celebrity-millennium1

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Ellie McKinney
Email: jmckinne@dixie-net.com
Age: 55
Occupation: Respirtory Therapist
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Meridian
SailingDate: July 29, 2000
Itinerary: Russia and the Baltics
Cabin: 6016 Cat 2C
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Aug 2000
Time: 16:46:47
Remote Name: 208.62.217.84
Remote User:

Comments

This review is on Celebrity's Millennium. This was the third cruise, so some of the overall ratings
may have been a little lower due to the fact that the crew was new to the ship and each other.
Overall, this was a great cruise. The Millennium is an eligant ship, not glitzy, but eligant. Of course
everything is brand new, but emmaculately clean. Their was a beautiful optinal dining room called
the Olympic which had the paneling from the sister ship to the Titanic in it. You need to make
reservations early if you plan to dine there, the reservations fill up early. We did not get a chance
to dine there, nor did we speak with anyone that did, but it was really a very nice dining room.

The
cabins were the same as any of the other Celebrity ships. The space was adequate, but not
exceptional. There is shampoo and lotion in wall units for your use. They provided bar soap and a
little pack of qtips and cotton balls. The shower again was adequate, but nothing outstanding.
Always plenty of hot water and water pressure. The ships stabilization was good, we did have a few
days of rocking a bit, but not too bad. The cabin did have the squeek that people complain about
when the seas were heavy and the wind whistled through the door if it wasn't closed really tight. We
had a balcony, the first one forward on the starboard side. We didn't find it to have any more
movement than any place else in the ship and really enjoyed being able to get outside and see the
ports as we were docking. We highly recommend a balcony if you can manage the expense. We
really feel it is worth the extra money to be able to get outside any time you want to.

All the
entertainment was great. I would definately say that Celebrity has improved in this area. We
attended all shows except for one and enjoyed all of them very much. The lounge entertainment
was equally great. The dining room food was plentiful and adequate. It was not the best we have
ever had on a cruise, but considering the fact that it was only the third cruise and the number of
people being served, it was good overall. I really only had one steak that was not good. I wouldn't
rate it excellent though. The casual dining was the usual fair, nothing exceptional, I didn't find it as
good as some of the other cruises we have been on. Room service, we only got coffe and
danishes in the morning, and one evening we had a tuna sandwich. Ok, again not great. Maybe I
have been spoiled. Room service was very prompt.

All staff seemed pleasant and eager to please.
We had no complaints in any area, our room was always neat and clean, bath room towels etc
replenished, dining room staff was friendly and attentive. The itinerary was great. We really were
glad to have the opportunity to visit that many countries in that length of time. It is very busy though
and it is easy to become over tired. Oslow Norway was very green and pretty. We docked right
across from a castle, what a great view. We did a tour there. We visited the Viking museum and
Vigeland Park. It would have been great, but we were so rushed and there were so many people
that we really didn't get to spend much time anywhere. I would recommend to any one doing this,
don't take a tour, there are buses and cabs and a ships shuttle to get around on and you can
spend a more relaxed time seeing things. Another couple at our table went out on their own and
really had a great time.

Stockholm Sweden: We did the Waterways tour in the morning and went
shopping in the afternoon. Really enjoyed both. The ship has a shuttle at most ports that will take
you into the center of town and pick you up. Most of the shops will take US dollars, only your small
stores require the Swedish currency. All major shop will accept credit cards. This is the place to
buy crystal if that is what you are interested in. Helsinki, Finland We took an all day tour here that
included a visit to Porvoo and lunch. The candy in a little shop in Porvoo is worth the trip. St.
Petersburg, Russia This a place of great contrasts. The poverty is almost heart breaking, and the
magnificent castles and churches are beautiful. We were almost freightened about going into St.
Petersburg. We were told there was no opportunity to shop, that is not true. We were also told they
would not accept US dollars, again not true. There are several shopping areas, where you can get
some great buys, they will bargain. It is a great place to pick up lacker boxes, the dolls, the eggs
and amber jewlery. You don't need to carry a lot of money, but you can get some great souveniers
for very little money. The same things will be available on the ship at a greatly inflated price. We
visited Petrodvorets, beautiful. The fountains and grounds are just great. Also great opportunity to
pick up inexpensive souveniers. We really enjoyed out time in St. Petersburg. We did not do any
full day tours.

