Asia Sailings Question(s)???

[Bo1953]

Hello all, looking for input/recommendations and experiences for Asian sailings on X...

 

This would be for 2025, possibly shoulder (Dec/Jan/Feb months) is this correct???

 

While we really enjoy M Class, I think S Class would be the better option for ship size and activities???

 

TIA for your thoughts and suggestions... and,

 

bon voyage

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Hello all, looking for input/recommendations and experiences for Asian sailings on X...

 

This would be for 2025, possibly shoulder (Dec/Jan/Feb months) is this correct???

 

While we really enjoy M Class, I think S Class would be the better option for ship size and activities???

 

TIA for your thoughts and suggestions... and,

 

bon voyage

Asia is a big place with winter weather varying from snow/ice to hot/balmy.  To say that the "devil is in the details" would be an understatement.  As a simple example, while visiting a place like India might be fine in Dec, I would not recommend northern Japan in the winter.  

 

When it comes to Asia I do think climate needs to be a major consideration, so you should take a good look at the various countries you would visit.  I did take a quick look at the 2024 X itineraries (for Asia) and they do have some interesting itineraries that include places like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.  For us, when we cruise in Asia (which we will be doing in a few weeks) it is the itinerary that drives our decision with the cruise line/ship a secondary consideration.  Limiting yourself to a single cruise line (i.e. X) simply limits your options.

 

Hank

[NMTraveller]

Japan seems to be one of the most popular.  It books out far in advance.

 

It does depend upon what months you want to cruise.  Destinations vary by month.

 

We are going to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore mostly due to what itineraries are available during certain months.

[Bo1953]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Asia is a big place with winter weather varying from snow/ice to hot/balmy.  To say that the "devil is in the details" would be an understatement.  As a simple example, while visiting a place like India might be fine in Dec, I would not recommend northern Japan in the winter.  

 

When it comes to Asia I do think climate needs to be a major consideration, so you should take a good look at the various countries you would visit.  I did take a quick look at the 2024 X itineraries (for Asia) and they do have some interesting itineraries that include places like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.  For us, when we cruise in Asia (which we will be doing in a few weeks) it is the itinerary that drives our decision with the cruise line/ship a secondary consideration.  Limiting yourself to a single cruise line (i.e. X) simply limits your options.

 

Hank

I understand this line, yet for a variety of reasons, my spouse is not one to move from the familiar, quickly, plus the the known policies and etc...

 

As such, it will be X.

 

I anticipate we will be away for up to 17 days with most of it cruising.

 

Thank you again and bon voyage

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Bo1953 said:

I understand this line, yet for a variety of reasons, my spouse is not one to move from the familiar, quickly, plus the the known policies and etc...

 

As such, it will be X.

 

I anticipate we will be away for up to 17 days with most of it cruising.

 

Thank you again and bon voyage

When it comes to anywhere in Asia, getting there is not half the fun (unless you take a really long transpacific cruise.  The air sometimes seems awful (especially in economy) and never ending.  Accordingly, one can make a great case for spending as much time as possible within Asia :).  Consider that you can now fly non-stop between the East Coast and some Asian airports on flights that are about 16 hours!  It makes a great case to bite the financial bullet and splurge for Business Class (lay flat seats) or at least Premium Economy (which is quite good on some Asian airlines).

 

Hank

[Bo1953]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

When it comes to anywhere in Asia, getting there is not half the fun (unless you take a really long transpacific cruise.  The air sometimes seems awful (especially in economy) and never ending.  Accordingly, one can make a great case for spending as much time as possible within Asia :).  Consider that you can now fly non-stop between the East Coast and some Asian airports on flights that are about 16 hours!  It makes a great case to bite the financial bullet and splurge for Business Class (lay flat seats) or at least Premium Economy (which is quite good on some Asian airlines).

 

Hank

I consider this an essential, not a splurge... LOL

 

Otherwise we would not be going...

 

Thank you and bon voyage

[Jim_Iain]

Bo-

A couple years ago we did a combination TP - Vancouver to Yokohama followed with the Japanese Immersion Cruise.   Great combination if you have the time.

 

The crossing was really cold and rough around the Aleutians.   The stops in Japan were amazing.  We did have some challenges.

 

There was a fast moving Typhoon approaching on turn around day and got a call at 6:00 to report to a lounge as all B2B's were being evacuated from the ship. They put us up (according to room type) in different hotels.   We were in a beautiful one within walking distance of the Port but on the 42 story.

 

There were 2 more typhoons that affected our second cruise and missed Hiroshima 3 times on reschedules but finally was able to do Nagasaki as a substitute.   We lost one day and all ports were shifted by a day.  

