Marella Discovery Itinerary Change. Colours of the Far East (Merged threads).

[Southendweather]

34 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Keith I hope you don't mind me saying but you are really into this at the moment, I do understand its very important but it's out of your hands, unfortunately, I am just hoping that it will not spoil what will be an amazing cruise, even though its not the one you booked. Please don't take this as a negative post as I am with you and all the cruisers on board as we have some friends on this week who are happy at the moment. 

Hopefully all goes well. 🤞

Don't worry, no it won't spoil it, I just sometimes get my teeth into the detail and try to unravel it, especially on these cold dull January days.

Discovery seems to have dissapeared off the face of the earth atm, hopefully it's in Sihanoukville/Cambodia.

Thanks Pensioncruiser, we're really looking forward to it, as it is also to part of me celebrating my 60th birthday, which is this Friday. Last cruise we went on was November 2018, so looking forward to getting away, but will miss the grandsons.

 

Keith (Southend)

[Pensioncruiser]

Totally understandable, hope you have a great BD I had a single seater track day for my sixtieth, scary, but that was many years ago and now are doing four cruises pa in our retirement so we just go with the flow and enjoy whatever is thrown at us as we love cruising 😎. 

[Margaret Rees]

Yes we did board in Laem Chabang on Jan 9 .Yes I am using ships internet and yes £90 for 15 days use or 2400 mb.

The 8 hrs trip on Day 2 left ship at 6 am and the ship was due to leave at 4 so one hr better than we thought. Should get 2 days in Langakawi as well so feeling much better . Everything else really good so far.

[thepeb]

3 hours ago, Margaret Rees said:

Yes we did board in Laem Chabang on Jan 9 .Yes I am using ships internet and yes £90 for 15 days use or 2400 mb.

The 8 hrs trip on Day 2 left ship at 6 am and the ship was due to leave at 4 so one hr better than we thought. Should get 2 days in Langakawi as well so feeling much better . Everything else really good so far.

Thanks for the update, sounds good news for you all. We are on from 6th Feb so fingers crossed 

[ekco]

Thanks for that Margaret, it’s a relief to see that you are getting more than expected.  Fingers crossed for us on the 31st, there are one or two trips we would really like to do but it wasn’t looking promising.  We will have to move line Usain Bolt when we board to see if we can book them.  It’s the terrible lack of communication that’s the problem but we are concentrating on what to pack now, is it very hot and humid?

[Southendweather]

2 hours ago, ekco said:

Thanks for that Margaret, it’s a relief to see that you are getting more than expected.  Fingers crossed for us on the 31st, there are one or two trips we would really like to do but it wasn’t looking promising.  We will have to move line Usain Bolt when we board to see if we can book them.  It’s the terrible lack of communication that’s the problem but we are concentrating on what to pack now, is it very hot and humid?

 

Keith (Southend)

[Southendweather]

7 hours ago, Margaret Rees said:

Yes we did board in Laem Chabang on Jan 9 .Yes I am using ships internet and yes £90 for 15 days use or 2400 mb.

The 8 hrs trip on Day 2 left ship at 6 am and the ship was due to leave at 4 so one hr better than we thought. Should get 2 days in Langakawi as well so feeling much better . Everything else really good so far.

Excellent, still the same as before. The good thing with the smaller ships is you tend to get a better service. P&O have three grades of internet package, but Marella are less restrictive. The 2400mb I find is enough for me for the two weeks and I use it both on my Netbook and alternate it with logging on to either our mobile phones to sent WhatsApp messages and pictures back home.

 

Checking my 'Three' mobile account I can also use my data allowance at Singapore & Vietnam, all other locations I must remember to switch mobile data roaming OFF. You normally get a text message as soon as you are in range of any Country to tell you your allowances.

 

Keith (Southend)

[ekco]

Oh no!  No internet for me for two whole weeks.  Heaven!  I’m on holiday.  Same goes for endless photos, remember the days when you had to choose carefully as you didn’t want to waste any of your 36 roll of film?  As long as I have downloaded films and music onto the iPad that’s enough.  Always follow the crew ashore as they know where the free WiFi is, watch out for groups of mainly men from the crew looking at their phones.  Now, anyone know about mosquitos during the day ashore?   Nearly time to start a new thread I think.

[Southendweather]

6 hours ago, ekco said:

Oh no!  No internet for me for two whole weeks.  Heaven!  I’m on holiday.  Same goes for endless photos, remember the days when you had to choose carefully as you didn’t want to waste any of your 36 roll of film?  As long as I have downloaded films and music onto the iPad that’s enough.  Always follow the crew ashore as they know where the free WiFi is, watch out for groups of mainly men from the crew looking at their phones.  Now, anyone know about mosquitos during the day ashore?   Nearly time to start a new thread I think.

I understand what you're saying, but I love to keep my eye on the weather, not that I can do anything about it, my Wife keeps reminding me 😎🌡️⚡ Also because I have two different jobs at home I have time to 'browse' at leisure when away. The data I download and decode isn't something I can generally do out on the street plus unless we're having lunch or a drink somewhere that has WiFi we're trying to do as much as we can onshore.

 

Discovery has been doing a constant 12 knots today, although I think the distance with the day at sea works out that way.  😞

 

Keith (Southend)

[ekco]

https://www.facebook.com/MarellaCruises/
 

Here they are, the complaints.  Click on posts then comments.

