live from Millennium - Asia

[kwokpot]

GH,

Do you know if there are R/T shuttle buses to HCMC at Phu My port? Also at Chan May port to/from Hoi An? Thanks.

 

That would fall under touring options which you can find right on their website. But to answer your question, they have both options as a 'On your own' but they are but shuttle buses per se, rather they take you there, drop you off, and pick you up at an arranged time. For Saigon, you have two options; either overnight or same day. Go checkout the tours on Celebrity's website.

[GranthamMommy]

I was on the first leg of your cruise. Many of us were disappointed with the Celebrity shore excursions. Typically I try to take as few as possible.

However, on the last day, we had a late departure out of Singapore. We took the Celebrity's "Taste of Singapore" excursion to pass the time.

 

We had a wonderful tour operator. It wasn't the typical on/off the bus for 10 minute tour. In case you didn't have much time in Singapore-

 

Bum boat ride on the Singapore River from Clark Quay - nice way to see the Merlion etc.

 

Stop at Royal Selangor Pewter store where you get to make your own bowl. Might seem silly, but I think everyone really enjoyed taking the mallet to the metal (with no additional cost!)

 

Stop at Don's for Chicken Pie, Kopi and cake. All delicious.

 

And of course, some drive by sightseeing. The only downside was having more of the monsoon rains like when we arrived in Singapore. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tour, then again we had a GREAT guide.

 

Celebrity took care of all the luggage. We were at the airport by 12:30 to enjoy time on internet, shopping, eating.....Security is very quick at this airport.

 

Doug, I don't remember if your cruise ends up in Singapore, but for your other readers.....Enjoy your last week........wish I was there!

[ghstudio]

a) We had the usual, unannounced buffet today….if you dine in Blu and don’t go to the show, you would never know unless you looked in the daily events under restaurant hours. For some reason, if you eat in the MDR, you get info on food/wine events from your waiter and sommelier…but in Blu, you get none. It’s not mentioned on the morning announcement by the CD…..It’s just annoying.

b) No swans for dessert at this buffet…and the baked desserts were some of the worst I’ve found on celebrity….just without taste. I love desserts, tried three different little cakes/fruit tarts and didn’t take a second bite of any. The salmon was being cut by someone who pulled off each sliced piece with their gloved hand and put it on your plate…a bit disgusting to me, even though they were wearing gloves. No dishes for soy sauce/ginger at sushi area…or they ran out…doesn’t matter, they should have been there. Each time I got up to try something else, my old plate and fork disappeared….I was constantly looking for a fork and wound up taking setups from other tables. If you wanted a plate for dessert, you had to go to the other end of the buffet to get it….no plates anywhere near desserts. I guess it’s clear I wasn’t impressed.

c) They have an ongoing issue on the Millennium in hot/humid weather….they are continually wiping the ceilings in the buffet area to remove water drops, they have blowers going in hallways and in some public areas apparently to circulate air and perhaps dry things out. Last night, the casino reeked of either mildew or some other not nice odor….Hasn’t happened before…not sure why it smelled last night, but it had that sewage/mildew smell.

d) The toilet in our cabin stopped working this morning….it was repaired very quickly….they respond quickly to issues.

e) Interesting: I just read the info posted at the captain’s club desk on perks at different levels which clearly says, one category upgrade when available for captain’s club members...all levels. It says nothing about not applying to certain categories….I have to poke at this because we have never gotten this benefit from captain’s club when booking A2 whether booking onboard or not. They should follow what they post on board…..and if it’s wrong, they should correct it…something to fill my idle time when I get home. J

f) I do wonder what happened to the pillow menu….housekeeping still has special pillows but I wonder how anyone knows?

g) After three weeks on the ship, we have finally figured out how to minimize the water that leaks outside the shower….however, I’m not going to share the secret….

h) Casino blackjack tournament. I’ve played in five of the tournaments, making it to the finals in three. On the last one, and only on the last one, they gave the seven finalists a coupon for a free drink at the casino bar for use at any time….a pleasant surprise.

i) I am not a lotto player….but each day, they list the estimated paradise lotto jackpot on the event sheet. The number has not changed in the past three weeks. One has to wonder?

j) Have not seen the slot machine payouts…which is unusual. It’s always been highlighted on the daily event sheets on previous cruises.

