Jump to content

Hong Kong Ho Ho Bus


Ellaleah
 Share

Recommended Posts

Assumed you are asking about the BigBus HK -

Q2 - Please note that if you purchase a ticket that offers validity for more than 24 hours, you must travel on consecutive days.

 

FAQ including abvoe can be found here - https://www.bigbustours.com/en/hong-kong/help/

 

One route is for the HK Island and the other on the Kowloon, covering quite a bit of the famous landmarks and sites popular for visitors & tourists, It depends on your interest & preference, you can easily spend an hour or more checking out the individual "spots" at each of the stops, hop back on & proceed to the next stop.

 

Be sure to download the free, recommended app. Cellular (prepaid for visitors) data is cheap & fast in HK, compatible with most unlocked smartphone - a basic package good for voice & data for 3 to 7 days can be purchased at numerous 7-11 & other authorized retail agents, as well VIC for $15 to $20 USD ... it will also provide access to numerous, unlimited WiFi hotspot all over the place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only 2 weeks before we depart for the cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong. Just picking up on your phone info....

 

My UK provider is Vodafone and their rates to roam in Asia are expensive, so decided to buy a cheap three contract which allows free roaming. (Valid for Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong.)

 

My package @ £9 pm gives unlimited calls and texts to UK numbers and 12 gb of data. .... but ..... it doesn’t allow me to hotspot to my iPad or surface pro and the sim won’t work inside the iPad as it’s “not valid”.

 

So any ideas what’s available for use in an iPad for data? Calls are covered by the three contract.

 

Cheers

 

PS still on thread topic... is HOHO worthwhile given the traffic problems? Would DIY and using the Underground be better for the most?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just picking up on your phone info.... My UK provider is Vodafone ... roam in Asia are expensive ... to buy a cheap three contract which allows free roaming. (Valid for Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong.) @ £9 pm gives unlimited calls and texts to UK numbers and 12 gb of data. .... but ..... it doesn’t allow me to hotspot ...

 

is HOHO worthwhile given the traffic problems? Would DIY and using the Underground be better for the most?

Greetings. Your "3" roaming for Vietnam alone is worth it, most difficult for travelers & visitors to get voice AND data for short stay, and prepaid options are VERY expensive, even when using "back" channels & street vendors as it is highly government regulated ("monitored" shall I hint ...)

 

HK Tourist Assoc. (official gov't operated/sponsored/funded, etc.) a/k/a Discover HK has exactly what you need for a stay short) - a 5 days or 8 days prepaid 3-in-1 sim card, easy to activate for $88 or $118 HKD (roughly under $12 or $16 USD) for unlimited local call, either 1.5G or 5G of 4G LTE data; and, access to local WiFi hotspots all over - data is Fast just about everywhere, inside their "tube" while moving (underground subway trains, known as MTR) etc.

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/us/plan-your-trip/traveller-info/communications/tourist-sim-card.jsp

 

A million places (well, almost) to buy them & easy to activate. Plus, tethering is welcomed so as long as you are familiar with setting up your hotspot or MiFi devices, etc. - you are good to go. Thank them & do share afterward here on CC to tell others about it, I am 99% confident that it will work just fine, no worries at all. I believed they have a staffed counter or kiosk at Kai Tak C.T. on ship days, get free maps & buy the sim card there. Others who just returned/stopped there confirmed that money exchange is available as well as ATM (it's better to use it to withdraw money)

 

The DHK site link above should be bookmarked, download & install some of the recommended Apps like MTR for travel & D.I.Y. touring, it might come in handy.

 

There are multiple carriers serving HK's vast cellular networks, competing and offering a variety of prepaid plans & options - the above plan has extended data coverage into mainland China & Macau/Las Vegas "East" as they call it. Otherwise, if you will be staying in HK longer - depending on needs, go to one of the official carrier store like "CSL" or "China Mobile" etc. and ask sales for advice & help to select a prepaid sim package that will cover some, if not all the countries you will be making stops at or doing port of call - info & instructions are typically bilingual, read it to make sure it is suppose to work.

 

I have a China Mobile HK prepaid sim plan that I kept active for 10 years, it roam in many parts of the world, here at home - on both AT&T and T-Mobile, 2 out of the big 3 (Verizon is CDMA) for voice & text, pricey but it works, as backup & for emergencies - online refill every 6 months to keep it active ($15 USD a year, worked out to be) on a dual-sim Huawei smartphone.

