REVIEW~Millennium-12/17/06~12/24/06

[Lois R]

Hi, another happy cruiser. If you are looking for negatives,

you might want to skip this....though I always try to be objective.

 

First time on Millennuim for me, 3rd M-Class ship.

10th Cruise on Celebrity overall.

 

Arrived in FLL 12-16, stayed at Sheraton Yankee Clipper

for 100.00 on Priceline.

Hotel is right on the beach and the Water Taxi pickup is

just across the street. Good location.

Lousy weather. It had been raining in FLL since the prior

Wednesday.

Took the Water Taxi over to Las Olas anyway. Had lunch

at Bonne Crepe.....Yummy!

Walked around in the slight drizzle anyway...ended up

at Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

Almost walked back to the hotel......but it was really far.

Picked up the Sun Trolley instead. I would have taken

the Water Taxi back but it was stopping at 4:00 due to

the Christmas Boat Parade.

 

Went back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner

and went to Shula's which is at the Yankee Trader.

Excellent food....probably on the same scale as Ruth's Chris.

In the summer the view would be fantastic..looking east

is the beach.

 

Had a phone call waiting for me from one of my fellow

CCrs who was also staying at the hotel. Nancy and her Mom...

and we went to the port together on Sunday morning.

 

Millennium had been in drydock the week prior to us and

so we were hoping to board earlier than normal.

And we did too!

I was on the ship at 10:30am and the cabin was ready

as well.

I was in 7057 Portside with a balcony. Cabin attendant

was Allen from Phillipines and Asst was Johnson from

Indonesia. Both were outstanding.

 

Dinner......we had a fun table, all from Cruisecritc

We were at table 439. Downstairs...great view.

Portside...just to the left of the stairs.

We had Jovel (Hondurus) as our waiter and Made (Bali) as our Asst.

Also both wonderful. Katrin was our Ass't Maitr'd.

Food was always good too.

Oh, no escargot this sailing.....no big deal for me.

I do enjoy it but it didn't bother me that it wasn't

offered.

 

Wine Sommilier was great too. Her name was Tini from

Indonesia.

 

Our CC gathering was held in Michael's Club on the first

sea day at 10:00am. Invitation was in my cabin along

with a little pin.

I think about 40 people showed up. I didn't stay for the whole

thing because I received an invitation for a Bridge Tour

this time. It was at 10:30. Very interesting to see

behind the scenes. About 15 people attended (If memory serves).

 

I also went on a Galley tour, which is always nice.

 

And attended the Elegant Tea which was held in the

Olympic.

Speaking of the Olympic, 4 of us went together on

Tues night and had a wonderful time.

Pleman, from Bulgaria was our waiter. Food and Service

were both outstanding. I had Steak Diane and of course

the goat cheese souffle. I tried a new souffle for dessert,

it was strawberry....OH MY GOODNESS! Fabulous!!!!

 

Martini Bar was my evening ritual before dinner. Michael,

the Bartender was always fun and makes a damn good

drink.

He is also a magician...not sure if he got his skills from

Sudi or not but we always had fun at the bar.

 

I am not one for seeing shows but did attend one early

in the week. The songs from Broadway and I must say

the Singers and Dancers on our cruise (in my opinion of course)

were fabulous.

Voices were wonderful. I heard from a few folks I really missed

stuff later in the week that were even better....oh well.

I am just not always ready to see a show at 7. Still

in the shower, changing, etc. I am one of those people

who enjoys the AFT bar on the M-Class ships and am usually

out there till 6...6:30. They had a guitarist out there who was

quite good too!

So I don't usually plan to go to the early shows anyway.

 

There were many families on our sailing. 285 kids. Most

seemed to be well behaved. There were alot of toddlers too.

Seemed everytime I saw a cute baby they would be 11 months

old.

Lots of babies. But I did speak with the Restaurant Manager,

Shadi, from Australia, nice, nice man.

He told me this week (Christmas) there would be 650 kids.

As I said, most of the ones I saw were quite well behaved.

 

Other entertainment.....the pool band was Frontliners and

they were quite good.

There was a band in the Rende-Veux too. I noticed a lot

of people dancing prior to dinner.

 

Ports were Casa De Campo, San Juan, St Thomas and Nassau.

