Celebrity Millennium

The 2000-built Celebrity Millennium cruise ship is the first of the Millennium-class Celebrity liners, with sisterships Constellation, Infinity, and Summit. Celebrity Millennium was scheduled for a "Celebrity Revolution" drydock refurbishment beginning February 9, 2019.

The vessel (IMO number 9189419) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 249055000) and registered in Valletta.

History – construction and ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as the Greece-based Chandris Line (operating cruise services between 1974–1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with "Celebrity Cruises Ltd" to form "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" (RCCL). The "X" on the ship funnels is the Greek letter chi, representing "Chandris." Celebrity Cruises ships are known for their aft glass-walled dining rooms, specialty dining venues, spacious atriums, numerous balcony cabins, expansive sundecks with pools, The Retreat (adults-only sundeck with full-size pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, poolside bar), Rooftop Terrace (outdoor lounge-restaurant-cinema), large spas (with thermal suites), and premium retail boutiques.

The 2,200-passenger Celebrity Millennium became the class’ flagship, introducing gas turbine propulsion and exterior elevators. Over time, she has received multiple upgrades to align with newer Solstice-class standards. Updates include AquaSpa staterooms, new dining venues, modern coffee shops, bars, and an Internet Center, creating a boutique-style onboard experience. Highlights include a tortoise-shell onyx staircase and the wraparound windows of the Cosmos Lounge. The ship features 14 elevators and expansive open-deck areas.

Decks and Cabins

Celebrity Millennium staterooms (1,079 total, across 28 categories) include 50 Suites, 573 Balcony, 244 Oceanview, and 212 Inside cabins. Most cabins are sized 170 ft² / 16 m², with about 60% offering private step-out balconies (typically 40 ft² / 4 m²). The ship has 26 wheelchair-accessible cabins. The largest accommodations are the Penthouse Suites, each measuring 1,430 ft² / 133 m² with a 1,100 ft² / 102 m² wraparound terrace.

The ship has 12 passenger decks, 8 of which have cabins.

Shipboard dining options – Food and Drinks

The Metropolitan Restaurant is the ship's main dining room, offering formal breakfast, brunch (on sea days), lunch (on select days), and dinner. Its full-glass aft wall and Art Deco-inspired decor create a refined, serene atmosphere. The Oceanview Café is the buffet venue located aft on the pool deck. Beverages such as tea, coffee, and juices are available 24/7, with food service running from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Celebrity Millennium dining venues and food bars include:

• The Olympic Restaurant – 114-seat specialty restaurant themed after RMS Titanic, offering French-American cuisine, a Five Senses tasting menu, Champagne High Tea, live cooking shows, and a Wine Cellar annex (reservations required)
• Metropolitan Restaurant – 900-seat main dining room (aft), serving Breakfast (8:00–9:30 a.m.), Lunch (12:00–1:30 p.m.), Afternoon Tea (4:00–5:00 p.m.), and Dinner (two fixed seatings at 6:00 and 8:30 p.m.)
• Bistro on Five – 60-seat all-you-can-eat creperie for lunch and dinner with table-side service
• Blu – 98-seat specialty restaurant exclusive to AquaClass guests (and Suites based on availability)
• AquaSpa Café – 90-seat complimentary self-service venue in the Solarium, offering healthy options for all meals
• Oceanview Café & Grill – 568-seat indoor/outdoor buffet, open from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., with multiple food stations
• Mast Bar – poolside burger bar with complimentary lunch
• Qsine – 86-seat specialty restaurant for dinner (reservations recommended)

Shipboard entertainment options – Fun and Sport

Deck 4 serves as the main entertainment hub. The Rendezvous Lounge features panoramic windows and evening activities such as karaoke and dancing. The Martini Bar and Crush offer interactive cocktail service on an ice-topped bar. The three-deck Celebrity Theater hosts live shows with Celebrity Singers and Dancers, guest performers, and a live orchestra. The Cosmos Lounge, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, serves as a daytime observation space and a nighttime disco.

