When going from a 21-year-old cruise ship to the very latest to launch, one might not expect the experience to be anywhere near the same.
However, experiencing Celebrity Cruises’ oldest ship — Celebrity Millennium — and the line’s new Celebrity Apex back-to-back proved surprisingly consistent.
The premium line has done a good job at “revolutionizing” its classic ships so that they closely mirror the best elements of its older, state-of-the-art vessels. Architecturally, the two ships remain very different — especially in scale — but their external liveries now match, and interior designs display an uncanny resemblance, from fixtures and finishes to graphic design.
Common venues include a signature theater, a casino, the Sunset Bar, the Cafe al Bacio, the Oceanview Cafe buffet, the Blu dining room for AquaClass guests and The Retreat for Suite Class passengers.
The set of ship-within-a-ship spaces that are exclusive to suite occupants was retroactively added to Millennium (sometimes nicknamed “Millie”), thus its layout is not as contiguous as on Apex, where the sundeck, lounge and Luminae restaurant are all adjacent to each other.
Both once a staple of Celebrity ships, Qsine and Tuscan Grille remain on Millennium. On Apex, neither have been reprised, but the former’s Le Petit Chef animated projection show is still featured at Le Grand Bistro, and Fine Cut Steakhouse takes over for Tuscan Grille.
On the other hand, Apex showcases a number of venues not found on Millennium, notably the Rooftop Garden and its grill; the Magic Carpet; the Grand Plaza; The Club; and Eden. Millie, though, has another major space that is absent from the newest class of Celebrity ships: a traditional forward-facing observation lounge.
One could argue that Eden serves as an aft-facing alternative, similar to Two70 on corporate cousin Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum-class ships, but the spiral ramp that traces the glass enclosure has limited seating. It’s a rare letdown from the new Celebrity ships, particularly if they eventually head to scenic destinations, such as Alaska, without a warm interior to gaze at the scenery from.
Fans of Las Vegas might accurately equate Apex to a contemporary property such as The Cosmopolitan — itself partly drafted by hospitality and cruise ship designer Adam D. Tihany — and Millennium to a revitalized property like the MGM Grand.
In fact, even before the “Celebrity Revolution” refit program, Millennium’s observation lounge had been partially displaced by the relocation of the ship’s kids’ club facility to make way for more cabins from the stern to the left third of the venue, sadly blocking many prized vistas. In an effort to add staterooms, Millie has additionally lost its central double-decker library and original Celebrity iLounge. The previous Apple training center now consists of only a few terminals at the base of the glass elevators near reception.
For the most part, two decades of changes to Millennium have been for the better, and clients will surely appreciate how remarkably consistent it is to the rest of the fleet — Apex included — as a result.
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