Asia on Millennium

We have booked a cruise to Asia in March next year on Celebrity Millenium.

Starting in Hong Kong, 3 port stops in Vietnam (Hanoi/Halong Bay, Hue/Danang/Chan May, Ho Chi Min/Phu My), then to Bangkok, then ending in Singapore.

Has any experience of this cruise itinarary? Only we are a bit concerned now to read that all the ports seem very far away from the places of interest and sometold us that the ports themselves are very ugly i.e. container docks.

Thank you.

HK - Depends on the ship. We were there on the Ocean Princess last April and docked right next to the Star Ferry terminal in Kowloon. Great spot. Other ships dock in the conainer port. I think it depends on size.

Danang, HCM City and Bangkok - We docked a ways from toen in container port. Not much to see.

Singapore - Like HK it depends on where you dock. New Cruise terminal will let most ships dock in good location.

We are doing this trip in reverse i.e. Singapore to Hong Kong. We are just starting to research ports. We are taking a 2 day, 1 night tour to Bangkok and staying overnight in a hotel. I suggest you check out the rollcalls for earlier cruises. I believe this itinerary starts later this year. There will be some tours planned and you may be able to get contact details for tour operators from them. You could also check TripAdvisor.com for tour suggestions.

We have booked a cruise to Asia in March next year on Celebrity Millenium.

 

Starting in Hong Kong, 3 port stops in Vietnam (Hanoi/Halong Bay, Hue/Danang/Chan May, Ho Chi Min/Phu My), then to Bangkok, then ending in Singapore.

 

Has any experience of this cruise itinarary? Only we are a bit concerned now to read that all the ports seem very far away from the places of interest and sometold us that the ports themselves are very ugly i.e. container docks.

 

Thank you.

The Millenium is a LARGE ship. You need a lot of water depth to dock the ship.

Vietnam stops listed by the cruise line are VERY deceiving:

Halong/Hanoi-you will dock at the container port in Hai Phong or the new container port in Cai Lan (if they get it finished and Celebrity makes the arrangements)

It is a 3+ hour drive to Hanoi each way. It is about an hour drive to Halong Bay. If this is an overnight stop and you want to go to Hanoi, STAY in Hanoi overnight. Otherwise, you waste the entire day just traveling back and forth. If you choose to forego Hanoi and it is an overnight stop, take one of the overnight junk cruises in Halong Bay.

DaNang-the port is deep enough (used to be a HUGE Air Force base during the Vietnam War and also home to "China Beach" and US supply ships called there frequently). BUT the larger ships usually have to tender because part of the port has been slowly "slagged in" with sand and debris from the ocean.

Saigon-HCMC/Phu My-Larger ships (the Millenium) will port at Phu My which is the NEW container port. There is nothing there. If this is only a day stop, take a tour from a REPUTABLE tour agency (there are numerous Ann, Sinh, Smile tour operators, some not so reputable who try to capitalize on the reputation of the original) or take the ships tour. It is at least 1+ hours into Saigon (everyone calls it Saigon except for formal government types). Traffic is Vietnam is some of the worst in Asia.

I am not trying to discourage you-I love Vietnam. I spend at least a month in Vietnam every year on business (usually two trips). I also spend time in the ports as my business is international logistics planning, so need to make sure my containers are flowing smoothly to the USA (mostly fish and exotic vegetables).

But be prepared for some long travel times. The wealthier the country becomes, the more people that buy cars or motos. And the roads are basically the same as they were when I was there in 1970 with the USO. So they are VERY congested. Enjoy!!!

I'm also on the Millennium HK to Singapore cruise departing March 17, 2013. In fact, for Halong Bay/Hanoi the ship will not dock, but tender according to the itinerary details on my reservation so it may be closer to Halong Bay than when docked in an industrial port nearby.

