tj_shopper

14 hours ago, YWW said:

Don't get your hopes too high on Celebrity because Celebrity has really gone down hill especially food in main dining room and entertainment.Their customer service is downright incompetent. In our last Nov 2023 Celebrity cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, we were shocked their main restaurant menus hardly had any choices and stayed almost the same each evening. Fortunately we dined in some of their specialty restaurants for a few evenings which were good. Their evening entertainment was simply terrible. Since the journey included Vietnam stops, we had to get e-Visa online from Vietnam and the form required the exact names of ports. We called Celebrity customer service 3 times and no one knew the names of the ports so we just took a wild guess from the sailing itiniary. Well, we were wrong and once you submitted the e-Visa application you couldn't make changes or corrections to it. Celebrity didn't get back to us until 2 weeks before our departure with the correct port names and naturally we had to reapply for a second eVisa from Vietnam and paid a second time. After this experience, we won't sail Celebrity again, even if it is free. Also, be careful with Celebrity laundry service. They say you can get your laundry back in 24 hours but in reality 36 hours.

This is very disappointing to hear.  I'm hopeful that we will still have a good time.  To me, this trip will be about the destinations and what we do on land versus the ship itself.  I remember when we did Europe, we barely used any of the facilities on the ship because we were out all day and were exhausted by the time we got back on the ship.  Thanks for your comments.  I guess it's better to have lower expectations and be pleasantly surprised versus high expectations and being disappointed.  I did not know about the eVisa so will be working on that as we get closer.  We are still over a year out from this trip.

9 minutes ago, ROCruiser said:

tj_shopper, if interested, you may look through my blog post in my signature. We have done these ports (except Chan May) in the past that may give you an idea of what to expect. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you!  I will definitely take a look!

@John Bull thank you for all this information I. I have a lot of research to do but this will get me started.  Luckily I still have a lot of time!  We are looking forward to Celebrity and afraid we will never go back to Royal Caribbean after this lol!

5 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Celebrity is a step up from RCI - you'll enjoy 🙂

 

Altho you're in Halong Bay overnight, like most ships it's only a day and a half.

This gives you the time to make a decent fist of Hanoi but one where I'd strongly recommend ship's (doubtless over-priced 🙁) overnight trip - I just don't rate 7 hours coach travel for 2 to 3 hours in Hanoi. But again my preference is for a decent junk cruise.

Celebrity will probably offer Hanoi on day one and a 2-hour junk cruise next morning, but IMHO that's the worst of both experiences. You need at least a 4-hour & preferably a 6 or 8 hour cruise

Overnight junk cruises used to be timed for folk lodging in Hanoi, but I understand that now some are timed to suit cruisers. No personal experience of overnight cruises, but they don't sail in the dark, the routes are similar to 8-hr day cruises.

 

Chan May. Nearest & easiest place to visit is the walled city of Hue, also the scene of bloody battles in the Vietnam war,

But for a more-rounded day (and you certainly have the time) I suggest a much longer trip to the small & quaint ancient city of Hoi-An, and on the way back Da Nang, China Beach and Marble Mountain (and the little marble workshops at its foot rather than the big commercial places along the shore). There's now an elevator up Marble Mountain.

 

Phu My for Saigon, and Laem Chabang same as my response to @Dairbear01 , sorry can't help with Ko Samui.

 

JB 🙂 

 

Thank you!  I haven’t started any research on this cruise yet so I will make note of all your recommendations and suggestions.  On the ports that we’re spending over night, do you think we should get a hotel for the night if the cruise port is far from the city center?  

1 minute ago, Dairbear01 said:

@tj_shopper the one we are looking at now is a similar cruise to your one for next year , ours is 13 days with the only difference in ports being nha trang Vietnam, on the same ship , we are going from Scotland which is also a windy place like Chicago , lovely dogs by the way.

Thank you - they are my babies lol!  I believe we looked at the 13 day cruise also but we couldn't do it for 2025; thus we're going in 2026.  Please give us a review after your cruise!  Safe travels.

