Come sail with me on a virtual cruise on Majestic Princess to Fiji!

[ellie1145]

Just to let you know I hope to be back later this evening, but we’re off to visit our son in our Socially Distanced ‘bubble.’  Its the first time we’ve been to London for months - or anywhere, come to that, as we’ve been self-isolating. 

[dickinson]

Thank you for this wonderfully written review.  I am really enjoying reading it and seeing the pictures.

[ellie1145]

34 minutes ago, dickinson said:

Thank you for this wonderfully written review.  I am really enjoying reading it and seeing the pictures.

 

Aw, thank you so much. That’s very kind of you. Hope you can continue to enjoy it. 
 

Good to have you onboard. 

[Foggyzx9r]

Hi Ellie 

 

God I am so enjoying your trip so far. A wonderful experience and we will be with you all the way.👍

 

Can’t wait to get to Singapore, it remains one of favourite cities in the world, so looking forward to the arrival.

 

[ellie1145]

22 minutes ago, Foggyzx9r said:

Hi Ellie 

 

God I am so enjoying your trip so far. A wonderful experience and we will be with you all the way.👍

 

Can’t wait to get to Singapore, it remains one of favourite cities in the world, so looking forward to the arrival.

 

Welcome aboard. I’m SO glad you are enjoying it.

 

Yes, we love Singapore more each time we go there.

 

There’s a busy schedule coming up next so hang on in there! 😂

[rmf11699]

Following. I imagine you as "Mrs. Doubtfire" from the 1993 movie. My apologies in advance if you find this offensive. 😀

Edited June 23, 2020 by rmf11699
typo

[ellie1145]

16.54 UK Time

 

I doze for about an hour. We have just flown over the Aral Sea, so we must be over Russia, and en route to Tashkent. We are flying very far north this time, as before we have flown over Baghdad, Tehran and the Himalayas. 

 

After my nap I decide I want a cup of tea, so DH goes off to get one. They come with two little trays with cups of tea on, and DH has also picked up 2 Lindt chocolate bars. Delicious!

 

 

Well, guess what, I manage to flip my tea up all over myself, all over the tray, it drips through the crack in the tray, down onto my legs and onto my shawl, which luckily was over my lap. You would not believe how a tiny cup of tea could produce so much liquid! I am mopping it up for ages. It feels like a litre!

 

No, don’t worry, I don’t burn myself, the tea was not very hot and I’d already put the milk in it, so no harm done, but it gives our fellow passenger an interesting few minutes with me furiously mopping up the spillage. One of the lovely Singapore girls comes along and takes away the debris and brings me a hot flannel to mop myself up with. How embarrassing! 

 

ALL THAT’S LEFT OF MY CUP OF TEA!

 

Our speed has increased again with 100 km tail winds and a temperature outside of minus 50 degrees Centigrade. We’ve flown nearly 5000 km already, but still have over 6000 km to go. 

 

It’s already dark outside so we can’t see anything out of the window. Just occasionally I can see twinkling lights which show that down there are towns, villages and cities. It’s like looking at a sparkling patchwork quilt.

 

Time for another movie!

 

21.15 UK Time

 

Well, I’ve watched another two films, ‘Angel of Mine,‘ about a woman who is convinced that a neighbour’s child is the baby she was told died in a fire, in the maternity hospital years before, and ‘After Everything.’  Both are good.

 

Surprisingly, I don't  really feel tired so DH and I go for another walk right down to the end of the aeroplane, through 3 sections. It’s such an enormous plane, and every seat is taken. It’s actually not too bad comfort wise, way better than the Lufthansa flight. They have lots of snacks available all the time, sandwiches, some funny curly whirly crisps as well as fruit and chocolate. 

 

 

 

 

 

We peer out of the window and all we can see are twinkling lights way down below, where there must be settlements.

 

They tell us its breakfast in 20 minutes! Bit weird as usually its served about an hour before landing but we have another 3 hours to go! They’ve put the lights up already. Not sure I really fancy anything at the moment.

 

The plane still has a really annoying high pitched oscillating whine, a bit like a car alarm which is continuous and which you can hear even with headphones in. Can’t make out what it is but its torture!

