"Live" from the Costa Victoria, a monthlong B2B from Shanghai to Singapore

[barante]

The first thing that greets travelers arriving in Vietnam’s Halong Bay are the myserious karsts, rock formations that legends claim hide dragons and ghosts. But as the Costa Victoria edged toward Cai Lan yesterday morning it was also greeted by an armada of boat people. They were not families on overcrowded make**** boats trying to escape, as happened before and during the communist takeover of South Vietnam, but begging women on wooden, dhingy-like rowboats. Most had at least one child with them.

 

Vietnam is a poor country, and Cai Lan, despite attempts to increase tourism, is a poor, boring city. In the morning, my wife and I did some cursory looking around at the tourist market near the pier, but soon retired to a forlorn seaside cafe. There we sat in bamboo loungers and reflected on the French experience in Indochina and America’s in Vietnam.

 

On the limited basis of what we have seen,Vietnam has none of the dynamism of China. Cai Lan is clean enough a city, but its night market -- usually a beehive of activity in Southeast Asian cities -- was a pitiful sight. I went there last night to continue my hunt for an ancient table game set, go. None was to be had. No one even offered leads. I also had another mission: I wanted to enjoy grilled grasshoppers, a traditional delicacy. That search also turned into a bust. The night market had no street food vendors. Imagine that.

 

Overall, I didn’t have a bad time. I bargained hard and got two strings of pearls plus a pair of pearl earrings for $16 U.S. And two t-shirts, embroidered with dragon likenesses, for a totoal of $8. As I said to my wife, buying new t-shirts is cheaper than sending them to the Costa Victoria laundry, which charges in euros.

 

If Cai Lan is any indication, we’ll be able to complete our stops in Danang and Saigon without obtaining any Vietnamese money. The U.S. dollar is the king in Vietnam, as it is throughout Southest Asia. You just have to bargain hard.

 

We came to Cai Lan intending to take one of the day-tours to see the karsts, which are immortalzed in at least one James Bond movie. The best cinematic description, however, is in Catherine Deneuve’s Indochine, a movie so definiitive that many overnight tourist junks show it to tourists.

 

However, Costa kindly saved us that expense. Instead of lifeboats it used Halong Bay excursion boats for tendering in the morning. While a lifeboat ride from the ship to the town’s pier took 10 minutes, the excursion boat took 30. The reason it moved at a snail’s pace was that a vendor on board wanted to sell as many trinkets as possible before passengers reached the tourist market where prices were lower. So during that time we saw what an excursion boat looked like, with its wooden decorations and tea sets on each table. My wife told me in no uncertain terms that the experience was enough, particularly since we felt we had seen enough karsts on our approach to Cai Lan and would see them again when we depart Sunday afternoon.

 

So instead of boating, we returned to the ship. It was fairly deserted, allowing us to relax at the pool and lunch at leisure in the MDR, which we shared with a group of local Vietnamese guests of Costa.

 

Shortly after 4 p.m. I wanted to return to Cai Lan and get an early start on the night market. What on most other llnes would have been a simple and painless exercise turned into a 75-minute nightmare on Costa. First we were instructed to wait for a tender on one side of the ship, then we were told to move to a tender already in place on the other side. We sat there for half an hour when we were told to move back to the original side. Each time we were checked out of the ship and in. Meanwhile, tenders came loaded with returning excursion participants and left without taking any passengers from the ship to the shore.

 

So when Costa messes up, it messes up big time.

[scubabecky]

Hi Barante,

 

Quick question for you. What kind of electrical outlets do they have on the Costa? Is it European 2 prong style 220 V or US 110 V? Just wondering what kind of power adapters we will need to bring. Everything we need to charge will be dual voltage...

 

Thanks

[barante]

I don't know about any other ships, but our cabin on the Victoria has a ship-supplied multiprong U.S. (with European plugs too) powerstrip with three connections.

 

Bathroom has U.S. for a shaver. Ship supplies a hairdryer.

[barante]

The night before we arrived in Cai Lan, our first Vietnam stop, we received a letter asking us to advise the front desk by such and such time if we intended to skip other Vietnam ports. Now my interpretation may be faulty but to me that letter suggested that it might have been possible to leave the ship in Cai Lan and then spend the next four days whichever way we pleased before rejoining the ship in Saigon.

 

Two cautions: Anyone wanting to take advantage of such possible flexibility should make arrangements in advance with Costa, or consult any other line. Also, a regular visa would be needed since we operate only on the basis of landing cards that according to the Vietnamese rules limit us to a given port city and, in the strictest interpretation, would not allow an overnight shore stay even in Cai Lan. Which raises an interesting point. Not that there was anythng to do in Cai Lan, but someone might still find love. Since the last tender to the ship left a 10:30 p.m., I guess it would have been possible to experience passion somewhere on land without the officials minding. A hotel might insist on proper documents, though..

 

Another week remains of our cruise. But today’s ship bulletin advises B2B guests -- that’s us -- to present our tickets at the front desk to smoothen arrangements for the Singapore departure Nov. 17.

 

The same bulletin advises guests who want to leave during the previous night’s port stay to present their flight tickets so that they can check out in the middle of the night and go to the Singapore airport. Most overseas flights depart around midnight or in the wee hours of the morning.

