Seattle to Hong Kong Trip

We've put a deposit down on a 27-day cruise aboard Holland America's Amsterdam in September 2011! The itinerary starts in Seattle and ends in Hong Kong. Jeff has never been to Seattle, so we’ll probably spend a few days there before the cruise starts. At the end of the cruise, we’ll spend three days in Hong Kong and four days in Tokyo before flying home.

One the things that attracted us to this cruise was being able to stay overnight in Beijing, China. We can’t wait to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. There are also overnight stays in Yokahama (near Tokyo), Kobe (near Kyoto) and Shanghai.

We had two upgrades from coach to business available to us on American Airlines that were expiring soon. We were able to find coach tickets one-way for $800 per person from Hong Kong to Tokyo and then on to Las Vegas. The ticket allows a four day layover in Tokyo. We’ll have to fly coach from Hong Kong to Tokyo but then it’s business class from Tokyo to home!

We were on this ship for a Panama Canal crossing in December 2009. It carries about 1,400 people which is basically twice the size of the Azamara Quest that we were on in 2010. While the Amsterdam is nowhere near the elegance of the Quest, it is still very nice. The stateroom we had and will have is roomy even though it does not have a veranda. Not many ships go to this area of the world, so we were lucky to find an itinerary plus we got a great deal through our American Express Platinum card.

Now starts the researching of how to make the most of our port days which, in my opinion, is the best part of any vacation.