mlk58

We are just back from a 20-day Antarctic/South Georgia/Falklands trip on Pursuit and yes, the goal is 2 expeditions a day. Sometimes it was two landings, often it was one landing and one Zodiac ride, and occasionally it was two Zodiac rides. Each and every outing was out of this world and I heartily agree that some locations are best seen by Zodiac. We did miss one or two planned events due to weather, but we also had two extra outings (an early landing on Deception Island and an early arrival in the Falklands) so it all balanced out. And we were also lucky enough to spend a morning circling a pod of about 7 orcas on the way to the Falklands -- amazing! The ship, service, food, and personnel were all top-notch. We loved it so much we booked another trip on Pursuit for next year, to the Kimberley in Australia!

Also I highly recommend wearing the Seabourn-provided waterproof boots on the Zodiac at all times, regardless of whether you will be landing. You never know if you'll get splashed!

Hi, Machotspur! The upgrade was offered to us via our travel agent, a week or two before we set sail. Enjoy your cruise! Pursuit is fantastic!!

Yes, same on Pursuit. There is a box to step on when getting in and out of the Zodiac to and from the ship. Granted we have had mostly calm seas but I haven't been at all nervous and I have seen people with mobility aids transfer into and out of the Zodiacs with little to no trouble.

Coming back to say there is not much, if anything, about the "accessibility" features that feel odd or uncomfortable. The open shower is a little drafty but that's about it. Sinks in the bathroom are a comfortable height and we actually are enjoying the extra-wide entry hall.

I am on Pursuit right this minute in accessible 737. We were delighted to be upgraded to a Penthouse for a small price increase over Veranda Suite price, but there are some drawbacks:

1. No walk-in closet. Closet is a standard reach-in. That said, it's plenty big enough for everything we brought.

2. Toilet is not separate from the rest of the bathroom. Also, as I'm sure you know, there is no bathtub. Our shower drains fine but our friends across the hall in mirror-image room 738 say their shower floods the whole bathroom.

3. There is a huge carve-out for the stairs/elevator, which makes the suite smaller than most of the Penthouse Suites. Not having ever sailed in a "normal" PH I can't really comment on the difference, although I will say there isn't really room for four people to comfortably dine around the table. Two would be in chairs and two would have to sit on the sofa. We have had our friends visit for drinks and cards and it was fine, but dining would be too tight, I think.

All in all, as I said we are delighted with the suite for the price we paid, but certainly if we'd paid full PH price we would be justifiably disappointed.

I did it on Oasis. Silly, fun, and the food was great.

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.

I sailed in early December and loved it. Weather was tolerable and it was a trip seeing places like Phnom Penh and Saigon all decorated for Christmas!

We were invited on only our second cruise, on Mariner of the Seas. We had booked the Owner's Suite and for some reason there was a problem with our MDR table assignment that took a few days to resolve. I am convinced that the Head Waiter arranged for us to sit at the Captain's Table to make up for that snafu.

I sat next to the captain and had a lovely time! It was really an experience to remember!

ETA: Sorry, came here from the main page and didn't realize I was on the Celebrity board! Carry on!

Another vote for AMA. We were on La Marguerite last December and it was really the trip of a lifetime. And definitely do the land portion of the trip as well as the cruise!

We didn't arrive early and really wished we'd done so. An extra day or two in Hanoi on the front end would have been great. We flew Asiana Airlines (business class, TOTALLY worth the money!) and loved them. Arranged airport-to-hotel transportation online in advance and it all went totally smoothly.

We took the AMA trip in December and the weather in Hanoi was quite pleasant (low 60s) and it was still quite hot and humid in Cambodia and South Vietnam -- high 80s and low 90s with high humidity.

We stayed at the same hotels as Viking uses -- the Hanoi Metropole and the Sofitel in Siem Reap, and I can't agree more that they are just first-class, top-notch, super fantastic all the way!

And oh my goodness! That part of the world is just fantastic! I absolutely left my heart in Cambodia!

We were there on the weekend. It must not have been as crowded as when Amy was there because it was a great experience despite what seemed like big crowds.

Chiming in to say that we were on the tour a week before amyr and thought that Halong Bay was a highlight of the trip. We were lucky and had a sunny day and found the whole thing unbelieveably magical. Wouldn't have missed it for the world!

