The Dibb rule: when you see good prices for flights book them... I’ve done that now I’m in a panic

[langside]

It’s that famous advice often seen on The Dibb - you see a good price don’t hesitate; book it because it may be gone in an hour or two!

Well I’ve just booked a multi city flight for £370 including bags for this November:
Man to Helsinki (1 night stay- which is sorted staying with family)
Helsinki to Hong Kong (6nights)
Hong Kong to Shanghai (4 nights)
Shanghai to man (via 1hr 40min layover in Helsinki)

It wasn’t exactly what I was planning (originally started looking at a week in Florida or a few days on NY but the prices were coming out higher than I expected so ended up viewing holiday and flight tip sites looking for a deal!)

The only thing I know is that I should be good for the 144hr transit visa for Shanghai entry the rest is going to be a stab in the dark.

I know I want to visit the 2 Disney parks but also want to experience the cities so thinking of staying city centres rather than on Disney property.

Does anyone have any suggestions on blogs/ guides/ books I should be looking at for Shanghai and Hong Kong and any suggestions for must dos and hotels/ areas to stay (ideally ones that are budget friendly at £100 or less per night rather than 5* luxury )

Thank you from a very excited dinner

[Pumpkin Pie]

Never been to Shanghai but we were in Hong Kong for seven nights last year. Our hotel was in Kowloon (the Cordis) and we would stay there again if we return. It was not as central as some hotels I suppose but it was attached to a large shopping mall and on top of a train station. No matter where you stay if your hotel is near a train station you will be fine. It is really easy to travel around Hong Kong with the metro.

I didn’t buy any books as our city library service is fantastic and I can order travel books online (a bit like Amazon but free) and get them delivered to our local library. No idea if this is usual everywhere. Also try Pinterest as it has endless links to information on anywhere you want to go in the world.

One must do for me was a day trip to the Big Buddha and it didn’t disappoint. I also enjoyed viewing Hong Kong at night from the Peak but beware - it can be really busy (maybe not so much in a November) and we got there by bus as the Peak tram would have taken us hours.

There is no need to stay near Disney Hong Kong as it is easy to get to and the transport is really cheap also.

I agree you got a bargain with your flights.

[kk20]

When we travelled through hong kong we used the lonely planet guides and were happy with them. As for hotel, we were in causeway bay next to an MRT station. We used the station to get everywhere.

[Alidoll]

HK Disneyland is easy to get to as metro to Sunny Bay station then dedicated Disney train to the park. Can also buy your tickets online to save standing in line (did that the first week the park opened). Alsk stayed in Kowloon (at the hotel the SARS outbreak originated - though didn’t know that little nugget when the travel agent booked it lol!). Was fine though and had a shuttle bus down to the Star Ferry terminal so pretty handy.

Not been to Shanghai though so can’t comment on that I’m afraid. You’ll have a fabulous time though

[pink glitter]

Originally Posted by langside

It’s that famous advice often seen on The Dibb - you see a good price don’t hesitate; book it because it may be gone in an hour or two!

Well I’ve just booked a multi city flight for £370 including bags for this November:
Man to Helsinki (1 night stay- which is sorted staying with family)
Helsinki to Hong Kong (6nights)
Hong Kong to Shanghai (4 nights)
Shanghai to man (via 1hr 40min layover in Helsinki)

It wasn’t exactly what I was planning (originally started looking at a week in Florida or a few days on NY but the prices were coming out higher than I expected so ended up viewing holiday and flight tip sites looking for a deal!)

The only thing I know is that I should be good for the 144hr transit visa for Shanghai entry the rest is going to be a stab in the dark.

I know I want to visit the 2 Disney parks but also want to experience the cities so thinking of staying city centres rather than on Disney property.

Does anyone have any suggestions on blogs/ guides/ books I should be looking at for Shanghai and Hong Kong and any suggestions for must dos and hotels/ areas to stay (ideally ones that are budget friendly at £100 or less per night rather than 5* luxury )

Thank you from a very excited dinner

See more...

Wow, that sounds a fab price, do you mind me asking who you booked with please?

[claireyfairy8]

Wow that is an amazing price!

I am looking into this for 2021 and have budgeted around £1300pp for flights.
(Although that is from Aberdeen and going to Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Soeul)

[langside]

Originally Posted by pink glitter

Wow, that sounds a fab price, do you mind me asking who you booked with please?

See more...

No problem I booked with travelup after doing a search on skyscanner - flights are all Finnair except Hong Kong to Shanghai which is with Cathay Dragon and include checked luggage, got my confirmation with airline booking references within 5 min too.
Finnair just seem to have some amazing prices atm - although I’ve never used them before for the price so long as myself and my bagged get there (hopefully on time) I’ll be happy

[langside]

Originally Posted by claireyfairy8

Wow that is an amazing price!

I am looking into this for 2021 and have budgeted around £1300pp for flights.
(Although that is from Aberdeen and going to Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Soeul)

See more...

At the time I did have a quick search adding Tokyo in but the price jumped dramatically so Japan will have to be left on the bucket list for now

[langside]

Thank you for the tips re Hong Kong and suggesting that I focus my hotel search on Kowloon area near a metro stop - I’ve started to have a look and I’ve got a few now on the short list (just waiting for hopefully a sale/ good voucher code to come up)

Ideas for Hong Kong now include, the buddha, junk boat, the peak, horse racing, macau trip, street markets but I’ve ordered a little lonely planet book so hopefully that will help with planning a bit more

Re Disney is it normal for Disney Hong Kong not to release times more than a few weeks ahead of time (think I’ve been spoilt with Orlando) just wondering

And with Shanghai hoping to visit one of the water towns one day so really only going to have one and a half days in Shanghai after 2 Disney days

[pink glitter]

Originally Posted by langside

No problem I booked with travelup after doing a search on skyscanner - flights are all Finnair except Hong Kong to Shanghai which is with Cathay Dragon and include checked luggage, got my confirmation with airline booking references within 5 min too.
Finnair just seem to have some amazing prices atm - although I’ve never used them before for the price so long as myself and my bagged get there (hopefully on time) I’ll be happy

See more...

I’ve never heard of Travelup, I’ll go and have a look, thank you xx