Mariner of the Seas Singapore to Dubai 9th April 2018

A group of six (with possibly more to follow) have booked a package including this cruise with a wonderful itinerary through Thailand and India. Two nights in Singapore in the Grand Copthorne Beachfront Hotel pre-cruise. Anyone joining us?:D

Yes, my traveling buddy, Rich, and I have booked the full Global Odyssey Tour from Singapore to Miami on the Mariner of the Seas, so we will be on the ship with you for the Singapore to Dubai segment. We have booked a private tour for the Taj Mahal which I believe it is completely filled now. The ship offers an excursion to the Taj for $1,600 US but we went through a local provider and got it for $600 US. It is basically the same tour but saved $1,000 US...can use that for the bar bill....!!

John

Yes, my traveling buddy, Rich, and I have booked the full Global Odyssey Tour from Singapore to Miami on the Mariner of the Seas, so we will be on the ship with you for the Singapore to Dubai segment. We have booked a private tour for the Taj Mahal which I believe it is completely filled now. The ship offers an excursion to the Taj for $1,600 US but we went through a local provider and got it for $600 US. It is basically the same tour but saved $1,000 US...can use that for the bar bill....!!

 

John

WOW that is quite an adventure you have lined up. I did this itinerary (Singapore to Dubai) in May 2015 on the Rhapsody of the Seas but with many more ports of call. Mumbai was included which was quite an experience!!! Let's hope we are joined by many more of our LGBT family.

WOW that is quite an adventure you have lined up. I did this itinerary (Singapore to Dubai) in May 2015 on the Rhapsody of the Seas but with many more ports of call. Mumbai was included which was quite an experience!!! Let's hope we are joined by many more of our LGBT family.

I, too, am hoping there will be more LGBT family on board. I am on two other threads for str8's which is where I found the tours that we have already booked (besides the Taj we are doing Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan). Personally I just enjoy being on the ship and being catered to by the staff...whereas Rich is a history-buff and wants to see as many sites as possible.

You mentioned that there were 6 others (and possibly more) traveling with you. Are they gay or str8? We will be traveling from Des Moines, IA in the USA to Singapore arriving roughly 2 days before boarding the ship. We are trying to upgrade to business class for that long of a flight. Where will you be traveling from or do you live in Singapore?

John

I, too, am hoping there will be more LGBT family on board. I am on two other threads for str8's which is where I found the tours that we have already booked (besides the Taj we are doing Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan). Personally I just enjoy being on the ship and being catered to by the staff...whereas Rich is a history-buff and wants to see as many sites as possible.

 

You mentioned that there were 6 others (and possibly more) traveling with you. Are they gay or str8? We will be traveling from Des Moines, IA in the USA to Singapore arriving roughly 2 days before boarding the ship. We are trying to upgrade to business class for that long of a flight. Where will you be traveling from or do you live in Singapore?

 

John

Like you, I prefer the time spent aboard the ship and sometimes I think the ports of call to be an interruption of my cruise. Quite often if it is a port I know or does not interest me then I will stay aboard and make the most of having the facilities to myself, such as the sauna/spa ;). I spend quite a lot of time in the sauna or steam room as I find you get to know so many interesting people :evilsmile:.

There is now 7 in our group. All gay apart from one straight couple. I live in a small village called Xaló in Spain most of the year but I also have a tiny home near Southampton in the UK. My cabin mate also lives in Spain, but in the Canary Islands. The rest of our group all live in the UK. We are all flying to Singapore on the 6th April with Emirates from London Gatwick with a change in Dubai. We will have 2 nights in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel in Singapore ahead of the cruise.

Kevin

Like you' date=' I prefer the time spent aboard the ship and sometimes I think the ports of call to be an interruption of my cruise. Quite often if it is a port I know or does not interest me then I will stay aboard and make the most of having the facilities to myself, such as the sauna/spa ;). I spend quite a lot of time in the sauna or steam room as I find you get to know so many interesting people :evilsmile:.

 

There is now 7 in our group. All gay apart from one straight couple. I live in a small village called Xaló in Spain most of the year but I also have a tiny home near Southampton in the UK. My cabin mate also lives in Spain, but in the Canary Islands. The rest of our group all live in the UK. We are all flying to Singapore on the 6th April with Emirates from London Gatwick with a change in Dubai. We will have 2 nights in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel in Singapore ahead of the cruise.

