mtn_couple

Has anyone done the cruise ship tour called "Phang-Nga, James Bond Island Cruise & Panyi Island By Speed Boat"? 

The description reads: Feel at one with nature as you island hop during this all-day adventure. After a transfer to the Boat Lagoon, you'll board a motorized speed boat. Hang on as your captain cruises through the emerald waters of Phang Nga Bay, home to spectacular outcrops of limestone rocks and caves about 100 islands, including the breathtakingly beautiful "James Bond Island" (or Khao Ping Kan). Made famous as a shooting location for "The Man with the Golden Gun," the island sits in the protected marine area of the Ao Phang Nga Marine National Park. Continue on past the amazing neighboring Nail Island (Koh Tapu) before stopping at Panyi Island to meet the locals of the 150-year-old fishing village, visit the mosque, and browse the stalls and shops. Later, you'll transfer back to the local pier and a bus transfer to a local restaurant for lunch.

If you have, could you please tell me about the boat - was it easy to get in/out of?  Did you enjoy the tour?  What were the highlights/lowlights? 

7 minutes ago, nnps said:

What a good idea. The ship could easily provide a dated card with your name to be photographed with RAT test. I feel that the requirements on the Grand are not good enough.

No need for a separate card.  Just sit it next to your medallion or ID and that day's Patter showing the date

48 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

Thank you mtn_couple, that was so easy. I was attempting it using the medallion app, and the Dine My Way was not displaying. I now have all my dinner bookings sorted, and the speciality dining credit was applied automatically. 🤩 👍

Wonderful- glad that made it easier for you 😊

14 minutes ago, NSWP said:

But you have to load the app thingy to do all the covid stuff etc and that is all a mystery to me.  Just call me dumb, I left SKOOL when I was 14.

No you don’t. You can do it all on a web based version.  Log onto your Princess account and there’s a web link if you’d prefer to do it on a PC (as shown below)

7 minutes ago, NSWP said:

But Geoffrey...I am technologically disadvantaged, no i phone or smart phone, I don't want one.  Therefore the medallion is not compatible with my equipment, lol.

 

Surely a dinosaur Elite like me could procure a cruise card?

You don’t NEED a smart phone. You can just treat the medallion that same as a cruise card and go to the bar for a drink etc.  

For those of us who like technology, it surely increases our on board experience! I love it and am hesitant to book other lines now (previously, I booked based on dates & itinerary, now I REALLY want the Medallian experience all the time). 

4 hours ago, Porky55 said:

So true 🙂 and the cruises are shorter which will attract the crowd that can  only get a couple of days off work!! Bring on the longer cruises and the ‘blue cards’ will return to PnO.
 

Unlike all us retirees with too much time on our hands 🤣😆

Once the “blue cards” experience all the extras they get included on Princess, that they have to pay for on P&O, they may not go back, especially if Princess keeps the Plus fares with the alcohol package so cheap and available on short cruises  😂

12 minutes ago, Jean C said:

😢 to the pillow chocs, although to be honest they were so small and we were so well fed that we used to save them up for a meaningful indulgence 😋

we always brought the pillow chocolates home with us and indulged with fond memories at a later time 

Thanks for posting these details. I’m following along in excited anticipation. Enjoy your cruise. 

12 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

But if you want more, just say, or if you have any photos of places I’ve missed then fire away. I’m hoping this might be of use to those hoping or planning to visit Singapore in the future.

One place that's rarely listed on the tourist "must do" lists, but is quirky, unique (and free!) is Haw Par Villa, it's really close to Haw Par Villa MRT station so really easy to get to.  It's a sculpture park that was originally the home to the man who invented Tiger Balm and it's one of the most bizzare places i have ever been - https://www.hawparvilla.sg/.  Here are some pics from our last visit.  

My other recommendation is the free food trail tour run by the ION Mall - https://www.ionorchard.com/food-trail.  It's a 2 hour free walking tour, you get told about and get to taste some traditional foods and taught the history of Orchard Rd.  

