Choose to Cruise
A Voyage on Celebrity's Millennium
The Olympic Revived
Tuesday morning we were in Calica, a sleepy little port on the Yucatán
Peninsula. There's nothing at the port itself but there are some good tours to
the Mayan ruins of Tulum or Coba, Cancun shopping, and beach snorkeling. None
of these is accessible to those on wheels. Ute went off to hike up to Coba, and
I decided to take in a movie in the ship's cinema — "Rules of Engagement."
That evening we had reservations at the Olympic Restaurant, a special feature of
the Millennium and typical of a dining revolution that's sweeping cruising
today. Since its inception the cruise industry has relied on a standard way of
feeding passengers — in two sittings, one around 6 p.m., the other at 8. That's
because in order to conserve space almost all ship dining rooms are designed to
hold only half of the passengers at one time.
In recent years, as guests have expressed dissatisfaction with this system,
cruise lines have come up with a variety of changes. Some offer more dining
times, others offer complete freedom to eat where and when you want, and still
others have opened alternative restaurants which require reservations and may
have an extra charge attached. That's one of the solutions offered aboard the
Millennium.
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The legendary Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic, was launched by the White
Star Line in 1911 and was one of the most luxurious liners afloat in her time.
After she was withdrawn from service years later, some private buyers obtained
pieces of the woodwork paneling, hand-carved in the style of Louis XVI, that
decorated the first-class dining room and installed them in a private home in
England until they were auctioned off a few years ago and bought by Celebrity.
Using these materials, the Millennium has re-created not only the Olympic's
dining room, but the entire dining experience — menu, service, wine cellar,
live music and more. It's a memorable experience well worth the extra $25
charge.
The menu consists of a four-course dinner: a soup, salad, or appetizer; an
entrée; a choice of cheese and crackers; and a dessert. Along with each course
is a suggested wine that can be ordered by the glass. I had the grilled filet
of sea bass while Ute tried the flambéed scampi, which is prepared tableside.
The white-gloved Russian-style service in this dining room (where every plate
comes under a silver dome) is unreal — at times there were as many as four
waiters hovering around us.
When we got to the cheese course they brought a trolley of exotic cheeses
prepared from the milk of cows, goats and sheep — all obtained from one of the
most exclusive purveyors in Paris. For dessert we had marvelous crêpes Suzette,
which were also cooked at our table. I'm sorry I didn't order the Waldorf
pudding, the same dish served on the R.M.S. Olympic in 1914. I guess I'll just
have to go back!
Going Ashore
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| Andy Vladimir found the streets of Cozumel very accessible to
his scooter. |
The next morning we arrived at Cozumel. As an early birthday present for Ute I
had booked for her the tour I'd have most liked to go on if it had been
accessible — Chichén Itzá by plane ($240). The Chichén Itzá Mayan ruins are
among the most famous in the Yucatán dating back to A.D. 445.
I'd decided that this would be my one chance to go shopping on this trip and I
was looking forward to a free day. It turned out to be a breeze, and a happy
one at that.
Budgeting for Your Cruise Vacation
In addition to the price you pay for your cruise, you'll need
to budget for some other expenses. Cruise fares aren't all-inclusive, no matter
how they're advertised. To begin with, airfare and airport transfers aren't
necessarily a part of the cruise package. If they aren't, the cruise line will
offer you an air add-on. This is usually a good deal, but not always.
Next there's tipping. I figure about $9 per person per day,
or $63 per person for a seven-day cruise.
Then there's the cost of shore excursions. On our Celebrity
Cruise, tours ranged from $19 for the Key West Conch Train to $39 for the
stingray snorkeling to $240 for the Chichén Itzá trip. Of course, you don't
have to take any shore excursions, but even then you may want to budget some
funds for taxis to get into town or visit some of the main attractions on your
own.
One of the biggest on-board expenses is beverages and snacks. You can expect to
pay $1.50 to $2 (plus an automatic 15 percent tip) for a soda and $3 or more
for a mixed drink. For the most part meals are included in the tour price, but
not always. Besides the alternative restaurants, some ships feature Häagen-Dazs
ice cream bars and Johnny Rocket Hamburgers, which are extra.
If you want any of the services in the spa, be prepared to pay from $47 for a
woman's haircut to $85 or more for a massage or facial.
In addition, if you plan to use the Internet you can go online for around 95
cents a minute. The cost is $12 a minute for regular phone calls.
Finally, no matter how frugal you are you'll be very tempted to drop a few
dollars at the casino and buy some souvenirs at the gift shops on board.
For a list of cruise lines and travel agencies you can contact, see "Choose
to Cruise, Part 1," in Quest, vol. 8, no. 1. |
I rolled off the ship onto the pier where there was a taxi stand. Cozumel is
five minutes and $5 away. The taxi driver helped me transfer into his cab and
then, with the help of another driver, put my scooter in the rear of his
station wagon. At the suggestion of the ship's shore excursion director I asked
to be let off at one of the most popular Mexican craft stores, Los Cinco Soles.
The shop is a veritable treasure trove. I haven't seen many places with this
variety of Mexican crafts, silver, jewelry, pottery, dolls, toys and clothing.
I spent an hour there and then headed down the main street of Cozumel to see
how accessible it was. It turns out the curbs were all ramped and many of the
merchants whose stores weren't accessible had put out wooden ramps with
pictures of wheelchairs on them. These guys really want our business!
Getting back to the ship was equally easy and I spent the afternoon buried in my
novel. When Ute returned that evening I gave her a silver brooch I'd bought at
Los Cinco Soles. When she tried to put it on she discovered that the clasp was
broken.
I took the brooch to the port lecturer's desk where he took custody of it and
promised to get it repaired or get a new one. Celebrity guarantees satisfaction
with any merchandise purchased at a shop recommended by the ship. The guarantee
is valid even after you reach home.
Thursday was a day at sea en route to our next port of Grand Cayman. I enjoy
days at sea and on this cruise every day had been perfect cruising weather.
Online and On Shore
I decided to take one of the many computer courses offered by the ship. I picked
"MS Word, Intermediate Level." I knew the ship had an Internet Café but I
wasn't expecting to find a completely equipped computer training classroom on
board. The cost was $59 but it was money well spent. I not only got a really
good class, but a manual as well, and the opportunity to return to the
classroom any time I wanted to practice at no additional cost.
Friday we arrived at Grand Cayman in the West Indies. We didn't dock at this
port, but anchored in the harbor so that going ashore required using the tender
(small boat). This is rather tricky with my cart, which weighs 145 pounds
without me. Moreover a tender transfer requires getting me and my scooter down
a steep gangplank.
The Millennium crew was obviously well trained to handle situations like this.
They transferred me to a regular wheelchair and took me down to the tender
where my chair was locked in place. Then they brought the scooter down. Ashore
they followed the same routine. It was a smooth and seamless operation and I
felt perfectly safe.
However, after all that effort, Grand Cayman had little to offer us. Neither the
streets nor the shops were accessible for the most part. There are some
interesting tours such as swimming with stingrays, the turtle farms and some
grand beaches, but regrettably there's really nothing this port can offer those
of us in wheelchairs.
Unforgettable
How do I rate this cruise as a whole? It's almost as good as it gets. You have
to be prepared to accept the fact that there are many things you wish you could
do but you can't. Top among these are shore excursions.
However, the cruise lines and the ports both recognize this problem and have
held some encouraging meetings to date. If you regard the ship as the
destination, the Millennium provides a wonderfully accessible and luxurious
cruise vacation.
I give it four and a half stars out of a possible five.  |
