Sunfinder Vacations

Writers Theresa Morrow and Bill Ristow based this independent review on their 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Millennium projects an upper crust aura, but she’s anything but stuffy. Sure, there’s contemporary art in every hallway, stairwell nook, and overhead airspace. And the burnished wood, sumptuous draperies, and classy martini bar have a certain je ne sais quoi. But just watch the raucous conga line on Island Night and the Vegas-loud casino to see where the good times roll. With more than a nod to the finer things in life and a teasing acknowledgement of the baser instincts, Millennium manages to accommodate her upper-middle class guests.

Why Millennium?

• A little more for the money: Millennium is one of Celebrity’s premier ships, delivering fares comparable to other ships and longer itineraries, from 7 nights in the Caribbean to 12-15 nights in the Mediterranean.
• Elegant interiors: Check out the floor-to-ceiling windows behind the captain’s table; and the Platinum Club, a plum-and-silver beauty of a bar. Pay attention to the elaborate and tasteful window coverings that set the color and tone of the public areas.
• Little touches: Ice cold face cloths are left by the pool, frosty orange sorbet in frozen orange peel is served on the deck, floating flower petals are found in public bathrooms, and the staff is always polishing, polishing, polishing. Aqua Dome spa: This lime-tree filled, glass-ceiling room features a hot spa with benches made of steel rollers, where bathers slide up and down to the rhythm of the sea.

Who should go
Comfortably-off baby boomers and beyond should definitely go; if they are bonding with friends or traveling with family, they will find others doing the same. This is a mixed-age crowd, with an average age of mid-40s, and including many Europeans. Couples and honeymooners, and families with kids who enjoy a day-camp experience, are also catered to. These are passengers who participate in enrichment lectures on finance and computers, but also knock back Mudslides by the pool and use the topless-only sundeck.

Who shouldn’t go
Singles, partiers, and young people expecting lots of other young people might be disappointed. So might the truly luxury crowd: While the ship is elegant and has luxury suites, it is not really luxury class -- possibly because of its large size (1,950 passengers) and the relatively middle-class crowd.

Heard on the deck (from a person checking out the photo gallery): “Can I just take anyone’s picture or does it have to be mine?”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: Dominic and Clarisse’s gasp-inducing aerial show, “Fantasea” (Tip: Show mornings, catch the flexible couple stretching in the fitness area, putting legs where legs have no business being)
• Best part of the ship: Riviera Pool deck, with two sea-water pools, two hot tubs, and adjacent Aqua Dome spa perfect for sunbathing, floating around, and people-watching
• Best experience: Olympic Dining Room, where it’s hard to believe you are at sea instead of seated in a 5-star restaurant; reserve this 3-hour dining extravaganza early
• Best shipboard activities: Partner massage class, where for $49 you can learn how to rub each other’s backs, and if that leads to other things, head to the couples’ room in the spa where you can rub mud on each other in privacy
• Needs improvement: Music -- well meaning but repetitive, the band by the pool had people asking “Didn’t they just play this?”
• Activities to skip: Sober karaoke, unless you enjoy watching middle-aged men belt out the Star Spangled Banner (close second is hot-stone massages -- you can do better at home, for less)

How to meet the captain
If you have designs on dining with the captain, get yourself on the VIP list to be invited to the captain’s table. How do you do that? Stay in the penthouse suite, or become part of the Captain’s Circle by being a Celebrity regular. According to the concierge, one way to guarantee you won’t get invited is to ask to be included when you’re not a VIP. To simply see the captain, attend his gala toast, open to all guests. He gives a little welcoming speech and introduces his mainly Greek crew. Or ask your waiter if the captain is in the dining room and then wander by his big table.

Sushi? Yes. Pizza? Sure. Food ranges from high-end concoctions cooked tableside to burgers by the pool. The main dining room offers a better-than-average dining experience, though if you really want a gourmet meal, go to the Olympic. Both restaurants feature menus by master chef Michel Roux. Breakfast and lunch buffets include amazingly fresh fruit and vegetables, good cheese selections, and the usual roasts and lasagnas. A hidden treasure is the AquaSpa Café with its healthy and light menus -- perfect for breakfast al fresco on the deck.

