Just back from Med. on the Millie

[pattyj 1204]

We made it home safely from the Med on Sunday night. Airports were a real mess. Construction and delays in all airports. The cruising and the tours were awesome. So much history to try to remember. I was awestruck walking in the Colliseium, Forum, To think of all the historically important people that walked on those grounds. Isn't it amazing that there was so much preserved during the 2 World Wars on that continent??? We saw St. Peters Basicilica. (they enforced the dress code), We saw where Pope John was lying in State and the Popes window to His apartment. Saw the Acropolis and a hill where St. Paul addressed the Athenians. Everywhere you looked you had something historical to learn about and see.Was disappointed in the commercialization of the Leaning Tower in Pisa. It was like a big flea market along the street in front of the Field of Dreams.. Santorini and the Almalfi coast was beautiful and scarey. The tour busses are big and the roads looked so small, thought we were going into the sea at any minute. I finally had to close my eyes. My husband had the window seat and he took more photos than We'll ever need to look at. Dubrovnik and Cavat were so different from each other. We walked in the Old City and we walked the harbor walk in Cavtat. The water there was a beautiful shade of blue and so clear we could see fish and the bottom of the sea. Venice can only be described as "Ahhh Venice." A sunset ride in the Gondola with wine finished up a wonderful in a most relaxing way. There was a singer and an accordianist for every 5 Gondolas. Seeing the buildings, churches and bridges from the water gave us a totally different picture from what we saw when we were walking. Had the opportunity to see the Sangra Familia in Barcelona. What an absolutely stunning building. It was all I hoped it would be, so glad I got to see it. The ship was fun, even if the "kids" were up at all hours and running in the halls at 3:30 am. Where were their parents?? Delicious meals and many activities. The shows were good, the Casino was not a friend to me.(lost money), swimming pools crowded and chair hoggers abounded. I would do this tour again in a heart beat, but maybe when the weather would not be in the 90's. The heat sapped your strength. Drank gallons and gallons of water. This is getting long. Sorry about that. If you have any questions I could answer I'd be happy to. Meanwhile enjoy Life

[mahdnc]

Thanks for posting and I am glad to hear that you had such a good time. We are booked for a Millie Med cruise next year. A few questions:

 

1. I remember reading that you had booked the AC Barcelona. Did you stay there? What did you think?

 

2. Did you take tours booked thru Celebrity or private tours?

 

3. Comments about the ship, food, service?

 

4. Anything you would do different?

[pattyj 1204]

Sorry it took so long to answer. We stayed at the AC Barcelona. It was a nice hotel clean with complimentary bkfst. Pool on the roof that was neat. We were out of town quite a ways, but were able to arrange an evening tour that showed me the Famila Cathedral, Olympic sites, Dinner at a restaurant down by the sea. Really quit nice. Took all the ships tours and all but one was good. Weren't quite so impressed with the Venice Secret Walking tour. I think it was our particular tour guide as others reported the tour was very interesting they were in another group. Saw St, Marks' Square on our own. That isn't part of the tour. But you don't want to leave Venice wiithout seeing it. Another thing to be sure to see in Venice is your arrival from the starboard side of the ship. It was really a great introduction to Venice. Make sure you get there early. Our railings and steps were packed. We got some beautiful photos. Everything about the ship was great. The food choices were wonderful. The Greek Buffet by the pools were delicious, but crowded. Our waiters and cabin attendants were top notch. Food in the Metropolitan Restaurant was so good we didn't feel the need to go to the special restaurant. All the tour restaurants were clean and good quanity and quality foods served. I would take a liter bottle holder from home as the ones offered on the ship went out of stock after the first day. It was a nice way to carry your water strap was long enough to cross over your chest. A liter bottle of water gets heavy after a short time.We saw so many historical sites that I wish I had studied that a lot more than I did. Would have meant something more to me. I would do this cruise again, but not in the heat of the summer, sunny days and temps 85-95 every day. Also get a small compact umbrella to carry, people carrying the larger ones found it awkward.

[travelbug1]

We are on the Millenium in October...did you take the ship tour in Dubrovnik? Could you tell me more about the tour - was it worth it to see other areas? Did you have much time on your own to walk around Dubrovnik? Which tour in Athens did you take? Glad to hear you had a good trip!

[pattyj 1204]

We took the tour "Best of the Adriatic" in Dubrovnik. We walked around the Old Town, had lunch at a country restaurant the had a stream (fresh trout on the menu) with a waterwheel, shade, outdoor seating for the meal, foods cooked over the out door BBQ (meat, lamb and veal delicious), salad, homemade soup and bread and a delicious ice cream dessert. Then we went to Cavtat, a beautiful serene seaside village. We had time for shopping and just looking around. After all our hectic tours and crowded tours it was nice to just take 5 and be still. Soak up the beauty and watch the boats moving in the water. The sea was so clear we could see fish on the bottom. In old town we had about an hour to roam on our own which was enough. Be careful of expensive beverages, and if you sit at the outside tables I think they charge extra. They did accecpt Euros and some places they did accept dollars. To walk the wall they only accepted Kuna, but was easlily obtained.

In Athens we took the Athens sightseeing and Acropolis. It was a very good tour, but involved quite a bit of walking. The afternoon tour we took was mostly a bus ride showing the important sites in Athens. We did not go up to the Acropolis on this tour. Actually it was a waste since we had seen everything in the morning. This tour was Panoramic Athens. Great for some of the people not physiscally able to handle the walking and the heat. We got off the bus at the street below the Acropolis and at the site of the Olympic Stadium. We also were able to see the gaurds march at the Presidential Palace. So if you aren't able to walk much this was a good tour. Hope this helps you out.

