cricket03

GeoM0zez, You have to contact Kevin by going to the toursbylocals website. Search for the country So Korea and it will bring up different tours and their guides. You should see Kevin's name if he is still guiding, which he probably is. All emails must go through their website and you can communicate with him before you book. Just follow their instructions. It's easy and he'll answer within 24 hours or less. He is very good about answering. Remember there is a 12-13 hr time difference and they are a day ahead.

Hope this helps and you can find a tour that suits you.

We just returned from the first half (FLL to Hong Kong) of the 2017 World Cruise on HAL. If you are looking for an independent tour in Nagasaki and/or Seoul, So Korea, we recommend using ToursbyLocals dot com.

For a very different tour of Nagasaki we booked a Christian Sites tour with Miyuki, a local Japanese woman who knew English well and took us to the 26 Martyrs Museum and other places mentioned in the new movie (and book) "Silence". There were 6 of us and we took trolleys and buses around town, also spending time at Ground Zero where Miyuki informed us her grandfather was one of the few survivors of the bomb. She is an excellent guide and made our day really memorable. She met us at the ship and returned us 2 hours before sailing. Cost is very reasonable at $45 pp -- they give a flat rate and you divide by how many people go--we were a party of 6. This is a tour that HAL does not even offer and I'm not sure about other lines. Since you don't really tip in Japan, we "tipped" her in our loose leftover Yen since it was our last stop in Nagasaki and she was thrilled that she could get herself a cup of coffee. I also had purchased a handmade Christmas ornament in Marjuro, Marshall Islands before we arrived and presented it to her as a gift with a note of appreciation. She was more overjoyed at receiving this gift than the money. Earlier in our tour she presented each of us with a beautiful oragami crane she hand made when she talked of them at the Peace Park. You will not go wrong using her or this company.

In Seoul, we also booked through toursbylocals dot com Kevin who met us at the ship and waited for over half hour while our immigration process was held up. Again we had a party of 6 people, this tour costing $80 pp. What an informative man, so friendly and full of laughter. His van was comfortable and we took off from Incheon to Seoul taking in the Seoul Tower which is a wonderful view over Seoul. Because we were late getting off the ship, he changed our around our itinerary so we could see the colorful and interesting changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung Palace. He was thoughtful to do this. We still did everything we had planned and more. We were there on a Saturday and they have been having demonstrations every weekend concerning the president's scandal. Roads are blocked off the closer to the evening that you get. He knew exactly what was happening at all times to route us around and yet still take in everything. We left the city as people were pouring in to it-they expected 1 million!! As a tip here, we gave him some loose change but his real appreciation was our purchasing him a cup of coffee when we took an afternoon break. We had told him we only wanted to snack at lunchtime so while at a traditional market, he explained all the food on the street and helped us purchase what the locals ate. Sooo good and no one got sick! Kevin was so good that day, and because we were in port the following day unexpectedly due to not being able to go to Jeju because of weather, he happened to be free and 4 of our group (along 3 others from the ship) booked him for the following day to go back to the DMZ. They told me the tour was just as good as ours and Kevin, again, was able to personalize what was being seen and the history.

Hope this helps someone who might want to tour these two cities on your own. I have never been disappointed by this online company anywhere in the world that I've used them. The guides are top notch and attentive to your needs while giving you a stellar tour at lower than ship excursion costs.

We spent 2 months this past winter in Maui and the brochures at the rental car are pretty extensive. The road to Hana is worth it but it will be a very long day of twisting and turning. There's a lot to do there. We had "Maui Revealed" book with us and it is in depth but for 4 days you will find more things to do than you have time.

If you are there on a Thursday evening and want something unusual that is purely local culture and free, there is a small church in Kihei, Keolahou Congregation Church, that has a ukelele evening (it's not a service but a secular event) and often times have hula performers dance-- all amateurs. Locals bring their ukeleles (you can bring one too if you have one) and everyong plays together, experienced and beginners. They also sing Hawaiian songs in native Hawaiian and in English. Starts at 7pm I think -- get there at least 20-30 min early because it fills up usually, and there no air conditioning so you may to be near a window or the back door. We enjoyed a taste of what the locals do. They are a friendly group of people.

Watch the weather...if it rains, go to the "flower dome" or the "rainforest conservtory" at Marina Bay (that's near the new cruise terminal, which you are NOT at)....they are enclosed. if it's not raining, catch a cab/taxi (reasonable cost and efficeint, about 10 bucks) from the Harbour Front cruise terminal to the Botanical Gardens and make sure you go into the Orchid enclosure (a small entry charge..2 bucks, I think)......enjoy your stay....and when you return to your cruise terminal, remember to tell the taxi driver which cruise terminal you are heading to i.e. Marina Bay or Harbour Front....enjoy Indonesia

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Great info. Thanks!!

You can try this website to see where your ship will dock.

http://www.singaporecruise.com.sg/index.php/?page_id=110&action=cruise

I checked it out and it looks like we're at Harborfront terminal - had a little trouble deciphering the terminals. We're on the Rotterdam Jan & Feb stopping in Singapore before going to Indonesia as well -- saw that you were there last year. Thanks for the website.

Thanks again for all your responses. You are all very helpful.:D

Thanks all of you for the info. I have no idea where we'll dock yet. We'll be there in Jan so I've a little time to find out where. Both sound great. I didn't know about the new garden - was wanting to see the orchid gardens so we may do that one where ever we're docked. But a good point made about close proximity if the day is really hot. Thanks again -- I love these boards, everyone is so helpful.

What is the best way to get to the Singapore Botanical Gardens from the port? Taxi & Cost? Mass Transit --is it close to port and easy to use to get to the gardens. Thanks for any info you might have --

Cost to cruise terminal should be about $20 or less.

Thanks for such a rapid response. I love these boards!

Cost to cruise terminal should be about $20 or less.

Thanks for such a rapid response.

Had read a little of this hotel before booking. Got a priceline cost of $100 for 1/11/12 -- had been trying to get a decent place around that price for over a month in the port area but that time of year low prices even from priceline aren't easy to get. We were very pleased to get the Riverside as we've never stayed in that area before a cruise.

Question: What is the taxi cost to the cruise terminal?

I saw that a taxi costs about $20 from airport but couldn't find this info. Thanks for your help.