Widebay

I support everyone else - my wife & I visit Singapore on a regular basis to see our son, wife & grandson. Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world, easy to get around, heaps of taxis (fares not that dear), and it also has one of the safes/fastest transport system, called MRT (mass rapid transport).

If your in Singapore for any length of time, call to one of their railway stations, & purchase an Ezi-Link Card, which get from one of their machines, by putting in $10 or $20 Singapore note, and the card willl pop out & have amount you entered on the card for immediate usage. When enter/leave MRT rail stations, you scan the card, which knows where you got on & where you exited, and deducts from your card. You can also scan the card at one of their readers to know exactly how much is left on the card.

On the buses, there is a machine near the driver, and another near the back door, when you get on, scan the card, and when you get off, scan the card again. The little reader tells you how much was deducted for your journey, and your balance.

Taxi's are so plentiful in Singapore, and quite cheap when you think about it.

LastDance, I tend to agree with you. We sometimes get postings from sour persons on this chatboard, yet onboard the ship, I never heard anyone complaining about coffee, drinks,beers etc.....everyone I came across on our cruise were very happy and enjoying the cruise.

I might be missing something here. My wife & I just returned from the Transpacific Cruise from Hawaii to Sydney, Australia, sailing via Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora, Suva & Noumea....all very nice.

We never purchased a coffee card or drink card.....perhaps its because we only have one coffee each per day, and that was in Cafe Al Bacio, and depending on the time of day, we never had a problem getting a nice chair/table, service was efficient, and quite quick. we just signed the docket for the 2 coffees.

As for unlimited sodas, etc, we don't drink soft drinks. Our daily intake of alcohol was roughly as follows - Late afternoon at the Mastbar, I had a tall glass of beer, and my wife had a cocktail of some sort. Then in the MDR we ordered a bottle of wine to go with our meal, and if we didn't finish the bottle, our kind waiter stored it away to finish the next night.

I guess what I was trying to say, "That by not attending formal nights, we discovered other dining venues, and taste sensations, other than MDR"

Another interesting venue is Q-sine and the Olympic Restaurant.

I asked this question ways back before I embarked on the Celebrity Millenium cruise from Hawaii to Sydney, Australia (November 2013).

My wife & I decided that would only smart casual clothing, eg. nice design shirts with black sports slacks (which looked like suit trousers) Anyway, the first formal night we dressed in the above clothing & went to main dining room, where fellow diners on our table were dressed to the nines. They were concerned about us not wearing formal wear, nor were the staff.

On the next 2 formals nights, we decided to dress smart casual again, and this time we stayed away from the main Dinining Room, and visited Bistro on Five ($5 p.p. cover charge - but well worth for the nice food & wine we had) but also had the whole restaurant to ourselves, with service from the most pleasant waitress we have ever had)

On returning to the MDR after formal nights, we told our dining table friends all about we we had ventured. However, when I said there was a $5 cover charge, they back peddled. (I guess $5 each was too much for their budget) I told them life is too short not to be enjoyed to the fullest, get out & try other things/places)

Jacs, whatever, caused it, or whatever caused it, it has left a bitter taste in my mouth about cruising for the next few years. We have decided to give cruising a wide berth for the next 5 years (really can't think of any cruises in south pacific that appeal to us)

In the process of booking a fly/stay holiday either in Samoa or Tonga. I heard a guest speaker on our cruise saying that Samoa was probably the birth place for the Polynesian race, prior to moving further afield to Hawaii & Tahiti.

In August next year, we may fly back to Hawaii to attend "The Dukes Surfing Festival" (10 days of great surfing competitions, from SUPB, boardriding, swimming races, beach races),.....then fly over to Las Vegas.

Whilst in Waikiki we probably will do a flight over to the island of Molakai to do the mule ride down to Father Damiens Church.

Jacs - that's exactly what I had - Viral Bronchitis, and I caught it on the Celebrity Millenium, travelling from Hawaii to Sydney, Australia. It sounds like we were on the same cruise ship, and suffering from the same health problem.

As soon as I arrived home, I visited my specialist GP, who put me onto the proper medication.

My only concern was for other passengers & crew who had not yet caught this bug. I am just about over it, but it left a nasty taste in my mouth, about cruising on large cruise liners, with vast numbers of passengers, hence, the reason to travel on a small cruise liner down the track, but not straight away.

I think its time I few to Samoa or Tonga for a nice beach holiday.

