Stayed 4 days in Asakusa before cruise. Took Keisei bus from Narita airport to Tokyo Train Station, cost 1000 yen/$9 USD each, than took taxi to Asakusa View Hotel for 2600 yen/$24 USD. Day before cruise we received email from Celebrity stating boarding would start early at 10 am so our ship could leave port early at 3 pm, due to the evening arrival of typhoon Trami. Next morning we took a taxi (cost 16700 yen/$150 USD) and arrived to Yokohama Osanbashi cruise terminal at 9:30 am and was told we could not board the Millennium due to port closure. All passengers already on board from prior cruise had to debark and the Millennium would have to leave port for the night with no passengers. We had a choice of making our own hotel reservation or letting Celebrity make them. Not wanting to deal with the crowds we got on-line and reserved a room at nearby Yokohama Royal Park Hotel and was allowed to check-in at 12 pm with no early check-in charge. Next morning we could see the Millennium was already in port and at 9 am we received the following email: Dear Guest, We would like to provide you with an additional update regarding your upcoming voyage aboard Celebrity Millennium® departing from Tokyo, Japan. We are happy to report the Port of Yokohama is now open and the Millennium is returning to the pier. We will begin check-in and embarkation procedures at 12:00 Noon until 3:00 PM. It is important that all guests are onboard by 3:00 PM as the ship is currently scheduled to depart at 4:00 PM in accordance with the tides. Return transportation to the pier has been arranged at most local hotels. Please see a Celebrity Cruises representative in your hotel’s lobby or the hotel’s front desk staff for direction on shuttle buses to the pier. If you are not staying in a local hotel or are unable to take one of the arranged transfer buses please arrange for a taxi and your taxi fare will be reimbursed in the form of an onboard credit once you have embarked the Millennium. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on the weather conditions. If we need to make any additional modifications to your itinerary, we will let you know as soon as we can. Your safety and the safety of our crew is our primary concern. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Captain Papadopoulos and our crew look forward to welcoming you onboard! Sincerely, Celebrity Cruises The front desk of our hotel told us the Celebrity shuttle bus would pick us up at 12 pm. Knowing the ship was in port, we figured we would be allowed to board earlier than 12 pm and not wanting to deal with the crowds we checked out of hotel and arrived to cruise terminal at 9:45 am and were allowed to board at 10 am. Celebrity later would reimburse us for hotel and taxi costs. We were also reimbursed for the first cruise day we missed and port fees of canceled ports. A few days later our itinerary was again revised due to another typhoon Kong-rey. Before going to Busan, South Korea, we had to go through Japan customs so our ship had to return to Kobe which was the only port with available pier and customs staff. We arrived to Kobe around 11:30 am and were later told all passengers had to leave ship for 4 pm customs check. After standing in line for an hour, customs started late at 4:15 pm. Shore excursions were okay however our tour at Nagasaki left 45 minutes late, it was our 2nd tour which left late more than 15 minutes. After Busan our ship arrived the next morning to alternate port Nagasaki at 8:30 am where we had to again go through Japan customs which took about 35 minutes. That morning we had a 4.5 hour tour scheduled to leave at 10:15 am. We arrived to ship theater early at 9 am and was given #17. Our friends which were on another tour scheduled for 10:30 am was given #10. I asked the coordinator if I had the correct number and was told I did. #10 was released from theater at 9:30 am and that bus left early at 10:20 am. #17 was not released until 10:15 am and as a result our bus did not leave until 11:00 am, 45 minutes late. Celebrity blamed everything on Japan customs however I believe it was the coordinators fault since we should have been released from the theater before #10. Dinner service was great but not so much the food. Main entrees offered usually were not so good so I would usually order the New York steak from the classic menu, thank goodness the classic items were offered. Desserts were also not very good so I usually had ice cream from the classic menu. Entertainment was not so good. I have never seen so many people leave shows early. We decided to skip hypnotist Mathew Hale and was glad we did as others told us the show was not too good. Comedian Michael Bennett was very bad, we left after 15 minutes. Comedian/juggler/magician Steve Carte was very good and was the only show we enjoyed. Blind singer Gary Walker was okay singing Stevie Wonder songs. Comedian/magicial Phil Cass was awful. Most people didn't bother to show up at the theater as it was less than 2/3 full. Many people walked out half way through though the performance. Ocean View cafe on pool deck had very good lunch and dinner buffets but not so good salad bar. Ice cream counter had good ice cream but not so good flavors. Gym was okay but weight lifting area was too small. Debarkation was not too good. Paid $76 each person for bus ride to Narita airport terminal 1. Bus left 35 minutes late. Bus coordinator held our bus for customers whom never showed up or were already on another bus. There were two later buses going to the same terminal which arrived to Narita before us. This was our first Celebrity cruise. Celebrity is supposedly the best premium cruise line however I did not find this cruise to be any better than the other 20 cruises I have been on and do not feel this cruise justified the higher price paid. . Read Less

