2Fltravelers

2Fltravelers - Those of us booked on the Mekong River cruise are eagerly awaiting the CC publication of your review and are enormously grateful to you for taking the time to do the review. We will chime in with questions after we read the review.

 

As for the AmaLotus, at the present time AMA is showing that ship beginning cruises in September, 2011, with its first cruise originating in Saigon. Those cruises appear on the AMA website at this link: http://www.amawaterways.com/itinerary.asp?iticode=MB11&view=dp

 

We will be on La Marguerite and have not been following closely the building of the AmaLotus; but AMA is certainly selling it for this coming September.

 

Cheers, Fred

You're right, Fred. I meant to say it debuts in September 2011 and not 2012. As for the review, it is my pleasure. I actually enjoyed writing it and as my friend said, she felt like she was there again. I hope it is a big help to everyone.

We are arriving early into Hanoi before the start of our AMA trip. We are staying at the Sofitel Metropole, same hotel used by AMA, to avoid the need to change hotels. We're told that arranging transportation on our own between the airport and hotel is not very difficult nor expensive. As an alternative, you can arrange airport pickup by the Sofitel in advance. I can't recall if AMA can arrange an early airport transport - I suspect so, but it is best to contact AMA.

 

Bob

We arrived a day before as well. We arranged the transfer with the Sofitel in advance by email. I was originally quoted $65 in December for a BMW Series 5 transfer but then they changed the rate and the vehicle on 2/1 before we departed. It was $88 for a Series 7. I just couldn't deal with finding a reputable taxi at 10:30PM. It was a very pricey transfer but in the end, I was happy I did it-just alot less hassle.

Also looking forward to the review. We are thinking of doing this, also, for next January or February.

I think I would recommend January before the TET holiday as it may be slightly cooler and more green. I' was told that during TET places are much more crowded.

Would love to know FLTRavelers air arrangements from Florida as we are hoping to book this trip for March 2012. Did you do your own flight arrangements? If so from where....or did AMA do them for you? Would love to know what you recommend.

Thank you!

When we booked the trip in 2/10 I left open the possibility of having AMA book the air. But in May I decided I would use frequent flyer miles/hotel points to put it together which I did. We flew AA First Class R/T to Tokyo where we spent 3 days with Japanese friends. The R/T Business on JAL from Tokyo-Hanoi and Saigon-Tokyo had a 5-hour layover in Tokyo on the return. The number of miles I used was less than what I've used for business R/T to Europe. I paid for my own transfers, also because we arrived in Hanoi a day early and left 2 days later from Saigon. Our friends that traveled with us booked with AMA from Toronto-Saigon connecting in Hong Kong (they took the 1 week pre-trip tour of Vietnam which I asked her to write a review on). If you have any questions, I'll ask her to answer here.

Tks everyone for all the helpful info!

 

Also waiting for FL's review. Maybe it's so long and comprehensive it's taking a little longer than planned.;):D

 

What were the highlights? Any low points?

 

How was Feb. weather? Was the river high enough or did you have to be bussed in anywhere?

 

Any firm idea when Lotus debuts? First read spring 2011' date=' then fall 2011 and recently early 2012? What did you hear onboard?

 

Can you describe some of the meals or do you have any copies of any menus? How about the Asian food onboard? We loved trying the pho soup and many different dishes in Laos and would be hoping for the same experience.

 

Anybody know of any specials on AMA? Looks like a high quality product but also very pricey especially when factoring in air.

 

How would you rate the food & service? Spa?

 

Can you tell we can't wait to read your review?:)[/quote']

 

 

I know you have all been waiting for it and I just submitted it yesterday for approval from CC. Once it is approved (I hope), I will let you know and provide a link to it here. I can answer some of your questions now but you will find that the review (and it is LONG) goes into great detail on the items that I wanted to know about. I really took a great deal of time with the details which is why it took so long to write

 

February weather was interesting in that Hanoi was having its coldest winter in 30 years. It was in the 40's at night and 50's during the day. It was overcast and drizzled very lightly one evening. I wore a medium weight jacket and light scarf and had leather gloves but remember I live in FL so take that into consideration. Ha Long Bay was similar, with mist and some fog which made it that much more surreal. The temperature from Siem Reap to Saigon it was in the high 60's at night (Saigon) to as high as 94 during the day in Siem Reap. It was sunny, humid and dry. Take hats, suncreen, an umbrella for shade and drink LOTS of water. We had to be bussed nearly 5 hours from Siem Reap for embarkation (I cover this in my review).

 

We were told that the Lotus debuts in September 2012. The ships will be identical.

 

I had my favorites in Angkor and in the other cities (again in my review). It really is detailed and hopefully it will be posted in the next day or two. Once you read it, I'll answer any other questions you may have here.

Tks everyone for all the helpful info!

 

Also waiting for FL's review. Maybe it's so long and comprehensive it's taking a little longer than planned.;):D

 

What were the highlights? Any low points?

 

How was Feb. weather? Was the river high enough or did you have to be bussed in anywhere?

