Ship comparison - Millenium

[1ton]

How does the Millenium ship/cruise experience compare to the other cruise lines? I have heard that it similar to Oceania, not as nice as Crystal or Regent but much better than Royal Caribbean, Princess and HAL. Is that true? On different site, the ratings for the ship varies from just 3 out of 5 stars to 4 1/2 out of six stars. Am I better off going on Royal or Princess?

[florisdekort]

Opinions will differ.

 

For me, Celebrity wins because of the excellent food, the high level of service, the no-announcement policy, the T-Pools on M-class ships and the Martini Bar :D

 

Don't know much about HAL, but I understand from many that the average age on HAL is higher as on Celebrity. (If that is at all possible LOL). HAL also is said to have excellent bedding. Celebrity is in the process of upgrading theirs.

 

Princess has good food, great entertainment (better then Celebrity) and a slightly younger crowd.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on any of these cruise lines. But based on my personal preferences, I book Celebrity :D

 

Best Regards,

Floris

[rundogrun]

I've sailed the Millie twice and Voyager twice. All were great cruises.

 

Service is a bit better on Celebrity and food is noticeably better (NY Strip vs. scary "Ranch Steak") on Celebrity as well. Extra touches like the sommelier add to the experience.

 

I think the Suites are nicer on the Millie than the VOS. Color scheme, condition, appointments, etc.

 

There was lots more to do on Voyager...mini golf, ice skating, inline skating, rock climbing, etc. Johnny Rockets was fun. Voyager also had adult only pools and deck area. Adult only T-pool on Celebrity is nice, but edge goes to Voyager.

 

More families on RCL. Kids clubs on both were great, although my kids prefer Celebrity.

 

Less spa "attitude" on RCL. It's a bit much on Celebrity.

 

Both have plenty of fun bars for predrink cocktails. Entertainment is about the same...which ain't saying much!

 

Lack of announcements on Celebrity really is a nice touch that you don't normally think about.

[1ton]

Thanks for the input. I have been on Voyager of the Seas for a Western Caribbean cruise and Princess on a Southern Caribbean cruise. Both were great but my husband and I want a little more elegance on the Mediterranean cruise. We do a lot of shore excursions and when on the boat love to gamble and eat! Oh yeah and relax by the pool too. We have no kids. We are in our 30s.

 

I think we are pretty much sold on Celebrity but it just worried me how some ranked Celebrity as average.

[C 2 C]

T We are in our 30s.

 

I think we are pretty much sold on Celebrity but it just worried me how some ranked Celebrity as average.

 

Except for the kids on board you will be on the younger side... my guess is 20% or so.

 

Millenium ship/cruise experience compare to the other cruise lines? I have heard that it similar to Oceania, not as nice as Crystal or Regent but much better than Royal Caribbean, Princess and HAL

 

The ships you wish to compare are different is size and price categories.

We have cruised on Voyager, Princess, HAL, and Celebrity. We continue to cruise on Celebrity because their price is cheaper for the quality of the product they provide. In age groups by decade: HAL, Celebrity, Princess, RCL, Carnival.

[Piepkorn]

Having just returned from 12 days on the Millie, I went aboard expecting to be 'wowed', and wasn't initially, but in the end it was one of our better cruises. The ship isn't excessively 'glitzy', but it gets the job done well. A big ship with a small ship feel. The food was a step above any cruise we've experienced thus far. Never had a bad meal. Service was spectacular in all food venues.

 

The only downside to the trip was the cabin attendent we had. The service by him was completely "unacceptable", and with that word I'm being nice. Things like him opening the door when the sign "Do Not Disturb" was displayed (in 4 languages). Multiple times. Including when he was told not to come in when my wife was sick. He never even introduced himself to us. The ship was full, and I was unable to get another cabin. No one seemed to care about this. He, and everyone associated with him were tipped "accordingly".

