Tom & Mary Milano
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com

Age: 73
Occupation: Retired restauranteur
Number of Cruises: 22
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship: Millennium
Sailing Date: March 25th, 2001
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Because of their incredible cuisine and the way we were pampered and catered too on our first cruise with the Celebrity Line, we became totally addicted to cruising. Since our first [6] cruises with Celebrity, we have made [15] cruises in a [30] month period. We wanted to try the other major cruise lines to see how they compared with our Celebrity experience. Being our Millennium cruise was such a special occasion, we booked a Celebrity Suite. A little later in our review we will describe our Suite and tell you about a very elegant gentleman, our butler, Ralph.

The only way for us to make you understand why this cruise aboard Celebrity's Millennium was such a special celebration for us, is to give you some background information.

Mary & I, were owners and operators of an award winning restaurant in Huntington, Long Island, forty miles outside of New York City. We retired in 1973 and moved to Florida. Golf was one of our passions. We traveled extensively and vacationed at well-known golf resorts such as Pebble Beach, Greenbrier, Doral and some in Europe and the Caribbean. We often went abroad to visit our daughter and her family in Istanbul, Turkey. 

It was often suggested by various travel agents we used, that we should try a cruise but we never considered it because we thought it would be to confining. We were used to the hustle and bustle of a very busy restaurant life and we didn't think we could take being cooped up on a ship for seven days. It was at the suggestion of our local travel agent Lisa, who worked for Coronado Travel, that we finally decided to give cruising a try. Lisa worked part time at our country club and knew that we had retired from owning and operating a restaurant. She told us that we should especially be interested in trying the Celebrity line because they featured the cuisine of the World renowned Master Chef, Michael Roux. That remark piqued our interest and we booked our first cruise on Celebrity's Zenith in the summer of 96. Our cruise aboard the Zenith was such a unbelievable satisfying experience that we have became avid cruisers for life. 

The food was superb and the service was impeccable. We had a Maitre`di, waiter, assistant waiter, wine steward and a bar steward take care of our table and they did an outstanding job.
The kitchen did things that are hard to do even in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant. The assortment of desserts was incredible. The pastries were out of this world; the finest we ever had. The hand work done in some preparation is usually only done in the finest restaurants that have a limited seating capacity of maybe 50 to 70 seats. Unheard of when your serving 2000 guests. We were sold. This was the kind of vacation we had been looking for all of our life. Within days we joined Celebrity's Captains Club and started planning our next cruise. 

During the next twenty eight months, we cruised on the Horizon, the Zenith again, the Mercury, and twice aboard the Century. The only reason we didn't book the Galaxy was its home port was San Juan and we didn't fly. On our second cruise aboard the Century, we decided we would try the other major lines to see how they compared to our Celebrity experience. We have now completed the circle. We started with Celebrity and now we are back with Celebrity. We are going to tell you how our Millennium cruise compared with our first [six] Celebrity cruises that so enamored us with cruising.

We invite you to take this cruise with us. Join us as we drive to Ft. Lauderdale for embarkation on Celebrity's Millennium, for our seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean.]:----we allow you to do something you can't do on a regular cruise....if you get bored traveling with us....you can leave our cruise anytime you wish.

Please remember we all have a different perspective. Our perspective might be very different from yours. Of the two thousand guests aboard the Millennium no one had the same exact cruise experience. We all come from different parts of the world and have different customs and tastes. We are products of our environment. What you think is bright and cheerful we might think of as being rather glitzy....what we think is understated elegance, you might consider bland. You may not agree with us, but that's okay. We are not cruise experts. We are cruise enthusiasts just like you. What we write is our opinion, nothing more. It's just that, our opinion:-----some pre cruise suggestions of things to do. 

SUGGESTIONS IN BOLD LETTERS:
If we write of something that we think is important for you to remember, we will print that suggestion in CAPITAL LETTERS at the end of the paragraph.

LOOSE ENDS & RANDOM THOUGHTS:
We have a section at the end of our reviews that we call...‘Loose Ends & Random Thoughts.'
It's just what it implies. We tell of some things we might have left out and we also write about some things that are close to our heart. When [LR] appears after a comment, it means we have more to say about it in our ‘Loose Ends & Random Thoughts' Section. 

PRE CRUISE THINGS TO DO:
We have suggested the following method of tipping in our last couple of reviews and have received many e-mails from our readers who have tried it with great results. We like to give the suggested tip for the week, to our Cabin attendant, Waiter and Assistant waiter and Maitre`di, the first evening of our cruise. Tipping at the end of the week is like locking the barn door after the horse has run away. We make out [3 x 5] envelopes with a note that reads...This is a down payment on your services, Thank you, Tom & Mary Milano. On our [22] cruises we have never had service that was poor enough to warrant us tipping less than the suggested amount. By tipping the suggested amount on the first night, you let your servers know that you are appreciative of good service and they can expect an additional stipend at the end of the cruise. [At the end of the cruise we usually give an additional $20 to the waiter, $10 to the assistant and $10 or $20 to the cabin attendant]. It's a small price to pay to ensure your servers give you their very best.

MAGIC OF THE $2 BILL:
We start collecting $2 bills weeks before the cruise. We take with us $20--$30 in $2 bills. I call these our magic potion. I take a $2 bill and keep folding it until I have a small square, with the large imprint of the $2 covering the surface. I use the $2 a lot in the beginning of the cruise. I find it's important what you say when you give it, otherwise it doesn't have much significance. When I give it to a server, I say to them, give me your hand. When they give me their hand, I take it and with my other hand I show them the folded $2 bill; then I say to them, I want you to know this is a magic $2 bill and I can promise you that during this coming week something special is going to happen to you, something that will make you very, very happy. Very few servers have ever seen a $2 bill and that alone gets their rapt attention. Then you can see in their quizzical expression that their thinking; it's crazy but who knows. It might work. Who among us doesn't have some form of a lucky piece. A lucky coin, a rabbits foot, a religious medal. All we can tell you is, we have had the most amazing, wonderful things happen as a result of giving out these two dollar bills; not the least is the exceptional service we have received from many servers.

DIET & EXERCISE:
We diet and exercise before a cruise. Our goal is to lose the 4 lbs. we anticipate gaining on a seven- day cruise. Because we cruise five to six times a year, if we didn't diet & exercise, we would need a new wardrobe every three months. We love pies and pastries and most things we're not supposed to eat. Having no restrictions on what we eat is a big part of our enjoyment of a cruise. By losing the anticipated weight gain before we step aboard the ship, we can eat whatever our heart desires without the slightest feeling of guilt. Unfortunately, our formula didn't work for me on this cruise. I lost the four lbs. before we cruised but I gained six on the cruise. I told Mary it was all her fault. One of Mary's little tricks to keep her weight down is to always leave some of her dessert on her plate. I don't have any little tricks. My usual routine is finish everything on my plate, then I eat whatever Mary leaves. That's why I have before and after wardrobes. We met a Celebrity officer who has three wardrobes....we'll tell his name a little later.

