We were really excited to be going on the costa fortuna cruise ship. We arranged for the appropriate visas for cambodia, travel insurance and up to date passports as these were required documentations by costa, otherwise you would be denied boarding the cruise. Well to start off, we were not even asked for these documentations upon arrival and second, we did not need to do the visas as costa would have arranged the visa while on board. The food was horrible, at the buffet and for 2 weeks it was same for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the so called bacon they served was burnt that it looked like it was cremated. Coffee was only served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Other cruise we did had coffee and snacks available 24/7. Bad luck if you went on an excursion and returned late as after 2pm doors were closed and reopened at 7pm. Hand sanitizers in the eating areas were often empty or broken. With the Corona virus around you would think that COSTA would have someone at each point where the sanitizers were to insure people used them before entering the buffet area but not one attended was ever present Now, for the dinner reservation at the fancy restaurants, well the meals were not that spectacular either, you had to pay for the water where it was free in the buffet. The constant italian music, daily games which were more like you play at a kid’s parties were in italian. The nightly shows in the theatre again were in italian and again were not spectacular, people walked out numerous times. Restrooms are so hard to find they were hidden outside in a corner because they blended in with the wallpaper. The staffs at the reception desk were arrogant and not very helpful and would get irritated if you asked them a question. Every day an argument would occur between guests and staff. Take the case of the daily mandatory fee of 10 euros per person per day for services in cleaning the cabins {doing the beds and showers}. I guarantee that the sheets had not been changed not once in the 14 days we were there With so many of us complaining, a meeting was arranged with an english speaking lady from hospitality. When asked about the visas we were asked to do for cambodia, she replied that costa does not ask guests to do visas as they are arranged by costa fortuna for a fee of 40 euros for everyone whether they were going ashore or not. When i presented a copy of the email i had received from costa her response after reading was, that’s unfortunite for you yes it was unfortunate as it all cost us $150 each person. Another question was raised by a fellow passenger regarding the so called 10 euros per person for room cleaning. We were told it is a gratuity fee that goes to the cleaners. We already paid $ gratuity. Passengers were not happy and when they complained, we were told, “if you don't like the ship you can get off. For a couple of seconds everyone sat there looking stunned at what they heard then all hell broke loose. We were in the middle of the ocean, where did she expect us to go. At the end of the cruise all english speaking guests were to attend a meeting for brief instructions on the day of disembarkation we were also instructed and i quote again, to rate costa fortuna a 10 because if we don’t, the crew members will not receive there bonas. Costa fortuna that is bribery. Not going to do what you asked. Worse cruise ever. Costa fortuna was a big mistake. So if you’re thinking of doing a cruise with them you better think twice. Read Less

As frequent travelers staying in many hotels locally here in the Philippines and hotel abroad in different countries, my wife and I tried to experience to cruise onboard which is Quantum of the seas. Every traveled that we planned, we always rely to read the comments and reviews to all hotels that we stayed in. This time, we decided to experience to choose to get onboard the cruise ship. At first, I was hesitant to choose Royal Caribbean Cruise- Quantum of the Seas because of majority negative reviews that we read, but to my surprised it turns out to be a remarkable experienced cruising at this luxury vessel. We travel Singapore cruise from November 30 to December 5, 2019, 5 days cruise from Singapore-Malaysia- Thailand-Singapore. We stayed in hotel in Singapore since we arrived on the 28th of November. Using our tourist pass which we bought at Changi airport for S$26 for three days is such a big savings using it unlimited at MRT lines and buses by simply tapping the tourist pass card as our ingress and egress on trains and buses. We took the advantage of using the tourist pass card visiting tourist places in Singapore. We observed that if you travel from station to another station it will cost you a minimum of S$0.83 –S$ 2.08 so having this tourist pass card is indeed a great savings. Quantum of the seas is remarkably a huge luxury vessel with superb facilities from cabins, classic restaurants, production show venues, swimming pools and entertainment venues. The Food and beverages staff went out beyond and above extraordinary services, kudos to Head Waiter ONUR from Turkey, Waiters Fely and Frederick both from India of SILK restaurant, Jidong from housekeeping, Bartender Mike of Sky Bar, Alvin of Sorrento, Regie of Solarium, Bar server KURL of Boleros, they all deserved to be commended for the excellent services they have rendered during our 5 days cruise. The cruise entertainment team is very active from the varieties of shows for the cruise led by Cruise Director Ken and Manager Troy. The Captain of the ship and the Hotel Director are always visible from embarkations to debarkations. Singapore embarkation process are very smooth and organized. Singaporean are also well- commended for their disciplined behaviors from dining to queuing on any events or entertainment production shows considering they are about 2,500 Singaporeans who was with us. Though we only stayed on inside cabin but the virtual balcony appears to be like you are staying in a real balcony cabin. The food that we have is so delicious from all the restaurants that we have dined. On our 1st day, we made a reservation to watch the STARWATER production show which is a Broadway’s presentations featuring world class musical show at deck 4 Two 7 venue. It is also recommended to watch SEQUINS and Feathers, another world class production show where reservation is not anymore needed. There is so much fun as in no dull moments from varieties of activities and unlimited dining experiences on board the Quantum of the seas. Over-all we really enjoyed our cruise and the money that we spent is worthwhile for the remarkable experiences that we had at Quantum of the seas. We will highly recommend this ship for our family and friends for them to experience what we have experienced. I would recommend to complete your online departure for Singapore immigration for a seamless process and avoid the long queues of passengers during debarkations. In about 20 mins we are already completed the immigration and down to Cruise terminal picking out of our luggage. Read Less

Great staff, great ship, awesome friends, terrific cabin...fantastic! That was a wicked week, and it all started with the staff onboard, nothing was ever a hassle. Our servers in the MDR were some of the best I have ever encountered, met + exceeded all expectations. Voyager is due for a refurb later this year, wouldn't think it needs (only a couple of things here & there) but really the ship is in great condition...the refurb will be insane! Did a splurge for this cruise and got a Junior Suite on Deck10, right under the Windjammer...but really had no idea at all, didn't hear a thing and was able to sleep in until late :) Clean cabin, spacious, a good escape when needed. Picked this cruise for the range of ports and they didn't disappoint, Langkawi always a favourite, but Phuket was just too much fun and the food! In short loved it, pretty obvious I suppose...but as always go on with the right attitude and have the vacation you deserve :D Read Less

We have thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. The ship is a little shabby but this will be resolved in January when the ship goes into dry dock to be refurbished. The ship was immaculately clean and well maintained despite its age. We ate in the Blu restaurant and the food was excellent, and there was always a good selection. The crew in the restaurant were amazing and always made us feel very special, and their service was exceptional. The food in the buffet was always good with lots of choice. Although it was usually very busy and sometimes difficult to locate a table. Celebrity can also not be blamed for the rude people who did not know how to queue and thought it ok to push their way around. We were a little disappointed with the entertainment in the theatre, and thought it quite poor. There were exceptions though and we always enjoyed performances by Bryan James (guitarist/singer) and sought out the venues where he was playing. We also enjoyed the quizzes and late evening entertainment in the Cosmos lounge. We particularly enjoyed the silent discos and the live band. We have already booked another cruise on Millennium and look forward to seeing the improvements made. Read Less

Ship is just renovated cabin with larger shower area. Cabin is always clean! Thanks to our cabin service. Always love flexibility diner restaurants timing with so excellent services they gave to us. Entertaining is marvelous with différents shows but some with same performers. Service are excellent with smiles in their face and minds. Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth as supposed to be. Singapore is very model and clean with many excellent facilities, Bali is beautiful but to many traffic. Love Darwin with manageable small town and large botanical garden. Brisbane is modelly beautiful with rich historical town. My wife love all activities and joined many of them. For the ports and shores are mostly excellent (that’s why I choose this itineraries!) only some required tending in the rough sea but that understandable. Some port is kind of miss and hit but we just site relax on the ship with nice jacuzzi and swimming pool. I love to go again with Norwegian Cruise in the future with different itineraries since the world has so many wonderful places to visit. Read Less

We cruised in a Palace Suite as the All Inclusive offer appealed to us and the cruise fare was not much more than a balcony cabin. The Palace is a private ship within a ship concept, complete with Butler service, drinks included, Palace speciality restaurant, free wifi and a chance to dine once at the other speciality restaurants on board We pretty much tried everything on board and loved the private Palace pool area which has a huge amount of loungers, mini cabanas etc all of which are hardly used so make for a nice peaceful sanctuary. There are 4 spa pools, two hot and two cold also in this area and there is no shortage of service around the pool area with drinks replenished on a regular basis. The Zook beach club is a neat area and they hold lively parties there at night, a bit like being in a top beach side night club. The ship is 2 years old but still has that brand new immaculate feel about as she is very well maintained. Try the water slides, they are a total rush with various speeds and hair raising drops for the adventurous Read Less

We love Royal Caribbean. We enjoyed our short getaway from singapore to malaysia with friends. Singapore - Klang - Langkawi - Singapore Make sure to choose the room with Balcony , worth the money! Upon checking in we go straight ahead at windjammer for lunch, the place is crowded since everyone is hungry during checkin. There's a wide selection of food for lunch. We had our dinner at rhapsody in blue at deck 3 , limited choices but feel free to order more since its unlimited. We prefer the breakfast at the Deck 3 instead of having it at windjammer which is more crowded but have more options. Ice cream & hotdogs are free at deck 11. Cafe Promenade is open 24hrs free pastries, fruits & coffee, tea etc. The fitness centre at deck 11 is huge make sure to try. Deck 5 Helipad is accessible as well, go there during sunset. Overall, we had a great time. Read Less

