I am a first time cruiser and had no idea what to expect, but I would say the Celebrity Millennium set a high standard for future cruise lines to live up to.
My entire cruise experience was wonderful - from checking in and first entering my immaculate cabin to disembarking. I was an independent traveller so did not use any pre or post cruise services and made my own way to the ship and away from it.
The ship itself is beautiful - a huge floating city in which you don't often run into the other 3000 inhabitants. This in itself is amazing and reflects the clever design of the ship. I was initially worried that there would be too much shopping available but actually everything was moderate and classy and it was really left up to the ports to be crass and in your face.
I was very impressed with the size, cleanliness and functionality of my inside cabin - I did not feel at all like a poor relative as the service and fittings for my cabin were entirely satisfactory. Yes, in hindsight, it would have been nice to have a balcony and sometimes essential to have one, but not because the inside cabins are inadequate. I was able to sleep well and deeply every night in my clean, spacious cabin. Of course, solo travelling makes any 2 person cabin feel larger. :) I loved my cabin and the staff who serviced it were discreet, efficient and perfect.
My first visit to the Metropolitan Dining Room was wonderful. I chose free seating and hours so I would just turn up and they would seat me. I often struck up conversation with nearby tables and sometimes even ate with these new acquaintances. The food was delicious and much, much better than I had expected. I adored the food - all of it. I was able to try escargot and other delicacies and every meal was beautifully prepared and tasty. There were one or two meals I was not so impressed with but that was my error for ordering something I didn't really like rather than a fault with the cooking or service.
The service is phenomenal. I came to look forward to seeing the staff in my area each evening - they were friendly and entertaining and offered wonderful service. There was a very family-like air in the relations between staff and this really added to the pleasant experience of dining in the Metropolitan. I loved listening to them tease and chastise each other in small asides and watching the senior staff guide and direct their more sociable, chatty staff with patience and humour. The Metropolitan had a wonderful atmosphere and I never felt the need to go anywhere else for the evening meal.
I ate at the more casual dining room on level 10 for breakfast. This was an excellent place to get a quick breakfast, especially if your fancy is for bacon and scrambled eggs or omelettes. It is also good for sushi in the afternoon.
The entertainment was wonderful. My only problem with it was that between port visits and meals, it was very hard to get around to all the entertainment available. I very much enjoyed the two theatre productions I managed to get to - Simply Ballroom and another dance themed revue later in the week. I also attended a karaoke night which was a lot of fun and had an excellent host and I spent a couple of nights dancing at the club to the band and DJ. Honestly, the music could have been a little funkier but it was okay.
The location of the cruise added its own magic - calm waters and beautiful landscape. Our visit to the Hubbard glacier was spectacular, with the Captain getting the ship to about a quarter mile from the glacier. It was very cold but very inspiring. Remember to take your warm things with you when you visit this one - the air off the glacier is freezing. We saw some large chunks fall off too - a great experience.
The Millennium also offered a number of interesting activities but I really never had time for them - there were a lot of ports and many things to see and enjoy from the decks so activities were not my priority.
Millennium is not really a party ship or a pick up ship, but it is an excellent choice for sight-seeing, dining and peaceful sleep. I am certain it is possible to party and pickup if that is what you want too, but the emphasis is not in that direction and, as a single traveller, I found this to be preferable.
In summary, this was an excellent cruise and I would book with Celebrity again in a heart beat.
