21/22 FEB 2018 WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY

 

We had a stopover in SFO prior to the 12.5 hour flight to Shanghai. The Doubletree Pudong is much nicer than expected. Two towers, very new, with lots of open space. The upgraded room on the 30th floor was a nice elite privilege. Had a bit of trepidation with getting a 144 hour visa exemption but no issues with United or Chinese immigration. There is no way anyone would know that there was a separate customs area for visa exemptions so everyone had to wait in the general arrival line, then be told to go to a separate area. At least the Chinese agent wished me a happy birthday.

The 24 mile/38 km taxi from the airport to the hotel was only $25, indicative of the lower cost of living in China.

 

SHANGHAI FRIDAY FEB 23

Today was projected to be the better weather day so we decided to see Shanghai city sights and save Disneyland for the rainy day. The breakfast buffet was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Great selection with a Chinese flair, and complimentary for elites.

We taxi’d to Yu Gardens but the driver dropped us off a few blocks away and we wandered our way to the Yuyuan bazaar that still had many New Year exhibits and decorations. After winding through some new year displays we accidentally found the entrance to the gardens. We were pleasantly surprised that Senior discounts were 50% of normal price. The gardens were representative of old China, pretty but more confined with ancient rock walkways and structures, not the immaculate expansive gardens as seen in Japan. We followed the gardens with a mile and a quarter walk to the People’s Square and the Shanghai Museum which had long entry lines so we opted to skip it and headed over to the Urban Planning Exhibition Center. Frommers recommended seeing the scale model of Shanghai 2035, a vision of the city’s future and it was very impressive. Shanghai is China’s largest and most advanced city, and in fact the world’s largest city.  Another half mile took us to the Nanjing road pedestrian mall which ran another half mile to the Bund viewing area with a spectacular view of the Shanghai modern skyline. We decided to take the Bund sightseeing tunnel under the Huangpu river to the financial district where the Oriental Pearl Tower stands out among the other architectural wonders such as the Jinmao Tower, the International Financial Centre, the World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Center Tower. The World Financial Center is the world’s highest viewing platform at 492 meters so we went up to its Sky Pavilion on the 100th story with its glass floor where you can look through to the ground. All the major sky scrapers are connected by an amazing, elevated pedestrian walkway. After more than 22,000 steps/9 miles, we dragged our sore hips, backs, and feet back to the Doubletree.

 

24 FEB 2018 SATURDAY

The Shanghai Disneyland did not disappoint. It only opened in June 2016 so it is still new and very modernized, just like the city itself. It’s only 9 miles from the hotel so we got there early but waited in line for 30 minutes just to get into the park. We walked around the whole park but only visited the Soaring Over the Horizon, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Tron, and the Star Wars Environment attractions. Soaring and Pirates were fantastic rides that incorporates 180 degree immersive video screens. Tron was a cool, unique roller coaster, Peter Pan was an average ride, and the Star Wars environment was disappointing. The morning crowds seemed large but the park felt empty by around 2 pm when a slight drizzle started. Glad to see the Park was still celebrating the year of the dog.

Felt trapped to have to eat at the hotel restaurant for the second night and was disappointed again. Very expensive for basic, uninteresting food.

 

25 FEB 2018 SUNDAY

Took a walk to a nearby mall and found some small, homey restaurants right across the street from the hotel. Thought I was going to an electronics mall that Shanghai is famous for but ended up being a regular shopping mall with an Apple Store. Language has been a barrier a lot of places so far, even at Disneyland. English is not understood as much as in other countries we’ve been to.

Overall, I left been very impressed with Shanghai and can’t help but wonder if the US is really the most modern or technologically advanced country.

The boarding process was the worst ever. Someone said it was Majestic’s first departure from this port, so if true, it showed. Baggage drop off was a long line and wait, and that was before getting into the queue to fill out health forms and immigration, and that was before another line to board the ship. A little over a two hour process for a preferred boarding elite cruiser.