 

I had a feeling the bar service people were understaffed, as we found it difficult to get service at the shows unless we were really early (or stopped somewhere else on the way). Several cruises on RCCL always saw lots of bar staff at all functions, but not here.

 

This was our first summertime cruise, so we ended up with about 400 kids onboard...and it wasn't bad...was told by some - the kids were stealing their parents cards, and getting drunk in the nightclub....but never saw it for myself.

 

We booked our trip primarily due to itinerary....my neighbor is very fussy about EVERYTHING, but absolutely loves Princess. She is dreading her trip on HAL this September. We'll see how that goes.

 

Dave and Debbie

[idssms]

I cant believe anything will beat the Millie Penthouse Suite in size and services with the Butler. I d put it against Seaboune, Raddison, Crystal, etc.

 

My PS cruises are just unbeatable so if you want a special experience book a 14 day cruise in a M class Penthouse Suite. I have been to the best Hotels and Restaurants and the service is on par with the PS treatment on the Millie in my opinion. I cant comment on a non suite cabin.

 

 

Don

[aloanldy]

1ton - We have not been on Millie as yet, but we have a Med cruise booked for 10/7/07. We've been on Century once and Connie twice. We love Connie, she's our favorite so far, she's the sister ship to Millie.

 

I've been on HAL and they are similar in service to Celebrity. Hal does attract the older crowd, but that didn't bother my husband and I.

We'd sail HAL again anytime. We are more fond of Celebrity.

 

Don't expect Glitz and Flash, the Celebrity ships are elegent. They're tastefully decorated they are not like a carnival ship where they have bright colors and bright lights.

 

I don't think you'll go wrong with a Celebrity cruise.

 

 

charlie

[tom_uk]

I have been on Voyager of the Seas for a Western Caribbean cruise and Princess on a Southern Caribbean cruise. Both were great but my husband and I want a little more elegance on the Mediterranean cruise. We do a lot of shore excursions and when on the boat love to gamble and eat! Oh yeah and relax by the pool too.

 

Presumably you're looking at one the 12-day cruises on Millenium, frm either Barcelona or Venice?

 

I think you'll find a Med cruise quite port-intensive - 12 days cruising (OK, there's the overnight at Venice) but only 3 sea days. So 9 days in port. And a lot of the excursions tend to be long. From Civitavecchia, for example, the principal excursion is to Rome, and that's not worth doing unless it's all day.

 

As regards elegance, there is a decided switch in 'feel' before dinner. Daytimes will definitely be casual & practical - everybody dresses appropriately for the long hard day's sightseeing ahead! Then at night, especially on the formal nights (there'll be three of those, I think) everybody dresses up to 9's, and it does look good.

[Keith1010]

I prefer Celebrity over criuse lines such as Holland, Princess and RCL. We enjoy the service, food, stateroom accomodations, entertainment, ship appearance over the other lines that you mentioned, with the exception of the luxury category.

 

In terms of the luxury category we have cruised Crystal and Seabourn and those lines offer a level of service above Celebrity and they should given that they charge a good deal more.

 

Just like a movie, a restaurant, etc. people will give different levels of stars based on several factors so that is why some people give high, medium and even low marks to Celebrity or to other lines.

 

Keith

[1ton]

I agree with what you mean about the ratings. I went on a quick 3 night on Carnival for a quick getaway and to me the ship was terrible but it had decent reviews. I think is is about your expectations.

 

Here is what we look for on a cruise from highest to lowest priority:

 

1) Not getting sea sick

2) Ports of call

3) Service

4) Food

5) Decor of overall ship, ammenities, etc.

6) Casino (although my husband would say I should put this first).

7) Entertainment

8) Workout center and spa

9) Meeting new people/mingle etc.

 

Not sure if I am missing anything.

[rebeccalouise]

I have been on both the Millenium and the Constellation. I am sailing on the Millenium 7/24/07 because of the itinerary. Of the two sister ships- Constellation is more spectacular (interior colors, furnishings) but Millenium is also a lovely ship. I can't wait and Celebrity is by far my favorite cruise line. It is a big ship but you get to know people easily and it just feels like a very homey experience.

