops to make a surf and turf.  Gen Z decided to pass on an appetizer to save room for multiple desserts but then ordered off BOTH the Luminae and MDR menus and had both the Luminae poached lobster and the classic salmon from the MDR.  Then asked for a bowl of French fries for good measure.  Whoever had to wash her dishes last night had a light job because there wasn’t much left on her plates.

 

Some of my lobster was a little mushy towards the center, but the flavor was good. The lamb chops were well seasoned and cooked perfectly to my medium-rare.

 

For dessert we split the apple pie a la mode from the MDR and Gen Z commandeered the plate of macaroons and chocolates that were passed out in honor of chic night all for herself.

 

During dinner we had our same server MacQueen who’s been with us for our breakfasts and lunches. He and Gen Z have become good friends and in honor of the magic show we’d be going to later in the evening he came to the table last night ready to teach her a couple of tricks.

 

After dinner we watched the house band play a few songs in the grand plaza then headed to the magician show, where the officers were passing out beautiful roses to all the ladies on the way into the theatre.  The magician was a gentleman named David Gatti from Italy.  I generally have found free magic acts to be a lot free buffets, you get what you pay for.  I should have known that much like the buffet on Celebrity, the free magic would also be very good quality even though it’s no additional charges. Maybe the lawyer in me but I’m THAT person at magic shows.  I sit in the very front row (which we did last night much to Gen Z’s joy) and try to watch carefully to see how the tricks are done.  David’s act was entertaining and engaging and I wasn’t able to spot any of his secrets.

 

After dinner we danced a little at the edge of the martini bar for about a half hour and as we got on the elevator to head to our room, I discovered I had a slight craving for some late night pizza.  It was then that I revealed to Gen Z for the first time that a limited late night buffet is available on Celebrity ships from 10pm to 1am…dear readers, if this kid wasn’t addicted to cruising before that, she’s definitely one of us now. (I didn’t even mention the 24-hour room service…gotta save something to impress her on the next cruise!)  I got my pizza while Mini Me got her plate filled with a salad and 4 different dessert pastries.  (If you hadn’t figured it yet, she has quite a sweet tooth. At least she ate salad too this time.). We ate our food in our pj’s on our living room floor watching the cruise director show for today.

 

When we got back to our room, we saw that our butler Verun had also delivered us some evening chic flowers and Alvin had once again impressed Gen Z with his turn down.

 

Well Mini Me just woke up and came outside so I better get off this veranda and get us moving. My plan is to go straight from Luminae breakfast to port to grab a taxi to Baha Mar right when they open at 9am. From my research looks like it will be about a 15-20 minute cab ride from port.  All aboard today is 5pm but I plan for us to head back to the ship no later than 2pm.  I don’t play around with cutting it close on all aboard time when going independent on shore excursions.  Plus we still have to pack when we get back.  A nice perk though: the disembarkation instructions/tags that were delivered last night (boo!) say our bags don’t have to be out until 7am tomorrow (instead of the standard 10pm tonight) which will be a huge help in terms of not burning our entire last evening packing.  Talk to you guys later today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by GenerationX

[cruise47]

Your daughter and you are Excellent Ambassadors for Celebrity Cruise Lines.

Excellent reviews and photos.

[dani negreanu]

Mini Me's black dress is very very chic👍

[Jim_Iain]

 A quick thought about getting your daughter's cruises.    Keep proof of all of her cruises e.g.  her Seapass or Confirmation.   When she hits 18 they will credit her will all the points she has earned.   You can just call it her dawry when you negotiate with your future son-in-law to have a wedding at sea.

[crusinthrough]

4 hours ago, GenerationX said:

The major downside to these 4/5 day cruise itineraries is that they’re over WAY to quick. 

 

Still waiting for confirmation on whether the age for that is 13 or 18 but will report back. 

 

I want to try a M class ship but reluctant due to the shorter itineraries.  Thank you for confirming to stick with 7N or longer.  

