stefanny28

We went with about $20 in rubles and wound up using rubles as part of the tip for the guide.

Thanks

The ship will be in St-Petersburg for 3 days this summer and we are booked with TJ Travel for their 3 days tour with an evening at the ballet.

I am wondering how much cash ( rubble) should I bring with me for lunch, souvenir and anything extra?

I know that inside the ballet theater they will not accept US or credit card, so how much should I plan for if we want a snack or drinks?

How much a Russian lunch cost? Nothing fancy, just regular meal?

TJ said they can bring me to an ATM but since we will be with a group, I really don't want to be a bother and make everyone stop just for me to get some cash.

Please let me know what you think and what amount should I bring.

Thanks

1. Yes

2. Does not matter. The 72 hours will count from the time when you first used it and not time of purchase

3. It your choice, it will be cheaper but the commuter trains have very limited space around the seats and no extra space for luggage. It will also take about 20 minutes longer than Arl. ex.

4. Reduced price is for people who are 6-19 years old. Children who are younger than 6 will travel for free if accompanied by an adult.

Thank you very much for all the infos.

Your help is much appreciated.

Dear Desdichado and Ultima Thule;

Now that my cruise is coming soon, end of July, I have some more specific questions that I hope you can help me with. You have been very helpful with all my previous questions regarding public transport ( buses and T-bana).

We are arriving Saturday morning at ARN, terminal 2 with Air France. We are 2 adults and a 17 y.

I will follow your previous advices and get the Arlanda Express ticket ( the special: 2 for 300SEK) and since our hotel is the Comfort Stockholm, it should be a straight forward ride.

We are staying from Saturday mid-day until Monday 4:00PM ( that's when the ship leaves from Frihamnen). We plan to get the visitor 72 hours SL card. Here are my questions:

1/ Do we need 3 cards? Does the 17 years old considered a child or an adult? I know she doesn't have to pay for the Arlanda Express but what about regular bus, tram and T-bana?

2/ Do we buy the SL cards in Arlanda airport or do we wait to buy it at T-Centralen?

3/ Should we buy the SL card at the airport and pay the extra fee for the Arlanda Express? Will this be more beneficial?

4/ The visitor SL 72 hours card is 230 SEK and 140 SEK for reduced. Whio can pay the reduced? Can a 17 years old pay the reduced fare?

Thanks for helping me plan.

Very informative video.

From which side should we watch the nightly light show? Standing on the Kowloon side or the Hong Kong side?

Thanks

Very nice videos of Tiger's A320's with single cabin services, those overhead bins are nice & big - look standard sized, 20" to 22" carry-on will fit easily - some of those bags being lifted are most definitely over 10 kg or 22 lbs (some of the hardside spinners are 5 kg or more empty)

 

HKIA check-in for Tiger Airway is at Terminal 2, where many/most LCC's counters are located - for luggage & issuing boarding passes. Never used T2 at HKIA, but my understanding is that, after security screening, border control & customs - it's then a "quick" train (APM) ride back to T1 to the departure gates, for a group bus ride out to the planes parked on the tarmac (there are no skybridge services) ... allow an extra 15 minutes, as some of the satellite gates in the 500's are a long walk/automated walkways being remote (did this once flying out on Dragon Air, part of Cathay Pacific)

 

The other trick for carry-ons, use a travel vest (not necessary the pricey Scottvest) to stuff the pockets with heavier items: chargers, cables, adapters, headset, non-liquid toiletry items, etc. wear them for the flight & sent it thru the x-rays at security checkpoints to keep it close to/under 10 kg.

 

** Our flight on Dragon Air was 102% full with standbys - gate agents actually walking around, looking for volunteers to offer free gate-checking luggage to free up overhead bin space, at no charge - excess weight didn't matter. There're 7 of us so several of us took advantage of it - quickly unzipping our smaller bag of essentials (medications/passports & electronics) & took our claim checks after handing over the bags - our bags along with our checked luggage were delivered to the carousal at the arrival airport. DW kept her oversized Coach tote as that's her cabin bag, ha ha.

