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Need help on Yangon- for Seabourn Cruise


Johnny34
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We will be coming to Yangon December 28 on Sojourn- docking at Mynamar International Terminals Thilawa Port.

 

Our ship is docking on at 12 noon that day. Then we overnight for 2 more days- and then leave at 12 noon on December 31.

 

 

1. Do you suggest I stay in a hotel in Yangon for 2 nights.- and return to ship on December 30?

 

 

I heard the traffic is terrible from the port and can take up to 2 hours. So if we stayed on the cruise ship it would be travelling 4 hours a day.

 

 

If we don't take the cruise shuttle how much would taxi cost to go into Yangon and come back ? Do you have to reserve or are they at the port?

 

2. What do you suggest for an itinerary in Yangon?

First day we would probably get to Yangon by 3:00 P.M.

Second day would have full day of touring.

Third day would have full day of touring and go back to cruise ship by 6:00 P.M.

 

 

We will not be going to Bagan or Mandalay.

Should we take a side trip to Bago? or Dala?

What should we do at night First and Second night in Yangon?

 

3. Would like to hire a private guide for 2nd and 3rd. day. Do you have any suggestions?

 

Thank you for all your information. It is very appreciated to hear all your thoughts.. Also any recommendations for great restaurants?

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We stopped there earlier this year on the SS WC. The shuttle bus took about an hour each way. Highly recommend a night tour to the Schwedagon Pagoda. It's very impressive. You have to remove your shoes, so if you visit during the day, the tiles on the floor can burn your feet. I believe a couple of folks stayed one over night at the Sule Shangri-La.

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Should we stay in hotel for 2 nights? I know the Seabourn shuttle comes back late afternoon and it seems the night life there is interesting.

 

If we go to Planters restaurant will be there already. Heard the Schwedagon Pagoda at night is beautiful.

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We did this stop in in 2015 and had two nights stop and also arrived around 12 Noon the first day. As we were doing the evening dinner and dance show at Le Planteur the first night we came back to the ship. We enjoyed the dinner, the setting and the show but the bus ride is very long and on the return seems to take even longer. I played Solitaire on my phone to keep me occupied on the way back.

 

The next two days we had a private tour booked with ExoTour

 

http://www.exotravel.com/travel/myanmar/tours/sort-2to4/

 

In which we put together an itinerary of - doing a trip on the Circle Train, touring the city, visiting the Swhedagon Temple at sunset and into the evening. Going for a walk on the wooden boardwalk on the lake and seeing the Emperors Barges -from the boardwalk not inside. We also did a walk the next morning through the food markets, which is different to many markets we have done around the world as they were more just in the minor streets.

 

Because we did not want to deal with the long drives we stayed one night in The Strand Hotel. It was lovely and reminded me of the old section of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. As we were having a early market tour we didn't venture out and check out the night life.

 

Oh we also visited Bogyoke (Scott's Market). Remember it is closed on a Monday so you need to plan for this.

 

http://www.myanmarburma.com/attraction/585/bogyoke-market-scott-market

 

Make sure you have good bug spray for mosquitos, especially if walking around the lake. A friend stayed at the hotel on the lake and said the hotel was lovely but she did get badly bitten by mosquitoes, she attracts them though,unfortunately. She used spray but it wasn't a really strong one.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Julie

Edited by frantic36
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Thanks for all your help on Yangon.

This is my itinerary on Sojourn- if you have any advice or suggestions on any of the highlights of these ports - I would really appreciate it.

 

 

Day Date Port Arrival Departure

THU 22DEC16 Sail from Singapore 5:00pm

FRI 23DEC16 Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia 8:00am 6:00pm

SAT 24DEC16 Penang, Malaysia 10:00am 6:00pm

SUN 25DEC16 Sea Day

MON 26DEC16 Port Blair, India 1 10:00am 6:00pm

TUE 27DEC16 Sea Day

WED 28DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,3,1 12:00n

THU 29DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,4,1

FRI 30DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,3,1

SAT 31DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 3,4,1 12:00n

SUN 01JAN17 Sea Day

MON 02JAN17 Phuket, Thailand 2 12:00n

TUE 03JAN17 Phuket, Thailand 6:00pm

WED 04JAN17 Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

THU 05JAN17 Lumut, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

FRI 06JAN17 Malacca, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

SAT 07JAN17 Singapore 7:00am 11:59pm

SUN 08JAN17 Sea Day

MON 09JAN17 Sea Day

TUE 10JAN17 Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand 8:00am 6:00pm