 

The Captain Club membership is odd.  RC provides Crown and Anchor numbers for kids.  This way a kid account can be linked to their parents.  Kids under the age of 18 receive the same loyalty status as their parents but accumulate their own points. I know this is Celebrity but it's hard to imagine that their loyalty club would differ on this when it's similar on many other things and has reciporcity.   I would try calling when you get home.  Sometimes you get different answers from shoreside.  

 

If you are Elite on Celebrity you will get reciprocity as Diamond level on RC if ever decide to sail on them.  The better perks start at Diamond level.

Edited March 6, 2022 by crusinthrough

[SSAtlantic]

I do believe my daughter and I paid a visit to the Captain Club Host on her first cruise after turning 18. All her points were applied accurately and we will all be Elite after our next cruise. Of course, the power ups have helped as we would be there already if not for Covid. 

[Reel Love]

My son was given his own CC number under the age of 18, however same messaging received from Celebrity as others have noted - will not have the points awarded for all past cruises until age of 18.  Now that he is 18 we should check if he has been awarded his previous cruising points.

[Jim_Iain]

It's good to hear that they give kids their own CC Number.   It sure is easier to the way they handled it years ago.  What a great way to lock in future cruisers to their loyalty program.

[Pickels]

On 2/26/2022 at 10:16 AM, GenerationX said:

Hello CC! Long time no see!

 

Ok fine, I know that’s a stretch given that I stepped off the Edge less than a month ago and Equinox only a couple months before that.  I guess 18 months of cruise deprivation put me on a binge!

 

Anyway, would anyone like to come along on my next cruising adventure?  This time it’s a ladies’ vacay cruise on Millennium!  

 

Making a return appearance on this trip will be my good girlfriend, Red (you may remember this queen of spa and casino from my Summit live review in October) who is sailing in a separate suite with one of her friends from Indy.

 

However that’s about where the familiar ends for me on this cruise.  

 

I’ve never sailed on Millennium before so I’m looking forward to experiencing yet another new (to me) Celebrity ship. Fun Fact:  After this cruise I will have officially sailed on every current Celebrity S and M class ship! Guess I better get on booking the rest of E class and Galapagos so I can sweep the fleet.

 

I also won a slightly over minimum move up bid (full post on that experience coming shortly) and will be sailing in a Celebrity Suite for the first time!

 

The biggest change and big event of this cruise:  I’ll also be cruising with a new cabin mate. Drum roll, please…

 

In an effort to secure Celebrity brand loyalty from the next generation early on, this cruise I will be bringing my 9 year old daughter with me for her very first cruise!

 

This is a momentous occasion in our cruise loving household. For years the poor girl (for purposes of the review, I’ll be referring to her as “Gen Z” or “Mini Me”) has been left home to be spoiled by Nana and Papa as Jeremy and I sailed off into the sunset and had been asking “when will I get to go on the ships with the big X  too???”  

 

We take a mommy-daughter trip each year and I decided that for this year’s trip she’s finally at an age where she’s ready to be introduced to mom and stepdad’s addiction.

 

At this point I want to take a quick sidebar:  I know the subject of children on Celebrity ships can be a touchy one on the boards.  I’d like to respectfully request at the outset that others refrain from “keyboard parenting” and using this as a forum to debate the issue.  

 

After 9 years together (almost 10 if you count the 9 months plus 10 long extra days  of continuous foot swelling and morning sickness…lovely times those were…), I know my daughter very well and have a very good sense of what experiences are and aren’t a good fit for her.  As noted above, I’m also very familiar with Celebrity’s ships and what they do and don’t offer in the way of kid-friendly diversion.  That being said, I’m also fully aware that one of the joys of parenthood is that your kids will on occasion prove you quite wrong.  Hence the choice to make this trial run on a short 4 night cruise. Worst case if it turns out she’s bored and miserable the whole time, we won’t be any worse off than the time when she had to suffer through a long weekend family wedding in Reno.

