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We chose this cruise for the series of Asians ports which were new to us. The ports were great. We didn't speak the languages so did shore tours which were uniformly good, in fact the lunches were better than anything on the ship. The tours were expensive, but good quality.

The ship was mediocre, and lots of passengers seemed to come from countries with large populations, whose way of life involves shoving and pushing to get anywhere. We didn't like that.

I didn't like Celebrity failing to honour their offer of onboard credit. I thought this was dishonest. Only when you get onboard can you check your onboard credit.

I didn't like the difficulty getting a fixed first seating dinner reservation, but I did succeed and ate in the restaurant once. The next day they had given my table away because I was alleged to be late. Now I carefully checked the newsletter for the time and I was definitely not late. But my table was gone. So we ate all the other meals in the buffet, with mounting dissatisfaction.

I didn't like my wife's medication, which needed refrigeration, being thrown out of the minibar on the second last day so the cabin attendant could do inventory.

So the list of dissatisfying features goes on, and on.

On the plus side, the cruise director can sing, really good, and better than the ship's professional singers

Specialty acts were above average

I liked the violin duo

The expert on Asian history was also good

Embarkation was disrupted by the late arrival of the ship. Communication with the passengers would have made this easier

Disappointing

Berlin

SHIP : We choose this cruise because of the ports of call. However, I found the ship a bit old and "tired" and generally everything on the cruise was a bit "tired & old".

CABIN : We found the cabin adequate but somewhat small.

DINING & CREW : However, the dining room crew should be commended with top ratings - especially JJ in QSine. In addition, the staff and ambiance at the Japanese restaurant was very good.

CAPTAIN & NAVIGATION : To be commended or giving us a comfortable sailing through rough seas.

DISEMBARKATION : The handling, or mishandling of the unfortunate disembarkation process at Shanghai was frustrating and not efficient with many people turned back by Immigration because they had missed their fights home. Those with flights should have been allowed to disembark first. As it was, we narrowly caught our flight which we had rebooked for 6 hours later. Many others were not so fortunate,

WOULD I SAIL WITH CELEBRITY AGAIN? : The market is very competitive!

A tired ship

CHINA & THE FAR EAST

This was our third cruise on Celebrity....second on Millennium.  We didn't like the Millennium last time but since it had been refurbished and we had a group of friends going on the cruise we thought we'd give it a try once again.  We booked a Celebrity Suite and had done research to make sure it wasn't a "noisy cabin".   We were able to dine in Luminae because we had a suite and the food and service were quite good.  We ate breakfast in Luminae and the menu was the same every day.  We also tried the sushi restaurant, Qsine and Tuscan Grill.  Sushi was fine and reasonably priced....the others were pretty overpriced at $45 per person.  When we were previously on the Millenium, I realy enjoyed the food at the Aqua Spa for breakfast and lunch.  This time it was disappointing.  The smoothie bar was out of most of the smoothie ingredients so the server had to put whatever she could drum up in the smoothie.....it was pretty awful.  The other food was just very ordinary with various meats and seafoods in a mayonnaise sauce and cut up cantaloupe and pineapple.  Evidently there was a shortage of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries becasue the only place we could get them was at Luminae.  The funniest item was the cheesecake with blackberries.  It came out with two blueberries one of which was sliced into three miniscule slices.  The buffet was a huge disappointment as the food was very ordinary and the layout was not very user friendly.  The few times we went, we had trouble getting a server for drinks.  The suite room service menu was very limitied and there were no specials for suites.  We  enjoyed being able to hang out and get drinks at Michaels which was usually pretty quiet.  The gym was large, clean and had plenty of machines and space.  I went to the spa several times and had good facials, massages and a great haircut.  We only went to one show and it wasn't our cup of tea so we didn't go to any other shows.  The movies and channel selections on the room tv and the treadmill tvs were very limited.  