k) We just saw that a carnival cruise ship is adrift after an engine fire….scary stuff….reminds us that we’re exposed to risk on any cruise ship….and that muster drills are necessary for everyone.

l) I thought that cabin canapés were getting better, but we have returned to the cracker or cucumber slice with a squirt of flavored mush on it. My wife just told our cabin attendant to skip the canapes for the rest of the cruise. The canapés at the elite cocktail party remain good.

m) 9 foot seas this AM with a healthy wind (whitecaps) but calmer now (late afternoon). Did not seem to affect many based on the turnout for the buffet….

n) This is our longest cruise to date….we’ve been travelling/cruising for 25 days and it’s starting to get long. I’ve often joked that one’s cabin gets 4 square feet smaller each day and it sort of feels that way. No more big ship cruising for us until next year……time to rent a house/apt somewhere interesting (Paris/Budapest/…..) rent a car, cook at “home” or try our first river cruise somewhere.

GH

[FSL009]

Hi we are going on this same boat in march. So it sounds like they will shuttle you to town at most ports as a private tour. What sort of cost was it for Saigon. The website has stuff all details on it. If you know of course.

 

Oh and does the casino play cash games Texas Holden then tourneys at set times? Is the cash games a set buy in if you know how much it is can you let me know thanks.

 

Thanks for all info posts are awesome.

[up anchor]

Hi Bob,

Did you enjoy stateroom 1114. We are in 1114 on the Mar. 17 sailing.

 

Barb:)

 

We are on the March 31st sailing out of Singpaore (a charter for Atlantis Events) and have booked a Cat A1 (stateroom 1114) for the cruise. Since this is one of the new cabins, have you heard how the air conditioning is working for these folks? Just thinking that, with really nothing above these cabins besides the basketball court, have these turned into little easy bake ovens?;)

[indigosails]

Hi there.

 

Would you say hello to Charlotte from her Mom & Dad?

 

Thank you!

[gelo7]

Wonderful report.

[ghstudio]

arrived Halong Bay/Hanoi today...invited to stand on helicopter pad for the entrance (no idea what the criteria was for the invite)....fun but the weather really changed and it was cold :) Beautiful, even in mist. Went on 4 hour private boat trip on the bay with a wonderful lunch served. Then drove to Hanoi...a 2 1/2 hour trip on some of the worst roads...but we've become used to that on this trip. We've seen some other ship groups which are larger....glad we are only 4 people in a large van...makes it much easier.

 

Not much more to report on the ship....food is still salty (others keep talking about it), no other ongoing problems other than what I've mentioned. I'll try to do a compendium of this thread when I return...perhaps with some pictures.

 

Yes, cash texas holdem each night at 10 or 10:30....not sure about the buy in/etc...it's not my game. $5 blackjack tables was a nice change from the $10 tables on other cruises. I bet $10 bets anyway.

 

We are now at the point in aqua of ordering some meat/fish with no gravy and a baked potato...we just need less rich food.

 

GH

[eldercruser]

Thanks for the report. Also interested on your thoughts on Hanoi. Assuming you stayed overnight in Hanoi since you left late in the day.

 

Enjoy Hong Kong. Sounds like you are ready to rejoin the real world. Your comments and observations have been much appreciated.

[CruisinMaterial]

GHstudio -Thanks for the on-going reports. It's been quite enjoyable to read about the trip and your discoveries along the way. I know you didn't do the Cambodia over land tour but eager to hear what stories you've heard from any cruisers you encountered who did! Thanks!

 

I can't believe who fast the two weeks has gone by since you started on this same leg of the journey that I'll be doing in just over two weeks. I can't believe I'm that close either! :D Have a blast on the remainder of your stay onboard and in Hong Kong! I look forward to the pictures when you return.

 

~J

[takichum]

"11) A new one for us: The captain’s daily announcement (10am) was given by the cruise director….no clue where the captain was or even if he’s on board J Haven’t seen him….haven’t heard him."

 

The captains English is not brilliant (but far better than my Greek :)). We were on board in November/December and he did the 10am broadcast for all but the last three days. His wife and child were on board so maybe she told him to hand over the reins with the announcement. Shame really - nice pleasant guy.

Edited February 14, 2013 by takichum

[[g]cruiserke]

Loving your live thread, GHStudio.