 

As a frequent Celebrity cruiser I’ve also had my fair share experiences with the good, bad and ugly of sailing with other people’s children onboard (and honestly I’ve witnessed more poor behavior from overserved and/or entailed adults than I have from the kids).  Rest assured I’ve raised Gen Z far better than to run wild through the ship doing cannon balls in the pool and screaming in the restaurants (and in the unlikely event she were to exhibit such behavior it would earn her the remainder of her day spent in the cabin with no tv real quick). In fact if she gets upset in a restaurant at all it would probably be because her calamari was chewy or her filet mignon was over done and really who among us wouldn’t be put out under those circumstances? 

 

Also, an important disclaimer for those following who are considering Celebrity with kids:  Our experience may vary from yours.  We all know every kid is different.  As I’m sure you’ve noticed Celebrity doesn’t offer most of the kid bells and whistles that other lines do.  There is a kids club and some family activities (which other cruisers with kids onboard I’ve asked over the years seemed to give good reviews).  But there are no water slides, go carts, carousels, roller coasters, laser tag arenas, etc.  If your child needs that level of stimulation to enjoy vacation, Celebrity is probably not the best fit.  

 

Full disclosure: Gen Z has a sensory condition and many of the things other lines offer for kids (e.g., bright/flashing lights and loud music everywhere, character parades/meals with people in huge masks and confetti falling from the ceiling, hundreds of other running screaming children) would be stimulus overload for her.

 

Our family vacations and mommy-daughter trips tend to trend more laidback and upscale. We typically stay at modern, 5-star resorts that are kid friendly but NOT kid focused. She also doesn’t need much in the way of activities and loves to spend an afternoon just working a puzzle, playing cards or coloring together on a veranda or by a pool in the sunshine.  

 

As you’ll probably also see while following along, Gen Z very much is a Mini Me.  She’s on a first name basis with most of the sales associates at our local Nordstrom and Saks (wait till you guys see the dress and shoes that SHE picked for evening chic night!) Last year for her birthday she wanted to skip having a party with her class at the children’s museum and asked to check into the Four Seasons or the Ritz for the weekend instead.  While like every kid she’ll devour a plate of chicken fingers and fries, her favorite appetizer is escargot and she loves going to the Caribbean because “the grilled fish and ceviche are sooo much better there”. 

 

Anyway, I think that sets enough context on our travel party.  Pics of the soon to be most fun ladies on the Millennium below!

 

Next post I’ll share a little bit more about the cruise itinerary and our plans while ashore and onboard.

 

As always, please feel free to jump in to ask questions and let me know if there’s anything in particular that you’d like photos of and/or reports on.  Posting on this trip will likely be a bit slower and in fits and starts as I’ll be spending my days with the ladies and doing most of my writing with a glass of wine in my living room (omg I’m going to have a stateroom with a LIVING ROOM!) or on the veranda after Gen Z goes to bed.

 

Looking forward to taking everyone along on another cruise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to your review; we are considering reserving the Millennium for our cruise to San Juan.  Happy Cruisin', have fun! 

[CruiseNYC]

Hi GenX. Absolutely adore your review and how you’ve allowed all of us to share the vacation with you. 
I’m the mom of a now 30 year old, fabulous young woman.  We started our mother/daughter trips when she, too, was around 10 years old.  Over the years, our getaways have gotten more and more elaborate and we now have a treasure trove of special memories.  
May this be the first of many, many mother/daughter adventures for you both. (And, by the way, it will now be nearly impossible for her to deal with Coach seats🤣.)

[GenerationX]

Mini Me and I just stumbled back aboard after our day at Baha Bay water park at Baha Mar resort.  After the looong pier walk, Gen Z loved being treated with iced towels cold water and a shady place to catch her breath by the ship.

 

I’m  rehydrating in the shade on our veranda while she tries to squeeze in a power nap in the living room. Not sure that’s going to happen though as the music coming from the top deck of Carnival Conquest 2 docks over is literally so loud that I can clearly hear every single word of Pitbull’s Fireball.

While I’m chillin, a report on our day at Baha Mar’s Baha Bay waterpark:

 

I booked day passes at this waterpark and a cabana independently after some online research.

