Final version of Millenium review and comparison with RCI

[TC Cruiser]

Great review! We were on your sailing and share many of the same opinions about the ship and the food. However, we are not quite the cruise veterans that you are and this was X's chance to make a first impression with us. Overall, we believe that we enjoyed Mille more so that any of our five prior cruises including two Voyager class ships. We are very much looking forward to our next Celebrity cruise.

 

Mille is very nice, but I agree that it's somewhat dark and understated. The Voyager class ships look like they brought in the designers for the Bellagio and Venetian hotels in Vegas to develop their look. There is no comparison in how delightful the Solarium is on RCI vs the Aquaspa on X. However, Mille was warm and elegant and we felt relaxed and comfortable in every space. Compare that with NCL with their bright fruity-colored walls and obnoxious carpeting and where the atmosphere is too distracting and energizing to feel relaxed.

 

We found the food overall to be better on X than on RCI. The food in the Aquaspa Cafe was exceptional and we ate lunch there every day when not off the ship. I totally agree with you on the buffet layout. The waffles were nice but I only had them once since I wasn't patient enough to stand in the long line each morning. And what was up with nearly every coffee machine on the ship being out of order?

 

Fresh pastries! We loved the fresh croissants and pastries. On RCI, it seemed like they reheated frozen croissants and they were not worth the calories. I thought the pizza was a close call. I had one slice with a crisp crust and another later that was limp and with too much cheese. With late dining, we indulged in an afternoon sushi snack that included raw fish. This was a pleasant surprise. We thought the late-night-bites in the lounges were great.

 

The Olympic specialty dining was fabulous and probably the best meal that we have had since the French Laundry. Not that the food is in the same league, but the overall experience of the service and of the tasting menu paired with a wine on every course made it such an elegant meal.

 

Another reason why we were able to enjoy this cruise a bit more was because the ship never felt as crowded as on RCI. We never had a problem finding a deck chair or a good seat in the theater or lounge. And with only 43 kids on board--or so we were told--compared with hundreds on RCI, we never had to run away from the screaming and splashing or late night tantrums. Not once did we scowl at an inattentive or inconsiderate parent.

 

We also found more activities to enjoy on this cruise then perhaps on the past two cruises combined. The afternoon teas were great and we loved the wine-food pairing class. My DW also took two classes in Excel and Power Point. The Cova Cafe had a tasting of three specialty coffee drinks for us to share and compare. We had more fun on the sea days on Mille than on our previous cruises.

 

We enjoyed Tortola and Labadee but could pass on San Juan and definitely on Casa de Campo, which we feel should be dropped from every X itinerary. This might have been our least favorite itinerary so far but probably still better than visiting the Western Caribbean after Hurricane Wilma.

 

The cabins on RCI are far more functional than on the Mille, although still superior to the Norwegian Jewel's cabins that had half as many drawers, maybe less. Our hair dryer on Mille was held together with tape. We had our beds separated and we had to pry them apart each day in order to open the drawer in one of the end tables. The mattresses were much more comfortable than those on RCI but I've heard that RCI has been changing them out on their ships. Is this true?

 

I enjoyed RCI's entertainment better and I think that RCI had higher caliber dancers but equal singers to Mille's. The sets on RCI are much more elaborate.

 

My eyes popped when we docked next to Freedom of the Seas. I considered for a moment how fun it would be to wander about the large spaces, the grand three-tier dining room and of course the longer Royal Promenade. But then I thought about why I seemed to be getting more out of X and thumbed again through the 2009 catalog looking at the Solstice and Summit. I think we'll be there next year.

[glgolfer]

Hi Barry:

 

that's why there's different cruise lines. We've been on 25 RCI cruises and with them thru the ups, downs and starting back up again.

 

It really aggravated me that there was no water near the waffles or the omelets. And the small glasses meant you had to get 2 or 3 to get enough.

 

The only time I had pizza was 2230 or after and it was really bad. There was a lot of staff going thru the buffet line.

 

The only real difference between the Voyager class and Freedom class is the size, the flowrider and the boxing ring.

 

We've done most of the things offered on cruise ships, we tend not to do them anymore. One of the reasons for trying the Millie is we get in a rut on RCI. The only thing we might have liked was the scotch tasting, but for $16PP, we probably have more bottles of better single malt in our house than they had on the ship.

 

We like bingo, but it was more of a ripoff on Celebrity than on RCI. The final game on RCI is generally worth anywhere from 6K to 9K.

Playing for 1K isn't worth it.

 

Overall we will stay with RCI for the ships and the perks we get as Diamond Plus.

 

I know you'll have a great time in 09 on X.

 

Now, have you looked at the Mariner repositioning next January around the horn? Maybe one of the legs would fit for you. We're doing all 46 days.

[Joe Camper]

Hi Paul:

 

We enjoyed meeting you and Judy on the cruise and getting to see your suite. I've read your reviews and agree with what you had to say. We have decided that while there was nothing wrong with Celebrity we enjoy Royal Caribbean just a little bit more so we'll probably go back to them.

 

Overall, it was a good cruise but then any cruise is a good cruise.

 

For the person who asked about the bon voyage gifts and getting a bottle of hard liquor delivered to your cabin my husband did this on this cruise. He said that it was more expensive than just buying a bottle but less expensive than having to buy that many drinks on the ship. It also came with 6 cans of pop and an assortment of nuts (cashews, pistachios, etc.).

 

Patsy

[Joe Camper]

Hi Paul:

 

I tried to post this last evening but it was timed out so I'll try again.

 

We enjoyed the cruise and I agreed with your review. Although we did enjoy it this was our first Celebrity cruise and I think we'll go back to Royal Caribbean. There was nothing wrong with this cruise we just enjoy Royal Caribbean more.

 

We enjoyed meeting you and Judy.

 

Patsy and Ted

[Joe Camper]

I have to apologize as I just realized that my email from last night was posted. My computer told me that it had timed out.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Patsy