Just back Millenium 1/3/11 S. Caribbean

[OceanCruise]

Just returned from an absolutely great Millenium 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise with 8 ports. This was our 7th Celebrity cruise. We cruised on RCCL for our last 4 cruises so had not been on Celebrity for approx. 5 years.

 

Pros:

No smoking in the casinos, stateroom balconies and most lounges

 

No lines anywhere! Never had to wait in buffet or to get on/off ship in ports. Debarkation was best and easiest we ever experienced and we were off ship within minutes of our scheduled time. San Juan debarkation port is easy with very minimal walking and taxis are easily accessible.

 

We don't usually like the production shows but this cruise had the best singers and dancers we have ever seen on any cruise. They really had outstanding talent. The Ballroom dancing show and Broadway show were excellent.

 

Nice entertainment options--Interesting daily lectures, many computer classes (extra fee), recent movies (i.e. Social Network, Salt), lots of lectures/demonstrations/activities with ship's officers. Great galley tour with a surprise free glass of champagne. Enjoyed the crew talent show.

 

Food was excellent in all venues, very fresh, hot, and nicely presented. There were a lot of late night options also. Liked the "pick your own" vegetables and meats/shrimp for Japenese stir fry. Pizza and grill were excellent also. There were trays in the buffet. Specialty restaurant was wonderful (loved the chocolate souffle). Cova cafe' is great and has varying free snacks thoughout day and evening. There was a nice brunch on one sea day.

 

Ship was generally very clean and appeared in great shape. Our stateroom furniture and carpet were in great condition and there was a leather loveseat/sofabed that looked new. Decent size shower in balcony stateroom. There were hand sanitizers everywhere (buffet, computer stations, restaurant, etc.) and staff was always cleaning. Tables in buffet were quickly cleaned. Only real glitch I noticed was a leak in the 7th floor starboard corrider ceiling several times during the cruise.

 

Loved the cool towels and water/fruit punch when returning from port.

 

Helpful guest relations staff and energenic and friendly entertainment staff. Room service was terrific.

 

All men wore jackets for formal night. Never saw shorts, jeans, or tee shirts in dining room on casual nights.

 

Great itinerary, enjoyed that we only had 2 sea days on an 11 night cruise

 

Cons:

 

Horrible coffee in the buffet. It was OK in the dining room and for room service but I don't know what they did to the coffee in the buffet.

 

Had to pay $4.60 per cup of coffee at the Cova cafe most days since I couldn't drink the stuff in the buffet.

 

A number of our linens, towels and robes had disgusting stains on them so we asked for some of them to be replaced.

 

Some of the evening entertainment shows were cheezy and only so-so.

 

Stateroom attendants seem overworked, not as much attention to detail or cleanliness as we have had in the past (i.e. found an M & M on desk and debris in drawers, used cups not removed, balcony furniture a bit dirty).

 

No hairdryer in bedroom (although there is one in the bathroom). Makes it harder when 2 people are getting ready.

 

During Captain's Club event for select and elite members, there was only a 30 second brief greeting and no other remarks. We were not informed about any new Celebrity ships or upcoming developments. There was a selection of 5 or 6 free alcoholic drinks but virtually no food. On RCCL there has been a nice hot and cold hor'deourve buffet with chocolate covered strawberries and nice snacks and informative remarks. We felt this event was a waste of time. Schedule for other Captain's Club events was not convenient during middle of port days. (This is only meant as constructive criticism)

 

No cigar bar.

 

Summary:

Overall we loved the cruise and slightly prefer Celebrity over RCCL because of Celebrity's food quality, elegance, greater variety of intellectual vs. sports related activities, and quieter ambience. I would be happy to answer any questions.

[Atwell]

We are on the Millennium in 8 days, embarking on 1/24/11. This is our third year in a row on the Millennium out of San Juan. Glad to hear you liked the ship.

 

We are wondering what entertainment they have this year performing before and after dinner at the Cove Cafe? Usually they have two or three different performers or groups that rotate during the cruise.

[lovey1103]

Being a Princess loyalist for years, I have now been swayed!

What a fantastic cruise. Our room stewards Sylvestre and Ovideo were fantastic as well as 99% of the crew. Food is really delicious with lots of options.

This was my sisters first cruise and definitely not her last on Celebrity.

