My
Disneyland Paris trip has been and gone. Today we tied up most of the loose ends for our upcoming trip. Early on in the planning process, we were considering traveling between Hong Kong and Shanghai by train. However, the train does not run on the right day and also takes up rather a lot of time. So we have now booked a flight.
We will have one night in Shanghai before our cruise and this was probably the hotel I agonized about the most. At various stages, I explored staying near the airport, staying in the same hotel that we are staying at after the cruise or at least in the same area and staying near the port. In the end, I found a hotel near the port that I totally fell in love with and ended up booking this. The hotel is called Delta Hotels by Marriott Shanghai Baoshan and it is stunning.
The hotel has the added advantage that it is just over a mile from the port. In theory, we could walk, but I suspect we will hop in a taxi.
The second part of this three part trip is a 5 night cruise on Quantum of the Seas. We really enjoyed the cruise that we did on Quantum last year and decided to go back. This is going to be different. We have been on this class of ship three times now and have yet to experience one of the virtual balcony rooms as it always worked out cheaper to upgrade. This time round, it looks like we actually will have a virtual balcony cabin. However, it looks like we still get to experience the suite life. We have now reached Diamond status in Royal Caribbean. This in general comes with some perks like a happy hour with drinks and canapes every day. Most ships have a diamond lounge where the happy hour takes place and that also features a fancy coffee machine. However, as Quantum is exclusively sailing out of China and there are not many high status Crown and Anchor Society members in China, the ship has no diamond lounge. Instead, Diamond members are allowed to use the suite lounge. As a side effect, we will get the same privileges that people in suites have like access to the solarium and potentially even Coastal Kitchen. That would be very sweet indeed.
In terms of ports, we will revisit Nagasaki and I am pretty excited about this. Nagasaki really made an impression on me last year. We are kind of pondering checking out the Atomic Bomb Museum this time. We visited the Peace Garden and the Hypocentre last year. We are a little concerned that this will be a bit depressing, but it would be a shame to visit Nagasaki for the second time and not at least check this out.
What really pulls me this time so is Temple Street. There is a neighbourhood in Nagasaki that is full to the brim with temples and shrines. I absolutely love the traditional Japanese architecture and can't wait to see this.
Our second port will be Okinawa. This is a bit of a subtropical paradise, but we only arrive mid afternoon and the beaches are quite far from the port. However, Okinawa has a monorail and by the looks of things most sights are easily accessible via this. This is also a very cheap way to get around. An absolute must to for me is Shurijo Castle.
Again, I am drawn to the architecture of this. Right next to this is the Tamaudun Mausoleum, which was built around the beginning of the 16th century as the mausoleum for the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and looks fascinating.
If the weather is decent, I really want to visit Naminoue-gu Shrine. This requires a bit of a walk, but not only is this absolutely beautiful, but the views from the cliff on which this is built are also likely to be stunning.
The cruise will be rounded off by a couple of sea days and it will be nice to just chill out.