Mellenium, 4/10/05 - 4/17/05

[Tide Pride]

I thought we would post a review of some sorts on our just completed Mellenium cruise. I apologize in advance for not having the writing talents and skills so many have as I am used to business memos and letters and not the descriptive writing one finds on these boards.

 

We are age 58 from Birmingham, AL and have cruised four times previously all on RCCL. Our last cruise was one year ago on the Serenade of the Seas on their southern Caribbean cruise.

 

We have been extremely satisfied with RCCL. Our first cruise was wonderful and being that was the only cruise line we had experience with we stuck with them not realizing the similarities and variances to be found with the other cruise lines. Our last cruise on the Serenade was wonderful in all aspects but one. In our opinion the food portions were small, virtually tasteless and unusually cool or cold when presented.

 

I discovered these boards upon returning from the Serendade and began to understand that there were differences and some cruiselines might do a better job than others. I became convinced to try Celebrity ( from information on these boards ) and wanted to try their M Class and settled on this Mellenium cruise.

 

1. Let me state at the outset that it was our best cruise yet and we were extremely satisfied with the Celebrity product and we will make plans to book Celebrity for our next cruise.

 

2. We arrived one day prior to cruising ( based on CC advice ). I thought I was being so smart, but I outfoxed myself. We booked a direct flight from Birmingham to Ft Lauderdale which departed at 6:30 AM ( CDT ) and arrived at 9:00 AM ( EDT ). I had made a reservation at the Hyatt Pier 66 as I have stayed there many times on business and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is " pricey " and much better bargains can be found, but I thought my wife would enjoy it. We arrived via taxi at around 9:30AM and proceeded to check in. What I had not factored in was that at least 6 cruise ships were in port for afternoon departures and the Hyatt was full of people who were cruising that day and they were in no hurry to check out. Bottom line was no rooms were available until 1:00 PM which made DW ' CRANKY '. We had gotten up at 3:15 that morning for the flight and she was anticipating checking in and taking a nap, but alas no nap.

When we finally checked in I thought her mood would improve but she discovered that the tile floor in the bathroom was dirty and had not been mopped. Honestly it looked fine to me and no different than any of my previous stays but she was appalled !! Therefore let me just say that she thought we should have flown in the morning of the cruise and avoided the late check in and dirty floor and additional expense.

 

3. On Cruise day we took the short taxi ride to the port and arrived around 11:25AM. Embarcation was a snap. There was no one in the line where we checked in and we were onboard about 11:40. Upon entering we were handed a glass of champagne which was enjoyed and then off to find our room. There was no one available to personally take us to the room but it was no problem to find. The only time previously we had been escorted to our stateroom was on the Monarch of the Seas in 1992 so this was no big deal. We threw our carry on luggage in the room and headed for the buffet. It opened at 12:00 noon and we only had to wait a few minutes on that.

 

4. Our room was 8117 which was a Sky Suite. I had deliberately chosen this category as I was looking for a larger room than we had been used to with a balcony. We hit a home run with the SS. It was approximately 251 sg ft with a huge balcony. I don't know how big our room on the Serendade was but I believe it was around 170 Sq Ft so this room seemed monstrous. We arrived in our room around 1:00 PM and were promptly met by a Butler. What a surprise !! I had no idea we would have a butler. He introduced himself as Mark Fernandez ( from India ). During the entire cruise he was charming, professional and eager to please. I got to talking to him and told him we were not interested in one of the larger suites as they did not have a balcony and I had read that the CC rooms were approximately 191 Sq Ft. I am not aware of all of the amenities of the CC rooms but the size difference alone makes SS a winner. In addition we had the robes, the duvet, and a butler. My wife was blown away and the day before was all forgotten.

In checking the room it had a hair dryer which I thought was very nice as far as power but my wife chose to use her own as she said it was hotter.

I discovered taking a shower that afternoon that no shampoo had been provided but as soon as I mentioned it to the cabin attendant it was taken care of.

The bathroom itself was much bigger than we had ever had and was equipped with a tub. One strange thing to me was the bathroom had some scales and I thought that was the last thing anyone wanted to see on a cruise. I never set foot on them..

Score the Sky Suite a huge A plus.

 

5. Our stateroom attendant was named Lourdes ( Phillipines ) and she was pleasant and efficient.. I gave her a tip the first time I met her thinking it might result in some sort of extra service but I don't think it did. Our room was always clean and equipped and she did bring me a large bucket of ice three times daily. Her assistant was very nice but I never did manage to get his name.

 

6. We thought the Mellenium was a beautiful ship. I saw no evidence of all the derogatory comments about being " old " " tired " and in desperate need to dry docking.

I must say though that in my minds eye the Serenade was more impressive due to their seven story Centrum. I know that some people do not like that look but I do. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

7. Buffet

The food was always hot which was a welcome change from the Serenade. I thought the selections were too few and the deserts were not that impressive. I like the food islands in the Serenda Windjamer better than the buffet lines in the Mellinium.

The food was hot, tasty but just sort of limited.

 

8. Main Dining Room.

We had requested a table for two by a window and that was what we received. Our waiter was Yassar from Turkey and our assistant waiter was Lorensious from Indonesia and our bar waitress was Sabina from Chile.

