RESORTS WORLD CRUISES REVIEW & GUIDE | Resorts World One Hong Kong - Taiwan Itinerary
Saturday, July 01, 2023
The sea glittered with artificial stars, reflecting the electric lights of the buildings surrounding Kaohsiung Harbor. It was our first and last day in the city, having docked at noon, and now departing mid-evening. A brief but fun tour of Kaohsiung—a cross section of what the city has to offer. I was at the top deck of Resorts World One, on a cruise visiting two southern Taiwan locales, musing over the day that was.
| RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE REVIEW & GUIDE FOR FIRST TIMERS TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE?
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RESORTS WORLD CRUISES
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| RESORTS WORLD CRUISES |
Resorts World Cruises are currently using two ships from the now defunct Genting Cruise Lines—Resorts World One (formerly Star Cruises’ Superstar Virgo) which is berthed in Hong Kong, and Genting Dream (formerly Dream Cruises) in Singapore.
Resorts World Cruises has recently celebrated its first year of affordable cruises, so we can probably expect more from them in the coming years. And, of course, they have anniversary promos.
RESORTS WORLD ONE
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE SHIP IN HONG KONG |
Resorts World Cruises’ newest ship, Resorts World One, can bed 1,856 individuals in 928 staterooms. It’s about ten basketball courts long, two courts wide, and has thirteen floors.
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISING ALONG VICTORIA HARBOUR |
Departing from Hong Kong, it offers two nights cruise to Taiwan’s Kaohsiung, three nights to Kaohsiung and Penghu, and two and three nights in China’s Sanya. Departing from Kaohsiung, it has three nights cruise to Penghu and Hong Kong, and four nights to Hong Kong. See full and updated schedule here.
GENTING DREAM
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| GENTING DREAM ~ PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS |
With a passenger capacity of 3,352 on 1,674 staterooms, Genting Dream is Resort Worlds Cruises’ premier cruise ship.
Departing from Singapore, it offers two nights cruises to Kuala Lumpur, three nights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, three nights to Phuket. Departing from Malaysia, it has two nights cruises to Singapore, three nights to Penang and Singapore, three nights to Singapore and Phuket, and four nights to Singapore. See full and updated schedule here.
HOW TO BOOK A TRIP WITH RESORTS WORLD CRUISES
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| CRUSING IN STYLE AT RESORTS WORLD ONE |
While these two cruise ships aren’t docked in the Philippines. Filipinos can still book a cruise with them through the official website or through their Senior Sales Manager for Resorts World Cruises Philippines, Andrea Manzano (andrea.manzano@rwcruises.com).
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| MESMERISE MAGIC SHOW AT RESORTS WORLD ONE’S ZODIAC THEATER |
They currently offer a FlyCruise Package for as low as USD 458.00 per person, which includes roundtrip airfare to Hong Kong, two or three nights cruise, and an Inside Stateroom Cabin. Note that this doesn’t include Philippine travel tax, transfers from airport to port and vice versa, and other incidentals like travel insurance, shore excursions, etc.
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE IS CURRENTLY DOCKED IN HONG KONG |
One can also opt to buy a Regular Cruise Package, and fly to Hong Kong DIY. If you have time, this is the better choice since it would allow you to fly to Hong Kong earlier or later, and you can get to explore Hong Kong for a few more days. You’d have to, of course, book yourself a hotel, but you’re there anyway, so why not maximize your vacation.
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| ENTERING KAOHSIUNG HARBOR IN TAIWAN |
Another option is booking a One Way Cruise. This can be done for Genting Dream, but is currently unavailable for Resorts World One. Hopefully, in the future, they allow guests to sail from Hong Kong then disembark at, say Kaohsiung, Penghu, or Sanya. This is actually perfect for travelers wanting to explore these places more thoroughly. One can still actually do this, but you still have to pay for the full ticket price.
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| HONG KONG’S VICTORIA HARBOUR FROM THE DECK OF RESORTS WORLD ONE |
We personally flew from Manila via Cathay Pacific on the day of the cruise itself, had lunch at Hong Kong, then went straight to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal for checking in at the Resorts World One cruise ship via a rented bus.
