**Solo to Singapore! Live From the Diamond- January 17, 2017**

[TracieABD]

My fun day in Singapore con't...

 

 

 

I decided to head to the Clarke Quay area- as I wanted to eat a Gyu Kaku for lunch. Only, you can't really get there from here... I took the MRT as close as I could get, then got turned around and ended up walking a lot farther than I planned.

 

I was getting hungry (afterall, I only had two breakfasts!). A Gyu is a Japanese restaurant that allows you to grill your own food. In the center of every table- there is a pit with some type of charcoal-y stuff in it and a mesh. You cook your food right on that mesh. I ordered some harami beef, corn, onions.

You cook it and toss it all into a piece of lettuce- top it with chili paste and garlic mayonaise - wrap it and eat it! Yum!

And it all would have been pretty healthy- until I ordered the Camembert cheese. You grill the cheese until it becomes soft, put it on a slice of baguette and drizzle it with honey. So good. But I left feeling rather stuffy.

 

 

 

I returned to the hotel to rest for 5 minutes. I really wanted to swim. I have access to two pools. One is the hotel pool on the 6th floor. It is huge. The other is the private pool for the Skyline Guests. It is a big infinity pool with a waterfall feature located on the 18th floor.

 

 

 

I actually fell asleep for about 20 minutes and woke in a panic, as I needed to get ready for my next big event- and truly the reason I am in Singapore...

Edited January 16, 2017 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

Did I miss this info from previous posts?

 

 

 

How much does the Explorer Pass cost? And where do you purchase it?

 

 

 

You can only it if you are traveling with Singapore Air. You have to call them and ask for it. It cost about $43 for one day, $67 for two days, and $81 for three days (US). You pick it up at the airport after you collect your luggage.

 

 

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[TracieABD]

So, here is one of the big reasons that I came all this way to Singapore- as many of you know- this is a do-over cruise that I never did take with my mom. One of the activities we planned for that ill-fated 2015 cruise was high tea in the Tiffin Room at the Raffles Hotel. I made my reservation there, even before I purchased my plane ticket.

 

 

 

I quickly showered and spruced up.I took the MRT to the Center City. On the way down to the MRT- I had a tragic occurance- the escalator ate my skirt! I am just glad I got out of it with a skirt! Ladies, beware----

 

The hotel was easy to find. It is such a lovely property:

 

Everything was in order with my reservation, but I caution you, if this is something you really want to do- have a reservation. I watched the Maitre'd turn people away. You also have to be dressed properly. Most women were wearing a nice dress and the men had collared shirts. Here is the menu:

 

 

 

 

I was seated at a lovely table by the window- and was instructed that I should go to the buffet- and they would bring me a tea tower (this was not an either/or proposition). Let the gluttony commence!

 

 

 

I selected dim sum, a curry puff, some fruit, and scones from the buffet. The curry puff was spicy!

 

 

 

The tea tower was lovely, and they brought me enough for a small army of 10. I tried everything- It was all so delicious, with the mango panna cotta and the raspberry tart as standouts.

 

 

 

I did bring my mom, and you may be able to spot her in the pictures. I have to confess, I did have a moment there... I just missed her so much. But I collected myself and forged (and gorged) onward....

 

 

 

Needless to say, I knew there would be no dinner in my future!

Edited January 16, 2017 by TracieABD

[cjcruiser27]

WOW!!! You have been busy, how many miles have you done?! Your photos are very good and thanks for doing the blog. It looks like an interesting itinerary, I have never been to that part of the world. You must feel pretty safe doing all this on your own?

[TracieABD]

I decided to end by day by taking a spin on the Singapore Flyer and visiting the Gardens by the Bay. Bill B (of cruise critic fame) offered to join me.

 

 

We grabbed the MRT to the Promenade station- and walked to the Flyer. I used my Exporer Pass- otherwise the fee is S$ 33 per go-around. I have done the flyer before, but not in the evening. Even though there was not much of a sunset- due to clouds- it was lovely and peaceful to see all of the lights come on around the city. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. (I can't believe I don't have a picture of the Flyer- I guess you will have to Google it).