 

I’m patting myself on the back now because I think I once again found the sweet spot of luxury relaxation for Gen X and kid fun for Gen Z.  I’m even a little hesitant to write this up because I’m scared to let the secret out and then have a tough time booking passes and a cabana there next time we have Nassau as a port.  But I feel like I owe it to my fellow cruisers to share the good stuff!

 

The water park and resort is further from the port than Atlantis ($60 round trip taxi ride with generous tips included), but I think it has a lot of advantages. 

 

First of all, let’s talk price.  I think the day passes at Atlantis were comparably priced, but they wanted over $1000 for a private cabana.  At Baha Bay the cabanas were $400 and extremely well appointed with excellent inclusions (full details below).

 

Also, I went to Atlantis while docked in the Bahamas several years ago (I think it was the last time I bothered to get off the ship in Nassau actually), I remember being accosted by vendors nonstop on the way to/from the ferry and the resort pool service and check in desk services being fairly surly and slow compared to Celebrity standards. 

 

At Baha Bay the service from the guest services and cabana staff was nothing but top notch.  When we were in the cabana someone checked on us and asked if we needed anything every 10 minutes or less. It’s tough to read expressions with face masks and sunglasses but it seemed from their tones that everyone working there was very upbeat and happy to help us.

 

Our taxi driver told us the water park has been open less than a year and it shows in how clean and new everything looks.

 

The cabanas had TVs with several channels including kids channels (great for getting Gen Z to sit still and let her lunch digest some before we got back out in the park).  

 

The cabana rental included high speed wifi access,  a safe in the cabana for storing our valuables and plenty of towels (locker rentals and towels are extra charges if not booked in a cabana).  It also included US voltage outlets to charge electronics, a mini fridge stocked with cold Evian and soft drinks and a bottle of complimentary rose wine which someone kept coming by and re-icing down for me in the hot weather.  Not the best vino I ever day drank but I don’t come to a water park for the wine tasting so I wasn’t too upset. Plus the cabana area bartender makes a mean rum punch!

 

The water park has attractions for all ages from a toddler and little kids water playground up to some slides that I told Gen Z we weren’t going on because our travel medical insurance coverage limit wasn’t high enough (strongly recommend that travel medical insurance btw).

 

For the Royal Caribbean fans, they also have that cranial contusion -I mean flow rider- thing.

 

Gen Z’s assessment was “who needs a water slide on the ship when there’s THIS PLACE!!! !”

 

For an additional charge, you can also order food and cocktails to be delivered to your cabana. The food prices were a little steep but no worse than Orlando theme park prices and you got a lot for your money. For example, the chicken tenders were $18 but they’d easily feed a family of 3.  My Caribbean fried chicken sandwich was delicious, especially when washed down with a rum punch.  The food came within 15 minutes of ordering. No Island Time around there I guess!

 

Just a tip, the resort is HUGE so if you come, be sure to have your taxi drop you at the main waterpark entrance at the very back parking lot of the resort rather than the main resort entrance. Otherwise you’ll have a decent hike to get to the water park day pass check in area (like we did).

 

All in all we had a great day and Mini Me really enjoyed getting in a half day of running, screaming 100% kid time. And fine, I won’t lie, I was a big fan of the water roller coaster too.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

A quick COVID protocols-related note:

 

I’ve noticed during the cruise that there have been multiple times when COVID-related printed materials left in or delivered to our stateroom were  inaccurate.  
 

For example, the port of call COVID policies flyer in our room on embarkation day said that by government order, all restaurants and hotels in Bahamas would require BOTH proof of vaccination AND a negative COVID test in order to enter.  However the Baha Mar website indicated that this policy had changed and it was EITHER vaccination or a negative test needed to enter. I brought our test results just in case but when we checked in at the resort for our day passes we were only asked to show one or the other.

 

Also, when we got back to our room last night there was a note stating that a required pre-disembark COVID test for all passengers under 12 had been scheduled for Gen  Z.  However per Celebrity’s website, the disembarkation COVID test is only required for unvaccinated children.  I went down and spoke to Milca and Patricia in the Retreat lounge and they confirmed that no onboard test was needed since Gen Z was fully vaccinated.