RESORTS WORLD CRUISES CHILD RATE & POLICIES
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| A CHILD GUEST PARTICIPATING AT ZODIAC THEATER’S MAGIC SHOW |
You can definitely bring kids on a cruise. Resorts World Cruises allow infants 6 months to 2 years old to board, as long as they’re accompanied by at least two adult guests. For kids under 18 years of age, they must have an adult companion in the same room, or in a connecting room.
Rates for infants (6 months to 2 years old) are 25% off the published rate. Kids from 2 to 18 are charged with full fees. But here’s a bit of a cruise travel hack, since you’re probably gonna cruise as a family, the 3rd or 4th person you will book on the same cabin—regardless if they’re kids or adults—would have a much lower rate than a regular cruise fee.
Resorts World Cruises do allow kids to cruise for free during certain promos. And they have a promo for Genting Dream in Singapore, in which up to two children—6 months to below 18 years old—can board the cruise for free.
The cruise is child-friendly. They have a playground that kids can use and a daycare play area where they can also play without worry.
WHAT TO BRING ON A CRUISE TRIP
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE SHIP TOP DECK |
Like all destinations, there are essential things that you must bring when going on a cruise trip. Well, especially if it’s your first time.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS / CURRENCY
• Passport & Passport Photocopy – Required during cruise check in, and needed if you’re gonna avail of the shore excursions
• Digital eTravel Document – Fill out the form at https://etravel.gov.ph/ for both outbound and inbound travel
• VaxCertPH – Get yours at https://vaxcert.doh.gov.ph/, got one but it really wasn’t asked for when we travelled to Hong Kong or even when we disembarked at Taiwan. Also, Resorts World Cruises does not require a COVID-19 vaccination for its guests—although they highly encourage them to have one.
• Other IDs – Not really needed, but optional
• Printed / Digital Copies of Flight Booking Details, Cruise Booking, Cruise Itinerary – For airport Immigration Officials, you know how strict ours are. So better be prepared just in case they ask for it.
• Hong Kong Dollar / US Dollar – Resorts World One accepts PHP (Philippine Peso) to NTD (New Taiwan Dollar) conversion at the ship’s lobby, however, it has to undergo two conversions—PHP to HKD (Hong Kong Dollar), then HKD to NTD. So, you’d be losing a bit on the conversions. If you have Hong Kong dollars saved somewhere, bring it with you. Or if you have USD, it’s better to bring that instead of PHP.
APPAREL
• Rubber Shoes – If you plan to join shore excursions, hit the gym, do some running on the top deck of the ship, then a pair of comfortable rubber shoes is a must.
• Swimwear & Slippers – Since Resorts World One has a pool, chances are, you’d probably swim. So, bring your swimwear, goggles, and more importantly, slippers. It’s much more convenient to go to the pool in flip flops than in shoes, especially on your way back to your room when you’re already wet.
• Hats, Umbrellas, Sunblock – For shore excursions, this is a must, especially if you’re doing the Kaohsiung shore excursion since it would be done during the early afternoon.
OTHER STUFF
• Toiletries – Resorts World One provides adequate but very basic toiletries for guests (toothbrush set, refillable body and hair wash), so if you’re expecting five-star hotel caliber toiletries, better bring your own.
• Portable Bidet & Wet Wipes – The toilets at Resorts World One aren’t fitted with bidets, if you have a portable one, then bring it with you by all means. It will save a lot of stress, and tissue papers too, lol.
• Refillable Bottle – Save on plastic water bottles and refill at the buffet restos—you can even put in coffee or fruit juice and keep then warm or cold for an extended period.
• Eco Bags – Taiwan doesn’t provide plastic bags or even paper bags when you buy something even in convenience stores. A personal eco bag would be a great help, not only for you, but also for the environment.
• Canned Drinks – While there are fruit juices available on the inclusive restaurants inside the ship, softdrinks and beer are charged extra. So, if you can’t live without these and you happen to have extra kilos left in your baggage, these are allowed to be brought in. One of my friends actually brought in a few—extras from the resto we ate in while in Hong Kong, and I actually brought in a few beer cans from Taiwan for my collection. Although bringing in a beer is a bit iffy, as according to their website, bringing in alcohol is prohibited.