Tallinn, Estonia Our favorite place. We loved old town, did most of our shopping
there. The people are friendly, they will accept US dollars as well as Estonian currency. Some of
the small shops will not accept US dollars. We walked from where the shuttle let us out. It was such
a great little place. We visited several churches and climbed to the top of the tower for the
panaramic view. It was just a wonderful day. We did not take a tour and later found that it was a
good choice. Do this one on your own. Gdansk, Poland This was another great stop. We went on a
tour of Gdansk and Gdynia. We were given time to shop in Gdansk and visit St Mary's Church on
our own. We happened to be in St Mary's when the astrological clock struck 12. That was a
pleasant surprise. good place to buy amber if you are interested. Also lots of crafts and linens.
Rostock, Germany. Many of our fellow passengers went to Berlin. They all said it was a great trip.
We opted to visit the town of Warnemunde during the morning, the bakeries had such wonderful
smells, we didn't buy because we had just eaten breakfast, when we went back that evening they
were closed. There was a sailing festival going on while we were there, so there was a carnival type
set up there on the dock with good German beer and all kinds of vendors selling everything from
beer to souveniers. We took a tour to Bad Doberan Minster and rode the Molli Steam train. It was a
very pleasant afternoon. We visited the beach and had tea at the beach resort. When we returned
to the ship, we went back out amoung the carnival for a while. It was really great. That morning
there must have been 40 sail boats out on the water. We did not get to Rostock, but those that did
go said it was very nice too. There is a train station that you can go to Rostock on right by the ship.

Copenhagen, Denmark We took the Castles of North Zealand excursion here. Of all the tours we
did, this was the one I looked most forward to and was most disappointed in. Except for the last
Castle we visited, it was a waste of time. Visiting Helsigor, Shakespears Elsinore in Hamlet was so
disappointing. We got out of the bus for 20 minutes, no tour of the castle just take pictures outside
and leave, Fredenborg Castle was just a stop long enough to take a picture and there was
scaffeling all around everything. What a waste of time. Fredericksborg Castle was beautiful. The
tour of it was good, lots of interesting ceilings in the place. As a result of taking the tour, we docked
at 10:30, so we couldn't go shopping in town in the morning, though we tried, when we go back,
everything was closed. If we had it to do over again, we would not take a tour. We did walk down
the pier to see the Mermaid in the rain. We did not go to Tivoli park, but those that did had a good
time. The trip was great. Would we do it again, in a heart beat.

Did the Millennium exceed our
expectation, No, but it was still wonderful. This has been very lengthy, but before we went on this
cruise, we couldn't see much out there about this itinerary. I have tried to answer some of the
questions we had. The weather was cool. For us coming from 90-100 temps in the sunny south, it
was cold. You will need a rain coat, comfortable shoes, lots of cobblestones, and lots of film for
your camera. It was a wonderful experience for us, we ran into some people who were less that
courteous, but if you can go with the flow and not take things too seriously, you will have a
wonderful trip.

Name: William Knoderer
Email: knoderer@ix.netcom.com
Age: 51
Occupation: dentist
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Millennium
SailingDate: 1 July 2000
Itinerary: Baltic
Cabin: Royal suite
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService: 82
CruiseStaff: 65
CabinAmenities: 60
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 82
CabinQuietness: 55
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 78
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 86
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 65
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 92
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 78
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 65
EmbarkDisembark: 65
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Aug 2000
Time: 17:06:53
Remote Name: n53-c209-c149-c49.bs.xlate.ufl.edu
Remote User:

Comments

Sometimes it is difficult to write a balanced report on a ship and this is certainly the case with the
Millennium. We booked five cabins for the 15-day 1 July sailing in the Baltic, mindful that this was
only the second cruise for this ship. As it turned out the inaugural sailing was canceled and
passengers were given full refunds and a free cruise. We got the inaugural but they should have
canceled this cruise too. While the staff worked their hearts out trying to overcome all the problems
they were simply overwhelmed. I rate this ship the lowest of any I have been on, in part because of
my experience and in part because of crew, past passenger and staff comments.

We had a Royal Suite, unfinished, inoperative, dark, poorly planned and very expensive. These
suites are at the back of the ship and were prone to problem vibration and noise. I like to be at the
back of the ship- usually, but this was an exception. This ship has gas turbine- electric pod
propulsion. It looks good on paper but is not near as a vibration free as you would be led to
believe. It seems that anytime you turn the pods you get cavitation and vibration.