WED 11JAN17 Ko Kood, Thailand 5 8:00am 5:00pm

THU 12JAN17 Sihanoukville, Cambodia 1 7:00am 8:00pm

FRI 13JAN17 Sea Day

SAT 14JAN17 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 2,3,4 10:00am

SUN 15JAN17 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 3,4,1 4:00pm

MON 16JAN17 Sea Day

TUE 17JAN17 Da Nang (Hue), Vietnam 1 8:00am 6:00pm

WED 18JAN17 Sea Day

THU 19JAN17 Halong Bay, Vietnam 5,6,1 7:00am 8:00pm

FRI 20JAN17 Sea Day

SAT 21JAN17 Debark Ship Hong Kong, China 7:00am

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In Lamut, avoid the mangrove and rubber tapping tour. The mangrove was dangerous with many of the boards broken or missing and the rubber tapping the coach stopped on the side of a busy road and looked at the trees. Most complained and Seabourn refunded most of the costs

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We stayed at Belmond Governor's which is very lovely & historic but not in the center of things. We were not part of a cruise but on a land trip of Burma with Asia Trans-Pacific & spent 4 days there. I second going to the Schwedagon (?) Pagoda close to sunset. It boggles the mind. Scott's was very interesting with all sorts of mystery foods being sold around the entrances - things that I really don't want to know about. Plan on being very, very hot & sticky. One of those neck ties that you can get at REI- or probably other sporting/camping stores - & soak in cold water really helps with cooling. We weren't able to see the home of "The Lady" since the street was blocked by barricades. Maybe it will be open when you are there. You'll find warm, welcoming people who are so curious about you.

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Yes indeed, we found the Burmese charming and gentle. If your cruise is like ours, you will find that the ships Purser invites donations for the village schools near some of the stops along the way. Pens, highlighters and indeed, any schools supplies are gratefully received as is sports equipment - especially footballs! English books or textbooks are particularly welcome - they cannot get them outside of Yangon. In the villages the ladies would often ask the female members of our group for lipstick - another unobtainable.

 

We used company called Tour Mandalay in Yangon and found them very good - they will also do transfers. Traffic is very bad so on no account try to DIY! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

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I went to Dala by the public ferry and I also did the circular train. I got off 1/2 way through and wandered around a small village and then continued on back to the rail station. Both were wonderful experiences but not,for everybody. The thing I like most about travel is getting away from tourists and tour buses and seeing and interacting with the actual people that live there, there is no air conditioning on the train nor on the ferry. It's very hot on both. Locals come and go at the different train stops and sell their goods. The seats are sort of bench seats, everybody together. It was absolutely wonderful. I had "conversations" with others even though we didn't speak each other's language. Smiles to a long way.

 

The ferry is also more of a local thing but there were more westerners on it. I was the only westerner on the circular train. That was fabulous. The village across the river is small and you can cover it, including some temples in an hour.

 

Loved Scotts market but unless you know what you are doing or have a reputable contact don buy precious gems. Have heard horror stories.

 

There are many other temples to visit so don't stop at Schwagden (sp). Also worth a visit is the old Jewish Synagogue. I went for tea at the Governors residence but after 15 minutes and no one do,ing to the table, I got up and left. Only bad service I experienced during my week there.

 

The best thing to do is take a trip to Bagan. You have to fly and stay overnight but it's a must see. If you don't do that then yes, stay in a hotel. I loved Traders.

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Any suggestions on any of the other ports?

 

 

In Yangon did anyone go to Dala across the ferry from Strand Hotel?

Heard you can take a 1 hour rickshaw ride.

 

Did you do full 3 hour on train? or less?

 

Thanks.

