I was invited to speak on the Celebrity Millennium for its 14-day NE Asia cruise in April 2013. We sailed from Honk Kong, visiting Keelung (Taiwan), Nagasaki (Japan), Busan and Jeju (South Korea), Tianjin (actually Tanggu, China), and we disembarked in Baoshan (near Shanghai, China). This was a new itinerary for Celebrity , and they wanted me to provide Port Information to the guests so they would have an idea of where they were going, and what would be available once they got there. The embarkation process in Hong Kong was a bit hectic, and it was NOT any fault of the ship. As is normal, the port authority provides the staff for handling the boarding processes, and this staff did not seem to be organized very well; I don't know if it's because they don't receive many cruise ships, but one of their key staff told me she worked only once every few months -- that's not good for consistency!

It was a pleasure to be cruising with Steve (Cruise Director) and Luisa (Activity Manager) who were on the Celebrity Constellation when I spoke on a cruise to Scandinavia and Russia last July. I found all the staff to be top-notch, including the Concierge (Jennifer), the Shore Excursions Manager (Tamara), and all the folks at the Guest Relations counter. Every crew member wore a smile and had a friendly greeting EVERY time you were passed in the hall.Those little things really add up for excellent customer service.

As I was on the ship as a Port Lecturer (and I was sailing alone), my main focus was not the shore excursions, although they were available. I spent my time in port obtaining and updating my information on the facilities, ease in getting around, local transportation, where to shop, eat, etc. I had a delightful time, and most of the ports received a very commendable grade. My rating of the ports is in descending order of how I would grade them: Read more