Real suite!

[chemmo]

Hope you can give advice.

 

We are regular sea cruisers and do understand that river cruising is different.

 

We have however, met a real snag. Our adult son would like to come with us on a Cambodian river cruise. We have been looking for a real suite room. Separate bedroom and living room with bed-settee. We would much rather pay more for this set up than pay for two rooms!

 

I have searched the net and either come up with the 'request a quote' or a default to needing two rooms. Can anyone help and recommend a cruise line which gives us the option we are looking for. We are not bothered if it is a full package or cruise only to add to. We thought Amma would be ok as they have the room set up we want but they will not put 3 in a suite.

[Hydrokitty]

Hope you can give advice.

 

We are regular sea cruisers and do understand that river cruising is different.

 

We have however, met a real snag. Our adult son would like to come with us on a Cambodian river cruise. We have been looking for a real suite room. Separate bedroom and living room with bed-settee. We would much rather pay more for this set up than pay for two rooms!

 

I have searched the net and either come up with the 'request a quote' or a default to needing two rooms. Can anyone help and recommend a cruise line which gives us the option we are looking for. We are not bothered if it is a full package or cruise only to add to. We thought Amma would be ok as they have the room set up we want but they will not put 3 in a suite.

 

Most river cruises, even those with suites, will only put 2 passengers in a room. The suites are not usually like the ones found on big ships or in hotels where you're likely to have a separate bedroom and living room with sofa bed. On the river boats a suite is usually a much larger room with the sleeping area separate from the living room area but still in the same room.

I don't know of any off hand that will put 3 in a room and I know from a trip we were on a married couple traveling with the wife's sister thought they would be sharing a suite and upon boarding were told they could not and the husband wound up in a single!! (the couch was just that, not a sofa/bed). You might try asking since there's 3 of you if they'll waive the single supplement and ore and more lines these days are providing single cabins without charging the single supplement. Good luck with this.

[JVilleGal]

Someone very recently was advertising Solo rates on cruises area... I'd try all the river companies doing the itinerary you want. I just saw this so he could actually gave a room of his own and not pay extra.

[chemmo]

Thank you for the replies. We really are not about cost cutting we just want a family suite. if we book two cabins, even if adjacent, we will not have the benefit of that shared daytime space plus separate sleeping areas. We had seen the type of room we wanted on Ama but they would not allow 3 in a suite.

 

I don't think I was expecting a positive answer, I was just hoping for one! I guess my next question is quite simply what boats would you recommend for a Cambodian river cruise? We do like good food, nice balconies and pleasant outdoor space.

 

Thanks again for you replies.

[Di Princess]

I would just call up all the river cruise lines and ask the agents.

[JVilleGal]

Thank you for the replies. We really are not about cost cutting we just want a family suite. if we book two cabins, even if adjacent, we will not have the benefit of that shared daytime space plus separate sleeping areas. We had seen the type of room we wanted on Ama but they would not allow 3 in a suite.

 

I don't think I was expecting a positive answer, I was just hoping for one! I guess my next question is quite simply what boats would you recommend for a Cambodian river cruise? We do like good food, nice balconies and pleasant outdoor space.

 

Thanks again for you replies.

 

Sorry to my knowledge there are no Suites as you describe. River boats are too small and 2 to a cabin is standard.

 

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for. My suggestion would still be to get the Top Suite/cabin for you are book the next door cabin for yourself. The fancy cabins do have a larger and sometime separate seating area you just can't have a third person in the cabin.

[ewizabeff]

I'm not sure if the other lines that do the Mekong in Cambodia are the same, but on Uniworld all of the cabins (except for the 2 suites) have lounge chairs on the promenade, which is open to everyone. Two adjacent rooms would have this space right next to each other, as there are no dividers. The suites on Uniworld, however, have the front of the ship as a semi-private balcony, instead of the promenade space.

[Hydrokitty]

Someone very recently was advertising Solo rates on cruises area... I'd try all the river companies doing the itinerary you want. I just saw this so he could actually gave a room of his own and not pay extra.

 

I saw that too JVilleGal, but darned if I can find it now!! Or remember which company it was!

 

You know, this might be a time to try a travel agent (I can't believe I just typed those words:D) but for information like this, they would be more likely to know right off who, if anyone, would have a room type you want. I don't know of any line that has adjoining cabins like on the big ships. But I like your idea of putting 2 in the highest suite and let the single use his/her cabin just to sleep in....how bad could it be???

[JVilleGal]

I think just spending 15 min. Online checking the 5 main river companies. They all list there "current deals" on their websites.... You just need to take a few minutes to investigate. I know it was not Viking, so cross that off.