 

We walk past a dear little baby, a little girl, who has been so good, but wakes for a feed just now. Australian Mum is breastfeeding her, which is good to see, and very comforting for the dear little thing. 

 

 

[ellie1145]

11 minutes ago, rmf11699 said:

Following. I imagine you as "Mrs. Doubtfire" from the 1993 movie. My apologies in advance if you find this offensive. 😀

 

No, I don’t find it offensive, but I’m really not at all like her I’m afraid! I certainly don’t have a Scottish accent and I don’t wear a wig........

 

Only wish I earned as much as poor Robin Williams used to! 

 

Glad to have you along! 

Edited June 23, 2020 by ellie1145

[irisbax3]

Hi Ellie,

I'm really enjoying every bit of the trip so far.  I've never flown on Singapore but it sounds nice.  The snacks look good too.  Looking forward to Singapore, it's one of my favorite places to visit.

Iris

[ellie1145]

6 hours ago, irisbax3 said:

Hi Ellie,

I'm really enjoying every bit of the trip so far.  I've never flown on Singapore but it sounds nice.  The snacks look good too.  Looking forward to Singapore, it's one of my favorite places to visit.

Iris

 

Hello Iris!

 

Welcome onboard! Hope your cabin is good........ Glad to have you with us on our adventure. Hope you have lots of stamina!

 

Yes, Singapore is lovely. It feels so safe.

 

Have you visited Sydney? Hope you will enjoy that leg of the journey, too.

 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

 

ARE WE THERE YET MUMMY?

 

How often I’ve heard my children ask just that question when they were younger, and on a long drive, and now I know how they felt......

 

We’ve still got 2,000 km to go! Aargh!

 

I watch map as it charts our progress. Exotic names like Islamabad, Amritsar, Delhi Jaipur, Agra appear before me. As a child I could never have imagined flying to such far flung places.

 

 

 

AT LAST, SINGAPORE APPEARS ON THE MAP!

 

We are now flying over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, and we are almost parallel to Bangkok. They are getting ready to serve the meal, at last! Don’t feel too tired, but expect we will want to crash out once we get to the hotel.

 

Well, believe it or not, that 20 minutes turns into an hour and a half and it is nearly 11.00 pm U.K. time before we get our meal. They just keep faffing around, in and out of the galley. But the meal is actually quite tasty. I have chicken noodles and DH has poached eggs hollandaise. Bit of a strange breakfast but really tasty.

 

 

There is a small pot of fruit, a yogurt, a roll and butter with marmalade, and our hot breakfast. There is a cup of tea or coffee, of course, and water, all served with such grace and charm. 

 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

 

Our shades are up and we can see the sunrise. Its a magnificent sight. There is something quite magical about seeing the sun as it lights up the enormous and oh so powerful engines.

 

 

 

We now have an hour to go and DH is doing the landing cards, then we will need to get everything stowed.

 

Can’t wait to get there and go to bed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

NEARLY THERE!

 

The sun is up and below I can see the numerous ships anchored out in the bay. Its an impressive sight and always one which makes me feel excited as I know we are nearly there. Poor DH hasn't really slept at all, but I've dozed on and off so not feeling too bad.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!

 

And I can positively hear your collective sighs of relief! (Or maybe you band of trusty readers are saying ‘Get on with it woman!’)

 

 

We make our final approach and this behemoth glides gently down and lands with the merest of bumps. How amazing that is.

 

 

 

 

Getting off the plane is quick as we are opposite a small galley, thankfully not one they used for anything but storage so it has been quiet, but it made getting out of our seats easy.

 

[Duffysmom]

Your review is so interesting, I enjoy your style of writing and especially the details and photos it almost feels as though we are experiencing the trip with you. Well done!!  

Edited June 24, 2020 by Duffysmom

[ellie1145]

31 minutes ago, Duffysmom said:

Your review is so interesting, I enjoy your style of writing and especially the details and photos it almost feels as though we are experiencing the trip with you. Well done!!  

Thank you so much Duffysmom!

 

I am really glad you are enjoying this marathon, and that you feel as if you are really along with me. That was my aim so I am grateful to you for letting me know.

 

You will need stout shoes, and lots of energy for the next part - Singapore. Its a whistle stop tour! 