Edited November 10, 2012 by barante

[barante]

We have no real complaints about the Costa Victoria food. But, then, we did not travel all the way to China expecting to have the menu and selection choices available on mainstream U.S.-formatted lines. What Costa gives instead is a European experience. The dishes may be unfamiliar, but most are tasty, and no one goes hungry.

 

So how different is Costa?

 

At lunch time, there are seldom any predictable offerings of sandwiches, except for hamburgers and hot dogs. And whenever sandwiches appear, they are not the American variety, overstuffed with meats. Instead, a typical buffet lunch on Costa consists of a variety of salads, pasta, fish and meats. On many nice days, a short-order cook makes pasta dishes on the aft-deck. For dessert, all kinds of cakes, tortes and fruit are offered

 

In the MDR, lunch is ordered from an a la carte menu.

 

At the Costa Victoria’s pizzeria, don’t expect pepperoni or sausage. The pie is likely to have one topping: cheeses. A variety of pasta and risotto salads are offered to go with it.

 

And if the menu says “shrimp salad,” that’s what it is -- tiny shrimp on a bed of lettuce. Forget about the plumb shrimp with coctail sause that are increasingly becoming a memory on U.S. lines as well now that cost-cutter are slashing.

 

If these are deal-breakers, then you know not to try Costa. As to us, we are happy, and have eagerly tried things we never had seen on menus anywhere else. Like cod with milk for breakfast and scorpion fish, a Sicilian favorite, for dinner.

 

Here are the feeding times:

 

BREAKFAST, with all the traditional choices plus some:

Self-service buffet, 6:30-9:30 a.m.;

MDR self-service (with items available from the a la carte breakfast menu), 7-8:45 a.m.

Breakfast in the cabin (5 euro pp. charge), 7-noon

Continental buffet breakfast, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

 

LUNCH:

Self-service buffet, noon-2:30 p.m.

Hot dogs and burgers at the poolside, noon-2:30 p.m.

MDR a la carte, noon-2 p.m.

 

TEA: 4-5 p.m. Pastries, finger sandwiches, fruit and deserts.

 

DINNER: Both MDRs; first seating 6:15 p.m.; second at 8:45 p.m.

 

PIZZERIA, by the slice 7-9:30 p.m.; from the menu 10:30 p.m. -1:30 a.m.

 

MIDNIGHT SNACKS in various lounges, 11:30 p.m.

 

PAY RESTAURANT (25 euro pp. charge), 7-9:30 p.m.

 

Tonight we had the Captain’s Gala Dinner. Here is the menu. Many Americans would not be impressed because it features no crowdpleasers, such as red-meat-and-potatoes or lobster. We made our selections and had a satisfactory experience.

 

Appetizers:

 

Salmon tartare wtih horseradish sause

 

Grilled vegetable “tower” with cheese

 

Pineapple salad with Cointreau

 

Soups:

 

Chicken and vegetable consomme

 

Broccoli soup

 

Pasta:

 

Fusilli with fresh tomato, shrimps and vegetables

 

Bigoli pasta with pesto sauce, potatoes and green beans

 

Main courses:

 

Grilled fresh sea bass with spinach and steamed potatoes

 

Tiny slices of beef tenderloin, with mustard souce and vegetable cake

 

Roast veal with mushroom sauce with Mediterranean potatoes

 

Palora style vegetable fritters with stewed lentils

 

 

Asian courses:

 

Oriental noodles with sea food

 

Dentex in sweet-and-sour sauce and pineapple

 

Sauteed potato and bell peppers with vinegar sauce

 

 

Salads

 

Cheeses

 

Desserts

[barante]

The heavens opened up this morning as the Costa Victoria tied up at a container port near Danang. This was not a monsoon. Nevertheless, it quickly turned streets into rivulets. Treading ankle-deep water, I decided to go ahead with my mission for the day. At a huge Buddhist temple overlooking the Danang harbor, I paid tribute to Bernard Fall, the father of a friend, a Baltimore artist. The French political scientist was an early journalistic hero of mine, a thought-provoking schiolar on Vietnam’s historic fight against foreign domination. He died near here in 1967, when he was out with U.S. units and stepped on a Vietcong landmine.

 

Forty years have elapsed since the end of America’s engagement in Vietnam. In the interval, Danang has kept spreading into the countryside and now stretches practically all the way to Hoi An, a picturesque town that many tourists visit. Because of the torrential rain, I paid $70 for the five-hour use of a car, a king’s ransom. We traveled on a practically empty highway past sandy beaches that became famous as American R&R destinations. Remember, China Beach?

 

Soon I encountered a bizarre landscape. On the ocean side, new luxury hotels with world-class golf courses had cropped up -- including a Hyatt and Crowne Plaza. On the land side I could see the remnants of a huge U.S. airbase, with watchtowers still in tact along its concrete fence. The gate was wide open. Presumably everything worth taking had been taken, and the huge concrete hangars was all that seemed to remain. During the Vietnam war that airbase was one of the world’s busiest airports, with an average of 2,595 air operations daily.

 

After the air base, more development on the beachfront. Luxury villas for the local elite and, presumably, foreign investors, but also several projects that had been started but then abandoned for whatever reason and which now were rusting in the wind. Closer to Hoi An, we encountered ride paddies.

 

My driver parked at the lot of the Viet Town souvenir emporium, where a restaurant exhibited a big banner: Welcome Costa Victoria Passengers. There were plenty of us in town, but also lots of other European tourists, backpacker types and wealthier travelers. Many had rented scooters and were having the time of their life.