I forgot to mention that my wife is a retired registered nurse. On the cruise we were discussing the norovirus, and she mentioned that in Aged Care facilities it is always a problem, with the elderly not washing their hands properly, than handling food. On our cruise ship you couldn't enter the main Dining Room (Bistro area) without your hands being squirted with the handwash, held by a staff member, who said, "washy washy".

I had already had my annual flu injections prior to the cruise. My wife & I have been having flu shots for the past 10 years.

I questioned my doctor regarding the flu shots, and she said, they only protect against the present or previous flue strains. There are always new strains on the horizon, which you may not be protected against.

Not sure how one can compare the chances of catching the flu on a plane compared to a cruise ship......lets think about it, ships carry a "huge" number of passengers to an aeroplane. I can't recall ever catching the flu on a plane, and I have flown to numerous locations including UK/Europe, Singapore, Hawaii, etc.

I did see some passengers on our cruise ship wearing face masks, that should have twigged.

Prior to our Celebrity Millenium "transpacific cruise" from Hawaii to Sydney in November I was in very good health, went swimming & paddle boarding in Waikiki, with loads of walking around that vibrant city. I was blown away with Halloween night in Waikiki.

Firstly, I am not blaming Celebrity or any of their crew for what happened to me.

During the latter part of the cruise, I noticed on quite a few occasions, people coughing with wheezy chest conditions, similar to the flu. When dear Wife & I were in the lifts/dining area/and Celebrity Theatre. When anyone sat beside us in the theatre with flu like cold/cough, we immediately moved to another location to escape the dreaded flu. Some passengers heard that one couple was put off the ship at a certain port because of their flu infection.

Anyway, we arrived in Sydney, I seemed okay, we flew home to Qld, then a few days later, the flu hit me like ton of bricks. I was laid up for 2 days in bed. My doctor has prescribed medication, and I am now only starting to improve.

As I said this is no reflection on Celebrity or any other cruise line, its just unfortunate that when you have hundreds of people jammed together on a cruise ship, some bug will come along & hit someone.

Its been 9 days since we arrived home, and still can't shake off this flu, but I am slowly improving.

I never had this problem on our previous cruises - Pride of America around the Hawaiian Islands & Sun Princess South Pacific cruise.

I am thinking of giving cruises a rest for a while, and considering fly & stay holidays in the next 12 months, perhaps Bali or Samoa/Tonga.

I have a belief, that we are all here on this planet for a "short time" so lets make it "a good time"

I often read where people skimp & save all year long to go on a cruise of a lifetime, then low & behold, they skimp on things like, shore excursions, drink packages. I have heard about people who go on cruises, but never get off at ports to sightsee, WHAT A SHAME, to travel all that distance & not see what's so special in those countries.

Try not purchasing a drink package, who needs all that soft drink/soda etc, its not good for you. Stick to good old water, that's what your body needs, not soft drinks. Try purchasing only one bottle of wine per night, and if you don't consume the whole bottle, get your wine waiter to put away for the next night. A tip on reducing the amount of alcohol you consume....ask the waiter for a glass of ice & spoon. Make a point of placing ice into your wine glass (white wines only), it helps keep the wine cool, and tends to dilute the wine.

I just can't imagine taking alcohol off the ship, in plastic bottles or containers, eg thermos.

When we disembarked at various Tahitian/Fijian ports on our last cruise with Celebrity, we were so busy sightseeing, shopping, etc. I think it was at Papeete, we found a very restaurant not far from the ship terminal, with micro brewery (made beautiful boutique beers), then at Bora Bora after our shore excursion, we wandered around the clothing stalls close where the tender boats took us back to the ship, heaps of temporary clothing stalls, but I came across a little shop, which sold Hinano beer, tahitian beer, so we sat down under a palm tree away away from the maddening crowd and enjoyed the beer. I found the cost of beer etc on shore to be cheaper than on the cruise ship.

I guess this question really revolves around "How much alcohol does one drink in a day"

DW & I are not big consumers of alcohol, but we do enjoy it now & then in moderation, just our personal preference, and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

On the Celebrity Millenium cruise (Hawaii to Sydney) this is a list of what we consumed each day (sometimes it varied)

Cafe - one latte each per day.

Masthead Bar (overlooking the swimming pool) - one beer for me, and one cocktail to DW.

Dining Room - Our wine waiter told us not to buy a glass of wine, but to get a bottle of wine (much cheaper) - we found that we consumed only 1/2 bottle with dinner, and our lovely wine waiter would store the remaining wine in their fridge, for us to consume the following night.

