Jump to content

Mariner of the Seas From Singapore 10/22/15- Complete Picture Review!


gapearl
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone! I have migrated over here from the Carnival boards for a little while to bring you my review of my Mariner of the Seas cruise! Get ready to be taken along on my adventure of a lifetime through four countries in Southeast Asia for two amazingly awesome weeks.





cfcf7ec6-66b9-49ca-8133-b686896a7cd2_zpsv3o78g0e.jpg

My name is Kimberly, and I'm a 35 year old single, solo traveler from Atlanta. This was my 15th cruise, 13 of those on Carnival and now I've had the chance to sail Royal Caribbean for the second time. My first Royal cruise was on the Navigator of the Seas to the Mediterranean in 2012. Here's the link to the review for that one.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1734004

 

I got asked a lot, why this itinerary? My response- why not??!! I love traveling to new places and experiencing new cultures. Over the last year and a half, in addition to cruises, I've vacationed quite a bit throughout Latin America. I was initially contemplating a return to South America to Peru (for Machu Picchu of course) but decided I wanted to do something different. As much as I love cruises, I'm beginning to love land trips just as much, maybe more. Royal Caribbean has some awesome itineraries to many exotic places all over the world, so I got to combine both a cruise and land trip. I spent 5 days in Singapore before the cruise and 2 days in Hong Kong after on my way back home.

 

c982609e-70a1-4a4d-b7c0-ff6eec4d7979_zpsjtf8eyrm.jpg

 

My friends, family and coworkers were intrigued and asked a million questions about Singapore before I left. Will it be warm there? Yes, it will be. Singapore has a tropical climate. Do they speak English? Yes, indeed they do. Is it safe there? Absolutely, this is one of the safest places you could ever visit. Where is Singapore exactly? Located in Southeast Asia, 1 degree north of the Equator. I have a lot to cover about Singapore, so please be patient with be as I promise I will get to the cruise, Malaysia and Thailand. LOL ;)

 

f48dfe64-8420-4a80-b766-1165359b0822_zpscwrgiq4m.jpg

 

My reviews are very detailed and very picture heavy, and thus take a long time to put together. Please be patient as this will not be finished overnight. There aren't many reviews out there about the cruises from Asia, so hopefully this will help those of you cruising from Singapore (or considering it) in the near future. I hope this review might somehow inspire many you to get out of your comfort zone and travel to some new places. I say all the time that God created this world way too big to not see it all and that everyone should experience a different culture at least once in your life. Also I want you single women afraid to travel by yourself to see that you will be fine doing so and can have a lot of fun on your own.

 

I made a movie "preview" for my last cruise review which turned out to be a big hit, so here's my preview for this review.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO

|

|

|

|

\/

WATCH THE VIDEO

|

|

|

|

\/

WATCH THE VIDEO

|

|

|

|

\/

 

czlzXGsV5Gs

 

Are y'all ready for this? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Singapore- Day 1

 

After an hour and a half flight from Atlanta to Chicago, 13 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, another 7 hours from Tokyo to Singapore, plus layovers, I touched down after a total of 30 hours of traveling. When I arrived it was slightly after midnight local time. Singapore is 12 hours ahead of east coast time, so it was noon the day before back home.

 

2887e1cc-58c6-4449-9666-e230da5c2736_zpsv7dusle3.jpg

 

A friend of mine from the Philippines warned me about the bathrooms. :o

 

a576a440-fbda-462f-a043-2b1e4d2ef432_zpsmbrk2tp8.jpg

 

I love that they have free luggage carts to help you get through the airport.

 

db3b3249-2958-4a95-a346-a7970bbd5a4d_zpsieplz2ao.jpg

 

I suppose I still look somewhat decent after more than a day of traveling.

 

378f021a-27f8-4f9c-9440-d2d47bc06b53_zps2mkeyceh.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have my bowl of popcorn.....let's go!

 

I love your TR's. Some travel related company should snatch you up. Yours are so interesting and fun. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into these wonderful pictorial accounts of your travels around the world. One of theses days we will bump into each other on a Carnival ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Singapore- Day 1

 

After an hour and a half flight from Atlanta to Chicago, 13 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, another 7 hours from Tokyo to Singapore, plus layovers, I touched down after a total of 30 hours of traveling. When I arrived it was slightly after midnight local time. Singapore is 12 hours ahead of east coast time, so it was noon the day before back home.

 

2887e1cc-58c6-4449-9666-e230da5c2736_zpsv7dusle3.jpg

 

A friend of mine from the Philippines warned me about the bathrooms. :o

 

a576a440-fbda-462f-a043-2b1e4d2ef432_zpsmbrk2tp8.jpg

 

I love that they have free luggage carts to help you get through the airport.