The Majestic was commissioned in 2017 and is Princess’s newest ship with 4000 passengers. It’s the same basic layout as the older ships but, thankfully, decorated more modernly. The main atrium is significantly upgraded, the buffet area has a more spread out concept that’s more seamless with the dining area, the dining rooms are, unfortunately, the same as old, the room bath sink and shower are larger, there’s a wonderful Hollywood conservatory and pool bar that provides a peaceful, luxurious quiet area to relax,  and there’s a skywalk with glass floors over the open ocean. Overall, a nice deviation from the same old. Internet plans are by download MBs instead of time which seems much more beneficial to the cruiser. The ship was designed for the Chinese clients so there is a noodle bar where the pizza bar normally is and there is now a sit down pizzeria. The best improvement is that there is no more printed pictures in the photo gallery. Now 30” screens display your pictures using face recognition. This cruise has about 1200 Americans, 1100 from the UK, and a lot from Russia and Germany so this has a much more international feel.

We signed up for the Spa Enclave again so we will have nightly aromatherapy steam, hot steam, dry heat, jacuzzi pool, and hot stone bed therapy.

BTW, Shanghai is one of the busiest ports in the world so there are over 800 ships in the greater port area waiting to enter.

 

27 FEB 2018 TUES HAKATA/FUKUOKA

The ship was allowed to arrive two hours earlier into port which had us wait to meet Machiko, our SGG tour guide. Wasn’t sure on immigration timeline so we cleared early on the dock and then waited back in the room. Machiko was prompt, in her 70’s, full of energy, and understood English very well. We met Anne from New Brunswick, and parents Stan, and Marie from Nova Scotia in the cruise center. Very nice Chinese who immigrated from Guangdong in 1954 when he was 12. Short walk to the International Port office to buy the all day bus pass and a 15 minute ride to the Tenjin area. A bus transfer and another 15 minutes dropped us off at the Fukuoka Castle and Ohori Park. The castle ruins provided a nice panoramic view of the city and the Fukuoka Tower and the park had the best view of plum blossoms. Machiko told us that plum blossoms were more revered in Japan until the Samurai age and cherry blossom became more prominent after the Samurais because they were representative of the Samurai deaths. We fell behind schedule because of the slow pace and many photo stops. We headed back to Tenjin station mall and had a sashimi lunch at one of the small restaurants. Spent some time searching for Yamasaki whiskey before taking a train to Dazaifu Shrine. We learned that a Shrine is associated with Shinto religion while a temple is Buddhist. Unfortunately, the plum trees were not in bloom as expected but it was still a beautiful place and we left just as it was closing. Thankfully the restaurant Machiko wanted to patronize for Umegae fried mochi was still open so we enjoyed the mochi with Matcha. Headed back to Tenjin for some Hakata ramen but then realized that we were cutting it close to the ship final boarding. We skipped the ramen in favor of matcha hunting and luckily caught an early bus back to the International Port Terminal and made back on board with an hour to spare. Anne and her parents are very pleasant and Machiko was a great guide to put up with us. Another 9 mile day.

 

28 FEB 2018 WED AT SEA

Busan is only a short distance from Hakata and is the second largest city in Korea. It’s 60% Buddhist and 40% Catholic and has an old and new part of the city. We were greeted at the terminal by a sexy K Pop girl quartet. Frank was our guide for the day and Kevin, Sa, and Josh from Ottawa joined our tour group. The 1300 year old Beomeosa Temple was the first stop with its bold turquoise colors. Many buildings and gateways made the temple grounds feel more expansive than the Japanese temples. Different enough to be somewhat interesting but a ho hum stop otherwise.

The Haedong Yonggusa Temple was next and was far more interesting and beautiful. Perched on a rocky cliff near the ocean, it was built on many different levels requiring walking down 108 steps to the main temple. Food and gift shops lined the walkway to a bridge guarded by lunar year animals. The stone lantern lined stairs led down to a golden Buddha sitting on a ledge above the surf. Further down through a tunnel emerged the main temple grounds. Another larger golden Buddha sat between temple buildings and was under the stare of another Buddhist goddess a hundred feet above on the mountainside.

Lunch was at a large Korean BBQ restaurant that caters to locals. The vegetables, condiments, soup, and meat were different than the KBBQs in the US. Too much food and it started to rain harder.