Firstly, the fascinating itinerary -- Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Philippines, Borneo and back to Singapore. The South China Sea was as calm as the Baltic! Very comfortable suite on the Constellation. Excellent service from Rhona and Rufina. Friendly and efficient support throughout cruise from Michael's Club concierge Joao. First class dining in Luminae and Tuscan Grill. Restaurant staff are superb as are the Café al Bacio staff! Joining and leaving the ship couldn't have gone more smoothly. Port visitor arrangements throughout were efficient. Generally enjoyed the shore excursions though the market by the shore in Kota Kinabalu is to be avoided unless you're comfortable with the overpowering stench of fish combined with overripe fruit (durian?). It's disappointing that whole day trips have to include shopping for up to one hour, even when the trips are about half to one hour later in returning to the ship than expected. Apart from this, the shore excursions are most enjoyable and most of the guides are excellent. We miss the formal nights, but despite this and our other criticisms, we have booked three more cruises with Celebrity. Perfect ending to the cruise was provided by my son and family from Indonesia joining us in Singapore for a relaxing long weekend. Read Less

Having sailed with several other cruise lines, I have to say that the service we received from every single member of the Princess team was first class. Better than we have ever experienced from any other company. That said, there are a few areas where Princess really let themselves down on this trip. The Sapphire is due for a complete refurbishment in the next couple of months so it was no surprise that it is looking a little tired. However, I didn't like the fact that they started doing maintenance work during our trip. There were a couple of areas of the buffet restaurant roped off while something was being done to some large cabinets, right by the entrance. They also did some painting on the top deck without putting any 'wet paint' signs up. We found this out when my wife happened to get paint on a brand new top she was wearing. Although an attempt to dry clean (free of charge) was made, the top was ruined and came back in worse condition. Sanding and varnishing work was also being done on some hand rails around the swimming pool, with guests in very close proximity. Other things that were not so good - The Captain was almost anonymous. The only time we saw him was when he made a very brief welcome speech. He was not seen by any of our party walking the decks or otherwise socialising with the guests. The only time we heard from him was when he announced an itinerary change caused by bad weather. None of the bars stocked slim line tonic water and the Horizon buffet restaurant was perhaps the poorest of its type that I have experienced in a dozen cruises. Apart from Horizon (the buffet restaurant), the restaurant food was of a good standard with plenty of choice most nights. We did try both the speciality restaurants during the cruise, with very different results. Sabatinis was excellent throughout. Great service and fantastic food. The Steakhouse however turned out to be a curtained off section of the Horizon Buffet. The curtains did not stop other guests walking through throughout the meal. We even had one person walk through in their pyjamas! This totally destroyed any ambiance, it was difficult to relax and worst of all, of the six main courses our party had, we had to send two of them back. I would mention two members of the entertainment staff. Ted, the Cruise Director and Amy, the Assistant Cruise Director. Ted is a lovely guy and clearly very intelligent, however, he is in need of a new script. His repertoire when speaking on stage is very unimpressive. "Give me an oooh" and Give me an aaah" does not go down well with a mainly adult audience, a significant percentage of which do not have English as their first language. And as for his jokes - I have never witnessed so many tumbleweed moments. On the other hand, Amy Alderson was a pleasure to know. She made every effort to get to know our group and was absolutely charming. A credit to Princess, I am sure a promotion will not be too far away, she deserves it and I am willing to bet that she tells a better joke than Ted. There were two very talented violinists playing each evening in the atrium. We certainly enjoyed their music, but would it have hurt them to smile occasionally? All performances in the theatre were of a very high standard. The dance troupe were excellent and the visiting artists all very entertaining. Especially David Knight, the Hypnotist. Our stateroom with balcony was comfortable, although I am sure that the shower was shrinking throughout the trip. There was certainly less room in it at the end than there was at the beginning. Perhaps it was me getting bigger!! Adrian, our Stateroom attendant was excellent, very helpful, always smiling and always in the background if we needed him. I did like the idea of the ship holding onto our passports throughout the cruise. They looked after most of the immigration issues, which made getting on and off the boat at all the different locations much easier. However, the issue with Cambodia and visa requirements was very poorly communicated prior to the cruise. This resulted in us spending more on a visa than we needed to, because we had unnecessarily sorted it out before leaving the UK. We only went on one excursion organised by Princess and that was in Borneo, to the Mari Mari museum. Excellent and would recommend. All the other excursions were organised by the company we booked the cruise through. The gym was very busy most mornings, so you need to pick your timings. There was a lack of cycle machines compared to cross trainers, but all equipment was in good condition All in all, a terrific holiday in which the staff of Princess contributed significantly to our enjoyment, for which I thank them. Read Less

We have sailed on this Ship before and enjoyed it very much. The start of our Cruise was a nightmare we waited forever to get on board then one of our suitcases was not delivered to our cabin and was held because we had a opened bottle of Gran Marnia which they took of us we were not impressed as we spent 5 days in Singapore and thought we could bring it with us, while checking our bag a luggage trolley slammed into my husbands back so I think it is important that you put breaks on these trolleys it took so long for all this very upsetting day and we missed everything that night including the show. The breakfast next morning was hard to find something decent the boiled eggs were green, the bacon was all fat, scrambled eggs I am sure we're powdered and un eatable, the yogurt yuk. Some of the entertainment was crap especially the late show I don't know where you got him from, the restaurant food was fine except for most of the meat very grissely. I think the drinks could be cheaper. The cabin boys are wonderful. The photos are too expensive. The tours are much to expensive. As for getting a seat near the pool it's impossible because people posses them all day even if they don't use them. I do miss the chocolate on my pillow. I do miss a inside movie theatre. Some movies on TV would be nice. Apart from all this because we love cruising we still had a great time. Read Less

Chose a new ship having recently been on the tired Grand, loved the itinerary, found things lacking such as: No promenade deck! Well can go up and down part of deck 7, have to squeeze in past tenders, sweat as go past hot air vents then turn back and repeat as can't do circuit Space in theatre appalling, only went to 3 things as had to queue for an hour to get in ALSO mother disabled and viewing in disabled seating area in theatre was atrocious only top 1/4 visible if not in front row! No alternative entertainment being offered simultaneously in Vista to reduce demand in theatre 3,500 pax 900 ? Seats two shows the math does not work. Lack of bars/ drink service Lack of swimming pools Cabin ( standard balcony) very cramped , no second chair or table ( brochure picture clearly shows both) balcony very small Food tepid in self serve Why is towel booth required on deck 16 lido, when there are towel stands surely it would be more use as beverage station........ Lack of cold/hot beverage points in accessible areas, i.e. Prior to handwash... Ridiculous hand wash station prior to Horizon Court Excursions very expensive/ poor value for money, tour guides on the whole difficult to understand Piazza area superb but WHY the vast area devoted to photos surely these could be displayed on smart TV in cabins, this area would be much better as a social area Entertainment was lack-lustre, day time activities on Sea days minimal and/or un hosted, NO SAILAWAY / cocktail of the day or events like BBQ held on lido deck in evenings, theme nights / pool parties or local entertainments/food experiences Shops on board too high end!!!! Where were the rummage sales? We all want souvenirs and or grandchildren presents Read Less

We chose this cruise for the ports. We have two young children. A 14 night cruise we only went to a show two nights. All other shows geared to the over 50's. All shore tours geared to the over 50's. The cruise director Stuart is about that age and clearly he chooses the entertainment. Breakfast in restaurant finished too early (9am) so we never went. Lunch buffet was generally the same every day and not appetising. Lunch for me was pizza or burgers. Restaurant ok (Santa Fe) and had no trouble getting a table for 2. Food nothing to rave about. Coke was always flat and drink service slow. Don't understand why females can wear shorts but males have to wear long pants. Also not impressed that a whole table of under 16 can come in and sit down without adult supervision. Drinks package (non alcoholic) good value as includes milkshakes, mocktails and hot chocolate. Air conditioning in room even after being fixed still hasn't cold enough. Lamp in room broken. Enjoyed Hong kong and Japan. Hong kong tour went 1.5 hours over time and we had to change our Osaka one as when we booked online it said 2.5 hours in duration but on board it turned out to be 8.5 hours. They need to fix their shore tour paperwork. Destination expert whilst a good idea is hard to access. Person in front can be there for 30 mins. A question cap would be good considering he is only open 2 hours a day. Can't take dessert from dining room back to your room. Have done this on other cruise liners with no issues. Boys did not enjoy kids club and I was not that impressed with the staff. This was our 2nd Princess Cruise. We will probably stick to Carnival. Read Less

