Mariner of the Seas From Singapore 10/22/15- Complete Picture Review!

[Palmetto Pilot]

I love Singapore Changi Airport. One of my favorites.

[txcowboy10]

Following...great review and pics so far...damn those drink dices were high!! Lol

[lalenalei]

Glad you found yourself into here. :) Was about to suggest it to you.

 

Thank you! Loving it so far!

[gapearl]

Singapore- Day 2

 

In an effort to get my money's worth at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, I was up crazy early to go to the infinity pool for a couple of hours one final time before checking out. The pool opens at 6 am, and when I arrived at 6:45 there were already a lot of people out there.

 

Last chance I get to enjoy the view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

Because of fires that have been set in Indonesia, Singapore has been experiencing a lot of haze the last few months. It's bad to the point where school is being cancelled and you will see people going about their day wearing masks. You will see how bad the haze really is when I get to Port Klang.

 

 

 

A few more shots from inside the hotel.

 

 

 

 

The Bayfront MRT is the stop you take to come to the hotel and shops.

 

[gapearl]

I had about an hour and to kill before it was time to leave, so I went back to the food court for lunch. I was tempted to go back to the Indian restaurant where I ate yesterday, but decided to try something else. That was a mistake. Chicken and noodles, what could go wrong? A lot! :eek:

 

This is a picture of what I ordered.

 

 

This is what was served to me. Looks about right.

 

 

After digging in, I see this really doesn't look like chicken. This is gross. I didn't even eat 1/4 of it.

 

 

Aaaannddd this is my face after I spent 5 minutes in the restroom throwing up what I just ate. Out of all the countries I've been to, this is the first time I have ever gotten sick from eating the local food. I'm not sure if the chicken wasn't really chicken or if it was and maybe spoiled. I completely lost my appetite and didn't bother trying to find a better lunch elsewhere.

 

[gapearl]

After my lunch disaster, I grabbed a taxi and headed to the apartment where I would be spending the rest of my 4 days. The ride took me through the red light district and the nice driver pointed out all the "love houses," as prostitution is legal here. This was the first time I used Airbnb. I found an nice apartment with good reviews for $72 a night. Little did I know until long after I booked and paid and maybe 2 weeks before my arrival that it's illegal to rent an apartment in Singapore for less than 6 months. If this is really the case, I don't understand how there are so many vacation rental companies openly out there renting to travelers. Also why isn't Singapore blocked from posting on this site and other similar ones? Thankfully I had no issues. I was in a nice residential neighborhood 10 minutes walking from the MTR station. I had a very positive first time experience with Airbnb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eveanddavid]

Singapore- Day 2

 

In an effort to get my money's worth at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, I was up crazy early to go to the infinity pool for a couple of hours one final time before checking out. The pool opens at 6 am, and when I arrived at 6:45 there were already a lot of people out there.

 

Last chance I get to enjoy the view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

fantastic photos !

[gapearl]

After getting settled into the apartment, I set out towards the botanical gardens. I was wanting to buy the 3 day unlimited ride pass on the MTR, but it's only sold at select stations. I ended up paying as I went for each train ride all week and never got the pass, and actually spent a little less money doing it that way.

 

 

Lots of people were out having picnics, playing games, and enjoying their Sunday afternoon with their friends and family. It's free to get in and it's a very peaceful place. I spent about an hour and a half here playing with my new Canon DSLR camera that I'm not really sure how to use. lol

 

 

 

She had the right idea. This is definitely the perfect place for a wedding.

 

 

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is pretty massive. I didn't even make it half way through.

 

 

[gapearl]

 

Well I managed to figure out one of my camera's settings. I think these flower pictures came out pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

More of the botanic gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

The Healing Garden had all kind of interesting plants to heal pretty much anything.

 

 

 

 

I found a little critter running around.

 

[eveanddavid]

your camera is working perfectly now ! so lovely of you to share your trip !

[icat2000]

Great review so far.