Decided to skip shopping downtown and close with the Ja-Gal-Chi fish market. The highlight of the day was a spontaneous abalone and conch snack. Frank grabbed some shellfish from the open marketplace and had us take it upstairs to a little kitchen that steamed them for us and served it with some Soju liquor. The rain was really pouring down as we were dropped off at the ship’s terminal.

 

1 MAR 2018 THURS AT SEA

Mildly rough seas so Karen took Dramamine as a precaution and slept all day. Lucky to find a private room in the Hollywood Conservatory where we camped most of the day. Finished Dan Brown’s Origin which had a ridiculous conclusion.

 

2 MAR 2018 FRIDAY AT SEA

Tonight was the first production show of the cruise, Fantastic Journey, and Princess exponentially upped its game with a fabulous show. The ship’s technology allowed the visual panorama of the stage to extend the full width and up the sides of the theater. The dancing and digital visual effects was a definite upgrade that included lighted drones and Cirque like aerial acrobatics. A home run show.

 

3 MAR 2018 SAT HONG KONG

The new Kai Tak cruise terminal was built on the runway of the old Hong Kong airport and was opened in 2013. It has the futuristic design of a Star Trek submarine with gardens, ponds, pedestrian walkways, restaurants, and shops on the upper floor. Today was a foggy and muggy 73 degrees. Steve was a funny, enthusiastic guide for our Best Of Hong Kong ship tour. The terminal is actually on Kowloon Peninsula and we bussed through a tunnel under Victoria Harbor to reach Hong Kong and the Victoria Peak funicular and observation center. Unfortunately the fog obscured the panoramic view of the city. We drove down from the Peak to Aberdeen harbor where we boarded a sampan and cruised around the “junks” in the harbor. We returned to the Jumbo floating restaurant for a dim sum and noodle lunch. The food was unspectacular and less satisfying than going to Monterey Park. We then spent some time at the Dynasty Jewellery (sic) factory before arriving at Stanley Market. The market has swap meet style stalls that lead to a boardwalk with restaurants leading to a pier and an outdoor shopping mall. Saw nothing of interest but caught up on email with free WiFi. The final event of the day was a cruise around the harbor on a large junk. Got a close up view of the HK Ferris wheel and of the sky scrapers lining the harbor, many with large rooftop video boards. The evening show was a traditional dragon and lion and drum dance with a Kung fu demonstration. Today we met Karen from Hilo and Kalani high school who we caught passing out Macnuts to the sampan driver.

 

4 MAR 2018 SUNDAY AT SEA

Watched the nightly water and light show on the pool deck for the first time. Streams of lighted water up to 30+ feet high synchronized to music reminded me of a Bellagio wannabe.

 

5 MAR 2018 MONDAY AT SEA

The Majestic Princess is a sister to the Royal and Regal Princess and is unique because it has been serving a Chinese only clientele from Shanghai to Keelung and back since it was put in service. I believe we are the first international passengers on the ship and it will carry one more international cruise back to Shanghai and then return to Chinese passengers only in April. It is the only ship that conjointly carries a second Chinese name that translates to Golden Age Princess.

 

6 MAR 2018 TUES HO CHI MINH CITY

It was Groundhog Day since most of the tour sights were the same from two years ago. There’s now an expressway from Phu My to Saigon that cuts the commute from 90 to 75 minutes. Traffic today was mild slowing down only when approaching the city center. Zoom was our private guide for the day and he was very efficient keeping us together. The Rex Hotel, the major journalistic hub during the war, was new. A terrace restaurant on the 5th floor is where they held twice daily news conferences and where we had some very strong iced coffee. The Hoi Quan Tue Thanh Chinese temple was very old in a poor state of repair and had too much incense. Incredibly ornate figurines lined the rooftops made it special. Repeat lunch at Pho 2000 where President Clinton ate. Food was still very good with the best spring rolls ever. Obligatory shopping across the street at Ben Thanh Market where I couldn’t help myself from trying to get the best bargain again, just like before. A boring stop at a lacquerware workshop and a depressing stop at the War Remnants Museum followed. Photo stops at Independence Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Saigon Post Office concluded the day. Passed General Westmoreland’s and Henry Cabot Lodge’s residences. Westmoreland was US commander in Vietnam from 1964-1968 and Lodge was involved in the assassination of the South Vietnamese leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, in 1963. Ron and Fran from the UK joined Sa, Kevin, Josh, Anne, Stan, and Marie on the tour. Their son was a wounded warrior in Afghanistan and was invited to climb Mt Everest with Prince Harry.

