Check on booking.com to see if the Salisbury YMCA is available for your dates within your budget. I've never stayed anywhere else. It's a very nice hotel in a superb location at the end of the Kowloon Peninsula, the posh Peninsula Hotel is its closest hotel neighbor. Star Ferry to HK Island is just down the street as are loads of shopping & restaurant possibilities. I think many here on Fodor's stay there. Highly recommended.

I see your dates are shown on otel.com for $170 a night & that appears to be the best rate among many sites. If you can stretch your budget to accommodate it I think you'd enjoy it.

https://www.otel.com/the-salisbury-y...32366636663664

Not wishing to be alarmist and it certainly would not put me off visiting Hong Kong, but in view of your comment "Safety is the 1st requirement!" , I would at least research in which areas most of the conflicts are taking place
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-...shot-by-police

Thank you for all your advice. I begin in Singapore and will book the YMCA there for pre cruise sightseeing. I found an incredibly well reviewed hotel in Hong Kong Island called Wan Chai 88 Hotel. Its very basic, but I'm fine with that. Hope it's ok!

Wan Chai? You'll luv it. The center of HK's action, and easy to get to Lan Kwai Fong (club hoppers delight). Eating out in HK is never cheap so be prepared for that.

There are quite a few demos in the Wan Chai area, but who knows what it will be like in January. It's a good location although I am not familiar with the hotel.
As mentioned, there are not many cheap options except for fast food, but you may want to look at dept stores like Sogo along the road in Causeway Bay or in the other direction for Pacific Place, it used to be cheaper and better options, but it's still not bad

Geordie, I read that Wan Chai is where many protests have taken place. But if this is still going on in January, who knows if the ship will even dock there! I did buy trip insurance and hopefully that will protect me if there's still trouble going on! But I'm rooting for the protesters!!!

During your short time in HK i can recommend Sai Kung as a quiet destination full of waterfront seafood restaurants and western pubs but at this time no hotel. Good hiking there too as the MacLehose Trail is 'just up the hill'.