READ::
Read our article, "How We Heighten Our Cruise Experience" [ http://www.cruisereviews.com/CruiseExperience.htm ]

Read our article, "Things We Do Before, During and After Our Cruise." [ http://www.cruisereviews.com/Things2Do.htm ] "Remember it's not just a cruise, it's another "Honeymoon."

BOWS ON YOUR LUGGAGE :
Tie colorful bows on your luggage, especially if it's black. Makes them much easier to spot in a room filled with luggage:-..........AND NOW.......like they say on Monday night Football.....ARE YOU READY FOR SOME CRUISING!------come join us as we drive to Ft. Lauderdale and embarkation.

EMBARKATION
You can extend your enjoyment of your cruise if you start setting the tone long before the sailing date. The drive to port is the climax of our pre cruise preparation. We selected four CD's to play on our way to port. We feel relaxed and peaceful as we listen to the beautiful romantic voice of Pedro Vargas, our favorite Latin vocalist. His music has a very relaxing quality about it and hints of the tranquility of being at sea. We also took CD's of Julio Iglesias, Linda Ronstadt and the Los Panchos Trio. [If your flying, headphones should do the trick.] For a couple of weeks before the cruise I had fun kidding my Mary about having a Suite and a butler. I would start singing the theme song of the old Jefferson Sitcom, "We're moving on up....too a dee..lux apartment in the sky." During our drive to port, I continued to kid her. Every time I changed a CD, I would give her one of those Wimpy looks, and I would sing a couple of bars of, "We're moving on up....too a dee..lux apartment in the sky." By the time we got to Ft. Lauderdale, we were in our full cruise mode. 

The drive to the Celebrity terminal in Ft. Lauderdale took three and a half hours. We left our luggage with the porter. He took note of the Suite luggage tags and told us our luggage will be in your Suite when you get there. [One of the perks of having a Suite] I parked our car [$10 a day] and took the Celebrity shuttle back to the terminal. We were excited because our cruise agent Gari Senderoff, of South Beach Cruises in Miami, was going to meet us. He had applied for passes for himself and his friend Carmen Dago so they could come aboard and have lunch with us. We have been dealing with Gari  since the summer of 99 and had never personally met him. He is a very knowledgeable and personable fellow when talking to him on the phone, we couldn't wait to meet him. Being we were Captain Club members, our boarding documents were checked in minutes. Some months previously we had exchanged pictures which Gari. As we finished checking in, we spotted Gari  and Carmen. We had our picture taken with them as we boarded. [See picture.] When our boarding passes were checked, a cute little girl, dressed like a French maid and wearing white gloves took Mary's carry on and escorted us to our Suite #6104. Celebrity sure knows how to make you feel important. A very nice way to start one's cruise. 

IMPORTANT BOARDING INFORMATION: Celebrity has instituted a new boarding procedure. They now allow you to board as early as 10:30 A.M.. They give you a print out that tells what's available to you and the lounges, deck areas, pools and dining areas you can go to until your cabin is ready. Cabins are available for occupancy at approximately 1:00. This is a great idea. It allows the passengers to have a drink, eat, use the pools and Jacuzzis or just look around the ship. It also gives the cabin stewards additional time to have your cabin in immaculate condition. 

We think all cruise lines should adopt this policy. Why not? You paid for a full seven day cruise. We suggest you write your favorite cruise line and ask them to do the same as Celebrity. It would be the most meaningful advancement in customer relations in many years. You can help make this happen. 

We are not going too bore you by giving you a day by day, blow by blow description of our cruise. We will tell you what we did our first day. Then we will tell you some of the highlights of our cruise and what we think you should know. Fair enough?:-----now come with us and we will show you around the Suite and have you meet Ralph, our butler.....I love the sound of saying, our Butler. I feel like the Lord of the Manor, a little like Cary Grant talking to his movie butler Jeeves.

We no sooner walked into our Suite, when an elegant looking fellow dressed in tails, came in and introduced himself, "I'm Ralph, your butler." Ralph suggested we take a few moments to look around the Suite and he would be back to open and serve the welcome bottle of Champagne. [Another Suite perk]:------come with us as we get acquainted with our temporary home. 

The Celebrity Suite comprises a good size living room with sofa and arm chairs, end tables and a cocktail table. The sea wall is all glass, with roman shades and drapes. It afforded a spectacular view of the ocean. It has a computer desk and printer, a VCR, and a 3-ft x 4-ft. flat screen televison; the dining room had a table for four, a large bar area with a refrigerator, a safe and lower cabinets on both sides, a mirrored wall with two full length curio cabinets; the bedroom had a Queen size bed, with a very attractive bedspread, and a drape of matching material on the wall and head board, two night tables, a his & her walk in closet with a large vanity; another 3-ft. X 4-ft. flat screen TV/VCR combination in a cabinet arrangement at the base of the bed, a full mirrored side wall; the bathroom was done in marble, with a double sink and a Jacuzzi tub, a hair dryer and all the goodies; three telephones, living room, bedroom and bathroom. We were given stationary and cards with our names imprinted on them.. 

The overall area of Celebrity Suites is just under 500 Sq. Ft. Celebrity's Royal Suite is 538 Sq. Ft., with a 195 Sq. Ft. Veranda. Their two Penthouse Suites, the largest of any ships, are a whopping 1, 432 Sq. Ft., with a huge 1098 Sq. Ft. Veranda with Jacuzzi. The eight Celebrity Suites are the only suites that do not have Verandas and that was the reason we booked it. It is our opinion that the Veranda cabins we have booked and most of the ones we have seen, do not provide the privacy we enjoy. I think we have given you a fairly good picture of our Suite. As you can well imagine, we were very pleased with our accommodations, they were exquisite.

Ralph soon reappeared with a tray of hors d`oeuvres. He popped the Champagne and served Mary and our guests and he had a bottle of O'Douls for me. Ralph then summoned our cabin steward and introduced us to him. His name was Egypico and he was from India. He was the perfect steward. We rarely saw him but he kept our Suite immaculate. He anticipated our every need. He was usually in the hallway when we went to dinner and he never failed to comment how beautifully Mary was dressed. He gave away his previous employment by making towel sculptures that he placed on our bed at night. We knew he had worked for Royal Caribbean because that is one of their trademarks. I took the opportunity to give Ralph and Egypico their tip envelopes and they seemed very pleased.

