Review: Millennium - Singapore to HK

We just returned from the March 4th sailing of the Millennium from Singapore to Hong Kong, and had an incredible time. It was our 8th cruise, but our first on Celebrity.

Our review of the cruise itself is posted on our blog here:

http://www.guyswhotravel.com/entry/two-weeks-cruising-the-south-china-sea-on-the-celebrity-millennium

A full list of the blog postings from our entire trip can be found here:

http://www.guyswhotravel.com/trips/blogs/asia-cruise-2013

If you have any questions on the cruise or the itinerary, I'm happy to answer them as best I can.

Brad.

We just returned from the March 4th sailing of the Millennium from Singapore to Hong Kong, and had an incredible time. It was our 8th cruise, but our first on Celebrity.

 

If you have any questions on the cruise or the itinerary, I'm happy to answer them as best I can.

 

Brad.

Would you perhaps be able to post or update the names of some of the staff members on your sailing for the Who's Onboard thread?

Thanks for the review!

I sailed on the Millie in October. Your review brought me back.

I think you will like the S class ships better if you chose to do another Celebrity cruise. The lunch buffet is much better.

You mentioned that coffee service was slow in the MDR, I agree. I drink espresso's after dinner and it took forever to get one. Then I learned that they run down to Cafe Baccio to pick them up.

Xellent: I just checked with a friend who is still on board the Millenium, and he believes that the names in the chart are still current.

Kevnzworld: Wow, that's crazy that they make the server run to the Cafe. It does explain some of the delay though!

Thanks for your review.

Gosh....I'll feel bad having a coffee after dinner...oh, hang on, does this apply to Blu too?

Thanks for posting the link to the review. We are doing this itinerary in December so it was great to have your very balanced report on Millennium. Did you do shore excursions/transfers with the ship or as a private tour?

Thanks for posting the link to the review. We are doing this itinerary in December so it was great to have your very balanced report on Millennium. Did you do shore excursions/transfers with the ship or as a private tour?

The only tours which we did through Celebrity were "Bangkok overnight on your own" and "Ho Chi Mihn overnight on your own". If you plan to stay overnight in those cities and tour around yourself, I strongly recommend using the ship's transportation. The cities are far, and the traffic conditions unpredictable, so it's reassuring to know that the ship won't be leaving without you, so long as you make it to the bus on time! (And the prices were fairly reasonable).

For Hoi An and Ha Long Bay / Hanoi we went on private tours that were organized by someone we met through the roll call. They were good, although we also talked to people who did Celebrity excursions for these ports and enjoyed them.

The prices for the Celebrity excursions seemed pretty reasonable compared to what I've seen with the other cruises I've been on, but that may also just be a factor of tours in Asia being cheaper than Europe or the Caribbean.

Gosh....I'll feel bad having a coffee after dinner...oh, hang on, does this apply to Blu too?

On the Millennium it is true that they go to Cafe Al Bacio. I asked after I saw our assistant waiter coming through the main entrance with my cappuccino one evening.

Thanks for your review. I've been thinking of sailing on an M class ship, what you described is very encouraging.

Thanks for your review. I've been thinking of sailing on an M class ship, what you described is very encouraging.

I think it all has to do with expectations. The M-class ships obviously aren't going to have the same bells and whistles as a bigger ship. But especially for a cruise where the ports are as important as the ship itself, I found the Millennium to be quite enjoyable (dining-room service and Diet Coke issues notwithstanding!)

Looking forward to reading this. It was so great to meet you guys on this cruise. I had an amazing time on this trip.

Looking forward to reading this. It was so great to meet you guys on this cruise. I had an amazing time on this trip.

It was great meeting you too (first on the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands no less!)

Hope you had a safe trip back.

Thanks OP for posting the review.

What were the pools like on the Milli? Was it hard to find open loungers?