We will be on the Celebrity Solstice January 27, 2026 - I think it holds approximately 3,000 passengers.  We've never cruised on Celebrity - always Royal Caribbean, so this will  be a change for us but excited to try Celebrity.  It's a 12 night cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore.  We are from Chicago, Illinois.  Our plans are to fly into Taiwan to spend a 2-3 days, then fly to Hong Kong for 2-3 days prior to getting on our ship.  Our ships' itinerary is below.  We also plan on staying a couple of days in Singapore after the cruise.  We're excited for this cruise and can't wait.  Both my husband and I were born in Hong Kong and immigrated to America when we were toddlers.  I went back to Hong Kong once about 10 years ago when my oldest daughter studied abroad in Singapore.  Both places are must see!  I've never been to the other places on our itinerary and was very interested in hearing @John Bull's information.  @John Bull - any information you can give me on the ports of call in my itinerary?  Thanks!

My daughter studied abroad in Singapore in 2014.  This might be outdated but these are her suggestions.  Have a great time!  We are doing a 12 days cruise on Celebrity in January 2026 going from Hong Kong to Singapore.
 

Restaurants and Food:
    •    Hawker Centers: similar to an outdoor food court – stalls/stands where they sell different kinds of food for very cheap. Some famous dishes are chicken rice, chili crab, and a lot of noodle dishes
    •    Jumbo Crab: the BEST place to get Chili Crab.  There are 3 or 4 locations around Singapore but their most famous location is probably at Clarke Quay.  Try to make reservations or get there early
    •    Kopi: Singapore is known for their specially made coffee, or kopi.  My favorite place to go was in Chinatown at a little coffee shop called Nanyang Old Coffee, where they are famous for their kopi, iced kopi, and kaya toast (toast with coconut spread)

Nightlife: 
    •    Clarke Quay: the biggest tourist destination for nightlife in Singapore
    •    Holland Village: More casual bars/pubs to lounge at instead of the nightclubs in Clarke Quay.  Also have hookah bars, hawker centers, and karaoke bars here.

Things to See:
    •    Chinatown - go for dim sum
    •    Clarke Quay 
    •    Marina Bay  – botanic gardens (Gardens by the Bay), the Marina Barrage/light show, & the Marina Bay Sands hotel
    •    Singapore Zoo/Night Safari
    •    Orchard Road
    •    Little India

52 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

Yes, you will need more than 110k miles. If you are interested in points, look into 10x travel. They have a course that is good and explains everything.  Typically, I have the points already ready and then book as soon as tickets become available 355 days (or whatever it is for the specific airline) out. 

 

I have flown my family of four back and forth to Europe for the past three years all of us on the same flight every time...all with points.  Granted, that isn't Asia but I am flying my son and I on points around the world this summer as I mentioned above.  

 

United typically has 4 or more available and so does BA.  Singapore Airlines usually has 2 or 3 per flight.  Qatar usually 2-4...sometimes they will have 2 in business and 2 in first.  Albeit, with either BA or Qatar, it will usually go through Qatar or London so that may not make sense for you depending on where you live.  (Although, you could also do a day or two layover and make an additional trip out of it, too.)  Not sure about other airlines.  ANA has good deals but I personally have had a harder time finding availability. Don't use amex or chase portal. Look on the individual airline websites.  Best availability is either going to be a full 355 days out or to wait within a month of the flight.

I will look into 10x travel.  Thanks for the suggestion.

I am ready to open another credit card for the sign up bonus and heard that the Chase Ink Business Preferred will be offering 120K points online next week or it's currently being offered at the branch now.  Once I get that one, I think I'm almost half way there.   I'm in Chicago and hoping to find 3 (or 2 at the very least) business class tickets from Chicago to Taiwan and then from Singapore to Chicago.  We are on a 12 days cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore.  We wanted to stop in Taiwan first for a couple of days before heading to Hong Kong for our cruise.  I think the best cards to get the sign up offers would be the Chase ones as Chase has many transfer partners that I can transfer the points to.  It's only if I find business class seats on Cathay Pacific which is not a transfer partner with Chase.  I saw good flights with Eva Airlines too but again, not a transfer partner with Chase.  I feel like I have to be very strategic in what to do lol.

