Millie Western Caribbean Review 01/09/05

[JTSpitfire]

I submitted this to the Millie review page but thought it would be ok to post it here as well.

 

We are a couple in our mid-50's and have cruised twice before, once on RCCL's Nordic Empress and once on Celebrity's Galaxy.

 

We made our own air arrangements and arrived a day prior to our sailing date. Once at the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale we learned that our confirmed reservation was not in the hotel's computer but luckily we were able to obtain a room just the same. The hotel itself was adequate and the cost . We were in the older section in a smallish room with an odd odor that we think was deodorizer connected in some way to the air conditioning unit. With no real lodging alternatives and no car we chose to stay. The staff was polite and accommodating, but the main allure was not the facility but its location on Los Olas Boulevard. Our stay coincided with a rather large outdoor art show that was interesting and a nice diversion. Add a wide variety of eateries and watering holes and you've got a great place to be entertained. Too bad the hotel wasn't better. RATING?? Hotel 5 out of 10; location 10 out of 10.

 

On our sailing date we checked out of our hotel at 10:30, took a brief cab ride to the pier and were on board the Millennium , in our cabin, by 11:25!! Each and every Celebrity staffer was cheery, polite and helpful. EMBARKATION RATING? 10/10

 

Our cabin was 9162, on the famous sky deck stern, with an oversized balcony. It was in great shape when we arrived. For all those who remain curious, yes, we heard chairs and music from above but it was never to the point of being bothersome. The view from the stern is breathtaking and we' d book the cabin again in a heartbeat. The balcony is enormous and is completely covered by a canvas awning. Sunbathing lovers wouldn't like it but we didn't mind at all. After all, it was only a 2 minute walk to the sports deck and plenty of sun drenched lounge chairs (and traveling bartenders eager to serve you a cold one!). The sky deck is also located just one deck down from the Ocean Grill, providing quick access to.......food! Our cabin attendant, Mario, was quite responsive and always cheerful. We had one glitch with a room service request but he was quick to resolve it.

 

Concierge Class didn't cost us very much extra, since we booked 8 months ahead. Worth it? Hard to say, but the canapes were very good (examples included salmon, prosciutto and a tiny dollop of caviar on bread), the champagne ok, the custom pillows/ upgraded linens quite nice, toiletries ok, but the binoculars, stationery, card case and umbrella were unnecessary. Flowers were refreshed once over the week's stay. Would we do CC again? Maybe. RATING? Cabin 9, Cabin Attendant 8.5, Concierge Class 7.

 

The overall condition of the Millennium was very good and the ship constantly being cleaned, vacuumed or polished. We noticed some wear in lounge chairs in the Platinum Bar and some areas in need of fresh paint in the T-pool area, but thought on the whole, things were pretty ship shape (pun intended) RATING? 8

 

Food was very good to excellent and the service uniformly outstanding. Dinners were quite good in the Metropolitan and beyond superlatives during our Olympic dining experience. We enjoyed our tablemates immensely. Our waiter and his assistant worked very hard to please us and succeed! Breakfast and lunch buffets were tasty and varied. RATING? 8.5 (Metropolitan), 9.5 (Olympic), 8 (buffets), 8.5 (Aqua Spa), Overall Service 9.5.

 

On board activities--we enjoyed the library and really liked the Thallasotherapy pool. No chair hogs there, Didn't use the main pool Did have spa a few treatments that were wonderful but definitely overpriced. The Casino staff was quite friendly and smiled often as they took our money ;) RATING? 8.5

 

Have seen many comments by other poster that criticized the entertainment , but we thought it was quite good, especially the Celebrity singers/dancers. Production values were much better than we experienced in past cruises. A clear step above the Galaxy. Comedian was fine, magician ok, aerialists awesome. Lounge singers were uninspired. Pool band was very good. RATING? Celebrity singers/dancers 9. Others 7.

 

Excursions included the Catch the Wave snorkel and BOND adventure in Cozumel (8); personalized stingray snorkeling in Cayman ( an incredible experience) (9) and Chaccoben ruins in Costa Maya (9). Our guide David was excellent. Key West was just a day to wander and the weather was a bit cool compared to the earlier stops. Only glitch was the hold up clearing customs to get ashore. Due to some insensitive or clueless passengers we were probably delayed 45 minutes. RATING? 8,5.

 

Disembarkation appears disorganized but in reality isn't. Elapsed time from our designated gathering time to the when we stood in line at FLL airport security (disembark, collect luggage, take cab)--1 hour 15 minutes. Pretty darn good, we think! RATING: 9.0

 

Some additional impressions: Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. Service was near to perfection, the food very good and the ship a wonderful and welcoming place to spend a week. There was a large group of Canadian bankers on board but we didn't feel that was at all a detriment. In fact, nearly everyone we met was genuinely friendly and polite (no elevator rudeness, few if any grouchy passengers throughout the cruise). I have learned that the main pool was closed for a while to let the bankers complete a team-building event and that cheesed some people off. I didn't think that was a particularly terrible thing, maybe because we were perched by the T-pool having a grand time!

 

In closing, I've being following the boards for six months and have come to the conclusion that if you want to find fault on a cruise and look hard enough for it, you'll come up with something. Or, even worse, there are those who will let their vacation get ruined by what may very well be an isolated negative incident. Perhaps we are easier to please than some others, but cruising Celebrity was a delightful treat that we'll savor until the next time. OVERALL RATING: 9/10

 

Thanks, Celebrity!

[mari10]

Thanks for a great reveiw. My friends will be in cabin 9162 and we'll be in 9160.

Last year we were in 9164 on the Infinity, and loved it.

We hardly heard any noise, just the wonderful guitarist playing from the Ocean View Bar. Do you know who was playing upstairs?

Everything you said about the Millennium was certainly true aboard the Infinity.

I know I won't be disappointed.

Glad you had such a good time

 

Mari

[Lois R]

JT:) Thank you for that wonderful review......I enjoyed reading it very much:)

[SANDY BEACH]

JT, Just the way I remember Millennium. Very excited about having this same experience again in two weeks. Hopefully my review will be exactly the same.

[Texed]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Millennium on March 6th, so we hope it will be great for us also. :)