Hong Kong to Singapore: our Celebrity Solstice cruise

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We didn't put our Christmas tree up this year. Lucy and I went away just after my thirtieth birthday, and by the time we got home it would be Christmas Eve. We'd never missed most of the December run-up before.

We'd found a really good deal on a Concierge Class room aboard Celebrity Solstice: twelve nights from Hong Kong to Singapore, with stops in Vietnam and Thailand. We added a few nights in Hong Kong before sailing and one in Singapore afterwards. There would be plenty of Christmas trees on the ship, as it turned out, and quite a lot of celebrating still to do.

Hong Kong, through the jet lag#

Our first three nights were at the Mondrian. I really liked it: clean, a bit funky, with an unusually shaped room and an amazing view. We were less successful at adjusting to the time difference. By seven or eight in the evening we were falling asleep, then we'd be wide awake at three in the morning. Easily the worst jet lag we've had, and something to try to handle better next time.

Taking the ferry across the harbour and riding the Peak Tram were two of my favourite parts of Hong Kong. The journey uphill was fun, and looking down over all those buildings and lights was a pretty impressive introduction to the city.

We spent plenty of time looking for food, too. It was good to be back in 7-Elevens after Japan. Lucy also became obsessed with the Starbucks destination mugs, which gave us an extra reason to wander into cafés. We would pop in, inspect the mugs and quite often leave without buying a drink. This continued for the rest of the trip.

Disney, four out of six#

Hong Kong Disneyland was our fourth Disney resort, after Paris, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney. We're getting there. We'd really like to visit the remaining two and complete the set.

The park felt quite small, and we only had a day here, so the queues ate into our time. Big Grizzly Mountain was my favourite ride, although I think we only managed a couple of goes. For rides overall, Hong Kong was probably my least favourite of the four so far. I like the bigger coasters, and this selection felt gentler and more geared towards younger children.

There was still a lot to enjoy about being at Disney together. Some of it reminded me of Paris, while the much cheaper food and merchandise reminded me of Japan, especially compared with Florida. Lunch at Starliner Diner was burgers and the very green Green Gamma Gulp drinks. Even with fewer big rides, it was fun to see how another Disney park does things.

A cable car to the Big Buddha#

The Ngong Ping cable car was another highlight. We crossed the water, climbed over the hills, and had this enormous drop beneath us. I remember looking down and being amazed by the distance to the ground.

The Big Buddha sits above a long flight of steps, with the people climbing towards it making it look even bigger. We also visited Tai O, where boats passed between the buildings along the water and houses stood on stilts. Between that, the Peak and Disney, we'd fitted a lot into our few days in Hong Kong.

Christmas aboard Solstice#

Boarding Solstice meant moving into our home for the next twelve nights. There were Christmas trees in the atrium and decorations around the ship. It was strange to be having this December holiday so far from home, but we hadn't escaped Christmas altogether.

The room got off to a less promising start. Our first cabin was directly below the buffet's washing-up area, where they worked through the night, so we couldn't sleep. Thankfully, we were moved to an accessible cabin that was about twice the size, in a great position with a huge balcony. It worked out brilliantly in the end, and we were very happy with where we'd landed.

We'd sailed with Celebrity before, and knew where we'd want to spend the sea days: the Solarium. It's adults-only, with a pool and hot tubs under a big glass roof. You get the light and the feeling of being outdoors while sitting inside a huge conservatory. We could happily spend most of the day there, with the Spa Café close by for drinks and snacks.

We also really like fixed dining. We'd watch the show first, then head to dinner at the same time each evening. It gave us a nice routine. The dining staff were amazing. Soraya was so sweet, and we have especially fond memories of her.

The food was incredible, too. We had the prime rib of beef twice, with the best mash, and there were plenty of desserts. Dinner became one of the things we most enjoyed about being aboard.

Occasionally we'd go to one of the onboard game shows after dinner, then finish up at Café al Bacio for a cookie each before heading back to the room. However much we'd fitted into a day ashore, the evening would end with our cookies.

Ha Long Bay, from boat to boat#

Ha Long Bay was the place I most wanted more time in. For natural beauty, nothing else on this trip came close. The limestone islands looked like something from another world, with more of them appearing behind one another across the water.

We went from Solstice onto a much smaller cruiser, which was fun in itself. It brought us down among the little boats and closer to those huge cliffs. Our guide, Peter, was friendly and knowledgeable, and there was a lot packed into the excursion.

Surprise Cave was one of the highlights. The chambers opened up around us, with formations hanging overhead and paths winding between them. Coming back outside meant another view across the boats and islands.

At Luon Cave we chose a bamboo boat rather than kayaking. Being rowed along so close to the water, beneath the cliffs, was wonderfully peaceful. There were monkeys on the rocks as well.

The day also included an oyster-farm stop and a climb for a view over the bay. From up there, the boats looked tiny between the islands.

The excursion lunch wasn't our favourite, and we were glad to have dinner back on Solstice. It was a small disappointment in an otherwise incredible day. The following morning we went ashore again for a look around Ha Long Market before continuing south.

