Northbound or southbound? (Singapore - HK)

[sjf]

We are planning a cruise to the FarEast. It seems there are two options - going north to south or vice versa.

 

is one better than the other? Would it get warmer as you gradually travel south (travelling in March)?

 

Any thoughts appreciated.

[Keith1010]

Could you please list out the stops?

 

Keith

[suekay]

If you are planning on going on Millenium, the ports are the same. You can check the timings in each port because they are slightly different. We did that and chose South to North only to have the itinerary change to give us an extra sea day and miss an overnight in Hanoi:mad: I would expect the temperature in Hong Kong to be warmer in late March, but the other ports are pretty warm (hot) whenever you choose to go

[sjf]

Could you please list out the stops?

 

Keith

 

It depends which cruise line we go with, but typically from south to north it's:

Singapore, Laem Chabang/Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Chan May/Hue/Danang, Hanoi, Hong Kong

 

Some also include Koh Samui, Sihanoukville and Nha Trang.

[sjf]

If you are planning on going on Millenium, the ports are the same. You can check the timings in each port because they are slightly different. We did that and chose South to North only to have the itinerary change to give us an extra sea day and miss an overnight in Hanoi:mad: I would expect the temperature in Hong Kong to be warmer in late March, but the other ports are pretty warm (hot) whenever you choose to go

 

Thanks. Yes, the Millennium is one we are looking at. Didn't occur to me that the timings might be different - something to look out for, though I guess the cruiseline reserves the right to change things so even the best of planning can come unstuck. Sorry you missed that extra day in Hanoi. Did you do the trip in a single day anyway?

[Keith1010]

In March most of the ports that you listed will be warm. The one that won't will be Hong Kong. It can be very cool there in March or it could be warm. In short, that is the most variable of the ports.

 

I would spend time pre and post cruise in Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

I would go with either cruise that best fits your schedule.

 

Keith

[JoAnneV]

We are planning a cruise to the FarEast. It seems there are two options - going north to south or vice versa.

 

is one better than the other? Would it get warmer as you gradually travel south (travelling in March)?

 

Any thoughts appreciated.

The schedule for Hanoi works out better on the southbound route. You get into Halong Bay in the morning so you can do a private day trip into Hanoi that doesn't get back until in the evening and also do a half day Halong Bay Cruise the next morning before the ship leaves at 1:00. Other than that I don't think it matters. We went in March and it was hot everywhere. Bangkok was over 100 degrees. I agree that you should spend time in Singapore and Hong Kong before or after the cruise.

[celyvabeach]

The schedule for Hanoi works out better on the southbound route. You get into Halong Bay in the morning so you can do a private day trip into Hanoi that doesn't get back until in the evening and also do a half day Halong Bay Cruise the next morning before the ship leaves at 1:00. Other than that I don't think it matters. We went in March and it was hot everywhere. Bangkok was over 100 degrees. I agree that you should spend time in Singapore and Hong Kong before or after the cruise.

 

 

We are doing the southbound route in February with the main reason as stated above on the Hanoi stop. We are doing a private Hanoi city tour the 1st day then a Halong Bay ship tour the next day. Southeast Asia's weather is hot except for HK. The further south you go the hotter it gets. So be ready for a hot and muggy weather. I'm sure February will be bad but it will be worse in March.

[sjf]

The plan would be to stay with friends in Hong Kong for a couple of days. Might be nice to do that at the start of the holiday, so I am starting to lean towards southbound.

[We're The Groupnors]

We did the Northbound Singapore to Hong Kong in March of this year, and stayed with friends in Singapore on the front end. We specifically chose the Northbound route to have the shorter travel time home (we live in Toronto and can get a direct, non-stop from HK). As for the weather, every port was hot and humid. Even in HK, where the temps hovered around the low to mid 70s it felt much hotter because of the humidity.

[sacramentoox]

Thanks. Yes, the Millennium is one we are looking at. Didn't occur to me that the timings might be different - something to look out for, though I guess the cruiseline reserves the right to change things so even the best of planning can come unstuck. Sorry you missed that extra day in Hanoi. Did you do the trip in a single day anyway?

 

We are on the southbound MILLENIUM (3-16-2014). They cut short to only one day in Saigon and shifted the schedule one day early in Bangkok (2 days) and now there will be 2 at-sea days between Bangkok and Singapore, and arrive in Singapore at 7 AM instead of 3 PM. It still will be a very nice cruise. Good luck, Cary:)

[jstducky]

Remember, Singapore is only 1.5 degrees north of the equator. It'll be hot whenever you go.

 

You'll frequently hear people in Singapore and Thailand say that there is only 2 seasons: hot and rainy, and just because it's rainy doesn't mean it's not hot.

 

I will say though after having just spent the past 2 weeks on a southbound asia cruise with an extra 2 days at the end spent in Bangkok, by the end of it all, you kind of just deal with the heat and humidity and grin and bear it. No other way around it.

[sjf]

We are on the southbound MILLENIUM (3-16-2014). They cut short to only one day in Saigon and shifted the schedule one day early in Bangkok (2 days) and now there will be 2 at-sea days between Bangkok and Singapore, and arrive in Singapore at 7 AM instead of 3 PM. It still will be a very nice cruise. Good luck, Cary:)

 

That's the one we've finally chosen (although we are sorry not to have the extra day in Saigon). As you say, I'm sure we'll have fun whatever!!

[sjf]

Remember, Singapore is only 1.5 degrees north of the equator. It'll be hot whenever you go.

 

You'll frequently hear people in Singapore and Thailand say that there is only 2 seasons: hot and rainy, and just because it's rainy doesn't mean it's not hot.

 

I will say though after having just spent the past 2 weeks on a southbound asia cruise with an extra 2 days at the end spent in Bangkok, by the end of it all, you kind of just deal with the heat and humidity and grin and bear it. No other way around it.

 

Thanks to all for their comments - sounds like mainly hot weather clothes will be needed.

[conchyjoe]

One of the Captains on the line we sail with often, said that the trade winds are NE at that time of of year and suggested that it is better to go North to South.

 

So we acted upon his advice and re-booked our 2014 trip so that we went from Hong Kong to Singapore rather than the other way.