October 19, 2010 Voyage 3029 Shadow Hong Kong to Bangkok

[chicagogal]

Hi all, we will be on the 6 November cruise from Singapore to HK. We are going to Siem Reap on the 31st October and staying 4 days before our we leave on our cruise. Did not want to go to Bangkok because of all the troubles, I am sure they will be resolved by October but my husband does not want to take any chances.

 

If you are staying at Raffles, maybe we will see you there the first night! (We will be there 3 nights Oct 29th-30th-31st)

 

Patty

[morningstar]

We are staying at the La Residence. It has been recommended to me by many people. Raffles a little too large for us. We like smaller more boutique style hotels, guess one of the reasons we like SS and SB. But is seems we will arriving as you are leaving.

[chicagogal]

We are staying at the La Residence. It has been recommended to me by many people. Raffles a little too large for us. We like smaller more boutique style hotels, guess one of the reasons we like SS and SB. But is seems we will arriving as you are leaving.

 

I am not familiar with La Residence but I hope you enjoy it (and your cruise!)

 

Patty

[cruisenebraska]

La Residence sounds lovely.

We will be on the same cruise as Patty, but will be traveling to and from Siem Reap a day later. We too are staying at the Raffles, but it sounds like we will overlap with you in Siem Reap for a couple of nights. I suppose we will all be among the crowds at Angkor Wat.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

[kimiata]

Hi everyone, we are chicagogal's friends and are looking forward to our third cruise with them and our first one on Silversea. We are planning to spend a few days back in Bangkok after our post-cruise Angkor Wat trip. Hopefully things will have calmed down by then...

 

Kim and Paul

[chicagogal]

This trip is creeping up closer and closer. We had better get our act together and make some plans! At least we have the hotel and a guide in Angkor Wat booked ...

[cruiseerf]

Hello All:

 

Just got back to NY from Bangkok and Siep Reap (yet again) and wanted to give you some helpful advice.

 

Bangkok: Depending where you are staying and for how long you should pick a hotel close to the area you will be visiting. For example....If you are planning the Royal Palace....Wat Po....and shopping (which you will get with All tours which make commissions...) then the closer hotels are the river and Silom Road. Oriental, Peninsula, Royal Orchid Sheraton....or slightly off the river the Le Meridien Suriwong or Sofitel Silom. These hotels you only have to drive through Chinatown and you hit all the sights. IF you book a hotel out on sukumvit road....your commute doubles or triples in traffic so check your maps! I note some are staying at the Novotel...I assume this is at Siam Square? If so...this is well located for shopping...and has a good dim sum Chinese. However that area is traffic nightmare...so plan accordingly as there are 7 shopping malls all within 5 blocks and the Thai's all have cars.......You can sit forever.

 

For advice on Bangkok, I would say go with the Luxe guide to Bangkok at any Barnes and Noble....this guide is funny and updated annually and is small. We hit several restaurants and Lambert gems for a sapphire purchase....Elsbeth was fabulous! To the Nebraska people...it put Borsheims prices to shame and was lots of fun as they had stones everywhere to play with. Tailoring, we had shirts made at Pinky's....and he will ship them to us but be careful with him because he is a bit pushy...and ALWAYS trying to upsell. That said, he quality is excellent though you pay for it.

 

Food, we have a few Bangkok favorites. ThanYing on Soi Pramuan.....Old Royal Thai cooking...make a reservation...great service great food and can alter spices for your tastes. Taling Pling on Soi Pan.....Terrible service but delicious genuine Thai food with English menus with photos....both of these are real Thai and inexpensive. Keep in mind that Wine is taxed in thailand at 400% so an $8 is $32-40 in Thailand. That said beer is cold and Singha is the local brand. There is a GREAT Lebanese restaurant called Nadimos off of Silom road which took our breath away if you are getting tired of Thai food. If you are staying out on Sukumvit.....you can eat at Indu's an old Thai house with 1/2 Thai food and 1/2 Indian food. Or Lemongrass has been there for 20+ years. The only tourist restaurants I don't like are the Blue Elephant and Baan Kanitha.....These always have ads in the local newspapers looking for cooks and servers....Great atmosphere but food mediocre. Remember to choose restaurants near your hotel...this way you are not stuck in Bangkok traffic....you must plan for this. Keep in mind that Thailand is commission land and hotel Concierges EARN these on your recommendations so be careful on where they send you....it is often better for them..then you. Also check out ChowHound.com for helpful restaurant advice....another great resource.

