Millennium – Asia Trip (Semi Live) 3/2/2019 – 3/16/2019

[Texed]

Lourdest,

 

We will be on Millennium sailing from Singapore next January.  So, thanks for the postings and pictures.  😊

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

What?  No murano????

The M-Class ships never had Murano's.     Millennium originally had Olympic Restaurant but was removed years ago.   Now only Tuscan Grill and Qsine (or LPC). 

[jkgourmet]

26 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

The M-Class ships never had Murano's.     Millennium originally had Olympic Restaurant but was removed years ago.   Now only Tuscan Grill and Qsine (or LPC). 

 

VERY disappointing.  Two of the three specialist restaurants are Asian themed.  Especially since we're on a Japan/S Korea cruise where we can get better Asian in port.    (and three out of four don't eat raw fish).

 

Also - they have reduced the size of Tuscan, correct?  Isn't that going to make it even harder to make reservations?  We can't book ahead because we all purchased a 3 night dining package.  And right now, I'm feeling like that may have been a bad idea. . .

[Muffinz]

following this thread with interest - we are doing Hong kong to Tokyo on Millennium in March 2021

[Alushar]

10 hours ago, SF said:

What a great thread ...so much information. We are doing the same itinerary on Millenium in December so will definitely be following along on your adventures. Thank you so much for taking time out of your vacation to post, answer questions and share your experiences with us. 😀

 

Would love to know what type of evening entertainment is onboard.

 

I read on other threads that Celebrity provides the visas (at a cost) could you provide a little bit more information in regards to this?

 

I also noticed on some other threads that people said to bring some extra passport photos and an extra copy of your passport page, is this something that you found is necessary?

 

Did you take any shots prior to visiting these ports?

 

Thanks again and enjoy your cruise. Looking forward to seeing more photos.

 

 

 

 

There were obv 2 shows a night with about 3 production shows and a mix of singers, tribute groups, acrobats and magicians.

 

we really loved the music around the ship. The house band Bristol fashion were good but there were two individual guitarists/singers Shanty and Ethan who were superb as were a string duet Sea Breeze. There was also an Argentinian jazz quartet.

 

There was usually music through the evening with the house band playing until late in the Cosmos Lounge and a set around 10pm in Cellar Masters by one of the individuals.

 

You'll get full instructions but we had to take 2 passport copies. On boarding we had to give in our passport and one copy and Celeb sorted visas etc and delivered visas, landing cards, and passports as necessary at each port and took the passports back after. There was no charge for UK don’t know for US. 

 

We didn't have any shots 

[Alushar]

8 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

VERY disappointing.  Two of the three specialist restaurants are Asian themed.  Especially since we're on a Japan/S Korea cruise where we can get better Asian in port.    (and three out of four don't eat raw fish).

 

Also - they have reduced the size of Tuscan, correct?  Isn't that going to make it even harder to make reservations?  We can't book ahead because we all purchased a 3 night dining package.  And right now, I'm feeling like that may have been a bad idea. . .

We had a 4 night package plus the first night. We went to Tuscan 3 times and it wasn’t full but there was more pressure on Qsine.  We booked on first day and got all the slots we wanted 

[Tinknock50]

4 hours ago, Alushar said:

There were obv 2 shows a night with about 3 production shows and a mix of singers, tribute groups, acrobats and magicians.

 

we really loved the music around the ship. The house band Bristol fashion were good but there were two individual guitarists/singers Shanty and Ethan who were superb as were a string duet Sea Breeze. There was also an Argentinian jazz quartet.

 

There was usually music through the evening with the house band playing until late in the Cosmos Lounge and a set around 10pm in Cellar Masters by one of the individuals.

 

You'll get full instructions but we had to take 2 passport copies. On boarding we had to give in our passport and one copy and Celeb sorted visas etc and delivered visas, landing cards, and passports as necessary at each port and took the passports back after. There was no charge for UK don’t know for US. 

 

We didn't have any shots 

Thanks for the report on the music !   I think we will really enjoy it.

[SF]

5 hours ago, Alushar said:

There were obv 2 shows a night with about 3 production shows and a mix of singers, tribute groups, acrobats and magicians.