Looking forward to joining you for Sydney (I grew up 10mins from Parramatta and then lived in The Blue Mountains for 7 years before moving to Melbourne).  

On 6/28/2020 at 2:35 AM, ellie1145 said:

THE SENTOSA EXPRESS

We get off the gondola at Merlion Station, and outside we find a water feature, and the Merlion which used to be open to the public.

 

 

Next stop - The Aquarium!

 

 

Can people not go up the Sentosa Merlion any more?  Such a shame, I did it a few years ago (2016 I think), there was a museum and the story of the Merlion down the bottom, then you went up to the top and rang a bell for good luck, while looking out his mouth, it was a lot of fun!

Isn't the aquarium great!  I was there in August and it was a quiet day, when i bought the tickets, they asked if we wanted to go to the maritime museum too (for free), so if you purchase tickets, ask if this is an option. My son (age 9) wasn't to keen on the thought of the maritime museum, but we both thoroughly enjoyed it, it was interactive and we both learnt a lot!  It ended with a 4D film about the shipping trade in Singapore, at the end of the film there is a storm (you will get a bit wet with water splashes), the ship "sinks" (floor actually goes down, like an elevator) and it appears like you are going under water, then when you emerge from the film, you have actually entered the aquarium and are amongst the fish!  It was fantastic! 

18 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

I'm Aussie, but when i travel, i like to eat what the locals do and have tasted some of the most amazing foods in Singapore - I hope you tried some of the local delicacies.  When i saw this pic, I thought "WOO HOO - Ikan-bilis for breakfast!"  (fried peanuts and anchovies ~ yum!), presumably as a condiment for Nasi-Lemak, even better!  My fave Singapore breakfast is Kaya Toast, do try it if you get the chance, soft boiled eggs with toast and coconut jam - you dip the coconut jam covered toast into the soft eggs, oh my, I'm salivating just thinking about it! And cheap too - my family of 3 can get (each) 2 eggs + kaya toast + Singaporean Kopi (strong coffee with sweet condensed milk) for about S$12-14 total for the 3 of us.  
 

I'm really enjoying reading along.  I was on Majestic's last cruise before the Corona shutdown.  We were supposed to cruise from Melbourne Australia (where i live) to Singapore, via Malaysia, but they ended the cruise early and we all had to disembark in Perth Australia.  While onboard, we used our compensation FCC to book on Majestic again to Fiji (on this exact itinerary) in September, but alas, that has also been cancelled now.  I am looking forward to following along and interested to see the Fiji stops, some of which we've cruised to before, but others are new to me.  I will enjoy your report on Singapore, it is my favourite city in the world!  I am normally there at least once per year, it was supposed to be twice this year, but Corona put a stop to that, I hope I get back there soon after this pandemic is over.  Until then, I will live in my imagination, through your posts.  

2 hours ago, chry5alis said:

Just heard Carnival Spirit's Moreton island itinerary is diverted to Hobart this week, is this your cruise? 

Yep, that’s us. We got notification at 3am this morning (departing today). I’m happy with the change, I’d rather be out of the smoke, except I flew up to Sydney from Melbourne yesterday to board the ship and have packed warm weather clothing, Hobart is quite the climate change, I just wish they’d told us with 24-48 hours notice so packing could be adjusted. 

Just now, mtn_couple said:

There’s a video on the “other social media” of P&O’s Explorer coming back from Moreton Island, they’re blowing the fog horn constantly because the smoke is so thick! 

I’m headed to Moreton Island on Carnival next week, hoping it’ll blow out to sea by then, of they’ll change the itinerary and take us south instead 

There’s a video on the “other social media” of P&O’s Explorer coming back from Moreton Island, they’re blowing the fog horn constantly because the smoke is so thick! 

