Millennium review 7-21 January 2018 Hongkong to Singapore

Short review of our cruise. We are a couple in our mid thirties -early forties from Scandinavia. We have cruised with Celebrity mostly, this was our 10th or 11th cruise. We have cruised on Royal and on Oceania too.

The ship- Millennium is an older ship and we noticed some wear and tear. For example the ice bar at the Martini bar was melting. You could find towels with holes and the linen were older than we are used to. Pool area is very nice though. Enjoyed both Solarium and outside pools. Ship has an older feeling but still suitable for cruising. It got crowded during the sea days when the weather was colder.

Service - MDR service was good. We had select dining and had mostly good service. Sommeliers were rushed but when they got to know our preferences it was easier to get good service at the right time. No wine menus on the tables so you have to ask for the menu. We took a picture of the menu first night so we knew what was included. Otherwise the sommelier will make suggestions. We had the classic package for the first time (usually premium) and had no problems finding good wines.

Bars- Cocktails are a bit more boring because you cant get any martinis at the Martini bar with the classic package but you can order basic cocktails and wine/beers.

Cabin- Our cabin attendent was actually the worst we've had. He seemed to be really unhappy and was missing things, like not changing towels, not refilling shampoo etc... We had to ask him to bring shampoo several times and it didnt really get better. He didn't even wish us a nice trip home when we left. Only asked in a surly voice at what time we were leaving (we had to leave on the last evening after dinner to catch our flight).

Food- Very good. Nice lunches in the buffet (unfortunately very crowded at times when the weather was colder. ) Fresh local fish, local fruits. Even some local Asian special ice coffees and teas in Al Baccio. Just lovely! We enjoyed MDR too. No complaints whatsoever when it comes to food.

Entertainment - Good. We liked the silent disco and the bands. There was a lot of music to choose from and we liked the shows too. Very good lectures about the ports we visited. People were enjoying the cruise and were very active during the evenings. They stayed up late (past midnight) and a lot people dancing every night. We hadn't really expected that. Very nice suprise!

Ports. Just amazing. Hong Kong was so interesting. We stayed at hotel Stage in Kowloon area, nice design hotel. Hotel Stage and Novotel hotel have a very good location in Kowloon and I would recommend that location. We did the Star ferry ride and ding ding ride, visited Ladies market and temple street market, visited sham shui po (local shopping), ate at couple of nice restaurants and had terrific time. Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant, in Kowloon is well worth a visit for dim sum lunch. From the ship we visited the Nan Lian Garden and the shopping center which is near where the complimentary shuttle stops.

Hanoi- we booked a private transfer to Hanoi (Hanoi transfer service) and stayed overnight at Hanoi Golden holiday hotel. Very good and cheap one night stay. We left at at 7 am to make it on time to ship. We were back round 11 am and last tender was 12.15. We loved Hanoi, it is a amazing city but very crowded and noisy. Great cultural experience. We pre-booked an evening tour with Urban adventures, focus on local food.

Chan May- Unfortunately it was raining a lot so we stayed on the ship most of the day. There was taxis so you could arrange your day on your own. Nothing special near the port (we took a long walk) so you definitely need a taxi or excursion here.

Ho chi Minh- we did on your own-excursion with the ship. Worked out great. 6 hours in Ho Chi Minh. Better to take the ship excursion here. I didn't find anything better when it comes to price and possibility to spend maximal time in the city. You can see all the main sights on your own. Great shopping too.

Bangkok- Overnight stay with pre-booked service (Enjoy taxi Bangkok). We stayed at Eastin Grand Sathorn. Amazing hotel, lovely pool and great service. We did Chinatown, shopping in Platinum fashion mall, Wat Arun and Wat Po. Water shuttle is easy to use and very cheap.

Singapore - last stop. Busy day. We walked to Marina Sands bay and visited the sky park observation deck. Nice view! We saw a glimpse of the famous pool, so cool! Then we took a mtr to Little India and did walking and shopping (Mustafa center) there. Food market Tekka looked great but we ate outside at a restaurant on a street corner with a lot of locals. Delicious Indian food! Lunch was only 11 Singapore dollars for two. Mtr to Orchard Road and did a bit walking in the heat. Last stop in Chinatown and colonial buildings nearby. Raffles is closed because of renovation so no Singapore sling for us! Mtrstation is near the port entrance and is called South Marina pier so very easy to use. We took Uber to airport, easy and inexpensive.

We liked the cruise and had great time all in all! The ports were amazing. There were certainly some weak points: our cabin attendant especially. The ship had at times a tired feeling and we found out that there was a big crew change coming after our cruise. Some crew members were definitely overworked and didn't smile as much as we remember from our former cruises on Celebrity. Food was great. We got a great deal when booking this cruise (might have been a computer mistake from Celebrity) so we got a great value for our money.

If you have some questions I'll be happy to answer.

