guitarsingapore
Medlem
For our December 2015 family vacation, family vacation for December 2015 and back home. This year, we tried something different. As a family, we like to cruise, but we have yet to try the cruise line called MSC and neither have we been to Genoa. We would sail with the cruise ship called the MSC Preziosa. The idea came about sometime lastyear When We Were surfing around various cruise websites and reading various cruise reviews and discovered something called the MSC Yacht Club. The product looked interesting enough to be worth a try, and we booked ourselves for a 7N cruise out of Genoa on the MSC Preziosa.
Now, it turned out that getting to Genoa was not that straightforward, at least for somebody from Singapore! Genoa is a small International Airport and the connectivity is not great. Since we wanted to spend some time in London pre and post cruise, we decided to fly to London. So our route to Genoa was as FOLLOWS.
Singapore to London on Singapore Airlines. The SQ flights landed in the morning. Then we stayed one night at the Premier Inn King's Cross. The very next day, we would make our way to Stansted Airport (via the Tube and then the Stansted Express from Tottenham Hale), to catch a Ryanair flight into Genoa. We would land in Genoa in the evening, and stay for one night at the Holiday Inn Genoa, before getting on the cruise ship. That was the plan.
Everything worked perfectly. Thank God! In starting with the flight from Singapore to London. Here is the flight review video.
Party 1.
Part 2
Some pictures from the flight experience. The rate was SQ 306th
The plane was a new (or newly retrofitted) Boeing 777-300ER with the new business class products, new premium economy and new economy products. I will have to walk through the Business and Premium Economy cabin to get to our Economy seats. The config into Premium Economy was 2-4-2. The config into Economy was 3-3-3. So, one seat fewer abreast for the Premium Economy product.
This flight was not completely full, so I had an empty seat beside me, Which was nice. More room to stretch the leg too.
Supper was perfectly adequate. I chose the Fish option, Which was an inspired Indian curry dish, thats used many large chunks of whitefish.
Breakfast was outstanding Because of the hot item. The dish had a fancy Thai name, but it was Essentially rice noodles, with chicken, squid, egg and Chinese greens. The taste was awesome! Like what I could get in a good restaurant. Loved it.
We landed on time at Heathrow and our adventure would begin.
As a family we have traveled to London quite a number of times in Recent Years. I also go to London for business, now and then. So London is quite familiar to us. SQ land at Terminal 2, the Relatively new Star Alliance terminal.
A picture of the terminal soon after we disembarked.
Heathrow was usually very crowded. No different when we arrived. The immigration line looked very long, but fortunately it moved fairly quickly. I think we waited about 20 minutes in line. Immigration clearance was smooth. The officer was quite friendly and asked a few questions based on what I had declared in our landing cards. Usually they ask me some random question (s). I count it our good fortune what we speak good English and for That we have to thank our founding Prime Minister the late Lee Kuan Yew (who was educated at Cambridge) and his team of pioneer Ministers who lead our little country to independence back in 1965 . Being able to speak confidently in English Certainly HELPS. My kids Could speak to the immigration officer in English too.
Anyway, once we cleared immigration, it was a very short wait at the luggage and soon all our luggage arrived. We got out of the airport to the arrivals area and our first stop (after toilets) would be someplace to eat. This is Because the kids and wife would be hungry Usually as They do not eat well on the plane.
So we took a nice break at this Cafe Nero, in the arrivals hall (public area) of Heathrow Terminal 2. Had some hot food and coffee. The kids ate up all Their pasta!
Short video of Cafe Nero
Now, it turned out that getting to Genoa was not that straightforward, at least for somebody from Singapore! Genoa is a small International Airport and the connectivity is not great. Since we wanted to spend some time in London pre and post cruise, we decided to fly to London. So our route to Genoa was as FOLLOWS.
Singapore to London on Singapore Airlines. The SQ flights landed in the morning. Then we stayed one night at the Premier Inn King's Cross. The very next day, we would make our way to Stansted Airport (via the Tube and then the Stansted Express from Tottenham Hale), to catch a Ryanair flight into Genoa. We would land in Genoa in the evening, and stay for one night at the Holiday Inn Genoa, before getting on the cruise ship. That was the plan.
Everything worked perfectly. Thank God! In starting with the flight from Singapore to London. Here is the flight review video.
Party 1.
Part 2
Some pictures from the flight experience. The rate was SQ 306th
The plane was a new (or newly retrofitted) Boeing 777-300ER with the new business class products, new premium economy and new economy products. I will have to walk through the Business and Premium Economy cabin to get to our Economy seats. The config into Premium Economy was 2-4-2. The config into Economy was 3-3-3. So, one seat fewer abreast for the Premium Economy product.
This flight was not completely full, so I had an empty seat beside me, Which was nice. More room to stretch the leg too.
Supper was perfectly adequate. I chose the Fish option, Which was an inspired Indian curry dish, thats used many large chunks of whitefish.
Breakfast was outstanding Because of the hot item. The dish had a fancy Thai name, but it was Essentially rice noodles, with chicken, squid, egg and Chinese greens. The taste was awesome! Like what I could get in a good restaurant. Loved it.
We landed on time at Heathrow and our adventure would begin.
As a family we have traveled to London quite a number of times in Recent Years. I also go to London for business, now and then. So London is quite familiar to us. SQ land at Terminal 2, the Relatively new Star Alliance terminal.
A picture of the terminal soon after we disembarked.
Heathrow was usually very crowded. No different when we arrived. The immigration line looked very long, but fortunately it moved fairly quickly. I think we waited about 20 minutes in line. Immigration clearance was smooth. The officer was quite friendly and asked a few questions based on what I had declared in our landing cards. Usually they ask me some random question (s). I count it our good fortune what we speak good English and for That we have to thank our founding Prime Minister the late Lee Kuan Yew (who was educated at Cambridge) and his team of pioneer Ministers who lead our little country to independence back in 1965 . Being able to speak confidently in English Certainly HELPS. My kids Could speak to the immigration officer in English too.
Anyway, once we cleared immigration, it was a very short wait at the luggage and soon all our luggage arrived. We got out of the airport to the arrivals area and our first stop (after toilets) would be someplace to eat. This is Because the kids and wife would be hungry Usually as They do not eat well on the plane.
So we took a nice break at this Cafe Nero, in the arrivals hall (public area) of Heathrow Terminal 2. Had some hot food and coffee. The kids ate up all Their pasta!
Short video of Cafe Nero