We sipped our drinks and spent some get acquainted time with Gari & Carmen. Then we made our way to the Ocean Grill to have lunch. Mary & I have grown very fond of Gari and it was a pleasure to talk to him in person and get to know him on a more intimate basis. He is a very impressive young man and has been invaluable in booking our cruises the last two and a half years. His friend Carmen was a delight. We learned that her mother & father were asked to be members of a group that will meet with the King of Spain when he visits this month. Quite an honor. We had a wonderful lunch with them. [A little later, we will be giving you a more thorough report of the Ocean Grill.] After a lengthy good-bye, we walked Carmen & Gari to the gangway and then headed for the Rendez-Vous Lounge to check our table assignment and make reservations for the ‘Olympic.'

SUGGESTION: GIVE YOUR CABIN STEWARD THE SUGGESTED TIP FOR THE WEEK.

THE FIRST HOURS ABOARD SHIP ARE IMPORTANT:
Mary and I have found that there are certain things that we can do the first day that will set the tone or our entire cruise. The first thing we do is check our table assignment. We can't stress enough the importance of doing this. It's important to see if the table assigned you is what you requested. If it isn't, the Maitre`de has a chance to make the necessary changes. An e-mail we received this morning from one of our readers, Carol Ellis, tells what can happen if you don't check your table assignment. 

Tom & Mary, 
One thing that I don't think that you can stress enough is your idea of determining where you will be dining for your cruise prior to dinner the first evening. My husband, 3 children (18, 15 and 10) and I had asked for a table by the window for the 5 of us. We didn't check our table assignment and found ourselves with a family of 3, including a rather loud 5 year old, and we were in the center of the room. My youngest is rather sophisticated--she will opt for the scampi over mac and cheese any day. We are used to going to fine restaurants and all my kids truly behaved themselves since they were babies. We determined that our waitress was fantastic and it would have been difficult to change....... what if we ran into this family later? While we enjoyed dinner it was trying to hear their little one screech for more macaroni and cheese, chocolate milk, and the I"M TIRED!>>Carol Ellis

If you are not happy with whom you're seated, speak to the Maitre`de and ask to have your table changed. If he can possibly change it, he will. He wants to make you happy. This is also the time to make your reservation for the ‘Olympic.' The ‘Olympic' restaurant has only 134 seats and there are 2000 passengers. Time is of the essence. Don't miss out on what we can assure you, will be the dining experience of your life. The Olympic Maitre`des' are positioned opposite from where you check your table assignment.

SUGGESTION: BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR TABLE ASSIGNMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND THEN MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR THE ‘OLYMPIC' ALTERNATIVE RESTAURANT.

QUICK TOUR OF SHIP: [Delayed until later]
Mary was so enamored with our suite, we decided to delay our tour of the ship. Instead, we decided to go back to our suite, unpack and get things arranged the way she likes it. She is a great believer that there is a place for everything and everything in its place. She showed me where she was putting my underwear and my socks and all my other items. I listened intently, but I knew that within an hour I would have to ask Mary to help me find something. But the beautiful part of it, is my Mary knows I'm going to forget and she doesn't mind one bit. That's my Mary, gracious even in the very little things of life. She wouldn't think of hurting my feelings by telling me, "Hey stupid, I just showed you where I put it." Never would I hear such harsh language from my lady's mouth. I looked around for the electrical outlets. I couldn't plug in our scented plug ins quick enough. Seven days with my lovely lady in a Suite, with the fragrance of Gardenias in the air, and our butler Ralph available at our beck and call. This must be a glimpse of what heaven is like. Wimpy detected the scent of Gardenias and gently settled onto the sofa, looked at Mary, rolled his eyes and smiled. Wouldn't you smile if you were having your 22nd Honeymoon?:-------as you have probably surmised, its time for a nap. When we awake, we're going to take you to the dining room to meet our servers and we invite you to have dinner with us.

SUGGESTION: DON'T FORGET THE SCENTED PLUG-INS. THEY ADD A WONDERFUL FRAGRANCE TO THE CABIN. ALSO, REMEMBER A NITE LIGHT & AIR FRESHENER.

COVA CAFE MILANO:
We decided to rest before dinner instead of inspecting the ship. When we awoke, we took a quick shower and got dressed for dinner. Before we go any further, we want you to know we don't have to look at the ship's bulletin to see the dress code for the evening. We have our own dress code. One of the things we like about cruising is being able to get all dressed up and having someplace to go. We dressed the way we like to dress and as usual, Mary looked beautiful..

We took the outside glass elevators that face the sea, to the fifth deck. We left the elevators and walked to the railing of a balcony that looks down on the Grand Foyer. The Grand Foyer features a beautiful translucent, backlit onyx staircase with mahogany pillars and cascading sheer white drapes. It is a perfect example of understated elegance. The entire area around the balcony is the Pasticceria Confetteria, Cova Cafe Milano. The original Cova Pastisserie was founded in 1817 and was in front of the La Scala theater in Milan, Italy. It has an active bar on one side and on the other side are display cases featuring all kind of pastry delicacies and chocolates. There is also a separate tea room. Cafe Milano is a charming room to have your favorite refreshments. If you don't care to drink, you can have a Cappuccino, Coffee Latte, Espresso, you name it they have it. Pastries and cookies are served during the late morning and mid afternoon. Cafe Milano quickly became one of our favorites. We often enjoyed a late afternoon Cappuccino while listening to the delightful Harpist, Barbara Kirchoff. When we headed for Cafe Milano, I would say to Mary, in my best Wimpy voice. "My dear Mary, would you do me the honor of joining me at my cafe, for a little respite?":-----come with us as we start toward the Metropolitan Dining Room. We first have to walk through the Platinum Club.

THE PLATINUM CLUB:
On the way to the Metropolitan we pass through the Platinum Club. This is a very attractive lounge decorated in various shades of plum and grey. The room features a Martini and Champagne bar and a caviar display. Drinks are served in beautiful long stemmed glasses. [We have always had a special appreciation for glassware. Our restaurant Glynns, was noted for its glassware. During our restaurant years, one of the Hospitality Magazine awards we received was for our glassware.] There is a large circular opening in the center of the room. This allows you to look down on the dance floor of the very popular Rendez-Vous Lounge. It also allows the music from below to filter up and be heard throughout the room. A very novel idea and very effective:-------we are now walking out the rear entrance of the Platinum club toward the entrance of the Metropolitan Dining Room.

