Southendweather

Just got on excursion at Singapore, no problems at all 👍

Lots of immigration forms to sign for Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam. The ship print all your details out, all you have to do is sign and hand them in. Incidentally the ship keep our/your passports when you check in. I believe we will be given these back tomorrow as you need them to get in and out of Singapore, then they keep them again. Singapore does look like having the most faffing about getting in/out. I have also heard the screening is is a bit more stringent. Just thought I would make this known. Nothing to worry about atm.

Keith (Southend)

1 minute ago, Southendweather said:

Did a trip, it’s about 1 1/2 hours by coach from the port, the port there is nothing.

Free WiFi in the port shops, what I am using atm

45 minutes ago, Jane25 said:

Wow!! Looks amazing! Did you do a trip or visit on your own? What would you recommend?

Did a trip, it’s about 1 1/2 hours by coach from the port, the port there is nothing.

Okay, I can add a little more. At the Captains speech tonight (1/2 hour ago) he informed us we had left Penang later as the repairs had been tested and were complete. So we will be staying longer in Singapore and Koh Samui and Malacca is back. This a great news for us and anyone yet to cruise on Discovery, but a bitter sweet pill for those who missed out.

Re currency, because we booked many excursions with the ship we don't need a lt, so we changed £50 to Malaysian on the ship, lousy rate, but we find with the trips we never got time to find a ATM. If we did purchase anything larger I would probably use my card.

AT Langkawi Airport we had to collect our bags off the carousel and carry them to the van.

Keith (Southend)

3 minutes ago, Jane25 said:

Hello!!

im glad to hear that all seems to be going smoothly!! We fly out on 27th!!

what trip did you do in Penang??

'Penang in a Day'

Was lovely, good buffet lunch at the Golden Sands hotel, Batu Ferlinggi, quite sultry, but thats what I'd expected.

Keith (Southend)

18 hours ago, Vitalsign said:

Hi Southendweather

Hope you're having a great time 

Can you give us an update on how Marella is dealing with the Coronovirus outbreak as many on here are worried

Are you likely to miss Singapore? Are they recommending not going to crowded markets? Etc.

 

Absolutely no problems that we have been told about. Here at Penang the locals screen for temperature (fever) with a hand help device, we smiled as they were dressed like we were entering an Ebola camp! Have found on trips we are grouped together so very unlikely to be a problem, fingers crossed 🤞 Ships operating as normal from what we can see. Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. Keith( Southend)

20 hours ago, Southendweather said:

Still nothing said about Malacca being missed, although cabin staff seemed to think they were missing it. Someone else said the final repairs to the transformer should have been completed here at Langkawi. Did the cable car today and now waiting for the muster before tonight’s show. 🛳👍🥃

Okay, fabulous trip in Penang today 👍 Excursion tickets for week 2 in our room and Malacca excursion is included, so ship must be back at full power I assume.

Still nothing said about Malacca being missed, although cabin staff seemed to think they were missing it. Someone else said the final repairs to the transformer should have been completed here at Langkawi. Did the cable car today and now waiting for the muster before tonight’s show. 🛳👍🥃

I reckon everyone on this flight is on the cruise 🚢 

Quiet here at Gatwick as we are the only flight out tonight 👍🥃

1 hour ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Hi Keith just looking on the flights from Gatwick tomorrow and yours is not showing have they changed it? Anyway hope you have great cruise😎

You had me worried as looking at all the Gatwick departure websites it still sau TOM162 12th Feb @ 18:55, the original time. So I just rang them, to reduce the stress levels, it is still 01:15 on the 13th February ~ phew. Thanks for making me check. I think these chartered flights get missed sometimes as they are purely for Marella Cruises and everyone on it should be on the cruise, I think.

This is probably the last weather report from me on here, but I'm sure I will post a couple of times as I alway get the internet package on-board.

Keith (Southend)

1 minute ago, idh2019 said:

Southendweather

You need to get with the abbreviations - you will be there soon

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

44 minutes ago, Manchester is blue said:

Tube, to you and I 

Ah, I've learnt something tonight, thanks.

Ah you stopping at Malacca? I ask as I see Discovery is doing 20knots atm.

3 hours ago, idh2019 said:

 

Well done for spotting the "Toucans" - probably in a tree near the pool? Not many people seemed to be noticing the wildlife. The brown eagles were also flying around quite low.

 

When we got home we checked and found they are not Toucans but instead Hornbills.  Looked the same to me but Toucans are only found in Central and South America https://blog.zoo.org/2013/03/wonderfully-wild-wednesday-toucan-vs.html

 

That virus is making things difficult - we walked straight off at Singapore and were soon on the MRT (after buying some Singapore dollars).

MRT?

Quite a strong jet running through Europe early hours of Thursday should push us on nicely maybe taking 1/2 hour or more off flight time to Langkawi.

4 hours ago, ekco said:

I forgot to say, Koh Samui is a tender port but plenty of beaches to walk to, we went early and saw sea eagles flying low over the sea.  Change money to Thai Baht on the jetty, you will need this currency inThailand and the ATM machines are incomprehensible.  Same applies to other countries, we have only used our US dollars in Langkawi and it has been a problem, we changed 30 dollars in Bangkok for a drink and it didn’t go far.  You will need a photocopy of your passport at some change places but not at others.

Thanks echo for all the information, much appreciated 👍🥃🛳

12 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

We had a similar experience on a flight from Barbados in 2018, just a few mins over six hours😊

Some years ago when, I think it was when the Railway at Dawlish got washed away we went to Mexico (Cancun) and becasue of a 300mph jet coming across the Atlantic we flew from Gatwick upto Iceland and then down the east coast of the USA. The Captain said we wouldn't have had enough fuel to fight against such a jet stream.

And here's todays jet:

The pink is 150knot wind speed which = about 175mph. Speed of sound is 767mph, so in theory that BA flight broke the sound barrier, but I guess the 825-175=650mph, if that's how it works.

Keith (Southend)

The wonders of the jet stream...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-51433720