 

 

 

We then walked to the Gardens by the Bay- but it is past 8pm and everything closed down at 9 pm- so we did the free outdoor things (like see the giant trees), but had to skip the domes. Also, the cloud dome was closed for maintenance. My camera did not take good night pictures. I think this is the best one:

 

 

 

After walking for, what seemed like forever, we finally found the MRT station- only to stand in a very long line to purchase tickets. If you know that you will be using the MRT frequently, I would suggest the Tourist Pass. Life saver!

 

 

 

Once we got to our station, we parted ways- and I returned to my room- and crashed! Again! Sleeping in Singapore!

 

 

 

And now I am all caught up! I will tour a bit this morning and then board the ship... You will probably next hear from me while I am at sea!

 

 

 

Excited! So stinkin' excited!!!

 

 

 

Wanna go for a sail?

 

 

 

Tracie-Lynn:):)

Edited January 16, 2017 by TracieABD

[sailorbhoy]

This is now my required reading every evening before we head for Singapore and the Diamond next week.

You have a delicate touch, balancing perfectly information and colour.

I look forward to your opinion of the ship.

[TracieABD]

WOW!!! You have been busy, how many miles have you done?! Your photos are very good and thanks for doing the blog. It looks like an interesting itinerary, I have never been to that part of the world. You must feel pretty safe doing all this on your own?

 

 

 

So here are the stats- I walked 39,500 steps- just shy of 19 miles. And even after all of that eating- I lost a half kilo!

 

... And I did not plant my butt in a cab! Bonus!

 

 

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[vickie_bernie]

So happy to see and read your blog. I am reading it picturing you in all these places.

 

Bernie and I are now in Cusco peru, we spent a few days in Puno and a few days on Lake Titicacca on an island. We have a few more days here before heading to Lima next Saturday.

 

So loving it.

 

Safe travels my friend.

 

Vickie & Bernie

[sunsetbeachgal]

The tea looks absolutely divine! What a perfect memory for you to look back to!

 

Bon Voyage!

[CruzinNoony]

I am really enjoying your blog. Your adventurous spirit is inspiring. Keep having fun!!:)

[easyboy]

I am so enjoying every detail of your travel accounts. Feel like traveling along with you.

[cjcruiser27]

So here are the stats- I walked 39,500 steps- just shy of 19 miles. And even after all of that eating- I lost a half kilo!

 

... And I did not plant my butt in a cab! Bonus!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

Where do you get all your energy?!! Love reading about your daily adventures and you sound like you'd be fun to travel with. I can't imagine a skirt getting caught up in an escalator [emoji31]The food looks delicious!

 

 

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[TracieABD]

Tuesday, January, 17, 2017

 

Hi from the Lovely Diamond Princess-

 

As you know, I was up early this morning- packing, planning, preparing... Just a quick warning- most of this entry will be dedicated to the Singapore MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) System.

 

At 7:00 am- I headed to the Club Lounge for a cooked to order breakfast. Yep, should have done that the day before- so much better. I ordered an egg white omelet. I am learning that in Singapore- if you don't want your eggs too runny, you will need to order them "well done". So that is what I did-- and I worked like a charm.

 

I had a few housekeeping items to tend to. The first being returning the MRT Tourist Card to regain my deposit. I used the heck out of that thing-- it really was a great deal. Saved time and money. At about S$ 8 per day, it was well worth the slight inconvenience to get it. As an aside, not every MRT station has a "Ticket Window", so when I purchased it, and when I dropped it off, I had to go to the Chinatown stop. It is worth doing the research on which station has a ticket window and when that window is open.

 

The trains are very clean. Eating and drinking are strictly prohibited and can incur a S$ 500 fine. (Nothing was said about caning...) There are seats on the end of each row dedicated to the elderly, mobility impaired, pregnant, or holding a small child. There are reminders with #StandUp Stacey. I loved #StandUpStacey. I have a boss named Stacie- and I can't wait to show her a picture of #StandUpStacey. This may appear in the form of a sign for her door!

 

 

People tend to be very quiet on the train- no "loud talkers". Lots of people sleep. Not just close-your-eyes-and-check-out kind of sleep--- but full on head bobbling, snoring, straight-up REM sleep. It is amazing more people don't miss their stops. Talk about a conditioned response.

 

The best part of the whole MRT experience is the audio message played at every stop. It goes like this, "Mind the gap. Make happy, happy when you go platform!" I am not even sure what "Make happy, happy..." means, but it is so cute! I think this world would be a much better place if we all made a little more "happy happy"! Of course, most Singaporeans seemed pretty immune to the message- but fortunately they are pretty happy, happy anyways!

