Smart Travel: New ship goes back to the future

Each year the major cruise lines bring new ships to the cruise market to entice and delight cruise fans. Some of the new ships are designed larger, to offer more features and more space. Some are designed smaller, to offer yacht-like ambiance, and to reach smaller, exotic ports to enhance the adventure of the cruise.

One new ship, christened this July, has been designed to offer its guests the elegance and romance of the great turn-of-the-century transatlantic liners with all the newest technologies of the 21st century.

This ship is the Millennium, the newest of the Celebrity Cruise fleet, whose maiden voyage was July 1. The authors and a group of Springfield residents were on board the Millennium for this voyage to Scandinavia and Russia to sample this new concept in ship design and dcor.

The Millennium can accommodate 1,950 passengers and is the largest ship in the Celebrity fleet but still not a large ship in this day of 3,000-plus passenger vessels. The decor is elegant and features an art deco style in many of the public areas. The main dining room, the Olympic restaurant, is designed around decorative wood paneling from the White Star Line's Olympic, built in 1911 and the sister ship to the ill-fated Titanic. The rare wood paneling was discovered in a private English residence in 1974 and recently sold at auction by Sotheby's.

The paneling, ornamented in gold in the Louis XVI style, will be the featured item in the dining room, which also features a "demonstration gallery" where table-side preparation will be featured and a dine-in wine cellar. In keeping with the elegant decor, Celebrity has extended its exclusive arrangements with French restaurateur Michel Roux, who has directed Celebrity's on-board cuisine since the line's inception in 1989.

Other elegant end-of-the century spaces on board include the Platinum Club, Michael's Club, Celebrity's signature cigar bar, a music library and a glass-enclosed observation lounge.

In addition to its traditional elements, the Millennium has some very high-tech features.

The ship is powered by gas turbine engines, which are environmentally friendly and amazingly compact. All staterooms have telephones wired for Internet access, a television set, VCR, electronic safe and refrigerator. The Extreme Sports Bar features giant television screens and continuous sports coverage in a high-tech atmosphere. The AquaSpa facility features 25,000-square-feet of exercise pools, massage facilities and all spa services that could be desired.

Eighty percent of the Millennium's staterooms feature ocean views. A pair of penthouse suites will exceed 3,000-square-feet and many of the staterooms are wheelchair-accessible.

(Linda and Dr. Don Overend are co-owners of Ozark World Travel, a full-service travel agency serving the Springfield area since 1976. Last June, Ozark World Travel became part of The Travel Group.)