Live From Millennium April 23-30

[phbr]

We're now 2 days into the last Eastern trip before Milly hits Europe. At the moment, I can see the coast of the Dominican Republic as we head for Caso del Campo, arriving in 4 hours.

 

Just a few points, as the net cost are high on this ship, a full review when we get home.

 

..Boarding in Fort Lauderdale. We deliberately left it till 2pm to arrive at the port. Within 15 minutes we were in our stateroom. Top marks to Celebrity for the boarding process.

 

..Stateroom..7005 forward, ocean view. A little tight on space. but o.k. Dangerous metal protruding from bed, covers a bit worn. Have asked it be taped up before I gash my leg.

 

Food...EXCELLENT. Surpassed my expectations. We are second dining, Deck5, table 533B. Our waiter, DJis from Croatia and a real character..

 

Entertainment. 2 shows so far in the theatre. Have to say they are visually very good but both in my opinion lacked the 'spark' that was evident on RCI cruises we have taken.

 

General ship impressions. Overall pretty good with some reservations. The area on Deck 10 around the Riviera Grill is grubby and the furniture old and worn. Does not create a good impression. Usual hogging of deck chairs, although the crew do seem to be watchful for this.

 

If I can post more later, I will.

 

Philip & Mary

[calberry]

Thanks for thinking about us 'lurkers'. Makes the day go by easier reading about being on a cruise.

 

Steve

[AliceS]

phbr,

 

We sail on Sunday and will look forward to more information from you. We have a meeting planned with a cc group for the Seaside Grill on Resort Deck aft for sail away. Is there a bar there?

 

Let us know if you see a don't miss show.

 

By the way, where is your home in Ireland? My Mom was from Ireland and we have visited there. Thanks.

[phbr]

Just about to dock in San Juan as I write. Sailed at 11 last night from Casa de campo in the Dom Rep. I get the feeling most people were back on board by about 6, not much to do on shore, I'm afraid (in my opinion of course, others may differ).

 

Had dinner in the Olympic last night..WOW!!!! is all I can say. If you get a chance do it. It is magnificent from start to finish, both food and service.

 

I will try and answer any queries you might have, but I'm just out opf bed and only half awake at the moment. One thing I can remember (just) is where I'm from, its Navan, Ireland 1 hour from Dublin.

 

More later

 

Philip

[USSFRef]

Just about to dock in San Juan as I write. Sailed at 11 last night from Casa de campo in the Dom Rep. I get the feeling most people were back on board by about 6, not much to do on shore, I'm afraid (in my opinion of course, others may differ).

 

 

That's pretty consistent with my impression from the 2/26 sailing on Infinity (same itinerary). Everyone was excited to leave the ship in the morning, as it was our first port, but most people were back aboard by early afternoon. Still don't know why Celebrity insists on stopping there.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Agree on Casa de Campo - When on the Connie S.Crib we used it as a "sea" day and never got off of the ship. Passenger after returning passenger confirmed our choice to be for the best!

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

I am not a big fan of Casa De Campo either. While it is a nice stop for golfers, I did not find that much to do there. I hope Celebrity will find other ports to add, when the new Caribbean schedules come out (hopefully soon).

[CruisingChick]

Speaking of Casa De Campo, my boss is there right now for 8 Days. They have a golf villa down there. I have no clue what his 5 kids do to amuse themselves.

 

I wasn't impressed by the stop we made in April of 2004 when we sailed on Infinity. We took the shuttle and walked around for a while, but there is nothing to do there.

[Host Star]

we found a lot to do in casa de campo.. took the electric bike tour which was excellent and at nite did the fabulous kandela show.. the amphitheater is a wonder to just see and the show was exceptional

[phbr]

Just about to leave St Thomas, day at sea, the Nassau,

 

They were painting the superstructure today in readiness for Europe. In fact, lots of cleaning going on all over the ship. The Jewel of the Seas and the NCL Jewel are in port also today so the town was pretty crowded. The local Carnival is also in full swing, so it was a pretty good day.

 

San Juan was lovely, really nice town, with good shops. No other ships in there yesterday.

 

No more nasty smells since Tuesday. Food continues to excel and while the stage shows are not up to NCL/RCI standards, they pass an hour.

 

Must get up on deck now, we are moving

 

Philip

[phbr]

Friday and we're on our way to Nassau, seas very calm and its hot.

 

Some excitement last night about 10pm when the ship had to return to the outskirts of San Juan where a medical emergency was taken away by launch. Elderly gentleman on a stretcher with oxygen mask, he managed to give the thumbs up to the watching crowd on Deck 4, to loud cheers. Hope he's o.k.

[ilovhywd]

I have enjoyed your updates on your cruise. Hope you are having a nice day because it is getting windy here in Florida.

 

Please leave some money in the slot machines for me! We plan to board around noon.

 

Have a safe trip back home to Ireland.

 

Ilene

[Andy]

I have enjoyed your updates on your cruise. Hope you are having a nice day because it is getting windy here in Florida.

 

Please leave some money in the slot machines for me! We plan to board around noon.

 

Have a safe trip back home to Ireland.

 

Ilene

 

Hi Ilene !

 

Have a great time on your Cruise. I see you are a neighbor too :). It is VERY windy by the beach today.

[phbr]

Well, we got home an hour ago, almost 24 hours on the go since getting up on Sunday morning.

 

I'm going to do a measured review on CC over the next few days, but here are some overall impressions.

 

Ship... In pretty good shape. A few little signs of wear and tear, but only to be expected. Did not like the area around the Riviera Grill. It does need a revamp. We did experience some of the dreaded 'odour' but sporadically. There was a couple of times when the ship vibrated more than you would expect. We were deck 7 forward (7005) and noticed it. Also on Thursday when we had to return to San Juan (medical emergency), everyone noticed it before we actually knew what we had returned for,

 

Staff..Without exception, excellent. Always a cheery 'Good Morning' and a smile. Our waiter, Dejan from Croatia and his assistant, Jude from Honduras were by far the best team we've had in four cruises. Good service, good humour and genuinely nice guys.

 

Entertainment.. Pretty good, not quite up to NCL/RCI standards but very passable.

 

Food...Excellent without exception. Also the Olympic deserves its fine reputation.

 

Ports of Call. Casa de Campo, waste of time. San Juan, very good, St Thomas, likewise, Nassau really good, but not long enough there.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation.. Hats off to Celebrity. By far and away best we have experienced. We arrived at 2pm, were on board within 15 mins. On the return, we were away from the Port within 15 mins of our colour being called. Other lines please take note.

 

Would we go again. Yes. but in a direct comparison, there is virtually nothing between Celebrity/RCI.

[cruzin4us]

Would you recommend eating in the Specialty Dining room everynight? If it's that good, I'd just as soon "cough up the dough" and eat there.......your opinion...

[phbr]

One, maybe two nights in the Olympic, but as the menu is static, any more might get a bit repetitive. At $30 a head its good value for what you get, but there is another menu option which includes wine samples suitable for each course, which brings the cost to $57.95 a head.

 

The food in the Metropolitan is excellent. Its the best we have experienced in four cruises. Only used the buffets for lunch, pretty o.k as well.

 

The Olympic books up very quickly by the way, we booked immediately we embarked and had to take a later slot than we wanted,