celebrity-millennium5

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: John
Email: johnss@brightpoint.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Director of IT
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Millennium
SailingDate: 2/25/01
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 9201/1A
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 97
FoodRoomService: 83
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 88
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Mar 2001
Time: 19:53:39
Remote Name: ct462299-a.nblvil1.in.home.com
Remote User:

Comments

Millennium 2/25/2001 Western Caribbean

This is third cruise on Celebrity. We have sailed the Carnival Ecstasy (6/96), Celebrity Galaxy (4/99),
the Celebrity Mercury (11/99), and Sea Princess (10/00). We have been impressed with Celebrity in
most cases. We sailed Princess last November and we wanted to sail Celebrity again to make sure that
our memory's were correct on what we liked and disliked about Celebrity and to validate that we still
preferred them to Princess. Thanks to Lori Cunningham our TA for hooking us up with a wonderful
group at Cruise@ddicts on their RSMC. We really didn't know any of them and that didn't matter.
There were 70+ people with the group and we had a great time. My wife and I are in our mid-30's. We
normally chose inside guarantee's but since this was a big group we couldn't pass up the deal on the
1A cabins with veranda. We were in room 9201 on the aft of the ship.

To help you understand our review, I think it is important for you to understand what is important to us
on a cruise. We cruise for the food, camaraderie, and meeting new people. We do not expect true
5-star dining on a cruise that has to feed 1000 people per seating. We expect good, fast, courteous
service in all areas of the ship. Entertainment is not as important, but we like to see it. :) We are not big
dancers, gamblers or drinkers so the bars and casino's are not that important.

With that information, here is a re-cap of our cruise. You will notice at times that I get very picky about
things. Please note that I am splitting hairs to show why I might prefer Celebrity over other lines. We
had a great cruise and we would sail Celebrity again in a heart beat. (In fact, I have not sailed a cruise
line that I would not sail again.) Please take this with a lot of salt. These are my opinions and probably
won't match yours.

Embarkation: Celebrity has changed their policy in that you can start boarding at 10:30 AM on this ship
(at least on this cruise). Actually, this may be wrong about the policy. It may be they let the group on
early and/or captains club people. Your rooms are not ready until 12:30 PM, but you can get on and
start wandering around. We dropped off our big bags with the Celebrity porters, took our rental car
back, and returned to the terminal. We filled out one disembarkation form, went through the medal
detectors, and went right to check in with no wait. We were on in 15 minutes. There is absolutely no
way this could have been any better.

The Ship: The Millennium is a beautiful, and elegant ship. This does not mean that it was perfect.
There are things that I liked on the Century class ships and the Sea Princess better, but over all this is
the best ship I have been on. You enter the ship on deck 3 into the Grand Foyer. The foyer is big and
a good place to meet people, but I think it left a lot to be desired. The Sea Princes was much nicer in
this area. The Olympic restaurant is on this level and it is grand. The Olympic dining room is broken up
into a small front area that has the wood paneling from the original Olympic cruise liner and it is
beautiful. If you eat there, try to get in there. It is very nice. The second larger room is white with very
nice paintings. It is very nice, but does not compare to the paneling in the front room. The wine cellar is
gorgeous. I want the wine cabinets. They are made of elegant, dark wood with well polished brass.

On deck four and five is the Metropolitan Restaurant. It is very similar in feel to the Century class
ships, but larger. The large back windows are a wonderful touch that I love on the Celebrity ships.
Tables range in size from two to ten. We were at a table of seven on the early seating at table 503.
Odd number tables are on the port side (left) and even number tables are on starboard. They stress
large tables on this ship. The majority seemed to be for 8 or 10 people. There were a handful of tables
for two in really bad, and I mean bad locations. Fortunes casino is done in a classic design and is very
nice. If you like to gamble, you will like the casino on the Millennium. If you are familiar with other
Celebrity ships, then you are used to the Rondez-vous Lounge. It is just before the Metropolitan
Restaurant and there is a duo that plays a variety of music. Michael's Club is on deck four as well. I am
not a smoker, so I did not visit this area. Many people from our group spent time there and had a great
time. In ways, I am sorry that we did not attend, but I hate smelling like smoke.

On deck five are the shops. These put the other ships I have been on to shame. It is very large, with
many name brand items. The key complaint is that it is VERY expensive, but then I never found any of
the other ships shops to be inexpensive. The Platinum club is on this level and it was a very nice area
just to pass some time away. It has a large opening in the center and you can listen to the music from
the duo down in the Rendez-vous Lounge.

The Celebrity Theater spans decks 3 to 5 and it is the best I have seen at sea to this point. The seats
are bench style with small dividers so that two can sit together and there is a cocktail tray with each
group. There isn't a bad seat in my opinion. And the decoration is top notch.

The Promenade deck is a little disappointing especially if you like the traditional ones that wrap around
ship. The Millennium does not wrap around plus it is not made of teak wood, but a rubber surface that
helps you keep traction and probably is easier to maintain, but it just doesn't have the feel of the Sea
Princess.

