Cruise 7 - The Millennium - ​Moths to a Flame – Part 1

Getting There

The Millennium

Celebrity Cruises - Dec 13 to Dec 23, 2021 - From Ft. Lauderdale

• Nassau
• San Juan
• St Croix
• Antigua
• St Kitts
• St Maarten

Like moths to a flame, we are once again drawn to spending time on the only place on earth you can see the dark blue of the world’s oceans: the world’s oceans themselves. We are again going cruising, even after having been dismayed and discouraged by the debacle of our last cruise back in 2014, where for a daily cost of almost five hundred dollars a day, we were fed food that was just plain awful. My wife and I had decided to reenact our memorable first cruise aboard the old Norwegian Cruise Lines Sunward II twenty-five years earlier, but things have changed. Out of four main dining room meals, we sent three of them back as inedible. We unbelievably lost weight on a cruise, a holiday Christmas holiday cruise at that! If it had not been for custom made pizzas and pasta on the Lido deck, we might have starved. Obviously we’ve changed cruise lines .

We met two young, talented musicians from Patagonia during that otherwise lackluster cruise, a delightful, married couple who sang and played guitar. We had friendly chats with Dani and Seba between sets and ended up watching them whenever we had the chance. We enjoyed their personalities, and we loved their music. We have followed them as SuperNova Duo on Facebook ever since, even through the trials and tribulations of the Covid epidemic which has altered our entire world. We watched them from thousands of miles away as they did a tour with Disney Cruises, and later, after Covid struck, they were at home in Bariloche in the beautiful, snowy mountains of Argentina.

They announced earlier this year they were coming to Florida with Celebrity Cruises, doing the mandatory quarantines and reassignments off the Florida coast. They were booked on the Celebrity Millennium, headed to Alaska. That’s when our deep seated wanderlust decided to flare up yet once again.

An Alaska cruise had always been on our to do list, at least until 2014 when our desire to cruise was prematurely extinguished. I began to study the Millennium. She appears to be an older, medium size ship at around two thousand passengers. She’s perfect for us. No way are we getting on a ship that engorges – and disgorges – five thousand passengers at a time. We decided to pursue the possibility of cruising Alaska, one of our two bucket list cruises - the other is a full transit of the Panama Canal - perhaps in a year or two after the world has stabilized enough to get back on a boat. Covid restrictions and precautions are absolutely paramount to us, we have absolutely no desire to contract the disease. Period. We were curious about the Millennium's itinerary and when the winter schedule announced the ship was being re-positioned for eastern Caribbean cruises, we decided to finally treat ourselves to a long overdue cruise. We carefully selected a ten-day cruise with lots of open ocean time and several ports we haven't yet visited. 

We also researched Celebrity Cruise Lines and we liked what we found. While many of the changes we’ve come to dislike or avoid are now industry wide standards, Celebrity appears to offer more of our style and relaxation for a more inclusive, higher but still reasonable cost. The extra cost drink packages – and especially WiFi packages, can still blow an unsuspecting cruiser’s budget out of the water, so to speak, but the regular fare, passage services and amenities seem far more in line with what remember from past cruises.

We have long avoided the “Private Island” beach day where you eat hotdogs and get sand in your bathing suit. We got off the ship for the beach picnic on our very first cruise way back when, but we have no need to compete with the multitudes who stampede ashore for a day of fun and sun. Those stops are a great day to do on-board stuff as the ship is practically empty. No problem, the Millennium doesn’t have a stop scheduled for the subsidized alternative to a real port of call. Our first stop will be Nassau which was our very first port of call way back when.

Then we head to old San Juan where we will get to do want we want, COVID restrictions not withstanding. We simply ran out of time during our first visit there and decided to come back someday. Believe me, that’s so much better than wondering what to do after being ashore for an hour amid the jewelry and perfume shops that define the boundary of your security. Been there and done that, too.

So we get to cruise and occasionally watch the flying fish while we sit on our balcony and wonder about the phenomenal colors of the deep ocean. In the evening we get to listen to two talented entertainers who are going to wonder about the two enthusiastic, old people sitting in the back, clapping and smiling, and think, “Do we know those people?”

We'll get the chance to tell them in person they were the spark that got us back doing what we love.

It did not take long after boarding the Millennium to realize the ship was exactly what we were looking for, or rather, what we had missed on our last cruise some seven years ago. Launched in 2001, she is the oldest ship in the Celebrity Cruise Line fleet, but you would never know it. The mid-size ship was completely upgraded and modernized in early 2019, spending over a month in dry dock and 60 million dollars being refitted and modernized. After spending most of 2020 and early 2021 waiting out the COVID 19 at San Diego, the Millennium was one of the first cruise ships to reenter service in late 2021.