Additional lounges and entertainment venues include:

• Millennium Theatre – 900-seat show lounge for musical productions, trivia, bingo, classes, and movies
• Grand Foyer Atrium – three-deck open space with live music
• Michael’s Club (piano bar), Martini Bar, Crush Bar (featuring a 12-seat ice-topped table)
• Photo Gallery & Shop
• Millennium Fortunes Casino
• Celebrity iLounge – 24-hour Apple reseller, Internet café, and learning center
• Rendezvous Lounge & Nightclub
• The Emporium – boutique shopping for duty-free goods, luxury jewelry, apparel, and logo items
• Café al Bacio & Gelateria – 72-seat specialty coffee and dessert bar with Italian Gelato
• Cellar Masters – 24-hour wine bar with Enomatic tasting system and evening sommelier consultations
• Art Gallery, Library
• Acupuncture Room; AquaSpa & Fitness complex (with Persian Garden, therapy rooms, salon, Solarium, and AquaSpa Café)
• Fitness Center with dedicated Aerobics area
• Solarium – adults-only pool area with Thalassotherapy and seawater lap pools, 2 whirlpools
• Riviera Pool area – includes Splash Pool for kids, 4 whirlpools, pool bar, and Pool Grill
• Oceanview Bar – alfresco venue selling fine cigars
• Cosmos Lounge – observation space by day, nightclub by night
• Kids and Teens clubs – age-based programming: Shipmates (3–5), Cadets (6–8), Ensigns (9–11), X-Club (teen disco and lounge)
• Video Arcade, Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard, Jogging Track, Multi-sports Court, Sun Deck

In 2023, Celebrity introduced complimentary pickleball across the fleet, with equipment provided. On Millennium-class ships, the pickleball court is located at the Multi-Sports Court (Deck 12). Designated play times are available for adults and families (with kids aged 6+).

Itineraries

Celebrity Millennium’s itinerary program is primarily focused on Asia, with departures from Singapore and Hong Kong. During the summer season, the ship sails Alaska cruises from Vancouver BC and Seward AK. Transpacific repositioning cruises between Alaska and Asia include calls in Hawaii.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, from June to August 2021, Celebrity Millennium was homeported in Philipsburg, St Maarten for 7-night Caribbean roundtrips. Itinerary 1 visited Oranjestad Aruba, Willemstad Curacao, and Bridgetown Barbados. Itinerary 2 included Road Town Tortola BVI, Castries St Lucia, and Barbados.

• The 2021 St Maarten program was marketed as a discounted fly-cruise package, with prices starting at USD 2,000 (~EUR 1,680) per person (balcony cabin, double occupancy), including flights via "Flights by Celebrity." The originally planned Alaska 2021 season (between Vancouver and Seward) was initially canceled.
• In July, the Caribbean program was suspended and replaced with a 7-day "Alaska and Dawes Glacier" cruise roundtrip from Seattle WA, calling at Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, and Skagway.

In 2023 (February 3 through April 15), Celebrity Millennium was homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Southern Caribbean itineraries included calls at Tortola BVI, St Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, St Thomas, St Kitts, Antigua, St Lucia, Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao.

The vessel (Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number R31) has a volume of 91,011 GT, DWT of 11,928 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.3 m. The powerplant consists of twin gas turbine generators (two General Electric/GE gas turbines) with a combined output of 50 MW. The registered shipowner is CELEBRITY MILLENIUM INC, and the management company is CELEBRITY CRUISES INC.

Celebrity Millennium is one of Celebrity Cruises' Millennium-class ships, alongside her sisterships Constellation, Infinity, and Summit. Originally named "GTS Millennium," she was the first ship in the series, with her maiden voyage on June 17, 2000. Notably, Millennium was the first cruise ship to feature a COGAS (combined gas and steam turbines) propulsion system. Another unique feature is the use of original wooden panels in the main dining room, salvaged from RMS Olympic (sister ship of the RMS Titanic), which were removed when Olympic was scrapped in 1935.

The Millennium cruise ship was extensively refurbished ("Solsticized") in May 2012. During the three-week drydock, the ship was updated with AquaSpa cabins, the Blu restaurant (exclusive to AquaClass guests), and Celebrity Suites were enhanced with private balconies.

