Cruise Reviews
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship: Millennium
Date of Cruise: October 2-13, 2000
Eastern Mediterranean on the Millennium
By: Colette Lewis
This was our first cruise, so we do not have any useful comparisons to make with other ships or lines. We are in our late 40s, employed in banking in Southwestern Michigan, and have traveled in Europe five or six times in the past 25 years. These trips have always been by automobile, generally two or three weeks in duration.
We decided on a cruise as the most practical way to see what we consider fairly exotic destinations, such as the Greek Islands and Turkey, and because we wanted
a very special trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I did extensive research prior to booking and decided on Celebrity based on the itinerary, dates, cost, reputation, etc. Though we are not "formal" people, we avoided the casual cruise lines for two reasons; one, the ships are generally smaller and I am prone to motion sickness; and two, we felt the tuxedos, dinner companions and other cruise
conventions were part of what differentiates a cruise from other kinds of vacations.
To sum up, for those of you who don't wish to read pages and pages of minutiae, we were very pleased with the cruise and with Celebrity. Service was in general
excellent, the ship was beautifully decorated and thoughtfully designed, and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet new friends, which emerged for us
as the number one reason to cruise. The overall perception was that of a well conceived, well run enterprise, and the positives far outweighed the few negatives.
But to get straight to the primary complaint--the vibrations that are sending the Millennium to dry dock next month--they were obvious and annoying. Several of our dinner mates, who were experienced cruisers, said the vibrations went way beyond what they had ever felt on other ships, and we frequently found our dinner plates rattling and jumping for lengthy periods of time while we tried to make ourselves heard over the racket. It seemed to be at its worst in the dining room, but even in our cabin, which was near the bow, we could often detect it. I would not consider another cruise on Millennium or on Infinity, its sister ship under construction, until this problem is rectified. If you are already booked, as of course we were when we heard about the problem, there is nothing to do but to look at it as an unfortunate circumstance; similar to renting a car that doesn't go over 55 mph on the Autobahn; it's irritating yes, but ultimately not how you judge your trip.
Now, to the details.
CABIN/SHIP LAYOUT
We arrived a day early so as to avoid the anxiety that our two air connections created, and we were very happy that we had done so, even though we had no
flight delays. We stayed in Genoa-- Nervi, actually--and had a chance to rest thoroughly before embarking. Since we were not eligible for the Captain's Club, we had to wait approximately 1 ½ hours to board on Monday. We spent the time looking at the Olympic Restaurant menu and wine list, buying postcards and purchasing wine at the duty free shop right in the waiting area. We were hoping for an upgrade due to our special anniversary, but did not receive one and were shown to the cabin on the sixth deck that we had booked in February. It did not have a balcony, as we were told in February all such rooms were booked; I suspect that not being in the Captain's Club had something to do with our not getting one. Our travel agent continued to check with Celebrity about the balcony and several months later we were offered one, but its location and inflated price did not induce us to change.
The cabin featured a large porthole window and a loveseat directly next to it, which served as our viewing station. The storage areas were more than adequate (I have stayed in many a hotel room with less closet and drawer space) and though it was a bit cramped when one of us was trying to dress and the other using the bathroom, the extensive use of mirrors alleviated most of the claustrophobic feeling. The heating and air conditioning worked quickly, quietly and efficiently and we found the soundproofing to be excellent. We were directly above the Celebrity Theater and never heard a sound, even when we skipped the late show and knew it was going on below us. The light wood and Danish design influences were very attractive.
We managed to go through three cabin stewards in the first two days-the first we never met, but his name was on the plaque in the cabin. The second was reassigned the first day; eventually we had a third (permanent) one. He did a fine job of unobtrusively providing ice, towels, bed making and turndown, cleaning etc. Again, with nothing to compare it to, we are not sure if it was standard or excellent, but
we felt well cared for.
We immediately made reservations for the Olympic restaurant, as we wanted it to be our anniversary dinner. We had no trouble getting our choice, but in retrospect, we regretted having gotten it, as it turned out to be the same night as the Captain's Gala dinner, and we didn't get to dine on lobster or to see the Baked Alaska parade. I'm sure if we had asked the Olympic staff, they would have told us (they did tell us it was a formal night), but it would be nice if the schedule was posted in advance, especially for such a special dinner.
