Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East) Cruise Reviews

This was our second Oceania Cruise. The first one was in the Marina. We upgraded to concierge level so we were disappointed with the size of our cabin and some of the bathroom features and the small closet when we arrived in the Nautica. Also, we had a little problem with some of the excursions, for example, there was no time to visit the Reunification Palace in Saigon during our Good Morning Vietnam tour, and we could not do the Taste of Xiamen tour because " they did not have enough bikes", and when we disembarked in Xiamen on our own, we discovered that there were bikes parked all over the city, waiting for tourist. There was a land tour in Angkor Wat that Oceania did not tell us about prior to departure. Big mistake not to offer a tour to China Beach in Danang.

Not beeing able to dock in Saigon was very inconvenient.

Otherwise, GREAT CRUISE.

The Nautica Orchestra was the BEST EVER in a cruise, ( number 22 for us ). The String Quartet, WONDERFUL!!!! The fastest and best violinist, great comedians, and the lectures by the speakers about China, Vietnam, and the South China Sea, OUTSTANDING!!! ALL the waiters and waitresses were beyond their duty in kindness and efficiency.

Great food EVERYWHERE, but the highlight with Oceania is DAILY GRILLED LOBSTER. Great to have prepaid gratuities and free WiFi/Internet.

We were a group of 10 travelling with half of the people doing cruise for the first time with the other half seasoned cruiser. 

Upon boarding, we were immediately pressured by staff as sales people to purchase better/premium meals.

ALL food on the cruise was cold to lukewarm EVERYDAY. We had to ask for coffee to be reheated to get it extra-hot. This was only avilable if you were staying in Gold Suite. Which should not be the case. 

Horrible experience with Shore excursions

Rude attitude from staff and misleading marketing information - NO unlimited Ben&Jerry We read from the reviews online that when we board the cruiseline they would have Ben & Jerry’s store, and we would only need to pay an entrance fee to have UNLIMITED Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream. When we enquired about the unlimited ice-cream with one of the Chinese female staff who served us, we were greeted with frowny face and were told in a rude attitude that there is no such thing

Very bad weather in the South China Sea caused the ship to cancel the voyage to Vietnam and skip another port because of scheduling conflict brought on by the Vietnam cancellation. So the ship spent an extra day in Brunei (at best a one day port) and Manila (again a one day port). Destination Services said they could not schedule any tours on these extra days because of the Chinese New Year holiday.

And because we were doing a back to back cruises (Singapore to Bangkok was the first cruise), Destination Services said that we could pay for the tours of Bangkok on the full day we were docked. My opinion of Destination Services is very low and this will negatively affect any future bookings with Regent.

We were given two extra bookings in the "specialty restaurants" and we took advantage of this extra.

Our dining experience in the Compass Rose varied from poor to okay(consistently slow service and some bad tasting dishes). But the dining experience in the Specialty Restaurants was always excellent.

We found that dining at lunch time in LaVeranda/Pool Grille was pleasurable both for service and for the variety of food options. Also the service at Sette Mare for dinner was always great. 

Having cruised many times with Regent, we are now skipping the Jean Anne Ryan shows as they do not change. And on this segment we only tried one of the other entertainers. 

The enrichment lectures were both educational and well done. 

It seemed that many people who boarded in Bangkok brought with them serious coughing.  I came down with bronchitis shortly after their boarding and visited the ship's medical facilities for very expensive treatment. Did I catch it from one of the passengers? 

The post cruise in Hong Kong was well done except that three bus loads of us were dumped on the Shangri-La Hotel at one time. It took over one hour to check-in. Bummer. But the hotel was excellent and the tours were above average.

Transfer to the airport was handled very well. 

A note to Regent: There seemed to be many passengers who took the pre-cruise to Angkor Wat and were very disgruntled with it.  They made their bad feelings known to us and other passengers. Then the weak response by Destination Services to the weather disruption seemed to fuel the hostile attitude toward Regent Cruises.

We had the pleasure of have two great waiters for most of the week, because after the first two nights of getting them by luck of the draw, we always asked for a table in their area. That would be Prasath and Elmer (as in Elmer Fudd proclaimed by Elmer). Our water glasses never went below half full as well as our wine glasses never went empty. Prasath did a great job each time of explaining and suggesting the menu items of the day. One evening my wife decided to have a Grasshopper drink after her dinner. Prasath was a little confused by her request, but after explaining it to him; he took the request to the bartender. It wasn’t long and the bartender returned with two delicious Grasshoppers. We had some inquisitive table neighbors wondering what we were drinking. The next evening we couldn’t get a table in the dynamic dual’s area and were placed in another area. It wasn’t the same level of service as Prasath and Elmer, as my wife and I talked about it throughout the dinner. Again, nothing was bad or unpleasant; he just didn’t ring the “WOW” bell. The next night we were able to get a table in Prasath’s area again. We received the usual great Prasath and Elmer services. As Prasath was taking our plates away, he asked if we would like Grasshoppers drinks for desert. Ding Ding, the ‘WOW’ bells go off.  I did mention to Elmer how we didn’t receive the great service the previous night from another waiter as we have been from him and Prasath all week.

