Detailed (& long) review of Celebrity Millennium 12 Night Best of Japan 14-26th July

[Lunastella]

Introduction & Synopsis

I promised myself I was not going to make the same mistake again and wait until the second day of the cruise to start writing a CC review, never again! (see review of Celebrity Beyond Med Summer 2022!). Therefore, it was in a haze of jet lag that I started writing this review of the Best of Japan cruise on Millennium. My dedication to documenting EVERYTHING we did on this trip started on our very first night in Tokyo, go me! That said, the laptop did not see the light of day for another 3 days, ah well, it started so well!

 

And so, we cruise again…two years later (well, we may have sneaked a Caribbean cruise on HAL in 2023, but don’t tell anyone - if it not on CC, did it even happen?). We don’t cruise often, but when we do, we like to talk about it….in detail. So if a minute-by-minute review of a cruise around Japan (and Korea) is not your thing, this is not the post for you. Please move right along and sorry for taking up your time.

 

However, if you like (too) long reviews with (too) many photos (mainly of food), please follow along as I describe life on and off board Celebrity Millennium on our (probably) once in a lifetime Japanese cruise. I wrote everything in real (or almost real) time, see caveat above about closed laptop, but I will be posting about the trip one day at a time for the next, I guess 14 days, if all goes to plan….which invariably it won’t….

 

The weight of my world in my hands

 

 

 

I like new ships and I ain’t gonna lie! But this trip is all about the destination, not the journey, at least that’s what I kept telling myself after we booked a trip on the oldest ship ever! Ok I exaggerate, but at 24 years old, Milly is the oldest in the Celebrity fleet. But Japan is a bucket list destination, and there are only 2 ships in this part of the world during the summer, and given a choose between Celebrity and Princess, Celebrity just about pits at the post. So Milly it is. This is a far greater sacrifice for DS who is allergic to older ships, then again she is younger than me, so I guess that makes sense. Despite our initial reservations, Milly grew on us; she may lack the pizzazz of the Edge class ships, but the food and service were great and she did a fine job in getting us from A to B in a timely manner. [SIDENOTE: throughout the trip somehow Future Cruise brochures for Ascent kept appearing…everywhere, I suspect DS took a visit down to deck 5….]

 

Speaking of DS, she (sister) is one part of the trio that makes up my cruise companions,  the other being DM (mom), the other being, well me.

 

DS, DM & me in Tokyo

 

 

Where did we go?

-          Tokyo – for walking tour, udon noodles, temples, shrines, udon noodles, art installations, tiny bars, udon noodles, & Uniqlo

-          Yokohama – for boarding the ship

-          Mt Fuji (Shimizu) – for ropeway, shrine, tea house, beach & Uniqlo

-          Kobe (Kyoto) – for the Gion Matsuri festival, temples, gardens, sushi, & a castle  

-          Kyoto (Osaka) – for a food tour, local markets & Uniqlo

-          Hiroshima – for Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Dome & Hiroshima Peace Museum

-          Busan (South Korea) – for a Michlin star lunch, bus tour & Korean beauty product shopping

-          Hakodate – for observation tower, fort viewing, gallery, shopping, tempura, & Japanese massage

-          Aomori – for festival museum, apples, modern art gallery, & Viennese café

-          Yokohama  - for a movie, soba noodles & Uniqlo.

 

 

Some random photos to whet your appetite

 

Art

 

Garden

 

Festival

 

Food

 

Gate

 

Pagoda

 

Rock

 

Tree

 

Tokyo

 

 

Pool

 

Dog

 

How long did we go for?

-          On land – 2 nights pre-cruise in Toyko (Hilton)

-          On cruise – 12 nights (Celebrity Millennium)

 

When did we go?

