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Hong Kong: Need help planning 2 days pre-cruise and 2 days post cruise.


stefanny28
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While technically Cosmopolitan is in the Wanchai district, it is perhaps easier to walk to the Causeway Bay MTR station. The walk may be longer slightly, but much easier and less crowded. Walk along Leighton towards east, in about 7 to 10 minutes, you would reach Leighton Centre (Crowne Plaza Express on the other side of the road). Turn left, and then you will find Times Square, a massive shopping mall, which is connected to the CWB MTR station through its basement. This is upscale territory relative to Mongkok, all kinds of shops and restaurants opening late in the night. Safe too.

 

If you wish to walk to Wanchai, there are several routes, the shortest way is to turn left when you exit the hotel, walk up the hill, pass the Sikh Temple and then down hill until you reach the old Wanchai Market. This stretch is quiet, no shops and few pedestrians and not much fun. But once you reach the old market, make a right turn and walk through a typical open air roadside wet market (Wanchai Road) which can be fun during the day. Then you shall reach Johnston Road and the Wanchai Station.

 

Across from the Cosmopolitan is the Happy Valley racecourse of the HK Jockey Club. I think the hotel has two buildings, with a residential building sandwiched between them.

 

Sky Shield

 

Thanks Sky Shield. I'll take note of the 2 walking paths. The hotel ofers a shuttle buti always nice to know there is an alternative.

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The Eaton hotel has very attractive non-refundable rate. Should I go ahead and book it?

I have never booked a non refundable rate that far in adavnce. what do you guys think?

 

I think that I am leaning toward either the Eaton ( non refundable) or the Cosmopolitan (refundable triple) or the Metro Winner ( 2 rooms).

My concern is what mking has mentioned: protest along Nathan road. Is it unsafe for tourists who have hotels booked in that area?

The Cosmopolitan looks great but a little bit far from the MTR for walking.

 

Please advise.

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Stef ... I knew there was something from Tripadvisor traveler's posts I read a while ago that triggered a caution flag in my mind - it might not be an issue to you & family. Aside from being a bit far, uphill from nearest MTR in Causeway Bay ... it's more in upper Wan Chai/Happy Valley Racetrack area (traffic could be a bit extra heavy on Wed/Saturday when horse racing are on, LOL) - to constantly wait & timing for hotel shuttle to come around (with riding room for 3 ... reminds me of the free car rental shuttle in Hawaii a few years ago, pure madness) - although, not necessary on 2 out of your 4 days in HK.

 

Now, the higher floors are great - just beware that cityviews could meant, once opening your nice dark window shades - you might be looking down at the nearby Muslim cemetery across the road, many find it acceptable while others not so much - same for another hotel in the Aberdeen area, nice & great reviews ... zoom in close on Google Map & you will see it off to the right. Oops - ;)

 

Now, being too far from the nearest MTR Station - not a problem, except maybe at rush hours with long taxi queue lines at the train stations - places like Wong Tai Sin, folks commute across the city via MTR, and - instead of taking the buses - would get into/share a taxi ride for that 1/2 mile, especially uphill, getting dropoff almost door to door. That could be your strategy for the Cosmo (or, another hotel like the Metropark KL ... Metropark MK seemed to be soldout now on Hotwire site.

 

As for the (remote ??) possibility of more civil unrest toward the end of the year, nobody knows for sure - there is a call for HK's independence, which obviously is not the majority view nor supported - previously, the hotspot was in Central by government & legislative HQ and in Mong Kok @ Nathan Road & Argyle Street. Jordan Road area is far enough - from the core hotspots on the Kowloon side, where the Nathan, Eaton & Novotel are situated - and from what I understand, local police have reviewed previous incident "management" on crowd & riot control, pledging to take more definite measures including approving use of non-lethal force firmly should similar protests - I think location/convenience outweight the moderate risk, unlikely authoritie will easily resort to tear gas, water cannon & curfew as that would be detrimental to tourism.

