Millennium Med Review 8/28 - 9/6

No time to post much of a review, still having fun in Barcelona!!!:eek:

Here is a quick run down for anyone interested.

Just finished the 8/28 Venice to Barcelona, 10 day Charter on the Millennium. Since it was a charter, I can´t comment on Seatings, Formal nights, and all of that type stuff as the charter dispensed with all of that. I know some Xsnobs just had irregular heartbeats at that, but hey, I prefer to have open seating, and if I want to dress up, I can do it at home the other 355 days of the year. The crew worked really hard to pull off the open seating, and with the exception of one night it all worked fine (and that night was due to charter provided entertainment that ran long and caused a rush on the dining room).

Ship was great, food exceeded my expectations (Fear not regarding recent reviews about food quality being poor in the Med this year), the crew were excellent, I have found a new favorite cruise line. Way too many positive things to say about X and the Millie.

Sushi bar was great, but very short hours. Say hello to Roselio the sushi chef for me!

Staff went beyond the call of duty keeping up with us on this cruise. It was great to see them having as much fun as we did, dancing until dawn on the pool deck. Even the staff that had to work were having a ball up until the last call. I feel sorry for the passengers embarking in Barcelona on 9/6, as the crew will need a week to recover. They really needed the break, as the prior cruise before the charter had over 400 children. No, not children, 400 spawn of Satan. Anyone who doesn´t like children should avoid peak summertime Med cruises as the ship is often full of them.

Downsides (besides this damn european keyboard that I can´t use :) ):

Linens were ratty. Several days worth of sheets had holes, etc. Time for new linens!! Carpets here and there can stand to be replaced, etc, but then I´m used to being on the NCL ships within weeks of them hitting the water, so maybe I´m a bit spoiled to everything brand new.

Messina is the butthole of Europe. Either take the bus to Taormina or STAY ON THE SHIP. Honestly, the worst port I have ever visited. What street wasn´t littered with trash and dog ****, had other more vile items (yep, and not just one of them, dozens of them. YUCK. ) No shopping whatsoever, I mean none!, not I could´nt find anything to my taste, I mean NONE!

I understand that it´s not the normal port that is used for cruise ships. We decided not to get up early and take the bus to Taormina (after our Rhodes fiasco, and the fact that we were too damn tired). Don´t waste your time in Messina though, get to Taormina, as everyone told us that we missed something really wonderful.

Rhodes: Don´t bother with an organized tour, just get off the ship and explore the fabulous old town. We did the Scenic Rhodes excursion and that´s what we saw, ROADS. Instead of having the day in the old town we drove 1.5 hours out to some pile of rubble that wasn´t worth the effort. Spend the day in the old town, it was wonderful (at least the 1 hour we had there).

We did also notice the "smell" that others have commented on. It wasn´t prevalent on top decks, or in restaurants, but certainly was overpowering when getting on/off the ship. WHEW ! :mad:

Aqua spa cafe food was very good (makes me wonder just how healthy it is, as it tasted really good. Vegetable sushi in the Aqua spa cafe was not so good, very bland, but that could be just me). Spa folks were very friendly, they couldn´t believe how busy the gym was :D .

More to come when I have time to do a proper TR.

B

I am so glad to hear you guys had such a great time! I was on the ship right before you got on in Venice (on the sailing from Barcelona to Venice from 8/13-8/27). I actually met a few of the people from your group while I was touring the ghetto in Venice and we were chatting. I was telling them all of the wonderful things about the Millennium. They were so much fun, I wished I could stay on the ship for another 10 days!

You're right -- we had the 400 "spawn of Satan" on our cruise. There were actually 550. I never actually witnessed anything other than kids being kids, but I'm sure that others, particularly the staff, have stories to share about that!

Hope you are having fun in Barcelona!

Toni

I am so glad to hear you guys had such a great time! I was on the ship right before you got on in Venice (on the sailing from Barcelona to Venice from 8/13-8/27). I actually met a few of the people from your group while I was touring the ghetto in Venice and we were chatting. I was telling them all of the wonderful things about the Millennium. They were so much fun, I wished I could stay on the ship for another 10 days!

 

Toni

Thanks for the kind words Toni. Yes, the group had quite the fun time in Venice and during the cruise. It was an amazing 10 days and the crew just could not have been nicer. Toni, come join us on our future cruises (we´re redoing the Millie in the Med next summer (9 night round trip Barcelona, with Nice, Mallorca, Florence, Corfu). You´ll have a blast!