Manila excursion choice

Am following Fred's lead on asking for your sage advice with an excursion choice (Manila) on our Voyager Auckland to Hong Kong voyage. We arrive in the Philippines on the Voyager at the end of February next year. Now, we're considering taking either Corregidor the Last Bastion (appeals to me as a Veteran), or the Old and New Manila (appeals to Ida). We prefer to take our excursions together--which would you choose? Thanks in advance.

We're very much looking forward to our first visit, as well as observing the Philippine members of the crew enjoying family time with their loved ones.

Wes, we did Old and New Manila and as always, I blogged about it ;-) The tour included a visit to the vast US cemetery and memorial which was extraordinarily moving as these places often are. http://www.elegantsufficiency.org/blog/2015/4/1/manila-old-and-new.html and the following couple of posts, if you're interested.

What made Manila a very special stop for us was the fact that it's the home port for so many staff on board and they were extremely excited to be seeing their families and friends. Sailing away was especially poignant and I suspect there wasn't a dry eye on the ship.

Hi Gill,

Thanks so much for sharing your Manila first hand experiences. And your Elegant Sufficiency Manila blog post was exceptionally well done with a wonderfully variety of photos paired with beautiful prose.

Happy to hear y'all made it safely home after your USA road trip. Your blog captured Austin and Charleston perfectly--but you should have bought the Allens Boot's beauties :)

Oh Wes, I do wonder if those Allen boots might have started a trend over here? They were beauties, that's for sure!

Thanks for your kind words about the blog posts. We thought the Old and New tour gave a comprehensive overview of a city we had not visited before and they definitely packed plenty into the schedule. But there was a lot of on and off the bus, and some aspects were a wee bit odd (the execution memorial). I hope it makes your decision easier rather than making it more challenging, though.

Wes, when we were in Manila, Wayne did the Corregidor excursion and liked it a lot! I did a different excursion, could have been Old and New Manila. We almost always do excursions together but did not this time.

I'm sure you will have a great time on your cruise!!

Karen

Thanks Karen for sharing y'alls experience in Manila and especially for your cruise well wishes.

Do know Wayne as a Vietnam era Veteran would have very much enjoyed Corregidor.

Believe I will give Ida a choice (we can do Corregidor together (She is a Desert Storm Veteran as you know) or I can do Corregidor by myself, and she can do Old/New Manila. Anyway, that's my thinking as of now.

Still welcome any additional Regent guests views who have been to Manila and have an excursion suggestion--thanks so much in advance.

Wes.

Pay attention to the dates of the tours. Beware if it falls within the Chinese New Year celebration. I was going to do the Corregidor tour on the VOY this past February and it was canceled becasue the operator supposedly got a offer for his services for some new year celebration clients.

j

Thanks JMariner for the good catch--would not have double checked for the Chinese New Year dates. Chinese New Years days off for the 2017 holiday are: from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. Fortunately, we arrive @ Boracay Island, Philippines on Feb 28 and then we arrive in Manila on March 1st.

Thanks JMariner for the good catch--would not have double checked for the Chinese New Year dates. Chinese New Years days off for the 2017 holiday are: from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. Fortunately, we arrive @ Boracay Island, Philippines on Feb 28 and then we arrive in Manila on March 1st.

I am envious. I so wanted to go to Corregido. Please post some pics.

FYI for other reader: Regent has often run into tour problems is Asia around the Chinese new year. I don't know why they don't anticipate and get the tours and times posted on the ShoreEx descriptions.

j

I haven't been there in about 20 years but I spent a fair amount of time in the Philippines from the early 70s to the mid 90s. I always considered Corregidor to be a "must see" site for all visitors (not just Americans), especially those with an interest in WWII history.

IMO, missing Corregidor would be like going to Honolulu and never seeing Pearl Harbor.

Besides, Wes, you will probably have the only chance you'll ever get to "become one with John Wayne" (Buy me a drink and I'll explain that in the Observation Lounge somewhere between Auckland and Singapore).

We took the Corregidor excursion a few years ago; it was fantastic. We were there the day that Jamie shot his video. I strongly recommend the excursion if it is offered. Good history with interesting sites. Tunnel not to be missed.

Marc

Corregidor is very interesting, but you have to be interested in pre WW11 gun emplacements and military quarters. We enjoyed it very much, but my father and grandfather and grandmother were all in Asia during the thirties. It was just like all the photos that I had seen from that era!

George and I are signed up for the Corregidor excursion. Please come!

Frank (and Susan)/Ka Honu;

Thanks for your passionate Corregidor recommendation--will absolutely buy you the first round in the Observation Lounge (Auckland to Sydney), in fact (if I recall Frank's fav drink) will have the bartender make you a Shirley Temple a double :)

JMariner; Rachel (Rachel & George), Mr. Rumor (Rich & Ginney) and Ida and I will be sharing a thread on Singapore to Auckland and enjoy sharing Corregidor military history in photos with you & Regent cruise critics.

Marc; Ida and I very fondly recall Jaime Logan's (Regent exceptionally experienced CD) very well done Corregidor vid--had forgot about his vid as we contemplated our Manila excursion.

Josephone--thanks so much too for your Manila/Corregidor experienced-based recommendation.

Rachel (and George); seals the deal (look forward to sharing this robust WWII military history enriched excursion)with y'all.

We are now both booked on the Corregidor excursion in Manila. Will now get in touch with Voyager cruise friends (Bill & Julie) who were with us on Dubai to Athens a few years ago (and alerted us via FB last weekend that they will now join us on the Singapore to Hong Kong segment. Believe Bill, as a Coast Guard Academy graduate and Julie would also very much enjoy the Corregidor excursion.

Now before sailing next February, we both look forward to reading Eric Morris's: "Corregidor: The American Alamo of WWII."

We too have read this thread with considerable interest since we'll be in Manila in 2018 on Voyager. Thanks so much. It has been a most refreshing thread--if you get my meaning! Pat