Miaminice

27 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks for the input regarding heat.  That is great to hear it was pleasant.

 

Another question: I see that you had an overnight in a Hanoi hotel. And that some people did an overnight at another port as well.  Was that because of the distance to the sites you wanted to see with Hanoi as your base?  I'm curious about the distances to travel from the ports in order to see sites. It looks like your party covered a lot (with the help of the tour guides). 

actually both… we enjoyed staying in Hanoi overnight and in hindsight it was a perfect decision. And some ports are pretty far. Quite a few passengers stayed in Bangkok overnight as well.

Driving times: Hanoi up to 3 hours, Bangkok up to 2.5 hours, Saigon up to 1.5 hours. 

1 hour ago, benel204 said:

  Was heat and humidity a damper for you?

Not at all! Temperatures weren’t too hot but rather pleasant. 

10 hours ago, benel204 said:

I was searching today on Celebrity boards to see if anyone had done Celebrity's Singapore to Hong Kong -- and wow, I hit the mother lode with this fantastic trip report!!

Thank you @Miaminice for answering so many of the questions I had, and several I never thought of.  I have saved your report for more detailed study.

 

We are looking at this same itinerary in December 2024 or January 2025.

 

I would appreciate your (and anyone's) thoughts on selecting the Singapore to Hong Kong route, vs the reverse.  I've always wanted to tour Singapore, so when we see (before or after the cruise) is still up in the air. 

 

Thanks!
Basically it doesn´t really matter which way around you do the cruise itself. However, I always feel that it´s sort of "over" after disembarkation and my mind is already on the way home. So personally I´d put the highlight first. So if Singapore is what you want to see - and it sure is fabulous - I´d do it before the cruise. But that´s just a personal thing 🙂 

If you have any specific questions, please don´t hesitate to ask.

Oliver

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Epilogue 

Those of you who followed along know that we had an amazing cruise. Especially Vietnam has left a lasting impression. It’s such a beautiful country and has so much to offer - nature, culture, history and incredibly friendly people. 

The tours we did in Vietnam to get a glimpse of its beauty were outstanding. We planned all of them with Rose, a young lady from Hanoi. All of the tours created unforgettable memories, were very well organized and Rose and her team of guides were absolutely fantastic. They were exemplary ambassadors of their country and played a vital role in deepening our affection for the destination.

So if you travel or cruise to Vietnam, contact Rose for tours. 
You will not regret it!
Number +84374372918 (also on whatsapp)
Email: Nhungnguyen.ulis@gmail.com


 

@itingmeimei

Thank you, it’s really our pleasure. Traveling is a passion for us and who doesn’t like to share a passion?! 
 

To answer your questions…

What form of transportation besides taxi is available at the port of Kyoto?

There are trains/subways. Japan is the land of trains. Quick, clean and easy. 
We only chose the taxi to save the time and way to the the stations. Taxi isn’t really expensive either. In Kyoto the Uber App worked for taxis.

Did you exchage money in Jeju or the locals would accept US dollars (like some other coutries would)?

We did not exchange any money. Actually even the market stall where we bought the grilled pork lunch accepted credit card. I used Applepay/contactless. Restaurants and shops accept cards as well and we paid for the tickets to the gardens per credit card. So there was just no need to exchange money. We didn’t try but I‘d think USD are not accepted at these places.

Do most of the restaurants and shops accept credit cards in Japan? 
Standard restaurants and shops yes. Some places had the “ticket machines” for food. Not all machines accepted cards,

However, that’s not a problem at all. All of the omnipresent 7eleven, Lawsons, Familymarts etc. have ATMs. The fee is so marginal - 1 $ or so - that we always just get Yen as we go in Japan.

Did you have any issue using your Ubigi sim card?
No, not at all! The eSIM concept is easy and simple. Ubigi and Airalo are two reliable sources. I was told Ubigi has better connectivity in Japan. On our xmas cruise to Vietnam and Thailand I used Airalo and it also worked just great.

Oliver

15 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Diamond vs Millenium

 

Food, drink            Diamond

Culture                  Diamond

Entertainment        Millenium?

Respectful guests  Diamond

Newer ship            Diamond

 

Am I missing anything here?

You are missing that Milennium might be older but she´s been beautifully refurbished.
When we were on her this year we were positively surprised. Fresh, modern... top notch!

Plus, I wonder why you might say that guest on Princess are more respectful 🤔
Unless you take for granted that there are more Japanese guests on board.

We are huge fans of Japan - three cruises so far. 
We are also huge fans of Celebrity. We have been to Japan on Millennium this year and to Thailand and Vietnam on Solstice. Both cruises were great. No complaints at all.

