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Celebrity Millenium - Atlantis SE Asia Cruise


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OK, Atlantis's Mar/April 2013 SE Asia cruise on the Millenium is up on the website. Itinerary from Singapore to Hong Kong is great and the Millenium will be "Solsticized" by then. Should be a lot of fun. Join us!

 

Any cruisers been to SE Asia that time of year? Give us a briefing on what to expect weather-wise. Perhaps some tips, too, on excursions, pre- and post-cruise hotels, etc. Share the info, guys. ;)

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OK, Atlantis's Mar/April 2013 SE Asia cruise on the Millenium is up on the website. Itinerary from Singapore to Hong Kong is great and the Millenium will be "Solsticized" by then. Should be a lot of fun. Join us!

 

Any cruisers been to SE Asia that time of year? Give us a briefing on what to expect weather-wise. Perhaps some tips, too, on excursions, pre- and post-cruise hotels, etc. Share the info, guys. ;)

 

Can probably give you some last minute info after we return on 2/5/13 from the Celebrity Millennium 14 day Singapore RT cruise.

We got a really fair price on this cruise with military discount and taking one of the new oceanview cabins being added on deck 3 during the "solstcizing."

We'll be flying JFK to Singapore via Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines with no plane change. Price was actually less for us than if we had flown to the west coast first. We became very active in the CC roll call for this cruise and have booked private tours already, through other roll call members, at every port stop with big cost savings. We're arriving 2 days before the cruise and staying an additional day after the cruise at The Singapore Intercontinental Hotel which seemed to get good ratings. Pretty easy to map out things to see in Singapore via the internet and one of my co-workers just returned from there with rave reviews and saying how easy it is to get around. In January we're expecting warm, humid weather with always a possible shower. Guess one of the highlights we're expecting is seeing Komodo Dragons on Komodo which requires a guide and guard be with every tour group!!

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Do keep us posted as soon as you return and are reacclimated. It's still 10 months off for our Atlantis group, but for me the planning is almost as much fun as the cruise. (I did say almost.) ;)

 

Happy cruising.

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Do keep us posted as soon as you return and are reacclimated. It's still 10 months off for our Atlantis group, but for me the planning is almost as much fun as the cruise. (I did say almost.) ;)

 

Happy cruising.

 

Will do. I must admit we've never had everything planned out this far in advance on any previous cruise. As far as our cruise in December, we're just going to show up in Miami, and go with the flow!!

 

Have fun planning, the private shore excursions are always the most fun. :)

 

David

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I'm not doing the Atlantis cruise, but my husband and I have just booked with Pied Piper for the same ship/itinerary leaving 03Mar13.

 

OH, my partner & I plus our good friend are on the March 3rd sailing, and didn't realize Pied Piper will be on this sailing.

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Although the Pied Piper and Atlantis cruises are on the same ship, the itinerary is different. Atlantis cruise is 10 days but Pied Piper is 14 days (and a lot cheaper!). The Aquafest itinerary is also 14 days.

 

I would love to go on the Pied Piper S.E. Asia cruise in March 2013, but need to find somebody to go with me!

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Although the Pied Piper and Atlantis cruises are on the same ship, the itinerary is different. Atlantis cruise is 10 days but Pied Piper is 14 days (and a lot cheaper!). The Aquafest itinerary is also 14 days.

 

I would love to go on the Pied Piper S.E. Asia cruise in March 2013, but need to find somebody to go with me!

 

Not sure what you are talking about but Pied Piper is a group NOT private charter on a regularly scheduled Celebrity Millennium Asia cruise. I am booked INDEPENDENTLY on the same saildate as the Pied Piper group. Yes the Atlantis sailing is a shorter and different itinery.

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The Atlantis cruise is 11 nights, not 10. Departs 3/31 from SIN and arrives HKG on the morning of 4/11.

 

If anyone's been in this part of the world in late March/early April, please share what to expect weatherwise. I've been looking at current weather forecasts for the past couple of weeks and they always show rain/clouds and temps in the 90s (Farenheit). Should we expect similar in Mar/Ap? :confused:

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As a guide I will rate areas as UH - Uncomfortably hot or H - just plain hot and MH - Moderately hot. The humidity in the more southern areas is really oppressive.

 

We were in Southeast Asia for two months in March/April 2010 (no cruises). Starting in Singapore in early March it was UH. Then to Cambodia which was UH. Bangkok in March was UH. Hanoi was MH to H. Halong Bay was fantastic (two nights on a "junk") and I would rate it as MH. As you go south towards the southern part of Viet Nam in April you are back to UH. April in China was really great. Shanghai, Xian, Beijing were MH (Didn't go to Hong Kong on that trip but that might be a little warmer). Japan was more temperate and comfortable (Cherry blossom time). Korea was cold in mid-April. We hope to fly to China in March 2013 or 2014 and then sail back to the USA on the Millennium.

