Wansbrough's Cruise Blog

There was no hurry to get up this morning so we had a bit of a lie in. We braved the buffet for breakfast and easily found a table in the faithful spot we had only remembered about yesterday. Nicole had her best breakfast of the cruise, too, so I think going forward, this will be our preference. The only downside is having to stand in line to get your food, but given the alternative, it’s worth the hassle.

After breakfast, we went out on the open decks and did a few circuits for a bit of light exercise. It was cold, but there was a strong but very warm breeze. There weren’t many people braving it either, so it was easier to cover the ground.

While I have a spare moment, I will tell you about something we spotted a while back that we thought might be an interesting and fun thing to do while in Japan. What I am talking about are known as Eki Stamps, which are free, collectable ink stamps found at train stations across Japan, with designs that reflect the local area. Although originally set up for just railway stations, nowadays there are other places you can find them such as temples and museums. All you do is stamp your own book with the specially designed stamp so a bit like what happens with your passport. I even came prepared with a book that I found on Amazon.

We could have done this in Naha, but we completely forgot about doing it. There is an app to go with it, and it tells you where the locations are and if we had our brains in gear, we could have gathered our first 3 yesterday. And as we are visiting Japan next year too, it sort of sounded like it would also be a good way of exploring too.

Lunch was taken in the buffet which today and the selection was very mediocre, and while I ate okay, Nicole didn’t get any protein.

It just so happens we spotted the head chef wandering around so she went down and confronted him about the lack of protein and was told to just ask your waiter, we have plenty of tofu onboard, so just ask. If you can give us 24 hours’ notice and it will definitely happen. There isn’t a great deal to report today as things have been pretty low-key key so I will just sign off with my daily step count and a photo from our balcony tonight. I think we are in for a bouncy night.

Fitbit Steps – 13,201

Another port day today with some unusual timings, arrival at 2:30 pm and departure at 12:00 pm. So, to fill our morning, we just did a bit of milling around, and Nicole went to the gym for a while. For lunch and because of the fact we were getting off mid-afternoon we decided to use the buffet, which we knew would be heaving. It wasn’t until we got there that we remembered there was an upstairs section at one end that a lot of people either don’t know about or are too lazy to use. We found seats straight away, and it was just a case of joining the rabble to get the food. Nicole struck gold and managed to get some Chickpeas and a welcome source of protein, along with some other nice salad items. For a change, something went well.

Getting off the ship became a bit of an ordeal; we had missed the third piece of paper left on the bed that instructed passengers to pick up a numbered ticket for disembarking, so we had to collect one from guest services. We were given number 85 and so ended up being one of the last to leave the ship. Everything was being bottlenecked due to Japanese immigration checks on our first visit; we were told things would get simpler at the rest of the Japanese ports. I’m guessing this explains the unusual timings, as this was essentially a service stop.

Finding something historic and of interest left us pretty much with just the one option, and that was Shuri Castle, so we needed to get off the ship fairly swiftly to make it work. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and our number 85 was never called out. We just merged into all remaining numbers, and we didn’t leave the ship until 4:30. Immigration then took a further hour, and by the time we made it outside, the local taxis were few and far between due to it being shift change time. There were volunteers giving out information at the terminal and they suggested our best option would be to just walk into town, so that is what we did.

As we were out at our meal time, we used the Happy Cow app and found a vegan restaurant called LaLa Zorba, where we ordered several dishes for sharing. Absolutely delicious, and Nicole was a very happy lady.

To walk it all off, we pretty much walked the length of Kokusai Street, which is a popular tourist destination for its shopping, dining, and lively atmosphere. It was certainly lively and a great place for people watching.

We ended the evening walking back to the ship, which took 30 minutes.

