tinywingz

I will just be in Singapore pre/post cruise. Can I use credit cards for taxi's airport to cruiseport? and credit cards for small purchases like snacks and souveniers?

Hi whoshwhosh have you got your answers yet? If not here’s what I could contribute:

Taxis: most but not all will take credit card payment but with an additional service fee (around 10%?). Just ask the driver before you board if they don’t take cards or their card machines happen to be not in operation they will inform you.

Small purchases: 7-11s / convenience store chains, supermarkets and most tourist stores take cards but many small hawkers / small businesses run by local individuals may not. To be safe you could have some small change ready just case.

Things might have changed since the last time I was onboard the Millie on a Southeast Asia cruise in December 2014. But I do recall there being an option for Hanoi Overnight transport provided by Celebrity back then. Not sure if the shore excursions page has yet to be updated (last year some of the excursions were only added nearer to the Sailing date). Anyway if Celebrity still provides this option it might be more convenient. Otherwise, no fuss travel's suggestion is a good one.

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jshli: When I was on the Millennium in December, the cover charge for Olympic was $50 and for Qsine, $45. They did advertise some discounts on certain port days, ranging from 20% to 50% off.

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Just got off the ship yesterday, I noticed that the tender port was opposite Halong Plaza Hotel. Taxis are cheap by meter.

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I know - the wording of that travel alert really stopped me in my tracks. It has to be something exceedingly serious or costly for Celebrity to pull the plug at the 11th hour, knowing how drastically this change disappoints and inconveniences their passengers.

 

Yes, they have a contractual right to change itineraries but - It's not like skipping St. Thomas. And it's not an Act of God like a major storm or volcano eruption.

 

Maybe the Captain will give more details to passengers who, no doubt, will be demanding a more detailed explanation.

 

Jenna, I am SO sorry and I know others are too. I'd be foaming at the mouth.

Someone on the Jan 04 2015 roll call (with same itinerary as the Nov 23 sailing) mentioned this:

'Maybe this could have something to do with an incident that happened on the Solstice in Bali. Tendering was delayed for 3 hours or so and the first tender was eventually being sent back claiming that the local authorities were demanding extra money...'

While everything is just speculation at this point I must say this sounds highly probable - I was suspecting something along this line too. Not unusual at all in this part of the world - and ironically we were just talking about 'bypassing the system' etc...

If this is true then I doubt anyone from Celebrity will come out to officially state the reason, now or ever.

Finally kudos for Jenna for making lemonade out of lemons, and having managed to do that in such a short time too. Good to see that you have had a good time here in Singapore (despite the heat and humidity), and hope you have a great time in Bali!

Woah what a bummer! Especially for those who are on b2b - while HCMC and Bangkok are nice I think many are probably not keen on doing it twice in one sailing. I almost booked the 23 Nov sailing too just for the Indonesian ports.

On a separate note, I'm curious about the wordings of the travel alert:

"a dispute has arisen with local Indonesian authorities of a nature that we believe puts those legal and ethical standards at serious risk"

Ziplining seems fun! And certainly seems like a great alternative to the usual touristy stuff.

Jenna, thanks for the wonderful update again. Just wondering...if we want to do this, does this company provide transport to/fro the port? How did you manage the transport?

Ziplining seems fun! And certainly seems like a great alternative to the usual touristy stuff.

Oh dear hope whatever norovirus or other illness situation is in control. Good to hear that they are taking any sign of trouble seriously and intend to do an extensive clean up.

Weather - Dec/Jan is the 'monsoon' season in Singapore which means it rains a LOT, stronger winds at sea but it's a few degrees cooler than usual (still hot tropical weather but feels a lot more bearable). So there is plus and minus at same time but definitely bring along your rain gear and prepare for rain. From wikipedia 'During the Northeast Monsoon, northeast winds prevail, sometimes reaching 20 km/h (12 mph). There are cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent afternoon showers.'

It's different for Thailand - the last time I went to Phuket the local guides told me that Nov to Feb is probably the best time to visit and peak tourist season in Thailand - weather is slightly cooler yet it rains less, also wind is less strong and the sea is calmer - good for swimming and all sorts of water activities.

Hello to OP! I will on the same sailing and yes I saw your post in the roll call and the responses.

Can't agree more with the 'mixed' approach suggested by many above. I have very little cruise experience but I have always been the one doing all the research for all of my family when we travel in other modes so I was really comfortable with choosing and picking private tours which can be more personal and often cheaper. At some destinations we chose to rent a car which was both cheaper and provided more flexibility. But really the choices depends on factors such as accessibility of the port, familiarity with local languages etc.