 

We'll be on the Millennium on the South Bound Asia route in March so this is a perfect preview.

 

Do you happen to know until what time the tenders ran to the mainland in Halong Bay? As you seem to have left for Hanoi you may not know but perhaps you saw a notice somewhere in the daily program. We're want to enjoy a local Vietnamese diner and night market during the overnight and was wondering if we'd need to book a hotel and stay off the ship or whether the tenders run into the night allowing us to return after dinner.

 

Enjoy the rest of the cruise - you've LOVE Hong Kong, I'm sure, it's one of our favorite cities in the world!

 

gert

[ghstudio]

halong bay tenders ran until 11pm if I recall correctly. They do not run all night.

[ghstudio]

Hanoi: some of the worst roads and drivers we’ve seen anywhere. No concept of lanes…the white line and any traffic lights are pretty much decorative and everyone passes everywhere. Speed limits are apparently strictly enforced….translated, this means that if you choose to visit Hanoi from Halong Bay where the ship stops, you will have a 3-4 hour (depending on traffic) trip in each direction…and you can only hope that your vehicle still has some shock absorbers that work. We did see Ho Chi Minh’s body..our guide knew someone who knew someone so we didn’t have to wait in the very long line.

 

Halong Bay: beautiful, even in haze. We did it and we would do it again, but I want to warn everyone….these boats are far from any sort of US safety standard….they look old because they are old…they have wood hulls, not steel…the railings are at your knee level…you could easily fall off or you could just fall or walk off the front of the boat and your body would pass under the boat. They have had a number of ships sink….one was about 5 months ago. They are most dangerous if you are going overnight because if there is a leak and no one is watching…. I’m not trying to scare anyone….just accept that IMHO you are taking more of a risk on these boats. On the other hand, we had a wonderful lunch on our private boat and enjoyed the scenery as we cruised around the wonderful rock formations.

Tet: we hit it right…Saigon is the place to be on Tet eve….it is the most decorated and active of the cities we visited in Vietnam. Hue and Hanoi had relatively no decorations other than signs…Saigon had flowers everywhere. As I’ve said before, the tradeoff is most stores are closed, so shopping is difficult, if not impossible unless you go to the tourist shops (which we did). We stayed at the Hilton in Hanoi…not to be confused with the prison, which we also saw.

Toilets: we have been pleasantly surprised to find western toilets most everywhere….at least the guides knew where to take us….even on the long drives from boat to city. They were even relatively clean. Toilet paper is sometimes available for a small amount of local currency…but bring your own is advisable.

Coke/Pepsi/soft drinks are available most everywhere as is local beer and bottled water….prices are more reasonable than at a gas station in the US. We took water from the ship only because we are aqua class and the bottled water is free. If we weren’t aqua, we would have just bought it on shore.

Trays: On the last cruise (2 weeks ago), they had trays in the aqua spa café…this week they disappeared. I asked and the maître d’ told me it was part of the Solsticization of the ships and that having no tray was better because the food you took to your table would still be hot rather than trying to put your whole meal on a tray. I asked him if he really believed that….he didn’t respond. I miss the trays….I have the ability to get my cold salad and my bread and drink first and then get my hot dish….perhaps I am more advanced than most passengers in being able to plan how to navigate a buffet…. Yes, I prefer a tray.

Blu: I asked for onion soup again last night and asked that it be extra hot so the cheese was melted….and that’s exactly how they served it...and it had onions. Hooray!!J While a bit of a nit, it’s almost impossible to get a hot toasted English muffin, toast or bagel (as always I use the term loosely)….likely just too far from the toaster to one’s table. Our new maître d’ seems to have things under much better control….coffee/juice arrive quickly…..he keeps an eye on the tables and jumps in if something is needed..he’s very proactive in running the dining room and he’s extremely pleasant to everyone, even keeping the restaurant open late to accommodate those arriving late from tours….great!

Weather: It was cold in Hanoi at night….although after so many days of hot/humid, it felt wonderful. Quite a climate shift on this cruise between Bangkok (and south) and even Saigon vs Hanoi. During the day Hanoi was very pleasant. We’ve had overcast skies for much of the cruise, but other than Singapore, no rain. Today, we have fog on our last sea day and we’re looking forward to Hong Kong (shopping/eating) and were even looking forward to the 26 hours of travel to get home.

