Thoughts on Celebrity Millennium for a Japan cruise?

[villauk]

9 hours ago, Piper1234 said:

I am traveling on The Millennium (Best of Japan) in August.  The ship arrives back in Yokohama at

4:30 am.  Does anyone know how early I will be allowed to walk off the ship with my luggage?  I want to book an 11:00 am flight to Bangkok.  Thanks.

 

Which date are you on Millie in August? We’re hoping that our 11.45 flight is doable from HND, but we have booked a private transfer from the port.

Edited February 1 by villauk

[Piper1234]

10 hours ago, villauk said:

 

Which date are you on Millie in August? We’re hoping that our 11.45 flight is doable from HND, but we have booked a private transfer from the port.

We are actually going at the end of July.  

[SMF916]

Following since we are seriously considering booking the 12-day Japan to S Korea 5/26/2025. 

[tscoffey]

Just booked mid-March, 2026 for this. Will likely choose Airbnb over a hotel for the 4-5 nights in Tokyo. Easily 1/4 of the cost.

Edited February 22 by tscoffey

[ArielV]

We are booked on the same cruise, haven’t looked in to accommodations yet

[Miaminice]

Japan is always worth a visit and cruise 👍

Maybe our reviews help...
 

Japan Millennium 2023
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

Japan Cherry Blossom Cruise HAL Westerdam 2019
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

Japan Millennium 2017
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 2/1/2024 at 7:16 AM, Frangipanni said:

When the ship says it arrives at Osaka at 8am, can you disembark then? Hoping to get to JR Kyoto station by 10.30am?🙏

 

If the ship arrives at 8 am, you should have no issue getting to Kyoto by 10:30... the trip to Kyoto from Osakako station takes around an hour, with two transfers. Even if you're slightly delayed arriving or disembarking, there's a lot of buffer time. 

[JLMcruise]

On 1/2/2024 at 8:31 AM, DaKahuna said:

 

 Take good care of her, we board May 2nd. 

 

Please say "Hello" to Andrea HD and Michael in the Retreat lounge from the Migalski's! Millie is our favorite ship. We are trying out the Edge in May - it will be our first time on the E class ship. Have a great cruise and enjoy your rum drinks!!! Japan  is

on our bucket list for next year.

Edited February 23 by JLMcruise
spelling

[Veinless]

Any opinions on the sunset verandahs on Millennium when it comes to Japan? Any reason to prefer one or regret one compared to a regular verandah?

[jabrown40]

I just booked the 12 night cruise 4/9/2026.  I love the itinerary. Doing a couple of days in Tokyo pre cruise, then 3 Disney days post cruise.  It's my longest vacation ever, celebrating my retirement from 40+ years of nursing!

[cruiselvr04]

On 2/21/2024 at 9:10 PM, tscoffey said:

Just booked mid-March, 2026 for this. Will likely choose Airbnb over a hotel for the 4-5 nights in Tokyo. Easily 1/4 of the cost.

Just booked this and the Singapore to Tokyo before it.  This trip will be way out of our comfort zone so I’ll be doing lots of research.  We’ve been to Europe several times and Australia but this feels completely different. 

[BP99]

On 10/16/2023 at 9:02 PM, jbinpa said:

Hi - I'm considering this 12-day Japan itinerary (with a stop in Busan, South Korea as well) on Celebrity Millennium next August. https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-details/12-night-best-of-japan-cruise-from-tokyo-yokohama-japan?packageID=ML12I092&sDT=2024-08-07&cCD=CO&search=startDate:2024-08-01~2024-08-31

 

Has anyone ever been to Japan on Millennium? If so, how was your experience? Are there a lot of onboard activities for the 4 full sea days (and a partial 5th) on this itinerary?

 

I realize August can be unpleasantly hot and humid in Japan but going in the spring or fall won't work for a number of reasons.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Hi,

We have been on a Japan Millennium cruise that is close to what

you are planing. IT WAS AWESOME!! It was one of the BEST cruises

we have been on (60 cruises and 4 more this year). The ship is small BUT excellent! Shows were good! Excellent food and service. Not really a cruise that I would take young kids. No water slides, bumper cars etc. We also spent an extra week in Japan and had a GREAT time. 

Some points on Japan:

1) The Japanese are really friendly and many speak English. In many

cities there are students (in uniform and clipboards) that want to speak

to you in English (part of there home work). The Japanese also cue

in line - unlike many other countries. Even for the trains they cue in line!!

2) we found the Hotels in all the major cities (Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama}

are less expensive than comparable hotels in USA/Canada/Europe/Australia. The hotels were spotless and many included a free breakfast (with 2 sections-Japanese food and North American). Some hotels included slippers at the door, pyjamas on the bed!