 

8 MAR 2018 THURS BANGKOK

Wasn’t sure what to expect from Ayutthaya but we discovered that it was the capital of Thailand for 400 years before Bangkok became the capital in 1790. The city was destroyed in the second war with Burma even though Thailand won the war so King Rama I moved the capital to Bangkok rather than rebuild Ayutthaya. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heat and humidity was oppressive today that made it hard to enjoy walking outside the bus. The city is a full three hours from Laem Chabang Port and you pass through Bangkok to get there. The Royal Summer Palace was an example of the new in Ayutthaya. Pretty gardens surround a lake and the palace buildings. Tony, our guide, was so demonstrative and enthusiastic as he told us the history of the Rama family. Visited the ancient whatchamacallit temple, actually the Watyaichaimongkhol, that featured a large pagoda surrounded by 99 Buddhas. Lunch was at the Kanary Hotel that provided a welcomed respite from the heat. The afternoon covered the ancient parts of the city. Wat Mahathat is an ancient temple that was severely damaged in the Burmese war and most all the Buddhas are missing heads. The ruins reminded me of a Thai Pompeii. A popular photo op is a Buddha head that has been encased a fig tree root system. Wat Phra Si Samphet was established in 1448 and was our last stop of the day. Three large pagodas are at the center of the temple grounds. We saw people on elephants taking a riding tour of the area but we didn’t have time for a ride. Adjacent to the Wat was the old Royal Palace pagoda that had a very large gold Buddha.

Thailand is the major Buddhist nation in Asia and all men become monks for 3 months when they turn 22 to learn all the teachings of Buddha.

 

9 MAR 2018 FRIDAY AT SEA

Had to return to Laem Chabang at night due to a medical emergency. Captain says he is able to recover time and make it to Singapore with no delay. Karen fell ill today.

Didn’t think Princess could have a better production show than Fantastic Journey but they proved me wrong. Fiera is the closest thing to a Cirque from a prop, costume, and storyline perspective. A love story at a carnival circa 1930, it was a stunning show with lots of great visuals and fabulous singing performances. So good, I went back to the second showing and it is a show better seen from up close to admire the costumes and moving props.

 

10 MAR 2018 SAT AT SEA

The captained told us that Singapore is the busiest transit container port in the world followed by Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Busan so we visited the top four in the world. Also had another medical emergency on the ship and they are looking for people to donate blood. Unfortunately must have a blood donor card. Joanna Rugayong and Faustinus Maraya were the best waiters at the Symphony dining room. Faustinus serenaded Karen and I to Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love With You at dinner in celebration of our birthdays. Russell Buenaventura was our very nice cabin steward.

 

11 MAR 2018 SUNDAY SINGAPORE

Disembarkation went smoothly and we got to the Hilton Garden Inn Serangoon by 9. HGI is very nice and is 100 feet from the main street through Little India. Upgraded room on 15th floor wasn’t ready so sicky Karen rested in the lounge while I went to the Mustafa Center looking for antibiotics. Mustafa is a huge, crowded, discount low end shopping center with pharmacy but prescription required.  Didn’t spend too much time before catching a taxi to Far East Plaza on Orchard Road. Browsed a little then walked along Orchard through the dizzying array of 22 high end malls. Heavy crowds on this Sunday but still hard to believe they could sustain so many shopping areas. Back to the HGI and a little more roaming Little India where I found the grand bazaar of food courts. Madhouse of food stalls, mostly Indian but many Chinese and many tea drink places. The taxi driver warned us of the crowds so I took his advice to do shopping tomorrow.

