Thoughts on Celebrity Millennium for a Japan cruise?

[DaKahuna]

8 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

I am posting from the Millennium.

 

How are things onboard?  We are 32 days away from our sailing.  Can't wait to visit all the new places we have not been before.  

 

 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

How are things onboard?  We are 32 days away from our sailing.  Can't wait to visit all the new places we have not been before.  

 

 

Will you do a short review?  We are interested in going during May also...  Perhaps in 2026 ...

[DaKahuna]

21 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Will you do a short review?  We are interested in going during May also...  Perhaps in 2026 ...

 

Yes, I am planning to do a live review . We depart 4/28 (arrive 4/29) and are staying in Yokohama until we sail on 5/2, returning on 5/15 and staying in Yokohama until 5/18 when we fly home. 

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 10/17/2023 at 3:00 AM, villauk said:

I’ve been waiting for the reviews as the first Japan cruise of the season has just finished. We are sailing on the one following yours, OP. 

As are we...interested in all details!

[Roxie888]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Yes, I am planning to do a live review . We depart 4/28 (arrive 4/29) and are staying in Yokohama until we sail on 5/2, returning on 5/15 and staying in Yokohama until 5/18 when we fly home. 

 

We board it after you 

[MandL]

We are on the Millennium now.  If you have the option choose a Starboard cabin.  So far, Starboard has had the best views when docked. 
 

Taxis are plentiful from Haneda, hotels, snd even if you get into a jam and need one around town in Tokyo.  They were way less expensive than pre-booking online in advance through travel sites.

 

Our T Mobile works great here.  We have the Go55 plan because we travel so much.  Don’t need to add on anything. As soon as we’re in port, we turn off WiFi and turn our service back on with Data roaming.  

[DaKahuna]

25 minutes ago, MandL said:

We are on the Millennium now.  If you have the option choose a Starboard cabin.  So far, Starboard has had the best views when docked. 

 

 Good to know.  We are in a starboard side cabin at the aft end of the ship.  
 

[cruiseerf]

Did a B2B2B on Millennium in Japan last October and it was a great trip.  For us this was a doer, not a Caribbean sit on our butt type cruise.  We had tours almost everyday and meals booked and every hour was accounted for, it was amazing, what a culture!  Also, The Millennium is older, Built Lower and has less impact from winds of the ultra tall ships.....she was able to get into ports that some of the big high Princess ships could not.....She rides the oceans well.   Also something to keep in mind!  You are going to LOVE it!  Enjoy! 

[Veinless]

Any thoughts on sunset veranda vs regular for Japan?

[jabrown40]

We also have a starboard toward the aft.  I looked at the sunset veranda, but I don't think we'd appreciate it much this trip.  I'd rather be able to take in the view of more than the wake.  I love it for a Caribbean cruise though.

[MandL]

While we do enjoy a Sunset veranda for cruises in such places as New Zealand, and Caribbean, our opinion so far with the port stops for Shimizu, Osaka overnight and Kochi are definitely Starboard.  Osaka we docked right beside the Tempozan Ferris Wheel.  It was beautiful at night all lit up. 
 

Another thing we forgot to mention, was the ship excursions. We are over here for a month, so while on the ship we opted to do ship excursions out of ease.  So far they have been great!  They are not the typical cattle car we have experienced in the past. The tour guides have been super.  The only negative is the efficiency on and off the ship.  I think that is due to ship size and space on deck two where we’ve been disembarking.  It’s a tight space.

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, MandL said:

The only negative is the efficiency on and off the ship.  I think that is due to ship size and space on deck two where we’ve been disembarking.  It’s a tight space.

 

Sounds like we may be imposing on the Retreat Concierge to help with that process. 

 

 

[Northern Aurora]

12 hours ago, Veinless said:

Any thoughts on sunset veranda vs regular for Japan?

I are presently posting from the Millennium on the first leg of a B2B.  We were B2B on the Millennium in 2018, and were in an aft stateroom for that pair.  Since boarding on March 28th we have docked on the starboard side of the ship.  But in 2018 we docked several times on the port side.  Folks do not consistently see land on these itineraries.  And in 2018 we had some lovely views from our aft stateroom, including a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji while leaving Yokohama.  I would have no issues booking an an aft stateroom.

[Northern Aurora]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Sounds like we may be imposing on the Retreat Concierge to help with that process. 

 

 

We are having an issue with tidal conditions.  So the ship is using a single gangway off of deck 2 which is more parallel to the ship then generally used.  In 2018 we used a much wider gangway.

 

We are in a Suite.  The Retreat Concierges are not the ones mentioned on a prior post on this thread.  The Luminae maitre’d is one of my favorites.

 

This morning the naturalist Brent Nixon had a Beyond the Podium presentation on coral reefs.  His wife Mary Amanda did a presentation on Fukuoka, Japan and Jeju, South, Korea.

 

This is a 12 night cruise, but have three evening chic nights.

[MandL]

We receive these from our Retreat Concierges each day we are in port. The Osaka might be very helpful for those of you asking about getting around.

[DaKahuna]

8 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

We are in a Suite.  The Retreat Concierges are not the ones mentioned on a prior post on this thread.  The Luminae maitre’d is one of my favorites.

 

 

 Do you know if the current Concierges will still be onboard in May?

 

 Do they permit you to order off the Blu dinner menu in Luminae.  The Maitre'd on our last Millennium cruise said we could not but if we told him what we would like the day before he would see if the chef could prepare it for us.  Otherwise, we'll just go to Blu and eat on the nights we prefer the Blu menu. 

