I have only been on 2 ships with my family -- the Disney Magic and RCI Mariner of the Seas. We're trying to decide between the Celebrity Millie and the Caribbean Princess for this year's spring break I've read good and bad for all -- all itineries have pros and cons for us. We have 3 boys - 15, 11, and 6 and would like them to have fun but we were not crazy about RCI during the last spring break -- too many kids. Does anyone know whether the millenium would be good for this age group? The Princess appears to have a better kid program but we've read a fair amount of negatives about the ship/food/service recently. We've heard better about the Millenium. How about the family suites on the millenium vs. 2 veranda rooms? We have a Family room held currently. Thanks.

Hi Tracy,

First welcome to Cruise-Chat! I think you'll find the site friendly and informative. I'm shocked that you haven't had a response to your post yet. I wish i could reply but in this case I know your situation a little too well to be objective and you already know my thoughts as we discussed them.

Really hope some replies come through soon. Dave, Rick, Penny, Lisa, Sonny, Sandy, Hank are ya'll out there. Any thoughts that might help on this one?


Thanks, Neil

Hi tracyo,

Welcome to cruise-chat.

The thing about a spring break cruise is that just about any ship will have lot of kids aboard, and that includes the Millennium and the Caribbean Princess.

One thing to note about the Princess ships is that they have fresh water swimming pools. I've not been on the Millie, but the last time I was on a Celebrity ship they used salt water for the pools.

An important thing to keep in mind is that negative reviews are often written by people who let one or two little things color their whole opinion of a cruise. I've always found the food and service on Princess to be top notch, same with Celebrity too. Princess has a superb embarkation/debarkation operation in Port Everglades. I've never been impressed with Celebrity's port operations.

Hard to beat the spaciousness of the family cabins on the Millie. That huge balcony and being a stern-facing cabin would be enough to sell me on it.

You've already got something on the Millie, so I'd say stay with it and try the Celebrity experience. It is much more reserved and quiet than Disney or RCI, with a European feel to the dining room operation and food.

Plus I think you stop at Labadee which is a great private resort!

Hi tracyo, and welcome to cruise-chat.com!

You sound a lot like us...we cruise during school vacations as my husband is a teacher and we have a school-aged son, yet we try to avoid ships that may be overrun with kids.

We were on Millennium's sister ship, Infinity for February break 2006. Our son (then 12) enjoyed it. The dining room waiters gave him a lot of attention, remembering the meals he enjoyed and offering some of them again the next night. He also enjoyed the shows. Our son tends to stay with us, so I can't comment on the kids program. There was a 16-year-old at our dining table, and she made some friends with other teens her age... they somehow tend to meet each other.

What I loved about Infinity was its adult haven, the Thalassotherapy pool in the spa area. No one under age 18 is permitted. The pool was marvelous, like a large heated tub. Just thinking about it makes me want to return.

We were also on Diamond Princess -- smaller than Caribbean Princess -- for February break 2005. We had traditional dining, which is what I'd recommend for a family. There were more kids onboard this one...canonballing into the pools, for instance. We didn't experience that on Celebrity. Of course, every cruise is different. We were traveling with friends, and their 9-year-old LOVED the kids program.

Let us know what you decide, or if you have any other questions!

Thanks Dave and Lisa, as always great advice! I knew Tracy could get great feedback here to help make her decision easier. And from folks who know their stuff.

Cheers, Neil

You're welcome, Neil.

Actually, I need to correct something I wrote earlier. My husband just reminded me that there were a lot of kids in the pools on our February break cruise on Celebrity, but as I was in the adults-only area, I didn't notice it.

Thanks for everyone's replies -- I just now logged on and read them. I do have one more question -- I read a review on this website from someone who just cruised the Millennium on last week -- said it shouldn't be considered a luxury or premium line -- rather, it's should be compared to Royal Caribbean in terms of quality, etc. Given the age of the ship, I'm alittle nervous about the condition, etc. Any feedback?
Thanks again, and thank you so much Neil for all your help!!

Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, but they are distinct cruise products in my opinion. Is Celebrity luxury or premium? No. For that you need to look at Crystal, Seven Seas, and the others in that league. You get what you pay for, and the true luxury lines are proud of the prices they charge. Celebrity is a mainstream line that is different, with a more sedate cruise experience and not a lot of rah-rah and glitz. I've always felt Celebrity has the best dining room food of all the mainstream cruise lines.