The list of problems with the suite is too long for this review and many were the type that will not or
cannot be corrected until she goes in for repairs. Speaking of which many have probably heard
that we lost power at sea one day because of a circuit breaker. While we were in no danger it did
force us to dock at Rostock for a repair part and some French repair technicians. We later found
out the 150 passenger cabins were full of Celebrity staff still working on the ship.

The staff did their best but the start up crew had taken delivery of the ship some six weeks late and
the ship was just not ready to receive passengers. One of my biggest concerns was the lack of
security. Most newer ships we have been on have elected to use photo id card scanners, but
apparently Royal Caribbean, Celebrity's parent, nixed this as too costly. You could wander
anywhere on the ship unchallenged.

Celebrity is supposed to be known for their exceptional food service but the repeat passengers I
spoke with were disappointed with the food. It certainly was no better than what I have experienced
with Holland or Princess.

Our Butler and cabin attendant were exceptional. They were always there to help when they could
and equally frustrated when things could not be fixed. We had two $10,000 plasma TV's in our
suite. One never worked because they did not have the connection parts on board. The other
worked poorly until day 13 when a technician discovered that it was wired wrong. Our cabin was
also to have a computer workstation. It was installed on the 6th day and after many repeat visits
finally worked the last couple of days. Our toilet was an on again - off again item the whole trip.

We had glass seas for most of the trip but when we finally got into some swells all the rattles and
creaks and groans became apparent. We put in earplugs and went on- no point in telling anyone
as they would never get to it. It was in the chop that the sewage smell started meandering around
the ship too. We were told that some decks were having trouble with sewer backup.

Shore excursions were the typical genera with two exceptions. While in St. Petersburg we were
offered a ballet performance for '…Celebrity guests only'. Turns out that we were not alone,
another ship had the same deal and got there about 30 minutes before we did and got all the good
seats. It is interesting watching the ballet from the 4th balcony. The second was a trip to Berlin.
Booked as a train ride and then bus tour of the city it sounded good. Turns out the train is an old
1970's retired set of coaches without A/C. Once in Berlin you drive around and listen to a guide tell
you all about the new buildings and who designed them. A COMPLETE WASTE.

We had arranged our own air but elected to use Celebrity transfers. Our arrival was a little
confusing and we had to take our own bags a long way to a truck for transport to the ship. But they
had crew there to gather the bags. Disembarkation was a nightmare. Once off the ship we had to
identify our bags and get a porter to move them to the waiting buses. But they wouldn't put them on
the bus and neither would the drivers, so if you wanted your bags to go with you, you had to put
them on yourself. Our bus was 100% Delta flight 39 passengers yet the driver would not take us to
the Delta terminal. We all had to gather our own bags and walk the entire length of the Amsterdam
airport to the Delta terminal.

I wish I could say something else nice about the cruise but other than the exceptional effort by the
crew to overcome impossible odds all I can say no more Celebrity for me. As a foot note this report
was written just after returning from the cruise and we have since discussed the matter with our
travel agent and sent letters to customer relations at Celebrity. Unfortunately, our letters were met
with the general attitude that we should have expected all this since it was the first cruise. Their
bottom line was a restricted discount offer on a future cruise- about the same deal you could get
from a good travel agent.

Name: Noel Orraca
Email: orraca@compuserve.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Controller
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Millennium
SailingDate: 07/15/2000
Itinerary: Scandinavia & Russia
Cabin: 8185 / Cat 1B
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 91
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 82
CabinAmenities: 81
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 60
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 60
ShoreExcVariety: 94
FoodVariety: 84
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 82
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 98
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Sep 2000
Time: 18:07:29
Remote Name: atl-tgn-yfp-vty2.as.wcom.net
Remote User:

Comments

BACKGROUND This was our fourth cruise for my wife (35) and I (37). Our cabin was 8185 (cat 1B).
We were originally scheduled on the cancelled inaugural cruise of 6/17/00. We were able to rebook
our cruise to this later sailing. This was a “free” cruise for us, but I am not letting this bias my opinion
either way.

