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

[countess5]

@DaKahuna  Will be following you this time!

 

Would like to ask if you could give us a feel for the condition of the ship since its revitalization. We will be sailing her next May around Japan and would appreciate the info.

 

Have an outstanding cruise! Relax and absorb the time! 

 

Cheers! 

[DaKahuna]

Sometimes apparently guest sailing in Sky Suites receive a letter about a week prior to sailing. Part of that letter ask you what you beverage choice is for your room. We do not ever remember receiving this so we had always had the Celebrity branded sparkling wine.  I asked my DW what she wanted and she said not sparkling but white.  Given a choice between a Chardonnay, which I know shr foes not favor and a Sauvignon Blanc, I went with the latter.

 

 

Let me tell you, that was the wrong choice.  We each had one sip and it was all we could do to keep from spitting it out.

 

I went and bought her a bottle of the Moscato she had for lunch and liked.  Disaster avoided. 
 

[DaKahuna]

If anyone is interested in room pictures let me know.  I uploaded a lot of them to cruisedeckplans.com and they are already showing on that site.

 

[Norwaylady]

Bon Voyage🕺🏻⚓️❤️

looking forward to your report😁

[MarEll1]

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Sometimes apparently guest sailing in Sky Suites receive a letter about a week prior to sailing. Part of that letter ask you what you beverage choice is for your room. We do not ever remember receiving this so we had always had the Celebrity branded sparkling wine.  I asked my DW what she wanted and she said not sparkling but white.  Given a choice between a Chardonnay, which I know shr foes not favor and a Sauvignon Blanc, I went with the latter.

 

 

Let me tell you, that was the wrong choice.  We each had one sip and it was all we could do to keep from spitting it out.

 

I went and bought her a bottle of the Moscato she had for lunch and liked.  Disaster avoided. 
 

I agree with you - Sauvignon blanc is my go to and Celebrity really pushes the Villa Maria. I am not a fan. On our recent Solstice cruise I had a Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon blanc blend which sounds strange but I really enjoyed. They served it both in Luminae and Tuscan Grille. Sadly I can’t find it in any of the stores here at home. 

 

Enjoy your cruise - it’s a bucket list for when we have time for longer than 7 nights.

Edited April 21, 2023 by MarEll1

[mahdnc]

31 minutes ago, The Colonel_Cruises said:

15 Day Itinerary with Chic nights in bold.

 

Thanks for posting.  Why is the first Evening Chic night not on Sat Apr 22 or is this a misprint?

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

 

Thanks for posting.  Why is the first Evening Chic night not on Sat Apr 22 or is this a misprint?

Does not appear to be a miss print but will not know until we receive tonight’s Celebrity Today.

 

will speak up if we find it has changed. 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, MarEll1 said:

I agree with you - Sauvignon blanc is my go to and Celebrity really pushes the Villa Maria. I am not a fan. On our recent Solstice cruise I had a Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon blanc blend which sounds strange but I really enjoyed. They served it both in Luminae and Tuscan Grille. Sadly I can’t find it in any of the stores here at home. 

 

Enjoy your cruise - it’s a bucket list for when we have time for longer than 7 nights.

 
My DW prefers whites and sweeter wines than the Reds I like.  I have actually found that I can sometimes convince her to try a Pinot Noir as those are light and a little fruity. 
 

[DaKahuna]

It was great meeting everyone at the Sky Bar.  
 

@The Colonel_Cruises I hope I was not over bearing or two strong with my US Navy vs USMC or Office vs Enlisted banter.  I hope you realize it was all in jest and I have the utmost respect for the Corps and the officer community.

Everyone else please forgive me if I do not remember names as we see each other around the ship.  It takes me a while to put names and faces together. 
 

[Fly and Sail]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I do not see one.  Have been through all the documents left in our room so guess it’s the Sky Bar for us.

 

 

Not sure how they selected the crowd for the Helipad. Seemed to be a wild mix of cabins, although the couple I talked to (regular verandah cabin) had done several cruises, so they must be "up there" in terms of tier. Didn't ask what exact status they have.

[DaKahuna]

My initial comments on our room. 
 

We like the colors but there are some things we do not like:

 

1. Storage.  A. There is no storage in around the sink in the bathroom.  There are a couple of recessed shelvers behind the door.  Good luck if you store items on the counter top and encounter any high waves. 
 B.  Storage for clothes.  There are two shelves in the storage cabinet as you enter the stateroom and two drawers.  There are also two drawers under the counter next to the balcony door. 
C.  Furniture.  There is no coffee table in the room so there is no way that one person, much less two, could dine in the stateroom without moving the table from the balcony into the room. 
D.  TV.  Love the big flat screen TV.  Unfortunately it is mounted so that it does not swing out to the side.  If you are sested on the couch, you cannot comfortably watch TV. 
E.  I like that they have power outlets on both sides of the bed but do not like having to get down on the floor or pull the nightstands out of the way in order to access the outlets.

