"LIVE" - Ovation of the Seas (April 9-26, 2018), Bill & Marie's slow boat to China

[PCWalton1]

Wow...this looks amazing! I love reading your reviews, and it's great to see an unusual itinerary rather than the typical Falmouth/Labadee/Grand Cayman...although I do see Georgetown on your itinerary! ;)

 

Have a great trip, I'll be following along!

 

Actually we have not spent that much time in the Caribbean so we look forward to getting back there some day. :)

 

For the 12 day cruise our first two stops are both in Vietnam. First the port of Phu My where we will be taking a trip to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon).

 

Full Itinerary:

• 8:00: from the front gate of Phu My Port – Vung Tau, enjoy a pleasant drive (almost 2 hours) to Saigon
  
• 9:30: arrive in Saigon and kick start our exciting day with a short but nerve-testing cyclo ride (40 minutes) to Ho Thi Ky alleys with a short break for photos at the site of, ‘the most powerful photo of all time’ where a Buddhist monk set himself a fire in 1963 to oppose the then regime’s depressing on Buddhism
  
• Upon arrival at Ho Thi Ky alleys, we will enjoy a short walk (15 minutes) in the alleys and visit Saigon’s largest wholesaled flower market which has been here for almost a century
  
• Drive to Cho Lon (known as china town) and stroll through the backstreets market of Tan Thanh where jungles of motor-parts are provided for some 6 million motorbikes in Saigon. Interestingly, hundreds of U.S ammunition boxes found their way to this market after the Vietnam War and are now being reused as toolboxes
  
• We will go on to visit Binh Tay Market, the largest wholesaled on in Saigon
  
• 12:30: savor our lunch at a local restaurant with authentic Vietnamese dishes
  
• 13:30: we will visit the sobering War Remnants Museum, the former Presidential Palace (also known as Unification Hall) and the historic French-built landmarks i.e. Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, …
  
• Enjoy some free time for your own shopping at Ben Thanh Central Market
  
• 16:00: head off for Phu My Port (2-hour drive)
  

 

 

The second Vietnam stop will be the port of Chan May where we will be touring Da Nang and Hoi An.

 

Da Nang and Hoi An tour from Chan May Port

Itinerary:

Pick-up from the Chan May port

Transfer to visit Hai van pass

Transfer to Danang city to admire the beauty and history of China beach (R & R beach, or the South China Beach called by the American army)

Transfer to Marble Mountain to visit the Linh ung pagoda, Tang Chon cave, … (the lift is available)

Have lunch at local restaurant (Street food and popular food)

Visit Hoi An ancient town: Hoian market, the Fujien Chinese temple, Tan Ky ancient house, the famous Japanese Covered Bridge and great shopping (best tailor of world with reasonable price)

Take the boat trip on Thu Bon River

Transfer back to the port (through Hai Van Tunnel)

Drop-off at the Chan May port

 

 

[pandagirl1]

Safe travels to you and Marie and hope to see you on board in Singapore.....we are in 9231 so we will pass a few time in the hallway i think :)

Thanks for all your posts along the way, they have been most helpful.

[PCWalton1]

Safe travels to you and Marie and hope to see you on board in Singapore.....we are in 9231 so we will pass a few time in the hallway i think :)

Thanks for all your posts along the way, they have been most helpful.

 

We are almost neighbors. :D Safe travels for you too.

[Crawford095]

Just booked this ship to Alaska next year...looking forward to hearing about your trip

 

 

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[JamesEM]

Following along, looking forward to your reports and photos, wishing you and Marie safe travels.

[little britain]

I was on Ovations first cruise. Will be good to see her again. Beautiful ship.

 

Watch “Love is a many splendoured thing” for a wonderful insight into old HK....(have tissues ready). Then you will appreciate how much it has changed.

[Tigerlily75]

Following along, I love this part of the world. In Singapore I love the hawker centres, where you can eat like a king for around $6 and it's some of the best food you'll ever eat, family run stalls perfected over generations.

 

And Seoul is one of my favourite cities. Wishing you a great trip!

[dani negreanu]

Marie and Bill,

Thank you for taking us along. We'll do some of this itinerary ourselves, and I'm grateful again for pointing me to MBS availability. We're booked there for 2 nights pre-cruise.

Wishing you a smooth and easy flight, safe travels everywhere, enjoy it to the fullest :D

[PCWalton1]

Thank you for all the well wishes. I should get on with the ports. Our next stop will be Hong Kong for an overnight stay. Currently we have all our activities packed into the first day. We have two tours set up with a company called Hong Kong Getaway. The company consists of two sisters, Mandy and Apple who will be giving us a 6 hour day tour then after a brief stop at the ship a 4 hour night tour.

 

 

Here is the description of the day tour:

We will tailor-make a6-hour Layover Food and Cultural Tour for you which covers themust-see attractions in Hong Kong, as well as the (secret but great) local foodand culture, local market shopping plus some natural scenery off the beatentrack. A tour of less hour is possible, although it may not be enough to getthe best experience of Hong Kong. Our tour will serve as a great highlight andintroduction of Hong Kong which gives you a lot of insights of what Hong Kongreally is like (If it sounds too serious here, let me reassure you our toursare also relaxing and fun too).