[MomC]

We are going on the Millennium in May, 2007. A couple of ship questions:

 

1. Did they have the new bedding that everyone is talking about? The Egyptian sheets and good pillows?

 

2. How "tired" were the cabins? I have heard complaints about the age of the bedspreads, curtains, etc.

 

3. Any foul smelling odors on the ship? That seems to be a big topic of discussion on the cruise boards?

 

4. How was the specialty restaurant? I have heard amazing things? What is the cost per person? Also, what are they currently charging for a corkage fee if you bring your own wine? WE will be in Tuscany before we sail and may want to bring some of the wine we purchase.

 

Thanks,

 

Mom C

[MomC]

I forgot to ask about the hair dryers. Is it a wall dryer in the bathroom or do they give you one in your cabin? I would like to not have to take one, but those wall dryers with the funky handle are weird--HELP!! Can you please describe what they offer?

 

Mom C

[pattyj 1204]

We enjoyed the Millie. The service was great and the bed was comfortable. I don't think the bedding was anything special, but by the end of the day anything flat and cool was wonderful. The couple that went to the the Specialty Dining Room raved about the food and service, so if you want to try it I don't think you would be disappointed. You need to make 24 hr. advance reservations, Dressy clothes and older than 12. I believe they said the cost was $30. per person, plus tip and wine. It was a leisurely meal with quiet backround music. The corkage fee is $15.00 for each bottle. The hairdryer is one attached to the wall with long hose. It worked great for me, but I have short hair. Our cabin was clean and adequate. We didn't really spend much time in it. I didn't notice any odd odors at any time/anywhere on the ship. As I said before the decoration/art work was unusual and worth checking out. I didn't notice any severe wear and tear anywhere on the ship. They were always cleaning and trying to keep things tidy. One morning,early, I went on deck and found some Kids? had opened and spilled several boxes of rice krispies all over. It was a mess, but a short while later all traces of spillage were gone. The Millie is a very nice ship and is kept up nicely.. We discussed ship comforts with our tablemates and no one said anything bad about the smells, bedding, decor, cleanliness,or condition of the ship.

[travelgirl55]

I am so glad you had a wonderful cruise and enjoyed reading your review. We will be heading over to Barcelona pre-cruise in September (RCCL Voyager) and then taking some private tours throughout the cruise.

 

My question is...after your trip is said and done...what is the best way to pay for things, debit card, credit card or euros?

 

We were thinking of getting some euros from our bank to start so we have money for the airport taxi, etc. and then head to a ATM once there since we need to pay for our tours in euros. Is this a good idea?

[hcat]

Regarding your pre-cruise stay in Barcelona: Where did you fly from, was it a non-stop, how long did it take? How was the time difference for adjustment? (we are hoping two days ahead would be enough to adjust)

Did you arrange your Barcelona tour through your hotel? Did you notice any hotel closer to the main areas that might be better? We are booked for '07 on Century & most of our concerns are with the pre-cruise arrangements. We will take ship's excursions for each port...First trip to Europe ....thanks for your help..

[CactusCruzers]

pattyj, nice to hear that you had such a great trip.

 

We will be on the Millenium Barcelona to Venice in 3-4 weeks. We like to pick up a bottle of wine at some of the ports and carry it onboard so we can have a glass each evening before dinner. We usually just carry it on in my "purse" which is large enough to carry one bottle. Did you see any evidence that this is a problem? No cruise line has ever complained about this in the past, but the warning they sent with recent documents makes it sound like they might be a little more strict now (or perhaps they just made it sound that way to show they are really clamping down on underage drinking).

 

We have our fingers crossed regarding flights. We are flying British Air both directions. My biggest concern is that I don't want to be separated from our medications (most are pills, not liquids). At one point they said they would only allow what was needed for the flight. Everyone knows it is a big no no to put meds in checked luggage.

[samben]

Could you please tell me the dinner dining times.........

 

Thanks,

[pattyj 1204]

Will try to answer questions. Our tour of Barcelona was arranged at the hotel the day we arrived. Celebrity had a rep. there, it was the only tour that we had time for. I got about $200 dollars changed into Euros at through our bank. When we were getting low on money, we stopped at the ships' bank and exchanged some more money. I wanted to have ready cash at the airports, for soda and postcards. don't like charging if I don't have to. Everything purchased on the ship was added to our charge card and will be paid in dollars. If you need money for your private tours I would think about getting the money at home before leaving. I didn't hear of anyone on our cruise that couldn't get the Euros they needed from the ATMs or bank, but someone on the board did mention that they had some trouble with out of order ATMs. We bought some ouzo (spelling?) and a bottle of wine on the tours and didn't have any trouble getting it back on the ship. I do know that on our Alaskan cruise they took bottles purchased and saved them until we disembarked. Didn't hear anything like that on this cruise. After all you will be in Wine Country. Dinner times Early seating 6:30 Late seating 9:00pm The open seating at Breakfast was 7:00am-9:00am Sea day 12noon-2:00pm for lunch. Buffets open early and stayed open late. Pizza served very late. Our precruise flight was Chicago-Paris Barcelona. home was Venice-Frankfurt-Chicago. Airports were a mess. We had passports checked out in Frankfurt and Paris. We had to practically sprint through both airports to make our connections. Late flights that were waiting for us. Thank heavens. We had a very tiring first day, but by staying awake until bedtime in Barcelona we had little trouble getting on the right schedule. It was normal bedtime when we got home, slept in next day and seemed not to bother me too much with the time loss/gain. Hope you enjoy your cruise. The ports are all amazing in their own way.