We chose the Constellation over the Millennium primarily because it garnered better reviews and had Ocean Liners intact. Both sailed out of Singapore, which would have saved us air tickets and time travelling to port. We were initially slightly apprehensive about sailing our longest ever voyage on one of the oldest and smallest ships we have done. These fears were unfounded. The crew was excellent and their enthusiasm, sincerity and professionalism stood out. Our cabin (a Penthouse) was huge, with more than enough room and we were truly pampered onboard. Our cabin steward and butler were both very helpful and full of initiative, meeting our needs even before we realised we had them! Entertainment was of a consistently high standard, with the exception of the Broadway revue, which needed more rehearsal time. Food was hit and miss but the service standards of the crew in Luminae could not be faulted. Our experiences in Ocean Liners (thrice) and Tuscan Grille (once, at lunch on a sea day) were both very good. OL food was hit and miss but service was excellent; Tuscan had both very good food and service and we regretted not booking for dinner. Specialty dining was complimentary for our suite but we were travelling in a big group and therefore could not utilise the perk as often as we would have liked. Sushi on 5 had great rolls but sashimi was mediocre. Service by Zeus was outstanding as usual. We did not expect our child to enjoy the Kids' club but she did. More so than on a typical RCL cruise, which was surprising. We also enjoyed the activities organised by the crew - the watercolour lessons, the dance lessons, the gym lessons, the trivia sessions and the table-tennis rounds. It was a cruise that was as active as you wanted to make of it. Everything was done in good taste without intruding into the relaxing vibe of the overall cruise. Would we go again? In a heartbeat. We would prefer if Celebrity had shorter cruises around the region though - it is very difficult to get leave from work in the beginning of the work year for such a long period of time. If they had 7-10 day cruises around the region, we would be back multiple times. As it is, we are next booked on a 10-day European cruise in June and a 10-day New Zealand cruise in December, both of which happen in periods of time where it is easier to get vacation time. Read Less

We got this cruise buy one get one free through cruiseco .If we paid full price I would have been sick like a lot of others on ship with there dissapointment. The food was average there is no point booking a table because you still have to queue.I had one good meal of mahi mahi & another main of prawns which the waiter really raved about I dont think he knows we have the best prawns in aus which takes some beating.The service was as if they were all on a training course with no instructors (oh they make you pay gratuities up front ) we had two coffees each bought from different cafes terrible the first stop at fremantle was Dome. The cabin was very nice in appearance & comfort but noisy we had noise above most of night & lots of creaks the patio door was rattling so I jammed a tea spoon at the base to stop it I had to ask for the fridge to be unlocked it tooktwo days & I was told there is only water in it so there is not much need for it. The Entertainment was ok if you can get into the only theatre they told me I should have booked before i boarded standing room only for a lot of people but plenty of drink waiters pestering us every 5 minutes we dont drink & its hard to get a glass of cold they will sell you a bottle but I drink 3 litres per day it would cost around US$25 about A$32.They boast about the bumber cars in the advertising but its only open 2-3 hours a day you have to queue so if you dont get trere a hour before dont bother the north star was booked out for the duration so we had to go on standby we got a rainy day. just remember all charges are US dollars thats plus another 30% on top of aussie $ Read Less

I have deliberately waited a week or so after disembarkation to ensure the first impressions were correct. they were. What a fabulous cruise ship. Everything was as expected. Great friendly staff, good food, especially at Luke's Grill and good rooms. I do not know why others have been complaining, but we had a very relaxing 7 nights with great a few great bands, the Edens (a great jazz/funk band) and Love below Family (equally good with 2 singers doing soul/funk). the piano man, Robert, was also impressive, as were the covers band (Alter Ego). The pantry had a variety of food from Breakfast to Dinner with Mexican, Greek, American nights and heaps of soups, noodles, curries, heaps of fresh fruit and dainty desserts. The pools filled up a bit on the hotter days, but I swam by myself most mornings. I joined the Day Spa and had the sauna and steam room to myself on most days. OK, the Shore Tours need some tweaking, but we were not expecting too much for the price. Got drenched in Phuket. It was warm though and the resort at Patong beach was fantastic. We just got off at Sabang and talked to the locals and bought some T-Shirts. Great fun. The gym was very functional and not crowded when we went. Even watched a movie on the big screen. Loved the dome, the observation deck on the 7th and the walking deck on the 6th. This was better than The Dawn last year. Read Less

We were aware of previous problems with Sun Princess coming out of Singapore after refit but this trip was well discounted and filled a convenient time slot for us. We had a great time despite the problems documented by others and would absolutely do a similar cruise again for the same price. We really appreciated the ship layout - there was something "3 dimensional" about the design - not a stack of separate decks linked by stairs and elevators. The gym was full of brand new gear and never crowded despite the ship being full. The childrens facilities made us regret that we had no children with us. The theatre and show lounge were well laid out and projected a welcoming feeling with every seat affording clear view of the stage. The central atrium was delightful for such an old ship and we found ourselves drawn to sit and listen to the excellent musicians playing violins or piano. Significantly for Australians, there was none of the usual shipboard nonsense with tipping and 15% service charge added to everything. Aaah the joy of a comfortable chair, a $3.50 cappucino, a good waiter and two lovely young ladies playing classical and popular music on violins while you psych yourself up for yet another delicious dinner. We have cruised extensively with most of the cruise lines below 6 stars and the food on Sun Princess was undoubtedly better than anything we have experienced recently - sorry Cunard, Celebrity and Azamara! That goes for the main dining as well as the buffet. There were better quality ingredients, superior cuts of meat, a lot more attention to chef detail, delicious recipes, a very generous selection, good portion sizes and excellent food service. The Curtis Stone recipes and the debauched chocolate were fantastic. The worst I could say was that one night my risotto was slightly less than al dente and the afternoon scones were occasionally dry. Otherwise 11/10 all round. The twice daily trivia were very well attended, the questions were varied and challenging, the answers could not be faulted (and that is very rare), the big crowds enjoyed themselves and the presenters did a fine job. The cruise director staff provided a wide range of services including daily boxercise and choir practice on the sea days (thanks Renee) and the guest entertainers (Aus and NZ) put on great shows. The ANZAC day service was comprehensive, memorable, well-attended and much appreciated. The big screen movies on the pool deck were a great add-on and offered a lot of live sport, including AFL footie, and pop concerts. Our inside cabin was functional for an old design, with an Australian power plug plus the usual. Not all guests were as lucky with their plumbing and Princess really need to fix this soon. Likewise the lifts and laundries. We experienced "survivor guilt" that we were not greatly disadvantaged by equipment failure. The ship rode the big swells heavily on the last 3 days down the west coast (at the stern, half the time you seemed to be in a hole of water and the next moment you could see New Zealand!). The sheltered waters north west of Indonesia were very calm but I would want reassurance about the ship stabilisers before I signed up for the South or West coast of Australia. I am assuming that there were stabilisers but they were not functioning due to the power problem? Read Less

Our group of 9 friends embarked the Mariner of the Seas at Singapore for a 5 night cruise visiting the ports of Port Klang, Penang and Phuket. We stayed in the Junior suites, and right from check-in to check-out the experience was fantastic. We had carried some SIngle Malt Whisky in our check in luggage, being warned in the company guidelines that alcohol was not permitted to be brought on ship and were pleasantly surprised to find out bags outside our suites along with our 'liquid cargo' ! All the facilities on this super size ship were 5 star! The casino was a great attraction, and there were so many activities going on that the choice was mind boggling - Ice skating show, live music performances, 3D movies, dance performances and a huge shopping mall with top international brands at discounted duty free rates. The cuisine was delectable, and for small additional price we feasted on Maine Lobster and Red Crab, cooked to perfection by their master chefs. We were also delighted at the ease of visiting the various ports where we docked with minimal formalities for visas and immigration. The ship can accommodate 3000 guests with a staff of 1200! Read Less

We booked a last minute deal from Singapore to Adelaide on the new Ovation of the Seas. We have been on two cruises previously with Royal Caribbean and Princes but both of these had about 2,500 passengers compared to the 4,500 for the Ovation. We got on in Singapore which was quite well organized and only took about 40 min. Those getting on in Fremantle went so lucky with about 3 hours to get on board. Our first impression was very good. The cabin was very well designed and the bed comfortable. We had a balcony cabin which was adequate for the two of us but not quite big enough if you had four people at once like we have had on previous cruises. It boasted the newest fastest internet for a cruise ship but talking to people who took up the offer they had difficulty connecting and receiving emails. We couldn't hook up to the onboard booking system without paying for at least a days internet so used the terminal that are placed around the ship. These worked alright although we tried to book into specialty restaurants and were told they were full. When we went to the restaurant they could book us in. We found Jamies restaurant was good but nothing special. Chops was very good and we couldn't get into Wonderland as it was booked up for the whole 11 days. We were told by people who managed to get in that this was excellent and the best specialty restaurant. Production shows (The Dream, Lovely legs)_ were good but I thought the music was better suited to a younger audience. I loved the Hypnotist, Rachel Beck and another singer whos name escapes me. Food in the dining rooms was okay but nothing special. Most of the food was warm and not hot. We didn't have problems waiting for a table or food but some people did. It was really hard to get a table in the Windjammer. One of us had to find a table and then the other get their food and swap over. This was the main problem with the Ovation. Too many people. Had to queue for most things or stand up for some of the shows in the rear theatre that were popular. Skydiving was really good and bookings were generally on time but other activities that were booked we had to wait quite a while because of a backlog from previous days when the activity had to be cancelled. I quite like my movies but was disappointed on this ship. They had a few kids movies in the rear theatre on a couple of occasions but the only 'adult' movie was on the pool deck at night and because of the layout only about 40 [people could watch it comfortably. Movies in the room were $11.95 each (US) which I thought was a ripoff. Even if the new movies were that price they could have some older movies for free. Both of the other cruises the movies were free in the room and they had good movies in the theatre each day. Cabin and dining staff were very good but seemed overworked at times. We tried to book a shore excursion in Freemantle but was told they were all booked up but put us on a waitlist and would contact us if a vacancy arose. I checked my account the day before Freemantle and found we had been charged for the excursion. I went and saw them and they advised they had added another bus but didn't advise us. If I hadn't checked my account I wouldn't have known. The activities for kids seemed quite good with the dodgem car area changing to basketball and other activities at times. For families with children this would probably be quite good and there is a bit for them to do. The gym was very good with plenty of equipment and one thing I didn't have to queue up for. Overall it a very modern and impressive ship. I would imagine there would be problems getting onto and off the ship in a tender situation as it took quite a while just to get on and off in Freemantle. Most people we spoke to on the ship said they wouldn't go on it again and some even cancelled a trip they had booked to New Zealand. Its not that its a bad ship it just I found the mid sized ships were better. You don't have to wait in line for 15 minutes to get a barrista coffee and get hot food in the restaurants. Read Less