We choose the cruise because we liked the itinerary. We knew the vessel was an older one, but once on board, all was big disappointment. The vessel is really old, carpet torn/ chairs and tables dirty, in one word scruffy. Staff was rude and not helpfull and food was cold, on the end we went to the ocean view restaurant to have fresh made pasta or stir fry. The so called Captain made joke out of everthing and did not lead by example. Only the staff of the cafe on the 5th floor needs compliment, great service and friendly staff. We cruised a lot and normally i don’t write reviews, but for this particular cruise we had to because as I mentioned it was the most horrible cruise ever, We are realy questioning which direction Celebrity is going, nice to give lot of sttention to the two new vessels but don’t forget the other vessels and more importantly your guests which are on board. Read Less

This was a wonderful cruise and the perfect way for a coeliac to travel safely around Japan. The cruise was interrupted by two typhoons and the departure was delayed by a day and some ports were cancelled and replaced with new ports visited. Celebrity refunded the first day of the cruise and alcohol package and paid for the extra nights accomadation in Yokohama due to the delay. The cruise began in Yokohama and it is a very pretty port and loads to do and see if arriving the day before the cruise. The Millennium was built in 2000 and compared to the Soltice you can see where celebrity has developed their fleet over the years. The reason for the 4 star is simply that the bar outside the Ocean View restaurant simply wasn’t big enough compared to the Soltice and the walking track on the 11 floor wasn’t as pleasant as the Soltice but these are minor issues. We had a wonderful time on the ship and enjoyed every minute. It was a very busy cruise with only three sea days and every other day we were in port. The highlights for me was Kobe with a day trip to Kyoto via bullet train then the golden pagoda. Nagasaki was a delightful small port and very easy to navigate as a solo visitor. Shimizu was also well worth the shore excursion, sadly didn’t see Mount Fuji due to cloud cover. Two stand out performances were the Japenese Drummers and Geisha performance. I was very appreciative that Celebrity offered these performances. Read Less

I had been to Vancouver last year to visit my son- what a great place to start a cruise! Diverse city with loads of things to do and places to see! Granville Island, Stanley Park, Gastown to name a few. We ( a friend from school and me, both in our 60’s) were here for a few days before the cruise started and would love to have spent a few more. The embarkation ran smoothly, quickly and easily. Couldn’t have been better. Everyone involved was helpful and pleasant. The Millenium -All public areas and cabin were kept spotlessly clean and tidy although the fittings and fixtures are a bit tired. Refit due next year I believe. We were in aqua class so we had a balcony which, although we didn’t use often, was a great bonus. We had a few issues with the cabin: the aircon didn’t work, the shower drain was blocked on arrival so it had a musty smell, the water didn’t drain well in the shower so the second person in had to paddle and my friend’s bed had a torn sheet. Those were the negatives. However, most were dealt with really quickly( aircon, sheet, blocked drain) and efficiently. The shower drain remained a problem. To “make up” for this we were given an option to dine in one of the speciality restaurants for a night. . Qsine= confused and confusing- strange mix. Blue= great food, service at times dreadful! 40 mins to get breakfast? Improved as time passed. Sommelier brilliant, maitre de tried his best. Main restaurant very good with lots of choice although was surprised it closed at 1. I do realise they needed to start prep for dinner and give the staff some time off but with all the activities it was difficult sometimes to fit food in! The terrace cafe’s range of food was amazing and tasty although seating on sea days will always be a problem. I was a bit worried about the 8 days at sea but I needn't have worried....so much to do, people to meet, food to eat, lectures, shows, shopping and so much more! Entertainment mixed bag- some superb, some dreadful. The show by the celebrity cast was brilliant. The artists who performed around the ship were also excellent. Activities- art class, unexpected and enjoyable although too big a class to learn a lot. Lectures by Celia Garland on wildlife were absolutely brilliant! Get her back! What a joy to listen to her! Quizzes were fun! There were plenty of other things to choose from eg bridge, salsa, basket ball, ping pong or keep fit, massage etc Got to put a bit in here re shops. Beautiful merchandise, great prices but....please, please be aware of the amounts of duty free you are allowed to take back to your country before you are tempted to buy expensive items on board. Service