THE METROPOLITAN DINING ROOM:
As we enter the Metropolitan Dining Room, we get a big greeting from the Maitre`de, Sinsha. He is a charming fellow. He escorts us to our table for two on the balcony, just behind the string quartet. We are just far enough from the music to be able to fully appreciate it. The Metropolitan Dining Room is on decks four & five and is absolutely elegant. It has the 1940's type decor, with huge columns reaching from the floor to the lighted ceiling. A striking double curved stairway, connects the balcony to the lower level. At the very aft [back] section of the room, is a two story partitioned glass wall, allowing you to see a broad area of the wake of the ship as we dine. When it gets dark, a hand- painted screen of a city scape covers the entire wall area. The Metropolitan dining room has the perfect ambience that enhances fine dining.

This is the moment of truth for Mary & I. We have waited two and some half years and fifteen cruises for this moment to happen. We booked this cruise to see if Celebrity still had the superb food and the impeccable service that inspired us to become such passionate cruisers:------Why don't you join us for dinner and judge for yourself?

Our waiter was Pawell and his assistant was Marek. Both were from Poland. I called them the Polish connection. Our wine steward was a delightful young lady Danica Nell, from South Africa and our bar man was Tommy from Spain. When I ordered a bottle of wine for Mary I did my tipping thing. I called Powell to the table and as I handed him his envelope, I told him, "I would like you to have this. It's a down payment on your services for the week." He looked surprised and happy. I did the same with Marek the following night. I like to have the waiter be the number one man on the first night. It doesn't hurt to have the assistant waiter wonder if he is going to be treated the same way. Wine stewards and bar men aren't normally tipped because a 15% service charge is added to the price of wine and beverages. These young people have a difficult job and we feel for them. We usually put five dollars in an envelope and give it to them the first night. They appreciate being thought of. When Sinsha the Maitre`de came to our table I handed him his envelope and he was really surprised. Maitre`des' on cruise ships are not our favorite people. To often I've seen them pay very little attention to a table until the last couple of nights, then expect to receive a tip. But since I have been tipping them in advance, it seems I have gotten their attention and they have been more involved with the service of our table. 

Tipping the first night is the second step in setting the tone of our cruise. By the second night of our cruise we had completely bonded with our servers and we were like one big happy family. Not only was our service impeccable but the servers displayed just the right degree of friendliness. We like a server to be friendly but not friendly to the point of becoming a member of our party. The servers on the Millennium are trained to give you the finest of service regardless of what you tip. But its human nature for a person to extend themselves when you treat them in special way. It is our opinion if you tip your servers the way we suggest, you will enhance your cruise significantly.

Each night the menu featured four appetizers, three soups, two salads, five entrees and four or five exquisite desserts. (My weakness.) Mary & I love pasta so I did what we usually do. I told Pawell to bring a plate of pasta when he brings our entree. I had him place the plate in the center of the table, between our entrees. Whenever we were so inclined, we had ourselves a little pasta. Every night was a special occasion. When we awoke in the morning, we already started talking about dinner that night. The food and the service were exceptional. 

We had a lot of fun with Sinsha our Maitre`de. He was a very handsome young man that had a wonderful, vibrant personality. After he told us his wish was to someday open a dance studio, every time he came to our table, I would say to him, "Show me a little dance step...Give me a little Fred Astaire move....How about a few Gene Kelly ‘Singing In the Rain' steps." He would go into a little routine, he was a pleasure. He cracked us up when he showed us a couple of Ginger Rogers moves. He was always good for a laugh. I must add he was an exceptional Maitre`de. Every night we entered the dining room we knew we were going to have another fabulous meal and another new exciting, heartfelt experience. [LR]

Our dining room experience and the evening we spent at the "Olympic' were without a doubt the highlights of our cruise. The food was everything we had hoped it would be, it was superb. The service was not only exceptional, but the servers at our table so sincerely wanted to please us that we formed an emotional attachment with them. We learned about Danica's family in South Africa and how excited Marek was when we said we would write his Father in Poland. We heard about Pawells dream of some day opening a small restaurant in Poland. Of Sinsha's secret wish to some day open a dance school. When you talk to these young hard-working people, you realize they are of a very high caliber. It speaks well of Celebrity's screening process and it speaks well for those who are responsible for training the hotel staff. 

The person who is responsible for the training and supervision of the entire Restaurant operation is Romuald Kordecki. He is the restaurant manager. Anyone that has any knowledge of how a fine restaurant runs, knows that it takes a great deal of supervision by qualified personnel. This gentleman had a very quiet demeanor but was all over the two levels of the Metropolitan, making sure the staff was doing what they were supposed to do. To have a dining room and kitchen staff come together and perform in such a professional manner in a few short months is amazing. Mary & I have been there, and we marvel at what he has accomplished:-----Finish your coffee and come with us as we head toward the showroom....you're in for a treat.

RENDEZ-VOUS LOUNGE:
We feel we're on a movie set as we walk down the curved stairway to the fourth deck and head for the Rendez-Vous Lounge. The Rendez-Vous Lounge became one of our favorite spots. It was where we had drinks and did a little dancing before dinner and it was the place we stopped on the way to the show after dinner. Music was by the "Young Duo.' The duo was primarily a keyboard player and a female vocalist. They made a lot of music for two people. He had a mass of equipment that supplied all kinds of integrated backgbackground music. If you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to a full orchestra. When we walked into the room, the vocalist was singing one of our favorite ballads, ‘Unforgettable.' Whenever we hear this song, we think of the wonderful Nat King Cole rendition. We couldn't believe it. We finally found a group that played our kind of music. My heart must of pumped an extra supply of blood to my feet because they started to move on their own. I took Mary's hand and lead her to the dance floor. In a heart beat we felt the rhythm and started doing our slide and glide, hold me tight dancing. Alleluia! This is the first time in our last four cruises that we able to dance to the kind of music we like, that great forties and fifties sound. We even managed a couple of respectable Rumba's. What a wonderful day! What a wonderful evening! To have such a superb dinner and then have Mary in my arms as we danced to the great romantic ballads of the past, gave me another tiny glimpse of what heaven must be. [I can hear some of you men groan....here he goes again....with all that romantic stuff.....MEN, I once read something that I find to be true. It went like this, "Love may make the world go around, but its romantic love that makes the ride worthwhile. Love is lukewarm, comfortable--when you add romance, it becomes exhilarating and exciting!"] And that's exactly how we felt, exhilarated and excited. We have had such a grand time and we still have the whole evening ahead of us. We tripped the light fantastic a few more times, then we did the $2 bill thing with our server and started walking toward the showroom:----come with us and we will point out the venues along the way.

SUGGESTION: START DOING THE $2 THING WITH THE SERVERS.