 

we really loved the music around the ship. The house band Bristol fashion were good but there were two individual guitarists/singers Shanty and Ethan who were superb as were a string duet Sea Breeze. There was also an Argentinian jazz quartet.

 

There was usually music through the evening with the house band playing until late in the Cosmos Lounge and a set around 10pm in Cellar Masters by one of the individuals.

 

You'll get full instructions but we had to take 2 passport copies. On boarding we had to give in our passport and one copy and Celeb sorted visas etc and delivered visas, landing cards, and passports as necessary at each port and took the passports back after. There was no charge for UK don’t know for US. 

 

We didn't have any shots 

Thanks for answering all our questions. Can't wait to experience the music and the entertainment. Sounds like a nice way to end the day after touring.

[FeelingCruisy]

Can you find out if they replaced the mattress in the oceanview, balcony and suite cabins?  Last couple times the mattress were terrible. Thanks.

Edited March 8, 2019 by FeelingCruisy

[Jim_Iain]

17 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

VERY disappointing.  Two of the three specialist restaurants are Asian themed.  Especially since we're on a Japan/S Korea cruise where we can get better Asian in port.    (and three out of four don't eat raw fish).

 

Also - they have reduced the size of Tuscan, correct?  Isn't that going to make it even harder to make reservations?  We can't book ahead because we all purchased a 3 night dining package.  And right now, I'm feeling like that may have been a bad idea. . .

Not following.   Sushi on 5 is Asian.  The other two are definitely not Asian.  

 

If you don't like your choice of the dinner package,  just log in and cancel for a full refund.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Jim_Iain

[Finnrox]

2 hours ago, FeelingCruisy said:

Can you find out if they replaced the mattress in the oceanview, balcony and suite cabins?  Last couple times the mattress were terrible. Thanks.

Pretty sure that they are replacing all of the mattresses, ship wide, as part of the Revolution.

[SF]

On 3/3/2019 at 12:39 AM, lourdest said:

We finally made it to Singapore and are onboard Celebrity Millennium. We travel for two days, Miami to London on Virgin Atlantic and then London to Singapore on Singapore Air. On Virgin Atlantic we were on Premium Select (would HIGHLY recommend it) and on Singapore Air regular coach.  Singapore Air is definitely better than most airlines when it comes to regular coach, but after flying a total of about 26 hours, I would opt for Premium Select the next time for the whole trip.  Due to work we arrived the same morning as the ship embarkation date of 3/2. 

 

We booked this trip before the news that the Millennium was going to be the first ship to go through the ‘Revolution’ process.  We picked this cruise because of the itinerary.  This is a 14-day cruise leaving out of Singapore and cruising to Hong Kong.   

 

 

3/2 – 3/3 Singapore

2 days at sea

3/6 – 3/7 Port of Laem Chabang (Bangkok) * overnight in this port is reason #1 why we picked this cruise

1 day at sea

3/9 Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon)

1 day at sea

3/11 Port of Chan May (Hue / Danang / Hoi An)

3/12 – 3/13 Halong Bay (Hanoi) *overnight stay at Halong Bay reason #2 

1 day at sea

3/15 – 3/16 Hong Kong * overnight in Hong Kong reason #3 

 

I have been researching and planning this trip for the last year.  Once the Millennium revolution was announced I read all that was available on Cruise Critic to get an idea of those changes.  I know that people are curious about the changes, so I will post pictures of the ship and our cabin in the next post.

 

Some background, I became an avid cruiser about 10 years ago.  Most of our cruises have been on Celebrity and as a matter of fact our first Celebrity cruise was an Alaskan cruise on Millennium in an ocean view room.  We have sailed mostly in the S class in Aqua class.  We were also on the Edge on its first three-day preview cruise. 

 

Originally we were booked on Aqua class room for this trip, but when the price dropped (5 months before the cruise) on a suite we grabbed it.   We grabbed room 6145 once it became available about 4 months before the trip.  On this board everyone is always talking about this room since it’s the S1 room right next to the Penthouse suite.  The room is really different than the other S1 suites, my sister and mother are staying in 8117.  There are things that I love about this room and other things that for me personally are OK. This is also our first time in a suite for this length of time.  We were in a S2 suite on the Edge for the preview 3-day cruise.

