Bottomshelfhockey

morry2121:

By all means; hopefully I can remember everything!

I will be posting a synopsis/summary of the whole trip Day 1 to Day 15 with separate individual reviews for all the attractions/sites on TripAdvisor - separate reviews first and then a general summary of the whole trip later (if I don't get too lazy).

These will be posted on TripAdvisor hopefully before the end of July as I have just returned from another short 7 day trip and still trying to organize all my thoughts.

Keep a look out the next week or so as I will probably start posting reviews on TripAdvisor of the following Day 1 itinerary:

1) Beijing West International Trade Hotel (your hotel could be different)

2) Temple of Heaven

3) Tiananmen Square

I'm unable to post this review anywhere else as the ship / company is not listed in the CC database. I was told to put my review on the message board.:mad:

The 4 day Yangtze River cruise was part of a 15 day package from Sinorama Holidays that included Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Shanghai and all points in between.

This is a review of the Yangtze River cruise portion of the total package. Our Yangtze River route was Chongqing to Jingzhou. There is also a reverse route.

We’ve only been on 3 other ocean cruises so we didn’t know what to expect with a river cruise plus the fact that the cruise was in China. Friends had gone on this same itinerary back in October/November and were able to provide some information on what to expect.

Yangtze Gold Cruise No. 8 operated by Sinorama Holidays

Vessel owned by Chongqing Yangtze Gold Cruises

Chongqing Embarkation

The process left a lot to be desired even though it was as an easy walk. Our bus parked about 800 meters to 1.6 kilometers (½ to 1 mile) away from the ship and we had to walk with our small carry-on luggage. There are also stairs involved but as I recall maybe only 2 flights. Our checked luggage was preloaded onto the ship. The road was sparsely lined with vendors selling their wares to the tourists although it was not a problem. There were crew members greeting us the last 100 meters / yards or so before the barge gangplank that leads to the ship, but they were of little help or at least did not offer assistance in helping with people who may have had difficulty.

Jingzhou Debarkation

The process was quick and transparent. We walked about ¼-1/3rd mile to our bus.

Deck 1

Deck 1 is where we disembarked for all our stops. This deck also has the gym equipment, indoor pool and pay for use sauna.

Here’s a run down on the equipment in the gym:

• 2 treadmills
  
• 1 set of 10 pound weights
  
• 1 incline bench
  
• 1 universal gym
  
• 1 exercise bicycle
  
• 2 yoga mats
  

Face towels are provided.

Deck 2 is the lobby. This deck also has cabins and the dining room (the only one).

Deck 3 has a resident traditional Chinese medicine doctor that deals with herbal medicines, acupuncture and acupressure. This deck also has the cinema, conference room. There are also the ubiquitous souvenir shops – t shirts, jewellery, paintings etc.

See deck plan on Sinorama website.

Deck 4 has the spa and massage therapy salon. Also more retail outlets. See deck plan on Sinorama website.

Deck 5

This deck contains the bar / cabaret entertainment lounge.

This deck also has cabins in the hallway leading to the lounge. If you’re an early to bed person, I would avoid the cabins closest to the lounge starting at cabin 8501. Cabin 8522 is the farthest away from the lounge entrance. Cabins 8521 – 8532 are on the other side of the staircase.

This deck also has a small pool. See deck plan on Sinorama website.

Deck 6 has the canopied patio tables and a walking area.

There is also a sitting area / library which I thought was on deck 6 but deck plan shows as deck 3. The plan also shows the “VIP” restaurant on deck 6.

Food & Drinks

We ate all our meals on deck 2. Every meal whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner was buffet style except for the farewell dinner which was a sit down meal. The sit down meal was not any better or worse than the buffet meals.

We were told during the Captain’s welcome that there is an option to purchase a “Western” meal for approximately 200 RMB ($36-40) per person. No one at our 3 assigned tables took advantage of this option.

The American breakfast included cereal, toast, bacon, sausage, potatoes, waffles, scrambled eggs, omelettes and pan fried eggs. I would say 80% or more of the food offerings for breakfast was of Chinese ethnicity. For lunch and dinner it was more like 90% Chinese. On more than one occasion there were French fries for lunch and dinner. Just as an aside, we had hamburgers at the buffet – the “hamburger” consisted of a slice of tomato in a bun.

Miscellaneous thoughts on the food:

• No other restaurant options like the bigger cruise ships. Buffet option only unless you were willing to pay for a Western meal.
  