[Rebel54]

Avalon has a special right now waiving the single supplement fee. Not sure if it's available for that sailing however.

[chemmo]

Sincere thanks, I will try a TA and look at suites and a single. Will look for the ones without a supplement if I can!

[hiccups]

Uniworld is waiving the single supplement on some cruises, and right now is also offering 2 for 1 pricing for their Mekong departures for September. Those dates are probably too soon for you to consider, though.

[chemmo]

Yes, Sepember would be too soon, unfortunately. We are looking for late 2016/2017. We know if you want to be picky about rooms you need to get in early.

 

I am trawling now through lots of reviews with an open mind about which line to choose.

[JVilleGal]

Go online and order up a big glossy brochure from each of the main companies. They all show what each of their cabins & suites on different boats look like. I also think it's easier to compare two trips with different companies "side by side" with the brochures rather than flipping back and forth online. Then you only go on line to verify the current pricing and special deals.

[wrp96]

I believe I heard that Ama is building some ships that will have some cabins that accommodate 3 people and some cabins that are connecting.

[YoungDubFan]

I had also posted that Avalon has waived the single supplement for ALL 2016 sailings. Here is a link that will take you to their Asia itineraries:

http://www.avalonwaterways.com/River-Cruises/River-Cruises-Asia/

However - the Avalon sailing is just for Cat D & E cabins - which tend to be on the lowest deck and the suites tend to be on the upper deck. If this would work for you, it could be a good deal. The ships sailing in Asia tend to be smaller than those in Europe.

 

Once on Avalon's site, you can always put in a request to have a brochure mailed to you.

[chemmo]

Thanks for the additional information. I am on the case!

[3littlepigs]

I think the no single supplement was either APT or AMA, pretty sure it was APT. The no single supplement only related to their lowest grade cabin and only a certain number of cabins per sailing. I couldn't find it on the website, I don't think it had been updated yet so probably needs a call to an agent.

[chemmo]

Hi all, thank you for taking an ongoing interest in our search. WRP 96 really interested in your comment as we really liked the Ama boats and itineraries we have seen. Can you recollect where you saw the information on 3 birth/connecting cabins.

 

Sincere thanks again to you all for your help. Better than any travel agent!

[Host Jazzbeau]

chemmo -- here is an article on Cruise Critic about the AMA venture with Disney: Disney, AmaWaterways Team to Bring River Cruises to Families

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6299

 

Note that these ships will only be used for Disney cruises part of the time -- the rest of the time they will sail as regular AMA or APT cruises.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[chemmo]

Thanks for the link! Unfortunately it is for Some European cruises whereas we are looking in Cambodia/Vietnam.

 

I think I have seen your name before on the general cruise critic link with Celebrity, my apologies if I am wrong. I guess we have been spoilt by booking a higher end suite on sea voyages, RS or PH. It seems such a pity that we have seen rooms with bedroom/living area so suitable for three adults which can not on river cruises be booked for three. We are presently looking at all cruise lines again now considering two rooms, a suite room and a basic room.....

 

Ideally we would still love to find a real suite room on a river cruise. However, we are now, thanks to advice given, looking at all options.

 

Still very open to advice! Keep it coming!

[Brisbanelionsfan]

We have booked with Scenic for March 2016 Mekong, they are building a new ship for this route and it looks amazing. Check out their website and then contact them for a brochure.

 

Cheers

[Tricia1945]

Hey you all,

 

The best suite there is you can find here ( sailing in Myanmar ):

http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/sanctuary-ananda-cabins-suites-myanmar-cruise-ship

 

"OWNER'S SUITE (67M² / 721FT²)

 

The largest suite on the river boasts a luxurious king-size bed, separate dressing and living areas, plus a big veranda with sun loungers as well as table and chairs. The spacious bathroom will spoil you with a freestanding tub as well as a monsoon shower and his-and-hers sinks. Other benefits will include a private guide, butler service, early morning tea and coffee, complimentary laundry and exclusive dining experiences."

 

Trish

Edited July 17, 2015 by Tricia1945

[chemmo]

Scenic Spirit does look good! The sanctuary looks really nice too but isn't really the destinations we want.

 

Sincere thanks again for your replies. I'll get back to my brochures!

[Tricia1945]

Chemmo,

 

Have you ever been in Myanmar? I have been travelling in Vietnam, Cambodia, China with different lines and on Mekong or Yangtze, you can not find anything like in Myanmar. There are just rice fields and anything else to see.

 

Enjoy Cambodia :)