Destinations Archives

How to Spend 24 Hours in Singapore’s Changi Airport

By Susan Weston / September 16, 2023 / Leave a Comment

It might sound wild to want to live in an airport for 24 hours, but Singapore’s Changi Airport is ranked #1 in the world. Imagine an airport where you can lounge by the pool, watch a movie, and ride a bike. You can also shop at the Jewel, a mall that is famous for the largest indoor waterfall.

Disclaimer – Although the waterfall is breathtaking, skip the Jewel unless you have more than 24 hours to explore the airport. If you decide to check out the Jewel, check out my next blog on the Do’s and Don’t of visiting the Jewel.

So, what can you do for 24 hours in Singapore’s Changi Airport?

See the World’s Largest Indoor Waterfall at the Changi Airport Jewel

Yes, you are reading that right. I don’t recommend going into the Jewel, but I do recommend seeing the waterfall. In fact, the best way to see it without a 100 tourists in your way is from above. Take the Skytrain that connects Terminals 2 & 3. The train, accessible without leaving security, slowly passes through the Jewel right next to the waterfall.

Everyone needs a photo with the waterfall

Rent a Bicycle and Do Some Plane Spotting

Nothing about this airport should shock you. GoCycling, part of Hub and Spoke, rents bikes by the hour that will take you around the airport and through the Changi Jurassic Mile – a short one-kilometer paved path with life-size dinosaurs, both plant and human eaters. Be brave and rent a tandem. Cliff and I did and we are still talking.

Disclaimer: First, the signs and map make it seem like Hub and Spoke is in the airport. It is not. It is a trek from the Jewel and other terminals. Second, we assumed they would have a place to lock up our luggage, but instead, we had to pay for shower access and lock up our luggage in a small locker room. Later, we passed a row of bike lockers near the rental counter that was cheaper and the perfect size for our luggage.

I also want to thank Cliff for riding a bicycle midday in hot and humid Singapore. And with a smile on his face.

Get a Workout In

Hahahaha… that’s funny. However, multiple gyms are located throughout the terminals for all the overachievers. Several lounges had fitness centers either free or with a day pass. A gym is also available at Hub and Spoke and the pool. Yes. I did say pool.

Tip: Lounge Pass

Buy a lounge membership. Free Alcohol, Free food, free showers, free nap rooms, free fitness centers (boo) and did I mention FREE Alcohol.

Take a Nap Without Leaving Security

We didn’t want to be completely miserable and exhausted for our long flight home, so we decided to get a little horizontal sleep. We did entertain the thought of canceling our reservation and just napping in the lounge so we had more time to play, but then responsible Cliff decided it was a bad idea. Don’t tell him, but he was right. We reserved a room at the Aerotel Transit Hotel, located right in the Terminal. It wasn’t cheap but convenient. Rooms are reserved by the hour, but I promise it’s not “that type” of hotel. The reservation includes access to the pool and free room service.

Eat at the Lounge

Save money on expensive airport food and drinks. Go to a lounge and eat and drink for free all day. Singapore has 26 Lounges. Many are included in a priority pass membership or through specific credit cards. If you still need to go down the lounge rabbit hole, certain lounges will allow you to purchase a day pass. Use loungebuddy.com to see what lounges are available.

Lounge by the Pool

Imagine spending the day poolside lounging in your cabana and drinking piña coladas under the clear blue sky. It sounds like the perfect day. Would you believe you could spend your three-hour layover in this situation?

At Changi airport, you can. The pool and attached Aerobar are part of the Aerotel, but day passes are available. There are also showers and a fitness center. Just beware that the pool is only open from 1200-2200. On his last visit, Cliff attempted to go to the pool after 2200 and was a very sad human.

Tip: Don’t Shower at the Pool

If you are from the East Coast, you will understand the phrase “sweating in the shower.” The bathroom is very humid and not refreshing. There are showers in most lounges, and in the case you do not have a lounge pass are pay-per-use.

Get Fresh Air and Visit the Gardens

Being allowed to get fresh air while waiting for your plane is rare, especially in the United States. Singapore Changi’s airport has multiple gardens to escape screaming children and frustrated parents.

Check out the Art in Changi’s Terminals

Singapore’s airport is well known for its art. There is art throughout the airport that make good photo ops for all you Instagrammers out there. Cliff wanted me to see the Immersive Wall in T4, but there is no airside connection between T4 and the rest of the terminals, meaning you must leave and re-enter security. I am okay with leaving security, but it takes extra time that we didn’t have. More proof that 24 hours is NOT enough time in the airport.