Fitbit Steps – 16,842

Today was our first port of call for this cruise, and somewhere we had pre-booked a private tour. The company I booked with came as a recommendation on Cruise Critic, so I was confident it would work out okay and pre-arrival communication via WhatsApp was excellent. Our guide and driver was a young lady called Jennifer Yang, who was a freelance guide for Just Taiwan Tour, and our itinerary was as follows:

Pick up from Keelung port arrival hall at 09:00am

Transfer to Taipei city, Photo shoot atthe  Taiwan Presidential Building

Visiting. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall / Liberty Square

Visiting Lungshan Temple

Lunch at famous Yongkang Street / try Taiwan-style vegan cuisine

Photo shoot at Taipei 101

Return to Keelung port, drop off at 15:00pm

I will group my photos together at each of the places we visited to simplify viewing and add a brief explanation.

Transfer to the city took about 40 minutes, and we made a quick photo stop at the Taiwan Presidential Building. Being a Sunday morning, the roads were really quiet, and we were able to cross the city quickly without much hassle and were also finding parking spaces easy to find as well.

From there, we made our way to The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which is a landmark dedicated to the former leader. The walls are all decorated with white marble

We timed it perfectly to watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony and then climbed the 89 steps to see the bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek just inside the memorial hall at the top.

It was then back down to the ground floor for a quick look at one or two of the exhibits in the museum and to take a look at his library room. I loved the fact that many of the depictions of Chiang Kai-shek showed him with a big smile on his face. Much better than the usual stoney-faced ones you see just about everywhere else.

After a brief stop to photograph Liberty Square, we were on the move again and this time to visit Lungshan Temple, which is a well-known temple originally built in the 1700s and honours both Buddhist & Taoist deities. A lot of the detailing was absolutely stunning, and I hope the photos are able to show this.

Once we were done at the temple, it was time for lunch, and Jennifer had done her research and found three places that were practically vegan and whose menus were typical Taiwanese dishes. I can’t remember the names of what we ate, but I can tell you it was really tasty.

We wandered a bit around the local market to see and smell what was on offer.

Our final stop was the Taipei 101 for a photo stop and a quick look around the huge shopping mall at its base. We are not shoppers, and the mall could have been anywhere in the world. The queues to go up the tower were over an hour long, and the estimated total experience time was 2 hours, which we didn’t have time for, so maybe something to do if we ever come back.

We had a fabulous day, and Jennifer was the perfect guide, nothing was too much trouble, and because there were just the 2 of us, we could move swiftly around and see the must-see things. She was continually taking photos of us and then shared them over WhatsApp at intervals throughout the day. There were over 100, so we have some great memories of the day.

Fitbit Steps – 14,592

We didn’t actually retire to the cabin until gone 1:30 this morning, so it was an even longer day than I previously reported. After we had eaten dinner, we went back to the cabin, and Nicole unpacked. We then set about having a look around the ship to re-familiarise ourselves and also to see what changes we could spot. We ended up in the atrium and rounded the day off with a few drinks. Speaking to the Maître D during dinner, we asked about where to go for breakfast if you have special dietary requirements. His response wasn’t what we were expecting in as much as he said there were no special provisions for a vegan breakfast and suggested we should visit the buffet. On our last 3 Costa cruises, there has been a special vegan breakfast MDR menu, but on this one, it doesn’t exist; in fact, there doesn’t seem to be one for anyone.

So, we decided to get up around 7:00 and visit the buffet before it got busy and see what was available. We both had a quick coffee en route, which was very welcome after not much sleep. It turns out that there is very little in the way of things that Nicole can eat in the buffet; this was a major disappointment. So, irrespective of what we were told the previous evening, we decided to investigate the MDR for ourselves. We managed to find the area for people with special dietary requirements, and after about 20 minutes, managed to get a spinach crepe for Nicole along with some fruit and bread rolls. Not ideal, but better than nothing. We were sitting next to a lady who was gluten and lactose intolerant and she was getting a similar story. They told her that the food she could eat was in a container coming from Europe, and it hadn’t arrived, and they didn’t even offer to try and make her anything either. I think that is absolutely disgusting treatment; she left having eaten nothing.

Even the breakfast for me is going to be buffet style this cruise because the plated breakfast menu in the MDR is no more and the centre area is a self-service zone with pretty much the same options as the buffet. So, not only have they gone back 15 years with the muster drill, but they appear to have done a similar thing with the breakfast facilities. Cutting waste is what Costa describes it as. 😂

At this point, the signs are that it’s going to be a long cruise, so we might need to seize opportunities ashore to eat well; only time will tell.

