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radiancecruiser

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Posts posted by radiancecruiser

    Taking wine onboard Royal Caribbean.

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Agree, there is really no checking set up on which carry on goes to which cabin, that I know of, but perhaps on college spring break cruises they are more apt to check. My sister was bringing on too much carry on, so my DH carried one of her bags, which happened to have her two bottles of wine in it. He had his carry on with our two bottles also. No one stopped him. We actually did not even think about it until later.

     

    My quote was to another poster who thought we would have those bottles taken away or checked. I was stating in all of the cruises I have had on RCI since the new wine policy, none of those times were we checked or observed any others being checked or sent to a security table.

    I was genuinely wondering how RCI enforces the 2 bottles/cabin rule...😂😂

     

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    Cancel/rebook shore excursions?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I'd call them about it. Usually when I do the cancel and rebook it appears in a few days on my credit card. Just make sure you have the cancellation email handy.

    Thank you. The refund appeared today. I emailed my TA about it yesterday and she explained that RCI billing/refund cycles run every 2 weeks, so I may have cancelled right at the beginning of the cycle.👍

     

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    Taking wine onboard Royal Caribbean.

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Welcome to Cruise Critic.

     

    Have taken one or two bottles of wine on every cruise since RCI changed the policy allowing pax to take on up to two bottles per stateroom. Have never once had it taken away or sent over to have it checked. Have even mentioned that the wine was in our carry on bags to security. They could not have been more uninterested.

    We have sailed with friends twice in the last 3 years. We have taken 2 bottles on board as per the rules.

    Our friends however, have put 2 bottles in each family member's carry on luggage. There are 4 of them staying in 2 cabins, 2 people in each cabin. That's a total of 8 bottles between 2 cabins.

    They have never been stopped, questioned, or otherwise detained.

    These are Sth Pacific cruises from Sydney, Australia.

    I'm assuming that this is because, as we go through the process of boarding, no one ever actually checks who is in what cabin. So 2 bottles in each piece of carry on luggage doesn't look out of the ordinary.

    Is it different in other parts of the world?

     

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    Planning a Cruise to Asia - Our Experience

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I think what makes the most sense to talk about next was finding hotels. This is an ongoing process for our trip to Singapore, but like I said, we had to have hotels reserved before we could get the Chinese Visa, so we booked those a while ago.

     

    In many ways booking a hotel internationally wasn't much different than booking domestically. The online booking sites we use all work the same and prices are given in (estimated) USD. Part of the problem though was that at home we are familiar with all the major brands. Sure, sometimes you'll get a location that is worse than others in the same brand, but as a general rule we know what to expect when looking at different brands. In Shanghai most of the hotels are not brands that we are familiar with, and even the ones that do match brands we have in America, there is no guarantee that things will be similar.

     

    We spent a lot of time on TripAdvisor, reading reviews of the hotels, but online reviews are always a mixed bag. One person would say the staff spoke excellent English, the next reviewer said they spent two hours trying to check in because nobody could understand them. One person said the breakfast was amazing, another said it was horrible. Ultimately we just decided to set a few filters for ourselves; we picked a location in the city, set a maximum per night price, and said the average TripAdvisor rating had to be at least a 4.0. That left us with 12 hotels to choose from. We spent a lot of time looking at traveler photos on TripAdvisor, and chose the best 6 based on pictures. At this point I just wanted to pick a hotel and be done so we could start working on the Visas, so I used quite possibly the strangest criteria possible; a review for one of the hotels was talking about how the rooms had the awesome high-tech Japanese toilets. Winner, winner.

     

    In the end we settled on Da Zhong Pudong Airport Hotel for the night we got into Shanghai (since we were getting in so late and have to go through customs/immigration we wanted something super close) and then after the cruise we are staying a few nights at Les Suites Orient on the Bund.

     

    A few things we learned; pay close attention to the hotel policies. We found a large number that did not offer 24 hour check in, so if you weren't checked in by 10PM you were out of luck. Currency can also cause some confusion; even though you might see the price listed in USD, it's actually charged in the local currency, and the price conversion quoted is just an estimate, final conversion rate will come from your bank. Also, credit cards without a foreign transaction fee are great.