All of our three prior cruises were aboard RCL ships and these were in the Caribbean and Panama
Canal. Our last cruise before this one was on December 1998. As in my prior reviews, I will make
several comparisons to our prior cruises as part of my observations.

SUMMARY

The Good 1. the ship is stunning and gorgeous. 2. the itinerary and ports of call were the best. 3. our
cabin: great location, huge balcony. 4. the spa on board, and its staff. 5. the food was better than
RCL.

The Bad 1. the cinema and the music library were not functioning. 2. our toilet had a life of its own, with
several dead spells. 3. the water temperature on the shower fluctuated constantly.

The Ugly 1. the food service and its staff were terrible and did not address our needs properly. 2. our
cabin attendant. 3. many of the excursions’ destinations were terminally overcrowded.

The Whole Story

Okay, here we go. BTW, I will highlight some tips along the way.

July 13, 2000 Our flight from Orlando to Amsterdam on Martinair Holland was delayed for 2 hours. This
flight is over 9 hours long, which meant that we would now arrive in Amsterdam at 10:30 am the next
day. Once we departed, the flight was uneventful. I was impressed with the service provided by the
flight crew, which was up the whole flight serving passengers, including 2 full meals (this was not the
case with Delta on the return flight home).

July 14, 2000 We arrived at the Hilton (downtown) around 11:30am, which was walking distance to the
Rembrandt museum, but far from the main downtown areas. Based on location, the Crowne Plaza
seemed like a better bet. After checking in, we went to the Rembrandt museum. At this point, I would
like to mention that I had last visited Amsterdam, Norway, Sweden & Denmark with my mom and
brothers at age 17 (in fact this was the last vacation trip I took with my mom – I went college after that,
and then she passed away soon after I graduated). There are certain things that I clearly remember
from that trip, such as Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” painting at the Rijksmuseum, which made me think
of her and how lucky I was to have her as my mom.

After seeing the highlights of the museum, we started walking to the center of town. The skies opened
up, and it rained on and off for the rest of the day. Eventually, we made it to the Central Station by
mostly following a pedestrian shopping street. With a few souvenirs on hand, we took a taxi back to the
hotel. We rested for a while and took an evening boat tour of the canals, which included wine and
cheese. It was nice, but the dinner cruise looked much better and romantic. After the tour, we returned
to the hotel, had room service, and went to bed as the jet lag caught up with us.

July 15, 2000 After breakfast, we checked out and took a taxi to the pier. Not knowing the name or
address of the pier where the ship was docked, we mentioned the name of the ship to the driver – this
was more than enough. As the biggest, newest cruise ship ever to visit any of these countries,
Millennium was in itself an attraction in every port of call. We arrived at the port at 10:30am. At first
glance, the ship is stunning and large. From the outside, I liked the ship colors, and the round shape
of the cabin windows. At this time there were passengers still coming out from the ship, later I was told
by a crew person that disembarkation had not gone smoothly. Anyway, we checked our luggage.

Needless to say were among the first 12 people to arrive at the terminal. The terminal was very nice
and comfortable. From a bar located in the main embarkation floor, complementary coffee, tea, water
and cookies was served until about 11:45am. As you arrive you are given a group number, which is
used to manage the embarkation process. (TIP: be sure to get a number, there were many people that
were oblivious to the process and did not get a number right away. – as a result, they got a lower
number by the time they figured it out) We met several nice people during our wait, and at 12:30pm,
embarkation began. Since we were on group 1, we were aboard quickly.

We boarded the ship on deck 3. Our first impression was that the ship was more luxurious than any of
the RCL ships we had traveled on in the past. The main staircase, made of onyx, was beautiful
(specially at night). Our cabin 8185 was great, with a balcony equal in size to that of the cabin itself. At
this point one of my concerns was put to rest: I was worried that the extended balconies of the corner
family cabins would significantly block our side ocean views (like blinders on a horse). This was not the
case – the blockage was very minor. However, those cat 3 corner balconies looked awesome.

Since we had pre-booked our excursions, our first 2 priorities after boarding were to book dinner at the
Olympic restaurant and book our spa treatments. In both case, we booked what we wanted when we
wanted it (it pays to board early). More on these two places later.