with a smile sums this area up! Attentive without being overbearing. The guys in the cocktail bar were incredible! Captain Alex was good fun and informative. The folk who manned cafe al baccio were also great. In fact all the staff worked so hard but managed to keep a smile on their face...even at 6 in the morning! Ports were great with lots to do and see. Alaska was amazing. Sapporo had a food festival going on(in honour of samna, a local fish) market food stalls in abundance..what a choice! We didn’t need lunch that day as the stall holders were desperate for us to try their wares and we obliged...it would have been rude not to.We missed Shimizu due to typhoon Trami but we had an extra night in Tokyo. Since we had a trip booked to see Mt Fuji we exchanged this and visited Kamakura instead which proved to be amazing...we would never have seen the giant Buddha otherwise. Most of the excursions we booked(whale watching in Alaska(not to be missed!) were very well planned and executed. The Otaru trip was a huge disappointment! Ok, it was raining but the “ nature walk” round a park was overpriced and quite frankly boring! The best bits were tasting a locally grown apple and losing someone who had nipped into a shop. Honestly the worst celebrity excursion I’ve been on! We would have been better exploring the local port town! It sounded far more exciting! We ended in Tokyo and were lucky enough to stay a couple of extra days. The transfer to our hotel was dreadful. It took over two hours(others in a taxi took 20 mins), because we had to stop at a number of hotels. We rode up the same street 3 times. However Tokyo is an amazing city...not enough time. The people are exceptionally polite, most speak some English( for those of us who don’t speak Japanese) and all are very helpful! The toilets? Well, you’ve heard the stories. In the hotel we were in the seats were warmed and there were various buttons to press for various “treats”. There was also what we referred to as a panic button.....just in case you got overwhelmed with the choice available. We did come across a couple of old style ones on our travels which proved a source of much hilarity. I’m going to miss that heated seat in our cold Scottish winter! Shopping opportunities abound and food available to suit all tastes and pockets. Would I do it all again? Absolutely!!! In a minute!!! Read Less

My neighbors invited us to travel with them. They have traveled with Celebrity before and apologized for the experience agreeing it was a terrible experience from the room steward to the dinner steward, the food and everything in between. The service on the ship was terrible; leave for breakfast and 2-3 hours later the stateroom wasn’t made, yet the steward was always smiling. The food was worse than the worse cafeteria food both on Deck 10 and in the dining room. The service in the dining room was S-L-O-W. At least 20 minutes between ordering the meal, receiving the starter, another 20 minutes to receive the main course and at least another 20 minutes after completing or asking them to take a dish away to receive the next item of disgust or the dessert menu then yet another 20 minutes to receive the dessert. Yet the steward and his helper always smiled. The food received at the table at dinner was cold and had to be returned many times. The spa only offered services of the sauna. My husband and myself were denied access to the steam room and other spa facilities other than those at cost such as massage services. When we asked the room steward for CLEAN robes in the stateroom because those in the stateroom had a horrific odor about them, the room steward hung smelly robes in the room. We had to ask for CLEAN ODOR FREE robes in the stateroom. We paid for transportation to the airport at the end of the cruise. We set on a bus at the cruise terminal for 3 hours waiting for the bus to leave the port. We were instructed to disembark and be on the bus for transport to the airport at 0630. We sat on that bus without food water and access to restroom facilities for 3 hours before the bus drove the 2-hour route to Narita Airport. There was constantly a crowd of people outside our stateroom during the cruise. I am a disabled senior citizen. I went to the Main Lobby to complain about the constant crowds outside my stateroom including the fact that other passengers do not have to deal with such crowds at all times of day and evening and I was rudely mistreated by the fellow working the Captains Club. The officers and the crew on the Milennium are very disrespectful. Not only will I NEVER go on another Celebrity Cruise, I do NOT recommend this cruise line at all. I will forever stick with the cruise lines I have sailed with in the past....the wonderfully appointed Holland America Cruise Line. Heck! I have even had better cruise experiences on Carnival Cruises. Read Less

