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Just back from SE Asia cruise, ask me


BRUCENLYNN
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We just returned from the Celebrity Millennium SE Asia Northbound cruise which included Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Please feel free to ask me questions about transportation, shopping, tours, etc. There are things I wish I had known in advance!

 

~Lynn

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We just returned from the Celebrity Millennium SE Asia Northbound cruise which included Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Please feel free to ask me questions about transportation, shopping, tours, etc. There are things I wish I had known in advance!

 

~Lynn

Hello Lynn,

Just last night, we decided to join friends next year who going on the same Milennium cruise. We've been on many Celebrity ships, including Milennium, so I don't think we need info on that... but none of us have visited Asia before. I have not researched the area at all as we have a Mediterranean cruise this summer that I've been focusing on. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Right now, we plan to stay a couple of days pre and post-cruise, with more time in Hong Kong (shopping!) than Singapore. Would you agree? Also, did you feel safe in Thailand? I'm a little concerned about the political climate there now. Which excursions would you choose? Our neighbors are Vietnamese, and I hope I can get a lot of advice from them, too. What are some of the things you wish you knew in advance? It's very generous of you to take the time to help.

Carol O.

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We just returned from the Celebrity Millennium SE Asia Northbound cruise which included Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Please feel free to ask me questions about transportation, shopping, tours, etc. There are things I wish I had known in advance!

 

~Lynn

 

Hi BRUCENLYNN,

 

did you dock in Pu My? Does the cruise line offer a shuttle to Ho Chi Minh? If so, how much? Thinking of hiring a private guide but may consider just taking the shuttle if offered.

 

BTW, I just returned from New Zealand on the Solstice. Noticed your signature, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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Hi Lynn - hope you had a wonderful time and will write a review. Did you board in Hong Kong? If yes, do you remember the deadline for final boarding? With the search function down, I haven't been able to fine this.

 

Thanks!

 

Not sure about the review as I didn't make notes during the cruise, but I want to help where I can because I appreciate it when others write reviews, etc.

 

We boarded in Singapore, I think we had to be on board by 2:30 for a 5:00 departure.

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Hi Lynn,

 

We are on the exact same Millenium cruise leaving in just 5 weeks! We have tours booked in all the ports but haven't figured out what to do on the bookends in Singapore and Hong Kong. Maybe a HOHO bus for starters? Any suggestions? Could you see the light show from the ship?

 

Diane

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Carol O,

 

I had written a ton of stuff responding to you and I see today that it didn't even post! I'm so upset. I tend to have issues when I'm using my iPad and I need to remember that. :confused:

 

I relayed a funny story in Bangkok how I promised my friend that our private tour would not go anywhere near the demonstrations because she was very concerned. Well, BK has so many traffic jams and the demonstrators were blocking roads so at one point our guide asked them permission to go around the barricade to get through and they let us. I never felt unsafe and told my friend to close her eyes!

 

Singapore is a very clean, vibrant, modern city but quite expensive. No shopping there! The cheapest shopping is in Vietnam but Hong Kong is certainly cheaper than Singapore. We were able to shop a short time at the Stanley Market but plans to shop the next day didn't work out. We spent only a few hours in HK in the end. It is a huge city with lots of tall buildings! I'll have to save it for another trip.

 

I'll try to come up with a list of things I wish I'd known in advance.

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Hi BRUCENLYNN,

 

did you dock in Pu My? Does the cruise line offer a shuttle to Ho Chi Minh? If so, how much? Thinking of hiring a private guide but may consider just taking the shuttle if offered.

 

BTW, I just returned from New Zealand on the Solstice. Noticed your signature, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Hi Erik,

 

Yes, we did. We took a private day tour to Saigon (HCMC) that was $90pp and included lunch. I'm sorry I don't know what Celebrity offered. Ours was a good tour but as an American I would skip the War Museum if offered. Lots of propaganda that didn't sit well with us. Had lunch at Pho2000 that was simple but good and enjoyed a trishaw ride that was quite interesting. Good shopping at the market too.

 

I don't have enough knowledge about NZ to ask a question! But if there is something that is a must-see or anything you'd like to share I'd be thankful for the information.

 

Lynn

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We too, are on the same cruise departing in 5 weeks. Can you remember which nights were the formal nights? We plan to leave the ship after our Saigon tour (with Zoom) and rejoin the ship in Chan May two days later, and may not bother taking formal outfits if we are going to miss one of the formal nights

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We too, are on the same cruise departing in 5 weeks. Can you remember which nights were the formal nights? We plan to leave the ship after our Saigon tour (with Zoom) and rejoin the ship in Chan May two days later, and may not bother taking formal outfits if we are going to miss one of the formal nights

 

Formal nights were all sea days - the first one, the one between Saigon and Chan May and the last sea day. The last one is the lobster and Beef Wellington. The middle one had Chateaubriand which we missed because we were eating in QSine -- I was disappointed to miss it. But I loved QSine. Can't remember the menu the first one.