WHAT NOT TO BRING ON A CRUISE TRIP
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| THE PALACE, AN EXCLUSIVE ENCLAVE AT RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE SHIP |
While there are obvious things you can’t bring with you while on a cruise—like your dog, perhaps—there are not so obvious things that you’d be surprised aren’t allowed inside a cruise ship.
• Extension Wires – For digital nomads and phone addicts, this is a must bring. But, for some strange reason, this isn’t allowed inside a cruise ship. They say it sucks extra electricity from the ship, especially when plugged without being used.
• Drones – You can’t fly drones when aboard the ship—whether it’s docked or cruising. Also, Taiwan currently has a no-drone policy.
• E-Cigarettes – These are prohibited on-board, regular cigarettes are allowed.
• Travel Adaptors – For Philippines residents, there’s no need to bring a travel adaptor as the standard two vertical plug works with their electric outlets. Resorts World One has a three-pin universal outlet that accepts most, if not all, types of electrical plugs. In addition, the bedside outlet has USB ports where you can use your cellphone cables to charge without using a charging head.
• Towels – Save up on baggage space and leave your bulky towels at home, Resorts World One has ample supply of towels for your everyday needs.
• Snacks – Unless you have a particular favorite chips or chocolates, better leave these at home. Resorts World One has buffet afternoon snacks and midnight snacks for your in-between meals.
• Fruits & Raw Food – While these can be healthy, fruits aren’t usually allowed to be transported to a different country due to a possibility of pest infestation.
HOW TO GET TO HONG KONG KAI TAK CRUISE TERMINAL
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| HONG KONG’S KAI TAK CRUISE TERMINAL |
To board Resorts World One, you’d have to go to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal along Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor. One can go there by taxi or via public transportation like minibuses and city buses.
If you’re flying in to Hong Kong International Airport there is no direct bus transfer to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the easiest way would be via taxi or Grab, which would take about 30 to 45 minutes.
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| FROM ROUTE | SERVICE HOURS | FULL FARE | TRAVEL TIME |
| GREEN MINIBUS NO.86 | Kowloon Bay MTR Station | 6:40AM - 11:00PM | HKD 6.40 | 8 - 25 mins. |
| CITY BUS 22 | Kowloon Tong (Festival Walk) | 5:40AM - 11:40PM | HKD 5.90 | 30 mins. |
| CITY BUS 22M | Kowloon City, Ma Tau Wai, | 5:55AM - 11:25PM | HKD 5.90 | 30 mins. |
| CITY BUS 22X | Muk On Street, and One Victoria, | 6:10AM - 11:10PM | HKD 6.80 | 20 - 30 mins. |
| CITY BUS 22D | Runway Area (Muk On Street, | 7:10AM - 5:10PM | HKD 6.80 | 30 mins. |
| BUS 5R (KMB) | Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong | 9:30AM - 3:30PM | HKD 7.70 | 30 mins. |
CHECKING IN FOR HONG KONG RESORTS WORLD CRUISES
Once at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, you have the option to check in your bags for free. Bring items that you’d need right away, like toiletries or a change of wardrobe, as your bags would arrive hours later in your room. If you don’t want to check in your bags, that’s fine too. Note, however, that it takes a bit of a walk from the bag drop off all the way to the cruise ship.
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| CHECKING IN TO RESORTS WORLD ONE |
Checking in requires you to pass Hong Kong Immigration where you’d need your passport. Then past this, another queue for your cruise boarding pass, which you’d need your passport, a photocopy of your passport, and cruise boarding details. They will then take your passport and give you a card that you use as a key to your room and access to inclusive cruise restaurants. You’ll then have to x-ray your stuff, and finally, you board the cruise ship.
RESORTS WORLD CRUISES CARD
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| MY RESORTS WORLD KEY CARD |
All passengers of Resorts World Cruises, be it Resorts World One or Genting Dream, are given access cards as they board the cruise ship. The card has the passenger’s name, room number and location, emergency assembly station location, embarkation date, and vessel.