-          Mid-July - don’t do this! Or at least don’t do this if you come from a country where it rains 12 months a year and people lose all reason when the temperature rises above 20 degrees. It was hot, it was humid, and it almost broke our Irish temperament. Don’t get me wrong, we really enjoyed the trip, but the heat did constrain how much we did on port days as the lure of an air conditioned ship often won out over seeing another shrine (no shade on shrines (literally or figurately), shrines are great, well at least the first 20, same with churches, no discrimination here). So if you have any Irish blood in you,  I would not recommend going to Japan in July.  We, however, had no choice in the matter as it is the only time of year we can travel for an extended period, well I say ‘we’ but I really mean ‘me’ much to the dismay of DS and DM who are much more flexible, damn academia!

 

What colour is our seapass??

-          While I would love to provide a detailed review of Retreat and Luminae and life in a suite… I am sorry to disappoint. We were not grey or gold, and certainly not black. Navy is my colour anyway.

 

Where did we stay?

-          Verdana stateroom, Deck 9 forward. Best location ever! Just one deck below all the most important things in life like the gym, solarium, pool, Oceanview Café, and most importantly, the water coolers!  We were directly under the spa, so it was super quiet. [Note to self, always book deck 9 forward, makes going to the gym much easier].

 

 

What package did we have?

-        None, zilch, nada! Previously, we always had an ‘all included’ package,  or at least a drinks package. But it seems that things have changed since we last cruised and now you have to actually pay for packages…imagine! Paying for a drink every time we wanted a drink was not a prospect we were looking forward to…would we succumb to an onboard package….only time will tell.

 

 

How did we plan our excursions?

-        With difficulty! We definitely found planning this trip more challenges than other destinations. Usually, we avoid organised excursions as we like getting lost and making life hard for ourselves, but for Japan I initially sought out organised trips as I assumed navigating Japanese cities and public transport would be tricky.  However, many of the ship’s excursions were sold out and some of the prices I was quoted for private excursions were insane. Tours in Japan seem to differ from other countries in that you have to pay extra for everything like entry fees, lunch, lunch for the guide, and even transportation costs in addition to the price for the ‘tour’ itself. So we ended up doing ‘self-guided’ tours in most ports, bar one private excursion (Mt Fuji) and half a ship excursion (DM only - Kyoto). Big shout out to fellow CC contributors - @DaKahuna, @scorfman, @Miaminice for their excellent reviews and advice, it really helped with planning this trip. Bottom line – as long as you have Google maps, is pretty easy to explore Japan on your own and I think we did it pretty successfully for first time Japan visitors.

 

 

Where did we mainly hangout while at sea?

-        Stateroom (for obvious reasons)

-        Solarium (for general lounging)

-        Gym (for counteracting the lounging)

-        MDR (for bread, and more bread, and maybe some dinner)

-        Tuscan Grille (sadly for 1 dinner only)

-        Oceanview Café & Spa Café (for breakfast)

-        Rendezvous Lounge (for buzzer time)

-        Water cooler in solarium (no, not for the gossip, but for filling water bottles with cold water…I tried them all, solarium is best).

 

Bread!

 

What were the highlights?

-        Being in Japan…okay okay, bit obvious I know

-        Randomly picking a shrine to visit and discovering the most Japanese of Japanese gardens

-        Being surprised by Busan (who knew!)

-        Japanese food (okay, obvious again)

-        Food in MDR (what! you say, but pleasantly surprised)

-        Location of stateroom (go deck 9!)

-        Friendly and efficient service

-        No tenders at any ports

-        Treadmills with kilometres as well as miles (it’s the little things)

-        Spending time with DS and DM…ahhh (and not killing them or being killed)

 

What were the lowlights?

-        Bunkbed shock (although we did get used to it)

-        No new ship smell (abit of an understatement)

-        Lack of sunsets (not Japan’s fault in fairness, we were always getting ready and missed all bar one)

-        No drinks package….a negative re fun but positive re health, so win overall

-        Desserts masquerading as other desserts

 

I mean, it’s supposed to be blueberry pavlova? 

 

And so it begins….again.

[eddieg07410]

What wonderful review. Well played out and organized Your education background is easily recognized.

[D. B.]

If you like deserts just order 2?

 Increasing the odds you get something you like?

 The Sky Lounge Forward is the best place to be when entering a Port.

 

[Pushka]

I'm in. Love the detailed reports and especially those posters who already helped you with theirs. 