Something new on the Millennium class ships is their two story music room called Notes. It is
interesting. There are a dozen or so music stations and hundreds of CD's covering the spectrum of
music from classical, R&B, Jazz, Rock, etc. The selection was okay in my opinion. They could add more
selections. I saw several people using it. The other changes was taking the Library and expanding it to
two floors as well. It is not the Library any more, but now is known as Words. It is very elegant, but I
found the selection lacking. Maybe the stock will increase over time, if not, there was a better use for
the space.

The Ocean Café on deck 10, provides the standard buffet type breakfast and lunches along with
alternative evening dinning. Again, if you are familiar with the Century class ships, this has the same
feel as the others. The part I like is that a Celebrity waiter will normally be available to take your tray
and guide you to the seat. The down side with Celebrity compared to Princess is that the Café closes
for many hours through out the day. On Princess, their café is open 24x7. I am usually so full, that I
don't miss this, but many out there may find this a big inconvenience. The Riviera Pool is on deck 10
as well. There are two salt water pools along with four hot tubs surrounded by deck chairs. This area
was always busy, but every time I walked through I saw vacant chairs. Further forward is the expanded
Aquaspa. It has the normal things such as the spa, weights, and aerobic equipment. The main
enhancement is the large, enclosed Hydrospa which is pool sized, but it has warmer water (I am
guessing it was about 90 degrees F) and seats on the sides that allow you to lay out on your back and
blows bubbles and a rapid rate onto your back which is very relaxing. I have seen a post that stated if
there had been a big screen TV they would have been there all day, and I agree. They have a similar
pool on the Century class. The difference is it is free on the Millennium, and it is enclosed in glass all
around and above the pool so you can watch the world drift by. Besides the pool, there are a dozen
wood lounge chairs, and dozens of tables with chairs. During our cruise, it was not packed, but I have
heard and could see it being packed with children on weeks when there are a lot on board and I can
believe that. It would be great in Alaska as well.

Deck 11 has the jogging track, deck chairs, Mast Bar, Golf Simulator and Cosmos. Cosmos is a
beautiful place to watch the sea pass in front of you. It is also a very popular place at night with Trivia
and then the band Prodigy will normally play there. Many from our group closed out Cosmos and had a
great time, but we just could not stay up that late. Onyx was suppose to be the band, but they moved
to another ship. My wife and I have seen Onyx twice before and I found Prodigy to be better musicians
and a better band. The down side, they just don't play enough. I think they played about 45 minutes in
the afternoon and 45 minutes at night.

Rooms: Normally, Pam and I book an inside cabin. Our theory is we would rather cruise more often with
the savings. This time, we booked with the Cruise@ddicts group and received a very good deal on a
class 1A cabin. The other interesting thing was looking at the 1A cabins on the aft versus the 1A
cabins on the side. The veranda's appeared bigger, so we were booked in room 9201. The room size
itself is the same as all 1A rooms (except the handicap rooms which are bigger). The room measures
8.5' x 22' or 187 sq. ft.. The big difference is the veranda. It was huge!! There is no other way to say it.
It measured 9' wide by 16' deep. It had one standard deck chair, and a non-reclining lounge chair. The
view out the back was great. The back is tapered and we could look down and see into some of the
veranda's below us, but it would not be a big deal for you on the lower decks. There was plenty of
privacy. Getting back to the rooms. We had plenty of closet space. There were three sealing to floor
doors. The first two provided ample space to hang clothes. The third had the safe and draws to put
other cloths or items in. There are two nightstands that have two drawers. The TV sits on the mini bar.
One note on the mini-bar, the cabin steward has to unlock it before you can use it plus it really doesn't
keep anything cold and you cannot adjust it. Celebrity should take a cue from Princess and just put
refrigerators in your room. If you need it right after boarding you will have to track down your cabin
steward to unlock it. There is a small alcove that is 6 inches deep and about 16 inches wide that has
several shelves to put other items on it in the middle of the wall by the floor to ceiling mirror. There is a
desk in the back of the room and on either side a door opens that has two shelves to stow items in. All
in all, there was plenty of space. Our room also had a two-seat love seat that could fold out into a bed.
Don't know how comfortable it is or how big the bed is because we didn't use it. The bathroom was
fine. It had shampoo and lotion in dispensers, and there was a corner shelf that would hold standard
bathroom items along with shelf space below the sink. The shower was rectangular and plenty big,
Princess should take a lesson here. All in all, the room was fine. We spent most of our time on the
veranda.

Noise in cabin and vibrations: The next issue of concern was how noisy would it be located on the back
under a bar and table area. It was quiet. We did not hear anyone above, beside, or below us. The
great vibration problems that people seem to be complaining about must have been on vacation or
they are being greatly exaggerated. Yes, there are some vibrations and leaving Ft. Lauderdale in the
main dinning room seating, it did cause the dishes to dance a little, but it lasted a few seconds and
then settled down. If you have been on the Century class ships, it is no worse than those ships and in
fact I believe much better. There were moments that coming in to a port early, there was some
vibration that woke me, but I just went back to sleep. I did not experience anything that was remotely
close to 'toss me out of bed' vibrations. As always, I recommend that people always take earplugs just
in case it is noisy around them.

