Queen Elizabeth - Far East Voyage

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 8 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Singapore

   SingaporeDepart

   Singapore is the turnaround hub for most Southeast Asia itineraries, so for a lot of passengers it is embarkation day rather than a port call. Ships use either Marina Bay Cruise Centre, purpose-built for the largest hulls, or the older HarbourFront terminal next to VivoCity. What you get on arrival is an efficient, very hot city where the metro is fast and cheap and almost nothing worth seeing is more than half an hour away.

   • Gardens by the Bay - the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
   • Hawker lunch at Maxwell Food Centre or Lau Pa Sat
   • Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, then the shophouses of Little India
   • Singapore Botanic Gardens and its National Orchid Garden

   Getting ashore

   Docked. Marina Bay Cruise Centre is a 10-minute walk from Marina South Pier MRT and a short taxi from downtown; HarbourFront sits directly above its own MRT station.

   Best months

   Feb-Apr (driest); hot and humid year-round

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Ho Chi Minh City

   VietnamPort

   The berth is Phu My, an industrial terminal on the Thi Vai river roughly 80km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is nothing at the port itself, and the transfer eats a large part of the day, so this is a call you plan around rather than wander out of. The reward at the other end is Saigon at full volume - motorbikes six abreast, colonial facades, and a war history that the city presents without much softening.

   • The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace
   • Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office
   • Ben Thanh Market for food stalls and haggling
   • The Cu Chi Tunnels, north-west of the city and usually sold as a full-day alternative

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Phu My; Ho Chi Minh City is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by road, and the nearer town of Vung Tau is about 40 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Mar (dry season)

5. Day 5

   Ho Chi Minh City

   VietnamPort

   The berth is Phu My, an industrial terminal on the Thi Vai river roughly 80km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is nothing at the port itself, and the transfer eats a large part of the day, so this is a call you plan around rather than wander out of. The reward at the other end is Saigon at full volume - motorbikes six abreast, colonial facades, and a war history that the city presents without much softening.

   • The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace
   • Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office
   • Ben Thanh Market for food stalls and haggling
   • The Cu Chi Tunnels, north-west of the city and usually sold as a full-day alternative

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Phu My; Ho Chi Minh City is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by road, and the nearer town of Vung Tau is about 40 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Mar (dry season)

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

8. Day 8

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11 · At sea

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14

    Hong Kong

    Hong KongPort

    Hong Kong is one of the great arrivals in cruising if your ship berths at Ocean Terminal, which sits at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui with the whole Victoria Harbour skyline in front of it. The alternative, Kai Tak, was built on the runway of the old airport and is stranded on a peninsula with no rail link, so the day starts with a shuttle. Either way you get a dense, vertical, fast-moving city where the ferries and the metro do most of the work.

    • The Star Ferry across to Central, then the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak
    • The Tian Tan Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau, via the Ngong Ping cable car - a full-day commitment
    • Man Mo Temple and the antique shops of Hollywood Road
    • Wong Tai Sin Temple, or the street stalls of Temple Street after dark

    Getting ashore

    Docked. Ocean Terminal puts you directly in Tsim Sha Tsui on foot; from Kai Tak it is a 10-minute walk (or free shuttle bus) to Kai Tak MTR station, with free ship-day shuttles to the Star Ferry pier and the Peak Tram, and 15-20 minutes by taxi into town.

    Best months

    Oct-Dec (dry, clear); Mar-May is humid and hazy

15. Day 15

    Hong Kong

    Hong KongArrive

    Hong Kong is one of the great arrivals in cruising if your ship berths at Ocean Terminal, which sits at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui with the whole Victoria Harbour skyline in front of it. The alternative, Kai Tak, was built on the runway of the old airport and is stranded on a peninsula with no rail link, so the day starts with a shuttle. Either way you get a dense, vertical, fast-moving city where the ferries and the metro do most of the work.

    • The Star Ferry across to Central, then the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak
    • The Tian Tan Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau, via the Ngong Ping cable car - a full-day commitment
    • Man Mo Temple and the antique shops of Hollywood Road
    • Wong Tai Sin Temple, or the street stalls of Temple Street after dark

    Getting ashore

    Docked. Ocean Terminal puts you directly in Tsim Sha Tsui on foot; from Kai Tak it is a 10-minute walk (or free shuttle bus) to Kai Tak MTR station, with free ship-day shuttles to the Star Ferry pier and the Peak Tram, and 15-20 minutes by taxi into town.

    Best months

    Oct-Dec (dry, clear); Mar-May is humid and hazy