Miaminice

We did the trip in October on our third cruise to Japan. Bought the ticket at a machine (unreserved seats) and did the same on the way back. No problem. No need to reserve in advance.

On 4/6/2024 at 6:48 AM, CrispenFairchild said:

Is it hard to find the pier where Millennium is docked?  My cruise begins 5/27/24

Celebrity always use Osanbashi Cruise Terminal in Yokohama.
Pretty easy to rech by public transport from Tokyo.

JR train to Yokohama Station and then subway or taxi to the pier.

3 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

Everyone on a ship is a tourist. It's not the lanyard that gives you away. 😉

Being one and looking like one are two different things 😉

To me wearing a lanyard and looking like a marked sheep as part of a flock definitely belongs to the looking like one category 😉

Never did and never will! First I am on vacation and not on a convention, second - How could I look more touristy? 😁😉

3 hours ago, Letsgetreal said:

Hello Fellow cruisers... does anyone have any information as to how culturally immersed the actual Ship is on Japan cruises? I have heard amazing things about the Diamond Princess who have Japanese food and activities to really immerse into the Japanese culture on board - It was sold out and I am looking at the B2B in August 2024 on the millenium instead but I can't find anything about how international and cultural the on board food and activities are and if they are a reflection of the area it is cruising in ie Japan! 

It is such a special location that I would expect the ship to be more tailored to the destination in terms of its food and activities...anyone know anything on this front on the millenium please?

 

I am taking mum elderly parents 

 

Many Thanks

 

We have done one cruise to Japan on HAL and two on Celebrity Millennium. Cruisestitch link our latest review above. 
 

Besides the occasional dish on the buffet - like Ramen - and maybe a cultural show activities and food on board are like anywhere else and not really tailored to Japan.

Diamond Princess is a little different because she also has Japanese passengers on board. We considered Diamond Princess for a next cruise but ended up booking Millennium for a fourth cruise to Japan. Mainly because of the more attractive itinerary.

@Carlea1961 Yes, some companies do that.

Regardless, we just did the tour and we planned all our Vietnam tours with Rose, a young lady from Hanoi. Best tours ever - and we have done 30+ cruises worldwide,

We enjoyed Vietnam so much that we booked a Mekong River cruise for September this year including Anchor Wat at the end.

Here’s our report including contact info 

2 hours ago, CrispenFairchild said:

I am on the May 27 r/t Tokyo.  Anybody else on that one?.

Most EVERY tour is sold out, so it looks like I will be hiring independents!

I am traveling solo.

Any suggestions?  I have been looking on line, but so far have not found any day tour companies that will come to the ship and take me on a tour of Kyoto.

I know they must exist.  I am hoping somebody here has some info.

look at #31 for links with lots of info

9 hours ago, omahabob said:

I have zero interest in a spa, and the perks of old are fading away.

So do we. We never cared much about the thermal suite. And we couldn´t care less about a tote bag or things like that. We always asked for the canapes NOT to be delivered. Enough food as it is...

However, we love Aqua for Blu!!! We just don´t like the loud and hectic MDR and very much enjoy the more personal service of Blu.

So whenever we are not sailing on E class - very we also enjoy the smaller MDRs - we book AQ just for BLU. Given the price is not too crazy.

On 4/3/2024 at 4:27 AM, NoWhiners said:

It would be great to hear about your experience, thanks. I had just about decided to just rent a pocket wifi at the airport but then it turned out you can't make wifi calls. I don't know how many calls I'll need to make but I am thinking it would be nice to have to contact local tour guides if we need to.

 

Now I think I'll be using a mobal sim card for calls, texts and data. Have to go back and check on that option.

 

Have a great time!

I used an international pocket wifi until a few years ago when the e-Sims came up.

Used Ubigi e-Sim in Japan on two cruises and Airalo regional e-Sim in SE Asia. 
Works great! Ubigi is supposed to be better than Airalo in Japan. 
Calling via whatsapp etc is no problem.

Metropolitan Marunouchi near Tokyo Station or the Park Hyatt known from the movie "Lost in translation".

We like to stay at the Gracery in Shinjuku.

Maybe this helps: 
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/page/2/

This was our third Japan cruise. This time we did Kyoto on day one by Shinkansen and Osaka on day 2.

Cruise # 4 is already booked 🙂

We like to stay at The Kowloon Hotel. Good hotel at a great location for reasonable rates. 

Cheapest way from the airport is the Airport Express train. However, taxis are not too expensive either. You can use the uber app for a small extra fee. 

For example a taxi from the port to the airport is just HK$ 280 - roughly US$ 35.
And the distance from the city to airport is shorter than that.

 

@wblotner66

We have stayed at the Metropolitan Marunouchi in Tokyo once and it was nice.

On other occasions we stayed at the Gracery Shinjuku and like it for its fabulous location and good quality for a reasonable price. 