[cachouonacruise]

Thank-you very much for your detailed review and pictures! It makes for a very interesting read! 
 

P.s. Just curious, if you have the time to comment on that. How easy, or challenging were your airport/ship security processes, customs and immigration processes in Japan and South Korea? 

[cinnamon]

So looking forward to reading more!

My friend and I are taking the Best of Japan cruise next month, though sadly Hakodate and Aomori were cancelled as soon as final balance was paid and substituted with a less exciting itinerary. 
Please tell us about your flight experience. I’m not looking forward to 13 hours in Economy.  😮

[Scottishclover]

Yess!! This is the review I’ve been hoping someone will write. We cruised on Beyond last year on the back of your last review. I think we probably have a very similar approach to cruising.
 

 We had a cruise to Japan booked for April this year but had to cancel. However there’s been a bit of talk in the house about going next summer.

 

Looking at the prices of the tours, part of me was glad we didn’t go. We’re paying for four so it’s a bit crazy. So interested to see how your DIY approach worked.

 

Also we are done with drink packages ( can’t get near to our moneys worth even with 2 Scottish students!) so can’t wait to see how pay as you go pans out. 

 

Unfortunately,  summer is the only time  we can travel and the humidity is the one thing that might be the deal breaker. Like you, driving rain and sideways wind we can cope with, humidity not so much….

 

Can’t wait to read more about your trip. 

[Matt1jus]

Thanks for the review. We are basically doing the same cruise next May and far forward on deck nine below the Spa. I was a bit worried it might be noisy but glad you said it was quiet. Look forward to the rest of the review. 

[Provence55always]

I’m in for the long haul we are doing this cruise next April. Love your Irish ☘️ sense of humour and how wonderful to have your Mum along to take care of you both😉

[Lunastella]

10 hours ago, eddieg07410 said:

What wonderful review. Well played out and organized Your education background is easily recognized.

Thank you! More to come!

[Lunastella]

9 hours ago, D. B. said:

If you like deserts just order 2?

 Increasing the odds you get something you like?

 The Sky Lounge Forward is the best place to be when entering a Port.

 

A very good idea indeed. I liked the deserts mostly, they were just not always what I expected!

[Lunastella]

8 hours ago, Pushka said:

I'm in. Love the detailed reports and especially those posters who already helped you with theirs. 

I agree, I like to pay if forward, previous posters helped us and hopefully this review will help others thinking about or planning this cruise. 

[Lunastella]

7 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

Thank-you very much for your detailed review and pictures! It makes for a very interesting read! 
 

P.s. Just curious, if you have the time to comment on that. How easy, or challenging were your airport/ship security processes, customs and immigration processes in Japan and South Korea? 

I will talk about this at each port, but in general, customs/immigration was a a breeze. At certain ports we have to fill out some forms in advance, and during one sea day we had to do Japanese immigration in the dining room, but it was all easy and we were never waiting in line for more than 10 mins, usually less.

[Lunastella]

4 hours ago, cinnamon said:

So looking forward to reading more!

My friend and I are taking the Best of Japan cruise next month, though sadly Hakodate and Aomori were cancelled as soon as final balance was paid and substituted with a less exciting itinerary. 
Please tell us about your flight experience. I’m not looking forward to 13 hours in Economy.  😮

You will have a fab time! I will talk about the flights. I also was not looking forward to a 14 hour flight, but actually, it was fine, I read, listened to music, tried to sleep, ate, annoyed DS and DM.

[Lunastella]

4 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

Yess!! This is the review I’ve been hoping someone will write. We cruised on Beyond last year on the back of your last review. I think we probably have a very similar approach to cruising.
 

 We had a cruise to Japan booked for April this year but had to cancel. However there’s been a bit of talk in the house about going next summer.

 

Looking at the prices of the tours, part of me was glad we didn’t go. We’re paying for four so it’s a bit crazy. So interested to see how your DIY approach worked.

 

Also we are done with drink packages ( can’t get near to our moneys worth even with 2 Scottish students!) so can’t wait to see how pay as you go pans out. 