I know we are having this discussion about the weight of my carry-on but do they actually weigh it before we board?

Here in Canada, it has never happened bbut I have never flown with a LCC beore so I can't tell for sure.

Great idea about carrying the heavy stuff on myself!!!

Hi iluvcruising;

Do you remember if the staff at the boarding gate of Tigeair are very strict with the carry-on allowance?

Ithink I should be OK with the 10kg combined weight but juste in case that I go a little bit over, it is nice to know that it's OK.

BTW, I booked the Royal Plaza on Scots like you have recommended.

Now, will have to work on the attractions. I will send you an email regarding those later.

Have a great evening.

Cruising soon for the Baltic, enjoy & have a safe trip.

 

Just saw this deal on I.T. luggage, under 22" @ 4 lbs. empty - $48 USD - almost free shipping ($49 & over - accessories or packing cube will top it over ... not sure what they do for Canadian orders, however) http://www.ebags.com/product/it-luggage/worlds-lightest-los-angeles-2-wheel-219-carry-on/298752?productid=10375085

 

I just looked at cruise ship calendars for December/January at both KTCT and old Ocean Terminal, still in use for smaller ships - in TST area, doesn't explain hotel rooms sold out at so many popular ones that holiday week ... Just ordinary out-of-town tourists flying in or coming over from mainland.

 

Doesn't make sure nor fair to others to hold up to so many room reservations, thumbs up for releasing the unwanted ones to others looking to book. Keep those 2 for now & see what else open up later - and you have the Eaton & Nathan non-refundable options to consider as well.

 

We're surprised at how much they charge for an extra bed for a 3rd person in these "regular" hotel rooms, given their typical size - same is true for Vietnam (we stayed there for 3 or 4 nights - but, at least the rooms are big, actually huge compared to HK)

 

We are planning a trip mid-October & found pretty good airfares on CX, nonstop - actually lower price without a stopover & changing plane flying Korean Air, our other carrier to Asia (loved the A380's) - hotel prices are lower / down to earth - as mainlander's holiday is over when we head for our airport.

 

On yur X-Millennim sailing, KTCT calendar showing ship arriving Fri. 1/13 at 0700 and depart/sailing Sat 1/14 at 20:00 - are you sure of the dates & can stay onboard till Sunday morning, 1/15 ??

Yes, the ship arrives on Sat Jan 13th, we have an overnight and get off Sun Jan 14th.

That's the reason why I have asked all those questions regarding dropping the luggage at Kowloon AE around 9:30-10:00. Our return flight is at 00:45 Monday Jan 15. So nothing is changed, still have all Sunday morning, afternoon and evening until 21:00 to enjoy. we can sleep on the plane ( 10hrs) back to Helsinki.

Amazon canada has the IT bags and it's easier since no duties to pay.

At the beginning, we were supposed to spend 4 days in HK then fly to Vietnam ( Saigon) for a land trip of 3 weeks ( Hue, Hanoi, Ha Long) since I want to show DD where I was born ( actually I don't remember much, I left 41 years ago). But when we have the choice between a cruise and a land trip, the cruise always wins. We love cruising.... no worries, no hotel, great food.

Cosmopolitan, yes, is next to the cemetery. Although the hotel has a shuttle to central, it is quite a long walk to the nearest MTR ( subway) station at Causeway Bay. Not convenient and limited restaurants adjacent to the hotel.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the info on the long walk. It is a beautiful renovated hotel with large rooms though. And not too pricey for HK at all.

We'll see as the time comes closer to our dates.

Dear mking;

I canceled the Evergreen and will probably also cancel the Dorsett.