3) easy to travel from city to city by train. The bullet train was GREAT:

4) LOTS to see in each city! We loved the temples. The city of Nara and

the temple in the park were fun. Especially feeding the deer which run

around the park and even in the city!

I could go on but...

Bill

[debfed65]

13 minutes ago, BP99 said:

Hi,

We have been on a Japan Millennium cruise that is close to what

you are planing. IT WAS AWESOME!! It was one of the BEST cruises

we have been on (60 cruises and 4 more this year). The ship is small BUT excellent! Shows were good! Excellent food and service. Not really a cruise that I would take young kids. No water slides, bumper cars etc. We also spent an extra week in Japan and had a GREAT time. 

Some points on Japan:

1) The Japanese are really friendly and many speak English. In many

cities there are students (in uniform and clipboards) that want to speak

to you in English (part of there home work). The Japanese also cue

in line - unlike many other countries. Even for the trains they cue in line!!

2) we found the Hotels in all the major cities (Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama}

are less expensive than comparable hotels in USA/Canada/Europe/Australia. The hotels were spotless and many included a free breakfast (with 2 sections-Japanese food and North American). Some hotels included slippers at the door, pyjamas on the bed!

3) easy to travel from city to city by train. The bullet train was GREAT:

4) LOTS to see in each city! We loved the temples. The city of Nara and

the temple in the park were fun. Especially feeding the deer which run

around the park and even in the city!

I could go on but...

Bill

Please continue on!   We are doing b2b in October and we would love to hear more!!  Any and all information is greatly appreciated! 

[BP99]

2 hours ago, debfed65 said:

Please continue on!   We are doing b2b in October and we would love to hear more!!  Any and all information is greatly appreciated! 

Hi,

Most of my tips/info are for Japan land trips (before or after

a Japanese cruise). However these are more general

for a single day excursion (and for other countries):

Food: Each city has MANY places to eat. However, not

all have English menus. We found that most had pictures

that you can point to if the waiter doesn't  speak English.

Many restaurants are close to empty. DON'T eat there!

The busy full ones have the good stuff and are usually cheaper!!

Download google translator (free) at home (I use an iPad). Download Japanese at home. You can use your iPad as a camera and it will translate Japanese to English on the screen. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. This was useful for Hotels also. Our AC in the room had many buttons but

only in Japanese! So did the toilet!! >20. Test this at home!

Self directed walking tour: Download Maps.me (free) and download Japan on your iPad at home. If you get lost maps.me will locate you on the screen map. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. While you walk the person walks on the screen!! 

Trains: In Japan the trains run like clockwork. VERY accurate

times!! Usually there is a set amount of time (7minutes?)

for people to get off and get on. Very organized. Trains are

fast and inexpensive.

Is your 2nd cruise to Singapore ? Great place to visit!

Do you stop in Vietnam? Hoi An (sp?) is a Fun place

to visit (ship excursion). 

Bill

[JackE]

15 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Just booked this and the Singapore to Tokyo before it.  This trip will be way out of our comfort zone so I’ll be doing lots of research.  We’ve been to Europe several times and Australia but this feels completely different. 

So did we! The Singapore to Tokyo, and then the 12 night best of Japan. Reading @abbydancer2003 's current post of what to do in Singapore! Very informative. My first time in Japan, although I did spend some time in Asia 40 years ago. 🤪

[DaKahuna]

10 hours ago, debfed65 said:

Please continue on!   We are doing b2b in October and we would love to hear more!!  Any and all information is greatly appreciated! 

 

 Take a look at Post #56.  @Miaminice linked his live review in there and it is wonderfully through review of Japan.  

 

[debfed65]

10 hours ago, BP99 said:

Hi,

Most of my tips/info are for Japan land trips (before or after

a Japanese cruise). However these are more general

for a single day excursion (and for other countries):

Food: Each city has MANY places to eat. However, not

all have English menus. We found that most had pictures

that you can point to if the waiter doesn't  speak English.

Many restaurants are close to empty. DON'T eat there!

The busy full ones have the good stuff and are usually cheaper!!

Download google translator (free) at home (I use an iPad). Download Japanese at home. You can use your iPad as a camera and it will translate Japanese to English on the screen. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. This was useful for Hotels also. Our AC in the room had many buttons but

only in Japanese! So did the toilet!! >20. Test this at home!

Self directed walking tour: Download Maps.me (free) and download Japan on your iPad at home. If you get lost maps.me will locate you on the screen map. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. While you walk the person walks on the screen!! 

Trains: In Japan the trains run like clockwork. VERY accurate

times!! Usually there is a set amount of time (7minutes?)

for people to get off and get on. Very organized. Trains are

fast and inexpensive.