[OceanCruise]

We are on the Millennium in 8 days, embarking on 1/24/11. This is our third year in a row on the Millennium out of San Juan. Glad to hear you liked the ship.

 

We are wondering what entertainment they have this year performing before and after dinner at the Cove Cafe? Usually they have two or three different performers or groups that rotate during the cruise.

 

The ship had a talented barbershop quartet (guys in their 20's), a Latin guitar player (not sure if he also sang in English), classical music violin players. There was also a piano player. The party band Sipra was excellent.

[izzy19]

We're on in 8 days...can't wait as we now have a 5 foot snow drift on our lawn from extensive shoveling...:eek:...that and it's about -35 with the wind yesterday and today...:(

[lyjima07]

As soon as I seen you remark, I thought this person is from Edmonton area. We are cruising on the 24th as well

[HappiTravels]

There was a thread yesterday about the Millennium also so I copied and pasted my comments from that thread. OceanCruise, I couldn't agree with you more about the coffee. The only really decent coffee we had on the ship was when we ate in the Olympia. It was hit and miss in the Metropolitan but the buffet area coffee was dreadful. Thankfully we packed the Via instant coffee from Starbucks which makes an amazing cup of coffee and you would never know it was instant.

 

"We just returned last night from the Jan 3rd sailing on the Millenium and I had to be forcibly removed from the ship. I never wanted our vacation to end. Every aspect of it was wonderful. We had our 8 year old DD with us and she absolutely loved the Fun Factory. The staff were phenomenal with her. We ate in the Olympic twice and we truly enjoyed it. Both meals were very memorable and once again the staff helped to make it that way.

If I were to say anything negative about the ship it would be the size of the stateroom. We always stay in a regular balcony room and this was by far the smallest room we have ever had. It was a quad room and it would have been a nightmare with 4 people in the room. Also, when the water was rough our bathroom smelled like raw sewage. When we called about the smell we were told that this happens in rougher water. Fortunately we only had about 3 nights like this.

As commonly mentioned, the staff are the most accomodating and friendly crew that we have ever encountered. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again."

[joju11]

Just returned from an absolutely great Millenium 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise with 8 ports. This was our 7th Celebrity cruise. We cruised on RCCL for our last 4 cruises so had not been on Celebrity for approx. 5 years.

 

Pros:

No smoking in the casinos, stateroom balconies and most lounges

 

No lines anywhere! Never had to wait in buffet or to get on/off ship in ports. Debarkation was best and easiest we ever experienced and we were off ship within minutes of our scheduled time. San Juan debarkation port is easy with very minimal walking and taxis are easily accessible.

 

We don't usually like the production shows but this cruise had the best singers and dancers we have ever seen on any cruise. They really had outstanding talent. The Ballroom dancing show and Broadway show were excellent.

 

Nice entertainment options--Interesting daily lectures, many computer classes (extra fee), recent movies (i.e. Social Network, Salt), lots of lectures/demonstrations/activities with ship's officers. Great galley tour with a surprise free glass of champagne. Enjoyed the crew talent show.

 

Food was excellent in all venues, very fresh, hot, and nicely presented. There were a lot of late night options also. Liked the "pick your own" vegetables and meats/shrimp for Japenese stir fry. Pizza and grill were excellent also. There were trays in the buffet. Specialty restaurant was wonderful (loved the chocolate souffle). Cova cafe' is great and has varying free snacks thoughout day and evening. There was a nice brunch on one sea day.

 

Ship was generally very clean and appeared in great shape. Our stateroom furniture and carpet were in great condition and there was a leather loveseat/sofabed that looked new. Decent size shower in balcony stateroom. There were hand sanitizers everywhere (buffet, computer stations, restaurant, etc.) and staff was always cleaning. Tables in buffet were quickly cleaned. Only real glitch I noticed was a leak in the 7th floor starboard corrider ceiling several times during the cruise.

 

Loved the cool towels and water/fruit punch when returning from port.

 

Helpful guest relations staff and energenic and friendly entertainment staff. Room service was terrific.

 

All men wore jackets for formal night. Never saw shorts, jeans, or tee shirts in dining room on casual nights.

 

Great itinerary, enjoyed that we only had 2 sea days on an 11 night cruise

 

Cons:

 

Horrible coffee in the buffet. It was OK in the dining room and for room service but I don't know what they did to the coffee in the buffet.

