Quick review..millennium in the southern Caribbean

[ILgirl]

Thx for the great review!  My late husband and I sailed several times from San Juan.  He used to quote a phrase from an old advertisement, I believe it was Cunard…”why sail TO the Caribbean when you can sail FROM the Caribbean?”  So true!😀

[PTC DAWG]

Nice review, your effort is appreciated..I second the Water Island day, easy to do on your on and very relaxing…shuttle to the island leaves from Tickles Bar, right at the small marina. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[Lialovestotravel]

41 minutes ago, tartana said:

Following along...we do the same cruise later this month! We stayed at the 352 Guest House in Old San Juan Pre Covid when we did a similar cruise on Summit.  Loved that experience and can't wait for the next one! Just curious who the captain and Cruise Director are on Millennium currently?  Thanks! 

I remember seeing that place too, looked like a nice option.  I’m drawing a blank on the captains name, hopefully I’ll remember later..he was young, recently promoted and from Malta.  I’ll think of it!  The cruise director was also young and her name was Brittney and from Canada.  Both were nice & did their jobs well.  Enjoy your cruise!

[Lialovestotravel]

Made it to port day 5 of 5, whew!  Woke up parked next to a beautiful Aida ship.  Barbados has the bluest water & the coolest flag! 🇧🇧
 

We had booked a diy excursion to Harbor Lights on Carlisle Beach that was chairs, umbrella, and shipwreck/turtle snorkeling.  I had seen on here that it was easy to get a taxi for $10 rt, so although new to this..we went with it.  I don’t think I’ve seen more beautiful water!  Prefer quiet beaches, but although this one isn’t quiet, it is spectacular.  The snorkeling was quick but enough..lots of fishies and a couple of turtles.  Fun to Bob around in the waves and just admire the shades of blue in the water.  

[tartana]

1 hour ago, Lialovestotravel said:

Made it to port day 5 of 5, whew!  Woke up parked next to a beautiful Aida ship.  Barbados has the bluest water & the coolest flag! 🇧🇧
 

We had booked a diy excursion to Harbor Lights on Carlisle Beach that was chairs, umbrella, and shipwreck/turtle snorkeling.  I had seen on here that it was easy to get a taxi for $10 rt, so although new to this..we went with it.  I don’t think I’ve seen more beautiful water!  Prefer quiet beaches, but although this one isn’t quiet, it is spectacular.  The snorkeling was quick but enough..lots of fishies and a couple of turtles.  Fun to Bob around in the waves and just admire the shades of blue in the water.  

We adored Barbados in Nov 2019 - pics almost exactly the same as yours.  We actually walked from the ship - it's really not very far.  I love ports where you can just walk off and enjoy your day :) There was a place at the very beginning of the beach I think called the Boatyard where we rented chairs and an umbrella.  It was such a stunning, easy day. (From what I'm hearing, that place is closed, but there are others along the same beach) 

[Lialovestotravel]

3 minutes ago, tartana said:

We adored Barbados in Nov 2019 - pics almost exactly the same as yours.  We actually walked from the ship - it's really not very far.  I love ports where you can just walk off and enjoy your day 🙂 There was a place at the very beginning of the beach I think called the Boatyard where we rented chairs and an umbrella.  It was such a stunning, easy day. (From what I'm hearing, that place is closed, but there are others along the same beach) 

Loved it too..I always have a “winner” for a cruise..the place I want to come back for a land vacation and Barbados is the winner for this cruise lol.  They were all nice tho in their own way.  Felt a bit like Bermuda and I love Bermuda.  We considered walking but it was SO hot.  I don’t think I was made to live below the arctic circle.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[tartana]

isn't that interesting because that was my opinion as well. We'll see what our days brings in a couple weeks lol. 

[Lialovestotravel]

Sadly, we now had to head ~600 miles north to PR.  

For any medical peeps out there..I did learn how they medivac patients at sailaway.  I work at a hospital that is the regional burn center, and the helicopters land at our helipad, so I guess I thought that would be the same.  Going up to the helipad I was trying to figure out how they manage to land & get a stretcher up there.  They don’t..they put the patient in a basket from the area below the helipad while it hovers over and then lift them up from that level.  Personally, I don’t want to ever do that as the nurse or patient, so I was very careful on the stairs after that.  I hope I don’t sound too naive about how they evacuate patients, but I thought it was interesting.  
 

