Mariner of the Seas From Singapore 10/22/15- Complete Picture Review!

[gapearl]

I don't remember what these buildings were or why they were important, but I have pictures of them.

 

 

 

 

Some of Malaysia's past leaders. The 5th one was the son of the second one, or the 6th one was the son of the 1st one, or...you get my drift.

 

 

Malaysia's flag.

 

 

The flags of some of Malaysia's 13 states.

 

[gapearl]

I heart this picture!

 

 

 

I think Zaidee pointed this one out as the oldest mosque in the city.

 

 

The Petronas Towers are the two largest twin towers in the world. You can buy tickets to go across the sky bridge in the middle or to the observation deck at the top. There's even a mall on the inside.

 

 

I liked this one better in black and white.

 

[lalenalei]

Looks fabulous! What an enriching experience! I love learning about new cultures. We are booked on the Batu Caves excursion (our only non-private tour due to KL traffic paranoia haha). Thanks for the preview!

[gapearl]

This is a Chinese Buddhist temple Zaidee suggested. Just like I had never visited a Hindu temple or a mosque prior to Singapore, I had never been to a Buddhist temple either. It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was striking on the outside. I really do encourage everyone, regardless of your beliefs, to really immerse yourself and experience what the local beliefs are when you travel abroad. I said the same thing when I visited The Vatican in Rome. You don't have to be a religious person to come appreciate the architecture and history and that not everyone in the world has the same beliefs as you. I think the world would be a much better place if everyone was more open minded to our differences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by gapearl

[gapearl]

The haze is continuing to get worse!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tlatrice]

I jumped to the last page to say that I'm halfway through the first page of your review and two things have happened:

 

(1). I've decided to subscribe

(2). I'm staying in that hotel on page 1 one day! :D

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review!

[gapearl]

 

 

 

 

There are a few snack and gift stands on the way out.

 

 

[gapearl]

My final visit for the day was the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in Shah Alam, aka "The Blue Mosque." This mosque can hold up to 24,000 worshipers at one time.

 

 

 

Quite a difference with the flash on, right? :D Here I am as I'm making myself decent to go inside with long sleeves and a scarf.

 

 

Visitors are welcomed and you can be taken on a short tour of certain public areas. Ladies, you do have to be completely covered, hair and all. They have robes to borrow for visitors that are not dressed appropriately.

 

 

Notice the lady in the robe. This is the prayer hall.

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by gapearl

[gapearl]

The architecture was stunning!

 

 

 

 

 

The four minarets are each 466 feet high and said to be the tallest in the world. This is the largest mosque in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia.

 

 

I left a few ringgits in the donation box on the way out.

[gapearl]

Zaidee had me back at the ship at 4 pm. He was such a wonderful guide and driver and I have him an extra RM50. Again, I have his email address if anyone wants to get in touch with him for your cruise.

 

 

 

The port has free wifi on the second floor. Lots of passengers and crew were packed in there, all wanting to stay in touch with loved ones back home.

 

 

The haze is now out of control. :eek:

 

 

You could barely see anything in front of you.

 

[gapearl]

Once back on board, I headed straight to my room to get my invite for the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle. At least 25 people from your roll call have to sign up in advance. Once you hit the magic number, you will receive an email with the date and time, and the invitation was already on my counter on embarkation day. We had about 20 people to show up. Coffee and cookies were on the bar for snacks. The cruise director was sick and confined to his bed the entire cruise, so the entertainment director Bonnie (she's hilarious, by the way) was there instead along with a second member of the entertainment team. Everyone receives a small gift just for showing up. You get a raffle ticket when you arrive for a prize that ranged from pens, t-shirts, caps and bottles of wine. I really like how the Meet & Mingles are put together. They're very well run and Royal Caribbean definitely seems to appreciate the support of the Cruise Critic community.

 

 

 

 

 

That's Bonnie, the entertainment director with the mic.

 

 

These are all of the gifts given away.

 

[gapearl]

Since I missed the buffet, I got my usual snack from Cafe Promenade and took a shower and relaxed before dinner. Tonight was our first formal night. I had to try my hardest not to fall asleep.

 

I ordered a glass of wine from the wine list. A few minutes later my server said they didn't have that one. No problem, can I try this one instead? She came back again, sorry don't have that one either. Well what about this one? She just gave me an embarrassed look like nope. She had a list of about 10 different red wines they didn't have available tonight so I said just bring me anything red. Why is it that on day TWO of a cruise, half of your red wines aren't available? I could understand if it was day 13 of a 14 day cruise, but we just left Singapore yesterday. I thought that was a bit tacky.

 

 

 

There was nothing on the appetizer menu I wanted and asked if I could be brought a regular salad, and that wasn't a problem. I ordered the grilled chicken with a side of mashed potatoes for my entree. I should make sure I say that I'm the pickiest eater you will ever meet in your life. I don't eat pork, beef, fish or seafood, just chicken and turkey, so you will not have much food porn from me. I didn't order anything adventurous at all.

 

 

My neighbor's entree, no idea what it is.