 

Kevin[/quote']

 

Our travel agent hasn't informed us yet where they are booking us for our stay in Singapore (going through a travel agent that we have used many times before...if history proves true then we will end up in some 4 or 5 star place). Neither of us have been to Singapore before so it will be an adventure...the downside is that we only have 2 days before boarding the ship and given the length of the flight, time changes, etc., we both may be too wasted to do sightseeing.

 

I understand what you are saying about already knowing the ports, but for us these ports are all new. Once we go on to Israel and the Med in general we have already seen those ports. Rich and another friend did a driving trip of Spain several years ago so he has far more experience in Spain than I do (I have just done Barcelona and the Canary Islands on a transatlantic a few years back).

 

Sounds like you have a diverse group going with you on this cruise! Plus the fact that you have 2 homes! Several of my neighbors have multiple homes so I feel out-of-place just having one. At least the one I have I can just lock it & leave to go someplace and rent...seems like far less hassle than trying to maintain multiple places.

 

Ah, yes, meeting interesting people in the sauna and steam rooms...invariably it always creates for an interesting time. Rich will probably spend more time there than I will as he is a workout addict whereas I prefer to read books. It will be nice to meet everyone at the FOD parties...interesting to see the "wanna be's" wandering around the fringes of the parties but can't bring themselves to join (admit?).

 

John (and Rich in absentia)

One would think that with 303 views on this thread that there must be others going on this cruise. Come on folks! Join in on the conversation if you are on this segment of Mariner's Global Odyssey...even if you are on the subsequent segments there are some people doing all 3 segments, so let's get talking!

John

One would think that with 303 views on this thread that there must be others going on this cruise. Come on folks! Join in on the conversation if you are on this segment of Mariner's Global Odyssey...even if you are on the subsequent segments there are some people doing all 3 segments, so let's get talking!

 

John

Roll up! Roll up!

E-Visa or No E-Visa?

My group and I have been getting quite a lot of mixed messages regarding the type of Tourist Visa we require for the two stops in India. The last time we did a similar itinerary to this us Brits had to go through quite a difficult and expensive process to get a full tourist visa. Since then things have changed and now it is possible to apply for a cheaper much simpler e-visa but if you follow the Royal Caribbean website Visa information it says you still have to get the full expensive tourist visa. So, in the end I wrote to the Consolate General of India & India High Commission in London. I received the following response.

'e-Visa is valid for entry through 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore).

​

Electronic Tourist Visa:The procedure for an Electronic Tourist Visa is as follows:

• Fill the application form online for E - visa. Please refer the link [/url] for the same.
  
• Upload the photograph and passport pages as per the specifications.
  
• Do the online payment. You get a visa confirmation and the visa is endorsed on your passport on arrival in India. Fee is $75.
  
• Please refer the link for information on the eligibility criteria, procedure and documents required.​
  
• ​For queries related to E -Tourist visa, please contact the E-TV Support Center and clarify the same.
  

Tel No: 0091-11-24300666

Email: indiatvoa@gov.in​

Kind Regards,

Public Response Unit

Consulate General of India

You may find the following link of use.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Kevin,

We have to do the regular Visa vs. the E-Visa. The reason is that with the E-Visa once we dock in Cochin those with an E-Visa have to go in groups of 50 to a processing center for biometrics (photograph & fingerprinting), then return to the ship to wait until everyone with an E-Visa has completed this process. The regular Visa allows us to disembark immediately and go to the airport for the flight to Delhi for the tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tour company we are using in India recommended that we not go the E-Visa route as they are not willing to wait for the biometric process.

Further, on another thread for this same trip, cruisers were commenting about the need to get an E-Visa even if your plan is to not leave the ship in either port. They stated that the Indian Government requires a Visa (regular of E-Visa) of everyone on the ship. Whether this is true or not I don't know...there can be so much misinformation on these threads...but for our purposes a regular Visa was the only option.

As for other stops (especially since we are doing all 3 segments), RCCL and the ship take care of any required Visas and charge the cost to our on-board account.

BTW, I liked your posting of Roll on! Roll on! There HAS to be more family making this trip than just our two groups!

John

Oops! I meant Roll up! Roll up!

John

E-Visa or No E-Visa?

 

My group and I have been getting quite a lot of mixed messages regarding the type of Tourist Visa we require for the two stops in India. The last time we did a similar itinerary to this us Brits had to go through quite a difficult and expensive process to get a full tourist visa. Since then things have changed and now it is possible to apply for a cheaper much simpler e-visa but if you follow the Royal Caribbean website Visa information it says you still have to get the full expensive tourist visa. So' date=' in the end I wrote to the Consolate General of India & India High Commission in London. I received the following response.