Loved reading your review, thank you for taking time to write it. We are doing Singapore to Hong Kong on 18th February. Did you go to any theatre shows? Was the casino busy?

Looking forward to our trip very much.

Hi,

We are sailing on the Millenium in March, so really happy to hear all of your great comments!

We also are planning to go to Hanoi and are considering using Hanoi Transfer Service from Halong Bay. I'm not sure of timing for our pickup because that is a tender port. What was your experience with the tenders there? If I schedule our pickup 1 hour after arrival in port, would you think that's ample? Is it really only a 10 minute walk from the port gate to the Halong Plaza Hotel where HTS would pick us up? Did you look at using HTS for your transport into Ho Chi Minh?

Thank you for your review and all the great info!

Thank-you for the excellent report.

Loved reading your review, thank you for taking time to write it. We are doing Singapore to Hong Kong on 18th February. Did you go to any theatre shows? Was the casino busy?

Looking forward to our trip very much.

Lucky you! You are going to enjoy your cruise! We went to the shows most evenings and liked them. Like always, they had their own production cast and guest entertainers. Unfortunately I don’t really remember so many names. There was a great young Jamaican lady called Monica (sp?). We don’t gamble but went through casino couple of evenings. We saw a lot of people there at least on evening chic-evenings.

Hi,

 

We are sailing on the Millenium in March, so really happy to hear all of your great comments!

 

We also are planning to go to Hanoi and are considering using Hanoi Transfer Service from Halong Bay. I'm not sure of timing for our pickup because that is a tender port. What was your experience with the tenders there? If I schedule our pickup 1 hour after arrival in port, would you think that's ample? Is it really only a 10 minute walk from the port gate to the Halong Plaza Hotel where HTS would pick us up? Did you look at using HTS for your transport into Ho Chi Minh?

 

Thank you for your review and all the great info!

Good question about the time for the pick-up in Halong Bay! We got information about picking up our passports the evening before. The local immigration goes through the immigration process in the morning. Arrival to Halong Bay was at 7 am. They informed us we could pick-up our passports earliest at 7.45 but we waited in the hall outside the conference hall and got them 7.35. We are Elite and could get off with next tender so we were at the Plaza round 8 am. I would book a transfer at least 1 hour 15 minutes af the arrival time. It is very easy walk and they have free wi-fi at the hotel. People who don’t have overnight tours can get off right the way because they don’t need their passports. In the evening the tender service stopped round 9-10 pm so it is good to know if you plan to come back same night.

I somehow thought it was easiest to take the Celebrity excursion in Phu My because of the time in port and did check Celebritys excursion was a good price but don’t remember if I asked a quote from HTS. It is definitely doable take a private transfer too.

Enjoy your cruise! The ports are amazing! :)

Thank you for your review/report.

Keith

Thank you for your honest and balanced review. We will be on Millie the end of March. First time on Celebrity. We have mostly sailed Royal. I know the ship is older and hopefully I have the right expectations so won’t be disappointed. This cruise is about the ports and visiting a friend in Kobe, so I’m not looking for a big glitzy ship. We also got a crazy deal on a sky suite. I too think it was a mistake because since we booked the prices have more than doubled for same level suite. I also got, premium liquor, free internet and $300 on board credit included in the crazy price, so at this point I’m thinking it is a win. Thanks again. I enjoyed reading your review.

Great review. Too bad about your cabin attendant. My husband & I were on the same cruise and our guy named Edi was amazing.

I will be writing a review soon as we are back in Hong Kong for a few days so no time to write. :)

Thanks for your review. I will be on this same cruise on 2/4. You mentioned that your flight was early, and that you left after dinner. We have the same issue. Our flight leaves around midnight in Singapore. What was the process like to get off early? And, were there taxis readily accessible? Thanks!!

Thank you for the review!

Thanks for your review. I will be on this same cruise on 2/4. You mentioned that your flight was early, and that you left after dinner. We have the same issue. Our flight leaves around midnight in Singapore. What was the process like to get off early? And, were there taxis readily accessible? Thanks!!

We informed guest relations in the beginning of our cruise and on our last day we just left at 9 pm. They took our sea passes when leaving the ship. Very easy. We had some internet minutes left so we booked Uber when leaving the ship. I didn’t see any taxis because Uber pick-up is at level 2 and taxis on ground floor. We did notice there is a telephone number next to the taxi stand and you can call a taxi if there is no taxis available.

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you for your honest and balanced review. We will be on Millie the end of March. First time on Celebrity. We have mostly sailed Royal. I know the ship is older and hopefully I have the right expectations so won’t be disappointed. This cruise is about the ports and visiting a friend in Kobe, so I’m not looking for a big glitzy ship. We also got a crazy deal on a sky suite. I too think it was a mistake because since we booked the prices have more than doubled for same level suite. I also got, premium liquor, free internet and $300 on board credit included in the crazy price, so at this point I’m thinking it is a win. Thanks again. I enjoyed reading your review.

