Atlantis: Millennium E. Mediterranean 8/27/04

[SWLinPHX]

Hi...

 

I have just familiarized myself with the new Cruise Critic boards (yet hadn't even posted to the old boards in months), and I can find no mention whatsoever of the next Atlantis cruise from Venice to Barcelona this August. Can there be none or was it lost in the transition? I remember there being a very long thread starting months in advance for their last to Hawaii, as well as most others. Anyone going? Is there a thread somewhere I'm missing??? If anyone can clue me in I'd appreciate it, thanks! :confused:

[SWLinPHX]

Oh, FYI here is the link to the thread about this cruise from the old message boards: Atlantis Mediterranean Cruise 2004 Since this sold out immediately unlike most Atlantis cruises, I wonder why all the posts just "stopped" suddenly in April. It is just a few weeks away! I know there are posts on the Atlantis MSN group too, but still... :(

[KauaiBruce]

I have been on the Atlantis Europe cruise the last two years and there is just not the same amount of chatter on the boards about that one. I never did figure out why. My pre-cruise site for that one has 520 hits and only 10 people registered. The Mexican Riviera cruise in October has 1819 hits and 31 registered.

[SWLinPHX]

I think you may be right Bruce. Last year's W. Mediterranean got a lot of posts only after it was about a month away I think. Also, there are current posts on the Atlantis MSN Group boards. But I still think it's time to get it going here! :)

[HotlantaCruiser]

Bret and Jeff from Atlanta are going, and we can't wait!!!!! We leave in 6 weeks!!!

 

hey Bruce, how's Kauai?

[dconstantine]

I haven't been able to find any discussion on the Atlantis cruise either. I'm VERY excited here. We're making a month-long trip out of it...5 weeks and counting till I leave!

 

David

Chicago

[Cruzjunkies]

Hey Guys

 

Ed and Steve from Clearwater FL going too. We're spending a week in Italy before the cruise (Rome / Florence / Venice) and WE CAN'T WAIT! The Millennium is one of our favorite ships. 1st Mediterranean experience for both of us. Anyone doing the pre or post cruise packages from Atlantis? We're staying at the host hotel in Venice before the cruise but staying at the Hotel Arts Barcelona at the end. Gonna wrap up our shore excursion choices tonight so we can get that out of the way. These 3 weeks are gonna be a BLAST!

[HotlantaCruiser]

Anybody want to chime in on the recent reviews on Millie?

 

I've read things like "new menus", and numerous complaints on food quality in the Med. I usually take reviews here with a grain of salt, as well...given a public forum most people abuse it...

 

However, I'm starting to see a trend in comments about Millie's summer in the Med.

 

Any thoughts?

Just a little over 3 weeks. WOO HOO!!!!!!!

[SWLinPHX]

Yeah, I have been reading them but they all vary so much! Cruise Critic has their own critique of course but then the Member Reviews, and especially the short Member Comments are probably as frank as you can get.

 

Since both RCI and Celebrity have special parties for groups of 25 or more from Cruise Critic, I am curious if anyone else has signed up. I don't know if this applies to chartered cruises like this, but just in case I signed up and it accepted it. We need 23 more as of today, so if you are reading this go to this link Celebrity/Cruise-Critic Connections Party and register with your Celebrity registration number. If you only have your Atlantis confirmation number, call them and they can give you the original Celebrity number (I'm not sure if Celebrity can give it to you directly).

 

Although this is a cruise filled with peers and eligible singles, I still think it might be fun to have our own little intimate gathering, even if just to compare notes and say hi. :)

[Bluenoser]

Hi guys:

 

Dave and Jeff here from Toronto area. We're going on the Med. cruise. Can't wait to visit Mykonos again! We spent 3 weeks there a few years ago and had a great time. (This will be our "honeymoon" - we're getting married on August 12!)

 

Does anyone know if Atlantis posts a schedule of the various "events"? We hesitate to book shore excursions for early morning departures depending on what's happening the night before on board. I can't remember if Atlantis does this or not. See you in Venice or on board!

[Cruzjunkies]

We're still waiting for our tickets. Anyone receive theirs yet?

[mcboo]

Cruzjunkies,

I would call TA , cruiseline or other booking source ASAP your docs should be here by now. At least you will have an idea about what is going on. Maybe they are waiting to give you a fantastic upgrade. Cross your fingers and toes for that one.:):):):)

[HotlantaCruiser]

The only sure thing about an Atlantis cruise is that you will get your docs WELL after the date you thought you would.

 

This is my 6th Atlantis Cruise, and trust me, you will get them Very very near the time you leave.

 

Not slamming Atlantis, because the story is (has been) always the same: Info doesn't come back from the cruise line until late, then they have to boomerang it out to the peeps, etc. Calling your TA might not be of any benefit, as all they can do is talk to Atlantis.

 

With the move to electronic docs (next year?) that might be alleviated.

 

So, you will get docs well after a regular cruise. Don't worry, you'll get them (at least we always have).

