Question for Bill Leiber - Port Charges/Fees in Vietnam

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.

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.

The 2 answers regarding Fees ETC do not seem to correlate

Either Azamara has FREE shuttle buses to the Centre or they dont

We are cruising on the 'NorthBound' cruise prior to this one travelling from Singapore to Honk Kong

Anyone give us the CORRECT answer??

The 2 answers regarding Fees ETC do not seem to correlate

 

Either Azamara has FREE shuttle buses to the Centre or they dont

 

We are cruising on the 'NorthBound' cruise prior to this one travelling from Singapore to Honk Kong

 

Anyone give us the CORRECT answer??

People taking private tours aren't interested in the shuttle to the center of town, but are trying to find out where their tour guide can pick them up. We had the "correct" answer for HCMC at the time, however, the ships berth changed when we arrived.

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.

 

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.

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,

 

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.:)

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.:)

Harry, a while back I too had general shuttle questions and Bill gave me this answer which I hope you will find helpful. What Bill said about calling Azamara is true. Their call center staff will bend over backwards to answer any questions you may have. Their follow-up is great.

Hello Deirdre -

Your point is well taken that it would be very helpful to have a list of the shuttle bus service offered on each of our voyages. I have asked our shore excursion team and itinerary planners if such information could be added somewhere on our website. I learned that doing so would not be a reliable option primarily because 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. Consequently posting shuttle bus information can change from call to call and year to year, including drop off places in town.

Therefore, I can speak only in "general" terms. While we seek to secure the berth located nearest to the town center, we offer shuttle buses in places where the berth is located inconveniently to the nearest town. 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.

I hope that my explanation provides some perspective on how shuttle service is scheduled and why it's not available in advance for every port of call. If you have specific shuttle questions, more often than not, our Azamara call center staff can answer your questions. You or your travel agent can contact them.

Best regards,

Bill Leiber

The AZ shuttles are free. See the previous thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1913385 for more info on shutttles. We did both private and AZ tours in DaNang. We met our private driver a short walk right outside the port gates and there were no fees. We used the free shuttle one day in Halong and had a private junk tour for 4 the other day. We were picked up inside the Halong port and paid the tour operator $15 each way for all 4 of us (so it may have included a port fee....don't know.) Our berth in HCMC was close to the port entrance, so it was an easy walk into the city center on Nguyen Blvd. It was probably faster to walk than take the shuttle to Rex Hotel in the crazy HCMC traffic! We were lucky to be there for TET, so Nguyen was closed to traffic and beautifully decorated.

Hi Jade13,

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

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.:)

HCMC. We were on Quest. They do not know the berth until they arrive. The fee was already in the tour operators costs. They were just explaining their pricing which included the port fee. We paid cash that day and they took the risk and paid the port fees in advance.

On one of the days we walked to where we were meeting another boat we had hired for the day. We were trying to save money by walking instead of taking a taxi because we thought it was close. It was not the best idea. We are runners and in good shape, but not everyone is. We walked out of the gate with at least 50 taxi drivers and guides trying to get our business for the day, not to mention a 30 minute walk through a rough area including under an overpass. I would recommend having your tour guide pick you up at the ships berth.

Hello Harry -

I've learned the following from our itinerary planner about the port and shuttle information which I'm pleased to share with you along with the caveat that the information which follows is always subject to change.

First, we do not break-out our individual port fees since that information is confidential.

§ Halong Bay - We dock at Cai Lan Port (Halong Bay) - a 20 minutes drive from the city center. The shuttle drop off point is the Thanh Nien ma Chay Street. Taxis or independent tour operators cannot come inside of the port.

§ Danang - We dock at Tien Sa Port - a 20 minutes drive from the city center. The shuttle drop off point is the Trung Vuong Theatre square. Around drop off you may find an information desk, retail stores, a market and restaurants. There is nothing available at the pier or within walking distance. There is a taxi stand at the port gate but taxis are not always available.

§ 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.

I hope this information, along with the comments from the other Azamara forum members, helps you wrap-up your final planning for your December Azamara vacation!

Best regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

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.

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.

Harry

Your analogy to pulling teeth is accurate. That was my experience in researching tours for our Feb 13 Journey voyage. The answers were all over the place! VN is a very nice country, people are great, but there's still a lot of bureaucratic bumbling and creative pricing! We were also there at Tet, which complicated things and upped prices. I finally gave up and took advantage of Az tours at the then 50% discount. And I have to say that Az tours were good and not overcrowded like some big-ship excursions. We did do one private junk tour in Halong Bay and joined one private tour with Ann Tours in Danang---both were excellent.

tmi

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.:)

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!

I don't know what the big deal is. In many (maybe most) countries tour operators have to pay a fee and fill out paperwork if you want them to pick you up inside the port gate, not just in Vietnam. This is a security measure so the port authorities know who is driving in near the ships. Some give the option to meet them outside the gate which could be a short walk, or could be very long and inside a container port. If we have the option, we always have them pick us up as close to the ships berth. We can walk but know others joining us are mostly seniors, but either way we prefer door to door service. Mumbai India is another example where private guides will generally give you the option. After paying so much to travel to be on vacation we are not worried about another $20.00 per person for this service.

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.

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.

It is nice to know one's options. Getting a price from private tour operators re. picking us up at the ship's berth is easy. The hard part is finding out whether one is paying for being picked up 1 block from the entrance to the harbor or 1 mile from the entrance. I would feel a little sheepish explaining to the 2 other couples with us that we're paying $25 to avoid walking 200 meters. On, the other hand, I would feel bad if I turned the pick-up down and they had to walk a mile and I would feel really bad if they had to walk that mile at the end of the day.

Harry, when you get your tours locked in, would love to have details on any that you have room for 4 or 6 more. Reach me at joy.nelson@earthling.net

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

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

To each his/her own!

 

Harry E.

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.

Hi,

Does anyone want to join our 3 day Bangkok Package Tour.

Got places for 2 more.

You can e-mail me at giftco@opus.co.tt for more info.

Jocelyn

Sanatee, can you remember how long it took you to walk to outside the port gates in Danang? We have a private tour booked and are being collected outside the gates! The guide said not far...but how far is not far I wonder??!! Also was it manic with taxis etc when you got there? Hope you can help. Thanks in anticipation.

Sanatee, can you remember how long it took you to walk to outside the port gates in Danang? We have a private tour booked and are being collected outside the gates! The guide said not far...but how far is not far I wonder??!! Also was it manic with taxis etc when you got there? Hope you can help. Thanks in anticipation.

It was a pretty short walk....maybe 5 min. Journey was the only cruise ship in port at that time....not busy with cabs....mostly coaches and vans for tours.

Many thanks for that very useful info.