Celebrity Millennium European Cruise Review - Part 3 - Amsterdam to Genoa
< Continued from page 2
VIGO, SPAIN (Casual Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
City Sightseeing and Bayona - Half Day, $40
Santiago De Compostella - Full Day, $85, including lunch
We docked in Vigo almost 2 hours earlier than our scheduled 9:00AM arrival time, and it was still quite foggy outside. When the fog finally burned off around 11:00 and Tommie and I left the ship for our own tour of Vigo, it was quite hot.
The maps provided by Celebrity for all the ports are quite good, and we enjoyed the many winding streets of the Old Town section on our way up to the Castillo, where magnificent views of the Vigo harbor and city waited. Off to the left we could see the town of Bayona, which is apparently the place to which Columbus first returned in 1493 after discovering 'The New World.' Saw many others sights in the city, but the newer parts had busy streets with lots of traffic, and was very noisy. Millennium departed on schedule at 5:00PM. Tonight we opted for the alternative dining at the Ocean Grill and it was just as bad, if not worse, than the dining room. This was the night for the Tropical Island Nights Party and Fruit and Sherbert buffet out on deck, but it was so windy and chilly that less than 50 people had showed up when we were there at 11:00PM - another scheduling snafu by Celebrity. Clocks will be turned back one hour during the night.
LISBON, PORTUGAL (Informal Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
Lisbon City Sightseeing - Half Day, $47
Sintra and Cape Roca - Half Day, $45
Queluz Palace and Cascais - Half Day, $42
Fatima and Batalha - Full Day, $120, including lunch
Arrived in Lisbon on schedule at 7:00AM, to sunny skies and another warm day. We took the complimentary shuttle bus for the 3 mile ride to the Praca do Comercio, and then walked through the winding streets of the Alfama district before heading up to the Castello de Sao Jorge. Although we have been on 3 different Lisbon excursions on past cruises and seen all the major attractions, none took us to this high lookout with it's spectacular views of the city of Lisbon and the harbor. It was fun to be able to spot sites such as the Jeronimos Monastery, Belem Tower, and Monument to the Discoveries, and reminisce about past cruises to this port. On the way back to the shuttle bus we bought a couple bottles of Portuguese wine to try with dinner on the ship. Once back onboard we decided to finally try the Thalassotherapy pool that we so much enjoyed on the Mercury, in the hopes that it would not be too crowded with all the tours going on. Unfortunately, it was still packed as usual, so we just relaxed by the pool. Millennium departed on schedule at 5:00PM. Service in the main dining room tonight was exceptional, and we finally thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. Both our waiter and busboy were very apologetic about the past service, and this is when we learned about all the kitchen and restaurant design issues/problems. Clocks will be turned forward one hour during the night.
MALAGA, SPAIN (Casual Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
City Sightseeing - Half Day, $35
Town of Mijas - Half Day, $35
Millennium was scheduled to arrive at 10:00AM, but was more than an hour late?no explanation was ever given as to why?and clearance did not come until 11:30AM. Complimentary shuttle busses to the nearby city center had not yet arrived when we disembarked at 11:45, so we just walked the short distance from the pier (past the Costa Romantica and Renaissance V, which were also in port). It was another sunny day and in the low's 90's already. For a 3rdstraight day we elected an arduous trek up to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro fortresses for the magnificent views they afforded of Malaga and surrounding environs. On the way back to the ship we walked past gorgeous fountains and plazas, and along wide tree lined boulevards (Ramblas) as well as some of the beautiful Costa del Sol beaches. Enjoyed room service pizza, delivered in a regular pizza box, once back onboard the ship. Millennium sailed on schedule at 6:00PM. Service in the dining room was again very good. Since it was so warm and balmy tonight (a good evening for the Tropical Island Nights Party!), we slept with our balcony door open and fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the ocean.
DAY AT SEA (Casual Dress)
This was our last day at sea, even though there are still 4 more cruise days and ports left. It was another warm and sunny day, which provided a perfect opportunity to do some exercising and then just relax. The Captain's Club galley tour was in the late afternoon, but we found it to be a bit boring because we have had much better tours, and seen a lot more of the kitchen, on others ships. Dinner was again terrific and Tommie and I both enjoyed filet mignon smothered in Bearnaise sauce, which Celebrity does like no other ship we've been on.