Next we toured the ship, getting ourselves oriented. I will not go in to detail about the ship layout, as other reviews have covered it thoroughly, but it did not take us long to feel comfortable. There are directories and signs at all staircases and elevators, and a quick glance at either will immediately correct any momentary confusion.
FOOD
We were eager to meet our dinner companions, and were pleased that we had received our table for 8 and late seating. The first night there was a bit of chaos
with the two dining levels and two entrances and no way of knowing which level/side you belonged on, but on subsequent evenings, all went smoothly. Our table was a wonderful mix of ages and personalities, and again, it was this experience that provided some of the trip's best moments. I'm not sure how they make these match-ups, but they did a terrific job at our table.
We were also fortunate to have a very competent, efficient and personable waiter, Valentin, whose cheerful personality made every dining experience a positive one. He worked well with his assistant and the wine steward and we have absolutely no complaints about any of the ten dinners and two breakfasts that he served to us. One evening I asked whether the Caesar Salad had anchovies, which I like, and he
replied no, just the dressing contained anchovies, but imagine my delight when my salad arrived a few minutes later with several whole anchovies on top. We had
several open seating meals with much less knowledgeable and charming waiters, so I know we were lucky, but I can't emphasize enough how much he added to our cruise experience.
As for the food, it was of very high ambition and quality. It didn't always rise to the level of the best of a small gourmet restaurant, but when you consider the quantities that they are preparing, they do a very creditable job. It was consistently very good and at times outstanding, and though we do not believe that food should be the prime focus of a cruise, those who choose Celebrity due to its gourmet reputation are not likely to be disappointed.
The wine selection is quite good, though it did seem a bit too focused on California wines, especially when Italy is so prominent in this particular itinerary. A few more wines available by the glass would be a positive addition. It did seem reasonably priced, especially when compared to cocktails and beer, which were expensive by any standards and particularly when you have a beer in port that costs $1.50 and then board the ship and pay $4 for one (including gratuity). Our wine steward was pleasant and accessible and we enjoyed our contact with her.
I also found the food at the Spa to be very, very good. I had breakfast and lunch there on several occasions and the "healthy" aspect of the offerings in no way diminished their appeal. In fact, I had several "lean and light" items in the main dining room and would have been unable to distinguish them from regular selections without their asterisks.
We also appreciated having pizza available at the Pool Grill almost anytime in the afternoon that you returned from port. Since we had late seating, we often needed a snack and between the pizza and the frozen yogurt (available 4-6 everyday), we never entered the dining room famished.
Breakfast was a bit trickier. Often, when we wanted to get an early start on a port, we would have room service delivered. Though it wasn't the full breakfast menu, you could get cereal, rolls, coffee, juice and even a plain omelet, and it was delivered promptly and cheerfully seconds after you received the phone call that it was on its way. We sometimes ordered via the interactive TV option and sometimes
via a card on the doorknob; we noticed no difference in the service. In general, I found the dining room breakfast food to be inferior to that served at lunch and dinner, and so I eventually confined myself to the spa or room service. We ate at the buffet only on disembarkation day. My husband thought the quality of the coffee was not up to the ship's food standards, one of his few complaints.
Our Olympic dining experience was positive, but the atmosphere seemed a bit pretentious to us, and the food was not appreciably better than that in the main
dining room. Perhaps we were expecting too much. There is a difference between good service, which we always had in the main dining room, and being smothered with attention, which is how we often felt at the Olympic. Those who pass up the cheese course for another first course offering are making a mistake; that course was the highlight of the meal for us. We ordered a very special bottle of wine to
celebrate our anniversary; on another occasion, we probably would have had the by-the-glass selections that accompanied each course. Again, because we missed the Gala Dinner, we may have been predisposed to disappointment with the Olympic.
ENTERTAINMENT
We went to only five shows, as the late dinner seating made it difficult to stay up when we had an early port arrival. We are not theatergoers, and while we appreciated the talent of the singers, dancers and headliners, it was not an important part of the cruise experience for us. We did enjoy the game show "Dream Ticket", a Jeopardy style interactive entertainment trivia contest, and would probably have attended similar shows had they been offered. We found Jim Cannon, the cruise director, to be professional, enthusiastic and well prepared for the many roles his
position requires.