 

Unfortunately,  summer is the only time  we can travel and the humidity is the one thing that might be the deal breaker. Like you, driving rain and sideways wind we can cope with, humidity not so much….

 

Can’t wait to read more about your trip. 

OMG, lovely to hear you booked a Beyond cruise based on my review. Does this make me an 'influencer'!!! I have influenced one person at least. The prices of the tours and the drinks packages are crazy. It was much more economical to do our own thing and just pay for drinks when we wanted them. We actually worked out how much we spent on drinks overall versus had we bought a package, and it was way cheaper and ahem...healthier!  

 

Regarding the weather, as long as you pace yourself and drinks lots of water (I put an electrolyte in my water bottle every morning), you will be fine. 

[Lunastella]

1 hour ago, Matt1jus said:

Thanks for the review. We are basically doing the same cruise next May and far forward on deck nine below the Spa. I was a bit worried it might be noisy but glad you said it was quiet. Look forward to the rest of the review. 

It was super quiet, you don't have to worry about being below the spa. It's a great location.

[Lunastella]

48 minutes ago, Provence55always said:

I’m in for the long haul we are doing this cruise next April. Love your Irish ☘️ sense of humour and how wonderful to have your Mum along to take care of you both😉

Thank you! I hope you find the review helpful! Weather will be better for you at least!

[Lunastella]

Pre cruise Day 1: Dublin to Tokyo

 

With on-going labour strife in our national airline, Aer Lingus, we had a couple of hairy moments in the weeks before the trip about the potential cancellation of the first leg of our flight from Dublin to London. The pilots are lobbying for a 24%(!!!!)  payrise and the government is not moving beyond 12%, hence chaos has ensued during peak travel period [SIDENOTE: They settled on 17% in the end, just in case you are interested in aviation labour relations]. Cancellations were being announced a couple of days in advance of each flight so we had lots of discussions about whether to book other flights, leave a day early etc etc. Luckily, among the hundreds of fights cancelled that week, ours was not one of them, it was meant to be, Japan, here we come!

 

A taxi pick-up for 6.30am was perfectly acceptable, and we were at the airport by 7am with 2hrs to spare before our 9am flight to Londo. Quick coffee and pastry in Cloud Picker (excellent coffee shop in Dublin airport if you need one (coffee…always need one). The flight from Dublin to London is only 55 minutes long, but once on-board, the pilot announced a 1hr delay due to traffic restrictions. No worries, relax I told DM who was having flashbacks to when we almost missed our connection from London to Singapore for our 2019 just missed Covid cruise. On that occasion, our flight was really delayed and we had a much shorter connection time, hence mad running through Heathrow, losing boarding passes, DM almost giving up and telling us to go without her, the dramatics! We made it.) And so too we would also make this flight, we  had 2.45hrs in Heathrow, plenty of time, even with a 1hr delay…I hoped. Again, the aviation gods were looking down on us, and the delay was only 30mins in the end. It was an uneventful short flight, BUT no homemade sandwiches this time…major let down DM!

 

Goodbye Ireland

 

 

We made our way from terminal 2 to terminal 5 for our BA flight from London to Tokyo (14hrs!!!). We had so much extra time in the airport we even managed to have our first holiday beverage….we paid for it…you know…just to get used to paying for drinks.

 

The holiday begins

 

 

We booked this trip with a travel agent, which is a first for us as we usually do everything independently, and unbeknown to us (or perhaps we just forgot), we were travelling in premium economy…a major step up from our standard economy! Again, go aviation gods! Premium economy has more space in the cabin, larger seats, prosecco before take-off, real cutlery and glasses, a menu for dinner and breakfast, noise cancelling earphone, amenities bag etc etc. If you close your eyes, you could almost believe you are in business class  (apart from the flat beds, which are arguably the main reason for choosing business class, especially on a 14hr flight).

 

The flight itself was grand. The food was very good (I had the ham hock, leek and smoked cheddar pie, excellent). The wine was plentiful and the blanket was comfy. I listened to music, read, and may have even slept (possibly thanks to the wine), I didn’t even watch any movies! DS did not sleep at all, and DM probably slept the most, although she venomously denies this.

