My wife and I sailed on the October 23 Millennium Cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. Since there are so many other reviews here for the same ship and roughly the same time period, I'll try to limit my remarks to things that haven't already been said. We're veterans of about eight cruises on Sitmar (pre-Princess), Princess, Cunard, HAL, NCL and Celebrity.

We booked the cruise without air, and used frequent flyer tickets. We extended the trip with four pre-cruise days in Venice and four post-cruise in Milan. None of the ground arrangements were made through Celebrity.

Pre-Cruise
We left on October 17 for Venice on Alitalia, changing planes in Milan. We found that the canal from Venice airport to the city was temporarily closed, but a short bus ride brought us to the vaporetto stop at the car park at the head of the Grand Canal. From there, it's just a short ride to San Marco, where we easily found our hotel--the Cavaletto--just a few steps behind the square. One side of the Cavaletto's lobby opens to the back of the square; the door on the other side opens to the water taxi dock in the small "marina" used by the gondoliers as a staging area (and to pick up cruise ship tours for their gondola rides). Absolutely delightful and tremendously convenient.

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It was wonderful to see Venice again after many years. It sparks the imagination like few cities can. Our 72-hour vaporetto passes served us well, and took us to both Murano and Burano for unhurried visits. The weather was beautiful with daytime highs in the 70's the entire time we were in Venice.

The day before the cruise we took a through train to Genoa, arriving in the port city in mid-afternoon. We walked across the piazza from the station to the Savoia Majestic where we had booked rooms for the night (we were traveling with my wife's cousin and his wife--frequent vacation companions and great friends). Our room turned out to be a suite on the top floor, with a fabulous view of the harbor down the hill. The weather was still delightful, so we could leave the window open for the air and the view. My first look at the Millennium was when I awoke briefly in the middle of the night and saw the big lighted X in the dark of Genoa's wee hours. Really a kick.

Change In Celebrity Boarding Policy
Previous information on this board indicated that Captain's Club members could board around noon, so after a leisurely breakfast we taxied to the pier at eleven. There were very few people at the pier. After depositing our bags we moved through the ticketing formalities in less than five minutes. Even though we were given "0" priority cards it really didn't matter because there was no one there. At the ticket lift point we were given a letter announcing that we were welcome to board at once, even though the rooms would not be ready until 12:30. We were invited either to the theater to watch port videos, or to Deck 10 for coffee and rolls. The letter indicated that it would be better for everyone to have us "wait" aboard than in the terminal.

We boarded at once, of course, and made ourselves comfortable in the 75 degree sunshine of a virtually empty Deck 10. At 12:30 we went to the theater from which we were escorted to our rooms. Our Olympic reservations were made five minutes later.

At the Captain's Club party later in the cruise, Jim Cannon (Celebrity's very own Pat Sajak) asked if we approved of this new policy. Literally everyone applauded, some yelled, some stomped their feet. Cannon said that this was the first cruise that they'd done this way, and that if it continued to meet with great approval, they would institute it for all cruises at all ports.

Of course, it makes complete sense. It was absolutely painless; it gave us a nice "first look" at the ship; it let us relax on deck; and it was altogether civilized. Celebrity should continue this practice, and other lines would be smart to take the hint.

The Ship
We believe that this ship sets a new standard in many ways. It is attractive, the artwork is eclectic yet seems coordinated (no easy task), and so many of the things that are "afterthoughts" on other ships are designed into this one.

It wasn't until about the third day of the cruise that I found out that the ship was full. We had all assumed that we were running at about 2/3 capacity because there was never a line for anything (including the Deck 10 buffet), never any difficulty finding tables or deck space, never trouble finding ample seating in the theater or at any other activity. In short, the impression was that the ship was "our own." This fact was starkly obvious in comparison to every other ship we've been on. I think it means that the designers of the ship have worked wonders in eliminating any feeling of crowds even on a full ship. To me, this trumps all complaints about individual deck plans or details.

Specifically, I've noted gripes about the lack of ambiance on the promenade deck. There is no doubt that this is true; however, I believe it is intentional. I'm no naval architect, but it seems quite clear that unlike other ships, the promenade deck on the Millennium is there strictly for technical reasons, specifically to have a place to board the lifeboats. It's pretty clear that the designers have intentionally drawn the people to the higher decks for socializing, and given my comments above, it seems to have worked very well.

I'm very glad that one previous review raved about the Aqua Spa pool on Deck 10. It is absolutely amazing that so few people took advantage of it-and of the adjoining light lunch buffet. It is a spectacular place, and the high-pressure overhead jets at the corners of the pool are not to be missed for a terrific neck and back massage. If you don't spend some time in this wonderful place, you're really missing something.

The Cabin
We were in 9162 in the stern. The cabin is as most others have described, excellent in every respect, including the lighting. The balcony was spectacular-virtually the same size as the room, with about 2/3 of it covered by the overhang of the outside eating area at the stern of Deck 10. We put the coffee table from the room out on the balcony on the first day and never took it back in. One night we threw a cocktail party for seven on the balcony, and could easily have accommodated three or four more. We took liberal advantage of room service for parties and for breakfast, and drew the constant interest of other passengers leaning over deck 10. Many had no concept that it was a stateroom balcony until we told them. There was never any objectionable noise from upstairs. The only mishap was during a 5:30 cocktail party on the balcony when they decided to swab the deck above and liberally moistened several of our guests.

