Singapore

[cruzisme]

we will be in Singapore early November.

any hints as to what are 'must do's' in this city?

how did you cope with the high humidity?

we are staying at the Carlton (not the Ritz Carlton) anyone else stay there in the past?

 

any comments will be helpful!

[Spikesgirl]

We visited Singapore as part of our cruise with Princess and we really enjoyed the time that we spent at the Raffles hotel. It was architecturally interesting, the food was good and the bar, where we stopped for the obligatory Singapore Sling was fun.

 

We also had a tour through Chinatown, which in itself was okay, but the shopping was pretty great, if you like that sort of thing.

 

The best way to deal with the humidity. We went in July, so there was a lot of it. We wore loose cotton clothes, drank lots of water and carried around a small washcloth to wipe our forehead and necks. Hats are good, so is a fan (the paper kind).

 

Enjoy the city - we certainly did.

 

Charlie

[mare s.]

Charlie, did you wander Singapore on your own or as part of a tour? Is it generally easy to get around town? We're going there next year and don't want to get burned out on organized tours...we always like to keep a couple of cities just to do on our own.

[montelco]

Charlie, did you wander Singapore on your own or as part of a tour? Is it generally easy to get around town? We're going there next year and don't want to get burned out on organized tours...we always like to keep a couple of cities just to do on our own.

 

We did a half day Singapore tour of all the sights which helped to orientate us and see what was available. It was fun and lasted only a couple of hours. We then returned to visit Chinatown on our own and the Cultural Museum in the Centre is fantastic. We are going to Singapore again in November 2007 and will try to visit the musuem again for the experience. It really opens your eyes to what it was like to live there in the early days.

 

Little India is different and worth a visit. Changi was thought provoking. If you like gardens, the Chinese Gardens with the Twin Pagodas was worth a visit, but take plenty of water and handkerchiefs for the humidity.It is easily accessible on the MRT. Pop into air conditioned shops to cool off. The MRT transport system is easy to use and if you are there for a few days buy an EZIlink card that you just swipe when you get on the trains. The routes are colour coordinated and easy to use. You can claim left over credit at the airport when you leave.

 

We tended to eat in the local food halls which were tasty and inexpensive.

 

Orchard Road is a shopping Mecca but can be quite pricey though in the Tang building from memory, there are some good bargains in perfumes. Post offices are few and far between.

 

Singapore is a lovely, clean city to visit and the people are friendly. You should enjoy your experience. Have fun.

[Spikesgirl]

Mare s. - our tour with through the ship, but Singapore seemed a very easy town to get around in. We saw lots of taxis and everyone we spoke with had a pretty good grasp of English. As Montelco says, people are really friendly and are anxious for you to have a good time in their city. They are also just delighted to talk to a visitor and try out their English - which was much better than my fractured attempt at their language.

 

Of all the cities we visited, it was one of the better ones to do one your own.

 

Charlie

[cruzisme]

could you pls. explain where/what this is? are they food courts like in our malls?

 

did you use Singapore $$$ or US dollars?

 

thanks

[montelco]

:)

could you pls. explain where/what this is? are they food courts like in our malls?

 

did you use Singapore $$$ or US dollars?

 

thanks

I suppose the best way to describe the food halls is that they are like the food courts in shopping centres. We went to one near the fire station and the Penisular hotel (Coleman Street)because there were lots of locals eating there. The food was tasy and very inexpensive, but is not like a restaurant at all. I think we paid $4 for a large plate of fried rice with condiments. It is a great place to grab a meal and then continue sightseeing. I think that they refer to them as Hawker centres. We used Singapore dollars rather than US dollars.

 

Make sure you grab yourself a Singapore map from any tourist office or at the airport. Once you find your hotel and orientate yourself it is easy to get around.

 

The MRT pass can also be used on buses which have tvs in them as long as you have put enough money on them and the buses are quite an experience. People are more than willing to help you if you get lost. From memory I think that we got a $10 or $15 dollar pass for the four days we were there and we didn't use all of it. It is very easy to walk from MRT stations to local sites.

 

We are looking forward to returning to Singapore in December this year.

 

Cheers!

[montelco]

could you pls. explain where/what this is? are they food courts like in our malls?

 

did you use Singapore $$$ or US dollars?

 

thanks

By the way, I forgot to mention that the half day tour took us to Chinatown, Little India, Mount Faber and the Botanic Gardens which opened our eyes to the vastly different cultures in Singapore. I think it dropped us off at Suntech which is a large shopping centre.

 

We still have lots to explore. We did do the Night Zoo after our half day Singapore tour which was lots of fun.:) Eat before you go because the food is expensive there like most similar places.

[Nylsor]

We visited Singapore en route to Australia and found it very easy to get around on our own. We used taxis and were never overcharged. One driver explained that taxis in Singapore are strictly regulated and that drivers will lose their licences if they overcharge. We felt very safe wherever we went and had no trouble in communicating as most people spoke (some)English. Have a meal at the Boat Quay at night - magical! Everything is very clean and we also ate at the food courts which had a very good variety of food and were cheap. We used Singapore dollars. We are looking forward to visiting Singapore again in October 2008 as it is a port on our Beijing to Bangkok cruise. Raffles is interesting due to its history but we loved everything about Singapore.

[Desert Cruisers]

I can highly recommend a visit to the Night Zoo. It is located in "suburban" Singapore but is reachable by public transportation. There may also be a shuttle/charter tour service but we did it on our own.

 

The public transportation is efficient, safe and clean. The food courts or hawker centres are great places to try a variety of Asian cuisines at low prices. The vast majority of these centres are clean.