Cruise overall was excellent, enrichment lectures were in particularly helpful to help in understanding the countries and ports we visited.  We are Gold members with Regents and have sailed with them many times, this time we noticed that the food had really improved, in the past we preferred Oceania for food. The all inclusive nature on Regents is really nice, one price and no worries after that...

The suites on board I believe are the best on any ship we have been on with huge bathrooms and walk-in closets etc.  

Booked this cruise because of the itenary. Stayed in Dubai for five days before the cruise and a week after the cruise. There is a lot to see and do. The ship is a older smaller ship but we'll kept. Easy to navigate your way around. The food and entertainment was ok. The work out room was small but adequate. Enjoyed the Zumba classes they are free. Our inside cabin 2539 was what we expected. Room steward Yousef was great always greeted us by our names with a smile. The night club had different music  theme nights 60's, 70's, 80's which were fun. The ship is being sold to Thomson cruise line. Overall we enjoyed the cruise.

You could not ask for better staff. Friendly and hard working. Staff tries to fulfill every passenger request with a smile. Entertainment is wonderful if you have not seen the Jean Anne Ryan shows. But we have seen them all quite a few times and have stopped going. The other talent is mixed with great individual musicians and vocalists. A comedian called Noodles was at times good but past his sell by date. We had some really outstanding excursions and some duds. Some ports had little to offer and hence we did not enjoy the tour. With that in mind, our three days (pre- cruise) in Singapore was very interesting and very well organized.

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...... the kind of X-cellent cruise experience we've come to expect. We did a B2B (01/03/16 and 01/17/16) to tally one full month aboard Celebrity Millennium. Overall, anything I might add to the review that detracts from the overall 5 Star rating I gave this cruise experience are minor nits.

Millennium is the oldest ship in Celebrity's fleet. It goes in for a major overhaul in April but will return to it's home port in Singapore from which the varied Asian itineraries it sails from the October to May time frame originate. So, it's old but Celebrity runs an excellent maintenance program but it's hard to make the older technologies work as well as the newer ones. This accounts for any of the downside of our experience.

When Celebrity introduced it's Solstice Class ships the medium range plan, ahead of the introduction of it's new H Class ships in 2018, they embarked on a plan to "Solticize" the Millennium class ships. My only nit about this is that in doing that, they ended up cramping the space of the Main Dinning Room, the Metropolitan, when they added Blue (Private dinning for Aqua Class) and most recently, Lumiere (for Suite Class).

I'm a bit put off by this sort of thing. One of the best parts of cruising for us is the dining experience, sitting with new people and getting to know them over the time frame of the cruise. In my view, that's become impaired by this approach. Our enjoyment of this has also been impaired by the implementation of Select Dining (in NCL's terms: Anytime Dining). My view is that if you want to sail on ships with a clear class structure, sail with Cunard. If you want to dine whenever, sail with NCL. I'm disappointed that Celebrity has tried to broaden it's appeal by mimicking what other lines are doing. In the past, I've viewed the best aspect of Celebrity Cruising as the feeling that you are experiencing an upscale vacation with a great guest demographic coupled with a welcoming, friendly, and family crew culture. That is still definitely present and it is the primary reason we keep going back to Celebrity, this our 32nd and 33rd Celebrity cruise. I just don't want this to slip away as Celebrity tries to remain competitive in a very competitive industry. I've made my views clear to them every opportunity I get to comment on it. Pretty sure they are listening.

The Asian itineraries are fantastic. You visit a wide range of ports in Asia and get to experience multiple Asian cultures. These include ports in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China (Honk Kong) and the Philippines. While you can do this using other modes of travel, cruising to these ports is ideal for us ..... all-inclusive and pack and unpack once!

Singapore, the originating port, is a fantastic city. It is safe, easy to navigate, spotlessly clean and has fantastic food, entertainment and cultural experiences. The Marina Bay Cruise Terminal is huge and marvelous like most buildings in Singapore. You can get a free tour. I would have liked to but never got around to it. Taxis are easy to get and since you spend a day in Singapore as part of some of the cruise itineraries, this is important. You're also about a 1/2 mile from an MRT station that's an easy walk. Not all the trains stop there so there can be a 30 minute wait but it is an important gateway to the city. Hotels can be pricy but for smart shoppers who take advantage of the competitiveness of this sector of the Singapore economy, you can find good deals at less than obvious hotel chains. I recommend these. We stayed at the M Hotel which is convenient to the MRT (light rail) and very near the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal, where Millennium is ported. Moderately priced in the low $100 USD range per night. There are also many Boutique Hotels offering interesting accommodations and good prices. The Majestic and the Wanderlust are two of them.

