Mekong Cruise suggestions

We are considering a cruise on the Mekong next year for our 50th Anniversary. We would like to include Halong Bay and Siem Reap. Our only previous river cruise was on the Yangtze a couple of years ago. We are in our mid seventies, active with no health or mobility issues.

 

Can anyone recommend a cruise company they have used? We do not need 24 hour hand holding, so we are not looking for ultra luxury, just reasonable food, a comfortable ship and most of all an interesting itinerary. We plan to travel for many more years so although we want something special this time we do want to have some travel money left for future trips.

First of all, congrats for the upcoming 50th. We came back in May/18, from a 19 day Vietnam/Cambodia/Mekong River cruise by Emerald Waterways, which was subcontracted to Exo Tours. We had a 7 day Mekong River cruise on the M/V Mekong Navigator, sandwiched between a 9 pre-cruise days, including an over nighter on Ha Long Bay & 3 post cruise nights in Siem Reap. Our package included free air from Canada, transfers, 2 internal flights, gratuities, drink package, wifi & excursions. The hotels used & food were 2nd to none. We took this package from Emerald as it was fairly priced.

We had 63/67 passengers on board, consisting mostly of Australians, British & us 4 Canadians. The excursions were moderate & if you have no mobility issues, you will have no problems. I did a review of the ship on CC upon return with pictures of the ships.

Enjoy.

We are considering a cruise on the Mekong next year for our 50th Anniversary. We would like to include Halong Bay and Siem Reap. Our only previous river cruise was on the Yangtze a couple of years ago. We are in our mid seventies, active with no health or mobility issues.

 

 

 

Can anyone recommend a cruise company they have used? We do not need 24 hour hand holding, so we are not looking for ultra luxury, just reasonable food, a comfortable ship and most of all an interesting itinerary. We plan to travel for many more years so although we want something special this time we do want to have some travel money left for future trips.

I’m not sure if you’re still thinking about who to do this with or have made your decision as I didn’t read all of the responses. However, we did this in January 2016 with Avalon Waterways, it was wonderful. Our ship was the Siem Reap, not sure which one(s) they’re using now but I can’t share enough positives.

In total the trip was about 18 days, we began in Hanoi and went in a day early. We had several nights in Hanoi, then a day at Ha Long Bay, we didn’t do an overnight junk but instead stayed overnight at a hotel which suited us better. We then flew to HCMC Saigon for several nights before a 7 night cruise on the Mekong, followed by 3 nights in Siem Reap. The hotels were very nice, in good locations and the best part, IMHO, was we were only a group of 36, I think 38 is the max.

It was a busy trip but made us want to return to do more of Central Vietnam on our own. All hotels had very good AC which is important and the ship was really nice. With such a small group everyone was so friendly and our evening on the ship were lots of fun. Staff and crew, guides and drivers were excellent.

Sorry, don’t mean to sound like an Avalon cheerleader, this was our 1st trip with them but this was just a perfectly put together itinerary, interesting and I can’t imagine it going any better.

That said, I’ve never showered so many times a day and changed clothes, even in January it was very warm. Also, I had fallen in Paris less than a month prior, had surgery there for a shattered arm/wrist and went on this trip with a brace but didn’t miss a beat.

Whichever you choose, enjoy.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

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Oops, just noticed the original post was over a year old - you’ve probably made your decision and maybe even traveled already.

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I’m not sure if you’re still thinking about who to do this with or have made your decision as I didn’t read all of the responses. However, we did this in January 2016 with Avalon Waterways, it was wonderful. Our ship was the Siem Reap, not sure which one(s) they’re using now but I can’t share enough positives.

 

In total the trip was about 18 days, we began in Hanoi and went in a day early. We had several nights in Hanoi, then a day at Ha Long Bay, we didn’t do an overnight junk but instead stayed overnight at a hotel which suited us better. We then flew to HCMC Saigon for several nights before a 7 night cruise on the Mekong, followed by 3 nights in Siem Reap. The hotels were very nice, in good locations and the best part, IMHO, was we were only a group of 36, I think 38 is the max.

 

It was a busy trip but made us want to return to do more of Central Vietnam on our own. All hotels had very good AC which is important and the ship was really nice. With such a small group everyone was so friendly and our evening on the ship were lots of fun. Staff and crew, guides and drivers were excellent.

 

Sorry, don’t mean to sound like an Avalon cheerleader, this was our 1st trip with them but this was just a perfectly put together itinerary, interesting and I can’t imagine it going any better.

 

That said, I’ve never showered so many times a day and changed clothes, even in January it was very warm. Also, I had fallen in Paris less than a month prior, had surgery there for a shattered arm/wrist and went on this trip with a brace but didn’t miss a beat.

 

Whichever you choose, enjoy.

 

Happy 50th Anniversary!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I appreciate your post :) We are doing the same cruise in April...Siem Reap as well.

We did this trip with AMA in 2015. fantastic trip. Loved all the different experiences. Started in Hanoi. Great fellow passenger too.

YES!! Have many suggestions and ideas!! Super enjoyed our visit in Vietnam, etc., earlier this year. Full details can be seen below on my live/blog. Plus a few visual samples below. Please ask on my live/blog any and all questions. Happy to share more, hear about your interests, info needs, etc.

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Telegraph for this weekend, they have this headline: “17 reasons to visit Vietnam” with some of these highlights: “Hustle and bustle in Hanoi: What makes the capital so interesting is that it feels very old-fashioned, stuck in the past with its French colonial history entrenched in its pavement cafes, architecture and wide tree-lined boulevards. Take a ride in one of the thousands of tuk-tuks swarming through the city’s streets to get a sense of the daily buzz.”

