ronbetty2001

I signed up for Angkor Sams 2 day mini and grand tour....no village on that itinerary. Do you think that's a better choice? We'll probably get to the Mekong from Saigon on our trip (we're doing our trip land).

I believe it is, also you can always have your hotel set up that Village trip for you if you change your mind. You could also DIY, many people do as you don't really need a guide as there's not much to tell you about the Village, it's more visual than historical.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Capt Ron,

 

Not sure if it is in all the posts.

 

What ports are tender ports?

As well when you took excursion into HCMC, when did you leave and where did they drop you?

 

Thank you for all your help.

 

J

Tender ports are: Ha Long Bay, that's it, all the other ports, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore are docking ports. Although the cities are quite a ways from the ports except for Hong Kong and Singapore, where you dock right in the ports.

Hope that helps,

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Thank you Capt. Ron,

 

Between your comments above, your email, and Trip Advisor review, tons of information. I am the family travel planner and thought I knew a lot about Siem Reap and the temples, but I now realize I have more to study in order to make a decision about which tours to book.

 

One more question for you (at least for now) regarding your tour to Kampong Pluk, the floating village. What was it about that experience that you felt was not worthwhile?

 

Dianne

Sure,

After seeing a fishing village in Hong Kong, then a floating village in Bangkok, we saw no reason to see another floating village. It is just houses, bars, church and government buildings etc. on stilts in the water. We saw no value in staying for longer then it took to sail around on an old boat and see how hard that way of life must be. After that we rode on the boat to the large lake, again not much to see, although the lake is giant and you can't see the other shore. Again, not our cup of tea, so too speak. Would have rather seen something usual which we felt the floating village was not. Some people I guess would find it something to see, but, just not us. It was the same as going to the river of a thousand Lingas and 100' tall water fall. Some would find it interesting, while we were unimpressed. These are just our personal thoughts and others may find these types of things more interesting then we would or did. I know it is rated as something to see on Tripadvisor, I just don't know why. With so many other things to see and experience in Siem Reap, I can't see why these are so highly rated. Maybe having traveled so much as we have, we're tainted. I would had rather gone on a quad ride into the jungle to see remote villages etc. if I had to do over.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

I am having a great time helping others enjoy this part of the world:D. I hope this post just keeps going. There is not a lot of information on the boards for Asia and am more than happy to help:confused:.

Happy Planning, Capt Ron

Hi Capt. Ron,

 

We plan to spend 4 nights in Siem Reap in February after a Millennium cruise from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Your suggestions are very helpful. I would like to take you up on your offer for information about your guide: please send the name of your guide, how to contact them, what you thought of them, and the cost. My email is gdcolville at comcast dot net.

 

Thanks,

Dianne

I have sent you our itinerary and the other requested information. As stated in the Email please read my Tripadvisor review for Angkor Guide Sam Day Tours. It is long but I hope will be very useful for your trip. It also goes into some of the other things we did in Siem Reap.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Cpt Ron,

 

I have contacted Vu and Barbara and hope to arrange either a day or half day for Saigon. I get the impression you did a full day in Danang. Yes, we did a full day tour and loved it. I appreciate the open forum and will not need to email but thank you anyway. I was just having trouble in the last day getting their email address but got it this morning. I didn't think it proper to have you provide over the forum. I'm sure you'll find them a good tour provider. Also Barbara provided good communication to my E-mails. It takes a day or two to get a response because of the time difference and their internet in Vietnam is not as good as ours is.

 

I appreciate you paying it forward. This has been invaluable.

 

I read your posts on Trip Advisor and again they provided excellent detail.

 

I am now planning Bangkok and am thinking of doing it on our own with a transfer in with the ship or if I can find reliable private transfer. We will stay overnight. I would not try to talk you out of DIY in Bangkok. Now that we've been there we would not do on our own. The city is very crowded and busy. Not easy to get around on your own, unless your very well prepared and studied up on sites and their locations. For us, we wouldn't do this city without a tour guide and driver. That's just us, of course. Just a little to foreign for us, not understanding the language etc.

 

FInally I will then concentrate on Singapore and Hong Kong - with a week at either end somewhere else, perhaps Bali and Phuket.

 

Again thank you.

J

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Did you bother with the CDC recommended vaccines for SE Asia? And, did you bother with the Malarial meds for just a short stay in Siem Reap?