Sounds perfect! You are going to have great time! Suite and own restaurant means great service and even better food! Enjoy!

Great review. Too bad about your cabin attendant. My husband & I were on the same cruise and our guy named Edi was amazing.

 

I will be writing a review soon as we are back in Hong Kong for a few days so no time to write. :)

Lucky you! Hong Kong is so interesting city! I look forward to reading your review!

Thank you for your review/report.

 

Keith

Thanks Keith! I have enjoyed your trip reports! I hope to try Chrystal some day, food and entertainment seems top notch!

Thank you for your informative review:) Kudos for being able to give an impression of the flavors, sights and sounds in a short review!

We informed guest relations in the beginning of our cruise and on our last day we just left at 9 pm. They took our sea passes when leaving the ship. Very easy. We had some internet minutes left so we booked Uber when leaving the ship. I didn’t see any taxis because Uber pick-up is at level 2 and taxis on ground floor. We did notice there is a telephone number next to the taxi stand and you can call a taxi if there is no taxis available.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks so much for the info!!

Lucky you! Hong Kong is so interesting city! I look forward to reading your review!

This is my 9th visit to Hong Kong as my husband is from here and his family is still here. I got sick in Singapore and other than a visit to see his Mom, I am staying in bed trying to get better before our 15 hr flight home on Friday.

Thanks for your info. I've copied it as it has some useful info for us. We are doing the same cruise, starting 4 Feb.

Can I ask you if the dock at Halong is close to where the Hon Gai trip boats leave from ? We haven't booked anything there, as we're waiting to see what the weather looks like when we arrive.

Once again... thanks so much for your review :-)

Thank you for the review!

Ho chi Minh- we did on your own-excursion with the ship. Worked out great. 6 hours in Ho Chi Minh. Better to take the ship excursion here. I didn't find anything better when it comes to price and possibility to spend maximal time in the city. You can see all the main sights on your own.

 

If you have some questions I'll be happy to answer.

I am booked on this excursion and have a question, please.

Did you need Viernamese currency for the museums, drinks etc? Or which one? Is it easily possible to exchange money right there?

Thank you for the review!

 

 

 

I am booked on this excursion and have a question, please.

Did you need Viernamese currency for the museums, drinks etc? Or which one? Is it easily possible to exchange money right there?

We had exchanged some local money before coming to Vietnam and found that easiest. I know it is possible to pay with us dollars at the local markets but unsure about the museums.

Thanks for your info. I've copied it as it has some useful info for us. We are doing the same cruise, starting 4 Feb.

Can I ask you if the dock at Halong is close to where the Hon Gai trip boats leave from ? We haven't booked anything there, as we're waiting to see what the weather looks like when we arrive.

Once again... thanks so much for your review :-)

Good question. There was a lot boats when we left but I remember the guest speaker said there has been changes where the different boats leave from. I think he said boats to Halong bay leave further way nowadays.

Good question about the time for the pick-up in Halong Bay! We got information about picking up our passports the evening before. The local immigration goes through the immigration process in the morning. Arrival to Halong Bay was at 7 am. They informed us we could pick-up our passports earliest at 7.45 but we waited in the hall outside the conference hall and got them 7.35. We are Elite and could get off with next tender so we were at the Plaza round 8 am. I would book a transfer at least 1 hour 15 minutes af the arrival time. It is very easy walk and they have free wi-fi at the hotel. People who don’t have overnight tours can get off right the way because they don’t need their passports. In the evening the tender service stopped round 9-10 pm so it is good to know if you plan to come back same night.

 

I somehow thought it was easiest to take the Celebrity excursion in Phu My because of the time in port and did check Celebritys excursion was a good price but don’t remember if I asked a quote from HTS. It is definitely doable take a private transfer too.

 

Enjoy your cruise! The ports are amazing! :)

Thanks for mentioning that we'll need to collect our passports before heading in Hanoi.....I never even considered that we'd need to do that! I'll definitely schedule our port pick-up a little later that morning.

I think you're right about the ships transfer into Ho Chi Minh being a good deal. I just received a quote of 190USD for a ride to and from the city from a local company.....looks like we'll probably use the ship's offering too.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for such an awesome review! Just wondering what are the best cocktails available in the Classic alcoholic beverages package.

Pardon me, but what exactly was the fabulous deal you got? (computer error?) :confused:

Thanks so much for such an awesome review! Just wondering what are the best cocktails available in the Classic alcoholic beverages package.

Pardon me, but what exactly was the fabulous deal you got? (computer error?) :confused:

Best cocktails... Let me see, we liked vodka sour, daiquiri and mojito. Rum punch by the pool was good too!

I looked at the invoice. We payed 2223 GBP/ 3171 USD for two persons in a outside cabin. The deal included free gratuities, classic package, 300 obc and all taxes and fees. For 14 nights I consider that a very good deal!