However, that being said, with fabulous Japan the focus was always on the destination and the ship was merely our hotel. I would suggest to choose by itinerary. you can´t go wrong with either.

Maybe this helps: 

Latest Japan cruise on Millennium:
https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

Japan on HAL - Cherry Blossom time 2019

https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

Japan on Millennium 2017
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

14 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Thanks.  My question was more about which itinerary should I do first?  I think that I will go with Japan...

You can´t go wrong! 🙂 
Both are very enriching itineraries 👍

5 hours ago, villauk said:

 

I agree. I think these sort of itineraries offer so much more of an experience. We cruised your Vietnam sailing a few Christmases ago and are doing Japan this year, which we are very much looking forward to. It’s not like comparing one side of the Caribbean to the other. We’ve also booked India and Sri Lanka for next, expecting a totally different sort of experience in those places. All our sailings are on M class ships, it’s a base for us and not the destination like it would be if one was sailing the Caribbean for the nth time.

👍 Which is one of the reasons why we do not sail the Caribbean 🙂 
 
@NMTraveller I asked Birgit your question... and she could not answer it as well.
We both lost our heart to Japan. So it will always be special.

Vietnam was also fabulous. We both immediately mentioned and remembered the friendliness of the Vietnamese people right away. Although the people of Vietnam would have enough reasons not to like Americans and Europeans (esp French), they are most welcoming and genuinely friendly. Plus, I think our guide Rose and her team of young guides were outstanding ambassadors for this beautiful and interesting country.

We are seriously considering to cancel a cruise to New Zealand which we have booked for fall 2024 and repeat Asia again. Just haven´t found a good and affordable itinerary yet.

6 hours ago, Newbury newbie said:

Are we good now?!! 🙂

🙂 never been not good 🙂

31 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

If you could only do one cruise would you do the Japan cruise or your last cruise?

Last cruise as in Vietnam and Thailand?

That’s really a hard question to answer. Both are very different. Japan has so much to offer as a single country. And on Japan cruises, I am glad that it is only Japan, or better that the focus is on Japan.

the last one had different things to offer. Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam… 

We would do both again for sure!!!

1 hour ago, RinAsami said:

I am looking at the different tours that Koichi W. offers on the toursbylocals. Do you mind sharing what your tour(s) were called? There are so many to choose from and we've never been to Kyoto/Osaka.

 

Thanks again for such a great report! We're going in August 2024 and am using your trip as a guide. 🙂

our tours didn’t really have a name. Since we had been there twice before, Koichi created a tour  incl. new things. He can offer customized tours. 
 

Golden Pavillon, Fushimi Inari, and Kiyomizo-dera are beautiful sights… and so many others. But not all are in the same area.

17 hours ago, kabmab said:

Fabulous!  Thank you so very much!

it‘s my pleasure… it was a fantastic journey. Last night we watched a TV show about Vietnam… and missed Vietnam immediately 😊

12 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Oliver,

 

I should have prefaced my remark by saying that having met you from our cruise, I know that you did not mean it in a mean-spirited way because I know you (and Birgit) are very nice people!   I just didn't want your remark to be taken the wrong way.  

 

I am sorry to imply that you were personally demanding justification.

All good! I know you know... 🙂 you know what I mean 🤣

58 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

If I may politely make a rebuttal on your behalf: I don't expect that you have to justify where you choose to go and whether it is the real Singapore or not. 

Hi David, 

True!!! In my defense: if I had expected a justification* I would have not ended with LOL
I am sure @CarolCough understood how I meant it 🙂 

Merely saying that Singapore itself is such a fabulous and fascinating city which has soooo much to offer. 

*one that nobody has a right to expect... getting complicated here 🙂

4 minutes ago, CarolCough said:

We're staying on Sentosa island for two nights and visiting Universal Studios. There's so much to see and do! 

👍 Nice, but not really Singapore either LOL

8 hours ago, Arubamoose said:

 

We are doing the Millie in 2025 and will book one overnight at the airport as we get off and then head to Singapore proper before our cruise.  Everything I've read about it makes me excited to stay overnight!

if you haven’t been to Singapore before, I highly recommend staying in Singapore itself. Yes, the airport is the nicest I know - but Singapore is also one of the nicest cities I know. Don’t miss it. The hawkers, the food, the architecture, the Marina Bay area… just fascinating.

A Grab (no uber) into town is just around $20, so the transfer should not be a factor.

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Whether it is where we have been, or where we hope to go, your travels are the ideal reminder of good times past, or the perfect tease for what is to come. The late Anthony Bourdain plied us with food and drink then took advantage of our slight inebriation, taking us along, with motion pictures, wherever he wanted to go. Miaminice, with the written word, is of the same ilk. Expertly compiled and presented, in script and still pictures, it is a most enjoyable vicarious adventure. One is there, even though one is not. 

