Bit of a Blog : Rhapsody : B2B : Singapore - Dubai - Istanbul : May 3rd 2015

Here we go again.

Currently sat in a hotel in a very humid downtown Singapore following a 13 hour flight from London. Just starting this off but there are shops out there that really need me so more later.

It's quite possible that Raina (AussieVisi2R) will be posting as well..... we met briefly at Heathrow and I forgot to ask her.....

Here are the itineraries and route maps to be getting on with.

Have a wonderful and safe trip Linda. Look forward to following your report.

Looking forward to this Linda - should be fun!:)

Hi Linda!! Looking forward to your Bit~of~a~Blog! Safe travels! Will be following along! :):D

Looking forward to this, we are cruising from Dubai next year :)

I booked the first leg of this B2B 514 days ago. Via a US TA. The 2nd leg I added in much later and through a UK TA..... was the weekend when RCL were no shows at various cruise shows and instead they threw in amazing extras for the same price...... actually I ended up paying less but will go into that later.

When flights were released I jumped in and bought Business Class seats with my BA Air Miles.

Here's where I ended up :

And here's the view :

The penny finally dropped that this adventure was really underway when I did the flight check on the TV and saw this :

Hi Linda, have a wonderful trip can't wait for your next installment. Sounds very exciting to me.

Rhonda

Can't wait to hear about your shopping trip!

Looking forward to travelling along vicariously!!! Doing that same itinerary in a few years so really interested to see what you get up to in Columbo and Cochin.

Enjoy shopping first though...!

Can't wait to hear all about your journey! Thanks for taking time yet again to post.

Wow, what an exciting trip! I'll be following along.

Can't wait to hear about your shopping trip!

0215 here. Body clock in revolt. And I'm here. Sigh..

Singapore...... If you like to shop you'll enjoy it. If you love to shop this'll hit so many buttons. I was aware that Orchard Road is the shopping district and that my hotel, the Royal Plaza on Scott's, is right there, but honestly the knowledge and the actual experience are way way apart in reality. It's phenomenal. Above ground a bustling, vibrant neighbourhood. Below ground the same to a factor of 10.

I wanted to cross the road. Need to use an underpass. This is not an underpass

It's a 4 storey mall underground......and it's huge. One floor is food vendors. Place was packed.

My outing last night took me to a Hard Rock Café, a Desigual, a Converse and a Skechers store. I bought 3 things. Not going to spoil the surprise as 2 of them are gifts.

Linda

We just returned from a similar cruise on Azamara Quest. It was amazing. You're going to love it. I hope you brought summer clothes. It was very hot and humid for most of our cruise. ;)

Garry

I adore singapore. We did a 5 day on legend to phuket, langkawi and port klang over new year in 2010.

Phuket is very cheap- all the crew went off to do shopping (as Singapore isnt cheap). Our waiter was buying about 20 people.

Love Oman- look out for the dolphins and turtles (amazing)

Looking forward to reading about your experience. Thanks for sharing.

Have a wonderful time on your B2B cruises, Linda!

I booked the first leg of this B2B 514 days ago. Via a US TA. The 2nd leg I added in much later and through a UK TA..... was the weekend when RCL were no shows at various cruise shows and instead they threw in amazing extras for the same price...... actually I ended up paying less but will go into that later.

 

 

 

When flights were released I jumped in and bought Business Class seats with my BA Air Miles.

 

 

 

Here's where I ended up :

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's the view :

 

 

 

 

 

 

The penny finally dropped that this adventure was really underway when I did the flight check on the TV and saw this :

 

 

 

I flew to South Africa on BA's Business Class. worth every penny if you ask me. I love BA. Hope you had a safe journey.

Thanks for following, friends old and new ;)

I have a room on the 13th floor. I booked my original room under a promotion; I chose the hotel for location and price. Free inroom WiFi. They then had another promotion where I could upgrade the room and include breakfast for much less. On check in I was further upgraded (bathroom also has a tub) and am really high (though I've not othered to photograph the view as it's really just mostly high buildings.... nothing to differentiate it at all. They also arranged for a car to meet me which was really nice having slept so badly overnight I was a wreck on arrival. I understand there's a hotel shuttle bus that goes around all the hotels.

The Concierge here has been extremely useful during the planning process. More about that tomorrow.

My room :

Decaf Nespresso!!! Yayyyy!!!

A complimentary mini bar (RCL take note)

The hotel has a noted restaurant; I think TripAdvisor rates it highly. Called Carousel it reflects the vendor market style with a multitude of offerings. I doubt I will have the opportunity to dine here but I certainly would. Walking around I saw diners with lobster on their plates..... and then there's sushi....

Those new to my blogs will get used to my fascination to take pics of food. There were more options.....

Last night I stayed up as advised and went to bed quite late..... woke up at 2am wide awake. Popped in here. Went back to sleep. Had set alarm for 8am. Didn't want to miss breakfast. Went back to sleep. Woke to alarm. Went back to sleep. Missed breakfast. Good to have coffee in the room. I'm actually not hungry. The kit kat and oat bar from the mini bar had bitten the dust yesterday.

Today I'm being picked up by Tour East later and together with some roll call people we're taking the 'Footsteps of Raffles' tour :

• Comprehensive afternoon tour highlighting Singapore's Raffles history
  
• Retracing Raffles' footsteps at the Raffles Landing Site
  
• Afternoon tea buffet in the Raffles Hotel's famous Tiffin Room
  
• Exhibition on the history of the Singapore River
  
• Bumboat cruise along the Singapore River
  
• Pewter demonstration at a pewter gallery on Clarke Quay
  
• Knowledgeable English-speaking licensed guide
  

Whilst I'd tried to this book this over 3 months ago it was impossible...... I contacted the Concierge here and they sorted it out for me. Not only for me but for my roll call friends too who are not staying here. I have something to give them when I go down shortly.

In the evening we've a roll call meet arranged at Lau Pa Sat market for dinner.

Enjoying your review

Enjoy the river ride, will be nice to see some pics of the lions and the Marina Sands hotel!

If you can get to the top the infinity pool is amazing:)

Have a great cruise

Happy Days!

Very exciting! Looking forward to following along on your adventure. Love the photos!

Looking forward to reading your blog. What a wonderful adventure!! I'm doing an Arabian Gulf cruise next year and am looking forward to some tips.

Awesome stuff.

Welcome to Singapore and I hope you are enjoying your stay at the Royal Plaza on Scotts.

Indeed, the weather is awfully humid. As a local, I can't take it either. :p

Yes, the buffet at Carousel is very famous.