At Changi Airport Terminal 2

Our flight to the Gold Coast was on 25 Nov 2014 at 1.45 am. This meant that we would have to be at Changi Airport Terminal 2 on 24 Nov 2014 at 10.45 pm, 3 hours before our departure as advised by Flyscoot. As we were early, there was no one in the queue and we were able to check in almost immediately. 

After checking in, we cleared immigration and customs and went into the departure area. As it was an eight hours flight, we went to MacDonald's to eat as we were not sure what time we would be served food on board the flight (we booked "FlyBagEat" with Flyscoot) .

After eating, we had a bit of time before we had to go to the departure gate. So we took a leisurely stroll in the departure area and eventually saw the "Enchanted Garden" and "Orchid Garden and Koi Pond" in the departure transit lounge at level 2.

We were told to be at the boarding gates at 12.45 am, one hour before the flight's departure time. No boarding calls would be made to remind us. So, we kept track of the time and arrived at the departure gate on time. 

We could not bring in the distilled water we bought from the convenience store near MacDonald's through the security checks so we drank most of the water and kept the bottle to be refilled later after clearing security. We waited for a short while before we could board the plane. The plane was able to take off on time at 1.45 am without any delays.


Related posts:

Planning - Booking of Flight
Booking of Holiday Accommodation and Visa Application
Our Scoot Experience - On the Way to Gold Coast
Day One in Gold Coast
Day Two in Gold Coast
Day Three in Gold Coast
Day Four in Gold Coast
Day Five and Day Six in Gold Coast
Our Scoot Experience- The Return Journey

Booking of Holiday Accommodation and Visa Application

After we had booked our flight to Gold Coast Australia, I sourced around for a suitable holiday accommodation.   Our flight back to Singapore on 30 Nov 2014 was at 9.25 am which meant we had to be at the airport around 6.25 am. So I was torn between booking an accommodation in Surfers Paradise (central) and one nearer to the Gold Coast airport (further from the theme parks). 

I had read that Surfers Paradise could be noisy at night. In the end we booked a two bedroom apartment at Swell Resort as the resort is just a 15 minutes drive from Gold Coast Airport and the apartment has a king size bed in the master bedroom. 

After we booked the apartment, we sent an email to Swell Resort just to check and confirm on a number of things. They also gave us the instructions on after reception hour check in procedure. Their reception hours are 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays, 9 am to 2 pm on Saturdays and 9 am to 1 pm on Sundays.

For Singaporeans, we also need to apply for a travel visa to enter into Australia and this can be done online.


Related posts:

Planning - Booking of Flight
At Changi Airport Terminal 2
Our Scoot Experience - On the Way to Gold Coast
Day One in Gold CoastDay Two in Gold Coast
Day Two in Gold Coast
Day Three in Gold Coast
Day Four in Gold Coast
Day Five and Day Six in Gold Coast
Our Scoot Experience- The Return Journey

Planning - Booking of Flight

We had the intention of going for an overseas trip this year. I was looking for information on Taiwan, Gold Coast or Perth in Australia, Vietnam and some parts of China. I could not decide which one because of the costs involved and other uncertainties, but my preferences at that point in time were Taiwan and the Gold Coast, Australia.

By the time we could firm up our departure dates, many of the departure dates for tours to Taiwan did not coincide with the dates that Ardon could take leave for. Doing free and easy in Taiwan seemed to cost more and the air tickets to Taiwan were also quite expensive during the holiday season. The cheaper airfare from a full service airline involved a stopover in another country's airport before reaching our final destination. This would waste too much time and time was not on our side. Seats from budget airlines to Taiwan were limited on the days that we wanted.

My next choice was the Gold Coast, Australia. However, after checking with Flyscoot and other airlines, the airfare, including their surcharges and taxes, would cost between $3300 to $4000+ for our family of four to just get onboard the aeroplane. So it seemed like an impossible dream. Perth was not on the list due to the schedule of the flight time. Effectively we would only get 2 days there. Comparing carefully between the tours in Vietnam and China, for the places that we wanted to go, the tours would cost at least $1000 which means $4000 or more for the whole family during the holiday peak season. In order to visit those scenic places in Vietnam and China, joining a tour group would be much easier. I nearly settled for Bangkok. However we had just been there a few years ago, so I would prefer to visit another place.

Then, the impossible happened. One evening, I checked my email and realized that Flyscoot was running a promotion with one way fares to Gold Coast at $98. What's more, the dates that we wanted qualified for the promotion. This meant that - inclusive of surcharges, taxes, meals, check-in baggage allowances, seat selections and travel insurance - it was about $2500+ for the whole family. That was a total discount of $1000! So, naturally we booked the tickets on the same day. The journey to Singapore to the Gold Coast would involve a one hour stopover at Sydney airport. However, the return journey was a direct flight from the Gold Coast back to Singapore.

Related posts:

Booking of Holiday Accommodation and Visa Application
At Changi Airport Terminal 2
Planning - Booking of Flight
Our Scoot Experience - On the Way to Gold Coast
Day One in Gold Coast
Day Two in Gold Coast
Day Three in Gold Coast

Day Four in Gold Coast
Day Five and Day Six in Gold Coast
Our Scoot Experience- The Return Journey