[Longboysfan]

If food and service are the high things on the list - then by all means - Celebrity is a good choice.

 

Also - if you do book - when getting on the ship - book a night in the specialty resturant.

Not to be missed.

[1ton]

I think I am sold! We are thinking about the 11/10 Med cruise or the 5/13 next year Med cruise. We just like the itinerary of the Millie ship the most.

[SSNORWAY]

I was on the Millenium in February, we had a Royal suite which was lovely and without a doubt the largest cabin I have had on a ship, the decor was very tasteful throughout the interior, I found service in the bars and club were excellent, however I really cannot imagine how people rate the food so highly, we had very poor service, the waiters had no idea what the main courses looked like or the veg they were served with, even though we were on second sitting and they had just spent the last two hours serving the same food (shows a lack of interest in what they were doing).

 

I really cannot remember a single thing I ate and found that the choices were bland and uninspiring, i'm normally spoilt for choice but night after night found myself going for the only thing that seemed at all interesting. obviously there was nothing wrong with it (I was not ill), but for me anyway completely uninspiring, however I do appreciate that this type of thing is very subjective, my parents whom I travelled with are very fond of Celebrity and seemed to be quite happy with theirs, but we all agreed it was not a patch on Cunard, having said this we have only ever cruised Cunard in the lower grades of accomodation and eaten in the Brittania or Mauritania restaurants, We paid a huge amount of money to be on the Millenium and had we been on Cunard in this grade of accommodation the whole dining experience would have been COMPLETELY incomparable.

 

We ate twice in the Olympic restaurant where the food was very good but for me the service is too much, I find all that "fuss and nonsense" quite irritating, one waiter and one somoulier is quite enough, we had four or five people fussing around and asking every two minutes if it was nice or not, it was a refreshing change after the service in the main restaurant though.

 

As I said before the interior was all very elegant and not at all overcrowded, someone said earlier that there were kids in the night club who had taken their parents cards, I wish they had on the cruise I was on, the night club was like the Marie Celeste after midnight.

 

I found the disembarkation at ports and particularly tenders terribly dis-organised and frustrating and would definitely not recommend this ship to anyone requiring a wheelchair, QM2 has an elevator which goes directly onto the tender platform, the gangways they put out to get on the ship at ports was so steep and slippery, I saw lots of people really struggling to get back on, my father was just about to have a knee replacement and it took two of us to get him up the gangway, if it had been raining there would have been a lot of problems, many of the passengers were much less agile than my parents.

 

I really hated the depressing navy blue promenade deck, what a horrible uninviting space, as a result I hardly saw anyone out there, a real shame, I normally find a walk on the prom' a lovely relaxing passtime at sea.

 

I'm trying to be objective and balanced so I will say something nice, the shops were very good, great assortment of goods from cheap to luxurious, I did go a bit mad in the watch shop which was really well sourced, the spa and hydrotherapy pool were also very clean and well appointed, and there were some nice touches like the conservatory florist shop and the Cova coffee shop, and the concierge staff were very friendly and helpful.

 

Finally the ship itself.... well I think I possibly took one photograph of it, it really must be one of the ugliest things that ever graced the oceans, sorry if that upsets any of her big enthusiasts, again only my personal opinion and that is what these boards are all about (I think).

I'm sure hundreds of people will disagree, which is great because if we all liked the same thing there would only be one cruise line and none of us would be able to get on it!

 

Thats my two pennies worth, I had a lovely holiday, amazing cabin, but I would probably not choose Celebrity again, then again, never say never.

[caviargal]

How does the Millenium ship/cruise experience compare to the other cruise lines? I have heard that it similar to Oceania, not as nice as Crystal or Regent but much better than Royal Caribbean, Princess and HAL. Is that true? On different site, the ratings for the ship varies from just 3 out of 5 stars to 4 1/2 out of six stars. Am I better off going on Royal or Princess?

