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tamarac

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    My list of places to visit in Singapore

    in Asia

    Posted

    For those cruisers looking for places to visit in Singapore, here is my list, most of which I have visited, and others yet to visit.

    * Artscience Museum at Marina Bay Sands

    * National Museum of Singapore

    * Battle Box in Fort Canning Park

    * Mint Museum of Toys (26 Seah Street)

    * Changi Museum

    * Army Museum of Singapore, Upper Jurong Road

    * Singapore Discovery Centre (good for children)

    * Marina Barrage

    * NeWater Visitors Centre

    * Royal Selangor Pewter Centre.

    * Sentosa Island

    * Singapore Cable Car Ride (from Harbourfront)

    * Singapore Flyer

    * Cruise on bum boat on Singapore River

    * $1 ice cream from vendor near bridge (Clarke Quay) - threw this one in as he is my favourite ice cream vendor.

    * Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom on Sentosa Island

    * Stand up paddle board hire at Silosa Beach (Sentosa)

    * Stand up paddle board hire at East Coast Parkway (near Big Splash)

    * Singapore Botanical Gardens (a must for orchid lovers & lovers of Heliconians & gingers)

    * Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, and Night Safari

    * Underwater World, Sentosa (this is a MUST for lovers of fish, corals etc)

    * Chinatown Heritage Centre

    * Tiger Beer Brewery (for the beer lovers)

    * Palua Ubin Island (cycling)

    * Asian Civilisation Museum

    * Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetary

    * MacRitchie Reservoir or Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (great for walking in the last rainforest areas on Singapore Island)

    * Raffles Hotel & Chimes shops - have a singapore sling at Raffles or coffee/cake in their Cafe.

    * Lastly, for the ladies - Orchard Road (shopping) - and finish off your busy shopping day with a nice lunch in Goodwood Park Hotel (lovely old fashioned Hotel, with lots of ambiance)....happy shopping ladies.

     

     

     

    Would you be able to recommend a good day spa in Singapore?

    Thank you!

     

     

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    Shore Excursions in Cuba

    in Azamara

    Posted

    As others have said, this simply is not true and I have no idea why Azamara told you this. I'm pasting a post a made a while back on this topic below. Private tours as well as self guided tours are fine as long as they meet the US requirements.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    I've asked a lot of questions across the boards about how cruise ships handle travel restrictions in Cuba. Here's my best understanding of the situation....

    US travelers are required to fall into one of eleven travel categories. Previously there was a "people-to-people" category that was so general that almost any self-guided activity qualified. That category was removed by the Trump administration. Now most US travelers rely on the "Support for the Cuban people" category. There is a mis-impression that travelers must take a "US Approved" guided tour in order to comply. Cruise lines don't mind this as they make a lot of money (as you've noticed) selling excursions. First off.... the US regulations do not require organized tours - self guided tours are perfectly acceptable as long as the activity meets the "Support for the Cuban People" requirements (more about this later). Second, there seems to be no such thing as a "US Approved" tour - only tours whose content aligns with the US travel category guidelines. There is no formal mechanism for the US government to review specific tours and give them the US Seal of Approval. If your activity meets the "Support for the Cuban People" guidelines, you're fine.

    So what is the "Support for the Cuban People"? Here's the relevant section of the US Statute....

    (2) Each traveler engages in a full-time schedule of activities that:

    (i) Enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people's independence from Cuban authorities; and

    (ii) Result in meaningful interaction with individuals in Cuba.

    (3) The traveler's schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule.

     

    This is pretty broad. Eating at private restaurants, talking to merchants, visiting museums, taking dance lessons, visiting private businesses (e.g. touring cigar or rum factories), hiring private drivers and a whole lot of other things that people usually do when visiting foreign lands all meet the guidelines according to what I have read. Just look at the AZ excursions and you'll see some more things that qualify. There are two overriding requirements, 1) You are supposed to keep activity/receipt records for 5 years, and 2) You must not spend money at any establishment on the List of Restricted Entities found here https://www.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/c...ist/275331.htm Most of these are hotels which won't be a problem for cruise travelers.

     

    The next issue is enforcement. First off, it's the traveler's responsibility to meet the US requirements - not the tour company's, not the cruise line's - it's up to you. The reports I've read all say that there is no check by the cruise line when you leave the ship to verify that your planned activities meet the requirements of the US travel restrictions. The cruise line will sell you the visa and will have you fill out a form that indicates which of the 11 travel categories (e.g. support of the Cuban people) your visit falls under. The rest is up to you. You disembark just like at any other port. This makes sense since if the cruise line checked your activity plans that would indicate that they have some responsibility for verifying that your activities meet US requirements - which they don't.

    Another enforcement question is What about the US government auditing us after the trip to verify that our travel met the requirements? I have no idea if or how often the government does this. I've never heard of anyone being audited, but the government being the government there's probably some bureaucrat somewhere who is paid to do so. My thinking is if you keep a list of what you did along with any receipts (and don't have any receipts from establishments on the restricted list) you won't have a problem in the remote event that the government even asks. The same by-the-way applies to those taking organized tours.

    So my advice is print out the list of Restricted Entities, but don't feel intimidated to tour Cuba on your own. If you're risk adverse but money conscious, look at making private bookings for the same activities that the AZ excursions offer (hint: you can save a bunch booking the Tropicana show on your own).

     

    This is my best understanding of the situation. If I'm wrong about anything I stand ready and willing to be corrected.

     

     

     

    Thank you for taking the time to answer and explain all our concerns. We certainly feel better about exploring on our own and taking a private tour.

     

     

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    Shore Excursions in Cuba

    in Azamara

    Posted

    Blexie is being used by several guests. I just use a classic car tour. Fun but had seen the places mostly .. I have manage to tour the ballet on my own. A rum factory, churches, lunch out, dinner show etc. it that hard to do

     

     

     

    What was the date you visited Cuba?

     

     

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    Shore Excursions in Cuba

    in Azamara

    Posted

    Azamara advised us that we cannot take a private excursion, unless they are a US licensed tour company. Has anyone taken a tour not offered by the ship? We would appreciate any information that you could share.

    Thank you!

     

     

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    Visa for India and Sir Lanka

    in Azamara

    Posted

    We are from the United States. Will it be necessary to apply for a visa on our own or will the ship issue the visa once on board? Also if anyone knows the cost to apply and is it different than the cost on board?

    Thank you,

    Gail Bunce

     

     

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    Visa for India - change in rules

    in Azamara

    Posted

    We are also on Azamara November 7th cruise. Have read conflicting answers. We will send an email to Nicole today. Wondering if we need a Visa for any other ports. Let’s keep posting any and all information.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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