?'s for SE Asia Celebrity cruisers

[cruisehabits]

Hello fellow cruisers!

 

I have some questions that I'm hoping some experienced Celebrity cruisers can answer for me regarding cruising in SE Asia.

 

I am currently booked on Celebrity Millennium ~ 14 nights with the following itinerary: Singapore, Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Nha Trang (Vietnam), Danang (Vietnam), overnight in Taipei (Taiwan), Kagoshima (Japan), Okinawa (Japan), and finishing up with an overnight in Hong Kong.

 

My questions surround me considering doing a B2B and not being familiar with the itineraries.

 

So my question would be, if you were to do a B2B, which leg would you choose to add from the choices below, Choice A or Choice B. If you have any specific reasons or experiences that make you lean one way or the other I'd appreciate you sharing. The prices are exactly the same for the type of stateroom I am considering so price is not playing a major factor.

 

Here are the choices I have and thank you in advance for any replies!

 

Choice A - 14 nights (sailing BEFORE current itinerary): embark and overnight in Singapore, Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), Boracay (Philippines), Manila (Philippines), overnight Hong Kong, Nha Trang (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Singapore

 

OR

 

Choice B - 14 nights (sailing AFTER current itinerary): embark and overnight Hong Kong, overnight Hanoi ~ Halong Bay (Vietnam), Danang (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), overnight Bangkok (Thailand), and finishing up with an overnight in Singapore

I know this is a bit wordy, but for those of you that take the time to read it and reply I really do appreciate it! Thanks again!

 

Safe travels to all! :)

[ECCruise]

We've been to all the ports on all 3 of the sailings, several a number of times, so here are some thoughts.

 

Of all the ports listed, our favorite(s) would be Hanoi and Halong Bay. Plus you get Saigon (HCMC).

Da Nang we prefer to Nha Trang because you have access to Hoi An and Hue. Not sure what month this would be, but in the winter Hong Kong can be cold. (It was 30F when we were there in January).

That would lean us to option 2.

 

Manila we found interesting but very, very crowded. Boracay is considered a "resort" but is more primitive (which means we loved it). At Kota Kinabalu you need to travel to Mount Kinbabulu, a fairly long trip. There is not much in the port city. So hence, that also leans us back to option 2.

 

We would do the 2nd option. It will be a great trip.

[ghstudio]

Honestly, there are better back to back itineraries if you have some flexibility. These choices all seem to have significant overlap. I haven't looked but we did B2B a couple of years ago on the Millenium...the first cruise went down to indonesia and the second up to hong kong via VietNam. I would try to find a similar combination....

 

If I had to pick between A or B, I'd pick A although it's a shame not to get to Bangkok.....

[smtcan]

We did your option A a couple of years ago and loved it. For us, Boracay was a highlight. We took a private tour with Tours by Locals which was called Island Hopping. It took us to several different islands, all very scenic with opportunities to snorkel. It also included a seafood BBQ lunch. Manila showed us why so many Philippinos work on cruise ships or keep the Canadian hospital system staffed. The poverty we saw there was crushing.

 

As far as your option B is concerned, we are taking that itinerary in reverse next year. We really enjoy visiting Asia and spend a few days in the port cities at each end of our cruises. We are are going to Angkor Wat from Hong Kong next year.

 

I don’t think you can go wrong with either itinerary. If I had the time and money I would do B2B2B!

[ghstudio]

Cruisehabits....I've looked a little closer and honestly, I'd look at some alternate cruise lines just to see if there's a better, less redundant cruise. We like Celebrity, but we've taken some Princess cruises when the itinerary is better and we think that aside from frequent traveller perks, the two lines are pretty similiar.

 

You won't go too far wrong no matter which combination you choose. B2B is the way to see Asia because of the long airline flights...

[cruisehabits]

Thank you everyone that has replied thus far!

 

Choice B is what I ended up deciding on. Works a little better into travel plans and is a little further into the start of the year. I also have become very interested in Halong Bay. The trip will be in February 2020.

 

If I pick Choice A it has me traveling less than 2 weeks into the New Year and with wrapping up the holidays with family I thought this itinerary would be more workable.

 

I appreciate all of the information and insight provided thus far. I will continue to read along in hopes that others will continue to respond. The cruise is booked, however; it can be cancelled/changed without penalty.

 

I have been to Indonesia before and love it. I’m actually returning this October for a 30 day land trip.

 

Thank you all again and safe travels to all! [emoji4]

 

 

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[Edinburghgirl1]

We love Asia and have done two SE Asia cruises on the Millenium however land based holidays in our opinion are the way to see Asia. It’s pretty cheap to fly to Asia from the UK and there are plenty budget airlines who fly between countries which are all pretty close together. We were in Thailand for 3 weeks in June and We are off in 4 weeks for another 3 weeks. Flying into KL onto Borneo then onto Bali. We love cruising too but think we will stick to Carribean for this type of holiday.

[cruisehabits]

Giving this a bump to see if others have anything to share.

 

Safe travels to all! [emoji4]

 

 

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