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All text and photographs (unless stated otherwise) © Paul Timmerman Millennium is the first ship af a quartet of vessels, her sisters being Infinity (2001), Summit (2001) and Constellation (2002). These ships are spectacular inside and out and they introduce a number of firsts to the cruise industry. On the other hand, there are some resemblances as well, not only to her fleetmates, the pioneers Horizon and Zenith that started it all for Celebrity cruises, or the trio that followed them, the Century, Galaxy and Mercury, but also to Carnival Spirit, Pride and Costa Atlantica. All these ships look like a hull on top of
Resort deck, aft which a large appartment block is placed. Millennium is a so called "panamax" vessel, a ship that has the maximum dimensions (her width is 105.6 ft- 32m) to pass through the locks of the Panama Canal. Although Millennium has a length of 964ft (294m), her over-proportional beam enables her builders to place more smaller decks on top of the vessel, thus limiting weight and at the same time adding more cabins with private balconies. One of the ships' technical innovations are her gas turbines, only used in naval ships up till now. Gas turbines have many advantages, like requiring less space (more cabins!), weighing less, and being very dependable. However fuel costs rise with this kind of propulsion. The extra space available for cabins outweighs these extra costs. Gas turbines drive electric generators which in turn supply power to two pods outside the hull.
Ship Mates Fun Factory, Sunrise deck Inside, Millennium features several innovations that make her an outstanding vessel: - She has a "split" , deck library, the old-fashioned part is called Words. One can lend books here, while the other part is called "Notes" and offers lots of music- 1500 CD´s which can be enjoyed at one of the fifteen listening stations. Both are two deck high rooms located above each other. - In her suites she introduced internet access, a novelty on a cruise vessel. - On the port side midships four glass elevators bring passengers up and down. The two outer elevators face towards the sea and offer spectacular views when the ship is at sea or in port. Also a first in the cruise industry.
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Entrance to Cosmos Club, Sunrise deck Continued on page 2.....
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