• Mostly Asian foods and average at best, which was okay by me. I did recall one meal that there was spaghetti and tomato sauce offering.
  
• Once you enter the dining room, to the immediate right is a separate area for specials they might have that day such as wonton soup etc. This is also the area with the omelettes, waffles etc.
  
• Expensive beverages- cocktails were 60 RMB (Cdn$12) with a 20% discount during happy hour from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.
  
• Local beer worked out to be approximately Cdn$5 per bottle (10 bottles local beer + 4 free for 400 RMB) or $6+ per bottle for American brands with 2 free bottles if you bought the 10 bottle package for 400 RMB.
  
• Expensive soft drinks – 30 RMB per can or you can buy a package of 10 plus 2 free for 300 RMB that works out to $5 per can.
  
• Complimentary water, soft drinks and beer at lunch and dinner time. Complimentary coffee available for breakfast.
  
• No coffee available for dinner unless you wanted to pay 30 RMB ($6.00). Special coffees such as cappuccino and Baileys cost more; 40 RMB and 60 RMB respectively. There is also a coffee package available. – buy 10 and get 2 free.
  
• Bottled water was for sale at 2 bottles (380 ml /13 ounce size) for the price of one - for 25 RMB, that works out to be about Cdn$2.50 per bottle.
  
• There is wine for sale.
  

Entertainment and Enrichment

The first night was a rest night but on days 2 through 4 there were limited activities available if we were not on schedule tours.

Every morning there was a 30 minute Qigong (pronounced “Chi Gong”) - systemic movement of body parts and stretching. The session I saw had about 20-30 participants.

On the first full day there were health seminars on acupuncture, foot and body massage in the morning and in the evening before dinner there was the Captain’s Welcome party. After dinner there was the 60 minute show put on by the crew as well as dancing by the passengers.

On the second full day between tours, there was a lecture on traditional snuff boxes and embroidery.

Our last full day, the afternoon was free after the optional Water Village tour. There were free consultations with the traditional Chinese medicine doctor, seminars on mahjong & scarf tying and group dance lessons. It should be no surprise to anyone these informative seminars tend to lead to sales of the related products.

After our farewell dinner on the last night, there was a talent show put on by the passengers that lasted about 60-75 minutes. It was kind of fun.

Unlike the larger ocean going ships, there is no casino.

Excursions

As previously mentioned, we were on the vessels for 4 nights. There were only 4 tours on the cruise of which only 1 was an optional paid tour.

• Day 2– Sibaozhai -The Red Pagoda - interesting
  
• Day 3 – Cruising the Gorge in the morning with a smaller vessel and a bus tour of the dam site in the afternoon. Gorge tour was interesting and the dam tour a bit on the disappointing side.
  
• Day 4 - Water village (optional tour that cost 290 RMB per person) was interesting
  

Please see my separate TripAdvisor reviews of the various attractions including the above.

Cabin 8239 (Deck 2) – Cabin C

I’m guessing the leading number 8 is for good luck as every cabin started with the same number.

This cabin is located on the port (left) side, near the middle of the ship and behind the main (the only) staircase. This was very convenient as it was a short walk to the dining room.

The cabin size was as expected - small but functional and on par if not better than some ocean going ships. The shower stall was roomy compared to the Azamara Journey cruise ship that I cruised on in December, 2013. See my Southeast Asia review.

There are 2 separate twin beds. In addition, there is an upholstered chair with a footrest and desk and chair. I believe all the cabins have a small 30 square foot patio with a small table and 2 chairs.

The cabin plan is not as depicted on the website but didn’t affect the comfort level. The difference between the cabin plan and actual layout is the hall way and the bathroom. To the immediate left of the doorway is the closet area, safe, fridge and opposite is the bathroom. Cabin 239’s washroom sink is on the left, toilet in the middle and the shower on the right; the complete opposite of the plan.

In my opinion, the cabin 239’s location was good even though it was only 2 doors away from the entrance to the lobby.

• There were 8 or 9 Sinorama groups on the boat (300 passengers) and our group of 31 English speaking people was interactive and friendly.
  
• The food on the whole was okay; nothing to complain about but also nothing to rave about. The only complaint may be the lack of food options for some.
  
• The 2 servers for our 3 tables – Coco and Bobo provided above average service. Our servers were able to converse in English. In addition, the administrative staff, for the most part could converse and understand English. There were employees who also spoke French and German.
  

The rating for the cruise experience is above average – a great 4 day cruise dampened by the expensive beverages. Some people may have issue with the lack of eating options and on-board activities.