'[b']e-Visa is valid for entry through 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore)[/b]

​

Electronic Tourist Visa:The procedure for an Electronic Tourist Visa is as follows:

• Fill the application form online for E - visa. Please refer the link https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html for the same.
  
• Upload the photograph and passport pages as per the specifications.
  
• Do the online payment. You get a visa confirmation and the visa is endorsed on your passport on arrival in India. Fee is $75.
  
• Please refer the link https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html for information on the eligibility criteria, procedure and documents required.​
  
• ​For queries related to E -Tourist visa, please contact the E-TV Support Center and clarify the same.
  

Tel No: 0091-11-24300666

Email: indiatvoa@gov.in​

 

 

Kind Regards,

 

Public Response Unit

Consulate General of India

You may find the following link of use.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Here is some information that was posted on another thread for this same trip regarding Visas for India:

Originally posted by SaraPoo From Royal Caribbean:

All guests must have proper Indian Visas at check in. We have not been provided with any additional information regarding e-Visa’s. Guests can contact https://visacentral.com/visas for further Visa assistance. We do apologize for the inconvenience.

From VisaCentral:

Obtaining a traditional tourist visa to India is a cumbersome and laborious process. It is also a document that many travelers do not need. If you anticipate making two or fewer entries to India in the next 60 days then VisaCentral recommends strongly that you consider the Electronic Tourist visa. It is easier and faster to obtain.

- - - - - - - - - -

Please Note that paper visas will be required by some excursions because of the potential delays from the biometrics that eVisa holders will have to get upon entry into India.

India Paper Visa: https://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/

India eVisa: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

It is also a requirement that you have either the e-Visa or a regular Visa for India BEFORE boarding the ship in Singapore...otherwise you will not be allowed to board. Even if you do not plan to get off of the ship in either Cochin or Goa, you still must have at least the e-Visa and go through the biometrics process in Cochin.

Fortunately for Rich and I our Visas have already arrived, so we are good to go....

John

Important Information: RCL has canceled the 3rd leg (transatlantic) of the Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey so the Mariner can go into dry-dock earlier to renovations. Below is a notice that was emailed to those booked for all 3 legs of the trip and those only booked for the transatlantic part. Unfortunately it appears that the discounts being offered do not affect those booked on the first 2 legs of the trip (Singapore to Barcelona). Just wanting folks to be aware of the change as there apparently are many people canceling due to the change.

LEG 3 IS CANCELLED! Here's an official letter from Royal Caribbean.

August 30, 2017

Dear Guest,

We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we have to cancel the last portion of our Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey sailing from Barcelona to Miami, May 7 through May 20, 2018. While planning for Mariner’s upcoming modernization, it became apparent that logistics will require us to arrive at the shipyard to start the work sooner than previously thought. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

We realize how disappointing this change is and please know we explored all options before making the decision. In an effort to appropriately compensate you for this change, we are offering the following:

50% off your April 9, 2018 cruise fare

50% off your April 22, 2018 cruise fare

A full refund of your May 7, 2018 cruise fare

Reimbursement on airfare or any air change fees of up to $500 per guest*

If you choose to cancel your sailing on April 9 and 22, 2018, a full refund for amounts paid will be processed to the original form of payment and you will receive a 25% Future Cruise Credit in addition to reimbursement on flight changes up to $500 per guest*. Should you decide to sail, a new invoice reflecting the discounted pricing will be emailed to you.

We will call you personally to ensure we reach the best possible solution for you. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 1(888) 281-9344. In order to give you ample time to make your decision, we will not need to finalize your travel plans until September 13, 2017.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

*For airfare change fee reimbursement, please email (RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com) or fax (800-886-6485) us your receipts by September 13, 2017. Please note that your air reservation needs to be in the same cabin class as originally booked.

Important Information: RCL has canceled the 3rd leg (transatlantic) of the Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey so the Mariner can go into dry-dock earlier to renovations. Below is a notice that was emailed to those booked for all 3 legs of the trip and those only booked for the transatlantic part. Unfortunately it appears that the discounts being offered do not affect those booked on the first 2 legs of the trip (Singapore to Barcelona). Just wanting folks to be aware of the change as there apparently are many people canceling due to the change.

 

LEG 3 IS CANCELLED! Here's an official letter from Royal Caribbean.