Time to get dressed up for dinner after our beach day in Barbados.  I know..I can’t pose for a pic without looking awkward, oh well.  🤷🏻‍♀️  The beef Wellington and lobster tail were both excellent, as well as the baked Alaska.  Not my fav dessert, but it feels like a ode to cruising in the past that is sweetly nostalgic.  Have to give all kinds of praise to our servers Rhys & Tiyiso..they were both professional & personable.  I don’t think they made a single mistake.  We had prepaid tips, but ended up leaving extra for them & our room steward.  Aside from wanting to recognize their service it also felt like the right thing to do to help them when the ship is half full.

 I think we went to the late night comedy show this night, not sure..it may have been the prior night.  They moved it to the sky lounge so we would have heard it in our room anyway, so why not go lol.  Funny, but same issue of kind of failing to connect to the audience.  He seemed frustrated, but I can only imagine how hard stand up is.  Kinda felt sorry for him.  
 

We slept late on our sea day, went to the captains talk, had lunch in the dining room (seems wrong to say this, but best mozzarella sticks ever!), and spent the afternoon at the pool.  Saw dolphins for a few minutes while chilling on our balcony too!  Had dinner in the dining room with our new friends from Kentucky & Toronto.  Had not been looking for friends but it was so nice to learn about them, they were very interesting people, and see what they had done each day.  It’s good to be open to chatting with your neighbors even if you have a table for 2.  

 

It was a wonderful trip & we were sad to leave Saturday morning.  I do hate the ridiculous chairs by the window, lol..but they were an exception in a beautiful ship.  Would love to go on celebrity again!

 

 I sincerely appreciate all the ideas I found on here and it helped to have trip reviews to read til it was our turn, so I hope this (novice) review can provide one or both for others.  We are off to the Azores for a hot springs/hiking trip in February if anyone has any suggestions for there.  I don’t believe there is an “Azores critic” sadly enough.  Happy travels!

 

[Lialovestotravel]

44 minutes ago, tartana said:

isn't that interesting because that was my opinion as well. We'll see what our days brings in a couple weeks lol. 

Please enjoy your trip & then come back and tell me your favorite.  I’d love to know!

[bunnyette]

Fantastic review!  I’m going to check out the hotel you stayed at in San Juan.

[Lialovestotravel]

51 minutes ago, bunnyette said:

Fantastic review!  I’m going to check out the hotel you stayed at in San Juan.

Thx!  It was a great trip!

 

Loved the location of fortaleza suites but I probably would only stay there again if we had a suite.  The bathroom was just too small in our room and had no storage space at all.  Casablanca & the Convent both looked super cool and hopefully had bigger bathrooms.  
 

Happy planning!

[Smmessineo]

Thanks for this review and great pictures! You've given me good ideas . I'm on the Equinox next month stopping at these ports.

And it brought back fond memories of the times we sailed out of San Juan.

[Lialovestotravel]

Oh, I do not know what night it was..but we watched a movie on the rooftop terrace one night instead of going to a musical revue.  Its a good option if you’re over the shows.  It’s very nice it a warm, windy, dark way on a night at sea.  Was a bit scary getting up the steps in heels in the dark on a rocking boat but it was cool once you got up there.  Cute movie too..Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.  During the day in the sun I’d actually die from heat stroke up there tho, so night was good.

[Lialovestotravel]

4 minutes ago, Smmessineo said:

Thanks for this review and great pictures! You've given me good ideas . I'm on the Equinox next month stopping at these ports.

And it brought back fond memories of the times we sailed out of San Juan.

Ahh..enjoy!  And glad it was helpful.  Love these islands!

[PTC DAWG]

Re the medical evacuation, they can land on some ships..if you see the words “winch only” on the helipad, no landing, only winch up the stretcher. 

[Lialovestotravel]

4 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Re the medical evacuation, they can land on some ships..if you see the words “winch only” on the helipad, no landing, only winch up the stretcher. 

Interesting!  Would not be my choice to move a patient or be the patient but clearly it works.  

