Live from Millennium Panama Canal East-to-West April 21 - May 6, 2023

[DaKahuna]

 I just returned from picking up sandwiches for our dinner.  We both had nice naps and were still feeling full from our lunch so I walked over to Laspada’s Hogies and picked us up sandwiches and water for supper.  

 

I ordered us each a small sandwich but they were 10-inch hogies.  In hindsight I would have either gotten a salad or one sandwich that we both like and shared it.  We both ended up eating half the sandwich, plus the meat and veggies from the other half. 

 

Speaking of water.  Due to the water outage at the hotel on Wednesday they are out of bottled water in the lobby.  Seems they were giving away bottled water and now they are out.  Not a big deal as there is a Walgreen’s just across the street but we only needed some to go with our sandwiches. 

 

I am now sitting here relaxing and debating on whether to head to the bar for a nite cap and if I do, what should I drink.

 

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

the whole 17th St area has so many dining and drinking  options..close to port.   we enjoy staying there.

 

we are priced out of there for our next cruise and will try Dania..got something for under $300..and that was a bit of luck!  hotel prices are insane!

 

We have stayed at the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale on one or two occasions before a cruise using Marriott points.  The last time we sailed out of Port Everglades (2019) we didn't have the points and the cash price was over $400 for a Saturday night stay.  We ended up staying elsewhere.

[Moochi]

Dark n stormy or rum Negroni

[Fly and Sail]

2 hours ago, garyl62 said:

Just booked for next March also using Bonvoy points.  Rate was $377, or 45,000 points.  Booked with points now, will change to use a redemption night for 40k and add 5k points to it after I earn that award later this year.  Never been at this location, but looking forward to it after reading your comments.

 

Very steep pricing for what is really an airport hotel. Tonights rates here hover around $250.

 

John - This Le Meridien is very nice, fresh modern decor and great facilities. I even got a suite upgrade through Bonvoy Titanium. For 33k a great deal BUT the noise level is borderline unbearable. The FLL takeoff spot for one of the runways must be somewhere nearby.

[DaKahuna]

17 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Very steep pricing for what is really an airport hotel. Tonights rates here hover around $250.

 

John - This Le Meridien is very nice, fresh modern decor and great facilities. I even got a suite upgrade through Bonvoy Titanium. For 33k a great deal BUT the noise level is borderline unbearable. The FLL takeoff spot for one of the runways must be somewhere nearby.

 

 Thanks for the report.  This hotel is very quite. No airplane or road noise unless an ambulance, fire, or police vehicle goes down 17th with their sirens on.

 

 

[Fly and Sail]

Just now, DaKahuna said:

 

 Thanks for the report.  This hotel is very quite. No airplane or road noise unless an ambulance, fire, or police vehicle goes down 17th with their sirens on.

 

 

 

Or gunfire. 👹

[DaKahuna]

2 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Or gunfire. 👹

 

We have not heard any of that, knock wood. 

 

[villauk]

4 hours ago, mahdnc said:

We have stayed at the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale on one or two occasions before a cruise using Marriott points.

We have also done this previously; it’s a handy location for dropping off the rental car as the office was across the car park.

Following, DaKahuna. Just hoping our Millie cruise goes ahead next year after all the recent threads regarding the cancellations for Japan 🤞.

 

[alcb526]

@DaKahuna We look forward to sailing with you! 
@Northwoods2 we will be on the Antigua self-guided with you. 
 

John & Laurel 

[DaKahuna]

It is nice sitting in our room and watching Millie sail into port on the Port Everglades Web Cam.  We can see her from our room but there is a lot of obstructions in the way from the new buildings they are putting up between 17th street and the harbor.

 

 Soon we will all be boarding and the fun will begin in earnest. 

 

[Bobal]

Looking forward to this. One of our best cruises and most memorable cruises ever did was Panama Canal on Millie. We got really lucky being able to upgrade for a nominal fee to one of the deck 7 corner cabins with the huge balcony (pre bidding war days!). It was also memorable due to the ship colliding with the lock gates, necessitating a repair and some panic over whether we could proceed. Thankfully all the damage was above the water line.

 

We'll be back on her early next year so looking forward to hearing all about her

[The Colonel_Cruises]

Excellent tip on the webcam.  Link is here Port Everglades Webcam - A Fort Lauderdale Cruise Ship Web Cam.