2 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

Also, you could fly to east coast, fly to hawaii, and then fly to japan or China. Even east coast to Japan is maybe 10-11 hours.  There is actually a low cost carrier out of Japan that has a very affordable business class. It doesn't have free drinks or food or high quality service, but it does have the lay flat bed.  When I looked, I think one way was maybe $1600 per person for biz without the perks.  (You even pay for the ammenity kit.) However, I was looking at one way and not r/t in biz because our cruise is a repositioning cruise. 

I have been looking at flying business class with points.  I currently have Chase Sapphire Reserve and have about 110K points.  I know this is not much considering I need two tickets round trip.  I have been doing my due diligence and have found some really good deals doing practice bookings for one year out (June 20ish timeframe) to see how many seats open up in business class for points.  Unfortunately, I can only find one at a time.  I need three or at least two.  My thoughts are that we would have to fly separate to be comfortable.

5 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Ask your TA if she offers group rates - those are refundable and could be lower than the regular price.

Yep we normally do get group rates that are refundable.  I think the two cruises I am looking at she does not have group rates for.  That's a shame because there will probably be a bunch of us going to Asia.  We did the Mediterranean cruise last May with 34 people and we're going on the Alaskan cruise next week with 33 people.

Thanks @smokeybandit and @mets123.  I do have a very good travel agent.  She always gets back to me via email within a couple of hours, if not faster any day of the week.  I've been emailing with her on the prices so I do know it's pretty current.  I'll probably email her again when I get on the ship to see how the prices have change; however, like @mets123mentioned, I can always reprice if the prices go down.  The question is, if I reprice, do I get to keep my OBC?

I also don't know whether to book refundable or non-refundable.  I normally book refundable but the price difference on these two cruises, especially the 12 days to Asia is vastly higher on the refundable.  I always get travel insurance so I think there is no need to get refundable unless I think there is a chance that I might want to change the dates of travel.

Decisions, decisions.  

We will be cruising on Radiance of the Seas on May 24th.  I have two cruises picked out that I'm currently thinking about booking - one 7 day cruise on Harmony in December 2024 and a 12 night cruise in January 2026 on Celebrity Soltice.  I've been reading some advantages of booking on Next Cruise - lower deposits and maybe perks like additional OBC.  We normally book a balcony for my husband and me and oceanview for my daughters.  Can anyone tell me if we should book while on our cruise or just do it at home?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

We are a group of 33 friends and family that will be traveling on Radiance of the Seas on May 24th.  We arrive to Juneau on Sunday, May 26th.  After calling multiple agencies, we finally decided to rent vans and drive to Mendenhall Glacier ourselves.  We are renting one 15 passenger van, one 11 passenger van and one 7 passenger mini van from Juneau Car Rental.  Total cost split among 33 of us was about $30 per person.  We tried to book three 11 passenger vans, but they did not have three available; thus the 15, 11 and 7 passenger vans lol.

It is a bit of a hassle though as the 7 passenger van will be at the cruise port area ready for us; however, we would need to drive the 7 passenger van to their airport location to pick up the 15 passenger and 11 passenger vans.  A lot of time wasted driving to the airport to pick up the vans, then back to the cruise port to pick up everyone, and then drive to the Glacier.  When we're done, we'll have to do the same.  They do have a shuttle to bring the drivers of the three vans back to the cruise port when we are done.  Luckily our cruise is in Juneau all day from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. so we have plenty of time going back and forth.  Hope this helps.

21 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

You mentioned you have Chase Sapphire, so you likely have some points you have been accruing with them. Depending on how many you have, you may want to transfer your points to Singapore Air to purchase your tickets. 

 

Singapore Air from the the east coast (JFK, EWR) direct to Singapore, 19 hours, has one way fares at Saver Rates in Business at 111,500 miles per person, once they are out of Saver Rates it moves up to 143,500 pp. From the west coast (LAX, SFO), 17 hours, Saver Rates in Business at 107,000 pp. 