Hope this helps.

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Just made our reservation & paid our deposit for this one. This will be our 3rd Atlantis trip (after doing Alaska and Baltic trips a few years ago). We also managed to score 2 first class award seats into Singapore & out of Hong Kong. We get to Singapore early and plan to do Siem Reap / Angkor Wat. Atlantis plans on a pre-trip excursion so we may go with them or do it on our own. We had planned to go to Thailand next year + Cambodia and maybe Bali - but once we started calculating hotels + air + transfers......this really became the easiest way to go! I was able to get a great Cat 2A with an oversized balcony for us. I was hoping for one of the aft C1's but they were all booked - except for an accessible cabin - so went with the next best thing. We did waitlist for an A1 cabin (dying to try Blu) but avoided the A2's on the advice of the Atlantis Rep who reminded me that they are right under the pool deck where all the parties will be.

 

So, let the planning begin!

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  • 2 weeks later...

My partner and I are booked on this one with a few friends from our city. I am looking forward to seeing this part of the world. My partner Greg goes to Singapore and Hong Kong quite often and has said it is quite hot and humid most of the time there. Looking forward to meeting everyone on board. Will also meet some in August on the Seabourn Quest.

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  • 2 weeks later...
We are going. We Booked 11th floor Aqua class. So excited, but the end of March seems a lifetime away.

We are going to be neighbors. Just returned from Alaska on the refurbished Millenium. We had a balcony cabin (8135) in Alaska. Moving to the Deck 11 Aqua class for Asia.

 

Parents has a suite (8125) in Alaska and they did upgrade to large flat screen TV in their cabin but there was only a VHS! Not a DVD or Blueray.

 

Really enjoyed the Qsine dining experience and highly encourage everyone to try it!

 

Can't wait until March. Neither of us have been to Asia.

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We (okay, I) have already started our planning on this one. Secured our air into Singapore and out Hong Kong using award miles in F (thank you American Airlines). Not knowing what the options will be for Angkor Wat, we are planning on getting to Singapore on March 28th. That will give us some time to get over jet lag and explore the city (and maybe do AW before the cruise but I think timining is gonna be rough). I also found us a great deal on a room at The Fullerton - $303USD including taxes and breakfast. Awesome location and always a Top 10 hotel in Asia. We looked around and hotel pricing in Singapore is just crazy - $225-250 per night + 17.7% taxes - YIKES!. Waiting to see what Atlantis comes up with for a pre-cruise hotel. We may switch over if the pricing is decent or just go ahead and splurge and keep The Fullerton. We are heading back to the US on April 12th - figure a quick day in HK (maybe tea at the Peninsula) and then home.

 

Next up is researching private guides. Have read some good reports of one in Nha Trang and I know we will want to use one for Bangkok. Debating using one for Halong Bay/Hanoi (and if we will even do the trek to Hanoi - 3 hours each way from the port). Anyone have any good leads for tours?

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Just got back from the RSVP Mediterranean cruise yesterday but I'm already excited about planning this cruise.

 

Thanks for the weather tips. Even though it was 85 F or above on shore in Spain this week, it was quite cool on the ship with all the sea breezes and air conditioning. Sounds like that won't be a problem in SE Asia.

 

I just now noticed the Atlantis website blurb and the postings here about a pre-cruise excursion to Angkor Wat. That would be a dream come true for me. Anybody done that excursion before or have any of the details?

 

Eric, San Francisco

 

 

*********

2010 - Atlantis - X - Solstice - Caribbean

2011 - Atlantis - ROC - Serenade of the Seas - Caribbean

2012 - Atlantis - X - Summit - Caribbean

2012 - RSVP - HOA - Neuw Amsterdam - Mediterranean

2013 - Atlantis - X - Millennium - SE Asia (Future)

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  • 2 weeks later...
We (okay, I) have already started our planning on this one. Secured our air into Singapore and out Hong Kong using award miles in F (thank you American Airlines). Not knowing what the options will be for Angkor Wat, we are planning on getting to Singapore on March 28th. That will give us some time to get over jet lag and explore the city (and maybe do AW before the cruise but I think timining is gonna be rough). I also found us a great deal on a room at The Fullerton - $303USD including taxes and breakfast. Awesome location and always a Top 10 hotel in Asia. We looked around and hotel pricing in Singapore is just crazy - $225-250 per night + 17.7% taxes - YIKES!. Waiting to see what Atlantis comes up with for a pre-cruise hotel. We may switch over if the pricing is decent or just go ahead and splurge and keep The Fullerton. We are heading back to the US on April 12th - figure a quick day in HK (maybe tea at the Peninsula) and then home.