A packed day in Huế#

We booked a private car from Chan May for Huế. We'd only paid for a driver, but he also made suggestions about where to go, which helped us fit in far more than I would have expected in a day.

There were three royal tombs: Khai Dinh, Minh Mang and Tu Duc. Khai Dinh had the elaborate decoration and rows of stone figures, with an interior that gave us plenty to look at even after we'd been around the outside.

Minh Mang and Tu Duc brought gardens, bridges, water and pavilions. The tombs were different enough that it didn't feel like we'd simply gone to three versions of the same place.

We also made it to Thiên Mụ Pagoda beside the Perfume River, the Imperial City and Đông Ba Market. Somehow there was time for supermarket food, Starbucks and a walk by the river as well. What I remember most is how much we managed to see, and how well having that flexible arrangement worked. Our driver kept us moving without us worrying about getting back to the ship.

Birthday surprises from Lucy#

My birthday had already been and gone before we left home, but Lucy had more celebrating planned. She decorated both the cabin and our door for my thirtieth, with birthday bunting inside and a colourful birthday-cruise sign on the door. She also put together a scavenger hunt around the cabin, with fun clues to follow and Reese's Pieces hidden as rewards.

The final clue revealed the surprise: Lucy had booked Le Petit Chef for us later in the cruise.

A tiny animated chef goes to work on the table in front of you, with the food arriving between the scenes. It was pretty cool watching it all happen around our plates. I enjoyed the Wellington, although for me the main attraction was the whole experience. It was a lovely thing for Lucy to arrange, and something I'm glad we did together.

Ho Chi Minh City, and the mug hunt#

In Ho Chi Minh City we had another private excursion, this time with a guide, Blake. He was friendly and informative, taking us around the city with stops for bánh mì, coffee and iced tea along the way. We saw the Opera House, the Central Post Office and the Independence Palace.

The Starbucks mission was going well, too. We found the Hong Kong and Vietnam mugs, which are already two of our favourites. We'd have liked to get the others, but the designs we wanted proved elusive. There was something quite funny about repeatedly going into Starbucks in different countries purely to look at mugs.

Bangkok in elephant trousers#

Bangkok was probably our most tiring day ashore. The taxi from the ship took a long time, so we arrived with less time to explore than we'd hoped. Around the sights, people kept approaching us with offers of tickets and other services, which became wearing.

We did enjoy the temples, though. The gold and tiled roofs at the Grand Palace were impressive, and we'd bought a couple of pairs of cheap elephant-print trousers from a little market to meet the dress requirements.

I'd also bought a bag for our shoes at the same time as the elephant trousers. When we needed to take them off, I put them in the bag and carried them with us. No need to leave them with anyone; we could just put them straight back on when we came out.

We made it to ICONSIAM and had a look around the markets as well, but the travelling took a lot out of the day. The following day's walk by the beach in Pattaya was a welcome change of pace. We were back aboard for sunset, still in our hats and sunglasses as the sun dropped towards the water.

Koh Samui at an easier pace#

We went ashore by tender on Koh Samui, with Solstice looking enormous behind us. This was an incredible day: a visit to Wat Kunaram, the views from Lamai Viewpoint, a really good massage and time to wander by the beach, eat and get a drink.

The viewpoint was a highlight. We could look out across the buildings and trees towards the coast, and it was worth taking our time up there. Koh Samui felt much more expensive than mainland Thailand, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Even the pharmacy was a good experience: helpful, inexpensive and able to get us what we needed. By the time we were back on our balcony, we'd had a very full day without it feeling anything like the rush around Bangkok.

Back to Singapore#

It was lovely to return to Singapore after our Singapore and Bali honeymoon. We had one night at the Fullerton before flying home. The building was incredible, though the stay didn't quite meet our expectations. As we'd found with our hotels in Japan, a well-run, modern three- or four-star hotel often suits us better than paying more for impressive surroundings.

The Night Safari had been a highlight of our honeymoon, so this time we chose River Wonders. It was almost empty. At points we felt as though we had the place to ourselves, speaking in hushed voices as we watched the animals.

We saw red pandas and giant pandas, spent time watching them eat, and went on Amazon River Quest. Having so much space and quiet made it a really enjoyable visit.

A less obvious highlight was The Arcade at Raffles Place. We went a couple of times to the money-changing counters, turning our leftover Hong Kong, Vietnamese and Thai cash into Singapore dollars for the end of the trip. The rates were excellent. It was surprisingly satisfying to get all those leftover currencies sorted.

That evening we went to Gardens by the Bay, where the Supertrees were lit up and there were Christmas lights all around. After weeks of the ship's decorations, we had one more evening of Christmas away from home.

Home for Christmas Eve#

The Fullerton did give us a memorable send-off. After the issues with our stay, the staff arranged a complimentary taxi to the airport. We'd expected a fairly ordinary ride. Instead, an enormous executive vehicle arrived with only a handful of seats, huge reclining chairs, mood lighting and drinks provided. It was almost like a little limousine. A very strange, very cool way to get to the airport.

Then it was the overnight flight home, arriving on the morning of Christmas Eve, which is also my mum's birthday. We'd left just after one birthday and made it back for another, with two new favourite mugs to unpack and Christmas still ahead of us.