15 Night Bering Sea & Japan Cruise on Millennium

Hi there

Has anyone been on this cruise in the past? I am looking for a review, tried searching here with no luck.

Thanks.

Not in the past, but we're booked for 2017. Here are the links to the 2016 and 2017 roll calls which may provide you with some relevant information:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2142156

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2322301&highlight=2017

I have. What would you like to know?

We did a B2B in April-May 2013 (see signature) that included both the Transpacific and Alaska.

The weather went from comfortable (while in Asia) to very cold as we headed north. The ship was way too cold and a lot of people got sick as result of the climate change. Although I love sea days, the combination of cold weather made the time between ports tedious (X on-board activities leave something to be desired)

The weather in Alaska was also rainy and cold (too early in the season).

We took the cruise because at that point there were few cruises that had this itinerary so it was unique. it was also cheap since it was a respositioning cruise.

We enjoyed the visits to Shanghai and Russia, but I see that there are no stops there now. We always enjoy visiting Japan and the spring weather was delightful.

It was Celebrity's first transpacific so it was new to them. We realized on the cruise that X are better with tried and true itineraries but not so good when they have to think out of the box at new ports.

For this and other reasons it was our least favorite Celebrity cruise so I would not recommend it unless these things don't matter to you. IMHO there are other cheap cruises that offer better value for your travel dollar.

It appears that you may be headed in the other direction so things could be different for you.

I have. What would you like to know?

Did you do the cruise in September? If so, how was the weather? Thanks

I sailed the one in April/May 2014. Sorry couldn't help you there.

I did an earlier version of this cruise in September a couple of years ago. Weather was temperate on the crossing, pleasant on Hokkaido, hot in other parts of Japan. Don't recall any sustained rough seas.

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I did an earlier version of this cruise in September a couple of years ago. Weather was temperate on the crossing, pleasant on Hokkaido, hot in other parts of Japan. Don't recall any sustained rough seas.

 

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Thank you, this is good news.

Hi- We went from Vancouver to Tokyo in 2014. That time the cruise did not stop in Alaska but went to Russia. Otherwise it like this year's cruise, which we are also going on. As I remember it the weather was fine-good for running on the jogging deck. The trip was fine . We liked the food. As lovers of jazz and classical music, and not lovers of Vegas-like shows, the entertainment was disappointing. But that was just us. Others perceived things differently, no doubt. But we are doing the trip again which indicates that overall we were satisfied. My wife quilts so she was satisfied to joined others who did needlework on some of the days. We like sea days. Obviously there was no shortage of them. The Japanese stops were all interesting. We wandered around cities, checked out stores. Were impressed at the relative "smallness of scale" that is necessary when many people live in a small geographical space. Ask questions about what you are looking for in a cruise and I can respond.

Hi- We went from Vancouver to Tokyo in 2014. That time the cruise did not stop in Alaska but went to Russia. Otherwise it like this year's cruise, which we are also going on. As I remember it the weather was fine-good for running on the jogging deck. The trip was fine . We liked the food. As lovers of jazz and classical music, and not lovers of Vegas-like shows, the entertainment was disappointing. But that was just us. Others perceived things differently, no doubt. But we are doing the trip again which indicates that overall we were satisfied. My wife quilts so she was satisfied to joined others who did needlework on some of the days. We like sea days. Obviously there was no shortage of them. The Japanese stops were all interesting. We wandered around cities, checked out stores. Were impressed at the relative "smallness of scale" that is necessary when many people live in a small geographical space. Ask questions about what you are looking for in a cruise and I can respond.

Hi, There's a roll call for the September 2, 2016, Japan cruise at this link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2142156

Come on over & join us! Thanks for the information. Shirley

So far I am not at all impressed by the service nor attitude of a number of staff /employees. Mildewy,smelly shower upon embarkation.I thought original steward would notice and clean it but must not have cared as I also received anextra blanket With noticeable white stains which smelled And looked like dried milk or baby spit up. I have changed to a stewardess due to his seeming lack of concern for hygiene/sanitary conditions and attitude but won't go into that here.Safe didn't work due to low battery.Stateroom card becameMagnetized 5 Times in 2 days so I have had to keep running back to the front desk to get it fixed.Apparently my iPad even turned off and with cover closed can cause this but I didn't have it with me 3 of the 5 times it stopped working. Poor service in the dining room last night so all four of us at the table told the maitre d so we are changing tables and waiters tonight and suggested they need to improve in this area. Oivay