Avoid high end, touristy dinning. It is very expensive. There are literally thousands of clean, much more interesting places to eat in Singapore famous for Hawker stands/street food. Just do a Google search. I also have to mention it: MacDonalds. Gasp you say! Not so fast. Right down from the M Hotel on Anson Street, there is one of the coolest MacDonalds I've ever been in. Way different that in the good-'ol USA. Still features the same burgers and fries but the ordering process is hi-tech, much like you'd expect everything is in Asia.

Things to do in Singapore: Too numerous to mention them all but recommend Marina Bay Gardens (Gardens By the Bay), the Zoo, Singapore Botanic Gardens, The Hop-On-Hop Off Buses (originate at the Suntec Center) ....... this bus allows you to stop off at China Town and Little India to experience all the cool shopping there.

I could spend hours talking about the rest of the ports. I'll mention just one more: Ho Chi Min City, HCMC or Saigon. Especially if you are an American, make the effort to go there. Saigon is an interesting blend of Communist propaganda and booming entrepreneurialism. The Communists in Hanoi tried hard to implement a Soviet style system throughout Vietnam after the fall of the democratic Republic of South Vietnam in 1975. There was famine and desperation. 2.5 million Vietnamese fled the country. It was a miserable failure and produced a change in policy called Doi Moi in 1986, pretty much like Glasnost in Russia where there were expanded personal freedoms, less censorship and most importantly, capital markets and land ownership.  Saigon is a vibrant city with, at first appearance, little changed from it's French Colonial beginnings. Wide tree line boulevards, beautiful architecture and great food. Things to see are the Liberation Palace (the old residence and former command headquarters of the President of South Vietnam) and the War Remnants Museum. The later was moving if not filled with anti-American and anti-French propaganda.  Both well worth a visit. Also make sure you visit the Binh Tay market. Fascinating.

If you've made it this far, you're probably wondering about the rest of the ports or the reviews of the ship, the boarding process, cabins, ship's food and entertainment, all that. 

 *** EDITED 2/10/16 BY CRUISELINE.COM TO REMOVE PERSONAL INFORMATION ***

We booked Concierge class stateroom which is a waste of money, do not book this .The amenities offered are pathetic for the up charge. The concierge was never available and useless. Guest relations staff were dismissive and unable to make a decision and just referred you to someone else , is this a celebrity training ship , it felt like it. !

Furniture was showing strong signs of wear and tear , beds very uncomfortable , sheets only changed every 3 days . Although the ship was redone a few years ago we failed to see where , and have heard that as it is the oldest in the fleet will be taken out of service soon.

Food in the dining room was on par for celebrity ,although the waiter staff do need encouragement to attend to you .The oceanview cafe ( buffet) was poor for a class of ship like this as was the burger /salad bar. Room service was sub par and should be avoided.

The stateroom entertainment was very outdated with limited TV channels and pay per view at $13 a film.NO cinema on board.

A good feature of this ship is the Cafe on deck 5 where they serve ( cost) a wide range of coffees and cakes and an Ice cream bar.

One piece of advice is if you are intent on buying a drinks package , do so prior to boarding as the on board cost is way higher.

The ports of call on this trip were ok , Bali is nice as was Phuket for the limited time we were there . Penang and KL are a waste of time.

Celebrity are pushing their tipping program just a little too far and was in your face , not a nice thing . Tips are discretionary and should not be pushed so hard , it was as if they were telling you to pay the staffs wages.

Casino slots were too tight and old fashioned compared to other ships in the fleet, the shows were typical of a tired liner and second rate, cruise director was only ever seen on TV or heard over the intercom , no interaction.

Qsine and the Olympic restaurants are very good but are now too expensive, why celebrity feel they need to charge a further $50 a head is puzzling.

This is a 3 class ship with Aqua class and Suite class having their own dining options , why?

There is no card room and limited activities of general interest .

Hope this helps .

3500 people onboard, if you like to be in Grand Central Staion at rush hour, this is the ship to be on. And especially if you like over cooked food,they have not yet heard about "medium rare". And the constant sales pitch for specialty resuarants and over priced drinks, this is for you!!  I realize that they run a business for profit but to much is to much. And $20.00 a day for WiFi come now. I do have to say that the junior suite we had was nice and roomy. And last but not least all ports of call are miles and miles from any city. Except for Phuket. Their excursions are over priced for south east Asia (Japanese prices) Kuala Lumpor is 50 miles from the port of call 1and a half hour by taxi.

