Pandaw River Cruise

[BrLos5]

Anyone Out There Have Any Experience With Pandaw River Cruises....accomodations, Food, Guides, Destinations I.e. Mekong River From Vietnam To Combodia. Love To Hear From You!

[mpfund]

We took this cruise in Burma in January and loved it. Cabins are basic (twin beds, drawers beneath, combo desk/table between, small closet), and baths are good sized (shower only). Food was good with some local items. Service was terrific! Tours were excellent. Our cruise was about 1/3 Germans, 1/3 Americans and 1/3 Australians but it was a small group due to the political problems of the prior Fall.

 

While on the cruise we met people who had taken the Mekong River trip and loved it.

 

We are planning to do the Borneo trip in 2009.

[BrLos5]

Thank You For The Info! Did You Take Any Of The Before Or After Tours? Were They Well Run? I Am Also Thinking Of Taking My 14 Year Old Grandson, Good Or Bad Idea?

Thank You Again Bruce

[mpfund]

We did not take any pre/post tours through Pandaw. We did do some independent traveling.

 

I don't really know what to tell you about your grandson. The boats are small, and offer almost no entertainment. Only you and he can decide if he would be interested in the tours off the boat. If your grandson is self reliant it might be OK, but I fear he would be bored to tears. Just my opinion.

[mareeS]

We took the Pandaw Mekong cruise in 2004 as independent travellers, and had a wonderful trip.

 

It's very comfortable expeditionary travel, accommodation-wise, and most congenial if you are willing to enjoy the company of fellow passengers from different language and cultural backgrounds.

 

It isn't for people who are elderly with mobility problems, or with chronic health issues, as you will be going into remote areas with no 1st-world hospital facilities.

 

We intend to travel with Pandaw in Borneo, as we could not fault our trip with them on the Mekong.

 

However, you must be sure this is the type of travel suited to you.

[BrLos5]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFO.....AGAIN DID YOU DO ANY PRE OR POST PROGRAMS BY PANDAW AND/OR ARRANGE YOUR SELF.... LOVE ANY DETAILS/ HIGHLIGHTS YOU CAN PROVIDE???

THANK YOU, BrLos5

[Fletcher]

We did a Pandaw cruise in Burma two years ago. We booked through a company in Edinburgh called Connoisseur who had some direct link to Pandaw - anyway, they were a good deal cheaper than Noble-Caledonia who sent us the brochure. The boat was full of character and old-time romance, and I used to go up on the observation deck every morning to watch the sunrise and the waiter would always have my cup of tea ready. The service was simply amazing - after every excursion they'd take your shoes, clean them, and return them to your cabin. Elderly or frail people were helped constantly, lifted on to and off the boat, and water carriers followed us everywhere. The food on board was perhaps a little monotonous, Euro-bland. The cabins were small but immaculately designed to maximise space. Housekeeping was perfect. One downside was the nightly invasion of insects, so you could never sit outside, but other than this it was a memorable trip in a simply astonishing, desperately tragic country. I seem to recall there were no more than 20 people on the ship - two Russians, four Swiss and the rest Brits. We arranged our own flights from London via Qatar, which avoided Bangkok, and got Connoisseur to book us the Strand in Rangoon.

[42kiwis]

I had a truly wonderful time last July - wanna know more?:)

[annmarz]

My 22 year old son and I are thinking of taking the Mekong River Cruise this summer as part of a Globus Tour. Can someone who has done this trip answer a couple questions for me? How much do they charge to do laundry onboard? Are insects, like mosquitoes, a problem? What is the age group of fellow passengers?

 

Thanks!

[42kiwis]

I think there was a laundry bag but I did not use it, just rinsed out a few bits for myself. Bugs were not really a problem but I did take repellent and they do recommend covering up. One person did get bitten by something 'funny' and that needed seeing to. On the first night there was a cockroach from hell in my shower (dead, I think!) I tried to flush it down the drain but it got stuck so I had to ask for assistance.:( Fellow passengers were mainly British and Australians with ages from 40 up. Lovely ship and crew, fantastic food and mostly free booze. Excursions - just tie up to a tree, dig a few steps and the crew help you off on your next interesting excursion. Lots of shoe taking off for temples so take plenty of wipes. It really was terrific and worth every penny.

[Lady Meer]

Hi We are thinking of booking a Pandaw Mekong river cruise - can anyone tell me about the food on board. I realise the boat is small but wondered if there was a choice at dinner as I don't eat rice. Thanks for any info.