As I said we will stop back at the ship for several hours then head out for our night tour.

You can’t leave Hong Kong without taking a trip to the night markets! In this tour, you will be exploring the most vibrant night market in town – the Temple Street Market, and experience the most local dinning culture – dinner in Dai Pai Dong! Fill up yourself, and get ready for some bargain hunting with local traders or even fortune tellers! Follow us to the best secret spot to enjoy the breathtaking night view of the world-famous Victoria Harbour. You may then end (or start) your night with a relaxing drink overlooking the stunning harbour view. Enjoy falling in love with Hong Kong with us!

[PCWalton1]

Next stop will be Korea where we have booked a city tour with the company Here Korea.

 

[PCWalton1]

Then on the 26th we leave the ship and will spend three days touring China.

 

1) Itinerary - Beijing, China, April 2018

Apr26 Arrive Tianjin Cruise Port - Beijing

Meet & greet at Tianjin Cruise Port, one way transfer to Beijing for sightseeing tour to The Temple of Heaven, a complex of buildings representing the pinnacle of Ming and Qing architecture.

Overnight at Sunworld Beijing Hotel

 

Apr27 Beijing, sightseeing

(Fri) In the morning , marvel at the vast Tiananmen Square and see the neighboring halls and monuments. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the magnificent Forbidden City, which was home to the Ming and Qing dynasties for over 500 years. Spend the afternoon at the former Imperial Summer Palace – the famous royal garden that was favored by the Empress Cixi in the late 19th century. Stroll through the ” Long Corridor” to admire its painting gallery. Enroute visit a Pearl factory. Tonight you will be served with one of the most famous dishes at Fangzhuang Quanjude Beijing Duck Restaurant.

 

After dinner, transfer to watch the 7:30pm Beijing Opera

Overnight at Sunworld Beijing Hotel

 

Apr28 Beijing, sightseeing

(Sat) Travel to the north of Beijing to visit China’s most famous attraction – the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Built over 2,000 year s ago, it stretches 4,000 miles across mountains and valley in the Northern part of China. Afterwards, you will be transferred to the 2008 Beijing Olympic sites, including the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, for a photo opportunity. Your guide will show you the best angle for getting a panoramic view of the stadium before enjoying a walk along Wangfujing Street, a 700-years-old commercial street.

Dinner will be on your own expense and tour guide will suggest a restaurant depending on your preference.

 

After dinner, transfer to watch the 7:30pm Kung Fu Show

 

Overnight at Sunworld Beijing Hotel

 

Apr29 Depart Beijing

(Sun) Free time until transfer to Airport for flight departing Beijing

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PCWalton1]

The luggage is all packed, we've checked into our flight and printed the boarding passes. Now we relax (try to relax ;p) for 6 hours till our ride gets here to take us to the airport.

[PCWalton1]

Following along, I love this part of the world. In Singapore I love the hawker centres, where you can eat like a king for around $6 and it's some of the best food you'll ever eat, family run stalls perfected over generations.

 

And Seoul is one of my favourite cities. Wishing you a great trip!

 

If we can keep awake till dinner time we plan to go to Maxwell Hawker Center which is a quick taxi ride from the hotel.

 

Looking forward to the chicken rice. :D

[mac_tlc]

Wow, what a fabulous itinerary. We have never been to that part of the world, but its on the bucket list. Will be following along and keep track of your journey ---- maybe someday we can duplicate it !!

 

Safe travels..

 

 

mac_tlc

[PCWalton1]

Finally at the airport, checked in and at the gate. Sorry Bob, no fish.

 

 

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[PCWalton1]

On the plane. Signing off for now. See you on the other side of the Pacific.

 

 

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[reallyhooked]

Looking forward to to another great review. Thank you for sharing your trip.

[Clarea]

Finally at the airport, checked in and at the gate. Sorry Bob, no fish.

Safe travels Bill & Marie.

[bobmacliberty]

Can't wait to read this review. Hong Kong and Singapore are 2 of my favorite cities in the world. If you think cruise ship drink prices are high, wait until you get to the MBS hotel. :eek:

[Tigerlily75]

If we can keep awake till dinner time we plan to go to Maxwell Hawker Center which is a quick taxi ride from the hotel.

 

Looking forward to the chicken rice. :D

 

Yes, yum! And then go to the fruit stall for dessert :)

[travelgoddess1]

So happy for you both as you start this memorable voyage! So many sights to see, and foods to enjoy! I agree with all those who have recommended the Singapore hawker centers for a delicious meal. There used to be one at Newton Circus that was my favorite.

 

I'm looking forward to reading about each leg of your journey.

 

Safe travels and Bon Voyage!

[PCWalton1]

Thanks to everyone for the greetings. We have arrived in Taipei and are now waiting for our connection to Singapore. The gate is really empty even though we are supposed to start boarding in an hour.

 

 

 

 

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[kandj05]

Looking forward to following your posts!

 

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[Funsinger75]

Following....Bon Voyage!

[mslaabs]

Sounds like a great trip. Have fun and thanks for letting us tag along.

 

Sheila