August 30, 2017

 

Dear Guest,

 

We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we have to cancel the last portion of our Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey sailing from Barcelona to Miami, May 7 through May 20, 2018. While planning for Mariner’s upcoming modernization, it became apparent that logistics will require us to arrive at the shipyard to start the work sooner than previously thought. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

 

We realize how disappointing this change is and please know we explored all options before making the decision. In an effort to appropriately compensate you for this change, we are offering the following:

 

50% off your April 9, 2018 cruise fare

50% off your April 22, 2018 cruise fare

A full refund of your May 7, 2018 cruise fare

Reimbursement on airfare or any air change fees of up to $500 per guest*

 

If you choose to cancel your sailing on April 9 and 22, 2018, a full refund for amounts paid will be processed to the original form of payment and you will receive a 25% Future Cruise Credit in addition to reimbursement on flight changes up to $500 per guest*. Should you decide to sail, a new invoice reflecting the discounted pricing will be emailed to you.

 

We will call you personally to ensure we reach the best possible solution for you. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 1(888) 281-9344. In order to give you ample time to make your decision, we will not need to finalize your travel plans until September 13, 2017.

 

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

 

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

 

 

*For airfare change fee reimbursement, please email (RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com) or fax (800-886-6485) us your receipts by September 13, 2017. Please note that your air reservation needs to be in the same cabin class as originally booked.

I can imagine a lot of unhappy people as a result of this! I hope it does not mean the ship is in a worse state than originally thought.:eek:

Totally seperate from this, the Singapore to Dubai leg with our agent is now not available so I assume it sold out already.

I can imagine a lot of unhappy people as a result of this! I hope it does not mean the ship is in a worse state than originally thought.:eek:

 

Totally seperate from this' date=' the Singapore to Dubai leg with our agent is now not available so I assume it sold out already.[/quote']

 

There has been a lot of speculation on the St8 threads for this cruise that RCL will fill any empty cabins with "demo crew" members to start working on the ship before it goes into dry-dock in Cadiz, Spain after docking in Barcelona. I hope that isn't the case as it will mean a lot of noise and obstructions in areas...but RCL is giving, at least to those that booked all 3 legs, a 50% reduction on the cost of the first 2 legs, a refund for the 3rd canceled leg, and additional OBC for those people due to the cancellation of the 3rd leg but it could also be to compensate for the inconvenience of the demo crews. Will have to wait until the ship is underway before finding out for sure.

 

We were able to book a balcony on Carnival's Horizon for its first transatlantic cruise in place of the 3rd leg for Mariner. It leaves Barcelona 2 days after we dock there and goes to New York instead of Miami. RCL is paying up to $500 for having to rebook air due to canceling the 3rd leg, so our flight out of Miami to home is being changed to New York to home.

 

All in all it has been a confusing mess for a few weeks since the announcement but RCL is trying to work with customers in getting things refunded, changed, etc. They have been hampered by the number of cruise cancellations due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on top of the Mariner 3rd leg cancellation.

 

John

Hi there, I will be traveling B2B Singapore to Barcelona..... My traveling partner is gay and I'm str8 ( he's male, I'm female aged 58 at time of cruise). We look forward to making lots of new friends onboard! I see there have been some people organizing smaller, more intimate tours & was just wondering if anyone has seen anything for Israel. We like 1/2 day tours, with time left over for wandering the local streets and markets. I agree that often times it's wonderful to just stay on the ship when it's in port, but since neither of us have been to this part of the world, we would like to explore. The other thing I would like to ask is, if there is an FOD party would it be ok for us to attend together? I would hate to offend anyone.Thanks for any and all input

Hi there, I will be traveling B2B Singapore to Barcelona..... My traveling partner is gay and I'm str8 ( he's male, I'm female aged 58 at time of cruise). We look forward to making lots of new friends onboard! I see there have been some people organizing smaller, more intimate tours & was just wondering if anyone has seen anything for Israel. We like 1/2 day tours, with time left over for wandering the local streets and markets. I agree that often times it's wonderful to just stay on the ship when it's in port, but since neither of us have been to this part of the world, we would like to explore. The other thing I would like to ask is, if there is an FOD party would it be ok for us to attend together? I would hate to offend anyone.Thanks for any and all input ��

Welcome aboard our little thread:D.

Royal Caribbean have only recently started listing an FOD gathering in the daily Cruise Compass and even now it is at the Cruise Director's discretion but of course you will both be welcome to attend. And should there not be a FOD gathering listed in the Cruise Compass then I think we should organise one of our own, so take regular looks at the Community Board usually placed somewhere near Guest Services.

