Ainhoa

A few years ago we took a repositioning cruise with Silversea from Lisbon to the Caribbean. Soon after the ship arrived in the Caribbean, one of the air-conditioning units failed. It was warm in the cabin, but not unbearable and windows were opened where possible in the public rooms (it must have been far worse for staff in the kitchen and laundry). Before we had even reached the final port, a letter was slipped under the door of each cabin, apologising for the inconvenience and offering each passenger a $2000 credit note to be used on a future Silversea cruise. That's $2000 just for the inconvenience of the air-conditioning not being 100%. And that Viking, is how you install loyalty in your customers.

Thank you for all the suggestions. After speaking with our TA, we discovered that the Crowne Plaza at Changi will let you have a day room, check-in 11am check-out 19.00 which is (almost) perfect for our needs. And at a very reasonable price.

Have you looked at the link I sent for the Transit Hotel. It is before you go through immigration. The prices were down the bottom of the page.. I would send an email asking for the tariff for the time you require. I think the tariff was around $90S for a day. It would probably be a lot cheaper for a shorter stay.

Jennier

Jennie

Yes I did, but I think it's "before you go through immigration" only when arriving not when departing. It is on the other side of immigration when you are leaving. But thank you for the suggestion.

Wendy yes I did think of that, but although I asked on several boards, nobody came up with a suggestion of who I could use. I don't necessarily want a cheap hotel, and as I am travelling with two old crocks (sorry, sister and husband) we won't be doing a lot of sightseeing. It's as Suekay says, I just don't like feeling "homeless" with no access to bathroom, washroom or somewhere private just to have a short nap.

When we were in the same situation in Hong Kong, we booked a cheap hotel, dumped our bags and went off for the day. On our return we were able to relax, nap, shower and change before going to the airport. It was worth every penny not to feel "homeless" for the day

I think that's the best idea. I did know about the Transit Hotel Aussie Girl, but by definition, I assumed that Transit means you are airside and the point is, we can't check in our bags until 20.30 therefore cannot access airside until that time. Do most hotels allow you to book a room but only use it as a day room (paying the full rate)? I have never done this before.

Hello. I am in the same position having to disembark a cruise ship in the morning and flight from Changi not until 23.35. I can sign up for a ship's tour which will drop me at the airport at around 14.00, but Swiss Air do not open their check-in/baggage drop until three hours before departure. Given I cannot check in the luggage (although I can check us in online) how can we access the main part of the airport, which I presume means going through security? Any ideas/suggestions welcome as I don't like the idea of hanging around in the public area for eight hours.

Actually, I quite like Sete. It has a wide seawater canal running the length of the town with great seafood restaurants on either side. I don't suppose there is a lot to DO, but the town itself, around this canal, is picturesque and there are lots of restaurants. I don't remember seeing the port part, so it doesn't intrude on the town.

We are cruising out of Barcelona in March and also have access to timeshares with RCI. We wondered if any of the areas would be possible destinations without renting a car. My sister had a wreck in Spain a couple of years ago while sightseeing in the Malaga area and it was a nightmare since they couldn't speak Spanish. We are hesitant about renting a car and wonder if it would be worth possible or enjoyable trying to get around with public transportation.

Thanks :)

I notice that the original poster mentioned Girona (Gerona) as a possible exchange. This is an interesting small city with a lovely walled medieval area, good restaurants and not too far from Barcelona. You can take the train from Girona station to Sants station in BCN. There are regular trains throughout the day. From Girona station, you can also take the train north to Figueres, a half hour journey (Dali museum) and even on to Perpignan in France. One and a half hours will bring you to Barcelona from where you can take lots of different journeys.