 

Hoi An could be described as tourist trap, except that the experience is a nice, no-pressure encounter. Shops line narrow streets full of old traditional houses. The place is designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. Several canals run through Hoi An, and river boat tours may be had for the asking price of $5.

 

I stopped for a glass of “traditional Vietnamese coffee” at La Tonnelle, a nice bed and breakfast along one of the old streets. latonnellehouse@gmail.com, if you need lodgings in Hoi An. The ice coffee was exactly like the ice coffee sold -- for much more -- at Starbucks in the U.S.

 

I almost bought a North Face jacket in Hoi An. It claimed to have been made of Gore Tex, the breathable, expensive rainproof fabric and was well constructed, with all kinds of design bells and whistles. The various product labels looked authentic, until I spotted a missing verb. Another giveaway was that XXL was tight on me, even though i usually can get by with an L or XL. The asking price was reasonable: $50, before haggling. No sale this time.

 

On the way back we stopped at a huge emporium that produced gigantic Buddhas and ornamental garden ornaments. Several such emporiums surrounded the Marble Mountain, simply a karst that, unlike those in Halong Bay, was on dry land. All kinds of temples dotted its contours.

 

All in all, a pleasant day.

[black forest]

Thank you for taking the time to inform so detailed. I can imagine so much. I have always wanted to see Hoi An. You are very talented!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[jonad]

I too am enjoying your blog, as we did much the same cruise in reverse. I totally agree with everything you said about Halong Bay. The ship docked in Cai Lan is picture postcard stuff...much not much else once ashore. We too had the excursion boats, going slowly, trying to sell as much as possible, along with the ladies and children begging for money (many obliged throwing money down to them in empty plastic bottles). I agree its a poor country. We had a massage ashore in what looked reputable, paid our fee, then once finished the 'masseuse' wanted more for her services as the original fee went to the owners of the building..so we had to oblige. My husband was also asked if he wanted some 'boom boom'...going very cheap...he didn't understand but she soon made it clear. (he refused of course)....:o

sorry, not trying to take over your page!!! Just brought back memories.

[jonad]

Scubabecky.

Costa has the European 2 prong style. We always take our own adaptors, even though some say they are provided. We've never had one in our cabin.

[scubabecky]

Thanks Barante & Nadia for the quick responses.

 

Just flew in to Saigon and will be flying onward to Singapore to board the cruise in a few days...can't wait! Still loving the blog btw

[barante]

At sea today. We still have Saigon ahead of us (tomorrow), then another sea day, an overnight in Singapore and then an additional 14-night cruise on the Costa Victoria. Since the second leg has been marketed in three segment variations -- three-day, four day and seven day, in addition to our 14-day length -- it may be a very different experience. We are looking forward to seeing several ports in Malaysia and to returning to Thailand.

 

When we initially booked this cruise, it was because of the itinerary -- overnights in Shanghai, Halong Bay and Singapore on the first leg, Bangkok on the second. Those, IMO, added tremendous value to what already was an unbeatable deal. It got even better after the Costa Concordia sank and prices on the second leg halved.

 

I am so glad we did this. I always wanted to see Shanghai and Vietnam. We arrived in Shanghai four days early, a good decision. A fascinating city.

 

We have been having a great time and are comfortable here. I am a European by birth and, in addition to the U.S., have lived in the Soviet Union and South Africa, and traveled widely. My wife shared some of this experience, so the multinational chacter of this cruise was no problem for us. I realize that the Costa Victoria might not be for many CC members. We never have had a problem in getting along in English, but that’s just us.

 

Other factors also may deter others from trying the Victoria. Let’s face it. This is an 18-year-old ship. If it belonged to a U.S.-fromatted brand, Carnival would be selling it to Europe. But Costa, of course, is an Italian brand of Carnival, so that is not a possibility. At the same time, the clock is ticking on the Victoria.

 

There is much to like on the Victoria. Panoramic outside walkways run both ways of the Lido deck equivalent. Deck Six has a traditional premenade, but no seating. For better or worse, the fact remains that ship design has advanced greatly over the past two decades. The Victoria is distinctly a dated product.

 

Could it be repositioned permanently to Asia. I have my doubts. That explosive growth market is currently dominated by Star Cruises, a major owner of the Norwegian Cruise Lines. In Hong Kong, we were parked next to the Star Pisces, which does overnight cruises for those wanting to gamble.

 

Gambling aside, the really profitable niche of the Asian market consists of the newly rich who buy top brands. They want -- and are willing to pay -- for extravaganza. The Victoria doesn’t offer that. The ship totally lacks a wow factor.

 

The ship also lacks feng shui, the Chinese requirement for harmonious existence. For example, this ship has not a single urinal. Not a good sign. The legend has it that the wife of Costa’s previous owner hated urinals. She didn’t want men have anything women didn’t. Talk about p---- envy!

 

Overall, the ship is kept immaculate. But lights inside the spa and the theater flicker. Makes me nervous. No feng shui there. Above the indoor pool -- a great amenity -- there is a nasty, tarnished glass ceiling that needs to be replaced. But Costa clearly is not spending any unneeded money on this ship. Retrofitting happens only when absolutely necessary. Like today, when our Costa-card operated cabin safe malfunctioned and had to be replaced with a brand-new keypad safe.