I completely agree with the suggestion to fly into Hanoi a few days early. The hotel is fantastic and the city is amazing and we would love to have had more time to explore.

As for the temples at Angkor, I think it's what you make it. Yes, it was crowded, but we just decided we weren't going to let the crowds spoil our experience and we ended up having a wonderful, wonderful time.

For gifts for the children, I'd suggest bringing small school supplies like pencils, crayons, or erasers. Something they can use, rather than stickers or toys. They are despearte for school supplies! They sell pencils i the gift shop on the ship but they charge $4 for a package of 12 -- you can get them MUCH cheaper from Oriental Trading Company.

Yes, you tip the tender people, the rickshaw drivers, etc. Just a dollar per person.

We are back from our 12/4 trip and can truly say it was the trip of a lifetime!

Yes, forget the jacket and tie. My hubby wore his nice Tommy Bahama-type silk printed shirts with khakis and felt entirely appropriate! I wore simple knit dresses for dinner most nights and was one of the most dressed-up of the ladies! LOL

One tip for the Halong Bay overnight -- you are told to just bring one overnight bag so I just brought clean underwear and planned to wear the same outfit two days in a row. Big mistake because we had the opportunity to climb 421 stone steps to the top of a hill for a fantastic view of the bay! It was awesomely awesome but we got sweaty!! Bring a change of clothes from the skin out, including all underwear, because you will want to do the climb and you will sweat! ;) Also bring good walking/climbing shoes!

Also, in Cambodia they will take U.S. currency for everything, but make sure your bills are in good shape. More than once I had a torn or stained bill handed back to me with a request for a better one. Don't know why, but look at your currency before you go and make sure it is new or new-ish. Also, we brought $200 in ones and used them all! The ATM's in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap dispense U.S. currency, but it's likely to be $50 bills so make sure you bring lots of small bills. (Although the hotels and the ship can change your big bills for you, it's a bit of a hassle.)

Make sure you take the opportunity to go to the Artisans of Angkor workshop/shop in Siem Reap. They had the very very nicest souvenirs we saw on the whole trip, and we could be confident they were actually made there because we saw them being made. I was especially pleased because I bought a lovely little soapstone sculpture for $45 and when I got back to the hotel I saw an identical one (with the Artisans of Angkor tag) in the Sofitel Hotel gift shop priced at $110! SCORE! LOL

I have talked to my doc and she has given me an antibiotic (Cipro) and also Tamiflu to take if I catch any bugs while on the trip. We are almost inside the last month before departure and are pretty much beside ourselves with excitement!

Agreene, is there anything you wish you'd known before you left? Any hints for those of us about to depart?

EKML, THANK YOU!! I am a little anxious about actually getting there, and it's so great to have a referral to a shuttle service that somebody has actually used and can vouch for!

Now excuse me while I go do our online visas-on-arrival! Big fun!!!

Thank you so much! We are arriving late at night, too! Did you arrange your shuttle in advance? What service did you use?

Thanks a million, AC! Do you have a link to the Vietnam Consular website?

Another question... I know the luggage restrictions are pretty tight, but we will be traveling in Japan for a week after the tour and one bag per person will be a little problematic. Anybody know if it's possible to pay extra for an extra suitcase?

Our start date in Hanoi is December 4. (Arrive Dec 4, first actual activities start Dec 5.) We just firmed up all our air arrangements this past week, and made our final payment to AMA, so we are super excited!!

Our son is stationed with the Marines in Japan, and we figured out a way to do a quick 4-day visit with him on the way home, so we are SUPER DUPER excited about that, too!

Question: Are you getting the "visa on arrival" letters for Vietnam from one of the online services? If so, which one?

Crazy. Hopefully we won't be in the midst of a gigantic convention! ;)

Wowzers, what amazing shots! They make me wish I were back on Oasis, enjoying a roast beef sandwich in Central Park!

Amy, I asked my travel agent about your comment and she explained that AMA doesn't own the ship, but it is owned by a Vietnamese company, and AMA "charters" it, in a sense. Perhaps your TA was confused. She promised me that it is not "chartered" in the sense of "booked by a large group who are all together."