FORTUNES CASINO:
We leave the Rende-Vous Lounge, and walk through the Grand Foyer and find ourselves at the entrance to Fortunes Casino. There is no way around the Casino. You have to walk through it to get to the Showroom. Mary & I are not gamblers, so Casino's are of little interest to us. Fortunes is noisy and gaudy, like all Casino's are meant to be. All the noise, the bright lights and the hula baloo, are meant to keep your mind occupied so you forget how much your donating:----come with us as we work our way through the crowded isles and reach the exit.

MICHAEL'S CLUB:
On the left side of the walkway we pass Michael's Club. One of our review e-mail friends, Val & Bill Kazmir, introduced us to Michaels. We saw Bill & Val a number of times during our cruise and they often talked about Michael's Club. They made it a habit of going there every night after dinner. Bill would have a cigar and Val a cigarette. Since I gave up a three pack a day habit seventeen years ago and Mary never smoked, we didn't have the slightest desire to see it. Val had mentioned that I might want to write about it. One night toward the end of the cruise as Mary and I were on our way to the showroom. We spotted Val outside Michael's Club waving to us. She wanted us to see the room. Well, I'm going to tell you, it was definitely shock time. Michaels was one of the nicest rooms on the ship. It appeared to me that this might be what the den of a English Manor might look like. It was absolutely breathe taking. It had a fireplace with deep red leather arm chairs in front of it. Exquisite lounging sofa's. Some walls were paneled in rich dark woods. Another had a mural of an English Garden. All kinds of comfortable niches and corners. There was a beautiful wood bar on the left wall as you entered. Subdued lighting gave the room a very warm, comfortable atmosphere. It was a picture of old world charm...I'm going to warn you....if you have given up smoking and do not have a great deal of will power...be on guard if you go to Michael's Club. After being in that room for five minutes, I started thinking how good a cigar would taste. You should see it, even if you just open the door and peak in.:-----it's approaching show time, come with us to the beautiful Celebrity Theater.

CELEBRITY THEATER:
The Celebrity theater seats 900 people. The first impression you get when you walk into this magnificent room is that it is huge. As you can see in the picture, the Theater is beautifully laid out and exudes a feeling of richness. We were anxious to see if Celebrity still had the love seat  arrangement we liked so much on their other ships. Sure enough they did. They also had a lighted cocktail table in front of each one.. Its nice to be able to set your drink down without worrying if its going to spill. We have been on some major cruise lines that didn't have any drink service in the showroom. Others didn't have any kind of drink holders. You had to hold the drink in your lap and when you finished, you put it on the floor under your seat. Its such a nice convenience to have a table to put your drink on. 

We want to tell about Maria Alexander, a bar server in the Showroom. On our first night I had Maria bring Mary a Rusty Nail on the rocks, I had a Perrier. When she served our drinks, I asked her to hold out her hand, and I did my $2 bill thing. She had the sweetest spirit. In the few minutes we talked, we shared some very meaningful thoughts and although its very hard to explain, we felt a strong chemistry with her. We sensed we had a new friend in Maria Alexander, from Uruguay. We only saw her a few more times but we felt like we knew her for years. Since our return, we have been exchanging e-mails with Maria. Another example of the unbelievable magic of the $2 bill. [LR]:---this is a good time to tell you about all of the entertainment.

ENTERTAINMENT:
This is going to be a pleasure to write about. It is our opinion, the production shows aboard the Millennium are the best we have ever seen at sea. Celebrity did something we have never seen done on any seven day cruise. They had three full scale production shows. The Celebrity singers, Valerie Stanos, Bobby black, Brian Miller, Chris Reilly and Christopher Riggins were outstanding. We were amazed at the quality and range of their voices. They sang everything from rock and roll to opera and everything else in between. The Celebrity dancers are a group of very talented performers. Every one of the dancers were beautiful. (The men looked pretty good too.) The Celebrity Orchestra did a splendid job of accompanying them. It must have been a challenge for them to do three production shows and have the choreography appear different enough so the audience wouldn't be bored. But, somehow they accomplished that.

The last show was our favorite. It was a complete change of pace from the first two shows. The ensemble did a medley of Broadway melodies, including show stoppers from ‘Grease,' ‘42nd Street,' ‘Phantom of the Opera' and ‘Les Miserables.' They even included some Arias from the Opera. Some of the sets and the costumes were worthy of Broadway. But the highlight for Mary, was when near the end of the show, the entire cast broke into the Irish River Dance. My little Irish sweetheart, Miss Mary Agnes Dunne, was thrilled. It was truly a night to remember:----we are going to tell you a bit about all the entertainment before we take you through the Emporium shopping mall.

CRUISE DIRECTOR:
Rob Wheatley did all the thing cruise directors usually do and he did them well. He was very cordial and said the right thing at the right time. He was all over the ship and was very easy to talk to. 

MICHAEL JAMES:
Performs a comedy act while perched on a ladder. Have seen him before. Good, not great.

BOBBY BLACK:
A very talented member of the cast. He can sing anything, including country, rock n roll and believe it or not, Opera. A good solid performance

MARK MERCHANT:
He is a Ventriloquist. We were having dinner in the ‘Olympic' and didn't see his act.

MARK PRESTON:
A former member of the ‘Lettermen.' We aren't thrilled when we hear someone is going to perform who was a former member of........... In our opinion, many performers in the former member category, aren't that talented and are living off the past reputation of the group. This most certainly does not apply to Mark Preston. He gave a dynamic performance. He is a very handsome gent, with a great singing style. Mary said he reminded her of Robert Goulet. He sang a medley of Letterman songs while a screen in the background showed the trio singing the same song. The marvel of modern technology. It was very effective. He had great stage presence and had the audience in the palm of his hand in minutes. A thoroughly enjoyable performance. He deserved the standing ovation he received. 

BARBARA KIRCHOFF:
Barbara plays the Harp in Cafe Milano. Find a comfortable niche and share a romantic interlude with your lady. 

GORDON HAYMAN:
Plays at various times in the Rendez-Vous Lounge and the Cosmos Nightclub.

D.J. JEFF:
Handles the D.J. chores in the Cosmos Nightclub.

STRING QUARTET;
Plays in the Metropolitan Dining room during dinner.

THE YOUNG DUO:
A very accomplished duo that supplies the music for the very popular Rendez-Vous Lounge. They play whatever you want to hear. 

THE CELEBRITY ORCHESTRA:
A very solid group who did a great job with the production numbers and accompanying Mark Preston and the other single acts. We were amazed at the quality of music they produced with six musicians.

PRODIGY:
A very popular combo that played pool side and in the Cosmos Disco. Everyone seemed to enjoy their music.:-------I think we have covered all of the entertainment aboard the Millennium. 