The biggest issue we had was the noise that came from above our suite.  Evidently, it was some type of prep area for the grill and the noise which alternated between sounding like elephants tap dancing, huge furniture being moved and carts rolling across the floor occured throughout the night and day.  It was loud enough to wake us up in the middle of the night and just annoying during the day.  After my first complaint, the suite manager came and said he would take care of it.  The butler (who was really great) said he had never had a problem with this type of noise before.  The noise continued so I contacted guest relations once again as there had been no follow up to see if the problem had been resolved.  To make a long story short, we continued to complain, there was little response and I finally wrote a letter to the suite manager and copied the captain.  The next day, the suite manager contacted us and said that the problem was being caused by an employee and he had been disciplined.  This  didn't make much sense to me as the noise occured night and day....surely he didn't work 24/7.  We had booked a suite as we had expected to spend a fair amount of time in our suite....we were awakened throughout the night and disturbed throughout the day by the intermittent noise coming from above.    You would think they would ask us if everything was okay after we complained and they thought the problem was resolved  but that never happened.  We did receive a cruise credit for a future cruise but quite frankly, I would have rather had peaceful sleep and a quiet cabin.  We are frequent cruisers and have never had a problem with a noisy cabin in the past.

Last year we booked a suite on Princess and it was really special....they gave us free laundry, a special room service menu, canapes and tea service in our suite upon request, a specialy restaurant with specials for breakfast and lunch and lovely flowers.  Although the Celebrity Suite was really nice and very well laid out, it just wasn't a very special experience compared to suites on other cruise lines we have used.

One activity that we particularly enjoy on cruises is Trivia and we found the Trivia really lacking.  It was at awkward times and based on subjects so if they were doing a subject that you had no knowledge about, it wasn't much fun to play.  I heard others voice the same complaint.

Bottom line, this will be our last Celebrity cruse as it just isn't a good fit for us.  There were a lot of positive things about the staff, the captain, the itinerary and the suite but there are other cruise lines that suit us better.  We were disappointed.

Disappointed

A friend was looking for someone to accompany her and since I had never been to Japan, why not go?  We were in a Concierge suite so that was OK for several days.  My big complaint was the dinners.  The food was not even tasty much less delicious.  Had read a negative review before leaving but thought it can't be that bad, but it was.  Breakfast was fine, lunch OK but dinners were not.  It reached the point I would order dishes to see what came out and if it matched the menu description.  One dish mentioned "with morels"; they came out as ordinary white button mushrooms.  The shrimp gumbo soup was a thick brown broth with some cajun seasoning; no shrimp, no rice, tomatoes or onions, and 4 whole uncooked okra floating on top.  The next night I ordered lobster ravioli with shrimp and onion sauce.  I'll swear the sauce was the leftover shrimp gumbo soup.  It still wasn't delicious.  

We also had plumbing problems.  After 5 days afloat our toilet stopped working properly.  Had to call maintenance everyday and it usually worked 4 or 5 times then quit again.  Not a pleasant experience.  The positive - the crew was wonderful and very helpful.  They just need to hire new chefs who actually taste the recipes they recommend.

Recently returned from Millennium's cruise from Japan to Shanghai.   Really great time with excellent ship, really good food in dining room and buffet and possibly the best entertainment we have had on any previous cruise (we have done 30+).   Only two negatives:

A) the absence of ironing facilities for clothes coming out of suitcase.

B) the total absence of information/maps of next day's destination.

Thought I would include information on tours you could do yourself from the ship at a fraction of the cost of the ship's tours:

Yokohama - taxi to Sankeien Gardens (cost about 2000 yen/£14) and entrance cost 700 yen each. Extensive, beautiful gardens, with some hills (but you do not have to go up them) and quite a few old wooden buildings including a pagoda.   In one you can pay to watch/take part in a tea ceremony (cost 500 yen).  Half day trip for four people cost 9000 yen, about £63 in total.

Kobe - Mt Rokko tour from the ship was a bit of a letdown apart from the views over the city and the cable car ride.  Did not feel we had enough time to do the Sake museum justice - would rather have done it on our own, at our pace (entrance free).

           Next day we went to Himeji to see a superb Japanese castle.  Free shuttle bus to Kobe centre.   From Kobe railway station we took an express train to Himeji (970 yen each - 45 min. journey).   Leaving the station you see the castle at the end of a wide main street.   Wow!   We were there on a public holiday so extremely busy but still worth it (1040 yen for the castle and Samurai gardens - also lovely).   Took the Bullet train back (2700 yen so pretty expensive, but it is an experience not to be missed - 15 mins back to Kobe).   it brings you back to a different station so we taxied back to Ikuta Shrine - only a mile and a half and then walked back through the shopping area to the shuttle bus.  Total cost for 4 people was 18000 yen/£130)

Hiroshima - One mile walk to local streetcar station (all day ticket, including ferry to the island,. available from tourist desk in terminal - 840 yen/£6).   Take the tram to Miyajima (to the left as you approach the station.   At the end of the line you are only a few yards from the ferry to Miyajima Island, site of one of Japan's oldest shrines and the location of the iconic Torii gate that you see so many pictures of.   If you wish to take the cable car up Mount Mizen (we did) it is 1800 yen and a ten minute walk uphill (there is a little shuttle bus), but you get stunning views from the top.   Retrace your steps  down to the ferry and the tram.   You already have your ticket and you stay on the same tram to get to the Hiroshima peace park, getting off just a few yards from the dome which you have probably seen pictures of.    Spend time in the peace park/museum and take the same tram back to the station where you started and walk back to the ship.  Full day cost us 5300 yen/|£36 for 2.   Celebrity were charging $199pp.

