temani

Just read that work will begin in November on Port of Brisbane's long-awaited mega cruise ship terminal at the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Yes!!

This is a night bazaar and riverfront dining area that we found while staying in Bangkok overnight independently on our Millennium cruise last November.

It is well worth a visit to this huge converted warehouse behind a long boardwalk full of Thai, Italian, Seafood, etc. restaurants. The shops offer lots of merchandise of a better quality than the street markets, so easy to find gifts etc. It opens I think around 5pm in the late afternoon.

You can Google Asiatique for more information. It is best reached by boat.

Take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and then take the free shuttle boat at the end of the pier. The journey takes ten minutes and the shuttle runs until 11pm.

After our meal there, we wandered around the hundreds of little shops and bars and forgot about time. Our hotel was in downtown Bangkok near Central World and we thought we would get a taxi back. Big mistake! The taxi drivers told us that they could not take us back due to traffic congestion. So we returned by the free shuttle to the BTS station and with the help of a group of lovely young Aussie guys, eventually reached our hotel near midnight, exhausted. Loads of fun though for an older couple like us!

Villauk, you're welcome. Hong Kong is one of our favourite places.

If I can be of any further help, please let me know.

Temani

Temani,

 

Did the shopping malls offer a free bus from the ship to their mall? Wondered if this was an option for sailing day? Additionally, if they do offer transport, is it possible to board the MTR at the mall (not considering this to initially get to the ship on embarkation day, but as an alternative to reaching the MTR to access other sightseeing options on sailing day)?

 

TIA :)

Hi Villauk

Back last November, two shopping malls (probably nearest to Kai Tak terminal) put on shuttle buses from the parking area of the terminal. These were free for cruise passengers for a round trip. We chose the bus to Kwun Tong mall which turned out to be a bad choice as we found nothing of interest there. The better choice would have been the other option - Hollywood Plaza mall at Diamond Hill. Here you can use the Diamond Hill MTR station on the Green Line and go just about anywhere of interest with a few train changes.

For instance if you connect with the Red Line at either Mong Kok or Yau Ma Tei stations, you can get off at Tsim Sha Tsui for some shopping, then take the Star Ferry across the harbour to Central on Hong Kong Island, or just stay on the Red Line which then travels under the harbour to Admiralty station and then Hong Kong station. If you get an MTR map you will see how easy it is to get around. The MTR is spotlessly clean, safe, cheap and on-time.

Another plus at Diamond Hill is that the mall is only a short walk away from the beautiful Nan Lian Gardens and adjoining Chi Lin Nunnery, an oasis right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of H.K.

Take bottles of water wherever you go.

Hope this has been of help to you.

Temani

So the cruise terminal is on the Kowloon side? Would it be difficult to get there if you are staying on Hong Kong island?

Yes the cruise terminal is on the Kowloon side, on the site of the old Kai Tak airport. Kong Kong has a wonderful transport system and it should not be any problem to get there if you are staying on Hong Kong Island. Easiest route I would imagine would be by taxi via cross-harbour tunnel. Perhaps you could ask your hotel to advise you of approx. taxi fare and allow appropriate time.

Taking the MTR would probably be too inconvenient as the terminal does not have a nearby MTR station and no doubt you would not want to heave luggage around.

Hi Capt. Ron

We did this cruise last November. Our hotel was also in Kowloon pre-cruise and our taxi took approx. 20 minutes to get from the hotel to the terminal which is in a fairly isolated area. At some stage there will be infrastructure built which will make it much easier for cruise passengers to get around (really needed is a ferry stop/MTR station), but we were aware of the situation. We arrived at 11.30am on the Sunday and by 12 midday we were on the ship, having passed through security and check-in without delay. We do not have status with Celebrity but were really pleased with the ease of embarkation procedures. We believe also that our online check-in some weeks before leaving home speeded things up. There were many people there also who help "channel" passengers through as quickly as possible.

We thought that Monday would be a fairly free day before we sailed away from Hong Kong but we were told to be back on the ship for Customs and Immigration inspection of passports etc. in the Cosmos Lounge on Deck 11 between 3pm and 7pm. Muster drill was in the theatre at 7.30pm which didn't last too long. Then it was up to the pool deck to watch our sail away from the spectacular Victoria Harbour.

Hope some of this helps. It was our experience of course and we did have more time than you to see the sights of Hong Kong.

Best Wishes

Temani

Hi Deladane

I'm not too well up on posting yet, so hope this comes through O.K.

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your Equinox cruise review so far.

We will be on the ship in August for a cruise around the Med, so I started to read your Carnival Sunshine review from 2013 because some ports coincide with ours. I'm about half way through so far. I think your photography is stunning and already the photos taken while you were visiting those ports have helped us so much.

Could I please ask what camera(s) you use? You must be a very experienced photographer.

Looking forward to your Equinox info and pictures very much.

Temani