I happen to like RCI very much and would never consider the company to be lacking in quality. Celebrity was founded by the Chandris family and was a bit different then as opposed to now under the RCCL banner. I think they have loosened up a bit. The old Celebrity could be a tad stuffy.

I wouldn't over-think this too much. Either ship is a good choice and the similarities between them will outweigh the differences.

You will find the Princess much cleaner and better maintained than the millenium. The carribean princess would be my choice of the two!

Tracyo,
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd is the parent company of both Royal Caribbean International (the cruise line) and Celebrity Cruises. They operate separately. In the cruise industry you have different classifications of cruise lines. Royal Caribbean falls in the "Mass Market" along with Carnival Cruise Line, and Norwegian. Next is the "Premium" class which is Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess. There are distinct and noticeable differences between the classes. The Millennium came out in 2000. Too often people go on a cruise looking for things to complain about. They let the least little thing bother them. The crew are constantly cleaning, vacuuming, shining, and painting the ship. This ship has 2000 plus passengers a week. It stands to reason you will have accidents, and perhaps you might see a lounge chair with a tear, or a stain on the carpet. I can't believe it sometimes when I see how careless people can be carrying drinks and food all over the ship spilling along the way. The crew will do the best they can to clean the carpets and repair significantly noticeable things. But minor repairs will be taken care of during scheduled dry docks.
I would take any review you read "with a grain of salt". Some people just have grudges to grind and you can't satisfy them no matter what. Go on the Millennium and have a great cruise.

I will preface this by stating, I don't work for Princess. We've only been on NCL, RCL, CCL, HAL, Costa and Princess, to me Princess does it best. With that being said, I haven't sailed on Century, so it's not a fair comparison. I doubt you'll be disappointed with either line. Princess does offer a good children's program, their food is great, and the prices are more reasonable than Celebrity. I do want to try a Celebrity cruise to see why they are more expensive, but haven't done so yet. My friends celebrated their honeymoon/wedding on Celebrity and loved it. Best wishes and let us know what you select!

I, like Penny, have never cruised on Celebrity so I can't make a comparison; but I can tell you I have cruised with Princess for 30+ years and, except for some minor things like Cruise Fanatic mentions, have never been dissapointed. I think they are the best value out there, and just by reputation, I would say the best for your boys.

What a wonderful and helpful group we have here at cruise-chat. You folks are the best! Tracy's got a great family suite at the stern (on the corner) of Millennium. It's approx 300 sq ft with a balcony nearly the same size (Cat FV #8166). Her family of 5 can all fit together in this one more than comfortably.

Tracy, I for one would love to have you visit again on cruise-chat, regularly if possible. I'd especially love a review posted after your cruise on the cabin, the ship and your family's experience.

Cheers, Neil

Thanks for the kind words, Neil.

Tracyo - the only way to absolutely settle this is for you to go on the Caribbean Princess after the Millenium. Then you'll be the expert on which was you liked the best, and people will come here to ask your opinion on it!

Ah, wisdom not unlike King Solomon.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful replies. We decided to stay with the Millennium -- mainly for the roomy balcony in the FV suite. I think our expectations are set where they should be and we'll let you know our thoughts on the cruise!

Tracy,
I sailed on the Millenium, August in Europe. It was my first on Celebrity sailing on RCCL 5 times before. I thought the overall quality on Celebrity was a lot better, especially the food. The teenage kids on our cruise had a great time because of so many teens traveling with parents. My twelve year old boy loved the kids club, made many friends (and it is hard sometimes for him to make friends) and we hardly saw him. We had to make him show for regular check ins with us. My two teenage daughters (15,17) enjoyed the ship as well. The suites are great,see if you get a butler? We had an owners suite and our butler made our trip. At first we thought the perk would be annoying or pretentious, it was not overdone and low key. But he did so many things for us I can't even list, you do not have to ask they know what extras you can get. I hope there is one for your trip.
As of the age of the boat we thought it was ellegant and well maintained, very little nightlife or rigorous structured activities like the RCCL & Carnival but all the tools are there to relax and enjoy.

Have a great trip, Mark