I did the Countryside Tour in Casa which I enjoyed very much.

San Juan I walked around and stopped at a place across

from the ship. It was hot outside and I had walked quite far.

I got a cold beer and then got a fantastic dessert called

Tres Con Leche......it was a sponge cake soaked in 3 types

of milk with caramel.....ohhhhhh it was good!

 

St Thomas I went to Coral World and Megan's Bay.

After all the times I had visited St Thomas this was my first

time to either of these stops. I went through the ship and we

had a really nice group.

Coral World was very interesting and the Beach was lovely.

I hung out with 4 other folks and we sat on the beach together

and had Bushwackers and Pina Coloda's. Great time had by all.

 

Nassau, I know many people hate it. But I had become friends

with a gal on the ship who had been on since November 14th

(her hubby is one of the Engineers). She and their 2 kids

were visiting and will be on till January. Really down to earth,

nice person. The kids are 3 and 11 months.

The 4 of us went to the Hilton in Nassau for few hours.

Anyone interested.....for 15.00 you have access to their

private beach and facilities. We had a lot of fun together.

Oh the hotel is close enough to walk to.

 

Food on the ship, overall everything was terrific.

I usually eat most of my meals in the dining room but this

time I slept in quite a bit so I would hit the Aqua Spa.

I actually can't recall trying the buffet this trip. And I don't

mind buffets either. Just never seemed to eat there.

Had lunch in the dining room twice and I know I had lunch

at the Aqua Spa a couple of times too. Food was really good.

 

Had bagels toasted perfectly for breakfast at the Aqua Spa

and one day I tried the Mediterranian Chicken for lunch.

Really refreshing......I recommend this area.

 

Crew and Staff were excellent as per usual.

Lucca in the Cova Cafe was always ready to please.

A smile on his face and we chatted a bit about this and that.

And of course all those lovely pastries in the Cova.........

YUMMY!

We had a bottle of wine sent to our table in the dining

room by Shadi (Restaurant Manager)....nice surprise!

 

I treated myself to a pedicure this trip. My feet enjoyed it.

61.00 for it. I had a credit on my account so it helped pay for this

one.

 

As I re-read this I know there are not many negatives.

I do always try to be objective......but honestly,

I can only think of one thing......which I haven't mentioned

yet.

As the cruise goes by I usually check my account on the tv

and had been doing that this time too.

Everything had been AOK.

On the last evening I noticed an "In-Bar Cabin" charge of

21.85. I had not used my bar in the cabin the entire cruise.

I went down to Guest Relations.......this was at midnight.

The gal marked my statement and said it would be taken care of.......

hmmm...nope.

It was still on there when I woke up so.....back downstairs.

One of the head-bartenders came back up to my cabin with me.

Said there was a bottle of red wine missing.....I said there was

never a bottle there to begin with. (He said it would be on

the desk). Nope.

They took the charge off my statement. So, it was handled

in a satisfactory manner but it should have not been charged

to me in the first place.

I believe they forgot to stock it in the beginning so it showed

as used.....someone made a boo-boo.

Anyway, they were very accomodating and fixed the problem.

They credited my statement before I left the ship. (They

gave me the new printout).

 

Maybe it is because I had not sailed an M-Class in over a year

but I was really impressed with Millennum.

Some might think she is worn. We all have our own opinions,

and I think she looked lovely. Clean, shiney with a crew

that was wonderful...outstanding. Couldn't do enough

over the week to help out. It was a fantastic cruise for me.

 

If I missed anything I will try to follow up. If you have

any questions please ask.

[smdubowsky]

Thanks for the great post. My wife and I will be on the Millennium on January 28th. It will be our first time on the ship but our third M- class ship. I'm glad to hear that she is in good shape since she is the oldest of the 4 ships.

 

Could you tell me when the formal nights are? We also have a reservation at the Olympic on Tuesday night. We are looking forward to it.

 

Thanks again.

[VPGPH]

Hi there,

I have a couple of questions for you. We are on the March 4th sailing, and I can't figure out what to do in Casa de Campo. We visited about three years ago and we liked it, but this time around I have no idea what to do. You mentioned that you did the Countryside tour. How was it? Did it stop in any beach area? Also, in PR does Millenium stop at Panamerican Pier? How much does it cost to get a taxi for Old San Juan? Sorry about all the questions but I am trying to organize our cruise. Thanks for the replies... Merry Christmas to all!