We explored the ship some more before returning to our cabin to sit on the balcony. It was very blustery today, but the skies were clear, so out of the wind it was quite nice.

For lunch, we avoided the buffet and MDR., Nicole had vegan sushi, and I decided to have a pizza, and we took them back to the cabin to eat. Apart from the evening meal in the MDR, this might end up being the only way we can eat together at lunchtime. Btw, both pizza and sushi were delicious 👍🏻

Tonight was our first proper outing to the dining room, and we had opted for the first sitting, which was at 6:30. Having never had table companions on Costa other than people within our travel group,  it was great to find ourselves on a rectangular table of 8 and all English speaking too. We all got in famously, and all bodes well for the rest of the cruise as there was lots of lively chatting going on. We rounded the evening off in the Lunar Bar, which was really busy as it was between the two dining sittings.

Tomorrow is our first port of call.

Fitbit Steps  – 8,833

Today was a bit of an oddity inasmuch as we had to check out the hotel and then embark on Costa Serena. The ship wasn’t due until 3:30, and we had been given an embarkation slot of 7:00 pm. Part one was easy, we checked out and left our cases at the hotel,l ready for collection at 6:30. What to do to fill our time? Well, to start with, after breakfast we did a similar walk to yesterday and then set off to the Hong Kong Museum of History to see what is described as a Large museum showcasing the history & culture of Hong Kong from prehistoric to modern times

“The Hong Kong Museum of History is a highlight for history lovers. The museum was established in 1975 and attracts a large number of visitors every year. It is considered one of the best museums in the city. Expect to explore the 6,000 years of Hong Kong history through various entertaining dioramas and displays.”

When we got there, we found that it had been completely changed and is now something more akin with the People’s Republic of China’s version of events and nothing at all like the online description I spotted. The emphasis is now more about the new ruling country and its plans for the region. We didn’t stay long and came away really disappointed. I actually felt really uncomfortable inside.

So, what to do with our time now? Well, to start with, a spot of lunch at one of the bars along the harbour side promenade, which we dragged out for as long as possible while doing a spot of people watching. With 4 hours still to kill, we took a slow stroll along the promenade and were able to watch Costa Serena come into the Kai Tak cruise terminal. At least that went to plan.

It was a long day and very tiring, so with just 2 hours to finally kill, we went back to the hotel for a coffee and then waited the last hour out in their lobby. At 6:00 pm, we ordered an Uber and were picked up within 1 minute!!! The drive to the terminal took 30 minutes, and on arrival,l we were directed to the boarding hall and given the number 34. The numbers being called at that point (6:35) were 13.

We eventually got called at 7:40 to join the snake queue for registration. By 7:55, we were on our way to the hand luggage x-ray machine and finally at 8:05, we were onboard. Chaos then ensued because of the late embarkation; the dining was open seating, but not in the restaurant that was listed on the leaflets in the cabin. Nobody seemed to know what was going on.

Then after we had eaten, it was muster time, and that was diabolical. For some unknown reason, they seemed to have gone back to the old medieval physical method with life jackets on and standing in rows on the prom deck, but with absolutely no policing. In 19 years of cruising, it was the worst muster I have ever partaken in. People were just wandering off and not being stopped, and we were practically on our own at the end. Words escape me. We had some first-time cruisers with us, and what must they have thought? Anyway, we were late leaving Hong Kong, and Nicole had pretty much finished unpacking by the time we were moving. It’s been a long day, and this wasn’t what was needed. I am lost for words tonight.

I need to get a drink!!!

Fitbit Steps – 22,040

I was awake at 3:00 this morning and just couldn’t drop off again. Hopefully, I can fall into sync over the coming days as it’s a pain in the proverbial at the moment. As a result, I have also struggled with fatigue all day and it sort of made an impact on what we eventually did.