 

Premium Economy should be east coast Saver 73K pp, west coast Saver 68K, but finding both of these usually requires about 80K pp spend. 

 

Some tips to acquire award seats on SA - 

 

Award seats from SA are released at 355 days out, which is unusual as most carriers release at 335 (or fewer) out. You will want to be ready with your dates/routes, and have some options. I tend to strip off the excess flights to make shopping for award seats easier, for example, I don't shop from Tampa to Singapore, I shop from Newark to Singapore, JFK to Singapore, etc. Sometimes, once I find availability, I'll put the domestic leg back on and see if it remains the same or not, but often I'll just buy the main international route with miles, and purchase the domestic leg on my own some other time. My goal is the long haul in Business, I'm less concerned about the domestic legs. 

 

Once you find your route, you can then call SA and have them hold your itinerary, another unusual trick. They will generally hold it for 7 days. This allows you to then transfer your miles over from Chase to SA, which with SA can be painfully slow; my recent transfer took 4 days. 

 

You can also buy a Top Up from SA if you don't have enough miles. SA charges .04 per mile, purchased in increments of 1,000, which is rather high, but it does provide an option when you are close to your award level. This must be done by submitting a form through email and takes a couple of days as well. 

 

My preference on getting to Asia, is to fly on the direct routes from JFK or EWR to Singapore, on the SA planes/hardware that are set up as large Business section up front, and the entire rest of the plane as Premium Economy (no Economy section). I like the vibe on these flights. 

 

As to breaking up the flight in segments by stopping in Europe, or flying a really long leg of 17 or 19 hours, we always prefer the really long legs when we can get them. We find that we get much more sleep on the long legs, as on a 7-9 hour flight, by the time they have served and cleared the post-take off meal, you are generally close to 3 hours into the flight, they will then turn the lights up and begin serving the pre-landing meal at about 1.5 hours before landing, this allows only a few hours for settling in and actual sleep. On a long flight, we are able to totally relax into the sleep portion. 

 

Also, I see you mentioned "First Class is definitely out of my league" in a post above. No worries on this. When thinking international long haul flights, like those from US to Asia, you need only consider Premium Economy or Business. Business class on major carriers will feature what you want, large comfortable seats that convert to lie flat beds. (*There are a few exceptions of international flights where Business is not a lie flat bed, but they can easily be discovered and avoided on SeatGuru and you are likely not going to encounter them.) First Class in International long haul flying is only available on a very few flights, and is a lot more fluff than you need - for example, First Class on Singapore Air from the US to Asia, is a separate suite with a double bed and also recliners. 

Wow!  This is exactly the type of information I need.  I've never used my Sapphire Reserve points for anything other than Southwest because that's really all I know how to use them for.  We are over one year out on this trip so I will continue to save up my points for my husband and me.  Currently I have over 90,000 miles on my Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Thank you so much for this information!  I need time to process all the good information here and will probably come back with some questions.  Have a great day!

4 hours ago, mo-chuck said:

I live in Australia so just any flight is a long haul flight. When I was younger I used to just suck it up and fly economy but as I've gotten older it just takes it out of me.
We flew to Italy 10 years ago and my feet were swollen for 5 days. I haven't flown economy long haul since.
If you can afford it shell out for Business Class. You won't believe the difference.
Another tip - if you're going to fly via LA, spend a night there near the airport and then get a direct flight to Singapore.
At least you will get on the plane well rested.

I hear you.  I am 59 and my husband is 62.  Luckily we are relatively small people, but flying long distance cramped in economy does take it's toll.  I flew 10 years from Chicago to Hong Kong direct on United's economy.  The 15 hour flight was one of the worst flights.  After 9 hours, I just wanted off.  I tried walking up and down the aisle but it really didn't help.  Once we figure out the dates, I'm going to start researching the cost of the flights.  I really don't have a clue how much more it would cost to go from Economy, to Economy Plus to Business Class.  First class is definitely out of my league.

Thanks for your thoughts.

