emviar

We've found it very easy here in Western Australia because cruise reps meet you outside the terminal where the taxi drops you off and you get escorted through check in all the way to your cabin. It's not quite so easy when disembarking and there's often a holdup when you have to collect your luggage and take it through customs. Cruise reps will help you up to Customs but you have to take over from the luggage point. Perhaps it's different at other locations.

Are you on the May 13 cruise? I looked at the itinerary. You have some interesting ports to visit. Our cruise was from Shanghai to Singapore, Royal Caribbean's maiden voyage out of Shanghai. Plus, we stayed on the ship all the way to Rome. This is a brief summary of what I remember about ports you will also visit.

 

Did not get to Kuala Lumpur; ship docked at the other dock, thus we could not get to the train station.

 

Singapore is accessible. We took the metro from the terminal everyplace. That was before The Gardens by the Bay were established. Enlarge Google map and you can determine where the interesting sights are and the respective metro stations.

 

There was not any way for us to get into Ho Chi Minh, thus we just wandered around the port. Was not thrilled with the area, trash everywhere.

 

I do not have any idea of your interest, however, “Help The Cambodian Children” is located in Sihanoukville. They were a struggling organization in 2009. I contacted them to see if we could visit and if we could bring anything. At that time some companies had donated sewing machines and computers with printers. Thus they were hoping for material yardage, ink cartridges, craft paper, tooth brushes and clothing. With the sewing machines and printers, they could make things to sell. My contact located a young man with a bicycle type rickshaw to pick us up and return us to the port . We visited the school, the children were wonderful. They sang songs and put on a little skit for us and showed us around the school. After we left, our driver took us on an extensive tour, thus we got to see a lot of the area. It was a very enjoyable day. Another group from the ship took clothing.

 

Bangkok (Laem Chabang). We had an overnight in Bangkok, so I arranged a small tour. We only filled one limo. I think there was nine of us. We were picked up around 8:00 am and did not get back to the ship until midnight. Our scooters rode in limo trunk. Once we got to Bangkok, we did not stop until we sat down for dinner and show that night. Unfortunately, you do not have that much time. It is almost a two hour drive to Bangkok. Oh, for your wife, I wore culottes which pulled up when sitting on the scooter. I had to stand up to prove that my legs were sufficiently covered to get in the palace area... and over 70, who wants to see my legs.

 

There is a lot of beautiful things to see and do. I'm glad that you are getting out there to see all. I'm sure you have found that people all over the world are wonderful. There were times we had people come to our rescue that we could not even understand. However, a thank you, hand shake or hug, we all knew it was a wonderful meeting.

 

Betty

Yes we're doing the 26 day round trip from Fremantle and it should be a comfortable journey as we've booked a mini suite (we need the space for the power chair, wheelchair and all my wife's clothes!).

We did the ports east of Singapore in 2014 on the Sapphire Princess so know what to expect there. But we haven't done the west coast of Malaysia and Phuket so it will be a new experience for us. I hope we can get ashore as much as possible.

Singapore is only a 5 hour flight from us and we've been there a few times. I can't say I like it much, too much concrete and glass. Some of the new structures are interesting as are Gardens by the Bay, and I love the Botanic Gardens, could spend many happy hours there.

We went to KL in 2001, just a few days before 9/11, and wondered why armed soldiers were wandering through the airport. They said they were "looking for someone" and then, a few days later, the planes hit. I've often wondered if there was more to it as I seem to recall that one or more of the terrorists had an association with KL.

This time we just plan to visit Klang and not worry about the long drive to KL. I believe Little India is worth a visit in Klang.

We can usually manage taxis as we have a foldable wheelchair that fits in the trunk. I had to google "p.ez" - I hadn't heard of it but my wife had!