SHIP: Solstice

CABIN #: 7108

DECK #: 7

CLASS: FV (Family Verandah)

AREA: Very front of ship

BED NEAR: separate bedroom, near the front window

QUIET?: Most of the time.  VERY noisy at docking and when anchor goes up/down (normally in the very early morning).  Was also VERY noisy when preparing for and helicopter came in for medivac right infront of the room

BALCONY VIEW: balcony is partially obstructed by overhang and looks to the side of the ship (there are also 2 large windows that over look the front of the ship)

BALCONY SIZE: small 

WIND A PROBLEM?: no

SOOT A PROBLEM?: no

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: The noise in the early morning was VERY loud.  This was the only issue and is tolerable, because the size of the room with 2 separate bedrooms makes up for it

5 minutes ago, ppatick said:

We are also on the May 17th Solstice cruise. We enjoyed our first cruise on the Solstice in January 2009, going to the Caribbean. Our travel agent says Brent Nixon will be on our sailing. Very excited to see Alaska for the first time!

Brent Nixon is awesome! We were lucky to have him on board to a New Zealand cruise and again a couple of years later for Hawaii cruise. Make sure you get to his talks. 

His wife Amanda was on board with him

for our Hawaii cruise and also did a series of talks, she was great too. 

On 11/16/2018 at 4:16 AM, Cruise Junky said:

Hi - I'm torn for 2021.  Does anyone have a comparison between Solstice's itineraries for Fiji, Tonga, American Samoa & Samoa vs. the Transpacific Route with Papeete, Bora Bora & Moorea?  We've been to Hawaii dozens of times so I'm leaving those islands out of the equation.   The Transpacific right now is stupidly priced and of course comes with no perks but the Fiji cruise is about what I would expect and a drink package.  But they're so far away I'm trying to not let price sway me.  Any input?

 

Thanks

I will have to remember to come back and answer this after March! We did the Syd-Hawaii transpacific via Moorea, Bora Bora and Papeete in April this year and next March were on the Tonga, Fiji, Samoa out of Auckland. 

Looking at the last picture, the main door is at the foot of the bed.

If you look at the photo with th desk, the door is next to the fridge.

These are really great for insides.

I will take a few more photos tomorrow when everyone moves out.

Also the 4 berths, not good when bed is made as a quenn, there is one opposite us so will try and get some photos

 

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

On other ships, they won’t let you keep the bottom a queen when bunks are down for a quad room because the room steward would have to stand on the queen bed to make the bunks, so quad rooms generally have to be 4 singles (2 bottom & 2 top bunks), unless there’s a sofa bed with Pullman layout

A little gossip.....Ugly Dave Gray has been on our cruise since Shanghai, apparently his cabin is just up from us, but we only saw him once out and about, friends saw him more often.

No shows from him, he was just a passenger. At the Captains Circle Party a Mr and Mrs Gray were one of the most travelled, wonder if it was him, and if all the days he did on P&O and Princess entertaining count??

 

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

He was on a cruise we did on Golden too (as a passenger)

So i will start a post while i am not payying for it....no need to copy and paste.

Is it still pay per minute? I thought I read somewhere that they now had an unlimited internet option with Platinum and up getting discounted a rate.

Thank you for taking time out of your holiday to post all these updates. I’ll be eagerly awaiting reading about the rest of your trip, looking forward to trying Majestic

I guess the activities will mirror other Princess cruises, there’s always something happening. There seems like so many sea days, but they’ll go quickly. I’m on that cruise too and look forward to consecutive Sea days

Did you rent a 4x4 for the drive up Mount Belvedere? Was it needed and what was the road like? Thanks for any information!

It was a small sedan. The road up was narrow and windy but tarred and in good condition (for a remote island). A standard car is fine to go up the main tourist road. Buses cannot go up to the top lookout (it’s too narrow/windy), so on a bus tour you won’t get to the main viewing platform.

I will check the NonAlcoholic drink plan. Thankfully we are early risers so we'll be on the veranda coffee in hand. I am sure he will be fine with the buffet breakfast...but he loves pancakes so we will probably eat on the MDR a couple times for breakfast.

 

Thanks for your replies...it's a huge help to hear from people who have sailed the ship before. (y)

You can also get pancakes in the buffet.