There's no details whatsoever available on the stops and cruiseline excursions so far, so it's a bit frustrating knowing where exaxtly the ship will dock/tender (I assume the excursions will include information on how long the drive out will be to the actual stops, they usually do) but there is still a looooooong time to prepare and plan for this cruise :)

I'm also booked on the Millennium, but on Feb.17, Hong Kong to Singapore. I'm also interested in finding out all I can about any of the ports on this itinarary as this is my first time to this part of the world. I have found, on previous cruises, that private guides are much less costly and much nicer - quicker, more personal, less commercial- than those offered by the cruise lines. Any suggestions of what to see and do and who to use? Thanks everyone!

Take a look a few posts down about shore excursions.

We too were wondering how far away the excursions would be. We thought we would have time to learn more about the ports before booking, but found out there were only a few Veranda's left on this cruise.

We would also like to know if my husband should bring a suit, & what would be the best type of clothing for the heat & humidity. Also--does the Millenium have self-serve laundry?

boatsafloat

I am on the March 3rd cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong. I did preliminary research and thought long and hard about committing to this cruise. In the end, I felt it was worth it due to all the overnight stops and the overall price of the cruise. We bought our air two days ago so it looks like there is no turning back for us.

Anyway, if you enjoy research and planning then this sure is the cruise for you. I have just about everything set and booked now (all hotels, tours, etc) but it was a long process. Check out the Asia boards and you will get a good idea of what to look for in an independent tour company. Also check out Member Reviews for the Diamond Princess from the last year or so. It is similar in size and has to use most of the same ports. You can get a feel for all the travel needed to reach the destinations.

Have fun planning. I am very excited about our trip now.

Yes, some ports will have long drives but for some the drive is not very long.

We have done similar itineraries multiple times including visits to these ports this past spring on another cruise line. I would take the cruise and enjoy all you will see.

Keith

We too were wondering how far away the excursions would be. We thought we would have time to learn more about the ports before booking, but found out there were only a few Veranda's left on this cruise.

 

We would also like to know if my husband should bring a suit, & what would be the best type of clothing for the heat & humidity. Also--does the Millenium have self-serve laundry?

 

boatsafloat

Suit: If you want to eat in the main dining room on formal nights, he should bring a suit or sportcoat. If you want to eat in the buffet on formal nights, he can probably get by without.

self-serve laundry: no

clothing: light cotton clothing will be cooler. If you are visitng temples, many require that you cover legs and shoulders. Check Travel Smith and Magellans for ideas on clothing for the tropics.

We were just on a RC and most men only had shirts on, some wore suits, but it was so hot-many did not bother. I know Celebrity is a stop above--but I'd rather save on extra luggage, especially when we plan on staying another week down there.

Just how much of the legs need covering? How about to the knee? I wanted to wear alot of dresses because of the heat/humidity factor. Only a couple of my dresses go past the knee.

Boatsafloat

Haven't book yet but very serious about this cruise. What hotel will you be staying at in Singapore and Hong Kong? Have you found reliable tour companies for private tours in any of the ports?

Haven't book yet but very serious about this cruise. What hotel will you be staying at in Singapore and Hong Kong? Have you found reliable tour companies for private tours in any of the ports?

We are staying at the Ibis on BenCoolen before sailing. The Shopping Spree rate is fantastic and includes breakfast.

Pieter and Sharon

:)No stopping us now....however still time to cancel.Ha Ha We will start to look for hotels soon. Hope the Millenium has all their excursions posted soon.

Looks like if we don't do a ships excursion, we may need a Visa at least in Vietnam. We are also starting our journey in Beijing, so will need one for China too.

I heard it was 1.5 hr drive to Saigon from Phu My. Anyone know if that's true?

Boatsafloat

We were just on a RC and most men only had shirts on, some wore suits, but it was so hot-many did not bother. I know Celebrity is a stop above--but I'd rather save on extra luggage, especially when we plan on staying another week down there.

 

Just how much of the legs need covering? How about to the knee? I wanted to wear alot of dresses because of the heat/humidity factor. Only a couple of my dresses go past the knee.