 

We also did the ferry across to Dala and did the 1 hour rickshaw ride around the island. My husband, myself and our guide all sat in the back seat of seperate bicycle rickshaws. We found the various people onboard the ferry fascinating. Groups of monks, men carrying heavy loads across their head and shoulders. Families out for the day. They sell seed packets to feed the seagulls and we watched as they happily shared this bounty with the birds. They also had stalls selling seed for pigeons around the streets. It wasn't a tourist thing but part of their beliefs of sharing.

 

On the train we only did the train for about 1 hour. We also were the only Westerners on the train but we enjoyed the journey. It was interesting seeing the ladies coming on with various food stuffs to make up noodle lunches for other train commuters. They would sit on their little stool in the centre aisle of the train, place noodles, vegetables etc into a plastic bag and lunch was served :). They wouldn't stay on for the whole journey, just a few stops.

 

I agree with cruisr these experiences are not for everyone as they are not sanitised. The people are friendly and warm and we never felt hassled, but on the ferry and train there is no air-conditioning and the seats are bench type.

 

In Myanmar one thing that many commented on was the amount of rubbish just lying in ditches. This is particularly noticeable on the journey into Yangon from the ship and when we were looking around Dala. It didn't affect our enjoyment of this fascinating country. It is just a realisation they don't have the infrastructure there to cope with regular waste collection and so it just lies there. Surprisingly enough I don't recall many flies at all.........we have far more here in Australia:D. We still wish to go back and explore further inland on a land journey.

 

I hope they didn't suffer too much damage or loss of life in the recent earthquake near Bagan.

 

I will do a another post with what we have done previously on your other port stops.

 

Julie

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Thanks for all your help on Yangon.

This is my itinerary on Sojourn- if you have any advice or suggestions on any of the highlights of these ports - I would really appreciate it.

 

 

Day Date Port Arrival Departure

THU 22DEC16 Sail from Singapore 5:00pm

FRI 23DEC16 Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia 8:00am 6:00pm

 

We took the Kuala Lumpur on your own with Seabourn. I prebooked tickets to go up the Petronas Towers a month before. We were happy we booked with Seabourn as we got caught in traffic coming back. However others took a taxi and they just made sure they had a bigger time buffer to get back.

 

SAT 24DEC16 Penang, Malaysia 10:00am 6:00pm

SUN 25DEC16 Sea Day

MON 26DEC16 Port Blair, India 1 10:00am 6:00pm

 

We hopped off the ship and negotiated a taxi to take us to the Circular Goal which is tragic and fascinating at the same time. He also took us to Ghandi Park and just around the countryside. This was in 2012 and I can't remember the cost but it was quite reasonable.

 

TUE 27DEC16 Sea Day

WED 28DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,3,1 12:00n

THU 29DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,4,1

FRI 30DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 2,3,1

SAT 31DEC16 Thilawa (Rangoon), Myanmar 3,4,1 12:00n

SUN 01JAN17 Sea Day

MON 02JAN17 Phuket, Thailand 2 12:00n

TUE 03JAN17 Phuket, Thailand 6:00pm

 

We love cooking and food and so we did the Blue Elephant cooking class and market tour. It was very well done with them demonstrating a few dishes. We then went out to the cooking stations to try and replicate the food. With lots of helpers around we all did a good job. We then got to enjoy it for lunch. This was in 2015.

WED 04JAN17 Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

Last year we caught the shuttle to the main hub where the duty free shops are. We then walked about 15 minutes down the street and through the walkway of the little hotels to the beach. The beach was a long white sandy expanse and very clean. We hired two sun loungers and an umbrella. it was US$20 or Malaysian Ringitt$20 so if you have local money it's cheaper. There are small bars and restaurants there as well. We will do the same this year when we visit on Encore.

 

THU 05JAN17 Lumut, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

FRI 06JAN17 Malacca, Malaysia 5 8:00am 5:00pm

SAT 07JAN17 Singapore 7:00am 11:59pm

Gardens by the Bay is wonderful and easily done on your own. Taxis are quite reasonable or you can use their public transport. I haven't tried the MRT from Marina Bay Cruise port so I'm not sure how easy it is to use. The night safari at the zoo is good as well, but as we will be back for the festivities on Encore we plan to visit the zoo during the day as we haven't done that yet.