 

I suppose my recommendation would be that right now you should try to be well read up on the latest COVID policies and requirements of Celebrity and the ports you’re visiting and be prepared to question/verify any information that you receive onboard in writing that doesn’t seem consistent.  
 

I think the rules are changing so quickly that the print paperwork is struggling to keep up.

[luvcruzing]

12 hours ago, GenerationX said:

I wanted to get a picture of Gen Z with the Captain but as soon as they finished their chat she said “if you’ll excuse me, sir” and  made a b-line for the guy holding a tray of fried shrimp.  

OMG . . . so funny . . . and impressive! 😀👏

[jcpc]

Charla,

 

Thanks so much for your usual stellar reporting.  Your pictures were great and your posts were entertaining and informative.

 

I think Mini Me had a wonderful time and I'm quite sure she's already thinking of her next cruise.  What I always tell my friends about cruising is:  "You either love it or you hate it.  There's no in-between".  I think we can put Mini Me into the "love it" category.  She's a beautiful young lady and her outfits were perfect.  She seems to be a very well-behaved child.

 

Wishing you both a safe and uneventful flight home.

 

Janice

[NBliving]

On 3/3/2022 at 7:05 PM, GenerationX said:

Gen X and Gen Z ready for dinner at Tuscan Grille! What can I say? She does a way better sassy face than me.

 

 

Love the matching dresses! I’m sad I’ve probably missed the boat on getting my 26 year old daughter to wear matching dresses if we get a chance to cruise together 😂

[5waldos]

On 3/4/2022 at 4:00 PM, GenerationX said:

In today’s edition of Things I’m Glad I Don’t Have to Do to Make a Living:  Just watched as the Key West local harbor pilot made the climb on a suspect looking rope ladder from our swiftly moving ship onto that tiny rocking boat bumped right up against us to get his ride back to port. You could not pay me enough.

 

 

 

 

 

I have done it- from a small skiff onto a "container ferry" deep in the Pacific Islands. It was an adventure! I felt like a pirate. Although getting my youngest kid onboard was a bit nerve racking. But it is certainly one of my fond memories. 

[bunnyette]

On 3/6/2022 at 4:28 PM, GenerationX said:

Mini Me and I just stumbled back aboard after our day at Baha Bay water park at Baha Mar resort.  After the looong pier walk, Gen Z loved being treated with iced towels cold water and a shady place to catch her breath by the ship.

 

I’m  rehydrating in the shade on our veranda while she tries to squeeze in a power nap in the living room. Not sure that’s going to happen though as the music coming from the top deck of Carnival Conquest 2 docks over is literally so loud that I can clearly hear every single word of Pitbull’s Fireball.

While I’m chillin, a report on our day at Baha Mar’s Baha Bay waterpark:

 

I booked day passes at this waterpark and a cabana independently after some online research.

 

I’m patting myself on the back now because I think I once again found the sweet spot of luxury relaxation for Gen X and kid fun for Gen Z.  I’m even a little hesitant to write this up because I’m scared to let the secret out and then have a tough time booking passes and a cabana there next time we have Nassau as a port.  But I feel like I owe it to my fellow cruisers to share the good stuff!

 

The water park and resort is further from the port than Atlantis ($60 round trip taxi ride with generous tips included), but I think it has a lot of advantages. 

 

First of all, let’s talk price.  I think the day passes at Atlantis were comparably priced, but they wanted over $1000 for a private cabana.  At Baha Bay the cabanas were $400 and extremely well appointed with excellent inclusions (full details below).

 

Also, I went to Atlantis while docked in the Bahamas several years ago (I think it was the last time I bothered to get off the ship in Nassau actually), I remember being accosted by vendors nonstop on the way to/from the ferry and the resort pool service and check in desk services being fairly surly and slow compared to Celebrity standards. 

 

At Baha Bay the service from the guest services and cabana staff was nothing but top notch.  When we were in the cabana someone checked on us and asked if we needed anything every 10 minutes or less. It’s tough to read expressions with face masks and sunglasses but it seemed from their tones that everyone working there was very upbeat and happy to help us.