Our favourite wine was Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and I also enjoyed a very nice Rose from Spain, I think it was called Rosato?

Some 5 years ago, I started a "holiday account" in my local bank, and each fortnight, I deposit $700 into that account. Now by not withdrawing from the account, after 12 months you will have $18,200 for holidays. The money also attracts a reasonable interest rate, so that is deposited into the account.

My wife & I enjoy an occasional cruise somewhere, but we also like to fly to Singapore to see our son & his family(P.S some very interesting Princess cruises out of Singapore - visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, etc)

We also did the same for our "Bill Account" - deposited a sizable amount to start the account, and again - each fortnight pay, I deposit $500 into this account. Hence, when a bill comes in, we go out & pay it straight away.

MicCanberra - I agree totally with your last posting. Unfortunately, in this world today, we have people that can't be satisfied, with whatever comes along. I say, "Go with the flow - don't look for negative aspects, but only look for postive ones" By doing this your attitude will rub off onto some of persons who can't be satisfied -

Remember that song, "Always look on the bright side of life"

We found some very positive passengers on the Celebrity Millenium coming from Hawaii to Australia, so we tended to congregate with these positive people, as well felt the same as them, and boy didn't we have a party on the cruise.

My wife & I always get to know (where possible) - cabin attendant's, bar staff, dining room staff. We make sure we know these christian names, and call them by their names. We had a lovely Mast Bar barman who came from Bali, well from sitting & talking with him each afternoon, we learnt various

Balinese words, eg Terramaski which means thank you (not sure how you spell it) - If other people were waiting for drinks at the bar, we were happy to get ours, when the queue went down. The barman appreciated that.

I do a lot of snorkeling here in Qld, Australia, on Lady Elliot Island, a short flight away from Hervey Bay.

My wife & I always take our own face mask & snorkel, then just use the fins of the provider.

One thing we always carry are our "reef shoes" - a MUST. They take up little room in your day backpack. We used our reef shoes on the "Beach Break" on Bora Bora, and they fitted the bill perfectly, especially when walking across shallow lagoons between Motus (coral islets)

If you do nothing else in Bora Bora, make sure if you do the "Swim with sharks a sting rays" - its a beautiful experience having sharks rub past you looking for little pieces of food, and the same goes for the sting rays.

MicCanberra & Mothballs - I agree with you comments, cruising is not everything. I have always found that when fly/visit a country, you see more, than a short 8 hrs shore excursion.

If it wasn't for our cruise ship visiting the Tahitian Islands, I would have stayed in Hawaii, swimming, dining out, and doing stand up paddle boarding.

I think once I get over this flu from the cruise ship, I will drive down to Noosa Heads, for surfing weekend.

DW & I did that cruise from Hawaii to Sydney, via Tahiti, and enjoyed it immensely. The crew were very professional. My only gripe were the few people on the ship who had the flu. We heard that one person was put off the ship with the flu and flown home.

However, having said that, my wife & I would sitting down to eat at one of Restaurants, and watching a show in the Celebrity Theatre, and low & behold someone would sit near you, with the flu and start couching, hence we looked at one another, then I beckoned my wife that we would move. We even sat in the theatre as far away we could from other people, but no there were still people with the flu coming in beside you. Some nights we didn't go to the theatre.

I have been to our local Hospital & my doctor, the latter who has put me on to medication, but its taking a while to shake off.

We are seriously thinking of not cruising for the next 2 years, and just flying to various locations for a beach holiday. I have had colds before, but never like this one from the cruise ship. So we are going to fly to Samoa & Tonga in 6 months time for a beach holiday. Bye bye cruising.

Need the help of my CC friends. I couldn't find any mention of this cruise line on CC, hence the reason for a new posting. No doubt my helpful cruise critic friends will know.

Firstly, I have relatives in Singapore, who we visit every so often, so after seeing our relatives DW & I want to visit some of the ports in south east asia, eg. Phuket, Bangkok, Malacca, etc.

Could anyone tell me how they found this cruise line & itineraries. Also my wife are ex-smokers from many years ago, and you know they are like, very anti-smoking. I looked up Star Virgo, and they apparently allow smoking in certain designated areas, but where are these designated areas? I do hope they don't allow smoking in the Dining Rooms.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

I couldn't find any mention of this cruise line on CC, hence the reason for a new posting. No doubt my helpful cruise critic friends will know.