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VIGO, SPAIN (Casual Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
City Sightseeing and Bayona - Half Day, $40
Santiago De Compostella - Full Day, $85, including lunch
We docked in Vigo almost 2 hours earlier than our scheduled 9:00AM arrival time, and it was still quite foggy outside. When the fog finally burned off around 11:00 and Tommie and I left the ship for our own tour of Vigo, it was quite hot.
The maps provided by Celebrity for all the ports are quite good, and we enjoyed the many winding streets of the Old Town section on our way up to the Castillo, where magnificent views of the Vigo harbor and city waited. Off to the left we could see the town of Bayona, which is apparently the place to which Columbus first returned in 1493 after discovering 'The New World.' Saw many others sights in the city, but the newer parts had busy streets with lots of traffic, and was very noisy. Millennium departed on schedule at 5:00PM. Tonight we opted for the alternative dining at the Ocean Grill and it was just as bad, if not worse, than the dining room. This was the night for the Tropical Island Nights Party and Fruit and Sherbert buffet out on deck, but it was so windy and chilly that less than 50 people had showed up when we were there at 11:00PM - another scheduling snafu by Celebrity. Clocks will be turned back one hour during the night.
LISBON, PORTUGAL (Informal Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
Lisbon City Sightseeing - Half Day, $47
Sintra and Cape Roca - Half Day, $45
Queluz Palace and Cascais - Half Day, $42
Fatima and Batalha - Full Day, $120, including lunch
Arrived in Lisbon on schedule at 7:00AM, to sunny skies and another warm day. We took the complimentary shuttle bus for the 3 mile ride to the Praca do Comercio, and then walked through the winding streets of the Alfama district before heading up to the Castello de Sao Jorge. Although we have been on 3 different Lisbon excursions on past cruises and seen all the major attractions, none took us to this high lookout with it's spectacular views of the city of Lisbon and the harbor. It was fun to be able to spot sites such as the Jeronimos Monastery, Belem Tower, and Monument to the Discoveries, and reminisce about past cruises to this port. On the way back to the shuttle bus we bought a couple bottles of Portuguese wine to try with dinner on the ship. Once back onboard we decided to finally try the Thalassotherapy pool that we so much enjoyed on the Mercury, in the hopes that it would not be too crowded with all the tours going on. Unfortunately, it was still packed as usual, so we just relaxed by the pool. Millennium departed on schedule at 5:00PM. Service in the main dining room tonight was exceptional, and we finally thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. Both our waiter and busboy were very apologetic about the past service, and this is when we learned about all the kitchen and restaurant design issues/problems. Clocks will be turned forward one hour during the night.
MALAGA, SPAIN (Casual Dress)
Shore excursions offered by Celebrity:
City Sightseeing - Half Day, $35
Town of Mijas - Half Day, $35
Millennium was scheduled to arrive at 10:00AM, but was more than an hour late?no explanation was ever given as to why?and clearance did not come until 11:30AM. Complimentary shuttle busses to the nearby city center had not yet arrived when we disembarked at 11:45, so we just walked the short distance from the pier (past the Costa Romantica and Renaissance V, which were also in port). It was another sunny day and in the low's 90's already. For a 3rdstraight day we elected an arduous trek up to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro fortresses for the magnificent views they afforded of Malaga and surrounding environs. On the way back to the ship we walked past gorgeous fountains and plazas, and along wide tree lined boulevards (Ramblas) as well as some of the beautiful Costa del Sol beaches. Enjoyed room service pizza, delivered in a regular pizza box, once back onboard the ship. Millennium sailed on schedule at 6:00PM. Service in the dining room was again very good. Since it was so warm and balmy tonight (a good evening for the Tropical Island Nights Party!), we slept with our balcony door open and fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the ocean.
DAY AT SEA (Casual Dress)
This was our last day at sea, even though there are still 4 more cruise days and ports left. It was another warm and sunny day, which provided a perfect opportunity to do some exercising and then just relax. The Captain's Club galley tour was in the late afternoon, but we found it to be a bit boring because we have had much better tours, and seen a lot more of the kitchen, on others ships. Dinner was again terrific and Tommie and I both enjoyed filet mignon smothered in Bearnaise sauce, which Celebrity does like no other ship we've been on.
Page 4 > > More on Celebrity Millennium Cruise > >
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