Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, pros and cons
In 2013, you read our post, Old
airport, New terminal, to learn the latest development of the ex-Kai Tak Airport.
In Nov 2013, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal welcomed the first big cruise. This post shows you the pros and cons of the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal of Hong Kong.
Pros1 It is really BIG
The
two berths at the end of the old airport runway can accommodate two large
cruises at the same time.
Celebrity Millennium (tonnage: 91,000), Sapphire
Princess (tonnage: 115,875) and Mariner
of the Seas (tonnage: 138,279) come a lot.
The brand new Ovation of the Seas (Tonnage:
168,666) will even use Kai Tak as its home port.
Pros2
Spectacular view
Pros3 Do
everything indoor
You
will do everything, embarkation, disembarkation, get back your luggage, wait for your private guides, board the
transports etc., indoor.
The sun and rainfall outside cannot disturb you.
Plus
Hong Kong's efficiency, embarking or disembarking the cruise at Kai Tak should be the easy experience.
Cons1 It is really REMOTE
You
can see the beautiful view of Hong Kong from the cruise terminal, but it is
difficult to 'touch' them.
It is because the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is at the
remote end of the runway of the old airport.
It is the first completed
redevelopment project of the old airport area.
Most of the areas nearby are
under construction.
Cons2
Poor transportation
There
are only two links between the city area and the port.
When
they can get enough businesses in the city center especially on the weekday
morning, the taxi drivers don't want to drive a long way to go to Kai Tak.
So there are long queues for the shuttle buses, which are arranged by the
nearby shopping malls.
When the guests want to go back the cruise from the
malls, they face the same problem.
Cons3
Poor supporting facilities
Kai
Tak is far away.
So there are not enough choices for the guests to do shopping
and dinning.
As most cruise passengers want to 'jump' to the city center at
once (that is normal and sometimes that is really better!), the business for
the restaurants and mall in the cruise terminal is not good.
The Chinese
restaurant, which can accommodate about 800 guests, can only rely on the local
wedding party business.
The mall fares even worse. The boss owes the staff months of salary.