We've travelled a lot in SE Asia so we know the hazards pretty well. But with MS having progressed to the point where negotiating airports and planes is not possible, we have been doing cruises from our home port. We get around the ship quite easily but going ashore is sometimes a problem.

xxoocruiser if you have some direct experience of these ports I'd be glad to hear about it, but you seem to be more interested in misrepresenting and criticising me and I'm not interested, thanks, life's too short. :rolleyes:

Actually, I do not remember much about the port. Only that both Ruth and I required the scooters and I put together a big tour with a private company. Unfortunately, since then, I had a major computer crash and lost all the records. I do not recall any problems meeting the tour company at the port. Only that everyone had a great time. That was in 2009 and I assume there may have been some changes.

The tour company agreed to transport our scooters and assist Ruth in and out of the vehicle. We did a combination sight-seeing, stopped at a cashew store, went to a typical Thai lunch and to an animal place where those that wanted to ride elephants could.. I believe this is the port where we saw the "big" Buddha statue.

I do not remember what we paid, only that we got a good deal because I managed to get almost 30 signed up. The vehicles were more like covered jeeps with an extra row of seats. The drivers lifted our scooters in and out.

I'd suggest you do some research on the internet and see if you can find a company that does groups. Also, if you get to the cashew store, you must sample one of the sweet type and also the chili type. I wish that I would have brought more home.

I do not have any of the tour records, but Ruth send me a bunch of pictures of what we saw. If you would like to email me, I can send them to you. My email is: bettysworldnow@yahoo.com.

 

Enjoy your visit,

Betty

Thanks for the very helpful advice Betty. Lots to think about there and the idea of organising our own tour sounds appealing. I looked into private tour operators a couple of months ago, but only for the two of us. I'll give it some more thought.

We docked in Phuket. Have not been to the other two ports.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Thanks Betty. How easy would it be to get from the ship to the cruise terminal in a wheelchair (I'm assuming there's an actual terminal there, not just a wharf)? We can take either a manual wheelchair or a power chair ashore, depending on how easy the access is (rough surfaces are not good for a power chair with smallish wheels).

With all do respect, it perplexes me as to why people ask questions such as the one here when all they have to do is check the cruise lines website . Princess notes if its a tendered port on the actual intinerary posted on its website . If not noted as a tendered port than its a docked port. Of course things can change on the actual port day. For example https://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=S812A

 

Phuket, Langkawi and Penang are not tendered ports.

And with all due respect to you, I have already checked the website and I know what it says about the ports on the itinerary! I would not be so silly as to jump onto a forum and just ask without trying to find out first.

As you're replying to a question in a Disabled Travel sub forum, I assume that you know that people with disabilities will do as much research as possible and have learnt through experience that what a website says is sometimes not what you get at the other end.

I KNOW the website says these are not tendered ports but if you search around, like I have, you'll see that in some cases cruise ships do tender at some of these ports (see, for example,https://www.whatsinport.com/Phuket.htm and https://www.whatsinport.com/Langkawi.htm ).

Hence my question, asking people who might know what the local situation is.

Generally we have found Princess to be quite reliable, but having never been to these ports we don't know what the possibility is that a tender will be offered when we get there.

I have also so presumed Essiesmom, but I've read that in Phuket e.g. a ship may either dock or tender. I wondered if anyone had local firsthand knowledge.

On the Sun Princess in May 2018. Does anyone know whether it will use a tender or dock at a wharf in Phuket, Langkawi and Penang? We need to use a wheelchair so hoping these ports will not require tenders.

As you noted, there is a list on the Princess site. You could always just ask the CD staff about the book club the first day of the cruise. It "should" be listed in the Patter but you might miss the initial entry and the subsequent notices are generally just on the specific day when they meet to discuss the book or start a new book. The CD staff should be able to give you the info you need. I've always found them to be extremely approachable and friendly. After all, that's their job.

Maybe they thought that us yokels from Western Australia don't read! ;) Seriously though thanks for the advice and I'll ask the staff.

There have been posts about Princess book clubs before, but has anyone had recent experience of these? Princess still posts a list of suggested books on its website but on the last cruise we did in September 2017 there was no sign of a book club and nothing in the Patter.