Nautica Review

Nautica Hong Kong to Bangkok

Review for Asia Cruise on Nautica
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laisse bon temps roule
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
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Entertainment
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Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2016
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View

First the good - cabin was nicely appointed and extremely comfortable. We booked last minute and had to take a deluxe ocean view cabin on deck 4. We were pleasantly surprised! It was quiet, conveniently located just below the coffee bar which made it so easy to get my early morning cappuccino, dining room, nightly entertainment (walk one floor down when it was over and in our cabin in about 3 minutes while others waited for an elevator), and disembarking at ports. We won't bother to spend the extra money for veranda or above in the future as it just isn't necessary. Most people we met never even went out on their balconies -it was just too hot.

Food was excellent!! We were on the ship for 20 days and never got tired of the food. While the specialty restaurants are impressive, the Grand Dining Room is really good too. The sandwiches at the poolside Waves Grill are not to be missed.

Entertainment was surprisingly good -we liked that the nightly show didn't begin until 9:30 (giving us time to enjoy a leisurely dinner) and it was over at 10:15 -perfect timing for us!!

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View

Small but comfortable -bed is outstanding!! Bath is a typical small cruise ship bath but there was adequate storage and Bulgari bath products is a nice touch. Biggest plus was that the cabin was so quiet!!

Port Reviews

Hong Kong

Hop on Hop off bus is a good way to see HK (we arrived 2 days early and used this option). From port you can walk all over Kowloon or take the ferry (ferry stop right at the port) to the HK side. The nightly light show can be viewed from the ship!

Manila

We did a private tour with Filipino Travel with 3 other couples. Long drive to Tagatay Ridge, but lots of city sights along the way and pretty views once there. Coming back to the city we stopped for a walking tour self guided) of Intramouros which was interesting too. Too far to walk from port to anything (and it's HOT) but options include hiring a taxi or taking a pedicab into city center.

Singapore

Wish we had an overnight in Singapore -so much to see! Clean, architecturally rich, and easy to get around -felt very safe! Hop on Hop off bus is a good option but can be slow due to traffic. We wasted time waiting for an included walking tour of Little India that never happened (ask when you buy your ticket at port if it's available, don't go by the brochure). Their MRT is good also. We made china Town our last stop on HOHO and took the MRT back to port (a quick 2 stop ride). Local tour reps come on board ship and can give you all the info you need to get around Singapore.

Koh Samui

Pleasantly surprised at all there is to do here. We hired a taxi at port ($120 for about 4 hrs, split with another couple). We did an elephant ride ($21) -highlite of my trip as I got to actually ride on the elephants head!!, watched monkeys cut coconuts ($2) and had photo taken of monkey sitting on my arm, stopped at all the big temples/buddhas. We circles the island and got to see just about every sight. Other option is to hire a boat at port and go snorkeling/swimming off one of the beautiful smaller islands.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We were here during TET so it was a bit different than usual. Shops/markets were closed, but we had a private tour with Ann Tours. we did the usual sights - Palace, War Museum. PO, cathedral. But the best was walking from the cathedral to the river to see the New Year celebration sights - flowers all over, families dressed in traditional clothing taking photos, beautiful decorations! Another option is to take the shuttle right into city center. You can walk to Rex hotel, Central Market -but remember -it's HOT. Advantage of a tour is you get in an ac'd vehicle with cold water and towels provided!! we love d this city and wished we had more time.

Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

Ship docked at Klong Toey which is much closer to city (but heavy traffic makes it still a long ride). Ship wasn't clear about which port we were docking in until very late and time changed from 9:00 until 12:00 -no reason given. We actually weren't allowed off the ship until 12:30, so a disappointing short day. We did a private tour with BKK Tours -Air was very good and made good use of our short time. We had a wonderful lunch at the Navy Club, did a thorough tour of the Grand palace, did an interesting long boat ride on the canals, saw the flower market and Reclining Buddha. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for Cholon (China town) due to our change in port arrival.

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