 

Drinks at the State Tower one night is a MUST.....DONT EAT HERE...food is overpriced and not so good....but Drinks and views are spectacular....and you can ask for two bars....Distil has couches outside overlooking the river....and then Sky bar is standing room only overlooking bangkok. They are both on the same foor. Remember NO sandels or shorts if you go here...they enforce the dress code and are always turning people away. Ladies...sandels with a heal are ok but NO Tevas, eccos etc.

 

Taxi to and from the airports costs us 500 baht on the highway booked with Julie taxi's.....they were very nice and reputable.

 

Siem Reap: Bangkok air is the only way to go. Take with you two photos...small like passport photos....you fill out the visa forms on the plane and pay either $25-$35 when you arrive USD CASH. Remember Cambodia is all USD Cash...except for hotels which take cards. Raffles is lovely...as is Hotel dela Paix....both my favourites. Raffles has a "cultural dinner dance" show on some nights...it is fun and if your timing is right you should go. Angkor wat is Spectacular....however once again....go EARLY in the AM come back around 11AM and then go out After 3PM...when it is cooling down. Skip the sunset over temples....or else bath in mosquito repellent as you will be eating alive with the other 500 people who are crowded onto the temple to do this. Private guide+ air condition car runs about $75 for speaking English. You can buy a three day park pass for $75? I think....or around there. If you are more adventurous....one evening go down to pub street....and sit at a cafe and have a beer or a pizza. There are about 20 bars and restaurants lining this street which closes to traffic in the evenings. Keep in mind that Cambodia is amongst the poorest of nations....Beggars abound. My advice is don't give to them because they are run out of gangs...ala Oliver Twist! There is a Wonderful Childrens holspital there in Siem Reap built entirely on donations...stop by here and make your donations where you know it is going to the good of the people.

 

You are all going to a wonderful part of the world. I go often with friends and family....sometimes for work. If you have further questions, feel free to send me a message.

 

Travel safe and well. ERF

[cruisenebraska]

Cruiseerf -

 

Thanks for all the great information on Bangkok and Siem Reap. I especially like your suggestion to give to the Children's Hospital in Siem Reap. And we'll have to keep in mind that Borsheims has some competition!

[chicagogal]

Wow! Thanks so much cruiseerf! This is very helpful and I will print it and fold into our guide book. I appreciate the offer to ask you additional questions and may take you up on it.

 

Patty

[cruisenebraska]

Has anyone looked at the excursions yet? We don't have any experience with SS excursions, but are inclined to go with them as opposed to making our own arrangements in Vietnam. We are nervous about our ability to assess the quality of independent tours ahead of time and also about what might happen if we are delayed getting back to the ship. I'd love to hear what your experience has been.

 

Also, we are trying to decide between two options in Chan May -- Ancient Hue/Perfume River vs Cham Civilization with an Expert. If you have heard anything about either of these excursions, we would love to hear.

 

Thanks. We are getting excited, even though the cruise is still months away.

[kimiata]

Thank you so much for the wonderful information, especially the restaurant tips! I remember meeting you and your family on the Regent Panama Canal cruise a few years ago. I especially remember your brother; I liked him a lot. Hope all is well.

 

Kim

[chicagogal]

Is anyone interested in going to Hue? It sounds like maybe you are, cruisenebraska?

 

My husband is very interested in it from a historical perspective and really wants to go there. Not sure if we will do a ship's tour or arrange something on our own.

[chicagogal]

We booked our flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap on Bangkok Air for about $320 per person. If I remember, there will several fare options with different penalties for changes. My understanding is that we will need a visa for Cambodia, but that it is easy to get when we arrive at the airport in Siem Reap. There is also an online visa system to get a visa in advance, but we haven't tried it yet.