One miscellaneous note on rooms. I was always curious about the Category 3 rooms especially those
that appear to have the huge veranda's on the sides. Since we boarded early, I got a chance to see
them in person (room and veranda) and here is the verdict. They are huge!! No, more than huge, they
are really huge. They blow my 9'x16' veranda away. The rooms themselves are big as well. They have
a partition between the three-seat couch and the bed making it a great room for families that might
want privacy. An example of this room (actually the one that I saw was 9197.) Very nice. Room 9199,
the room is as big, but the veranda is only 16' deep. It was bigger than my veranda but not as large as
room 9197. As you can see I have veranda envy. Hope that helps those that were interested as well.

The Staff: Our waiter was Jovan and the assistant waiter was Boris. They were a little hard to
understand, but they worked very hard to please you. One night, all of our table of seven left but Pam
and I before dessert, and they were very concerned that something was wrong and it wasn't from the
concern that it might affect them financially, but a concern that there was really a problem. The
Maitre'd stopped buy but we didn't see him as much. On Princess, the Maitre'd stops by all the time
and even prepares some of your food. They take a more hands on approach than Celebrity. Because
of that, I didn't mind tipping the Princess Maitre'd because he worked and added visible value. Our
cabin steward was Cielito. He did an excellent job and was tipped accordingly. We saw him frequently,
but not in our room. He was there when we needed something, like letting me in to the room when I
locked myself out. He had my tux shirt pressed and returned on time on Monday, and he took care of
any notes that we left for him efficiently. One note on serving that Princess needs to take note of. I like
the fact that Celebrity have a Wine Steward and a Bar Server to get your drinks where the Princess
waiter and assistant waiter have to handle those duties along with the normal waiter duties.

I found most all of the staff and crew to be polite and to smile and say hello or good day. They are not
as interactive as the Princess staff and crew, but I think that is more the philosophy that Celebrity
wants to uphold. Some people call it stuck up, rude, or arrogant, but I think it is just upscale service.
Just my humble opinion.

The food: Normally, we like to eat breakfast in the dinning room. This time, we decided not to do tours
and sleep in. Because of this and the fact that we are on the main seating, we ended up eating in the
Ocean Café. The food was fine and usually warm. Pam likes to get hot oatmeal and it was always hot.
They had the standard staples of scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast,
pancakes, fruit, cheese, cereals, etc. The line was not usually long when we ate there. I hate the fact
that in many case they do assigned seating and times for lunch and breakfast instead of open seating.
I don't understand it and it is stupid. Oh well, can't have everything.

For lunch, we ate at the dinning room except for Wednesday when it was closed for lunch and Friday
when we were at seven-mile beach in Grand Cayman. On Wednesday, Celebrity said it was closed so
they could bring us an expanded buffet in the Ocean Café, but if that was expanded, I would hate to
see it on the other days. We ate in the Ocean Café for lunch twice. First for lunch on boarding on
Sunday and then on Wednesday. Lunch on Sunday was better than what I had on the Mercury and
Galaxy, and I personally liked it better than anything I had on the Sea Princess. Wednesday did not
impress me so I had a burger and fries at the grill by the pool. Pam did have lunch at the Ocean Café
on Wednesday. She enjoyed her salad and the vegetable lasagna was hot and very good. All in all,
Pam enjoyed her meals at the Ocean Café. The hamburger and fries where good, but they weren't
outstanding. The bun was fairly fresh, the hamburger was cooked well done as it is suppose to be for
ground beef and the fries were tasty. They server hard ice cream during lunch at the Ocean Café
(same as they serve in the dinning room). Sorry Princess fans, but I think their ice cream is as good as
Princess and I don't have to pay extra for it. Another positive is that they have tea, fruit punch, and
lemonade from their fountains in the Ocean Café along with water, milk, coffee, and hot tea. Pam
ordered room service on Friday and I waited until 3 PM and had pizza after returning from Grand
Cayman. Room service menu is very limited, but it arrived by a smiling cabin steward in 20 minutes.
The food was good and the cookies were big, soft, and very tasty.

We ate every night in the Metropolitan dinning room. I found the food to be very good to excellent. If
you didn't like something all you had to do was ask and you would get something else. The ice tea
seamed to be fresh brewed and was very good. Pam likes lemon in hers and she liked the fact that
they would bring a bowl full of lemon wedges to the table. There was a good choice of breads with
dinner and they were normally fresh. I found the following appetizers to be excellent with the day they
are served in parenthesis: Bavittine Pasta Marinara (2), Pasta Chimayo (3), Sliced Tomato with Buffalo
Mozzarella (3), Spinach Turnover (4), Soft Spring Roll (5), and Bucatini with Mushroom Pesto. The
soups were very good and were hot (except for the ones marked chilled which were cold). The
following entrees I had were excellent: King Salmon (1), Filet Mignon (2) which rivaled some of the top
steak houses I have eaten at, Broiled Tilapia (4) (my wife doesn't like fish if it taste fishy (its fish, what
is it suppose to taste like-Chicken?) but she really liked this), Fettucini Alfredo (5), and the Tournedos
Diavolo(7). My wife and I found the Bucatini alla Matriciana on night 3 to be fair. Unless you are a
die-hard pasta fan, then I would waste my time with it. The lobster tails (6) were a little over done. They
were good but not excellent. I still had two.