Metropolitan Restaurant
This main dining room is where the action is, with mostly 6- and 8-seat tables in two stories connected by a flowing staircase, and windows covered at night with sepia-toned, faux-Parisian street scene fabric on certain occasions. Daily dinners include imaginative salads, unusual soups (rhubarb soup? It’s good), and entrées featuring fresh fish and meats. The French sauces try to make up for the rather bland main dishes. Desserts are varied – good sorbets and chocolate decadence, a mediocre crème caramel. Don’t miss the Baked Alaska parade.

Tip: White-gloved waiters offer finger sandwiches and pastries at the Elegant Tea Time served in a dolled-up dining room. Silver service, of course.

Olympic Specialty Restaurant
It’s worth the extra $25 per person to be pampered by a staff of solicitous waiters, expert sommelier, and serenading violinist. The green-and-cream décor, heavily draped porthole windows, and soft landscape murals all contribute to the experience. The four-course meal begins with innovative appetizers (try the goat cheese soufflé). When all entrées have been delivered to a table, waiters standing behind each diner lift the silver domed-warmers on cue, with “un-deux-trois voila!”, but entrées are the most fun when prepared tableside: Steak Diane, prepared by a duo of waiters, is taste with drama. And that chocolate soufflé goes down awfully fast. Sample the suggested wine by the glass for each course; with the help of the sommelier, you create your own wine tasting experience.

Tip: Reserve early. And arrive early too, so you have time to examine the paneling from the RMC Olympic, a sister ship to the Titanic, which is integrated into the entryway.

Ocean spans a number of different types of eating venues and is where breakfast and lunch buffets are held. The buffets feature numerous salads, pasta and rice dishes, roasted meats, breakfast fare, theme lunches, cheese and bread variety, and very fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s a frozen yogurt bar, a soup and salad bar, hamburgers and hot dogs, and casual afternoon tea. It’s a buffet with service: Just as you get that tray loaded, a waiter materializes by your side to whisk it away to a table.

Other dining options

• Cova Café di Milano – Pastry and coffee by day, wine bar by night. See the pastry display - you might even catch them making the little chocolates that adorn your pillow each night.
• Sushi Café – The usual eel, tuna, and salmon creations are all fresh.
• Ocean Grill – This casual bistro serves simple but tasty food. The grilled rosemary chicken is moist and light. It fills up on formal night, when the Grill is anything but.
• AquaSpa Café – No bacon in sight! This healthy alternative café is open for light meals. Try the truly delicious berry soup. At breakfast, go for mangos with lime, lox or herring, or the granola with yogurt.

Best dining

• Dish: Flambéed scampi at the Olympic Restaurant -- crisp-to-the-bite prawns wrapped in pancetta, then quickly sautéed and flamed in Armagnac, and served on rocket greens
• Dessert: Olympic’s chocolate soufflé
• Restaurant: Olympic Restaurant, where waiters and chefs put on a performance that goes beyond the taste of the food, though that’s worth going for on its own
• Food seminar: Executive chef’s culinary demonstration accompanied by free martini and wine tasting, where you might learn to make filet mignon flamed with a cognac sauce (recipes are distributed)

How to…

• Get a table for two: Visit the maître d’ early on embarkation day, or ask just before meal seating on any day (be aware that the tables for two may be in the back of the restaurant and blocked by pillars)
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Contact the main restaurant manager to receive a cake for your table (a honeymoon and anniversary party is held for all guests, where you can have your picture taken and dance with your sweetie)
• Change seating: On embarkation day the maître d’ is mobbed by people wanting a change, mostly from early seating (6 PM) to late (8:30 PM); he tries to match people with like interests, languages, and age, but if you aren’t happy with your tablemates, go to the dining room before the early seating any night and ask for a change
• Dress for formal night: Formal definitely means just that: Dark suits or tuxedos and glittery long dresses
• Dress for casual night: Think Tommy Bahama -- khakis and aloha shirts for men, matching cotton sweater and slack outfits for women
  
  Tip: Pack a couple of bottles of your own wine so you can have a private drink without hitting the tab. If you do want to take your own wine to a restaurant, corkage fee is $12-15.

Light polished wood and gold carpeting make the relatively roomy staterooms bright and cheerful; cabins with balconies are the best bet since they offer a private “deck” of your own. But oceanview cabins are a good alternative for those who want to see the sea, but not necessarily breathe sea air. Roman shades cover the panoramic porthole windows at night.