I'll be on an Alaskan cruise so I will not be hanging out by the pool. However, I'd still like to know how the lounge chairs looked since so many complain about them being old, on the Summit. What was your take?

Brad, your blog's Marina Bay Sands article is hilarious!

Thanks OP for posting the review.

 

What were the pools like on the Milli? Was it hard to find open loungers?

Open loungers (chair hog problems) really depends on the cruise. We were in Asia on Millenium this year (B2B) and never had a problem finding deck chairs when we wanted a couple.. Of course, we didn't want to be right on top of the pool. It just wasn't a big problem. We didn't find them any more comfortable or uncomfortable than on other ships.

We just returned from the March 4th sailing of the Millennium from Singapore to Hong Kong, and had an incredible time. It was our 8th cruise, but our first on Celebrity.

 

Our review of the cruise itself is posted on our blog here:

 

http://www.guyswhotravel.com/entry/two-weeks-cruising-the-south-china-sea-on-the-celebrity-millennium

 

A full list of the blog postings from our entire trip can be found here:

 

http://www.guyswhotravel.com/trips/blogs/asia-cruise-2013

 

If you have any questions on the cruise or the itinerary, I'm happy to answer them as best I can.

 

Brad.

Loved your blog. Thanks for the link. I do not like that Marina Sands hotel...too tall, you were very brave to get in that pool

NewbieCruiser77 & Vermonter16

As ghstudio said, I didn't find anything out of the ordinary with the loungers, and I was always able to find SOMEWHERE to lie down if I wanted to. The pool area seemed a fair size for the ship. What I really enjoyed was the thalassotherapy pool (which is in a covered area, so I'm sure will be even more popular during an Alaskan cruise!)

Brad, your blog's Marina Bay Sands article is hilarious!

Thanks! I wish I could take credit, but that one was written by my husband!

Merriem:

Nothing brave about getting into that pool. Given what they charge per night to stay there, there was NO WAY we weren't getting in that thing! :-)

We just returned from the same cruise. I highly recommend you book a hotel room in HCM and Bangkok.We booked our own rooms and used Bangkok Day Tours to pick us up at the ship, tour,drop us at the hotel.Pick us up the next day at the hotel, tour and bring us back to the ship.In Hue and Halong Bay we used Bestcruisestravel they were great also. The only time we booked thru the ship we went to Vung Tau. Don't. Waste of a day. Go to Saigon overnight

We just returned from the same cruise. I highly recommend you book a hotel room in HCM and Bangkok.

If you do decide to stay over in Bangkok (and I recommend as well) and will be using Celebrity transportation (which I also recommend), you should try to find a hotel close to where the bus will drop you off (the Central World Mall). Traffic can be pretty nasty, and you don't want to be stuck in a cab as the bus leaves to go back to the ship!

We stayed at the Novotel on Siam Square, which was within a 5 minute walk from the bus stop. Great location at a pretty good price. (There are lots of Novotels in the city, so be sure to watch which one you book if you want to stay close)

Thanks! I wish I could take credit, but that one was written by my husband!

 

 

Merriem:

 

Nothing brave about getting into that pool. Given what they charge per night to stay there, there was NO WAY we weren't getting in that thing! :-)

Well, I still do not like heights! When we were in Hong Kong in April, we had planned to stay at the Ritz Carlton. The rooms start at the 118 th floor. We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and were more than pleased. You have a lot more nerve that we do!

Well, I still do not like heights! When we were in Hong Kong in April, we had planned to stay at the Ritz Carlton. The rooms start at the 118 th floor. We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and were more than pleased. You have a lot more nerve that we do!

I just Googled the Ritz Carlton in HK and we're going to have to agree to disagree. :) I would kill to stay in one of those rooms! What a view!

The only time we booked thru the ship we went to Vung Tau. Don't. Waste of a day. Go to Saigon overnight

While I agree that Saigon is definitely the excursion to go on (and to go overnight), I'm curious what you didn't like about Vung Tau.