Voyager of the Seas Picture Review Singapore to Shanghai June 2012

[docker10]

Hi, firstly thanks for your great travelogue & reviews of VOS...it has been very helpful & entertaining. We are sailing from Singapore to Fremantle 22 Oct 2012 (14 nights) and are very interested in getting our own transport to tour Ho Chi Min as you did. Could you kindly advise the name of the company where you hired from & did you book before you left home or can this be done at the port? Would appreciate as much help as you can offer on this. There will be 5 adults travelling in our group. Thanks in advance :)

 

This was our private van that came with an English speaking guide and driver. If you do the research, you'll find that the private tours in Ho Chih Min aren't cheap, but I would still strongly recommend going private.

 

Ship organized tours were really expensive - US$99 per pax. I had 6 persons in my party and we got this van (looked almost brand new, Mercedes) for USD$430.

 

 

The ride from container port to city center is really far. The van could go much faster than the 40-seater coaches.

 

On the way to city.

[docker10]

 

View from behind the driver.

 

 

Our guide pointed us to the Coke building.

Read this - http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/07/business/new-vietnam-combat-coke-vs-pepsi.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 

The guide told us that very shortly after Bill Clinton normalized ties with Vietnam, Coca-Cola came to Vietnam! But up till today, McDonalds has yet to enter Vietnam. Wonder why. We saw KFC though.

Hi, firstly thanks for your great travelogue & reviews of VOS...it has been very helpful & entertaining. We are sailing from Singapore to Fremantle 22 Oct 2012 (14 nights) and are very interested in getting our own transport to tour Ho Chi Min as you did. Could you kindly advise the name of the company where you hired from & did you book before you left home or can this be done at the port? Would appreciate as much help as you can offer on this. There will be 5 adults travelling in our group. Thanks in advance

[Iluvcruising2]

http://www.discovervietnam.com.vn/Eng/index.php

We used the services of the above company. The contact is Mrs Ha. You can find their email on the website above.

 

We booked our ride with them several months before our cruise.

 

They have very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

[Iluvcruising2]

Singapore's Gardens by the Bay wins the World Building of the Year Award 2012.

 

http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=293

 

Come visit!

[zoronqueen]

thanks for posting. We are from Vancouver Canada and booked for March/13 doing the same cruise. We are hoping to do the overseas chinese $99 tour too. We have 2 kids.

 

Hoping to stay a few days in S"pore.

 

any tips?

[m_duck]

Hi,

 

We were on a 5 day cruise from Singapore in June this year on the Voyager. Below is a post I originally entered on the meet and mingle for the cruise. It is just some of the things we tend to do while in Singapore as we visit most years to see family. All a little random but it might help some folks.

 

------

 

While I'm on the boards I thought I would add a couple of things we like to do while in Singapore for those that have a couple of days either before or after the cruise.

 

I went on a walk last time I was there with this company and it was good afternoon : http://www.journeys.com.sg/singaporewalks/index.asp I intend to do a couple of the walks while we are there this year.

 

A bit random but I love going to the food hall in Takashimaya and looking at all the different foods they have. We always used to go late afternoon to see if they were selling off any of the Sushi towards the end of the day (love a good bargain). http://www.ngeeanncity.com.sg/index.html

 

There is also a good bookshop at the top of the shop, I think it is called Kinokuniya, just go up all the escalators.

 

We also pay a visit to Lau Pa Sat which is a touristy hawker market but I love the Victorian architecture. http://www.laupasat.biz/

 

There are food stalls at the MRT in Little India and there is a guy that makes good biryani. I think he is called the Biryani Man - that is what we call him.