I'll keep the Cosmopolitan and the Metro Winner for now. Although there isn't much on the Metro Winner since it opened only in November 2015, DH thinks it is the best area for visiting, shopping and eating :-)

Cosmopolitan also have a 28 days before rate which is very attractive but like you have said, a walk uphill is something to remember . And yes, I read somewhere about the cemetary. It doesn't bother me much but more the walking distance.

I'll order the light carry on once I get back from my Baltic cruise. Are they very strict with the carry-on weight when you board?

I called Tigeair and talked to them and they seem quite relax with the weight issue (10 kg combined weight). Now, will the person at the gate be more strict?

I will carry some extra foldable bags in the carry on and distribute the content if it is over the weight limit. What a wonderful suggestion.

I am giving you my email so if you rather email me directly instead of posting here. It's be great.

stefannytran28 a gmail dot com

Hope to hear from you soon.

Stefanny

The Eaton hotel has very attractive non-refundable rate. Should I go ahead and book it?

I have never booked a non refundable rate that far in adavnce. what do you guys think?

I think that I am leaning toward either the Eaton ( non refundable) or the Cosmopolitan (refundable triple) or the Metro Winner ( 2 rooms).

My concern is what mking has mentioned: protest along Nathan road. Is it unsafe for tourists who have hotels booked in that area?

The Cosmopolitan looks great but a little bit far from the MTR for walking.

Please advise.

While technically Cosmopolitan is in the Wanchai district, it is perhaps easier to walk to the Causeway Bay MTR station. The walk may be longer slightly, but much easier and less crowded. Walk along Leighton towards east, in about 7 to 10 minutes, you would reach Leighton Centre (Crowne Plaza Express on the other side of the road). Turn left, and then you will find Times Square, a massive shopping mall, which is connected to the CWB MTR station through its basement. This is upscale territory relative to Mongkok, all kinds of shops and restaurants opening late in the night. Safe too.

 

If you wish to walk to Wanchai, there are several routes, the shortest way is to turn left when you exit the hotel, walk up the hill, pass the Sikh Temple and then down hill until you reach the old Wanchai Market. This stretch is quiet, no shops and few pedestrians and not much fun. But once you reach the old market, make a right turn and walk through a typical open air roadside wet market (Wanchai Road) which can be fun during the day. Then you shall reach Johnston Road and the Wanchai Station.

 

Across from the Cosmopolitan is the Happy Valley racecourse of the HK Jockey Club. I think the hotel has two buildings, with a residential building sandwiched between them.

 

Sky Shield

Thanks Sky Shield. I'll take note of the 2 walking paths. The hotel ofers a shuttle buti always nice to know there is an alternative.

Hi mking;

The first 2 hotels that DH wanted me to check were Nathan notel and Eaton hotel. I was taken back by the high refundable rate. Let me have a look at the non-refundable rate again and see if it is cheaper.

I like the Cosmopolitan hotel too but do you think being that far from the MTR ( they have a very comprehensive shuttle service) makes it hard tog et around?

The 2 hotels I am leaning towards are the Cosmopolitan ( really big and nice room) and the Metro Winner (2 bathrooms make a big difference when you have a teenager).

I'll get back to you once I check the Nathan and Eaton non-refundable rate.

I am familiar with Flyertalk but don't go very often. I find that it is easier here on CC and Tripadvisor. There is always someone very helpful ( like you) to give some wonderful advices.

Let me do some reading on the Octopus card and I'll have some questions later. So if I understand correctly, we cna buy a regular Octopus card for each person at the airport. What is the cost of the card and the minimum loading amount?

Can we pay the card with a credit card like in London or we have to have local currency?

One last question, if weather permits it, will a 22" carry-on make the trip to see Big Buddha difficult?

BTW, I checked with Tigeair and the carry-on allowance for HKG-SIN is 10kg. I can't not pay to get more so I will look into having a lighter carry-on. Any thought on the IT or the Lucas Vortex carry-on?

