Cruise Review Pandaw Cruises in Myanmar

We were very impressed with our cruise on Katha Pandaw on the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar in October 2013. This review was written for CC Reviews Section, which won’t accept it as Pandaw Cruise Line isn’t on its drop down menu. I have been directed by moderator, Jane, to post my (long) review here.

Before, during and after our cruise we were overwhelmed by the friendliness, generosity and warm welcome of the people of Myanmar.

Pre Cruise: We flew Jetstar from Singapore to Yangon, staying at the Chatrium Hotel from where the Pandaw cruise departed at 6 a.m. Chatrium is a comfortable hotel, buffet breakfast, wifi included and all that goes with a 4/5 star hotel. A $US4.00 air-conditioned cab ride to Yangon city centre, $8-10 to the airport. Reviewed on Trip Advisor. www.tripadvisor.com

We arranged pre- and post-cruising, transfers, internal air and some guiding with a local agent. After the guide’s introduction we were comfortable exploring Yangon on our own in cabs, on foot, on the ferry and the iconic circular train.

Post Cruise: One night Mandalay, two nights Lake Inle before flying out of Yangon.

The Ship– Katha Pandaw: Pandaw ships areteak panelled, built in the style of colonial river steamers. RV Katha is the smallest of the fleet, 16 air-conditioned, twin bed cabins, with ensuite bathrooms, 6 upper, 10 lower deck. There is no elevator. Cabins are small with adequate storage for our clothes and suitcases. All have sliding glass doors and screened external doors opening to the shared deck. The nights were cool enough in October for us to sleep with the air-con turned off, the glass doors open and the screened doors shut. Bathrobes, safe, unlimited bottled water, hair dryer, shampoos etc and one electrical converter plug provided. No phone, TV, minibar or teamaking tray; hot and cold drinks are available in the bar. Cabins are immaculately maintained and usually serviced during breakfast. Light sleepers should avoid cabins adjoining the crew area and wheelhouse because the crew are up and about earlier than passengers need to be.

The ship does not cruise at night so engine noise did not disturb our sleep.

There are large shaded open-air sitting and dining areas on the upper deck, always a comfortable temperature, with pull down transparent weather shields (used once). Larger Pandaw boats have enclosed air-conditioned sitting and dining areas. Deck plans, itineraries and much more on the website www.pandaw.com

The Cruise 600 Miles, See All Burma: 14 days cruising up the Irrawaddy River from Pyay (Prome) to Katha and down again to Mandalay. We left the Chatrium by air-con coach at 6am to join the ship at Pyay, a six hour drive with two comfort stops. The first, Taukkyan War Cemetery on the outskirts of Yangon, allowed enough time for a quick wander.

For us the itinerary was an excellent mixture of archaeology, ancient and modern history, life in Myanmar, performances by very talented local dancers, singers and puppeteers, visits to exquisitely carved teak monasteries, to magnificent pagodas, to local markets, potteries and other small traditional industries, to farms and to villages and some of the schools and medical clinics financed by Pandaw Cruises.

In Katha the ship hosted an early breakfast for the local monks. Another highlight was seeing six of the extremely rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphin from the ship. Dolphin sightings are not guaranteed.

The river is the artery of the country. We never tired of being on the upper deck, returning the smiles and waves of the ever welcoming hard-working Burmese. The smiles welcomed us to a moment of their lives, as they worked the fields, tended crops and animals, built bamboo houses, flew kites, fished, washed, swam, carried the production of this fertile valley to the river and loaded boats with drums of oil, bamboo poles, teak logs, vegetables, clay pots, fish, sacks of rice, beans, peanuts, and sacks we could only guess at, then transported these on low barges, small motor boats or bamboo rafts.

Passengers: Only 8 of the 16 cabins were occupied by 15 passengers from USA, UK and Australia aged 40-70+, all keen to experience and enjoy every experience the cruise offered.

The Crew: The guide and crew’s attention to our comfort, our special needs and wishes was amazing, as good as any cruise or land tour I have experienced, including Silversea, and considerably better than several others. At pagodas a crew member assisted those who struggled to bend to remove/replace footwear, guarded our shoes and distributed wipes for our feet when we emerged. On returning to the boat our shoes were removed and cleaned for us.

