Patty Musgrave

Age: 39
Occupation: Finance
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship: Millennium
Sailing Date: January 9th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Our cruise began in Fort Lauderdale Florida on Sunday January 9th.

We boarded the ship, our luggage was outside of our inside stateroom, as promised, waiting for us.

I must admit to being nervous about booking an inside stateroom but I was pleasantly surprised. The huge mirrors gave the impression of a larger area, the beds were very comfortable and there was enough space for two people to move around well. There was an enormous amount of cupboard and closet space and sitting area, and we had enough room for two women to store formal, casual wear, makeup, accessories, etc without problem, not to mention tons of shoes!

The Crew
The crew were amazing. From bar staff at the pool and Cosmos Disco, to the Metropolitan Dining Room which is a beautiful area itself, the little extras, their memories of each individual's likes and dislikes was truly shocking! The Aqua spa Esthetician was a sweetie and the pedicure was a real treat! The prices were extremely reasonable and shopping on board the ship was NOT expensive whatsoever. Jewelry purchased on board was much lower priced than at ports, and items such as beach bags, pareos and sun hats and souvenirs were much easier purchased on board for a lower price. Again, the staff at Guest Relations, the Cova Cafe, the Emporium, the Photographers, the Room Stewards, the housekeeping, everyone was magnificent. Everyone was pleasant and smiling and no one was too busy to help.

The ship was spotless, the pool area was clean and consistently tidy, the Hydro Pool was a glorious adventure and the Ocean Grill breakfast was something I am still missing!

Celebrity Theatre shows and the Entertainment on Board kept us busy, as if we didn't have enough to do, however, if you were bored, there was plenty to do. The crew and cruise director kept you going if you wanted to, and if not, you could relax very well. The staff were not pushy, and as a non drinker, I was not pressured to buy liquor and they always remembered I did not drink. This was a pleasure for me.

Cozumel was nice, I did not do any excursions that were planned, I did some shopping there, however, the vendors on the dock were quite pushy and some of the silver in the "mall" area was not real. However, one of the vendors just behind Senor Frogs in Cozumel who has a large wall of jewelry and counter top the length of the wall was a great guy and was easy to barter with and sold quality jewelry. No problem with my credit card afterward and he charged what he said he would. I was pleased with my purchases from him.

Grand Cayman was very humid, very expensive and very busy. You could get killed crossing the street, again, we did not book an excursion as our group had a function to attend at the RBC Group there, however, the area is very European, very lovely and the people are wonderful. There were three cruise ships in that day and I would love to go there when it is not so jammed! The Hard Rock Cafe was a great place to shop, not expensive, nice people and great quality stuff. We got to spend a good part of the day in Grand Cayman and the day was gorgeous. It truly was a beautiful day and some of our group raved about the Stingray Excursion in Grand Cayman and how it truly made their vacation. It was apparently worth the money, worth the time and very much the excursion of a lifetime. So definately go swim with the stingrays!

We went to Costa Maya which is truly my favorite. I think because it is not yet fully developed and commercialized, it was so special. The people are lovely, the place is magnificent and there was a trolley to take you from the ship wharf to the port. On the dock we found a vendor who offered a package deal at a local beach, a $25.00 for the day, all of your drinks, food and swimming for the day. The bus ride was $3.00 more to the beach, and there was a guide to accompany us there. Once there, we also booked a snorkeling excursion which cost an additional $15.00. We paid our own cab back, $2.00 per person and all in all, it was a pretty inexpensive day. Again, some pretty great merchants on the port area dock and they had some truly lovely items. Be careful with your credit card at some places, as they are not fully electronic, some charges take a while and therefore, you may be charged a lot more by the time your charge goes through.

Definately worth the trip to Costa Maya and I would go there again in a heartbeat. It was amazing! The people were soooo nice. We had a waiter from the ship accompany us as well because he felt that he could show us Cost Maya and also take care of us, which was so very nice of him, and he stayed with us all day, just keeping an eye on us, and accompanied us back to the ship. This is the kind of treatment you get on Millennium.

In Key West, we toured the town, it was a treasure chest there! I loved it!

The shops, the pubs, the place...I'd never been there before so I found Key West beautiful. We were there for a good part of the day and the ship was in ports long enough for excursions.

There was enough time to do what you wanted and this was not an issue.

The ship was gentle and there was not anyone in our group that was ill, it wasn't rough, the gentle rocking at night put us to sleep like babies and the cruise experience in itself was simply an amazing one.

Eduardo, the Dining Room Manager, came to our table numerous times to say hello, he is quite particular about his dining room and it shows. The food was magnificent and you can change items if you wish, they will accommodate you no matter what.

Can I also mention that the Cova Cafe has the very best Cappuccino on the planet?

The 56 nationalities represented by the staff of Millennium also represent a huge family on board, it is seamless and your week seems to go on forever. The week does NOT fly by as with other vacations and you DO rest.

The deck chairs are plentiful, there is a topless deck if you wish that, and plenty of areas to be alone if you wish as well.

I would highly suggest this line as they made a week in my cold, Atlantic Winter very warm. I won't forget it.

Fabulous experience...A plus for Customer Service.
WOW!


 

Ask a Question About Celebrity Cruise Lines