cruiserinsg

205 :)

You guys are awesome, I didn't expect responses so quickly. Thanks!

SO I have looked and joined my roll call, but there were only two of us on it, so not the most useful!

We have two ports, Port Klang and Phuket. For Klang, I didn't feel comfortable doing our own thing, as it's a long way to Kuala Lumpur, and the traffic is unpredictable, plus it's a short stop - only 7 to 3 , so it seemed too risky to go solo. Phuket I'm undecided, none of the tours really grab me, and we might even decide to stay on the ship.

 

Oh, a few more questions -

Can my 3yo try ice skating? I love ice skating - it was a huge treat when we were kids, but I probably haven't been in about 20 years!

I know the Chops Grille, Giovannis and Johnny rocket have an additional charge, what about the other cafes?

 

 

I'm not too worried about the differences with Asian culture - it will probably be more of a culture shock dealing with the American customs on the ship. The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is that smoking is a lot more popular, and I hate smoke, but I'll deal with that.

Just off from the Mariner a few days ago. Our 3+ did Ice Skating. If I'm not mistaken, the smallest boot size is Size 9.

Just off from the Mariner a few days ago and truly had a great time. At the M&M we met some who did B2B from Tianjin to Singapore and the feedbacks received were positive. :)

We are sailing on the Mariner next Thursday (05/11) from Singapore. Just wondering if there were any theme nights during the cruise? Thanks.

Yes there were a few. Those designated at the pool deck were relocated to indoor because of the rain.

While we saw many differing kinds of dress on our Mariner cruise this past March....we saw "no one" that looked like they had just ran a marathon...and actually the many Asians onboard were dressed very well...I guess every cruise can vary greatly ;)

Yup just back from the 22nd Oct cruise and many Asians from Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and yes Mainland China too etc did dressed for the Formal evenings. :)

Just back from our cruise and yes, we were in Formal wear for both the Formal Nights and we are Singaporean. :)

I know I have read it somewhere, but can't find it now. We will be on the HAL Volendam next February. Do you know where it will be docked at? Thanks!

Hope this is helpful. If it is not here http://mbccs.com.sg/ then it is probably at HabourFront.

Add on for the haze updates and PSI readings. http://www.haze.gov.sg/

Iluvcruisng2 or anybody else in SG--any updates on the smoke/haze situation. We're due there around November 14 and was wondering what the longer term outlook is. Read in my local paper (Dallas,TX) that things may not clear for weeks and there were other countries aiding Indonesia in exstinguishing the fires. Didn't sound very encouraging:(

For the last few days, the PSI readings had been around the moderate to unhealthy range in Singapore. Number of hot spots in Indonesia had dropped since the weekend and with more help from International countries, we are hoping for the best.

Singapore and Japan are safer than Oregon in the United States. I don't know about the other countries yet.

We've done a land only tour in China...Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai and a recent (March) cruise from Singapore-Shanghai...porting in HCM (Saigon), Hong Kong, Xiamen and then spending a week post cruise in Shanghai...AMAZING wonderful Asia...Singapore in particular was probably the safest city we've ever been in.

 

Book Asia you'll be so glad you did !!!

Thank you!! :)

Hope you don't mind but I have copied your email address and will email you re the haze in Singas for an update closer to our arrival date 1 Nov for our explorer cruise on 3 Nov.

 

Thanks

We have 3 good days in moderate range to date. If I may suggest, do bring masks as precaution along.

I know you probably don't have to do this with Singapore being your home, but can you give me the approximate travel time and taxi fare from Chinatown to the MBCS?

Around 11am so it won't be peak traffic. Doesn't matter if you don't know.

Opps, and another question, will a taxi be likely to fit 3 and 3 suitcases, I know often LPG taxis have small boots due to the LPG tank.

 

Thankyou Iluvcruising2

 

Regards reedy8

Not all Singapore Taxis uses LPG. Flag down Taxi are not expensive in Singapore and you can reach MBCS in less then half hour. You may want to consider getting a Limo Taxi for a flat fare of $50sgd or $55. Ask you Hotel to assist you to book and specify that you want the larger Limo Taxi to accommodate you group.

Hope you have a great time Singapore and a warm welcome.

Hi everyone.

 

We will be in Singapore in January for a cruise and have days to spare before and after. My 12 year old daughter would love to swim with the dolphins and I've done a bit of research on the two options at Under Water World and the Aquarium, both at Sentosa. I'll probably send her 19 year old brother in with her, with hubby and I observing (someone has to take the photos!).

 

Just wondering what is the better experience or value for money - pink Dolphins at UWW or bottlenoses at the aquarium?

 

I have checked websites for both and couldn't find much detail on the bottlenoses at the aquarium as to how long they are and more importantly, the actual time in the water to compare with the 45 minute contact time at UWW.

 

Thanks for any advice or comparisons you may be able to share and any tips on ticket discounts.

Try Adventure Cove http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Homepage/Attractions/AdventureCoveWaterpark :)

Although I have cruised with RC before this will be my first cruise to this part of the world. We are on Mariner sailing 22 October and are due to have an overnight stop in Phuket. Does anyone know exactly where the ship will dock? I have read a couple of possibilities ie Patong or Phuket Town.

 

Also, will I need local currency for all the ports of call or will US dollars cover everything?

 

Thanks

I had read somewhere that it is either at Kalim or Patong Beach. :)

ITA with Ashland. I was on the Mariner Japan sailing from Shanghai (and got a ton of criticism for posting a very honest although largely positive review about the ship). The itinerary was great. The fellow passengers were not. I don't think the Caribbean cruisers were hocking loogies, hoarding, and pushing in the elevators and queues. You really have no idea unless you were there. It was awful. I was in the deserted Cartier shop while the 40% off $50 watches blowout sale was going on. I have no words.

