2 week schedule gap - Millenium, Tokyo

[richmke]

I am thinking of the Transpacific Cruise on the Millennium. Departure date is May 7, 2017. It spends a day in port, and then leaves Tokyo on May 8, 2017.

 

I looked up the Millennium's schedule, and it has a 2 week cruise on April 8, arriving Tokyo on April 22. I couldn't find anything between April 22-May 8. Are they refurbishing the Millennium?

 

Also, what would be the boarding time on May 7?

 

Does the Millennium have educational classes, or other things to do during the many sea days?

 

Any guess on the weather during that time (May 7-21)? Should I get a forward Balcony (+200/person) or stick with the Outside View?

[Kamloops50]

I am thinking of the Transpacific Cruise on the Millennium. Departure date is May 7, 2017. It spends a day in port, and then leaves Tokyo on May 8, 2017.

 

I looked up the Millennium's schedule, and it has a 2 week cruise on April 8, arriving Tokyo on April 22. I couldn't find anything between April 22-May 8. Are they refurbishing the Millennium?

 

Also, what would be the boarding time on May 7?

 

Does the Millennium have educational classes, or other things to do during the many sea days?

 

Any guess on the weather during that time (May 7-21)? Should I get a forward Balcony (+200/person) or stick with the Outside View?

 

The Millie is either in dry dock or a charter during those two weeks. The dry dock is the most probable.

[villauk]

Millie is going in for dry dock this year, so no, it won't be a refurb. It's possibly a charter - Japan is a favourite for charters ;).

 

Details from recent X post:

 

With an $8M makeover scheduled for April 2016, Celebrity Millennium is ready to stun—right alongside the ship that inspired her new look, Celebrity Solstice.

 

'Now on Celebrity Millennium, you can relax at the chic new Rooftop Terrace, catching a movie under the stars with themed cocktails and snacks (our new A Taste of Film experience). Refuel from your exhilarating day ashore with USDA dry aged steaks and fresh-made pastas at Tuscan Grille, already a smash hit on our Solstice class ships. And recharge in our revamped Penthouse and Royal Suites, with glimmering new powder room fixtures, marble surfaces, and fabrics throughout.

 

But, we didn’t stop there. You’ll notice stylish new touches around every corner, from Fortunes Casino to the adults-only Solarium.'

Edited March 28, 2016 by villauk

[westcoastcruiser]

We understand it is a charter. We looked at a B2B2B for 2017 but were unable to because of those two weeks. We are booked for 2018 and, hopefully, a charter for the middle 2 weeks won't cause us to cancel.

 

There are some posts where this same situation has happened in the past after people had already booked and noted the cruise "disappeared" from the website.

[az_tchr]

Cruises disappear what they are sold out as either in a charter or all cabins sold and PAID. This one is chartered.

[Northern Aurora]

In 2015 we were booked on a B2B set on the Millennium including the TP from Vancouver to Tokyo and the next cruise around Japan. Suddenly our two cruises plus the next cruise (which was also a cruise around Japan) disappeared from the X website. Folks on the roll calls were calling both X and their travel agents. After a number of confusing responses X admitted that the TP's itinerary was altered to end in China and the following two cruises were chartered. Fortunately they were chartered early enough from the embarkation dates that no one had been able to purchase air. But it still was an unpleasant experience.

[SFCAcruiser]

...

 

Does the Millennium have educational classes, or other things to do during the many sea days?

 

Any guess on the weather during that time (May 7-21)? Should I get a forward Balcony (+200/person) or stick with the Outside View?

 

We did this cruise in 2014. We experienced very cold outdoor temperatures (33 F, 1C) after we entered the northern Pacific toward Alaska. Temperatures warmed up a bit later, but were still cold. We had a "sweet 16" balcony and did not use it much. On the plus side, there were no "chair hogs" by the pool. :p

Of course, it is up to you to decide if you want a balcony.

I do not recall any special education classes, other than morning lectures, which I did not attend. Otherwise they provide the usual onboard activities, such as trivia games, etc.

[richmke]

We did this cruise in 2014. We experienced very cold outdoor temperatures (33 F, 1C) after we entered the northern Pacific toward Alaska.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll save a few bucks and get an Outside View.

 

How did you like the cruise? I'm flying to Asia to visit family, so I thought taking a cruise back would help with the recovery from jet lag.

[SFCAcruiser]

Thanks for the info. I'll save a few bucks and get an Outside View.

 

How did you like the cruise? I'm flying to Asia to visit family, so I thought taking a cruise back would help with the recovery from jet lag.

 

We enjoyed it, in spite of the cold temps. for part of the journey. We had a very similar itinerary except yours is a day longer. We did not have an overnight in Tokyo (Yokohama). You will loose an hour on many nights as you head east, but will gain back an entire day when you cross the date line.

The Russian stop in Petropavlovsk was uninteresting and some passengers chose to remain onboard in this tender port. We went ashore and wandered around a bit. This topic will surely come up in your roll call: people will wonder about the need for a Russian visa. You do not need a Russian visa for this port; the rules for St. Petersburg do not apply to Petropavlovsk, or at least they did not in years past. Who knows about 2017?

Overall, we would consider this cruise again, but have no immediate plans for it.

[dog]

I've noticed that the April 22/17 cruise is now listed for booking on Celebrity's website.

[Going Coastal]

We did this itinerary after a Viking river cruise last year and it worked well.

 

 

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[NJ Fred]

We sailed this voyage in 2014. Hopefully, Steve Gayda will be your CD - he does excellent work.

 

Be sure and see Yokohama before the vessel sails.

 

And if you make port in Petropovlosk , those innocent Russian trawlers - aren't so innocent. In fact, Mille was held (actually surrounded by those "trawlers") for 9 hours on our sailing as the Russian authorities alleged not all passengers were accounted for.

 

In the long run, the Russians were wrong and Celebrity was right. Did they say "I'm sorry"?

 

You know the answer - Dial 1-800-PUTIN.

[HokiePoq]

We enjoyed it, in spite of the cold temps. for part of the journey. We had a very similar itinerary except yours is a day longer. We did not have an overnight in Tokyo (Yokohama). You will loose an hour on many nights as you head east, but will gain back an entire day when you cross the date line.

The Russian stop in Petropavlovsk was uninteresting and some passengers chose to remain onboard in this tender port. We went ashore and wandered around a bit. This topic will surely come up in your roll call: people will wonder about the need for a Russian visa. You do not need a Russian visa for this port; the rules for St. Petersburg do not apply to Petropavlovsk, or at least they did not in years past. Who knows about 2017?

Overall, we would consider this cruise again, but have no immediate plans for it.

 

If one just walked around the dingy port area, I'd agree with what you said. I thought Petropavlovsk one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is a caldera, one of the few in the world (like Santorini). The snow covered mountains around the port were gorgeous when we were there on a spring Transpacific. We took a ship's tour that went out in the country away from the port. The guide was good and the excursion a lot of fun with beautiful scenery. Some on the ship had a private excursion that flew them to a breathtaking thermal area....I would not be brave enough for that but these folks spoke Russian.

OP...go on an excursion in Petropavlovsk!

We had plenty of lectures and activities on our cruise. Only problem was that the cruise was packed due to last minute sale prices and was crowded when the weather got cold and everyone was inside. DH and I caught an awful respiratory bug during that time which remained with us for a month after we got home.