Karen still wasn’t well enough to go out at night so I went to the spectacular Gardens By The Bay with Anne and Stan. Marie was also too tired to go out. The Gardens are actually three attractions, the Cloud Dome, Flower Dome, and Supertree Grove. The Domes are unbelievably large glass enclosures that house the attractions. The Cloud Forest was the most amazing. A seven story, 138 foot mountain simulating the tropics with stunning aerial walkways more beautiful than the real thing. The Flower Dome is the largest glass enclosure in the world and has many flora from various regions of the world including a huge Japanese garden and a California garden. Most unusual was the many animals shaped from tree branches and bark. We barely got out of the Domes to see the 7:45 Garden Rhapsody light show which was another amazing display of lights and technology. The Supertree Grove includes 12 man made trees up to 150 feet high that simulate the function of real trees by collecting energy, water, and has intakes and exhausts as part of the cooling system of the park. The light show is a dizzying array of lights to music that remind you of a fireworks show. There is an elevated walkway 100 feet above that connects 5 of the trees that closed at 8:30 that I will have to come back for. This massive garden is one of 3 areas built on reclaimed land, the other 2 areas are still being developed in a similar manner.

 

12 MAR 2018 MONDAY

Took Karen to a medical clinic across the street from the hotel to get some antibiotics. I felt somewhat safe being in Singapore that has strict controls over everything.

Decided to explore on my own today so I opted to try the MRT rail system to Merlion Park. Beautiful walk alongside the river past the big Merlion (Mermaid lion)guarding the bay to the “Durian” Esplanade Art Center. Found a way into the center through an underground access but got turned away from crashing a concert. The walk reminded me of Sydney Harbor with lots of iconic sights to see all around including the “Lotus” ArtScience Museum and the ubiquitous Marina Bay Sands. Took the MRT back to Gardens where I did the Skywalk. The elevated walkway has unbelievable views that distracted my acrophobia enough to enjoy it. Walked around the other 5 gardens south of the Supertrees that I didn’t know even existed, including a 60 ft naked baby statue doing a hand stand. The MRT Bayfront station is next to and connects to the MBS Hotel. Came back to Little India and tried to buy cheap electronic stuff. The MRT is extremely easy to use, everything in English, lots if info, only 5 colored lines instead of the countless lines in Tokyo, and so clean and new.

We tried a Viator excursion with a guide and driver to make it easier for Karen to see the Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens by the Bay, and a river cruise tonight. We had a big group and I’m always irritated when someone misses a meet time or gets lost and holds up everyone. Weather was perfect for the great Garden Rhapsody light show and we had lots of time to wander around.

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is incredible. Built in 2010 at a cost of $8.2B it also includes a museum, casino, 380 retail outlets and over 2500 guest rooms. Three curved, sleek towers are connected by the Skypark, a streamlined boat resembling structure at the top that contains a large garden, infinity pool, restaurants, clubs, and an awe inspiring observation deck that looks over the entire city. The Skypark is longer than the Eiffel Tower is high.

The Singapore River was converted to a lake when land was being reclaimed for the Gardens area. We took a boat cruise from the MBS around the river/lake that enabled us to view a large area of the city that would be impossible to do otherwise. Cruised past the financial center, the historic area, the Merlion, and waterside shopping areas under many bridges and ending at Clark Quay Center, an outdoor shopping area covered by large, beautiful, light changing canopies.

 

13 MAR 2018 TUESDAY

Sir Stamford Raffles is recognized as the founder of Singapore when he negotiated an agreement with the Sultan and Malay Government in 1824 on behalf of the British Empire. He recognized the strategic location and deep water port’s importance to commerce and trade in the region. Singapore became an independent state in 1965.

Yes, I went to the Gardens by the Bay for the 4th time today. It was Karen’s first time to see the Cloud and Flower Domes. It was actually sunny at times and the Cloud Forest is still spectacular. At the Flower Dome, more fruit blossoms were open than just two days ago. Karen was also able to do the Skywalk at the Supertree Grove. We had a great lunch at the Supertree restaurant at the top of the largest Supertree. Delicious food with unparalleled view from the restaurant and the rooftop bar. I also wanted Karen to have an MRT experience so we took the rail system back to the HGI. She was still weakened from the flu so she barely made it to the bed.

Visited the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on the way to the food court. Very ornate and colorful figurines everywhere representing many Indian deities. It’s one of the oldest temples in Singapore.