1 hour ago, JohnCoffield said:

I can echo lots of what's already been posted. We recently flew from London to Sydney with Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy & I can't recommend them highly enough. First flight was just over 12 hours, 3 hours in the terminal then another 8 hours to Sydney. I'm early 60's but managed the time difference (11 hours) & was able to sleep, eat & be entertained the whole way. We've booked again with SA as we are travelling to Singapore later this year.

I've mostly flown U.S. airlines.  I've never flown Asian airlines - I guess time to check them out.  Also, check the price difference.  Thanks for everyone's suggestions and strategies!  This has been very helpful and I've taken many notes.

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

I would suggest that you also look for advice on the "Cruise Air" forum.  I have found really good advice from the people in that follow that forum.  Their are several posters there with lots of good airline information.

 

I actually don't think a stop in CA would materially change the flying time.  Google suggest the difference between flights times from LA and Chicago is only 20 minutes.  In the end a stop on the west coast will result in a much longer total travel time.

The actual absolute time change is 9 hours.  This is the same for me as flying between Paris and San Diego.  That said, the OP should review dealing with jetlag and come up with their strategy.

 

My understanding is that seatguru.com is no longer maintained all that well and that aerolopa.com has more up to date seat maps.  I would look at both.

 

If you have access to a business class lounge and sufficient time this is a nice idea.  I will do this is my flight schedule supports it.  Especially if I have two long haul flights back to back.

Thank you - all great suggestions.  

On 4/15/2024 at 1:52 AM, cruiseaholic78 said:

Agree with all of the above but to me the most important thing is to book non stop direct flights. Spitting flights might seem the way to go but adds on quite a lot of extra waiting time as well.
We flew back from Australia to The Netherlands 5 hours wait in Tokyo 5 hours wait in Frankfurt and even the luxury of business class lounges gets boring when all you want is to get home.

 

When/if booking and you decide to book P.E. Make sure it is a proper premium, some airlines have economy comfort which is just a little extra recline and nothing near real P.E. Look at each airline and check the fotos and seat plans first.

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy Asia it is definitely worth the long flights.

So very true.  I really don't like layovers but just thought this might be the time to do it to break up the monotony.  A friend recommended doing a 5 hour layover in Japan and use the lounge to take a shower during this time to freshen up.  I have Chase Sapphire Reserve so we could do that - we never use this benefit - maybe it's time to try this.  Thanks.

On 4/16/2024 at 10:14 AM, monkey@cruise said:

I did travel on Business, Premium Economy and Economy on different carriers between Central Canada and Hong Kong. Mostly I used points for my flights, so I have exposed to different environment. There are small tips to survive long haul on Economy.

- Avoid North American carriers, I met some Chicago cruisers in Singapore and Hong Kong, mostly they flew on JAL (Japan Air Lines)
- Eva Air is one of the top notch on Business Class, their flights from North America to Asia are late night departure, Jason Wu design unisex pajamas amenity.
- P/E seats are < 2 inches wider than Economy, if your adjacent economy seat is empty, raise the armrest to make your own P/E seat.
- Wear loose clothing with layers.
- Wear slip on shoe.
- Wear compression socks.
- Try to travel at night, also Weekday flights usually had lesser passenger load and fares are less.
- Don't sit near the bathroom.
- Aisle seat for easy stretching legs when needed.
- black-out eye mask. 
- Airbus 350 or Boeing 787 are high tech aircrafts, better flight environment.

 

The biggest challenge for you will be overcome the 13 hours time zone jetlag and climate. Singapore temperature is 35C or 95F with 95% humidity. Hong Kong temperature is also warm mid-twenties C or 77F, also high humidity in 80%.

Thank you.  Great information.  Love this forum!

On 4/17/2024 at 9:38 AM, monkey@cruise said:

Flyer Asian carriers, leg room is better. SEATGURU dot COM is a website that features aircraft seat maps, seat reviews, and a color-coded system to identify superior and substandard airline seats.
The in thing on flight is seat assignment, some passengers are too cheap to pay advance seat selection or web check in to select seats, and expecting someone will move seats for them. Don't Budge !