Kagoshima - Easy walk from shuttle  bus to the ferry station to get over to Sakurajima island to get a close up of the most active volcano in Japan (5000 eruptions since 1955).   All day pass for city buses, ferry to the island and Sakurajime view bus (very busy and difficult to see much due to people but viewpoint stops for picture opportunities) cost 1000 yen/£7.   Free volcano museum not far from the ferry on the island.   DO NOT miss the long footspa filled with hot volcanic water - to refresh your feet.   Total cost for the day 2000 yen/£14 for 2.

Hope this information helps some people.   Nothing was complicated and the Japanese people were very helpful though not many spoke much English.

Self guided tours - Japan

Being out of vacation time nearly all older people from many countries on board. Only saw three kids. Hats off to the staff who have to deal with some irate and rude people at times. ( There was a backlog of ships waiting to get into our end of cruise port, Shanghai, as port had been closed due to bad weather. Consequently we were 9 hours late disembarking... some disembarked earlier and some later than us. As people missed their flights there were some cranky people!) 

Ship a bit shabby in some areas but lovely in others.

Entertainment was great.

Food in main restaurant usually very good although a couple of meals had to be sent back/ exchanged. Qsuine speciality restaurant quite unique, quirky and enjoyable. Main restaurant tables very close to other tables so can be quite noisy at times. Last cruise I went Aqua class so had Blu Restaurant. More enjoyable than huge restaurant. Buffet on 10 th floor very good with a great array of choices but on non shore days very crowded . 

Staff ( crew) ALWAYS helpful. Due to delay in disembarking we were given 1 hour’s free wifi and could also make free telephone call from Staff Relations area. But the queue to do this! Food and drink laid on during this delay plus a movie.

Good Way to Visit some Asian Countries

We visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and China, places I've always wanted to see. Although each visit was only a 'snapshot' of the country, visiting by cruise ship (same bed, company and comfort each night!) was ideal.

The sights of Hong Kong, the wonderful toilets, and escalators (up hills) in Nagasaki, the Buddhist temples and beauty of Korea, the 'foreignness' and fascination of China, and the kindness of strangers everywhere, were not to be missed. 

In Korea and China we used shore excursions (good), otherwise we went alone.

Embarkation was easy, disembarkation in Shanghai very slow. We enjoyed dinner at 8.30 each night with six Americans, a new experience which added to the pleasure of the superlative service and international atmosphere on this boat. The cabin was fine, other than a chipped wash basin. Overall the ships fixtures and fittings were in need of renovation, and the decor was brown and drab. However everything we needed was there. We enjoyed the thalassotherapy area, and the entertainment on board was good. The food was excellent, especially the quality (and quantity) of the meat. The only downside was the cost of drinks (and the 'drinks package') Celebrity are much stricter than P&O concerning alcohol brought on board, which was a bit of a shock!

Overall a very enjoyable holiday, and we would cruise with Celebrity again.

Amazing Far East

We signed up for this cruise 2 years ago. We have almost every detail planned. Plane mechanical problems caused us to miss one day and one tour in Hong Kong. Regretfully, all prepaid, non-refundable. It was sign of more trouble to come.

The Millennium is a wonderful ship.  She is in great shape for her age and is well maintained. Our cabin 1136 was in great shape with no problems. I cannot think of one thing in 14 days that stood out as normal wear and tear.

I had an Aquaclass cabin and could have eaten in Blue most dinners, but the staff was slow, almost invisible when you needed someone and never a smile. We went to the main dining room, the waiters were there, happy, and had a wonderful attitude. A world of difference.  Except for Blue, the waiters throughout the ship were exceptional. We had a drink package and we tested that. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the variety and have something different most nights along with meeting new people every night.

