Trip of a lifetime - Japan cruise

[RosaMoline]

Like it says in the title…it really will be!
Thanks to inheritance, me (will be 59 then) and DD (31) have narrowed it down to this one:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-details/12-night-best-of-japan-golden-week-from-tokyo-japan?packageID=ML12I172

So, travelling May next year.

Does anyone have any experience of Celebrity, or even better, this ship? (The Millennium)

I can’t seem to find any info about buying drinks packages? Roughly how much should we budget for these?

Shore excursions - budget?

I think it’s going to cost something in the region of (so far) £18,000 with business class flights to Tokyo with JAL, a night in a hotel at the start and the end near the port, and 2 ocean view cabins.

Any advice gratefully received, thank you ☺️

I’ve never been on a cruise but I really quite enjoy watching Emma cruises videos on YouTube.

She recently did a Japan cruise, though not with the same cruise line. She also has videos on celebrity ships that you could check out.

As a big fan of Japan, it’s not how I’d ever personally choose to visit the country. I’d want to spend as much time in the country as possible if I’d flown all that way. I can see the appeal if you’re a big cruise fan though.

I’ve been on celebrity cruise and really enjoyed it. Food was good service excellent. Not on this ship but on same class of ship. We are actually booked on this ship next year. It’s an older ship but well maintained.
We have booked a cruise and stay package through a travel agent where drinks and WiFi are included. Drinks otherwise are quite expensive from memory.
another point to note excursions through Celebrity are pretty expensive. It’s worth researching as you don’t always need cruise ship excursions.
How are you looking to book this? I would recommend shopping around and using a cruise travel agent. I certainly would never just book with the cruise line direct and pay the price on their website there is always a deal to be had

I'm with @Takoneko - if I were prepared to spend that much visiting Japan I wouldn't choose a cruise, I'd choose a good guided tour party. You're going to miss out on so much by just having day trips from a ship.

But maybe your main motivation is the cruise and the destination is secondary?

That looks AMAZING!! I've cruised with celebrity several times and loved them, food is fabulous, trips well run (although you can book independent excursions a which will be much cheaper!) really chilled atmosphere on board. Likely to be a mix of Americans and Europeans, enjoy!!! And it's worth booking a speciality restaurant at least once - we love Tuscan grill!!

I’ve cruised with Celebrity several times and they are one of my favourites. Not been on the Millie yet, she’s the oldest ship in the fleet but don’t let that put you off! Depending on how much you drink, a package might be worthwhile. They do 2 packages for alcohol - a premium and a classic. They also do a non alcoholic version. May be worth considering how many days you’ll be off ship exploring and not able to take full advantage. Sometimes it’s cheaper to just pay as you go.

www.celebritycruises.com/gb/things-to-do-onboard/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

I haven’t been to Japan yet but when I do it won’t be a cruise. I’d rather do a land tour and spend more time in each place. A cruise is great to get a flavour of somewhere but I think I’d want more.

If you are planning to book a cabin each for you and your daughter then you’ve probably realised solo cruising can be very expensive (can be double sometimes!) There is a travel agency based in Cardiff called Passion For Cruises that specialises in getting good deals for solo cruisers. Might be worth trying them to see if they have any offers on the cruise that you are interested in.

I’m excited for you!

Thank you so much everyone!
♥️♥️♥️