 

I see Nathan & Eaton offering non-refundable rates for 3 people (25% off its rack/online rate) of $181 / $185 USD nightly + 10% service charge - those are very good rates, much lower than 2 or 3 years ago - the rooms are bigger, with 1 bathroom.

 

Metropark is definitely 1/2 a star below them; and, Metro Winner is on its own tier with much unknown - limited services at best - maybe equal or slightly better than Evergreen; both of these in the general area as Eaton & Nathan. Tough choices & decisions - to book or wait & play the waiting game - if room inventory continue to drop with more ship passengers booking rooms for staying over the holidays - rates might not go lower or stay at the current level.

 

I look at the new "Kowloon East" which is closer to the KTCT, actually some of the US brand hotels are further away from the city centre - served by bus routes PMB and the newer MTR train route - in the Tseung Kwan O area, once a fishing village & tin housing city for the working poor, along with industrial factory buildings then - now, satellite cities of modern high rise concrete jungles. Holiday Inn Express & Crown Plaza have very attractive & low rates - the one-way trip would be a bit longer, hotels have free shuttle to nearby MTR station, so - not necessary bad choices if you want to catch good deals, non-refunable, I think - on Hotwire (also, check the chain's own website for details)

 

On luggage, I've read/seen FT reviews with good marks on IT luggage, light & sturdy, popular with Euro travelers with strict rules flying LCC (low cost carriers) - check them out on eBags website (without checking details, I think they are like 4 or 5 lbs empty- leaving 16 or 17 lbs for content isn't much) ... Cabinzero is another one with good reviews - no wheels - 44L sized but just 2 lbs empty - if DD & DH can handle it for you - with these compressible bags, you don't have to pack it full (just get it weighted before leaving or after re-packing ... your TPAC flights are not the problem, just with TigerAir) There are 3 of you traveling - using/sharing 1 carry-on 22" bag - my thinking, if size isn't the problem, just 10 kg weight - pack 2 smaller soft bags inside, split them up for boarding purposes to avoid the fees - on arrival, combine them & pull up the handles & go.

 

Yes, there are no security screening or bag checks at NP 360 for the ride to Big Budda, feel free to bring it along & keep it with you for Sunday or whatever, lots of mainland tourists do it daily (see them here in our local outlet malls too, buying new empty cases to pack their new purchases, LOL)

 

Although you are flying J on miles, mostly ... I am thinking you are getting trip insurance so that should cover hotel expenses & cancellations in the remote chance you need to cancel or whatever, so booking 4 nights of hotel under a non-refundable rate isn't necessary a "negative" - are you fully paid on your cruise or still in the "we changed our minds & cancel without penalty phrase" of planning ??

 

Isn't this fun ... to be continued (including the MTR Tourist/AE Passes & Octopus options - yes, they can be pre-ordered using credit card online & picked up at HKIA on arrival by showing the confirmation, etc. - let's see what promotions will come out this summer/early Fall, still plenty of time - not to worry about that now) MTR aren't going anywhere or shut down - there are talks of lowered fares !! ahead - unheard of here in the Americas.

I'm going to message my local contacts to see what they think .... they are somewhere between England, France & the Swiss Alps with their daughter & grandson ... beats the heck out of reading # of webpages about it. :D

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Dear mking;

 

I canceled the Evergreen and will probably also cancel the Dorsett.

I'll keep the Cosmopolitan and the Metro Winner for now. Although there isn't much on the Metro Winner since it opened only in November 2015, DH thinks it is the best area for visiting, shopping and eating :-)

Cosmopolitan also have a 28 days before rate which is very attractive but like you have said, a walk uphill is something to remember . And yes, I read somewhere about the cemetary. It doesn't bother me much but more the walking distance.

 

I'll order the light carry on once I get back from my Baltic cruise. Are they very strict with the carry-on weight when you board?

I called Tigeair and talked to them and they seem quite relax with the weight issue (10 kg combined weight). Now, will the person at the gate be more strict?