After eating a quick snack on the ocean café, we went to explore the ship. We quickly noted that the
music library and the cinema were not open, (and both remained closed for the duration of the cruise).
In several websites, I had heard mention of a “beach” on the pool deck – sorry folks there’s none. The
Celebrity Theatre is the most impressive I have ever seen – it is decorated with dozens of faux torches
that surround the theatre in every floor. (TIP: on the top floor, do not take a seat on the front row, as
the railing will partially block the view of the stage).

The Internet café looked very sleek and fun. This became the favorite hangout of teenagers as they
figured out a way of logging in without having to pay by the second week of the cruise.

The juice bar near the spa was a disappointment as it was rarely opened during the cruise and offered
only the basic juices.

All the lounges were very similar to those on other ships we have been on. The casino, however, was
beautifully decorated.

Finally, the mix of passengers was very good. We had many nationalities represented, and an average
age of mid-40’s.

We returned to the cabin and noted two problems: One, the tuxedo that I had rented thru Celebrity
was not in the cabin (it was supposed to be there), and the safe on the cabin was not operational. It
took 5 days to get the safe fixed. After a call to Guest Relations, the tuxedo was promised by the next
morning (more on this the next day).

Our first dinner provided a glimpse of our troubles to come. My wife has a condition that makes it
difficult for her to eat in the dining room. In all our RCL cruises we were allowed to take some food from
the dining room to the cabin for her to eat at her leisure. That first night we were told in no uncertain
terms that this could not be allowed on a Celebrity ship, and that she would have to order room service
from the cabin. Let me say at this time that we heard the word “no” more times on the first 3 days of
this cruise than our 3 previous cruises combined (probably due of the lack of staff training, but who
knows?). We also noted throughout the cruise, crew members arguing with each other where the main
issue always seemed to be: “that’s not my job”.

July 16, 2000 Our first day at sea meant our first experience into the spa. The Spa was a ship highlight
for us. The facilities are impressive and extensive. (Tip – take a tour of the facilities on the
embarkation day – you will not be disappointed). The Spa personnel was the friendliest by far on the
ship. Our kudos to Deryn, spa supervisor (from South Africa), who never steered us wrong, and
accommodated our every need (say hi to her from us). It would be fair to say that between my wife and
I, we tried every single treatment available on the Spa. Our awards as follows:

Best Value: Persian Garden – at $17/hr easily the best deal on the whole ship. It consists of 3 different
saunas and two showers that you use at your discretion during the hour. The showers provided
different settings including a flower smelling tropical rain shower and a mint tasting mist.

Best Treatment Mediterranean Float – a comprehensive 2 treatment. Not cheap but includes
massage, facial, and a seaweed wrap while floating on a water balloon.

Best for Couples Etruscan Chamber – your private sauna. You are given 3 kinds of mud that cover
every inch of your body (with the help of your partner), then a sauna.

Well, back to reality. By 1 pm, my tuxedo had not arrived to the cabin. To complicate matters, early
that morning we had received an invitation to eat dinner at the Captain’s Table that evening with the
Staff Captain. We were thrilled, but no tuxedo in sight. Anyway, it took me the next 3 hours of constant
phone calls and visits to Guest Relations before the tux appeared in my cabin at 4pm. I was upset that
I had to waste an afternoon taking care of something that should have never happened.

Dinner is the Captain’s Table was a first for us, and it was a great experience. My wife ate very little,
but enjoyed herself anyway. After the show, we ordered room service from the cabin for my wife. I am
not exaggerating when I tell you that almost one hour and half passed before the food finally arrived.
This was unacceptable, as my wife did not get to eat until after 11pm.

July 17, 2000 Oslo, Norway Every morning we ordered breakfast to be delivered to our cabin by
placing our order outside our cabin the night before. Almost every morning we got stuff we did not
order or did not get stuff we had ordered. It became a running joke with our tablemates (who had the
same problem) throughout the cruise who was going to be the first to get what was actually ordered for
breakfast. After a few days, we decided that it was fun to get a “surprise” breakfast each morning (Tip
– you can order your breakfast thru the interactive TV in the cabin, however it does not have the
entire menu available).

The weather was rainy and overcast in the morning, but the sun peaked out in the afternoon. In
general, we had excellent weather throughout the cruise with temps in the 65-75 range during the day.

We pre-booked our excursions before the cruise. In Oslo, we took the most comprehensive tour. In
hindsight, a tour that included just Vigeland Park and the Viking ship museum would have been
enough (thus leaving us with more time to explore downtown on our own).