Is your 2nd cruise to Singapore ? Great place to visit!

Do you stop in Vietnam? Hoi An (sp?) is a Fun place

to visit (ship excursion). 

Bill

Thank you Bill for all this information.  I do have google translator already on my phone, but I will also download Maps.me as well.  Not sure if these work while our phones are on airplane mode 🤷‍♀️ probably not. 

 

Our second cruise ends in Singapore, making ports of call to Kagoshima, Taipei, Hong Kong and Chan May, Vietnam.  

 

Thank you again for replying as I'm sure this information will be helpful to others as well! 

[cruiselvr04]

Verizon has an international phone plan that we used in Australia and NZ.  I’ll have to see if Asia is included.  For $100/ month we used our phones all the time in port and skipped the internet on the ship as the phone was about half the cost of ship internet.  Worked for us. 

[NMTraveller]

On 2/22/2024 at 5:54 AM, Miaminice said:

Japan is always worth a visit and cruise 👍

Maybe our reviews help...
 

Japan Millennium 2023
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

Japan Cherry Blossom Cruise HAL Westerdam 2019
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

Japan Millennium 2017
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

What are your thoughts on the cherry blossom bloom.  Is it a big deal to see it during this time of year,  or would other times be just as good?

[Pushka]

13 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

What are your thoughts on the cherry blossom bloom.  Is it a big deal to see it during this time of year,  or would other times be just as good?

Cherries only blossom in Spring 

[NMTraveller]

11 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Cherries only blossom in Spring 

I know.  Is this the best time to go,  or are other times equally as good?

 

I used to have a cherry tree in my back yard and it blossomed every year ...

Edited March 28 by NMTraveller

[Miaminice]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

What are your thoughts on the cherry blossom bloom.  Is it a big deal to see it during this time of year,  or would other times be just as good?

Out of our 3 previous cruises plus the upcomming 4th cruise to Japan we only chose Cherry Blossom time once. And yes, it was absolutely fantastic and unforgettable!

However, it also has it´s downsides and challenges:

- Cost - the Cherry Blossom cruises are even more expensive

- Time - You might hit the right time for Hanami... you might not.
- Weather - weather in spring can be unstable and wet. For example, we had a nice but pretty wet day in Aomori, where the blossoms were the nicest. Friends are currently in Japan on Princess and the pics look pretty grey.

Don´t get me wrong. I am not saying you shouldn´t go during the time. It´s nice - and if you are lucky it´s probably almost pleasantly overwhelming and unforgettable. BUT other seasons in Japan are also fabulous. The fall colors are very pretty as well. 

So I guess in a nutshell I´d answer your question with: Yes, other times would also be good!

[Miaminice]

11 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Verizon has an international phone plan that we used in Australia and NZ.  I’ll have to see if Asia is included.  For $100/ month we used our phones all the time in port and skipped the internet on the ship as the phone was about half the cost of ship internet.  Worked for us. 

Try Ubigi or Airalo e-Sims. Not even half the amount you mentioned... and they work great. I had Ubigi in Japan and an Airalo regional e-Sim for Southeast Asia.

 

Edited March 28 by Miaminice

[Justpackingmybags]

I just pulled the trigger today on a Millie cruise to Japan March 2026!!!
I’m very with the price I’ve got it for, including the drinks/ wifi package plus prepaid gratuities. I’m doing a land tour to Japan this autumn and I already needed to book another fix 😆

 I’ll be seeing places that I won’t be visiting this time. I’ll be booking flights and pre cruise accommodation independently. I’m a solo traveller, so I’ve made it all more affordable by booking an inside cabin - Millie looks like a small enough ship so I won’t have to walk far to find outside space. Thanks to all of you who have done ‘Live Froms’; you’ve made it a good choice for me

 

sally

[Northern Aurora]

I am posting from the Millennium.  We boarded several days ago for a B2B with slightly different itineraries.  We were last in Japan in 2018 for a B2B, and enjoyed the fall colors on that trip.  Covid canceled an attempt to return.

 

We have the long standing Celebrity naturalist Brent Nixon on board; he is doing presentations.  He did a presentation on the snow monkeys of Japan yesterday.  His wife Mary Amanda is doing presentations on the history of various cities.
 

Last night (we are overnighting in Osaka) we had an excellent local Taiko drum group perform in the theater with shows at 7 and 9.  It was wonderful.

 

We also have a sizable group of Japanese citizens with us.  It is a tour group with their own welcome desks at Guest Relations.  They are enjoying this cruise around their own country, and the folks I talked to also thought the Taiko drum group was excellent.