 

Ours has been a very port-intensive itinerary. The continuation will be even more so. Perhaps for that reason, we have seen no chairhoggery. Also, the various nationalities have shared buffet lines without any conflicts. Perhaps facilitating peace on this ship is the fact that smoking is allowed in designated loungss and other public areas throughout the ship, as well as in cabins.

 

As I said before, we have a tea kettle and ample supply of teas and Nescafe in our cabin. However, a circular today informed us that hair dryers -- except those already installed in bathrooms -- irons, fans and powerstrips are forbidden.We have a ship- supplied powerstrip for our cabin. It was there when we checked in.

 

Our cabin is adequate, a cheap charlie inside. It has two intriguing design features. A counter, wide enough to hold a computer, the tea kettle, cups and ice buckets -- and hide suitcases underneath -- runs along one wall. Also, the bathroom is a circular prefab unit, made out of molded plastic. All shower controls are futuristic -- in the outdated sense; their use has to be learned.

 

There is virtually nothing to see on television, but Victoria’s Internet is quicker than any other I have experienced on cruises. The negative flip side is that Costa’s logging in/logging out protocol is atrocious, and has led to many passengers losing their minutes. I always double and triple check to see that I indeed was logged out, having found out that sometimes that is not the case. Another Costa deficiency is that its Internet has no timer available to the user, unlike HAL’s for example. So I have no idea how much of my 10 hours I have used. No surplus minutes can be transferred to the next leg.

 

Several merchants in Hoi An bowed at me yesterday and told me I looked like Buddha. I got the message. As of today, I have quit eating Costa’s delicious breads, including incredible breakfast Danishes. Fortunately, this ship has plenty of fruit. Particularly delicious and sweet are the pineapples that are sometimes cut right before my eyes.

 

Tonight in the MDR was the Italian night. I had grilled scuttlefish as an appetizer, and grouper for the main course. My wife had veal. We ordered tiramisu for dessert. Toward the end, loudspeakers began playing Italian favorites, from O sole mio to Volare. There was dancing on the aisles -- with waiters asking unattached ladies to dance -- and line dancing, Lots of singing and clapping of the hands.

 

There are maybe half a dozen passengers in wheelchairs on this cruise. I am yet to see a single walker to be used. . .

[CostaSmurfette]

Barante....Victoria has two sisters, both sail for a US formatted cruise line and are equally as popular as Victoria....they are Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky.

 

Victoria was the last newbuild under the original Costa Crociere that was not a Carnival design. The cookie cutter designs came out with Costa Atlantica & Costa Mediterranea (aka Carnival Spirit class).

 

Victoria is a beautiful and unfussy and unglitzy ship....with the equivalent space of 3 football fields as sun deck area, it would be very difficult for her to get crowded up top on a sunny day.

 

She was built in Germany and it shows in the quality of materials used. Oh and that flickering, she is just letting everyone know that she is alive (she can, and does, have the occasional 20 minute tantrum...like she did last year on the way back from Argentina).

 

Victoria (and the late Allegra) will always be my personal favourites out of the fleet. Vicky has the feel of an ocean liner, with space to move unhindered by revenue opportunities.

 

Oh and don't forget to try the stern balcony areas, especially at sailaway...fantastic views from there. Go to the very end of the cabin corridors at the stern, there are doors "crew access", passengers can go out there and they give amazing views. In bad weather you can shelter at either end where the superstructure of the ship offers a covered area...oh and smokers, you can out there, they have ashtrays. I spent many hours out on deck 8's stern rail, the Italian flag shared my space when in port and on sea days it was a lovely place to stand and watch the wake....not many people realise that you can go out there, so it is usually very peaceful :)

[barante]

I woke up this morning feeling that the Costa Victoria was listing badly. By the time we made it to the breakfast buffet, dishes were falling off tables. The reason: The ship, at a surprisingly high speed, was navigating the various sharp turns of the meandering Saigon River. On one side I saw inpenetrable mangroves and jungle. On the other side, I spotted modest villages and industrial plants.

 

Since our visit was a short one and the container port located 45 minutes from downtown Saigon, we did something we had never tried before: We took a ship’s tour. At 69 euros pp. it was not cheap. But it turned out to be a very good investment -- athough, it turned out, that a roundtrip Costa shuttle to Saigon was available for the bargain price of 7 euros pp. The ship’s tour maximized our short visit time and enabled us to have a truly remarkable experience.

 

For the tour, Costa used Saigontourist, the Vietnamese government’s big tourist agency. On the way down, the young guide, a Mr. Fu, gave us a straightforward account on his country’s history. I was quite surprised that he mentioned a fact that many have forgotten -- that during World War II, when the Japanese controlled Viertnam, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, the precursor of today’s CIA, aided Ho Chi Minh. Only after the French reclaimed Vietnam did that U.S. cooperation end. That tidbit underscored Vietnam’s history of trying to repulse foreign dominators, beginning with the Chinese.

 

We headed for Cholon, Saigon’s Chinatown, where the first stop was a Taoist temple dedicated to the Goddess of Fishing. Full of incense from burning joss sticks, it was a photographer’s dream, a picturesque cavalcade of color. Outside an old man was selling birds from a cage so that worshippers could release them back to freedom, an act thought to endear the faithful to the goddess.

 

I must say that Saigon is not one of my favorite cities. It is disorderly and dirty, and the traffic is a nightmare. Our guide warned us not to try to run across any street. Walk slowly, he advised, and the motorcycles and scooters will avoid you. If you run, someone will hit you and kill you.

