SE Asia Xmas & New Year Cruise

5 January 2026

After a somewhat busy year, we had decided that we would prefer a stress-free celebration this year to close out 2025. What better way to do that than to take a leisurely cruise? No shopping, cooking, hosting, cleaning... just a focus on some relaxation in a festive and fun atmosphere.

And so it was that we boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line ship, Sun, on 20^th December in Singapore. Before us lay a 15 day trip taking in Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines (our very own Puerto Princesa, Boracay and Coron), Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Having already travelled extensively in most of these countries (Hong Kong and Taiwan being the exceptions), we did not venture too far from the vessel when in arrived in port. However, it was very convenient to be able to drop off a couple of very heavy suitcases (filled with goodies brought back from Switzerland) when we docked in Puerto. In Puerto, as indeed in the other Filipino ports, we were welcomed by bands and singing, dancing children in local costumes. Such a warm welcome was only extended to the ship’s passengers in the Philippines.

So, we spent most of our time on board ship just enjoying ourselves, taking part in game shows and trivia quizzes, jamming with the (Filipino) band, enjoying variety shows and of course, wining and dining in one of the many restaurants available to us. By the time we docked in Keelung we found to our dismay that we had put on a few extra kilos, despite hitting the gym and lapping the deck to get our daily 10k steps.

Two highlights of the trip were definitely the carol-singing on Christmas Eve and the New Year’s Eve celebration on the top deck, where revelers struggled to keep upright. Not due to  inebriation on their part (for the majority) but because of the strong winds; powerful enough to destroy hair styles, move  deckchairs and hoist the trays of champagne glasses, prepared for the midnight toast to the New Year, to the four corners of the deck. It was such fun to just dance that night away.

We also made many new friends during the cruise, notably Cora, originally from the Philippines but now living in Australia: her daughter Krystina; and Cat, a crew member from China and a quizmaster on many of the game shows and trivia quizzes. All three were a lot of fun and made the cuise even more memorable with their joy, laughter and good humour.

All in all, this cruise was an excellent way to see out the old year and see in the new one, we truly felt refreshed and excited for everything that lay ahead of us.