Live: Dec 22 2023 Solstice 12 Night Thailand & Vietnam Holiday Cruise!

[pyffii]

What time was the ship cleared in HongKong for disembarkation and were you able to disembark ?….we are looking at wanting to disembark at 8.00am to catch an 11.30am flight to Singapore….is that feasible?

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, pyffii said:

What time was the ship cleared in HongKong for disembarkation and were you able to disembark ?….we are looking at wanting to disembark at 8.00am to catch an 11.30am flight to Singapore….is that feasible?

 

To answer your question directly: the1st batch of passengers (self walk off) were scheduled to disembark at 6:45 am.  I am pretty sure that they got off on schedule.  We walked by the debarkation "door" at 6:54 am and passengers were walking off.

 

Ship's starboard exit point on Deck 5.  Photo taken at 6:54 am.

 

Here are the disembarkation instructions/schedule that was issued to us: link

 

It is probably feasible to leave at 8am to catch an 11:30 am flight out of Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).  However if it were me, I would be doing the self-walk off which requires you to take all your bags off the ship with you.  The big advantage is that you will be first in line to get off the ship--6:45 am which allows you to beat the crowd and avoid lines at customs/immigration and getting a taxi (unless you decide on an Uber).  You also get to skip the baggage claim area and the possible snafus of not being able to find all your bags.

 

The ride from the pier to the airport is 25 miles long and will take at least 35 minutes and worse if there is heavy traffic (map).  You also have to get through airport security.  I remember HKG being fairly large and it involved having to catch a tram to get to our gate.

 

But that is me, I am fairly risk intolerant when it comes to catching a plane.

 

Hong Kong Airport is on the left, cruise ship pier is on the right.

Edited January 12 by mahdnc

[pyffii]

many thanks for the prompt reply

[Baynanno1]

1 hour ago, pyffii said:

What time was the ship cleared in HongKong for disembarkation and were you able to disembark ?….we are looking at wanting to disembark at 8.00am to catch an 11.30am flight to Singapore….is that feasible?

 

You may be interested to read posts #340, #346 and #352 for the actual experience of this cruise debarkation.

[pyffii]

Many thanks Baynanno1😎

[mahdnc]

We got into our room at about 7:45 am.  We had our city tour set to start at 9 am.  The tour was set to be 3 hours long and we secured our guide via Tours by Locals although there were numerous opportunities to book a tour on the spot through the hotel.

 

Our guide, Teddy, met us at our hotel lobby promptly at 9 am.  Our first stop was at the National Museum of Ethiopia.  While walking on the outdoor grounds of the museum, my wife almost got obliterated by some dead branches that suddenly broke off a palm tree and fell straight down onto the ground where she and our guide were standing. 

 

 

She was standing directly under the canopy of the palm tree when the branches fell.  I was standing further away and saw the whole thing--including looking up at the palm tree when I heard the crackling noises before the branches let loose.  Fortunately she only received a glancing blow off her shoulder and not a direct hit on the head which would have been bad.

 

 

The museum's claim to fame is that it houses the archeological remains of the world famous "Lucy" although only the casts are on public display. 

 

 

Lucy was discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia and her remains are estimated to be 3.2 million years old.

 

 

The national museum itself was small.  Moreover, the quality of the building and rooms were generally poor.  The exhibits were very simple and dated.  Many times were were simply reading posters that were attached to the walls.

 

 

 

 

Our guide then drove us up to Entoto Park which is on the northern outskirts of the city.

 

 

 

The park was around 9,800 ft above sea level.

 

 

 

The park is elevated above Addis Ababa which gave us nice views of the city.

 

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Here are a couple more photos from our trip to Entoto Park.

 

Entoto Park

 

This guy was staring at me as we were driving away from Entoto Park.

 

My wife and I knew nothing about Ethiopia before this trip.  Our guide, Teddy, tried to correct that.  He was very proud of his country.   He proudly informed us that Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent country and that it has a population of 125 million people making it the second most populous country on the continent (Nigeria has more people).  He pointed out that Ethiopia was one of the very few African countries that was able to resist and avoid European colonization during the late 1800's. 

