Celebrity Cruise Line
Millennium Cruise Review
South America

Nancy Norris
Introduction:
Visiting Carnival in Rio has been at the top of my wish list of travel adventures for a long time. What a rush to be given the opportunity to fulfill my desire. Cindi, one of my very close friends, and I would be joining a group of travel professionals on the Celebrity Millennium for a 14 day cruise that would include 3 days in Rio during Carnival.

--There were 3 formal nights, 4 informal and 7 casual nights. Also, due to the itinerary, 3 nights (the first night and the 2 in Rio) were Open Seating for dinner.
--Internet onboard is relatively expensive. Minutes are available at 4 different rates: $.75 per min. with no package / 100 minutes for $70 / 200 minutes for $120 / 500 minutes for $250. Package minutes are charged-up front and no refunds are given for unused time. There is laptop access in each stateroom using your laptop and a Connect@Sea kit which is $10 per day + the cost for minutes as per the rate packages already mentioned.
--As a side note to the above mentioned Internet service, it is much more cost and time efficient to utilize the Internet Cafés in port.
--After having completed this itinerary, I would suggest Celebrity consider a way to extend the port call in Buzios. This is one port that begs to be explored at night and an overnight here would definitely be an added bonus.
--The mid-ship elevators are located on the port side of the ship which is a bit confusing at first, but once you get your bearings they actually provide less congestion and a good traffic flow.
--Typically the passenger load on cruises of 14 days is an older demographic. This was not the case on this cruise as there were many passengers in the mid 20 to 40’s age group.
--English speaking passengers were definitely in the minority, but the South American populous kept the ship moving at a lively pace – they LOVE to dance!

Millennium's Elevators

Overall Impression:
This is one itinerary that I would repeat in an instant. Overnights are wonderful in any port and the fact that this one stayed in Rio during Carnival was exceptional. The ship was easy to navigate due to its design, lengthy promenades and 14 well-positioned elevators. The Millennium has clean, simple lines, yet is well appointed with rich furnishings and diverse art resulting in a very resort chic atmosphere that I particularly enjoyed. This Celebrity experience was one I will remember for a long time. I would not hesitate to recommend both the ship and the itinerary.