 

I will stop here and try to post some pictures while we are still in port. Hopefully, I can rapid fire three posts before we get to see and/or my keyboard dies.

 

I hope you are all happy, happy!

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TracieABD]

January 17, 2017

Continued...

 

See? I am back already. Sick of me yet???

 

For those of you who have followed any of my past live-froms- you know I am all about a do-over. And I called upon the gods of the Mulligan- for a do-over on the Gardens by the Bay. And boy, am I glad I did!

 

After getting my MRT card returned, I opted to stop at the Bayfront stop to see the Gardens by day. It was about 8:30 am. The exhibits don't open until 9, but there are lots of things to see out side. The gardens are right behind the Marina Sands Bay or Marina Bay Sands- or whatever. I can never get that order straight.

 

It is a massive hotel with three separate towers and a huge rooftop pool. I have heard that you can only see the pool if you are a registered guest. If you are not, you can have a very spendy drink on the roof top. I did not venture there- so this is complete hearsay.

 

While at the Gardens- I took pictures of the big trees.

 

I also remembered to take a picture of the Flyer! Yay!

 

And the Flyer and the trees!

 

And then I queued up to get my ticket. It was part of my Explorer Pass. Did I mention how much I loved that thing? I was first in line to get a ticket for one of the two glass domes. The Flower Dome was closed for maintenance, but the Cloud Forest was open. I will share about it in my next post...

 

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[tingyyy]

Hi Tracie-Lynn,

 

I've been following your thread since Day 1. It looks like you managed to do lots in my wonderful (if i may say so :p) country and i'm here to wish you a great cruise!!! It's almost half past one here now and i sure hope you're already board and enjoying your first drink :D

 

Just a quick comment on your post about the mrt. I believe the "happy happy ... platform" announcement was not in English but either in Malay or Tamil, so "happy happy" probably meant something else! I'm ashamed to admit i do not know what it means though. We have 4 official languages here - English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil, so the mrt announcements are made first in English then repeated in the other 3 languages.

 

Looking forward to following your adventures around the rest of South East Asia!

Edited January 17, 2017 by tingyyy

[TracieABD]

And still more on the Gardens by the Bay...

 

I am like an 8 year old girl... Easily impressed and loves shiny things!

 

The Cloud Forest was wonderful. I was the first one in it, so it was lovely to have this whole exhibit to myself. I knew that there were large tour groups coming behind me, so I was very grateful for the few moments of silence.

 

The first noticeable attribute is that it is very cool in there. And humid. (I am rocking some ginormous hair as a result of my visit.) You begin by walking up a ramp. As you walk up, you encounter a waterfall, some wooden carvings, and gorgeous flowers. Once you reach the "Lego garden",

 

You get on an elevator to the top. And then you begin to wend your way down. The walkways are suspended and grated, so you can see all the way to the bottom.

 

Once I reached the bottom, I knew I needed to head back to the hotel to shower, and finalized packing, because today is Cruise Day!

 

The exhibit was charming. And I would highly recommend it to anyone who has not seen it. I will now need to return to Singapore, so I can see the Flower Dome!

 

I met the infamous Bill B in the lobby at 11 am and we grabbed a cab to the port. The cost for the cab was a whopping S$12! (Kidding). We got out and the porters grabbed our luggage. The refused tips. Does anyone really refuse money?

 

We got separated through security. I ended up ahead of Bill. I received my cruise card- and was directed upstairs to wait for boarding, only they were boarding the Elites and Platinums. I heard a rumor there were bevies in the PES area- but I can neither confirm or deny this.

 

Next stop was immigration-- and here is where I want to warn you---- If you fly into Singapore- you will receive an immigration card. It is to be kept in your passport until you leave Singapore. Well, we are leaving Singapore, so the Immigration agent was collecting them. I had mine- but a woman at another counter did not have her's and they were denying her boarding. So if you fly in- keep that card safe in your passport. It is really important. As a side note, they also thumb printed me...

 

We then boarded the ship. And that was all there was to that. Of course I headed straight up to the Sanctuary- to reserve a lounger for the sea days. There was only one person ahead of me, and the steward said that it is really only used but Americans, Australians, and Canadians. On the past three cruises it was very, very quiet.