 

Teddy mentioned that Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's largest airline and that it is run without government subsidy.  He also pointed out that Addis Ababa is the headquarters for the African Union which was formed in 1999.  Finally, he mentioned that China has been heavily investing in the country and funding many construction projects.

 

 

Our guide also said that Ethiopia has many issues and challenges.  For starters Ethiopia is a very poor country.  The average income is a paltry $1,000-$2,000 USD which means most Ethiopians live in poverty.  The literacy rate is very low--I think he said 50%. 

 

And finally Ethiopia has had civil unrest and armed conflict with neighboring countries.  There has been a large civil war that ended most recently in Nov 2022, however there are still areas of the country that he cannot take tourists because of civil unrest.  The civil war has been very bad for Ethiopia's economy and population.  Teddy told me that in 2018 (before the civil war and maybe COVID) he was booked for tours for every day in January.  This time he only has 2 days booked for the month (Jan 2024) and my wife and I were one of them.  Wow.

 

Ethiopia also has neighboring country problems.  There have been hostilities with the country of Eritrea (shares a border with northern Ethiopia) who broke away from Ethiopia in 1993.  There also have been constant conflicts with Somalia who share a border with Ethiopia to the east.  Ethiopia is also under threat from terrorists from neighboring countries which explains the security measures that we saw (e.g. we had to pass through a security check to gain access to our hotel).

 

I guess that explains the travel advisory that the US Department of State has issued for Ethiopia: link

 

So now, I know a little more about the country than I did before we arrived.

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Our next stop was St George's Cathedral which has a very distinctive octagon shaped building.  It is an Ethiopian Orthodox church.

 

A deacon of the church was on hand to give us a tour of the church and its museum.  The church has a lot of connection with Ethiopia's resistance to foreign colonization.  Hence the church's museum ironically contains war artifacts.

 

 

 

 

[mahdnc]

Our final stop of the tour was the Addis Mercato--we were told that it is Africa's largest open air market.  It is absolutely humongous--taking up several city blocks and it would be easy to get lost in it.  We were hoping to stop and walk through the market but our tour guide seriously advised against it, citing security concerns.  It didn't matter anyway because we were running behind schedule and needed to get back to our hotel to rest anyway.  Our guide said that a few years ago, the market was truly an open air market.  However the government insisted that building be erected, which made some of the market look very slum-like.  While he was driving us slowly through the congested streets of the market, Teddy advised me to move my iPhone from sitting on my lap to a place in the center console--obviously concerned that someone would reach into our car and take it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

After that, we were taken back to our hotel where my wife and I tried to sleep some.  We also turned in one of our vouchers for a meal.  The restaurant was located in the older hotel building which required us to walk a little bit (and pass through security to get into the hotel itself).

 

 

Then it was time to get back to ADD to catch our late evening flight to ORD.  Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is a nice facility.  The airport is modern, bright, and clean.  Our gate was in Terminal 2 which was built in 2019.  Terminal 1 takes care of the regional and domestic flights.

 

 

It turns out that getting to our gate requires going through 3 security checkpoints:

1. A bag scan in order to get into the public side of the terminal (new to me).

2. A bag and body scan to get to the secured side of the terminal (like in the USA).

3. A bag and body scan to get from the secured side of the airport to our actual gate (new to me).  When you get through that to the gate (A16, next two photos), you find yourself sitting in area devoid of shops and restaurants.  I can't even remember if restrooms were accessible there.

 

We were told that the first security checkpoint is to protect against terrorism at the airport itself.  We were also told that the 3rd checkpoint is done for flights to the USA.  In fact when I think about it, a security officer at the 2nd checkpoint was looking at my camera bag and asked me where I was flying to.  When I said "USA", he immediately summoned his supervisor to look at my bag.  So it looks like USA bound flights get extra attention.  When I described the 3rd checkpoint to our Jordanian driver who took us home from O'Hare, he told me that the extra checkpoint at the gate for USA bound flights is common in foreign airports.  I guess I haven't been in the right foreign airports until now.