As generally experienced and tolerant cruisers, we question whether Royal Caribbean International are concerned about its "Worldwide 40 year Reputation." If our recent first Cruise with RCI is any indication of their supposed "World-Class Service",we will most certainly return to OTHER "real" Experienced Reputable Customer Oriented Companies, and tell others about our RCI experience!! We choose our Voyager adventure because this ship was big, newly revitalised and because there was an Ice-skating rink on-board.Yes, there also were many other features available on-board,but similar to many other ships .Other reasons for our decision included the fact that Voyager was to be repositioned from Singapore to Sydney with its many "Sea days", and of-cause RCI's 4 star Royal Advantage Reputation. Other Voyager passengers on this cruise have already voiced their opinion and you only need to read the recent cruise-critic members reviews to understand the dismay and disappointment they also experienced.. Our summary followes: The Voyager of the Seas is a beautiful big ship, with many spacious public area's and lots of features.Due to the calm seas we only noticed very minor ship movement throughout the Cruise. Our embarkation took at least 3 1/2 hours, lucky we waited in an airconditioned hall.The self-service windjammer cafe was generally warm/hot and crowded during breakfasts and lunch. Service in the main dining room was extremely slow (up to 55 min. for starters and to 2 1/2 hrs total for our table of 6) Some orders were delivered incorrectly, some menu items not available, some food half-cooked or cold/luke-warm etc..Generally the dining room service did start to improve from day 6, as did the available food -- after quite some discussions with the matre-d and other staff..(They were aware, but too short-staffed and unprofessional.) As stated, we tried to compromise, after-all, our other choice was the overcrowded windjammer cafe or..... $$ hamburgers with dancing/singing crew ..At least we did not starve unlike some "guests" who continually asked for unavailable banana's or "poached eggs".. We were continually told by various officers/crew "this a repositioning cruise" or " this ship has just been refitted" as a valid reason or excuse to cover shortages or maintenance problems and issues/concerns. .IT was really fascinating to hear the Captain tell about 1200 guests the revitalization project was 99% successful, with only some minor issues outstanding..... Our main complaint with the guest service department ( read- long line of unhappy/complaining guests) was the fact we choose this Cruise for the Ice-skating- but as the ice-rink only opened from day 7 with 30 min" half day' sessions also available to guests on day 8 and not 9-[cancelled}, with remainder days reserved for Ice-Shows, it meant we actually were on the ice for 60 minutes maximum, not a lot compared say to Gym users, were the exercise equipment was available everyday.. Yes, the guest services officer seemed to understand, BUT the revitalization etc etc etc maybe when in SIDENEY you can go .... and ice-skate??? Overall, the Cruise was an adventure for us, the balcony cabin fantastic,the Seas smooth, most other passengers awake and friendly, most crew friendly, some crew capable, the main shows and ice shows fabulous,we did attend the cruisecritic meet and greet, there was free drinks/food/gifts and lucky door prizes (thanks RCI),. The Cruise Director - Carly was lively,and all in all, we made the best of this Cruise. Yes, we did pay full-price including the grats.. for the poor hardest working cabin steward "vilas', but we say to RCI Voyager MANAGEMENT, your standards are not acceptable, your SYSTEMS need fine tuning and you and some of your crew need more TRAINING, be sure you do this before the next lot of tolerant full-paying guests arrive expecting 4 star World Class Service. Don't treat them as MUGS.   Read Less

We sailed on the Millennium on March 3rd from Singapore to Hong Kong. This was not one of the better Celebrity ships that we have been on. The shower and the veranda were the high points of the room. The linen was shabby both in the room and at the pool. The lounge chairs on the deck were old and dirty. The dining room food was good but not great like it us to be. The buffet gave more choices and was really quite good. There was always pizza. The French fries were to die for. We never tried the "Specialty restaurants" as was written by someone else, they are 100% profit for the cruise lines because they are made in the same galley and do not cost them anything extra. To start the cruise off on a low note, we were promised a bottle of wine from the Celebrity travel agent that we booked the cruise through. It was not there upon arrival, so after a few hours we went down to the desk and asked about it. They said that they didn't know anything about the wine and would check it out, but that our daughter had purchased a premium drink package that should have been in the cabin when we got there. The surprise was ruined but they said they would deliver it right away. This went on for two days and it was obvious that we were not going to get it so we said to cancel it. They said OK and never offered an apology or explanation. We did get the wine, on day 5 of the cruise. In talking to other people who were first time Celebrity cruisers and were complaining about the state of the ship I did stick up for Celebrity saying not to judge them by the Millennium. In Hong Kong we docked at the NEW pier, which was in the middle of nowhere, with a band, dancers, speeches and the media, but no way of getting anywhere except by shuttle to the Kowloon Station Mall. This took from 20 to 40 minutes. Once there you could get transportation. But you would have to come back to there and then take the shuttle back to the ship. All said and done, if this was my first Celebrity cruise, it would have been my last. The Millennium is in bad need of a refit and update. This is the first season for the Asian itinerary for Celebrity, I think that they should have sent a better ship. Read Less

