Miaminice

Then don’t ever make them stay in a Porthole Veranda! While you have the floor to ceiling views and light in an Infinite Veranda, the view and light in the Porthole Veranda is blocked by the huge steel bulkhead. The balcony itself is a joke. I could not even sit facing the hole. Way too narrow. We absolutely dislike them and feel confined in them. We were given a free upgrade to one of them once - from a very nice Panoramic Oceanview (PO) - and declined the upgrade. No thank you…

Oh, one more thing… In case you book with her and you want to bring her a little present, bring some English books for children - age 4 to 6 or so. Rose’s English is astonishingly good. And she already teaches her little daughters. So she really appreciates books for her kids. We did a Mekong River cruise September and brought some books which we sent to her from Saigon. if anyone is interested in the Mekong Cruise, here’s the report https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3028565-celebrity-cruisers-on-a-mekong-river-cruise-liveish-report-september-2024/

@WESTEAST Hi, please see my answers below 😁 If I understand, one emails Rose identifying what we would like to see on our tour and she replies with details and cost. Correct! You tell her which port and if you have any preferences and she’ll send you a tour proposal incl. itinerary and price. FYI her prices could be slightly over the big group operators - but trust me, she’s worth every cent!!! It’s a lifetime experience. What was the payment method and far out did you book with her? We booked roughly 4 months before the cruise. But we had been in contact all the time. if you want to book, do it fast. Good tours and guides sell fast 🙂 and she’s the best. Once we finalized all the plans she sent me a PayPal invoice… easy. Presume she groups passengers (perhaps not on our specific cruse) or, did you organize a group via a CC roll call? She does not group passengers. Private tours only! You can do them with 2 people or larger groups. Personally DW and I limit the number of pax in tours we plan to 6 people. Maximum 8, when a family wants to join. We posted on the CC roll call and found a lovely family of 4 doing all Vietnam tours together with us. And we had a blast. Didn’t we, Lael @educated palate Lastly, quickly looking at your review, do you have a preferred tour company for Bangkok? Thanks again. Yes, we can also recommend www.anntours.com We had booked tours with them before and they are also very good and reliable. Actually they are based in Vietnam but offer tours all over Asia, So for Vietnam Rose would definitely be our undefeated #1. In case she’s already booked, Anntours would be our alternative. In Thailand, where Rose doesn’t offer her services, I would contact Anntours.

One hour before sailing should give you 30 minutes of buffer time before all aboard. So that’s fine. a good tour operator will take the time into consideration.

@PrivateIdaho oh, btw… if you are interested in booking this or another Mekong cruise, I could also get you in touch with our friend Lael @educated palate who can help you find the best deal and service.

No, not the same… Please see below for more info I think we can claim the fame of discovering her 😁 We had planned a single tour with her pre Covid and unfortunately the cruise was cancelled. However, the exchange with her at that time and later when we stayed in touch was so pleasant that we booked all of our tours in Vietnam with her when the cruise finally happened. She does all the organizing and has a team of young guides doing the tours in Saigon, Da Nang etc. In the northern part of Vietnam, like Halong Bay and Hanoi she does the tours herself. ALL of the tours were fabulous and we rarely had tours organized as good as hers. She’s a young mum and very passionate about giving her clients the best and most authentic experience ever. She’s also a talented chef and offers cooking classes. We became friends and we are constantly in touch with her, keeping updated about her life and business and her two cute daughters. Based on our recommendation quite a few people booked with her. All came back raving about the tours and her. So we are extremely happy to recommend and promote her whenever we can. She really deserves it and I know for sure her clients will not be disappointed! So if you contact her about any tour in Vietnam, just tell her your preferences and she’ll do all the rest! When you do, say Oliver & Birgit sent you her way and she’ll take extra good care of you - if that’s even possible. It’s actually what she always does 😁 Rose +84374372918 (also on whatsapp) Email: Nhungnguyen.ulis@gmail.com On TripAdvisor you can find some reviews of Hanoi tours under the name of “Roll with locals”. But that’s not all she does. You can read more about our tour experiences here as well:

🤔 I don’t know if they offered more. On the websites it looked comparable. However, without having done another cruise line, my guess is that Victoria offered more authentic experience. No place we visited anywhere was a tourist trap or a sales pitch. We really got to see the actual way people live there. It takes a while to sink in - but once it does, it’s quite enriching. We do not regret choosing Victoria at all - on the contrary!