Mid-night buffet and other food offerings: We love the Celebrity pizza. You can get it by the slice and
we like the way it is prepared. The thing that I don't like is that the hours they serve it are not the best
(3-6 PM and 10 PM to 1 AM). I think they should make it available all day. They serve deserts on deck
5 between 3 and 6 PM and they are very good. We sampled a few items. The thing I miss that Princess
offered is the formal tea. On our Princess cruise, Pam and I look forward to that every day.
Unfortunately, Celebrity has not picked up on that yet. Oh well, can't have everything. Celebrity does
not have a mid-night buffet every night. On some nights, they have what is called gourmet bites. Here
are the nights and their break down in regards to mid-night food offerings. Sunday night is Italian night
buffet in the Ocean café, Monday night is gourmet bites in the lounges, Tuesday night is
Southwestern/Mexican night buffet, Wednesday night was gourmet bites, Thursday night Tropical
Night, Friday night is the Grand Buffet, and Saturday is Gourmet Bits. We did not go to any of these.
Usually too full and tired to make it.

Shows and Entertainment: Sunday night is the standard get to know the entertainment staff show in
the Celebrity theater for the most part. They did conclude the show with a comedian named Michael
James who does juggling comedy on a ladder. He was very good, and worth seeing. Monday night
featured the Celebrity dancers and singers in Spectacle of Broadway. Actually, this group was very
good and I think they rivaled Princess in quality. The only thing I hate is that once you have been on a
cruise or many, you seem to hear the same medleys over and over with different twists. A few
examples are 'Grease', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Les Mes', etc. Tuesday night featured the
internationally renowned entertainer, Elliot Finkel. Not sure what he is renowned at or where, but we
did not see him. Also, Michael James did a one time show that was different than his Sunday night
show which was said to be good. Wednesday night featured the Celebrity dancers and singers in Pure
Platinum. Thursday night featured Jordan Bennett star of 'Les Miserables'. Friday featured a
'Classique, A Musical Odyssey' with the singers and dancers, and Saturday was the standard Farewell
show. A thing that was goofy was the talent show was on Thursday at 2:45 PM. What a weird time and
day. I like how Princess does it at night on the last night.

Ports of Call: I am not going into much detail here. We did Key West on Monday. This is a bummer
because we were only there until 1 PM. It is almost a waste. I would rather have skipped Calica and
stayed at Key West until 10 PM to see the night life. We were suppose to do Calica on Tuesday, but
we ended up tendering at Playa Del Carmen. The tender service was the worst I have ever
experienced. Playa was interesting and it was our first time there. We just walked around the plaza and
then went back to our veranda. Because of the poor tender service, many with tours ended up wasting
the whole day or having tours cut short. Cozumel was Cozumel. We went to the Chankanaab Park. It is
beautiful but be aware that it cost $10 per person to enter plus cab there and back. We spent $40 on
this. Good facilities and the Dolphin swim is great (expensive though)! We then wondered around San
Miguel. On Friday, we were at Grand Cayman. We have snorkeled and seen the sting rays which is a
must do, so we decided to by a ticket to a resort and hang out at seven-mile beach. What a beautiful
beach. It was calm and warm. We spent most of the day there soaking up the sum and booze.

Weather: We had perfect weather. Temps were always around 83 F with mostly blue skies and the sea
was a sheet of glass. It was smooth! We enjoyed our veranda (it was our tours for this trip). Finally, the
Cruise@ddicts. I didn't know any of them, but by the end they were my friends. We had a great, great
time. I wish we were all back their cruising now.

I hope this has helped. Again, everyone has different opinions. My recommendation is to try each line
and make your own determination on which one you like. Each cruise line has its own personality. Find
the one that fits you! Remember, you are cruising so there can't be anything that bad! Remember, you
could be at work.

John

Name: Marcella Watson
Email: marcmarc2@yahoo.com
Age: 33
Occupation: Paralegal
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Millennium
SailingDate: 1/7/2001
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: 6048
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 94
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 86
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 84
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 81
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 84
EntertainmentLounges: 86
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 88
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 79
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 81
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Mar 2001
Time: 09:24:10
Remote Name: 1cust135.tnt4.cle1.da.uu.net
Remote User:

Comments

Introduction

We cruised aboard Celebrity's new Millennium on 1/7/01 on their Eastern Caribbean itinerary, which
included San Juan, Santa Catalina (their private island/beach), St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie), and
Nassau, in that order. We had two at-sea days.

This was my husband's second cruise and my sixth cruise. All our previous cruises were no more than
four days - and all on the west coast. Once on the long-dead Admiral Lines, three on RCCL's Viking
Serenade, and one Pacific Coastal on Crown Princess. I personally was not happy with Princess
because it was almost exclusively the social security set, and I'm not the 'Carnival type', so I choose to
cruise on Royal Caribbean. I've figured for a while now that Celebrity was probably more to my taste,
and I was right on the mark.

The Ship

In a word, ELEGANT. I did my homework, and the ship didn't let me down. It's my kind of ship - the
woods, the colors, the attention to detail, the space - were all fabulous. My most favorite public room
was the Platinum Lounge, which is a martini and champagne bar. What a beautiful room - such rich
hues of purple and steel grey, accented with huge, marvelous crystal light fixtures.