Twin beds make into kings for couples, and some cabins offer overhead bunks for what must be very friendly families. The beds are quite comfortable, pillows are large enough for pillow fanatics, and there are extra blankets if it gets cold. Sofas can be quite small in the oceanview and inside cabins, seating only one comfortably. There are small glass coffee tables and desks as well. The bathrooms in those cabins are big enough that you don’t have to fight with the shower curtain; closet space is compact but sufficient, though there’s no perfect place for suitcases.

Stewards are omnipresent in the hallways; the nicest touch is regularly refreshed ice water in a carafe for each room. There are also robes (thicker in the suites), beach towels, and beach totes.

Tips:

• Go ahead, splurge. The two Penthouse Suites, the crème de la crème of the ship, have baby grand pianos, private whirlpools, and exercise equipment, as well as butler service. And fresh flowers? Well, of course.
• Every night, you’ll find a chocolate truffle on your pillow, but even more important: The next day’s weather report.
• There are no self-service laundry facilities and no irons, so you’ll either have to pay for pressing or go wrinkled. You won’t notice, though -- oceanview cabins have no full-length mirrors.
• For a fee, you can have your favorite newspaper delivered to your cabin.
• Take a carry-on bag of clothes with you for the afternoon of embarkation as bags continue to arrive at cabins until after 7 PM.

Yes, that’s a sculpture of a surfer suspended overhead, and those are stylized Buddhas installed in the stairways. You end up face-to-face with art in all gathering spots, unless it’s in the computer rooms where e-mail addicts click away into oblivion. Even in the popular pool area, where deck chairs fill as early as 10 AM, sunbathers lounge next to original artwork. There’s a certain art to the casino too, where up to 271 chip-clutching patrons gather to try their luck. (In case the hope of winning isn’t enough, the cruise director announces big winners to the entire ship: “Someone just won $4000 on the $5 slots!).

As for activities, Martha Stewart (pre-conviction) would attend the napkin folding and flower arranging seminars, but probably not the finance enrichment seminars. Shopping attracts a crowd; art auctions are full, and there are shopping seminars before each port stop. Computer classes are fairly well-attended, but not

Bars, lounges, and casino
The Platinum Club is the best lounge onboard. Choose from a variety of good vodkas or vodka martinis, or caviar and champagne. Among the martinis, consider the Chocolate Vanilla combo: Van Gogh Chocolate and Vanilla Vodka, Van Gogh gin, Godiva liqueur, and chocolate chips. Or try the Goose Kiss: Grey Goose l’Orange, Peach Schnapps, cranberry and pineapple juice, and a slice of lime.

Heard on the deck: “I still like Cosmopolitans the best.”

Shows
The Celebrity Singers’ shows are the big draw; the costumes are elaborate and the sets go beyond expectation. The Broadway review even includes a large replica of the Les Miserables barricade. Passengers ooh and aah over the energy of the dancers -- and over the speed with which they change costumes. But the real gasps are for the Cirque du Soleil-style aerial shows, held toward the end of the cruise -- even the captain comes! There are nightly shows in the theatre, sometimes with the singers, and sometimes with comedy and other variety acts.

Weddings and vow renewals
Millennium does not have a wedding chapel, but a Celebrity wedding planner can arrange for a wedding onboard performed by a rabbi or priest, or the couple can bring their own officiator. Weddings usually take place in port; the party comes onboard for the ceremony and then leaves, except for the honeymooners. Of course, the entire party can stay on the cruise too. Weddings are usually held in the wood-paneled Michael’s Piano Club or the Metropolitan dining room. Private vow renewals can also be arranged, or couples can participate in the general one performed during the cruise.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: The Tower Conservatory -- hidden atop a winding staircase, a few wicker chairs and a lounge perch behind trees and plants, the perfect place for reading away from it all
• Liveliest spot: Fortunes Casino, with lively tables watched over by Greek statues, the only things not jumpin’
• Best view: Ocean Bar for sweeping aft views (and a chance to see dolphins playing in the wake); up front, the topless sunbathing deck has the best ocean views, and it’s usually empty
• Best drink: Martinis -- no one chooses just one (another vote goes to Grey Goose vodka served straight in a chilled glass)
• Best show: Fantasea, with lots of singing, dancing and acrobatics, including dancers who swing out over the crowd; also, comedian Jeff Nease whose riff on snoring is hilarious, as are his takes on the cruise crowd
• Best activity: Pillow pole tournament on pool deck, where two contestants straddle a padded pole and knock each other around with a plastic ball until one falls into the pool
  