Our guide on this cruise, San, was outstanding. San is knowledgeable, articulate, fluent in English and alert to British, Australian and American senses of humour. He gave enough information to arouse our interest but never enough to be boring. San had more information for those with a special interest and was happy to answer random questions about life in Myanmar. Through him we were invited to join two wedding celebrations, experiencing again the generosity and warm welcome of the people of Myanmar.

Our purser, Than, ran the passenger services very well, ably supported by the stewards, chefs and housekeeping staff. They made it an exceptional experience.

Excursions: Included in the fare, except fees for cameras at some sites and for elephant rides. A small tip ($US1/Kyat1000) for local drivers, performers etc. was appreciated but not required. The variety of excursions and events is outlined above.

Excursions usually started after breakfast, returning to the ship for a long lunch break and departed again later in the afternoon. We were cool and comfortable on board in the hottest part of the day.

In small towns and villages we walked, in the larger cities we had air-con coaches but often we rode trishaws or horse drawn carts (2 passengers per cart) and for the defile, a local boat. All within the scope of two not very fit, 70ish Australians. There was always a crew member to help us climb a steep river bank or hand us into pony cart or trishaw, whether we needed help or not.

For those with serious breathing or mobility problems, wheelchairs or walking frames, it becomes more difficult. There are no docks. Every outing we crossed the gangplank and climbed the sandy river bank. If the bank was particularly steep, the crew cut steps for us and offered a strong arm to lean on. The roads and paths we followed were often unpaved tracks or broken pavement or we walked across ploughed fields to villages. Sometimes hills and flights of steps were unavoidable.

Meals and Drinks: Meal-times occasionally varied to suit the excursion program. Usually breakfast was 7-9am, lunch 1pm, dinner 7.30pm, after the evening briefing by guide and purser. Tea and coffee, biscuits, fresh fruit and cold drinks were available from 7am. No cabin service or variation of meal times is offered.

Breakfast was buffet with an “eggs cooked to order” station, fresh fruit, cereals, toast, pastries, tasty Asian style soups, bacon, tomato with dishes of either noodles, fish, sausages or baked beans.

Lunch was soup, delicious breads made onboard, a salad buffet, a choice of three hot mains (menu offered at breakfast) or a hot mains buffet, followed by pudding.

Dinner was soup, starter, choice of three mains (menu offered at lunch) and pudding.

Every meal had a vegetarian option.

We thought the meals were varied and delicious, vegetable, fish, chicken and pork dishes were particularly tender and served with interesting sauces; the curries were excellent but quite mild. I didn’t eat salads till I was quite sure my fellow cruisers felt no ill-effects. They didn’t, and I regret missing two days of super salads.

We notified two food intolerances at booking and on arrival and were alerted to any dish that might contain these foods. I do not know how much provision can be made for those with very limited diets or limited food preferences.

Soft drinks, local beers, local spirits and mixes were included in the tariff and freely available. Carafes of wine were provided at dinner only. Bottled wine could be purchased from the bar.

Dress: Casual. Trousers/skirts below the knee and sleeves covering shoulders were required at some pagodas and feet must be bare to enter pagodas and monasteries. All footwear, including orthotics must be removed, so slip-on-slip-off shoes or flip-flops are good for those who can walk to/from the site in them.

We needed a hat, comfortable clothes for hot weather, a waterproof and a light jacket or shawl for cool evenings/mornings and the trip up river to the second defile on a breezy local boat.

Our travel doctor advised long sleeves and trousers between dusk and dawn as mosquito protection, so we showered and “smartened up” into these before dinner.

Laundry: We were warned that the laundry was done in river water. Clothes were returned in excellent order and charges were very reasonable.

Medical: Our travel doctor prescribed a malaria prophylaxis which we took and other just-in-case medications, which we carried along with basic patent medicines and didn’t use any. Seek medical advice before travelling and carry sufficient supplies of your regular medications, “just-in-case” drugs, insect repellent and sunscreen.

Money: ATM in Yangon and Mandalay only. We changed some US dollars for kyat on arrival at Yangon airport and later withdrew kyat at ATM in Yangon and Mandalay. We were told to bring only crisp, unmarked, unfolded $USnotes of recent issue but less than pristine notes were accpeted. Pandaw took credit cards for on-board expenses exceeding $200, othersise cash, $US preferred but kyat accepted. We followed Pandaw’s recommendations for tipping the crew.

