Back to the Future

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Good Morning from Changi


We checked out of the Crowne Plaza Hotel around 5 AM January 25th and headed to the airport. Back home it was 3 PM on January 24th.  If our flights were on time, we would land in Chicago at 3:10 PM January 25th (5:10 PM Singapore time on January 26th).

Our flight wasn't until 8:20 AM, but we didn't know how long it would take to go through immigration and security. We also wanted to get something to eat before our flight.

Breakfast Choices

As is typical on international flights, we would be served multiple meals on our flight from Singapore to Tokyo.  We did want something light in the meantime, however.   A pastry shop was exactly what we were looking for.   Splitting a Palmier was just right.  It was ironic that we were thousands of miles from home and yet found a pastry which was one of our favorites back home.

There were several other choices including local favorites which you could purchase at Burger King or other locations.  Some of these Asian breakfast items can be seen in this photo.

At Our Gate

The immigration and check-in process went very quickly so early in the morning.  By 5:22 AM we were headed to check our baggage and get our boarding passes.  There wasn't anyone in line, so we were done quickly and on our way.

Less than 30 minutes later, we had already had something to eat and were sitting outside our gate.   The gate doesn't open until about an hour before the flight.

Waiting for our Flight

You might not be able to see from the photo, but the security screening occurs right at the gate.  We'd have another hour before the security and airline personnel arrived and started checking passports and hand bags.

Unlike airports in the states, once you pass through security you are now in a controlled waiting area.   There are rest room facilities there as well as limited charging stations.

We sat near one of the charging stations so that our phones were recharged before boarding the plane.  Boarding for our flight began at 7:50 AM.

Allowing 3 hours at the airport before our flight gave us plenty of time to leisurely have something to eat and get to our gate.  We'd rather be early than rushed and stressed.

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Changi Airport Singapore

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Heading to the Gardens

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Stopping at Changi Airport

After our swim we walked over to Terminal 2 in Changi Airport.  The airport is a virtual city with multiple levels of services offered to transiting passengers.  Our first stop was at a travel kiosk where we inquired about Hop on Hop Off Bus tickets.   There were several options and we weren't sure how their prices compared with what we were seeing online.  There are actually several different tour operators to select from.

They also advertised Gardens by the Bay admission tickets.  We walked away at first, but then decided to make that our destination for the day.  Purchasing tickets at the airport meant we'd not have to wait in line when we got there and we'd save a few dollars on the admission price.   They accepted credit cards which meant we could conserve our cash for places that didn't accept credit cards.

Lunch at Food Court

We started wandering around Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 almost in a daze.  It was overwhelming at first, with so many dining options to choose from.   Finally we noticed that Basement lever 2 had a food court.  So we took the escalator down and started to explore the various options. 

We both decided to order  chicken dumplings.  When we got the order, we realized that we could have ordered just one plate, but since we didn't know when we'd be eating again, too much food was better than not enough.  There were several tables nearby, so we found a place to sit and ate our lunch.  Looking around, we didn't see anyone drinking beverages with their meals.  Since we had our water bottles with us, we decided to just have that with our lunch.

MRT to Gardens

As with most mass transit systems, it is necessary for each passenger to have their own travel card.  We looked around the airport and found a long line waiting to purchase cards.  There were signs indicating that Singapore Tourist Passes were sold there.  Those offer unlimited train and bus transit for 24 hour period.

Since our plans had changed, we started to think that we probably didn't need an unlimited travel card. I stayed in line while my husband went to the transit booth to talk to someone about the best option for us to purchase.   The standard travel cards are sold in machines, but you need to have coins and small denomination bills.  He got change and then headed to purchase the tickets.  They were S$ 4.70 for the round trip  each which was cheaper than S$ 20  each for the Tourist Pass.

Tip:  If you are staying multiple days and planning to visit several locations in Singapore, then the Tourist Pass would be your best option.  Otherwise, purchase a Standard Travel Card for each trip.

We'd looked at the MRT website before heading to the airport, so we had an idea about how to get to Gardens by the Bay. Singapore's system is very similar to London or Washington DC systems.  The routes intersect making it possible to get anywhere on the system regardless of your origination point.  Changi Airport is on the East West (Green) line.