My first and only cruise so far was to Alaska and we didn't take any ship excursion because I did a lot of research and it seems that almost all private tour companies in Alaska are very legit and there was rarely any really awful experience mentioned. Also the Alaskan cruises are very popular and I could find vast amount of information just by googling or looking at the CC forum.

However for the upcoming Asian cruise, there isn't as much information - there are some, and it took a bit more digging to find them. I am an Asian I live in Singapore and my friends/relatives travel to these Southeast Asian countries very often only that they have never done through a cruise and their usual itinerary generally consist of close to zero planning and just lazing around on the resort beach and/or shopping so even as an Asian I can't find as much information about Asian cruises.

Apart from that, I think the biggest difference between Asian cruise ports and Alaskan/Caribbean ports is that many of the advertised destinations are in fact very far away from the ports and requires some long uncomfortable bus rides on roads that may be in very bad conditions (of course that's not the case in Singapore and Hong Kong - it is really easy to get around everywhere using public transport). We always love to explore on our own but in this case it is impossible to just walk off the ship and start exploring - the Thai and Vietnam ports in our itinerary are all commercial ports with nothing to do around it.

For our sailing, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City are about 2 hours drive one way from port and Hanoi about 3-4 hours drive one way from Halong Bay port where we will be tendering. Taxi rides that long aren't exactly cheap and some haggling skills are required also at some of the ports taxis will be in shortage. Of course, renting a car seems totally out of question - don't think any of us are used to driving in places like Thailand/Vietnam. The cheaper alternative will be to charter a van if you have a larger group or find people on the roll call to split the cost. But considering that we are only a group of 2 and the ship is offering a 'Do it on your own' option which is not significantly more expensive I will probably just do that. I may be wrong but it seems that at least in Asia the ship's tour prices aren't that much marked up compared to the private tours so for a small group of 2, the savings may be quite insignificant anyway.

Oh and I could also mention another scenario, say if you have some OBC and think that it won't be used up on drinks/food you may find it logical to use the OBC to purchase some shore excursion from the ship.

Ultimately as many have already mentioned, there are many different considerations for different destinations and different people with different travel styles so there is really no saying which option is absolutely better than the other.

Happy sailing and hope to meet you soon onboard!

Having just been there, this week, the above is not completely true, or you were over charged. Our guides negotiated pick-ups on the spot with the guards at the gate. Two different private guides called the payments corruption pay offs and quoted $10-$20 per person for arranging it in advance. I guess your mileage will vary.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

You could both be right. In many such places 'fee' and 'bribe' could very well refer to the same thing depending on how you put it. Many times there may well be a law/rule prescribing a fee in certain amount x but you can try to work your ways around by paying the right people $ less than x and everyone gains a little (except for the government).

On my last cruise they were showing the movie 'Million Dollar Arm' on Movies under the Stars, when I walked by, the main character, an American in India, was asking his local Indian correspondent about how to get things done in India, and the conversation went like this:

'Okay, so, what do we have to do to get our stuff?

- Uh, we have to pay money.

Pay money. Like a bribe?

- No, no, no. Not a... Not a bribe.

I mean, why use such words?

We call it "bypassing the system."

The systems in India are very slow,

so we bypass them.

By paying money.

- That's the Indian way. Indians love honking and bypassing the system.'

;););)

Jenna...That info is very helpful for my planning in HK.

 

Tinywingz...Yes, I was on the roll call for our cruise. Can't wait to board the ship!

Me too! And in the meanwhile I will just have to make myself happy reading all the wonderful updates and information from Jenna

I am enjoying your posts. We are on the Millennium beginning 12/7 from Singapore to HK. Can you please tell me where the cruise terminal is located in HK? Thanks and enjoy the rest of your trip!

I am enjoying your posts. We are on the Millennium beginning 12/7 from Singapore to HK. Can you please tell me where the cruise terminal is located in HK? Thanks and enjoy the rest of your trip!

Hi! I'm on that sailing too and we have met on the roll call thread:) I have also been checking out Jenna's post here daily as this is the exact same itinerary that we will be doing in a few weeks (only in reverse order). Lots of useful information and great pictures here.

As for HK cruise terminal I am pretty sure it is the Kai Tak cruise terminal which is unfortunately a bit more out of way than the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Found the cruise schedule on their website: http://www.kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk/schedule/

Location/getting to Kai Tak cruise terminal: http://www.kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk/location/

There are generally 2 popular tourist accommodation areas.