 

db3b3249-2958-4a95-a346-a7970bbd5a4d_zpsieplz2ao.jpg

 

I suppose I still look somewhat decent after more than a day of traveling.

 

378f021a-27f8-4f9c-9440-d2d47bc06b53_zps2mkeyceh.jpg

 

Damn girl....you get extra points for traveling in a dress and heels. BTW you look like you just arrived at ATL for your first leg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before I forget, I would like to say thank you to two CC members that live in Singapore for all of their help! Iluvcruising2 was kind enough to respond to my emails as I was planning my trip and asking for suggestions on things to do. Cruiserinsg was a member of our the roll call and gave all new members a warm welcome to Singapore, and he kept us all updated on the haze situation over there (more on that later). Thank you guys! :)

 

I changed my money before leaving and the exchange rate was slightly better in Singapore. It was way too early to check into my hotel without being charged for a second night, so I paid $58 to stay in the airport club lounge called The Haven for a while to kill time. The Haven is fully equipped with snacks, drinks, showers, wifi, etc. You can even pay a little extra to have a private napping room. I was much more comfortable here than I would have been sitting in the airport terminal on a hard seat.

 

Price list for The haven.

 

50e8a3d6-d48b-410c-b2b0-9f6eaedf47ea_zpsvg8fzvtp.jpg

 

38e6fc0b-e843-4d80-865c-c5ecc40449e7_zpscxwem94o.jpg

 

Lots of snacks out for you. I also was served a free breakfast.

 

39170fff-a4bc-4936-b8d0-fe7b6d63b518_zps8hysjg5e.jpg

 

e02b8da9-dfbd-49de-8595-b599c332f98d_zps46iygw7b.jpg

 

1d2f8e2a-14f9-409c-a227-b6c4e45b8086_zpsjgcdpmej.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When my time was up I took a taxi to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, where I would be staying for one night. The ride cost $21 and took less than 15 minutes. It was a little after 7 am when I arrived. The front desk agent was going to let me check in, but there were no rooms available in my category since it was so early. I was able to leave my bags with the bell stand and headed up to the gym locker room for a long, hot shower before heading to the pool.

 

The infinity pool of the Marina Bay Sands is the main reason I chose to stay here. Any time you see one of those lists with the top 20 pools in the world, you will see this pool somewhere on there. I was hoping they sold day passes for twenty bucks or something, but no such luck. You have to be a registered guest for access and rooms here don't come cheap by any means. I have never paid as much as I did for a hotel room and was hesitant to do so, but a friend talked me into it. Kim, will $300 break you? No.... Will you regret not staying there later? Probably.... Just book the room. It ended being more like $375 by the time you added in taxes and fees, but this was a once in a lifetime bucket list kind of stay. This was only the beginning of me experiencing that #SingaporeIsExpensive.

 

Let me not worry about money for a few minutes and enjoy this view!

 

5af5eed5-0523-4ca9-bfef-0d36e7101b57_zpsamulob4y.jpg

 

42d215b9-da1a-4d99-9151-6665de6dc411_zpsbvc2gugk.jpg

 

2973d134-4c74-403e-8890-01d9c870a3e3_zpsunt2aai6.jpg

 

I'm literally on top of the world!

 

72101fc7-daf1-4d4d-b11b-c228b807246d_zpsty6ndnvg.jpg

 

The pool food and drink menu.

 

168e874d-c02d-4137-b2cb-dccfeba9f003_zps3a3fkm7g.jpg

 

fc1b7b5a-42ab-4e72-aa1a-a3dca133cf34_zpsqtsjmfde.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pool area was crowded all day, but I always saw empty chairs around somewhere. There were photographers in the water taking pictures that they would sell to you later in a folder with your picture on one side and a picture of the hotel on the other. I was expecting them to tell me $25 or so, but no, it was $90! For a PICTURE! #SingaporeIsExpensive. Y'all have lost the good sense God gave you to think I'm paying that much for a picture I don't even like. I'll pass.

 

More of me at the infinity pool. What an awesome morning.

 

0c69ea90-9b7f-4b8c-ba1d-58f45ffdebc3_zpszdsxld2q.jpg

 

This looks so much more dangerous than it really is.

 

a7eebe12-613d-486d-b43b-ce1728f3dd21_zpscmcfvef0.jpg

 

Selfie!

