Transpacific Cruise in Sept.

[ggo85]

We are considering the TP from Vancouver to Japan in early Sep on Millenium. Has anyone done this cruise (northern TP)?

 

Curious as to weather -- is it nice enough to sit outside or is it pretty cold?

 

If you can't sit outside comfortably, is there enough to do on all the sea days? We love sea days but usually are sitting at the pool.

 

Any other insight on this itinerary would be great.

[north29]

I think I would be concern about the Typhoon season.

[Kamloops50]

We are considering the TP from Vancouver to Japan in early Sep on Millenium. Has anyone done this cruise (northern TP)?

 

Curious as to weather -- is it nice enough to sit outside or is it pretty cold?

 

If you can't sit outside comfortably, is there enough to do on all the sea days? We love sea days but usually are sitting at the pool.

 

Any other insight on this itinerary would be great.

 

The north pacifi is known for storms in the fall and spring. It probably be chilly enough that you won't be able to sit outside on the deck. You might even get snow in September.

[Hlitner]

The cruise is being heavily discounted.....and probably for good reason. A northern Pacific crossing will likely have mostly chilly weather. If you simply look at the September temperature averages for Dutch Harbor....the average high is in the mid-50s. It looks like a great cruise for those who love to spend lots of sea days inside the ship.

 

Hank

[stevenr597]

Historical Note:

 

When the Japanese decided to attack Pearl Harbor, they deliberately sailed across the North Pacific, figuring ( and they were right) that the stormy weather will prevent the early detection of their fleet.

[El Crucero]

We were booked on this itinerary in a Sky Suite. Unfortunately, we had to cancel a couple of weeks ago due to a conflict in our schedule. We are very disappointed. We think it is going to be a great cruise. Our TA did this cruise on the Millie last year. She said it is one of her all time favorite cruises.

[BBsails]

I'm looking forward to it as one of my all-time favorite cruises too! :D Check out our roll call, ggo85.

Edited January 24, 2017 by BBsails

[SFCAcruiser]

We are considering the TP from Vancouver to Japan in early Sep on Millenium. Has anyone done this cruise (northern TP)?

 

Curious as to weather -- is it nice enough to sit outside or is it pretty cold?

....

I took this cruise in May 2014 (or 2015?) starting in Tokyo and ending in Vancouver. I am seriously considering taking it again in September, from Vancouver to Tokyo.

On our May cruise we had a "sweet 16" balcony for our first, and so far only, time. It turned out to be almost useless due to the cold weather :(.

 

Tokyo and Vancouver had nice weather, but the mid-Pacific temps. got down to 33 F (1C) for a few days. Seas were generally calm. There were no issues with "chair hogs" at the pool :p.

 

But we enjoyed it enough we will probably take the cruise in September. From Vancouver, there will be some 25-hour days when the ship passes through time zones and then you will lose an entire day when crossing the date line. You also get to skip port stop in Petropavlosk, Russia, which is a good thing.

Edited January 24, 2017 by SFCAcruiser

[silkismom]

Are we talking about Northface jackets? Alaska cruise wear? Mittens & hats?

[BEAV]

We took this sailing last September and loved it. We were prepared for chilly, cloudy, cold days but were pleasantly surprised with many days of sunshine. I think we just lucked out with the good weather and wouldn't expect the same if we were to repeat it. Although we had a lot of sunshine and pleasant temps, it's not warm enough, IMO, to lay by the pool in bathing suits! Pleasant to sit outside with light jackets, however. The ports of Dutch Harbor, Otaru and Hakodate were all great.

 

Good luck with your decision. :)

[Northern Aurora]

We have actually been to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska. In our case we took the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry the Tustamena (nicknamed the Trusty Tusty) out from Kodiak and then spent several nights there before flying out (which was quite an adventure in its own right). The "Trusty Tusty" is one of the workhorses of our state ferry system and is designed to accommodate some of the conditions in the Bering Sea. It is taken out on a run to Unalaska monthly during the summer. The AMHS doesn't try to make this run during the winter.

 

The large ice free harbor is Dutch Harbor and is on Amaknak Island while the bulk of the community is on Unalaska Island. During WW II there was a naval base at Dutch Harbor and also Ft. Mears Army base. It was indeed bombed during WW II with some loss of life, and on both islands you will still see pill boxes and gun emplacements. Ft. Mears has been abandoned, but the views are incredible and you can walk around the old building foundations.

 

Given our experience on the Trusty Tusty I would expect much rougher seas than on our prior three southern trans-Pacific crossings. The Trusty Tusty is certified for open ocean sailing and does have stabilizers, but we were really rolling at times. The route that we were on is different than what the Millennium takes into Dutch Harbor, but the scenery was just incredible with dramatic volcanoes rising from the ocean. And the birding was spectacular.

 

Unalaska/Dutch Harbor itself is incredibly beautiful on a sunny day, but when we were there we also had one day of serious rain. The average highs in September are in the mid-50s, and while I doubt there would be snow conditions in the community itself there could be cold pelting rain.