Excursions: We have heard mixed reviews of the ship’s tours. I strongly encourage anyone planning a trip to Malaysia/Indonesia/etc book their own tours/guides. You’ll probably save money, you’ll gain flexibility and you’ll just have a better experience. If you are travelling alone….try to join a group of passengers on the roll call on CC. IMHO, the exception is if you have a handicap or if you are a nervous traveler…then there is value in the ship excursions.

Would we sail on the Millenium again? We picked this cruise for the itinerary not the ship. We prefer the pre-Silhouette Solstice class ships (I love the glass shows), our favorite being the equinox. The M-class ships are getting a bit old and they really need interior refurbishing but that’s a major, expensive job that I doubt Celebrity will ever do. They put their money into adding “marketing features” rather than going through the ship and fixing broken drawers, chipped sinks, broken seat cover dispensers in the bathrooms. Yes, the ship is better now than before….but don’t think that dry dock was a major refurbishment of everything. But the answer is that yes, we would sail on the Millenium or Infinity again….based on the itinerary. We want to do the Antarctic cruise, so we’ll be on the Infinity….would I prefer to be on the eclipse/summit/… yes.

GH

Edited February 15, 2013 by ghstudio

[eldercruser]

Thanks again for the updates. We wil be doing this same itinerary in just a couple of weeks. Your insight has been most helpful.

[FSL009]

Quick question - if you happen to know. Did you check out any of the markets in HCMC? Just starting to think what to bring and if I can buy some decent US 2XL shirts in the markets will pack less.

 

Not normal that you can get big guy clothes in SE Asia, but never been to Vitenam so if you noticed a heads up would be great.

 

Im definitely not bring extra salt for the food... :)

 

Thanks

[FL1stLady]

Just returned home from the Feb 3rd sailing. It was an incredible cruise! Thank you, Doug, for providing all the updates.

 

Unfortunately, due to the internet connection (or lack thereof), I was unable to read or post to this board while at sea. The staff was rarely there and the supervisor avoided the Ilounge at all costs. "Tehnical problems?" Exactly what does that mean? We could get to Celebrity sites with few issues. I've never encountered a connection that poor on any ship, and I'm not sure that I would have booked it had I known. It's not that I need to be "connected", I just have elderly parents to check on as I'm an only child. Instead, we finally just called from the room. Not budget smart, but it made Mom's day, so it's okay.

 

Because of comments from several previous boards, we were a bit worried about the food quality. For the most part, I can say that we were pleasantly surprised. The prime rib and veal chop were both very good at our table (MDR late), but there were some misses. Lobster bisque was tasteless, and as reported few onions in the onion soup and congealed cheese on top. But it was still the best soup they served. I wound up finding the best English muffins (hot) and poached eggs at the buffet. Don't usually choose to eat at a buffet but for breakfast on this ship, that seemed to be my best option.

 

I was disappointed in the "solsticization" of the Millennium. This was our 6th cruise on an M-class ship (our favorite layout). It appears that they only added revenue generators but did not update areas that sorely needed it. The silvering on the mirrors in the stateroom bathrooms have oxidized and need to be repaired or replaced. The dining room on deck 4 have a couple of "soft" areas on the floor that I managed to find every night. Made us laugh though. Everyone thought we were tipsy! I also thought the new Martini Bar looked rather "cheap". We ate at the Bistro one day and found it okay but limited in menu choices. We miss the little sandwiches we used to get on 5. Selections at the Spa Cafe seem to have been limited and the lounge chairs in the Solarium were easier to get than on previous cruises. Reason? Very few had cushions and were quite uncomfortable. Some people dragged cushioned lounges from the pool area into the Solarium area.

 

Like Doug, I would suggest that you arrange a private tour for Bangkok and the Vietnam ports. We were very happy with our tours/tour guides. They were flexible and made suggestions making our tour even better. All provided water and comfortable vans. I don't think that you find the "Hanoi Hilton" (prison) listed on any tours although the official name of the prison might be listed. At any rate, our guide added it. Important to us since we know some of its "guests". And Tet in Saigon was fabulous! So many said not to go because things would be closed and those things we could buy would be expensive. We opted for the Tet experience and would do it again. Flowers, fireworks, scooters, everywhere. Plenty of restaurants open and the view from the Rex balcony unmatched.