I would rate the overall experience of the ship, food, crew and atmosphere at 3.75 out of 5 stars. Even though I did not give the overall ship experience a 4 or 5 star rating, I would recommend the overall tour package taking everything into consideration including food, service, value and attractions.

Notes & Tips

• 2 free bottles of water provided each day as the tap water is not potable. We made it a habit of boiling our water when brushing our teeth; maybe a bit of overkill, but better to be safe than sorry. I know of one couple who did not boil their water and did not appear to suffer any ill effects. Hot water kettle is provided.
  
• No adapters for North American style plugs are required. There were at least 2 outlets that could accommodate North American plugs. However, you will still need to use a transformer if your appliance doesn’t have the correct voltage. This was the case even in the hotels.
  
• Use of robes and free slippers.
  
• There is no cabin service. That is, you cannot order a midnight snack.
  
• Money (US, Canadian and Euro dollars) may be exchanged on the ship but you will be paying a small premium compared to the bank. While we were on board the rate per Cdn$100 was 450 RMB and 610 RMB for US$100. The Euro was 680 RMB exchanged for 1 Euro. In my case, the premium paid was about 50 RMB; about $5 less than I would get at home. Hotels will also exchange currencies. My only experience for exchanging money was at the Eton Hotel in Shanghai. The rate was good and almost the same as what I could get at home; I would say exchange fluctuations accounted for the difference.
  
• During the Captain’s welcome we were told that this trip had 300 passengers with a crew numbering 150.
  
• The Gold 8 boat was commissioned in 2013. This vessel is bigger and newer than the other vessel – “Sinorama Diamond”. See Sinorama website for details on the 2 ships.
  
• Friendly staff and overall service was good especially in the dining room. Minor complaint on 1 day as we did not have enough toilet paper in the room – only a partial roll to last the day.
  
• If you need to buy beverages, buy them before you get on the vessel if you want to avoid the exorbitant costs for beverages. On the Chongqing to Jingzhou route there was a vendor right beside the ship’s entrance selling soft drinks for 10 or 15 RMB ($2/$3) per can compared to 30 RMB on the ship. I can’t recall exactly but I think the original cost for a soft drink was 15 RMB and that’s when I walked away before the vendor shouted out 10 RMB. I assume the beer would also be cheaper. At the Red Pagoda attraction, you can also buy drinks there just before you re-board the ship. While we were in the cities I could by a 590 ml bottle for anywhere from 3 to 3.8 RMB. I don’t believe China has Diet Coke only Coke Zero.
  
• You can buy a wifi package on the ship. You can get 60 minutes for 30 RMB or buy the 4 day package. I believe the wifi is limited / spotty once the ship gets into the Gorge. You should confirm this with the concierge. Furthermore, there is only wifi in the lobby area (although deck plan indicates wifi service on deck 6).
  
• Even though the gratuities were prepaid, we tipped a bit extra for our 2 servers.
  
• The cruisers’ average age was well into the fifties / early sixties. However, our group had 4 twenty plus year olds in our group. There were a few in the 70 plus range. If you’re not able to walk a mile or more, you may have difficulty in visiting some attractions. For example, the Red pagoda requires a steep climb up stairs (9 short flights) to reach the top but maybe manageable with help. In addition, it is about a mile walk from where the ship is docked to the site. At this particular site, there was a rickshaw type transportation (for a fee) to get you to the entrance of the pagoda. From the ship to the attraction, the road is lined with vendors selling their souvenirs. Past the road from the ship (about ½ mile), you will make a left turn into the town (just before the attraction entrance) that has more shops catering to the tourists. See my separate review on the Red Pagoda.
  
• There are no modern gangplanks that get you from shore to the ship and vice-versa. All the egress is via barges that act as the boarding terminal / gangplanks. However, this is not an issue; just a little different.
  
• There are a lot of river cruise boats and tour boats that operate on the Yangtze River and the Gorge.
  
• See my TripAdvisor reviews of the hotels and attractions on the 15 day China tour.
  

Our stop in Halong Bay is only 1 and 1/2 days. Sitting on a bus for seven hours to Hanoi doesn't sound like fun. Would love to stay in the Halong Bay Area. Any suggestions of which guides or guide companies as well as must sees, in the area.

Thanks

We were on the Azamara Journey. The ship docked at Cai Lan port.

On day 1 we did the full day (8 hour) tour of Halong Bay.