[42kiwis]

:rolleyes: Being a small ship you could almost order whatever you liked. Breakfast was Western or Asian - just choose what you want. Lunch and dinner had several choices (I usually went Asian) but there was always steak or similar. Desserts were pretty good too. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

[Lady Meer]

:rolleyes: Being a small ship you could almost order whatever you liked. Breakfast was Western or Asian - just choose what you want. Lunch and dinner had several choices (I usually went Asian) but there was always steak or similar. Desserts were pretty good too. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

 

Thanx for the info - it sounds like my sort of trip :).

[42kiwis]

;) I was so impressed with my cruise on the Mekong that I am looking at Borneo for 2010 - provided all the $$$$$ don't go down the gurgler!

[annmarz]

I just returned from the one week Siem Reap to Saigon cruise on Tonle Pandaw and loved it! I am a 50 year old American travelling with 22 year old son. Only 15 passengers! Mostly Australians with an English woman, a Dutch couple, and a Danish family with 2 school-age boys. I had done extensive research beforehand and knew what to expect but my expectations were exceeded. Group met at the Raffles Hotel in Siem Reap (snotty, rude even, service - overcharging everyone for tea and soft drinks that they initially said were complimentary) and we were transferred by bus to the Tonle Pandaw. Long 5 hour bus ride with rest stops, snacks, box lunches. Some fellow passengers had the impression we were going directly to ship and they were a bit upset. Where you can board ship depends on water level - verify this if its important to you.

 

Excellent food, service and excursions. They showed two movies during the cruise in the Saloon, had local dancers one night, had a free cocktail of the day each day. Other diversions and briefings kept us engaged.

 

When you return to the ship after excursions you remove your shoes and they wash them and return them to your cabin to keep the ship clean. Many passengers went barefoot by choice - very relaxed life onboard. Some wore "smart casual" for dinner, others did not. They accommodated special food requests and gave us lots of bottled water. Other thoughtful touches included Raid spray, umbrellas, cold towels. They seem to have thought of all our possible needs.

 

Nice spa onboard, a couple exercise machines, a small shop, paperback book exchange, some games and CDs.

 

If you possibly can, book a cabin on one of the upper two decks. Lowest deck has porthole only and no outside seating on promenades.

 

We booked cruise as part of larger tour arranged by Globus' Monograms division which seemed to have subbed out to Destination Asia locally. Others had booked directly with Pandaw.

 

13 and 9 year old boys aboard seemed to enjoy it very much and not be bored - they were exceptionally well-behaved.

 

I would not hesitate to travel with Pandaw again!

[EDLOS]

Annmarz, How was weather in July as I would have to do it with my grandson at that time next year??? Any problem with river levels as I understand it end of dry season and beginning of wet???

Did you book any pre and/or post cruise tours?? Pandaws or other and what was your experience?

Don't want to travel that far for just a 7 day cruise.

Thank you

[nowornever]

Has anyone been on a Tonle Pandaw cruise lately? Your reviews have been very good & we're considering one next year but would like some recent experience, especially in Burma. We've held off due to the troubles in Bangkok but now MAY be a good time to start planning.

 

Would also like comments on this one compared to the Orient Express river boat.

 

Thanks for your help.

[vozzie]

Just returned from Saigon to Siem Reap on Mekong Pandaw. We also took the Saigon and Siem Reap Pandaw add ons at either end. Here is a brief report:

 

We booked on the interenet and printed out our ticket and itinerary. No further communication from the company.

Arrived at Saigon Airport, half expecting to be left to our own devices. How wrong we were. The Pandaw Rep was waiting ( with the obligitory sign with our name on it). He took us by private car to the Soffitel, ensured we were booked in and set a time to meet us in the morning to do the planned tours. Spent the rest of the day working out how to cross the road and found a pleasant place for dinner.

 

The addon tours were great ... once again, in a private car with a private driver and guide. The room, buffet breakfast and staff attitude at the Soffitel was exceptional.

 

The day of departure on the Cruise starts in the hotel lobby. Chaos appeared to reign supreme, but all the passengers and luggage were eventually on their way by bus to the boat .... about 90 min drive to the river.

A little bit of patience required, but it all goes smoothly.

 

The boat/ship was spotless and the Crew were all lined up to welcome us aboard. The cabins are clean and comfortable, the food is excellent and the attention of the crew is unsurpassed. When you ask for something to be changed or fixed ... it actually gets done.