 

Again a little ex-pat / touristy but we spend some evenings at Chijmes. There are a couple of bars where you can sit out with a beer and they have guitarists playing.http://www.chijmes.com.sg/

 

I never realised we were such tourists. We also have a walk to Clarke Quay one of the evenings as it is a good place to people watch. Although it is a tourist / ex pat haunt.

http://www.clarkequay.com.sg/malls/website/index.aspx

 

On a more serious note I always pay a visit to the Kranji War Memorial. It is a short walk from Kranji Station on the MRT. It is very sad but wonderfully looked after.http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/...WAR%20CEMETERY

 

We also usually spend a day(s) at Sentosa. I remember the first time we went and it rained. We sat in a cafe having a cup of tea looking at the beach and sea. I said to my wife it reminded me of my childhood holidays sitting in the car with a flask of tea looking out to sea on the Isle of Wight as the rain poured down. To be fair, unlike the Isle of Wight the sun came out, and it was hot. We have also been to Universal Studios which again was a good day if your into theme parks.

http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/

Edited October 9, 2012 by m_duck

[spunkee100]

I am trying to get some questions answered before i take the risk of booking a voyager cruise, but roy,car. is really slowwwwwwwwww been nearly a week waiting,maybe i am too picky for them :confused:

I need to know if the dining areas have a buffet style (like the horizon court that princess.com have)

I can only eat food with virtually no additives,eg spices,chef food is a big nono,:rolleyes:

so i must have- say roast spuds,peas,corn,unadulterated meats, etc.,

so can anyone tell me if the voyager has such places please.

Also i do not like the 'you tip our way' i prefer to do my own tipping-do they allow this?

[Clarea]

I am trying to get some questions answered before i take the risk of booking a voyager cruise, but roy,car. is really slowwwwwwwwww been nearly a week waiting,maybe i am too picky for them :confused:

I need to know if the dining areas have a buffet style (like the horizon court that princess.com have)

I can only eat food with virtually no additives,eg spices,chef food is a big nono,:rolleyes:

so i must have- say roast spuds,peas,corn,unadulterated meats, etc.,

so can anyone tell me if the voyager has such places please.

Also i do not like the 'you tip our way' i prefer to do my own tipping-do they allow this?

Royal does not automatically take tips from your account. You can choose to tip whatever you want.

[docker10]

http://www.discovervietnam.com.vn/Eng/index.php

We used the services of the above company. The contact is Mrs Ha. You can find their email on the website above.

 

We booked our ride with them several months before our cruise.

 

They have very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

Thank you very much for the link. Have now booked & counting down till our holiday. Booking with Mrs Ha went very smoothly & without a problem :)

[Iluvcruising2]

Thank you very much for the link. Have now booked & counting down till our holiday. Booking with Mrs Ha went very smoothly & without a problem :)

 

We found her responsive and pleasant, though we didn't get a chance to meet her.

 

About halfway through our private tour, she called our guide via his mobile and asked to speak to my wife. In short, she was calling to find out if we were ok and whether we had any issues with the tour so far.

 

Do make sure you give her your ship name and the time your ship is due to arrive at whichever container port. The guide told us that there were a number of container ports that cruise ships call at and sometimes it may change at the last minute. So they will be on the lookout for changes and they will pick you up from the correct container port, once you disembark from the ship.

 

Have a great cruise!!

[Iluvcruising2]

Royal does not automatically take tips from your account. You can choose to tip whatever you want.

 

We always do prepaid gratuities though.

 

Actually it is compulsory where we come from. We can't book without prepaying the gratuities.

[dforeigner]

Awesome review. Thank you for taking time to write one. Love the pictures as well.

[Iluvcruising2]

Awesome review. Thank you for taking time to write one. Love the pictures as well.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

We are so excited to be going on our first ever 14 nighter this Dec, sailing out of beautiful Sydney on the Voyager again.

 

Yes, I shall try to do a similar picture review.

[cruisilady]

Hello, can someone tell me, is it cheaper to buy the wine packages vs glasses of wine and bottles of wine at dinner?

[Clarea]

We always do prepaid gratuities though.

 

Actually it is compulsory where we come from. We can't book without prepaying the gratuities.

Thanks for the clarification. I sometimes forget that there are different booking rules around the world.

 

Bob

[Clarea]

Hello, can someone tell me, is it cheaper to buy the wine packages vs glasses of wine and bottles of wine at dinner?

