Lobbylin

Be sure to find time to visit Asakusa in Tokyo post cruise. This is where you will see lots of pretty ladies dresses in traditional kimonos, food stalls, trinket shopping stalls, stunning temples and great atmosphere - even for young people. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3004.html

Glad you got sorted - if Vincent is confirmed for you, let me know with the date of your tour and your first names, and I will message him, as I’m still in touch via WhatsApp with him. Nice young man who takes great pictures. Their English accents are heavy but we understood what he was saying. He added in the Buddha visit for us (not described in the tour) and the bell ringing there, which I’m sure your daughter would love…

When we arrived in Hualien (Taiwan) on the Queen Elizabeth, all paperwork was done by our immigration team on board - we didn’t have to meet any officials or so passport control. When the ship was cleared (promptly on arrival) we went ashore in Hualien & Keelung. It may be that we had to carry our passports ashore - we visited so many countries that I can’t recall the rules for each one, but I had private tours in both Taiwanese ports and we had no delays or problems. Our ship arrived 6am-6pm, and my private tour was 8am

I think you can message the operator via the tour link and ask about availability… we very much enjoyed that tour and it is very reasonably priced. Good Luck! This is their direct website, say you know someone who toured with Vincent Lee and recommended the tour to you. https://www.yolo-taiwan.com/service-page/5-seat-private-northern-taiwan-tour?referral=service_list_widget

You have to pay an entrance fee to go to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, so it’s not the price of a drink… Singapore airport does offer a few touristy things, but it’s not really a destination for me. If you like wine and don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it, head to ‘Wine Connection’ at Cuppage Terrace - they do western food there too. Be warned that ordering Alcohol in any hotel is mega expensive! Beers are much cheaper than wine. Lau Pa Sat is a great hawker food center. The evening show in Gardens by the bay is free - head to the area right by “Super tree Grove” which is a cluster of around 12 “trees” and find a place on the floor to lie down and look up!! Bring something to lie on😉😂. We got a taxi there and ate at the Satay by the Bay food stalls first, before walking over to the SuperGrove. Getting a taxi after the show was a bit of a nightmare, but we did eventually get one. I use the Grab taxi app in Singapore. The Gardens by the Bay light show or the “Garden Rhapsody” as it’s called, takes place daily at The Supertree Grove at 7.45pm & 9.45pm. It is made up of massive tree-like structures complete with 12 technologically advanced iconic trees. Lobbylin

Lau Pa Sat is a great hawker food center in Singapore & very easy to get to on MRT

When I booked on Viator I listed the pick up as Nha Trang Port - after making the booking you can message the operator and they will tell you to walk out of the port gate (2mins from where you tender in): then for my cooking class, he told us to wait outside the Institute of Oceanography ( again literally just outside the port gate). He was waiting there with a board with my name. We connected by WhatsApp before the day. If your cellphone has ESim capabilities, you can download a very cheap ESim from the Airalo app to cover all Asia port days. I bought the USD37 for 13 Asian ports for 30 days with 10GB of data Always book tours that are fully cancellable as then you can cancel if the operator doesn’t appear helpful about meeting with you at the various ports. here’s a pic of the evening light show too👍 The Singapore MRT is very easy to use to get about. Just tap in and out with a credit card. Or download the GRAB taxi app, which is again easy

We are currently in the Queen Elizabeth in Nha Trang - today we did a Viator tour and had a blast. It’s not a beach tour, so if you head to Sentosa Island in Singapore before you embark, your daughter will love the beaches and various water activities there. Today we did a Viator cooking class in Nha Trang This is the review I just posted on our activities today: saves me re typing it all!: Today we enjoyed a fabulous day with Dat of the Viet Garden Cooking Class. It truly was a real "field to fork" experience. We visited the herb and vegetable growers, watched the coconut milk being extracted from coconuts, shredded the rice noodles; then went to the local market to buy the rest of the ingredients. At the cooking school, the facilities are clean and very welcoming, and being outdoors, there is a nice natural breeze and ceiling fans to keep you cool. We got to prepare the ingredients, cook the food (and of course eat it!) : pork & prawn spring rolls with chilli dipping sauce, marinaded fish in lemongrass, shallots & fish sauce, coconut chicken curry with rice and noodles. We really loved that we got to see the origin of every aspect of the ingredients we were using. Highly recommended - Dat is such a warm and welcoming person, even my husband who normally does not cook absolutely loved the whole experience. In a few days time we will be in Keelung Taiwan. I will post pack then on our Viator booked tour to Chiufen then😊 Taiwan is actually a very interesting place, we have docked there before a few years ago In Singapore be sure to do the free light and music show in the Gardens by the Bay at 7.45pm & 8.45pm every day. It’s magical!