 

We had a late flight out of Hong Kong and Celebrity graciously changed our luggage number so that we could pick up the luggage at 4 and take their shuttle to the airport at 5. Made for a lovely day in Hong Kong.

 

Sorry to be so verbose. Body clock still on Asia time so I'm unable to sleep and up at an odd hour. For those of you following on this itinerary, ENJOY!

[FL1stLady]

One more thing....while the canapes were much nicer during the Elite cocktail hour, we were disappointed not to be able to get "our" drink. While they had it on the menu, they refused to use a different kind of whiskey in its preparation (no higher cost). We have not had this problem on the other M-class ships. Simply made what could have been a pleasant experience just so-so.

[RMSeadog]

You DEFINITELY need a visa in Vietnam, but you can obtain them on board.

 

 

The Vietnam visa were $35 pp, if doing overnights they were $70 pp automatically added to your SeaPass account. ~ Ric

[GaryfmCol]

The Vietnam visa were $35 pp, if doing overnights they were $70 pp automatically added to your SeaPass account. ~ Ric

 

 

Ric..

 

We're on the March 17th cruise.

 

Do you recommend taking passport photos

with us, or, get them on the ship? I am thinking of lines and, cost from the photo department...

Thanks.

:)

[GaryfmCol]

One more thing....while the canapes were much nicer during the Elite cocktail hour, we were disappointed not to be able to get "our" drink. While they had it on the menu, they refused to use a different kind of whiskey in its preparation (no higher cost). We have not had this problem on the other M-class ships. Simply made what could have been a pleasant experience just so-so.

 

Thank you for this information..

 

Think of anything else for us heading over for

the March 17th cruise to be helpful?? ;)

[PSL Ag]

Hey Fl1stLady, as I read the comments, they sounded very familiar, then saw your home towns, and no wonder! Nancy and I missed you in Hong Kong! had a great time! The travel day back to the states was long, but we survived! Great trip, and enjoyed being with you and Ed! Dan

[WhitsEnd]

We are on the February 17 southbound cruise.

We are doing a bit of touring on our own between Halong Bay and HCMC, so I am in a hotel in Hanoi and have good, free internet access for the first time since we boarded. I wanted to do a brain dump for those of you who are still following this thread.

Starting with towns and ports

We arrived in HCMC via Cathay Pacific. Our tour company booked us at the Regal Airport Hotel. This hotel is fine if you are arriving very late or departing in the early morning and have no desire to do anything in town, but it is very far from town otherwise. A one way taxi fare to Kowloon (port) will run between 200 and 300 HKD. It will take about 45 minutes to an hour. We ditched the Regal Airport Hotel for Citadines in Kowloon. It was inexpensive ($90 USD all-in) when we booked from the airport terminal on arrival (a last minute decision). We found it to be clean, extremely convenient ($10 USD taxi fare, including 6 bags, to the port), and we enjoyed the free internet. to note, there is free wifi in the airport but not in the Regal Airport Hotel rooms.... and the wifi in the lobby is quite awful. We heard from some folks who transferred from the Regal Airport Hotel that there were 4-6 buses and it took HOURS to get from the hotel to checked in. On our own, we walked right through and felt that we made the right decision.

In HCMC, we saw all of the major sites. Certainly Victoria Peak at sunset is beautiful and we enjoyed Lamma Island also. For Victoria Peak, the tram is 1.5-2 hours wait just before sunset. Unless your heart is set on taking the tram, take the N15 bus from Central. It is a couple bucks per person and is a great express bus trip, with great views and a great city tour. You can take it there and back.

In Halong Bay, there were NO tender problems. There were 4 tenders, one running every 10 minutes or so. The first tender was 7 AM on arrival day and 6 AM on day 2. They let the Celebrity Cruise tours go out first, but on both days we had no trouble getting off the boat at 7 or 8 AM. On the first day we took a wonderful cruise with Best Cruises, arranged by another CC member. It was a day long cruise to the fishing village and the caves. It is worth noting that getting on and off the boat at the fishing village is not very easy for the older set, and we had some difficulty. Also, there are many, many stairs at the caves. There are breaks along the way, but two of our group members decided to sit it out. For those with mobility issues, metal in their legs, etc, you might be cautious about booking this excursion. I felt very bad for one member of our group. We had 10 people on our large junk. We each paid $88 dollars including one drink and lunch. I HIGHLY recommend Stefan with Best Cruises (http://www.bestcruisestravel.com) especially after what happened today.