We had long wanted to experience a longer time at sea on a repositioning cruise, and also to visit Japan, so this cruise killed two birds with one stone. I had read the CC reviews about the age of the Milennium, but some peeling paint etc just adds character to a ship and didn't concern us. However, we had two cabin issues that probably linked to the age of the ship and these were an unpleasant surprise. Firstly, our balcony cabin had an adjoining cabin door and the noise insulation was really terrible. You could hear the couple next door talking and I am sure they could hear us. Guest Services said there wasn't much they could do about this except get the cabin attendant to turn down the volume on the TV to minimum. (I had spent hours on the first night listening to what turned out to be the ping ping music of the Celebrity TV Channel that the attendant had turned on to welcome the other couple back to their room.) The second issue was the mattress which was ancient and caused me to have bad back ache. It took me a week to isolate this as the cause and Guest Services were really helpful. They arranged for the senior housekeeper to inspect and confirm the same day, and then they replaced with a brand new and mercifully comfortable mattress. Embarkation was smooth except we hadn't realised that we needed a USA visa as well as a Canadian visa- I knew that Sitka was in USA but, in my mind, we were travelling from Canada to Japan. There were a lot of other passengers in the queue for emergency USA visas and one Chinese couple were unable to get their visa for 3 days so they lost their cruise- terrible for them. We had travelled on several Solstice class ships and didn't feel that the Milennium design was massively different- the buffet was much better designed on the later ships and I am sure they will correct this during the January re-fit. Food in the Main Dining Room was generally great. Entertainment was also much better than I had expected- I had thought that Celebrity would cut corners on a repositioning cruise but I saw no signs of that. We went to the main shows and the talks by a naturalist. We also tried the talks on Japan but the lectures were poorly structured, and I don't think the lecturer knew that much about Japan. A shame really as Japan is so different from most other countries and a really fascinating culture- Celebrity should aim to improve this aspect I feel. Service was pretty impeccable- Celebrity staff manages to deliver a top class experience every time we go on a cruise, and this really adds greatly to our enjoyment. It was a bit chilly and rainy on the cruise, so no one wanted to use the swimming pool, with the result that other areas of the ship became pretty crowded at times. Especially, the gym in the morning, though it was fine in the afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves in the ports, doing our own thing. Japan is so well organised for transport, and everyone seems so helpful and honest, that it was far easier to travel on our own than we had expected. Eating in Japanese restaurants is great fun! We missed the last port due to a typhoon but had an extra day in Yokohama on board ship, and that worked our very well. We traveled to Tokyo by train using the free shuttle at Yokohama. I was really worried about our quantity of luggage as we had four suitcases and two small bags, but it was a Sunday and the Yokohama train station they use is for the normal train rather than the bullet train, and these have far more luggage and were not crowded either. I was annoyed that the Celebrity (paid) shuttle to Tokyo was not included within shore excursions but rather in Guest Services, and I only found out about it by chance 5 days before the end of the cruise, by which time it was booked out. In the end, the train worked much better for us, as our hotel was next to Tokyo station, whereas the Celebrity shuttle would have needed a 30 minute taxi ride to the hotel. After the cruise, we had a few days in Kyoto. We used the Japan Tourist offer of a hotel and bullet train tickets and this was both good value and a great service. The main sites in Kyoto are very crowded but there are lots of minor temples and other sites that are simply lovely. We hired a guide and that was a great investment. We must have fired 500 questions at her over the course of the day and she was so articulate in explaining how and why Japanese people think the way that they do. (Her employer is Chris Roworth Guides). This review sounds a bit negative, but we had a great time and felt that the cruise was a great way to get a sense of the distance to Japan, and was great value for money. I brought two crates of sparkling water on board as the cost of the drinks package would otherwise have negated the value for money side of things! We also used the internet very sparingly. Read Less

When I was looking for a cruise, I was excited to see that the Celebrity Millennium was rated a 5. Previously, I had been on 4.5 rated ships which I thought were fine ships so, I thought the Millennium would be exceptional. I was wrong! Overall, I don’t think the Millennium quite measured up to the other ships. I don’t mean that it is a bad ship. it isn’t. It wouldn’t be my first choice but I would take it again. My cabin was better than I had on any of the other ships in the same category. The entertainment, except for the library, was at least as good. The food was slightly below the quality I’ve had on other ships but always equal or above what I’d expect at a good coffee shop. The service was a slight bit below that on other ships I’ve been on but I feel that was management’s fault, not the actual staff that provided the service. To me, service is the complete service package, not just that provided by the actual servers. Millennium management seems to have the idea that to increase profits they can increase the service charge and lower the size of the staff. (It’s called a gratuity