28 —- North Shore News — Sunday, July 9, 2000 -TRAVEL Mid Week Summer Special meme WHAT is it about cruis- ing? Why are vacationers running away to sea in ever-increasing num- bers? The answer is easy. Simply step aboard the world’s newest cruise ship, aptly named Millennium, which has just made its maiden voyage from Amsterdam. This 9} ,000-ton beauty, twice the size of ‘Titanic, may well be the ulti- mate thing afloat. If you haven’t cruised before, you will be amazed at the size of the French-built vessel, soaring 11 passenger decks out of the sea. Take a walk around the teak and brass and you'll find Millennium is more than 300 metres long from the stern café to the heli- copter pad at the bow. Old hands will be impressed at the elegance of Millennium, a standard which has earned Celebrity Cruises top rating among the premi- um brands. My cabin, by no means the most expensive, came with a private veranda, soft cotton robes, and a stew- ardess who started every day with a smile. And as one TV channel was devoted to a cam- era shot over the bow I could have breakfast in bed and see where the ship was going without showing a leg. Ah, the luxury of it all. But there is much to do, like riding the glass clevators with sea views to the Sunrise deck for a morning stretch, — perhaps with a stop at the Cova Café for a latte. I like to finda quict spot to relax with a book, occasionally checking the horizon for pirate ships and sea monsters. You can’t be too careful. On my trip, a brief press preview, there was plenty of traffic between Southampton and the Channel Islands. As we neared Guernscy a _ Man near to me said,“Hey, I can wave to my money.” His wife said, “It’s our moncy, none you have it, you can. spend it on Millennium. Unlike the carly days when ships had one shop selling toothpaste and souvenirs, the Millennium is like a floating ilennium makes torable ina option if the weather’s bad. Which brings us to a key point, that a super-cruiser like Millenninm is a destination in itself. Take the AquaSpa, which in Celebrity style is very big, wonderfully luxurious and offers every pampering, treat- ment imaginable, the first music library at sea with per- senal listening stations, and the biggest floating Internet room where vou