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I guess it really comes down which country you haven't yet visited in South East Asia.

For me the cruise would have to include Bali, Vietnam, Ko Samui, Langkawi, Penang. My reason being, is that I have visited Singapore on many occasions, also visited KL, but I haven't visited the ones listed above.

In 2014 or 15 - we are planning on cruising SE Asia, starting & ending in Singapore (to see our son). My wife & I thought if the cruise didn't include Bali, then we could always, do a fly/stay holiday through Virgin airlines from Australia, as close friends have recommended some great accommodation in Bali. Wife & I are both "beach persons" & we would enjoy a week on a balinese beach, together with a stay at Ubud.

My brother in law told me about the horrendous taxi rides from Benoa Harbour into Kuta, with traffic jams sometimes taking 1-2 hrs to get there in the evening, doesn't sound like fun to me, hence the reason for not wanting to go where all the young teenagers go, I would rather see the natural part of Bali, the mountains, the northern coastline, the islands.

nearby. A friend of mine who also does stand up paddle boarding stayed at Sanur Beach, which he loved. I guess it could have had something to do with flat water on that side of the island. Unfortunately, his son stood on a rusty nail, which got infected, and my friend took his son to the nearest hospital, which didn't impress greatly, hence he cut short his trip & flew home to get proper medical treatment.

My eldest son & family stayed at Kamandalu Resort & Spa in Ubud, and just loved it. He said his room overlooked the rice paddy fields, and his unit had its own pool outside the room. (Hard to take)

After a great Christmas Day with my wife, son & his wife, and our two wonderful grandsons, I am getting ready to plan another cruise for my wife & I, hopefully in 2014 or 15?

I think this is one of the best travel chatboards around, and the members are always so helpful with excellent advice.

Merry Christmas to "Cruise Critic" staff and all the happy cruisers.:)

Just adding to my last post - I just asked my wife, "In all our visits to Singapore, which cafe & coffee did she like the best" - she screwed her face up at me, then said, " The only coffee I enjoyed was below in the main walking concourse of Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex" - its a small cafe, with stools against the wall, with lots of sweet cakes/slices etc (you know the ones that go straight to the hips) I had to agree with her, the coffee was quite good in that cafe.

Spoke to my son in Singapore last night, and asked him about coffee & cafes there, and he said, " I don't know I drink tea".

That's a good list Wangeling Gal - I have tried most of what's on your list, but not all. One I didn't like was Koi Ice.

Very hard to find anyone in Singapore who makes a decent Cappacino coffee.

The local baristas start with a good coffee bean, but then sometimes screw it up with too much frothy white cream on the top. One cafe barista at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre had too much frothy cream on top, so much so, that you only got about 1/2 cup of coffee, and the coffee didn't taste that strong either.

I found myself walking around in & out of cafes at various places in Singapore, just watching the barista making coffee, and how much ingredients were actually placed in the coffee cup.

Here where I live, we have a cafe called "Bay Deli Cafe" & the owner/barista is "passionate" about how he makes his coffee. He strives for perfection. He has fiddled with various parts of his machine, to improve the final cup of coffee that is served to you. I call him the "Master".

Thanks for the information guys. Dear Wife & I have decided to do the Southeast cruise with Sapphire Princess either late 2014 or February 2015, with a stay in Singapore to see our son. I still have $100 SGD's on hand, so that will come in handy for taxi's/cafes etc, until it runs out, then back to ATM's in Singapore.

Then 2015 we want to fly/stay in Bali, looking at a Virgin holiday package, possibly 5 days in Seminyak, then 5 days in Ubud. However, a friend of mine stayed there recently at Sanur Beach, and just loved it. I guess Sanur is good for SUPB, my friend is a instructor on SUPB.

Must go, have a great Christmas wherever you are.

Dasha05 - The weather in Singapore doesn't change much throughout the year, that is, hot/sunny then heavy showers (all in one day) other days, no rain but still hot & humid. Once you get used to it, you will enjoy the tropical weather, that's why the MRT trains are all air conditioned, including taxi's etc.

One thing to have on hand is a small umbrella, you just never know when you will need it. One visit my wife & I were returning from the city to Holland Park Village, then whilst standing inside a small covered taxi rank, a storm occurred right above us, deluged the area with the rain I have never seen before, almost stopped the traffic.

Locals could probably tell which month has "slightly" less rain/thunderstorms.

Just to let you know how polite Singaporian youth are, My wife & I boarded the MRT train on the "Circle Line", and a school boy stood up & offered me his seat. The trains even have 2 seats marked "For elderly or women with children" in each carriage.

Banditoo - I could probably answer your question here on H/Bay.

Whale Watching - July to November (best month is October)

During the Whale Watching Season, the number of boat operators increases.....my favourite whale watching boat is Whale Song or Tasman Venture (do a web search - it will give you all the information you require) these boats leave daily during the whale watching season.

Last time my wife & I went, the boat operator stopped the motor, and two female whales swam under our boat, came up beside the boat, with their face out of the water, only about 2 metres from us. I swear they were eyeballing us, I have experienced whale watching like this before. I think the young whales sometimes get curious & want to look at people? who knows.