but in actuality it is a charge added on to the bill.) I don't mind paying a gratuity and I can't suggest a solution that would insure an adequate gratuity for good service but I don't feel the service charge system on the Millennium insured good service. There were staff members who I thought deserved something extra but as the overall service charge was already over twenty percent of the fare, I didn't give them any extra. It seems that there may be too few staff members to maintain the highest quality or that the training of staff is lacking attention to detail. For example, an inspection of the cafeteria will reveal several instances of neglect: pastries that have been maimed by passengers, food trays with only one or two items left in disarray within them. Unmanned stations. Food trays that are almost impossible to reach. These are all parts of the service I have come to expect on a cruise ship based on my experience with other lines. Examples of what I consider less than adequate service also include the following. . Too few tables in cafeteria. At busy times it was extremely difficult to find a table. Sometimes I had to make two or more complete rounds of the restaurant to find one. This created an unpleasant competitive atmosphere among diners looking for a table. The food stations used for clearing tables in the cafe are in full view. Food scraps in full view are very unappetizing! There were receptacles for teaspoons near coffee stations for both clean and dirty spoons. These could be easily confused and I think passengers sometimes were confused as to which was which because I got a couple of “clean” ones that were were wet and sticky. I also got a napkin wrapped knife that was covered in brown stuff. Coffee stations were often out of coffee (brewing) and usually the coffee was only warm. Pastry area was often a mess - mangled cakes, helter-skelter smaller items. Roast beef and pork were usually somewhat dry and tough. Had Kobe meatloaf that was extremely salty. I had lobster one night which was very good but most of the other food was fairly average.. Waiting time to get into the more formal restaurant always over 15 minutes. Sometimes seemed that there were empty tables. Perhaps this is because there is not enough staff to accommodate the number of passengers. Many of the single party deuces were separated by less than five inches - too close together. The physical menu was lackluster (one page of drinks for sale, the other the menu) which, to me, made the menu offerings less than exciting. I think that when one comes to eat, the food should be the first thing one sees on the menu. The wine list is comprised of mostly overly expensive wines. Limited information is provided about which restaurants are specialty restaurants and their costs and which restaurants were for the lower class passengers and which for the two higher classes of passengers - a rather elitist boat. The Library on the Millennium was an extreme disappointment to me. Based on my experience on other ships, I was expecting to be able to find a variety of reading material. This ships library lacks any reference books and the reading material consists of limited selection of novels and a few non fiction books. I didn’t count them but I estimate the library had fewer than one hundred books, non of which I found of interest. Had I known, I would have brought my own materials. Very disappointing to me. Others might not find it so. One of the worse things about this cruise, however, was Toluene (lacquer) smell which covered over several floors for several days. It gave me a headache. I know ships must perform this sort of maintenance while cruising but there are exhaust systems available to direct the fumes to the outside. I wonder too if the fumes are as volatile as they smell and if so if they represented a fire danger. Surely the fumes represented a danger to the workers if they were not wearing proper safety respirators. Coffee, tea and water were the only sugar free drinks. The singing and dancing ensemble is excellent as was Salvatore and the female singer/pianist. The rest were so-so. Both speakers on the lecture series were outstanding although the fellow was a little difficult to understand at times. But then, my hearing is a little wonky too. Because of a typhoon, we missed a port on the itinerary. I understand and appreciate the concern for safety. I think the Captain would have gained some good will if he had given some small token to make up missing a port. Read Less

We took the Celebrity Millennium on a 15 day trans-Pacific trip from Vancouver to Tokyo. It was a trip we were anxiously anticipating since the ship was scheduled initially to go to Dutch Harbor in the Alueutian Islands, a port we would never visit otherwise. Six months ago, Celebrity cancelled the port and substituted Sitka. We were never notified of the change nor were our traveling companions who had booked directly with the cruise line. When we discovered the intinerary change, I called to ask why this was done and why we weren’t notified. Basically we were told that it had something to do with Chinese immigration...yes, that’s right...Chinese immigration even though the last time I looked, Dutch Harbor was in the United States. In truth, the person I was talking with was reading from a paper and couldn’t answer any questions. He said that it was the responsibility of our travel