 

I get that RCI is in the business to make money. I just wanted to let people know what they are signing up for. Never again. But we did book B2B from Singapore for Christmas and New Year's!

Looking forward to your review :)

.Great review and am impressed. Thanks and Happy belated Birthday greetings. :)

We have friends travelling on Legend from Singapore to Perth in September. We were discussing drinks packages and I was recommending the Premium Package for them (we have used it twice).

 

Anyhow, on reviewing their TA correspondence, and checking their booking on the RCI web site, the Premium Package is not available for selection. It's either the Select, or the Ultimate (and the AUD prices have gone up as well!).

 

Has anyone seen this before? Quite disappointing is this is a new "policy".

Premium Package not available on the Mariner OTS too sailing from Singapore. I called RC and they confirmed that.

Thanks great insight. :)

 

 

The sooner you book the better chance you have for getting the cabin you want!

Thanks. We are not too particular with the cabin and wanted to spend family time together thru cruising without the daily distraction and thankful that we can still afford to cruise :)

Thanks all, price just went north by only a day :(

If you are booking under US rules (fully refundable deposits) you could do both.

 

Book now to lock in the price and cabin you want, then when you are on your cruise if the pricing is still the same, book a different cabin while onboard and then cancel the old reservation and swap cabins.

 

Very convoluted way of doing it but it makes sure you don't lose out on the current options by waiting. If the price is up by the time you get on board then you have the reservation already and if it isn't then you get the benefit of Next Cruise.

I thought that too, but then noticed the OP was from Singapore.

Thanks and yes I'm from Singapore

Hi, I'll be sailing on the 22nd Oct 2015 and I wish to book my next RC cruise in Jan 2016. Would it be better to book it online now or on board during my cruise at "Next Cruise"? Thanks for your advise. :)

Cruised Asia in January and cost of wine by glass was $7.50 plus 15% tax on every drink. Tried to book for cruise on October 7th several times but ultimate package did not show. Then suddenly tried again one Sunday and there it was. So I suggest you keep trying. You could always phone RCC and ask for the package. It could be they removed it but will sell package before boarding the ship. Maybe at a higher price though than online. Good luck.

Thanks, I actually wanted to get the Premium package but it is not available, only the Ultimate and Select package. I did call RCC and was told they may add the Premium Package later otherwise I may enquiry for it once on board. I had taken the Select package which included taxes and gratuities and I suppose the additional 15% tax is no longer added ;) hope it is so :D

Hello!

 

Yes, we really have to find attractive selling points to get him excited about leaving Hawaii haha. I was able to convince him that the B2B cruises will be exotic and awesome experiences. We bought airfare and booked a great (non-refundable) room at Hilton Tokyo Bay so we can go to TDL/TDS for three days prior, so it's A GO!

 

I've decided to rent our points and just use the cash to go back to Tokyo at the end of May/beginning of June next year, assuming the timing works out.

 

If you have any tips, I'm all ears!

 

*********************

I never did Day 8....I was busy, and time passed, and the more time that passed, the more irrelevant I thought the post would be.

 

Let's just say that the last day was great! We did trivia, hung out with good people, and said goodbye to awesome crew members who we hope to see again.

 

A couple of things that should be mentioned:

 

1) The manager at Giovanni's was very accommodating on our final night. We were invited to eat with the incentive trip group in the MDR, but I'm allergic to shellfish so the menu was very unappealing since it included lobster, scallops, etc. I asked if I could have gnocchi (with meat sauce) sent to the MDR, but he explained that he couldn't do that, as other guests might question why I got something not offered on the menu. He did offer, however, to send a plate to our room later. I gladly accepted. Delish!

 

2) C&A Trivia was super fun. Our friends teamed up with us and they knew SO many answers. We were put over the top by my son, who had taken the time to read about all the RCI ships on the walls of our deck, and answered a question about the Majesty. We won RCI hats!

 

3) On the morning of disembarkation, the Lyrics portion of the suite guest/D/D+/P breakfast area was too full so we had to eat in the MDR. That was fine, of course, but just FYI.

 

4) Beating a dead horse here, but the last day of "specials" on the Promenade brought a whole new level of madness to the mob mentality. Let me remind you, the Cartier store was deserted. But the 40% off "designer" watches on fold out tables in the middle of the walkway was crazy! People were rummaging through the boxes, opening them, examining the contents, then just throwing everything back unpacked. They were also taking armfuls of boxes off to the side and into corners, where they would similarly discard unwanted items and just leave them there! I simply just don't get this. It was worse than anything I've ever seen.

 

5) Joel came to our room and brought us a model of the ship, a very heavy and beautiful glass paperweight with Mariner etched into it, and most importantly, some special teas from back home as well as durian chocolate he buys when he goes to Singapore. SO generous and thoughtful. We have enjoyed all of them and think of him fondly. The fact that he gave us gifts from HIM and not from RCI was very touching.

 

6) Our private tour of Shanghai was really nice. Joel met us off the ship after we cleared customs, and took us to the minivan, where the driver was waiting. We went to Yu Yuan (where we bought silk sheets and a duvet, ate delicious dim sum, and went to a tea tasting and bought some great teas), the Bund, the French Quarter, and took a photo under the three tallest buildings in the city. It was a very cloudy and rainy day, though, so the pictures didn't turn out that great.

 

So...that is it for our trip. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Again, my purpose was to inform others of our experience so fellow travelers can have a better understanding of what to expect on a similar sailing.

 

Happy cruising to all!

Nice post and read. Thanks. :)

MDR wine list:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46082438&postcount=1

Thank you Bob. Cheers!!!