As I was awake, I did happen to notice Seaborne Quest pass gracefully by this morning on her way to the Ocean Terminal, which is close to where the Star Ferry’s come and go from.

Before we went anywhere else, we took a stroll along the harbour side as we had noticed it wasn’t busy first thing. We were able to actually walk in a straight line and at a reasonable speed, which is not at all possible in the evening when it’s busy. Job done and box ticked.

It was always our plan to take the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island and take the tram up and revisit Victoria Peak. We did the Peak last time, but were driven up as we were on a tight schedule. We achieved our objective today, and the timings worked really well with regard to queues. We had more time at our disposal, which allowed us to explore, and we managed to find some different photo angles that were different to the previous visit.

It was nice to not have to rush, and it was nowhere near as busy as last time. There were two ships in today as well, along with Seaborne Quest; Norwegian Spirit was berthed at the Kai Tak Terminal, and both of which had tours visiting the Peak, and luckily, we caught them going in as we were going out. With the exception of the ferry, we have walked everywhere today, which is always a great way to explore because you see so much more. On our route back to the ferry, we passed through Hong Kong Park and discovered a really interesting aviary full of all sorts of amazing birds. This kept us occupied for well over an hour, and worth a visit if you are ever in the vicinity.

After taking the ferry back, we visited the vegan cafe that we found on the first day, which is only a couple of blocks away from the hotel and had another really tasty lunch. The rest of the afternoon, we spent belt shopping for Nicole. We must have passed hundreds of shops, but not a belt in sight. Ladies obviously don’t use them in Hong Kong.

We were both totally exhausted this evening, so we have planned for just a couple of drinks out along the harbour side in one of the bars. Tomorrow we embark on Costa Serena.

Fitbit Steps – 25,311

After a comfortable night sleeping in a bed, we both felt revitalised this morning. For last night’s meal, we managed to find a Chinese Vegan Cafe just a few blocks away from the hotel, and the food was damn good and also very cheap. We have struggled to find anywhere else this side of the Harbour, so what was about the only option turned out to be the best. I never booked breakfast at the hotel as I assumed there were plenty of places nearby, which hasn’t turned out to be the case. So, at about £12 a head for the hotel buffet breakfast, we decided to give it a go. Again, this turned out to be the best option, and it will do just nicely for the 3 mornings we are here.

You might have noticed the hotel’s name includes “YMCA.” While there’s certainly a link, this hotel operates as an independent business. Sure, you’ll spot a few biblical quotes in the public areas, and there’s no bar, but what it lacks in nightlife, it makes up for in value and location. It’s cheaper than most hotels in the area and perfectly placed for getting around the city. For us, that balance of affordability and accessibility makes it a no-brainer. And it’s right next door to The Peninsula, which is the premier hotel in Hong Kong.

So, today we decided to venture further afield and returned to Lantau Island and visit the Giant Buddha.

To get there, we took a 40-minute walk to Kowloon Station, where we caught the train to Tung Chung Station and then the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car over the hills to Ngong Ping, where we then walked to the foot of the steps that take you up to the Giant Buddha itself.

What a great experience, and with some amazing views along the way.

After making our way back to Kowloon, we took a late lunch and early dinner at another eatery, which was vegan friendly for Nicole called the Light Vegetarian Restaurant, where we enjoyed two delicious noodle dishes. This particular place was in the top 10 places to eat vegetarian food in Kowloon and was full of locals. What made it more fun was that none of the staff spoke any English. After a brief visit back to the hotel, we ventured out for a couple of drinks before visiting the Space Museum, which was free on Wednesdays. We watched a film in the domed planetarium called “Building a Dream Palace” which was about the Chinese Space Station. Very interesting to see a different take on their space exploration ambitions.

Another full day tomorrow, when we will venture over to the other side of the harbour and spend the day there.