The Infamous Vibration
It's real, no doubt about it. And we trust that the fix will be effective. It seems to happen mostly while backing, normal running is no big deal. But on those special mornings while backing down to a berth, it did give new meaning to the term "shakedown cruise."

Metropolitan Restaurant
Just fine, both food and service.

Olympic Restaurant
Very lovely, very special, and not to be missed. Unlike others, I will not try to say which menu items are best, because of course one person could not sample them all and because individual tastes vary. I had the rack of lamb in pastry dough--a sort of lamb Wellington--and found it outstanding. The service and the wines are first rate. We went on my wife's birthday, which was duly celebrated with a cake presented by the staff, but mercifully without the singing. The event was made even nicer when the maitre d' brought one of the waiters to our table who was also celebrating his birthday. The cake was shared, pictures were taken, and a lovely time was had by all. I think you would have to be pretty unimaginative not to appreciate the effort the line has made to acquire the stunning Edwardian paneling from the Olympic, and to restore it to its original purpose upon the seas--and to do it tastefully and beautifully. This is a wonderful place where you would do well to put petty quibbles aside, relax, and just enjoy.

Ports
These have been reviewed elsewhere. Since there were four of us, we found it convenient and economical to hire a cab at virtually every port and do things on our own. This worked out very well for us in many ways, especially because we could go when we wanted to. Before the cruise my wife was scouring the Internet and found a cab driver named George in Athens, billed as "the best cab driver in Athens." We booked him for the day (no deposit required), and it worked out very well. He met us at the end of the pier with our name on a sign; he has a one-month old (as of 11/00) Mercedes cab, and he knows what he is doing. We spent a spectacular day with George for less money than the four of us would have spent on a ship's tour. If you're going to Athens you can find George at www.greecetravel.com/taxi.

Quibbles
My God, I never heard so many people complaining. Lots of complaining about the Olympic, which absolutely baffles me. When we had to divert from Livorno to Villefranche, the groans and moans could be heard back in Paris. Many were accusing Celebrity of making the change unnecessarily, for their own unexplained purposes. This, of course, defies logic and common sense, but that's how it is. I've also noticed that the people who do the most complaining are the same ones who still can't find their way around the ship by the 10th day of a cruise.

That said, I noticed a few things that could use improvement, and I list them here in a constructive way. Please understand that these things are, in the scheme of things, minor to petty in nature, but they're worth noting.

Casino
I'm not a gambler, and I think it was thoughtless (crass?) to design the ship so that you have to walk through the casino to get to the theater. I have no objection to casinos or those who enjoy them; I'd just prefer not to be subjected to them unnecessarily. A passage around the casino is preferable.

Karaoke
same idea. I realize that without Karaoke cruise ships would all sink, and I have no problem with people engaging in that activity if they want to. But sober people without tin ears should not be forced to listen--as in walking through the Rendezvous Lounge after dinner. Please relegate this activity to a place that is not a thoroughfare.

Entertainment
This changes constantly on any ship, so it's not really useful to do individual talent reviews. However, it must be said that when the "Young Duo" was performing in the Rendezvous, I sometimes couldn't tell them from a Karaoke session. With that exception, the bands and the individual performers were good to very good. I'm becoming quite tired of the "production shows" on all ships on all lines, not because the kids who sing and dance them aren't any good (they're usually fine), but because the material is unimaginative and "canned." The music is invariably pre-recorded and heavily synthesized (or uses a recording to augment the band, which plays to a "click track" metronome in their headphones). Either way, it takes the "soul" out of the material because the music is "locked in." Add this to usually weak concepts and arrangements, and it gets a little too pat for me.

I much prefer the individual entertainers of almost any stripe. At least they're "real." Note to Millennium production staff: Just because you have a smoke machine doesn't mean you must use it for everything!!

Debarkation
This was marred by our putting out three bags and having only two show up on the pier. Fortunately, the missing bag contained only our formal togs and other things we didn't expect to need during our post-cruise stay in Milan. We filed the necessary paperwork and hoped for the best. Upon returning home we called Celebrity and were told that the passenger who had taken our bag had returned it, and it is now back on its way across the sea. When my wife asked how anybody could be idiotic enough to take somebody else's bag, the rueful answer from the Celebrity representative was, "I don't know, but there were 27 idiots on your cruise alone." We may buy some of those bright orange tags that say, "Not your bag, stupid." There are only two problems: 1) once everybody buys them they're useless, and 2) I'm not sure how I would feel picking up a bag with that tag, even though it was mine.

Post-Cruise
My wife is a veteran of several business trips to Milan, so she wisely had us booked in a hotel just steps from the Duomo where we spent four more pleasant days exploring. The weather was bad when we arrived in Genoa and for our train ride to Milan, but it cleared the next morning for our visit. It rained just one other day, but we made the best of it by managing to book a box at La Scala for the ballet in the afternoon, and spending the rest of the day in "retail therapy" at Milan's great stores. We took the new Malpensa Express train from central Milan to the airport to catch our Alitalia flight home.

Overall
A great trip. Don't hesitate for a moment to book a Millennium class ship on Celebrity. You will be rewarded.