 

Had to pay $4.60 per cup of coffee at the Cova cafe most days since I couldn't drink the stuff in the buffet.

 

A number of our linens, towels and robes had disgusting stains on them so we asked for some of them to be replaced.

 

Some of the evening entertainment shows were cheezy and only so-so.

 

Stateroom attendants seem overworked, not as much attention to detail or cleanliness as we have had in the past (i.e. found an M & M on desk and debris in drawers, used cups not removed, balcony furniture a bit dirty).

 

No hairdryer in bedroom (although there is one in the bathroom). Makes it harder when 2 people are getting ready.

 

During Captain's Club event for select and elite members, there was only a 30 second brief greeting and no other remarks. We were not informed about any new Celebrity ships or upcoming developments. There was a selection of 5 or 6 free alcoholic drinks but virtually no food. On RCCL there has been a nice hot and cold hor'deourve buffet with chocolate covered strawberries and nice snacks and informative remarks. We felt this event was a waste of time. Schedule for other Captain's Club events was not convenient during middle of port days. (This is only meant as constructive criticism)

 

No cigar bar.

 

Summary:

Overall we loved the cruise and slightly prefer Celebrity over RCCL because of Celebrity's food quality, elegance, greater variety of intellectual vs. sports related activities, a quieter ambience. I would be happy to answer any questions.

HI, Thanks for the review, I find them very helpful when we cruise.

Just one question ; we're booked for the Mar 28th cruise out of San Juan and I'm not familiar with the airport distance or the debarkation time. Do you think We would have time to make a 10:45 am flight ? You mentioned you were able to disembark early.

Thanks ,

JOJU11

[catty]

HI, Thanks for the review, I find them very helpful when we cruise.

Just one question ; we're booked for the Mar 28th cruise out of San Juan and I'm not familiar with the airport distance or the debarkation time. Do you think We would have time to make a 10:45 am flight ? You mentioned you were able to disembark early.

Thanks ,

JOJU11

 

You will make that flight!! It's about a 15-20 minute ride and you can be off the boat early..

[Elusive_Cruiser]

We're on in 8 days...can't wait as we now have a 5 foot snow drift on our lawn from extensive shoveling...:eek:...that and it's about -35 with the wind yesterday and today...:(

 

 

Another Edmontian heading happily south? We are also on the Millenium on the 24th - have you been to our roll call and signed up for the connections party?

[Elusive_Cruiser]

As soon as I seen you remark, I thought this person is from Edmonton area. We are cruising on the 24th as well

 

oh, and again! We are happy to be leaving our snow piles behind for a few days!! Have you been to our roll call and signed up for the connections party?

[Elusive_Cruiser]

Thanks, OceanCruise, for taking the time to write this review! We are on the Millenium on the 24th, so it's great to hear from people just coming from there. By all accounts, sounds as though we will be very pleased :D

[OceanCruise]

HI, Thanks for the review, I find them very helpful when we cruise.

Just one question ; we're booked for the Mar 28th cruise out of San Juan and I'm not familiar with the airport distance or the debarkation time. Do you think We would have time to make a 10:45 am flight ? You mentioned you were able to disembark early.

Thanks ,

JOJU11

 

Assuming the ship docks on time, the earliest I think they let people off the ship was 8:30 and it is about 20 minutes ride to airport. You also have to go through customs and find your luggage at the port plus go thru airport agriculture inspection in addition to security. If any of those are delayed it may be cutting it too close.

[phoenix_dream]

You will make that flight!! It's about a 15-20 minute ride and you can be off the boat early..

I always feel bound to add my two cents when someone assures people they can make early flights. Yes, you will probably be able to make a 10:45 flight. But it all depends on when Customs clears your ship. We have had instances where no one was able to disembark until after 9:00, and a couple instances where it was after 8:30. If that happened to you, it would be iffy. To date, we have sailed out of PR a number of times and never yet had a problem there, but I personally would never say with 100% certainty that you can make a flight before noon. Again, you will likely make it, but stuff happens...............