Fitbit Steps – 20,600

So the wait is over, and we have made our way to Hong Kong and ultimately Costa Serena in a few days. Our route consisted of a car journey to Heathrow’s Terminal 3, where we caught our Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. Our flight was 30 minutes late leaving, as we had to wait for 3 people to get off the plane. I’m not sure why they had to get off, nor why it took so long, but we eventually got airborne and were soon out over the English Channel. We have never flown with Cathay Pacific before, but found the Premium Economy seats very comfortable on their Airbus A350-1000. The in-flight entertainment left a lot to be desired, and it was just as well our flight was an overnight one. I couldn’t find anything of interest to watch or listen to, so after the in-flight meal was over, I tried to get my head down. While I’m on the subject of food, the menu looked very inspiring, but when my choice was placed in front of me, I was very disappointed. Not poor, just very mediocre and not a patch on the Emirates or British Airways offerings in their equivalent class. And on Cathay Pacific, their Premium Economy guests drink out of paper cups. What is that all about? Don’t ask me about the measures either!!!!

Anyway, I managed to get my head down for 4 hours and awoke with about 4 ½ hours of the flight remaining. Breakfast was pretty much the same; it looked good on paper but was very ordinary in reality. We landed in Hong Kong on schedule, and the temperature was a comfortable 21°C. We were swiftly through immigration and didn’t have to wait long for our luggage either. After working out where the designated Uber collection zone was, we made our way there and again didn’t have to wait long.

The journey to Kowloon took 39 minutes, and we arrived at The Salisbury YMCA Hotel at almost 3:00. We couldn’t have timed it better for checking in. Our room is on the 10th floor and has a harbour view, it is not a huge space but will be very suitable for our 3-night stay.

So, after being cooped up for what seemed like an eternity, we decided to go off and explore the area, get some fresh air, and do a bit of walking. Our walk took us along the harbour side and an area called the Avenue of Stars, which is apparently a must-visit destination for those wanting to experience the glitz and glamour of Hong Kong’s film industry. Stunning views and lots of names of people who we have never heard of, with the exception of Bruce Lee, that is.

After getting a bite to eat, we did some more walking, this time around the shopping area adjacent to the hotel. We hung around until around 8:00 so we could watch the Harbour Light Show called “A Symphony of Lights,” which is a multimedia performance held every evening at 8:00 PM. The show features searchlights, lasers, and lighting displays on over 40 buildings along Victoria Harbour, set to music. To be honest, I was totally underwhelmed by it, so I probably won’t make the effort again. Feeling tired, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and sleep. Today’s post is a bit garbled, so please accept my apologies for that. Hopefully, l can improve as the days pass. I’m out of practice!!!

Photos are all from my phone today, as I got lazy and didn’t get my camera out of the bag.

Must try harder tomorrow.

This was something I spotted that immediately required further investigation. We are big fans of Costa Cruises, and this itinerary had great appeal; it had even more appeal when we saw the prices. The itinerary looked great and will allow us to visit Hong Kong again, this time embarking as well as disembarking there and the other 7 ports will all be new to us.

The ship itself is familiar to us as well, having sailed on her in 2010. Since then, she has undergone a refit and, from 2015 to 2020, was deployed to the Asian market as part of a collaboration with a Chinese agent, during which the interiors were slightly adapted for the different clientele. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, she remained inactive for over three years, returning to service exclusively for the Asian market in June 2023.

Despite still being under Asian management, she has recently made voyages to India, the Caribbean, and back to Asia, making her current history quite intriguing. Our upcoming cruise will mark the first time she has been available to the European and global markets in a while.

Various news sources indicate that she is scheduled for another dry dock before heading to Hong Kong.

Our only drawback during the booking process was the cabin selection, which, because they were offering this area as 7-, 14 & 28-night cruises, deck 7, our preferred option, was not available for the 14-night cruise. The cabin selection wasn’t ideal, but we found a suitable spot on deck 6 that wasn’t situated over a noisy bar on deck 5 (see graphic below).

The past year was challenging, with house renovations, the terminal illness and then loss of my little brother. At times, we doubted if this cruise would happen, so we’re grateful to be travelling. Paul’s passing has motivated us to seize opportunities and not delay experiences.

So, there we have it – the bare bones of our next cruise and if you are reading this, then we are on our way to Hong Kong for our 3-night pre-cruise stay.