 

I would definitely do Japan/Korea again.

[Hlitner]

16 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

I consider this an essential, not a splurge... LOL

 

Otherwise we would not be going...

 

Thank you and bon voyage

These days the air can be a challenge.  In a couple of months, we need to fly to Tokyo (from the East Coast).  The obvious route would have been to fly Delta non-stop from ATL.  But we saved thousands of dollars by booking British Air from IAD to LHR and then JAL.  It did not make a lot of sense, but the price made the decision easy.  On our last flight to Singapore, we saved thousands by flying China Airlines (the Taiwanese airline) from JFK to Taipai and later on to Singapore.  That long flight to Taipai turned out to be one of our favorite long-range flights....ever.  China Airlines had a wonderful Biz Class product with some very high-end booze (such as JW Blue).  

 

I have also come to the conclusion that most US airlines consider their flight schedules as "advisory" rather than a real schedule.  I cannot remember the last time we booked any flight (more than a few months in advance) with a US airline where there not schedule changes!  We seldom have this problem with the foreign carriers.  By the way, many of the highest rated airlines in the world are Asian airlines.

 

Hank

[4774Papa]

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Hello all, looking for input/recommendations and experiences for Asian sailings on X...

 

This would be for 2025, possibly shoulder (Dec/Jan/Feb months) is this correct???

 

While we really enjoy M Class, I think S Class would be the better option for ship size and activities???

 

TIA for your thoughts and suggestions... and,

 

bon voyage

Bo,

We did two cruises in 2015 in Asia and both were excellent.   

The first was from Singapore to Dubai, with four ports in India and one in Oman.  It was in the old class that preceded the M class, forgot the name.   We loved that ship, but it was decommissioned soon after our cruise.   The ports were great and we did five days in Singapore prior to the cruise as well as a two day tour of Malaysia.

 

The second was the one of the best cruises ever.  It was from Tokyo to Hong Kong and included four ports in the main islands of Japan, Shanghi, Taiwan, ending in Hong Kong.  Wonderful cruise.  Don't remember the name of the ship.

 

We book based on itinerary and price and don't really care about the ship.

 

I highly recommend any cruise that included Japan.  Also, we did several days pre-cruise in Japan prior to the cruise.  Do a three day Kyoto tour, don't miss it.

[bigbenboys]

We sailed on Millie twice in Asia 2016 and 2017. I would book Solstice 6 Feb 2025. If you want to see Bangkok you should overnight in town. I'm not sure why the March 2025 sailing cost less. 

[mom says]

Bo, we've done a B2B (29 days)  on Connie that started in Abu Dhabi and ended in Shanghai. This was in January/Feb before the pandemic. We thought the Connie was a great ship and would have no compunction about sailing on any of the M class ships. However at that time of year, the more northern ports (From Hong Kong north) we found chilly or downright cold. The weather in the more southerly regions was significantly warmer. Something to consider if you will be sailing in Asia in the winter months.

[NMTraveller]

I think that you get these temperature variations when sailing on any lengthy cruise that goes a fair distance.

 

We did a New Zealand cruise that started in Sydney.  Sydney was summer time hot hot.  New Zealand was rather chilly.  Just dress for the ports.

 

 

[Boatharbour]

2 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Bo,

We did two cruises in 2015 in Asia and both were excellent.   

The first was from Singapore to Dubai, with four ports in India and one in Oman.  It was in the old class that preceded the M class, forgot the name.   We loved that ship, but it was decommissioned soon after our cruise.   The ports were great and we did five days in Singapore prior to the cruise as well as a two day tour of Malaysia.

 

The second was the one of the best cruises ever.  It was from Tokyo to Hong Kong and included four ports in the main islands of Japan, Shanghi, Taiwan, ending in Hong Kong.  Wonderful cruise.  Don't remember the name of the ship.

 

We book based on itinerary and price and don't really care about the ship.

 

I highly recommend any cruise that included Japan.  Also, we did several days pre-cruise in Japan prior to the cruise.  Do a three day Kyoto tour, don't miss it.

I second the Tokyo to Hong Kong cruise as well. We sailed this itinerary in November - December 2019 on the Millennium. We had a few days in Tokyo beforehand plus several more in Hong Kong after the cruise before flying home to Sydney. 

The autumn foliage in Japan was stunning and the weather very comfortable at this time of year. One of our best and most interesting cruises yet and the ship size was perfect.

[NMTraveller]

Also keep in mind that you can do a B2B.  We would do one if I had more time available (on different ships).  After all it is a long flight.

Edited February 19, 2023 by NMTraveller