Our ship left around 1:00 PM on day 2. For day 2, we took the ship provided shuttle bus to the local market. Basically, a shopping market with lots of souvenir shops.

If I recall, the tour company offered a 1/2 day tour to a local village. We decided not to go just in case there would be a problem getting back in time.

Group of 10 for all day (8 hours) Halong Bay tour that included 3 caves/grottoes and Ti Top Island and lunch on board the boat.

Our cost was approximately $100 pp which was dependent on the number of people, where our ship docked and itinerary. The tour company will accommodate you wishes within limitations of time, etc.

Guide was okay. Communication skills okay.

I would recommend them. But check out TripAdvisor for reviews on the company we used and other tour companies to form your own opinion.

Here's the tour company we used:

Tran Le Minh (Mrs)

Travel Consultant - Travel agent Sales Team Leader

Asia Top Travel – Customized Tours & M.I.C.E Solutions

Head Office: #13 Truc Bach Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam

Tel: +84 4 3 715 3569 | Fax: +84 4 3 715 3570 | Mobile: +84 974015583

Email: sales1@asiatoptravel.com| Skype: minh.att

Yahoo: minhtran.sale | Website: http://www.asiatoptravel.com

Regards from the Pacific Northwest

Harry E.

I seldom if ever give recommendations of anyone or anything. However, the best part of my spectacular Southeast Asia holiday were the tours arranged by Mr. Zoom. I cannot say enough for Zoom's planning and then the follow through by his guides. The drivers were very good, the tour guides were tremendous. My entire group really enjoyed our visits to HCMC, Hue, Hoi Ann, Danang and Hanoi. The tours were warm and personable and all three young men were quite flexible to make changes and satisfy the group. Mr. Zoom was available to us at all times for any questions, suggestions or clarifications. Vietnam is a beautiful third world country...the guides led us in the past through the present. At this time in history, it is a fantastic time to visit and view the country. Thank you to Zoom for making this a memorable trip.

Just back from Vietnam and Bangkok. Great time!

Our group of 12 (organized through Roll Call) had a great time with Zoom Tours in Saigon. Mr. Nguyen was always prompt in responding to my emails.

We met Tri Dung Nguyen (owner of Zoom Tours) on day 1 before he handed off to his guide Nguyen Duc Cuong whom we had for 2 days. On day 1 we had the Saigon city tour and on Day 2 the Mekong Delta tour. For what it's worth, Mr. Cuong has fairly good command of the English language.

If your ship docks at Nha Rong (downtown Saigon) and is in the first berth, it is right beside the Saigon Port Passenger Cruise Terminal (really more like a portable structure) It is a very short walk - less than 200 meters from the end of the ship's gang plank to the terminal building and another 20 second walk through the terminal building to the outside. There's no need to pay port charges for the tour bus and guide to come pick you up inside the terminal. We managed to save quite a few dollars over 2 days by getting the tour bus to pick us up outside the terminal gates.

Not sure, but I believe any tours outside of Saigon, Zoom tours would have been handled by his counterparts in the other cities such as Halong Bay. I had requested a change in itinerary - an 8 hour boat tour itinerary instead of the standard tour and Mr. Nguyen let me know talk to his counterpart in that city to make changes to itinerary. In the end, we decided to book with a different tour operator for Halong Bay.

Regards,

Harry E.

Just back from cruise - Dec. 9 to 23.

Just a word of warning for those that have booked a private Da Nang tour and are planning to walk past the terminal gates to meet their guide/bus.

This information is first hand from a passenger who joined us on our Saigon tour.

I was told that the group was "hassled' by the taxi cab drivers that were hanging around outside the terminal gates looking for customers. As the group continued walking they were approached by uniformed police officers demanding 200,000 VND (approx. US $20) in order for them to continue past to meet the tour guide who was further down the road.

Isolated incident?

Makes you wonder why the tour guide wasn't closer to the gate.

The group stood their ground and did not pay and eventually the "police" left and the guide picked them up.

I don't know if the $20 was per person or for the whole group. The dollar amount is not significant but the hassle certainly isn't worth it. Unless you have very thick skin, in my opinion, pay the extra port fee.

For Saigon, if your ship docks next to the Saigon Port Authority building, it is a very short walk; less than 300 meters. Walk in and through the building and you're outside the terminal (less than 30 seconds through the building. I was able to negotiate a lower tour cost for our group because we walked outside the terminal gate to avoid port fees.

Unless you are familiar with Saigon, there are people who will take advantage of the fact that you are in a strange city.