 

The swag

 

 

Only Joyce acceptable on an Irish flight

 

 

Menu

 

 

Dinner

 

 

Plane drinks (make-up free for the flights)

 

Nails (cos DS always has pretty nails)

 

 

 

Breakfast

 

We landed in Haneda airport at 10.20am (next day) Tokyo time, well ahead of schedule. By 11.05 we were on the bus bound for Tokyo. This was very good going, there were no delays getting off the plane, at passport control, at customs or even with baggage! Aviation gods again.

 

We had pre-booked 3 tickets for the airport bus (€23 for the 3 of us; https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/guide/en/timetable/). We just followed the signs for ‘Bus’ (note, not Charter Bus, just ‘Bus’), and the very helpful staff pointed us in the direction of the correct stop as there were multiple stops.

 

Bus stop

 

 

We choose this particular airport bus as it goes directly to our hotel – Hilton Tokyo – so its handier than taking the train and then having to transfer and navigate our way out of the Tokyo metro in a jetlag haze. The bus took about an hour. It was grey, it was rainy, not exactly holiday weather. If I wanted grey and rainy I would have stayed in Ireland! But at least its warm, 26 degrees, perfect!

 

Tokyo in the rain

 

 

The Hilton Tokyo is in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, and it’s a pretty nice, large, modern, not bougie hotel. Plus, it is directly linked to two metro stops which would prove very handy. Were we convinced we wouldn’t be able to check in so early (about midday when we arrived), but the very nice receptionist, not only got us an early check in, but also upgraded us so that we could access the Executive Lounge (free cocktail hour here we come!). Hotel gods are also coming through. By 12.30 we were in our room already! The room was huge - 3 separate beds and a massive sofa, and some pretty good views.

 

Japanese minimalism & DM

 

 

 

Beds

 

 

View

 

 

 

At this stage we were flagging, so a ‘nap’ was on the agenda. Our 1hr planned nap turned into a 1.5hr nap, and would have turned into 2hr nap had DS not forced us out of bed. In my wisdom, I thought a swim in the hotel pool might help wake us up, but not so much, I did one whole lap and got out again! Back to the room to shower and try to feel human before getting out to explore Tokyo…in the rain!

 

First task, buy sellotape for baggage tags, every time, every single time, we forget to bring sellotape. I always assume DS will bring it, she always assumes I will. Net result, no Sellotape. However, no fear, the hotel has shops in the basement, so first task was swiftly completed. After than we ventured out into the rain to explore Tokyo.

 

A rain free moment

 

 

DS had booked a restaurant called Udon Shin for an early dinner (https://udonshin.com/). It’s supposed to have the best….you guessed it, Udon, in Tokyo. Let’s see.

 

Our reservation was for 5pm, but we got there at 4pm, as our plan for a leisurely stroll around Tokyo was literally rained on. As we had a reservation we managed to circumvent the queue (there is always a queue apparently as its tiny, fits maybe 10 people). We ordered…you guessed it…Udon noodles and prawn and vegetable tempura. We were soon to learn that tempura is always served with noodles in Japan, at least in the places we went to. I am not complaining, who doesn’t like tempura, but all hopes that I could offset some of cruise cuisine with healthy Japanese food were quickly dashed. The noodles were good, not great, but maybe that was just me, as I was feeling a little off from all the travelling so I didn’t eat too much.  It was also at this point that we realised DM, chopsticks and noodle soup is a tricky mix….she very sensibly asked for a fork halfway through.

 

DM contemplating her first meal in Japan...she looks worried

 

 

First Japanese meal!

 

 

Udon Shin restaurant

 

Like many Japanese restaurants, you have to pay in cash, so bring some yen.

 

On leaving the restaurant the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and my rainproof jacket is apparently not rainproof. I have never been this drenched, and that’s a big statement considering I life in Ireland.

