745: We left our cabin and headed to the meeting spot. As we were in the Retreat we were able to meet in the Retreat Lounge. Once in the lounge, we checked in & were given an orange sticker with the number "30" on it; we were instructed to place it on my clothes. 

Later on, we realized this number corresponded to the tour group & was an easy way to distinguish folks.

8:05: Our group was called and we were escorted off the ship by a Retreat ambassador. For Vietnam, everyone had to fill out a landing card, which was stamped by an officer as we left the ship.

8:09: We check in with Eddie, who tears the perforation on our excursion ticket; as the first on the bus we had free range of seats and picked seats in row 17 on the right hand side. 

8:29: Eddie announces that we are missing 5 passengers.

8:30 The bus leaves the parking station & heads for the port gate. At the gate, two passengers hop off the free shuttle bus & join us. Possibly 2 of the 5 that were missing. 

On the 90-minute drive, Eddie gives us a bit of history of the different districts & hands out a map of Ho Chi Minh City. He is very charismatic & answers questions from the bus passengers. 

﻿• Needed more time to explore, ideally would like an itinerary that does an overnight in Vietnam to maximize. Otherwise, possible take a grab from the port.

﻿• Air-conditioned bus with an energetic moderator (Eddie). Some of the seats had broken cup holders & armrests. 

•﻿ Sit on the right side going to Ho Chi Minh for good views & on the left heading to the ship to have a  shady drive back.

Saigontourist Travel Independent Exploration Celebrity Cruises Review

•﻿ Arrived at 1230 for our 230 pm scheduled time, no issues with the early arrival.

﻿• Easy bag drop (12:17), documents check, passport collection (12:31), and muster station. We were in our cabin  by 12:38, with luggage arriving four hours later at 16:32.

﻿• We ate in Oceanview Cafe (buffet) for dinner as we didn't want to change out of shorts for Luminae dinner dress code.

﻿• Great 7 pm show "classical rock" with Simone & Cole was fun.

Celebrity Milly | Day 1

Bistro 7 Restaurant Review

Overall, this was a good restaurant. This was our first time here. We loved the service and the location. We had no problem finding parking. The biggest issue was the dessert. We could tell that it has been in the freezer for a long time.

Bistro 7 Restaurant Review

Bottom Line

What we loved

What we did not like

Verdict

Photo Gallery