 

We then headed for a lacquer factory. This was nothing but an effort to sell souvenirs, but, hey, someone had to make money. A museum visit followed. Its highpoint was a water puppet show, an excellent experience. Afterward, we were given a brief lesson on Vietnam’s varied population groups and their religions.

 

The next stop was a total surprise. On the way down we had been given Saigontourist baseballcaps and all the bottled water we could drink. But the tour also included a sumptuous Vietnamese buffet luncheon at the Majestic Hotel, a 1925 art deco masterpiece that Saigontourist has restored to its five-star glory. We feasted on the top floor, while Vietnamese folk musicians performed, and later retired to an open-air bar which gave us a splendid view of the river. Those who used restrooms saw how they had been mechanically moderniized but otherwise retained their period charm.

 

When I said I didn’t particularly like Saigon, I have to take some of that statement back. The old colonial center is breathtaking, full of fin du siecle belle epoque landmarks built by the French and restored after the Vietnam war. Particularly notable is the Central Post Office, built by Eiffel, the Paris tower man. It is in an area that also houses the Catholic cathedral, whose bricks were imported from Marseille, and a bevy of landmark hotels.

 

This is where the narrative changed to cover America’s disastrous engagement in Vietnam. Suddenly all the television footage I had seen in the 1960s and 1970s about Buddhist protests came to a focus. When the guide talked about the splendidly restored Rex Hotel, he pointed out that it was famous during the war as the site of the Pentagon’s daily briefings, sneeringly nicknamed by the press as the “five o’clock follies.” The guide’s iPad was full of period pictures, showing what the Rex and other landmarks looked like in those days, landmarks like the Caravelle Hotel, where journalists stayed.

 

The guide also produced a famous picture of a U.S. helicopter evacuating some of the last Americans to leave Saigon when the city fell. He then pointed out the building in question, presumably a CIA residence, which today is surrounded by near-skyscraper office buildings.

 

There was no hostility in his voice. He was too young to have experienced any of it. To him, this was just part of Vietnam’s long history. Howeer, he told us, “Vietnam forgives, but does not forget.”

 

By the standards of its more developed neighbors, Vietnam is a backward country. Yet in the Vietnamse context Saigon is changing fast. Its skyline is nothing to write home about. But with the country’s population overwhelmingly young, the old ways are disappearing. Except for Saigontourist representatives welcoming us in the port, we did not see anyone wearing ao dais, the charming traditional trouser and slit skirt outfits that are celebrated in Miss Saigon and Graham Greene’s The Quiet American. Conical hats also are gone, both victims of motorcyle-centered lifestyle that makes their use impractical.

 

Our visit to Saigon was one of the high points of the cruise. I kept thinking of the American involvement and the shameful way in which the troops were treated when they returned from the war. Not only did much of the increasingly anti-war population scorn them for political reasons, but sweeping lifestyle changes -- including the pill and women’s lib -- also produced an America that was different from that which they left.

 

I thought in particular about a former colleague, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate. He lost his face in the war. When he returned, his wife took one look at the plastic surgeons’ reconstruction and, saying she couldn’t deal with the situation, walked out. Happily, he was able to pursue a remarkable career in journalism. Without any apparent bitterness.

 

I contrasted that with Delta’s announcement in Minneapolis when our flight to Tokyo was boarded. Service personnel received priority boarding in an announcement that thanked them for their service.

[barante]

I have now discovered the counter on Costa's Internet. My apologies for claiming that one cannot keep track of minutes spent.

[barante]

We wil be in Singapore in the morning. The taxman cometh! All passenges have received circulars telling them that “it is important that everyone passes through the RED CHANNEL to declare the quantity of sigarettes, even if it is only 1 packet. If you have one carton of sigarettes, the tax is SGD 7.70 x 10,/Euro 46. [ U.S. $68 ]. . If you go through the RED CHANNEL without declaring the above mentioned the fine will be 20 times MORE than the tax due and you can also be charged up to 5,000 SDG in fines. . .”

[AnonymousCruiser69]

We wil be in Singapore in the morning. The taxman cometh! All passenges have received circulars telling them that “it is important that everyone passes through the RED CHANNEL to declare the quantity of sigarettes, even if it is only 1 packet. If you have one carton of sigarettes, the tax is SGD 7.70 x 10,/Euro 46. [ U.S. $68 ]. . If you go through the RED CHANNEL without declaring the above mentioned the fine will be 20 times MORE than the tax due and you can also be charged up to 5,000 SDG in fines. . .”

 

a whole list of things not to be taken ashore was distributed to us, including chewing gum.

 

singapore is disneyland with the death penalty. my least favorite port of the entire cruise.

[barante]

My plan today was to drag my wife to a breakthrough water desalination plant in Singapore, which also purifies waste water to the degree that it is potable. That plan went out of the window because on our way to the plant I lost my wife.

 

Yep. Somehow we got separated on SMRT and I ended up filing a missing person report first with that rapid transit system and then also one with the Singapore police. Three hours later SMRT located my wife, who has memory issues.

 

All I can say that I was impressed with both agencies. English was not the officials’ first language but a ethnic Chinese police officer, whose language I had trouble understanding, prepared a competent missing person report in English that covered all the bases. When I finally went to fetch her at a faraway SMRT station, she was having a great time with two Muslim employees, one a man, the other a woman, who had served her tea and offered her something to eat.