No we didn't. We felt only staying 5 nights didn't warren it. Use bug spray. We didn't even bother with that, as in November it's the dry season, please bring and use some, anyway. I had no bug bites and the wife only noted a few.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

We did the Celebrity Millennium cruise with an over night in Ha Long Bay, returned a couple of weeks ago. I would suggest a longer Bay tour than 4 hours. To get a really good feel for the Bay and some of the sites, I would recommend at least 6 to 8 hours. As long as possible. I would also book ahead of time, may cost more, but not all of the junks or crews are of the same quality. Take into account the safety concerns, once you leave shore you are putting your life in their hands after all. Please don't just book by price alone, go with someone that has a good reputation and good reviews and pay a few extra dollars. What would you save if you have a lousy time and don't enjoy the cruise. The Bay is very large and 4 hours would only get you out so far. I would also recommend going to Bai Tu Long Bay, it is further out but less visited and much cleaner and nicer then the heavily visited Ha Long Bay section. Have lunch on board and enjoy a truly magical place. You may never get a chance to go back, so go for it, is what I say. When the price you paid is forgotten all you'll have is the memoirs and pictures.

Just my personal thoughts, not trying to insult or hurt any ones feelings.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

We start in Singapore and end up in hongkok. Is Ankor Wat a must see and how did you get there. Second question I was quoted 980 for trip down bay and then private tour to Hanoi. Is that something we should do or is there more to see locally. The Halong bay port is 3 hours away. We would spend night then night then tour on way back to port b Angkor Wat is the name of the largest religious temple built with stone. Siem Reap is the name of the city where Angkor Wat is located in the country of Cambodia. Is it worth seeing? I would say without a doubt it is, there are over 400 temples in and around the Siem Reap area. Some of the temples were used as sets for the Tomb Raider movies. Get a guide book of Siem Reap/Angkor Wat or look up on Google Earth to see if it's worth while for you to see. We flew from Singapore to Siem Reap on Silk Air, they offer direct flights.

Hanoi is about 3 hours from where your ship will dock each way. Ha Long Bay is where you'll dock. So, your right there in Ha Long Bay, which is why we did an overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay. This was one of the high lights of our entire trip, besides Angkor Wat. There is nothing in the city of Ha Long to see, it is all about cruising Ha Long Bay which is magnificent and magical.

 

How hot was it. Is it humid?nni understand they are walking cities. How much walking I have some concerns There is a lot of walking involved, on broken sidewalks etc. Vietnam and Cambodia are very pour countries, so don't expect high standards such as it is here in the US. It is very different, which makes it a very cool place to visit. Most guides will adjust the tour for your walking needs, just tell them and I'm sure they can provide more taxi's etc. to accommodate you.

Is it Humid? Without a doubt it is. As, your from San Jose, you will find it very humid. Check the weather reports for the time of year your traveling for each country. It was the start of the cool dry season in November in Cambodia and we had up to 104 degrees temp and about 95% humidity. At night it is still hot and humid. The best temperatures were in Ha Long Bay while sailing, very comfortable.

 

For those looking for guides they are still available. A guide, driver and private tour is around 360 for two for most of activities between major cities. The cities have lots of guides left. Tours by local or aviator. I look at travel adviser and see ratings. Then I srrage call with guide to make sure we can understand each other. Steffenytreman@icloud.com

If you have booked your cruise, you should go onto the "Roll Call" boards for your exact sailing date and you can meet other people on your cruise to share guides, tours and information about your cruise.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Cpt. Ron,

 

Was finally able to get the address for street food in Ho Chi Minh.

Would you have done anything different for this tour in terms of transfer in or any other. Did you do a full day or just the morning?

 

Thank you again.

J

We did a full day tour which is a little different for the tour operator Barbara and Vu. They will take very good care of you. They don't do a lot of ship excursions, which I thought was a plus. Hoping that changes after my postings. Again as stated, for the transfer into the city, we used the ship's offered bus, DIY, not cheap, like $46.00USD per person. On my trip review on Cruise Critic they still managed to screw it up by taking us to a different location then stated. I would suggest a local SIM card for your phone in these countries to keep in contact with your tour providers, cheap and easy to get in each port/country.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Hi Capt Ron,

 

First thank you so very much for providing this resource. This is fantastic of you.

 

Could you tell me more about your food tour in Saigon?

I am having great difficulty accessing their site and email. By any chance could you send me the email address. My address is at bottom of post #57.

 

Is there anything you would do differently for this tour? Do they take you to a local market?

 

J

I don't know if we'd have done something different, we saw the city, some local markets, temples etc. I left a review of our tour on TripAdvisor for our tour operator. Saigon is just another big city in our opinion, big, dirty and poor. I didn't want to see the anti-American museums etc. from the war. So the food tours were a better way to go for us. The food in Vietnam is excellent and fresh. I can see why it is a new, up and coming food treat. Loved the food and city tours, saw enough for us. Wife is now trying out Vietnamese recipes. For the transport into the city, Vietnam is a fairly new port without a lot of input/reviews from travelers available, which is why I started this post to help pay forward for others. I didn't feel comfortable using the transport services I found, which had very little reviews and is why we used the ship's tour bus into Saigon. As I am trying to pay forward, I would like to keep to open posts on this board. You can reach me directly at rongentile at aol dot com although.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Capt. Ron.

