Review Celebrity Millenium March 4-11, 202

[cachouonacruise]

This will be a detailed post, therefore to help people less interested in details, I will begin with a short summary and add a few destination pictures at the end.

 

Our itinerary: Southern Caribbean: San Juan Puerto-Rico, St Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands, St.Kitts, St. Johns Antigua, St. Lucia, Bridgetown Barbados and return to San Juan.

 

Summary:

 

After hearing about post pandemic cut-backs and taking into account that Millenium is an older ship, I was a bit concerned. This said, the relatively recent refurbishing of the ship made it look almost new, and the service on board was exemplary. Our cabin attendant and our Sommelier were amongst the best we've ever had. Our waiter was nice and effective. Staff at the Martini Bar was impressive. We loved the food in the MDR and Sushi at 5. We only went once at the Ocean View Cafe and it was good. We attended almost all shows at the theatre, and with one exception we really enjoy them. We loved most of our ports with a bit of a negative point for St-Lucia, due to the amount of littering in the ocean. 
 

In conclusion, our cruise experience on Millenium was a really beautiful, which we will remember fondly.

 

Details:

 

Cabin:

 

Our cabin 8161 was well located near the aft elevator with a bit of a slanted balcony. It's not a huge cabin, but space management was really functional. It was spotlessly clean and the bed and pillows extremely comfortable. Our balcony was a bit bigger thanks to the slant and perfect for our needs. Our Cabin attendant gave us the best welcome aboard we've never had, may be because we checked-in late at 19h due to a delayed flight. 

 

Food:

 

In the Cosmopolitan MDR, we were seated on Deck 5, at table 459, near the railing and the back window. Beautiful location! Our Sommelier was an expert, really attentive to our likes and dislikes and made sure to match our wines with our food. We always found something we liked on the menu and the food was always well presented and delicious. Our assistant waiter was effective with the water, the bread and dip and always took time to explain what he was serving or bring more when requested. Our waiter was accurate and effective in his work. he never refused to bring us more than one appetizers upon request or more than one entry. He never became confused with our unusual requests. Lobster night: previous posters were correct. The lobster, although well presented, is indeed quite small. As a result, we all complemented that dish with a second entry and it worked really well!

 

The Ocean View Cafe layout seemed a bit different to me, from what I thought I remembered from Constellation or Infinity. This said, we only went once and the food was good.

 

The hamburgers and fries and the Mast Grill were really delicious!

Sushi on 5, it was our second cruise using that specialty restaurant for lunch and we were not disappointed! Every element of our lunch was delicious, well presented and the service very professional.

 

Internet.

 

On this cruise, I wanted to test what I could do with the basic internet.

 

So, I was able to access Facebook and Messenger, to post text and pictures on both and to receive emails.

 

I was not able to access my bank account, the site ArriveCan, or the result of a Google search on weather forecast for home. (I already knew that I could not do Facetime or streaming so I did not try).

 

So, it was a pretty bleak internet experience

 

Entertainment:

 

Like everything else, this is very subjective. But in my opinion, we also had some of the best shows at sea produced on M or S Class ships..

 

We attended he following:

 

Boogie Wonderland: For personal reasons, this show really, really touched me. We loved it.

The Magic of Gabriel: Sadly, this show missed the mark completely. Nobody in our group of 6 had much positive to say about this show. Furthermore, as an asthmatic person, I wish they would include a warning when they plan to use smoke effects... It makes my breathing efforts much more challenging.

 

Elysium, our second production show. It was good and entertaining, this said, and it's not the only ship I have experienced that issue, when the whole cast is singing together, it almost feels that some singers are trying to sing over the others, reaching voice levels that are not always pleasant to hear. 

 

Barricade Boys: We sadly missed it.

 

Touch of shine: This was one of the best shows involving two acrobats/aerialists. The combination of their movements, costumes, music and cinematography really touched us. Really well done! 
 

iBroadway was the last production show and with a few minor issues mentioned above, it really was a fun and entertaining show. The costumes, the lighting and the transitions from one segment to the other were all very well done. The Abba segment was particularly enjoyable. Very good show! 
 

Bars:

 

The staff at the Martini bar was excellent and impressive in their showmanship! Furthermore, their drink selection is excellent.

