We chose this trip primarily for the itinerary and also because we had enjoyed our prior experiences with Celebrity on trips to Alaska (Mercury) and the Baltics (Constellation). The itinerary certainly was as advertised, but - fair warning - many of the ports are a long way (2 to 3 hour drive) from the cities you want to visit. However they were worth the effort to get there.

We only used the ship's excursions in one port, and did the rest on our own or with small groups we found here on Cruise Critic. While I understand the necessity for changing the time of an excursion from 8:30 to a 7:30 am departure time (due to weather conditions), there was no reason for the excursion department to notify guests of that change by a note under their door sometime after midnight the night before when they had to have known about it earlier that evening. We barely made it in time only because we happened to get up at 7:00 for breakfast.

The ship itself was definitely a mixed bag. Millennium is an older ship and her age is beginning to show, e.g. worn varnish on balcony handrails, visible rust, etc. Embarkation in Hong Kong was a disaster. When we arrived at the docks, we found no porters, inadequate signage and no instructions to taxi drivers of which area was serving which of the two ships in port. When we got to our stateroom the keys did not work and after three trips to the Purser, the door lock was finally changed. The room itself was excellent and our attendant was most helpful. Actually all of the crew were very friendly and helpful, and the actions of the Captain in keeping the ship safe during a Typhoon was exceptional. Disembarkation in Singapore was very smooth which surprised us because when we landed there the day before it took people over an hour to get off the ship after we had supposedly been cleared. This however was not the fault of Celebrity, but of Singapore's immigration people. Read more