 

Don’t get me wrong, it is not all doom and gloom.  We have only spent a couple of hours in the room so far.

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Sometimes apparently guest sailing in Sky Suites receive a letter about a week prior to sailing. Part of that letter ask you what you beverage choice is for your room. We do not ever remember receiving this so we had always had the Celebrity branded sparkling wine.  I asked my DW what she wanted and she said not sparkling but white.  Given a choice between a Chardonnay, which I know shr foes not favor and a Sauvignon Blanc, I went with the latter.

 

 

Let me tell you, that was the wrong choice.  We each had one sip and it was all we could do to keep from spitting it out.

 

I went and bought her a bottle of the Moscato she had for lunch and liked.  Disaster avoided. 
 

You can never go wrong with Moscato. Have a great cruise as going through the Panama Canal is always one of our favorites!! 😁

[firstimer2009]

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

For the wine fans out there.  This seems to be the cruise to take.  Not sure what offerings they have in the way of wines but it is what it is.

 

Here is a card our Sommelier gave us at lunch.  I signed us up for the Vuevu Clicquot, even though I am sure i do not know how to pronounce it based on numerous recommendations seen on here.

 

Wow!  That looks awesome. I would love that wine blending.  I do it with my own bottles at home!  By the way it is pronounced "Vuve Kleeko".

[DaKahuna]

So for my fellow shipmates on this cruise, how are you liking the revised menu’s in your respective dining venue’s?  
 

It has thrown me for a loop as I planned my fist day/night’s menu on the menu that was online until today. Adjusting to the change is challenging for me. 🙂 

[DisneyJen]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

If anyone is interested in room pictures let me know.  I uploaded a lot of them to cruisedeckplans.com and they are already showing on that site.

 

Photos please!

[RTShaker]

17 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

So for my fellow shipmates on this cruise, how are you liking the revised menu’s in your respective dining venue’s?  
 

It has thrown me for a loop as I planned my fist day/night’s menu on the menu that was online until today. Adjusting to the change is challenging for me. 🙂 

I was so looking forward to prime rib.  Guess I'll have to wait until Sunday.

[DaKahuna]

48 minutes ago, DisneyJen said:

Photos please!

[hcat]

dorm room decor..the Hoppen design !

[DaKahuna]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

dorm room decor..the Hoppen design !

i don’t know if it is even dorm room.  I do not see it as being as functional as that. 

[Schmoe38]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 
My DW prefers whites and sweeter wines than the Reds I like.  I have actually found that I can sometimes convince her to try a Pinot Noir as those are light and a little fruity. 
 

John

 

If your wife prefers sweeter whites, here is one my wife enjoyed on Millennium in March. If this one is not available, ask for Selbach Riesling. Just a thought.

 

Randy

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Schmoe38

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Not sure how they selected the crowd for the Helipad. Seemed to be a wild mix of cabins, although the couple I talked to (regular verandah cabin) had done several cruises, so they must be "up there" in terms of tier. Didn't ask what exact status they have.

On our cruises the invite was for elite and above. Nothing to do with stateroom type. 

[hcat]

46 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

i don’t know if it is even dorm room.  I do not see it as being as functional as that. 

oh my..

we had a sky suite on BEYOND..just a box shape..

It was a nice size, no orange decor.

the balcony was adequate., storage worked well...we did not care for the bathrm layout and I thought the up and down bthrm window was gimmicky and unnecessary

[DaKahuna]

37 minutes ago, Schmoe38 said:

 

If your wife prefers sweeter whites, here is one my wife enjoyed on Millennium in March. If this one is not available, ask for Selbach Riesling. Just a thought.

 

Thanks Randy, We’ll keep that in mind.

[DaKahuna]

38 minutes ago, davekathy said:

On our cruises the invite was for elite and above. Nothing to do with stateroom type. 

Interesting, we are Elite and did not receive an invite! 
 

[DaKahuna]

This evening’s food porn. 
 

Amuse Busch 

 

Ham & Cheese croquet 

 

Starters:

 

French onion soup for DW (she loves this so may not post it each time)

 

 

I had the Garden Fresh Salad from the MDR menu with balsamic vinaigrette 

 

 

Main course

 

Filet for the DW, medium

 

 

and the Mediterranean Seafood Orozo, from the MDR menu for me

 

 

Desserts

 

Almond cake for DW

 

 

and the brown sugar pear for me

 

 

The DW had a sparkling Moscato 

 

 

and I had a Merlot