Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East) Cruise Reviews

We took this short cruise as an easy way to get out of town (we live in China) without taking a lot of vacation days.  I've been on the Millennium before for an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle about 10 years ago, so it was nice to back in a familiar place. My comments are:

Food: Average buffet, Average Dining Experience - There was plenty of food and the variety was exciting (shrimp, steak, escargot, bass, etc.) but the flavor left me with an average feeling.  The included drinks are extremely limited and there is HIGH pressure to buy a drink package from the employees - I'm assuming the employees get a nice commission or the sales manager is pushing them hard; either way it was a big put-off to be pressured so much.  That being said, I bought my drinks a'la carte and the prices were very reasonable ($6 with gratuity for a Mocha).

Entertainment: The acrobat couple were amazingand one night there was a runner up from some TV show that was also very very good.  The house dance troupe is obviously talented, but their show was boring and excessively sensual for a family cruise. We ended up leaving their first show early and skipping the rest. I would personally request more movie options throughout the cruise and more wildlife lectures (or similar type lectures).

Ports: Kagoshima was very disappointing. It was like being taken to a farm village without any tourist amenities. We also arrived VERY early (7 am), so everything was closed until a few hours before departure. Jeju was nice and is geared towards tourists with many good things to do. We hired a private car from the cruise terminal at a reasonable price (US$40) and were taken to three local destinations. (Note: The excursion packages are overpriced but obviously convenient for those that want the extra care.  For example - a one-way downtown bus transfer in Shanghai was going for US$60, but you could hire a taxi to the local subway station for US$3 and then take the nice subway into town for another US$2 ... or hire a private taxi all the way to downtown for about US$30-$40)

We'd take the cruise again, but I'd wait for the last minute deals that most of the passengers were able to get.  We paid around US$600/person for an inside bottom level room when I booked 8 weeks out from the sail date; but most of the people we talked to paid around US$180/person for an upper deck balcony room when they booked 2 weeks from the sail date. We were not offered an upgrade, discount, on-board credit, or ANYTHING to compensate for this gross price difference...this was highly discouraging and I feel like it was bad customer service from Celebrity.

As in previous cruise (M629), there is no more relationship between passengers and crew staff. It´s Princess problem?

No more smile, good mornig greeting, etc.

My favorite parts were the itinerary which was very rich and educational. We also loved our stateroom and the attendant, as well as the Main Dining Room staff. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The entertainment was very good, the harmonica player from Hong Kong was exceptional, but all others were excellent as well.

Needs improvement: at the entrance to the dining room they need to encourage using of hand sanitizer more energetically, as is done on other cruise lines.

Country to see is very interesting!!!Japan is my fever!!! Take excursion if you could at night time!!!

Celebrity Millennium is OK,nothing special...

one time in dinning room was waiting for  waiter to take an order for 25 minutes!!!!!(he forgot...)

Paid for PREMIUM  package $ 65 per days,

if bar order 2 cappuccino,juice and bottle of water, 

she ask for my wife card?!?,give to her ,never got  bottle of water...

 i am NOT picky.....any way i don't think will go again with Millennium...

My Favorite part was seeing diverse places in Japan, South Korea and Shanghai.

However, be aware that the Chinese Government has an inconsistant,changing policy on their visas.

The staff and crew were marvelous.

On the other end, the food in the Ocean View Café; while there was abundance it was not of quality. That was disappointing. And It is a big ship but has no laundromat-that was an inconvenience.

It's important to start by saying that I had a great time. The staff were overall friendly and professional.

While it was upsetting that we had to remove a port from the itinerary due to Typhoon Malakas, I do not expect the crew to be able to control the weather. We were compensated fairly for the change, and the changed itinerary successfully accomplished its goal of avoiding most of the harsh weather.

However not a day went by that I did not discover some minor annoyance that could easily be avoided. This list is not comprehensive but will serve as examples:

- I was given several gift cards for Princess the day before leaving on my vacation; there was no way to apply these to my shipboard account online and the process of applying them in person was arduous. Eventually I had to entrust the cards to guest services to be processed by some other party and be notified later that it had gone through.

- It is widely advertised that one can access the Princess Patter and other information online through the Wi-Fi, however it is both incomplete and dreadfully slow rendering it all but useless. The site lacks simple information such as a Deck Plan or a complete list of Bar, Restaurant, and Club hours. In fact even the printed version of the Patter only contains a partial list.