[motherchic]

Thank you Lois for a great review.

I have read over the years enough of your posts to realize you believe in a fair review.

I have found myself saddened by so many negative reviews from various posters. Some IMO for good reason but many others seem phenominally picky.

I hope many newbiees read your review and look forward to their Celebrity cruise.

I have always enjoyed Celebrity. I am also the type to be soooo thrilled to be on vacation and then to be on a cruise !!!!!

Do you have another cruise booked?

Our next one is on the Summit come this february. I have always sailed on the M class- perhaps one day i will try the C class, but i cant seem to resist the M class ships.

Nadine

[Andy]

Hi Lois !

 

Thanks for the wonderful review. I am glad you had a great time. Happy Holidays !

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I enjoyed the Countryside very much (though a couple

of folks in my particular truck were a pain).

We traveled in Safari type trucks.....(open sided),

into the countryside. We went to Sugar Cane Fields to see

how everything was grown and also a stop was made to

a big nursery. We were also taken into town and stopped at

a store where cigars are made.

It was quite interesting. But if you are looking for the beach,

this is not the tour for you.

There were 3 full trucks of pax on this tour.

We had a great driver and wonderful tour guide.

I know a lot of people call this stop "Casa Da Crappo".....well,

I enjoyed myself very much. Different strokes for different folks.

 

San Juan, we docked right across the street from the Sheraton,

(used to be a Wyndam). So no, it was not the Pan American Pier

but the one downtown.

I didn't take a taxi anywhere so I can't tell you how much

they were to get around. But I do know there are FREE shuttles

that can take you around.

 

Formal nights......both sea days.

We sailed on Sunday.......Monday night was the 1st formal and

I think the other was Thurs?..or Friday..whatever the 2nd

sea day was.....

Oh, the Olympic was FABULOUS:D

 

Oh I did forget something.....we were supposed to arrive

in Nassau at 12 noon.......but we arrived at 9am instead.

There was a medical emergency. The Captain really booked

it!

[Lois R]

Thank you Lois for a great review.

I have read over the years enough of your posts to realize you believe in a fair review.

I have found myself saddened by so many negative reviews from various posters. Some IMO for good reason but many others seem phenominally picky.

I hope many newbiees read your review and look forward to their Celebrity cruise.

I have always enjoyed Celebrity. I am also the type to be soooo thrilled to be on vacation and then to be on a cruise !!!!!

Do you have another cruise booked?

Our next one is on the Summit come this february. I have always sailed on the M class- perhaps one day i will try the C class, but i cant seem to resist the M class ships.

Nadine

 

Hi Nadine:) I remember sailing Century and Mercury before

I ever tried the M-Class. I was always sort of afraid they would

feel to big for me.

Now I love them all;)

I put a deposit down as to receive that on board credit....but

I really don't know at this point what cruise is next.

 

Oh, thanks for the compliment....I really do try and be objective

when thinking back on things.

Call me easy I guess, but usually everything goes so well,

I just don't have negative things to post.

[aloanldy]

Lois - Thanks for the review. We are sailing her for the first time in October and i'm really excited. I love Constellation. So i'm sure i'll love her also. We are going on a 14 night Med Cruise.

 

Thanks so much for the thorough review.

 

 

Charlie

[VPGPH]

Hi,:) I enjoyed the Countryside very much (though a couple

of folks in my particular truck were a pain).

We traveled in Safari type trucks.....(open sided),

into the countryside. We went to Sugar Cane Fields to see

how everything was grown and also a stop was made to

a big nursery. We were also taken into town and stopped at

a store where cigars are made.

It was quite interesting. But if you are looking for the beach,

this is not the tour for you.

There were 3 full trucks of pax on this tour.

We had a great driver and wonderful tour guide.

I know a lot of people call this stop "Casa Da Crappo".....well,

I enjoyed myself very much. Different strokes for different folks.

 

San Juan, we docked right across the street from the Sheraton,

(used to be a Wyndam). So no, it was not the Pan American Pier

but the one downtown.

