DIY Keelung, Taipei

[gerton]

Hello we are in Keelung harbour for about 7 hours on our cruise and intend catching the bus/train to taipei on our own. What are the must do things for this short time and how easy is it to get back to the Port?

 

Thanking you

[j2ink]

I was in Keelung for about the same amount of time, and I decided that taking the train would not allow enough time to see much in Taipei. Most or all the sights are not within walking distance of one another, and I probably would have needed to take a taxi between each sight. So, I rented a taxi at the port for the day, and it turned out great. We also got back to the port without a hassle.

 

As you leave the port parking lot, there are many taxis waiting for the passengers. There is one (or more) person who speaks English, and you tell him what you want to see. If you don't know, there is a board with photos of the most well-known sights. You pay according to how many things you want to see. As I recall, we crammed five things into our tour. The driver dropped us off at each sight, and we agreed on a time when we would be back to the taxi. The price was very low compared to the ship's excursions, and we saw more. I believe the cost was about US$100.

[gerton]

Thnkyou- that sounds like a great idea. Did you pay in Taiwan dollars and should I take these out before I leave or is there an atm at the Port?

[j2ink]

As I recall, we paid in Taiwan dollars. I believe this was the port that had a tent set up as we exited the ship, and inside the tent there was a bank that exchanged money, so the exchange rate was pretty good. They also changed any unused Taiwan dollars back to US dollars or yen when we returned.

 

I don't know if the taxis accept US dollars, but you will need Taiwan dollars to get something to eat and pay the admission price for some of the sights. So I would buy at least US$200 Taiwan dollars and change back whatever isn't used when you return to the ship. If you visit Taipei 101, you may need more, because it is quite expensive - I think about US$30 each.

[gerton]

Thankyou- all great to know. We will have Aussie dollars but actually don't carry much cash at all. I will have to check on wether or not you can just withdraw the cash from the Port rather than exchnage it. if not we will have to make sure we have some cash on us. It all sounds like a great way to maximize our time there though.

[RPB]

HI Gerton: I believe we're on the same cruise (Classica on the 27th). I'm a solo traveler and like to arrange for tours that allow me to see the most sites in the time allowed. Please keep me informed of any info you've gathered from this site. I've notice you're quite active and getting some good advise. Even possibly if you take this suggestion of a guide/taxi, I could join your group and share expenses. My name is Rose and you can also contact me at rbuchta1@hotmail.com. Any info is much appreciated. Cheers.

[gerton]

Hello Rose- my partner and I would be happy to share a taxi in some Ports. We are still waiting on our travel docs so we can do web check in but have pre booked 4 tours on line. The rest we thought we would do ourselves. We have had one very helpful person on this forum suggest we cut down to just one tour and they do know what they are talking about but we have decided to stick to the 4. They are Day trip to Kyoto with the bullet train. Temples and shrines inTokyo. Day trip to Mt Fuji and 21st century Shanghai. We are having a couple of extra days in Shanghai at the end of the trip. The other Ports we thought we would just do our own thing. I am getting very excited now as it is getting close.:D I note you are from Haiti. You have had a horrible time there lately- you will be looking forward to getting away. If you like we can organise to meet on the first sea day.

[RPB]

Hi Gerton:

Thanks for the reply. I am spending my day today, researching and deciding on which tours to take from the Cruise Line. My last cruise was around South America for 3 weeks and I didn't take any of the CL tours, but will consider some on this one. I find the pace of the organized tours are a bit slow for me. I want to see as much as I can in the time allowed, usually first off the ship and last one on. I am also spending 2 nights in Shanghai after disembarking. I'm staying in the Bund area at the Hengsheng Peninsula International Hotel.

I finished my work in Haiti, before the earthquake (thank God). I still have many friends there and some of the UN staff who lost their lives were good friends, sooooo very tragic. I worked with many Aussies (hope the slang doesn't offend you?). I'm still friends with them and now they are giving me a hard time because I'm visiting Asia before their country.

I decided on a double entry visa, as I rec'd conflicting answers from the TA and Costa and the Embassy, so am still waiting for my passport and visa to be returned to me.

I joined the cruise critic group on my last cruise and it was a wonderful experience. There doesn't seem to be many on the role call for this one. It would be great to meet up on the ship for sure. Cheers!

[gerton]

It was a terrible tragedy- there have been a few lately. We are so lucky here.

 

We tend to be first off the boat and last on types as well. It is all about the destination for us. We jsut chose 4 tours because they take us to places we really want to see that might be difficult otherwise. I dislike the factory type visits that they seem to push into each tour but guess I will have to put up with that. We have also booked a day tour from Shanghai on the 11th that takes us to Suzhou and one of the water villages. China just seems too difficult to do that sort of thing on your own.

[RPB]

Hi Gerton: I think I have a plan for most ports (after 18 hours of research on line). What tour company do you have the Shanghai Suzhou tour booked through on the 11th? I have booked numberous tours with Viator but they didn't offer that tour on the Sunday. I was thinking to book it for Sat disembarking the ship before 6 am, taking my luggage to my hotel and joining the tour but if it's available on Sunday, that would be better. I booked tours in Hong Kong, Kyoto and Shanghai through Viator. They have great tours and great prices. The web site is www.viator.com. I'm in the process of making arrangements for Goodwill Guide for the day of April 3 to show me around Osaka but am having problems with their application form, am hoping to have it completed, returned and confirmed in the next couple days. They are University students that volunteer and take where you want. The only expense is taxis, entrance fees and food. Let me know if you might be interested in joining me on that day. I have a reply from them that they are available but need the form. I've booked the ships tour for Tokyo on the 4th. Am planning to DIY for Taipei, Okinawa, day 2 in Tokyo and Nagasaki. Keep in touch. Cheers.

[gerton]

Yes we tried viatour as well and found the same thing. They are a very good company but no trip on the 11th. So we are going with a company called discover china. They seem very reasonable but I must admit it was hard to find out much abou them so we are taking a chnace. We are staying at the Downtown holiday Inn in Shaghai and they are picking us uip from there. We pay cash when they pick us up- no pre paying for the tour. Not long to go now1 The goodwill guide in Osaka sounds like a great idea. We were going DIY. for that Port.