 

Any firm idea when Lotus debuts? First read spring 2011' date=' then fall 2011 and recently early 2012? What did you hear onboard?

 

Can you describe some of the meals or do you have any copies of any menus? How about the Asian food onboard? We loved trying the pho soup and many different dishes in Laos and would be hoping for the same experience.

 

Anybody know of any specials on AMA? Looks like a high quality product but also very pricey especially when factoring in air.

 

How would you rate the food & service? Spa?

 

Can you tell we can't wait to read your review?:)[/quote']

 

 

I know you have all been waiting for it and I just submitted it yesterday for approval from CC. Once it is approved (I hope), I will let you know and provide a link to it here. I can answer some of your questions now but you will find that the review (and it is LONG) goes into great detail on the items that I wanted to know about. I really took a great deal of time with the details which is why it took so long to write

 

February weather was interesting in that Hanoi was having its coldest winter in 30 years. It was in the 40's at night and 50's during the day. It was overcast and drizzled very lightly one evening. I wore a medium weight jacket and light scarf and had leather gloves but remember I live in FL so take that into consideration. Ha Long Bay was similar, with mist. and some fog which made it that much more surreal. The temperature from Siem Reap to Saigon it was in the high 60's at night (Saigon) to as high as 94 during the day in Siem Reap. It was sunny, humid and dry. Take hats, suncreen, an umbrella for shade and drink LOTS of water. We had to be bussed nearly 5 hours from Siem Reap for embarkation (I cover this in my review).

 

We were told that the Lotus debuts in September 2012. The ships will be identical.

 

I had my favorites in Angkor and in the other cities (again in my review). It really is detailed and hopefully it will be posted in the next day or two. Once you read it, I'll answer any other questions you may have here.

We just returned from this trip yesterday As soon as I get over my jet lag I plan on writing a full review, hopefully this weekend. There are so many questions and not alot of information but I hope that the review will answer many of them. If not, then I will be more than happy to answer specific questions and hope to have our traveling companions respond as well since they took the pre-trip 7 day tour of Vietnam with AMA. Get ready for a trip of a lifetime.

Great idea Sheila. Hopefully, it won't be necessary. I'll let you know how it goes.

Hi Fred:

I will be most happy to post upon our return. I also could not find much information on the boards unlike European river cruises. We are traveling with our CC friends who I am certain will also provide a lot more information. I expect that because the Internet is free more people use it and hog it. We are bringing a laptop & my IPad to avoid that problem.

I am looking into an international plan for the iPad & my iPhone.

Hi Jeff:

You have been extremely helpful. Thanks so much for your help and very quick response. I may have more questions as we get closer if you don't mind. Thanks again.

Fred,

The laundry on the boat was fine, but was a little expensive. I am used to doing laundry by the bag on Holland America for $12 to $20. Here it was priced by the piece ended up over $50.

All the beer and wine and spirits are free if you order the local brands - the imports cost extra. The local beer is good. The wine is OK, depending on the individual bottle. It's not great, but for the price is quite acceptable. The local whiskey is good. It was popular enough that they ran out of it before the end of the cruise. Soft drinks are free at meals, I don't know about other times as I never ordered any. Bottled water is provided no charge and there is a refrigerator in the cabin to keep it cool. All drinks and ice are made with bottled water and all fresh produce is washed in bottled water.

 

Hi Jeff:

Thanks for all of your helpful information. If you can answer a few questions for me please:

 

1. Did you need converters/ adapters in your cabin? We have several electrical appliances to charge.

2. How many electrical outlets are in the cabin?

3. Did you use the ship's Wi-Fi? Was it reliable or was it really slow? I understand from my TA that it is free but can only be used in the reception area.

4. How much tipping is there, for whom and how much? I remember reading that some of the tips are included but also read that there are tips for guides, drivers, ship crew, etc.

 

Thank you for your help. We leave on 2/10.

Hi,

 

Would you mind elaborating on your extra day pre/post cruise with AMA. Do you mean an extra night in the applicable hotels and arranging tours on your own? I am considering going in a day early and perhaps staying an extra day but haven't really thought about the different options.

Thanks for your help,

Susan

Through our TA we booked an extra night in Hanoi and in Saigon. The TA did it through AMA and we got the AMA rate supposedly. Sowe arrive in Hanoi a day early and leave a day later. Since our flight from Saigon doesn't leave until almost midnight, we actually have almost 2 full extra days in Saigon. We have arranged for a full day tour with HanoiKids for the extra day in Hanoi. We found out about them on the boards and Trip Advisor. They are university students trained by the organization to Give tours in exchange for the opportunity to speak English. They come very highly recommended. I also just contacted a private guide for 1 of our extra days in Saigon and am waiting to hear from him. We decided to spend the extra days since we couldn't spend the extra time with the pre-trip extension offered by AMA so this is the next best thing considering how far we are traveling (from Florida).

I have booked a Penguins Rookery tour with Whales Patagonia too for Jan 25.

We are also interested in Tambo. What price were you quoted by whalespatagonia for the private tour on the 25th? Have you heard of Flamenco tours in Puerto Madryn. They were recommended by Frommer's.