Great Cruise Itinerary, but condition of the ship needs some work

Celebrity Millennium Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

iankaus

Contributor Level: Captain

117 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 6

Helpful Votes: 332

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

14 Night Vietnam & Philippines (Singapore Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 17, 2016

Ship: Celebrity Millennium

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 6000

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

We had originally booked on the cruise after this which was scheduled as a Chinese New Year Signature Sailing, but when Celebrity chartered the ship, we moved to this cruise as the itinerary was almost the same.

The service was generally what we had come to expect from Celebrity from previous cruises, but there were a couple of standouts such as Maria in Cafe al Bacio and Sever, one of the somelliers in the main dining room.

While most people go to the buffet for breakfast and lunch, give the main dining room a try, as the food there is as exceptional through the day as it is at night.

If you get the opportunity, try the progressive dinner (limited spaces available) which samples the food and experience in each of the specialty restaurants on the ship (one restaurant per course).

We did have a slight change to our itinerary (extra night in Hong Kong) as a result of bad weather. Even delaying our departure we experienced 18ft waves the day after Hong Kong. The ship was prepared, putting out extra paper bags around the ship for ill passengers affected by the high seas.

Overall a great cruise and some very interesting ports (particularly Vietnam).

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

This program needs a refresh. Same old activities are starting to get boring

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Celebrity have really focused on this. Production shows and guest entertainers were all excellent.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Service in Cafe al Bacio is excellent. Maria was always very friendly and remembered our regular coffee order. Sever the somellier in the main dining room was the best we have experienced on any cruise.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship is looking a bit tired and in need of a refurbishment. I understand it is going into dry dock in April to change Olympic restaurant to Tuscan Grill, but I hope they refresh some of the other areas at the same time. general layout of the ship is very good.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Great cabin at the front of the ship overlooking the helipad (and where the ship is going). More spacious than a standard cabin, and quiet because it is at the end of a corridor. There is some maintenance required, such as the exhaust in the shower, which does not extract much air and results in mould growing in the shower. Also the water in the shower does not always drain away properly. The room attendants often had to spray bleach to keep the mould under control.

Ship tip

The Martini Bar is the hot venue of an evening, while Cafe al Bacio is very popular through the day. If you can't find a deck chair immediately beside the pool, go up one level where it is easy to find many that still overlook the pool.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

5 out of 5

Do a day trip to Ho Chi Minh. We did a private tour with Private Asia Tours. You get to see more than the cruise ship tours and there is more flexibility

Thumbs Up 4

Chan May (Hue), Vietnam

5 out of 5

Travel down to Hoi An, a beautiful historic town. Many handicraft stores to visit.

Thumbs Up 3

Hong Kong

5 out of 5

Lots to do here. Visit The Paek via the tram for spectacular views. Visit the Ladies Market in Mongkok for bargains, and sail the harbour on a historic Junk boat.

Thumbs Up 1

Manila, Philippines

3 out of 5

Cruise line tours are limited. Beware of tours that include shopping - you will be dropped at the Mall of Asia for two hours and miss more of what Manila has to offer.

Thumbs Up 4

Boracay, Philippines

3 out of 5

Beautiful beach, but very poor conditions for the locals.

Thumbs Up 2

Singapore

5 out of 5