I didn't take a taxi anywhere so I can't tell you how much

they were to get around. But I do know there are FREE shuttles

that can take you around.

 

Lois,

Thank you very much for all the info. I can't wait until March. This will be our first time on Millenium and I am sure we'll love her. So far our favorite has been Constellation!!!

[Jim_Iain]

Lois - Thanks for a wonderful review. Millenium was the first ship I ever cruised on and I have a warm place in my hear for her. I always enjoy reading your reviews.

 

Jim

[florisdekort]

Hi Lois,

 

Thank you for taking the time to write your review, I am happy to read you've had an excellent time! We did the Transatlantic on Millennium in November and also thought she was looking her best. The food, service and entertainment were amazing. No wear and tear, no bad smells.

 

For everybody booked on a future Millennium cruise, start getting excited... this is the best Celebrity has to offer! :D

 

Floris

 

PS. The Hotel Director told me that during the 3-week dry-dock in April, they will install auxilary engines, close the 'hole in the floor' between the Martini Bar and the Rendez-vous Lounge, replace furniture and do a lot of painting. I wonder what she'll look like late April, early May!

[cechase]

Lois, Nedra and I certainly enjoyed your review, and are very happy that you had a great cruise. So thank you for taking the time to let us all know how great it was.

 

We took our first cruise on a M class vessel on the much maligned Infinity in September and it was absolutely great. Our first cruise on Millie will be the TA out of Barcelona on 12/2/2007 and are looking forward to it even if it is almost 11 months away.

 

Happy cruising and Happy New Year to you.

[Lois R]

Charlie, maybe one day the 3 of us will end up on a cruise

together:)

I wish I could go with ya'll on Dec 2nd.....but my month

end closing is the next day.........Dec 3rd:eek: so I cannot

cruise at that time.

But in 2008 I may finally be taking something longer

than 7 days:D

[tarps]

Very interesting post, thank you your review. We're sailing Celebrity for the first time (but 8th cruise) in February, on the Summitt. I was wondering how you get a tour of the galley? Is it something you're invited to, or can you make a request? The Bridge tour would also be very interesting. Can anyone fill me in on this? Thank you.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I was on the ship at 10:30am and the cabin was ready

as well.

I was in 7057 Portside with a balcony. Cabin attendant

was Allen from Phillipines and Asst was Johnson from

Indonesia. Both were outstanding..

 

I was also on this sailing and thought I would add my opinon

I had cabin 8167 port side consierge class

Cabin Steward Mario was excellent always had ice, water, fresh flowers and snacks every day

 

At dinner we were at table 431 and apaprently had the same Ass't Maitr'd Katrin.

 

Food was always good

Oh, no escargot this sailing.....no big deal for me.

I do enjoy it but it didn't bother me that it wasn't

offered...

 

On the contrary they had escargiot every night it was on the left side of the menu It was under the daily offering along with Shrimp cocktail, Sirloin steak, Salmon. etc In fact I had it and did enjoy it

 

Speaking of the Olympic, 4 of us went together on

Tues night and had a wonderful time. Food and Service

were both outstanding. I had Steak Diane and of course

the goat cheese souffle. I tried a new souffle for dessert,

it was strawberry....OH MY GOODNESS! Fabulous!!!!...

 

I have to agree with Lois that the food and service in the Olympic was excellent The Maitr'd in the Olympic was friendly and spend time chatting with us. He is married to the Ass't Maitr'd at out dinning room table Katrin.

 

I am not one for seeing shows but did attend one early

in the week. The songs from Broadway and I must say

the Singers and Dancers on our cruise (in my opinion of course)

were fabulous.

 

After being on over 30 cruises I found them to be one of the best. I met some of them at the backstage tour and they were very friendly.

All four of their shows were fabulous we looked forward to seeing each one of them

 

During the week they also had two comedians who were terrible

The first one something Klak (sp) would be better if he joked about things we could all relate to. His main jokes and stories were about being brought with 10 sisters and brothers. Very few on the ship had this same experience (family of 10 kids) and could not relate to his humor. Although he was much better then the second comedian, Kir. He was just not funny and when after the show people talked about how bad he was you knew it was him and not you

The Cruise directer derrick was very friendly always smiling and overall very good.