 

Our taxi driver told us the water park has been open less than a year and it shows in how clean and new everything looks.

 

The cabanas had TVs with several channels including kids channels (great for getting Gen Z to sit still and let her lunch digest some before we got back out in the park).  

 

The cabana rental included high speed wifi access,  a safe in the cabana for storing our valuables and plenty of towels (locker rentals and towels are extra charges if not booked in a cabana).  It also included US voltage outlets to charge electronics, a mini fridge stocked with cold Evian and soft drinks and a bottle of complimentary rose wine which someone kept coming by and re-icing down for me in the hot weather.  Not the best vino I ever day drank but I don’t come to a water park for the wine tasting so I wasn’t too upset. Plus the cabana area bartender makes a mean rum punch!

 

The water park has attractions for all ages from a toddler and little kids water playground up to some slides that I told Gen Z we weren’t going on because our travel medical insurance coverage limit wasn’t high enough (strongly recommend that travel medical insurance btw).

 

For the Royal Caribbean fans, they also have that cranial contusion -I mean flow rider- thing.

 

Gen Z’s assessment was “who needs a water slide on the ship when there’s THIS PLACE!!! !”

 

For an additional charge, you can also order food and cocktails to be delivered to your cabana. The food prices were a little steep but no worse than Orlando theme park prices and you got a lot for your money. For example, the chicken tenders were $18 but they’d easily feed a family of 3.  My Caribbean fried chicken sandwich was delicious, especially when washed down with a rum punch.  The food came within 15 minutes of ordering. No Island Time around there I guess!

 

Just a tip, the resort is HUGE so if you come, be sure to have your taxi drop you at the main waterpark entrance at the very back parking lot of the resort rather than the main resort entrance. Otherwise you’ll have a decent hike to get to the water park day pass check in area (like we did).

 

All in all we had a great day and Mini Me really enjoyed getting in a half day of running, screaming 100% kid time. And fine, I won’t lie, I was a big fan of the water roller coaster too.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haha, this looks fantastic I’d never drag DH out of the cabana

[GenerationX]

Good evening from back on land in Fort Lauderdale!

 

Gen Z and I have spent our day in cruise recovery mode at our post-cruise hotel.  I thought we might do some light sightseeing today or hit the beach, but it turned out that Gen Z was so exhausted from the past few days (and probably also our late night of silent disco last night) that when we checked into our hotel at 10am she asked to lay down for a short nap…and slept till almost 3:30. After a couple of hours of catch up work, I decided that she had the right idea and dozed off myself for about an hour!  When she did finally wake up, all she was in the mood for was a quick dip in the hotel pool and UberEats dinner in PJs.  Btw, on that front, we ordered from 17th Street Thai & Sushi and it was pretty good if a little pricey.  Gen Z enjoyed their gyoza and chicken katsu and I liked the beef green curry.

 

Before we hit the hay (it’s incredible, after a 5 hour nap she’s still ready for bedtime) I’ll go back in time and report a bit on the last day of our cruise.

 

After we got back from Nassau, Gen Z and I changed and went to the Retreat guest sunset party on the Retreat Sundeck.   Our onboard acoustic duo was performing and servers were passing out margaritas. We forgot our sunglasses down in the room and found a nice touch of a shelf stocked with free Retreat-branded pairs next to the towels on the deck.
 

 It was good to see the Sundeck being used, even if it was only while the ship was sitting in port. It really is a beautifully done space and was one of my favorite hangouts on sea days on Edge.  