[ellie1145]

SINGAPORE - AT LAST!

 

Welcome to Singapore, all you intrepid adventurers. We hope your suitcases arrive

 

Singapore is composed of one main island and 63 satellite islands, and has a population of 5.7 million residents. English is spoken everywhere and it always feels one of the safest places we have ever been to. Multiculturalism is enshrined in the constitution, and shapes all national policies such as housing, politics, and education. Many cultures appear to live in harmony with each other.

 

Singapore was founded as a trading post of the British Empire by Sir Stamford Raffles in 19819, and at one time was under British Rule. After its occupation by the Japanese in 1942-1945 it returned to British control as a crown colony, until it became self governing in 1959.  It became independent as the Republic of Singapore in 1965. Although it has few natural resources it is a highly developed country, and one of the most expensive cities to live in since 2013. It is a major financial and shipping hub and has a home-ownership rate of 91%. It has one of the world’s longest life expectancy and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.

 

There is a strong rule of law and while there are elections, the People’s Action Party has ruled continuously since independence.

 

We make our way off the big bird that has been our home for the last 12 hours,  and walk down towards Immigration. Changi is the most wonderful airport, with its soaring ceilings, abundance of flowers, trees and plants and every possible shop and eatery you can think of. I often wish I could spend a couple of days here. 

 

 

 

 

 

We walk through a huge impressive hall with a soaring ceiling and interesting sculptures.

 

 

 

 

The floors are all white marble and they sparkle and shimmer in the light which pours in from huge windows.

 

Immigration is a doddle, despite there being hundreds of passengers on our plane. The Immigration desks are almost empty, and it takes no time at all to complete the process, even though the plane has disgorged 500 passengers.

Edited June 24, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

WHERE’S OUR LUGGAGE and COLLECTING OUR EXPLORER PASSES

 

The most worrying thing about landing is whether or not our suitcases have made it.

 

 

The baggage reclaim area is in front of us, and we  collect our luggage, all present and correct thank goodness. Hope yours has arrived safely too!

 

Its a beautiful area, with a huge living wall full of plants, and a large WELCOME sign. There are also plenty of free luggage carts - I always moan when you have to pay!

 

 

 

 

We have one thing we must do before we find our driver, we need to collect our Singapore Passes.

 

 

You are given a wallet with a booklet inside which contains a list of all the attractions you can visit. 

 

Our passes 

 

Sorry this is out of focus, I’m really struggling with the photos from my iPhone as they obviously aren’t downloading from the cloud properly.  If anyone has any tips I’d be most grateful for a ‘heads up.’

 

This is the booklet which lists the attractions. 

 

Last time we turned right out of Customs, but this time we are directed to turn left. It takes a little while and a bit of searching to find the correct desk but after a little wait we have our Passes safely in our hands. While I’m waiting for them to give me the passes DH goes to look for our driver.

 

 

Should you ever purchase the passes here is where you need to go when you arrive. We had a real struggle to find the desk. There are a bank of desks including Hertz, Thrifty and Avis. The desk you require is beside the Hertz desk. As you can see, its labelled ‘Holidays’ and ‘Singapore Airlines. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

APOLOGIES FOR THE REPEATED PHOTOS ABOVE. I’VE NO IDEA WHAT I’VE DONE BUT I TRIED TO EDIT THEM OUT AND FAILED MISERABLY.

 

IM A REAL NOVICE AT ALL THIS I’M AFRAID!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

WE REALLY ARE HERE AT LAST!

 

Our driver is waiting, a Chinese gentleman, very obsequious, but obviously with little English, but he indicates that we should follow him outside. He just keeps nodding and smiling and we follow him to his car, which looks quite small and I worry that our suitcases won’t fit, but he doesn’t bat an eyelid and puts one in the front seat and two in the boot and off we go!  It's hot already but its good to see the sunshine as last time we were  here the sky was mainly cloudy and overcast.

 

 

Now I really am excited! It’s been a long long flight but I can’t wait to get to the hotel.

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

OUR HOTEL

 

It is gloriously sunny outside, and we have a pleasant drive of about 50 minutes. The roads are so good, with beautiful flowers lining them, but traffic is heavy and they weave in and out at speed, but we feel quite safe. Our driver speaks not a word which is actually very restful. Can’t stand it when they want to chat all the time when you are tired.