[HotlantaCruiser]

Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

 

I wouldn't wait until you were on the ship if there was a specific shore excursion you wanted to book. These boys book the shore excursions in advance, and you can always cancel. Better than hoping someone else cancels. The line to book on the embarkation day can be horrendous, and why wait in line when you could be exploring Venice or the ship(shouldn't be giving away my secrets :D ).

 

You'll get a mini-pamphlet (Adobe PDF file now) with your docs, prior to cruise. It will list itinerary in a little more detail, with the major events highlighted. It is non all inclusive, but will give you a good idea of the flow for the week.

 

....digging out old Atlantis "Welcome Aboard" pamphlet fr0m the Sky (Southern Carib) cruise from last year.......

 

Not sure how to name days on this cruise, since we depart at 7:00 from Venice on embarkation day. I will name days beginning with the first sea day as "day 1", ignoring embarkation day. Nothing truly "Atlantis" related will happen on embarkation day (probably party in the disco, but not much else).

 

As for the schedule, the only "givens" are that the Dog Tag T-dance is the first "event" and is on the afternoon of the 1st full day on the ship. The Mardi Gras Party is usually the the same night. The White party is usually the Next-to last night, and the "Beach Ball" T-dance is the last day in the afternoon. Superstar entertainment is usually 2nd night before end of cruise or white party night (depending on when they can board the ship, as they usually don't travel the entire cruise). Nothing happens the last night as far as deck parties, maybe one last spin in the disco, but it is definitely start packing your stuff night.

 

Given that Athens and Mykonos are back to back (days 3-4), with long stays in port ("overnights") I would wager heavily that Dog Tag and Mardi Gras will be that first Sea Day, and that any dances on Athens and Mykonos days will be in the disco only (no decktop parties thiose nights). I mean, really, why would you try to compete with overnight in Mykonos?

 

The White Party (typically the climax of the Atlantis parties) is usually the next to last night (giving everyone a day to recoup), and since we are in Naples that day until 11:00, I would think it would still be that day. Can't imagine them having it the day before, with everyone doing a full day in Naples/Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii.

 

So...here's my wild ass guess on the schedule of events:

 

E: Venice - Bon Voyage Party on deck, "welcome" party in disco, no themes

1: Sea day - Dog Tag T-Dance on deck 17:00, Mardi Gras on deck 23:00

2: Athens - overnight - no Atlantis themed events

3: Mykonos - overnight - no Atlantis themed events

4: Santorini - 9-6 Some form of afternoon T-dance (80's?)

5: Rhodes - 10-5 Decktop party 23:00 (Island Fever)

6: Sea Day - Classic Disco T Dance 16:00, Decktop party (Masterbeat?)

7: Messina Sicily 10-6 Superstar Entertainment in the showroom

8: Naples 8 - 11 - White Party 23:00 until 07:30 day 9 :eek:

9: Sea Day - Beach Ball T- Dance 16:00

10: Debarkation

 

Again, just my guesses based on my Atlantis experiences.

 

On the recent Atlantis cruises, there have been evening parties on deck most nights after day 3, even if they aren't "themed". I didn't list them above, but you can assume there will be some type of late night party. Also, sprinkled in will be Atlantis signature entertainment (Pam Ann, Bruce McDonald Gay Hypnotist, Miss Richfield 1981, etc.), as well as the ship's own production shows. Given this is a 10 day cruise, I don't know how they will modify the normal 7 day Atlantis formula.

 

They have been talking about an "80's party" for a long time now, and may have even done one on the 2004 cruises, but just as an evening in the disco. This might be the cruise where they make it a T-Dance.

 

As many have posted here and on the other Atlantis related sites, the Med cruise is expected to be "tamer", skewed slightly older, with fewer costumes for the themed parties, door decorations, etc. I believe Rich C. posted on another site that only 80 of the passengers were from Europe. (Maybe that will change some of what I just said).

 

The previous Med cruises all seem to not be as party focused as the Caribbean cruises. Neither good nor bad, just a comment I've heard from several people who have done the previous Med cruises. It's probably a factor of the cruises being much more port intensive than the Caribbean. (I mean really, after a day in Rome/Florence/Athens/etc do you really want to rush back for a T-Dance).

 

I've rambled here way too long. Just about 3 weeks now, WOO HOO!!!

 

 

 

Hi guys:

 

Dave and Jeff here from Toronto area. We're going on the Med. cruise. Can't wait to visit Mykonos again! We spent 3 weeks there a few years ago and had a great time. (This will be our "honeymoon" - we're getting married on August 12!)

 

Does anyone know if Atlantis posts a schedule of the various "events"? We hesitate to book shore excursions for early morning departures depending on what's happening the night before on board. I can't remember if Atlantis does this or not. See you in Venice or on board!

[Bluenoser]

Thanks for the detailed info Hotlanta...now that you mention it I remember getting the pdf info from their website last October..you're outline of the schedule is making me even more excited about this cruise...thanks again and see you on board!

[Cruzjunkies]

Hey Dave and Jeff

 

Congrats on your upcoming wedding (one week from today!) Stephen and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on this cruise (right out of high school). We can't wait until the day we can get married here. What an awesome thing for u2 to be able to do.

