Can We Do This?

[Kellie Poodle]

I have booked a B2B cruise for March and April 2014 on Celebrity Millenium. We will begin with the cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong and end with Hong Kong to Shanghai.

 

The first cruise spends two nights in Bankok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi. The second one has two days in Hong Kong (plus one day from the first cruise) One day in each of the other ports and 3 days in Tanjin for Beijing.

 

I deliberately booked a cruise ship as my DH has some issues that make it impossible to spend nights in hotels.

 

I am willing to pay for tours that will pick us up at the ship daily and return us, but it seems that everyone on our roll call is spending nights in hotels.

 

Can we enjoy these ports staying on the ship at night? If not, I'll have to cancel.

 

I would appreciate any suggestions as we really want to do these cruises.

[paul929207]

He Kellie,

 

Sure you can do these ports from the ship. The biggest problem will be Beijing, It is 2 hours plus from the port and some of the sights, like the wall are even further.

[Kellie Poodle]

He Kellie,

 

Sure you can do these ports from the ship. The biggest problem will be Beijing, It is 2 hours plus from the port and some of the sights, like the wall are even further.

 

Thanks, Paul. You have helped me make a decision.

 

I will be booking a tour company who will be putting up their guide in a hotel near the ship so that we can go back and forth daily. I know that we will not see "everything" but we will see the great wall, Tianamin square and the Forbidden City, which were the three things we wanted to see.

 

I feel better.

[Emdee]

Hi Kellie,

I have a good guide in HK in case you are interested. He has an air conditioned van. He dropped me off at the port and was able to get the required permissions in advance so he dropped us quay side. we did a four day pre cruise and booked him for the entire program including pick ups at the airport etc etc. Let me know. I think you have my email address.

 

Miriam

[LdyDDS]

I think the smaller ships like Azamara get in closer to the cities and make it possible to spend the night on the ship and still have full day tours. With the ship being closer to the city the tours probably don't cost as much and the cost of the hotel is gone so the price of the cruise, which includes gratuities is really not that much more than with Celebrity. Check it out and see where the smaller ships anchor. I know for sure they get in closer in Bangkok and I think they might also in Saigon.

[Kellie Poodle]

I think the smaller ships like Azamara get in closer to the cities and make it possible to spend the night on the ship and still have full day tours. With the ship being closer to the city the tours probably don't cost as much and the cost of the hotel is gone so the price of the cruise, which includes gratuities is really not that much more than with Celebrity. Check it out and see where the smaller ships anchor. I know for sure they get in closer in Bangkok and I think they might also in Saigon.

 

We are not staying in any hotels at cruise ports for health reasons, so I did not factor in the cost of the hotels. I did state that in my original post.

 

I did look at Azamara. Way more expensive. We have the 14 night cruise with well-situated outside cabin for under $1800 pp and the 13 day cruise in the same cabin, for $1869 pp. Some very nice OBC on both cruises that should take care of most of the gratuities.