 

5 hours ago, MandL said:

We receive these from our Retreat Concierges each day we are in port. The Osaka might be very helpful for those of you asking about getting around.

 

Are these delivered to your room the night before or do you pick them up in the Retreat Lounge the day of? 

 

These are great for information.  Dotonburi is on my list of places to visit.  We have a ship's tour scheduled for Osaka Castle. 

 

We received our cruise documents email today and the email asking us for our room arrangements/preferences today.  Only 30 days to go. 

 

Edited April 2 by DaKahuna

[Roxie888]

16 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Do you know if the current Concierges will still be onboard in May?

 

 Do they permit you to order off the Blu dinner menu in Luminae.  The Maitre'd on our last Millennium cruise said we could not but if we told him what we would like the day before he would see if the chef could prepare it for us.  Otherwise, we'll just go to Blu and eat on the nights we prefer the Blu menu. 

 

 

Are these delivered to your room the night before or do you pick them up in the Retreat Lounge the day of? 

 

These are great for information.  Dotonburi is on my list of places to visit.  We have a ship's tour scheduled for Osaka Castle. 

 

We received our cruise documents email today and the email asking us for our room arrangements/preferences today.  Only 30 days to go. 

 

Can all Retreat passengers go into Blu?

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, Roxie888 said:

Can all Retreat passengers go into Blu?

 

All Suite passengers can dine in Blu on a space available basis. 

 

[MandL]

 

Are these delivered to your room the night before or do you pick them up in the Retreat Lounge the day of? 

 

These are great for information.  Dotonburi is on my list of places to visit.  We have a ship's tour scheduled for Osaka Castle. 

 

——————

 

They are delivered to your stateroom the night before.

[DaKahuna]

@MandL @Northern Aurora  Is there any concern about a tidal wave/Tsunami with the ship being in Okinawa right now ?  On a Japanese news channel there was mention of a 3-meter tidal wave/Tsumi warning for Okinawa. 

 

[zitsky]

I see maybe 3 different Japan cruises.  More southern or including northern Japan.  One going from Tokyo to Seoul.  Some to Busan or Jeju Island, Korea.  I’ve never been to Japan and I’d like to see northern but I’m flexible.  I’ve heard Jeju Island is beautiful and Busan maybe not so interesting.

 

Any suggestions or comments?

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

I see maybe 3 different Japan cruises.  More southern or including northern Japan.  One going from Tokyo to Seoul.  Some to Busan or Jeju Island, Korea.  I’ve never been to Japan and I’d like to see northern but I’m flexible.  I’ve heard Jeju Island is beautiful and Busan maybe not so interesting.

 

Any suggestions or comments?

We had the same quandary. So we booked a B2B, covering a couple of ports twice but the combo gives a wonderful coverage for us. 2025 April and May. 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

I see maybe 3 different Japan cruises.  More southern or including northern Japan.  One going from Tokyo to Seoul.  Some to Busan or Jeju Island, Korea.  I’ve never been to Japan and I’d like to see northern but I’m flexible.  I’ve heard Jeju Island is beautiful and Busan maybe not so interesting.

 

Any suggestions or comments?

 

If it helps, here are some of the Busan shore excursions offered for our cruise.

 

[MandL]

We were out on an excursion when our phones started going off with the warnings.  
 

Then got a text from Celebrity to refer to their email.  This is the email: 
 

Dear Guest,

The tsunami warning has been lifted and local authorities have advised that the port of Okinawa is now open. As we make our way back, below is important information.

The aftershocks of the earthquake were not strong enough to cause tsunami waves. As a result, Celebrity Millennium will arrive to its original terminal by 1:30 PM, and we will extend our stay until 10:00 PM.

Guests who are ashore may return to the ship at their leisure. If you are on a Celebrity Cruises shore excursion, you may continue enjoying it or return to the ship. Please let your guide know how you would like to proceed.

Guests onboard may begin debarking the ship shortly after 1:30 PM to explore everything Okinawa has to offer.

In an abundance of caution, guests booked on independent tours, please refrain from any tours with ocean activities, like snorkeling, swimming, or sailing.

Your safety is our priority. Thank you so much for your attention and cooperation during this time.

Sincerely,

Celebrity Cruises

[MandL]

10 minutes ago, MandL said:

We were out on an excursion when our phones started going off with the warnings.  
 

Then got a text from Celebrity to refer to their email.  This is the email: 
 

Dear Guest,

The tsunami warning has been lifted and local authorities have advised that the port of Okinawa is now open. As we make our way back, below is important information.

The aftershocks of the earthquake were not strong enough to cause tsunami waves. As a result, Celebrity Millennium will arrive to its original terminal by 1:30 PM, and we will extend our stay until 10:00 PM.

Guests who are ashore may return to the ship at their leisure. If you are on a Celebrity Cruises shore excursion, you may continue enjoying it or return to the ship. Please let your guide know how you would like to proceed.

Guests onboard may begin debarking the ship shortly after 1:30 PM to explore everything Okinawa has to offer.

In an abundance of caution, guests booked on independent tours, please refrain from any tours with ocean activities, like snorkeling, swimming, or sailing.

Your safety is our priority. Thank you so much for your attention and cooperation during this time.

Sincerely,

Celebrity Cruises

We are now headed back to the ship from the excursion.  We did get phone notification that the warning is over.  I have an earthquake app on my phone because we lived in California. So I get updates on all of what’s going on.

Edited April 3 by MandL