We will be embarking in Singapore April 3rd after this dry dock - I just read on another thread that the laundrettes will be refreshed with new machines as well

We’ll be travelling to Asia (including Japan) next month. I have an IPhone with ESim capability and plan on buying an ESim from Airolo (download their app in advance) You can buy an Asia ESim with them 5Gb for 30 days for USD20👍

Thank you for all the replies - hopefully (weather permitting) we will get to visit Intrepid.🤞👍

What is the protocol for vacating cabins on disembarkation day when the ship doesn’t dock until 10am? Do they still want you out of your cabin by 8.30am??

We arrive in NY at 10am on Dec 22 on NCL Gem. We are b2b on the Gem for the next leg which sails at 4pm, with instructions that we must all be aboard 2 hrs before we sail… so 2pm. Are we really going to get any useful time to go ashore? How long will it take to disembark and clear immigration as we are not US citizens? We really wanted to visit Intrepid, as we should be docked 5-10mins walk away, but I can’t risk buying a timed ticket in case everything runs late. I assume they do walk up tickets too? Oh, and I forgot that we need to move cabins too for the next leg 😂😂 thanks…

I only found your blog yesterday and have loved reading it all and seeing your pictures, info, tips and comments - I’ll be doing a fair bit of this itinerary on the Epic next year… so excited now.. fabulous scenery and cities… and thanks to you, a few new foodie places to try are saved on my google maps👍😁 In a few days, I’ll be joining the newly refurbished Gem from Barcelona, so it was great to read that you enjoyed the ship! I hope we don’t get too many new staff changes after the dry dock. Can you tell me how many power points and what kind there are in the staterooms? I’m from the UK so like European sockets as well😊 Also, more a female question, is the hairdryer in the bathroom or at the dressing table with mirror? Thank you so much!!

No can do…. Different rules for non-US bookings

Sadly everything Europeans, Brits (and some other countries) change or cancel accrues an amendment fee or loses you your deposit 😉 There is a way to get round it - get yourself a good US travel agent and reap the same benefits and opportunities as Americans

Wow! I guess there are certain amounts which they consider cheaper for them to refund on board rather than arranging a refund to you. Thank you to everyone who responded 👍

Thank you so much - I will contact them now - any price near that is extremely reasonable. Much appreciated 👍😊

If I cancel a shore excursions on board and the amount is refunded to my ship board account- can I take that as cash on the last day? Their blurb says they refund it as a check if you don’t spend it, but tut would be a pain - I’d rather just be refunded in cash

We will have been travelling for 6 weeks on various ships by the time we get off in Southampton after a QM2 transatlantic on our final journey back home - and the thought of lugging various suitcases etc to get the National Express bus/ taxis etc is not exciting me at all 😄 We have a 1pm flight to catch from Heathrow and want the simplest and most cost effective way of getting there. Thanks😊

Can anyone advise what Cunard charge for their ships transfer from Southampton to London Heathrow T5. I looked at their Intercruise Coach link and Intercruise want £116 for 2 people. I also looked up a local taxi company and they quote £125. I’m leaning towards the local taxi for the £10 extra, but curious to know if Cunard charge something different on board? thanks Linda

Well I made it into Canada this evening!! And no emails asking hubby or I to do the adhoc test so I’m very happy. To be honest, we did test ourselves before leaving home too.

Do they insist on a PCR test, or can you have a Rapid Test? I ask as they say with a PCR you can still show as positive upto 180 days after having caught covid.

Thank you to you too Northern Aurora 💕👍

Thank you!!!!!!😁🛳