They look flimsy though, look like just a thin nylon bag. I have back problem so havng something like your bag will not be suitable for me :-(

Have a nice week-end.

Thanks for the outlined itinerary. It will all depends if we are booked on the Kowloon side or Hk island side.

Tuesday Dec 27th, will probably a very short day, just diner then bed. We should arrive around 15:00 after 29 hours of traveling so we'll be way too exhausted to doanything.

Wed Dec 28th: Probably take the Star ferry, go to the Peak, stay in Central and Causeway bay, night light show

Thursday Dec 29th: If not too tired, go to Macau

Friday Dec 30th: Kowloon side, night markets, probably dinner with the relatives :-(((

Saturday Dec 31st: Fly to Singapore

Arrive back in HK Sat Jan 13th: free time do see what we miss

Sund Jan 14th: get off ship, go to Kowloon AE, drop luggage and free time. If weather is nice, Big Buddha.

What do you think of this? Is it doable?

I will probably have to buy the extra allowance for carry-on. We have one roller carry-on where we put all the heavy stuff so 7kg will not be enough.

Thanks for the tip.

Now, any tip for octopus card for visitor? We'll be there 4 days and 2 days at the end of the trip. What type of card should we buy?

Thanks

Dear mking;

listened o you advices and went crazy booking hotels...I 5 upuntil now, all fully cancelable and no deposit.

here what I have booked, plese let me know what you think:

1/ MetroPark Kowloon ( Mong Kok's room are non-refundable)

family triple 3 twins $1129 CDN

2/ Metro Winner (230m from Yau Ma Tei)

2 rooms $1060 CDN

3/ Cosmopolitan Hotel ( 1km from Wan Chai)

Family triple with 3 twins $1179 CDN ( I can book it directly on their website for cheaper $1109 buthave to pay right away)

4/Dorsett Mong Kok (900 m from Mong Kok)

family quadruple with 1 queen and 2 twins $1303 ( I can also book on their website for appr. $1170 CDN but have to pay right away)

5/ Evergreen Hotel ( 400m from Jordan)

2 rooms $1017 CDN

As you can see, it will probalby be around $1000-$1200 CDN for the 4 days. Those are the cheapest and most convenient hotels I have found. What do you think?

The Dorsett is my favorite, but I am reluctant to book a non-refundable rate. and having 2 bathrooms is always a plus so the Metro Winner ( a new hotel??? can't find any review on Tripadvisor) is also very attractive.

I just found out, silly me, that not all hotels in HK have central heating...

And it can be quite cold and humid during December and January, that's what DH is trying to tell me ( of course, wo listen to their husband).

Being from Canada where houses are fully insulated, I am worried that we will be caught unaware by a seemingly warm 40's- 50's.

Could anyone tell me if they know which hotel has central heating?

If there is no central heating, does the hotel have enough heaters for every room???

I can't believe that I will be cold in HK... Me who live in Quebec where the temperature goes down to -20 F sometimes :-)))

Thanks

Dear mking;

How convenient will it be to book hotel on the Hong Kong side?

I found some really good choices near Tin hau, Causeway and Wan Chai. Cheaper than the hotels near Mong Kok, Jordan and TST.

Please advise.

Hi mking;

I was actually looking at hotels near Mong Kok. Definitely doable and cheaper.

I have to go through our posts slowly this week end and take notes.

Fortunately, we only need hotels precruise ( from Dec 27th-dec 31st), then take Tigeair on the 31st to Singapore. We'll stay in Singapore from the 31st until Jan 2nd when we board the ship. The ship leaves Singapore on Jan 3rd, ends in HK on Jan 13th and we only have to get off on the 14th ( around 9:00-9:30). That's the day I plan to leave the luggage at Kow Loon Airport Express, and store the carry on at HKIA and go to see the Big Buddha.