I will carry some extra foldable bags in the carry on and distribute the content if it is over the weight limit. What a wonderful suggestion.

 

I am giving you my email so if you rather email me directly instead of posting here. It's be great.

stefannytran28 a gmail dot com

 

Hope to hear from you soon.

 

Stefanny

Edited by stefanny28
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Cruising soon for the Baltic, enjoy & have a safe trip.

 

Just saw this deal on I.T. luggage, under 22" @ 4 lbs. empty - $48 USD - almost free shipping ($49 & over - accessories or packing cube will top it over ... not sure what they do for Canadian orders, however) http://www.ebags.com/product/it-luggage/worlds-lightest-los-angeles-2-wheel-219-carry-on/298752?productid=10375085

 

I just looked at cruise ship calendars for December/January at both KTCT and old Ocean Terminal, still in use for smaller ships - in TST area, doesn't explain hotel rooms sold out at so many popular ones that holiday week ... Just ordinary out-of-town tourists flying in or coming over from mainland.

 

Doesn't make sure nor fair to others to hold up to so many room reservations, thumbs up for releasing the unwanted ones to others looking to book. Keep those 2 for now & see what else open up later - and you have the Eaton & Nathan non-refundable options to consider as well.

 

We're surprised at how much they charge for an extra bed for a 3rd person in these "regular" hotel rooms, given their typical size - same is true for Vietnam (we stayed there for 3 or 4 nights - but, at least the rooms are big, actually huge compared to HK)

 

We are planning a trip mid-October & found pretty good airfares on CX, nonstop - actually lower price without a stopover & changing plane flying Korean Air, our other carrier to Asia (loved the A380's) - hotel prices are lower / down to earth - as mainlander's holiday is over when we head for our airport.

 

On yur X-Millennim sailing, KTCT calendar showing ship arriving Fri. 1/13 at 0700 and depart/sailing Sat 1/14 at 20:00 - are you sure of the dates & can stay onboard till Sunday morning, 1/15 ??

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Cosmopolitan, yes, is next to the cemetery. Although the hotel has a shuttle to central, it is quite a long walk to the nearest MTR ( subway) station at Causeway Bay. Not convenient and limited restaurants adjacent to the hotel.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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Cosmopolitan, yes, is next to the cemetery. Although the hotel has a shuttle to central, it is quite a long walk to the nearest MTR ( subway) station at Causeway Bay. Not convenient and limited restaurants adjacent to the hotel.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for the info on the long walk. It is a beautiful renovated hotel with large rooms though. And not too pricey for HK at all.

We'll see as the time comes closer to our dates.

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Cruising soon for the Baltic, enjoy & have a safe trip.

 

Just saw this deal on I.T. luggage, under 22" @ 4 lbs. empty - $48 USD - almost free shipping ($49 & over - accessories or packing cube will top it over ... not sure what they do for Canadian orders, however) http://www.ebags.com/product/it-luggage/worlds-lightest-los-angeles-2-wheel-219-carry-on/298752?productid=10375085

 

I just looked at cruise ship calendars for December/January at both KTCT and old Ocean Terminal, still in use for smaller ships - in TST area, doesn't explain hotel rooms sold out at so many popular ones that holiday week ... Just ordinary out-of-town tourists flying in or coming over from mainland.

 

Doesn't make sure nor fair to others to hold up to so many room reservations, thumbs up for releasing the unwanted ones to others looking to book. Keep those 2 for now & see what else open up later - and you have the Eaton & Nathan non-refundable options to consider as well.

 

We're surprised at how much they charge for an extra bed for a 3rd person in these "regular" hotel rooms, given their typical size - same is true for Vietnam (we stayed there for 3 or 4 nights - but, at least the rooms are big, actually huge compared to HK)

 

We are planning a trip mid-October & found pretty good airfares on CX, nonstop - actually lower price without a stopover & changing plane flying Korean Air, our other carrier to Asia (loved the A380's) - hotel prices are lower / down to earth - as mainlander's holiday is over when we head for our airport.

