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Is a culturally enriching cruise a good idea?


Rajavi

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So I'm planning to take the Spectrum of the seas which is Royals newest ship. This sails from Shanghai on the 16th of July. Basically since its culturally enriching I was wondering if language is a barrier since I don't speak any mandarin hat so ever. Also will the entertainment shows be in mandarin? basically is it a good idea to take a culturally enriching cruise versus a non cultural one 

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  • Matt changed the title to Is a culturally enriching cruise a good idea?

Welcome to the message boards!

A cruise from Singapore is one thing but a cruise from Shanghai is another matter.  

Cruises in China are distinctly targeted at the Chinese consumer.  They won't deny a Westerner from booking such a cruise but it won't be the same experience you have on a Royal ship outside of Asia and that's on purpose.  

Royal is growing their Asia cruise market by embracing the local culture on these cruises.  While other lines are struggling in that region Royal is actually growing and starting to see signs that their Asian guests are now starting to book cruises in other regions.  

I would expect a cruise from Shanghai to be fully immersive in all respects.  Food, menus, signage, entertainment, announcements, etc... 

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I have been on a number of “culturally enriching” cruises in the past few years. Yes, they make announcements in Chinese, but absolutely everything is also in English. We have enjoyed the variety of food options in the MDR and the Windjammer that you don’t see in the regular fleet. If you are bothered by crowds, these cruises can be a shock — not that there are any more passengers, but the people just like to stand closer together so it feels more crowded. 

Dont worry about the language at all. 

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22 hours ago, twangster said:

Absent of any live blogs here or very much participation from China on these boards I'll post this link from a Quantum cruisers on Cruise Critic:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2649752-quantum-in-asia-a-review/

 

Thanks for the link , it is full with useful information and helps me prepare for our Spectrum of the Seas , same route at October. Hope just the internet package price  will drop from 19 per day so I can do some live blogging.

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  • 5 months later...
49 minutes ago, Chris970 said:

Has anyone tried a nonculturally enriching cruise in Asia through Royal. Most options they are culturally enriching but a few or not. Are there just as many Chinese guest and issues as in previous post on these cruises? Looking at quantum in oct 2020.

Interesting question that could have different answers or interpretations. What port is the cruise embarking from in Asia?

I would assume if a cruise departs in Asia there will be different cultural experiences on board.  If you would not be comfortable flying to a country and staying in a hotel for X days, a cruise vacation that departs from that same country may not be an escape for those seeking a purely North American experience.  It's not like they would ever tell local guests not to book sail date XYZ because outsiders are booking that one.   

Royal will always allow any eligible guest to book a cruise despite their ethnicity or country of residence.  If you would have trouble sharing a ship where you are the minority that is something you may need to consider when booking a cruise based in any foreign embarkation port.  

 

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A few years ago we were in Thailand and stayed in a large hotel that had nearly 600 rooms, there were a lot of Chinese guests.

By day the hotel and pools were really busy, by night the hotel and its 5 or 6 restaurants were deserted. The hotel was right on the beach and had a lovely restaurant right on the beach, there was often only us a maybe another table in there.

It was bizarre, I don’t know if the Chinese confined themselves to their rooms on an evening or went elsewhere but they were no where to be seen on a evening.

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I think a culturally enriching cruise would be GREAT!  Especially since its culturally enriching.  You're not going to be culturally enriched if you're not immersed in that culture.  

What I would suggest though, if you're sailing out of china, read up on the visas.  DO A LOT OF READING ON THE VISAS.  China isnt somewhere where you just take your passport and you're done.  Same with reading up on Chinese culture norms.  They're much different than the USA.  And that's a good thing.  Just realize, its their culture, their country.  

Also I'd recommend spending a week in China before your cruise (or after) because you're travelling all that way.  Really get to know the local culture, local food, local people.  Really get enriched.  

I'm adventurous when it comes to not speaking the local language.  There's a lot of pointing that happens when you dont speak the local language.  And pointing in a good way.  Your mobile device is your best friend when it comes to your pointing game.  Want a particular food?  Bring it up on the phone and point!  A good translation app helps a lot as well in understanding chinese characters.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Shanghai is a great place to visit. Cosmopolitan and yet retaining an old world charm. You can definitely spend a couple of days in Shanghai if you have the time. Moreover, it is autumn now and much cooler compared to a month ago. 

So far, I have only sailed out of Singapore.

I am thinking of sailing out of Tianjin next year on Quantum of the seas. Looking forward to getting some insights from your experience.

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As long as you go thru proper procedure to apply a travel document/visa to China, you should be fine. Especially when you're from Western countries, it's very straight forward (if you're from Hong Kong or Taiwan, it could be super tricky). It's not that complicated or "scary" as many people (or media) claimed. Remember, the media only shows the negative side of things, and people who got in trouble ALWAYS because they couldn't care less about respecting others and have that "Travelers are KING" mentality. The bottom line is, you SHOULD and CAN get a visa to enter China. Unlike United States. My mom had applied U.S. travel visa for god knows how many times. Never got approved. She couldn't even come to my college graduation. That's the sole reason I made the decision to immigrate Canada. 

Hope to hear from you about your experience on the cruise to Asia. Happy cruise planning!

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