Kudos to 'Celebrity Millennium'

I simply must write about our cruise ship and crew before day-to-day-life takes over. I do know that each and every time I think, talk or write of this adventure at sea ... I will be able to transport myself back into the 'world' that the Celebrity Millennium crew created for us.

Where do I begin? The entire Cruise Experience was incredible. From beginning to end.

It started the moment that we spotted our first 'Celebrity Cruise' employee before we boarded in the port in Vancouver, B.C. and ended when yet another person on the Celebrity team helped my friend find me in the long line of Celebrity Cruise guests disembarking in Anchorage, Alaska.

I am a novice traveller. Yet the Celebrity Cruise Line Team made each and every step along the way easy-to-follow. Signs when we needed to know where to go. A friendly face to answer the myriad of questions that we had along the way.

Line ups were inevitable, but what I marvelled at was the speed and efficiency as they guided thousands of people through the (many) required steps to get us aboard the Celebrity Millennium on Embarkation Day.

I was impressed before we left solid ground. But the moment I stepped aboard the cruise ship, I was in awe.

Once again, the Celebrity Crew was ready, willing and able to assist at every turn. As I stood in amazement and started to absorb the wonder of our world at sea, I will forever remember the crew that made this voyage a trip to remember. From beginning to end.

There are the behind the scenes people. Those that are almost invisible to the naked eye. Working quietly to keep the ship clean, providing an endless supply of food and beverages and navigating us down the Pacific Ocean coastline.

There are the people that you come to know on first name basis. We were forever running into our Room Steward and his assistant in the corridors. If it weren't for the crisply made beds and the chocolates on the pillows at night, one wouldn't realize that they efficiently tended to our unknown needs in our absence.

Then there were our waiters at supper. A ready smile, eager to know us on a first name basis and oh-so-happy to make the dining experience what it is intended to be on a cruise ship.

There were those that I sought out, found and had the pleasure of dealing with. 'Dee' - my new, favorite hair stylist. She not only tamed my wild locks, she styled my hair in a manner in which I can (finally!!) tend with ease. The acupuncturist who saved the day when an on shore bus trip triggered my motion sickness hours before one of the most anticipated evening's events.

Then there was 'Sandra'. I wandered up to her to ask a question one day and we ended up having a conversation. And she remembered me. Whenever we ran into each other from that point on, she greeted me with enthusiasm and went above and beyond the call of duty when I ran into a problem. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to talk with her one last time during our last day at sea.

I will be forever grateful to 'Marlon' - our assistant waiter who sent My Friend home with a perfectly sliced green apple when I couldn't make it to supper (the motion sickness returned with a vengeance) on our final evening. That green apple was Marlon's personal testament to the fact that he had 'been where I was at'.

'Ian', our cruise director was a delightful part of the entertainment experience. I talked with him very early on in our cruise experience ... and he remembered that conversation.

There were countless crew members that we didn't have the opportunity to talk with. But whenever we did stop and ask one of them about their job or what country they were from, the response was unanimous. They were proud of their home country and grateful for their job. A job that took them away from their country, their family and land for whatever length of time their contract dictated. A job, where time off is counted in hours. Not days. A job, which is vital to the efficient running of the ship ... yet where you see that they are sometimes treated with far less respect than they deserve.

I walked onto the cruise ship and thought to myself - what a wonderful way to earn a living! To work and live on this marvellous vessel at sea. From the outside, looking in ... it appeared to be the perfect job.

After only seven days, I appreciated a completely different side to this 'perfect' occupation. The people who commit themselves to this occupation are my heroes. They are 'on' and working all of the time. When they walk down the corridors, they are working. They smile, they serve, they accommodate, they do numerous thankless little jobs that are invisible to the naked eye. Yet they shine.

The 'Celebrity Millennium' cruise ship is (in my eyes) the 8th Wonder of the World. But it would be nothing but a floating showpiece, if it wasn't for the cast and crew.

Thank you, 'Celebrity'. You made this a vacation to remember ... because of your people (your ship and the incredible entertainment and on-board activities are not too shabby either!).