Be wary of Saigon drivers telling you that the Market is closed and that they will take you to another one. One elderly couple on our cruise was left to fend for themselves after they were dropped off in an unknown location. They were not harmed.

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings to All!

Regards,

Harry E.

From a ship berthed at Nha Rong (Ben Nha Rong), it's about 100 yards to the main road alongside the port.:)

 

JB :)

Hi John,

Perhaps you can comment in the difference in the distances discussed in your post and Bill Leiber's post below?

Does that mean there is additional distance to walk from the main road alongside the port to the terminal gate; that is, another 200 metres?

Quote from Bill Leiber - Chief Blogging Officer for Azamara at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916965

Post #11

Ho Chi Minh City - Contrary to larger vessels, remember we sail up the Saigon River into the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. We dock at Nha Rong Port - a 15 minutes drive from the city center. Nha Rong is a container port. It is 300 meters to the gate from the ship and guests are allowed to walk from the ship to the terminal. The local authority does not provide a free shuttle from the ship to the port gate. There is nothing of interest within walking distance from the ship. The shuttle drop off point is the Tax Department Store (opposite REX Hotel). There are taxis at the port gate, but are not always available.

Do you know if the distance of 300 metres from dock to terminal gate is in the "ballpark"?

To meet our tour guide outside the terminal gate, is there a specific area for tourist pick up?

Thanks.

Harry E.

I have booked several private tours in Vietnam. All are requesting additional "Permission" payments for the tour driver to pickup passengers inside the port. The option is to walk outside the gate for pickup.

 

Does anyone have any information on any exception; ie the gate is only a short walk & there is plenty of available parking for the car / van...?

 

Vietnam port locations being visited:

 

Phu My (Saigon)

Chan May (Danang)

Halong Bay (tendered) - vehicle tour.

 

Thanks.

See this thread on Phu My

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1941711

We're going to the same 3 cities but we are on a smaller boat. For Saigon, we are at Nha Rong port - downtown Saigon.

For Saigon, we are able to reduce tour fees by $30 per person (2 days x $15) because we are going to walk outside terminal gates.

If you do a search for "port fees" or "port charges" in the Asia forum you should be able to get more info.

I did my research on Cruise Critic but was unable to determine if there was a set amount for each port. For Saigon, I don't if the full amount of the port charges is fully given back to us. That is, I don't know if the original per person quote included a $30 charge or an amount higher.

Hi,

Thanks for the info.

Regards,

Harry E.

Hi, I've been reading your comments and some are positive some are negative..

We are visiting Vietnam as part of an Asian cruise on HAL over Christmas / NY..

We stop in four places Halong Bay, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu My.

 

Can anyone recommend the must see sights for these places? And which of the tour guides they recommend?

 

Thank you

I've never been there but here are some tips after doing my own research.

Halong Bay - type in Halong Bay in Cruise Critic Asia forum.

Check out tripadvisor at:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractions-g293923-Activities-Halong_Bay_Quang_Ninh_Province.html

Da Nang

type in Da Nang in Cruise Critic Asia forum.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractions-g298085-Activities-Da_Nang_Quang_Nam_Province.html

Use the same search techniques for Nha Trang and Saigon.

Some posters recommend you make sure that Smile tours is the original and not a "knock-off".

Using Zoom tours for Saigon as company has some good reviews. I had considered using "Saigon Hotpots' for tour company but it was dependent on availability of student tour guides during the time we are there.

Have fun with the research!

We paid a 50% deposit on the cost of the tour that we agreed to.

 

However, after we made our deposit, we actually had other cruisers join our tour, which lowered our per person price. No worries, that just meant that the remainder we had to pay to Zoom at the end of the tour was much lower than the 50% we had originally thought. That was nice.

 

Zoom is completely trustworthy and you don't have to worry about sending a deposit to him.

 

It was such a fantastic tour and I'm so glad we chose to go with him for HCMC tour.

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

The $50 deposit quote included payment for port access fee. I was able to get a per person "discount" for each day for walking outside the terminal gate to catch transportation.

I have a couple of more questions, if you wouldn't mind answering.

For Saigon, did you arrange pickup inside terminal gate or outside thereby avoiding port access fee?

Our ship Azamara Journey will be docking at Nha Rong (downtown Saigon).

Where was your ship berthed?

If docked at Nha Rong, did you walk, take Azamara shuttle or arrange pick up inside or outside terminal gates?