 

I enjoyed my one sailing on an M class ship, Infinity. She was new and lovely and it was overall a great cruise.

 

Oceania is a luxury line with small ships and a high staff to passenger ratio. IMO they are not in the same class as X who is a mass market cruise line. The itineraries are longer and more exotic than X in most cases.

 

Oceania has open dining, no formal nights and a low key, elegant onboard atmosphere. Entertainment is limited. There are very few children ever aboard as there are no facilities for them and they do not market to that segment.

 

As to X being "better" than HAL and RCI, I think it is a matter of what one's priorties are and that is too broad a statement.

 

My recent HAL cruise was a nice surprise. The demographic was not any older than on my X cruises, the bedding was fabulous, the service was excellent. The management team was highly visible and always accessible and I was impressed overall. The dining room was the only disappointment but we only used it for dinner one night and two other meals. The rest of the time we chose room service or the alternative restaurant.

 

RCI has some beautiful ships, is much more family oriented (generally LOTS of kids), is more casual overall and the crew is warm and outgoing. They do a great job IMO of maintaining their vessels (much better than X is these days IME) and the onboard atmosphere is energetic and activity oriented. Food is average in the dining room and excellent in the specialty venues.

 

I have not been on Princess to cruise since the 90s (just aboard for ship inspections and lunches) but their ships are getting larger just like RCI, although they do pack more passengers on than does RCI. They offer anytime dining as well as tradtional (often waitlisted). Their MUTS is intrusive IMO.

 

X still does a great job in the dining room, still has Sommeliers (although I was told this is being phased out) and has the Aqua Spa on M class and Century, a nice alternative to restaurant and buffet (hate it) dining options.

 

Really it depends on what you are looking for from your cruise vacation.:)

[SSNORWAY]

tried to edit my last one but it won't let me, sorry for my incorrect spelling of sommeliers, trying to do three jobs at once and failing miserably at all of them :mad:

[rundogrun]

I really hated the depressing navy blue promenade deck, what a horrible uninviting space, as a result I hardly saw anyone out there, a real shame, I normally find a walk on the prom' a lovely relaxing passtime at sea.

 

<snip>

 

Finally the ship itself.... well I think I possibly took one photograph of it, it really must be one of the ugliest things that ever graced the oceans, sorry if that upsets any of her big enthusiasts, again only my personal opinion and that is what these boards are all about (I think).

 

 

Not to get too far off topic...

 

Interesting observation. When the Millenium was originally launched she had a much more interesting and attractive paint job of white, black, and gold. We were disappointed when they repainted her blue and white to match the other ships in the X fleet. For the life of us, we have no idea why they would do that.

[rebeccalouise]

I have been on the Zenith, Galaxy, Millenium and Constellation in that order. I would say that each ship surpassed the one before. Constellation being the best.

 

I like all the Celebrity ships and this is why. They are like true Ocean Liners of yesteryear. They aren't "glitzy". The beauty of the ship is the fact that all the public rooms were designed with the sea in mind. Glass everywhere. I get claustrophobic and I feel so at ease on these ships. Also, the interiors are refined and pretty but soothing. The ships have high ceilings and sturdy banesters and feel strong and solid.

 

If you are looking for a floating hotel and casino- this isn't the ship for you. If you are looking for constant announcements, high energy cruising and partying all night-THIS IS NOT THE SHIP FOR YOU.

 

If you like getting dressed for dinner and mingling with pleasant, friendly and polite passengers- this is your cruise line. If you like to find a quiet area to read a book, while looking out at the sea- then this is the ship for you.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in my eyes Celebrity is asthetically pleasing- simple, understated and elegant.

[CaribbeanBound]

I can't compare Millennium to those other ships, but I did do a thorough review of Millennium which might help you make up your own mind.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/millennium.html