 

On yur X-Millennim sailing, KTCT calendar showing ship arriving Fri. 1/13 at 0700 and depart/sailing Sat 1/14 at 20:00 - are you sure of the dates & can stay onboard till Sunday morning, 1/15 ??

 

Yes, the ship arrives on Sat Jan 13th, we have an overnight and get off Sun Jan 14th.

That's the reason why I have asked all those questions regarding dropping the luggage at Kowloon AE around 9:30-10:00. Our return flight is at 00:45 Monday Jan 15. So nothing is changed, still have all Sunday morning, afternoon and evening until 21:00 to enjoy. we can sleep on the plane ( 10hrs) back to Helsinki.

 

Amazon canada has the IT bags and it's easier since no duties to pay.

 

At the beginning, we were supposed to spend 4 days in HK then fly to Vietnam ( Saigon) for a land trip of 3 weeks ( Hue, Hanoi, Ha Long) since I want to show DD where I was born ( actually I don't remember much, I left 41 years ago). But when we have the choice between a cruise and a land trip, the cruise always wins. We love cruising.... no worries, no hotel, great food.

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If anyone is interested in staying on the HK side and adjacent to a MTR station, check out Butterfly On Victoria ( one of the 5 boutique hotels with Butterfly). It is right next to Tin Hau station ( one east of Causeway Bay Station). Airport bus (A11) will take you from airport to hotel for hk $40, in about one hour, get off stop #16, Hing Fat Street, right after Victoria Park.

 

I stayed there 3 times. Extremely convenient for public transportation. Buses, trams, subway outside hotel. Surprisingly quiet in the room. Lots and lots of restaurants around hotel on Electric Road and all the side streets.

 

One warning : room is small for North American standard but it has all the needed modern amenities. So, if you have huge luggages, this is not for you. Also, room can only accommodate 2 persons.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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Tiger is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. It is a low-cost carrier and separately run. We have flown with TIger to HK before. overall, it is reliable. The operate single aisle Airbus A320 aircraft.

 

Here are two videos.

 

HK to Singapore

[YOUTUBE]Ah8l2FvUeK4[/YOUTUBE]

 

Singapore to HK

[YOUTUBE]6mJULrhv7lU[/YOUTUBE]

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TS,

 

I've travelled to HK before and I put some descriptions and videos on this blog post.

 

Specifically, we stayed at the Eaton before. Here is a video.

[YOUTUBE]-3PGA6AUMH0[/YOUTUBE]

 

During a subsequent visit, we stayed at Hotel Panorama by Rhombus. I found this hotel to be in a better location.

[YOUTUBE]jH4DH75MxUQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

HK is fun. I put plenty of info on my blog. We did Disneyland but that was many years ago when kids were smaller. For the most recent trip, we visited Ocean Park, which is more adulty overall, especially this whirly bird ride which got me quite dizzy.

[YOUTUBE]YvFI68WIo6s[/YOUTUBE]

 

I didn't even know that they had pands on display at Ocean Park, until we got there. Cool.

[YOUTUBE]QXYgIfioD4E[/YOUTUBE]

Edited by Iluvcruising2
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Hi iluvcruising;

 

Do you remember if the staff at the boarding gate of Tigeair are very strict with the carry-on allowance?

Ithink I should be OK with the 10kg combined weight but juste in case that I go a little bit over, it is nice to know that it's OK.

 

BTW, I booked the Royal Plaza on Scots like you have recommended.

Now, will have to work on the attractions. I will send you an email regarding those later.

 

Have a great evening.