Thanks for the welcome & the info! Looking forward to April, take care until then! :cool:

-Rhonda

Hi there, I will be traveling B2B Singapore to Barcelona..... My traveling partner is gay and I'm str8 ( he's male, I'm female aged 58 at time of cruise). We look forward to making lots of new friends onboard! I see there have been some people organizing smaller, more intimate tours & was just wondering if anyone has seen anything for Israel. We like 1/2 day tours, with time left over for wandering the local streets and markets. I agree that often times it's wonderful to just stay on the ship when it's in port, but since neither of us have been to this part of the world, we would like to explore. The other thing I would like to ask is, if there is an FOD party would it be ok for us to attend together? I would hate to offend anyone.Thanks for any and all input ��

Rhonda,

I echo Kevin's sentiment of welcoming you to our little thread. I agree that you would be more than welcome to join any FOD parties...whether ship sponsored or group sponsored...the more the merrier!

As for small groups touring Israel, there are some being arranged on the St8 thread for the Mariner originally doing all 3 legs of Singapore to Miami. We have been to Israel before and did extensive touring so we will probably stay on the ship for that port. You can also check Trip Advisor for tour providers in Israel and what the reviews have been of their businesses -- good resource for reliable businesses. Just a suggestion....

John (and Rich in absentia)

Thanks John.... That's great advice, I didn't think of checking travel advisor, and I will spend some time going through the st8 thread(s). So looking forward to some great social times and meeting new friends 😎

-Rhonda

Make that trip advisor..... 🙄

Thanks John.... That's great advice, I didn't think of checking travel advisor, and I will spend some time going through the st8 thread(s). So looking forward to some great social times and meeting new friends 😎

-Rhonda

Rhonda,

You are more than welcome!

There is one trip in Phuket that is being advertised on the Str8 thread. If you and your friend are interested, it includes a visit to an elephant sanctuary and an opportunity to ride an elephant for roughly 1/2 hour (it includes other sites to be visited besides this). If you want info on it just let me know and I will research it for you. I think it costs $216, but not sure.

John

Thanks, John.... We booked an excursion through Shorex for Phuket..... I think the island hopping adventure...... That was before we found out about all cool stuff going on here on Cruise Critic. I know we could cancel, but this was one excursion that piqued both our interest..... Also, the culinary themed excursion looks good on Crete..... I know that there is the danger of being "herded" around, but we'll just have to adapt, lol. I'm really looking forward to learning a few tricks of the cruising gurus for our next adventures! I did find the thread where the Ashdod/Jerusalem tour was being discussed, but a 2 hour bus ride each way was a little off-putting (at least to me).... I really like time to poke around & I know Phuket & Petra are going to be full days..... I will pass on info to Al as he may want to do the trip into Jerusalem. I think I'll do a little research into Asdod.....that might be a port to stick close to the ship, or maybe see what comes up as we meet & make new friends

-Rhonda

Thanks, John.... We booked an excursion through Shorex for Phuket..... I think the island hopping adventure...... That was before we found out about all cool stuff going on here on Cruise Critic. I know we could cancel, but this was one excursion that piqued both our interest..... Also, the culinary themed excursion looks good on Crete..... I know that there is the danger of being "herded" around, but we'll just have to adapt, lol. I'm really looking forward to learning a few tricks of the cruising gurus for our next adventures! I did find the thread where the Ashdod/Jerusalem tour was being discussed, but a 2 hour bus ride each way was a little off-putting (at least to me).... I really like time to poke around & I know Phuket & Petra are going to be full days..... I will pass on info to Al as he may want to do the trip into Jerusalem. I think I'll do a little research into Asdod.....that might be a port to stick close to the ship, or maybe see what comes up as we meet & make new friends ��

-Rhonda

Ronda,

Do you have anything planned for India? Oman? Dubai? Apparently RCCL is providing the visas needed for countries with the exception of India. If you have a tour booked in India just remember that an eVisa requires that you go through a biometric process in Cochin and tour companies have indicated they are not willing to wait for that process to be completed for their customers.

John

Ronda,

Do you have anything planned for India? Oman? Dubai? Apparently RCCL is providing the visas needed for countries with the exception of India. If you have a tour booked in India just remember that an eVisa requires that you go through a biometric process in Cochin and tour companies have indicated they are not willing to wait for that process to be completed for their customers.

 

John

John.... Yes, I've done a bit of research on the Indian travel visa.....although there are a few hoops to jump through and lots of questions to answer, it looks fairly straightforward..... They don't require your passport to be sent in anymore (at least for Canadian residents), so I'm thinking that will simplify things a bit. It's definitely something to get taken care of asap.

Thanks for info :cool:

- Rhonda