THREE PARTIES:
We attended three parties. The Captains party, the Repeaters party, and the Captains Club member party. The Captains Party was held in the Celebrity Theater and was an elegant affair. It was a pleasure to see most of the guests in very smart formal attire. More men wore tuxedos and dark suits than on most of our cruises. Formal dress is what makes these parties gala events. My Mary looked stunning in her beautiful Peach evening gown. Drinks and hors`doeuvres were in abundance. Everybody had a grand time. The Repeaters party was also held in the Celebrity Theater. The Captain Club member party was held in the Cosmos Night Club. Servers were everywhere, carrying trays of drinks and Hors'doeuvres.:-----we are going to leave the theater area and walk up one flight to the fifth deck and walk through the Emporium, the largest shopping mall at sea.

THE EMPORIUM SHOPPING MALL:
The Emporium is Millenniums 14,000 sq.ft. Shopping mall. There are 15 stores in the Emporium. There are several boutiques selling designer clothes, crystal, china and jewelry. Michel Roux, the World renowned Master Chef, who is responsible for the superb food served on the Celebrity ships, has his own boutique. He has all kinds of interesting kitchen items, including a $10,000 stove. There is also a very interesting specialty jewelry store, featuring jewelry made from coins and other treasures taken from sunken ships:-----We are a little tired and I think we will call it a day. We will walk you to Cafe Milano and then we'll take an elevator to the sixth floor and our Suite. 

HOME SUITE HOME:  
#6104 here we are. It always feels good to be home, be it on land or sea. As we walked into our Suite, I couldn't resist singing a few bars of, "We're moving on up...to a dee-lux apartment in the sky." I got a laugh out of Mary. The apartment was immaculate. It was evident our steward had a place for everything and put everything in it's place. Maybe there's something to that after all. We got undressed, took our showers, put our robes on and sat on the sofa.

Reflecting On Our First Day:
We talked about what a wonderful, fun day it was. It was great meeting Gari & Carmen and having lunch with them. In the early afternoon, I had a romantic interlude in Cafe Milano, with my lady Mary. In mid afternoon in our Suite, we watched Denzel Washington in the movie ‘The Titans.' A little after four Ralph came by with afternoon tea and pastries. Before we got ready for dinner we did a little relaxing in our jacuzzi. We then got dressed and went to the Rendez-Vous Lounge for cocktails and dancing. After that we had an exquisite dinner, with impeccable service, in the magnificent Metropolitan Dining Room, while being serenaded by a string quartet. After dinner we returned to the Redenz-Vous Lounge for after dinner drinks and more dancing. And then we concluded our evening seeing a wonderful show at the Celebrity Theater.

Mary & I looked at each other, and almost at the same time said, "Did we really do all that?" We did more enjoyable things in one day than we usually do in a month. And to think, we have six more days of the same. We don't ever remember making that kind of statement at the end of the first day of any vacation we have taken since we retired in 1973. The fact that only 11% of the American population have ever taken a cruise, amazes me. In our humble opinion, there is no vacation on earth that comes close to giving you the amenities, service and dollar value that you get when you cruise. I think the figures are going to change dramatically in the next few years. With the amount of new ships being built, it appears the cruise lines are betting their futures that they will.....If your wondering if our days could get any better...the answer is...YES they did!

BREAKFAST:
When we first looked at our dining room we decided that's where we would have our breakfast each morning. Our butler Ralph left us a note, reminding us to fill out a card to let him know what we wanted for breakfast. We would fill out a card with what we wanted and the time we wanted it and give it to Ralph. In the morning, he would call us ten minutes before he was ready to serve. I would put a robe on and open the door for him. He would come in and put down a table clothe and set two places with silver. He poured our coffee, served our breakfast and then asked if there was anything he could do. He reminded us that each day at approximately four o'clock, he would come by and serve us tea, finger sandwiches and assorted Pastries:-----I kid a lot about Ralph, but it needs to be said, he was an elegant young man who made us feel very special.....exactly what he was supposed to do. It was a pleasure to have him come to our room. 

OUR GRATITUDE LIST, A MORNING RITUAL:
Some years ago, we read something that Henry David Thoreau wrote that has changed our life. He wrote, "Whatever you allow your mind to dwell on the first five minutes you're awake, will determine the tone of your entire day." That statement got our rapt attention. Mary and I saw a great deal of merit in what he said and we decided to follow his sage advice. We sat and listed the things we had reason to be grateful for. We were amazed at length of our list. We call it our Gratitude List. Each morning, soon after we awake, we read our list and give thanks for what we have. We find doing this has not only set the tone of our day but also our life. [LR]..:----I know we lost some of our readers when we wrote about romance....and I know we probably lost some others when we wrote about our morning ritual....but that's all right....for those of you who are still with us....tonight your in for a treat...We're inviting you to have dinner with us at Millenniums much talked about alternative restaurant, the Olympic. 

THE OLYMPIC RESTAURANT:
As we enter the marbled reception area, our eyes are drawn to the exquisite wall paneling. We later learn the designer, Birch Coffey, chose to have the wall paneling be the framework to create a Edwardian theme for the room. Its a very interesting story and demonstrates the lengths that Celebrity went through to make this room special. The wall panels are the original panels that graced the premier ala carte dining room onboard the glamorous R.M.S. Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic. Celebrity Cruises discovered the paneling in a unassuming suburban house in England. They purchased the home, had this exquisite walnut paneling removed and then restored to it's natural beauty. They then had it shipped to France, where expert shipyard joiners installed it aboard the Millennium, where it became the focal point of this remarkable restaurant. 

We get a warm greeting from the restaurant manager Rafaelle. As he walked us through the reception area to our table, he points out various memorabilia. The dining room is strikingly beautiful and has an aura of old world charm. We are seated at a beautifully appointed table with the soft glow of candle light highlighting the silver. Rafaelle introduces us to Floriano, our Maitre`de for the evening. Floriano was attired in tails and made a striking figure. He was very handsome and had a soft Italian accent that added to his charm. He gave us menus and made a few suggestions. Most all the dishes are finished tableside by the Maitre`des and highly skilled servers. During the course of the evening we had five different people serve our table. The food was indescribable and the service was impeccable, while not in the least intimidating. The servers made it a point to make you feel comfortable. The music was just the right touch. A piano/violin duo played throughout this memorable dinner. This is what Mary & I ordered for our for dinner.