 

Boatsafloat

I have looked at some websites and it looks like your knees should be covered. Some of them recommend carrying a sarong or large scarf to wrap around your hips if you have any doubts about the length.

We have booked a cruise to Asia in March next year on Celebrity Millenium.

 

Starting in Hong Kong, 3 port stops in Vietnam (Hanoi/Halong Bay, Hue/Danang/Chan May, Ho Chi Min/Phu My), then to Bangkok, then ending in Singapore.

 

Has any experience of this cruise itinarary? Only we are a bit concerned now to read that all the ports seem very far away from the places of interest and sometold us that the ports themselves are very ugly i.e. container docks.

 

Thank you.

Phu My port make people suffer bad road first before connecting the so-called Highway 51 for Saigon.

Driving time is kind of boring but, one good point is recently, thanks to new road completion, driving time is #30 minutes shorter than it used to be.

Phu My port make people suffer bad road first before connecting the so-called Highway 51 for Saigon.

Driving time is kind of boring but, one good point is recently, thanks to new road completion, driving time is #30 minutes shorter than it used to be.

That's good news. Thanks for the hands on up-date.

We were recently on the Voyager of the Seas Singapore to Shanghai.

For Saigon, we were berthed at Phu My and organised a tour to Saigon through Zoom who maximised our time there. I found the trip from Phu My to be very interesting although bumpy at times due to the state of the roads. Price depends on the number of people...There were 13 on our tour (all from cruise critic roll call) and cost was USD$54 each including lunch and entrance to museums. Well recommended.

Also a great hotel with a great view in Hong Kong at a budget price (if you are prepared to ride the nearby very efficient rail system) is L'hotel Nina et convention. Check out Trip Advisor for reviews.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

If you dock at Chan May for Danang it is also quite a way out of town. We docked here on Legend. There was NOTHING around the dock back in 2010.

Same for Phu My (Saigon). Just a huge container terminal but here lots of local businesses are around, not somewhere you could walk away from and investigate though.

Dress - we just took lounge suits for our Legend of the Seas cruise. On formal nights most men were at least in jackets but we did not wear ties. On our very first cruise, on Millennium (Alaska and Hawaii), formal nights were taken much more seriously and we hired tuxes. Back then Celebrity also had semi-formal nights so jackets on those nights as well :(.

We loved our Legend Shanghai to Singapore cruise, and every one of the ports visited.

pete

Hi Everyone,

I have stumbled across "Asia on Millennium" whilst searching for info on where Millie docks in Hong Kong for the March 17 cruise.

Just wondered if you knew that there is another Board for the same cruise in ROLL CALLS. March 17/2013 Millennium south/east Asia. You have info we have would all like to read and visa versa.

We should join up forces.

Barbara/up anchor:

Hi Everyone,

 

I have stumbled across "Asia on Millennium" whilst searching for info on where Millie docks in Hong Kong for the March 17 cruise.

Just wondered if you knew that there is another Board for the same cruise in ROLL CALLS. March 17/2013 Millennium south/east Asia. You have info we have would all like to read and visa versa.

We should join up forces.

 

Barbara/up anchor:

I think people are using this section to communicate with people who are going on the same itinerary at different times. Since this is a new route for Celebrity we have all been looking for more information any where we can!

I think people are using this section to communicate with people who are going on the same itinerary at different times. Since this is a new route for Celebrity we have all been looking for more information any where we can!

I agree completely. This is a good thread to share information on this new itinerary (we're on the Feb 17 sailing). I've also been checking the other Millennium Asia roll calls to see what different people are saying, doing and booking.

Everyone, please keep posting after you return from your Millenium Cruise and share any insights!

Normally Ports in Vietnam are far from visiting places so you need to book tour inadvance to have guide in your trip.

Car or Van has outside gate of the port but they are more expensive than because no taxi in Port, you would like to visit there will no more choice to book car