I couldn’t help but smile as we boarded her. I wondered if this wasn’t also like an old space ship, designed to transport its passengers through space and time, but in luxury and cleanliness as opposed to the worn-out space freighter, the Millennium Falcon, made famous by the 1977 Star Wars movie. In contrast, the Celebrity Millennium carries its 2,138 passengers in contemporary style and luxury.
We joined the Celebrity Millennium in Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale, Florida two weeks before Christmas, 2021. Our first scheduling attempt didn’t work out, but we were pleased to find our friends Seba and Daniela, the Supernova Duo, were still entertaining onboard as we enthusiastically signed up for an eastern Caribbean ten day cruise. With the fear and anxiety of the COVID pandemic setting the tone for several weeks of concern and worry, about whether or not we would even get on board the ship, the actual process turned out to be beautifully handled. Let’s start at the beginning though, back before our enlightenment.

We knew our required passports were up-to-date, and would not expire within six months of our sailing, so that was no problem. The COVID requirements were no problem, either, as we were both vaccinated as soon as the vaccine was available. We had the booster shot as well. We also had the flu shot, which we do annually. The only problem was having proof of a negative COVID test within 48 hours of departure. Neither my wife nor I had ever been tested for COVID and we simply weren’t sure how to go about getting tested and proving we were safe. While we follow the mask protocol religiously, we still interact with people who travel or could otherwise be carriers. Of the three required items, we had two – the passports and the proof of vaccination – but the negative test caused us grief simply because we did not know what to expect. What would happen if either one of us failed the test?

We confirmed our trip cancellation insurance covered testing positive for COVID-19, which was a financial safety blanket, but the anxiety of being stuck in port as the ship sailed away without us doggedly clouded our enthusiasm. Celebrity made testing kits available for less than one hundred dollars, but several friends told us they had to order multiple test kits as the first kits received were defective. We were leaving on a Monday, so we had no desire to scramble on Sunday to find a testing location. We called several testing companies and made arrangements at a walk-in clinic for testing first thing Saturday morning. Of course that turned into a two and a half hour wait before we were presented with our certificate of a negative COVID test. With our priceless certificates in hand, all we had to do was get to the boat some 200 miles away.

We have used Cruise Connection, run by the ESCOT bus line, several times in the past to travel to and from the ports of Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Easy and convenient, the service picks up customers at local locations along Florida’s west coast and brings them directly to the port terminal. They bring you back at the end of your cruise as well. Our problem was the bus line was just restarting as were the cruise lines themselves and there was some confusion on whether they would run a bus on the days we needed transportation. Running a first class bus service from Florida’s west coast to the ports depends on customers, and when we called for reservations were first informed they weren’t servicing our area for Celebrity cruises. After several phone calls the situation changed and we were in business. Neighbors graciously agreed to take us the local bus stop and everything was in place.

Perhaps the pressures and constant conflict about the COVID pandemic just wouldn’t let us relax. We were concerned about every little thing, especially after we later missed a call from Cruise Connection asking us to call them back as soon as possible. This was on the weekend prior to our departure and did nothing for our nerves until we found out they had simply moved our scheduled pickup time back an hour. That made it a little easier for our wonderful friends, at least.

The huge, cross country tour bus had seven passengers when we got on, and we stopped only once to pick up two more for the ride to Fort Lauderdale. An indicator of things to come. The trip across the Everglades is always fun when you don’t have to drive, and I don’t mind letting someone else do the task while I sit back and watch traffic.

Port Everglades, the name of the port in Fort Lauderdale, was under a massive rebuild the last time we were there and I had no desire to fight the madness, but all that is in the past. The port is modern and easy to negotiate, I could have driven and parked in the parking garage almost across the walk-way from the terminal. Personally, anything to ease getting on board is my choice and using Cruise Connection is one less thing to worry about. 

Five minutes after arriving, we were in the terminal showing our passports and COVID papers and test results. We were slightly ahead of our scheduled arrival time but it created no problems. After receiving our cruise identification cards and passing through several staging areas, we were walking up the gangplank to our next cruise adventure.

We were surprised by how empty the terminal was. It appeared COVID had dampened everyone's desire to cruise. We would soon find out.

Stepping out of the covered gangway onto the open deck of the Celebrity Millennium was both a nostalgic moment, and a gamble for us. We decided seven years earlier, after our last cruise, not to waste any more money on cruising. Were we wrong to once again to schedule a cruise? A cruise that was to be the longest we have ever taken? I’m sure the Millennium's waiting officers and staff had no idea what was going through our minds as we emerged from the gangway. This was our seventh cruise and we had high hopes.

We experienced a full spectrum of pleasure cruising on our first six cruises. We were surprised one time by huge, orange lifeboats blocking the view from our “ocean-view” staterooms and on another cruise by running out of sugar two days from the end of the cruise. But those issues didn't stop us from cruising. It was the last cruise ruined it for us. It was notorious for its atrocious food and poor service. The cruise line – which we had cruised with three times before – was trying to force everyone to upgrade to the specialty, extra cost restaurants by making regular dining unpalatable regardless of how much you paid for the cruise.