- At least one of the beverages in the menu (namely, Monster Energy Drink) was not actually available. On the second day of the cruise I asked around every bar and apparently got the very last can on the entire ship! I inquired again after each port, but it had not been restocked.

- The nightly show times are such that they conflict with dinner times, so that if one wants to eat dinner at their assigned time they only have one showtime to choose from. Additionally (at my showtime at least) the theater was not large enough to accommodate all the people who wished to see the show, leaving several dozen people standing along the back and side walls and many more turning around and leaving after seeing the crowd.

- During one free-seating night we arrived right when the restaurant opened and waited an hour before receiving the first course of our meal. We rushed to make it right when they opened so that we could hurry on to other attractions; I feel like the effort and that hour of waiting were wasted.

- I purchased a ship-to-airport transfer that indicated that my boarding pass would be delivered to my room and my luggage would be checked through to the airline. Neither happened, instead I was required to collect my luggage and load it on a bus, then check my own bags and check-in and collect my own boarding pass. I apparently paid $48 per person for a bus ride; I could have gotten a taxi for cheaper...

- The elevators in the main atrium were divided into two unlinked banks. People would constantly summon both sets resulting in a second elevator unnecessarily stopping at the deck after the people got in the first one.

- The TV in the room had several HDMI ports, but no way to switch the input. I brought a laptop to play movies on, but was forced to watch them on the small laptop screen and waste the big HDTV in the room (I had already seen all the movies that interested me on the in-room entertainment system).

- Outlets in the stateroom were all far away from the bed, so I couldn't easily charge the laptop while watching a movie on it in bed.

Obviously these are mostly minor complaints, but they add up and most of them are very easy to fix. A bit of effort tackling at least the low-hanging fruit (e.g. useless web portal, no gift card option on Cruise Personalizer, accurate bar menu) would easily improve customer satisfaction.

None of previous Princess Cruises were so poor than this. The most of the crews seem unhappy beeing there. Almost no one smiles, no "good morning", etc. Some attendents were really unpleasant to serve you.

Entertainment repeated. No fun at all.

Also repeated menu in Horizon restaurant.

This was the worst cruise ever did in the last 23 years.

Those comments also apply  to M631 (Sept 25th departure).

The itinerary, excursions and all services provided on board Diamond Princess was excellent but the on-line reservation of Internet time did not register by Diamond Princess to honor the 60 minute bonus that was supposed to come with the reservation.  When Kia, Supervisor of Customer Service was contacted.  He understood the problem after reviewing a copy of my reservation of thee 400 minutes that is supposed to come with 60 minutes bonus.  On the bottom of that page which I printed a copy to show Kia, there were no "SUBMIT" buttom for the customer to make the payment.  This is the same as the excursions as customers could choose to pay at the time of making the reservation or when the customer goes on board Diamond Princess.  There was no way to prepay even if I wanted to which is the fault of Diamond Princess' website.  I thought the first time I go on the Internet on the Diamond Princess, I would find that I have the 60 minute bonus.  However, I did not know how to locate that, so I went ahead and paid for the 400 minutes.  I then went to the Internet Cafe Supervisor and then to Kia, the Supervisor of Customer Service on the Diamond Princess who contacted Princess headquarters.  All three of them came back with the same response, "we found no record that the customer pre-paid for the Internet"  I already knew that fact before I even went to the Internet Cafe Supervisor. Kia and the Headquarters.  It was Princess Cruise Company's responsibility to fix their website so that the customer knew to pre-pay which is not consistent with the way Princess handles their excursion.  This confuses customers when inconsistent methods of payment is established by Princess.  After the cruise, we met another couple from San Diego who had similar problem with pre-ordering 4 cases of bottled water which was never registered or delivered to the stateroom until they straightened it out with the Princess Cuises.  

