Bangkok, how far from cruise port

We are on a Far east cruise next February with Celebrity with 2 days at Bangkok and read that some people leave the ship and stay overnight in Bangkok. Is this advisable - is it because the journey from port to city is too long? Any advice would be welcome. TIA

Almost-certainly your ship berths at Laem Chabang, a drive of about 90 minutes from Bangkok (but allow a bare minimum of 2hrs before latest back-on-board time for the return to the ship). There's no suitable public transport, so you need to pre-book a private transfer (sorry, I'm out-of-date with prices) or ship's transfers (but most ships offer only same-day return transport so unsuitable for those who overnite in the city).

It's important to pre-book transport - there are taxis available on-spec at the port, but they're in a cartel and will screw the unprepared traveller for as much as they can, anything up to twice the price you can get on the internet. As with any Asian port, choose a car service based on personal recommendations or plenty of independent reviews. Be aware that most quote rates for up to three passengers. If your party is larger, or if you want to share, be sure that the vehicle is big enough.

Or consider provisionally booking a van & finding sharers via your RollCall.

Do double-check your port before booking, most cruise lines name Laem Chabang in their website and literature.

Like a number of cruise ship passengers we've overnited in a central Bangkok hotel, and strongly recommend that you consider doing the same..

- it avoids repeating that boring and sometimes-frustrating drive

- the cost of the hotel is offset by just the one transfer each way.

- it gives more time in the city, especially the evening

- if like most ships, yours is in port for only a day-and-a-half rather than two full days, it's not worth the travelling time for just a half-day.

Choose a hotel along the river - quite expensive, especially river-view rooms though it's a very busy and interesting river, but the express ferries are a cheap and easy way of getting round a lot of the city (Royal Palace, Wat Arun, etc) and there are also long-tail boats to hire to cruise the klongs (canals) and river excursions (rice barges, long-tail boats, dinner cruises, canal cruises etc). Near River City Pier is most convenient.

Or a hotel in Patpong - much cheaper, vibrant night-life (some of it mebbe a bit too vibrant ;p).

Or a hotel somewhere between the two, again inexpensive.

Most hotels are of a good "western" standard.

JB :)

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Definitely do the overnight; use the Celebrity overnight DIY excursion (if traffic is heavy, which it often is, it could take 2.5 to 3 hours to get back to port - this is one place you want to take a ship's excursion just in case.) As John Bull said, book a hotel on the Chao Phraya River so that you can use the "river bus" to get to the many sites along the river.

The Royal Orchid Sheraton is a nice comfortable and relatively economical choice, and conveniently quite close to one of the "river bus" piers. It's also just a short walk from there to have dinner at the legendary Oriental Hotel (now the Mandarin Oriental Hotel) where Pierce Brosnan stayed while filming "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997 (saw him walk by while my wife and I were having dinner at the Oriental back then.)

 

The Royal Orchid Sheraton is a nice comfortable and relatively economical choice, and conveniently quite close to one of the "river bus" piers.

We stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton some years ago. Rates were much more reasonable then, in an upper level river-view room - small room but OK for an overnite, and the volume & variety of river traffic gave an ever-changing view.

And yes, it's right by River City pier - ferries, excursion boats, private-hire long-tail boats, etc.

JB :)