Goat Cheese Souffle with Tomato Coulis
[Delicate warm goat cheese souffle served with a creamy sauce and tomato coulis] 
Caesar Salad
[A classic; tossed and served at your table.]
Lobster Velute
[A creamy lobster broth]
Mary: Flambeed Scampi [Prawns wrapped in pancetta, 
famed in Armagnac and served on a bed of rocket leaves]
Tom: Rack of Lamb en Croute
[Rack of Lamb coated with a mushroom duxelle
wrapped in a puff pastry and baked until golden]
Chocolate Souffle
[A classic light souffle with Zabaglione]
Michel Roux's Favorite Bite Size Surprise Desserts
A selection of cheeses served with apples and grapes

Michel Roux, your restaurant is extraordinary. Our dinner and the service was incredible. During our visits to Europe, we had dinner at Lassure in Paris, then rated the number one restaurant in the world. We also dined at the famous Tour d`Argent, Le Pavillon in New York and other world famous restaurants. We mention this because it is our opinion, Celebrity's alternative restaurant the ‘Olympic' is as good as it gets. I don't think its possible for them to do anything better than there doing at this moment. It is an unbelievable operation. 

The Olympic also offers the first demonstration kitchen and has a dine-in wine cellar. Make sure you check the price of the wine your considering. They have a number of the wines of the great vintage years and they can be quite expensive. There is an additional charge of $25 dollars a person to dine at the Olympic. Its a small price to pay for the dining experience of a lifetime. Having dinner in this remarkable restaurant was the highlight of our cruise.

SUGGESTION: BE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE OLYMPIC!
 WE ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL HAVE THE DINING EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME.

:----we invite those who are still with us...to join us as we visit the Ocean Grill, Main Pool, Children's Fun Factory, the first Floral Shop at sea, the main pool and the Spa & Thalassotherapy Pool. (not only do I have a hard time pronouncing it, I also have difficulty in typing it so we'll call it the Hydro Pool ) 

THE OCEAN GRILL:
The Ocean Grill is a very attractive breakfast/lunch and alterative dining area. It is well appointed with glass walls that afford a great view of the ocean. During our last 15 cruises, whenever we went through a food line, Mary would say, "Why don't they do it like Celebrity? She loves having a waiter carry her tray to the table and then bringing her whatever she wants to drink. The Ocean Grill offers buffet style breakfasts and lunches. The food is not only delicious but it is also presented in a most attractive way. We suggest you go to the back of the room, the section just before the outside deck area. In the morning they have an omelet station on each side. At lunch time, these stations became Pasta stations. They featured a different Pasta each day. As you already know, Mary & I are Pasta lovers. When it got near mid-day my Pasta antenna started sending signals. It was time for lunch. We would have Pasta every day. The Chef would put olive oil in a hot pan, add some sun dried tomatoes and saute them and give them a couple of tosse/s, add some andante spaghetti, give a couple more tosses, slide it on a plate, ladle a little sauce on top, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and Walla, a beautiful Pasta dish. I ordered a glass of red wine for Mary and an O'Douls for myself. We tapped glasses and wished each, Bon Appetite.

CHILDREN'S FUN FACTORY :
Has every conceivable activity for children aged from three to 12, including a broadcast room, a video games arcade and a movie room. There are supervised activities for age groups: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12 and 13-17. There are babysitting services. Parents Night Out is on formal nights, with free babysitting and counselors taking the children to a pizza party. Teenagers have their own club. 

AQUA SPA & POOL:
The 25, 000 ft. Aqua Spa is a very elegant space. It features a huge workout area with 50 pieces of equipment, free weights, 16 treatment rooms, sauna, steam and a free hydropool in a domed Conservatory setting. The water in most ship pools at this time of year is cold, but not in the hydropool. As we slip into the water, I judge the water to be about 90%, It is just right for us, we loved it. We float toward an area that has a series of submerged stainless steel rollers. The rollers have water shooting out of hundreds of pin hole jets that massage your entire body. If it wasn't that my Pasta antenna started sending me signals we might still be there. 

Just in back of the workout area is the "Lean & Light Buffet." The selection is somewhat limited but outstanding. They feature Sushi, carpaccio, garlic lemon chicken, fresh fruit juices, sugar free cookies and what have you. The personnel from the ‘Olympic' restaurant service this venue. If your concerned about your weight, this might is the place for you.:----we have a surprise for you...we have been invited to have dinner at the Captains table and we invite you to join us.

DINNER AT THE CAPTAINS TABLE:
When we returned to our Suite on Thursday night we found an invitation to join Mr. Nikos Batistatos the Assistant Hotel Manager, for dinner at the Captains table. This was totally unexpected, a real surprise. We were excited and honored. I could tell that Mary was already thinking about what she was going to wear. We were to meet Sarah Van Pevenage, the social hostess, at six o'clock in the Platinum Club. Sarah was a delightful young lady. She had stopped by our table most every night to say hello and ask how we were enjoying ourselves.

My lady Mary looked gorgeous in a rose evening gown. When she wore this gown at a club affair, one of our southern neighbors remarked she looked like a home coming Queen. Once again we had the pleasure of being all dressed up with someplace to go. When we walked into the Platinum Club, Sarah was there to greet us. Cocktails and hors`doeuvres were served. She introduced us to our table mates, and two staff officers who were joining us. We were introduced to Micky and Jose. Micky had worked for Nikos and was his neighbor in Coral Gables, Florida. We also met a young lady and her mother, celebrating her Moms' birthday and Anne & Dennis. We were engaging in small talk and we were surprised to learn that Anne & Dennis lived on Long Island and had dined at our restaurant. Small world. When it came time, we joined Sarah as she escorted us to the dining room to meet Nikos. How many more wonderful moments can we possibly experience on this cruise?

The Captains table was at the back of the dining room, just in front of the wall of glass. It was an exquisite setting. Maitre`des' served the table, with the restaurant manager Rumuald assisting. Wine was poured and our food order was taken. The food and the manner in which it was served was culinary art at its finest. At the end of dinner the lights were dimmed and as their names were called, the kitchen staff appeared at the top of the grand stairway. As each name was called, the diners in unison, applauded and cheered. When they returned to the kitchen, the room was further darkened. Then the trumpets sounded and the kitchen doors opened and the servers came parading down from the balcony, down the double stairways, carrying flaming trays of Baked Alaska. Once again the dining room erupted in cheers and applause as the guests enthusiastically showed their appreciation. After the Baked Alaska was served, we experienced a tender moment. The staff once again, filled the upper balcony and both sides of the curved stairway. The orchestra accompanied them as they serenaded us with that all time favorite, Auld Ange Syne . The entire dining room joined in and when the song ended, you could tell by the expression on everyone's face that they savored this special moment. Mary & I have another memorable moment to add to our collection of memories. 