 

SUN 08JAN17 Sea Day

MON 09JAN17 Sea Day

TUE 10JAN17 Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand 8:00am 6:00pm

 

We visited on Seabourn Pride so we got to dock in the city so I can't help, sorry.

 

WED 11JAN17 Ko Kood, Thailand 5 8:00am 5:00pm

The beach party we had there was wonderful. The water is only thigh high for a long way so no snorkelling. The water sports they put on were fun as was the lunch and caviar in the surf. Some local ladies are set up to do massages so if you want to participate you will need some money. I didn't do it as it's not my thing but I people who did seemed happy about it.

 

THU 12JAN17 Sihanoukville, Cambodia 1 7:00am 8:00pm

FRI 13JAN17 Sea Day

SAT 14JAN17 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 2,3,4 10:00am

SUN 15JAN17 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 3,4,1 4:00pm

 

We did the Seabourn Mekong river trip with a wonderful guide which we enjoyed and had a drink in the evening at the roof top bar at the Rex hotel. We also went to the markets which were very hot and crowded. Crossing the street is definitely an interesting if hair raising experience.

 

On our first day we did a water puppet show and cyclo/rickshaw ride through Seabourn tours which we enjoyed. This tour included a visit to the Reunification Palace but the guide was putting too much political spin on it so we excused ourselves and went back to the bus. It gave us an chance to check out the tanks and planes in the front garden area.

 

MON 16JAN17 Sea Day

TUE 17JAN17 Da Nang (Hue), Vietnam 1 8:00am 6:00pm

We did this in 2010 and we took one of the taxi drivers from where we docked. I think it was US$80 for a full day and he had a minivan. He took us to My Son which is a Cham Dynasty ruined city area which we found interesting. We also went to the obligatory Marble Shop but didn't buy anything and told our driver "no more shops" and he was fine about that request. He then took us to Hoi An where we walked around and took a small covered boat down the river. It is a lovely town and you could easily spend a day or more there. We didn't go to Hue but from what I recall the port is between Hue and Hoi An as places to visit.

 

WED 18JAN17 Sea Day

THU 19JAN17 Halong Bay, Vietnam 5,6,1 7:00am 8:00pm

 

Again in 2010, we did the Seabourn Halong Bay boat tour, visit a cave and kayaking. We were lucky with the weather as though overcast in the morning it was sunny when we kayaked. I am not sure if it is different but you need to be reasonably flexible for kayaking as you need to step into the kayak from a small deck on the boat. Not so easy when it is bobbing around. The cave was interesting as it is quite large. There were walkways and lighting to highlight interesting features. There were a few steps going into and out of the cave but quite manageable.

 

FRI 20JAN17 Sea Day

SAT 21JAN17 Debark Ship Hong Kong, China 7:00am

 

 

I hope this isn't to lengthy and may help a bit. There is a lot to do in this area of the world and we would happily go back and revisit these places. Well apart from Port Blair, it was interesting but once was enough in our opinion.

 

Julie

Edited by frantic36
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I really appreciate all your suggestions and what you did.

 

I wonder why Seabourn even goes to Port Blair. Have to get a India Visa- about US$400 for a port that is not worthwhile.

 

If you had to choose one- Circular train or Dala?

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I really appreciate all your suggestions and what you did.

 

 

 

I wonder why Seabourn even goes to Port Blair. Have to get a India Visa- about US$400 for a port that is not worthwhile.

 

 

 

If you had to choose one- Circular train or Dala?

 

 

A lot of people who are doing the 33 night holiday cruise from Dubai will need the India visa anyway for three ports of call for the segment before you board so that probably explains it.

 

Frantic - are the Andaman Islands scenic? I presume they don't have the infrastructure to offer seabourn tours ?

 

What was the trip up the Petronas towers like? Did you get a taxi from the seabourn on your own drop off point?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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I really appreciate all your suggestions and what you did.

 

I wonder why Seabourn even goes to Port Blair. Have to get a India Visa- about US$400 for a port that is not worthwhile.

 

If you had to choose one- Circular train or Dala?

 

I did the Port Blair trip in 2012 but I doubt much has changed.

