GTS Millennium: The Definitive Review
Written: Jun 22 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful public spaces, above average cuisine, excellent entertainment
Cons: worn linens in staterooms
The Bottom Line: Millennium is an amazing vessel that is without question among the best in Celebrity's superb fleet.
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| garykool81's Full Review: Celebrity Millennium |
Note: Ratings assigned as follows for services listed at the end of the review:
POOR – Far below expectations and not acceptable.
BELOW AVERAGE – Did not meet expectations, slightly disappointing
AVERAGE – Meets expectations
GOOD – Exceeds expectations, impresses
EXCELLENT – Perfect in almost all regards and greatly exceeds expectations.
When she debuted in 2000, GTS Millennium was without doubt one of the most technologically advanced cruise ships in open seas. Years later, the success of this 91,000-ton giant has helped to spawn three siblings that in a way culminate perhaps the cleanest fleet of ocean liners in industrialized history.
Working with an ingenious propulsion system seen nowhere else in the mainstream cruise market, Millennium and her sisters are able to move themselves through the seas without producing nearly a single puff of that nasty, black smoke spewed forth by the common diesel engines found elsewhere in the industry.
That said; Millennium and her kin are perhaps some of the ugliest cruise liners afloat in today’s industry. Towering more than fourteen stories into the sky and with her sides littered with the now requisite balcony cabins, Millennium is missing the classic streamline appearance many lines have managed to maintain through the years. Instead, the 965-foot vessel looks as if she has had her sides cut open, or worse yet, seems more like a floating condo development than an ocean liner.
Fortunately, the old saying proves right once again, however, and Millennium’s interior is one of sophistication, luxury and the contemporary elegance cruisers have come to expect from Celebrity’s more recent new builds. Though she does not have the same personality and coziness found aboard the line’s Century-class cruisers, Millennium is still a remarkable ship with a host of strengths.
THE GRAND FOYER
One might think it quite odd for Celebrity’s newest ships to have Grand Foyers that are actually smaller than those found aboard the line’s decade-old Century-class vessels, but that is in fact the case. In an industry obsessed with massive lobbies that can make guests feel as though they are stepping into an atrium-style hotel product, Celebrity has once again defied the common trend and chosen to size down their central foyers.
That isn’t the only major difference passengers aboard Millennium will notice from her smaller siblings, though. The line has also done away with having a central piece of art or sculpture of some sort act as the focal point of its new atriums. Opting instead to have the foyer center on the very stairs transcending that space, Celebrity has created a rather unique atmosphere in its Grand Foyers aboard the M-class ships.
Measuring in at one deck shorter than the foyers found aboard Century, Galaxy and Mercury, the atrium aboard Millennium is still a beautiful room that appropriately acts as the heart of this premium market ship. Her foyer is cut into a rectangular shape, measuring some three decks high and crowned with a ceiling featuring recessed lighting that shadows the entire open space below. The lighting itself alternates between a hushed yellow in the days and a more flashy pink at nights, setting the mood for an evening of entertainment and late-night disco parties.
Traveling between the second and first floors of Millennium’s foyer is her centerpiece – a magnificent staircase that looks as if it were created from large, hand cut marble. Both sides of the stairs are flanked by stainless steel, flowing handrails that mimic the very waves Millennium sails upon. The handrails have been placed atop beautiful glass panels that provide a floating appearance for the rails themselves.
The atrium’s side-section of flooring is covered in the now quintessential contemporary and abstract carpet cruisers have come to expect from Celebrity. Surrounding the central staircase itself are more hushed tones of marble and mild tones of wood. Draping the sides of the staircase and the support beams that border the stairs from ceiling to floor along the rectangular cutout are floor-to-ceiling draperies that bring a certain level of warmth to the room that might otherwise be drained with an overuse of marble and hard surfaces.
The most intriguing and beautiful trait of Millennium’s Grand Foyer and her stairs, however, is what is beneath them. Below the stairs and the sides of the two-story staircase, the ship’s designers have placed ambient lighting that literally makes the entire structure glow with a beautiful, yet subtle amber color seen nowhere else in the industry.
Although beautiful and certainly an innovative approach towards creating a foyer, the glowing stairs still lack the ability to grab attention from passers by as much as the focal points used aboard Celebrity’s smaller Century-class vessels, which feature massive four story paintings and oversized replicas of ancient navigational tools.