 

Concerning the ship, I love the new colors and most of the changes.  They are still working on some things, but nothing that big that takes away from the enjoyment of ship.  Still jet lagged so I have not seen all of the ship.

 

Later on today I will post pictures of cabin #6145.

 

If you have questions about the Millennium or about this itinerary ask away and I will try to answer them.

 

Lourdes

Lourdes,

Hope you are enjoying your cruise.

Could you please tell me where you purchased your airline tickets? Did you use choice air from Celebrity? We are in the process of looking for flights. We are traveling with family members and would like to be able to pick our seats at time of booking so we can sit together. Were you able to pick your seats in advance for your flights? Any information you could provide would be very much appreciated.

[Jim_Iain]

11 minutes ago, SF said:

Lourdes,

Hope you are enjoying your cruise.

Could you please tell me where you purchased your airline tickets? Did you use choice air from Celebrity? We are in the process of looking for flights. We are traveling with family members and would like to be able to pick our seats at time of booking so we can sit together. Were you able to pick your seats in advance for your flights? Any information you could provide would be very much appreciated.

From experience, when you book on Celebrity Air (Choice Air) you do not have the ability to select seats at time of booking.    Once booked all you have to do is go to the airline site and you can select the seats you wish using the airline confirmation code.   One warning, check the booking code or call and ask if the airline charges for advanced seat selection. Many airlines charge all type of fees for the lowest economy fares (luggage, seat selection etc).  

[SF]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

From experience, when you book on Celebrity Air (Choice Air) you do not have the ability to select seats at time of booking.    Once booked all you have to do is go to the airline site and you can select the seats you wish using the airline confirmation code.   One warning, check the booking code or call and ask if the airline charges for advanced seat selection. Many airlines charge all type of fees for the lowest economy fares (luggage, seat selection etc).  

 

Yes, I know from past experience when using Celebrity's Choice Air (like you said too) that you can usually call the airline after purchasing your ticket and pick your seats. Unfortunately that's only on certain airlines when you buy from a third-party which Choice Air is. On one of our past flights we were not allowed to select airline seats even for purchase (Singapore Airlines). They told us since it was purchased through a third party (Choice Air) and because Singapore Airlines was not the original first flight but a connection flight we could not choose any seats even for purchase. So we were wondering how you find out prior to purchasing and paying for your tickets if you'll be allowed to choose seats. Would Celebrity's Choice Air tell you what booking code your flights are prior to purchase so you can call the airlines and check if seat assignment is allowed?

[Jim_Iain]

48 minutes ago, SF said:

 

Yes, I know from past experience when using Celebrity's Choice Air (like you said too) that you can usually call the airline after purchasing your ticket and pick your seats. Unfortunately that's only on certain airlines when you buy from a third-party which Choice Air is. On one of our past flights we were not allowed to select airline seats even for purchase (Singapore Airlines). They told us since it was purchased through a third party (Choice Air) and because Singapore Airlines was not the original first flight but a connection flight we could not choose any seats even for purchase. So we were wondering how you find out prior to purchasing and paying for your tickets if you'll be allowed to choose seats. Would Celebrity's Choice Air tell you what booking code your flights are prior to purchase so you can call the airlines and check if seat assignment is allowed?

 

Worth a shot, especially if the rate is substantially below what you could buy direct from the airline.

 

I found this also once with Lufthansa even flying Business.   I'm a 2 Million Mile flyer on United a Star Alliance partner.    I called Lufthansa and indicated my status and they gave us seating immediately.  If you have status with Star Alliance you could try letting Singapore know and see if that helps.

[sippican]

15 hours ago, SF said:

Lourdes,

Hope you are enjoying your cruise.

Could you please tell me where you purchased your airline tickets? Did you use choice air from Celebrity? We are in the process of looking for flights. We are traveling with family members and would like to be able to pick our seats at time of booking so we can sit together. Were you able to pick your seats in advance for your flights? Any information you could provide would be very much appreciated.