So far I am not at all impressed by the service nor attitude of a number of staff /employees. Mildewy,smelly shower upon embarkation.I thought original steward would notice and clean it but must not have cared as I also received anextra blanket With noticeable white stains which smelled And looked like dried milk or baby spit up. I have changed to a stewardess due to his seeming lack of concern for hygiene/sanitary conditions and attitude but won't go into that here.Safe didn't work due to low battery.Stateroom card becameMagnetized 5 Times in 2 days so I have had to keep running back to the front desk to get it fixed.Apparently my iPad even turned off and with cover closed can cause this but I didn't have it with me 3 of the 5 times it stopped working. Poor service in the dining room last night so all four of us at the table told the maitre d so we are changing tables and waiters tonight and suggested they need to improve in this area. Oivay

I'm finding this concerning we are booked on this ship next year :(

I hope the service you are experiencing improves to the level of Celebrity we know and love.

Please keep your live comments coming as this is a cruise we are watching for next year.

Carol

So sorry haiku is not enjoying the cruise. We were on the last 3 cruises before drydock and really enjoyed ourselves. We had the best cabin crew we have ever had in 25 cruises. Imagine our surprise one morning when we returned to the cabin to find it all decorated with streamers, balloons, posters and what have you. Plus, they presented me with a bouquet of flowers for my birthday. I had told Luna a few days earlier that I had a birthday on Sunday and was feeling old!! Never thought another thing about it. I know Aristotle has been promoted to the suites, Luna went home for vacation. Our servers were great too. We were in AQ. Hope it improves for you Haiku.

I must say the crew for the most part is trying hard to get things right,including choc covered strawberries 3 times (lol) ,flowers once, and my new stewardess is much better, My massage therapist has been wonderful but she is not a Celebrity employee but rather a Canyon Club employee. I am not going to take any shore excursions as I was told they se every seat,i.e., pack people In like sardines.Crystal does not generally fill up buses and that improves the experience quite a bit.As of today my general evaluation is better than carnival by a good deal and better than NCL by a bit but not significantly except in one major area for me :the size and layout of the inside staterooms.Dinner was very good last night.

Finding a seat during the day to read or use ones iPad indoors is difficult and annoying.Musical chairs is not what I expect to have to do on a cruise.I am trying to relax and things keep happening that stress me out, such as what I just mentioned as well as finding a seat at breakfast in the Oceanview cafe.I don't wake up early enough to have breakfast in the main dining room. More later

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Haiku, try the Aqua spa cafe for breakfast (it ends at 10AM) It is usually quiet but you will not get a cooked breakfast there. When we are not in Blu, we find a table first, in the ocean view. Then one of us goes to get food. It's not ideal but at least you're not wandering around looking for a table while your breakfast gets cold.

There is a great little place deck 3 portside, right beside the elevators and not far from Guest relations where you could read quietly but there are very few chairs (maybe 5 or 6). Revelations lounge has lots of space with an ocean view. Glad things are improving. We almost came down to see Millie off last Fri.:)

Well safe didn't work again today due to another low battery message.I have no idea what they did yesterday but it didn't fix the problem so once again I had to call the front desk.The food in the Mir has been very good,with the concerns us of the four of us at our table being there is no need to have to pay extra for the so called premium restaurants as the food is fine in the mdr.Service has improved there since we spoke up about it.I am on deck 3 not far behind the front desk on port side so I know about those seats.Hard to find them empty. Especially at prime daytime hours. Jacuzzis are often full and those in the the covered area are too.I will have to use them late afternoon before others go to first seating at mdr to be able to use them without waiting or to be by myself. So many activities have fees which I really don't like , coming from Crystal.The nickel and dining is as bad as I saw on Carnival and NCL, a big disappointment given Celebrity I thought was supposed to be a lot better than the fore mentioned.It is not. One very tacky guest speaker named Milos I won't listen to again.A very good cellist and violinist play afternoons on I believe the 4th or fifth deck about midship.Too many gambling related activities promos etc.As one who has a relative w a gambling problem she could never sail on this line even though it is currently under control.As a non drinker too many venues pushing alcoholic drinks and events . UGH....