 

In the process, I logged lots of miles on SMRT, an admirable system which announces all stations in English and also posts that information on screens on trains. We simply bought reloadable easycards and used them on the trains. They may be purchased at major stations for $12 Singapore each and come with an initial $7 Singapore to spend on rides. You simply swipe them on a turnstile scanner -- or your wallet, if the card is inside.

 

Singapore is a authoritarian multi-national, multi-religious city-state that often is criticized for human rights deficiencies. It metes death penalty on drug traffickers and canes lesser offenders. At the same time it has perfected a system that China would probably want to impose on its people some day because the result is an orderly city where everything works and people of various backgrounds live in harmony. Singapore’s harsh hand toward miscreants explains why its dominant residential design, highrises, works splendidly.

 

We first visited Singapore circa 1987. It has advanced greatly since then and no longer is a cheap city. It seems that Singaporeans only want top brand merchandise and are willing to pay ridiculous amounts. I don’t particularly like Singapore. I can tolerate its weird policies but my preference is for walkable cities, and Singapore is not one. Instead it is a futuristic Hong Kong, where everything revolves around malls that are connected to underground SMRT stations. That’s how you also cross busy streets.

 

The Costa Victoria was docked at the Marina Bay international cruise terminal. A free shuttle bus ran from there to Marine Sands, a huge shopping and hotel complex, except that the last return bus departed at 6 p.m.

 

At that time we were still at a police station, filing a follow-up report. Once we completed that, we decided to eat something at Warung M. Nasir, a nearby Malay restaurant at 69 Killiney Road warungnasir@singnet.com.sg. A terrific meal for two with soft drinks came to the total of $14 Singapore. We then went next door to the Orange Lantern. While we were enjoying Vietnamese desserts, it began pouring. For $7 Singapore we bought a girlie-pink umbrellla with the Seven-Eleven logo from that convenience store.

 

Now, the important thing is to realize that when it rains in Singpore, one cannot find a taxi for love or money. Having taken SMRT back to Marina Bay, we stood in line for half an hour at the taxi rank of its financial center. Nothing. Nada. We walked across the complex to the Marine Sands side. Lots of taxis came, but they had all been preordered. Finally an Australian lawyer, who also stood in line, managed to call a cab by cell. He took pity of us and delivered us back to the ship.

 

The only reason why this is important is that if you cut your return too short when the ship is departing, you are out of luck and will see it sail away.

[Bill B]

We wil be in Singapore in the morning. The taxman cometh! All passenges have received circulars telling them that “it is important that everyone passes through the RED CHANNEL to declare the quantity of sigarettes, even if it is only 1 packet. If you have one carton of sigarettes, the tax is SGD 7.70 x 10,/Euro 46. [ U.S. $68 ]. . If you go through the RED CHANNEL without declaring the above mentioned the fine will be 20 times MORE than the tax due and you can also be charged up to 5,000 SDG in fines. . .”

 

LOL... As a smoker, I find this amusing and took the math 'all the way' -

Potential fines for one carton of undeclared cigarettes (singarettes?) is 6,540.00*SGD or 5,329.42*USD at today's exchange rate.

 

$5,329.42 divided by 200 (the number of cigatettes in a carton) = $26.65 per cigarette. Then, of course, one has to add the cost of purchasing the cigarettes in the first place... which, I assume, in Singapore is not inexpensive... and is 98% tax.

 

A: "Can I bum a smoke?"

B: "No."

[AnonymousCruiser69]

LOL... As a smoker, I find this amusing and took the math 'all the way' -

Potential fines for one carton of undeclared cigarettes (singarettes?) is 6,540.00*SGD or 5,329.42*USD at today's exchange rate.

 

$5,329.42 divided by 200 (the number of cigatettes in a carton) = $26.65 per cigarette. Then, of course, one has to add the cost of purchasing the cigarettes in the first place... which, I assume, in Singapore is not inexpensive... and is 98% tax.

 

A: "Can I bum a smoke?"

B: "No."

 

they are serious about the fines, too. i was allowed to bring half a pack off the ship. i did go through the 'red' line and they did inspect how many i had in the pack.

 

what really pissed people off was the fact that the ship was selling cartons in the duty-free, but uneducated people did not know about the restrictions.

 

you are not allowed to even take the cigs from the ship to the airport. ironically, the airport sells them duty-free (outbound) very inexpensively.

[barante]

We departed Singapore after 11 p.m., or more than two hours late last night. What happened was that thunderstorms rolled in starting at 2 p.m. and continued through most of the evening. In Singapore bad weather means that it is nearly impossible to get a taxi. Whether the government keeps the number of cabs artificially low or a cartel is responsible doesn’t matter. You simply cannot get a cab going anywhere. That anywhere includes the new Marina Bay Cruise Cetre. It is some 15 minutes from the center of the huge Marina Bay itself. In another two years the cruise center will be a bustling town. Today, it is a huge construction site. Many cab drivers, it turns out, may know about it but haver never been there. Yesterday, the Costa Victoria was the only ship there. The day before, the RCL Legend of the Seas also was berthed there.

 

I spent much of my life as a foreign correspondent.. I was stationed in Moscow for five years, and three in Africa. ]Yet Singapore is about as confusing place as I have ever visited. Things that work, including the MTR rapid transit, work magnificently. But when things don’t work, improvisation doesn’t either. Although a free shuttle ran between the ship and the Sands gambling casino/shopping emporium at Marina Bay, I never could find it for return trips. So even in normal conditions, I needed to take a $6 Singapore cab back. Try that in the rain.