Communications: Wifi was free but available only near bigger cities. The ship’s phone received calls; our Myanmar travel agent phoned me re a booking change.

In October 2013, Australian mobile phones did not get signal in Myanmar and foreigners could not buy local SIM cards. We declined a $10/day SIM card rental at Yangon airport. This may change with many visitors coming for the SEA Games in Yangon in December 2013.

Conclusion: For us this cruise was perfect. We travel for interesting destinations and appreciate well informed guides. We like to try new foods (from “safe” kitchens) and appreciate clean comfortable cabins with ensuite bathrooms. We want to get out, meet the people and learn about the country. Pandaw worked for us. Images of the river, pagodas in the mist and the smiles of the people are imprinted till Alzheimer’s messes with our brains.

thank you for your great review....on our "want to"....thinking we might need to move it up as it may be more arduous than some trip and the area will slowly but surely have more tourist.

Thank you for your review, HDS. Sounds like it was an excellent trip.

We toured Myanmar by land last year after debating back & forth between that and doing by river cruise. It was very interesting to hear how the cruise actually was and it seems like it would also have been a great option for us.

My mother is interested in Myanmar so it sounds like the cruise version might be perfect for her.

Thanks, wonderful, helpful review. Have you reviewed your post cruise travels on Trip Advisor yet? I'm sure we would all love a link when you do!

Great review, HDS. Just a couple of things I'd like to add.

For breakfast, we didn't have any soups, but did have excellent croissants and bread-baked fresh every day!

Did not have any WIFI on board our ship, the Pandaw II.

ATM's are iffy due to poor communication services. There was a good money exchange desk at the Chatrium Hotel in Yangon.

A highlight of our trip, besides the beautiful pagodas, were the friendly people. They even wanted to take pictures of us or with us! At one small village, a couple of young boys took my wife by the hand and led her through their village. They even gave her some flowers and a lei! This was all without any expectation of anything in return! Never happened on any of our other trips. We were told several times by our Program Manager not to give anything to the locals-they do not want them to get spoiled and expect tips or money from the tourists. So far it seems to be working-no one with their hands out. If you want to help them, gifts to the school that they sponsor or to the monasteries would be the best way to do it.

We were very impressed with our cruise on Katha Pandaw on the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar in October 2013. .............Images of the river, pagodas in the mist and the smiles of the people are imprinted till Alzheimer’s messes with our brains.

Thank you for an excellent and detailed review. We are considering a Pandaw cruise in Oct or Nov next year. Did you book through any of the travel agents here in Oz who advertise these cruises - or direct with Pandaw? Looking at the website it appears simple to go direct. I note that you arranged pre- and post- cruise travel with a local agent in Myanmar. I believe it is acceptable for you to mention the name of the agent you used if someone (like me) asks - that is, if you are agreeable.

Also - In 2015 we are on the Ocean Princess cruise from Singapore to Dover and there is already some discussion on the roll call about taking a river cruise in Myanmar before embarkation in Singapore. A particularly appealing option for those from North America. Would you mind if I linked to your review from the roll call?

Thanks again for such a useful report.

Thank you all for your generous responses. I hope that you and/or your friends will enjoy Myanmar as much as we did.

EKML, thanks for information about your cruise on a larger boat with, which I think, has an enclosed dining area and observation deck. It is important to indicate the variations.

Amyr, I don’t know how to show a link to Trip Advisor. I posted there as HDStripad, to the Myanmar Travel Forum and I have sent reviews to “Hotels” section and to “Things to Do”. If you find my review of the Chatrium Hotel, Yangon it will link you to my other posts (in Things to Do) for Yangon. Lake Inle was our only other destination and I have reviewed two hotels/guesthouses in the hotels section for Nyaung Shwe.

Emma, I researched the Pandaw website for the cruise itinerary and date that suited us best. Then I booked it through Sue at Discovery Travel in Cammeray, Sydney because she could get Pandaw to hold the booking for me until I had the air and land content confirmed. Didn’t want one without the other.