 

FWIW, we booked our flights through Celebrity for our upcoming cruise (MCO to Shanghai, Tokyo to MCO). The savings were significant over what I was able to find on other sites. We were able to choose our seats following booking by going to the airline's site after confirmation. As mentioned - the ability to do so may or may not be free, according to booking code and airline policy. We have used Celebrity Air on a number of occasions and have been very happy with the service. A tip is to know exactly which flight and itinerary you want to book prior to calling. Most times they will be able to accommodate you, or find something similar. You can also go on the airline's website to see which seats are available for booking so you are prepared. This website is a good resource to get you started on finding flights (there is no booking available via the site).https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Edited March 9, 2019 by sippican

[sippican]

Thank you for the great review!

 

When you have time, would you provide some packing tips? What do you wish you had brought; what has been very useful; what should you have left at home?

Any issues with air pollution?

Clothing suggestions. (The weather looks fairly cool for our itinerary - so we are planning on layers for sure.)

Edited March 10, 2019 by sippican

[lakegirl16]

On 3/3/2019 at 7:43 PM, lourdest said:

Our first sea day, finally feeling like my normal self.  Jet lag is over, yay!!  Unfortunately, we did not get off the boat in Singapore, my husband had a really bad asthma attack.  My sister and my mother did and love it.  Here was our view of Singapore from our balcony during the day and night.  Just a gorgeous port.

 

 

 

Here are some pictures our cabin 6145.  Like I mentioned before there are really great things about this room and some ok things.  Love the bathroom, only issue is that there are no hooks anywhere and the lighting is poor over the sinks.  Also love the size of the balcony, even though I wished that it had a cover.  The balcony comes with a very comfortable couch and a table with two chairs (just ok).  We asked for a chaise lounger and now we are super happy sitting in the balcony early in the morning and at night. Love that the bed faces the ocean.  Something special about laying in bed and seeing the sea. 

 

I believe that the hanging space in the closets are small especially for a 14 day.  I wish that there was more drawer space, most of the cabinets are open shelves.  There is no table in front of the couch only a very small side table.  Nice size room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lourdes

We have 6145 next week from Vancouver to Anchorage.  Thank you for sharing the photos.  I have a few questions, if you wouldn't mind answering. 

Do you have a photo that shows the view outside from the door?  I thought I read it wasn't a slider?

Did you get a lounger for the balcony?

Did you use the shampoo and conditioner?  Was it same type as before upgrade?

Were there two umbrellas in the closet?  Your photo looks like it.  Being Alaska I was bringing them but may not need to.

 

Thank you so much.

[lourdest]

14 hours ago, lakegirl16 said:

We have 6145 next week from Vancouver to Anchorage.  Thank you for sharing the photos.  I have a few questions, if you wouldn't mind answering. 

Do you have a photo that shows the view outside from the door?  I thought I read it wasn't a slider?

Did you get a lounger for the balcony?

Did you use the shampoo and conditioner?  Was it same type as before upgrade?

Were there two umbrellas in the closet?  Your photo looks like it.  Being Alaska I was bringing them but may not need to.

 

Thank you so much.

Hi Lakegirl,

 

Below are pictures of the balcony and room.  As you can see this room does not have a slider but a door.  It has it pros and cons.  I loved the size of the bathroom and balcony, so I guess that door wins over the slider since its only available in two rooms.  We asked for a lounger and it was delivered right away. 

 

We had the new Bigelow shampoo and conditioner,  I liked the product.

 

There were two umbrellas in the closet, we used them.

 

We did the Alaska (Anchorage to Vancouver) 8 years ago.  You are in for a treat, one of my favorite cruise.  

 

Lourdes

 

  

 

 

[sippican]

17 hours ago, lakegirl16 said:

We have 6145 next week from Vancouver to Anchorage.  Thank you for sharing the photos.  I have a few questions, if you wouldn't mind answering. 

Do you have a photo that shows the view outside from the door?  I thought I read it wasn't a slider?

Did you get a lounger for the balcony?