Keep this card with you at all times as this identifies you as a passenger of Resorts World One, serves as your room key, and on-board credit card. All fees you’ll incur on the ship are charged on the card, which you’ll need to settle at your last day using either cash or credit card.
RESORTS WORLD ONE ROOM TYPES
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| A TYPICAL RESORTS WORLD ONE CABIN CORRIDOR |
Resorts World One has a total of 928 cabins, which they call staterooms. It’s divided into seven room types; from the most affordable Interior Staterooms—which has no windows—and their Oceanview and Balcony Staterooms, to their luxurious Palace Suites, Deluxe Suites, Penthouse, and Villa.
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| OUR ROOM FOR FOUR DAYS, THE OCEANVIEW STATEROOM |
We were personally billeted on their Oceanview Stateroom. Its space is smaller compared to a regular hotel room, but you’re on a cruise ship, so it is definitely expected. It has two single beds (or one queen bed), with a provision for a third one via a folding double deck bed. It has a closet, work table, central bedside table, flatscreen TV, electronic safe, tea and coffeemaking facilities, en suite toilet and bath, and most importantly, a window.
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| TYPICAL TOILET & BATH AT RESORTS WORLD ONE |
The toilet and bath is small, but efficiently spaced that you really won’t feel cramped when using it. The water closet and shower has their own stalls, so the central area remains dry. Hot water is also readily available. As previously mentioned, there is no bidet.
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE’S BALCONY STATEROOM |
I have also previously stayed at their Balcony Stateroom, and it is more spacious than the former. Most of the features are the same including the toilet and bath, but the room has an extra space for a mini living area where a small sofa is located. And of course, it has a balcony that looks out to the sea.
THE PALACE
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| THE PALACE EXCLUSIVE AREA |
For people with deeper pockets, The Palace is the perfect cruise accommodation. It’s an exclusive boutique hotel right within the ship complete with room butlers, private lounge, pool, and dining area. Situated at the stern or back part of the ship, this is where most of the Resorts World One suites—the most expensive and elegant rooms—are located.
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| THE PALACE PENTHOUSE LIVING ROOM |
INTERNET CONNECTION
Resorts World One provides paid satellite Internet Wi-Fi connection. They have Standard and Premium, which has options for a single up to four devices connected simultaneously. Rates start from HKD 118.00.
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| THERE’S WIFI INSIDE RESORTS WORLD ONE |
During our cruise, we were provided with a Premium 1 Device Wi-Fi connection. It’s easy to connect to and the whole ship is superbly covered. Internet speed is decent enough, I was able to do videocalls with my son in the Philippines even on high seas. One can also use the Wi-Fi service on other devices like laptops, you simply have to log out of your phone, then reconnect using your laptop.
WHAT TO DO ON A RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE
You probably know that there are tons of things one can do while on a cruise ship—and that’s not even counting the shores excursions. But just to be sure, I’ll let you in on what you can really expect and what you can really do on a Resorts World One Cruise.
SWIM & LOUNGE
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| THE PARTHENON POOL AREA AT RESORTS WORLD ONE TOP DECK |
You definitely won’t get bored when inside Resorts World One. The main attraction of the ship is the Greek-inspired Parthenon Pool at the ship’s topside. The mini-lap pool is surrounded on its corners by four hot Jacuzzi tubs and features a water slide—although it really doesn’t land on the pool itself.
WATCH MOVIES & THEATER SHOWS
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| MIND BENDING SHOW AT THE ZODIAC THEATER |
Every night, the 800-seater Zodiac Theater hosts free shows for cruise guests, and shows movies during the day. During our cruise, we watched all three night shows they featured; Crew Show (song and dance), Love Matters (dating game), and Mesmerise (dance and magic show)—all three were entertaining, even if the second one was in Chinese, lol.
PLAY FUN GAMES
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE ARCADE AND BINGO NIGHT |
Resorts World One has a slew of arcade, console, and even board games for all kinds and levels of gamers on board. For more serious games, they also have a Mahjong Lounge and casinos. The central hall also turns into a bingo hall every night. And afterwards, a giant videoke lounge. They also host live bands and talks during the day.