 

Ports were Casa De Campo, San Juan, St Thomas and Nassau.

I did the Countryside Tour in Casa which I enjoyed very much..

 

Actually the port of call is La Romana in the Republic of Dominca or as we all say the Dominca Republic.

Casa De Campo located next to the port is a well known luxury resort on the island.

 

The general feeling at dinner was disappointment. There was really nothing to see or do. The ship had a free shuttle to the Marina and a re-created spanish town (can't recall name) Both were a waste of time

 

I understand that the area is trying to build its cruise business and they are working on it. A few mentioned how much they improved over the last 3-years but they still have a long way to go

 

QUOTE]Crew and Staff were excellent as per usual.

Lucca in the Cova Cafe was always ready to please.

A smile on his face and we chatted a bit about this and that.

And of course all those lovely pastries in the Cova.........

YUMMY!..

 

The cappacino and other drink at the Cova was much better than served in the dining room. Pastries were hot and fresh and also better then in teh dining room or Buffet. I was here several time during the week, unfortunitly for me as I gained weight

 

We were invited to the Captains table one night (this was not my first time). The service was terrible they were all Ass't Maitr'd's. When we left I passed my regular waiter and told how bad the service was at the captains table. He thought it was funny and told me that he has heard this before.

[Host Joe]

Hi Lois, great review!

 

I am glad that you had a great cruise and enjoyed Millennium as much as I did back in November!

[Lois R]

I was also on this sailing and thought I would add my opinon

I had cabin 8167 port side consierge class

Cabin Steward Mario was excellent always had ice, water, fresh flowers and snacks every day

 

At dinner we were at table 431 and apaprently had the same Ass't Maitr'd Katrin.

 

 

 

On the contrary they had escargiot every night it was on the left side of the menu It was under the daily offering along with Shrimp cocktail, Sirloin steak, Salmon. etc In fact I had it and did enjoy it

 

 

 

I have to agree with Lois that the food and service in the Olympic was excellent The Maitr'd in the Olympic was friendly and spend time chatting with us. He is married to the Ass't Maitr'd at out dinning room table Katrin.

 

 

 

After being on over 30 cruises I found them to be one of the best. I met some of them at the backstage tour and they were very friendly.

All four of their shows were fabulous we looked forward to seeing each one of them

 

During the week they also had two comedians who were terrible

The first one something Klak (sp) would be better if he joked about things we could all relate to. His main jokes and stories were about being brought with 10 sisters and brothers. Very few on the ship had this same experience (family of 10 kids) and could not relate to his humor. Although he was much better then the second comedian, Kir. He was just not funny and when after the show people talked about how bad he was you knew it was him and not you

The Cruise directer derrick was very friendly always smiling and overall very good.

 

 

 

Actually the port of call is La Romana in the Republic of Dominca or as we all say the Dominca Republic.

Casa De Campo located next to the port is a well known luxury resort on the island.

 

The general feeling at dinner was disappointment. There was really nothing to see or do. The ship had a free shuttle to the Marina and a re-created spanish town (can't recall name) Both were a waste of time

 

I understand that the area is trying to build its cruise business and they are working on it. A few mentioned how much they improved over the last 3-years but they still have a long way to go

 

QUOTE]Crew and Staff were excellent as per usual.

Lucca in the Cova Cafe was always ready to please.

A smile on his face and we chatted a bit about this and that.

And of course all those lovely pastries in the Cova.........

YUMMY!..

 

The cappacino and other drink at the Cova was much better than served in the dining room. Pastries were hot and fresh and also better then in teh dining room or Buffet. I was here several time during the week, unfortunitly for me as I gained weight

 

We were invited to the Captains table one night (this was not my first time). The service was terrible they were all Ass't Maitr'd's. When we left I passed my regular waiter and told how bad the service was at the captains table. He thought it was funny and told me that he has heard this before.

 

Hi Twelve, I know the escargot was listed on the menu...I

was informed they did not have any though. This was told

to a group of us at the Cooking Demonstration held in the Theater

hosted by the Executive Chef...Doug from South Africa.

 

I had a wonderful time on my excursion in Casa..it was

the Countryside Tour, well run, fantastic guide and I was

glad I booked it.