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Hi Lynn,

 

We are on the exact same Millenium cruise leaving in just 5 weeks! We have tours booked in all the ports but haven't figured out what to do on the bookends in Singapore and Hong Kong. Maybe a HOHO bus for starters? Any suggestions? Could you see the light show from the ship?

 

Diane

 

We arrived in Singapore a day early so used that evening to go into Chinatown, walked over to the Flyer, ate from a chicken stall nearby, tried to catch the light show but we were on the wrong side when we realized the time so missed it and walked around some more. It was still the New Year so VERY crowded. The next day we took the subway to the Botanic Gardens, walked around there a bit then headed back to the hotel to pack up and head to the ship. We thought we would go out that evening to see the light show and explore the city but we didn't as my husband didn't feel well. The next day we caught the public bus to the subway station at Marina Bay as we planned to sightsee some more. Here is where we learned a mistake we made:

 

I had read about the tourist card for the subway which you could purchase for multiple days. Sounded like a great idea. Well the cards are only sold at certain stops so we paid S$1.50 each to get to Chinatown to purchase the card. We paid S$16.00 each for a 2-day card plus S$10.00 each refundable deposit for the card, for a total of S$52.00. We walked around Chinatown then used the card to return to the hotel @ 7:00 pm. The next day we used the card for the garden and return but didn't end up using it that night. The next day when we caught the bus the card didn't work! Once at the subway station they told us the card had expired and we had to pay to take the subway to City Hall to dispute it and to get the S$10.00 each refund. That cost S$1.20 each. Bottom line: the cards are not a 24-hr purchase, they are a daily purchase. So the first night when we used it once @ 7 pm, it expired at midnight and counted as our day 1. We were never told this! The City Hall person even called the Chinatown lady who sold it to us and she lied and said she explained it to us. She didn't even speak English that I know of. So we learned an expensive lesson. Now with a "sour taste" knowing we couldn't zip around the city on a subway, we hopped a cab and went back to the ship.

 

Cabs are pretty inexpensive in Singapore and since there was 2 couples it might have been the best option all along.

 

I'll tell you what we did in Hong Kong shortly.

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Not sure what card you bought for transport, but we bought the EZ link which worked fine and had no expiry with just $5 Singapore deposit. Not sure, but I think we put $10 on the card which easily lasted 3 days.

 

We mainly used the MRT but got a bus perhaps once or twice and the card worked well on both.

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Not sure what card you bought for transport, but we bought the EZ link which worked fine and had no expiry with just $5 Singapore deposit. Not sure, but I think we put $10 on the card which easily lasted 3 days.

 

We mainly used the MRT but got a bus perhaps once or twice and the card worked well on both.

 

And in hindsight, that would have been a better choice. The Tourist Card was unlimited usage each day on any public transportation. Would have been fine if a 2-day card meant 48 hours from the time of purchase or activation.

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Thank you. It looks like we miss the middle formal night. Mmmm....need to think whether its worth carrying formal clothes for just 2 nights, or whether you save the luggage allowance for shopping:)

 

I'm one of those that would vote to do away with formal nights altogether but since they still have them I've started just wearing a short black dress instead of a long gown. My husband refuses to take his tux if he knows friends aren't wearing them.

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Any tips about how to get to Bangkok from the cruise port terminal? Unfortunately all the tours from the RC are full and now am trying to figure out how to get to town, thanks in advance

Edited by prish
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Any tips about how to get to Bangkok from the cruise port terminal? Unfortunately all the tours from the RC are full and now am trying to figure out how to get to town, thanks in advance

 

I'd be happy to share the name of the tour group we used. I put together a group of 8 for an overnight to Bangkok. Our guide was wonderful and the trip was the highlight of the cruise in my opinion. It cost about $140 each for the 2 days and you book your own hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Millennium which was very nice.

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We too, are on the same cruise departing in 5 weeks. Can you remember which nights were the formal nights? We plan to leave the ship after our Saigon tour (with Zoom) and rejoin the ship in Chan May two days later, and may not bother taking formal outfits if we are going to miss one of the formal nights

 

Don't know about Brits but AMERICAN citizens CANNOT do what you are doing on the ship issued visa. Just an FYI for those thinking about this.

 

IF you are a US CITIZEN, you MUST purchase your own Vietnamese visa to leave the ship and then rejoin the ship at another port. When the ship gets to Chan May, everyone will have already been cleared that has a ship visa. IF you are not on the ship, you MUST have your own visa.

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Don't know about Brits but AMERICAN citizens CANNOT do what you are doing on the ship issued visa. Just an FYI for those thinking about this.

 

IF you are a US CITIZEN, you MUST purchase your own Vietnamese visa to leave the ship and then rejoin the ship at another port. When the ship gets to Chan May, everyone will have already been cleared that has a ship visa. IF you are not on the ship, you MUST have your own visa.

 

Thanks for letting us know. Our US ta contacted Celebrity on our behalf. It took about a week to get permission to do what we are planning, but no mention was made of the need to arrange our own visa. They just said that a letter of authority will be sent shortly.