Please note that when you take a ship excursion, you need to show up at a designated area at least
10 minutes before the departure time of the excursion in order to be assigned a bus number. Then, a
crew person guided you to down to the bus. Well, as the cruise progressed, people started showing up
earlier and earlier for the bus assignments, and then would run down to the bus by themselves to
catch the front seats on the busses. By the end of the cruise, most people had figured out the game,
and only 2-5 people would actually come down with the crew person, as most people were already on
the bus.

July 18, 2000 Another day at sea, more time in the spa. At lunchtime, I went to talk to the maitre’d
about our food problems. Our assigned maitre’d was not there, but another one came out to talk to
me. After explaining my situation to him, he told me that he would not allow any of the restaurant
personnel to take food to a passenger’s cabin, after all that was the job of the cabin attendant. He was
rude and condescending to me but in the end he agreed to have the food prepared, then have
someone call my cabin attendant to come get the food.

My wife accompanied me to the Olympic restaurant. She was not going to eat much, but wanted me to
have the experience. I must say that it was the best dining experience of the whole cruise. The dinner
was in itself a show for the taste and the eyes as several dishes were prepared tableside.
Unbelievably, they even let my wife take a dessert back to the cabin (the one and only time this was
allowed). If you go on this ship, please do not miss this experience. (Tip – make a reservation early.
The restaurant seats about 100 people and due to the length of the dinner can only accommodate
about 130 on any given night. Do the math, and you will see that no everyone will be able to attend on
a 2,000 passenger ship.)

This evening out toilet died for a couple of hours. It seemed that every other day it would act up
somehow. One day it would not stop the vacuum suction for about an hour.

July 19, 2000 Stockholm, Sweden We took the Vasa museum and City tour. The Vasa ship was a sight
not to be missed, even though the museum was way too crowded. The old town was fun and a good
shopping area. (Tip – skip the tour. Take a taxi to the Vasa Museum and then to the old city, Gamla
Stan).

At dinner, our maitre’d informed us that he had been updated of our food problems by the other
maitre’d, and that we could order now and it would be delivered to our cabin at whatever time we
requested. We asked him to have the food delivered by 8:15pm to our cabin. Well, our food was
delivered at 8:55pm.

July 20, 2000 Helsinki, Finland I left the cabin early in the morning to go the gym. On my way out, I
bumped into our cabin attendant who immediately proceeded to tell me how much having to pick my
wife’s food from the dining room had created havoc with his evening schedule (even though he was
late with the delivery). Now that maybe true, but the last thing I expected from a cabin attendant was to
tell me about it. That really pissed me off! Well, to finish this story, I had a major talk with our maitre’d
that night, and told him in no uncertain terms how displeased we were about this whole issue. Finally,
after this evening we had no more problems. The food was delivered right on time, even if our cabin
attendant stopped smiling at us for the rest of the cruise.

We took the full day city tour and Porvoo. We enjoyed the tour, but beware Porvoo is nothing more
than a tourist trap town. Yes, we did buy some stuff there. Lunch was good. As a matter of fact, I was
pleasantly surprised with the food quality in all the day-long excursions. Please note that this tour will
leave you with virtually no time to shop on the downtown area, however there were several kiosks with
souvenirs at the pier.

July 21, 2000 St. Petersburg Our most anticipated port of call. Today we had requested a private car
tour for the full day. This was a very, very expensive option, but we thought that it was our only way to
get a real taste of Russia. It was one of the best decisions we made during the cruise. Our plan was to
use the private car to see the highlights of the city, and then take regular excursion to Petrodvorets
and Pushkin palaces the next day (since these palaces are outside the city, we did not want to waste
the day commuting).

Our personal guide was Maria and our driver was Igor. I can’t express well enough how much we
learned from Maria about Russia, and about her and life in Russia. Having lunch with her on an open
café in Nevsky Prospect was a highlight of the trip. If you can afford this, do it. However, do a full day.
Every single person that took a half-day private car regretted not taking the whole day. Furthermore, I
have no doubt in my mind that we saw more of St. Petersburg than any of the bus tours ever could.