 

HK is a small place to walk around for tourists & visitors, in comfortable walking shoes & weather should be nice & warm for early Spring - perfect time of the year to visit. On whether to use the BigBus to hop on & off, I would say, on the HK Island side, the bus option is worth it for first time visitor, as the stops are spread out & walking end of end would not be advised - except for the urban hikers ... take the MTR, ride the bus & of course, good old electric "Tram" from Western to Central to Wan Chai to Causeway, etc. It also included the Peak Tram, I think - lines at the bottom @ Garden Rd. for others to queue for tickets & to wait is crazy ... time saved. On the Kowloon side, not really necessary - 2/3 of the sites to sightsee are within the greater Tsim Sha Tsui area ... Temple Street & Ladies Market, past Jordan North heading north - is an easy walk or bus ride, or 3 or 4 stops if getting off at Mong Kwok Station from TST, and, that's several blocks from the Star Ferry & waterfront promenade (nightly laser show at 8 PM)

 

Tip - download those PDF file onto your iPad to read & use offline. IMHO, if you have the time & feel comfortable in a city where many signage are bilingual, although most speak a foreign language - it is best explored on foot. Use one of the most efficient & user-friendly mass transit system in the world, going uphill or too far to walk - take a metered taxi ride, it's cheap & fast, payable in local currency - or a few US dollars at most, whatever that converted to in Euro or UK pounds.

 

My preference & recommendation - instead of the long lines & short ride via the Peak Tram, from the HK side of the Star Ferry, find the bus route & ride upstairs on the double decker (forward or side windows for best views) and a quick ride via Central before it go up the "Mid Level" with all the deluxe high rise buildings perched on the hill, for a scenic 30 - 40 minutes ride up to the top of Victoria Peak, and notice the live-in "maids" getting on & off doing errands and shoppings for their flat's household. (I've previously posted here somewhere on the details - should be able to search & find it)

 

Feel free to ask questions, if I can't answer - others will. Enjoy your visit and the cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... one would need one purchase for an iPhone and a second purchase for an iPad?

No, not at all ... unless you wanted to.

 

There is no need if you can share by tethering or enabling the WiFi hotspot functions, say if using or installed this traveler's nano sim card in the unlocked iPhone (it should work overseas, even if locked to a domestic carrier at home, not sure about those from Straight Talk, Simple Mobile, Ting, etc.)

 

Share the data with the iPad if you need to be online, otherwise, turn off hotspot functions; and, all background updates & iCloud backup - those can quickly drain & use up those data allowance, etc.

 

My setup was an iPhone 5S - with an integrated battery case, that last up to 25 to 30 hours of continuous use - as the hotspot/MiFi - share the signal with 2 smartphones, Upgraded since to the faster A9 chips of the iPhone SE, same 4" screen size, slim & compact, easy to carry on a small belt pouch, etc. However, I no longer need to buy these prepaid Sim, Google's Project Fi, data-only nano sim works great in most iPads & iPhones, roaming in 170+ countries at just $10 USD per 1 GB data, very convenient & if it find an approved WiFi hotspot, the data is free.

 

But, at that price, it's affordable enough to put one and each device & use it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Big Bus HOHO in Hong Kong last week. If you buy it online you save some money (10%?) but you'll need to trade in that voucher for tickets once you get there. We changed ours at the Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. With a 2 day ticket (must be used consecutive days) you also get Star Ferry passes, a pass to the Peak Tram & Sky Pass and a pass for a sampan ride. There are 3 routes: Kowloon, Central HK and Aberdeen. The only negative that we found was that there was no signage at the stops so sometimes people stood in the wrong place and the bus drove right past them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much for the info. Has anyone done the night tour on the bus. It says that you go to all the night markets, but it does not stop. Is it worth going if you can't get off?

 

The night tour bus tours all the markets in Kowloon, there is only the bus, so you cannot hop on / off, if you get off then you are off. We did last week, it was worth doing for us, as we got a different perspective of the sights, also helped in later visits to the area in getting our bearings.

 

TIP: If you do decide to do it, there are two starting points, Busstop No. 1 Central Ferry Piers then the makes goes to Kowloon (via the tunnel), Salisbury Road Busstop No. 10. As it is the same bus, take the bus fro Central to get a good seat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...