 

Next up is researching private guides. Have read some good reports of one in Nha Trang and I know we will want to use one for Bangkok. Debating using one for Halong Bay/Hanoi (and if we will even do the trek to Hanoi - 3 hours each way from the port). Anyone have any good leads for tours?

 

The ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay is a long three hours of chaos on mostly badly designed two lane roads (one way in each direction) with lots of trucks, motor bikes, etc. You can either hire a car or take a mini-bus which can be hired through a travel agency. Some agencies are rip-offs so be careful. We used Tonkin Travel and everything went very smoothly although you may have to pay in advance for any arrangements in Hanoi. We used AMEX since it is best if there are any problems. Since we flew into Hanoi I don't know how far it is from the port to Halong Bay but we did the overnight/two day trip which was amazing. It was one of the most memorable of our travel experiences. The day "junks" are much less elegant and just visit the usual tourist spots but it is still a unique experience. Be forewarned that Halong Bay is often covered in fog which can reduce the WOW factor. We explored many incredible quiet coves and kayaked to areas of the Bay where groups of wild monkeys scamper over the cliffs. It was a fantastic experience. I think the only cruise ship line that regularly enters the Bay is Azamara because their ships are quite small. In that case you avoid the long drive from Hanoi. The city of Hanoi has a fascinating history and an interesting Old Quarter in case you decide to skip Halong Bay.

If you decide to squeeze in Siem Riep I can recommend a very nice driver who speaks English and has an air-conditioned vehicle. He can pick you up at the airport and will recommend which sites to see when they are least busy with tour buses. Angkor Wat is the largest temple but I think there are others that are more interesting and less crowded depending on the amount of time you have. If you want the driver's name I can give you his e-mail address. We have been on five Atlantis cruises but are not on this one. We spent two months in Southeast Asia in 2010 and are now planning a return trip but not by ship.

We flew Singapore Air to Singapore and they have an amazing package with one night free hotel, free airport transportation, free hop on/ hop off bus and other discount coupons. The choice of hotels was extensive from two star to five star at very discounted rates. Singapore is expensive - no way around it.

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Ive been eyeing this cruise, but would most likely be doing a room share. Has anyone done this with atlantis before/heard about any experiences? Is there a questionnaire to match people? Are people matched at all?

 

Atlantis only matches by smoking/non-smoking (and same sex, of course). So it's a gamble and you'll either be in-luck or out-of-luck. For a cruise of this length, I wouldn't take the gamble if I were you. If you're an Atantis Alum, you can post a note on the Alum Site seeking a cabin mate. Can't do that here on CC, though. :mad:

 

Hope to see you onboard with a cabin mate of your choosing. :)

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We cancelled the Baltic cruise this year and booked the Asia cruise instead. This will be our 3rd cruise (previous 2 were Atlantis Mediterranean cruises), but for the first time an inside cabin instead of an aft verandah cabin.

 

We are just back from our 2.5 week SF to SF roundtrip in south-west USA, so I now can start planning private shore excursion for this cruise. Already decided that we won't overnight in Bangkok. Also we don't want to do the 3 hour drive to Hanoi, but will instead do a cruise on a junk in Halong Bay. Only problem is that it isn't easy yet to find a tour that accommodates our arrival time there.

 

We haven't booked our flights yet (we don't have miles). We probably arrive in Singapore on thursday, March 28 after a nonstop flight from Amsterdam with KLM and stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. We stay for 2 nights in Hong Kong (no hotel yet) and fly nonstop back to Amsterdam on saturday, April 13.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Relo - thinking the same thing on Hanoi - would love to see it but 7-8 hours of travel time to just have a few short hours there doesn't seem to be worthwhile. Sailing on a junk through Halong Bay would be our 1st choice - perhaps we can get a group together & charter our own to fit the ship's schedule? We did this in St. Petersburg on our Baltic cruise (hired our own guide) and it worked out well.

 

We may do an overnight in BKK. Again, hate the idea of shuttling back & forth between the port & the city (plus hotels in BKK are relatively cheap compared to Singapore). Trying to figure out the best way to maximise our time & experience there.

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Considering Celebrity Milleneum cruise leaving Singapore Dec 9/2012 to Bangkok/phu my/danang/hanoi ending in HK but the long trips from the port to the cities is discouragingis it bad ? Has anyone explored these ?

 

thanks

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Went on the Celebrity website and was able to pull down a listing of shore excursions for this cruise. I hope that there will be more added - seemed to be slim pickings and pretty pricey (avg $100/pp per trip). Will need to start up some heavy duty research!

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