We have also stayed at APA hotels (one in Shinjuku) and they offer very low rates. However, the rooms are miniscule. A ship´s stateroom is huge compared to them 🙂

If you are interested in the report of our latest cruise to Japan, you can find it here:
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

@catweazlecat

Hello, also from Germany,

try Koichi Wasa for the Kyoto area. 
We have toured with him on some of our cruises to Japan and he´s very good.

You can also look into https://gowithguide.com/ for guides.

If you are interested in the report of our latest cruise to Japan, you can find it here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

Enjoy Japan!

17 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

I don’t think the average human needs a “phobia” to worry about the after effects of being covered in sewage. I used to work for the department of corrections. When a CO gets urine, feces, toilet water or unidentifiable substances thrown on them by an inmate, they’re required to take a very harsh medication they refer to informally as “the cocktail”. They’re out for weeks due to the side effects of this medication, and they’re not required to have a diagnosed “phobia” for it to be administered. If this kind of assault wouldn’t bother you, I recommend a career in corrections. 

🙄 You are free to think of it as you like!
In my view the OP got what´s needed - eye wash, an appointment at the doctor - who certainly knows how to handle things better than me or you - and so on.
If you think that´s not enough - well, let´s agree to disagree.

 

10 hours ago, Roxie888 said:

Look at post #115

Funny 😉 the OP did not mention this at all while she was still on board and wrote about every detail elaborately. Only this small side mention at a time when they were already back home… and no downgrading or anything else you mentioned.

Anyhow, to me there‘s too much panicking and drama in all of this. But yeah, I get that some people have health phobias… 

4 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Yes, the OP. It was in one of the OP’s posts. 

Show me where! I could only read it in someone else’s post.

4 hours ago, Pinboy said:

"I called home and talked to someone what to do". 

Why call home to see what to do ?

I wondered the same! 

2 hours ago, vjmatty said:

They asked for a different room, even if downgrading to an inside, not to turn back time. This was not too much to ask given the circumstances. 

I don’t know who you are talking about! I am talking about the OP… and there’s no mention of a different room!

Nope, no machines. Ask at any bar and they’ll help you.

6 hours ago, gojoanne1 said:

Avp1234 what deck and or cabin were you in? I was on this ship during that time but thankfully did not experience that! But I’m going again on the 10 day cruise same ship in April now I’m nervous!

Don‘t be!!! She’s a fine ship!

Technical issues happen and the problems with pipes occur on every ship. Mostly because people throw all kinds of things into the toilet.

This issue might have been handled badly - on BOTH sides. The OP got what they wanted… an eye wash, a doctor (who certainly knew how to handle it better than them) etc. 
What Celebrity can’t do is turn back time and make it unhappen.

My experience is that if you stay calm, don’t be pushy and express a know it all attitude they will help. More and better than expected! The few problems we ever had on our many cruises were handled better and more generously than we ever expected. However, I think we are low maintenance people. We tend to enjoy our cruises and don’t waste much time on looking for fault.

I am sure that - with the right attitude - you’ll have a great cruise on a beautiful ship 👍

Seats can’t be reserved - and it’s not an issue on Celebrity.
 

Concierge really has no benefits worth mentioning. Only to the cruise line… more $$$.
Maybe if you chase the extra points… 🤷🏻

We rented cars in all ports of Iceland on two cruises. Always used holdur.is the representative of Europcar. 
We can HIGHLY recommend them.

When you book on the Holdur website you can choose the port as pick up point.

11 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Verizon has an international phone plan that we used in Australia and NZ.  I’ll have to see if Asia is included.  For $100/ month we used our phones all the time in port and skipped the internet on the ship as the phone was about half the cost of ship internet.  Worked for us. 

Try Ubigi or Airalo e-Sims. Not even half the amount you mentioned... and they work great. I had Ubigi in Japan and an Airalo regional e-Sim for Southeast Asia.

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

What are your thoughts on the cherry blossom bloom.  Is it a big deal to see it during this time of year,  or would other times be just as good?

Out of our 3 previous cruises plus the upcomming 4th cruise to Japan we only chose Cherry Blossom time once. And yes, it was absolutely fantastic and unforgettable!

However, it also has it´s downsides and challenges:

- Cost - the Cherry Blossom cruises are even more expensive

- Time - You might hit the right time for Hanami... you might not.
- Weather - weather in spring can be unstable and wet. For example, we had a nice but pretty wet day in Aomori, where the blossoms were the nicest. Friends are currently in Japan on Princess and the pics look pretty grey.

Don´t get me wrong. I am not saying you shouldn´t go during the time. It´s nice - and if you are lucky it´s probably almost pleasantly overwhelming and unforgettable. BUT other seasons in Japan are also fabulous. The fall colors are very pretty as well. 

So I guess in a nutshell I´d answer your question with: Yes, other times would also be good!