 

Most of our fellow passengers -- Germans, Norwegians, French, etc. -- from the 17-day cruise from Shanghai to Singapore are gone. A huge contingent of tourists speaking Polish came, having visited the Philippines before. But above all we have lots of young Asian families.

 

When we originally booked this 14-day cruise, it was a combination of two 7-day cruises that both ended in Singapore. Somewhat later, Costa monkeyed with the iitinerary and the 14-days were turned into three variants -- a three-day cruise, a four-day cruise and a seven-day cruise, all of them originating in Singapore. We are on the three-day cruise now. Lots of children.

 

The first day on Costa seems particularly confusing. Yesterday it was bedlam. An example: We got our new Costa Card ids only in late afternoon. But when I tried to use one of the machines that automatically links it to my credit card, the machine told me: Your Costa Card number is invalid. I headed for the front desk. Usually there is a rope-controlled line there. Yesterday it as a free-for-all in multiple languages. When I finally got a rep, she advised patience. “Give it another hour,” she said. “In our system you are not boarded yet.”

 

Whatever. She was right. An hour later, everything worked.

 

At six o’clock we had the mandatory lifeboat drill. Imagine it in seven languages.

 

Since so many passengers still had not boarded, the MDR was pretty sparse. Which gave Chinese kids plenty of room to run around. Their parents changed seating arrangements, grabbing chairs from neighboring tables and adding them to their own. The Italian maitre d’ said that was allright for this one time but that original seating arrangements would have to be respected from now on. Kids were constantly involved in table-jumping. Meanwhile, harried waiters were trying to take and deliver orders.

 

To some parents the Western concept of courses delivered at various times seemed foreign. A woman with a bunch of kids at next table complained that her orders did not all arrive at the same time, the way Chinese courses do. Oncer courses were delivered, no one remembered what they had ordered. Or wanted something else. Our waiter, an Indian, said a prayer. “Let there be a port tomorrow,” he prayed. “Let there be McDonalds.”

 

The Sea Goddess did not fulfill his wishes. Instead we will be at sea today. We’ll have an interesting day. Costa rules say that no one under 18 is to ber allowed to use either the outside or inside pool. We’ll see how that works.

 

We ae having great fun.

[barante]

Last night was a posh frock night. Thank goodness we are about the only CC members aboard; otherwise this site would be buzzing with outrage. Skandalnaye delo, as Russians would say: Passengers came to toast to the captain in all kinds of attires. For some, gala meant t-shirts and shorts; for others suits and dressses. As to tuxedos, only waiters on the Costa Victoria wear them.

 

Go with the flow. That’s the attitude one has to adopt on this ship. Whether there were violations of decorum or not, passengers were having fun. Costa was generous with its offers of free bubbly and canapes, and people kept toasting. Total strangers clinked glasses and took pictures. The Costa gigolos, a corps of six entertainment staff men, made sure that all women -- young and pretty; old and disgusting -- had a chance to dance on the stage because dancing is what this ship is all about. The captain made his appearance and we raised a toast. No one brought their children. Looking around the half-filled theater made me realize that despite heavy discounting, the Victoria is not sailing full.

 

Perhaps you heard the name Saul Alinsky during the presidential campaign. He was the guru of community organizing, a colorful Chicago character. He once defined reconciliation like this: Reconciliation is one side taking power and the other side learning to get reconciled. This is what happened Sunday on the Victoria. Children first took over one portion of the subdivided big pool. After some European women took their darlings to the adult portion, the preteen Chinese kids also took over that. Adults of various backgrounds kept the smaller pool and hot tubs. A moment of reconciliation.

 

Our Chinese kids are all preteens, princes and princesses of privileged famllies. My wife said they probably are behaving pretty much like U.S. children, except better. They are mostly glued to their iPhones and other gizmos. Many families will get the surprise of their lives when they see the cell phone charges, because the ship’s rates are a highway robbery.

 

I estimated that the average age on the first leg, a 17-day cruise,was about 60. This now is a far younger ship, a fact that could be gauged at the Pompei Spa, my favorite spot. Lots of pretty women; few leering flabby seniors like me. It is an adults-only zone; no children.

 

Sunday was a very relaxing day at sea. Our Europeans -- largely French speakers, Italians, Germans and Poles -- kept to themselves, grilling themselves well done in ths blazing sun. All nationalities united in the eateries. The great thing about the Victoria is that it has all kinds of decks and nooks and crannies inside so it is easy to find a quiet spot.

 

We’ll arrive in Langkawi, Malaysia, this morning. Sun and sand. For those who have not booked cruise-sponsored tours, a shuttle to the Cenang Bech/duty free shopping area is available for $8 U.S. pp.

[barante]

Karsts, the dramatic rock formations that are the draw in Halong Bay, Vietnam, occur throughout Asia. Later on this trip we will encounter them again in Koh Samui, Thailand. Karsts also defined the wonderfully scenic approach to Langawi Island of Malaysia. Except that they were covered with vegetations and trees, unlike the bare rocks of Halong.

 

Langawi is a piece of paradise, a beach resort that sleeps late. When our 15-minute shuttle arrived in the center shortly after 9 a.m., hardly anything was open. Not even official money changers. So we changed some money at a restaurant and headed for the beach. Hardly anyone was there, either; the tide was out. Neverthless, we rented loungers for 10 Ringgit each (less than $4). It was overcast, hot and muggy but, hey, we were in paradise.