A few words about our host Nickos Batistatos. Nickos is responsible for the operation of the dining rooms and the staff. The service that you receive in all the dining venues is directly attributed to Nickos and restaurant manager Romuald. With the size of the Celebrity fleet increasing at such a rapid pace, [Millennium, Infinity and the Summit in a 12-month period], his work load has increased dramatically. It seems that no sooner one ship crew is trained and performing at the required level of excellence, another new ship is christened and the process starts all over agin. He said the paper work alone is mind boggling. He was a pleasure to be with. We look forward to seeing Nickos when we cruise on the Summit in November 23rd. [BTW, Nickos is the officer that told us he has three wardrobes.]

Folks, I think this is it. For fear of losing the few that have stayed with us, we are going to end this odyssey. A few things that we have left out and some random thoughts we have, can be read in our ‘Loose Ends & Random Thoughts' section at the end of this review.

We booked this cruise aboard the Millennium, to see if Celebrity had still maintained their standard of excellence that so enamored us with cruising. It is our opinion that Celebrity has not only maintained their excellence, but their food, service and entertainment are even better than we remember. In between our Celebrity cruises, we had made sixteen cruises with other major cruise lines, in order to make a fair comparison. We like the way Celebrity does things. They have a way of doing things that make us feel special. There is a touch of elegance in every thing they do. Mary & I are indeed fortunate that the two cruise lines that top our most favorite list, are Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, both part of the same company.....if you have enjoyed cruising with us we invite you to join us on our Anniversary cruise on the Voyager on May 13th....Wimpy revealed to me that he has something special in mind for Mary. I think both you and Mary will be surprised.

LOOSE ENDS AND RANDOM THOUGHTS:

We are more ship oriented than port oriented:
We didn't mention any ports because we only went ashore at Grand Cayman to buy a writing tablet and at Cozumel to do a little shopping and have lunch. We bought a few things at our favorite Caribbean store, Los Cinco Soles. We then had a romantic lunch at the indoor-outdoor restaurant, Pancho's Backyard. As usual it was delightful. . 

A Smile breeds a smile:
John Marks Templeton wrote: Everyone likes to be around someone who smiles easily. Perfect strangers can pass in the street and if one of them smiles, the other is likely to smile in return. Most everyone appreciates a person who can generate a smile from us. A smile, no matter how brief, can lift us up from the mundane task in front of us. A smile reaches down inside of us and pulls up to the surface reasons for rejoicing in our lives. This is the gift we can pass on to everyone we meet...a gift we can give ourselves, a gift that costs nothing. Living life with a smile is like throwing yeast into a bowl of flour, adding warm water and waiting for the flour to rise. It multiplies many times over. 

Accommodations for the physically challenged:
Many choices are available for the physically challenged onboard the Millennium in a variety of categories.

What we meant about a heartfelt experience with the servers:
By the end of the fourth night we had an unusually strong relationship with our servers. We started to notice a vein of spirituality creeping into our conversations. It encouraged me to mention a few things Mary & I do to start our day. One of which was the "Gratitude List" we told you about. They reacted in such a positive way that we offered to send them by e-mail, each evening, one of the meditations that Mary & I have been collecting for many years. The editor of our local paper heard what we were doing and he asked to see us. After seeing the content and the format of our meditations, he asked us if we would consent to submit a column for the local paper. Our column appeared in our local paper, five days a week, for three and a half years. We called it, "A Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment." It became the most popular column in the paper. It is really too difficult to explain how this came about, but we are now sending the "Teaspoon" six nights a week to our waiter Pawell, assistant waiter Marek and his father in Poland, wine steward Danica and her mother in South Africa, Sinsha the Maitre`de, bar boy Tommy, Floriano the Maitre`de in the Olympic, bar girl Mary Alexander in the showroom, Sarah the social hostess and Ralph, our butler. They all have ship e-mail addresses'. We send it to them each evening so they have it to read in the morning. These young people are far from home and Mary & I am excited and thrilled to be able to send them words of inspiration each morning. The following is an example of the ‘Teaspoons' we send. 

A Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment
Compiled by Tom & Mary Milano
Meeting Him In The Morning

Morning prayer is essential. You must not face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious if the day begins only in your own strength. Face the work of every day with the influence of a few thoughtful, quiet moments with your heart and God. Do not meet other people, even those of your own home, until you have first met the great Guest and honored companion of your life...Jesus Christ.

Having communed with the heavenly Father, at sunrise, in the garden of prayer, reminds me of a certain valley in Romania where they grow nothing but roses for the Vienna market. The perfume of the valley, in the time of the rose crop, is such that if you go into it for a few minutes, wherever you go the rest of the day, people know where you have been. The fragrance goes with you. Meeting Him in the morning causes the fragrance of His presence to go with you throughout the entire day. 

Meet Him alone. Meet Him regularly. Meet Him with His open book of counsel before you; and face the regular and irregular duties of each day with the influence of His personality, definitely controlling your every act. Meeting Him in the morning causes the fragrance of His presence to go with you throughout the day.

We send the ‘Teaspoon' to our family and a growing list of friends. If you would like us to send you the ‘Teaspoon', send us a e-mail saying, "Yes I would like the "Teaspoon." We would be happy to send it to you.

Notes & Words-Music & Book libraries:
Millennium introduces the cruise industry's first music library, "Notes." It offers thousand of selections of digital recordings and individual listening stations.
Words is an extensive book library .

We have enjoyed cruising more than any vacation we have taken in our 28 years of retirement. Cruising encompasses everything we enjoy. When you cruise, it's the same as hanging your things in the closet of a five star hotel and then the hotel moves and takes you the places you want to go. Mary loves the idea of putting our clothes in a closet, knowing their going to stay there for the entire vacation. I don't have to ponder what restaurants were going too, or what show can we see? Will we find a place after the show to have bite to eat? When you cruise, all that is taken care of, each and every day. We love the romance and intimacy of a cruise. If you have read any of our reviews; Mary & I call our cruises ‘Honeymoons,' because we feel that taking a cruise is the most romantic, intimate, exciting way to spend real quality time with the one you love. If you haven't cruised, you ought to seriously think about giving it a try. You don't know what your missing. 

We again want to thank Tom Ogg for giving us the opportunity of having so much fun. Mary & I are having the time of our life. We share our experience hoping to help those who have never cruised. We know how uncomfortable you can feel when you don't know the right questions to ask. We know because we've been there. If we can be of help to you, e-mail us and we would be happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

Something I would like you to do for me. Tom Ogg has completely reformatted his home page: http://www.cruisereviews.com/ We think it looks terrific. Take a look and let him know what you think. Tom@TomOgg.com

May your next cruise be your best.
Our warmest regards,

Tom & Mary Milano
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com

Ask a Question About Celebrity Cruise Lines