For kids and toddlers, they have the Little Dreamers Club, a play area where one can let your kids play safely for a couple of hours while moms and dads relax.
GET FIT, GET PAMPERED
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| GYM AND SALON AT RESORTS WORLD ONE |
Let’s be honest, you probably won’t be able to help but overeat when on a cruise. And to keep fit, Resorts World One has a gym, a jogging track, basketball court, an endless pool—a small pool with adjustable current to swim against on—and a traditional swimming pool. Those are probably enough to burn all those extra calories you might consume.
The ship also has a salon and a spa, should you feel the need to get extra pampered at high sea.
GO SHOPPING
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| THE BOUTIQUES AT RESORTS WORLD ONE |
Resorts World One has two main shopping corridors, Candy Kingdom for your chocolates and snack pasalubongs, and The Boutiques for your luxury needs. They also hold a special sale along the main hall during the evenings.
WHERE TO EAT INSIDE RESORTS WORLD ONE
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| DAILY BUFFET AT RESORTS WORLD ONE’S THE LIDO |
To add to the list of things to do on a Resorts World One Cruise—eat! The ship has, not one, but seventeen, yes, seventeen full restaurants and food booths inside its hall. These are divided into two categories, the Inclusive Restaurants where you can eat free of charge, and the Premium Restaurants where you have to pay extra to dine.
INCLUSIVE RESTAURANTS
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| THE LIDO AND DREAM DINING ROOM |
Resorts World One has three inclusive restaurant; The Lido & Lido Grill for Chinese and Western cuisine buffet, Dream Dining Room for plated multi-course Western lunches and dinners, and Pavillion for plated multi-course Chinese lunches and dinners. Dream Dining and Pavillion also host buffet breakfasts, by the way.
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| MY USUAL BREAKFAST SPREAD |
The biggest of the three is The Lido, so most people head there to eat. It also hosts an afternoon snack buffet, and a midnight snack buffet.
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| STEAK FROM DREAM DINING ROOM AND VEGGIES FROM THE LIDO |
Note that you can only eat on one inclusive restaurant every meal time. Example, you ate breakfast at The Lido, and decided to eat again at either Dream Dining Room, or at the Pavillion, or even at The Lido again—an extra charge would be incurred on your card.
PREMIUM RESTAURANTS
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| RESORTS WORLD ONE’S UMI UMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT |
If you crave for a different cuisine other than Chinese and Western, Resorts World One also has other premium restaurants you can dine on; Blue Lagoon for South East Asian dishes, Hot Pot for, well, hotpots, Silk Road for Chinese specialties, Seafood Grill at the upper deck for an outdoor grill experience, and Umi Uma for Japanese.
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| MATCHA ICE AND GELATERIA |
There are also food booths around the ship, like Matcha Ice, Gelateria, and Lobby Café at the lobby area.
SHORE EXCURSIONS
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| DAILY SHORE EXCURSIONS IN TAIWAN |
One of the highlights of a cruise experience are, of course, the destinations. For the Resorts World One Hong Kong – Taiwan Cruise, this is Kaohsiung City and Penghu County—locales along the southwestern and western parts of Taiwan, respectively.
Note that shore excursions are not included on the original cruise fee and must be purchased separately. Alternatively, one can also opt not to get the shore excursion package and do a DIY tour of the destination instead. This is allowed, provided that you board the ship at the appointed time, or risk getting left behind.
Before disembarking you need to claim the stamped copy of your passport from the ship’s crew. They will still keep your original passport.
KAOHSIUNG SHORE EXCURSION ITINERARY
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| CIJIN ISLAND’S SKYLINE |
The largest and most populous city along Southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung City is about five hours away from Taipei by bus. It’s our first shore excursion destination.
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| THE KAOHSIUNG LIGHTHOUSE AT CIJIN ISLAND |
Upon boarding down the ship, we rode a toy train to our lunch destination; Banana Riverside Group Restaurant for a delectable seafood lunch. We then proceeded to the nearby Warehouse No.2, a port warehouse turned into an industrial-style mall for a bit of shopping before boarding a ten-minute ferry to Cijin Island.