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Thanks for letting us know. Our US ta contacted Celebrity on our behalf. It took about a week to get permission to do what we are planning, but no mention was made of the need to arrange our own visa. They just said that a letter of authority will be sent shortly.

 

You are dealing with two separate issues. 1. Permission to leave the ship for a non cruiseline sponsored overnight which is the parameter of the cruise line 2. The ship issued visa which is the parameter of the country of Vietnam.

 

Yes, you must have a letter from the Captain to leave the ship. We have done it a couple of times on cruises and yes, it takes a week or so because the main office has to fax the Captain, he has to approve, fax back to the main office, then the main office to you or a TA.

 

Sure appears to me that Brits need a visa in advance just as US citizens do if they are leaving what is actually considered the immediate port area, flying in Vietnam or going out of the country and then returning (visit to Angkor Wat would be most common). http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/visa-requirements/united-kingdom.html

 

You CANNOT get visa on arrival in Vietnam unless you FLY into the country. So if you are arriving by ship, then leaving the ship for a couple of days, you should get a Vietnam visa BEFORE you enter Vietnam or you will not have officially "entered" the country when you reboard at Chan May. It is certainly not something I would take a chance with (and I have spent quite a bit of time in Vietnam for business). You are dealing with a Communist country that has their own sets of rules and bribes every place you go. And you have left the sovereignty of the cruise ship by going on land, via train, bus or car to Chan May.

Edited by greatam
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You are dealing with two separate issues. 1. Permission to leave the ship for a non cruiseline sponsored overnight which is the parameter of the cruise line 2. The ship issued visa which is the parameter of the country of Vietnam.

 

Yes, you must have a letter from the Captain to leave the ship. We have done it a couple of times on cruises and yes, it takes a week or so because the main office has to fax the Captain, he has to approve, fax back to the main office, then the main office to you or a TA.

 

Sure appears to me that Brits need a visa in advance just as US citizens do if they are leaving what is actually considered the immediate port area, flying in Vietnam or going out of the country and then returning (visit to Angkor Wat would be most common). http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/visa-requirements/united-kingdom.html

 

You CANNOT get visa on arrival in Vietnam unless you FLY into the country. So if you are arriving by ship, then leaving the ship for a couple of days, you should get a Vietnam visa BEFORE you enter Vietnam or you will not have officially "entered" the country when you reboard at Chan May. It is certainly not something I would take a chance with (and I have spent quite a bit of time in Vietnam for business). You are dealing with a Communist country that has their own sets of rules and bribes every place you go. And you have left the sovereignty of the cruise ship by going on land, via train, bus or car to Chan May.

 

This is worrying:o. We fly out to the cruise on 28 March, but need our passports to fly to Cyprus 12-16 March which leaves only 2 short windows to get the visa. I've just emailed the Vietnamese Embassy for advice. Looks like we may need a quick trip to London to arrange visas (if it's possible to arrange in person)

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This is worrying:o. We fly out to the cruise on 28 March, but need our passports to fly to Cyprus 12-16 March which leaves only 2 short windows to get the visa. I've just emailed the Vietnamese Embassy for advice. Looks like we may need a quick trip to London to arrange visas (if it's possible to arrange in person)

 

I agree, I would not want to take a chance in Vietnam with not having proper documentation. Glad greatam caught that! Hope it all gets worked out quickly.

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Hi Erik,

 

Yes, we did. We took a private day tour to Saigon (HCMC) that was $90pp and included lunch. I'm sorry I don't know what Celebrity offered. Ours was a good tour but as an American I would skip the War Museum if offered. Lots of propaganda that didn't sit well with us. Had lunch at Pho2000 that was simple but good and enjoyed a trishaw ride that was quite interesting. Good shopping at the market too.

 

I don't have enough knowledge about NZ to ask a question! But if there is something that is a must-see or anything you'd like to share I'd be thankful for the information.

 

Lynn

 

What tour company did you use? I'm considering Zoom right now.

 

It's so hard to decide whats a must see in NZ cause everything is a must see, I can recommend a tour company for two of your stops.

 

Tauranga - I used Carlton tours

 

Dunedin - This tour is a must do. it's with 'Awesome Tours' . Ask for Mark. This is probably the best tour I've taken. http://www.awesometours.co.nz/

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What tour company did you use? I'm considering Zoom right now.

 

It's so hard to decide whats a must see in NZ cause everything is a must see, I can recommend a tour company for two of your stops.

 

Tauranga - I used Carlton tours

 

Dunedin - This tour is a must do. it's with 'Awesome Tours' . Ask for Mark. This is probably the best tour I've taken. http://www.awesometours.co.nz/

 

We used Ms. Aom @ Thai Tour Guide. Her email from her business card is aom_thaitourguide@yahoo.com. I have honestly never had a nicer tour guide. She was was so sweet and bought us so many things I felt bad. Such a delightful person and good guide. Let me know if you want the itinerary for our tour.

 

Thanks for the recommendations, I will definitely check them out.

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