Sailing on Celebrity Cruises’ recently restarted Celebrity Millennium marked a multifaceted homecoming.
The ship had been moored in and around my homeport of San Diego, sans passengers, for the bulk of the COVID-19 cruise suspension. But now, seeing the ship again in operation is definitely a sight for sore eyes — and a reflection of the industry’s grand return to the West Coast on its Pacific Coastal Cruise California-focused route.
It also so happens that Celebrity was the line that my parents and I used to frequent as a family before I started my career in cruising, and the three of us enjoyed the sailing together just like old times. (Having launched originally in 2000, Millennium is now the oldest in the fleet.)
While vestiges of its earliest service history remain, the ship was part of “The Celebrity Revolution” refurbishment program and was exhaustively modernized prior to the pandemic. Now, its external livery more closely resembles the lighter blue color scheme of the line’s latest Edge class, and the interior design has been marvelously redesigned, down to its sleek minimalist signage.
Clients will appreciate the impressive updates, beginning in cabins where every inch has seemingly been overhauled. Handsome gray wood tones and white marbled surfaces accent the expertly configured bedroom and bathroom storage, while refined soft-close drawers and convenient USB charging ports would suit a vessel that could easily cost more.
The ship is considerably brighter overall, from the enhanced spa and classic solarium to the elevated boutiques and spacious buffet stations. The formerly dark Michael’s Club and its sullen wooden paneling, for instance, have made way for the chic and refreshed Retreat Lounge that’s exclusive for suite guests. The lovely added Retreat Sundeck with private lunch and drink service, loungers and a hot tub is a similar ship-within-a-ship offering just for passengers in said top-tier accommodations.
Lots of other fresh dining options have been carved out over recent years, with both Luminae (also for suite guests) and Blu (for AquaClass occupants), taking up a portion of the main dining room’s real estate. The arrival of Tuscan Grille is bittersweet. It’s an excellent Italian steakhouse, but it meant the removal of the unique Olympic ocean liner-themed restaurant. (At least a small display of the previous venue’s memorabilia is still on hand between the casino and art gallery.)
Fellow eagle-eyed loyalists may spot other nostalgic remnants of the old Millennium, such as Celebrity’s old cursive typeface on etched door panels still flanking guest relations and striated “X” icons applied to glass elevator doors.
Evolving over the years is Qsine (one of the ship’s other specialty dining options) and its newest Le Petit Chef table-projected animation show, which debuted on the sailing just before ours and was perfect for our visit. Beautifully telling the story of the seasons of life, the chef caricature digitally falls in love, has kids and sees them off on their own before reuniting —my mom was quite moved by the parallels to our own family — all while “cooking” an equally delicious meal.
Celebrity is one of the lines I’ve experienced post-pandemic where the health and safety protocols delightfully fade into the background. Thanks to at least 95% of vaccinated passengers (likely much more, as there were only four small children on our sailing who were not inoculated), the wearing of masks among passengers was voluntary, and only a small handful chose to don them. (Crew continue to wear face coverings as an added precaution.) Besides having to reapply them for tendering operations to and from Santa Catalina Island, a call for physical distancing on the reduced-capacity ship and increased sanitation efforts, the cruise experience was almost entirely back to normal.
On the eight-night itinerary (roundtrip from San Diego), we stopped at Catalina Island for the day, and spent an overnight in San Francisco. Although Santa Barbara, which is not quite ready to accept cruise ships, was ultimately cut from the original itinerary, we were quickly reminded of the joys of cruising in our own backyard.
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