I have heard stories on how to walk across the street to avoid injury.

What was your experience like regarding walking across streets/intersections?

Who did you use to book tours for Halong Bay and Da Nang/Hoi An if your cruise stopped in those ports?

We're planning for an 8 hour cruise in the Bay on day 1 and on day 2 the ship leaves at 1300 hours so we're not planning anything for the second day.

Did you do the kayak option?

For Da Nang, we're in at 0800 and leaving at 1900 hours. We had originally thought we could fit in My Son but upon further reflection, time would be really tight. So, we are just planning for Cham Museum, Marble Mtn., China Beach and Hoi An if it's possible time-wise.

Your thoughts would be appreciated and any other tips would also help.

Thanks again

Regards,

Harry E.

Interesting to read these stories.

 

I received many unrequested emails from tour guides operating in Vietnam for months leading up to my cruise. They found my email address by perusing through the roll call and my past posts.

 

Anyhow, I received an anonymous email from someone slandering Zoom talking about how he was illegal and unlicensed, blah blah blah.

 

I asked Zoom directly about the information in the email he sent me, and Zoom was more than happy to send to me his license information and other materials proving himself as a authorized tour guide, even though I did not ask for this info. I was just sending him the email to tell him that I received a negative email from someone else.

 

I had already decided at this time to take a tour with Zoom.

 

In the end, I'm so glad I did. He was the tour guide for Chelsea Clinton when she was in HMC in 2000 while he was a tour guide for someone else's company before he started his own company. He's legitimate and professional and I couldn't have asked for a better day.

 

I've been on numerous cruises and have done private tours around the world, I can say without hesitation that Zoom's tour was one of the best, most professional tours I've done. We were well taken care of, we saw tons, did lots, and had a fantastic time.

 

Our group of 14 saw more than the ships tour did at half the cost. In fact, our per person cost for the tour was less than the ship's "on your own" tour of HMC. Can't beat that! (and our tour cost included water in the van, drinks at the Rex Hotel, lunch at Pho 2000 - our only out of pocket costs was our own personal shopping)

Hi,

I posed the same question posed to mjbc.

We are thinking of booking with Zoom Tours. On day 1 Saigon city tour and day 2 Mekong Delta.

May I ask you what you paid as a deposit?

Our cost for the 2 days is approx. $92 pp. (4 people) and he is asking for a $50 per person refundable deposit.

Is the $50 pp deposit reasonable and in line with what you paid?

Thanks in advance!

I had no problems with remitting a deposit to him as he pre-purchased the port permits so that we could leave immediately once we were off the ship. It's only fair; if we hadn't shown up or cancelled at the last minute, he would be out-of-pocket.

Hi,

We are thinking of booking with Zoom Tours. On day 1 Saigon city tour and day 2 Mekong Delta.

May I ask you what you paid as a deposit?

Our cost for the 2 days is approx. $92 pp. and he is asking for a $50 per person refundable deposit.

Reasonable?

Thanks in advance!

HI Harry or Bottomshelfhockey ( I am really new at these postings)

Looking forward to meeting everyone but realize I am late with booking shore excursions. Want to find out if you have any available spots for 2 on your tours. I would like to go into Hanoi on day 1 and do a 1/2 Halong Bay on day 2 but am open to suggestions. Also , anything booked for Ho Chi Min City. I do want to do the Mekong Delta. Please let me know if anything is available for 2 Canadians.

See you on Dec, 9

Michele

Hi Michelle,

Working on tours. Hope to have something in place before the end of the month. There are currently 4 of us for sure and there are at least 6 others that have shown interest.

We're not planning for Hanoi; apparently 3-4 hours ride each way. If you go on your own, I have seen recommendations on staying overnight in Hanoi on Day 1. We are planning for 6 or 8 hour cruise in Halong Bay on day 1.

Nothing planned on day 2. We had originally considered doing a village tour in combination with Halong Bay on Day 1 or by itself on day 2.

We are currently planning for Saigon, City and Mekong Delta tours for both days and have picked a potential tour company.

If there is room, you're more than welcome to join us.

If nothing posted here within a couple of weeks, please inquire.

Regards,

Harry E.

We are booked on the Journey Jan 6th 2014 15 night Thailand and Vietnam cruise. My husband and I don't usually book tours as we love exploring independantly and just walking off the ship and making our own way around. My question is.... Has anyone done this cruise, or similar and if so, do the shuttles take you right into town where the action is or would we, in this case, need to book tours.

