Overall, great itinerary, great mix of travelers (ages, nationalities), good onboard activities, and great overall vibe. But the aging physical facilities, level of grime, and small decrements in food and service quality keep me from rating this cruise as excellent.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very smooth, easy, and efficient
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We tend to eat primarily at the buffet because of the variety and ease of dealing with dietary restrictions or preferences. We are long time Celebrity cruisers and have noted that the quality and variety of food at the buffet has decreased over the years. However it is still fairly good when compared with other cruise lines. With regard to ethnic choices the Indian food is great. Unfortunately, the Japanese options were terrible, especially when compared with the options on shore. The main dining room was OK with reasonable selections for each meal, but nothing remarkable. However, again, even when compared to some of the "luxury" cruises we have taken it was pretty good and frankly contained more healthy choices than some of the over-rich and limited choices on the other lines.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The Millennium is a small-medium ship, with fewer choices than the mega-ships. We enjoyed the shows in the main theater on several nights. Music and entertainment at the other venues was more mixed. The fitness center was decent, but the machines are showing their age. The jogging track is short, and other sports options are limited (no water slides, rock climbing, smallish pool, etc.)
Entertainment
4 out of 5
As already noted above, main theatre entertainment was excellent. Other venues mixed.
Children's Programs
No kids!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Generally good, although our room steward was not great. This may be due in part to Celebrity forcing higher workloads on staff making it difficult to excel (and also leading to turnover, less experience). Our steward mentioned that he was covering 17 cabins (in Concierge class). There were several things sub optimal, especially on first day, including dirty laundry (towels robes) left in room.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Layout and design are great. But the ship was put in service in 2001 and has not been refurbished in a LONG time. We cruised on the same boat 2 years ago and it has really declined since then. Rust and many layers of paint and rust on outside, dirty carpets, and sticky buttons in elevator. General level of grime ship-wide. You get the picture. I heard the ship was supposed to go into Dry dock a couple of years ago but was delayed due to pandemic. I believe it is scheduled for Oct. 2024. Long overdue.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
As per the ship wide comments...Our cabin was a decent size and layout is good. I like the Celebrity showers with glass doors. But the level of grime was off putting and not something a steward could address with simple tidying up. Carpets, surfaces, fixtures all need to be deep cleaned or replaced, and soon.
I was last in Kyoto many years ago. Comparing then and now, it has gotten horribly commercial, and the crowds there (and in Osaka and Nara) were horrendous. It really takes away from the experience.
Thanks for the review. I was on the Millennium a couple years ago and it was in good shape. Too bad it’s gone so far downhill. I don’t think 17 cabins is that bad being that the Steward usually cleans our cabin in 10 to 15 minutes or so. Comparing a cruise ship buffet Japanese food to Japan’s food is not a fair comparison.
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