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Sorry but my posts here are going to be as I think of them, stream of consciousness with no particular order or time of day will they be posted

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haikou! There are many of us who adore Milos! His presentations are entertaining, and he is actually quite learned. So glad to hear he's on the Millennium for the transpacific this year and hope that he's there next year, as we will be aboard for the crossing in 2017.

Betsy

My apologies Haikou.....I spelled your name wrong not once, but twice!! I guess I was thinking of the Japanese poem which is not a bad thing since you're going to Japan!!:) I love Japan.

Really, I don't think you can compare Celebrity with Crystal as it's a much higher priced cruise line.

haikou! There are many of us who adore Milos! His presentations are entertaining, and he is actually quite learned. So glad to hear he's on the Millennium for the transpacific this year and hope that he's there next year, as we will be aboard for the crossing in 2017.

 

Betsy

Just off Millie where Milos was the naturalist. Went to one of his talks about bears, it was entertaining and he was funny but I didn't learn anything. Such as, how to tell the difference between black and grizzly or what to do if you encounter them. The throw a little dog at the bear joke got a little old. After that we didn't go to any of his other presentations, I'm sure he knows his stuff but he's not my cup of tea...Now Brent Nixon, I could listen to for hours and learn something.

I have no interest in learning about signs with the word fart in it in other languages.Not relevant to the subject either. I don't want bathroom/need preteen humor tyvm

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We're on this crossing next year and are following your info.

I walked around parts of Dutch Harbor today and the surrounding mountains are greener than I expected-quite lovely and imho worth the wait to get on the bus to the drop off point at the Safeway market.I saw two seal (sea lions in this area?) heads pop up -adorable :) I was told if I walked down past a rocky beach in the distance that whales tend to congregate in the shallows there but I didn't want to test the time it would take to get back to one of the last buses before 2 went off to pick up school children and thus increase the wait time to catch it back to the ship, so I didn't get to see any whales.

Food really has been quite good.I see no need to pay for the premium restaurants if one is on a tight budget as I am.

My inside solo stateroom is quite roomy.My only wish is that these non luxury lines had shower bathtub combos instead of just showers.

IMcontinue to have issues with the remote control, and had to call them once again to get the interactive part working again.I could not get my room service order to go through today and wish it was a. Little more user friendly.Sail away in about an hour. I have not used the jacuzzis or pools yet as they have been too crowded most days.I will have to go late afternoon until just before my. Late seating at 830pm , as most people are choosing to eat at the early seating 6pm

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Haikou,

I'm trying to remember where I sat on the Connie (same class, of course) to read, but I think I had a veranda most times. Actually, when the weather warms up, there are many lounge chairs on deck 5, outside; just be sure you are aware which side of the ship is the smoking side outside.

Absolutely, go to the hot tubs in the late afternoon. That, now that you mention it, is one of the best things about late dining. The pool area really does clear out around 4:30 or 5 pm.

How about in the area of Cafe al Bacio for comfy seating? might be a bit too busy to be reading. Or how about Deck 11, forward? I think it's called Compass Lounge? but I can't tell, b/c the web site isn't cooperating. Sound familiar??

Also, I totally agree that the MDR is generally very satisfying, and I will reconfirm your thoughts about the specialty restaurants. We have had ONLY disappointing dinners in specialty restaurants on three cruise lines, including both classes of ship on Celebrity. I guess we are just jinxed when it comes to the specialties! even when they're not an extra charge, as on Oceania.

You are certainly having a frustrating time, between the safe and your t.v.'s remote AND your key card. I had the same key card annoyance on Century (a class of ship they don't have any more) and they accused me of being the reason, which I definitely was not. Made me somewhat grumpy, absolutely.

Btw, where's the library on your ship? I can only remember that I find plenty of places to read on the S class ships. I can't remember my four Connie cruises for where to read! except deck 5 outside, b/c all of mine were, thankfully, warm weather cruises. Actually, what about the lounge outside of the MDR? other than when trivia is going on, it might be quiet. Oh! wait, I remember now. The sides, on the way in, are quiet, even when there's trivia. Deck 4, I think.

Thx for posting from the ship, Haikou. I hope all the little challenges will not ruin your experience for you.