 

We will be visiting Singapore, Ko Samui, Klong Toey (Bangkok), Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang (Hue, Hoi An), Halong Bay (Hanoi), Hong Kong.

 

If anyone has any recommendations for any of these ports I would love to hear from you as we are travelling with two friends who have never travelled with Azamara and I have been nominated as Cruise Director! I would hate to mess things up and be stranded on a dock miles from anywhere!

FYI

See Sept 24 reply.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916965

There is nothing to figure out. The private guide will give you a fee, and if you question it may tell you if you want to save money they will meet you outside of the port gate.

You're right. It's just nice to know what are the available options.

To each his/her own!

Harry E.

I'm so tired of trying to figure this all out that I'm ready to forget shore excursions altogether -- or maybe just stay home and rest!

And I thought I was the only one!:D

You can always stick with cruise excursions or join others who are organizing private tours.

I am in the process of organizing tours for 4 people for Vietnam. My counterpart is organizing tours in Thailand.

Once we finalize details, there is a good chance we will be posting to this thread for people who want to join us.

Regards,

Harry E.:)

Hi Bill,

Thanks for providing answers to my queries.

My query on port fees was not trying to figure out what port fees Azamara includes in its tour excursions but what fees are passed on by the tour companies.

My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that the port authority/local government charges a fee for access to the port and like any prudent business, the tour companies pass on these costs to the customer. Based on my limited research I was trying to figure out what the port fees are but these fees do not appear to be consistent for the port or companies do not appear to know about the fees (which I find hard to believe). Getting answers from the tour companies is like pulling teeth; actually pulling teeth would probably be easier!:eek:

Thanks again.:)

Regards,

Harry E.

It was an Azamara Quest shuttle which took us to Hoi An in the am and then picked us up later in the afternoon. Hoi an is extremely walkable, with wonderful shops, little bars and some nice restaurants for lunch. And then there is that incredible Japanese Bridge. I will see if I can find Mike Priesman's blog with wonderful pictures, port info and tour companies that he used. He did Singapore to Hong Kong on the Quest before the "rebrand" but his info is still pertinent.

 

 

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Did the shuttle stop at tourist attractions along the way to Hoi An such as China Beach and Marble Mountain?

I think I found the Priesman blog at

http://www.thepreismans.com/seasia_quest_page3.htm

Thanks.

Harry E.:)

Sorry can't remember:o We, and our friends, just took the shuttle to Hoi An for the day. It was the best day ever - I think it was $20 or something. Can't wait to go back in Feb.

Hi again,

What shuttle bus are you referring to?

We are in the process of booking a tour for Hoi An.

Do you remember what your itinerary was for the day? Would you mind sharing?

Thanks.

Regards,

Harry E.:)

When we did the Hong Kong to Singapore a couple of years ago our tour guide knew what ports we were coming into before we did lol We were docked so close to town in Bangkok and Saigon that they could see us!

Hi,

What ship were you on?

Do you remember the name of the terminal in Da Nang where the ship docked?

Thanks.

Regards,

Harry E.:)

I called Azamara to confirm our docks in the ports:

Bangkok - docking at a commercial area at Klong Toey - free shuttles to the center of

Klong Toey not Bangkok which is 7 K from Klong Toey

HCMC - docking in commercial area - Free Shuttle to town

Da Nang - docking in commercial port 10 K from town. Free shuttle into CC Danang

Halong Bay - Tender port. Tenders will drop off in Halong Bay city center

Hong Kong - Ocean Terminal

Hi,

We're on the Dec. 9 cruise, southbound Hong Kong to Singapore. I was pretty sure that the Journey was going to dock in Tien Sa for Da Nang.

I know that Tien Sa is closer to Da Nang than Chan May (the other Da Nang port). I'm guessing by the distance you mentioned above it is more than likely Tien Sa.

Can you confirm that the terminal is Tien Sa?

I've also read Xport's comments below yours and the member confirms it is Tien Sa for their cruise.

The reason I'm asking is because we are trying to book our private tours and tour guide needs to know the terminal for pick up.

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Harry E.

Hello Harry -

 

While I'm seeking information about the business practices of the ports in Vietnam, I wanted to let you know some behind the scenes facts about how our shuttle bus service is offered on each of our voyages.