The Grand Foyer, as aboard most of Celebrity’s fleet, plays host to a number of bars, cafes and live entertainment before and after the dinner hours. Those strolling towards the aft dining room during dinner might likely catch a string quartet playing popular classics in the foyer, while the self-performing piano entertains while the sun is shining.
Looking towards the sides of the Grand Foyer, guests aboard Millennium will notice the beautiful glass elevators that offer spectacular views of the ocean while transcending the decks.
CELEBRITY THEATER
When it comes to keeping up with the trend of high-tech theaters that have enveloped the cruise industry, Celebrity is certainly at the front of the pack. While actual entertainment quality can vary greatly from ship to ship, one constant has always been that the grand Broadway-style theaters found aboard the line’s ships are among the most beautiful and technologically advanced for their time.
Measuring in at three decks and with room to seat roughly 1,000 guests, the Celebrity Theater aboard Millennium is no exception. The room is wonderfully laid out in a fashion that minimizes use of architectural supports. And, with an emphasis of stadium-style seating on all three levels, there is hardly an obstructed view in the entire house.
The theater itself is laid out in a semi-circle fashion found aboard larger, modern ships. Guests who have traveled aboard the Vista-class vessels of Carnival, Holland America and Costa will feel right at home in the theater aboard Millennium, which bears an uncanny resemblance and layout to the ones found aboard Carnival’s new class of ships.
Millennium’s entertainment hub is decked out in a coating of reds, oranges and aqua-inspired shades that blend well together. Her seating on all levels offers an ample supply of glass drink stands.
Encircling the theater on all sides are a series of fake torches complete with very realistic simulated flames that have been installed to perhaps give the venue a more primeval atmosphere. While they are certainly a unique touch to the theater, some might feel that the combination of contemporary luxury with primitive cave-like torches don’t mix well.
The theaters sound and lighting system can be called nothing short of state-of-the-art, offering guests a phenomenal experience when combined with superb talent on stage.
THE OLYMPIC RESTAURANT
Just aft, behind the Grand Foyer aboard Millennium lies a true gem of the newer ships in Celebrity’s fleet. The alternative restaurants aboard all of the Millennium-class tend to receive warm compliments from a majority of guests, but perhaps none of them can evoke the same raw emotion and historical fascination as The Olympic Restaurant found aboard this vessel.
Through creating a rather accurate replica of sections from the First Class Dining Room aboard RMS Olympic, the sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, diners have the ability to feast for a nominal fee inside of an atmosphere that transports them back to the golden age of luxury ocean liner travel.
Boasting real wood paneling from RMS Olympic herself that was salvaged as the ship was being broken apart at the dawn of the jet-age, Millennium’s specialty restaurant is a feast for all the senses – visual and culinary. From the chairs and carpet to the very lighting and decorative touches, this dining venue is an experience not to be missed.
Aside from the aesthetic delight for history-buffs, food snobs should also be quite impressed with the service, presentation and quality found inside The Olympic Restaurant. A $30 per person cover charge does apply for the experience, but the money is well spent. Food quality, service coordination that mounts to synchronized serving and the overall atmosphere are exquisite for a cruise ship.
Meals are served as the menu infers in three parts, though, an unannounced cheese platter, palate cleaners and several other goodies tend to make their way to the tables throughout the meal and between courses.
On the evening we chose to dine in the restaurant, filet mignon quality was among the best we have had even on land. Particularly of note was the sauce the beef dish came in, as we witnessed a cognac-based sauce being created right in front of our eyes at one of the service stations located by almost every table inside the alternative restaurant.
Cruises opting to pay the cover charge to dine within The Olympic Restaurant will also observe a slightly more exotic menu with features such as Waldorf Pudding that was originally served during RMS Olympic’s debut just before the Roaring-Twenties. Caesar Salads with anchovies and risqué cheese plates that range from mild to quite strong are just a hint of what the specialty venue has to offer.
Perhaps the only downside to an experience inside of The Olympic Restaurant is the service offered by the waiters themselves. While the speed, professionalism and techniques of service itself were masterfully executed, we found the personality of servers and waiters to be rather cold. The connection diners make with their waiters and servers in the main restaurant might not occur here in Olympic.
