Happy family travellers

My family have stayed in Singapore 3 times now for pre or post cruises, and each time we have booked and stayed at the Holiday Inn Orchard City. We are a family of 4, and the two kids happily shared a bed. There are a limited number of rooms that have 2 king size beds, and on the hotels website they don't advertise they have rooms that accommodate 4 people. If you go to their website, under contacts you will find their email address. If you want to get more info from them, simply email them and ask what you want, they will reply very promptly I have found. All 3 times I have booked via their email with no problems at all.

The Holiday Inn is just off Orchard Road - very close to all the shopping that my wife loves. It is very central, a quick walk to the MRT, hop on hop off bus stop, and regular bus stop on Orchard Road. There are great places to eat right outside the door (Cuppage Plaza) and the roof top pool and area is perfect after a hot day sightseeing. The staff have always been excellent, and the kids eat free for breakfast.

I'm sure there are other places available, but this would be my recommendation. Also talking direct with the hotel will give you the best rate, even my travel agent (with all his contacts and options) couldn't beat the price the hotel offer me directly.

Happy travels and enjoy Singapore

I was on Radiance of the Seas in January 2017 in Cabin 9584 which is directly one deck above 8594. Once inside the cabin I found there to be no noise at all from the Centrum. On Radiance 9584 is behind a wall that separates the hallway from the Centrum - maybe that helped block the sound. Balcony is the standard size for that cabin category, but the location can't be beat - a clear view forward and aft with nothing in the way.

I stayed in 9584 in January 2017 on Radiance. Whilst noise is a personal thing, I didn't find it noisy at all and I am a light sleeper. Once inside the cabin I could not hear anything. I had to be right at the door listening hard to hear anything from outside.

The hallway and doors to the cabins around that area is separated from the Centrium via a Wall which blocks a lot of the sound.

Hope this helps anyone who is interested.

I don't want to interrupt your review, or give away too much for the 8 day second part of your cruise, but my family and I were on part 2 of your back to back. All I will say at the moment is Boarding for the 8 day cruise was almost too easy, I thought I must have missed something. Since it was all in Australian waters, there was no need for immigration. We stayed overnight at the Mantra on Bond Street. Not as good as the four seasons, but also a really nice place to stay, just a bit further from port (10 minutes walk as opposed to 5 minute walk!).

After we checked out of the Mantra at 10am, we made our way to the port, dropped off the bags, took a few photos, then decided to have a look inside the terminal by about 10.20am (knowing we were super early, and not expecting anything). Check in was already open as the ship had been cleared already. By 10.30am we were on Radiance looking around. I've never been on board so early - we didn't know what to do next.

All I can say is the entire family had a great time, the crew were absolutely fabulous, the ship is in good condition (don't expect a brand new ship) for its age (some minor wear and tear but nothing too obvious) and would sail on Radiance again in a heart beat.

I'll let Tazza finish their review and not give anything away.

We will be on radiance on your second leg of the back to back (The 8 day Sydney to Sydney cruise).

The Four Seasons is a perfect hotel to stay at for cruising. The views are just fab. I recently had friends heading out on a cruise and stayed for a night beforehand. We spent the day with them and had a quick look at their room - best views ever!

Can't wait to see your posts over the coming fortnight, especially of the ship. We know she is not the newest in the fleet, and expect some minor wear and tear. Would love to hear of the activities and what the feel of all the passengers is like.

Pity the weather wasn't the best for your boarding on Friday. But watching her sail out, the weather cleared, and hopefully you got some great shots cruising out of the harbour.

I'm sure there will be many familys on board for the next leg, but if you see a family of 4 with smiles on their faces, that will be us - having the time of our life. Please say G'Day if you do! This will be cruise number 4 for us (first time on radiance), and we are all just as excited as if it was our first.

Thanks for this post.

David

Just made a quick visit to the city to see Radiance. Lots of happy people boarding. Ship looks good, they were giving her a bit of a lick of paint and there were 2 new pieces of equipment being unpacked and loaded. I couldn't make out what they were. Can't wait until 20th January when I board with the family.

All I can say is Thank you. :)

I can't wait until we jump on board in Singapore and head to Japan in April

Thank you so much for starting this thread. Please keep sharing your experiences and thoughts with us all. I am booked on Voyager with my family in April 2015 from Singapore to Japan and cannot wait.

Glad to see they did their best to accommodate your entire group in the MDR.

Add any comments you can whilst you are cruising. Don't forget, your cruise comes first, adding comments here comes later. Not sure how you can go with Pictures, but maybe once you get back home, any pictures of the Voyager will be much appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the cruise and keep up the positive mind set, it makes a difference on how much you enjoy the cruise in the end. Yes, things go wrong, let people know what you want, hopefully they get fixed and move on. No use worrying about what cannot be changed - cruises are for relaxing and enjoying family time.

Looking forward to your future posts.

I was also on the Mariner from Singapore to Shanghai last year with my family. It was a great ship with wonderful staff. It was still undergoing some renovations then which finished just before we arrived in Shanghai, so the ship is quite "new". One of the biggest complaints of the Mariner voyage was around the ports that I heard whilst on the cruise (limited time or not the best organised tours). The actual ship was great.

Legend and Voyager were a bit older when first sent to Asia, hence the lower rated reviews. Legend has since had some upgrades and Voyager is currently undergoing a major refurbishment. I was on Legend before the upgrade and it was fine, so it must be great now.

I've been on Legend from Hong Kong to Singapore, Mariner from Singapore to Shanghai, and am booked on Voyager from Singapore to Tokyo in April next year. I've got no concerns what so ever about Mariner of cruises around HK and Singapore.

As mentioned, the Hong Kong port is at the new terminal. It takes a bit to walk through, but well signposted and organised.

What ever you decide, pick the right itinerary, go with a smile on your face :) and enjoy somewhere new.

David