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Very nice videos of Tiger's A320's with single cabin services, those overhead bins are nice & big - look standard sized, 20" to 22" carry-on will fit easily - some of those bags being lifted are most definitely over 10 kg or 22 lbs (some of the hardside spinners are 5 kg or more empty)

 

HKIA check-in for Tiger Airway is at Terminal 2, where many/most LCC's counters are located - for luggage & issuing boarding passes. Never used T2 at HKIA, but my understanding is that, after security screening, border control & customs - it's then a "quick" train (APM) ride back to T1 to the departure gates, for a group bus ride out to the planes parked on the tarmac (there are no skybridge services) ... allow an extra 15 minutes, as some of the satellite gates in the 500's are a long walk/automated walkways being remote (did this once flying out on Dragon Air, part of Cathay Pacific)

 

The other trick for carry-ons, use a travel vest (not necessary the pricey Scottvest) to stuff the pockets with heavier items: chargers, cables, adapters, headset, non-liquid toiletry items, etc. wear them for the flight & sent it thru the x-rays at security checkpoints to keep it close to/under 10 kg.

 

** Our flight on Dragon Air was 102% full with standbys - gate agents actually walking around, looking for volunteers to offer free gate-checking luggage to free up overhead bin space, at no charge - excess weight didn't matter. There're 7 of us so several of us took advantage of it - quickly unzipping our smaller bag of essentials (medications/passports & electronics) & took our claim checks after handing over the bags - our bags along with our checked luggage were delivered to the carousal at the arrival airport. DW kept her oversized Coach tote as that's her cabin bag, ha ha.

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Very nice videos of Tiger's A320's with single cabin services, those overhead bins are nice & big - look standard sized, 20" to 22" carry-on will fit easily - some of those bags being lifted are most definitely over 10 kg or 22 lbs (some of the hardside spinners are 5 kg or more empty)

 

HKIA check-in for Tiger Airway is at Terminal 2, where many/most LCC's counters are located - for luggage & issuing boarding passes. Never used T2 at HKIA, but my understanding is that, after security screening, border control & customs - it's then a "quick" train (APM) ride back to T1 to the departure gates, for a group bus ride out to the planes parked on the tarmac (there are no skybridge services) ... allow an extra 15 minutes, as some of the satellite gates in the 500's are a long walk/automated walkways being remote (did this once flying out on Dragon Air, part of Cathay Pacific)

 

The other trick for carry-ons, use a travel vest (not necessary the pricey Scottvest) to stuff the pockets with heavier items: chargers, cables, adapters, headset, non-liquid toiletry items, etc. wear them for the flight & sent it thru the x-rays at security checkpoints to keep it close to/under 10 kg.

 

** Our flight on Dragon Air was 102% full with standbys - gate agents actually walking around, looking for volunteers to offer free gate-checking luggage to free up overhead bin space, at no charge - excess weight didn't matter. There're 7 of us so several of us took advantage of it - quickly unzipping our smaller bag of essentials (medications/passports & electronics) & took our claim checks after handing over the bags - our bags along with our checked luggage were delivered to the carousal at the arrival airport. DW kept her oversized Coach tote as that's her cabin bag, ha ha.

 

I know we are having this discussion about the weight of my carry-on but do they actually weigh it before we board?

Here in Canada, it has never happened bbut I have never flown with a LCC beore so I can't tell for sure.

 

Great idea about carrying the heavy stuff on myself!!!

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It's anybody's guess on how strict they are enforcing weight limits at Tiger Air's boarding gate area, but I would assume that they do & if they find yours to be over the allowance - charge you & collect the computed fees from you - on the spot (thus, like other LCC - penalizing flyers for not using the prepaid "discounted" fees while online checking in, etc.

 

If 3 of you are flying and sharing a single 22" Americanized check-in luggage, use a cotton/canvas or sturdy plastic shopping bag (double it up or use those hotel laundry bag as a liner - we've done it ourselves once) to split the bundle into 3 smaller packages, each @ 7 to 9 kg or 15 to 20 lbs (allowing for the empty bag itself) and board - make it a breeze to walk past the gate agent checking everyone to board the aircraft. Upon landing, quickly repack the bundles back into the 22" carry-on and/or carry the heavier items in a vest, and walk to luggage carousal.