 

The Crew are all either Vietnamese or Cambodian. The ship takes on a couple of local guides ... a team for Vietnam and a team for Cambodia. All guides provided excellent information, both on the ship and on the excursions. A daily newsletter provides all the details for the next day and, as also detailed elsewhere, the excursions leave on time and return on time. However, you have to remember where you are and the type of cruise this is ... expect to be climbing up river banks, expect to be hot and uncomfortable sometimes, expect to be in dodgy looking motor boats and expect the excursions to reflect what actually is happening at the time ... in the village, town or factory. Just go with the flow and enjoy it. Don't expect pre-arranged displays or exhibits like on an Alaskan Cruise.

 

And, as noted on the website .... if you have a disability, do not book this cruise. The crew will help you all they can, but they can't hold up the whole excursion or or cruise to make special arrangements for anyone. It just wouldn't work.

 

But all the "hardships" encountered on the excursions soon dissolve on return to the ship .... where you are greated by a cold towell and an icy cold cocktail or beer waiting at the bar.... and it's included in the price.

 

On arrival at Siem Reap (or near Siem Reap) everyone gets moved onto a bus and taken to Raffles ( about 4 hours in our case). We found the staff at Raffles to be equally as friendly and efficient as the Soffitel.

 

Once again, if you have booked the addon, the guide meets you at the hotel, makes sure you are booked in and arranges a pick up time for the morning. Lunch that day is in the Raffles, on day two, it's in a lovely alfresco local restaurant.

 

In summary, a fantastic soft adventure. Would recommend it to any adult ... without a disability. In June it was extrememly hot ... especially at Angkor Wat. Water is provided by the guides, but you need to take precautions.

[EDLOS]

Just returned from June 26, 2010 cruise with my 15 year old Grandson. He and I had a great time. Spent first 3 nights in Siem Reap at Prince D'Angkor Hotel at half of Raffles hotel price, clean modern, with breakfast at $64.00 night.

Booked our guide and driver thru hotel,, $ 25 fo guide and $30 for AC car per day.. Dined on Pub St. Kymer Kitchen and Red Piano, both good restaurants.

Did all the major Temple sites, and a half day voyage out to the floating villages on Tonle Sap in very hot weather, took Tuk Tuk's around city, went to both Day and Night markets, crowded beyond belief.

More to follow.......

[EDLOS]

On the 26th all passengers met at Raffles Hotel for the 5 hour bus trip, (not the highlight of the trip) with 2 non memorable stops along the way arriving at a small village in the middle of a deluge and having to literally slip/slide down a very muddy steep bank to board the ship. Remember, Pandaw tells you, this an adventure, not a luxury pampered cruise.

 

Ship was great, cabin a lot larger then perceived and AC worked, beds very comfortable. Food was good,not gourmet. My grandson filled his plate 3 times at breakfast each day.

Each day we had a morning and afternoon tour, some more interesting than others, they seemed to be hung up on showing us every market of every town we visited, yes, the Viet people eat every thing including rice fed rats! The variety of vegetables and fruits were amazing!

Souveneirs: silk scarfs, table runners, clothes, t-shirts, purses, jewelry etc. seemed the same in every marketplace. Unlike China, you were not dumped into a silk rug factory for two hours having no interest in buying rugs. Some people complained they did not have enough shopping time. That complaint was a first on many cruises I have taken !!!!

More to follow........

[EDLOS]

Cruising the Mekong River is not as scenic as the Rhine River, there are no hillside castles or vineyards or the Yangtze River with it's gorges. There is surprising little commercial travel on the upper stretches of the Mekong and the terrain is mainly flat farmland. The Mekong Delta however, is teeming with boat traffic as is the city of Saigon is teeming with 8 million people and 6 million motorbikes. Watching people weave their motor bikes in and out of traffic is an amazing sight.

We went out to the Tunnels, very interesting, where my grandson fired an AK-47. The city tour covered the War Museum (gruesome)and then the Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office, Opera House and City Hall all built by the French.

Do not know what else there is to see in the City itself if we had another day? Shop?

It was a great trip!!!

[JanBell]

Hello,

My husband and I are travelling this coming Jan. on the Tonle Pandow. I would love some info from travellers who have been on these Pandow ships/Mekong cruises.:)

[arwarch]

Fantastic trip. One of the best ever. Siemreap to Saigon.

Summery.

1.Pandaw know what they are doing and provide a well rehearsed, interesting, comfortable and safe journey.

2.Siemreap and Saigon are both worth at least 3 days each at either end of the trip.Both cities have great hotels, fantastic inexpensive food, and lots to see [and shop]

3. Pandaw boats have few passengers, [we had 30 ] and we all managed to get on well together. No complaints from an experianced and well traveled group, aged from late 50's to early 70's.

4. The less mobile missed a few tours but generally were happy and included.

5. In my opinion Not good for children.