Preliminary Information: Two Days in Hong Kong
My round-trip flights Los Angeles-Hong Kong will both be in Cathay Pacific's Premier Economy section, which provides early seating assignment, more legroom and increased seat pitch, and early boarding (important for getting that valuable overhead carry-on space). While these are both long flights, at least I will be able to stretch out a little bit. The eight-hour overnight flight from Mumbai to Hong Kong does not have a Premier Economy section, but at least I was able to pre-select an aisle seat. International airlines offer two free bags in luggage and one carry on at the seat. I had originally booked these three flights at the incredible price of $859. in economy, but decided my health and comfort is more imporant than a little bit of extra money, so I upgraded (still at a remarkably low fare) to Premier Economy. To put this in perspective, Will just paid over $700. for a round-trip economy flight Tucson-Syracuse in early May.
I arrive in Hong Kong on Tuesday 22 March at 4 pm, after a 15 1/2 hour flight, and have arranged for a private car service to take me to my hotel (Marco Polo Hotel Hongkong), in the very center of downtown Kowloon. Since it will be rush hour, the trip could take anywhere from 45 minutes to over 2 hours, depending on traffic. Last year, I took a private taxi; the ride was quite comfortable but the time and cost were outrageous because of the construction and traffic on the final few miles of the trip. The driver was very apologetic, but I still had to pay what the meter stated. The cost of the private car is less than I paid the taxi driver!
The Marco Polo Hotel Honkong is directly across the street from Ocean Terminal, where the ms Nautica will be docked (she arrives on Wednesday 23 March and spends the night in Hong Kong before I board on the 24th). A bellboy in bright red and gold official uniform carried my luggage and escorted me from the hotel to Holland America's ms Volendam last February, with no charge except a generous tip (which he seemed reluctant to accept). I hope to use the same service on this trip. The Ocean Terminal itself is part of a huge three-story shopping mall which can be accessed directly from the hotel. In fact, the Ocean Mall is also attached to two other very upscale malls, so I won't be bereft of window-shopping opportunities as I prepare to board the ship,
I will spend two nights in Hong Kong, enjoying the excellent food on offer as well as good nights of sleep after the long plane ride. I will use my one full day in HK to visit a number of places that I have missed on previous trips, about which I will report in later blog postings.
I have early boarding privileges on Thursday, 24 March, at 11am. I won't have much time for additional sightseeing in the morning, but I hope to be able to have a quick lunch on board the Nautica and then spend another few hours on land before final boarding call. Or I just might decide to stay on board and begin taking advantage of the amenities of the ship (including a nap in the queen-sized bed).
Countdown to departure from Tucson: 10 days
Countdown to cruise departure from Hong Kong: 14 days
Countdown to arrival in Mumbai: 32 days
I'll be back on the blog in a few days with more preliminary information about the ms Nautica and the cruise itinerary.
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