MSC really is the low end of all cruise lines.  While the service  and check in  and disembarkation was good,  we had to pay for water and coffee at lunch and dinner.     Breakfast room service was good, but the portions at dinner with very small MSC had a very limited menu.

This is the last time that we will cruise with MSC.

I have already provided a brief review of my cruise and air travel to my Agent Richard Mize.

Do not intend to repeat the review that I provided to my Luxury Only Agent, Richard Mize. The air connection and waiting time in Johannesburg airport was not an enjoyable experience. Waiting in the immigration line for 90 minutes in a heated room was not a good start for my cruise. I was not told that travelling on SA airline that I would also have to collect my luggage and re-check in for my connecting SA flight to Cape Town. Also was very upset to learn that an Australian Couple paid less than half what I paid for the cruise without the air tickets being included in their price. I was told they only paid a total of $20,000 for the cruise.

The ship is of standard quality, though improvements could be made to the single rooms, in which the bed is crowded into a small space. The food is also of standard quality but there is a great deal of variety. The quantity of fresh fruit is a plus.The food is not adequately labeled (e.g.--creme brulee is soupy with bananas in it; French onion soup is beef broth with a few onions, a tiny bit of bread atop with a spoonfull of  grated supposedly gruyere cheese; beef sliders at dinner are too small for a main dish). When one asked for eliminations (like no potatoes), one got them anyway. Drinks are overpriced.

There are not a lot of activities for older folk. Trivia questions were mostly contemporary (few historical) and British based, announced by a man who spoke undecipherable English. Theater presentations were cheap and, all except a Beattles show, had poor choreography, one-size-fits-all sets, a soprano who screeched high notes, an M/C who asked for audience applause and dancing in the aisles, and singers/M/C who did not  correctly pronounce names of major lyricists (like Oscar Hammerstein--who was an American, not a German HammerSTINE).  Many walked out on the shows I attended, and one in a wheelchair didn't make it but tried. Outside of showtime, the M/C spent his time promoting and not relating to people outside of the latest promotion or paying any attention to anyone who might have wanted to ask a question. In a dancing lesson, I saw the dance instructor actually chewed out a participant who did not "get" a particular step right. In the Centrum, the musicians were good but not a one ever played a classical piece--no, not once. 

Luckily, the tours off-shore were good, because so few of the activities onboard were.

Great Iteneary, very good food and, for the most part, good service. Ship is in a bad shape. Our staterooms were even worse. The awarness of celebrity stuff about each specific country custom regulation is dismal. 

Service was top notch. Food was ok, see a decline in quality. Thresholds were brother some for someone using a wheelchair or walker. We upgraded from previous cruises and thought the room was still a little small. needs customer service update. Susan was unavailable after we books and paid-any received one piece of mail from her company. Never got luggage tags, air tickets, etc. After traveling for over 25 years the lack of service was very noticeable. We will not used again. E MAIL  WE DID RECEIVE a e-mail  STATING A $400.00 CREDIT FROM THEM WAS BEENING SENT TO CELEBRITY. Never received and the E- mail asking about NEVER that answered !!

We enjoy cruising with Seabourn primarily because of the staff & the fascinating people we meet on board.  This cruise was no exception.  It was extra special seeing how SE Asia embraces the joy & wonder of Christmas.  The decorations were astounding.  At no time in our tours were we overwhelmed with poverty & dirty conditions.  We love Hong Kong & Viet Nam was a pleasant surprise.  

We enjoyed the day trip arranged to an island complete with picnic & caviar in the surf.  The crew really knocked themselves out to make the day extra special.

- Room service is great

- Food preparation/ supply is average. Need much more improvements.

- Shore Excursion presentations are good but they do not represent their realities. They are mainly for ad. Ian did not provide details when asked in person. Ian need to be more truthfully when presenting facts.

- On cruise shows some were good but lacked their varieties.

- Luggage service distribution is great

We enjoyed our cruise.  There was confusing information before the cruise about visas in Vietnam.  Boarding was excellent.   Food was ok.  I could not eat my dinner food on three  occasions.  The best dinner was the lamb shank.   Very nice.  Room was good.  Needs some updating.  There were some black stains in the shower.  Loved the specialty dining option.   The coordinator for the dining room seating was excellent.   She even remembered our name!.  Liked the option for the indoor pool.  Nice towels at pool

I had a great time on this cruise. The ports were the highlight for me. Venice (Beautiful) ... Athens (Historic and inspiring) ... Israel (Breathtaking, educational and moving) ... Oman (Pleasant surprise) ... Dubai (Quickly becoming my favorite Asian destination).

I won't go into details about each port because I don't have that much time but they were each wonderful. The ship was cool. It's an older but updated ship. Where they really failed was in the lack of activities. Some days were plain boring so it paid to have good reading materials. I finished a few books. Otherwise wonderful trip.