[DaKahuna]

View from our room

[The Colonel_Cruises]

Was curious about our routing down to Colombia.  Check it out here Celebrity Millennium Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review | CruiseMapper.  

We may see a little bit of weather as we scoot down South tonight

[DaKahuna]

17 minutes ago, The Colonel_Cruises said:

Was curious about our routing down to Colombia.  Check it out here Celebrity Millennium Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review | CruiseMapper.  

We may see a little bit of weather as we scoot down South tonight

 

 thanks for posting that.  

 

 I agree but the motion of the ocean is what helps me sleep like a baby on cruises.  

 

 

[DaKahuna]

Had a nice breakfast in the hotel and just completed the “safety” briefing on the app.  

Now all that is left is to report to our muster station in the casino when we get onboard. 

 

Scheduled a pickup with Lyft going to Terminal 25.  

 

Now all that remains is to pack up the items we unpacked last night and watch the time as the second hands seem to take minutes and the minutes seem to take hours when watching the clock until time to head to the lobby and meet our ride to the ship. 

 

What time is everyone planning to arrive at the terminal?  I know most of us have mentioned 1100 check in times.   We plan to arrive around 1030 since Retreat passengers can arrive any time. 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by DaKahuna

[The Colonel_Cruises]

26 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 thanks for posting that.  

 

 I agree but the motion of the ocean is what helps me sleep like a baby on cruises.  

 

 

Agreed.  I have quite a few days aboard Navy ships (far fewer than you I am sure).  I got sick once on an LPH from Okinawa to Korea 27 degree rolls, coincidentally within the same 24 hour period of the San Fran earthquake.  Have never had a touch of sea sickness since.  Now the rock and rolls are as you describe perfectly.

[DaKahuna]

2 minutes ago, The Colonel_Cruises said:

Agreed.  I have quite a few days aboard Navy ships (far fewer than you I am sure).  I got sick once on an LPH from Okinawa to Korea 27 degree rolls, coincidentally within the same 24 hour period of the San Fran earthquake.  Have never had a touch of sea sickness since.  Now the rock and rolls are as you describe perfectly.

 

 A ship I was on had to do an emergency departure from a port in Okinawa because a typhoon that had caused us to depart Hong Kong early changed course.  We left about 1/3 of the crew ashore because we had to leave before we could get them recalled to the ship.   After leaving Okinawa we had to change course to avoid the worst of the storm.  We measured the degree of roll in Radio Central using a large nut on a piece of string and a protractor — 44 - 45 Degrees.  We were amazed we did not turn turtle.  It was definitely scary.  There were shoe prints on some of the walls the next day. 

 

I spent many a summer vacation on bottom fishing boats fishing off of Pensacola and Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.  Got sea sick once or twice on those fishing boats but never on anything in the Navy.  

 

[DaKahuna]

A friend just sent me this. 
 

https://discord.com/channels/742452765233643641/996159533208567908/1098445714276761631

 

First time I have seen it. 

[DaKahuna]

Just received a text message from Celebrity with a link to read and acknowledge this noitce.

 

[RTShaker]

2 hours ago, Bobal said:

...It was also memorable due to the ship colliding with the lock gates, necessitating a repair and some panic over whether we could proceed. Thankfully all the damage was above the water line.

 

We'll be back on her early next year so looking forward to hearing all about her

Had the same thing in '07 on the Summit. The gate didn't retract into the wall fully and we had a long scrape alongside. Luckily it was between the rows of windows.

Edited April 21, 2023 by RTShaker

[Barwick Cruiser]

20 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Just received a text message from Celebrity with a link to read and acknowledge this noitce.

 

We got that same notice back in Feb when we boarded Silhouette in Ft Lauderdale. Once at the terminal no one even checked boarding times. 🤷‍♀️

Have a great cruise, I’m looking forward to following along having done a similar itinerary on Infinity many years ago! 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Barwick Cruiser

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

It is nice sitting in our room and watching Millie sail into port on the Port Everglades Web Cam.  We can see her from our room but there is a lot of obstructions in the way from the new buildings they are putting up between 17th street and the harbor.

 

 Soon we will all be boarding and the fun will begin in earnest. 

 

 

The obstructed sight lines to the port from new construction was evident in your earlier photos.  Have a nice embarkation day.

Edited April 21, 2023 by mahdnc

[DaKahuna]

In our Lyft ride headed to Terminal 25.

[DaKahuna]

We are in the Retreat lounge in the terminal.  Went very smooth. We were the fourth room to check in.