I booked external air and some hotels through their own websites and organised a Vietmanese agency (Exotic Voyages) with offices in Myanmar to book accommodation for places and dates where the websites showed no availability, and also to organise internal air, transfers and a few days’ guiding. By the time you travel it may be possible to book airfares on-line. The change from paper tickets to on-line bookings and e-tickets is happening as we speak! We felt safe walking, catching cabs and exploring on our own on the days we hadn’t organised guides.

I found names of Myanmar travel agents on TA'a forum. Exotic Voyages was the first to respond to my email. Another agent's website provided an interesting reading list, which I read before I travelled. I suggest that you shop around and compare prices. If you have more time than we did, it may be possible to contact some of the individual guides recommended on Trip Advisor directly.

Please link this review to your roll call but do remind the North American readers that Pandaw riverboats are nothing like Princess cruise ships. No casino, no shopping arcade, no theatre, no 24-hour dining or room service, no hamburgers, steak, fries or ice cream counter. Also that our cruise was for 14 days. The 7 day cruises don’t get as far up the river as ours did.

Send me a personal message through the Trip Advisor website if I can help any more.

Thank you for the excellent review. We are going on a river cruise with Viking in January. The ship is a "Pandaw" style with 30 cabins, a little larger than the one you were on. We will be traveling from Yangon to Mandalay. Your review gave us a good insight on what to expect and some useful tips, thanks.

Emma, I researched the Pandaw website for the cruise itinerary and date that suited us best..... Please link this review to your roll call but do remind the North American readers that Pandaw riverboats are nothing like Princess cruise ships. No casino, no shopping arcade, no theatre, no 24-hour dining or room service, no hamburgers, steak, fries or ice cream counter. Also that our cruise was for 14 days. The 7 day cruises don’t get as far up the river as ours did. .... .

Thanks for the additional information; again very helpful. The Trip Advisor information also. (I’ve written lots of reviews for TA over the years but have stopped recently because their pop-ups annoyed me! I may relent and write some more, since I do still use the site!) The Myanmar cruise for late 2014 is still in the early planning stages as we are doing a bigger trip early next year, and that is where our attention is concentrated at present.. Someone I know is doing a cruise in Feb next year on Paukan, which Travelrite and others charter, so it will be interesting to see what she reports. Also will check out what Viking is doing. I hope Arizonasunshine will report back also. I like the look of Pandaw though, and can’t see any reason to go elsewhere. I like the idea of a longer cruise combined with land travel, but the folks on my roll call will probably not have the time. And, as you say, things are changing very rapidly in Myanmar and by the time we get to book, it might be very different. You were wise to go this year!

I have posted the link on the roll call for my 2015 cruise, but am thinking that the people on this cruise will not be fazed by a simple ship such as the Pandaw vessels. Our cruise is 62 days from Singapore to Dover, round the Cape of Good Hope and visiting West African ports. These “exotic” and less frequent itineraries attract people who want something more unusual. Already people are gearing up to plan private travel in West Africa - in fact they seem to be more intrepid than we are – and we have spent a lot of time in some West African countries. Ocean Princess (and its sister Pacific Princess) is a “small and perfectly formed” ship which carries 680 passengers, rather than the thousands that the biggies do, and gets into ports that the big ships can’t manage. It is a much more low key ship, even though it does have a casino ‘of sorts’ and a theatre ‘of sorts’ (really just a lounge), but nothing resembling a shopping arcade. The nicest public room is the rather glorious library. I haven’t yet been on Ocean Princess, but I have been on Pacific Princess and on another sibling, Oceania’s Nautica and like the size and general atmosphere. We always said we would never cruise, but seem to be doing a few of them – and we really like the long journeys. Willing to put up with the disadvantages of cruising, like too short a time in port, to experience the advantages. Frankly anyway, for some ports a day is long enough.:D

Thanks again.

Thanks so much for writing and posting this comprehensive review.

Emma, thank you for your information about Princess cruises. They sound interesting.

Thanks for the great review. We will be on Viking in March from Mandalay to Yangon. Anybody have advice about that trip?

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Emma, thank you for your information about Princess cruises. They sound interesting.