 

 

Even though ADD has a total of 11 gates spread out between two terminals, our flight was assigned to Gate 16.  I don't understand that.  Maybe the gate numbers are assigned by distance like the exit numbers are with the US interstate system (because we did walk a long way to get there, it seemed).

 

 

The custom for waiting your turn to enter the body scanning machine (the one where you have to hold your hands over your head) is very different in Ethiopia.  In the USA, you usually have to stand a few feet back from the scanner entrance and wait for the scanner chamber to empty and then to be summoned by the security officer to enter.  Not in Ethiopia.  I had several women rush right past me when it was my turn to go next.  My wife who was in a different line said that she had the same thing happen to her.  In fact in one instance I had two women (one in a burka) rush past me and both tried to go into the same body scanner booth at the same time.  Maybe they never flown before. 

 

Another oddity to me was with the 3rd security checkpoint to enter the gate area.  They split us up.  One security line was for men and the other for women & children.  It took me a while to realize that it was probably for cases where pat down searches and closer inspections might be required.

 

 

Before we went to our gate, we spent some time at Ethiopian Airline's Cloud 9 Lounge.  Nice name and it was very large although there were quite a lot of passengers there because Ethiopian Airlines has a heavy redeye flight schedule to international destinations.  This lounge also had an area set aside to serve traditional Ethiopian coffee which was free but devoid of passengers. 

 

During the past four months we have been on two cruise trips that resulted in us visiting Ecuador, Vietnam, and Ethiopia.  Each of those countries have unequivocally asserted that they grow the best coffee beans in the world (and why) and hence make the best coffee.  We will be sailing on Summit in three months and I am sure we will hear the same claim when she calls on Cartagena, Columbia.  Who's right?

 

 

Boarding was pretty simple although Ethiopian Airlines has a paper boarding pass system (no smartphone option) and I was paranoid that I would lose the physical boarding pass or not be able to find it when it was time to pull it out (all those security checkpoints tend to scramble things for me).

 

 

The Boeing 787 that was assigned to our flight had true lay flat seats in the Business Class section which was great although I actually didn't spend much time sleeping because I was binge watching an Amazon Prime Video series (The Terminal List) and managed to watch all eight shows comprising Season One before we landed.  It is always amazing to see how the bad guys on TV and movies are such bad shots.  That would be cool if it were true in real life.

 

 

I think three meals were served to us on each of the two flights (at least in Business Class).  It gets to the point where I really can't eat all that food and I found myself skipping courses.

 

 

I know flight attendants work hard.  Sitting at the front of the plane allowed me to watch the large army of flight attendants serving Business Class.  They were very competent, efficient, and incredibly polite.  It is impressive how they smile at each passenger and serve us like we are the most important passenger on the plane.  It takes some real skill and character to do that in the middle of the night.

 

There were a few times when I had to go to the restroom which was at the front of the plane--the same area where the flight attendants are seated.  Each time I came bursting through the curtain, they would quickly stop talking which made me wonder what conversation I interrupted.

 

 

The only thing that I didn't like was the option to eat the Ethiopian food.  I didn't want to be impolite and decline the option, so I asked them to serve me some.  The food is actually plated for you by the flight attendants (above photo).

 

 

It turned out that I didn't like the food that much but I felt a lot of self imposed pressure to eat as much of it as I could so that when they retrieved my plate, it would look respectable.  I haven't felt that kind of pressure since my first girl friend in high school baked a cake for me (because I don't like cakes either).  We will save that story for another cruise.

 

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Here are the menus used for our two business class flights

1. HKG-ADD (brief stop at BKK)

2, ADD-ORD (brief stop at FCO)

 

 

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

Well, our bag that was left behind in Africa by the airline has just been delivered to us and Daisy approves.