 

On Millennium it was just soooo windy up there when the ship was at sea you couldn’t even hear a conversation or keep your hair, book pages or towel from flying everywhere. I don’t remember it being that windy on the Retreat Sundeck on Edge at sea, even though it’s in the same location at the top front of the ship.  The trip to get to it is also a lot less luxurious than on Edge.  On Edge you could take an elevator right up and use your keycard to open a automatic sliding door and step right out into the lounging area.  On Millennium you take an elevator to Deck 10, but then have to go outside and climb a slightly steep flight of stairs (if you happen to be wearing a skirt/dress and there’s the slightest wind, good luck not giving the track walkers an eye full while you do so) and then at the top do battle with opening an extremely sticky gate. I know there’s only so much that could be done when they were retrofitting existing space on Millie vs. a custom design-build like on Edge, but still a little disappointing.

 

After the party we went back to our room where Gen Z was more successful at her nap attempt (the loud Carnival ship had sailed) and I had a glass of wine on the veranda watching Summit sail off into the sunset.  

 

Gen Z wanted to go to the kids club one more time before dinner so once she woke up we showered and dressed and I took her up for an hour while I stuffed some tip envelopes and went for a pre-dinner martini.  When I dropped Gen Z off I noticed that with the kids club being in a high forward location on the ship and the captain making double time to get back to FLL, you could REALLY feel the rocking motion.  Gen Z goes sailing with her dad a lot so she has pretty good sea legs, but it was something I wanted to flag for the other parents following.  If your kiddos are at all prone to vertigo or sea sickness you may want to pass on the kids club when the ship is really rocking.

 

I’m not sure if it’s customary to tip the kids camp staff but when I picked Gen Z up I delivered an envelope and they were very appreciative.

 

After dinner (report to come) we went to get one last scoop of gelato from Ms. Vicky and danced at the silent disco party till almost 11.  Even with the ship so empty it was still very well attended and going strong when we left.  When we turned in our earphones the activities staff surprised Gen Z with a good bye gift of a kit that we can use to make a Celebrity-themed scrap book of her first cruise.

 

The CS came in handy again when we got back to the room as I still had some packing to do but needed to get Gen Z some sleep.  I put her to bed on the living room couch for a bit while I packed the bedroom then moved her in once I was done. Problem solved!

 

Still to come:  Reports on our final night dinner in LPC, disembark and final thoughts on my first cruise with a kid in tow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruise47]

Loved Gen Z, Pennington Cruise Teddy Bear.

[GenerationX]

Whelp, the day has come for our vacation to come to an end. 😭

 

Mini Me just woke up, rolled over in her bed, and asked me if we REALLY had to leave on the plane today.  I know that reluctance to return to real life oh so well.

 

I’m starting to really like this post-cruise night in FLL thing.  I did it after my Equinox cruise as well due to flight price difference and it has some nice features. When packing bags on that busy last evening on the ship, no stressing about remembering which suitcases all the fluids had to go in.  No spending hours on end hanging around an airport when a later flight out is the only option.  The afore mentioned option to spend those first few hours post-cruise napping in a comfortable bed.  Plus it really seems to soften the blow of the transition and let you ease back slowly from cruise life to real life.  I think I’ll start planning for this as a matter of course when budget and vacation time allow.

 

Now, where was I in reporting? Ah yes, second dinner at La Petite Chef.  This time it was a show that I’d seen before on the Equinox (Petit Chef and Family) and I knew Gen Z would like the story line and graphics.   I was also remembered the food having some stars and flops mixed in.  

 

On Equinox I really enjoyed the first course pea soup and second course crab pasta and both were delicious again.  Gen Z wasn’t in the mood for pasta for the second course so she had the roast duck alternate entree and said it was delicious.  I managed to steal a bite from her plate while she was distracted watching the little chef play in his yard and I agree. The duck had a smoky, savory seasoning that was balanced out by the sweetness in the sauce on top.

 

The next course was filet mignon again and it was just as good as the first LPC night.  This was a welcome change from on Equinox.  That dinner, my steak came out way over cooked and was kind of tough.

 

The dessert course…made me so sad.  I LOVE a good brownie sundae.  On Equinox I was disappointed that the brownie in the LPC brownie sundae dessert didn’t taste like it was very fresh and was not warm at all.  The filet mignon improvement on Millie gave me hope that the sundae would also be a better version of itself.  