 

 

Service was kind of slow tonight, even though the dining room was only about half full. The string quartet played and set a really nice ambiance. I had the chocolate soufflé with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was ok. I think Royal's buffet desserts are much better than their main dining room desserts.

 

 

[gapearl]

Literally as soon as everyone finished their dessert, they were gone. *cue Celine Dion*

 

Allllllllll byyyyyyy myyyyysssseeeeeellllllfffff

 

Don't wanna sit

 

Allllllllll byyyyyyy myyyyysssseeeeeellllllfffff ANY MORE!

 

 

I took some pictures with the professional photographers and walked around the ship a while. I ran into Gloria from Madagascar!

 

 

It was beautiful outside but I didn't last out here long. The humidity was messing up my hair again.

 

 

Another shot I loved in b & w.

 

 

Tonight's production show "Gallery of Dreams" was pretty good. I ended the night in the Dragon's Lair, where I stayed about an hour, before heading to get my beauty sleep.

 

 

 

Tomorrow we're in Penang, Malaysia, and the review will continue there. Stay tuned for more!

[BunkerVA]

Spectacular review! Thank you for taking the time to put it together! I'm not currently booked on a S Asia cruise but it's on my bucket list!

 

Safe Travels, Sam

[INCHARGE]

Kim, you have surpassed your last review! Such details, and beautiful pictures. I love your video in the beginning! So cute. I am anxiously waiting for your next installment. You have the best reviews I have ever read. Thanks for taking us with you on your vacation!

Edited November 13, 2015 by INCHARGE

[LizSS]

Love the picture of LOVE, how appropriate on a day like today

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nt13]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review! You are inspiring me to add this trip to my list. I have been to Singapore and Thailand but hope to take my children to Asia one day (probably when they are teenagers) and this would be the perfect way to do it. My Asia trip was my favorite trip I have ever taken.

 

 

Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

[kezball]

Hi Kim,

I am really enjoying your review and photos of this cruise. We are from Australia and my family and I are going on the Dec 29 sailing. Wondering about the KL tour guide option as hiring a driver for the four of us (2 adults and 2 kids) may be cheaper than the RC Shore tour.

[monolith77]

Really enjoying this. I will be doing a very similar but shorter itinerary in Jan.

Could you please Pm the email of your driver in Port Klang?

Edited November 14, 2015 by monolith77

[jimbo5544]

Great start to your review, I have enjoyed all your Carnival review also. Fantastic itinerary, can wait to read and see the rest. Thanks for doing it.

[cruiserinsg]

Hi Kim,

I am really enjoying your review and photos of this cruise. We are from Australia and my family and I are going on the Dec 29 sailing. Wondering about the KL tour guide option as hiring a driver for the four of us (2 adults and 2 kids) may be cheaper than the RC Shore tour.

 

Taxi in Malaysia can be quite "small" for 4 especially if you are close to 6 footer. Best to get others in your Roll Call and get a Minibus. :)

[cruiserinsg]

Kim thanks for the memory. Think I saw my "back" at the M&M. haha :)

[kezball]

Thank you for that tip!!

Not sure where to look though...

[gapearl]

I had late seating in The Sound of Music dining room on deck 5. The only thing I was unhappy with this cruise was my MDR experience the first night. First, I was not shown to my table, just pointed in the direction of where it was, despite the fact that there were 3 hosts at the check in stand.

 

Well, that is a nice welcome, I don't think. Everyone should be escorted to their table. It speaks to a lack of supervision by the Head Waiters, that the staff feel they can pretty much ignore you.

 

I hope this was an isolated case and that you mentioned it in your Post-Cruise survey.

 

Norris

 

I meant to bring it up in the survey, but I can't find it in my email any more so I must have accidentally deleted it among hundreds of junk emails. I hope what I encountered is not the norm.

 

Following avidly.

 

I like your writing style, and spirit.

 

I'd very much like to visit... the humidity is a strong deterrent, though. We suffer from a lot of humidity in the area near the Mediteranean beach, where we live.

 

Jerusalem is not humid at all, if the Holy Land is on your "bucket list" :)

 

Thanks, Kim, for taking the time to do such a thorough and enjoyable review. Much appreciated.

 

Dani

 

Thsnks so much Dani! Israel isn't at the top of my list, but it is on there. I have friends that have visited Tel Aviv and loved it. Perhaps one day. :)

[gapearl]

Looks fabulous! What an enriching experience! I love learning about new cultures. We are booked on the Batu Caves excursion (our only non-private tour due to KL traffic paranoia haha). Thanks for the preview!

 

This trip was an amazing cultural experience like no other. You are truly in for a treet on your cruise. :) If you're going to be at the Batu Caves the day of the festival, please come back and post come pictures!

 

I jumped to the last page to say that I'm halfway through the first page of your review and two things have happened:

 

(1). I've decided to subscribe

(2). I'm staying in that hotel on page 1 one day! :D

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review!

 

I hope you make it there one day! It will so be worth it. Thanks for subscribing and I hope you enjoy the rest. Have a great Thanksgiving cruise! :)