Entertainment was nice. The on board lectures were interesting. I wish they had more on the culture of the people in each port. We did not gamble, but my wife did purchase quite a bit of make-up with our onboard credit, so shopping was great for her.

The fitness was nice and I enjoyed exercising with a view. The equipment was in great shape. The persian gardens was relaxing and the steam cleared the lungs just fine. I enjoyed relaxing there and meeting new people.

Luna, our cabin Steward was wonderful. She did a great job and wonderful personality.

No for the bad. We decided to take a taxi back to ship while we were in Incheon. We found that Celebrity had given us the wrong port address,  We thought we had hours to spare, but it took us over 2 hours in a taxi going gate to gate before we were lucky to have someone call the correct terminal and get us in contact with the ship. We barely made it onboard. We almost missed the ship. It was one heck of a taxi bill.

The next day I went to Guest Relations and explained what happened. I also explained we met several others that were lost because of the bad address, including one person who had his taxi cut off the last shuttle bus because he had spent hours looking for the ship. The Women at the counter told me, "the port agent gave us the wrong address, it was not our fault. Is that all there is, NEXT"

It is up to Celebrity to give us the correct information. People do make mistakes and this worked out in the end, but the attitude that it was "Not Our fault, we don't care" was a bit much. It was my 3rd cruise with Celebrity. I did not book another one while on board like I did last time.

Great Itinerary. One big hiccup

I am at the top tier with Princess so this cruise was purely based on the itinerary. I found myself comparing everything with my experience on Princess ships..

However, Nagasaki, Jeju Island , Busan were places that , if not visited,  wouldn't be such a big deal. Beijing, Taipei, Seoul were great as was the end port Shanghai.

Would have liked an overnight in Seoul instead of Busan or Jeju Island. lots to see and do in Seoul as a day trip was too rushed as the port is a few hrs drive.

Service , cabins, staff were great - but then I have never had an issue previously either. 

Was a bit worried about the ship as a few negative reviews. However, I had no complaints at all. Looked and felt warm and inviting  .A smaller, older ship so the dining room, atrium spaces were not as grand as in the newer ships.

Dining was a disappointment ... On Princess and Holland America I find the variety of food and vegetarian options to be much more. I had a number of vegetarians in my group and they were struggling to get variety in the main dining room.

Entertainment was so so - nothing to write home about. Music round the ship was also okay at best.

Ports;

Spent a day in Hong Kong prior to sailing . usual things to see - Victoria peak , Star Ferry across the harbor and shopping of course.

Taipei - organised a private mini van and guide (14 of us travelling together). Edison tours and they were great and very competitive pricing (had explored options prior to booking with emails to a number of operators). Took us around to the National Museum, Martyr's shrine, Longshan temple, Chiang Kai-Shek memorial ..

Nagasaki - daily tram ticket for US$5.. wandered around ourselves as tram stop just outside the port building. Visited the Atomic Bomb site, memorial and Peace Park. On departure a local school put on a great show of dance and music dockside. Nice.

Busan - Ship organised free shuttles to the city. Took a (HOHO) hoponhopoff bus ticket and went around town. Nothing of major interest in town..

Jeju Island - another free shuttle. However dropped us in the middle of nowhere. HOHO bus was a single decker and lots of cruisers so gave up and hired a couple of taxis (hard going due to big time language issues) . Went along the coat and had a nice lunch and back.. IMO not wort ha stop

Seoul - organised a tour through Novaland Tours. Visited the Palace, Folk museum, War memorial , Buckchon village.. rushed trip as distant from port

Beijing - organised a private bus to drop us to the nearest train station - Yujiapu (even the ship destination expert did not know this new station of Tianjin) . Bullet train to Beijing. need local currency as no cards or $$ accepted. Organised tours through Beijingservice.com - one day around the city - Forbidden city, Summer Palace, Tienanmen Sq. next day the Great wall at Badling with drop off at the cruise ship.All good..recommend taking sections where there is a cable car to the top .. 

Shanghai - lovely city. more european than asian.spent a day before heading home. Easy to do yourself as a great HOHO bus service covering 3 different circuits.

Embarkation & Disembarkation - ship services were fine. China authorities were pretty strict (not unlike the US Homeland guys to foreigners). We got into a lot of hassle as had single entry visas and somehow these were not good enough.. recommend getting multiple entry visas.. Would have liked to have had ships agent /staff around to help - nowhere to be seen .guess they were busy with guests coming on board !!

First cruise with Celebrity - noting of note unfortunately

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