 

This was NOT to be the case.  In fact, the brownie was even worse.  The one on Equinox didn’t taste fresh baked, but it at least tasted like something that had been made onboard.  This brownie looked, tasted and had the hard, gummy consistency of those square, processed, individually packaged Little Debbie brownies you can buy a box of in the bread aisle at the grocery store. No disrespect to Little Debbie or anything, I just know that the Celebrity culinary team is capable of so much better! I’ve had better brownies in the buffet.  How hard is it to grab a tray of those and stick them in a warm oven for a few minutes then top them with the ice cream and toppings???

 

The brownie had nuts in it so Gen Z was just given a scoop of ice cream with the chocolate and marshmallow sauces and whipped cream.  In the future if we do this show I’ll just ask for that since the brownie was really the only fail component (but a pretty big one in my opinion).

 

Gen Z declared this her favorite meal that she had onboard and even better than the first LPC one (brownie ignorance is bliss!) so we ended on a very high note for her.  I’m still Team LPC and Friends from night 2!

 

Gen Z is has pulled herself out of bed now and is eating a baggie of donut holes with a slight tinge of longing in her expression.  They were her favorite thing on the pastry tray each morning at Luminae breakfast and our assistant waiter Ryan always made sure to have some on hand for her.   MacQueen surprised her by packing her some to take home with us after our good bye breakfast yesterday.  BTW, if you guys think I’m sulky and salty during that last breakfast before disembarkation, take a look at Gen Z’s breakfast mood about having to leave the ship yesterday. 😂

 

After her last sugary breakfast for a while, we’ll go to the pool to enjoy a little more sun and fun before we come back and pack to head back to (just above freezing temps) STL.

 

Stay tuned for a couple more wrap up posts later today!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

REAL CONVERSATIONS FROM MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 

Gen X:  [scrolling phone] Well honey it looks like there’s only a couple of summer cruises from the US that will work with your summer camp and horse show schedules.  One is to Alaska and the other is another Caribbean.

 

Gen Z: OHHHH! LET’S DO ALASKA! I always wanted to go to ALASKA!

 

Gen X: OK! Let me run these numbers…oh…uh oh…looks like the Retreat is sold out on that one, doll.  But no worries! We don’t really need a suite, we can do an Aqua class room instead, they’re very nice and have a private dining room too, we just won’t have Luminae or a butler or the Retreat lounge and the concierges like Ms. Milca and Ms. Patricia.

 

Gen Z:  WAIT!!!! Um…on second thought, the Caribbean sounds great! We can get suite class on that one, right?

 

Dear Neptune, what monster have I created?

 

 

[peanut head]

3 hours ago, GenerationX said:

REAL CONVERSATIONS FROM MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 

Gen X:  [scrolling phone] Well honey it looks like there’s only a couple of summer cruises from the US that will work with your summer camp and horse show schedules.  One is to Alaska and the other is another Caribbean.

 

Gen Z: OHHHH! LET’S DO ALASKA! I always wanted to go to ALASKA!

 

Gen X: OK! Let me run these numbers…oh…uh oh…looks like the Retreat is sold out on that one, doll.  But no worries! We don’t really need a suite, we can do an Aqua class room instead, they’re very nice and have a private dining room too, we just won’t have Luminae or a butler or the Retreat lounge and the concierges like Ms. Milca and Ms. Patricia.

 

Gen Z:  WAIT!!!! Um…on second thought, the Caribbean sounds great! We can get suite class on that one, right?

 

Dear Neptune, what monster have I created?

 

 

No monster...just a young lady who enjoys the finer things that life has to offer.  😄

[LincolnLegend]

Hi Gen X,

love your reviews and have followed a couple now without joining in but had to this time!

 

As a fellow gen Xer who has to book cruises around work schedules and horse shows I understand the problems involved. My cruise buddy also runs the horse-racing track in our town so summer cruises are basically out for us, mind you, cruises haven't yet started up again for us Australians so it's not a big consideration for us at the moment!

 

My show horse, Magic says Hi to Gen Z and says he agrees with her pick of the Caribbean, Alaska sounds way too cold for him!