Firstly, I have relatives in Singapore, who we visit every so often, so after seeing our relatives DW & I want to visit some of the ports in south east asia, eg. Phuket, Bangkok, Malacca, etc.

Could anyone tell me how they found this cruise line & itineraries. Also my wife are ex-smokers from many years ago, and you know they are like, very anti-smoking. I looked up Star Virgo, and they apparently allow smoking in certain designated areas, but where are these designated areas? I do hope they don't allow smoking in the Dining Rooms.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

I can understand your frustrations with the local taxi's on Vanuatu, especially coming off a cruise ship.

We have never cruised to Port Vila - some years ago, we flew with Air Vanuatu to Port Vila, stayed at Mangoes Resort (walking distance to town), and because there were no cruise ships in port, all the "B" signposted taxis were the "normal price", but having said that we always settled on a price before we drove off.

We enjoyed Mele Cascades (visited in the morning before the tourists arrived), loved Nambawan Cafe in town (overlooking the Bay) - Hideaway Island was nice, only about 20 people there the day we visited.

The HIGHLIGHT of Vanuatu, was TANNA ISLAND and Mt.Yasar Volcano. Its hard to explain the thrill of visiting an exploding volcano just on dusk, and to stand on it's rim, while the volcano is spitting out red hot lava into the air above you. You will forget this experience, I promise you.

Look up "Noumea Explorer" on the internet, and it will show a map & locations of where it stops. All cruise ships arrive at a working port in Noumea, and all passengers disembarking to look at Noumea have to be bused through the containers near the ship to a terminal building, where you will find heaps of companies offering all sorts of trips. We opted for the Noumea Explorer, reasonably priced, and it visits all the sights that most people want see, eg. The Cultural Centre, Coconut Square, Anse Vate Beach, Baie de Citrons (or Lemon Bay), etc, etc.

Most cruise ships don't seem to spend a lot of time in Noumea (ours was 5 or 6 hours) & because we have visited Noumea before, we took the Explorer bus down to Anse Vate Beach & Lemon Beach, for a swim, coffee & glass of wine in a beachside cafe, so chic, so french.

That's a shame about not being able to venture around Moorea in a 4WD vehicle. We went on the AITO shore excursions, which is a 4WD vehicle, open air seating in the back, and they take you up these "very" steep roads on Moorea, in fact the roads had to be surfaced with cement, so the vehicle gets a grip, but WOW what a view you get at the top of Belvedere Lookout, our cruise ship looked so minature from the lookout. It is so popular that the local police had to ensure there were no accidents with vehicles coming & going at the lookout. After that drive the AITO drivers tooks us to various farms, and also to a ancient Polynesian site, which has the old stones surrounding which was once a place of worship, etc.

After a great day touring in the AITo vehicles, were finished up in the Pineapple Farm shop, and I bought a bottle of Coconut Creme (17% proof) which dear wife & I occasionally have a small sip (very nice)

Bora Bora & Moorea ARE MUCH NICER than Tahiti Nui (the main island)

However, having said that we took a trip around the main island of Tahiti Nui, and there are some interesting places to visit, eg. Waterfall, tropical gardens, Matavai Bay (or Point Venus). Point Venus was a bit of a disappointment to us. I know it would have black sand, a lighthouse, but it was crowded with local people, all having a swim. I guess I was expecting to see a quiet little beach. If you do visit make sure you wear your shoes/thongs onto the beach, the black sand can be quite hot underfoot.

I saw Duck Island from where were swimming on Anse Vate Beach, on our Celebrity Cruise a few weeks ago. Its not far, in fact, I wonder if you could paddle board out to it. I did see a water taxi of some sort taking people out.

We didn't visit there, we checked out the shops/cafes/etc in both Anse Vate Beach & Lemon Beach....but we also had a swim at both beaches, the water temps were great, beautiful blue clear water.

In Suva, we decided to do a lot of walking, as we wanted to see if the Grand Pacific Hotel was completed yet. I always enjoy the National Museum in Thurston Park, some great exhibits, including part of the rudder from HMS Bounty. After that we walked back into the city, for some great shopping, a nice coffee (much nicer than what is served up on the cruise ship), and DW & I even visited a nice bar in place called Tapoo City Shopping Centre, for a local Fijian beer, very cleansing.

All in all a lovely cruise & visit to Noumea & Suva, as well, the Tahitian Islands, but now its time to cruise elsewhere in the world.