Question about Asia cruises....

[aussiecruzer]

Aussie- Thank you! I just booked with China Highlights. So far so good. They are amazingly communicative. every question I have had has been answered in a few hours.

 

Thanks again!

 

You are welcome! Yes, I found them to be very easy to deal with. They were very happy to fit in with what I wanted to do. Extremely reliable, friendly and flexible. Enjoy your travels.

[Kinkacruiser]

I watched a Star cruises boarding while docked in Singsapore last year. The statement is quite correct (mostly local embarkees).

[Colsers]

Hi, I was reading with interest your post. We are looking in to booking this cruise today but only one thing is concerning me. The weather! I have been researching for days now and i'm getting more confused. I realise it's the start of the rainy season and the humidity will be very high and there will be a possibility of heavy seas. I'm a bit of a coward with shp rolling etc! I really want to take the chance and book it as everything about it is just perfect for our requirements. Did you have any reservations?

[Melba51]

I think you are forwarned re the weather because you have done your research. I am not too worried but did notice that cyclone season is more August / September.

In saying all that I chose RCI Voyager of the seas cruise to celebrate my birthday and there was not much choice in cruises leaving Sydney at that time.

Incidently I have started a roll call, so if you do book, please join me.....

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[wolfegizmo]

Moondance - We are also booked on the Oct 8th cruise -

 

We booked while on board Liberty a few weeks ago.

We were never told about this kind of cruise until I called RCCL for a question.

I think we're both excited but not sure about a few things.

 

Please let me know if you find out any more information.

 

Sharon

[montelco]

We inquired about a cruise in Asia once, I think it was with Star Cruises.Our TA checked it out and advised the same as above. She was more than willing to book it for us, but thought we should be aware of what it would be like....ie language and most important... FOOD.

We opted for a Princess cruise in the end , with a "Western style" passenger mix , and absorbed and enjoyed the Asian culture and lifestyle , from our shore tours.

 

As Australians we have travelled on the Super Star Virgo several times and had no problems with the meals. The dining in the Bella Vista caters for everyone and the food was delicious. In fact, the meal sizes there were perfect and you didn't feel that you were over eating. There are ,of course Asian options ,but there are plenty of tasty Western meals. That also applies for the breakfast in the Mediterranean Buffet. We never had any problems with the food or the tours which were usually in English as well. A great little ship to explore Asia for the first time, especially the Straits of Malacca voyage for 5 days. We avoided the casino because we were not interested in that. Have fun. The prices are good and the facilities are as well.Certainly you mix with a range of people from Asia but that is part of the exotic attraction. :)

[Iluvcruising2]

As Australians we have travelled on the Super Star Virgo several times and had no problems with the meals. The dining in the Bella Vista caters for everyone and the food was delicious. In fact, the meal sizes there were perfect and you didn't feel that you were over eating. There are ,of course Asian options ,but there are plenty of tasty Western meals. That also applies for the breakfast in the Mediterranean Buffet. We never had any problems with the food or the tours which were usually in English as well. A great little ship to explore Asia for the first time, especially the Straits of Malacca voyage for 5 days. We avoided the casino because we were not interested in that. Have fun. The prices are good and the facilities are as well.Certainly you mix with a range of people from Asia but that is part of the exotic attraction. :)

 

When was the last time you sailed with the Virgo?

 

I share my Dad's experiences. We are from Singapore.

 

Dad can't stand the Virgo, now that he has sailed with RCI. Dad told me that they recently retrofitted the Virgo and the areas devoted to the casino has greatly expanded.

 

The food offerings are also very poor, compared to a typical RCI cruise.

 

I sailed with my Dad & Mom on the Legend OTS and Brilliance OTS last year and we enjoyed the cruises very much.

 

Personally, we have no intention of sailing with Star Cruises anytime soon.

[Iluvcruising2]

I watched a Star cruises boarding while docked in Singsapore last year. The statement is quite correct (mostly local embarkees).

 

The locals going onboard are mostly gamblers. I kid you not.

[Iluvcruising2]

Hi, I was reading with interest your post. We are looking in to booking this cruise today but only one thing is concerning me. The weather! I have been researching for days now and i'm getting more confused. I realise it's the start of the rainy season and the humidity will be very high and there will be a possibility of heavy seas. I'm a bit of a coward with shp rolling etc! I really want to take the chance and book it as everything about it is just perfect for our requirements. Did you have any reservations?

 

Which cruise are you interested in?

 

We sailed on the Legend repositioning last June (Singapore to Shanghai).

 

The seas were very calm.

[PEDAJOK]

Which cruise are you interested in?

 

We sailed on the Legend repositioning last June (Singapore to Shanghai).

 

The seas were very calm.

Hi there

We are booked on the June 11 2012 Singapore to Shanghai. I have tried to organise a transfer from Baoshun to my Shanghai hotel but with limited success. RCL are tardy with their information concerning this port ... Will they, like Princess Cruises provide a shuttle or not. Probably not!

I would appreciate any information any of my fellow Cruise Critics can provide.

[Iluvcruising2]

Hi there

We are booked on the June 11 2012 Singapore to Shanghai. I have tried to organise a transfer from Baoshun to my Shanghai hotel but with limited success. RCL are tardy with their information concerning this port ... Will they, like Princess Cruises provide a shuttle or not. Probably not!

I would appreciate any information any of my fellow Cruise Critics can provide.

 

Don't worry.

 

Last year, Legend also docked at Shanghai Baoshan. We had to dock at the container port, I think it will be the same for Voyager OTS. After you get off the ship, you go through immigration, then you'll be put on a bus to the main cruise terminal which is much closer to the Bund. Note that this bus journey is quite long - about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the traffic.