[cruisecriticmember]

I was on the Jan. 3 cruise and have even less negatives than the OP. The ship,s Internet service s#%^*s if you have an Ipad or notebook go to a hot spot in the port. We liked everything else except the mattress was only soso and there was only one chair in our cabin (inside deck 2). The ice cream (made fresh daily) was phenomenal and what others have said about getting the waffles in the buffet HOT off the griddle is true: scrumptious! We really liked our MDR tableemates (table for 8). Never tried the Olympic specialty restaurant but heard nothing but raves from everyone who did. If you like lamb you,ll be in heaven as it was a main course choice on 4 nights for dinner. The fish entrees were very good, the cold soups were terrific. The only entree I didn't,t like was the steak from the left hand menu which the the unchanging part of the menu. The lobster mélange was excellent and if you order two you will get a whole lobster tail. The no sugar added desserts (Not No calories) were exceptional. We had a wonderful series of lectures about the ocean by a retired Navy Captain who is also a professor of oceanography and excellent talks by ship,s officers about the running of the vessel. Overall rating 5+.:p

[cruisecriticmember]

We are on the Millennium in 8 days, embarking on 1/24/11. This is our third year in a row on the Millennium out of San Juan. Glad to hear you liked the ship.

 

We are wondering what entertainment they have this year performing before and after dinner at the Cove Cafe? Usually they have two or three different performers or groups that rotate during the cruise.

 

Classic music chamber trio: excellent, acapella quartet (male voices)-poor, Nestor Santoro a Puerto Rican singer/guitarist was my favorite and the poolside late night party he led was loads of fun.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[wrk2cruise]

Assuming the ship docks on time, the earliest I think they let people off the ship was 8:30 and it is about 20 minutes ride to airport. You also have to go through customs and find your luggage at the port plus go thru airport agriculture inspection in addition to security. If any of those are delayed it may be cutting it too close.

 

I just wanted to emphasize the US Agriculture inspection. It's a separate XRay inspection BEFORE you checkin at the ticket counter. You have to have a sticker on your luggage, including carry-on. One time we waited in line only to reach the counter and be told we needed to go through the inspection then return and wait in line again.

 

I think there are multiple inspection stations. They are just inside the doors on the outside wall of the terminal, easy to miss if you walk into the terminal fixated on finding the ticket counter. Just walk into the terminal about 20' and turn around and you should see the big USDA Inspection sign. They just take your bags and put them on the belt and you pick them up on the other side. Takes about 2 minutes.

[Conanc]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your review. We were on an 11 night sailing on the Millennium in October. We LOVED everything about our cruise and were just talking about doing the same cruise again at some point soon. :)

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[OuiOnboard]

Thanks for posting the review. It has been 4-5 years since we last cruised on the Millie Class. Gotta do one again sometime. Right now we are really gaga for the S Class ships.

Glad you had a great time.

[martyap]

We're on the Millie in March and we're considering changing from traditional late to Anytime/Select......Any thoughts??????:confused: Karen

[Conanc]

We're on the Millie in March and we're considering changing from traditional late to Anytime/Select......Any thoughts??????:confused: Karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

The one and probably only "con" on our Millie cruise was the late dining. We always choose late, but this time, we really wish we had changed to Select. In hindsight, we should have just done it, but we stuck it out for the entire cruise. Service was extremely s-l-o-w and not just for us, although our service was slower than most of the tables around us. On Night 2, we didn't get our entree until well after 10:15. For the first time ever, we sort of dreaded going the MDR, and on the first formal night we ate in our cabin. We have never done that before! We did go to the MDR for the second formal night and all of the other nights, and we went to the Olympic once to celebrate our anniversary. That was wonderful! After our experience, if we were to do it again, we would choose Select Dining. Many we spoke to on our cruise loved it!

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Millie!

[mardon]

You should choose Select Dining and the Asst. Matre D Nicolus is wonderful. He will do everything to accommodate you. We decided to eat every night at 8:l5. We enjoy going to the early shows. The shows were at 7:00, got out at 8 and by the time we walked to the dining room it was close to 8:l5. We decided to do Select so that we could meet new people every night. The first night, Nicolus put us at a table with 6 others and we all just connected. We had so much fun that we decided to be a table every night at 8:l5. Try it, I think you will like it and I promise you that Nicolus will take good care of you.

 

marlene

[OceanCruise]

We like traditional early seating at 6:00. We were always done around 8:00 so we did not have to rush to the shows at 8:45/9:00. Most of the late seating shows were at 7:00. We booked the Olympic when we knew we would be late from port. One night we actually wanted to attend the earlier show at 7:00 so we went to the buffet for a quick dinner beforehand. The dinner buffet was very good and there was hardly anyone there.