MICHAEL’S CLUB
The now requisite room aboard any Celebrity ship, new or old, is Michael’s Club. The former room that had an atmosphere of gentleman’s cigar lounge has transformed away from its smoking past into a more subtle area for light evening entertainment accompanied by a fine glass of brandy or cognac. While the room certainly boasts a masculine feel more so than any other public space aboard the ship, Michael’s Lounge is certainly different today than it was years in the past.
While this space aboard Millennium is without question a beautiful one, we found it to be larger than necessary and almost overbearing. Nearly twice the size of the same lounge found aboard Celebrity’s Century or Zenith-class ships, Michael’s Lounge on Millennium was just too big.
A room that was suited to seat perhaps 100 guests at a time frequently had no more than five to ten residing in it, creating a rather uncomfortable feeling that detracted from the sort of personal coziness found in Michael’s Lounge on the smaller vessels in Celebrity’s fleet.
That said, the space itself is wonderful from a visual standpoint. A beautiful, hand-painted landscape mural adorns the far end of the room in a semi-circle that helps to border the pianist who plays nightly in the spot. Healthy amounts of leather, darker mahogany-like wood and a deep-colored marble fireplace create the upscale, masculine feel that guests have come to expect of this room aboard the entire fleet.
Crowning the space is a small dome featuring recessed lighting and a beautiful pendant lamp hanging from the center of the space.
Unfortunately, whether through intimidation of the oversized space or the fact that Michael’s Lounge is rather hidden aboard Millennium, the room sat nearly empty on a nightly basis. It was a sheer waste of what could have been a phenomenal evening attraction.
THE METROPOLITAN RESTAURANT
If there was one part of Millennium that looked like a mirror image of her older siblings of the Century-class, the main dining room would fit the bill perfectly. Although quite larger in scale, the general layout of The Metropolitan Restaurant, with its sweeping views aft of the ocean and two-story configuration, makes previous Celebrity passengers feel right at home.
With a grand staircase descending into the two-floor venue, The Metropolitan Restaurant boasts a more open, comfortable and luxurious feel than the older dining venues found aboard Mercury, Galaxy and Century. Above the staircase is a magnificent backlit skylight of sorts with a marble texture that turns from a subtle amber glow in the daytime to a beautiful bluish-purple hue during dinner – much like the recessed lighting in the ceiling of the Grand Foyer.
The dining room chairs, carpet and overall color scheme are noticeably more sophisticated yet refined than Millennium’s older kin. Like the rest of the younger ship, The Metropolitan Restaurant is simply less abstract and stand-offish than many of the rooms found aboard older Celebrity vessels that in ways pushed the envelopes in interior design and decoration. Gone are the bright carpets with wicked swirls of color screaming for attention from passersby, brightly colored chairs and other features that detracted, or added depending on your opinion, from the upscale product Celebrity offers guests during mealtime.
As with the rest of the Celebrity fleet, and as one might note aboard any modern cruise ship with its multi-story, open dining room, acoustics aren’t as pleasant to the ear as the sights are to one’s eyes. Having a dinner conversation, particularly if seated at a larger table, can be quite difficult when competing with one thousand other guests in the same room. The beautiful sounds of the string quartets, though they curiously played only for one dinner of the voyage, were completely drowned out as usual by the poor acoustics inside the dining room.
On formal evenings, the beautiful two and a half story windows peering out the rear of The Metropolitan Restaurant onto the ocean are covered with what can only be called an exquisite tapestry depicting some ancient European metropolis. The window coverings only add to the wonderful ambiance of the dining room for formal nights.
Flowing through the room and bordering the first and second floors are a series of lightly-colored wooden support beams with dark marble bases at floor level and golden crowns at the ceiling. They create a welcome touch, helping to emphasize the sheer size of the main dining room.
RENDEZVOUS LOUNGE/PLATINUM CLUB/CHAMPAGNE BAR
Occupying the same space as one another, the Platinum Club, Rendezvous Lounge and Champagne Bar are all sections of the ship that light up when the sun goes down every evening. Pre-dinner martinis and cocktails are abundant throughout the space as guests arrive for a drink prior to their lengthy meals inside of the main dining room.
The entire space, though Celebrity has divided it into separately named “rooms”, is quite eclectic in décor, yet tasteful at the same time. Entering through the second level of the lounge while heading towards dinner, passengers will be confronted with a beautiful and comfortable section of large sofas decked out in a sort of new-age plaid design. Set aside from the louder Platinum Club location further into the room, this area provides for a more remote, private venue to conduct conversation.