    I also spent several weeks scanning different websites for the best deal on a hotel.

    Interestingly, I noticed that the prices generally went up around Thursday night, and went back down around Monday..... This consistently seemed to happen every week, and I took this into consideration when I booked our accommodation....

    I was looking for the best deal on price, location, ratings and reviews. We also didn't especially want to stay in a place that had 4 million rooms and catered to mass produced tourism.

    We settled on the Village Hotel Albert Court by Far East Hospitality, near Little India.

    As noted before, we're not experienced travellers. So I'm just hoping that this place will be ok.👍😊

     

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

    Planning a Cruise to Asia - Our Experience

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Assuming everybody wasn't scared off by the huge wall of text above I'll continue with a few other points we learned when dealing with flights.

     

    First thing, always always be wary of time zones. I hate to admit it, but I wasn't as diligent as I should have been. I saw that the flights from the West Coast to Singapore were 18 hours. Our cruise is scheduled to leave on the 5th, so I figured plan a flight for the 3rd. Arrive 18 hours later, we'll arrive the day before the cruise and have plenty of time to enjoy Singapore before heading to the port the next morning. Alas, that's 18 hours plus a time difference of 15 hours between CA and Singapore. The actual arrival time of our flight wasn't until 7AM the 5th, the morning of our cruise. Thankfully this should still be plenty of time, but it could have been disastrous.

     

    The second thing that we spent a lot of time researching was on the airlines. We are really familiar with the major US carriers, but there's a lot more airlines out there, and all are definitely not created equally. Domestically, we have airlines we prefer and a few that we absolutely won't ever fly, no matter how much cheaper they are. When it came to foreign flights we came across a lot of companies we didn't know anything about. We relied a lot on various online reviews, but that caused another issue. Different people have different expectations, and something that is unacceptable to one person might be completely fine to us.

     

    Ultimately we decided to go with the cheapest flights available, which happened to be on Asiana for the Shanghai cruise, and a United non-stop (longest flight on a Dreamliner and on any US carrier) to Singapore. We heard a lot of people (even a couple of friends) say they would never fly United on an international flight, but ultimately for the price we decided it was worth it. For one, the flight is on a Dreamliner which has more leg room and wider seats than the 777 they used to use for the long haul international routes. Secondly, it's a non-stop flight which could be good or bad; 18 hours in a seat will be painful, but when layovers are added in the other options were all 25-30 hours total in airports and planes.

     

    Ultimately, for budget reasons, we stuck with regular economy for both the China and Singapore flights. There are a lot of people who think we are insane for doing that, but we've never flown internationally before, so we don't have anything better to compare it to. Ultimately, I think it really comes down to who you are and how you like to travel. We have friends who have told us that if you can't afford a balcony then you just shouldn't cruise, and we've never had a problem being in an interior. Maybe we'll be singing a different tune after the flight, but for now we're happy with the price we got and excited for the rest of the planning.

    This is the upside of being an Aussie travelling to Asia. We have an economy flight from Melbourne to Singapore, departing 12pm and arriving 4.50pm. The flight is just under 8 hrs. We are not experienced travellers, but I'm hoping that we won't be feeling a massive impact from jet lag.

    Our flight home from Singapore to Melbourne leaves at 8pm and arrives at 6.45 the next morning. For this flight I have paid extra for front row, extra leg room seats. Hopefully we can get a little bit of sleep on the flight home....😀

     

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    Yes, we just purchased when we boarded the HOHO at the stop near our hotel Scott's Road & Orchard.

    That's good to know. I was expecting to have to pre purchase the tickets and redeem them at Suntec before we can even get on the bus....

    Did you use SIN$? Or credit card?