[Lois R]

Very interesting post, thank you your review. We're sailing Celebrity for the first time (but 8th cruise) in February, on the Summitt. I was wondering how you get a tour of the galley? Is it something you're invited to, or can you make a request? The Bridge tour would also be very interesting. Can anyone fill me in on this? Thank you.

 

Hi, I have been invited to Galley Tours before but this was

my first BridgeTour.

I received an invitation to each but I would suggest you speak

to the Capt's Club Hostess if you would like a chance to attend

either.

I know for the Bridgetour we had to bring ID and sign a form too.

Hope this helps.

[cruisinjudy]

Great review, Lois.

 

As to the wine on your bill. That wine bottle does irritate me. It is just something else for them to sell. It looks like it is a bottle of wine from your TA or something as previously that is where a gift bottle might be placed. They are selling the wine and the holder. The first I saw it was on our Alaska /west coast cruise in September. I am glad you convinced them to remove it from your bill. Was the holder there, or were both items missing?

 

I wonder why they are filling in the hole between martini bar and rendezvous. That is a really popular place for people to stand and watch the dancers below. Or am I misunderstanding what they are doing?

[Lois R]

Hi:) I don't know anything about a hole in the floor:confused:

I think I don't get it either. I know what area you are talking about.

It is the railing where you can look down to watch the band,

dancers, etc. It would be a shame to close that up.

Maybe there is something we are both missing?:eek:

 

As to the wine bottle....there was no holder either.

The only thing on the desk was the ice bucket, carafe

for water and 2 glasses (I think) and they were on a tray.

And of course the big blue book with information about the

ship, etc.

But I never used any of it..not even the water carafe.

 

Anyway, I wasn't going to pay for it....even if they

had been argumentative.....I would have just held my

ground.

I didn't order it and didn't drink it.

 

Now, I did drink in the dining room, at the Martini Bar,

Mast Bar, well........you get the idea;)

[Drew B]

Hi:) I don't know anything about a hole in the floor:confused:

I think I don't get it either. I know what area you are talking about.

It is the railing where you can look down to watch the band,

dancers, etc. It would be a shame to close that up.

Maybe there is something we are both missing?:eek:

 

 

My understanding is that that is EXACTLY what they are closing up. I think it's actually a good idea, as it will make it into two separate spaces. I think the Rendes-vous lounge is the second smokiest room on the ship (after the casino), and this will alleviate some of the smoke in the martini bar. Also, it will allow them to do things or play their own separate music in the martini bar without interfering with whatever's going on in the Rendez-vous.

[cruisinjudy]

Oh yes, Lois, I knew you had made use of the martini bar! Great place!

 

Anyway I was just kind of wondering if others felt the bottle of wine was strange. When I asked the cabin steward about it, he said he would tell us about it as he told us about the cabin. He explained in his talk that it would be charged for. I don't think the charge was mentioned on the card that explained the holder for sale.

[smdubowsky]

Lois- Thank you for the quick answers. I suspected that the formal nights were the sea days. It makes sense. Three years ago when we were in Casa de Campo on the Constellation, we went on the Bayahibe beach excursion. We enjoyed it and we're going again.

I guess the pods are working well now on the Millennium, if the Captain was able to shave three hours off the sailing time to Nassau.

[Jarronwood]

Very interesting post, thank you your review. We're sailing Celebrity for the first time (but 8th cruise) in February, on the Summitt. I was wondering how you get a tour of the galley? Is it something you're invited to, or can you make a request? The Bridge tour would also be very interesting. Can anyone fill me in on this? Thank you.

 

Tarps

 

What sailing in February onthe Summit are you on? If its the 14 day Panama Canal from Miami on 17th February then come on over and join our roll call.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=302203

[TWELVEOHONE]

Hi, I have been invited to Galley Tours before but this was

my first BridgeTour.

I received an invitation to each but I would suggest you speak

to the Capt's Club Hostess if you would like a chance to attend

either.

I know for the Bridgetour we had to bring ID and sign a form too.

Hope this helps.

 

 

If you are an Elite member you will automatically get invited to:

Gallery Tour

Bridge tour

Backstage tour

High Tea in the Olympic resturant

A unique wine mixing class

Plus a few other items