Take a Ride on the 3-Story Slide

It was closed. I was very sad, but it looked awesome and a little scary.

Have a Date Night at the Movies

There is a movie theater in Terminal 3 (Airside). It is open 24 hours; the best part is the price free. It is also a great place to take a nap.

This list is just a sampling of how to spend 24 hours in Singapore’s Changi Airport. Cliff and I agreed that we could have easily explored the airport another day. I successfully marked an item on my bucket list, but I still need to return and ride that slide.

10 Tips For Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser

By Susan Weston / January 2, 2023 / Leave a Comment

You are considering a trip aboard Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser or maybe you already booked your trip. I have several tips to make your experience aboard the Halcyon even better. Also check out my list of most common asked questions about the Galactic Starcruiser.

1. Book During the Week to Save Money

Rates are cheaper on the weekdays compared to the weekends. You can save hundreds of dollars this way.

2. Don’t Sleep in Before Your Excursion to Batuu

You and your group might feel that you are having more fun on the ship, but there are a lot of missions you still need to complete on Batuu. I especially recommend getting to the park early if you want to make a droid or a lightsaber and do not have a reservation. My friends were able to get walk-up reservations because they were there right when they opened. Plus, you want time to eat, go to Oga’s Cantina, and ride Millennium Falcon and Rise of the Resistance.

3. Bring a Power Bank

Your entire adventure revolves around your datapad, aka your cell phone. Your itinerary, essential communications regarding your missions, and the ability to hack into areas are all on the data pad. Your battery will die quickly between that and all the photos you will take. There are plenty of charging points throughout the ship, but you want to avoid being tied to a plug when you get a transmission that Chewbacca needs help in the engine room immediately. The front desk has extra if you need one.

4. Dress Up

You paid for an immersive experience, so dress up. You can become a resistance member, a secret Sith, or a stormtrooper. Would you ever see a human wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt walking through Mos Eisley Cantina?

Plus, my favorite part was walking around Galaxy’s Edge in full costume. As Halcyon guests, we did not have to follow Disney’s strict costume rules. I dressed as a Twi-lek with a full headpiece and had so much fun interacting with other tourists.

5. Play Along

Along with dressing up, you need to play along. The experience is supposed to be immersive. Get a backstory. Who are you? What planet are you from? Why are you on the Halcyon? You are paying a lot for the experience of being inside your own Star Wars story. Embrace it.

6. Book a Private PhotoPass Session

This tip is questionable. When my group went on Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser, the Photo Pass session was only $99. Now the price has increased to $399. I find that to be a little ridiculous but I do think it is worth sharing.

You don’t want to spend all your time taking photos. Plus, I doubt other guests will appreciate taking time out of their experience to take photos for you. You can hire a professional photographer for a 30 minute session aboard the ship.

The photos came out awesome and were more creative than we would ever have taken on our own. I just don’t know if I would pay $399.

Tip: Book during the week when prices are lower.

7. Bring an Eye Mask

The coolest part of the guest rooms aboard the Galactic Starcruiser is the window looking out into space. Bright lights surround the window, and the only way to turn off the lights is to close the shades of the window. It would have been awesome to turn the lights off and look out into space while going to bed. If some of your party want to keep the window open, I recommend an eye mask.

Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

8. You Can’t Buy Star Wars Souvenirs

Disney does not want to ruin the illusion for guests on the Starcruiser and Galaxy’s Edge. Therefore you will not find any Disney Star Wars branded merchandise on the ship or Batuu. You can find merchandise advertising the Chandrilla Cruise line and rare kyber crystals at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, but nothing that says “Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser.

This is until you leave the ship on your last day. There will be a stand selling Galactic Starcruiser shirts, hoodies, and other Disney-branded souvenirs.

9. Don’t Arrive Too Early on Day 1

We arrived at 1130 and were able to board around 1230. We were excited to get on and explore the ship. Although the lounge and restaurant were open, there wasn’t much else to do until later in the afternoon. So I recommend arriving a little later if it means a less stressful morning for your family.

10. Take Part in All the Events

You only have two days, and this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Go to Oga’s Cantina. Make a droid. Play Sabacc. Join the Fashion Show. Sample the fantastic cocktails and late-night food in the lounge. And most of all, have a blast.