 

 

The only problem is that they severely bent up our Captain's Club luggage tag!  Oh well.  The important thing is that all the bags are home.

 

[Guiarm]

On 12/16/2023 at 7:09 PM, mahdnc said:

 

Thanks for mentioning it, but we missed it which is too bad.  The good news is that SIN is set up real well to get arrivals out the door efficiently.  The bad news was once we got our bags, there was the taxi stand and away we went.    

 

I am aware that SIN has garnered awards as the top airport in the world (here is an example).  And when we got lined up to get off the plane, I warned my wife that we might make a detour or delay our exiting of the airport to some of the attractions.  But I was not very well prepared in terms of knowing where the attractions were because I assumed that some of the impressive design features of the airport would be there to welcome world visitors flying into Singapore.  I was wrong!

Do you know if there is a place to drop your luggage so we can tour the airport? 

[mahdnc]

17 minutes ago, Guiarm said:

Do you know if there is a place to drop your luggage so we can tour the airport? 

 

We actually made a trip back to SIN to see the Jewel (I have that posted later in the thread).  While there, we saw signs advertising luggage storage.  There was a fee associated with it, but it was very cheap for the first 3 hours (I think that was the length) to encourage you to drop off your luggage and and to shop at the land side of the airport.

 

If you look at the airport website, you will find this:   https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/baggage-storage.html

It appears that there are multiple locations to store your bags both on the secure-side and land-side of the airport.

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[NMTraveller]

3 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

We actually made a trip back to SIN to see the Jewel (I have that posted later in the thread).  While there, we saw signs advertising luggage storage.  There was a fee associated with it, but it was very cheap for the first 3 hours (I think that was the length) to encourage you to drop off your luggage and and to shop at the land side of the airport.

 

If you look at the airport website, you will find this:   https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/baggage-storage.html

I would add that the Singapore airport is the nicest airport I have ever been in.  They have butterflies,  waterfalls, and it is very scenic and clean.  My only regret is that I did not have more time to spend there.  It is the Disneyland of airports but a step above.  I would not mind a long layover there and I do not like layovers ...

[Guiarm]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:50 AM, mahdnc said:

I was wrong about the second leg being a 12 hr flight. It’s 17.75 hr flight from ADD to ORD which includes a stop at Rome (FCO). Oops. 
 

At least this flight as full lay flat seats in business class. Our flight from Hong Kong to ADD has near lay flat seats (aka angled seats). 

 

On 1/9/2024 at 6:12 AM, billc23 said:

Single entry is fine as long as you do not enter another country and then return to Vietnam. For example, If you are doing a B2B on the Solstice, then you will need a multiple entry visa. 

Since we go between Vietnam & Thailand would that constitute the need for multiple entry? 

[mahdnc]

5 minutes ago, Guiarm said:

 

Since we go between Vietnam & Thailand would that constitute the need for multiple entry? 

 

I do not understand your comment (the word, "between").  I believe your sailing does this: Thailand - Vietnam (4 ports) - Hong Kong.

Edited January 13 by mahdnc

[Guiarm]

On 1/5/2024 at 7:54 AM, mahdnc said:

By the way, the restaurant that we had dinner (previous post) was named Hing Kee located on Nathan Road.

 

Before we left the hotel to go exploring today, we stopped to talk to the Ritz Carlton Concierge Manager, Marshall Sze.  He is a very nice and knowledgeable gentleman.  He proudly wears the Golden Keys on both lapels of his jacket indicating that he is a member of the prestigious Les Clefs d'Or--an exclusive professional concierge society.

 

 

I asked him for the name of the dim sum restaurant that our guide took us to yesterday.  After describing the restaurant and the jarring experience, he told us that we ate on the famous second floor at Lin Heung Kui located at 40-50 Des Voeux Rd W, Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island.  He was familiar with the place and was impressed that our guide, Virginia, took us there.  He said that this restaurant operated/served dim sum like he remembered as a kid growing up in Hong Kong and that there were only a very small number of these old style teahouses left that still operate that today.  He had two young assistants standing beside him at the concierge desk.  He looked at them and said to my wife and I that he doubted that either one of them have eaten at a place like that (both of them concurred).