     

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    We loved our pre-cruise in Singapore. Used a taxi from airport to our hotel, Royal Plaza on Scott's Road...amazing location. Opted for the HOHO...purchased our tickets as we hopped on. Used the MRT (easy) to get to the night street BBQ at Lau Pa Sat (google this...not to be missed)...actually so good we went two nights. Then day of our cruise easily took a taxi to the port.

     

    FYI...how early of an arrival flight do you have? Ours was 4:00am so we took the advice of other's and booked the night before to assure we would have access to our room when we arrived...this in particular was a great suggestion especially in Singapore.

     

    Enjoy Singapore "It's A Fine City" (their slogan).

    Our flight arrives in Singapore at 4.50pm, so we have just booked our room from that night.

     

    So do you mean that you purchased the HOHO tickets on the actual bus?

     

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    Singapore - Videos of my country that I made

    in Asia

    Posted

    Here is our Tourism website which has tons of good information - http://www.visitsingapore.com/en.html

    A good number of tourist spots you can get to by MRT. Otherwise, just take a taxi, or use Uber or Grab. Singapore is not a big place, though try to avoid the peak evening hours if you can.

     

    To get to Chinatown, just take the MRT to ChinaTown MRT station. Here is a video I made recently, walking through the Chinatown Food Street. I was behaving like a tourist in my home country.

    [YOUTUBE]ENvSZzR9YAc [/YOUTUBE]

    Thank you so much! Will check these out.👍👍

     

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    Masses to see in Singapore. We caught a taxi from your hotel last time we were there, it looked like a really charming hotel. We did one day of the hop on hop off bus and it was interesting. The rest of the time we took taxis as they were really reasonable value I thought and you still got to see where you were going. We did a one day tour as well with viatour. We were there four days and could have easily stayed for another four.

    Thank you for the feedback about the hotel! I scanned booking websites for days before actually deciding on one that I thought was great value.... I just hope that it's in a convenient location.👍

     

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    Anyone off Harmony today....?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    :rolleyes: Well thank you...reviews differ, as does perception of course, imho I enjoy reading others experiences when I am close to cruising. Good, bad and ugly if any, it all makes for a good read and can add to to the

    pre- vacation excitement. 😎😜

    I get it.

    My hubby and I are going on our 4th RCI cruise in February next year. It's an Asian cruise on Mariner, and our first cruise where we're not leaving from Sydney.

    But even now, I'm having so much fun just reading, researching and learning all about the ship, our destinations, etc, etc, even things I already know.

    Keep looking forward to your holiday, and have fun!👍👍

     

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    Thank you.

    With regard to the HOHO bus tours, do I have to purchase the tickets online, and then get to Suntec Hub to redeem them? Or can I get straight on the bus at Little India?

    Sorry if these are silly questions....we aren't experienced travellers and I'm a tiny bit nervous. I don't want to waste precious time not knowing what to do.....

     

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    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    If you like to walk we walked and also used the subway. One or two times we also took a taxi.

     

    There is so much to see. Be sure to visit Chinatown in addition to Little India. Visit the colonial area. Get a good map.

     

    You certainly can do the Hop On Hop Off Bus which we do in some areas but for the three times we have been to Singapore we used the transportation I mentioned along with walking.

     

    Keith

     

    Thank you. We will have a day pre cruise and a day or so post cruise. It's not a great deal of time, so I want to make sure that we make the best use of our time.

    How do you pay for the subway? Do you just purchase a ticket at the station?

    Also, what would be the best way to get from Changi Airport to our hotel, and then from our hotel to the port? I was thinking just a taxi, but I'm wondering if there is a better way?

    Best way to see Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    We will have 2 nights/1 full day in Singapore prior to our cruise in Feb. 2018. We are staying at the Village Hotel Albert Court for those 2 nights, apparently just near Little India.

    We don't want to do anything specific, just experience the sights and sounds of Singapore. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? We are considering the hop on/hop off bus tour. But is it better to just use the MRT to get around?

    Thank you.

    Mariner of the Seas, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh

    in Asia

    Posted

    Prepare for culture shock! Going through the roundabouts on the way to Cu Chi is "interesting", I saw buffalo pulling wagons, women with yoke over shoulders carrying grain, lots of rice paddies. On my shore tour with Princess, we stopped at a truck stop for rest break and a local restaurant for lunch, no shopping.

