Celebrity Status

[Skyring]

For the past seven years I've been planning a trip to Japan. It looks like this time it's happening.

Originally it was going to be a walk along the ancient pilgrimage trail of Kumano Kodo. My wife and I were climbing Mount Ainslie multiple times each week with packs and trekking poles, I was learning Japanese, I'd arranged business class tickets on points.

And then Covid!

Everything came to a halt. Perhaps what really rubbed it in was that our sky full of contrails between Sydney and Melbourne was clear, that whole busy route reduced to one Dash-8, making an intermediate stop in Canberra.

Our trip was postponed, the flights vanished, and our fitness levels declined.

A year or so later, as the world opened up again, we rebooked our trip, added in a cruise with friends out of Tokyo, and started climbing the mountain again.

The numbers in Japan began climbing with one of the variants sneaking in and Japan cracked down hard. The cruise was cancelled, and again I had to scrap the flights.

This time it's happening.

My Facebook feed started throwing up package deals for a cruise around Japan, flights included, for $4 000 each. Same cruise line – Celebrity – different ship – Millennium. I jumped on this thing and upgraded to a balcony, business class, and a couple of extra days in Tokyo. That added in an eye-watering impost on the base grade inside cabin, economy class fare, but I'm getting too old for that carp. Besides, I wanted to enjoy my trip and there was a DSC promotion going on.



I'm in the hands of the travel agent whether they got our numbers right. I know I registered our accounts in time. That should work out to 640 SC apiece. I'm LTS with another three thousand odd to get to LTG, so that's a start.

In fact, I have a longer trip the following month – another DSC booking – that should earn me 1270 SC, take me back to WP for the first time in yonks, and put me within shootin' distance of LTG.

Hence the title of this thread.

We've never sailed on Celebrity but it looks good. Not one of these family funfair mega ships and not one of the small luxury explorers but something in between. We've booked a Concierge cabin – for what that's worth, I think we get a couple of extra perks – on the starboard side of the ship so we should be able to sit back on the balcony and watch Japan go by for a lot of the trip.

The company has booked a hotel in Shinjuku, we've got two full days there before boarding and I can squeeze in a Tokyo parkrun. As well as one afterwards. Dealing with Tokyo's train system gives me the heebie-jeebies but I'll work it out.

There's a few weeks to go but I might as well get this thing started. As the trip gets closer, I'll have more on my plate.

 

[Pushka]

We cruised around Japan exactly this time (April) last year. We boarded on Easter Sunday (which was later in 2025j. I did a Trip Report here of pre land tour plus the cruise itself, on the same ship, Millenium. There might be a few tips there.

We loved Japan. MrP took so many photos. Millenium is the oldest ship in their fleet, and is one of the smaller class. It's recently been completely upgraded and it's very tasteful.

Thread 'Blossoms, bullet train and beyond: exploring Japan by Land and Sea.'

Apr 5, 2025

Departing next Tuesday for a long planned trip to Japan to see . Well, that's the plan, Mother Nature likely has other plans.

Of course we have to overnight in Sydney and where else but? I checked their drinks prices the other day. It's going to be a quiet night that night.

The trip arrangements have been loosely based around a cruise, but which one! Looking back through emails over the last 18 months I had plans with 6 cruise lines but still waiting on our preferred cruise line (Celebrity) to release the dates we wanted. And knew we had to act immediately as the cruise sells out...

• Pushka
• Replies: 366
• Forum: Trip Reports

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[Skyring]

Thanks, @Pushka! Will certainly read with interest.

 

[SYD]

Quite like Celebrity.

Gosh, we were on the Millennium in 2005. It went through a “Solstice” class style upgrade a little later and has had a few refits since. A friend was on an Asia cruise recently and enjoyed it.

Not sure Concierge class is worth the uplift over a regular Balcony Stateroom these days. They used to get first dibs on Specialty restaurants but demand has dropped off since they’re silly expensive now.

We quite like Aqua Class with the seperate Blu dining room for breakfast and dinner (and comp access the the Persian Garden (Spa)).

Pre-purchasing drinks and wifi at time of booking is usually much better value and then get upgrades to premium drinks and wifi during the various promos! We have a 19 night cruise coming up in the Edge. First time on that ship class.