Of the entertainers on board, we particularly enjoyed Four Score, the a Capella group and Onyx, the pool band. Though we are not barbershop quartet fans, we
could still appreciate the harmonies that emerged when Four Score tackled that genre and we were able to really enjoy their doo wop, Beach Boys and Ricky
Nelson renditions. As for Onyx, I can't believe a more versatile band exists anywhere. They could do Motown, country, reggae, pop, rock, gospel, jazz; I
can't think of a genre (rap?) that they didn't do, and do well. Unfortunately, they were often scheduled between 5:30 and 6:30 at the pool, and with our generally cool weather throughout the trip and the early seating people preparing for dinner, their audience was often dismally small. They deserved much better.
As for the entertainment staff, they were all young and enthusiastic and adept at encouraging participation. We played Name That Tune twice and Trivia twice and appreciated having options to do these things more often, even though we could rarely fit them in to our schedule.
The movies shown at the Cinema were not appealing, and we never considered going to a second rate feature with so many other activities available. We did spend
an hour or so at Notes, listening to music, and another hour one day at Words, the library, which featured several books I would have liked to read, if I only had time. As it was, I didn't have time to read the book I brought with me, which may be a sign that we were too busy.
The Casino is prominently featured in the ship's layout and though we didn't gamble much, we did stop by occasionally on our way to dinner to watch the action. Some of the dealers appeared to be gregarious and helpful, while others seemed rather robotic, but it is the action itself that seems to be the lure here. We were sorry that we missed the Blackjack Tournament, which sounded like fun when a participant
explained to us how it worked.
AMENITIES
The pool and spa areas were flat out beautiful, with wood decking and tile and stainless steel and art and other flourishes too numerous to mention. The hot tubs were used heavily, the pool less so (it wasn't truly warm at any time during the trip) and the aqua spa was busy but not frantic. Towels and lounge chairs were abundant and only when we went through the Straits of Messina did the pool and sports decks seem crowded. We did not avail ourselves of any of the massages and other therapies available at the Spa.
The fitness room was always busy, at least when the ship was sailing, but on the three occasions I used it, I didn't have to wait for a bike or a treadmill. The machines were all in working order and state of the art.
The Internet room was a disappointment, as it was expensive and difficult to use. As has been noted in other reviews, there is no cutting and pasting and one email can not be sent to multiple recipients. One of our table mates would have stories of her daily trials and tribulations with email; often she would lose the email she had composed offline by inadvertently exiting the program before attaching her saved
document to it. And at 95 cents a minute, it is expensive to learn by trial and error. Thus warned, I confined my email to Internet Cafes that we found in nearly every port we visited. At approximately $2 per half-hour, I felt I could compose on line via my everyday Yahoo email program and be completely comfortable doing so.
One area that could be improved in the nightclubs on the ship was the size of the dance floors, which we thought were too small for a ship of Millennium's capacity. When dance lessons were given while at sea, there wasn't adequate room for instructions, and after-dinner dancing often found the floors too packed to be comfortable, especially for dances like Swing and Tango, which require lots of space. Dancing is a major activity on a cruise ship and I am puzzled as to the apparent lack of thought given to its space requirements.
The ATM was in working order on the ship, but with the $5 fee, we did not use it. We cashed travelers checks at the bank with ease, and though we brought tip money in cash this time, we will use this option to obtain US dollars next time. We used our ATM card to get cash in local currency in every port, except in Turkey, where US dollars were almost universally preferred over Turkish lira.
ITINERARY/EXCURSIONS
We took only one Celebrity excursion. We had friends in Malta, who met us at the dock and took us on a whirlwind tour of the island (we had only 6 hours in Valetta). The next port, Katakalon (Olympia) was the only one that we felt did not have adequate public transportation to the site, so we signed up for this shore excursion when we boarded the ship. It was a tender port, and we waited at least an hour to finally get on a tender and then board a bus for the 45-minute ride to Olympia. We were immediately aware why we hadn't ever taken a group tour before and pretty much swore off any other excursions then and there. The guide did not speak English all that well and didn't provide much insight into Greece or Olympia. We were herded and then rushed from place to place. We were not given as much time as we would have liked in the outstanding museum, even though there was no need to rush back to the port, other than the half day was over. In general, we felt it was expensive and inflexible, and the antithesis of how we had seen most of Europe on our past trips.