[Scottishclover]

I loved your review, thanks for taking the time to post.   I prefer reviews like yours which focus more on ports than the ship and food and drink. We have always avoided Caribbean cruises, as we are not beach people and like to spend lots of time hiking while on holiday. You may just have sold me on this itinerary with your suggestions for hikes. Btw Norway is a great cruise for hikers, would recommend if you’ve not been.

 

I am very jealous of your Azores trip. Have been looking at going there for a while but it’s quite tricky to get there from Scotland. Another Portuguese island, Madeira, is also great for hiking and a favourite of ours. Enjoy your trip in February and thanks again for the fantastic review.

[Lialovestotravel]

3 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

I loved your review, thanks for taking the time to post.   I prefer reviews like yours which focus more on ports than the ship and food and drink. We have always avoided Caribbean cruises, as we are not beach people and like to spend lots of time hiking while on holiday. You may just have sold me on this itinerary with your suggestions for hikes. Btw Norway is a great cruise for hikers, would recommend if you’ve not been.

 

I am very jealous of your Azores trip. Have been looking at going there for a while but it’s quite tricky to get there from Scotland. Another Portuguese island, Madeira, is also great for hiking and a favourite of ours. Enjoy your trip in February and thanks again for the fantastic review.

Thx & glad you enjoyed!  There is definitely a lot you can do besides beaches in the Caribbean.  You can actually hike on water island too, although it is small, just google water island hike.  The hardest part for me is the sun & heat but I dealt..take lots of water & a big hat & go deep into the rainforest.  I’ve been working a lot the last couple of years and am not as fit as I’d like, but turning that around before February.  Can’t wait to hike in the Azores, it’s been a bucket list item!  My boyfriend & his sons are planning on hiking Scotland next summer too.  Norway & Alaska cruise/hikes are on that bucket list too.🙂

[aml3679]

Nice review.

 

The millennium will always have a special place in our heart. It is where we took our first cruise and we renewed our vows after 25 years.

 

We went on a West Coast wine cruise that sailed from Vancouver British Columbia to San Diego.

[Lialovestotravel]

44 minutes ago, aml3679 said:

Nice review.

 

The millennium will always have a special place in our heart. It is where we took our first cruise and we renewed our vows after 25 years.

 

We went on a West Coast wine cruise that sailed from Vancouver British Columbia to San Diego.

Thx!  It is a beautiful ship..if feels very “classic” ship.  Hope you enjoyed the Pacific Northwest, I grew up north of Seattle.  Planning a combo cruise to Alaska/family visit soon.❤️

[DaKahuna]

Thank you for your review. 

 

We have not sailed on M Class yet and our first will be on Millennium in April.  We are looking forward to finding out if we enjoy the M Class as much as we have the S Class of ships. 

 

 

 

 

[Lialovestotravel]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

Thank you for your review. 

 

We have not sailed on M Class yet and our first will be on Millennium in April.  We are looking forward to finding out if we enjoy the M Class as much as we have the S Class of ships. 

 

 

 

 

It’s a good question!  I may have to try the S class to compare too. 😬

 

Ultimately tho, I think the crew & ports matter more to me anyway.

 

Enjoy your trip!🐬🐢🐚🌅

[DaKahuna]

9 minutes ago, Lialovestotravel said:

It’s a good question!  I may have to try the S class to compare too. 😬

 

Ultimately tho, I think the crew & ports matter more to me anyway.

 

Enjoy your trip!🐬🐢🐚🌅

 

 Thank you. 

 

 I agree 100% about the crew making all the difference.  We cruise Celebrity for the service and have only been slightly disappointed once, and that was on Edge. 

 

[dreamforever]

Thanks for the great reviews and beautiful pictures. We will be on the same cruise  in 2 weeks. Our last cruise on Celebrity was on this ship in April 2019 in Japan. It was really interesting to hear about all the various activities you participated in. 

 

[Lialovestotravel]

1 hour ago, dreamforever said:

Thanks for the great reviews and beautiful pictures. We will be on the same cruise  in 2 weeks. Our last cruise on Celebrity was on this ship in April 2019 in Japan. It was really interesting to hear about all the various activities you participated in. 

 

Thank you!  Japan would be such a cool cruise. 😍  Enjoy your cruise!