Edited January 12, 2020 by ekco

[Bertie Doe]

I see Vietnam ix on the menu. I wonder if Ban Gioc (Cao Bang) Falls will ever be on the Itinerary. You'll probably need sensible shoes and a helicopter, to get there 🙂

 

https://*****.com/w5qoqr2

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2020 by MrSilversurf
link

[Margaret Rees]

Update ! We are really being bothered by mosquitoes in our cabin at night . We have a balcony on the aft deck 7 . Recommend bringing a plug in mosqitoe machine . 
Cambodia is incredibly bad but you should get out and about to see Basically the Chinese came a few years ago and invested loads to create a modern resort with gambling casinos. There has been a disagreement very recently about on line gambling rights and most of the Chinese have gone back leaving vast construction sites abandoned. The mess is incredible and roads totally destroyed. Absolutely terrible for the locals. 
At the temple you will see young children with nothing. If you can bring them anything ,small kids clothes,small toys, anything really . I had some sweets I had prebagged into small amounts to hand out . Also on the plane they gave us juice cartons and cereal bars which I kept and they went down very well. Also $1 notes to give the Mums. They are not grabbing at all and so delighted with anything you give.

After all that we we t to a fabulous beach resort with lovely swimming pool .Such a contrast .

[ekco]

Thanks so much Margaret for that information.  I didn’t think we would be bothered by mosquitos at sea.  Luckily we have plug in repellants as they are not in the shelves in the shops at the moment. But need more tablets by the sound of it.  We are in a junior suite and hoped to have the doors open in the evening.  Which trip did you do that was so grim?  Am I right in saying you need a visa at 30 dollars and passport photos?  What is the port area like? Can we walk anywhere from the ship? And last but not least, are you using American dollars? Sorry about all the questions but Cambodia is our one big question mark if you’ll forgive the pun.

[Southendweather]

10 hours ago, MrSilversurf said:

I see Vietnam ix on the menu. I wonder if Ban Gioc (Cao Bang) Falls will ever be on the Itinerary. You'll probably need sensible shoes and a helicopter, to get there 🙂

 

https://*****.com/w5qoqr2

 

 

 

 

I just searched on Google looks wonderful, unfortunate it's on the Chinese border region about the furthest point from where we are docked in Vietnam.

 

Keith (Southend)

[Southendweather]

My latest weather reports for the 11th January 2020:

 

Keith (Southend)

[Southendweather]

Well Discovery left on time at 18:00 local time and is steaming ahead doing 13 knots atm. Using this calulator:

http://www.pilotfriend.com/pilot_resources/distance.htm

The 3rd calculator 'Speed from Distance and Time' it would need to do 18.9knots to reach Malacca (718 Nmiles) for 8am Wednesday.

 

Mmm, don't think it will make it until late afternoon.

 

Keith (Southend)

 

 

[Southendweather]

18 minutes ago, Southendweather said:

Well Discovery left on time at 18:00 local time and is steaming ahead doing 13 knots atm. Using this calulator:

http://www.pilotfriend.com/pilot_resources/distance.htm

The 3rd calculator 'Speed from Distance and Time' it would need to do 18.9knots to reach Malacca (718 Nmiles) for 8am Wednesday.

 

Mmm, don't think it will make it until late afternoon.

 

Keith (Southend)

 

 

Currently doing 17 knots...

Keith (Southend)

[Margaret Rees]

We have balcony doors open in evening but all lights off !

we did not need $30 or passport photo . Everything was taken care of by ship and £23 added to account pp.

In Cambodia and Vietnam $ were fine.

We did our own trip in a taxi in Cambodia. It wasnt a grim trip but the circumstances of the people is very grim . I am glad we saw it and were able to bring them a bit of cheer .

The taxi took us where we wanted and the 3 hrs at the beach resort was really nice .

The ship is def not going to Malacca we are heading straight for Langkawi hoping to arrive about 11 am  on Thursday .

[ekco]

Thanks Margaret, I can always tell it’s you as no one else is posting at 5 in the morning, lol.  Is it American dollars you are using and did you need passport photos and a copy if your passport for the visa in Cambodia?  I ordered extra mosquito tablets yesterday, just need to source better repellant to cover myself in as they love me.  Hopefully you can get out on a trip in Langkawi if you get there early enough.

[Margaret Rees]

Yes $ US but not so easy in Thailand .We didnt need photo ,Cambodian visa all sorted by ship and £23 on account pp .

[ekco]

Thanks Margaret, I didn’t read your previous post properly did I? You mentioned the passport photo in that.  Silly me.  Must get some dollars then, how are taxi prices? Sorry for all the questions but this is our first, and probably last, time in the Far East andI do like to be prepared.  Are you at sea today?

[Margaret Rees]

Yes we are at sea.

The taxi in Cambodia cost us $150 for the day . We are a family of 4 adults. He asked for $50 each but we agreed $135 . At the end of the day we gave him a tip of $15 so $38 each for about 5/6 hrs and he was so good and waited for us at hotel resort so we were happy with that .

We did TUI tour in Vietnam Vung Tau views which was OK .

[ekco]

Thanks for that, it’s good to have an idea of costs as we don’t want to take more currency than we need.  Sounds reasonable.  I forget the name of the tour we are taking in Vietnam, it might be the same as yours,

[brian1]

8 hours ago, Margaret Rees said:

We have balcony doors open in evening but all lights off !

we did not need $30 or passport photo . Everything was taken care of by ship and £23 added to account pp.

In Cambodia and Vietnam $ were fine.

We did our own trip in a taxi in Cambodia. It wasnt a grim trip but the circumstances of the people is very grim . I am glad we saw it and were able to bring them a bit of cheer .

The taxi took us where we wanted and the 3 hrs at the beach resort was really nice .

The ship is def not going to Malacca we are heading straight for Langkawi hoping to arrive about 11 am  on Thursday .

That will bugger up the air con for your section of cabins.

[Vitalsign]

Agree Brian there is a notice in all balcony cabins to keep the doors closed at all times It is a waste of energy as the air con has to work harder letting all that warm air in - naughty naughty

Edited January 14, 2020 by Vitalsign