In Athens, we vowed to do it our way, and when we were walking in a pouring rain for a half-hour to get to the subway stop in Piraeus, we did have a few second thoughts. But within an hour we were at the Parthenon, enjoying its relative peace and quiet before the tour buses arrived (they were delayed by heavy traffic), spending as much time as we wished in the museum, walking to the Agora and its museum, having lunch with authentic Greek music surrounding us, shopping and absorbing the frantic pace. It cost about $4 total, and we could reflect on a much more satisfying day of travel as we relaxed in the hot tub as we waited for the traffic-delayed tour buses to arrive so the ship could sail.
In retrospect, we probably should have taken a sponsored excursion to Ephesus, the prime attraction of our next port, Kusadasi, Turkey. We ended up taking a taxi, and while the English speaking driver was interesting and accommodating, we didn't save much over the tour cost, and we didn't have the benefit of a tour guide, who from all reports, were generally excellent. And it is such a spectacular site that we
don't feel that the two hours we were allowed by our driver was really sufficient, meaning we just traded the tour's time constraints for his. Since the ship could dock very close to town, we went back to the ship for lunch (after purchasing a rug, which was on our shopping list from the beginning) and then tackled the Bazaar at Kusadasi. Having been warned by the ship about the rampant misrepresentation and shoddy goods, we didn't purchase anything too expensive and found the relentless bargaining exhausting, but we enjoyed the experience nonetheless. Many of the people we knew from the ship purchased rugs, and though Celebrity provided approval of certain merchants (who then paid Celebrity for directing customers their way), we felt a shipboard seminar on Turkish rugs and carpets would have been very useful. It is very stressful to have to negotiate prices to begin with, and when you don't have much knowledge or background information, it only adds to the anxiety.
The next stop, Santorini, Greece, was our second and last tender. This time we used local tenders, not the lifeboats, but as we were not on a tour and had 11
hours in port, we were in no hurry, and took our time getting to the island. It was a lovely day, and the island is spectacularly beautiful, so we decided we wanted to see more than we could by public bus and impulsively rented a car. For the princely sum of $21.00, we had a small Fiat, which we took to Akrotiri, the working archeological site, Perissa, with its black volcanic beach and Ia, the most photographed island town in the Mediterranean, if not the world. We finally felt like our usual European touring selves again, unscheduled, mobile and independent.
The next port was Crete and we had friends meeting us there, as well. The ship was docked more than a mile down a pier from the port of Iraklion and Celebrity for some reason did not provide a shuttle bus. Those on tour buses had no problem, and we had our friends, who were able to drive quite near the ship, but those
doing an independent tour faced a long walk or a taxi ride. We were able to get to Knossos early, but not before the tours, so though we could take our time, we
fought the crowds for every view. It was also very windy, which made a most interesting site a bit of an endurance test. After lunch we toured the Archeological Museum in town, which, unfortunately, didn't open until 12:30 p.m., as it was a Monday. An absolutely spectacular array of treasures could be viewed at every turn and the two hours we spent there barely allowed us to scratch the surface. Though at no time did we feel we were getting to know Crete, we did enjoy our brief exposure to the Minoan civilization that Knossos and the museum provided.
We left Iraklion at 4 p.m. and the seas were rough for the first time on the cruise, and remained so throughout the evening. I had used a prescription patch, which I had not replaced because I had the typical dry mouth side effect and was experiencing no sign of motion sickness, but I immediately put another on as soon as we sailed. I did not feel well throughout dinner, but by bedtime the medicine took
effect and I was back to normal. My husband took Bonine and put on sea bands, and he too was fine the next day, but it was a very low-key evening for us. I think by that time, which saw us visit six ports in six days, we were totally exhausted. We were getting little sleep and doing a great deal of walking and the stress of traveling, even when you know where you are going to sleep and eat, took its toll. I spent most of the next day at sea sleeping. I think an ideal itinerary would have one sea day following every two or three ports.
