AMA Vietnam/Cambodia (Cruise Only)

[donnasworld]

We have booked the AMA Vietnam/Cambodia cruise for February 2016. After considering the land portion, we decided that we would do the land portion on our own because we did not feel sufficient time was allocated for Hanoi and Siem Reap (2 days each) both of which are must sees for us. We are not interested in visiting Halong Bay.

 

Our plan is to travel independently to Hanoi and spend 4 nights there then four nights in Siem Reap where we would meet the AmaLotus and start the 7 night cruise.

 

I should add that this is our first trip to south east Asia and more than likely, due to the age factor and the fact that there are so many other places we want to visit, chances are we will not return. As a matter of fact, we are doing a back to back with this cruise and the AMA cruise that visits Myanmar, thereby visiting most of the major areas in south east Asia that are of interest to us.

 

In researching this trip I have been quite impressed by what I have read about Luang Prabang in Laos. It seems to have many of the characteristics we have enjoyed in places we have visited during our travels. Would it be worth the logistical effort to sandwich a 4 night visit to Luang Prabang between our stays in Hanoi and Siem Reap?

Edited May 26, 2014 by donnasworld

[luvtahoma]

We are looking at this trip also...and have the same questions/concerns as you, and, we don't expect to return to this area either! So many places to go.....! Will look for responses!

[ReturnCruiser]

Would it be worth the logistical effort to sandwich a 4 night visit to Luang Prabang between our stays in Hanoi and Siem Reap?

 

My wife and I completed the AMA Vietnam/Cambodia land/cruise trip in 2011. One of our friends joining us on this trip spent about a week in Laos before joining us in Hanoi. We all arrived in Hanoi about three days before the AMA trip started. We also stayed additional days in HCM city after the AMA trip.

 

I'll see if I can respond to your question after checking with our friend.

 

Bob

[donnasworld]

Thank you Bob. We are looking at spending about six weeks in this area visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Possibly a taste of Laos as well based on what our research turns up. We love the idea of back to back (sort of) AMA cruises in Vietnam/Cambodia and Myanmar which will certainly be one of the highlights of this journey but believe we can enhance our experience with some additional independent travel. We will visit Thailand during the gap between the completion of our first cruise and the beginning of the second one during which we will have 6 nights. We realize this is ambitious and normally do not travel this way but in this case, we feel we will see a lot without being overly rushed.

[ReturnCruiser]

Thank you Bob. We are looking at spending about six weeks in this area visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Possibly a taste of Laos as well based on what our research turns up. We love the idea of back to back (sort of) AMA cruises in Vietnam/Cambodia and Myanmar which will certainly be one of the highlights of this journey but believe we can enhance our experience with some additional independent travel. We will visit Thailand during the gap between the completion of our first cruise and the beginning of the second one during which we will have 6 nights. We realize this is ambitious and normally do not travel this way but in this case, we feel we will see a lot without being overly rushed.

 

My friend responded on her four-day stop in Luang Probang. She said "...it has everything - river, temples, markets, Buddhist walk, good

eats, good places to stay and it is very Laotian. Recommend it highly."

 

I agree with the idea of including as much as reasonable while you're in Southeast Asia. Back in 2011, I was still working and a three week trip was about the longest I could take. We are signed up for AMA's Myanmar trip in early 2016 and will probably include a return trip to Seam Reap. We still have a visit to Japan to plan, but that will likely be a separate trip. I'm guessing that will be our last trip to Asia - at least based on current plans.

 

Bob

 

Bob

[donnasworld]

Bob,

 

I appreciate you reaffirming my suspicion that I should include Luang Prabang. By the way, we are on the Myanmar cruise that departs February 23, 2016.

 

The more I have looked into this itinerary, including the cruise, the more I am feeling that Vietnam and Cambodia is better suited for independent travel. This is true for Hanoi, where two days is not nearly enough and especially for Siem Reap. Many of the posts on Trip Advisor do not seem to recommend the Mekong area as much as they do other sites in the Viet Nam/Laos/Cambodia area. I realize this is very subjective but what my research has done is made me more comfortable about an area that I previously just assumed was not an easy one to navigate for first time travelers.

 

I also realize that if I decide to skip the cruise I miss out on the cruise experience but in this case, the tradeoff might be worth the effort. In any case, that is where I am. I plan on doing a comparison of how I would spend my 16 days versus the land/cruise itinerary, including looking at the costs involved which include the fact that I would be out a portion of my deposit, and then decide. If anyone is interested in my analysis please feel free to ask.