 

We flew JetBlue sometimes and while they aren't really a LCC anymore with rising fares & charges now for checked luggage - they started pulling out their sizers to measure bags for compliance - it's very easy for them to bring out a digital scale, calibrated & measure the ones pulled, upon eyeballing - that it's possibly overweight & subject to additional revenue collection by the gate "dragon". Even with lower aviation fuel prices, carriers continue to squeeze their (profit) margins - Cathay Pacific, sometimes do that by insisting at the boarding gate that all (economy) pax are limited to 1 bag only - no exception and would checked the 2nd. piece at no charge for a full flight, where overhead bin/storage space are limited and insufficient to accommodate everyone with a "cabin" bag + a personal bag.

 

You are flying one segment with them in late December - the pouch or shopping bag subdivision trick above should work nicely, without necessary buying a new, feather-weight carry-on & stuffed your jacket/vest pockets with the chargers & gadets for going thru security & boarding the aircraft. Or, use packing cubes & take them out and hand one each to DH & DD to split up the load - no fees to pay or for Tiger Air to collect.

 

Hotels in HK are very good - front desk clerk on duty took our cabin luggage around the corner to get it weighted, so we knew how to distribute items before flying out the next day on our intra-Asia flight (as all airlines tend to be strict about weight on flights within Asia ... TPAC, everyone is generous with 22 kg / 50 lbs vs. 20 kg or less / 44 lbs otherwise. One of my SIL that just flew home from Sydney, AU went over her 22 kg by a few at airport check-in, smartly transferred some of heavier contents into her carry-on bag as she didn have room in her secondary bag (smaller) also checked on the return flight. All was fine but she still ended up surrendering 2 cans of abalone at the checkpoint - due to the liquid 3-1-1 rule, especially on America-bound flights ;) ... lesson learned again (she left NY with one 46 lbs. luggage + spare/empty 2nd. bag)

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Just came across this newly uploaded YT video, time-lapsed on some of the HK's popular landmarks plus a bonus one on Macau - should help anyone trying to visualize in planning their upcoming trip, whether flying in or arriving via cruise ships.

- images taken with a Nexus 5X smartphone's camera (proud also to be a owner of one N5X) ... not my video but came across this on another tech forum discussing other matters.

 

Began with the ride upstairs on HK island's electric tram (Kennedy Town) to/from Central (looked like it was coming from Sheung Wen - western section, less frequently visited by tourists) Images of Victoria Harbor, including IFC & then Wan Chai, high angle views of the concrete jungle of residential "flats" - out to Lantau Island with the NP 360 cable car, airport to the left - the Big Budda (notice those long steps for the climb from the bottom. Next is the Macau ferry pier for the turbojet, the smaller red one on the right & the bigger turbojet on the left - bridge in the background connecting mainland Macau to the casino "district" - old town near the churches popular with visitors. Evening shots of HK's harbor with the laser lightshow as ships criss crossing the waterway.

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Laser show is nightly, weather permitting, at 8 PM (last 10 to 15 minutes) viewing on Kowloon - TST area is best around the Star Ferry, Ocean Terminal & Promenande by the HK Cultural Center / Planetarium - Space Museum (Avenue to the Stars is closed for new additions/enhancement thru 2017) - as buildings in Central & Wan Chai put on the show. There is no need to do a dinner cruise on a wooden motorized junket for tourists to experience it - discoverhongkong dot com, HK's official tourism site has all the details, including "live" music sync to the laser display.

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For people who will stay in HK for more than 1 or 2 days, I highly recommend the slow-ride tram on Hong Kong island. If you avoid the rush hour crowds it should be a fascinating ride if you can sit on the top deck in the front. See our pictures here.

 

Info on the tram: http://www.hong-kong-traveller.com/hong-kong-tram.html#.Vw_N1fkrJD8

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