Many of us were aghast at the price Celebrity was charging for "Rome On Your Own", which was $70 each for basically a bus from Civitavecchia to Rome and
back. The train was approximately $7, so several of us at dinner decided to get together the day before the port and plan our attack. We agreed to meet at 7:15 at the gangway and eight of us quickly decided that to save time we would forego the Celebrity shuttle to the center of town and take a taxi to the train station at a cost of $3 per person. We were on the 7:38 train to Rome and arrived, uneventfully, an hour and ten minutes later. We then caught a very crowded subway train to St. Peter's Square and all of us made our way to the Sistine Chapel. Though one day
in Rome is obviously going to be made up of abbreviated visits to places that deserve better, I do feel I had at least a preview of its grandeur. The Pope was conducting his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square when we left the Sistine Chapel, and though we were unable to visit the Basilica, we do feel that seeing the Pope was a fine substitute. We continued our tour with one other couple, as the rest
of the group had other sites on their itineraries. We walked to Piazza Navona via the Ponte Sant' Angelo and then on to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum.
Remarkably, we all ended up back on the same train to Civitavecchia, though sad to say, two of our group had been victims of pickpockets during our short stay in
Rome. Though we were warned in advance that a train strike could occur anytime, without warning, we were fortunate to have no such problems and were back on
the ship by 5:30 p.m.
Many people were facing a similar trip in the next port, Livorno, as Florence was a lengthy train ride from the port. We had been to Florence on a previous visit to Europe and decided instead to confine ourselves to Pisa, which was only a 15-minute train ride from Livorno. Unfortunately for those heading to Florence, the ship was an hour late docking, and the Livorno train station was a shuttle bus and public bus ride away. We were an hour and a half just getting to the Leaning Tower, and were very relieved that we didn't have Florence on our agenda. The cathedral in Pisa was fantastic, and I was very impressed by whole complex surrounding the Leaning Tower. The flea market and Rolex peddlers in the area give it a tourist trap feel, but once you leave the immediate Piazza del Duomo area, Pisa seems a lovely, historic college town.
The seas were quite rough the last evening, which made packing especially difficult, but once we left our bags outside our door, we were able regain our equilibrium and proceed to dinner. The last night of a cruise is hectic and a bit sad; we spent lots of
time exchanging addresses and hugging our dinner companions and our waiter. The disembarkation went smoothly for us; we had another day in Genoa awaiting us and were among the last to leave the ship, as we had no plane to catch. We spent the day in Santa Margherita Ligure, a lovely Riviera resort town south of Genoa. Though we again didn't have sunshine, we avoided the rain that was forecast and felt lucky to have a day to unwind before the long flight home.
CONCLUSION
We had a memorable wedding anniversary and a wonderful trip. We now know what people mean when they talk about living like pampered royalty while on a cruise. Celebrity did a fine job of anticipating our needs and delivering fine individual service while doing the same for 1,998 other passengers. They showed us the ports we asked to see, and while they did not encourage us to venture out on our own, they did not discourage us from doing so. They provided the settings and the activities that allowed us to comfortably meet other passengers and to form
friendships with them. In short, they admirably fulfilled their duties, with the notable exception of providing us with a mechanically smooth ship, which the Millennium, unfortunately, is not. But we are a bit hesitant to wholeheartedly endorse cruising as the ultimate travel experience. The pressure of returning to the ship at a designated hour hangs over nearly every moment in port. The inability to spontaneously decide to stay in a town that strikes your fancy is a profound loss. The sense of adventure and discovery that is possible with every small hotel or family owned restaurant remains inaccessible to the cruise passenger. The sites filled with hundreds and
hundreds of other cruise passengers make the quiet reflection upon ancient antiquities all but impossible. And developing any sense of the people and culture of a city or country certainly can not be done in a few hours in a seaport. So if you embarking on your first cruise, expect beautiful surroundings, delicious food, excellent service, and new friendships. With all this, any glimpse of the beauty of the exotic and romantic backdrops provided by the ports of the Mediterranean and Aegean must be considered a bonus.
Colette Lewis
Cglewprball@yahoo.com