 

I then headed to Deck 6 midship dining rooms for lunch. I checked all four dining rooms for lunch, but it was crickets... I ran into a waiter who directed me to the main dining room aft-- where there is lunch! Another warning- no tables for two at embarkation lunch. They did give me a table for four alone- so I could write to you...

 

The menu has shrunk considerably. There were 5 items- 2 apps and 2 mains and 1 dessert. One of the apps was the fettuccini Alfredo in a crisp parmesan basket, but as you can see here...

 

...something is missing!

 

I also had the beef- and it was very good.

 

There is butter on the table. And all is well in the world.

 

So that is it! I am current and there are pictures to prove it!

 

More later-

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[waltd]

Loving your posts and pictures. Thank you for doing this.

Joe

[waltd]

Tracie** I have to ask.** How did you acquire a taste for so many different types of food? * Is there a story to be told? :)

[TracieABD]

January 17, 2017

Again??? Really???

 

Hi Friends-

Muster is over- and you know what that means... We will soon be gone from Singapore and well on our way to lands far, far away. Nothing better than this. Nothing.

 

I am unpacked and settled in. I am also bone-tired-- so I think this will be a rather sparse evening. I do want to send a thank you to Pam in CA for all of her helpful packing tips over the years. I finally made the investment in packing cubes and envelopes (I use Eagle Creek) and does that shorten the process of unpacking. I wished I had known about it sooner. I also recently acquired a full set of luggage- and I can move 3 cases with 1 hand. (Take that, Port Agents in Fort Lauderdale!) I am just hoping that Saint Sam (as in Samsonite), the Patron Saint of Baggage Handlers, will bestow kind mercies on my luggage investment.

 

I trolled around the ship for a bit. I found the Japanese onsen (baths). They are really lovely. Several pools (outdoor and indoor), showers, dry saunas, steam saunas, and water features. I signed up for the five session pass for $60 (it is $15 for a single session). They offer both natural (nude) and ummm-- artificial (???) sessions. I am pretty sure that I will not be doing the commando thing. But you never know...

 

In contrast, I went to check out the Thermal Suite- and it is in pretty gnarly shape. The wet steam room out of order for the entire cruise. The other two steam rooms did not appear to be faring any better. Of the two heated stone beds I touched, only one was hot. It was a little sad in there- and I refrained from signing up.

 

***Disclaimer****

Please, do not take the next paragraph as if I am whining... I am just sharing information with you. My last 4 of 5 cruises have been on the Royal. And the other cruise was on the Emerald that had just come out of dry dock.

 

The Diamond is looking a little long in the tooth. Lots of dinged walls, frayed carpet, stained upholstery. She goes into dry dock soon, and I hope they give the old girl the much needed face lift that she deserves. In spite of some cosmetic issues, this will have absolutely no bearing on how much I plan to enjoy this cruise! I plan to really, really, really enjoy this cruise!

 

This was one of the better musters I have attended. The muster was located in Sabatini's.There was a seat for everyone- and almost all participants stayed awake. Oh! And no one blew the whistle. (I have to admit, I was a little disappointed- ). There was a whole group who trotted off to muster with their life jackets on, trailing the black straps...

 

I immediately headed off to the Sante Fe dining room for dinner. It is the halfy- halfy dining room. Half TD and half ATD. I have membership in the first group at a nice little table for 2. As I am a solo, I will be the only resident of this little hunk of real estate during early TD. I have a very nice wait staff- Virgil and Christian. Yep. This will work quite nicely.

 

For dinner I ordered the spring rolls:

 

Very crispy, with a nice peanut sauce.

 

A salad with lettuce and watercress and low fat honey mustard:

 

There was an overwhelming abundance of watercress...

 

And the leek and ricotta tarts:

 

An all time favorite of mine- and I was not disappointed.

 

For dessert, the flourless chocolate cake:

 

Delicious. Always consistently delicious.

 

I am going to have to quit here. In spite of the early hour, I can hardly keep my eyes open. I think I am just going to give it up and pack it in. There will be more tomorrow... So much more tomorrow.

 

Should I sing you a lullaby?

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TracieABD]

January 17, 2017

Again??? Really???