Getting on the train at the airport is confusing; we weren't quite sure if we were on the right train.  We must have looked puzzled, because a gentleman asked where we were going, and told us we would have to change trains in a couple stops because our train terminated at Tanah Merah.  We waited a few minutes there and were back on a Green Line train to our next stop.  The closest station to the Gardens is Baymont, which is on the Circle (Yellow) line. We would need to transfer to the Circle Line at Paya Lebar.

Once we got to Baymont, there were signs directing us to the Gardens by the Bay.   It was quite a walk before we got to the exit.  Once outside, we found that we were very close to the Gardens shuttle bus.  We purchased shuttle tickets for S$ 6 each and were on our way to the entrance.

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Singapore MRT

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Relaxing in Singapore

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Crowne Plaza 

Changi Airport Pool

When we stayed at the Crowne Plaza before the cruise, we didn't have a chance to use the pool. The pool is located on the third floor in a court area.   This is also where the spa is located.  On our way to the lobby to check out before our cruise, my husband took a detour to check out the pool.  He took some pictures and showed them to me.  We decided then that we wanted to use the pool when we came back after the cruise.   Now that we were back at the hotel, we needed to plan our day.

Planning our Final Day in Singapore

One of the thoughts we had was to tour Singapore via the Hop on Hop Off Bus.  We knew that there was a ticket booth in the airport which could sell us tickets for the bus.   We weren't certain if we could begin at the airport or if we needed to get into Singapore city center.  Since we had free Wi-Fi at the hotel, we started doing some research.

All of a sudden my husband said that if we wanted to go swimming, we'd need to do so before going into Singapore.  He went on to say that he really wanted a relaxing day.  I was so happy he said that because I felt the same way.  We decided to change into our swimming suits and head to the pool.

We met a couple lounging by the pool who had also been on our ship.  We struck up a conversation and learned that they were flying out later that night and had reserved a hotel room for the day.  After about an hour we said good-bye to our fellow passengers and headed to our room to change clothes.

By now it was time to eat lunch, so we decided to go to the airport, check out the tourist kiosks, and then get some food.  We'll continue the story in our next post.

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Crowne Plaza Pool

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Disembarkation Day Singapore

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Sapphire Princess Turnaround Day

For the second time during our 15 day cruise, Sapphire Princess was docked alongside the pier in Singapore.  This time, we would be disembarking the ship and not returning.

Early Morning

For the crew, this is the most dreaded day of the voyage.  They only have a few hours to completely re-make each cabin and get it ready for the next group of passengers to embark on their voyage of discovery.

Since we were staying an extra day in Singapore, we didn't have any pressing need to disembark the vessel.  As Elite members of Princess Cruises Captain Circle Club, we had luggage tags for one of the early disembarkation times. 

Disembarkation Lounge

We arrived at the Disembarkation Lounge, one of the dining rooms on Deck 6, and checked in with the crew member.  She told us that we could disembark if we wanted to because they were running a little ahead of schedule.  We opted to wait because we wanted to have some breakfast before leaving.

After we ate, we took the elevator down one deck to the gangway.  One final scanning of our cabin cards, and we were on our way to pick up our luggage.   Since we had waited a bit, it was pretty easy to find our luggage, which was sorted by color-coded / numbered tags.

Since our luggage is on wheels, we didn't need a porter to assist us.  Next stop was customs / immigration to scan our fingerprints and passports for the final time.   Something didn't read correctly, so I actually had to go to a counter to be processed.   Even with that delay, the process was quite efficient, and we were soon heading to the taxi line to transfer to Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport.  You may recall we stayed there prior to the cruise as well.  We were directed to a waiting mini-van for the ride to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, we checked in, expecting that we'd be checking our luggage with the bell desk.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that they had a hotel room ready for occupancy.   It had been 8:30 AM when we entered the lounge on the ship and we were already in our hotel room shortly after 9:00 AM.   That has to be record time for disembarkation and transfer for us.  We'll talk about our final day in Singapore in some other posts.

What a great cruise - we were sorry to see it come to an end.  We met some great people, including our table mates and wait staff,  had some awesome excursions, and for the most part the weather cooperated making for an enjoyable voyage.   We would do this again in a heartbeat.

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Crowne Plaza

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