 

Spoke to Atlantis today - tickets going out tomorrow along with schedule of events. They expect the schedule of events to also be posted to the site next week.

[HotlantaCruiser]

Now this is where I'll give Atlantis a little jab. If the docs are going out tomorrow, with the schedule of events (that means the schedule pamphlet has been printed), why can't it be on the web site now?

 

(I know, just being greedy for actual information)

 

Really getting excited now!

[Cruzjunkies]

Hey Guys

 

Something I forgot to mention in my last post - Atlantis was offering $1000 plus the differnce in cabin price to anyone with a balcony cabin willing to trade to a cabin with no balcony (on deck 2) - would give you a credit of about a couple grand. We weren't interested but thought someone else out there might be.

 

We booked our excurions on line but found that Athens was sold out (said to inquire on board). Has anyone been there before that might know how difficult it might be to hire a cab and do a tour on our own?

[SWLinPHX]

Here is an e-mail I wrote to Celebrity about a problem I had with booking shore excursions online. Did any of you encounter this problem???

 

Hello...

 

I am cruising the E. Mediterranean Venice to Barcelona on a group cruise Aug. 27. Yesterday I went to book my shore excursions in advance on your web site, and my cabin mate did so on Saturday, the day before. I must say the way the site is set up is extremely misleading and confusing, and caused a mess with bookings & cancellations for us.

 

First off, when I went to choose my excursions (the exact same three as my cabin mate Paul for $124 each, using separate credit cards) I saw our current total as $124, assuming he booked his three and mine were now pending. When I went to choose the ones I wanted to book, a window came up with a checkbox next to each of our names under the column "Assign?". Since I am paying for mine only and he already paid, I unchecked his and checked mine. Apparently, once I had chosen mine and paid/checked out, I got an e-mail confirming that I had indeed booked my three plus one for him too, paying $156. What's more, apparently by my unchecking Paul for the excursions I was booking, it automatically (and with no confirmation or notification) reversed his previously-paid transactions and refunded his card. I did not find all this out until later of course. I called Celebrity but had to wait until today as the group/shore excursion dept. was closed on Sundays. Upon calling this morning, I found out the current status of Paul being unregistered for two of his three and all mine being booked. Also, when I had gone back to correct my overcharge, I unchecked the excursion for which I was mistakenly charged twice, which then apparently canceled my booking for that one all together! I don't have his credit card to correct his and he is in Canada away on a meeting so will have to e-mail him when he surprisingly sees he has been "canceled" for some reason.

 

What's more, one of the agents on the phone told me I had to click VIEW MY CART on the web site, but there is none for Celebrity. One of the listings in the left column says VIEW MY EXCURSIONS, but that too is misleading, for that is the same thing it said when you first sign in before registering for any at all, in order to check available excursions for my particular sailing, not the ones I had already registered and paid for. Had is said "check cart", as it says on RCCL's website, that would've been much more clear.

 

Also, no e-mail is sent when a reservation is canceled and the e-mail that is sent does not notate which credit card was charged for what excursions. At this point it is hard to tell who got refunded what and who is paying for what.

 

I am assuming I have now paid for my three only and that Paul must re-register for two of his three. The main problem (aside from the "shopping cart" notation) is that upon registering with payment the word "ASSIGN?" (with the question mark) would seem to ask which do you wish to assign and pay for now, just as all online stores work. Knowing he had already paid and that I did not want to include his excursions when paying for mine, I unchecked his of course and checked mine. Even if this was a mistake, at no time did it warn or ask if I wanted to cancel him or to initiate a refund on a previous purchase by someone else, nor did it subsequently confirm that he had been canceled or refunded at that time, or even by e-mail. Merely selecting or unselecting a checkbox should never automatically and so easily cause a reversal or refund of a previously completed transaction, especially without further warning or indication!

 

I hope this can be resolved and you can alert your website designers of this problem so it can be changed and others can be spared this problem and confusion in the future. Thank you...

[HotlantaCruiser]

Given that it is the last day of the games, it could go either way. It might be so crowded that all the drivers already have things lined up, or it could be like Boston for the DNC. All the cabbies, restaurants, bars, etc lost their shirts, as normal tourists stayed away, the locals fled in advance of all the security hassles, and the people who were there, had things to do and didn't do much touristy stuff.

 

I remember hearing people in Atlanta say the same thing, although I moved here shortly after the games.

 

so, best bet, is either try and book one now (look at the other CC board postings for day trips, drivers, and recommendations), or be like us: Plan on walking to the train station, and paying Euro1.50 for the ride in to town, and suffering the Parthenon crowd, and whatever else we can stumble into. I'm not paying Euro$70 for a bus ride in and back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys

 

Something I forgot to mention in my last post - Atlantis was offering $1000 plus the differnce in cabin price to anyone with a balcony cabin willing to trade to a cabin with no balcony (on deck 2) - would give you a credit of about a couple grand. We weren't interested but thought someone else out there might be.

 

We booked our excurions on line but found that Athens was sold out (said to inquire on board). Has anyone been there before that might know how difficult it might be to hire a cab and do a tour on our own?