 

We didn’t want to go back to the hotel too early as undoubtedly we would just collapse in bed, so we kept walking to Uniqlo…(well you have to, while in Japan and all that). DS bought some t-shirts. I was on the lookout for a real waterproof coat…no luck….more drenching ensued.

 

The first of many Uniqlos

 

 

We walked back to the hotel while thanking the Google gods for Google map. We bought an Airalo data package for our iphones ($11.50 for 30 days, 5GB, bargain!, I did have to top up once, but still, bargain!). Airalo really is a gamechanger for me when travelling internationally. I only discovered it when I went to the US last year. Roaming charges (or being worried about roaming charges and constantly looking for free wi-fi) no more! I have full access to everything, all the time! I will never get lost again…well….we will see….

 

Despite the rain, DS managed to get some nice shots on the walk back

 

 

 

Anyway where was I, oh yes, wet, very wet. We were drowned rats by the time we got back to the hotel.  After drying out we went up to the Executive Lounge…some coffee for me and DM, some champagne for DS, and some snacks….get this…roasted brussels sprouts, red grapes and broccoli combined…all my favourites! What luck!

 

View from lounge

 

 

Despite the coffee, we are flagging, so it was back to the room with the aim of staying awake till 9pm. DS has us on a very strict ‘get over jetlag quickly’ regime. So in order to avoid the lure of sleep I am writing this and that may explain the gibberish (apologies), hopefully I will be more coherent tomorrow for our first (and last) full day in Tokyo.

[DaKahuna]

@Lunastella I am really enjoying your review.  Tokyo is such a wonderful city and am glad to see you, your mom, and your sister are having a wonderful time.  

 

 As for rain proof.  Is there anything that is comfortable that is truely rain proof.  As you may have noticed the Japanese answer to rain is the umbrealla.  The umbreall is ubiquitous in Japan and is used for protection against the rain as well as from the sun.  

 

 I look forward to the remainder of your review.  

 

[Provence55always]

You have us both laughing as I read your report to my husband but so much important information 👌. We booked premium economy with Air France when flights were first released now they have doubled plus in price so feeling very lucky. Your flight with BA looks very good…..we always try to avoid Heathrow. Great to get the hotel upgrade👍

 

[Susanb10567]

Wonderful review so far…looking forward to following along..

 

Japan is on my list to visit and trying to decide a cruise or land tour…curious if on board if they had any local entertainment or enrichment lectures from the region…

[villauk]

Thanks for this review. I was wondering if anyone was going to start one before we join Millennium in a couple of weeks. Hoping that the heat starts to drop and the rain eases before we board as I do have that Irish blood you mentioned 😁 🤞🏻. 
 

Looking forward to reading more and I may have a few questions along the way 😉.

[Chrisclaire]

Thankyou for your fun & informative review, really enjoying it & looking forward to the next chapter!

Photos are great 

Enjoy! 😃

[cinnamon]

Flying in Premium!  No such luck for us. I did enquire but an extra £725.00 pp per flight. No way. We’ll be slumming it in Economy I’m afraid. 
Really loving reading this with only 7 weeks till our trip. I’ll be contacting my TA to see if we can request early check-in at the ANA Intercontinental hotel. Our flight is due to land at 7.00 am so it would be a very long wait till 3.00 pm plus we haven a private guide booked for 3.00 pm so really hoping to have had a nap by then. 

[DaKahuna]

46 minutes ago, Susanb10567 said:

Japan is on my list to visit and trying to decide a cruise or land tour…curious if on board if they had any local entertainment or enrichment lectures from the region…

 

 That is a very hard decision.  While we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and the time we spent ashore, I think we have pretty much decided to do a land tour next time.  Travel by train from Hokaido down to Kyushu, stopping at major / interesting cities along the way and doing our own thing.  

 

 On our sailing this past May, see my live review linked in my signature, they had a Taiko Dum group come aboard for one nights entertaining.  They were fantastic.  There were lectures on Japan held in the Theater as well as printed port reviews and places to visit given to us in our staterooms.  

 

In my opinion the biggest miss was the lack for various Japanese meals in the dining rooms and buffet, or at least we did not see any.