[ReturnCruiser]

Bob,

 

I appreciate you reaffirming my suspicion that I should include Luang Prabang. By the way, we are on the Myanmar cruise that departs February 23, 2016.

 

 

We'll be taking AMA's Myanmar trip in January 2016.

 

In regards to AMA's Vietnam and Cambodia land/cruise, we would have like to have more time in Siem Reap. We also would have liked to visit Hoi An and Hue while we were in Vietnam. That said, the cruise portion of the trip was relaxing and permitted us to see village life along the Mekong. This would have been more difficult on our own. We did enjoy the beauty of Ha Long Bay and the overnight stay on the junk was a nice way to see the limestone structures in the evening and early morning.

 

So many sights to see and many options. I'm not sure we would travel on our own in less traveled areas unless we were relatively sure that we could deal with language and transportation challenges. Connecting with a local guide could be a way to handle these issues. Our friend that toured Laos hired a local guide that accompanied her during her visit.

 

Bob

[Jun0]

Hi. We travelled the Mekong from Saigon to Siem Reap in August 2011 on the

Heritage Line Jayarvaman. The itinerary is very similar to the other boats that do the same route. We really enjoyed the Mekong and the daily visits to villages, temples etc. We were lucky to go across Tonle sap lake instead of the bus trip, being the first boat to do so that season. This cruise is probably one of my favourite travel experiences.

 

We spent 4 days extra in Siem Reap at the end of the cruise and with our local guide toured many of the temples - all amazing but different. The Cambodian people are very welcoming.

 

We had previously spent 2 weeks travelling in Vietnam by ourselves with local guides in each area. A real highlight was the Sapa hill tribe region which I would recommend if you have the time.

 

I would love to do the Myanamar cruise but not sure if it will eventuate for us. We haven't been to Laos but friends who have been have really enjoyed it.

 

Enjoy your travels.

[Wingtips56]

We did the AmaWaterways full package (Hanoi-HCMC) this February and it was wonderful! Two of our friends did go to Luang Prabang independently for 4 days before Hanoi (and we had all added an extra day in Hanoi). They loved L.P., appreciating it for all it offered culturally but in the comfort of a smaller, calmer city, and I'm sure they'd recommended themselves if they were in here.

* They booked their HAN-LPQ-HAN air separately as a side-trip from their main trans-Pacific air tickets, which probably was cheaper that way.

* Note that it was during Tet in Vietnam, and Hanoi is a joy at that time. However it seemed that a lot of the air fleet must have been redirected to internal Vietnam flying for the holiday, as the main Vietnam Airlines jet flights between Hanoi and Luang Prabang were not operating, and the 70-seater operated by the Lao airline was already sold out by the time we looked....so book early! Our friends had to return to Hanoi earlier than planned as everything was sold out later through the rest of Tet.

 

The extra day in Hanoi was well worth it. We could have enjoyed another one!

 

We are all doing the Myanmar AmaPura cruise in early January 2016 (we booked while on-board AmaLotus) and would consider adding Luang Prabang post-cruise.

[ReturnCruiser]

We are all doing the Myanmar AmaPura cruise in early January 2016 (we booked while on-board AmaLotus) and would consider adding Luang Prabang post-cruise.

 

It looks like we'll see you on board the AmaPura. We are also booked on the January trip. If you're interested in a contact for a private guide in Luang Prabang, let me know. We can contact our friend who traveled with us to Vietnam for a Laos guide reference.

 

Bob and Betty

[super_grover]

I love Luang Prabang and have been multiple times. Please PM me if you would like any information or must-see ideas!

[mlk58]

I took this trip (land and cruise) in December 2012 and I just want to put in a pitch for Halong Bay. I didn't think I was interested in it, either, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. Kind of indescribable, but beautifully relaxing, scenic, historic -- I would hate to have missed it.

[fussylady]

I am considering the AMA Vietnam/Cambodia cruise.

 

One of my concerns is food safety in Asia.

 

We'll drink only bottled water. But we've travelled extensively through China and, as Americans, we were very careful about food and restaurant choices for food safety reasons.

 

The hotels we stayed at in China were 5-star hotels so we felt pretty safe eating in those places.

 

Did you have these same concerns onboard the AMALotus? Did you feel there were certain foods that were better to be avoided?

 

Thanks.

[Dancuboz]

Super_grover

 

Would you be able to send me your recommendations and suggestions for Luang Prabang please as per your earlier posting.

 

I am visiting in October this year.

 

dancuboz at hotmail dot com

 

Many thanks for your time and help, Danny

 

 

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