We went on the Sapphire Princess as it was our Sapphire Wedding Anniversary. We spent 2 nights in Singapore and we stayed in the Holiday Inn Atrium, which was excellent. Singapore, when we first arrived we couldn’t believe the heat. It was very humid and a bit like being in Florida. We absolutely loved Singapore. We recommend the Hop On Hop Off bus. It takes you right the way around the place. We loved Orchard Road and all of the shopping. It was simply amazing. The private transfers were excellent. We were taken on the third morning to our ship, the Sapphire Princess. Everything about the ship we loved. It was just a dream to be sailing in the South China Seas and seeing things we had only read about. Such as, the fishermen out at sea at night with bright green lights shining. First stop was Koh Samui. We couldn’t go to the beaches there because we got sunburned on our first day at sea, which has never happened to us before. So we walked around the town buying factor 50 suncream. Everything was so cheap. One thing we were amazed at in this town, is that in the many small shops, they ask you to leave your shoes outside. You walk around the shop in bare feet. Next, we visited Laem Chabang. We didn’t go to Bangkok because it was too hot we felt for the 3 hours transfer, so we went to Pattaya instead. This was a beach resort and we enjoyed sightseeing there. It was only a 20 minute shuttle ride costing $8 each. There is a good market to look around and malls too. After another day at sea, we arrived at port for Vietnam. During the day at sea, we would recommend spending a little money to get into the Sanctuary for half a day or a full day. We payed $99 each for a trip. This was expensive but it was the only way of getting to Ho Chi Minh City, which people still call Saigon. On the coach, we were amazed to see women in the paddy fields and the huts that they live in. Ho Chi Minh City is unbelieveably mad. Crossing the road is an adventure itself. Millions of motorbikes and mopeds. They don’t stop at traffic lights. You are advised not to stop but keep moving and they will go around you. This is our number one tip. Stopping causes accidents. We visited all of the main sights but ended up at a large market. More shopping! Things were a good price but beware, the sales technique can be very high pressure. There are malls here too. I just loved it so much, I want to go back again.