On you next post, could you be so kind as to let me know 2 things:

1/ storage options for carry-on in HKIA

2/ logistics to go from HKIA to Big Buddha

Regarding Tigeair, when I booked the tickets, I prepaid for one piece of luggage ( 22kg) per passenger.

What is the rule for carry-on with them? I have a standard ( Nord American) roller carry-on. Are these acceptable ? Or will it be considered to big for the cabin?

Thanks

Great if you are going a few days earlier then I wouldn't be at all worried about tiger. Of course I haven't flown tiger in Asia so can't really vouch for them. They are very strict with check in times and luggage weight but if you read the rules and obey them I wouldn't be concerned.

We took taxi from port to hotel $101 HK total.

Staff at the port asked which hotel we were going to and wrote in Chinese characters for the driver. All well organised they just need more staff to stop the queue jumpers.

Dear Tara Jane;

You mentioned a hotel shuttle. Where did you take the shuttle to??? From the hotel to the airport?

Are you thinking of EnglishChick, who posted here in your other thread?

You're right Globaliser. I will go back and read the other thread.

We used our points to get 3 Business class from YUL-HKG with Finnair ( on their brand new Airbus 350 with the lay flat seats... Yeah!!!). And if I have added the HKG-SIN leg, it will have cost $1000 CDN more. WIth Tigeair , it was a very affordable $200 CDN/person and no, we are NOT flying to Singapore on the day of the cruise, we are flying 3 days pre-crusie so I did take that into consideration.

Besides, I am trying to save my points for my Greek Island flights so we can get Business again.

Yes, I looked at Cathay Pacific but the leg YUL-HKG, then HKG-SIN, then HKG-YUL , the Business class was $7000 CDN/person. Forgive me to be picky but I did not want to sit in Premium Economy for a 15 hours flight that's why I booked the HKG-SIN leg separately.

I am sorry but what I should have asked wasn't if Tigeair was reliable or not but if anyone has flew with Tigeair before and if their flights were on time :-)))

Please forget the unclear question.

No we didnt go to the big buddah. We only had a day and a half in HK and had seen many buddahs in Japan.

We stayed at the metropark kowloon I booked it on booking.com about 6 months ago and in the meantime the room price dropped dramatically. I simply booked again and cancelled the previous booking. We ended up paying $1156 HK per room for 2 people for 2 nights. It was a basic 3 star but had a hotel shuttle that was useful and was over the road from a supermarket and lots of other shops. mking has stayed at metropark mong kok and I think that is a better location being so close to the MRT. Our taxi from the port to hotel was $101 HK.

Thanks Tara Jane.

I'll check them out. Maybe I should book 2 rooms instead of a triple room.

How did you get to the hotel? By Taxi?

Slightly OT for here, but on the Cruise Air forum, many of us heartily wish that people would ask questions first, and then book the flight afterwards. The other way around, it really doesn't matter what people say about the airline: you've already made your choice and if you don't like what you then hear, it's too late to do anything about it other than throw away the money you've already paid.

Does it means they are NOT reliable???

Sorry but I don't understand your reply.

It was either them or $1000US/person with Cathay Pacific or Singapore ailrines and since there are 3 of us, it does come up quite expensive for a short 3 hours flight.

Dear mking8288;

Thanks again for taking time to help. It is like having a personnal travel planner.

How cold does it get in HK in late December -begining of January We will be there from Dec 27th-31st, then come back with the ship Jan 13-15th?

Are we talking about low 40's? Does it rain a lot during that time?

Hotel: we'll only need it for the first stay ( Dec 27th-31st). I know it is quite high so I better book soon. I just booked our flights yesterday so now I am sure about the dates. Thank you for the advice regarding flats, never would have thought about heating...

I booked Tigeair for our flight HKG-SIN. Are they reliable? Jetstar Asia fare was really high for a one way to Singapore.

Please keep the info coming. It is amazing how knowledgeable you are. You can send me your ebill.... I'll pay it with my virtual Visa card :-)))