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| CIJIN ISLAND CIHOU FORT |
On Cijin Island, we climbed Mount Cihou, which is more of a hill than a mountain, and visited the 19th century Kaohsiung Lighthouse and Cihou Fort. Going down, the other side of the hill brought us to Cijin Beach. It’s no Boracay, the sand is gray, but it has giant sand sculptures across the beach—so it’s pretty unique. From there, the Qi Jin Old Street beckoned to us with its seafood and street food stalls.
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| KAOHSIUNG’S GREAT HARBOUR BRIDGE |
Back in mainland Kaohsiung, we rode the train to Echo Across the Harbor, a bell art installation along the port, onto more warehouses converted into outlet stores, then to the Great Harbour Bridge—an architectural marvel. It’s a pedestrian bridge that turns sideways, whenever a ship needs to pass along the water—the first of its kind in Taiwan. We passed a few more warehouses, which has been converted into art houses before heading to the Liuhe Night Market for more streetfood. You simply cannot visit Taiwan and not go to a night market.
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| AFTERNOON AT CIJIN BEACH |
We were dead tired when we got back to the ship, but it was an extremely rewarding shore excursion. For DIY travelers, this Kaohsiung shore excursion itinerary is very doable.
PENGHU COUNTY SHORE EXCURSION ITINERARY
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| PENGHU COUNTY SHORE EXCURSION |
Located on the western side of Taiwan, Penghu County is a provincial destination composed of ninety islands and islets. It is the smallest county in Taiwan.
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| THE OLD TIANYU TEMPLE IN PENGHU |
Our day started at seven in the morning with the Resorts World One anchoring away from the harbor. We then road a smaller ferry to land at Magong Harbor. On a mini bus, we went straight to Penghu’s Tianyu Temple, the oldest Mazu Temple in the whole of Taiwan, before proceeding to MaGung Delicacies which specializes in brown sugar cakes—read, free taste, lol.
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| PENGHU’S DAGUOYE COLUMNAR BASALT ROCK FORMATION |
We enjoyed the quiet scenery of Penghu for half an hour, passing windmills and pine-laden roads, before alighting at the Daguoye Columnar Basalt. These are towering hexagonal natural basalt rock formation somewhat similar to Ireland’s The Giant’s Causeway. After some photo ops, we proceeded to explore the Erkan Traditional Village where some of the oldest houses in the county can still be found. Then a quick stop at the entrance of the Penghu Great Bridge, before having seafood lunch at the Festival Hotel near the port. We were back at the Resorts World One by two in the afternoon, at which time, it promptly left port.
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| ERKAN VILLAGE’S TRADITIONAL HOUSES |
The Penghu shore excursion was much more relaxed than the first one, but no less interesting. For DIY travelers, this Penghu County shore excursion itinerary is a bit hard to do, since the places visited are quite far from each other.
OTHER TAIWAN SHORE EXCURSIONS
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| KAOHSIUNG CITY’S MUSIC CENTER |
Besides those two we did, there are more shore excursions in Resorts World One. Currently there are six shore excursions in Kaohsiung, and three in Penghu.
Kaohsiung Shore Excursions:
Discovery Tour with Night Market • Scenic Cijin Island Kaohsiung Tour • Kaohsiung Highlights • The Best of Tainan • Be My Guest @ My Pineapple Farm • Kaohsiung Shopping & Gourmet Tour
Penghu Shore Excursions:
Penghu Scenic Tour • Penghu Aqua Farm & Seafood Tour • North Penghu Tour
COVID-19 SAFETY INSIDE RESORTS WORLD CRUISES
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| A CRUISE GUEST WEARING A MASK INSIDE RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE SHIP |
Even with the pandemic almost over, Resorts World Cruises still take multiple precautions in preventing the COVID-19 virus from spreading.
While Resorts World Cruises doesn’t require guests to be vaccinated, they ensure that all the crews working within the ship are tested free of COVID-19 before signing up for active duty. There is also no air recirculation within the ship, the air being circulated is 100% external fresh air.