You don't feel crowded aboard because they have a high space-to-passenger ratio, and it shows.
Really, the amount of space is almost sinful. Crowds developed around the lunch buffets in the Ocean
Cafe and Grill, around the pool, and of course, outside the dining room just before the Le Grande
Buffet, but I doubt anyone would find any different on other ships. The deck chairs would get scarce in
the pool area fast - more than in the thalassotherapy pool area. If you just want to read a book on
deck in peace, there are plenty of comfy deck chairs on the wide Promenade Deck (Deck 4 or 5, I can't
remember). There are lots of quiet places at any time of day or night, from the 'Books' library to the
ladies' sauna, which surprisingly had it's own huge porthole. There were places for activity and places
for quiet any time of day.

I also found the ship well laid out. Our cabin was close to the Forward Elevator Lobby, which made it
extremely convenient for getting to most areas quickly. There are plenty of elevators, and they all run
fast and hold lots of people.

We kept bumping into a 30-ish couple where the wife used a wheelchair, and we never heard either
complain about restrictions on her mobility. She said that their handicap cabin had room enough to
move around in her chair. We also met a couple several times where the husband utilized a portable
oxygen tank, who also never made mention of any difficulties.

There is very little 'stepping up to do on board, and there were many times where I stepped over a
nonexistent threshold. Considering how big the ship is, I would say that people who have a hard time
walking or walk slow would probably find it a bit difficult, even overwhelming. My mother fits into this
category, and if she were going, I would highly recommend utilizing a wheelchair to get the best
mobility and cruise satisfaction.

Vibration is brought up often with this ship, because I guess the vibrations are supposed to be less on
Millennium due to its gas turbine, rather than diesel, engines. Well, we did feel vibration, distracting
every once in a while, when we were at the stern. I noticed it most when we were in the Metropolitan
Restaurant and in the Ocean Grill area during meals. Never really noticed it elsewhere.

There was a nice mix of people on board -- American, European, Asian -- as well as a large mix of
ages. This particular cruise had only 70 children aboard. Apparently the previous cruise had 400
children.

The Cabin/The Stewardess

Our 2C category cabin on Deck 6 was of just the right size for us and all our luggage. After this cruise,
I think having a suite would be overkill, and would probably forego the extra expense. However, I must
say that now that I've had a balcony - a nice-sized balcony - I would have a harder time not having one
on a future cruise.

Our Croatian Cabin Stewardess, Vesna, and her assistant, were always very friendly, polite and
hard-working. We didn't find out until half-way through the cruise that it is actually the stewards who
bring room service to the cabins. We made sure we gave both of them a generous gratuity for all their
service at the end of the cruise.

The Metropolitan Restaurant/The Food/TheWait Staff

First, I'd like to say that I think I have some of the worst luck in the world when it comes to dining
aboard a ship. I always request a table for 10, because I wanted to get to know other people, and I
always request first seating. Neither of us smoke, but the entire dining room is nonsmoking. Neither of
us mind sitting with smokers.

I have a girlfriend who says always choose second seating/smoking and you'll meet more interesting
people, but I chicken out every time and request first seating/nonsmoking, and inevitably, I end up
sitting with some of the most boring, least memorable people in the world. This time around, we sat at a
table for 10, but on the first night, our table included one 40-ish couple, and a 30-ish couple with a
two-year-old daughter that they doted over constantly. That's it. And the 40-ish couple never showed
up to the table after the first night, so there were four adults and one kid at a table for 10 the entire
time.

We met a couple of very pleasant English gals and tried to move to their table on Day Four, but the
Matre‘d, George, said he had just sat a couple there that morning, so we figured we might as well just
stay where we are. I mention this for two reasons: 1) one of the gals smoked, and they were at second
seating, so I think my girlfriend is right and I shouldn't ever back down on her advice in the future, and
2) because George the matre'd conveyed a pissy, arrogant attitude when I approached him and made
my request. He was the only staff member on board whom I have anything bad to say about. I met a
gentleman who said he also caught the same attitude from this person, and that he was going to make
mention of it in the survey, and I did the same thing.

The food was wonderful, particularly the prime rib, creme brulee and pork chops. A trend we thought
was occurring, however, was that, because the waiters have to take more time to bring up the food
from the galley two decks below, the food seems to still cook while on the plate. I suggest ordering any
meat medium at most if you like it pink, just to make sure you don't get something more well done than
you want. On lobster tail night, my husband and the couple all mentioned that the lobster seemed
overcooked. Obviously, this is not a concern with chicken or pork chops.

We had breakfast twice in the dining room. Everything was good except the scrambled eggs and
bacon. The eggs benedict was wonderful.

The Buffets/Ocean Cafe/Ocean Grill

Simply put, I was quite disappointed with the breakfast buffets. I thought the eggs and bacon were
terrible. Go for more continental fare, or have breakfast in the dining room.

Lunch buffets were much better than breakfast. The carved roast beef was particularly good.

We enjoyed the Afternoon Tea buffets. Mostly finger sandwiches and desserts. Made for a nice light
meal/snack.

