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Celebrity Millennium vs Carnival Encounter
The Celebrity Millennium was built in 2000. It was renovated in 2019. It's 2 years older than the Encounter, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2025. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Millennium is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 964 feet long and 105 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 11-story building. Compared to the Carnival Encounter, the Millennium is 16% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Millennium holds 16% fewer passengers than the Encounter based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Millennium has the same amount of space per person as the Encounter.
| Celebrity Millennium | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Millennium | Adventure |
| Gross Tonnage | 90,940 | 108,865 |
| Length | 964 | 951 |
| Beam/Width | 105 | 118 |
| Passenger Decks | 11 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,218 | 2,636 |
| Crew | 1,024 | 1,100 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 41 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Millennium has eight different dining options like Spa Cafe, Sushi on Five, and Main Dining Room. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Encounter has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Waterfront Restaurant, Dragon Lady, and Angelo's. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Encounter might be a better choice. It has 25% more dining options than the Millennium.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Encounter might be a better choice then the Millennium. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Celebrity Millennium | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 8 | 10 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 38% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Millennium serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. The Encounter serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Encounter below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Celebrity Millennium has a total of 3 pools and 4 hot tubs.
Carnival Encounter has more pools than the Millennium and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Encounter. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Millennium.| Celebrity Millennium | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Millennium. Only 50% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Encounter, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Celebrity Millennium | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Edge Adventure Park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Celebrity is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Carnival, on the other hand, is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Celebrity Millennium | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.00 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $4.00 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $65 - $95 | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.
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