After reading the recent horrendous reviews of the Celebrity Millennium, I was really very worried that we had chosen the wrong vacation. My experience was overall decent (but not excellent). There are no "WOW" moments on the Celebrity Millennium - but it was still a nice vacation. In my opinion, Celebrity is not a luxury line but it's slightly above average. If you want luxury, book Seaborne or Crystal. I've sailed Celebrity around 10 times (of over 30 cruises) and this was a standard Celebrity cruise. I had also sailed the Millennium around 10 years ago when she was newer. I think the ship looked pretty good for her age and was well maintained and clean. For any of the "good stuff" on board expect to pay extra or buy one of the many packages offered. This is the review for the itinerary starting in Singapore with stops in Vietnam, Thailand and disembarking in Hong Kong. On this trip we saw some of the most wealthy communities on earth and some of the most poor and desperate ones. We visited communist countries, democracies and monarchies. We had some of the best food on earth, and some of the absolute worst. We saw the tallest skyscrapers and the most squalid, smelly shanty towns. I'm in my early 40's and traveled with a group of 12. Reading the other poor reviews - keep in mind that an Asia cruise is quite physically demanding. The excursions are long and the weather is either sweltering hot (usually 100 degrees) or cold. If you are not a strong walker the streets are not accessible so it would be quite a difficult trip. There are stairs everywhere. I think anyone booking this type of cruise, should consider the hot weather and physical demands of this type of vacation before booking - the cruise line can't control the weather or the experience outside of the ship. Again, this is not your typical relaxing vacation. If you want that, go to the Caribbean. For this review I'm going to focus on the SHIP instead of the ports of call which were simply put - amazing. EMBARKATION PROS: We started in the shiny new terminal at Singapore - beautiful architecture. We were on the ship around noon - but couldn't get into our rooms until 2pm or so. Some in our group snuck in behind the closed doors and found their rooms ready - ours wasn't until later however - but no big deal. CONS: The crowd did get a bit restless and pushy getting on the ship. When they first opened the "gate" our fellow travelers were quite pushy and a bit mob-like. STAFF PROS: Overall the staff went above and beyond for really any request we had. I think they try to do the best they can within their abilities set by corporate. CONS: None - we had no poor interactions with the crew. STATEROOM PROS: Our room was clean and decent. Not bad - maybe 3 1/2 stars. The towels were decent and our stateroom attendant (Graziella) was super nice and handled any and all requests with a smile. Bed was comfortable but pillows not the best. CONS: Plumbing issues - We had three drainage issues (2 with shower and 1 with sink) both corrected (and then re-corrected) quickly with a call. A/C can not keep up when the temps are over 90 degrees - we did call and got it adjusted once. Still - A/C could not keep up with the heat outside. We asked to be moved but it never happened. DINING - Drink Package PROS: I (and many in our cruise group) booked the Premium Drink Package. This was approximately $900 (yes NINE HUNDRED) add-on. I liked not having to sign receipts - and also not have to "think" about the bill later. I also enjoyed getting "free" (if you can call it that) bottles of water and coffees from the coffee bar on deck 5. Patricia there is a doll and we enjoyed seeing her each morning. She remembered our drinks and made them with a smile each day. CONS: Difficult to justify the price. Keep in mind that we did two overnights and were away from the ship often. Celebrity also has LIMITED wines by the glass (try to find ANY of the Sauvignon Blanc's by the glass - I did NOT ONCE get one on the menu I wanted - they were always out of stock - EVERY time). If I wanted to buy a bottle (not on the package) that could be done of course for an extra fee. You also cannot use the drink package for the wine machines in the wine bar and the regular wine bar didn't seem to be staffed very often. ***My worry is that as Celebrity pushes their "guests" into packages they will probably just cut the selection and quality of drinks on board to enhance the bottom line*** DINING - Ocean View Cafe PROS: This is the ships lido buffet. Food was OK and service was decent. For breakfast they had omelet/egg stations and a decent selection of food. Breakfast usually started at 6:30 and went until 11:30. I love the hamburger bar out by the pool - definitely a guilty pleasure. CONS: The quality of food is similar to Royal Caribbean and Carnival. (OK - but not excellent) There are no WOW moments here. Everything is processed and the ingredients seem to come from a factory. I don't blame the cooks here - I think they do the best they can - typical large cruise cuisine. Also - hours need to be adjusted. Often we had early morning excursions but breakfast didn't start until 6:30 which made things quite crazy and bustling. I along with other cruisers were waiting for the curtains to rise on the food because we were stressed about making our excursions on time. If you want excellent buffet cuisine, book a luxury line or go to Vegas. DINING - Room Service PROS: The ONLY positive is that you can book on the TV. CONS: Celebrity room service is a JOKE. Poor selection of food and expect 45 minutes to get your food. I believe the selection is slightly better for Concierge class and above. If you expect good room service book a luxury cruise line. DINING - Main Dining Room PROS: Good service. CONS: Beef dishes are difficult to get right on a large ship - this is no exception here. I would rate the food as a 3.5 out of 5 and service 4.5 out of 5. It was difficult to find a cocktail server and the wine by the glass selection is a joke (considering they push the drink package). Again, if you want an amazing meal book a luxury line. No WOW moments here either. DINING - QSine PROS: QSine is fun and quirky but one of the biggest disappointments on the Millennium. The staff (Mimi is great) makes it fun and the presentation of the food (if you can call it that) is creative and again, fun. This could be an amazing dining experience but it's not. CONS: The problem with QSine is the cuisine. For your $40 fee, you get fried fish and chips, tacos and egg rolls, hummus with pita bread, cheeseburger sliders and sushi rolls on lollipop sticks. Seriously, this is the menu. Albeit all of this is presented in a fun - joke like way. QSine is bar quality food served in creative wrappers. They have a good start with the Lobster Escargot but that's the only thing on the menu that comes close to justifying the $40 fee. The iPad ordering is only a guideline - the staff mostly does what they want. We didn't get ANYTHING we added to our favorites and complained about it. When we went back for a second visit here (We pre-paid before hand..ugh) we got what we asked for and we realized the staff was just saving us from ourselves. The "healthier" options were inedible. The soups and veggie dishes were basically baby food. Bland and I'm not exaggerating, pureed into test tubes. Meatballs and Ceviche were not good choices either. QSine is fun but not haute cuisine and it's not possible to justify a $40 premium with the way the menu is currently. I hope they fix this as it *could* be one of the best experiences at Sea. Today however, if you like fried, unhealthy food in a beautiful environment you will love QSine. DINING - Bistro on 5 PROS: Nice atmosphere and good service. I liked eating here but the menu is limited to crepes and a few sandwiches and salads. There is a $5 fee too - no big deal. Food quality was good. I recommend this place for lunch. CONS: I wish the menu was larger and healthier. Crepes are OK but I would like to see more salad and dinner options here. Not a good option for Dinner. DINING - Olympic PROS: This is the best dining experience on the ship and the only place that justifies a premium. However, It will set you back $40 to eat here - It was worth it and we went here three times (one for high-tea which will set you back $20). This is the only Luxury dining experience on the Celebrity Millennium. I would compare this to the fine dining option on Holland America which is very similar and only charges $20. CONS: We talked to the maitre d and we were shocked to learn that the fee for Olympic will rise to $50 soon. Celebrity is apparently going to push passengers into yet another package for dining. "specialty dining packages". I think this is a mistake. I don't know if i'd pay $50 but I do very much dislike going to the main dining room, so maybe I'd buy a package if forced. Celebrity has the highest prices for speciality dining I've seen on a cruise line. It's things like this that justify choosing a luxury line over Celebrity. GYM PROS: The two gym instructors were very friendly. But I feel bad that they have to work in this place. CONS: Smelly, old equipment, and crowded. This was the worst ship gym experience I've ever had. Many machines broken and the free weight area rusty and too small. Celebrity - PLEASE invest in your gym experience. Very disappointing. Gross. Classes are way overpriced. SPA PROS: I had two great massages here - Jenny was terrific. Highly recommended. CONS: Very expensive (typical for Celebrity) Expect $200+ for a massage. INTERNET PROS: None CONS: Internet service on the Celebrity Millennium is a Joke - and the Joke is on anyone who tries to use the Internet on board. I didn't expect much after reading reviews so I wasn't very upset. I was better off using my data plan with Verizon on my iPhone over attempting to use the ship. It's funny to me that Celebrity invested so much into building such a beautiful computer room and Apple store only to offer such a poor surfing experience. I'm in technology so I know they could fix this but I guess it's all about the bottom line here. Celebrity must make a killing on the Internet fees. They must have a lot of laughs about this in the corporate offices. Be careful about sighing out too - the clock keeps on ticking and it's 75 cents a minute (unless of course you bought a useless package) so watch out! EXCURSIONS PROS: Well, I guess the peace of mind knowing the ship won't leave without you if you book with Celebrity. CONS: We did a mix of self touring and some ship excursions. ALL of the ones we found on our own (TripAdvisor is a great resource) were much better than the ship tours (and much less expensive). If you do your research and find a good local tour operator you will be fine. The ship docks several hours away from the big cities so overnight trips are recommended. The highlight for us was Ho Chi Minh city - we stayed at the Intercontinental Saigon Asiana which was truly a 5 star experience. Celebrity Excursions are overpriced and crowded. Keep in mind that the Internet does not work well on the ship so if the ship changes course it will be difficult to contact a private tour operator while on board. CAPTAINS CLUB PROS: Apparently I'm a very loyal customer. Celebrity calls me an "Elite" customer which I think is the highest level. There is a cocktail reception nightly but I had a drink package so it was of no use to me. There was a coupon for 90 minutes of free Internet and a free bag of laundry waiting for me when I arrived. CONS: Unfortunately, despite all of my loyalty I never felt that Celebrity was returning the favor. I did get a few coupons but nothing that really makes me encourages me to be loyal ONLY to Celebrity. One of the other coupons is for 10% off the spa but only on port days - (really?) I didn't get priority embarkation and there are only the 2 useful coupons. Upgrades NEVER happen (at least never on any of my 10 previous sailings with Celebrity) Celebrity should look at the big airlines - they know how to do loyalty programs. Captains Club is a joke. SUMMARY: Overall we had a fun and interesting vacation. The Celebrity Millennium is a fine ship with ok food - but it was not really a luxury experience. There were no WOW moments on board (with the exception of paying $40 for fried food in QSine.) The biggest positive comments have to do with the Staff and the Itinerary which were excellent. My biggest complaints are with the Gym, Room Service, Internet, Ship Excursions, Captain's Club and QSine all of which are a joke. Worse of all is the feeling that I've been market-tested to spend the most money possible on board. At every turn there are choices to make about packages and on board revenue opportunities. The staff is forced to "sell, sell, sell." All of that said, I must be crazy as I'm already booked on the Solstice for next year (all of our friends booked so we will have fun). I'll be in a suite and have higher expectations on that ship which is newer and my cruise fee includes a drink package. Despite this, I'm going to start doing more All-Inclusive lines (like Crystal and Seaborne) which after you add up all of the packages and add-ons are a better value and provide that "WOW" experience. We probably spent over $5,000 each after all is said and done. I don't enjoy all of the transactions and additional fees and packages that Celebrity pushes. I had a lot of fun but I left the ship feeling as if my on board spending behavior was pre-tested by a focus group at corporate. Read Less