 

Hi Friends-

Muster is over- and you know what that means... We will soon be gone from Singapore and well on our way to lands far, far away. Nothing better than this. Nothing.

 

I am unpacked and settled in. I am also bone-tired-- so I think this will be a rather sparse evening. I do want to send a thank you to Pam in CA for all of her helpful packing tips over the years. I finally made the investment in packing cubes and envelopes (I use Eagle Creek) and does that shorten the process of unpacking. I wished I had known about it sooner. I also recently acquired a full set of luggage- and I can move 3 cases with 1 hand. (Take that, Port Agents in Fort Lauderdale!) I am just hoping that Saint Sam (as in Samsonite), the Patron Saint of Baggage Handlers, will bestow kind mercies on my luggage investment.

 

I trolled around the ship for a bit. I found the Japanese onsen (baths). They are really lovely. Several pools (outdoor and indoor), showers, dry saunas, steam saunas, and water features. I signed up for the five session pass for $60 (it is $15 for a single session). They offer both natural (nude) and ummm-- artificial (???) sessions. I am pretty sure that I will not be doing the commando thing. But you never know...

 

In contrast, I went to check out the Thermal Suite- and it is in pretty gnarly shape. The wet steam room out of order for the entire cruise. The other two steam rooms did not appear to be faring any better. Of the two heated stone beds I touched, only one was hot. It was a little sad in there- and I refrained from signing up.

 

***Disclaimer****

Please, do not take the next paragraph as if I am whining... I am just sharing information with you. My last 4 of 5 cruises have been on the Royal. And the other cruise was on the Emerald that had just come out of dry dock.

 

The Diamond is looking a little long in the tooth. Lots of dinged walls, frayed carpet, stained upholstery. She goes into dry dock soon, and I hope they give the old girl the much needed face lift that she deserves. In spite of some cosmetic issues, this will have absolutely no bearing on how much I plan to enjoy this cruise! I plan to really, really, really enjoy this cruise!

 

This was one of the better musters I have attended. The muster was located in Sabatini's.There was a seat for everyone- and almost all participants stayed awake. Oh! And no one blew the whistle. (I have to admit, I was a little disappointed- ). There was a whole group who trotted off to muster with their life jackets on, trailing the black straps...

 

I immediately headed off to the Sante Fe dining room for dinner. It is the halfy- halfy dining room. Half TD and half ATD. I have membership in the first group at a nice little table for 2. As I am a solo, I will be the only resident of this little hunk of real estate during early TD. I have a very nice wait staff- Virgil and Christian. Yep. This will work quite nicely.

 

For dinner I ordered the spring rolls:

 

Very crispy, with a nice peanut sauce.

 

A salad with lettuce and watercress and low fat honey mustard:

 

There was an overwhelming abundance of watercress...

 

And the leek and ricotta tarts:

 

An all time favorite of mine- and I was not disappointed.

 

For dessert, the flourless chocolate cake:

 

Delicious. Always consistently delicious.

 

I am going to have to quit here. In spite of the early hour, I can hardly keep my eyes open. I think I am just going to give it up and pack it in. There will be more tomorrow... So much more tomorrow.

 

Should I sing you a lullaby?

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Pushka]

Hope all goes wonderfully for you. And that the passengers behave this cruise.

 

So hi to Jani, Indra and Hini in the Sanctuary from Carol. They will look after you.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Pushka

[emmak8]

Thank you, Tracie, you are amazing! Your tips about the MRT and immigration card so helpful.

I hope I get to do half of what you did while in Singapore. 19 miles?? Not possible for me.

I called SIN about the explorer pass and the rep said the order is in, someone will call me to confirm.

I'm so excited about this trip ,thanks to your wonderful posts.

 

Enjoy every minute of the cruise!:)

[TorontoTL]

Loving your writing style and photos Tracie, thanks for posting your Live From.

[azbirdmom]

Really enjoyed your posts about your time in Singapore. We were supposed to start a cruise on the Sapphire from there in 2018 but Princess cancelled it! Will have to do a do-over of our own someday. Enjoy the rest of your cruise on the Diamond!

[Mom33]

First I would like to tell you how much I admire your bravery in undertaking a huge trip as this on your own. A special thanks for letting us come along with you! :) I doubt we will ever make it to this part of the world so I will follow you as you cruise enjoying your pics and reports.:D