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I Went To Outer Space on Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

By Susan Weston / December 5, 2022 / Leave a Comment

Ever since Disney announced the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, there have been questions regarding exactly what it is and if it is worth the crazy price tag. I recently went on the Galactic Starcruiser known as the Halycon and want to answer the most common questions.

What is the Galactic Starcruiser?

Well… It is not a hotel. The Galactic Starcruiser opened in Walt Disney World last year. It is described as a “Star Wars-themed 2-night live-action/role-playing choose your own adventure experience aboard a simulated cruise in outer space within the Star Wars galaxy.”

Imagine yourself inside your favorite Star Wars movie. You have been working hard on your home planet of Tatooine and need a vacation. You book a cruise through the outer rim on the Halcyon cruiseliner. Aboard the cruise, you meet travelers from all over the galaxy—a Twi’lek from Ryloth, a smuggler from Tatooine, and a Togruta working on his music career. You are playing Sabacc when the first order walks in and arrests a man suspected of being for the resistance. Your cruise ship docks at Batuu, where you spend the day exploring the markets of the Black Spire Output and seeing the infamous Millenium Falcon that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Then you return to Halcyon to help Chewbacca hide from Kylo Ren.

Seriously, that all happened to me. You spend two days in this fantasy world, never leaving the bubble. Along the way, you can help the first order, join the resistance, or go on a mission that has you enter a secret room on the ship.

Meeting passengers from all over the Galaxy

How much is the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser?

$7,091

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Your cruise to outer space includes parking, a one-day park ticket, food, a two-night stay aboard the Halcyon, meeting all your favorite Star Wars characters, dinner shows, and the chance to play your childhood fantasy. Alcohol, except for one drink in Batuu, is not included.

Dinner on Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Crown of Corellia Dining Room

Breakfast on Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Crown of Corellia Dining Room

Is there a way to make the Starcruiser more affordable?

Go with friends.

It is a lot of money for one family to spend on a two-day trip, but I split the cost with four friends. The rooms are small, but we easily fit the four of us. There was a pulldown bed, bunk beds, and a queen bed.

With four friends, I only paid $1,772. Yes. You can pick your jaw off the floor again. Consider that a Disney World vacation at another deluxe resort can cost even more.

Tip: Book during the week when prices are lower.

I love Disney and Star Wars but want to avoid being stuck in space with screaming children for two days.

I agree. Most of the children on the Star Cruiser were past the crying, nap-needing phase.

Disney recommends that children be old enough to use a cell phone since all the missions, cruise activities, and private transmissions are on your data pad (aka your phone).

Several events, such as lightsaber training, are only available to guests seven or over.

Tip: They will provide phones if your children do not have their own, but they only have a limited number, so call ahead.

Playing Sabacc on Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Enjoying a game of Sabacc on the Halcyon

How immersive is this Star Wars experience?

100%. You are on a cruise in the outer rim and will meet people from all over the galaxy. The windows in your room look out into space. Everyone from your waiter to your room attendant is a part of the experience and will never break character. Our waiter told us about his wife and kids on his home planet and how he ended up working on the Halcyon.

What about your visit to Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge? Will it break the illusion?

On the day of your “excursion,” you will board a transport vehicle and get transported down to the planet of Battu. When they open the door of the transport vehicle, you are already within the walls of Galaxy’s Edge. There is a separate entrance where you never see the outside world.

Yes, there are tourists in Battu, but they were visiting just like us. We had pins that told cast members we were part of the Halcyon, so they played along.

Oga's Cantina in Batuu Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Drinks at Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge

Private entrance to Batuu when on Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Drinks at Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge

Do I need to be a Star Wars fan?

There is nothing throughout the experience that you need to know about the Star Wars Franchise. Anyone can cruise through outer space and participate in missions.

I was never a Star Wars geek, but I love movies that intertwine, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I loved the idea of being inside the Star Wars Universe, and I love dressing up in costumes.

That being said, there is something about meeting Chewbacca, traveling on the ship where Han and Leya had their honeymoon, and talking to a Twi’lek about growing up on Ryloth that only a Star Wars fan can appreciate.

Tip: Need a crash course into the Star Wars Galaxy. Check out this guide to locations and vocabulary referenced on the Starcruiser.

Was it worth it?

Yes.

But only if you participate. Dress up. Have a backstory. Go on the missions. It is not a hotel. It’s an experience. It is only worth it if you can go in 100%.

I began a crash course in Star Wars. I watched every movie, cartoon, and tv show before I went on the ship. I was going to be prepared for the amount of money I was paying.

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