 

The Sky Lounge Bar, we enjoyed the Zodiac drinks a couple of times and the bar attendent was really kind.

Now the Ports:

 

St. Thomas: We went on our own for some shopping and ended up having lunch at the Tickles Dockside restaurant. The food was really delicious and the setting really enjoyable.

 

St.Kitts: Our ship's excursion was cancelled the night before at 21h30. By the time we learned about it, the Shore Excursion Desk was closed. So, we felt a bit stranded for a while. Then, the next morning, we booked a cab to go to a beach, saw beautiful landscapes on the way and spent some time on a beach where rhum and chicken wings are well renowned.

 

St. Johns, Antigua. We took a catamaran tour with a lobster lunch. (A ship excursion sub contracted to Tropical Adventures Antigua). Wow! The crew was really animated, the beaches were beautiful, and the lobster lunch....Deeelicious!

 

St. Lucia. I had so much hope about this port...and I sadly was underwhelmed. We again went on a catamaran excursion with lunch; however, the crew was less animated, the lunch was O.K., and the beach more difficult to manage. For example, on our last beach, we had to go down the ladder and jump into about 4 feet of water....climbing back to the ladder from that 4 feet of water proved to be more challenging for all the guests. But most importantly, as we were sailing away from St. Lucia, we observed a significant amount of debris floating in the water. Curious and concerned about this aspect, I asked our guide what could explain this amount of garbage in the water, for example, did a boat recently sink or what? The response I received left me dumbfounded. The guide told me that St. Lucians don't really have an issue about littering....
 

Bridgeport, Barbados. We went to the Carlisle Bay Beach Resort. This excursion brought us from...the ugliness of the street to the most beautiful beach, we encountered! Triple wow! Beautiful white sand beach, so soft for the feet and not hot; nice reserved chairs and umbrella, and to top it off, a welcome drink, a "light" lunch that was absolutely delicious. Definitely our best beach experience! 

 

In conclusion we really had for the most part, a beautiful and enjoyable cruise. I am presenting this information in case it could help future cruisers.

 

Enjoy the pictures below:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bunnyette]

Great review!

[DaKahuna]

Beautiful pictures.  Thank you for the review. 
 

By any chance did you happen to spend any time in the Rendezvous Lounge?  I am curious what the entertainment and atmosphere was like?

[cachouonacruise]

10 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Beautiful pictures.  Thank you for the review. 
 

By any chance did you happen to spend any time in the Rendezvous Lounge?  I am curious what the entertainment and atmosphere was like?

We were travelling with a few other people, and as it turned out, we spent more time in the Martini Bar than the Rendez-vous Lounge. There were quite a few interesting activities like karaoke and dancing planned in that Lounge, but somehow, we did not manage to make it there.

[DCPIV]

Thank you for the excellent review!  It's good to hear the Millenium is doing so well.  She's a great ship, and I wouldn't mind returning.

 

I do have to ask, though . . .

 

13 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

 

 

Why? 😉

[Tinknock50]

8 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

Thank you for the excellent review!  It's good to hear the Millenium is doing so well.  She's a great ship, and I wouldn't mind returning.

 

I do have to ask, though . . .

 

 

Why? 😉

You beat me to it. Why did the chicken cross the road ?

 

Great ,enjoyable review !   Thanks !

Edited March 14, 2023 by Tinknock50

[DaKahuna]

7 minutes ago, Tinknock50 said:

You beat me to it. Why did the chicken cross the road ?

 

Great ,enjoyable review !   Thanks !

 

I have always heard it was to get to the hens on the other side of the road. 

 

[cachouonacruise]

10 hours ago, DCPIV said:

Thank you for the excellent review!  It's good to hear the Millenium is doing so well.  She's a great ship, and I wouldn't mind returning.

 

I do have to ask, though . . .

 

 

Why? 😉

You have to understand where I come from. In my nick of the woods, buried under piles of snow, wildlife is rare... 

 

Chickens in our land, are sadly left in barns with very little room to walk about... never seen in the streets. 

 

So, seeing a colourful chicken roaming free in a dry street, under the beautiful Caribbean sun really hit the mark! I finally reached the wonderful world of Oz!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[dv71617]

What is the schedule for night shows ?

Copy of daily planner ?

Thanks !