 

At the cruise terminal, that is where you collect your big luggage, then proceed to your own pickups. There is usually a long taxi queue, but the queue moves quite fast because there is an equally long line of taxis waiting. The choke point is the boarding process.

 

Taxis were plentiful. Just make sure you print out a copy of the hotel address, hotel phone number and hotel map (use Google maps or some other maps). However, many taxi drivers can't speak English, so they will rely on your addresses and map.

 

We took a cab from the terminal to our hotel in Shanghai. We can speak Mandarin. The cab driver explained to us that Shanghai was actually very big and there were many different hotels bearing similar names. If you don't give enough details, they may not know exactly where to go.

 

Transfers by taxi are easy and inexpensive.

[Iluvcruising2]

Hi there

We are booked on the June 11 2012 Singapore to Shanghai. I have tried to organise a transfer from Baoshun to my Shanghai hotel but with limited success. RCL are tardy with their information concerning this port ... Will they, like Princess Cruises provide a shuttle or not. Probably not!

I would appreciate any information any of my fellow Cruise Critics can provide.

 

We'll be on this cruise as well.

 

Welcome to Singapore!!

[PEDAJOK]

We'll be on this cruise as well.

 

Welcome to Singapore!!

Many thanks your info. re transfers at Baoshan. Sounds a very reasonable solution to me.

 

One more query! Are the new docking facilities ready in Singapore as, presumably, Voyager is too big to use the Harbour Front terminal,

 

Kind regards.

[Iluvcruising2]

Many thanks your info. re transfers at Baoshan. Sounds a very reasonable solution to me.

 

One more query! Are the new docking facilities ready in Singapore as, presumably, Voyager is too big to use the Harbour Front terminal,

 

Kind regards.

 

You are absolutely right in that the existing cruise terminal is way too small for the Voyager.

 

The good news - the new international cruise terminal will definitely be ready for the Voyager. In fact, the Voyager will inaugurate the terminal. The passengers sailing in on the re-positioning cruise will probably have something to look forward to!

[Iluvcruising2]

Many thanks your info. re transfers at Baoshan. Sounds a very reasonable solution to me.

 

One more query! Are the new docking facilities ready in Singapore as, presumably, Voyager is too big to use the Harbour Front terminal,

 

Kind regards.

 

This is taken from a local paper.

 

Mr Fain was in town recently, and he even had a tour of the yet-to-be-opened international cruise terminal.

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

You are absolutely right in that the existing cruise terminal is way too small for the Voyager.

 

The good news - the new international cruise terminal will definitely be ready for the Voyager. In fact, the Voyager will inaugurate the terminal. The passengers sailing in on the re-positioning cruise will probably have something to look forward to!

 

 

Thank you very much for the update on the new terminal in Singapore.

 

[Iluvcruising2]

Thank you very much for the update on the new terminal in Singapore.

 

 

We are all very excited.

 

The new international cruise terminal has taken quite some time to materialize.

 

It costs SGD$500Mil, or about US$400Mil. Construction started in 2009. I think it is already completed, but not yet operational.

 

The new international cruise terminal was designed to accommodate the largest cruise ships, and that would include the Oasis class.

[lanikeekee]

We are all very excited.

 

The new international cruise terminal has taken quite some time to materialize.

 

It costs SGD$500Mil, or about US$400Mil. Construction started in 2009. I think it is already completed, but not yet operational.

 

The new international cruise terminal was designed to accommodate the largest cruise ships, and that would include the Oasis class.

Hi Iluvcruising we are on the same cruise:) Can you tell me where the port is located? thanks and talk soon:)

[Iluvcruising2]

Hi Iluvcruising we are on the same cruise:) Can you tell me where the port is located? thanks and talk soon:)

 

The new Singapore international cruise terminal is located next to the existing Marina South pier. It is very centrally located.

 

If you search on Google Maps, search for

 

Marina South Pier

31 Marina Coastal Drive, Singapore

 

If you look at the latest MRT (underground) map, the nearest MRT station is Marina Bay NS 27.

(http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp)

 

There isn't much information published at the moment. When more information comes out, I'll update.

[lanikeekee]

The new Singapore international cruise terminal is located next to the existing Marina South pier. It is very centrally located.

 

If you search on Google Maps, search for

 

Marina South Pier

31 Marina Coastal Drive, Singapore

 

If you look at the latest MRT (underground) map, the nearest MRT station is Marina Bay NS 27.

(http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp)

 

There isn't much information published at the moment. When more information comes out, I'll update.

 

Thanks :)

[PEDAJOK]

You are absolutely right in that the existing cruise terminal is way too small for the Voyager.

 

The good news - the new international cruise terminal will definitely be ready for the Voyager. In fact, the Voyager will inaugurate the terminal. The passengers sailing in on the re-positioning cruise will probably have something to look forward to!

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to it.

Cheers,

[PEDAJOK]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to it.

Cheers,

We seem to have cleared up the Singapore docking.

Now, does anyone have any experience of private tours from Phu My to HCM City? Nothing on RCI site yet.

With just over 100 days to go this thread does not have many posts.

 

Cheers

[Melba51]

Hi Pedajok

Did you know that there is a roll call for your cruise at http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1518284?

It would be great if you would like to join some other adventurers who are also going on this cruise. We are also trying to organise a meet and mingle. If we get just a few more registered we will be "official".

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[PEDAJOK]

Hi Pedajok

Did you know that there is a roll call for your cruise at http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1518284?

It would be great if you would like to join some other adventurers who are also going on this cruise. We are also trying to organise a meet and mingle. If we get just a few more registered we will be "official".

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the above. We registered for the m and m a while ago but, at that time, there were insufficient numbers to guarantee a get together. Maybe it will reach the magic 25 soon.

[Melba51]

Fantastic. Hopefully we will reach the magical 25 but if not we will just have to organise one ourselves :)

 

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk