Miaminice

11 hours ago, louise1955 said:

Hi, thanks so much for your blog!! My husband and I will be on that ship in March on the Singapore to Australia trip. We are also in Aqua class in room #1547. How do you like the ship and your stateroom? I have read mostly positive reviews. Enjoy the rest of your trip!!

We generally enjoyed our cruise! However, our focus was really more on the destinations and less the ship.
 

Solstice was fine and the service good as always. She seems a bit worn in places - if you really look out for it. The furniture in the staterooms have a few scratches and so on. BUT we are not really searching for fault and it was nothing that really bothered us. We definitely had a great time because our daytime experiences at the ports were fabulous. The ship - although nice - merely served as our floating hotel. A good hotel 😁

Food was OK. Not bad but not great either. However, I do admit and factor in that after so many  cruises it’s just nothing new and the wow factor of the first years is gone. A luxury problem… 😁
 

Live music was good. Can’t say much about the shows because we never go.

Thank you! But the best is still to come. We just got home and I will write about the last few days - almost the highlight of the cruise - asap.

1 hour ago, Happy Texans said:

What tour companies did you use for these great tours besides AnnTours?

 

We booked all of our tours in Vietnam with a young lady named Rose Nhung. She does the tours in Hanoi herself and picks guides of her team for the other ports. She is very passionate about her job and very well organised. We can’t recommend her highly enough! This is her Number +84374372918 (also on whatsapp)

Email: Nhungnguyen.ulis@gmail.com

She is a gem!!!!!

Before we met our driver again, we had some time to shop. Birgit and I usually bring just one souvenir from our trips. One piece that fits our house or that we actually use at home - always reminding us of the trip on which we bought it. On the way to the temple we had passed an art gallery and a painting on display had immediately caught my attention. We went back and bought it as it matches another painting in our house very well. It will be a reminder of a fantastic trip. A trip to which our fabulous tour agent Rose and her guides, in this case Dao, contributed a lot.

In good time we made it back to Solstice before we sailed towards Halong Bay, our next port of call.

When it was time for lunch we went to the Home Hoi An Restaurant.
We immediately liked the contemporary and stylish design.

When we looked at the menu of our set lunch on the table, we were speechless and our jaws dropped. Who was supposed to eat all that?

Slowly but steadily one delight was served after the other. There was almost no room on the table anymore - not to mention in our tummies. The pictures I added don’t even show half of it. And as if that wasn’t enough, our tour agent Rose had told the restaurant in advance that I don’t eat fish and seafood. So even more extra dishes came just for me. Unbelievable…

On the way back we could only pass by all the good looking street food. There was just no room anymore. However, we did try a coconut coffee along the way.

The famous Japanese bridge was being renovated so we could only look at it from the outside, but we visited one of the old restored shophouses.

After visiting the beautiful sight we continued along the colorful and beautifully restored houses, shops, temples and restaurants through the streets and by the riverside.
 

Of course we did not leave some streetfood like tofu pudding with sweet red beans and grilled banana sticky rice with coconut unattended. I could return to Hoi An just for that alone.

Hoi An is said to be one of the most picturesque and charming cities in Vietnam. The city was once the largest port in Southeast Asia, largely due to its location on the Silk Road. As a result, the city displays a vibrant mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and French architecture. It has therefore been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. 

Our first stop in Hoi An was one of the architectural gems of the city - the Fujian Assembly Hall or Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. It was first constructed in 1690. Just as the temple we saw in Saigon, this hall has been devoted to the worship of the ancestors and a deity called Thien Hau. Thien Hau, also known as Mazu or Tian Hou, is a Chinese sea goddess who blesses fishers and sailors with safe ocean travel. I am sure she includes cruise ship passengers nowadays.

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 9 - Chan May/Hoi An 

When we stopped at Chan My on a previous cruise a few years back, we went to Hue. And we can highly recommend the magnificent historic places at Hue. However, we had also heard many good things about Hoi An, so we were happy to choose it for our tour on this trip. Our arrival time at 10am made the day short, but gave us time to have breakfast at Blu. Had we only known what was to come… 😁

Even before the ship was docked and cleared, we received a message and a picture from our guide Dao telling us that she and the driver would welcome us at the port. A nice gesture we got to appreciate at all of our ports in Vietnam.

Not long after the ship was cleared we rode off to Hoi An in a very comfortable and spacious van again. About halfway to our destination we stopped at a marble factory. After truly admiring beautiful works of art in all shapes and sizes we continued on our way through the misty landscape. 

Happy New Year from Hanoi! 
 

7 minutes ago, Kiwifruit said:

Thanks so much, we’re really enjoying your travel log as we’re doing the reverse itinerary from Hong Kong on 3 January and really appreciate your insight. Could please let you know who the current Cruise Director is onboard?

I think his name is Pete.

Fast forwarding a bit with a heads up…

As we speak we are cruising in Halong Bay. 
Our tour guide Rose organised on of the Junk Boats for us. When I say for us, I literally mean for us - only the six of us!

Currently she’s in the galley preparing a meal for us. She’s doing it because she also runs a cooking school. She’s just amazing.

Our final stop was the Po Nagar temple. Po Nagar was built during the eighth and thirteenth centuries, at the height of Hinduism’s affluence. In Cham, the word “Ponagar” refers to the earth’s mother.  

Since we wanted to be back in comfortable time before the last tender left shore, we had to leave and had to head back. However, despite the short time we had to see Nha Trang, Tao showed us a lot and we had another beautiful day in Vietnam.

After lunch we boarded a small boat and sailed down the scenic river. The ride was fun and the captain seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. 

We stopped at a small coconut plantation where under the watchful eyes of the lady of the house we picked our own coconuts before she skillfully opened them for us to drink the juice first and then scoop out the meat. Yummy!

An ancient house was next. The details of the old furniture and the family altar were just beautiful.

After a few minutes of time at the house and its gardens we walked a short way to a riverside restaurant for lunch. In the shade of some trees and with a view of the river we had a set menu lunch. It was delicious, tasty and plenty, to say the least. One more time - kudos to the organisers! 

As we continued, we were able to see our next destination from far away already. The 24 meter tall, white Buddha stood out of the beautiful surrounding landscape.

The large Buddha and some surrounding shrines provided not only many nice photo opportunities, but also more fond travel memories.
 

Halfway to our next destination we stopped at one of the many rice paddies. Tao explained how the local farmers plant and harvest their precious source of income.
 

Next stop was a local farmers market. As mentioned in a previous post, we all love markets and find they are like a looking glass into local cultures. Seeing the goods and seeing the vendors and their clients exchange the news of the day is such an interesting and colourful experience. Tao bought some fish cake and some milk apples which we were all keen and happy to try.

 Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 9 - Nha Trang 

Nha Trang was the second of our tender ports on this itinerary. Fortunately we were able to tender on this day. Unfortunately, technical problem at the shoreside pier caused quite a delay - which some passengers did not take well. We were in contact with our guide via WhatsApp constantly and kept each other informed. Again, extremely well organised. Once on shore, we met our guide Tao and drove off to explore. Just like the days before, in a very comfortable and clean van. The excursion of the day was about a glimpse into local culture. So our first stop was a matt weaving place, where we got to try our skills at weaving and of course saw how the pros do it. 
 

The ride ended at the Binh Tay Market. 

Constructed by the French in the 1880s, Cho Binh Tay is located in the centre of Vietnam’s largest Chinatown district. This wholesale market mainly serves the local population with its extensive range of goods. Walking through the market felt like a journey through a paintbox. We were immersed in goods of all colors and varieties.

All good things must come to an end. So after the visit to the market we were already on the way back to the ship. It was a perfect day and Vy certainly made it unforgettable.

From the cafe we were picked up by Cyclos and taken on a wild ride through Saigon’s traffic and small streets lined with shops. Each street specialized in different goods. Motorcycle parts, fabrics and clothes, food - a true glimpse into the local culture. 
 

A Café just around the corner was our next destination. And our chance to have another Saigon signature special - Saigon Ca Phe Sua Da. This iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk is apparently THE drink of the locals. Was it good? Well, all of us were happy and eager to order a second one. I think that answers the question 😁
 

After lunch we stopped at the Thien Hau Pagoda. Built in 1760, it is one of the oldest temples in Chinatown.
 

The attention to detail in the temple was striking. The smoke and scent of incense burners and incense spirals on the ceiling filled the air and gave it an almost serene aura.

Time had flown by and it was time for lunch already. So Vy took us to a restaurant specializing in Com Tam, a signature dish of Saigon. Com Tam, meaning broken rice, was served with marinated barbecued pork chops. OMG… we all had big smiles on our faces. Juicy, tender, tasty - delicious would be an understatement. Writing this I’d love to go back to have more…
 

A short ride in the van took us to the Secret Weapons Bunker of the Saigon Commandos. In 1966 Tran Van Lai, a politician, bought a small house in District 3 of what was then Saigon. Over months, he constructed a secret cellar without even the knowledge of his family. When finished, it was used to store weapons that would be used in the 1968 attack on the Royal Palace.
 

The house was in a narrow street with a street market. All in our group enjoyed markets, so we followed the street to the end where our van picked us up again.