 

I wouldn't go back to Port Blair again but I found it very interesting for my first Indian Port ever. The Circular Goal was very interesting and well done. You could walk around and read various information boards without needing a guide. It is actually a big complex which they have maintained very well and put some garden in to soften the buildings impact. Our driver was nice and spoke good English. The countryside was pretty and he stopped by a roadside vendor so I could get fresh coconut juice..........something I love.

 

I found the people in the shops in the main town off putting. I went into a couple of jewellery shops to look to buy some earrings. I don't know if it was because I was by myself or what but they barely spoke to me and I ended up leaving the three shops I went into without buying a thing. My husband would tell you this is very unusual. :p

 

I also got to see cows walking down the main street and cars carefully avoiding them and it just seemed so like what I wanted to see in an Indian Port.....if that makes sense.

 

If I had to choose between the two for Yangon, hmmm tricky. I guess for the ease of access and getting off and seeing other things The Circular Train wins.

 

While we were waiting for the train to leave the main station we watched a group of half a dozen children playing in a small village right next door. There were some old train tracks there and they had a couple of boxes and would take turns pushing each other along these tracks. As our train pulled out they had fun trying to race our train on their track. I have some lovely memories and photos of my time there.

 

Julie

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A lot of people who are doing the 33 night holiday cruise from Dubai will need the India visa anyway for three ports of call for the segment before you board so that probably explains it.

 

Frantic - are the Andaman Islands scenic? I presume they don't have the infrastructure to offer seabourn tours ?

 

What was the trip up the Petronas towers like? Did you get a taxi from the seabourn on your own drop off point?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Hi Gale, the Andaman Islands are a Tropical Island and I remember visiting a beach as well but we didn't swim there. There was a large group of young local boys swimming there though. I was looking for my photos and I couldn't find them quickly so I can't tell you the name of the hotel the beach was adjacent too.

 

The infrastructure is there just not big. There were tours by Seabourn including visiting the goal, we just wanted to go independently. If they run a snorkelling trip I would be tempted to do this as the Andaman and Nicobate Islands are supposed to have good snorkelling and diving.

 

Petronas Towers-

The trip in the lifts was fast and the lines were well organised I thought. We had made a 1pm booking as I wasn't sure how long it would take for us to get there. As we were early we went to the Upper Floor where all the cafes were and had lunch at Mama Kwan's. This was the bus guides recommendation and it was good, tasty and cheap.

 

The view was fantastic and there was mockups of the city, the towers and information boards about the history, architects etc. The actual time you got to stay and walk over the bridge section was short, only 15 minutes, but enough I thought. The time in the Tower was well over an hour I think.

 

If you wanted high end shopping the Petronas Towers had all the names you could want. Rolex, Gucci, Prada etc.

 

We are crazy or intrepid sometimes :roll eyes: depending on your philophosy, so we caught the free city bus near to the Towers and walked from the bus stop. We then caught the monorail back. I would catch a taxi there if I did it again but I still would take the monorail trip. Though it was a little tricky working out the tickets.

 

The Seabourn shuttle bus ride is long and our guide on the bus was helpful with information and maps of things to do near the shuttle drop off. There were a few things including a big city market complex which you nearby which some people went to and said they enjoyed. This is not the shops they drop you next too, but I can't remember the big markets name.

 

Julie

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I really appreciate all your suggestions and what you did.

 

I wonder why Seabourn even goes to Port Blair. Have to get a India Visa- about US$400 for a port that is not worthwhile.

 

If you had to choose one- Circular train or Dala?

 

Circular train.

 

Also, I don't know where you are from but I just got my Indian Visa and it was very easy and only $130.00 including fees.

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Can you tell me where you got your visa?

 

$400 was for 2 persons, including processing fees using the Seabourn visa company and sending it fed ex both ways . Do not have visa office in my city.

 

I sent the completed visa application, FedEx, to the consulate in NYC. They processed it and sent it back within a week. I never use a visa company as it is a total rip off. The visa fee is $36.00 per person directly from the embassy/consulate.

 

http://www.mewashingtondc.com/visa_form_2_en.php

 

Though not applicable to you people arriving by air to the Rangoon airport can now get a visa on arrival which makes it even easier.

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