 

While we enjoyed our time in Singapore, it doesn't have as many "wow" sights as other places in Asia. It is the most Americanized city in Asia so it is a nice low hassle place to visit.:)

[fredmar]

We are on a cruise in early November and are stopping for a day in Singapore. Did anyone notice whether there were taxis where the

cruiseship docked available to take passengers into town as we would

rather take a taxi direct to the places we wish to visit instead of taking

the ship's shuttle and then taking a taxi from there.

 

Please advise. Thanks.

 

lido

[fivefoot4]

I also would recommend the Night Zoo which I enjoyed immensely but did take the tour including dinner there as I was travelling alone and found it more convenient and safer at night. I also used the trourist bus 'CityBuzz' to get around and only costs S$1 a trip and there are bus stops at a lot of the main tourist areas and hotels (see their internet site for more details and routes). I found Singapore to be very safe and clean and you an eat at any of the Hawkers Centres. We will be planning on eating at Clark Quay this time in November as it will be close to where we are staying at the Swissotel. Raffles is a must see even if you just look around and and have a Singapore Sling to say you have been there and done that. Oh and carry a light umbrella with you in case of showers.

[cruzisme]

Is it better to use Singapore currency or do they accept USD and are fair with the exchange, etc.

just trying to figure out if it is worth getting S. money for the few 3 days that we are there (just need money for bus, Night Zoo entrance fee, some meals at the hawkers(?) centers etc)

 

please advise!

[fivefoot4]

I used Singapore dollars which I got at the airport. I was there for 3 days but used my credit card to pay for the Zoo trip.

[CruiserMom]

We disembark in Singapore early morning, but our flight is not until 11:30 pm.

Any suggestions for a private tour company or driver that could take us around for the day & drop us at the airport? Didn't see any mentioned.

 

Or, any other suggestions as to how to spend the day seeing the sights in comfort without luggage? We're on Japan Airlines.

 

Thanks.

[cruzisme]

well, we are back from Singapore. We did the Night Zoo with a tour company and I would recommend the Zoo for sure.

Shopping: in Chinatown, they have these alleys (streets) that are full of outdoor stalls/stores in the back. Some good prices for souvenirs but do check around. I personally found it crowded and didn't purchase anything.

Be prepared to be overwhelmed by all the stores and malls on Orchard Road. Lots to shop for if that is what you are interested in. Many names that you will recognize.

Bumboats: go to Clarke Quay and enjoy the half hour boat ride.

Umbrellas: you can buy a great umbrella (has sun resistant lining too) from the Hop On, Hop Off bus for 10 Singapore $$. Has a nice lion on the handle. Good quality & nice souvenir.

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[simonv]

Take the half-day city tour to orient yourself, then go on your own. You don't need a guide there. Subways are safe and efficient, and plenty of taxis available.

 

Every time we are in Singapore, we make a point of going to Newton Center, a large outdoor hawker center. The variety and quality there is amazing. It's a must stop as far as I'm concerned, but our primary interest in foreign country is food.

 

Singapore is at the equator, so there's no difference in temperature in summer or winter. It's always hot and humid. But you can always go into a shop to cool off.

 

Singapore is clean, safe and easy to get around. You'll have no problem being on your own.

[CRUISERTN]

The "Hop On - Hop Off" bus is a good way to get a general tour of the area. The route goes to many of the major areas. You can get off and on at any time and I think the busses run about every half hour. Enjoy!! The various ethnic neighborhoods are especially interesting, as is the flower gardens!

[pchen0]

Any recommendations for a nice hotel for a 1-night post-cruise stay?

[LouCru1033]

Try the Swissotel Merchant Court. We stayed there for three nights after our Asia Cruise. It is great.

[jane02]

We will be there in three weeks time and staying at Raffles pre cruise.

[keela1eva2]

I am flying out to Auckland and having a stopover in Singapore of 2 nights. Arrive early in the morning. Flying with Singapore Airlines and they do a stopover package of hotel transfers hop on off bus and discounts for food in hotel as well as on excursions.

 

Hotels are rated A-E and I am looking at the D grade which includes the Marina Mandarin and the Orchard Mandarin as well as others. I can book this on line with a 10% discount at £196 for the 2 nights. Seems a fairly good deal to me. Looking for something similar in Auckland pre cruise.

 

Woman travelling alone but I think that Singapore seems pretty safe from my last visit there 12 years ago travelling with my Husband.

 

Advice please.

 

Sue

[ab0si]

Singapore may well be the safest city in the world.

 

The Marina Mandarin is a bit nicer but if "Orchard Mandarin" refers to Meritus Mandarin (which is on Orchard Road), I like it's location a bit better. Both are nice hotels, IMHO. If you haven't done so yet, check out the reviews on tripadvisor.com.

 

Paul

[keela1eva2]

Hi thanks for your reply.

The D hotels in the stopover with SA are.

Meritus Mandarin

Marina Mandarin

The Regent

Swisshotel Stamford.

 

The only hotel in the E category avaibable is the Ritz Carlton.

 

The E grade with the 10% discount for 2 nights is £240

The D grade with the 10% is £194.

 

The others named are not available for my dates.

 

Sue

[keela1eva2]

The hotels available now for the SIA stopover have opened up other options.

 

1 The Oriental Mandarin

2 the Shangri-la Hotel

3 The Fairmount Hotel

4 Ritz Carlton .

 

The cost for these is £240 for the 2 nights and this is £46 more than the D listed hotels. Are they worth the difference? Which of these would you recommend?

 

Sue