Sojourn Singapore to Hong Kong Holiday cruise review

The Mediterranean summer cruise was like opening presents as a child on Christmas morning. No sooner had we visited one gem we were stepping off the ship into another. I needed a break after all the walking.

Just a few short weeks after our Mediterranean exploits we were back on board Sojourn this time in Asia. We visit Thailand quite a lot and I do some business in China and Taiwan so it’s a part of the world I feel relaxed in. If you’re going to get ripped off it’s for a couple of quid and for the most part the natives are friendly, if curious at times. It’s also very different to the western world.

With Holiday cruises you never know who’s going to be onboard with you. Traveling as we do with a daughter, now 15, we are used to being “that family with the child” but on this occasion we were out of the spotlight. There were far more fish to fry than just Ems. The captain couldn’t do his joke about consuming 107 gallons of ice cream - with just 2 children on board.

It was great to see a few familiar faces from previous trips, surely the joy of sailing on smaller ships and it was touching that so many took the time to come up and say hello. In particular they see Emily growing up over the few short years we’ve been cruising SB. It was also good to see some familiar faces amongst the crew. For some reason the bar staff seem to remember us particularly well. Why ever could that be?

But of course the highlight of any cruise are the people you meet for the first time and there were a chocolate box full this time.

Our trivia quiz team - yes, the usual suspect answers, debatable questions and sighs of exasperation but we did have a giggle. The answers we’d written down on our bits of paper but not put on the answer sheet. the moments of inspired genius and those times when “Trust me I know this” turned into, “Well I could have sworn…” By some amazing quirk of fate we won with everyone enjoying their personal time to shine moment.

Our friends from swimming in the lagoon on Kho Kut and strangely mentioned to us previously by Paul from the bar team, “you must meet these people, you’d get along really well.” If ever there was an example of how to live life they were surely it. My glass is half full, their pint pot seems to hold a gallon.

Our Scottish friends with whom we not only closed the club at nothing O’clock in the morning but also had several hours hotly debated traditional Boxing Day board game fun. Now I’m not going to suggest they cheat but. The worst culprit was their father when playing Scattergories, my goodness me and you’d think butter wouldn’t melt. The only saving grace is that I managed to hold my own. You can’t play a player.

Of course our American friends from very diverse backgrounds. At the end of the two weeks you wonder just how it was you managed to bump into each other and yet can’t imagine not having done so.

And our Swiss friends with whom much banter was had and contact via the usual plethora of social media outlets continues.

There were some absent friends from previous cruises elsewhere in the fleet, our paths will no doubt cross again.

We were entertained magnificently by a diverse range of talents, shed a tear during the Christmas show and saw the New Year in with style, felt sand between our toes, immersed ourselves in Asian sights, sounds and flavours, reflected on the Vietnam war, haggled but only for a while, bought a solid marble 7 foot Buddha and some trinkets - guess which made it onto the plane and which is getting shipped.

I wandered round in my own little world with my camera, tripod and occasionally straw hat to keep the sun off my noggin. We travelled Upper Class, drank champagne at 35,000 feet and even managed to take in a couple of good films.

So what did you do over Christmas & the New Year ?

Henry :)

Thank you.

We had a lovely traditional Christmas. Mid night mass in our church which was completed in 1371. Our excellent Christmas lunch with home made Christmas pudd with our family. Listened to the Queen. Watched Dr Who, Call the Midwife,

Downton Abbey, and so on. Plenty of superb walks in our resplendent Derbyshire Peak District. It was a superb chrimble and New Year.

Thank you for asking.

Kind regards,

Tony

Sounds like an excellent Christmas and New Year, Henry - and Tony and Trevor.

We were in the Lake District, luckily high enough up not to be flooded, with lovely views over the fells and valleys; goose with pickled pears cooked by son and his wife, and Church on Christmas morning in Loweswater parish church. Sadly it was wet rather than crisp, but otherwise marvellous to be in such a beautiful part of the country.

lincslady

Glad you had a good time too.

Slight snow this morning and roads icy first thing as no gritting over night.

We know Lincolnshire quite well as we had some lovely holidays on the coast

and often visited Lincoln.

I think Henry was trying to wind us up. We would never cruise at Christmas.

Kind regards

Tony

Able Seaman...without realizing it....we wished we were with you: though we did have a nice time at home......enjoy you 2016..somehow I think you will..Lola

Henry, I love your "review" focused on accentuating the positive. That is a fun itinerary -- we did it about 7 years ago and we have always said we could do it again.

Can't top Seabourn but our New Year's Eve was quite special as we drove our good Seabourn friends Frantic and her DH to the snow covered Grand Canyon. We even made it up the next morning in time for our epic helicopter ride into the Canyon. So not Seabourn but very special.

Sounds as though everyone had fun and that is surely the name of the game.

Henry :)

Sounds as though everyone had fun and that is surely the name of the game.

 

Henry :)

It is Henry but you know how some posters here love to have a bad time and tell everyone about it.

I think it makes their day [emoji14]

We are currently in the Emirates lounge awaiting our flight from Dubai to Singapore, to do the same itinerary. We hope to have as an enjoyable time as you did Henry.

Emirates is a real pleasure and a great start to the holiday.

Bizarrely our IFA was on the same flight and will meet us in transit on our return. It's a small, small world.......

Very much loved your delightfully, unconventional review and so glad you had fabulous cruise. That one is also on our “to do” list.

On New Years Eve we flipped 2015 "the bird" :D (metaphorically speaking) by going to bed early, awaking in the morning with enthusiasm and anticipation of a better and healthier 2016.

Happy New Year!

Bev