We started with the Bugis Street Markets, which we found underwhelming. The range of products was limited, with many stalls carrying the same items, and prices were no cheaper than those at home so we moved on to Raffles for the obligatory Singapore Sling. There was a queue for the famous Billiards and Long Bar but we only waited a few minutes before being ushered in and shown to a table. We’d been advised to ask for freshly made cocktails and this tip paid off, as ours looked much nicer than the premixed jugs we saw being served to other customers.

We spent our second day in Singapore at the famous Zoo. We arrived early for the Jungle Breakfast which was fabulous and well worth the extra cost. The buffet breakfast was magnificent, with a huge range of western and traditional dishes, all very fresh and using high quality ingredients. It was lovely eating breakfast while peacocks and other birds wandered around the tables. There were four orangutans brought out for the show, with the keeper explaining their histories and how they came to be at the zoo, as well as the conservation efforts the zoo is involved in. We were given plenty of opportunities to have our photos taken with these gorgeous creatures. Professional photos were available for purchase, but we were very happy with the many photos we were able to take with our own cameras.

After breakfast we spent a full day wandering around the rest of the zoo. There are many animal exhibits and enclosures to visit, as well as feeding sessions and other shows to watch. We paid $5 each to hand feed a giraffe, which was a fabulous experience and well worth the small additional cost. We were given ample time and didn’t feel rushed by the keepers at all during this experience. The Rainforest Experience was another highlight. We were lucky enough to arrive just as plates of food were being put out for the animals and so we had plenty of photo opportunities as bats, lemurs, monkeys, mouse deer and assorted birds ran and flew past and around us as they feasted on bananas and other fruits.

That night we went for a walk through Little India and dined like kings on a delicious range of curries and freshly made naan bread. It’s a very picturesque area and well worth a visit. The next morning we went for a quick walk along Orchard Road to check out some of the famous department stores before making our way to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre which was about a 15 minute taxi ride from the city centre. Our time in Singapore was short but very enjoyable, with our only regret being that we didn’t have time to visit the Gardens by the Bay which we have heard are magnificent.

This was our only tender port on this trip. The ship docked on time at 8:00am but unfortunately the tenders ran into some fishing nets on their first run which caused a delay, so we didn’t arrive at Nha Trang pier until 10:30am. We caught the free shuttle bus into the city centre and then went for a walk. We visited the Cho Dam markets and had fun bargaining for a few small souvenirs, then just wandered around the streets for a while enjoying the atmosphere. It was very hot and humid so we decided to head back to the ship at around 1:30pm, with time for some lunch and a swim before sailaway at 4:00pm.

Having done quite a lot of research before our trip, we felt that there wasn’t much to see or do in this port. We did disembark and have a look at the little market on the pier, but my husband and I then went back on board and spent the day enjoying the ship facilities without the usual crowds. My parents took a free shuttle bus to a nearby beach resort, which they said was pleasant.

My husband and I have been to Hong Kong many times before, but this was the first visit for my parents so we took them on a whirlwind tour of our favourite places. We disembarked as soon as they let us, at 8:00am. We’re not fans of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal as it’s so far out of the way and the transport options are limited. We jumped straight into a taxi and made our way to the Garden Road Peak Terminus and taking the famous funicular up to Victoria Peak. We recommend doing this first to beat the crowds, otherwise you can queue for quite a long time at the terminus. In addition to the usual smog it was quite an overcast day so we didn’t spend too long at the Peak before catching the tram back down the hill. We then walked through Central and along Queens Road to the Mid Levels Escalators which are a bit of fun, before walking across some of the many skybridges to Exchange Square and then to Central Pier. We caught the wonderful Star Ferry across to Tsim Sha Tsui, took the obligatory tourist photos at 1881 Heritage and window shopped along Canton Road. We then backtracked, strolling past the magnificent Peninsula Hotel for a look before wandering up Nathan Road for a bit. We bought Tourist Day Passes and caught the MTR to Prince Edward and went for a walk through Flower Market Street and then the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, before hitting the Ladies Market. We jumped back on the MTR and went to Fa Yuen Sneaker Street in Mong Kok, then caught the MTR again to Jordan for a walk through the Temple Street night markets. One final trip on the MTR back to Tsim Sha Tsui and we found ourselves a good viewing spot for the Symphony of Lights at 8:00pm, before catching a taxi back to the ship.

This was the second visit to Taipei for my husband and I, and the first time for my parents. The ship actually docks at Keelung which is approximately 30km from Taipei City. When you walk off the pier you will be mobbed by taxi touts wanting to sell their services. Their aim is to lock you in with a driver for the day by negotiating a fixed price up front, but be warned that this is very expensive. We ignored them and walked a couple of blocks away and then flagged down a regular taxi. We did this throughout the day and ended up paying around half of the daily rate we were quoted. Just make sure that the drivers are using the metre. We headed to the National Revolutionary Martyr’s Shrine first and watched the changing of the guard ceremony, which was spectacular. We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds and had a great view of the ceremony which takes around 30 minutes in total. We then flagged down a passing taxi and went to Ximending, a shopping district in central Taipei. We had a lot of fun exploring the different alleys and laneways including Little Hong Kong, Tattoo Street and American Street. At around 2:30pm we caught a taxi back to Keelung and spent some time exploring a couple of shopping malls and department stores before boarding the ship.

This was the second visit to Osaka for my husband and I but on our first visit we spent the day at Universal Studios, so this was our first opportunity to explore the city. Unfortunately the weather was cold and wet, so we didn’t get to see as much as we had planned. The ship was scheduled to depart at 11pm but we were advised by the Captain that due to bad weather we would be staying overnight at Osaka and departing early the next morning. We disembarked and walked to the nearby train station, where we purchased one day travel passes from a machine, with the assistance of an English-speaking attendant. We caught a train to Osaka Castle and walked through the surrounding park, admiring the stunning cherry blossoms. We caught another train to Shinsaibashi and explored the famous covered shopping arcades, before wandering through some of the smaller side streets towards the Dotonbori Riverwalk. We bought tickets for a Tombori River Cruise but unfortunately the rain had well and truly set in by this time so it wasn’t as much fun as it could have been. We decided to head back to the ship after this as we were all soaked through despite our rain gear. We had a look around the Tempozan Marketplace when we arrived back at the pier, and picked up some small souvenirs although the prices were higher than we had seen elsewhere. We went back to the ship and dried ourselves off and had something to eat, then at around 5:30pm we disembarked again and walked over to the Kaiyukan Aquarium. It was a fantastic experience and I would rate it as the best aquarium I’ve ever visited, and a must-do if you are visiting Osaka. There are many different exhibits including the famous whale sharks, which I could have watched for hours. There is also a shallow pool where you can pat small sharks and stingrays which was a definite highlight.

(Vung Tau). This port is listed as Ho Chi Minh City in the cruise itinerary, but the ship actually docks at Vung Tau and HCMC is 100km away. Rather than spend half the day on a bus, we booked a private tour of Long Tan and Nui Dat. We were picked up from the port at 8:00am by our tour guide. There were two other people on our tour, so we were a party of six plus the driver, our guide who was an Australian Vietnam Vet and a local Vietnamese guide who spoke excellent English. It was a full day tour and we visited the Bong Lai Orphanage, Nui Dat, the Vietcong tunnels at Long Phuoc, the memorial cross at Long Tan, a Buddhist temple, into Vung Tau for lunch at Belly’s Watering Hole, Long Hai lookout and the Museum of Worldwide Arms, before arriving back at the port around 4:00pm. It was a fantastic day and our guides were very knowledgeable, well worth the US$60 per person we paid.