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.

 

[Pushka]

Concierge folk in April were offered a few extra perks, like the Helipad sail out, and in Japan this would work well with ports that sail out at night as they all do fireworks. And I think Lunch on embarkation day.

Concierge is the usual class offered by a major US travel Agency as a guarantee. Closer to sailing you may be sent an email asking you to change to an oceanview and get the cruise for FREE, or cancel outright, with quite major compensation. Because those guarantee cabins must get their cabin. However you don't have to accept anything and you won't get kicked off either. Because there will always be cabins available that don't show online.

There's also the Move Up bid that might be appearing by now in your booking online. It's on the top right of the screen whilst in your booking. We did this. We bid at the very lowest minimum bid for a Suite, up from Aqua. And we won a suite. And so many in suite class did exactly the same as us. But as we hadn't bought the drinks package prior the only drinks we could get for free were in the Luminae lounge so we used that a lot. Another Aussie couple were desperate to get a suite from Aqua and so they bid really high. And ended up with the same suite as us. He was a bit cranky when he realised they'd paid thousands more than we did. They were desperate for the suite, but we weren't. Doing the Move Up bid is however, thousands of dollars cheaper than booking a suite at the start.

We are on Millenium next year in November, currently Aqua and bought drinks package and upgrade. Might do another move up bid but not fussed if it doesn't happen.

Also on Apex in July next year and booked a suite guarantee and almost immediately allocated a sky suite. Doing the Solar Eclipse cruise. No need for move up that cruise.

 

[SYD]

There's also the Move Up bid that might be appearing by now in your booking online. It's on the top right of the screen whilst in your booking. We did this. We bid at the very lowest minimum bid for a Suite, up from Aqua. And we won a suite. And so many in suite class did exactly the same as us.

Last time I looked, the Bid prices for our next cruise were a LOT (starting around A$2k pp thru to A$20k pp.

We’re both Elite now, but the comp upgrade is suppose to top out at Aqua class (which we’re already booked in). Not expecting a freebie - but won’t complain if it happens!

But as we hadn't bought the drinks package prior the only drinks we could get for free were in the Luminae lounge so we used that a lot.

Oh, I didn’t know Luninae had freebie drinks. But as “Elite”, we get the Happy Hour freebies - but a moot point with a premium drinks package.

But back to the Millenium, that’s probably a nice size ship to be doing a Japan cruise.

 

[Pushka]

Last time I looked, the Bid prices for our next cruise were a LOT (starting around A$2k pp thru to A$20k pp.

We’re both Elite now, but the comp upgrade is suppose to top out at Aqua class (which we’re already booked in). Not expecting a freebie - but won’t complain if it happens!

Oh, I didn’t know Luninae had freebie drinks. But as “Elite”, we get the Happy Hour freebies - but a moot point with a premium drinks package.

But back to the Millenium, that’s probably a nice size ship to be doing a Japan cruise.

The lounge only, not the restaurant. We will be at elite after July next year.

Yes Millenium is a good size for Japan. We loved it.

 

[Skyring]

Here's a story about Japan I wrote some time ago under a female pseudonym. @Pushka's story of deer at Nara reminded me of this one.

Mist Opportunity
Richard nudged me awake. “Time to rise and shine, honey!”

I groaned. “But it’s dark! Is there coffee?”

“The full moon is out there waiting for you,” he replied, “and dawn’s in half an hour. Come on, grab your camera and let’s go!”

I lifted the sheet. “Come here and give me a cuddle before we start.”

Richard had turned away, fiddling with his tripod, and I gave up, swinging my bare legs out of bed. Yes, I had promised to take a few shots of the Japanese dawn. Definite commercial possibilities there. But that had been last night, when a glass or three of a sweet red wine had put a glow on the prospect.

Outside, the moon was round and golden, sinking through the pines. Richard clicked a long lens onto his Canon and aimed it like a rifle. I pulled my jacket tighter. My Leica had a wide lens, and I was after the big picture.

“Let’s get out into the rice fields. More room there.”

I slipped my hand into his as we walked out of the inn garden. Two foreigners in a fantasy land. A little way down the street, the village houses stopped abruptly, the fields began, and Richard broke contact, raising his lens like a dog sniffing the air, taking a few quick shots of a bird freshly roused from sleep by the warmth of the sun, a distant mountain, a sleepy monk.

It was beautiful, I admitted to myself, as we walked on, our eyes seeking interesting shapes, patterns, colours. The dawn’s growing glow put a golden filter on the mist rising from the rice paddies, and the moon was almost on the horizon, dropping beyond the jagged peaks of the western range. I looked through my viewfinder and made a few pictures, searching for balance and harmony in the pastel fields.

It was strange how the crowded jumble of the village behind us contrasted with the serenity of the surrounding countryside. Folds of land rolled in the distance, a small shrine beside the road, the darkness of a pine grove silhouetted against the fog drifting in from the hidden sea to the east, now pierced with the first gleams of the sun.

Oh, these spring days!
A nameless little mountain,
wrapped in morning haze!

— Matsuo Bashō (644–1694)

And yet, here was a laneway, not a building in sight, just a square grey transformer box and a row of vending machines. We both pointed our cameras at the incongruity, the hard forms lit from within, the colourful logos, the lines of bottles and cans, and beyond the machines nothing but nature in soft greens and dreamy pink sky.

“Coffee …” I sighed. Even a self-heating can of Boss Black would do.

“Later,” Richard said, gazing round for his next target. “Look, the trees …”

The small forest was drawing our eyes. I could see the photograph now. Something for a tourist brochure, a calendar maybe. If I got everything just right, a shot at Landscape of the Year award.

We trudged up the road, the slope giving a glimpse of the ocean, the pale disc of the sun a ghostly presence in the bank of sea fog.

The light was changing by the second as the sun rose higher, the tendrils of mist drifting through the trees, the moon now vanished behind the mountains.

“Look!” I breathed. “See, in front of the fence?”

As we clear a hill
Three deer bodies fill the dark
Between trees, still, bent

— Calvin Olsen (2017)

Three deer lifted their heads, regarding the intruders with suspicion. Richard clicked off a few rapid shots and the deer moved forward. Any second, and they’d bolt.

I pushed his lens down. “Just enjoy the moment, Ricky. You’ll spook them. Maybe we can get them closer.”

I clucked my tongue, holding out a hand as if it might have a treat in it. It had worked with the temple deer two days ago, maybe they would trot within range of my Leica.

Instead, the deer took fright and I sighed as they bounded off, their graceful forms lengthening as legs stretched and they soared away and over the fence.

Antlers folded in against their streamlined necks, thin wings extended from their flanks, rockets burst into roaring flame streaks as they shot out over the ocean. Three contrails against a pale blue sky.

Richard stood gaping, his camera aimed at the ground. He had missed the shot of a lifetime. I jingled a few yen coins in my pocket. “Buy you a can of coffee, dear?”