    At Cu Chi there is a definite bias and resentment towards Americans, in their introductory video. who can blame them. I found staff quite rude and unwilling to help. Big focus on the shooting range, I didn't go there.

    The most interesting thing I saw was a woman who tried to go through one of the trapdoor entries. She was advised by the guide not to and she got stuck! Took her husband and about 4 Vietnamese gentlemen to get her out.

    I think it is worth going to, in October I am going to the Long Tan memorial site on a day tour, I have been to Saigon, definitely worth seeing.

    Enjoy your time, go with an open mind, and don't expect things to be the same as Australia.

    Be aware Bangkok is about an hour from the port depending on traffic, please check google for exact times.

    Thank you. The different culture is exactly what I want to see! The only problem now is that I wish we were spending more time in Vietnam!😅

     

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    Mariner of the Seas, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh

    in Asia

    Posted

    I hate the be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately I have to tell it as I see it

    No, that's ok, and thank you.

    To be honest, I think that we will still do the tunnel tour. It will be good to just be able to say that we have seen them. Apart from a few Sth Pacific cruises, we have never been out of Australia. So just seeing and experiencing new things is nice, even if they're not as fantastic as they should be.

    Also, we will be spending time in both Singapore and Bangkok, so the rural drive to the tunnels might actually be enjoyable.... I've never seen a rice paddy in my life....😂😂

     

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    Singapore - Videos of my country that I made

    in Asia

    Posted

    I'm not familiar with the hotel so I can't vouch or its quality, but seeing that it is run by Far East group (which is one of the large property developers in Singapore), it shouldn't be too bad.

     

    In terms of location, it is a very interesting location. You are very near Little India - http://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/places-to-see/little-india.html

     

    In fact, the Little India MRT station is just a few hundred meters down the road. Little India MRT station has both the Downtown (DTL) and North East (NE) lines, so you would be able to get to many places using the MRT. Alternatively, take a public taxi, or use Uber or Grab. Singapore is easy to get around and your location, while not exactly at the usual tourist spot, is pretty good. Download local maps on your smart phone and take a walk around the place!

    Thank you so much. I really hope we're not disappointed. Apart from cruising, we're not experienced travellers at all, so I don't really know what I'm doing when I book things....I'm just having fun doing it!😂😂

    May I please ask a few further questions?

    What would you suggest is the best and cheapest way to get from Changi to the hotel? And then from the hotel to the cruise terminal?

    Is the MRT the best way to see the city? Or would you suggest the hop on hop off tours?

    If we're not staying in the usual tourist spot, what is the best way to get to the usual tourist spots?

    Thank you!👍

     

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    Mariner of the Seas, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh

    in Asia

    Posted

    If you have not been to Ho Chi Minh city previously I would strongly recommend doing a city tour rather than Chi Chi tunnels.

    Thank you. I am very much inclined to agree with you.

    The reason for this tour is that prior to booking this cruise, we were seriously considering doing a land based guided tour of Vietnam. DH had been told that the tunnels were fascinating and one of the highlights of the trip. It's one of the things that he is especially interested in seeing.

    We decided against the guided tour as we were a bit turned off by the rigid nature of being tied to a group for our entire holiday.

    So we went with the Asian cruise, and kept the tour to the tunnels.

    So I really do appreciate why you would suggest that, but I think my DH is pretty keen for Cu Chi. 😊

     

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    Singapore - Videos of my country that I made

    in Asia

    Posted

    Hi! Thank you for all your information! Have had a quick glance through this thread, but will look more thoroughly in coming days.

    We will be in Singapore for 2 nights in Feb 2018, before we board Mariner of the Seas. I have booked the 2 nights at the Village Hotel Albert Court, and also for 1 night after the cruise. Could you please tell me if it's a good place to stay? (I really hope so....I won't get my money back if I cancel....😂)

     

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