I Booked a Cruise - Again!

We are always on the lookout for discounted cruises and will often research cruises we want to go on but can't afford. We then check the prices every now and then and when a deal is offered, and we can do it, we book it.

But there are things that one needs to know when booking a last minute cruise, especially if the country visiting is a country not visited in a while. The latest we have ever booked a last minute cruise was the day before, and the destination was one we had been to many times, so that was easy - pack and go.

Our first trans-Pacific cruise was two weeks before departure and we did need to use a travel agent for that one as there were too many 'extra' things we had to book.

Our last one - before this one - was to New Zealand,  a place we love and have been to many times. We had been looking at that cruise since it first came out and it was way out of our budget. I kept looking and booked three days out from departure. Luckily our bags were almost packed from the last cruise and visas were easily done online.

But this recent one, booked 5 weeks before departure, was hectic indeed. We booked a 12 night cruise from Singapore to Brisbane.

Not only did we need to book flights, we needed accommodation, visas, transfers, currency etc etc.

Flights - we searched all flights direct and with one stopover. Many flights had long stopovers in either Sydney or Melbourne, Darwin or Bali - not ideal. Pricing was a big factor. We chose Jetstar (yes Jetstar) as it was a third of the price of the other airlines. It wasn't that bad, but the food was awful. Would we book Jetstar again..... maybe, depends on the price.

Accommodation was the easiest. There are many many hotels in Singapore and the prices range greatly. We wanted a good location, near shops and transport, included breakfast if possible, pool would be great. We chose Travelodge Harbourfront and would definitely stay then again.

Visas - what a nightmare. We needed visas for Singapore, easy to do online, although one of the passports scanned incorrectly and had to be redone at Changi Airport. Indonesian visas for Bali a different story. I used the official site, and over two days tried to get the three visas. I got numerous scam emails, many error pages when trying to pay. Will think twice before I book a cruise that goes to Bali again.

Currency - easy to get the currency for both Bali and Singapore at the local currency exchange, but working out how much we needed for each place was a little more difficult. For Bali, we knew that we were going to stay close to the port, and that there were markets and beer stalls. Bali was also the flight stopover. Peter used a credit card at Bali airport, and didn't spend anything when we were in port. Didn't need any Indonesian currency. 

We spent 5 nights in Singapore and planned to visit hawker centers that take mostly cash, so we needed cash. Well, most places used credit cards so very little cash was spent. The odd coffee or ice lolly, that's it.

Next time we will take very little currency.

Transfers - we needed to get from the airport to the hotel, and the hotel to the cruise port 5 days later. In researching for what to do, where to go, and how to get there, we decided on a 5 day Tourist MRT card @ $45Singapore each. We took the train from Changi Airport to Harbourfront and the hotel. We took a taxi from the hotel to the cruise port $16Singapore. 

Sightseeing - we watched a lot of YouTube videos and researched a lot of webpages and reviews of what to do and where to go. We used the Tourist cards to come and go via train and bus. Jon lost his card on day 3 so we used a credit card. When we got the bill for the last two days it was less than $9 Aust. Next time we will use a credit card instead of a Tourist Card.

We had a wonderful time in Singapore, and on the cruise and would do it all again.