That is just one of the seventeen reasons cited. Bring back nice memories in reading this fun profile. Here is more: "Halong Bay: Increasingly popular, especially with the Chinese thanks to its proximity to the border, Halong Bay remains a staggering sight: shimmering turquoise waters punctuated by mossy rocks rising steeply out of nowhere. Ho Chi Minh City offers a contrast to northern Hanoi. The swaggering city of the south is all modern skyscrapers and new building projects. Find a hotel bar high up to admire the lights as the sun sets - many would have propped up war correspondents in the Sixties."

Full story at:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/vietnam/articles/reasons-to-visit-vietnam/

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 25,440 views. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

I am taking AMA Waterways extension to Siem Reap.  I was wondering if I should hire my own guide for touring Angkor Wat or take the AMA excursions 

Thanks

18 minutes ago, travelfreelasvegas said:

I am taking AMA Waterways extension to Siem Reap.  I was wondering if I should hire my own guide for touring Angkor Wat or take the AMA excursions 

 

Thanks

I was fine with the Ama excursions. They covered a reasonable number of temples. My only disappointment was it was raining when a small group of us did the sunrise excursion, so we didn't get the effect of the sunrise.

On the other hand, I have never hired my own guide for anything, so I don't really have anything to compare it to.

We are spending an extra 2 days at Siem Reap after we finish our Avalon Mekong cruise in August and my plan is to hire private guides - but on the spot, and we'll have already done the Avalon excursions so we'll know what else we want to do, or re-do if necessary.

Someone recently posted in the Seabourn forum about how easy & affordable it is to find a guide on site - all licensed guides have the same training/certification, so....[I'd read similar on flyertalk forums as well]

ETA I don't know what "optional" [eg extra cost] excursions Avalon offers - I'm not thinking of booking any...(not sure if that is your question or not)

1 hour ago, Hoyaheel said:

We are spending an extra 2 days at Siem Reap after we finish our Avalon Mekong cruise in August and my plan is to hire private guides - but on the spot, and we'll have already done the Avalon excursions so we'll know what else we want to do, or re-do if necessary.

 

Someone recently posted in the Seabourn forum about how easy & affordable it is to find a guide on site - all licensed guides have the same training/certification, so....[I'd read similar on flyertalk forums as well]

 

ETA I don't know what "optional" [eg extra cost] excursions Avalon offers - I'm not thinking of booking any...(not sure if that is your question or not)

I don't remember any optional extra cost excursions until Ho Chi Minh City. (I went from Hanoi southbound.) Nothing was planned for HCMC in the information available before the cruise, so I made my own plans. Then a day before we disembarked they offered a number of optional tours. I know that the one to the Cu Chi Tunnels went, but I'm not sure about the others. If people don't know about tours in advance they might do as I did and make their own arrangements. (I did a Cu Chi Tunnel tour, but by speedboat rather than by bus.)

1 hour ago, Hoyaheel said:

We are spending an extra 2 days at Siem Reap after we finish our Avalon Mekong cruise in August and my plan is to hire private guides - but on the spot, and we'll have already done the Avalon excursions so we'll know what else we want to do, or re-do if necessary.   Someone recently posted in the Seabourn forum about how easy & affordable it is to find a guide on site - all licensed guides have the same training/certification, so....[I'd read similar on flyertalk forums as well]   ETA I don't know what "optional" [eg extra cost] excursions Avalon offers - I'm not thinking of booking any...(not sure if that is your question or not)

Great that you are going to have two extra days in Siem Rea.  From our experiences last year in Siem Reap, I am not sure for agreeing that private guides are plentiful, easy to line up on arrival and/or all of equally high quality.  Maybe?  Maybe not?  Just like with doctors, lawyers and other skilled trades, they might all be "licensed" and have some certifications, etc.  BUT, the type of guide to fit your interests and style might not be instantly available.  With private guides, the "better ones" are not always right there, doing nothing and available for you.  

It's good to be flexible in deciding what you want to do and where.  BUT, finding the right "fit" would not be something that I would hope to find "on the spot", at the last minute.    Also, in August, it is much, much hotter there and I do know how that affects who would be available for your touring and interests.  I would work to check out in advance three or four potential guides, tell them your interests and style of travel, etc. Hear back from them and line up the "best fit" in advance.  Then, you do what you want with a guide who has the skills and approach to match your interests.  

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

For latest live/blog, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

I have no worries we'll be fine as far as touring temples is concerned. I have found that the baseline knowledge of guides in countries with licensing requirements is quite high and meets my needs.

I am considering booking a food tour in Siem Reap ;-) We love food tours!

2 hours ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

I am considering booking a food tour in Siem Reap 😉 We love food tours!

I didn't do one in Siem Reap. I did one in Hanoi (on the back of a motorbike) and in HCMC (on a Vespa). Hanoi was great, HCMC was more an evening tour than a real food tour.

We did one in HCMC when we were there a couple years ago - it was a morning pho tour and was great fun (walking tour). I think UnTour Night Markets in Shanghai is my favorite of all I've done, but even when they might not be "great", they're still great fun to me! We won't be in Hanoi this time (other than airport transit).....Avalon mentions a brewery tour in Phnom Penh (as a DIY option on a free afternoon), and as my husband is an avid homebrewer and we both enjoy trying local beer when we travel as well, that is another option we're looking at. Or, will be looking at when I find time to do a little more planning 😉