 

A bit over an hour later a snake appeared in the form of a rain. We first huddled under a beach umbrella. Or, more precisely, my wife did because I decided to take a swim. It was great to be in the warm water, surrounded by big raindrops. Meanwhile, I saw some tourist parasailing in the rain, with his chute being pulled by a speedboat. Such rides are availabe for 70 Rinngit, or roughly $25.

 

The closer I got to the shore, the chillier water got. I realized it was runoff from the rain. The incoming tide, by contrast, was nice and warm.

 

By the time I returned to our umbrella, it was deserted. My wife had fled to a nearby Arab beach restaurant, where other tourists from the ship also were gathered. She thought I was crazy going out in driving rain. A group of Germans appeared worried. They were missing a husband. They were looking and looking but could not see a trace of him. Ten minutes later he re-emerged from the waves with a big grin on his face.

 

I had a cup of coffee, strong enough to kill and infidel but too weak to do me any permanent damage. I asked to use the rsstroom to free me of my wet trunks. It was “closed,” I was told. When, taking advantage of a brief pause in the rain, we went to the main drag, other restaurants also claimed they had no lavatories. Could it be? We finally located a restaurant operated by Thai Muslims which had a restroom, and decided to have an early lunch. It was truly a huge place and probably is jumping at night; shortly after noon, we were the only customers. We feasted on a big pot of lemon grass-based Tom Yum seafood soup and some rice. That hit the spot.

 

Meanwhile, the rain continued. For about $7 U.S., we bought the second umbrella of our trip -- having left the first one in the cabin -- and returned to the shuttle terminal. The rain continued. Memo to myself: Remember to take the pocket-sized ponchos next time.

 

Skies finally cleared about 2 p.m., then clouded and rained again. Tricky weather. By that time we were back at the ship. We had had enough of a taste of paradise. Nice place. The spa beckoned. Water temp near 90.

[barante]

In another thread I reported that at the end of our 17-cruise from Shanghai to Singapore, the Victoria told us that the billing currency for the second leg -- 14 days from Singapore to Malaysia and Thailand -- would be changed from euros into U.S. dollars. Here's an update:

 

Costa does whatever it does for reasons that are unfathomable. Try this. As far as I can see the change from euro to U.S. dollar has meant, in many if not most cases, that the euro price has been just changed into dollars. So if an internet package was 75 euros, it is now $75. An instant bonus to those using dollars.

 

I bet, though, that my stockholder credit, which was supposed 250 euros, IIR, will be less in dollars.

[BoughtMyPoints]

... They are likely to help things along again tonight when the featured attraction is “a famous international artist from Las Vegas Kip Reynald, fun and comedy.”

 

Kip Reynolds is a world class juggler and mime artist and made our 5 week cruise on the Romantica in 2010 very special, especially his joining us at dinner. (Yes, you can invite the entertainers to dine with you!).

[barante]

Georgetown in Penang is one of those rare perfect ports for a short stop.

 

We tied up at a pier within walking distance from the old colonial center, Fort Cornwallis, parks and an assortment of old British administration landmarks. Very walkable in the hot and humid weather during a five-hour stop.

 

Every cruiser is different and has different preferences. I am a sucker for architecture. Seeing relics of the British Raj, or Colonial Spain, make me very happy. Georgetown was a British East India Company town, so it is full of old mercantile buildings that once belonged to some of the most famous export/import companies in the empire where the sun never eet.

 

Georgetown was badly bombed when the Japanese invaded in 1941, but quite a bit of old charm remains.

 

In order to reach the historic downtown, we had to penetrate through the taxi Mafia, though. A bit like Barbados. In this land of docile people, they were quite aggressive. They advertised seemingly attractive rates to various destinations, but without volunteering that their minimum charge was for three hours. We had been to butterfly farms and seen lots of big Buddhas -- and would see more in Thailand -- so we declined.

 

Tomorrow we return to Singapore for a quick six-hour turnaround and four days of additional cruising in Malaysia, followed by another turnaround in Singapore and a week more in Malaysia and Thailand..

 

Aside from Russia, Singapore is about the only country that demands passports every time you leave the ship. In China you may enter with your cruise card, ditto for Vietnam. But in Singapore one always has to go through customs every time. I think I’ll go and buy the day’s papers, which requires going through immigration and customs. Considering the possible headaches of getting back to the ship during a short stay, I’ll then head for the outdoor pool, which should be empty. Before another load of locals arrives.

 

Press review:

 

The Malay Mal informs us that Malaysians belong to the “world’s eoghth happiest nation.” Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands are happier. The U.S. is 23th, Canada 24th, Japan 34th, South Korea 38th.

 

Star (“The people’s paper”) reports that the authorites are still busy opening some 22,000 cans of canned pineapples, and coconut milk, believed to contain 75 kg of cocaine.

 

New Straits Times, without naming the beneficiaries, says citizens of 32 countries will be eligible to automaticallly onvert their drivers’ licenses into Malaysian ones. Malaysia, due to its British colonial past, drives on the left.

 

All papers report that more than 240 McDonalds outlets throughout Malaysia, in a campaign to introduce “the most important meal of the day,” handed out hundreds of thousands of free McMuffins with chicken sausage. . .