 

 

 

There are accommodation blocks everywhere. Some of the lower towers are being replaced with skyscrapers. 

 

We drive through an enormous 10 lane tunnel and emerge at the rear of the Marina Bay Sands hotel. This iconic building has to be seen to be believed, with what looks like a liner perched atop three towers. It’s breathtaking.

Singapore looks as if it is booming, huge amounts of building going on, they are constructing massively tall blocks everywhere. With all the problems with Hong Kong, and the student demonstrations, it is likely to benefit from investment being moved to Singapore. It is an interesting drive, and we are pleased to see the familiar sights of this fascinating, clean and safe city.

 

 

The new metro station, which is being built right next to our hotel, is progressing well. It will make the hotel very convenient when it opens. 

 

 

 

Our car drives up to the impressive canopied entrance. It’s wonderful to be back. The fountains are playing, the red carpet is laid out and a gentleman is sweeping the carpet to make sure it’s pristine.

 

 

It’s a tight fit with all our luggage but with 2 stowed in the front we make it ok.

 

Our suitcases are swiftly removed and whisked away on a luggage trolley, and we walk into the amazing foyer. It really is an iconic building with its soaring atrium and glass elevators rising up more than 20 floors.

 

 

It’s so good to be back. 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

 

The hotel is just the same. They are very welcoming and gracious, as usual. Before we left I’d emailed and asked for the same room as last time but it isn’t quite ready. They offer us a different room immediately but we decide we will wait, and within the hour we are able to go up to our room.

 

 

We make our way to the lift area where this a huge bank of elevators. 

 

There are beautiful orchids everywhere

 

 

The room is very clean and comfortable, slightly curved, with a wall of windows. The view is stunning, right down to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

 

Our luggage arrives and we unpack the essentials from our hand luggage, then shower and go straight to bed as now we feel shattered. It’s a very long flight and we’ve done well, but now exhaustion takes over, and although we should try to stay awake it’s not going to happen. At our ages we have to accept that we just don’t have the energy and a short sleep is necessary. It will be tough to wake up but we know that from previous visits. We are both asleep instantly.

 

Maybe you, my dear fellow adventurers, should take a nap too? That’s if I haven’t lulled you to sleep already! Ha Ha!

[ellie1145]

 

No need for my hoover here, ‘rmf11699!‘ ☺️

‘Dude (Looks Like A Lady!)’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking down the iconic atrium from our floor

 

We set the alarm for 14.30 and it is a struggle for me to wake up, but we make a cup of tea and decide to get ready to walk to the shopping mall just round the corner, about 5 minutes away. The wonderful thing about Singapore is that it feels so clean and safe. 

This mall is one we've visited before, and it has a Waitrose food store inside - though it’s not called that, it’s actually called CS Fresh by Cold Storage. The mall is called Great World City and there are free shuttles to it from various parts of the city. 

The mall also has a large and varied food court so we decide to get something to eat there. Food is very cheap and freshly cooked so it fills a hole.

 

Last time we were here there was an M & S, and a Laura Ashley, both of which have now gone. The mall is being greatly extended and once finished it should be a great place to shop.

 

As we walk back we can see that there is a massive amount of building going on here in Singapore. The Metro station near the hotel is well underway and will be a great addition.

Huge new high rise apartments are springing up everywhere.

 

 

 

Look carefully and you can just see the nose of the ‘ship‘ which is on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel on the right hand side on the final building.

[ellie1145]

TO SLEEP,  PERCHANCE TO DREAM.........

From  our bedroom window we can see the Marina Bay Sands ‘ship’ poking out from behind a building in the distance, we can also see the ArtScience Museum which looks like an opening flower. It’s an amazing city, and tonight it’s full of twinkling lights and looks quite magical. It’s time for a quick cup of tea and a biscuit before a relaxing bath.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a tiring but exciting 24 hours and we are thrilled to be back here.

 

But for now sleep beckons.

 

Tomorrow the adventure really begins........

Edited June 24, 2020 by ellie1145

[MarcsSharon]

Love following along...thank you so so much!!!