Around 4pm we reached Siem Reap and received a welcome drink at the Lotus Blanc Hotel, which was the last stop. We said goodbye to our cruise friends and Lonh. We had booked the Metta Residence & Spa Hotel for the next 4 nights in Siem Reap. So we called a Tuk Tuk Remorque by using the Grab App to take us there. Grab has really served us well in numerous Asian countries and Cambodia was no exception. Some hotels just deliver a WOW factor - and the Metta Residence & Spa is certainly one of them. Over the next day it should turn out to be our beautiful oasis in the vibrant and lively Siem Reap. Checking in took a while – but only because the nice young lady at the desk had to explain all the amenities that came with the Residence Suite Villa which we had booked. Besides breakfast, our absolutely beautiful suite came with - Daily 60min full body or foot massage - Daily downtown shuttle service by Tuk Tuk - 2 free cocktails during happy hour at the poolside bar, or our balcony - Laundry service, 3kg And before anyone thinks that we won the lottery, unfortunately we didn’t! The rate was only around $120 per night. If you travel to Siem Reap, we can highly recommend the Metta Hotel! https://www.mettaresidence.com Metta Residence & Spa.mov

Mekong River Cruise, Vietnam and Cambodia, 2024 -September - Day 10 - Kampong Cham-Siem Reap The sunrise of the next morning marked the end of our cruise. This was our first Mekong river cruise and Victoria Mekong Cruises had provided a great experience - we thoroughly enjoyed it. A fact that made leaving even harder. At the end of the gangway the staff said goodbye once more and waved when our bus left for Siem Reap. They had all been fabulous!!! The transfer to Siem Reap would take roughly six hours. On the way, our guide Lonh told us more interesting stories of life in Cambodia and even sang a song for us. IMG_3445.mov About 1 ½ hours into the trip we stopped for a restroom and got a glimpse of an interesting market next to the gas station. And of course Victoria Mekong wouldn’t let us stay hungry – so the next stop was at a hotel where we had another nice 4 course meal. The next stop was at the ancient Spean Neak aka Naga Bridge. Although it was constructed in the late 12th century, it is in such good condition that the arched bridge is still being used today. However, it is now limited to pedestrians and motorcycles. Along either side of the bridge runs a balustrade in the form of a nine-headed naga. The heads guarding the entrance on each side. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the arches because of the high water level. The kids, however, enjoyed splishing and splashing in the high waters.

In the afternoon we took a bus to the Nokor Bachey Pagoda. The pagoda was a fascinating mix. A modern temple built within an old Angkor temple dating back to the 11th Century. Wandering around in the thousand year old structure, finding people worshipping in a modern, colourfully decorated and painted hall was surreal, but impressive. Of course Lonh expertly told us about all the interesting details in his cheerful and enthusiastic way. At 6pm we all met in the lounge of the ship where we watched a slide show of all our tours and before a yummy BBQ dinner the crew said farewell to us. We felt kind of sad because they had all been so kind and nice… we knew we were going to miss them.

Our guide Lonh asked one family if we could visit their house. It was a very friendly elderly couple. The husband was a carpenter and told us that he had built most of the house himself - including a beautiful Stupa outside. You could tell that he was very proud. It was a lovely experience. IMG_3358.mov

Mekong River Cruise, Vietnam and Cambodia, 2024 -September - Day 9 - Angkor Ban, Kampong Cham The morning excursion was a walk through the village of Angkor Ban. The tour usually on the itinerary to an Indigo dyeing place had to be replaced by this walk, because the water of the Mekong was too high. However, this way we got to see genuine village life, which was very interesting. The families of this village were farmers and many grew radishes which were now drying in the sun. The kids of the village had a blast. Wherever we walked, we heard the cry “Barang”, meaning French - as the general term for foreigners. Then they ran by or came on their bicycles, high-fiving us as we walked by. IMG_3347.mov

Here‘s the link to our above mentioned review. Personally we much preferred our Halong Bay / Hanoi combo over just cruising in the bay. We enjoyed Vietnam so much that we are currently on a Mekong River cruise. Or better just finished it. We are now in Siem Reap Cambodia.

We drove back to our ship and had another good lunch while the ship sailed on. This part wasn’t much different from an ocean cruise - you are constantly fed. AND! They are extremely friendly! In the afternoon our ship “docked” near the village of Angkor Ban, known for silk production. We were picked up by Tuk Tuks and driven to a place called Silk Island. The ride through the village and along fields was interesting and we could hear the clicking and clacking sound of someone operating a loom from almost every house. At Silk Island we were introduced to the production of silk from the breeding of silkworms to collecting the cocoons and spinning the thread to weaving the fabric. Again, very interesting. IMG_3309.mov After we rode the Tuk Tuks back to our ship we could see some people training for the dragon boat race. A big event in Phnom Penh.