      My position is that Princess owes me credit of 60 minutes x 49 cents = U.S.$294.00.  Since Diamond Princess refused to authenticate my pre-order, I had to purchase another 400 minutes and left about U.S. $10 worth of minutes not used at the end of the cruise.  I am looking for an amicable resolution of this matter.  I was more than willing to pre-pay the 400 minutes plus 60 minutes bonus, but Princess website did not provide any avenue for me to make that payment.  Why would I prepaid tens and thousands of dollars and not willing to prepay the approximately $190 for the 400 minutes in order to get 60 minutes credit.  Does that sound logically to any of you at Princess?  Princess Cruises need to review their website and correct the problems it poses for all you past and future customers.  I am waiting for Princess to resolve this issue with me.  

The ship was set up to cater to Japanese customers.  English was not the first language.  I did not expect this adaptation.  Some issues were not true to web site and response was its Japanese season.  Any of the concerns we had were resolved to our satisfaction.  The bulk of the passengers were Japanese and not always friendly.  A different attitude from previos cruises I have participated in.  Overall a good experience, could have been great with a few adjustments for English speaking customers.

The ship itself was fabulous with all the newest bells and whistles.  There are things that I would change however as to accommodate the passengers better.

1.  Dining.  Since there is know longer a main dining room passengers are required to make reservations at the complimentary or fee restaurants.  When we tried to make reservations everything was booked so there were many times that myself and friend had to go without dinner, other than the Windjammer a person is "out of luck" if there's no room.   Either the restaurants need to open earlier or stay open later.  It was extremely disappointing.  The service and food was great in the restaurants we did eat at with the exception of the Grand where the service really stunk.  Over an 1 1/12 to just get dinner and had to leave for the show we had reservations for. Yes you also need to make reservations for the shows or you miss out on seeing them too.

2.  The internet was bad at the best.  Trouble logging on, then the signal would drop or you couldn't get logged on.  It was impossible to try to do anything.

3.  I love the ID bracelets for all onboard purchases and to get into the cabins.

4.  The cruise ports need lots of attention.  I realize that this was the first time for RCL Ovation of the Seas to be in these ports but it was really a hassle and inconvenience for the passengers with things not being done correctly. For example, Xiamen has a big problem with giving cruisers a ride back to the ship.  We had 5 drivers tell us no and take other fares.  I finally jumped in a cab and refused to get out and then my group of 8 jumped in with me. South Korea onboard immigration was a joke as you know.  These cities need to realize the revenue the ship and passengers bring to their cities/countries and they need to be prepared and willing to help the passengers.

5.  Diamond Club nightly happy hour.  It is totally unfair that a Diamond member cannot bring their traveling mate to these events.  I didn't participate because I didn't want to leave my friend alone.  It would be nice to have meet other Diamond members and socialize and I know I am not the only one who feels this way,

This was an amazing trip!  We loved the ports and cultures we were able to experience with this cruise. The ship is gorgeous with plenty of activities  for everyone of all ages. Shows are incredible. Royal Caribbean has done an impeccable  job once again. I recommend booking dinners,  shows and onboard activities either prior to the cruise or on the first day of the cruise.  Everything fills up quickly and unfortunately we missed out on a couple of shows and activities due to procrastination on our part. I highly recommend this itinerary and ship!! 

WINDJAMMER ROYAL THRATRE , MARKET PLACE

EVERY THING WAS FINE

YES WE WILL SURELY RECOMMEND TO OTHERS

THERE WERE VERY GOOD ACTIVITIES.SERVICES IN ALL PARTS OF THE SHIP WERE EXCELLENT. ANY STAFF NEVER SAYS NO

WHAT EVER WE REQUESTED THEY TRIED THEIR LEVEL BEST TO PROVIDE

US WITH A SMILE AND RESPECT. ALL THE CO PASSANGERS WERE VERY FRIENDLY

Relaxation, Dressing up for dinner and the first line staff.

The officers including the Captain require to learn some leadership qualities in customer engagement, the coffee facilities in the rooms was none existing and disgusting in all restaurants,if you wished to have a fried egg for breakfast be prepared to wait for 15 minutes.

I thought I was getting and paying for a  superior ocean view cabin but then again everybody else was also, they were all the same.

Lets get this straight, this was only weeks into this ships maiden voyage but on this basis which I can only base my opinion on, No I cannot recommend this company.

I enjoyed my time on the Diamond Princess as we cruised the Japan inland sea and around the bottom of Kyushu. The ride was very smooth. The inland sea was calm like the inside passage in Alaska. The open ocean days were also very calm.