We arranged to transfer up to Hanoi on the second day to stay at the Essence Hanoi overnight and then fly to Siem Reap for two days before rejoining the boat in HCMC. Essence Hanoi had arranged our transport from port to Hanoi. When we got off the tender we couldn't see our driver. A few minutes later we saw Stefan. Stefan was concerned about us, knowing us from the previous day. He called the hotel, and the driver, and worked for 10-20 minutes with the driver to identify our location. He also took Michael to the bathroom in the hotel across from the tender location, and even paid the hotelier for the bathroom use! Stefan goes above and beyond and I HIGHLY recommend him and his company. We will use him for our transfer in HCMC and wish we used him to book the rest of our tours (offered throughout SE Asia). Our driver arrived prompty after speaking with Stefan.

We took a 4 hour drive up to Hanoi. Given the choice now between a day trip to Hanoi or a day on Halong Bay, I would choose the trip to Hanoi. The drive, and views of the Red River Delta, we unmatched. I recommend doing a day trip to Hanoi and half day (morning) junk, given 1.5 days in port. We arrived at the Essence Hanoi and were welcomed by wonderful ginger tea. Everything here has been wonderful and I cannot say enough good things about the hotel and staff.

Now onto the cruise specifics...

When we boarded the boat they had just repainted one of the pools, so it was empty, but filled the following day. They were also painting the exterior of the ship to keep it looking pretty.

Our room (2103) has been kept tidy with two cleanings daily and chocolates (that aren't very good) on our pillows at night, though we have not had the pleasure of towels folded like animals, etc. Our expectations have been met related to stateroom service.

Our first dinner, the second night of the cruise, was subpar. I had a veal chop, and couldn't figure out how it was cooked/what was wrong with it. I brought this to the chef's attention. Another passenger told me that they cannot get a maillard reaction (surface browning) because they have only electric heat. This makes some sense, but it just means that the chef didn't wait long enough to get the pan hot (it will get hot on an induction burner) and the meat sweated instead of browning. Anyway... dinner the first night was no good. I will not order the shrimp cocktail or salad again. The veal chop was strange. The highlight was the dessert - molten chocolate cake. BUT the second night was MUCH better and last night was also very good. The chef came around both the second night and last night to check in, not just with our table, but a general walk around with the maitre'd. The second night I had the snails (very good, needed a touch of salt) and tenderloin steak (nice surface browning as it should be), and last night the butternut squash soup and the ribeye (meat had a lot of fat pockets, but was well seasoned). The breakfast buffet has some standouts - like the pineapple that is so sweet. And the bakery is doing a bangup job. Last night there was a wonderful foccacia bread and this morning, some wonderful donuts. I haven't explored much else food-related as we haven't spent too much time on the ship and I am not a huge eater.

But all-in-all, things are great and it appears (thus far) that the crew has learned from the first few cruises in SE Asia.

We are off the ship now until we meet the ship in HCMC, but I will have internet access now also, so I am happy to answer any questions about Hong Kong or Halong Bay, or anything else.

[tiggerman101]

Thank you for your detailed observations, I will be getting on when you get off in Singapore. I am getting down to the small details....

 

We have a junk tour booked in Halong Bay on the second day we are there. The tour oporator wants us to meet on the tender pier at 7:30 AM. How long does the tender take? In other words, can you give me a rough estimate of how much time I need to get off the ship and tendered to shore? Thank you again.

Edited February 21, 2013 by tiggerman101

[takichum]

Thank you for your detailed observations, I will be getting on when you get off in Singapore. I am getting down to the small details....

 

We have a junk tour booked in Halong Bay on the second day we are there. The tour oporator wants us to meet on the tender pier at 7:30 AM. How long does the tender take? In other words, can you give me a rough estimate of how much time I need to get off the ship and tendered to shore? Thank you again.

 

The actual tender takes about 20 mins from departure from the ship to arrival at the pier. there shouldn't be delays as most tours on the second day depart either from alongside the ship or after 8am from the ship. I would try to be on one of the first tenders going ashore.

 

Did the same cruise in December 2012 and that was our experience.

 

Sorry to barge in on the topic.