Cruises that avoid Hong Kong / suggestions for Asia cruises

[zitsky]

I'm looking at a 2019-2020 catalog and checking online.  But I'm not seeing the same tours.  For example, there is a 14 night Thailand, Vietnam & China cruise (1/20/19).  But I can't find it on the schedule for 2020.  This caught my interest because there is a stop in Hong Kong but it doesn't end there.  So if there are any problems while in Hong Kong you just avoid trouble areas or skip that port altogether.

 

Does anyone have suggestions for cruises that avoid Hong Kong?  I've heard good things about the Japan cruises.

 

We had hoped to take a holiday cruise in 2020, Christmas/New Year but I'm not finding many at least on Celebrity.  There is/was a holiday tour we were considering but I think my partner is uncomfortable with it because it stops in Hong Kong.

[jelayne]

Look at cruises that go from Singapore or Tokyo.  We have a Japan, Taiwan & Vietnam cruise from Tokyo and a Vietnam & Thailand from Singapore.

[mdpa]

We just arrived at Hong Kong last night for our SE Asia cruise. Walked around a little this morning and so far very glad this is the start of our trip.

 

One option would be to choose a cruise that ends in HK. This would allow you to get Celebrity transfers directly to the airport and might be combined with a mini-tour.

[zitsky]

40 minutes ago, mdpa said:

We just arrived at Hong Kong last night for our SE Asia cruise. Walked around a little this morning and so far very glad this is the start of our trip.

 

One option would be to choose a cruise that ends in HK. This would allow you to get Celebrity transfers directly to the airport and might be combined with a mini-tour.

 

That's great advice and I appreciate it.  Dr. Zitsky is worried about protests and getting to the airport or having it shut down because of protests.  But I think that's unlikely a year from now.

[mdpa]

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

That's great advice and I appreciate it.  Dr. Zitsky is worried about protests and getting to the airport or having it shut down because of protests.  But I think that's unlikely a year from now.

 

My family just spent most of the day walking almost everywhere and taking the MTR/Star ferry. No issues. We are really enjoying ourselves. 

 

I did see graffiti in one area but I needed to point it out to my wife and daughter because neither of them noticed it.

 

I do tend to be contrarian. I hear protests and think less crowds, lower hotel prices, and more personalized attention. 😉

[bigbenboys]

Check out cruises from Singapore/Singapore, Singapore/Tokyo, Singapore/Dubai, Singapore/Sydney. 

 

The Hong Kong government is clear: The city is still open for business. "Hong Kong remains a welcoming city for tourists and investors, a safe place for travelers from around the world," the government said on August 14 on a web page launched in response to traveler concerns. Aug 15, 2019

More than 60 million tourists expected in Hong Kong in 2018 as officials pin hopes on projects linking city to mainland China. In 2014, a record 60.8 million visitors came to the city. Last year, the total number of visitors was 58.4 million.

[Boatharbour]

We enjoyed our two days in Hong Kong in December at the end of our Millennium cruise to Japan and Taiwan. Admittedly there weren’t any protests planned at that time, but we were prepared to avoid those areas anyway. We didn’t see any evidence of trouble in the areas we visited. 

 

 Tourism is down as there were no queues for any of the attractions we visited and hotels were often offering discounted rates. There are plenty of threads on TA that give up to date reviews from current visitors and local experts. Personally, I wouldn’t forgo a cruise that includes Hong Kong. 
 

 

[Pushka]

In July we were going through HK to get to Athens, just in transit at the airport with Cathay, the airline of HK. Not a celebrity flight booking. Unfortunately Cathay cancelled our flight and the one on the way back. Many travellers were advised this week of similar, multiple flight cancellations.  Yes we were put on another flight but 18 hours later which messed up our next flight the next day. We have now cancelled without penalty because of the drastic changes and rebooked on Qatar. 
 

HK might be open for business but it’s the concern of cancellations that has prevented us going there now. 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Pushka