Please note that Princess Cruises is still a mass market line, and their big ships will have all the things you mentioned that may not attract you to large ship cruising. (Have been on a few Princess cruises, and consider they deliver a consistent product.) However their two small ships, Ocean and Pacific, are somewhat different, simply by virtue of their size, and these can get into ports where the big ones have to dock a long way away at container terminals. Ocean and Pacific were all part of the defunct Renaissance cruise lines, and the rest of these "R" class ships were sold off to Oceania and Azamara. They are lovely ships, however a cruise on either Oceania or Azamara in the "R" class ships will cost a lot more than on the Princess small ships. The West Africa cruise which we are booked on for 2015 was only offered every two years but it is extremely popular, and sells out fast after it is released for sale (though after final payment is due more cabins come back into play when people cancel.). We were originally weight-listed on the 2014 sailing but when Princess offered a 2015 sailing we jumped ship. We booked the day it opened, but by the time we could book in Oz it was already almost sold out. If you look at the Princess site for Singapore to Dover in either 2014 or 2015 you will get an idea of the itinerary. Granted, with this sort of cruise the time in port is brief, but for many people the West Africa segment is a chance to visit an extremely interesting area in some comfort. Even for someone like us, who are not Africa newbies, it works well.

Emma, I'll echo your sentiments about the little Princess ships. We took the Pacific on a 24 day trip from Papeete to Ft. Lauderdale, and to this day it remains one of my favorite trips. That ship really felt like home. So small and cozy.

Did everyone see that the Saigon Pandaw sank on it's repo trip from Saigon to Burma? It's the ship that Vantage charters, but I think they've switched to the Irrawaddy Explorer for 2014.

Thank you for your review. I just booked "Memories of Mandalay" on Viking River Cruises. I have not been able to find any reviews of this cruise, so I appreciate reading about yours.

What are the tipping customs in this part of the world? I am wondering how much you were advised to tip the people onboard? Did you have the same guide during the entire cruise, and if so, was is the suggested amount to tip that person?

Thank you for your help.

Katz,

I am pleased you enjoyed my review and I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. Viking began cruises on the Irrawaddy in Jan 2014, so the first cruisers are just returning home now. I understand that the boat is larger than the Pandaw Katha and doesn't travel as far north as we did.

We had the same guide for the entire cruise and folowed the tipping guidelines given by our tour companies (Pandaw for the cruise and Exotic Voyages for pre/post cruise land content) adding a little more for exceptional service. I do this because "expected tips" are possibly written into a salary contract between employer and staff. No doubt Viking will have its own guidelines.

On excursions from the cruise we tipped drivers, performers etc, about $US1 each (1000kyat). Not required but gratefully accepted according to our guide. Pre/post cruise we tipped hotel cleaners, waiters, taxi drivers about the same. Myanmar is not a huge tipping culture. Many people said "You've given me too much." We used local currency as much as possible.

We donated cash to medical clinics and schools which enables them to buy what they need locally and tried very hard to spend money in local markets and shops, especially in the more remote areas. Here the vendors from whom we had bought fruit etc, would chase us down the street with a few coins saying "Madam you forgot your change." Tipping definitely not expected. In the places where tourists visit often children are learning to beg, to ask for money and "vendors" are persistent.

Thank you so much for your response. I am hoping for some reviews of our cruise as time goes by.

I enjoyed your review. It was very helpful.

Thanks for the information on tipping.

Kathy

Hi,

Thanks for the fantastic review. I loved reading it, as it reminded me so much of my recent trip on the Paukan 2012 with GCT. I wrote a condensed review at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1953861. I encourage anyone who is thinking about doing a trip to Myanmar to do it now, before it changes. It was a trip of a lifetime, and I'm sooo glad I did it!

You will be, too.:D IMHO the Paukin and Pandaw small ships (they both have larger ships) are the way to go. Our ship only had 16 cabins, and it was perfect.

Thanks for the review. Hearing about your trip and others regarding recent ventures to Myanmar encouraged us to add this to our travel plans. We just booked with AMA Waterways for its 14 day river trip to Myanmar. We were pleased with our first trip with AMA to Vietnam in 2011 and thought we'd give them a try as they establish a Myanmar itinerary.

With some time to plan this outing, we're currently thinking of adding a revisit to Siem Reap onto the Myanmar trip.