  Tips:
• “Notes,” the two-story music library, rents iPods that you can customize with your favorite tunes from their extensive song selection.
• Cigars – and good ones at that – are enjoyed at the back of the ship each evening
• There is no shortage of computers, with 18 workstations in the computer room, and more in a conference room used for classes
• The best time on deck is early AM, when the chaises are all lined up and empty, and just a few runners and walkers are out

Spa and salon
Spa treatments are lush and luxurious; the best way to get a sense of them is to go on a spa tour on embarkation day. You can learn about how to relax in an Etruscan chamber or a sensory aroma capsule, and sign up for a hydralift facial or four-hand massage, or maybe for an unlimited access card to the Persian Garden, an aromatherapy room with heated benches surrounded by steam rooms and saunas. Of course, some treatments are better than others; the hydralift facial does in fact reduce wrinkles and lines for a time and feels wonderful. As always, a massage depends on the therapist’s skills.

Fitness areas
In the fitness center get firsthand help from a personal trainer, or take a class like Pilates, spin, or yoga ($10 each), or aerobics (free). Tone up on the Nautilus equipment, cycles, and treadmills (with a great view!). Out on deck, you might catch a cruise with tennis pro Anand Armitrage instructing guests in the “art” of paddle tennis. Or try table tennis, shuffleboard, golf cage, golf simulator, basketball, or darts. The walking track gets a fair amount of use, with runners using it in the AM and walkers later in the day when they have to avoid sun-dazed loungers who stagger into their paths.

Tips:

• The fitness center is jammed in the early morning. The least-crowded time is noon.
• Think you are in the spa to relax? Think again. The treatments are diminished by sales pitches for expensive LaTherapie products. Be prepared for set-ups (“What do you use on your face? Oh, no, not that!”) and to push back hard if you aren’t interested.
• The AquaSpa is connected to the spa, but the large spa pool is free, unlike on other ships in this class.
• Visit the AquaSpa during early meal seating; you’ll be able to splash alone.

Upscale shoppers head for H. Stern, with its gold artsy necklaces and rainbow-hued gems, and a custom tailor ordering desk. But the majority is taken care of with $1-an-inch gold chains, a $10 boutique, brand-name watches, resort wear, formal wear, and costume jewelry. There’s also a souvenir and sundry shop, liquor store, display of Swavorski crystal, and a perfume store. Art auctions feature prints of famous artworks; while selling, the auctioneer gives a few art tips, mostly about how to save money and avoid taxes by buying on the ship. The auctions feature free champagne too.

Tip: What should you expect to pay at an art auction? On one cruise, the auctioneer started the bidding at $6,410 for a Dali print supposedly appraised at $11,500. A Thomas Kinkade print of Venice appraised at $600 sold for $250.

The Fun Factory, a floating day camp, is open at 9 AM and closes when the last child leaves, or at 1 AM. The center accommodates 600 children and is open to three- to 17-year-olds.Talent shows, games, and crafts keep kids busy, and both parents and kids like the free slumber party on formal night. Babysitting is also available for a fee. Walkie-talkies are not provided, but many families bring their own. A favorite activity of young boys is sneaking up to the topless deck to take a peek, but that’s not sanctioned by the ship!

Tip: Families usually buy the young ‘uns a soda card and the kids can be seen at any and all cafés filling up.

Millennium will spend summer 2004 in Europe, taking 12-night cruises between Barcelona and Venice. After a 14-night transatlantic crossing in early November, the ship will spend the winter in the Caribbean, on 7-night eastern Caribbean cruises out of Fort Lauderdale.

• Cruise line - Celebrity
• Ship name - Millennium
• Type of cruise - Sophisticated
• Total cabins - 969
• Private balcony cabins - 536
• Decks - 11
• Passenger capacity - 1950
• Total crew - 999
• Officers nationality - Greek
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 2000
• Tonnage - 91000
• Ship length - 964.6
• Registry - Bahamas