Stateroom requested Suite G2706 ... Paid $3850 per person march 2012 The same stateroom selling for $2200 per person in December 2012 two months before sailing. Called Holland America office and talked with supervisor who informed me that he could not refund the difference but would upgrade to window stateroom. No refund but an update from HAL offered........BIG MISTAKE..DO NOT ACCEPT UPGRADES...... LIES FROM HAL #1 FEB 4 Day 1 to Day 14 To our shock and dismay the uPdated Stateroom is below galley kitchen Suite number 3372--- avoid any even numbered unit between 3300 to approx 3400. Noise started at 5:30 am every morning lasted (2 weeks). It sounded like large industrial mixers and chains being dragged through the walls of our suite. Notice that the location of the galley kitchen is never advertised on their website, on any brochure or on any ship map.. They show it as a blank spit with no information. LIES FROM HAL # 2. Asked to be moved to verandah suite for the last 2 weeks of our 4 weeks cruise. Estimate given to us $699 per person for 14 days left on the cruise...... We said yes because we were desperate..before we moved I found an old email listing the price for a verandah upgrade to be for $599 per person for entire 28 day cruise....caught HAL again in a lie. LIES FROM HAL #3..... FOOD SERVICE ON A 28 DAY TRIP FROM HAL Breakfast : stick to toast butter and jams... Milk imported from china...it smells. Be careful if you are coming from North America No respect for vegetarian cooking...all pasta dishes cooked with same utensils whether meat sauce or vegetarian in the Lido.. Chef is too busy trying to sweet talk the single women guests rather than worrying about serving good quality food by his untrained young staff. If he starts with Hello Darling ...move to another place to eat....LIES FROM HAL #4. The quality of food in both the main dining room and the Lido is mostly mediocre served by waiters that would never eat it themselves. Reminds me of my college dorm days.. Day 2,5,8, 12,16 The Main Dinning Room (Ida the evil matire'd) Look out for the maitre 'd on the 4th floor dinning room. He basically does not want to give you a nice table for 2... Most nights we waited for 15 minutes even when there were many small tables open. We wondered if he had something personal against us although we were polite and appropriately dressed. it would seem that this man needs some multi-cultural and manners training. The smile he use shows when his supervisor is around is not sincere. More Lies from HAL #5. Day 18 The last time we ate in the main dining room was on our 18th day of a 28 day cruise. The dinner started with us finally getting a nice table by a window, for once. We ordered some wine and had our dinner. We expected to enjoy our evening , as we were leaving Shanghai. But as The ship left the magnificent lights of Shanghai our nightmare started.. We usually go to bed around 10 pm as we are not much of late night people. I went to bed as my wife watched tv in bed next to me. All of a sudden, I start to feel my fish and bok choi started to rise in my stomach. I barely made my way to the washroom where my dinner flew out of my mouth at full speed. This lasted the next 4 hours as I sat by the bathtub making sure not to make too much of a mess. After each throw up I ran the shower to make it disappear... Next morning my wife went down to the doctors office and picked up some anti-diarrheal pills ... We were told I was on voluntary quarantine, in our room. As I slowly waited out my condition in a room with no heat , while the temp in China dropped below freezing.... Calls regarding the lack of heat were ignored. LIES from HAL #6. Day 19 Next morning while freezing in our verandah suite my wife took charge as I lay in bed shivering. She got me tea one cup at a time because if you order the flask from room service, it was at most lukewarm , not hot. She cancelled my excursion bookings for Beijing and the Great Wall of China. . I could not bear the thought of a twelve hour excursion, riding buses 3 hrs each way without a rest room on the bus. My wife was determined to go see the Great Wall the next day... So she would have to go alone. Day 20 The day started with me still in bed and my wife running around the ship to get me some HOT soup. Lido serves two kinds of soup everyday. One is usually cream based the other being vegetarian. She brought me a cup of the vegetarian soup which I have to describe as smelling of rotten eggs with green leafs floating on the top. The smell of this soup started me into throwing up again. Please take a can of chicken noodle just in case you catch a bug as consomme is not available. My wife noticed that she was feeling a little tired. As she rested in the afternoon on her bed, I knew that she too would be sick. It happened around 3 pm. She ran to the bathroom and threw up so violently that I was afraid for her. I jumped out of my bed and took charge. Now I had to be in control. She had magnificently handled my sickness , now it was my turn. As she sat near the bathtub spilling out her guts, I phoned the doctor and asked for more pills. The nurse came to our stateroom and informd us that we were both quarantined. If we violated quarantine we would be expelled from the ship and have to find our own way home. This seemed an extreme threat when we were left extremely ill, in a room with no heat. We stayed in bed watched some movies and drank lot's of water $3.75/ bottle. A night from hell..no heat in our room. Temp outside approaching freezing. Both confined to our stateroom. God help us.. A day from HAL...More Lies from HAL#7. Day 21 A new day dawned with me feeling better and my wife still feeling the effects of up chucking all night... Breakfast meant calling room service ....some cereal and toast with tea...we could not look at any other food. The joy of eating was gone. Phoned the front office. Requested that they clean our room and give us some fresh towels. We were informed that they would send someone in the evening to clean up. We basically lived in the filth of our stomach up chucking for 48 hours. Our normal stewards did not want to clean up. Also, no heat in the room. We were told that someone would check the heater but it had been days since our first request. We sat in our room waiting for some help which came at 7pm with a knock on the door. An officer named Arpalata appeard with 2 stewards. The Stewart's cleaned the washroom and disinfected the room. We were grateful. Next came the guy to fix the heater. We finally had a clean room with some heat. Things were looking up. The doctor called and inquired about our condition. We told him we were feeling much better. He informed us that we were no longer in quarantine. We were free to roam the ship. Free at last...I so much wanted to see Tianmann Square and salute the heroes of 1989. It was not to be. Thanks HAL. Day 22 Beijing day 2 We stayed on the ship in Bejing . Had a quiet breakfast of hot cereal and toast with lot's of Earl Grey tea....so many lies constantly told have made us fearful of trying another long cruise with HAL. We will try cruise lines that are modern with new technology and newer ship.. Read Less

We sailed from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong. We travelled with 4 adults and 1 child. Our cruise was 3 sailings in 1 for us so three times people got off and on. I am one that looked at the reviews and thought oh it cannot be that bad. Many issues that have been reported are now fixed. Embarking in Singapore, excursions, Visas, passports and shuttles. All justified and not a problem. The bad review is due to numerous things that took place. Day 1. We were awakened at 3:30am the first night as something fell down from the upper bunk from my daughter's bed. We turned on lights to hand her back her bear when I looked over to my pillow I noticed a bug round and flat. I flicked it off the bed thinking nothing off it as I was tired and then I realized OMG that's a bed bug. I threw back the duvet to find 6 more in plain sight. I got dressed and ran down to reception. They had a manager come confirm the issue and supplied us a new cabin and asked that we follow up in the morning about new cabin. So at 4am we moved our belongings without assistance and moving our young child from bed to a cabin down the hall. The manager on duty insisted we see the dr. on board and when she told me the expense I stated we had to bites and we would be fine as it would have been over $400 for this first. It took us nearly 1 hour to get moved and no person was in sight. Day 2. We woke up had breakfast and then went to reception to find out what was to happen next. Might I add that there is usually 1 person at this desk at all times and minimum 30 min wait on any occasion due to translation issues. At this time we were told our original cabin was being fumigated and the temporary cabin was vacant the rest of cruise and awaiting manager approval to move permanently. The new room toilet broke every time we used it and cabin smelt of sewage. The maintenance came 3 times that day to fix it and in the end we ended up using the toilet in old cabin as it was not working. The AC is another issue it did not work at all. Something about a clogged vent and while in a climate of 90 degrees plus left us no other option but to sleep nearly unclothed. So the conditions of the temp cabin were just as bad as old. Day 3. This day we went on our excursion to return to room with a note to see reception. Another 45 minutes waiting in line and 30 minutes to reach a resolution. They were moving us back to original cabin due to it being ALL CLEAR. I through a fit and the reception didn't even blink an eye. She said they sold the cabin we are in for new leg of trip and stated the bugs were gone and won't come back. So instead of sit down dinner we placed our daughter in kids club and moved yet again. Since they wanted us moved before stewards came on shift. Oh I forgot that it was my holiday for a second not to put anyone else out. Seriously. So we moved back to the original cabin. Day 4. This day our Costa cards froze due to being swapped around so much so no drinks for us today. Took another 45 minutes in line to sort that out. We had been in contact with our agent in the states and that evening we received a fruit bowl for all our troubles. I guess an apple, orange and mango will fix it right. Day 5. Came back from day in Singapore to have our steward tell us other rooms around us had bed bugs too now. 6 in total on the floor we were on. After numerous fumigations they were not dying. Well great I thought. So the evening comes and after dinner we settle in for the night. Watching movies in bed on the IPad until I felt something on my leg and I jumped out. Sure enough they were back and this time 3 fold. Steward was on duty and I called him in right away to look at them. He radioed manager on duty and I went down to reception. This time I was greeted by a manager MariaLuisa. She was genuine and concerned about everything. She ordered that our clothes be washed and our bags be fumigated. We were being upgraded from inside to outside cabin far away from our original cabin. She had 3 stewards assisting in moving our things and called once we moved to ensure we settled in. Everything was fine in cabin except the smoke smell that was so bad. This evening they offered to pay for the dr. visit if required. Day 6. We had a very early morning excursion and decided since we upgraded to premium we should order in breakfast. Well they showed up 30 minutes after time they were intended to and then demanded we pay for a service we already paid for. Stated our cabin was not listed on premium and that to hand over $21 for a late and cold breakfast. I asked her kindly to leave our cabin and speak with management or steward about breakfast as we were not having it. As we run down stairs with moments to spare as out excursions was literally leaving the ship my husband got us a coffee and croissant each. On arrival we find the tenants next to us are smoking in there room that is connected to ours and the smoke was coming through the cracks in the door. This was fixed by using tape around the door and spraying our room down with a perfume of some sort. 45 more minutes in line at customer service. Our steward provided us with fruit and prosecco for our troubles with breakfast as he was unaware either about premium. Day 7. Costa Cards frozen again and more time wasted fixing something that we should not have been. This day also entailed us calling our US bank to verify in front of manager that it was not a prepay debit we were using for cruise purchases. Day 8-12 were a combination of lost excursion tickets due to them swapping us numerous times. The desk had them for nearly 6 days before telling us our Vietnam tickets were placed in the temp cabin not occupied by someone else. This was done wrong even after we told excursion desk we moved a 3rd time. Excursion for Hong Kong was cancelled after booking 2 months in advance. They were charging service charge for my child even though their site specifically stated no service for under 14. A heated 9pm argument with desk about that left me bitter and upset with Costa even more. You take what's not yours and I have stayed in hostels cleaner than that of our cabin. They froze up our friends cards too from same bank and there room became infested with bed bugs during their linen change. Day 13. Last night on cruise and we were pulled in by management about our fees. We were told our agent had been on contact with the ship and we did not have to pay gratuities in the end due to all the trouble we incurred. So the people that helped us in room, restaurant and spa won't get a fee that is made for them due to issues that customer service caused. Does not seem fair at all in my opinion and we signed the paper we would pay them on our own and we did. In the end our cruise itinerary was amazing. My daughter loved the kids club apart from the fact that while we sailed over New Year's they were due to have a party for them and cancelled it due to lack of participation. In fact it was due to crew wanting to party it up as I spoke with other parents who looked forward to the event. Oh and as we went to bed early due to closing the kids club early we were awoken at 11:45pm by a Italian screaming over intercom counting down till midnight. Not just once but numerous times and over whole PA system. By the end of the cruise 9 rooms became infested and it's rather sad that sanitation is not better. They ruined a large percentage of clothes they washed as well as they were combined with what looked to be a dark blue towel in which ever thing turned blue. So for the last week I wore items that were discolored and I disappointed as the items were still new just for our first cruise. I wasted my time with my family waiting in lines for things that should not be an issue. I spent no kidding upwards of 7 hours dealing with the customer service staff to resolve issue after issue. The pool was closed on nearly both sea days and not a lot was offered on board to do during this time. So a lot of dead time was spent in the cabin. Read Less