We didn't eat anything from the Le Grande (Midnight) Buffet, but we did take lots of pictures and video.
You have to at least stay up the one night and see it.

The Olympic

Beautiful place. Superb service. Everyone should experience it once. The food was excellent, but I
ordered the wrong things. I should have stuck to my guns and ordered the chicken, but the waiter
suggested the sole, because the chicken was more like a stew. Unfortunately, I don't like olives and the
other herbs they used, so I didn't like the entree at all. Nor did I like the Caesar Salad, but ONLY
because it was made the traditional way, and discovered I don't like it the traditional way, expecially
with those horrid anchovies. Guess that's just the 'peasant' in me, and I don't blame anyone for that.
(As a sidenote, ALL the other, simpler caesar salads I had on the cruise were excellent!) I enjoyed the
cheese and fruit course, and had an absolutely wonderful chocolate souffle. The water glasses and
bread plates were always refilled. At the end of the meal, our Portuguese waiter, Victor, walked us to
the exit and bid us good night. Very nice, classy touch.

The Entertainment

We ended up going to about 1-1/2 of the shows, but from what LITTLE we saw, the Celebrity Singers
and Dancers were all professional and multi-talented. The stage in the Celebrity Theater was
something straight out of any fine theater on land, and there were good sightlines. From talking with
people on board who saw many more shows than we did, they had nothing but very positive
comments. Professional; fabulous costumes. One of the singers, Bobby Black, had a marvelous voice,
like he was classically trained. He sang opera just as great as he sang 'Unchained Melody.' This guy is
going places. They do not broadcast the stage shows on the ship televisions due to copyrights, so you
have to go to the theater or you'll miss them. They did televise the 'newlywed' game and the other
game show, Dream Ticket.

The Cruise Director, Jim Cannon, was the best-dressed man I have ever met in my life and was friendly
and helpful to the n'th degree. A consummate Cruise Director.

The AquaSpa

Loved it. My husband enjoyed a swedish full-body massage - $109 plus 10% gratuity. Most every type
of massage was $109. All the wraps and more exotic treatments were nearing the $200 mark and over.
I bought a weekly pass to the Persian Garden, which is quiet, has dimmed lighting, soft music and
gentle water sounds from several fountains. There is a main area to begin your relaxation, then you
can work your way through several 'grottos' - a turkish bath (hot, heavy steamy with eucalyptus
aroma), a laconium (warm, drier air with orange blossom scent), and a couple of showers that sprayed
all sorts of wonderful jets from above and around. My favorites were the cool mint-scented mist and the
tropical rainshower that poured down from the ceiling, scented with papaya. I think everyone should do
this once, because it was perfect therapy for a stressed-out person. The nicest part about it was that I
had the place all to myself for much of the time I spent in there (which goes back to the spaciousness
of the ship). Price is $17 per hour, which is pretty darn reasonable compared to all the other
treatments and beauty parlor items. I think I figured you have to spend 7 hours in the Persian Garden
to get any value out of the weekly pass. If I were to do it over, I would have just paid by the hour.

We also went in the thalassotherapy pool, which was relaxing -- many people enjoyed the two spas
that flanked it. Honestly, I enjoyed the sloshing swimming pool more (we had one choppy afternoon),
but it was still nice. I sunburn easily, so I prefered being 'under glass.'

The Ports

San Juan - I've read too many negative and indifferent comments about San Juan, so we didn't bother
getting off the ship. Several people we met afterwards said we didn't miss anything.

Santa Catalina - Nice, clean private beach, but bring the sunblock!!! They will set up umbrellas for you
if you ask, if they haven't already set one up where you park yourself. Also, if you're looking to snorkel
there, you have to do it by the wall to the left of the dock. There were no fish in the marked swimming
areas. There were plenty of tenders and people moved efficiently between ship and dock.

St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie) - Yeah, lots of ships and lots of people. We took a taxi to Coki Point on
the other side of the island for some snorkeling. My goodness, what a beautiful area and we never saw
such blue water before... the 500 other people there seemed to appreciate it, too. The snorkeling was
good, but I've had better at Poipu Beach on Kauai. I think we would have had a better time if fewer
people were there to snorkel too. After a while, you couldn't turn around without bumping into
someone. We didn't do any shopping.

Nassau, Bahamas - Again, lots of ships and lots of people, but it wasn't too bad for us. This was our
favorite island, and we're considering a future trip to the Bahamas to check it out more thoroughly. We
did the more touristy thing - shopped - but didn't buy much. We didn't go over to the Atlantis Resort on
Paradise Island, but our tablemates did and said it was worth the 1-2 mile walk. (They have cheap
water taxis over, too.) We found a cafe (Parliament Cafe) a block off of the main drag and enjoyed a
lovely al fresco lunch of local cuisine. My husband had conch for the first time and liked it. I had
chicken with a bbq-type sauce on it with rice and black beans, which was good. The owner is a
pleasant gentleman, who I think was either German or Dutch and was happy to talk about Nassau from
a local's perspective. He also told us where to buy the best cigars.