😳 Thank you!!!

Some practical advice:

Stay Connected

Before the cruise I purchased an Airalo Asialink eSIM 10 GB Data plan.

It worked very well in all our ports from Singapore to Hong Kong. 
Whenever I had a signal I used it instead of the slow ship‘s Wifi.

And although I posted quite a few pics here and on FB, 5 GB would have been sufficient.

https://www.airalo.com/asia-esim

Grab

Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand use Grab instead of Uber. 
We used it for rides in Singapore and even to pay for food at the hawkers. Rides are charged to the credit card linked to the app.

For payments, all you need to do is to top up the Grab wallet, scan a QR code provided by the vendor with the app and enter the amount. Then you just show the screen showing the approval to the vendor and that’s it.

The ride from Singapore Airport into Singapore by Grab was only S$ 25, so roughly US$ 19.

Uber in Hong Kong 
In Hong Kong we used the uber app for taxis. There’s a small booking fee but you can pay via the app and the linked card. Taxis in HK don’t accept cards, so using the app was more convenient. Plus you see the price for the ride to get an idea how much it is.

The ride to the airport from the cruise terminal in Hong Kong by taxi is cheaper than Celebrity‘s transfer. Around US$ 38.

We still had a lot of time before we had to return to the airport. In the past days my back had decided to tell me that it needs a bit more TLC. So I consulted the internet and we decided to get a massage before the long flight home. 

Using the uber app we called a taxi which took us to the center of Kowloon City and a massage parlor I had found online. English wasn’t spoken here but we still managed to communicate our wishes and got a couple’s massage for an hour. 
 

60 minutes later we felt like two pieces of kneaded dough ready to be shoved into the oven 🤣

The next MTR station was close by and we returned to Tsim Sha Tsui for some nighttime views of the skyline. 

When it was time to leave we took another uber/taxi to Kowloon Station and returned to the airport. Shortly before midnight a Lufthansa A340 took off with us on its long way to Frankfurt - and back to reality for us after a dream vacation!

Thank you 🙏 as always for following along and for dreaming with us 😁

If you have any questions, please let me know…

Thousands of visitors come to Wong Tai Sin Temple each year to have their fortunes told and to make a wish at the altar. They shake a bamboo cylinder until one fortune stick falls out. The stick, it has a number on it, is then exchanged for a piece of paper which tells the fortune of the worshiper. The air around the temple is filled with the smoke and scent of incense and the constant rattling sound of the vigorous shaking.

A few minutes later the air was also filled with loud announcements asking everybody to leave. Unfortunately they were closing down and we couldn’t wander through the nice gardens behind the temple this time.

Wong Tai Sin is one of Hong Kong’s most famous temples. We like it for its beautiful ornate architecture and lively atmosphere alike.
 

Before you reach the level of the shrine itself you are greeted by big bronze statues of the 12 Chinese zodiacs on a first platform. Being born in the year of the goat and the rat, of course we had to shake hands with our respective zodiacs before continuing up the stairs.
 

Walking past the famous fleet of Rolls Royce limos and through the colonial style lobby of the iconic Peninsula Hotel we walked to Nathan Road.
 

We followed the street to the Temple Street Market and then continued to the Ladies Market before taking the MTR to Wong Tai Sin Temple.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower, the opera house and the Star Ferry terminal aren’t far away from the Ocean Center. There is a raised platform which provides unrivaled views of the Hong Kong Island Skyline. A view that seems to change whenever we visit this ever growing city.

Then we followed the signs to the Airport Express train. Instead of queuing to buy tickets we scanned a QR code and purchased round trip tickets while walking to the train. The next train arrived soon and around 30 minutes later we got off at Kowloon station.
 

We have been to Hong Kong a couple of times before. My first visit was actually when it was still a British territory and today’s cruise terminal was still the runway of the famous Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport. So we had a few things on our agenda to spend the day and had plenty of time to see them. 

By now you probably know that almost every time our plans involve food ☺️. And it was time for lunch. Finding our way to the correct exit of Kowloon Station and through an adjacent shopping mall we walked to the Ocean Center in the Tsim Sha Tsui area.
 

From our previous visits we remembered a nice restaurant there named Crystal Jade. Actually a Singapore based chain with a Michelin Star, multiple Bip Gourmand awards etc. We like its modern, unpretentious design and good food at reasonable prices. We had their signature spicy Szechuan noodle dish and custard dumplings for dessert. Highly recommendable 😉