This much anticipated occasion of reuniting with a familiar acquaintance had been in the planning stages for almost two years. The agony and the ecstasy of waiting so long added to the excitement. Before anyone thinks this is going to get juicy I should clarify that the occasion was a Southeast cruise and the acquaintance was the Celebrity Millennium. The last time we sailed on a Millennium class ship was six years ago on the Constellation. However with "solstilization" what is old is new again and we looked forward to seeing the improvements since the April 2012 refurbishment. Like assessing an old flame that has had some major Botox you see the improved exterior but wonder if what lies beneath is a shallow personality. Would the cruise and refurbishment be tantamount to being dazzled by all the bells and whistles only to be sullied by bad behavior and broken promises? Unfortunately that was the case. While the Millennium had some classy new venues including Cafe al Bacio, Bistro on Five, Qsine, Blu and a bevy of new aquaclass staterooms, the final result was more style but lacking in substance. We had reasonable expectations for this new journey since our last Celebrity cruise on the Solstice a year and half ago. We expected to be returning to the comfort and familiarity of a good friend. However, the embrace was lukewarm and the result was more akin to feeling like a jilted lover. By the end of the cruise as in many relationships it was evident that we had ultimately grown apart. Being past Celebrity cruisers we had always thought they offered great value and service once onboard. We were sailing at the Elite level for the first time and were ill prepared for what was to unfold over the next two weeks Boarding: We arrived in Singapore at 6:00 am on an overnight flight from Shanghai. The next day we checked out of the Fullerton Bay Hotel (which was fantastic) and boarded the ship with our luggage. We were standing on the gangway when the Celebrity crew started frantically running back and forth anxiously requesting everyone's passport. Why was this not done in the cruise terminal? It seemed very unprofessional and slightly intrusive. While we were later told that the Singapore port authority insisted on stamping each passport, Celebrity should have anticipated this and planned accordingly. The passport "inquisition" created a 3 hour delay departing the port. This was only the beginning of discovering that the Celebrity Millennium was not organized, poorly staffed and blamed everyone but themselves for any problems. The Captain and Tenile: Captain Tamaras was one of the few bright spots and was great when he was not absent. He made up the lost in Singapore by sailing at 21 knots. However, with the exception of attending a few public events he stopped making the daily announcements. His absence was quite mysterious as was the presence of any of the senior officers walking around the ship. The other standout on the ship was Jennifer, the concierge. She is a superstar and very bright and energetic. Nothing was ever too much trouble and she was conscientious and always smiling through the chaos. How she ended up on this ship with such mediocre staff was amazing for us but must have been torture for her. The Room: As mentioned above we had an Aquaclass room which was one of the new ones added during the refurbishment. Our stateroom 1141 was located aft overlooking the wake. The view was superb but the room itself was surprisingly basic. It could have easily been mistaken for just a standard stateroom. The orange sheer curtain, red upholstered sofa, strange headboard rails and bland wood panels made us grateful for the abundance of overnight port when we could stay at a nice hotel. We removed the curtain and covered the sofa with the foot rolls from the bed. The Hansgrohe showerhead and shower glass door were the only accoutrements that reminded us that the room was Aquaclass. The room was thankfully clean, and since it was less than a year old in good shape. The Food: Everyone says food is subjective. However everyone also knows the definition of awful. Not only was the service in Blu poor but the food on many occasions was uneatable. This was in sharp contrast to the light and healthy food on we had in Blu on the Solstice. The meals on the Millennium were very disappointing. A pasta dish had so much salt that even the server advised against it. The clam chowder had no clams and was actually a loaded baked potato soup, not chowder. The fish dishes were dry and overcooked. The risotto was drowning in dark sauce. Sound yummy? The matre never smiled and it looked like he hated his job. We only ate breakfast in Blu once and due to the poor service decided to eat in the Oceanview or sometimes Olympic with our Elite status. We ate dinner in Olympic on the second night and had a wonderful meal. We also dined in Qsine twice and very much enjoyed the theme and the excellent food. These meals redeemed Celebrity somewhat but did not excuse the poor food elsewhere. The food in the Oceanview was uninspiring and average. I often had Asian food as the other items were unappealing. The Crew: This was the area where Celebrity rated the most disappointing for the entire cruise. The Guest Relations staff is poorly trained and incompetent. While the itinerary for Southeast Asia was new and the first time sailing to this destination, they just used this as their answer to anything that was not going to plan. The major fiasco with obtaining our passports upon arrival in Laem Chabang is regrettable but the manner in which Celebrity handled it was abominable and inexcusable. While some passengers may be better geared to embracing the chaos, the majority of us were not so fortunate. Standing in line for over 2 hours in a hallway to the conference room to retrieve a passport was bad enough. But then having the crew yelling out staterooms numbers at the top of their lungs and then having a second crew member repeat it as if at a cattle call for those further away was disgraceful. They also handed out passports without looking at them or checking the seapass card. Consequently some people received the wrong passports and then returned them. The people going on ship tours were in the theater and apparently faced their own anguish over this fiasco. Some people on ship tours never received their passports and the tours left without them. When we returned to the ship from our overnight in Bangkok there was a letter from Celebrity about the delay getting off the ship. Big surprise, they blamed the Thai authorities and accepted no accountability! Round two involved the infamous Vietnam visa and landing cards. Unfortunately Celebrity did a poor job or explaining on the ship who needed which visa and when staying overnight. One couple applied for the group visa not understanding this did not cover them for an overnight tour. When the day came to retrieve our passports in Phu My for Saigon, Celebrity did a much better job. The Millennium sent out a pilot boat and the Vietnamese authorities joined the ship shortly after 3:00 am. However, I did hear from other passengers that they still had trouble getting their passports returned. They asked one of the guest relations reps to find out what happened and were just told to wait. Apparently the Captain was there too and could not get his passport either! The crew could also not get most simple things right. Something as easy as telling us the bus number for our excursion in Halong Bay seemed too hard. We arrived from the tender and walked off the dock and were told to go to Bus #38. There was only one bus for this tour and it was #37. While standing in line to exchange money I noticed a man who wanted to know when a particular lecture was taking place. The crew member was impatient with him. The passenger was persistent and had to explain that the title of the talk was highlighted on the top of the program but the time area showed a totally different subject. The crew member got on his radio and then told the passenger they would discuss the topic he saw at the top even though it was not listed in the program. Exchanging money on the ship was fun. You stood in line forever only to be told that you could only get a small amount or none at all as they had run out. They also did not do a good job of explaining that they would not take back Vietnamese Dong. Some people were unhappy being stuck with unused currency. Excursions: We took two ship sponsored excursions. The first one was Hoi An On Your Own. This was a bit of a misnomer as the guide insisted on marching us down the street in Hoi An for a 30 minute tour only to show us the Chinese Market which no one cared about. We also had to negotiate with him on the time we would return to port. He said 1:00 pm which meant we would only have 1 hour on our own to either have lunch or explore Hoi An. Everyone was very unhappy and after some tense conversation he agreed to let us return at 2:15 pm. The second excursion we took was laughable. It was in the port of Halong Bay and was supposed to be a Countryside and Shopping tour. It was quite funny because there was no resemblance to the tour description and the actual tour. It should have been called "The Bathroom Tour". Twenty minutes after leaving on the bus we were told we were stopping for someone to use a bathroom for 5 minutes. Many people got off the bus and twenty-five minutes later we were finally on our way. Then 20 minutes later we stopped again for someone else. This time almost everyone got off the bus and the wait was about 25 minutes as we watched some passengers who were buying fruit. We finally made it to what was supposed to be the Yen Tu Pagoda except you have to take a cable car to get there but we were at one of the temples at the base. We were told to wander around and everyone kept asking where the nuns and monks were. It was finally explained that we were not really at the pagoda but just some associated buildings at the foot of the mountain. Next we were told we would go see a farm. When we arrived, there was no farm. It was a ramshackle house where we were supposed to look at their bedroom and living room. It was embarrassing to most of us to intrude on these nice people. Our bus also suffered a gas leak which required making a ramp for the bus in several places including near the railroad track so the damage did not get worse. At one point the bus driver backed us out into oncoming traffic and it was hard to watch. I sat there nervously in my seat as we straddled the railroad tracks watching the large trucks barreling down the road and praying they would stop. I also wondered how often does the train come? We made it out only to stop 25 minutes later for yes, another bathroom stop! This time I made good use of the time and used the western facilities. It was a very nice bathroom and I wish I took photos of not just this one but the first two as well. The shopping never happened because the guide said it was not good. We actually had the bus drop us off before the pier at a night market and we walked the 20 minutes back in the dark. We were also supposed to enjoy a drink at a local hotel but that did not happen either because we ran out of time. Most passengers on the ship took the trip to Hanoi. We had done an overnight Junk in Halong Bay the night before which was fantastic. If the Celebrity excursion was my only experience in this port I would have been very upset. However this tour was so absurd that we just laughed about it later. Summary: The best part about the cruise was all the overnights in port. Being able to spend 2 days each in Bangkok, Saigon and Halong Bay was fantastic and what drew us to this itinerary in the first place. There is a saying that goes "don't be sad that it is over just be glad that it happened". In our case we were ecstatic it was over and not sure what exactly happened! I am happy to say our time off the ship was great which is reflected in the port reviews. However, the low quality of the stateroom, terrible food, inadequate staff and disappointing ship excursions convinced us that Celebrity was taking us for granted. When you are with someone for a long time sometimes you forget to show appreciation. Celebrity made this exact choice. It seemed like they had us at their mercy and they just didn't care. To add insult to injury a few weeks after returning home I received a letter from Celebrity's President Michael Bayley about how they spoiled us on Millennium! They have that partly right. They spoiled the cruise for us by their inadequacy, lack of planning and professionalism. I should also add that on January 7th two weeks after we came home I cancelled a cruise I had booked many months earlier on the Infinity sailing in August 2013. The reason for cancellation was solely based on our experience on the Millennium. The woman from Celebrity didn't even care why I was cancelling. She just provided the cancellation confirmation. I received my deposit back the next day. I completed the questionnaire on the ship but never heard one peep about it from Celebrity since we came back. By contrast, after our Solstice Cruise in May 2011, I mentioned my disappointment with the pillows in Aquaclass but also said what a fabulous time we had. A week later I received repeated calls from Celebrity trying to speak with me about the pillows! How times have changed. It is true that relationships require a lot of work. However, sometimes you need to decide when it is just too hard and you cut the cord. Sadly that appears to have happened here. Good bye Celebrity and hello again to Crystal and Oceania. Read Less