Embarkation/Debarkation/Customs

We couldn't believe how fast it was to embark. We arrived at Port Everglades at about 11:15, and were
given a Number 2 card. 15 or 20 minutes later, they called Captain's Club and Suite people (Number
0). About 5-10 minutes later, they called Number 1 people, and 5-10 minutes after that, they called
Number 2 people. The representative was friendly and got us on our way quickly, and we were on the
ship between Noon and 12:15. Our cabin was ready at 12:30.

On board, they made customs (Bahamas and re-entry into Ft. Lauderdale) very easy and efficient.
You filled out the forms at your leisure and gave them to your cabin steward or guest relations prior to
you leaving the ship. Non-US citizens were given 15-minute windows where they could show up and get
their papers processed. Our English acquaintances found this convenient. All we needed to do was
leave the ship when we reached port.

Debarkation went quickly and smoothly. I heard no grumbling at all. We were toward the end of the
color list, but we were off the ship by about 9:15/9:30 a.m.

The Art Collection Aboard

Certain comments and sayings come to mind: 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' 'The things some
people call art, I call junk.' 'My five-year-old could have done this.' Some of it was very nice, some
clever, and some absolutely ridiculous. Enough said.

Summary

I'm ready to book again! We could have stayed on another week with no problems. I am also looking
forward to Infinity and Summit's launches. We found our cruise line.

I have photos of the cruise and ship at: http://photos.yahoo.com/marcmarc2

Please feel free to contact me regarding this cruise at marcmarc2@yahoo.com

Happy Cruising!

Name: Johnny and Carole Bensley
Email: bensleyracing@computron.net
Age: 52/38
Occupation: Him: Driver Her: Author/Courseware Designer
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Millennium
SailingDate: 02/25/2001
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 7208 Cat 1C Aft Balcony
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 50
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 99
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Mar 2001
Time: 16:40:52
Remote Name: adsl-208-190-107-89.dsl.hstntx.swbell.net
Remote User:

Comments

Millennium _RSMC – Feb 25 – March 5, 2001 Cabin 7208 Aft Balcony Cat. 1C Western Caribbean
Johnny and Carole Bensley

Woke up to good weather and our driver was early. We loaded everything into the car and were off to
Hobby Airport. Our first leg of the flight was on a Super ATR Turbo Prop. Anyone who has flown these
knows what a bumpy ride you get. As we approached Dallas our captain informed us that we would
remain in a holding patter for at least 20 minutes as ALL flights in and out were cancelled – terrible
weather. After 20 minutes in a holding pattern, we circled all the way around Dallas and came in from
the east under the storm clouds. Fortunately, because of the cancelled flights, our plane was still there
waiting. We boarded our MD80 and waited. We began to back out and then we stopped and pulled
back in. The captain informed us that the compressor on the right engine stalled, so they were having
mechanics look it over. All I wanted was another airplane. After about 20 minutes we were told we were
leaving. Same plane. What a comforting thought.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale almost an hour later than we had anticipated, waited 15 minutes for a cab
and got to the Amerisuites. As we drove up, we saw a crowd around the pool – gee I wonder who they
were! We got to the check-in desk and were told they did not have room for us. Never showed a
booking. So we kindly told them that they could put us in my parents’ room and not charge and extra
rate, which they did. Went to eat at the Outback with Jaime, Kim and Melissa, and we got back just in
time.

The unveiling included blender drinks, someone in feathered glasses and parrot earrings (wont
mention names), pistachio millennium boats, and many other little gifts and surprises. We all signed
the two red stripe banners and the music began. As my mother hid behind the crowd, my dad went to
dance with Dall (who agreed to a dance with red). After a brief dance, my mother let him off the
hook….(he looked VERY relieved). Dall is a good sport! The crowd of RSMC cruisers was
funny….some just totally shocked that red turned out to be female. This was evident by the chins on
the floor! A little more partying and we were off to bed.

Woke up, had a lite Amerisuites breakfast and off to the pier! We could see the Millennium from our
room so we were quite impatient. As we waited for our ride, Tom (Divetex) stood at the curb holding his
“will cruise for food” sign.

We stood outside the terminal waiting for a few stragglers and Kimann gave me the cutest little bunny
with a tutu and ballet shoes on. What a sweetie she is!!!

Check in, as Captains Club members, was lightning fast. No waiting and we were getting our boarding
photo with Linda and Phil and Einstein. Just a few more steps and we were finally on board. After a few
moments, all you could see was red shirts and people staring.

They said our room would not be ready for an hour, but we went to it anyway and asked the cabin
steward, Arthur, if we could just stow our carry-on in the closet, to which he said, “certainly”. Back to
the atrium for photos and meet and greets to those we missed the night before.

Our room was very nice, clean and lots of drawers, cabinets, and shelves to store everything. Luggage
fit nicely under the beds. The balcony was 10 feet wide by 24 feet long! Fantastic view!!

Sail-away was, to say the least, NOISY. Yelling and pistachio throwing was normal at this point.
Everyone went from balcony to balcony to wave and yell. I don’t think our Penthouse Playmates
thought we were amusing….oh well, their loss!