 

We were scheduled to take the fall trans-Pacific on the Millennium from Vancouver to Tokyo in 2015, and then take the next cruise which was an around Japan itinerary. But the around Japan cruise was chartered and the trans-Pacific itinerary altered to end in China. So we transferred our reservations to other cruises. But we have re-booked the fall 2018 trans-Pacific and the following cruise around Japan. As I am typing this I am remembering what a hoot Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is, and am so looking forward to 2018. It is such an interesting place to visit.

 

For those interested in what the community looks like their Visitor and Convention Bureau has a nice color visitor's guide on their website -- with all of the photos taken on clear sunny days! A quick "google" search should find it.

[beentothere]

We are considering the TP from Vancouver to Japan in early Sep on Millenium. Has anyone done this cruise (northern TP)?

 

Curious as to weather -- is it nice enough to sit outside or is it pretty cold?

 

If you can't sit outside comfortably, is there enough to do on all the sea days? We love sea days but usually are sitting at the pool.

 

Any other insight on this itinerary would be great.

 

Worst cruise of my life. Vancouver boarding took almost 5 hours, and

a group took control of all open seating not just at pool, but in the café

and mdr also. Staff did not take appropriate and necessary action.

 

Often the Blu food was beneath the MDR. MDR food cannot be brought

into BLU.

 

The tours were a total ripoff and out of control. Lunch was included but

served at 3:30. No water provided, make sure you take extra.

 

Guest relations turned deaf ears.

 

don

[El Crucero]

Worst cruise of my life.

 

I just perused your 87 posts on CC over the last 3+ years. Over 90% of them have been negative toward Celebrity, yet you keep cruising on Celebrity. It is time you find a different cruise line. Obviously, Celebrity is not a good fit for you.

 

Bon Voyage

[Harrieta]

We've recently done this cruise (last September). Maybe we were just lucky but we found the weather to be very pleasant during the cruise and there were no rough seas. However one stage the captain said that he had steered a particular course to avoid a storm! We sat outside and used our balcony most days although we didn't use the outside pool much. I suspect that the September crossing is a better option weather-wise than the springtime one.

Our day in Dutch Harbor was lovely and it was a good chance to get off the ship and walk around with a lot of interesting wildlife (salmon, whales & eagles). We also had good weather for our two port stops in northern Japan and it was quite hot and sunny in Tokyo.

The only bad weather was when we disembarked in Yokohama, we spent four days there but had two quite rainy days due to catching the tail end of a typhoon. We still managed to fit in quite a bit of sightseeing though!

Overall it was a great cruise and I would recommend it.

 

 

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Edited January 26, 2017 by Harrieta

[silkismom]

Thank you Harrietta, I was getting worried about this cruise from reading some reviews.

[SFCAcruiser]

We've recently done this cruise (last September). Maybe we were just lucky but we found the weather to be very pleasant during the cruise and there were no rough seas. However one stage the captain said that he had steered a particular course to avoid a storm! We sat outside and used our balcony most days although we didn't use the outside pool much. I suspect that the September crossing is a better option weather-wise than the springtime one....

Overall it was a great cruise and I would recommend it.

 

 

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Thank you for the feedback. After thinking about this cruise and reading your comments, we booked it. I agree with your impression that the weather in September will likely be warmer than what we had experienced on our May 2014 transpacific cruise. The discounted balcony prices gave us extra motivation.

[Orator]

Thank you for the feedback. After thinking about this cruise and reading your comments, we booked it. I agree with your impression that the weather in September will likely be warmer than what we had experienced on our May 2014 transpacific cruise. The discounted balcony prices gave us extra motivation.

 

 

See you there.

[ggo85]

Thanks for the thoughtful and informative replies. We're still on the fence but you all have given us much helpful info as we make our decision.

[BEAV]

We've recently done this cruise (last September). Maybe we were just lucky but we found the weather to be very pleasant during the cruise and there were no rough seas. However one stage the captain said that he had steered a particular course to avoid a storm! We sat outside and used our balcony most days although we didn't use the outside pool much. I suspect that the September crossing is a better option weather-wise than the springtime one.

Our day in Dutch Harbor was lovely and it was a good chance to get off the ship and walk around with a lot of interesting wildlife (salmon, whales & eagles). We also had good weather for our two port stops in northern Japan and it was quite hot and sunny in Tokyo.

The only bad weather was when we disembarked in Yokohama, we spent four days there but had two quite rainy days due to catching the tail end of a typhoon. We still managed to fit in quite a bit of sightseeing though!

Overall it was a great cruise and I would recommend it.

 

 

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Helen, I just "connected the dots" as we say in the U.S. and realized you and Jim were on the same private tour with us in Hakodate! We certainly got our money's worth on that tour despite all the walking! I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did.

[lilghallinsf]

I wish you could "like" a post

 

 

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[Harrieta]

Helen, I just "connected the dots" as we say in the U.S. and realized you and Jim were on the same private tour with us in Hakodate! We certainly got our money's worth on that tour despite all the walking! I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did.

 

 

Hi, well done for connecting the dots. We had a great day in Hakodate and certainly packed a lot in. I think our guide would have taken us to see even more things if we'd wanted to.

Yes it was a great cruise and we're in the process of planning the next one from Australia to Japan in March next year on Princess!

 

 

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Edited January 28, 2017 by Harrieta