[cbfb]

Thank you for the review. As far as dining, were you anytime dining or set? And was the table for 2 or more? I ask because we are on the Summit in a few weeks with another couple, in anytime dining. We would love to snag the rare table by the railings. The one you had sounds perfect. 

[Jim_Iain]

Enjoying your review.   Millennium was the first ships we ever sailed and still have a special place in my heart for her.

 

[cachouonacruise]

2 hours ago, dv71617 said:

What is the schedule for night shows ?

Copy of daily planner ?

Thanks !

The shows at the theatre are at 7 and 9 PM.

 

Sadly, I just disposed a few days ago, all my daily planner copies, so I no longer have them. Sorry! 

[cachouonacruise]

2 hours ago, cbfb said:

Thank you for the review. As far as dining, were you anytime dining or set? And was the table for 2 or more? I ask because we are on the Summit in a few weeks with another couple, in anytime dining. We would love to snag the rare table by the railings. The one you had sounds perfect. 

On our cruise on Millenium, any time dining was set on Deck 4, while traditional set time dining was on Deck 5. 
 

We were on the second seating at 08h30 PM, Second seating, Table 459, which was a table for 4. ( My wife and I were travelling with my SIL and BIL. Our table location was fantastic! ( the only minor issue was underneath one of our chair, under the carpet, there seems to have been a funny plate of metal. Upon arrival, we could hear a "bong" when we initially walked on it...every night).

[DaKahuna]

 I enjoyed your review.  We will be embarkinng on Millinnium on April 21st. 

 

[cachouonacruise]

6 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 I enjoyed your review.  We will be embarkinng on Millinnium on April 21st. 

 

I wish you to enjoy the prefect weather we had! Enjoy your cruise! 

[mahdnc]

Nice review and photos.  Thanks for posting.  We were supposed to be on Millennium (Asia) in 2020 but Covid cancelled it.  

[cachouonacruise]

13 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Nice review and photos.  Thanks for posting.  We were supposed to be on Millennium (Asia) in 2020 but Covid cancelled it.  

The world is small sometimes, we may have been booked on the same cancelled Millenium sailing in March 2020. We were booked on the sailing initially from Hong-Kong to Shanghaï....then it was changed, because of Covid, to sail from Tokyo to Singapore....and then cancelled! 

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

The world is small sometimes, we may have been booked on the same cancelled Millenium sailing in March 2020. We were booked on the sailing initially from Hong-Kong to Shanghaï....then it was changed, because of Covid, to sail from Tokyo to Singapore....and then cancelled! 

 

We had the same 14 night itinerary but it was to occur over Christmas 2020 and NYE.  We are scheduled to do the 12 night version on Solstice for Christmas 2023 and NYE.

[DCPIV]

9 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

The world is small sometimes, we may have been booked on the same cancelled Millenium sailing in March 2020. We were booked on the sailing initially from Hong-Kong to Shanghaï....then it was changed, because of Covid, to sail from Tokyo to Singapore....and then cancelled! 

 

We were booked on that one, too! 

[thebutlerdidit]

21 hours ago, dv71617 said:

What is the schedule for night shows ?

Copy of daily planner ?

Thanks !

In the Celebrity app you can choose the current sailing of any ship and see all activities for each day. 

[Honolulu Blue]

On 3/14/2023 at 10:10 AM, DCPIV said:

Why? 😉

My mail-in "Comedian 101" course from a few decades ago has the answer to that.  Let's see, flick through some yellowed, faded pages... ah yes, here it is - To get to the other side.

On 3/14/2023 at 8:22 PM, cachouonacruise said:

You have to understand where I come from. In my nick of the woods, buried under piles of snow, wildlife is rare... 

 

Chickens in our land, are sadly left in barns with very little room to walk about... never seen in the streets. 

 

So, seeing a colourful chicken roaming free in a dry street, under the beautiful Caribbean sun really hit the mark! I finally reached the wonderful world of Oz!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Key West has a lot of chickens roaming around.  You should go there sometime.  It will make you happy.

22 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

I wish you to enjoy the prefect weather we had! 

I'm jealous!  I took this exact cruise in November and we had pretty bad weather - mostly from the long tail of a a tropical system.  I had two excursions canceled due to rain or previous rain.  Despite that, I had a great time.  I'm glad to see Boogie Wonderland is still there; I liked that show also.

 

Great job with your trip report, OP!