There have been industry-wide changes since our first cruise when we went to the ship’s drugstore and bought liquor to take back to our small room with two single beds and a port-hole. The industry no longer focuses on gambling as soon as the ship is outside the twelve mile limit and has become attuned to all ages of travelers and vacationers. Profit making is no longer an art, it is a science. Our last cruise proved to be too much squeezing for us. It simply was no longer fun or worth the cost. Besides, if we went camping instead, we could always bring our dogs. Cruising was no longer attractive to us. The cruise lines could no longer compete for our money.

But here we were, once again, seven years later. Like moths to a flame.

We were greeted on the deck of the Millennium by several teams of officers and staff, even assisting us with our carry-on luggage. There were no exotic cocktails with little umbrellas and servers immediately asking for your room number here. I was pleasantly surprised, not only by the Millennium greeting, but by my wife as well. She wandered off toward the bow of the ship, pulling her carry-on behind her, engrossed in her own world as I received directions from our greeters to our stateroom. It was all smiles – I’m going by the twinkling eyes here, everyone was masked – and pleasantries from the entire staff as we finally got organized and headed toward the aft elevators together, toward our home for the next ten days. The Millennium would be our first cruise with Celebrity cruises.

Celebrity’s stateroom package included the first level drink package, all tips included, and free, if somewhat restricted, WiFi, so we were apprehensive, at best. We were pleasantly surprised by Celebrity as they unexpectedly upgraded our cabin from Veranda to Concierge just before checking in and we were now a deck higher. The ship appeared to be almost empty except for the ever-present staff. All of the staff were masked the entire time, and most of the passengers we met as well. Ilse and I were the only passengers on the pool deck for most of the afternoon as we waited for our 4:30 departure. And our suitcase, of course, which was placed outside our cabin door well before we shoved off.

Welcome to the Millennium

There were scattered passengers around the top deck as we departed busy, cosmopolitan Ft. Lauderdale headed for our first stop of the cruise, the seemingly mandatory stop in Nassau. We feel like old hands at Nassau. Watching the preparations for Junkanoo is always fun and our timing was right on for the third time.

We struck up a conversation with another couple on the top deck as we waited for departure and everything seemed normal except for the odd lack of passengers. We stayed on the deck until Florida began to fade in the distance and setting sun as we were once again seduced by heading toward the open ocean.

 

At berth in Ft. Lauderdale

Ilse was disappointed when we were taken to our table for two, which turned out to be two tables, pushed together, side by side. The Maitre d’ had the two tables respectively separated and the wait staff immediately removed any vestige of seating at the adjoining table.

The couple we had met on deck as we departed Fort Lauderdale walked up just as we were meeting our waiter, Dave, and his ever-smiling assistant, Luh. The couple asked if we minded if they joined us. We did mind as we had different visions of our first dinner on ship, but never-the-less, we graciously, if somewhat reluctantly, invited them to join us. We inadvertently created problems for the wait staff as they now had no choice but to add the settings back to the table they had just cleared. They only dined with us that first night and did not return for any more dinners, but their settings were in place each night should they return.

As far as the dining was concerned, I had no choice but to perform my French Onion Soup analysis. My analysis has become the benchmark by which the rest of the cruise shall be measured. I never turn down the opportunity to order the soup and although I ordered it on the Millennium with great trepidation, my fears were unfounded. The French Onion soup on was delicious. So were all the meals we ate in the Metropolitan dining room. Score a big one for Celebrity Cruise Lines.

We spent the evening exploring the ship and taking in a little of the evening show. As we headed around the central staircase – I won’t call it an atrium – we heard familiar voices coming from the entertainment podium. It was Daniela and Seba, Supernova Duo, who we met back in 2014 during their very first contract. We walked around the corner and Seba recognized us. We have been friends on Facebook and have followed each other for several years. We chatted and laughed and made plans to meet when they had a break in their schedule. A really great surprise and definitely a highlight of the trip.

Ilse and I returned to our cabin where we made short order of our complimentary sparkling wine, sitting in the lounge chairs on the balcony enjoying the ocean and wondering where all the other ships were. There are usually several other brightly lit ships on the horizon, headed for Caribbean ports unknown, but there was only one other ship and we soon lost sight of it. The usually busy channel between Florida and the Bahamas was eerily dark.

By 11:30 pm, we were 90 miles from Ft Lauderdale and the weather was wonderful. We found out there were only five hundred passengers on board our ship with a capacity for over two thousand! With over nine hundred crew, it was like having our own giant, private yacht! Great us, but not for the industry. No wonder the ocean was dark.

The entire 50 minute cruise video  is here!

 Next: Nassau, revisited, again