Sihanoukville, Cambodia

[Luker]

Hi there,

 

I just added a post and some photos of Sihanouville, Cambodia. It might be helpful if you've never been there. I know this stop is on the Sun Princess and it might help you to make a decision as to what you want to do there.

http://www.LutherBailey.blogspot.com

 

Luther :)

[Goof3]

Hi there,

 

I just added a post and some photos of Sihanouville, Cambodia. It might be helpful if you've never been there. I know this stop is on the Sun Princess and it might help you to make a decision as to what you want to do there.

www.LutherBailey.blogspot.com

 

Luther :)

 

Wow, great shots Luther! We will be there in November (with RCI) and it's good to know what to expect. Do you know of anybody who took a ship's excursion? I thought I might like to see Ream National Park, but there aren't any excursions listed yet for that port. This is our last port and I know I'll be tired of being 'aggressively approached' by then, so I thought I might just let somebody else take care of us :).

[Luker]

Wow, great shots Luther! We will be there in November (with RCI) and it's good to know what to expect. Do you know of anybody who took a ship's excursion? I thought I might like to see Ream National Park, but there aren't any excursions listed yet for that port. This is our last port and I know I'll be tired of being 'aggressively approached' by then, so I thought I might just let somebody else take care of us :).

 

Hi there!

 

I think that there were some excursions (like to the beach, etc..) but I was on Holland America, so maybe they have some different ones than RCL. I'm actually assuming that the only reason boats make stops here is to pick up passengers who took the overly expensive "Siem Reap" excursion from another stop (I can't remember which port). Sihanoukville, is where they picked up these passengers. Considering they're charging a $30 processing fee on the boat for a $10 Visa and we're paying for the port fees, I'm sure it's worth them stopping there.

 

However, as you can tell, it's not a good stop and most people on the boat were really complaining. Sorry to sound like such a sourpuss about Sihanoukville, but I wanted to give people the head's up. I'm not sure if you'll be able to make it out to the park, but I hope they make it possible for you. Take care,

 

Luther

[newfarmers]

Wow, great shots Luther! We will be there in November (with RCI) and it's good to know what to expect. Do you know of anybody who took a ship's excursion? I thought I might like to see Ream National Park, but there aren't any excursions listed yet for that port. This is our last port and I know I'll be tired of being 'aggressively approached' by then, so I thought I might just let somebody else take care of us :).

 

hi goof3, we were on legend last feb and visited sihanoukville. i'd pre-arranged a trip to phnom penh.

 

unlike for a lot of people, this port, due to the tour was one of cruises' highlights.

 

what people have to remember is that a trip to vietnam and cambodia is not a tour to florida. there were people on our cruise who complained constantly about how dirty the ports were, rude the people were, how humid it was etc etc. it was as though they had booked the cruise with absolutely no idea about what it was going to be like. it was dirty, it was humid, we were hassled but we knew exactly what to expect.

 

we visited dakar, senegal a couple of years back on a transatlantic. after we sailed I was amazed to sit with a group of people who were complaining about the dust and dirt thing and it was suggested if the port wanted more tourists they should clean the streets and water the median strips!!! I said possibly the people have more pressing needs than cleaning the city for the benefit of a few spoiled tourists - like eating and drinking maybe. then I got up and walked away:mad:.

 

ok, off my high horse.

 

sihanoukville is pretty confronting if you don't go on one of the 'resort' tours. but step outside of your comfort zone and you will find a people who have amazing dignity and warmth and have suffered deprivation like none of us can ever imagine. we had some friends on board who took a cyclo into the town. the driver then took them to his house and these people said it was the most incredible experience.

 

a link to our cruise is in my signature below

 

I'll see if there is a reap national park tour in the list.

[John Bull]

Its well worth having a look-see at Sihanoukville, and yes, Ream Nat Park is under 30 mins away. We'd planned to take a boat ride through the Park, but switched to taking a long-tail boat out to an offshore island.

 

 

Here's a reply I posted to an earlier thread

In the main its not Cambodia as you'd expect it, its very much a new beach resort town, where folk come from Phnom Penh for the weekend.

As others have mentioned, PP is not really viable & certainly not worth the drive.

DIY is way best for fun & value.

For town/beaches a tuk-tuk.

We ventured just a little further so hired a minibus/guide at the port, cost about $60 for the vehicle for the day. Went to a beautiful waterfall (drivers will know it) on the way to Ream Nat Park (some wonderful new temples & carvings) and a boat out to an offshore island from near the park entrance (again, driver will know) for an afternoon on its beach. Cant remember cost of boat, mebbe USD 10 tops.

On the way back, a fishing village. Wow, what an eye-opener - the real Cambodia. Don't miss it

One minor snag. We should have berthed, with an 11pm departure, but were told that a broken-down ferry was blocking the berth so we'd have to tender ashore. And using tenders meant last tender back before dusk. Wrecked our plans for an evening ashore. C'est la vie. Then we found out that the ferry had been broken-down & blocking the berth for about a YEAR!!!! Just an example of why Cambodia doesn't figure amongst the "tiger economies". Will it be moved before your visit? Don't hold your breath !!!!

But you'll have a great day

 

The whole thread is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102091

 

John Bull

[Goof3]

hi goof3, we were on legend last feb and visited sihanoukville. i'd pre-arranged a trip to phnom penh.

 

unlike for a lot of people, this port, due to the tour was one of cruises' highlights.

 

I'll see if there is a reap national park tour in the list.

 

Hi;

 

You make some good points. I actually have been to SE Asia, although not to Vietnam or Cambodia, so I hopefully have some idea of what to expect, but still, it's good to hear first-hand from people who have been there recently and see their pictures. Anyway, I shall reserve judgment until I see for myself.

 

Thanks for pointing out the link to your very entertaining travel blog. You also take great pictures, maybe I'll use yours and Luther's instead of my own. Kidding, I'm kidding! I also came across your Cruise Critic review of your trip. I don't want to creep you out (or...maybe I do, bwahahaha), but we had the exact same cabin when we took a Mediterranean cruise in October 2008. Somebody left a $5 casino chip in our safe, did you get anything?

 

Well, apparently the updated excursions will be posted sometime in May so I'll see then what they offer. It would be nice to arrange something with some shipmates. Anyway, I will probably have another 1 or 2 or 10,000 questions and I really appreciate all the responses I've been getting.

 

Chris

[Luker]

Hi;

 

You make some good points. I actually have been to SE Asia, although not to Vietnam or Cambodia, so I hopefully have some idea of what to expect, but still, it's good to hear first-hand from people who have been there recently and see their pictures. Anyway, I shall reserve judgment until I see for myself.

 

Thanks for pointing out the link to your very entertaining travel blog. You also take great pictures, maybe I'll use yours and Luther's instead of my own. Kidding, I'm kidding! I also came across your Cruise Critic review of your trip. I don't want to creep you out (or...maybe I do, bwahahaha), but we had the exact same cabin when we took a Mediterranean cruise in October 2008. Somebody left a $5 casino chip in our safe, did you get anything?

 

Well, apparently the updated excursions will be posted sometime in May so I'll see then what they offer. It would be nice to arrange something with some shipmates. Anyway, I will probably have another 1 or 2 or 10,000 questions and I really appreciate all the responses I've been getting.

 

Chris

 

Hi Chris! :)

 

Have a wonderful time and just let me know what you think when you get back.

[Encantado]

Loved Cambodia... We used this guide and we had a fantastic day. He goes by "Doe"

http://doehappytour.WebStarts.com/index.html