 

OK We have now booked the Bangkok Air flights, too. I have heard that people have problems with the on line visa system and that it is easy and better to get them at the airport. (You do need to each bring 2 photos (small passport type))

[cruisenebraska]

Chicagogal, we are having trouble deciding between excursions for Chan May. The one to Hue and the Perfume River sounds interesting, as does Cham Civilization with an expert. So we haven't made up our minds. And we are struggling with the choice of Silversea excursion vs something private.

 

FYI, we asked our travel agent about Vietnam visas a while back. Her answer was that if we take the Silversea excursion, they handle the visas. If we go out on our own with a private excursion, we need to get our own visa.

[chicagogal]

Chicagogal, we are having trouble deciding between excursions for Chan May. The one to Hue and the Perfume River sounds interesting, as does Cham Civilization with an expert. So we haven't made up our minds. And we are struggling with the choice of Silversea excursion vs something private.

 

FYI, we asked our travel agent about Vietnam visas a while back. Her answer was that if we take the Silversea excursion, they handle the visas. If we go out on our own with a private excursion, we need to get our own visa.

 

That's fine. We still have lots of time.

 

I was actualy talking about Cambodian visas. I didn't even know Viet Nam required visas, and we are doing a private excurison, so I had better check on that then.

[kimiata]

It looks like on other cruise lines (Seabourn, Regent, Princess, RCCL) you can get your Vietnam visas onboard, which are good for touring independently or with a ship's excursion. I would hope Silversea would be the same. I've written to them and to our TA to find out.

[kimiata]

Our TA just reported back with the same information that cruisenebraska has. I find it really hard to believe that we have to obtain our own visas for Vietnam (which does not look like a simple process), when it appears that every other cruise line handles it for their passengers. I would expect more from a line like Silversea.

[kimiata]

Our TA wrote again and said that if we just wanted to go off on our own in port, we wouldn't need to get a separate visa. But if we planned on spending the night away from the ship, then we would need to check with Silversea.

 

In the meantime, I spoke to someone at Silversea who at first said we would need to get our own visa for touring independently, and then she said we would be fine without it, and then she gave me another number to call. I just called them (888-838-4867, "Pinnacle Travel Documents") but had to leave a message.

[kimiata]

OK, I just talked to the guy at Pinnacle, who confirms that as long as you are NOT spending the night away from the ship, you are covered by the ship's visa in Vietnam. He was very nice.

 

I am glad I talked to him because I realize we are not going to have enough blank pages in our passports for the necessary stamps and visas. He said we would probably need four blank pages for the cruise and Cambodia. That is something I wouldn't have even thought about.

[travelingduo]

kimiata's information is correct.....

 

Last week we received a letter from Silversea (we booked this cruise directly with them) with the following statement:

All guests are required to have a visa for Vietnam. Silversea has arranged to obtain visas for all guests transiting this country. Your shipboard account will be charged the visa fee imposed by the respective country. Guests doing an independent overnight excursion (not booked through Silversea) must have an individual visa for Vietnam prior to boarding.

People taking independent tours do not have to get individual visas unless they are staying overnight on their own.

[chicagogal]

kimiata's information is correct.....

 

Last week we received a letter from Silversea (we booked this cruise directly with them) with the following statement:

All guests are required to have a visa for Vietnam. Silversea has arranged to obtain visas for all guests transiting this country. Your shipboard account will be charged the visa fee imposed by the respective country. Guests doing an independent overnight excursion (not booked through Silversea) must have an individual visa for Vietnam prior to boarding.

People taking independent tours do not have to get individual visas unless they are staying overnight on their own.

 

Great news - thanks for posting. Our TA also confirmed this today. Did your letter say how much Silversea will charge for the visas? (I didn't think to ask my TA.)

[travelingduo]

The letter did not say how much, but my friends were on Regent last year and they were charged $25, exactly the same amount at Vietnam charged.

[chicagogal]

The letter did not say how much, but my friends were on Regent last year and they were charged $25, exactly the same amount at Vietnam charged.

 

Thanks. Not a big expense then. (We got our letter from Silversea today.)

[cruisenebraska]

We haven't received anything from Silversea yet, but it must be coming. I appreciate the clarification on the visa rules. It is good to hear the same answer from multiple sources.

[I'llBeCruisin']

Count us in the roll call. We will be on from Shanghai to Bangkok as well. It looks like we have a very organized group. Impressive!