I found the food to be overall better on Celebrity. Better presentation, better taste and I would give it a B as opposed to D on the Serenade. I must admit that after reading so many glowing reports on CC about Celebrity being premium dining I did not find that to be the case. It was good and we were happy, but certainly was not up to a fine restaurant. To those that think it is I will not argue with you.

The most dramatic difference between RCCL and Celebrity was in the dining room service. I am still not certain what was going on.

On RCCL you arrive and sit down. Immediately the asst waiter is filling your water glass and bringing bread and your drinks are already sitting there waiting for you. Then the waiter is passing out menus and everything else is done with the same crispness.

On the first night we waited between 15 minutes and 20 minutes for water, bread, and drinks. It was better the next nights but it did not seem to move at the same pace as RCCL. Some nights the bar waitress showed up late stating she had been working in the Martini Bar and could not get away. In any event I started off the week thinking that the dining room operation was not as smooth, crisp and organized as RCCL. However during the last couple of days it occurred to me that maybe Celebrity was trying to have a more leisurely dinning experience without seeming to rush the guests. I am still not sure which is correct, but after four previous RCCL cruises with almost identical dining room experiences it did strike us as different.

We became good friends with out wait staff and every evening after serving dessert our waiter would get a cup of coffee and sit down at our table and talk to us. Very pleasant young man.

 

9. Passengers

I heard that there were 96 children in the Kids Programs. We rarely saw kids and did see a few babies. It seemed the average age was 55 to 60 but we did see some people in their 80's. Also there were a fair number of wheel chairs. There were younger couples also but the majority was in the bracket above. We did not experience any rudeness what so ever not in pushing into the elevators or running into passengers with wheel chairs or scooters. Overall I thought the passengers were well behaved and a very nice group. I can not comment on chair hogs as we did not try and get a pool chair.

 

10. Shows

The nightly shows were the best I have seen in our now five cruises. My compliments to them.

 

11. Butler Service

Outstanding !!. We had breakfast every morning in our room and the breakfast food was not and absolutely delicious. After the first morning our butler brought in a larger table so we would have more room for the dishes and this was thoughtfull of him. He took care of some laundry and every afternoon around 3:30 he would stop by with a cart of sandwiches, cakes, and cookies and coffee and tea. He would also come back around 5:30 with some additional treats. He could not have been nicer nor more professional. He made a huge difference in our cruise experience.

 

12. Excursions

We did the Sugar Cane excursion in the Domican Republic. Don't waste your time. In San Juan we walked around town as we had been there two previous time. In St Thomas did the tour and did some shopping and found some excellent bargains on diamond rings. In Nassau we did the Atlantic tour which was interesting but there was a lot of walking. It would not be a good tour for anyone who has problems walking distances.

 

13. Disembarcation

We were in Group 1 departing the ship and got our call to leave our designated area around 8:25 AM and proceeded to the baggage area and easily found our luggage, got a porter, went through customs and onto the taxi. We arrived at the Ft Lauderdale airport at 9:00 AM... It could not have been easier.

 

I forgot to mention the crew.. We never encountered one person who was not cheerful and courteous. The crew appeared to be a " Happy " crew and I believe they are.

 

Overall we are delighted to have discovered Celebrity. We are going to book another cruise soon with Celebrity. I would cruise RCCL again. I find the differences to be subtle and not dramatic in your face differences but obviously we were pleased and delighted with Celebrity.

[claud925]

An enlightening review, Tide. Thanks for taking the time to post your impressions.

 

And your writing skills are just fine.:)

[firsttimecruisin]

Thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts. We'll be on the Millie on the 24th of this month. I'm really excited, especially after reading your review. This will be our first cruise and I think we'll be happy with our choice. Thanks again.

[SANDY BEACH]

firstimecrusin, Our first cruise was also on the Millennium. A special cruise on a great ship. I hope your experience turns out to be the same. We have sailed her again and have another trip planned for next Feb. She is one of my favorites. Enjoy!!

[idssms]

Quote:

 

"During the entire cruise he was charming, professional and eager to please. I got to talking to him and told him we were not interested in one of the larger suites as they did not have a balcony and I had read that the CC rooms were approximately 191 Sq Ft. I am not aware of all of the amenities of the CC rooms but the size difference alone makes SS a winner....."

 

 

I don't get that statement about the larger suites not having a balcony on the Mellenium [sic]?

 

I have a larger suite and have a balcony. Trust me, the larger Millie suites have balconies.

 

idssms

[mari10]

Maybe Tide Pride was mentioning the Celebrity Suite, which is bigger than the sky suite but minus the balcony.Mari

[The Cruisester]

It was good to read your review. We, too, have only sailed on RCCL and had a marvelous time on each cruise. But, I've just got a nagging notion that I want to try another cruise line. I'm just trying to discern which one.

 

I'm afraid that Holland America's clientele may be too elderly for us while Carnival's clientele may be too young. Sounds like Celebrity's clientele may be in the middle.

 

Thank you for your review and I thought your "business memo" review was just fine!

[lakelodge]

We're in our 50's and I can tell you, Holland America is too elderly for us, and Carnival ships are too young and too rowdy. Celebrity is our perfect fit! Martha