agency to inform us of the itinerary change. I called American Express and they had no record of any changes and, as I indicated, our friends who booked directly with Celebrity were not informed either. The “customer service” represented basically told me my only option was to cancel the cruise. Nice. We boarded the ship in Vancouver and the check in was excellent...much better than we have had at the port on previous cruises. The ship is old and worn but it still has character and we like the small size of the ship...2,100 passengers. Captain Alex is awesome. He is quite a personality and just a lot of fun. He is also visiable around the ship which is nice. Overall, the service on the ship was good and the staff was accommodating even though it is a stressful voyage for them with 8 consecuative days at sea. Sitka is a nice port...no complaints about that other than it wasn’t Dutch Harbor. On the first night of the trip, we were eating in a speciality restaurant when the power went out throughout the ship. This was three hours into the voyage. The generates came on with emergency power and I guess the problem was resolved in about 60 minutes. A disturbing way to start a trip when you are crossing the Pacific Ocean. The cabin was fine...we had an eight deck concierge class room with the option of a bottle of champagne every day. The beds are average. Princess is doing a much better job now with their new beds in all staterooms. Lots of rust on the ship but it is going into a major dry dock in 2019. The buffet lunch was average at best. It was always over crowded and guests would sit at tables for hours playing cards and drinking coffee. You could not get a table until after 2 PM for lunch. There is little effort to encourage guests to eat and then vacate tables. They finally put out tent cards with that except they were only in English and they needed to be in at least two other languages. Food was mediocre. The main dining room was better. The service was very good; food just ok but that is not the waiters fault. The gym was absolutely terrible. You could not get a treadmill at any time of the day or night. People would monopolize the machines for hours despite people waiting. It was so bad that security had to be called at least two times that we know of to prevent fights from breaking out. We finally gave up on the gym after a week...it wasn’t worth the hassles or the frustrations. They don’t have enough equipment, the room is too small, and they need to get rid of the paid exercise classes to accommodate passengers who want to work out. The excursions on the ship in Japan were not worth the expense. They mostly consisted of being transported to a certain area and given free time to explore on your own. The Japanese hosts were lovely people but there wasn’t a whole lot to the tours. It seems that the trend in cruise lines is now to de-emphasize service and to find more “revenue enhancement” activities to make more money. That is not a good policy for elite passengers who travel a lot. The evening cocktail party for elites has been reduced in hours and there is now a three drink maximum during that time. Yes, you can use your cruise card at other bars between 5 and 7 PM but the purpose of the party is to visit with other passengers. Overall, it was an ok cruise but, in truth, a bit of a disappointment. We have been looking more at Princess lately and have some pretty good sailings with them. Maybe it is time to switch once and for all? Read Less

We had traveled on this ship last year in Alaska in a small suite. We felt like we were treated like royalty. This trip was a transpacific with many days at sea,so we took a Royal Suite. The room was very comfortable and the butler and concierge were outstanding. The ship is going into refurbishment and it needs it. Carpet is worn and paint is peeling. We had the feeling that the ship was shorthanded. We mostly ate in the Luminae restaurant. This is where we saw fewer servers than last year.The shower was small but very nice. The room was clean and comfortable and while the closet was small,there was ample drawer and cabinet space. Having been to Sitka before, there were no excursions that interested us. We did a ship excursion in Otaru, but did not get much out of it. We thought the entertainment was mediocre at best. WiFi was better than expected on a transpacific with so many days at sea. I would travel with this ship again after the refurbishment. Read Less

This was an amazing cruise , not one that I would normally do I love the sun and expected this to be cold and wet , far from it we had exceptionally good weather, fantastic sights, to see the northern lights 2 nights in a row was amazing. The Scenery wow, wow, wow, the wildlife wow the people wow the activates wow, the food was good not the best I have had on a cruise I must say... the coffee lounge was very good and the staff here were brilliant.Embarkation took all of ten minutes from the time we arrived at the dock until we were on the ship. Received a glass of champagne before heading to the stateroom. Pretty typical veranda room - the shower is a little larger than most. Hubbard Glacier was amazing from the ship. Captain Alex turned the ship around so all sides could get a great view. We had a balcony - if you can afford it, I would get it. The boat is pretty worn and I believe is having a refit she sure needs it. Read Less