Background Information: Last year we traveled on Voyager of the seas on the Med and got the cruise bug! It was not long after our return that we realized Voyager was coming to Australia and was happy to cruise on her again! We arrived on Thursday night (4 nights ahead of cruise) to enjoy a bit of Singapore beforehand (Don't miss Singapore Zoo, Night Safara and Universal Studios!) Hotel Info : Park Royal On Beach. The room was fine. The main disapointments was that I mainly chose this hotel for the Pool so we can cool down after the heat of the day. The Pool was closed though we were offered shuttles to their other hotels to swim (Which sorta defeated the Purpose) They were also constructions that pretty much denied any opportunity for a lazy morning sleepin as they were jackhammers going by 9am. Embarkation: The Cruise terminal was so new our Taxi driver never even heard of it. The newness was clear as we arrived at the Terminal to disorganized Chaos. Leaving our luggage on the curb outside was a bit unsettling. Then ushered to a slow line to go through security. Then directed to a throng of people ( we got there around 11:50, listed Embarkation was 12). We just shoved to a line and it was at least 30 minutes later that we were actually told we actually were in the correct line (Purely by accident) Then had people spreading misinformation that we were in the wrong line. After another 1 and quarter in this line we finally checked in...then was sent to the immigration line. It was only at this point that they finally had people with placcards to show people which lines to go to. At least the immigration line went fairly quickly. This whole process took about 2 hrs. In Venice last year...maybe 30 minutes with drinks and refreshments while you wait. I would like to think the chaos was due to the newness of the centre and not being prepared to handle quite so many passengers. (Princess Cruises was there as well) Ship Info: Voyager was as we had remembered it. The Staff, the food and the service were top notch. (Except for Bar service during meals, we were often lucky to get our drinks by time we were ready to leave.) A lot of service issues were due to a crew changeover after their asian season, so we were happy to forgive our waiter not know where 1 out of a thousand tables had moved to. We were on Holiday after all! I found the atmosphere and the people much more relaxed than in Europe, probably cause there were more aussies on board! There was an outbreak of Novovirus on board, each day we were given updates and precautions to take (Though to my surprise I often saw people going into dining without using the disenfects providers or leaving toilets without washing hands) As risk management increased we saw all manner of crew, including the dancers, entertainers and such helping out around the dining room. Our Captain Charles Tiege kept us informed daily of health, weather, ship and other safety concerns. We had a big celebration and fundraiser for 'Cross the Equator' we walked a mile for Make a Wish Foundation. The ship raising money by selling T-shirts for $10. There was such an exciting atmosphere as the entire jogging deck was filled with people walking in matching Shirts! (Voyager became the largest passenger vessel to cross the equator!) Halloween was a hoot as we had a dance party on the Promenade! The day after we left Porthedland we had a Medevac helicopter take a passenger from the ship. (A lady had fallen and broken her hip) It was definatly interesting to watch the preparations and they showed a video of the landing in the daily ship briefing. The last day of the cruise was a bit rough as their were storms along the coast of Western Australia and the Captain took precautions for the safety of the passengers by closing the external decks as the ship rocked around. Activities: I attended line dance classes, A jive dancing class, jewelry making and a awesome historical maps lecture. There was definitely a wide variety of things for people to choose from that at times I was suffering for choice. I had wanted to go to the gym more, but the aircon was not working well in there and with a hot top smack in the middle...well I nearly fainted the first time I went. I found the gym girl a bit pushy with regards to product selling. I attended a class that I thought was be about healthy ways of dealing with sore backs and knees, which actually was just a sales pitch for some orthotics. Service: For the most part the service was wonderful. Only downside was bar service in the Main Dining Hall was very slow. Port & Shore Excursions: The biggest downside to the shore excursions were the distance from the cities. Due to the size of the ship we could not get any closer to the cities. That was something we knew when booking the ship and a small price to pay for cruising on such a large ship. The tours were led by interesting guides who gave us interesting cultural histories about the areas we visited. I would say our best guide was for Ayuthaya because his passion for his country and the areas we visited were clear! The buses were comfortable and we were provided cool wet towels and water bottles several times to deal with the tropical heat! Port Hedland was a surprise, cause like many Australians I was not expected much from the port. It was chosen because it was a deep water port that could take in our ship. Despite it all, I enjoyed the port for what it was. It was a busy shipping port and we got to watch the operations of docking this ships, unloading and loading which is something many of us have never seen before. The town put on a market day and provided shuttle buses around the town. As we arrived we got an honor guard of two tug boats blasting their waterjets and leading us in (Though we never needed them for docking) Stateroom: We chose an inside stateroom cause any light in the room wakes me up! It was a good decision, especially since they had curtains that blocked off the sleeping area from the living area. The new flat screens were nice to watch and since they were mounted on an arm we could watch TV from bed or the couch! We might have chosen a separate arrangement for the beds, cause it was just a touch tight getting around the corners of the bed. The Aircon was a little weaker than expected. Our Room attendant was a lovely man who was very helpful! We had a problem with our phone and he helped us out, had someone from maintenance up within 10 minutes to fix it. Dining: As an Aussie/American I loved the food. A lot of American style cooking that I had missed and got to catch upon! (Real bacon and Biscuits with white gravy, But I know some aussies weren't sure what to do with the white gravy! ;P) I found the food well prepared and tasty whether I ate at Windjammer or the main Dining Room. The food service was great! Children's Clubs: I have no children, but from what I saw of the kids about the ship, they looked to be having a blast parent free. Entertainment: I went to shows nearly every night and enjoyed every one of them! My only criticism was that the daily compass didn't really advertise the headliners really well and for some I waffled about going and dare say given the occupancy of some of the shows so did others, because we had no clue what kind of show it would be. "So and So: an interesting Performer" Is not a way to sell a fabulous Australian Singer who entertained us with Songs from every genre (Belinda Marks). The Ship Shows were fun to watch though felt a little repetitive as they did some of the same sets as when I was on last year, though with some new sets mixed in. The singers sang well individually, but found they did not harmonize well together during the first show, but was much better on the second show. One of the dancers (Myles sp?) I could not take my eyes off of. He was amazing and put every ounce into each dance he performed. He wasn't just dancing, but got the feeling he really felt the music and the dance. Disembarkation: We were gold members and were in group 4 to disembark. We had to be at our lounge at 7:05. We were outside waiting for our ride by 7:20, luggage in hand. It was a smooth procedure! They could have used more chairs in the waiting area. As I dare say there were people like us who ended up having to wait for our lifts, because the disembarkation was far quicker than we had expected! BIGGEST NEGATIVE: Smoking being allowed in High Notes and not having doors between the casino and Aquarium/Schooner Lounge. I noticed only one smoker smoking in High Notes, but I noticed each time he lit up...4-8 people left. They loss business for allowing smoking in an area that many people use to relax and get a view of the world. Because the casino is smokers paradise...well smoke...being smoke it does not stay contained and I could not enjoy time at either Aquarium or Schooner bar because of it. I am asthmatic and cigarette smoke sets off my asthma. There were plenty outside areas to smoke that I could easily avoid that allowing it in enclosed areas seems unfair to those of us who do not smoke. Also only one towel station was open and it was in an smoking section. So basically I had to inhale other people's smoke every time I wanted to swim! Final: All in all I had a wonderful time and the problems encountered did not diminish my cruising holiday and I am already planning the next two cruise vacations! Read Less