 

On Kowloon Island, Tsim Sha Tsui and extending along Nathan Road/ MTR (subway) line - Jordan, Yau Ta Tei, Mong Kok, even Prince Edward. The further away from the harbour/Tsim sha Tsui, the prices go down slightly. Even Hung Hom is not too far from the action, but in this case you take a short bus ride to get to the action. Mtr will require interchanges. The action is around.

 

On Hong Kong Island, the popular shopping area is Causeway Bay, and anywhere along the MTR line from Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai to Causeway Bay are good. Slightly out of this zone and cheaper but still manageable as MTR in Hk is convenient and fast - Sheung Wan to the west of Central and Tin Hau to the east of Causeway Bay.

 

The famous star ferry runs from Tsim Sha Tsui pier on Kowloon Island to (1) Central pier or (2) Wan Chai Pier. Many ferries to outlying islands eg Lantau Island, Lamma Island also run from Central Pier.

 

Generally if you are not too far away from these areas and your hotel is not too far from an MTR station you are fine. Hong Kong is a very accessible city and even taking is not too bad sometimes if you have 3 or 4 in a party.

 

In certain months which are peak times eg October especially early October when Mainland Chinese flood into Hong Kong and also many conventions are held in HK, hotel rates may increase drastically, double or higher. You may also want to check out eg airbnb for alternatives.

Sorry I am so bad with typing on ipad sorry for all those typos. Anyway on second last para I meant to say that even getting around by taxi is not too costly if you have 3 or 4 people. But generally HK is very accessible by public transport.

Good luck!

There are generally 2 popular tourist accommodation areas.

On Kowloon Island, Tsim Sha Tsui and extending along Nathan Road/ MTR (subway) line - Jordan, Yau Ta Tei, Mong Kok, even Prince Edward. The further away from the harbour/Tsim sha Tsui, the prices go down slightly. Even Hung Hom is not too far from the action, but in this case you take a short bus ride to get to the action. Mtr will require interchanges. The action is around.

On Hong Kong Island, the popular shopping area is Causeway Bay, and anywhere along the MTR line from Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai to Causeway Bay are good. Slightly out of this zone and cheaper but still manageable as MTR in Hk is convenient and fast - Sheung Wan to the west of Central and Tin Hau to the east of Causeway Bay.

The famous star ferry runs from Tsim Sha Tsui pier on Kowloon Island to (1) Central pier or (2) Wan Chai Pier. Many ferries to outlying islands eg Lantau Island, Lamma Island also run from Central Pier.

Generally if you are not too far away from these areas and your hotel is not too far from an MTR station you are fine. Hong Kong is a very accessible city and even taking is not too bad sometimes if you have 3 or 4 in a party.

In certain months which are peak times eg October especially early October when Mainland Chinese flood into Hong Kong and also many conventions are held in HK, hotel rates may increase drastically, double or higher. You may also want to check out eg airbnb for alternatives.

Lots of taxis on the road at midnight and they are more than happy to have customers - they can make a bit more because of midnight surcharge. However I am not sure if any will be waiting at MBCC at wee hours - they usually wait outside pubs where the potential customers are most likely to be found. You may have to wait a long time before one comes by so it will be safer to book a taxi or limo or other forms of airport transfer services in advance. Also when it rains there will be less taxis on the road.

If you have local cell phone or data coverage you can call for one or book one online or use their smart phone app etc. There is a $2-3 surcharge for on the spot booking/calling and $8 surcharge for advanced booking.

https://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg/commuters_services_booking.mvn?cid=139283

https://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg/commuters_services_rates.mvn?cid=296467

(This is the website for ComfortDelgro, the biggest taxi company in Singapore but the charges for other taxi companies are similar.)

For fare and time estimation, I use: http://gothere.sg/maps

Enter your date and time and then click on the third of the 4 options (bus, MRT/bus, taxi, own car/driving) the site will give you an estimation of journey time taking into consideration the traffic conditions and estimated fares taking into account surcharges. I find that generally the cost estimation is pretty accurate (+/-10%), and for time I add 25% time based on the estimation to be safe.

E.g. I used a mock timing of 3:30 am from MBCC to airport and the site gives me a result of 22 minute journey time (add 25% to be safe so allow 30 minutes) and the cost will be around $25.95 fare including midnight surcharge.

http://gothere.sg/maps#q:marina%20cruise%20centre%20to%20changi%20airport%20at%203%3A30am%20on%2007%2F09%2F2014

I have no experience with limo or private transfer services, depending on how many in your party that might be a more cost effective option than taxi.