Traveling further into the room, guests will find the popular martini bar with its contemporary, darker bar stools that look like something out of a Tim Burton film. A beautiful marble counter and exquisite crystal light fixtures, though there were so many of them that the ceiling looked crowded, hanging above in the shape of blooming flowers above create a unique, classy and fun environment for adult beverages.
In the middle of the lounge is a massive circular hole peering into the dance floor of the Platinum Club below. Crowned with a bright, pink light that shines directly upon the disco one deck down, the architecture of the space is outlandish, exceptionally creative and fits in well with the overall feel of the room. Mirrored walls are scattered throughout the two-story venue for these three spaces and help to create a more open feel for a room that unfortunately is quite vacant throughout most of the day and evening.
The club located below is quite popular late into the evening hours with youth, who are prohibited from entering the adults-only venue disco in the ship several decks above and all the way forward. A high-end sound and lighting system have been installed, providing teens with a fantastic mini-disco to blow off extra energy in before heading off to sleep in the early morning hours.
An array of what can only be described as typical Celebrity-style plush couches and sofas line the sides of the room on both levels, coupled with contemporary lighting, centerpieces and other artwork.
COSMOS
Towering more than ten stories above the ocean is Cosmos, the ever-popular forward entertainment lounge found aboard virtually every Celebrity ship. Offering spectacular panoramic views of the sea, the room transforms in evenings to an adult playground with a differing menu of festivities from night to night.
As with her older sisters in the Century-class, Millennium’s forward lounge provides guests with an ultra-contemporary, somewhat space-age feel.
Upon entering the room, travelers cannot help but be lured towards the large, circular bar on the port side of the room. Light colored encircle the glass topped bar, with similar looking wooden chairs sitting atop a clear floor with bright spotlights blasting from underneath the flooring. Crowning the bar from the ceiling down to the liquor cabinets themselves is a massive, stainless steel semi-circle that looks as if it were the bottom of some alien craft. Hundreds of little holes cut into the metal surface of the semi-circle glow with light from within the unique decorative touch.
On the other side of the room, perched atop of beautiful marble pedestal that glows purple from the neon lights above, is the ever so frequently found, beautiful piano that unfortunately is so rarely played by any member of the entertainment staff aboard the ships.
A medium-sized dance floor centers the room, frequently a refuge for adults who want to party into the early morning hours without the company of rampant adolescents. This room, as is the case aboard this entire class of ship with Celebrity, is strictly off-limits to younger guests after 10:00PM every evening.
OTHER PUBLIC SPACES
One of the benefits of sailing aboard the new generation of mega-cruisers is that virtually any passenger, even after numerous days at sea, truly must attempt to bore oneself. From card rooms to movie theaters with multiple showings daily, Millennium and her sisters are designed in such a way to not only conquer boredom, but create a surrounding in which even a savvy cruiser might easily miss out on visiting a random room or bar during their standard seven-night stay.
The Cova Café, an onboard vendor that Celebrity might like one to believe actually serves premium coffees and mixed caffeinated beverages, can be easily located near the Grand Foyer. Their popular chocolates and coffee beverages are available for an extra fee, equal to what one might expect to pay at their local coffee shop.
Words and Notes, located on top one another mid-ship, form a three story library of books and music, although, the room has been transformed of late as it is not quite as popular as it once was. Now renting i-Pods and other goodies, the space still struggles when competing with other venues onboard the ship.
DINING EXPERIENCE
While the line has stepped slightly away from its old advertising campaign of suggesting they might have the finest cuisine that floats, Celebrity without a doubt offers some of the best still found within the industry. Spending more per passenger on food than its major competitors of Holland America and Princess Cruises, (both of which are now under the growing Carnival umbrella) Celebrity’s guests will note a slightly higher quality in meats, desserts and appetizers.
We found cuisine onboard Millennium to be of equal quality of previous cruises within the past two years aboard the Celebrity fleet. Presentation was good, but certainly not spectacular. The line’s Executive Chef, Michel Roux, has rejected the notion of flashy, impeccable presentation and substituted it with larger portions that still can maintain quality levels guests expect.
