Well its been a few months since we got back but the memories are as fresh as ever. For those about to embark on this trip you will have a fantastic time. The ship is great and the locations varied and most stunning. I’ve put this last page together to help people navigate the site a bit easier. As some of the blog was done whilst on board and the rest afterwards the dates and flow now don’t work so well. Anyway enjoy the read and if you have any questions post away.
Itinerary / Links to pages
Getting there from the UK and Singapore Hotel
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Vietnam
Nha Trang – Vietnam
Hue (Danang) – Vietnam
What about Money?
So then what money do you need? Your going to what 5 different countries and even more destinations but what currency do you need for each location?
Singapore – Get some Singapore dollars, on our cruise it was our first destination and we arrived late so not the best time to go wondering for cash machines so get some Dollars before you go it this is your starting point. We got £60 equivalent at most of that went of the very expensive Singapore slings.
Bangkok – Get some US dollars in fact get plenty as you will see later. We never got told any prices in anything other than dollars especially from all the street sellers.
Vietnam - Again get some US Dollars as you can’t get the Dong outside of the country people rarely seem to use it. We were able to buy things in US dollars at reasonable rates with little problem.
Hong Kong - Yep get some Hong Kong dollars here, we got a few before we arrived and got more out of the machines with only a small charge. We did HK on our own and had a meal and spent approx. £150 but transport is very very cheap so this is only if you are eating and buying things.
China - You need some RMB (Renimbi) for the other Chinese locations you don’t need any for Hong Kong get HKD. We used a fair amount in Shanghai but virtually nothing in Xiamen and Sanya.
But where should I buy?
As for where to buy, well the cheapest places to get things are Bangkok and Vietnam by a long way. So if you are starting in Shanghai wait until you get to them. Hong Kong Night markets are the exception though but barter very hard. We got 2 100% silk scalves for $180HKD but they start at $180 and $120 each, so walk away and come back and the price will leap down, some great bargains to be had.
Need to get some washing done?
The ship will give you a bag towards then end of the first week to get some washing done, there are no other washing facilities onboard. Its not expensive and people that used the service were impressed.
I need some help getting around!!
Well the best books we have been able to find for this type of holiday is those below. They feature a popout map at the front and back of the book that has more than enough detail to get about with. In all three locations these are all we used to get about with, they are small enough to put in your pocket but have all the information for the day or two that you are there. I really can’t recommend them enough and if you click the links below and but they from amazon they are less than £5 each, oh and you help the site.
Last but by no means least VISAS
Firstly don’t forget to get your Chinese VISA. Almost 100 people didn’t get one on our ship and almost had the cruised ruined. You need a double entry VISA, some say a multi but nobody with a double had problems.
For the other location you are given all the forms and instructions you need on the ship. They charge these direct to your seapass account on board so you don’t need to get any other VISA’s before you board.
Oh and one last thing if you are IRISH you do need a visa for Hong Kong, a few people got tripped up by this. And lastly check that the country you are coming from is allowed to get into China. Believe it or not 3 couples weren’t allowed to board the cruise in Singapore on our cruise because they were from countries not allowed into China, you have been warned.
Thank you so much for all the information you gave out, I found it to extremely useful. My husband and I are going to the far east in October on Voyager of the Seas and visiting Bejing, Hong Kong, Xiamen, South Korea, Bangkok, Vietnam, Japan and Singapore. I will go to the Chinese consolate to get my visa. When you arrived at the airport in Asia were you met by a representative of RC? What month did you go? Did you find that cameras, video cameras were cheap to buy? Thank you again.