During the evening there were two shows offered by the cruise line: a ballet show and the folkloric
show. We selected the folkloric show because Russian ballet troupes routinely tour the US. It was the
right decision as far we could tell. The show was spectacular. Please do not miss it. For many people
on board it was the highlight of the trip. (Tip – head for the balcony. We had the first row there and we
could truly appreciate the whole stage when as many as 45 performers were on it at the same time)

July 22, 2000 St. Petersburg The second day in Peter (as the locals call the city) meant palaces for us.
Catherine’s the Great Palace at Pushkin in the morning, and Peter the Great Palace at Petrodvorets in
the afternoon. I must say by the end of the day we had seen enough royal rooms to last us a lifetime. I
think one of them would have been enough, but which one would have been a tough decision. In our
opinion Pushkin was the better palace, but Petrodvorets had the better gardens. However, both were
so extremely crowded, and as a result some of the rooms got very hot. Both tours moved slowly, but
the private tours cruised ahead. We missed Maria and Igor on this day immensely!!

July 23, 2000 Tallinn Tallinn was a very nice surprise for us. We took the whole day tour that included
a visit to Rocca al Mare, an open air museum of Estonian homes dating back up to a 1000 years (a
small Williamsburg if you think about it). It was nice, but my wife and I agree that we would have
preferred to stay on the old town instead. (Tip – take a half-day tour, eat lunch in one of the many
restaurants in the old town, and then shop).

July 24, 2000 Our third day at sea. We really needed the break. After running around non-stop in five
straight days in ports, we were tired. We had some extra sleep this morning, and keep quiet for the
rest of the day.

At this time let me talk about the entertainment aboard Millennium. We found the shows by the ship’s
dancers & singers to be of much better quality than those at RCL. We had the whole range of guest
artist: from good to bad. Special note about the ship’s acappella group called Four Score: they were
great and became a passenger favorite. The harpist was also very good.

July 25, 2000 Gdansk, Poland The old town of Gdansk was a revelation to us. We totally expected a
port city with very few interesting things to see, but the old town was great. The only tour that the
cruise line offered was OK, but left very little time to shop in town after wasting an hour in a church for
an organ concert. (Tip – skip the tour. Take a taxi to the old town and back. Taxis are everywhere.)

July 26, 2000 Rostock, Germany We took the all day to Berlin. I must say that after Tallinn, we had
second thoughts about taking this long tour (13 hours). We were tired and this seemed like a tall
mountain to climb. In fact, many passengers did cancel, but we stuck with it. We were glad we did.
Berlin is an amazing city, and we regretted not having a lot of time to see it. The ride over there (3
hours) and back was not bad at all. You get a pit stop halfway there and back. We had an escort girl
from Rostock to Berlin and back, but a separate guide once we reached Berlin. The guide in Berlin
was from the former West Germany, but the escort was from the former East Germany. It was
fascinating to hear to different points of view during the day.

A truly memorable moment happened this evening for me. As we came back to the ship, we noted that
at least 2,000 to 3,000 people had lined up all the way to the end of the harbor to watch the ship
leave. There were quite a few families. My wife went back to our rear cabin, but I decided to stay on
the muster deck. I got a spot on the railing watching the spectacle below with quite a few other
passengers. As the ship began to move, Andrea Bocelli’s music began playing from the pier’s
speakers. When we had enough distance from the pier, the ship’s engines started moving us forward.
At this point the people from the former East German town of Rostock started to give us a standing
ovation, which soon after was returned in kind by passengers on the deck and the balconies above.
Quite a moment!

July 27, 2000 Copenhagen, Denmark We took the Royal Copenhagen tour. We were tired of seeing
castles and palaces at this point, but actually enjoyed our visit to the Rosenborg castle, home of King
Frederick. Of all the castle and palaces we visited, this one was the only one that had not been
destroyed at some point in its history. Most other castles we saw, including those in Russia, are for the
most part recreated (not restored) versions of the originals. (Tip – somewhere in the daily activity
newspaper or the port shopping guide it states that the downtown shopping area is a 20 minute walk
from the pier – this is not true, it is closer to an hour).

July 28, 2000 Our last day at sea. I always hate this day because it already feels like the vacation is
over. We took out last treatments at sea, and said our good byes to the many friends we made in the
spa.

July 29, 2000 Disembarkation was not bad at all. We flew back to Orlando that day, and then
proceeded to sleep for the next 12 hours.

Any specific questions can be directed to orraca@compuserve.com

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