 

Now knowing the name of the restaurant, I went back to look at the Tripadvisor reviews.  It is littered with good reviews and bad reviews from customers that were intimidated by the culture, customs, and service.  Again, if you are interested in going to something like that, my advice is to get a guide who can show you the ropes so that you can soak up the experience.

 

By the way, this restaurant took credit cards and our meal cost exactly $35.24 USD according to my credit card statement.

 

From left to right: my wife, our guide (Virginia), and a regular patron of Lin Heung Kiu.

 

Do you have a contact please for Virginia?  We will be there in March 2025.  Thank you. 

[mahdnc]

5 minutes ago, Guiarm said:

Do you have a contact please for Virginia?  We will be there in March 2025.  Thank you. 

 

Virginia has her own company whimsically named, "Humid With A Chance of Fishballs".  Here is her website: https://humidwithachanceoffishballs.com/   

 

While we were in Hong Kong (and after we were finished with our tour with her), I was looking through Lonely Planet's Hong Kong guide book and found that her tours were mentioned twice.  My wife and I were extremely impressed with her both as a person and as a guide. She is highly intelligent and has excellent communication skills.

[Guiarm]

4 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Virginia has her own company whimsically named, "Humid With A Chance of Fishballs".  Here is her website: https://humidwithachanceoffishballs.com/   

 

While we were in Hong Kong (and after we were finished with our tour with her), I was looking through Lonely Planet's Hong Kong guide book and found that her tours were mentioned twice.  My wife and I were extremely impressed with her both as a person and as a guide. She is highly intelligent and has excellent communication skills.

Thank you & have a great 2024! 

[Guiarm]

30 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

I do not understand your comment (the word, "between").  I believe your sailing does this: Thailand - Vietnam (4 ports) - Hong Kong.

You're right.  Woe is me🥲

[Guiarm]

42 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

We actually made a trip back to SIN to see the Jewel (I have that posted later in the thread).  While there, we saw signs advertising luggage storage.  There was a fee associated with it, but it was very cheap for the first 3 hours (I think that was the length) to encourage you to drop off your luggage and and to shop at the land side of the airport.

 

If you look at the airport website, you will find this:   https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/baggage-storage.html

It appears that there are multiple locations to store your bags both on the secure-side and land-side of the airport.

Thsnk you once again!!!

[mahdnc]

1 minute ago, Guiarm said:

Thank you & have a great 2024! 

 

One other thing about Virginia, her specialty is food tours, but she is quite capable of giving tours that cover Hong Kong's tourist attractions.  For our private tour, I asked for a mix of both.

[mahdnc]

18 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I would add that the Singapore airport is the nicest airport I have ever been in.  They have butterflies,  waterfalls, and it is very scenic and clean.  My only regret is that I did not have more time to spend there.  It is the Disneyland of airports but a step above.  I would not mind a long layover there and I do not like layovers ...

 

I agree although I didn't see as much of the airport as I would have liked because we were flying in and wanted to get to our hotel.  Singapore's Changi Airport (SIN) consistently ranks very high and was judged to be the #1 airport in the world according to Skytrax (link).

 

The Jewel waterfall is something you don't see every day.

 

 

The shopping center attached to the airport is pretty good, too.

 

 

However it was this place that really caught her eye:

 

 

I am shocked that we didn't buy a dozen of their donuts.  We will have to catch the butterflies next time.

[NMTraveller]

Just curious what your general impression was of Ethiopia air?

 

We flew Singapore air for both routes and would definitely fly them again over Delta, American, etc.  All of the general seats were extended for legroom and they kept the lavatories clean for the long flight.

Edited January 14 by NMTraveller