Off to dinner, which was very tasty but very slowly delivered. Formal nights were even slower. Many
nights, were and MANY other tables were run off by the lowering and raising of lights. Not because we
took too long to eat, but it took so long to get food. One night, they hadn’t even brought out the
deserts and they turned up the lights for everyone to leave. Meals were sometimes over or
undercooked and several times brought to the wrong person.

Key West – We did the Pub Crawl with others so we didn’t see much of Key West. A little shopping, a
few pubs and back on the ship.

Calica turned into Playa del Carmen/Cancun. Nice little town, beautiful beaches, and way too many
shops. Did go to a few of the pharmacies. For those of you not aware, many of the U.S. prescription
drugs, can be bought over the counter in Mexico. Some of mine are over $50.00 for a once month
supply. In Mexico, they are 13.00 dollars. Same exact stuff. Did some T-shirt shopping with my dad
while my mom went to Xcaret. Back to the ship.

Cozumel – Went looking at more pharmacies for my remaining prescriptions, got a couple of magnets,
and went to Palmera’s for their famous triple strength margaritas which could literally strip paint off
your car and clean your entire digestive tract in one sip. E-Gads!! Lots of good shopping and scenery.

Went back to the ship to relax and get a bite to eat and we were off the Chankanaab to swim with the
dolphins. This was the most exhilarating event in my life! It is humbling to get into the water with these
creatures and feel perfectly at ease. They are large, but so gentle and soft. Mere words cannot
describe the feelings that go with this encounter. A must do for everyone!

First day at sea – Thursday – Thank Goodness. Time to kick back and do what you are supposed to
do on a cruise – RELAX!! Went to the Thellasotherapy Pool (or as my husband called it – the
Velasaraptor pool) You can easily fall asleep in the pool. It is incredible!!! The other pool is very
crowded and it is difficult to find a chair. I did see a crew member removing towels, books, etc…and
they did it often. The gym has a generous amount of machines, and several free-weights. There is
also an aerobics floor. Very nicely organized and overlooks to sea.

Kudos to Celebrity for their FAST elevators. The elevators overlooking the ocean are wonderful. The
ship is easy to get around and find what you are looking for. However the shops are incredibly
expensive! Saw a jacket for 800.00 dollars, shirts for 300.00.

Grand Cayman – Captain Marvin and 30 + RSMC groupies! We stopped at three different places for
swimming and snorkeling. Saw barracuda, pike fish and a stingray at our first stop. Then we went to
Stingray City. When you first get into the water, it is very intimidating as the rays come up to you are
they are all over you looking for food. The men there give you squid and you can feed them. Soon you
find yourself seeking THEM out so you can get close to them. They let me hold one and got a back
massage from another. This, too, is an excursion that everyone should do. Wonderful !!!!

Another day at sea – Saturday – Not enough of these. We met so many new people, it is hard to say
something about all of them, but they were all terrific and everyone seemed to get along great.

Cocktail party – CruiseAholic shows up in a Carman Miranda (sort of) outfit with a red stripe bottle on
his head. Only pictures can make this a reality! Lots of meet and greet and card signing, picture taking
and laughter. This was in Cosmos, which has a fantastic view of the ocean.

Played 20 dollars at the casino – tight slots! Nice casino but very smoky and no straight shot through -
- more like a maze from one side to the other.

Platinum club is very elegant and a nice place for a drink. They had a food-carving demo one day.
Very interesting to see how fast they make some of the food turn into animals and other decorations.

The absolute highlight was Danica in Michael’s club. She is a barmaid there and she gave my dad a
run for his money. She is quite the sparring partner and has a beautiful smile! She knew our names
from day one and what we drank. Perfect hostess!!

The photographers outside Michaels supplied their own brand of entertainment, which we promptly let
them know we saw. Got a big laugh every time we saw them after that. Too funny!

Sunday – We went downstairs for breakfast with a group of RSMC’ers and then back to the room, got
our luggage and went to the platinum club to wait for our color to be called. Several names were being
paged to go to customs and/or the purser’s desk. It would be nice if people would do what they need to
so everyone can get off the ship in a timely manner.

We got off the ship around 9 ish and located our luggage. Found a porter and he hauled it to the curb
and stuck out his hand and demanded 5 dollars. No comment on the conversation that took place.

We waited almost thirty minutes for taxi and many people were quite upset by the lack of organization
involved in acquiring one. We made it to the airport. Managed to see my parents before they boarded
their plane, then we waited on ours…..which was delayed.

Mermaid and Doug were also on this flight, though I don’t know if they Saw us. When we arrived in
Dallas, we went to our little Super ATR Turbo Prop. Our pilot obviously needed some practice in
landings….as we fish-tailed on the runway. More than a few looked concerned.

At this point, I could kiss the ground, however, being delayed for that flight also left us at baggage
claim with no driver. He finally came in to the terminal 20 minutes later. He said he had waited an hour,
and they told him the flight was delayed so he was waiting outside keeping the car cool. We arrived
home – our house was not eaten by the Great Danes while we were gone and all was in place. All the
luggage made it one piece. What more can you ask…………………… bensleyracing@computron.net

As a footnote: We only felt vibration when going out of Ft. Lauderdale and circling the Summit and
when we docked. Didn't feel it any other time. Smooth cruise!!

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