Did you use the shampoo and conditioner?  Was it same type as before upgrade?

Were there two umbrellas in the closet?  Your photo looks like it.  Being Alaska I was bringing them but may not need to.

 

Thank you so much.

 

If you don't mind, I'll butt in here too. We were in 6145 from March 30 - April 13. We loved the room in general but there were a few things that could have been better. 

We can only compare it to other S1s we've been in. We did not like the door, it's small size definitely cut down on the view and light. The balcony was very spacious, but with absolutely no coverage whatsoever.  We requested a lounger from Ronald, our butler, and Christian, our cabin attendant, and were refused. The outdoor "loveseat"  got very wet and damp and took awhile to dry out each day. On day three of our cruise they finally installed a light over the bathroom mirror - which was virtually unuseable without it.  The bathroom door slammed back in forth with the ship's motion and we used the slippers to wedge it open The shower leaked under the glass door - just an aggravation. There is no plug in the bathtub to stop the water from draining out. The bedside lamp has no usb ports and the table is so small, we kept the phone stored underneath. I don't know if the shamppo brand is the same - I did not like it and wished I had brought my own. The lack of a table in the cabin for room service is crazy! They will bring in the table from the veranda if needed.

 

To end on a positive note - none of the things I've mentioned in any way detracted from our vacation. We usually roll with the flow. The room was very spacious (other sky suites we saw were much smaller) and I found we had ample storage. We consider oursleves lucky to sail in suite class and do so whenever the prices allow us.  We love direct aft cabins and really missed that on this voyage. I'm sure you will have a fantastic time in Alaska. (Snag a couple of the fleece blankets from the pool deck to keep in your cabin.Then you can enjoy the veranda whenever the whim strikes you.)

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by sippican

[ggo85]

We are doing this trip in December.  Can you tell us a bit about the ports.  Specifically, did you stay on the ship in Bangkok or opt for an overnight at a hotel?  Ditto with Hanoi?  Did you take any ship's tours?  Any info you can provide on ports would be much appreciated.  If you've posted it elsewhere, just direct me to it.  Thanks!

[lakegirl16]

12 hours ago, lourdest said:

Hi Lakegirl,

 

Below are pictures of the balcony and room.  As you can see this room does not have a slider but a door.  It has it pros and cons.  I loved the size of the bathroom and balcony, so I guess that door wins over the slider since its only available in two rooms.  We asked for a lounger and it was delivered right away. 

 

We had the new Bigelow shampoo and conditioner,  I liked the product.

 

There were two umbrellas in the closet, we used them.

 

We did the Alaska (Anchorage to Vancouver) 8 years ago.  You are in for a treat, one of my favorite cruise.  

 

Lourdes

 

  

 

 

Thank you very much!  Appreciate the photos and the input!!!

[lakegirl16]

10 hours ago, sippican said:

 

If you don't mind, I'll butt in here too. We were in 6145 from March 30 - April 13. We loved the room in general but there were a few things that could have been better. 

We can only compare it to other S1s we've been in. We did not like the door, it's small size definitely cut down on the view and light. The balcony was very spacious, but with absolutely no coverage whatsoever.  We requested a lounger from Ronald, our butler, and Christian, our cabin attendant, and were refused. The outdoor "loveseat"  got very wet and damp and took awhile to dry out each day. On day three of our cruise they finally installed a light over the bathroom mirror - which was virtually unuseable without it.  The bathroom door slammed back in forth with the ship's motion and we used the slippers to wedge it open The shower leaked under the glass door - just an aggravation. There is no plug in the bathtub to stop the water from draining out. The bedside lamp has no usb ports and the table is so small, we kept the phone stored underneath. I don't know if the shamppo brand is the same - I did not like it and wished I had brought my own. The lack of a table in the cabin for room service is crazy! They will bring in the table from the veranda if needed.

 

To end on a positive note - none of the things I've mentioned in any way detracted from our vacation. We usually roll with the flow. The room was very spacious (other sky suites we saw were much smaller) and I found we had ample storage. We consider oursleves lucky to sail in suite class and do so whenever the prices allow us.  We love direct aft cabins and really missed that on this voyage. I'm sure you will have a fantastic time in Alaska. (Snag a couple of the fleece blankets from the pool deck to keep in your cabin.Then you can enjoy the veranda whenever the whim strikes you.)