Meats served in The Metropolitan Restaurant are good, but still will not impress those who frequent solid three or four star restaurants back home. In most cases, meats are prepared to order without error and are seasoned quite well. We found chicken, frequently butchered by onboard chefs from any line, to be exceptionally moist and delectable for cruise line cuisine. Duck served onboard was average, which has come to be expected as it is a rather difficult dish to properly prepare and season. Cuts of beef were also slightly above average for the industry.
Desserts served aboard Millennium were a culinary delight and always offered an adventure for those wishing to try something out of the ordinary. Less risk-taking travelers will be happy to know that chocolate cakes and cheesecake still are easy to locate on a nightly basis.
Without exception, the true winner of the dining experience when it comes to actual food quality would be The Olympic Restaurant. The specialty restaurant’s food was exceptional for shipboard food. We found meats to be among the best we had tasted even in better restaurants ashore. Beef Tenderloin was of excellent quality and served with a dark Cognac-based sauce prepared by the table.
Service in the main restaurant was prompt, even at a table for ten, and friendly as always. The waiters went out of the way to accommodate special dietary requirements of other table members or to even assist with practical jokes on fellow tablemates on multiple occasions. Haven’t you ever had more than one birthday during your vacation?
Fellow guests were in most cases dressed appropriately. As always, there were small handfuls of diners who chose not to adhere to the dress code and wore business-casual attire on formal evenings. In most cases, guests were admitted to the main dining room regardless of their dress as long as it would pass for any casual evening.
Overall, Celebrity’s Millennium provides guests with a GOOD dining experience, offering food and an overall experience that is above average for the industry.
ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE
After virtually every cruise I have gone on for the past years, I have returned to land with nothing but complaints for what seemed like “Broadway style” shows my local high school could out-produce. Pleasantly, our experience aboard Millennium was quite literally night and day from our previous cruises.
For once, we found that Celebrity had managed to put together not only a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system inside of its multi-million dollar theater, but also an exemplary staff of singers and dancers worthy of land-based entertainment.
Of the three shows produced during our seven-night voyage, we found most to be excellent. The singing abilities of Millennium’s entertainment staff were frankly unmatched by previous cruises even within Celebrity’s own fleet. Her dancers were also far above average in comparison to previous vacations with this and other lines.
Third party entertainment brought onboard was also good in most cases, with exception of the typical poor comedian that wouldn’t be welcomed even as a guest host in most popular comedy clubs across the country.
Overall, Celebrity’s Millennium earns a rating of EXCELLENT for its entertainment value for offering guests a cruise-based entertainment staff with a skill set that should set the true standard for the line.
STATEROOM CONDITION/SERVICE
As we have frequently found to be a problem aboard the Celebrity fleet, Millennium’s staterooms were in need of a bit of better maintenance. Though the current shipboard staff certainly does everything they can to make ends meet, the actual materials they have to work with are the real problem. Worn bedding materials, deteriorated carpet from heavy traffic and other blights are a frank damper on what otherwise is a beautiful fleet with exceptionally maintained public spaces.
That said, room service itself from our steward and other crew members was attentive, quick and polite as always. Our steward and others went out of their way to say hello multiple times a day when passing in the hallways, or when calling it out to us from down the hall when we had not seen him. Service was extremely friendly and sincere, which we have found to be the case on each of our cruises with this particular line.
Overall, Celebrity’s Millennium earns a rating of AVERAGE for its stateroom condition and service. Although service itself was good, the rating has been reduced because of lacking room quality in linens and simple wear and tear that is beyond normal conditions.
OVERALL RATING
Millennium is a truly unique ship in an industry that is becoming more and more uniform, with massive corporations ordering the exact same vessel for their dozens of subsidiaries. Stepping aboard a cruise liner that has not been duplicated twenty times can be a breath of fresh air for the frequent cruiser. While she lacks the same personality that her older kin do, Millennium still is a remarkable ship aesthetically speaking.
Her public spaces are enchanting, entertainment is exceptional by industry standards and the food offered to guests beats expectations from other ships in her class.
Millennium is rated an overall ****+ (FOUR AND A HALF STARS) or GOOD/ABOVE AVERAGE.
Previous Reviews:
HAL Zuiderdam: ***+
Celebrity Mercury: ****+
Celebrity Galaxy: ****
Norwegian Sea: **
Norwegian Majesty: ***+
Carnival Holiday: **+
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
garykool81
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Reviews written: 8
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