Mekong River Cruise, Vietnam and Cambodia, 2024 -September - Day 8 - Oudong & Silk Island Angkor Ban Our morning excursion started with a short walk across the street to a silversmith family shop. The area is known for the trade which is passed down from generation to generation. We were able to watch a short presentation and then had the chance to go through their shop. When I say chance, I mean chance - we were never pushed to buy anything! In front of every house you can find a Spirit house as a shrine to the protective spirit of the house. The wealth of the family can be seen by the quality of the house. Some simply only made of plastic and used cans, some are more like elaborate spirit mansions. By bus we continued to the Oudong Buddhist Meditation Center and Monastery. Oudong was one of the former capitals of Cambodia. The moment we turned the corner and saw the big and beautiful buildings and complex we were awestruck. Our guide Lonh, doing meditation himself every morning, gave us an explanation about meditation and the story of the center. The great hall, protected by lions and Naga statues, had magnificent murals on the walls and a beautifully painted ceiling. A big statue of Buddha resided on one end of the hall watched his visitors. The sound of the chanting and the chirping of birds coming in from the outside and resonating in the huge structure created a very peaceful and serene atmosphere, inviting us to sit down for a while to let our minds rest and to simply absorb the energy of the moment. It was an absolutely beautiful place! IMG_3177.mov Our luck with the weather, after all it was raining season, stretched on to the timing. Since we were here during the days of the Rice Cake Festival, people came in their festive clothes and the monks received donated meals with a ceremony. Very nice to watch and experience. IMG_3196.mov IMG_3216.mov IMG_3224.mov IMG_3233.mov IMG_3240.mov It is still an active monastery and the monks live in huts on one side and the nuns in huts on the other side.

Take the speed boat to Oia and skip the line for the cable car. You turn left at the pier and you can’t miss the ticket booth. Santorini implemented a new rule recently. If there are more than 8000 pax, they pause tender operations of all ships in the caldera. That might cause a wait. Whatever you do get to the spot where they hand out tender tickets as early as possible to get an early number. If you are Elite or above, you don’t need a ticket but have priority.

Mekong River Cruise, Vietnam and Cambodia, 2024 -September - Day 7 - Phnom Penh In the morning we were picked up from the small port by cyclos and taken to the Royal Palace. We were looking forward to visiting the beautiful buildings which we had seen nicely illuminated the evening before. The complex was just as stunning during the day as it was at night. We visited the Throne Hall first - from the outside only - and our Cambodian guide Lonh explained the different parts of the palace grounds to us. We continued to the Silver Pagoda which is surrounded by a mural that reminded us of the one we had seen on the Royal Palace in Bangkok in December. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. So I can’t show you any pictures of the Emerald Buddha or a golden Buddha statue encrusted with almost 10,000 diamonds. But believe me, it was incredible. The main building was surrounded by different Stupas, containing the relics of former kings and queens and their families. At the exit of the palace grounds we were picked up by a bus and taken to the National Museum of Cambodia where we could see many statues and all kinds of artifacts from temples all over the country. Some of them only returned to Cambodia in recent years. Since it was around noontime, we were taken to a nice restaurant where we had a very good meal. It was a feast! The next stop brought is to the darker side of Cambodia’s history - the killing fields and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime. On the way there, Lonh explained what his parents and even he experienced during the time. I will not go into details, but seeing the grounds and again seeing what human beings are capable of doing is a very sobering experience! The last point on the day’s agenda was in stark contrast to what we had seen at the Genocidal Center. We were invited to a cocktail at the beautiful Raffles Hotel Phnom Phenh.

Or we are following you 😁 We‘ll be on Millennium in May for our fourth cruise to Japan. If you need info on a good guide in the Kyoto area, let me know 👍 We walked through the Viking ship yesterday when we were mooring next to her.

Number +84374372918 (also on whatsapp) Email: Nhungnguyen.ulis@gmail.com If you let her know that Oliver & Birgit sent you, she‘ll take extra good care of you. Although, she always does… it’s simply her way!

Before Covid we had planned a tour in Vietnam with her. When the cruise was cancelled, we stayed in touch. Eventually - when we could finally do the cruise - she planned all of our tours in Vietnam. And boy, is she amazing. A few people followed our recommendation. All came back raving about the experience. We still keep in touch with her via Facebook. She’s absolutely lovely. If you like, I can give you the contact information.

Mekong River Cruise, Vietnam and Cambodia, 2024 -September - Day 6 - Way to Phnom Penh After anchoring overnight, our ship continued to sail into Cambodia. Of course the entertainment on such a small ship is much different from that on a big cruise ship. At 9am I went on a ship tour, and it was interesting to see some of the technical areas - but didn’t take long. Besides that we easily spent the day by relaxing on the pool deck, reading or posting on the internet. Interrupted, of course, by lunch. Around 5pm we started to see the skyscrapers of Phnom Penh. After tying up to the side of a Viking ship, we had to do a brief immigration check before having dinner. Tonight we were offered a BBQ buffet, which was really good. There was a dance performance after dinner but Birgit and I decided that we’d rather go for a walk along the shore. A night market and the Royal Palace were just around 30 minutes away on foot - a chance to get some exercise. And to take some nice photos.

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Unfortunately the internet is very slow an upload failed a few times. i will try again later. 😢👍

A few days are online already. Maybe you want to look into a different kind of cruise…