 

Of course, appreciate the input!!

 

Interesting that you didn't get a lounger but others have. 

 

Did you report the issues with the shower and the tub?  Just curious what the response was if you did?

 

Appreciate the tip about the blankets --- Great idea. 

[lourdest]

I agree with most of what @sippican said.  I definitely agree that the room with a slider would look much better.  My mother stayed in another sky suite and compare to room 6145 I would pick our room for the bathroom and the size of the balcony. The balcony in the other sky suites are very narrow.

 

Since this cruise was so port intensive we used the balcony mostly in the morning and late in the evening.  My understanding is that this balcony never had shade, but I would say that it would be needed if you are sailing the caribbean or the Mediterranean.   Personally what I found the worst was the two wooden chairs that are now on the balcony.  Just horrible.  I sat mostly on the lounger and my husband on the sofa.  Sorry to hear that they would not accommodate your request for a lounger, for us it made a huge difference in the usage of the balcony. 

 

Concerning the shower leaking at the bottom, that is also true.  We usually cruise on the S type ships in Aqua class and our shower has always leaked.  We always have to put a towel on the floor, I don't even notice anymore.  I thought all showers on Celebrity leaked. 

 

I thought that having no cocktail table in the room was a huge mistake in the resigned and from what I have read that issue might be fixed in the future.  Since we were on the second cruise after the revolution my husband and I thought that the lamps were just temporary since they looked cheap and were not practical.  I guess they are there to stay.

 

I prefer the 'S' type ships but would not hesitate to cruise on the Millennium if the itinerary is what we are looking for.  

[lourdest]

17 hours ago, ggo85 said:

We are doing this trip in December.  Can you tell us a bit about the ports.  Specifically, did you stay on the ship in Bangkok or opt for an overnight at a hotel?  Ditto with Hanoi?  Did you take any ship's tours?  Any info you can provide on ports would be much appreciated.  If you've posted it elsewhere, just direct me to it.  Thanks!

We loved this itinerary, I thought that it gave us the opportunity to see the most in the area within a limited time. 

 

Our favorite ports were Bangkok and Halong Bay.  I would definitely recommend staying overnight in Bangkok.  We used a private tour guide for two days and made hotel arrangements on our own, it was much cheaper and better than what the ship had to offer.  We used Mr. Chob - Thaitourguide, they were excellent and I was fortunate to find a fabulous rate at the Peninsula Bangkok Hotel.  Both the tours and the hotel were amazing.  When we talked to people who did not stay overnight in Bangkok they regretted it.  All of them said that they spent too much time in traveling back and forth and it made it for very long days and they really did not enjoy what Bangkok and the surrounding area had to offer.

 

We decided not to go into Hanoi (almost 4 hours each way) since we had done a full day in Saigon and wanted to see Halong Bay.  For us that was a great decision.  For Halong Bay we also had a private tour guide for both days.  On the first day we went to the mountains  and on the second day we spend the day exploring Halong Bay.  All I can say is WOW.  Halong Bay is nothing like I have ever seen and it was magical.  I heard from people who did Hanoi they also recommend staying over night because the of the travel time.  For Vietnam we used the same tour company for the 3 stops, Travel Authentic Asia. All the tours in Vietnam were done as a group that were arranged in our 'Roll Call' board for that particular cruise.  We did a full day in Saigon and really enjoy it.  We did a full day at Hue and we had a good day, but it was our least favorite port.  If I ever go back I would look into going Hoi An. 

 

The only ship tour that we did was in Hong Kong and that was the night tour that took you to see the light show and Victoria Park.  We did Singapore on our own and most of Hong Kong.

 

This is a great trip, I would love to do it again with a stay over before and after the cruise.  My husband and I are still working so we could not take the time to do a pre and post cruise stay, which I would recommend.  

 

Let me know if you need any additional information about the tours.

 

Lourdes