 

Actually, the shuttle buses are booked by the ship and it is the vessel's schedule that drives the shuttle decisions. It is not set in advance by our shoreside operation. Further, this information also changes from call to call based on where the ship receives its final berth allocation which happens about 24-48 hours prior to each arrival. Usually we operate shuttle buses about 60-90 minutes after the ship has arrived in a port and/or after the tours have been dispatched. Our first priority is to assist the guests booked on tours and then to focus on the shuttle bus operation.

 

Please stay tuned for the answers to your specific questions.

 

Thank you for vacationing with Azamara this December!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your prompt response.

Being a relative newcomer to cruising, based on your statement, am I to assume the cruise business in Southeast Asia is relatively new resulting in a lack of information?

So are the shuttle buses complimentary or is there a charge?

Just a suggestion - maybe your comments above can be included on the Azamara website or is it already on the company website? It would also be nice to have for the various ports, the potential terminals the ships could be docking or tendering. I spent sometime trying to figure it out where we would be docking or tendering and that was through all the wonderful CC members.

Regards,

Harry E.:)

Hi,

 

Have the tour guide pick you up inside the gate. We did in 2010 when in Vietnam. It was an additional $20.00 per person (either that or they would charge $20.00 less if we were not met inside the gate). The tour guide needed everyones passport information for port authority officials as well. I had those on our private tour give this information directly to the tour guide as I didn't want the information.

 

Bill will not be able to answer exactly where the ship will be docked. We spent a lot of time pre-cruise trying to figure it out. We thought we would be a 10 minute walk on the first day to where we would be meeting a boat we had chartered to go along the Mekong. My DH and I were fine with the walk but felt bad for other seniors who were with us as the walk was closer to 30 minutes over some rough areas. We were not happy that Azamara never made an announcement and the sheets they handed out when we disembarked had wrong information as we ended up much further from the city. It was a last minute change, but someone should have been telling people as they left the ship.

Hi Jade13,

Thanks for your input.

We are in Ho Chi Minh City for 2 days. Arriving on Azamara Journey in December. I asked a well known/recommended tour guide for tour quote and asked about port charges. He was willing to reduce each day pick up outside gate by $15 per person per day.

For our ship, the Journey, I have been told by the Azamara agent I phoned, stated that we would be docking in "downtown" Saigon (because the Journey is a smaller ship).

I have also heard in the forums that for Saigon, the shuttle bus picks up and drops off at Rex Hotel?

For Da Nang, I had contacted another well known tour guide about port charges and reduction of same if we were to be picked up outside the gate. I made reference to the $15 reduction for Saigon, the guide stated "Yes, I heard about that, but I am sorry that I dare not to arrange the guide meeting my clients outside the port.for 6 years now, I never do that.". The guide also stated "I am sorry that my company dare not to violate business rule."

Don't know what business rule the guide is referring to. Your guess is as good as mine as to how to interpret this. :confused:

The $20 charge you are referring to, is that for Saigon?

For my own interest, can you please give me details on what city and dock you are referring to? I'm guessing Saigon? Your ship was docked downtown or were you on a larger ship resulting in the ship having to dock farther away?

Regards,

Harry E.:)

Hi Bill,

I have been trying to find some definitive answers on the port charges/fees. No luck so far. Greatam and John Bull's take on these fees is that there are no set fees.

From various threads on CC, I have come to believe that the port authority charges the tour guide/company for the privilege of picking up clients from inside the cruise terminal. These threads also state that if you are willing to walk outside the terminal gate, these fees will be waived.

My understanding is it is a per person charge per day. For example in Saigon, the tour company stated that they will reduce tour fee by $15 per day per person if we were willing to walk outside the gate. Furthermore, the fees appear to be different for each port and varies with tour companies.

I phoned and spoke to Jason? at Azamara concerning the above. He wasn't aware of these charges/fees. He also told me it was not more than a 4 minute walk to the terminal gates for each of those ports. In addition, he stated that all of the Vietnam ports have shuttle buses provided by Azamara to the ports' city centre free of charge.

Not sure I can believe the agent about the time it takes to walk to gates when there is anecdotal evidence to indicate it would take a longer time.

We will doing the Dec. 9 Journey cruise - Hong Kong to Singapore

Questions for each port in Vietnam - Halong Bay, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City

Will Azamara be providing complimentary shuttle buses for each Vietnamese port?

Does each port authority charge its own fee?

How much does each port charge?

Is it a per person per day charge or a flat fee. Eg. for 2 days - a flat fee or ?

If there are no complimentary shuttle buses:

Are we allowed to walk from dock to outside terminal to save on fees?

What is the walking distance for each port from dock to terminal gate?

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Harry E.