Protocols and isolation wards are also set in case infection occurs within the ship. They have medical facilities, medical officers, and an infection control officer to handle emergencies.
During our stay, I observed numerous alcohol dispensers all throughout the ship and crews disinfecting floors. I also noticed that all the crews wear facemask all the time.
As a testament, after a four-day cruise, I never experienced any indication of the flu.
PRACTICAL CRUISING TIPS
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| SUN DECK AT RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE SHIP |
Here are a few simple tips and guide to make your cruise more enjoyable, especially for first timers. These are from my own experience riding a cruise, during my past trips and this most recent one. Read on and cruise like a pro.
• The most popular restaurant on Resorts World One is The Lido, it’s almost always full of diners especially on breakfast and dinner. An alternative breakfast place is Dream Dining Room, it serves almost the same dishes as the Lido, which is Western and Chinese dishes, sans the crowd.
• Dream Dining is also excellent for dinner, they serve multi course meal. Be sure not to miss it.
• The best spot for eating is at The Lido Grill, the open-air deck beside The Lido where you get an open view of the sea. Most people miss this, well, I did too the first time.
• You can check the dishes being offered on the restaurants before actually committing and having your card swiped. Just ask the person manning the door nicely.
• If you want to use the pool, go early. It gets pretty full at around midday. It opens at about 7:45AM, and there’d be zero people. Everyone’s either still asleep or at the buffet table. It also empties out during dinner time. So, swim while everyone’s eating.
• Get to the top deck as the ship approaches and leaves port, it’s always the most scenic time during the cruise.
• During lull times, when the ship is at high sea, try to explore each nooks and crannies of the ship. I’ve been to this ship before, but was surprised to find places I haven’t been to. The best way to explore is by going from the bottom floor, going to the top deck. Use the map on the elevator lobbies as guides.
• If you have a water bottle, you can fill that with cold water, hot coffee, or orange, mango, and apple juice from The Lido buffet. Which, you can then use inside your room or bring with you to shore excursions.
• If you must, bring a small bag where you can stash a change of clothes. This will come in handy when you check in your luggage during boarding, since it will be hours before you receive it back. And during the last day of the cruise, since they will collect your check in baggage the night before your check out date. With this, you’re free to take a bath even without your baggage with you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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| SUNSET AT RESORTS WORLD ONE CRUISE |
We’ve all heard that cruises are for older people. In some cases, that might really be true, since joining a cruise is easy and totally relaxed—perfect indeed for people who need not exert much effort to explore places.
But a cruise is also perfect for a family vacation, even with toddlers! I kept picturing my three-year old son and my wife with me all throughout the cruise. This is also perfect for group of friends, wanting something different and more luxurious
For foodies, this is heaven. Not only do you get to have almost unlimited dishes served from the inclusive restaurants, but you also get to try various cuisines from the premium restos, and of course, the dishes from the places you visit on shore excursions.
But joining a cruise is expensive, you might say. Well, not really. If you think about having buffet five times daily, access to gym and swimming pool, daily theater shows, a visit to another country with zero effort, and the unique experience of living inside a cruise ship, then it’s totally worth it. And time your booking with their promos and discounts, and it gets even better.
~ THIS TRIP WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY RESORTS WORLD CRUISES. VIEWS & OPINIONS, ALL MINE.
4 comments
May I know what kind of adapter plug I need to bring on the ship? thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Carmen,
DeleteResorts World One has a three-pin universal outlet that accepts most, if not all, types of electrical plugs. So, there’s really no need to bring a travel adaptor.
Resort World One was previously Explorer Dream with Dream Cruises. It was SuperStar Virgo with Star before that. I sailed on her in both guises. The bit I find unusual is the one meal rule. On Australian ships you can have a meal in the dining room and then have more in the buffet. But on this ship you need to check the menus carefully because if you choose one venue and don't like the food you can't then go somewhere else (unless you pay).
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I remember sailing on Superstar Virgo before, and as far as I can recall, they also don't have that one meal rule. Anyways, it is possible to check out the buffet spread first before committing to the restaurant.
Delete