 

Welcome to my world with the 30 hours travelling to get to places around the world. However, you looked fantastic at the end of a long flight.

 

I've stayed in Singapore many times before (sometimes as stopovers) going to Europe, however, I don't think I could swallow the price of staying where you did the first night. However, never, say never. :D

 

Looking forward to reading more of your review.

[gapearl]

My final stop for the day was Clark Quay (pronounced key, not kway). This is an area on the Singapore River with lots of bars, restaurants, and a few nightclubs on the weekend. My objective was to find a good happy hour with some good food that I could enjoy without having a repeat of this morning.

 

 

 

 

Absolutely nothing exotic tonight. A grilled chicken sandwich and fries with a Singapore Sling was just right.

 

 

They had these reverse bungee and swing rides that I was initially planning to ride prior to my visit. I ultimately decided to cut those out and save that $60 for something else. For an adventurous person like myself, this looks like a lot of fun.

 

 

[gapearl]

Clark Quay is so pretty lit up at night. What a great view while having dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading and for all the nice comments. I HAVE to get to bed now so I'm not too terribly cranky in the morning. I'll be back tomorrow to respond to everyone and post more from Singapore. :)

[verohar]

Excellent! Very detailed and informative. I have already found five things to note. Keep going........ This is FANTASTIC !!!!

[Thornbird]

Thank you for this very detailed review, it's great so far. We're leaving in a few days for a similar trip, so it's really interesting to see what you've enjoyed and found disappointing. You've already helped me make a decision on the Botanic Gardens - nearly all of the exotic plants in your photos are ones that commonly grow here in gardens, so I think I'm going to give it a miss!

Can't wait to hear more about Singapore and the Mariner (and hoping you have time to write it all up before we leave on Friday).

 

By the way, your bad chicken looks like it was actually tofu. Which should be delicious in laksa, but obviously you got a dodgy one :(. I'm really surprised by that as lots of people from my city travel to Singapore and it has a great reputation for having safe food (especially compared with other Asian locations), and no one I know has had problems there. You must have been very unlucky.

 

Looking forward to the next installment!:D

[Cruzinbabe06]

Wow! You're my hero. Traveling long distance.

 

I hated when I flew to Miami alone.:rolleyes:

 

More! More!:D

 

You're making me rethink next years trip, from Mediterranean to Asia. Hmmmmm

Edited November 10, 2015 by Cruzinbabe06

[SenatorsFan]

Wow, Kim, what a great start to your review! I'll be happily following along to see how you enjoy the rest of your trip and the cruise. :)

Heather

[cynt]

YEAH!!!! I'm here GAPearl you may continue with this review now. LOL!! I'm so excited you're doing this review. I'm considering doing a Rick Steve's Europe tour and adding a Mediterranean cruise on to the end of it...SOLO!!! I'm scared to death but I'm going to woman up and do it! This review will give me courage to take the plunge.

 

Take your time with this review. I need this to stretch out for at least 13 days until I board the Anthem. LOL!!! I know you can do it. :D

[springaussie]

Great review!

[Iluvcruising2]

Awesome review, great start. Hope you enjoyed Singapore. Noticed you used AirBNB. That's very smart of you. Can't wait to read more.

[gapearl]

Yeah!!! Another GAPearl review. I love your adventures and fashion. Keep it coming!

 

Thanks girl! :)

 

We've traveled to many countries, but have not been in this part of the world so we're looking forward to your review and pictures. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

 

This was my first time in this area of the world. It was quite an experience to say the least. Thanks so much for reading.

[gapearl]

I am so excited for this review.

 

It's going to continue to get better and better, I promise. :D

 

Looking good! Thank you for this. We will be on Mariner in Dec with almost the same itinerary. I appreciate the hard work it takes to compile a review. Excited to hear more!

 

Awesome! I hope this helps you out some. I have tons of pictures from the ship and Cruise Compasses in addition to millions of pictures from port. I'm sure you will have a great time.