If there is anything else you want to know Banditoo - you can email me on jillnlee@hotmail.com

Regards.

Stevanb - dear wife & I have decided to do exactly the cruise you did.

How did you find the cruise ship - Sapphire Princess, is it as good the Sun Princess?

Many thanks to those who replied. I have noted all the comments, you guys have been most helpful.

Well guys I need your advice on two South East Asian Cruises in 2014 or 2015 on Sapphire Princess.

The first one - 10 night Malaysian Peninsula & Indonesia Cruise, which takes in

Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Penang in Malaysia, Phuket in Thailand, then back to Singapore.

The 2nd cruise is called Southeast Asia (which takes in Brunei, Naha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Sihanoukville (Cambodia), then to Bangkok, then Ko Samui in Thailand then back to Singapore.

Both cruises appeal to my wife & I, as we can fly to Singapore, and have some time with our son & his family, then depart on the cruise & return to Singapore again.

The price of the cruises look good, oceanview cabins starting from $1,799-$1,999. We have visited KL a few years ago, so may or may not visit again on either cruise listed above. However, all the other ports appeal to us, ie. Penang, Phuket, Bali.

Appreciate any advice from anyone who has done one of these cruises, and what is Sapphire Princess like?

We have been on the Sun Princess, is the Sapphire as good?

Yes, Singapore is a safe city, compared to many others in this world.

Loads of taxi's, and because of the small size of the island, the fares are quite reasonable. When we stay at our son's unit, we purchase a Ezi-Link with $10 SGD's on it, and use to travel on the MRT all over Singapore, or the local buses, and if you need to top up the card, you can do it the MRT stations, or at a local service station (the operator did it on her cash register, which was linked to the system)

Yes, Singapore has great museums - if you visit the National Science Museum in the city, look out for the "Singapore Stone", a piece of stone with ancient writing on it, believed to be the oldest stone with Javanese writing. It was discovered well before western discoverers reached the shores of Singapore, which no doubt had a different name.

The name Singapore comes from Singa & Pura (which I think means Lion City)

Well I hope I have given some cruisers ideas of interesting things/places to visit in this great city. I feel much safer walking around Singapore than I do in Sydney, Australia, or London.

Bronte - yes I have been over to Sentosa on the cable car, but last time I was in Singapore, my son was with me, and he said we will walk over, so we did. Every so often they had moving platforms, but my son, he likes to walk & walk, so we did.

Have a good day wherever you are

I just finished doing a "dummy run" for a booking at Mercure Grand Roxy, and I put in 3 nights in 3 months time, and a normal room came out at around $190 per night, which I thought was reasonable considering the prices other Hotels charge in that city.

I quite like Mercure Grand Roxy, because my wife & I could walk or rent bicycles to use along the relaxing East Coast Parkway, very pleasant sea breezes, and the walkway/cycleway never seems to get crowded.

Friends of mine think that when they visit an overseas city, that you have to be right in the centre, for all the action, but this is not the case for Singapore, as you know its a small island, reasonably cheap & plentiful taxi's to sightsee. Each morning out the front of the Mercure Grand Roxy Hotel, one would see around 3-5 taxi's waiting for someone to hire them.

I forgot to mention another two places which relate to WW2 - being "Battlebox" which is underground & located on a hill, quite close to the centre of Singapore. It was used by British & Australian Officers before the fall of Singapore, well worth seeing. Another WW2 place of interest are the "Secret War Tunnels".

Remember nothing in Singapore is too far away to visit, taxi's are plentiful & quite cheap when you think about it.

Before our son & his family moved to Singapore to work/live, we visited Singapore & stayed at the Mercure Grand Roxy Hotel, near East Coast Parkway. The hotel has a free bus shuttle pick up & drop to the airport. I am not sure if they do the same for the cruise terminal, but you could always ask.

The hotel included free breakfast. Across the road is a modern shopping centre, which your wife would enjoy. It is possible to cross the road via the elevated walkway to the shopping centre, and also access East Coast Parkway (beaches/cycling etc) - The parkway is pleasant, as it allows you to get away from the crowds.

Because I have relatives living in Singapore, we visit there quite often, and over the past 4 years, my wife & I have visited some interesting places. Here is my list of favourite places - in no order:

1. National Museum of Singapore (fantastic displays, artifacts etc)

2. Shopping - Little India, Orchard Road (if you have enough money), Chinatown (Pagoda Temple)

3. Singapore Zoo - well worth a visit, my favourite zoo.

4. Botanical Gardens - you will love this place if you like tropical plants.

5. Gardens by the Bay - same comment as item 4.

6. Raffles Hotel - go out the back to the courtyard bar, very nice in late afternoon/or evening having a cold drink. Raffles also has a nice cafe called Ah Tengs Bakery.

