gewi66

Hello!

We are plannung to book a cruise with the sapphire Princess from Tianijn Xingang (Peking) to Singapure in November 2014. Can anybody give us some information about the ports of call, whether it is advisable to plan excursions ourselves or to take part in organized excursions. Which organized excursions are advisable? Has anyone written a trip report about this cruise trip? Is it advisable to book the cruise separately from the flights in order to stay for a few days in Peking and in Singapure?
Thank you very much in advance for your rely.

Gewi66

jacketwatch

What are the ports?

Generally it is advisable to book excursions on your own. The ship charges a lot more usually.

I would try to get separate air fare to meet your needs though Princess has some flexibility for pre and post stays. I was able to get airfare for much less for our upcoming Princess cruise from my TA vs. what Princess air was offering.

jacketwatch

Just double checked and the biz class air for our cruise out of Yokohama in Sept. is $1400.00 more thru them on UAL and about $3300.00 more on Air Canada which is what we are using. Ask a TA for a consolidator for your air fare.

Good luck, Larry.,

gewi66

Hello Jacketwatch,

thank you for your reply and advices.

The ports are Tianjin (Peking, China), Pusan (South Korea), Nagasaki (Japain), Shanghai, Hongkong, Phu My/Ho-Chi-Minh-City (Vietnam), Bangkog (Thailand) and Singapur.

I will check separate air fares at my TA. I would not have thought that a possible price difference is so much!

The difficulty with booking excursions on our own is that I do not speak the local languages and do not have the necessary contacts. As far as it is possible we consider to explore the city next to the port of call on our own with the help of a good city map. However, I do not know for example if the distances from the ships exact location at the port to the ciy centers are too far to go on foot or if the ship offers a reliable bus shuttle transfer.

I was once on a cruise with the AIDA in Dubai, Abu Dhabi etc. and either the distance from the ship to the city could be made on foot or there were many taxis at the quay or the ship offered a bus shuttle transfer from the ship to the city center so that you could easily go to and return from it and spend the day on your own.

I would be grateful to get any information about the location of the sapphire Princess at the different ports of call and the possibilities to explore the city/place on our own.

Thank you.

Gewi66

jacketwatch

You will usually see the highest prices for air on the airlines website.

I was checking Expedia, Kayak etc.,and Princess air. At the time we booked, about 4-5 wks. ago the cheapest fares from Princess were on Air Canada which were the highest we saw among the options we looked at. Our TA got two biz class seats for about $800.00 less than Princess and about $500.00 less that Expedia and all were on Air Canada. The prices from Expedia are now about $200.00 more per ticket than from the time we booked.

As for the ports what I would do is google say private tours port of Nagasaki or whatever port you want and see what you can find. All these are popular ports so I think getting a private tour with an English speaking guide is worth looking into. HK and Singapore should be no problem at all. I'll bet there are plenty of private guides or taxis at the dock.

We are going to cruise Japan in Sept. and the ports are smaller so finding a private guide is proving hard to do. I did get one quote but is was ridiculous, like $1400.00 for one day in a private car. And I thought Israel was high! .

Good luck and please ask if you have any more questions.

Larry. .

jacketwatch

Oh and if you want my TA's number I can provide it for you.

gewi66

Hello Larry,

thank you very much for your answer! I will google private tours in connection with the ports and hope to find something. As I do not live in the USA, I unfortunately cannot make use of your TA's number, but nevertheless, thanks for your kind offer.

Now I have another question. What would be the best booking time for a cruise tour on the sapphire princess? Is there a change of price throughout the months before the start of the cruise or doesn't the cabin price usually change? My favorite cruise starts in November of this year and now I do not know whether to book now or to wait for a better (reduced) price. What do you think?

I am looking forward to hearing from you again.

Gewi66

jacketwatch

Tricky question. You may or am not save if you wait. It could also go up too. You can alsways book now and keep an eye on prices. If they drop your TA should be able to rebook for you unless final payment has been made. This happened to us once and we able to get a nicer cabin for about $500.00 less. Also you can get a preferred cabin like one away from elevators, not,above or below a bar,,etc.,

Any other questions pls. ask.

Larry.