Celebrity Millennium ex-St Maarten cruises – Summer 2021

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, from June to August 2021, Celebrity homeported Millennium in Philipsburg (St Maarten, Dutch Antilles) for the first time. The Caribbean mini-season featured 7-night roundtrip itineraries from Philipsburg, alternating between two different routes.

7-day "Aruba, Curacao and Barbados" itinerary

Prices started from USD 1,700 per person (double occupancy).

7-day "BVI, St. Lucia and Barbados" itinerary

Prices started from USD 1,600 per person.

Celebrity Millennium Refurbishment 2019 Review

The ship's January 2019 drydock (in Singapore) included the following upgrades:

• New hull and superstructure color scheme.
• All staterooms redesigned in partnership with Hirsch Bedner Associates (USA) and Kelly Hoppen (UK), featuring Celebrity eXhale bedding (cashmere mattresses), RFID electronic locks, Bluetooth functionality, and Xcelerate high-speed Internet.
• Qsine Restaurant was fully redesigned to include the “Le Petit Chef” virtual dining experience, created by Skullmapping and presented by TableMation Studios—exclusive to Celebrity Cruises.
• Main Dining Rooms, Oceanview Café (buffet), and Sunset Bar received updated designs with new textures and finishes.
• The SPA was expanded with the addition of the SEA Thermal Suite.
• Retail areas were enhanced with luxury brands such as Hublot (Swiss watches) and Shinola (watches, jewelry, leather goods).
• Luminae Restaurant (Suites-only) was redesigned, featuring custom menus by Chef Cornelius Gallagher.
• The Retreat (adults-only sundeck) was added, featuring a full-size swimming pool, whirlpool Jacuzzi, private cabanas, padded loungers, and poolside bar service.
• Most public areas, including all bars and lounges, were renovated—among them Passport Bar (Atrium lounge) and Gastrobar (offering 40+ craft beers).

Millennium was the first ship modernized under the “Celebrity Revolution” program—a fleetwide renovation project with a USD 500 million budget, scheduled from 2019 to 2023.

Celebrity Millennium Refurbishment 2016 Review

The 2016 refurbishment included the following updates:

• Sports Deck 12 gained a new aft relaxation and entertainment venue, “Rooftop Terrace,” which repurposed part of the stern sundeck.
• On Plaza Deck 3, “The Olympic” restaurant was replaced by Tuscan Grille (steakhouse). A new Future Cruise Sales office and portrait studio were also added. The Cinema was redesigned to function as a Conference Center.
• New retail store added on Deck 5.
• Qsine Restaurant added on Deck 11.
• Major renovations were done to all Suite accommodations (Royal and Penthouse), including new furniture and upgraded amenities. Bathrooms were updated with marble surfaces, new seating, improved lighting, new carpeting, drapes, and bed linens.
• Casino (Promenade Deck 4) and adults-only Solarium (Lido Deck 10) were updated with new furnishings and flooring. The Casino’s themed décor was removed. Additional renovations were made to the pool area and Spa Café on Lido Deck.

Celebrity Millennium Refurbishment 2012 Review

Updates from the ship's May 2012 drydock included:

• 60 new staterooms added.
• 107 balcony cabins upgraded to AquaClass Spa cabins.
• Balconies of all Sky Suites (mini-suites) refurbished.
• Celebrity iLounge introduced (Apple products retailer, Internet access, enrichment classes).
• Bistro on Five (creperie) added on Deck 5, later renamed “Sushi on Five” in 2016.
• Two new bars—Martini Bar and Crush Bar—added on Promenade Deck 4 (midship, starboard in the Grand Foyer).
• Michael’s Club expanded to offer 60+ craft beers.
• Wi-Fi coverage upgraded shipwide.
• Sunbathing area on Lido Deck 10 renovated with new loungers. Fitness center outfitted with new gym equipment.

Extensive renovations were made throughout all staterooms and public areas, including new HDTVs, carpeting, tiling, furniture, and upholstery.