 

0e8014d7-849e-48bf-a00c-b084e510602b_zpsycyfbu1q.jpg

 

a1af3a45-88dc-4352-8072-8aa5f2c4c8e3_zps6shvuonn.jpg

 

1c1f0f34-bcf4-43ec-a8f2-0855f6d032e3_zpsbfknrmc2.jpg

 

73d45020-cbff-4392-a6c9-45256c7790b8_zps9kkkoz1y.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mall attached to the hotel is huge, like Mall of America huge. There were mostly high end, high price stores.

 

8100864f-7130-4916-a16e-161cab77d147_zpsiilo4bxt.jpg

 

Enjoy a gondola ride if you can't make it to Italy.

 

f5403d7a-eb1c-415f-a295-aaa242dbf562_zpsbnskpstn.jpg

 

Every woman's dream!

 

6aaaa759-7a12-4424-9170-9857991927ff_zpspr7ep76k.jpg

 

I had lunch at the food court from an Indian restaurant. The food was $14 and some change, but I accidentally left the remaining $5 on my tray when I left so the meal really cost me $20. :rolleyes:

 

490ddaa4-be91-46f7-bbda-7320045d451c_zpsxnx7vhb3.jpg

 

Imported fruit from the USA. #SingaporeIsExpensive. A bottle of lotion from Bath & Body Works was $24.

 

f834c67d-c0a3-494d-bbab-423312fc8ff9_zpsinf2osxh.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6366d91d-de3e-41b1-9062-a364c6ea2c72_zpsyuctvbfw.jpg

 

Looking up at the towers.

 

518ed1fa-5cee-4379-8414-6403cb8fbf3e_zps0pnsgrqc.jpg

 

I went back to my room for a quick 30 minute nap and woke up 5 hours later, feeling very refreshed. LOL I guess I was more exhausted then I thought. I didn't go to sleep the night before leaving for the airport since I had to finish packing and doing last minute things around the house, and the only sleep I got after that was on airplanes. I hadn't slept in a real bed in 3 days.

 

The casino.

 

501bf7fa-2722-41f8-81e5-5edd61cd1354_zpsjqttdds6.jpg

 

I won a few dollars on a slot machine. There are some unique games in the casinos here that I had never seen before. It was fun to walk around people watching. One observation I had was that I never noticed any cocktail servers like you would see in a casino here in the US. There were tables with free bottles of water, coffee and cappuccino machines, and self serve soda fountains, and pretty much everyone was drinking one of those nonalcoholic beverages. I don't think I saw a single person with a cocktail or even a bar anywhere inside.

 

Back up to the 57th floor for some the pool's evening view.

 

e7c93e98-0548-4e03-bd83-d0992501e078_zpsbkgqz9hn.jpg

 

12f3109b-ffb1-4675-b53a-707071409167_zpsj4excain.jpg

 

This view is unreal!

 

5ae5b02f-27ef-48b9-85e4-ab3c1bd38b20_zps4n7avcpt.jpg

Edited by gapearl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was 10 pm by now. Over at the rooftop bar/lounge they were charging men a $38 cover to enter (not worth it IMO), but ladies were still being admitted for free. I was looking forward to having a drink while enjoying the view, but remember that #SingaporeIsExpensive LOL. I swear, if you want to give up drinking, come here. The starting price for a glass of wine was $24 and I just couldn't bring myself to pay that. There was some good people watching up here too. The guys at the table next to me asked the two girls they were chatting with, "So do you do a lot of drugs in Russia?" followed immediately by "Are you religious?" The girl and guy I was sharing a high top table with looked they were minutes away from a hello, what's your name, wanna watch Netflix and chill kind of encounter. :D I wasn't trying to be nosy, but.....ok I'm lying. Yes I was being very nosy. haha When she finished her $30 glass of champagne he bought her she ditched him, so he and I started talking. He was a local and we had some good conversation for a while. The crowd continued to pick up and I left at midnight to head back to my room for a much needed good night's sleep.

0f0c633f-9a6b-4eae-b748-1bd001dac4f1_zpsd8tabewo.jpg

 

The bar with a small dance floor and the DJ booth behind it.

9ee0da60-61c9-4a24-a483-f0fe690d6c4f_zpsqopcottv.jpg

 

Lots of people were hanging out tonight.

e90b305e-826c-4182-8a28-07e835e55534_zpsfiegls8j.jpg

 

e7522444-ce69-4bb4-9c18-d30f6bf9b598_zpsdzhmydkp.jpg

 

This is the last thing I saw before I went to sleep.

90920dbc-34ef-4974-a7ca-2d435f83bcbd_zpst5g7sduk.jpg

 

Singapore part 2 up next....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...