7. Peranakan Museum (one of my favourites)

8. Sentosa - you can walk from Harbourfront over to Sentosa Island. They have a great waterpark there. I know because my grandson (from Singapore) dragged DW & I over - but it was definitely a lot of fun. You can also swim Siloso beach, water can be a bit murky there sometimes.

9. East Coast Parkway - rent a bicycle & spend a few hours out in the sunshine & viewing all the container ships waiting to enter the port. You can actually ride a bike along the parkway, & eventually out to Singapore Airport, & watch the big jets land & takeoff.

10. For those who like walking or hiking - I would recommend 2 places, the first Bukit Timah ( I think Bukit means "Hill") is my favourite walk. You will come across cheeky monkeys near the start of the walk - 2 things don't bare your teeth to a monkey, its a sign of agreeson, & secondly, eat or show bananas to them, you will start a riot.

11. Marina Bay Sands Hotel (worth seeing) - go downstairs to the lower levels & you will see a manmade water course, with a gondola & paddler plying the course.....its crazy but then thats Singapore for you.

* Lots of interesting places in Singapore, like micro breweries, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (you must remove your shoes to go in)

12. Lastly, a place that many visiting tourists don't know about, but the locals do, its called Pulau Ubin, its an island on the northern side of Singapore Island, you get a boat over & then hire bicycles to ride around.

Hope my little lists can be of benefit to someone visiting Singapore, Lion Island.

Here in Australia, we have two different banking cards - 1st Debit Card & 2nd Credit Card, quite often the cards can be linked for convenience.

I use my Bank of Queensland Credit Card for purchasing items overseas, for payment of our seapass account on the ships, etc

If I visit an ATM both here in Australia or overseas I use my ANZ Debit/Visa Card, mainly because that is the account that solely holds my holiday savings.

What you read is right in regard to the PIN required here in Australia, we use a four digit PIN.

I think everyone who answered your query has given you excellent advice.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is a LARGE complex of resort towers, restaurants, etc, etc....if you like that sort of thing, then go for it, however, I would have to agree with "Soaked by the Sea" in his posting, I to like the Outrigger Hotels right on the beach, with loads of eating places nearby, like Dukes Restaurants,

or walk down Beachwalk to the loads of eating places & boutique shops.

We thought of using The Bus to Diamond Head, but instead caught a taxi. The walk is easy provided you are in reasonable health. It pays to wear good walking shoes, as the gravel surface is sometimes uneven, but take your time & you will be okay. Make sure you take a bottle of water, it does get hot, especially inside the caldera of Diamond Head crater. You will cool down with seabreeze at the top of Diamond Head, fantastic views.

When you walk back down, waiting for a bus can take some time, we opted for a taxi, that had just dropped someone off.

We were in Waikiki in October this year, for 3 night stay before joining the Celebrity Millenium cruise to Sydney, Australia.

We saw the fireworks on a Friday night. We made a point of walking down from our unit at Embassy Suites to Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort, bought a cocktail & beer and sat outside under the coconut palms, and watched the fireworks from below.....a wow factor. (I have also seen the fireworks from a previous stay in Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel)

I agree with the others - I don't think Hotels in Waikiki offer day passes to cruisers

The beach at Waikiki is excellent for a nice swim, however, do walk along the pathway close to the water.

Fort Derussy is well worth a visit.

If you want to sit back & enjoy a light meal/or coffee walk one block back from the water & you will find plenty of cafes to relax in. Beachwalk is my favourite.

i DON'T THINK i want to go to papua new guinea islands.

Yes, I agree some photos of Papua New Guinea ports, places of interest, etc, is more interesting as to how many people could or could not get onto the ship. I have been on quite few cruises, and I have yet to come across a smooth/quick embarkation procedure.

My wife & I are coffee lovers, but only one cup per day we feel is sufficient caffeine. I must say being a lover of a "good latte" - we have never found a cruise ship, that made good coffee. Yes, it was passable.

Where we live in Qld, Australia, we have a barista I call "The Master" (well that's what I call him) He is passionate as to how he can produce the perfect coffee for his customers. He even changed the hole on the side of the steam pipe to get a "fine" froth, and is evenly distributed in the cup. He also gets "guest coffee" in every so often, for his patrons to try, eg. coffee from Mexico, Africa, Indonesia, etc.

If he was on a cruise ship, the passengers wouldn't let him go.

I think to have good coffee, you must have a barista that is passionate about making excellent coffee for his customers, and is not frightened in experimenting with the machine or various brews.

Singapore Botanical Gardens have a very nice display of orchids, as well as Heliconians & cordylines....I promise you will be in heaven you love tropical plants. Every time I visit Singapore, my wife & I always visit the Botanical Gardens, and also Gardens by the Bay.

Check out the National Science Museum to see what exhibitions are running whilst your there. I was fortunate to see the Titanic Display when I was there last, it blew me away.

If you visit Gardens by the Bay, which are excellent, go up inside the dome to the summit, then walk slowly down, enjoying the tropical rhodendrons. Now this will blow you away, the vast majority of tropical rhodendrons at Gardens by the Bay, were supplied by nurseryman, just north of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.