Thanks for this info.  For sure, I will be checking out SEATGURU dot COM.  I feel like this is going to be one trip we can't go cheap on for the flights.  The flight will set the tone for the whole vacation.  Now, just to convince my better half.

2 hours ago, thehowlingroad said:

I've been doing LAX-HKG for 14 years; at its worst, it was a 16-hour flight. I also just came back from our Japan cruise, with a week-long stop in Hong Kong.

 

Agree with lots of the advice above: fly an Asian carrier, first of all. They tend to have newer planes, roomier seats even in economy, and better service. Try to find an airline that uses Airbus. I was very disappointed by Cathay Pacific this time around (unusual for me, I loved their 2010-2019 product), and very impressed by Korean Air (which code-shares with Delta). I've also flown Xiamen Airlines, but wouldn't recommend it for going to HKG; the hassle of trying to do a transfer in China isn't worth it.

 

Flying red-eyes will help as well; most of the West Coast flights will be red-eyes, as it'll get you to Asia around sunrise, and you'll be able to sleep overnight in a mostly-natural rhythm. I'm usually able to sleep 6-7 hours on one of these flights, in smaller chunks, if I can get a window seat.

 

Many Korean Air flights will layover in Seoul, but that's still going to be a 12-14 hour flight to get there in the first place. Sometimes you can get a layover in Honolulu, but that requires flying an American brand.

Thank you - very helpful.  We're going to Alaska in a few weeks and that will be a cake walk compared to this.

4 hours ago, monkey@cruise said:

Though airplane etiquette is only recline your seat when necessary. But during long haul flights, lots of passengers will recline the seat all the way back to rest, that will encroaching your personal space and your comfort on the tray.

Yes, I experienced this on my Aerlingus flight to Ireland.  It was awful.  I don't know if it was my seat but I had no room at all.  The guy in front of me could care less when I asked if he can not recline all the way back.  On the flight from Ireland to Milan, it was much better.  I felt like I had more leg room.  This really gives me anxiety thinking about the long flight to Asia.  

15 minutes ago, rogueriver said:

I'll be flying to Singapore in October and not looking forward to the long flight. I saw on Amazon an inflatable pillow with a hole in the top and sides.  You set it on the fold-down tray and then rest your head and arms in it to sleep.  My back always gets sore on long flights and I feel better if I can lean forward, but just not sure if this will work for me.  Has anyone tried this type of pillow?

Yes!  My daughter bought that pillow for our trip to Portugal.  I borrowed it on the trip home.  It did work okay and I initially really liked it.  However, I guess I’m not used to sleeping like that - leaning forward.  I ended up getting a headache and wanted to sleep sitting back but then my head kept falling sideways.  I might have to try it again if I don’t have any other options.  By the way, it’s collapsible.  If I recall my daughter blew it up like a balloon.

7 minutes ago, Mrs. Claypool said:

Not to sound like a delicate little flower, but in 50 years of taking long-haul flights across the Pacific, I have never found any way to sit comfortably or sleep peacefully in Economy class.  All I could do was put up with the discomfort until we finally landed. 

 

I just couldn’t make it happen until we started booking Premium Economy or Business. 
 

See if you can find a decently-priced Premium Economy flight to your destination.
 

I think EVA’s Premium Economy class is just great. They fly to all points East, generally with a stopover in Taipei. 
 

Emily

 

 

I have not traveled to Asia because of the long fight.  However, it is on my bucket list.  I just don't know how I'm going to handle this.  I guess I'll have to check out the difference in pricing for Premium Economy.  Thanks!

I'm thinking about doing one of the Asia cruises going from Hong Kong to Singapore or vice versa.  I live in Illinois.  The flight to Hong Kong is about 15 hours.  How have you handled long flights like this?  I am not inclined to go business class or first class and I don't have any points to use lol.

I've also seen those neck pillows and wondering if that helps or if they are just gimmicky items.

Let me know what you've done on long flights sitting in Economy.  Also, if there is a flight that splits up the time?  Flying to California would only relieve about 4 hours.

Looking forward to hearing suggestions.  Thank you in advance.