Buying a bottle of wine will generally be a little cheaper than buying glasses of the same wine. Also, not all varieties of wine are available by the glass, so you may want a certain type of wine and find that your only choice is a bottle.

 

The wine package can save some money, but again it depends on the specific varietly. Some varieties of wine actually cost less bought singly than the average price per bottle in the package.

 

If you are not very picky about the wine, then you can save money buying the package. If you tend to favor specific wine varieties, you will have to research single vs. package prices to determine the best way to go.

 

Here's an informative thread about the subject:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1129043

[beej]

What a wonderful review. Waiting for your next installment, no matter wher you go

[windjamming]

Wow, I just read this whole thread in one shot. We were originally booked on this cruise but ended up having to cancel due to a calendar conflict. What a pleasant surprise to be able to experience it vicariously!

 

As many have praised already, a super review -- both in its visual and written content. You have a wonderful way with words, Iluvcruising2!

 

I'm curious, were there any issues with queueing? We had heard from some of the crew on other ships that the Asian itineraries had some trouble with people not used to forming lines.

 

Can't wait to read your next review!

[Iluvcruising2]

Thanks for the clarification. I sometimes forget that there are different booking rules around the world.

 

Bob

 

No problems.

 

In my culture, we are not used to paying tips. So Pre paid works just fine for me. I take it as upfront cost for the cruise, since the gratuities go to the crew anyway.

 

They work really hard.

 

I often use their example to teach my young kids just how fortunate we are.

[Iluvcruising2]

Wow, I just read this whole thread in one shot. We were originally booked on this cruise but ended up having to cancel due to a calendar conflict. What a pleasant surprise to be able to experience it vicariously!

 

As many have praised already, a super review -- both in its visual and written content. You have a wonderful way with words, Iluvcruising2!

 

I'm curious, were there any issues with queueing? We had heard from some of the crew on other ships that the Asian itineraries had some trouble with people not used to forming lines.

 

Can't wait to read your next review!

 

I thought the queues were orderly albeit long.

 

However I must clarify that Asia is a big and diverse place.

 

So far, our Asian cruises have been out of Singapore. On such sailings, most of the Asians would be from Singapore. Other passengers would be from countries like Australia, UK, USA. Singaporeans are very used to queuing.

 

I can't speak for cruises out of China. It has been said that some Chinese are more aggressive and less orderly.

[Sinppu]

Please come visit Singapore too! Thank you!

 

(Sorry, blatant advertising for my country)

 

I'll advertise Singapore too :D

We spent three days there two years ago and I'd love to go back someday :)

 

Thanks for the review, it's always really refreshing to read about different locations!

[daisyaday46]

Wow, I just read this whole thread in one shot. We were originally booked on this cruise but ended up having to cancel due to a calendar conflict. What a pleasant surprise to be able to experience it vicariously!

 

As many have praised already, a super review -- both in its visual and written content. You have a wonderful way with words, Iluvcruising2!

 

I'm curious, were there any issues with queueing? We had heard from some of the crew on other ships that the Asian itineraries had some trouble with people not used to forming lines.

 

Can't wait to read your next review!

We were on the ship for the next leg, embarking at Shanghai and returning there as well. When I came home I read the book

China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps

by Larry Herzberg, Qin Herzberg. There was a chapter that helped me understand the situations we found ourselves in with regard to queueing. Iluvcruising2 will be glad to hear that our next cruise will find us having three days in Singapore. Cheers, and happy travels...

[klingoncruiser]

Thanks for posting all the wonderful pictures.:)

[Iluvcruising2]

I'll advertise Singapore too :D

We spent three days there two years ago and I'd love to go back someday :)

 

Thanks for the review, it's always really refreshing to read about different locations!

 

Thank you for the endorsement!

 

Coincidentally, I have had the pleasure of making a short trip to Finland a couple of years back on business. It was a beautiful place. I hope to bring my wife there some day!!

[denamo]

Some short video clips -

 

 

 

 

Loved your links. I also took time to look at one you posted, of what I'm thinking, are your children singing at church for Christmas. I so enjoyed seeing them sing. It was so heartwarming!