The food and beverage was good as usual on a Princess cruise. Sushi bar on board was good. The only disappointment would be that the steak house restaurant was moved into one of the buffet dining rooms instead of on it's own like the Italian restaurant. The entertainment was okay, not great but good.

I have a young child who was very happy with the Pelican activities and she looked forward to going every day.

Seemed like an older crowd on this cruise. Overall a very calm and relaxing cruise.

Port of Nagasaki was wonderfull! City of Kochi was also nice old city and people were so nice. Over all cruise was enjoyable but some passengers of second part of cruise were very rude and has no concern for other passengers😡 It is best way to visit All islands of Japan. 

Having sailed on the Royal Princess a couple times (along with plenty of cruises on other lines), I didn't feel this cruise was up to par with what I expect from Princess. Boarding/disembarking was smooth and the ship was clean, but I didn't find the same level of service, food quality or port information. Our cabin attendant seemed annoyed when we slept in on sea days and forgot details such as towels on occasion. I do appreciate the laundry rooms available on board. The buffet food was good, but did not have a lot of variety. Sailing Japan with many Japanese guests meant the buffet had more Japanese options and few of the other cuisines typically offered. The Steakhouse charged $29 for our overcooked steaks (up from the $25 I paid last year) to sit in a section of the buffet which didn't have the same upscale feel . It was also lacking in details such as the flavored salts and attentive service. The Italian Restaurant food was marvelous, but our waiter disappeared halfway through the meal and we were served patchwork from other staff. The regular dining room was fine, but anytime dining was not an option. The ports were good, but frustrating from a schedule viewpoint. It's impossible to see much of Busan in a few hours, so you're pretty much forced to take a Princess tour. Our day in Nagasaki was cut short because we were assigned late times to disembark for the long immigration lines. The ship advertises a day in Miyazaki, but docks an over an hour away in Aburatsu, a much smaller port with little offered (although we did enjoy Obi Castle). There were no real port talks or even maps offered and when we asked onboard for more info about Aburatsu we were told the staff was going ashore that day to find out more about the port (I realize this is the first time Princess has stopped here, but shouldn't they be prepared for their already booked guests?). We found, however, that the locals in most ports were excited to have us and tried to offer us guidance. We also didn't find the same quality/quantity of onboard activities/entertainment/amenities on board, however that could probably be attributed to being on a much smaller ship than the Royal (we sure missed the International Café for a quick bite). Despite all these details, we had an enjoyable time and I do recommend cruising around Japan which is a lovely country.

The wonderful parts of this Cruise are the Entertainment and the Delicious Sumptuous Foods served in numerous restaurants in the ship.  The entertainments provided in the Royal theater plus the Music Hall and the Two/70 hall and more have been great that guests have not found any dull moments in the cruise for more than two weeks of stay.  Indeed, it has been a memorable journey along the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  I strongly recommend this ship to all my frirnds, relatives and families.  INDEED,.GREAT VOYAGE! 

An amazing ship for all ages of passengers.

Fabulous and unique production shows.

The Windjammer buffets were excellent in every way, the staff could not have been more helpful.

I do NOT care for the "Dynamic Dining" reservation system as it prohibits people from, randomly, meeting others (as with the "anytime" dining in main dining rooms of most ships).

For that reason I may not sail on Quantum-class ships again.

My favorite part of the cruise was the ports in Africa - Cape Town and Dakar.

Our suite was good in that it was spacious with a tub and marble floors, however, the advertise that the ship is modern and updated - it is not!  The South African people on the cruise and the South African staff were so friendly.  The Italian staff was rude and the entertainment was juvenile.  The food was low grade.  

Food, beverages, service and staff is great, entertainment was fine. Although there are more amazing gems in Arabia, itenarary lacks suitable ports. Excursions are good, except for Doha Qatar, there is nothing to see, no need to even stop there. Seabourn made sure, most of guest spent serious money to acquire Visa even before boarding the ship. In our case, it was close to $ 600. Muscat and Salalah are just so so. Monte Carlo was messed up by Formula one races. As Rome was not built in a day, It is even foolish to try to have reasonable attempt to see anything in four and half hours. They should have two stops in Italy.  And two day excursion  with overnight stay as it is available in Israel.  

I will recommend Seabourn, even though quality of services were less than advertised in their brochure.