 

Were you on the Dragon Pearl?

On the junk would you have been able to take 10 couples comfortably?

 

J

Yes, the Dragon Pearl, 10 cabins on board. Seemed like plenty of room for the 8 couples that we had with us. There are 3 decks for sunning and lounging. Big cabins, I would say 10 couples would not have a problem for an over night trip.

Capt. Ron

I will read what you have provided and then come back with my questions.

 

Have contacted company ... thank you so much!

 

Did not see your specific post for trip advisor.. can you tell me what day you posted it.

 

Thank you again!

Marked one week ago by rongentile, titled "all I can say is WOW"

Capt. Ron

Captain Ron,

 

We are going on this cruise next year in December. Could you provide information related to your food tours. I like the idea of learning about a culture through their food. If you have any information or recommendations of tour operators and prices it would be very helpful. You could always send this information to my email address if that makes you more comfortable.

 

Could you as well talk about the overnight on the junk. What made it so memorable? Was the food good. I will look into the operator it sounds like a special time and perhaps I will try to set up a group through CC.

 

Thank you in advance.

Traverse64 at hotmail dot com

 

Jonathan

All I can say is look at post #46 where I have provided a lot of information on tours including food tours at each port. Let me know if you need extra detail of each after your review of the web sites listed. In IMHO if you don't do Ha Long Bay on Indochina junk you have gone awry. There are the best as I can't think it could get better then them.

Read my review on Tripadvidsor for them. Review; https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293923-d2044615-Reviews-Indochina_Junk-Halong_Bay_Quang_Ninh_Province.html

Capt. Ron

Thanks for the suggestion. We like the overview of a city you get from ridding on the upper deck of a hop-on, hop-off bus. Then you can return the more interesting sites for a closer look. There does not appear to be a stop near the Habourfront Cruise Terminal. This is really unusual! There is a stop right at the port in most cities!

No comment as we docked at the Marina Bay Cruise terminal which is not on the Hop On Off bus schedule. Check with the Hop On Off bus people, wed site: http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/singapore-bus-tours

Capt. Ron

We are returning on the Constellation Of the Seas on March 19th (we arrive in Singapore on the 18th and overnight on the ship), and have an early morning flight home on the 19th. Are customs etc. available 24hrs a day for our disembarkation?

In Singapore yes, that is what they told us, we left ship at 6:00am and had no problem, very efficient and fast. Singapore has great immigration. They said they were open 24/7.

Capt. Ron

Sorry....:o it's Laem Chabang, Bangkok I wonder about... Sometimes I do think people are mind readers....:rolleyes:

I reviewed our pictures for Laem Chabang, there is a little cruise terminal for immigration there. I believe that there is no Bribe needed for Thailand, I think they should be able to pick you up directly at the terminal with no problem.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Hi, have read your review with interest. I wonder if you could help me with one question? We shall visit friends in Mae and they have to arrange a transport for us and I wonder if it's possible to be picked up right outside the cruise port terminal? Or do the driver need to pay extra to get there? The transport isn't coming from the nearby area.

In Vietnam there is a bribe or tax to enter the ports directly where the ship docks, as per our guide, about $20.00 per person or $100.00 five or more per car load. You didn't mention which port so hard to tell you what we experienced.

Capt. Ron

Another question to the one above, how smooth/rough was your journey?

How does this part of the world compare to the Med sailing wise?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

Was pretty smooth for the most part, one morning we noticed the pools were a little low, water splashed out, the night before. Didn't feel it ourselves in our cabin, I guess the included drink package worked pretty well. Only a day or two of white caps. Nothing to get us worried. Depends on time of the year I guess, we were there in late October to mid November. We did hit a couple of short rain squalls while at sea, lasted about 20 minutes each time.

Capt. Ron

Cap Ron, at laem chabang did the ship provide any transfers to Pattaya for those not wanting to go to Bangkok?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

I cannot confirm nor deny, sorry we had a private tour over night set up. I'll look through some more of my information to see if I grabbed a shore excursion sheet from the ship. They will post shore excursions a few months before you sail.

Capt. Ron

My travel docs say Kai tak

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

Here is the web site for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal:

http://www.kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk/

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Hi Ron we are doing this cruise in Feb 2017 and it is the first time to this region, we are looking to plan some shore excursions but are unsure where to start. We would appreciate any advice you could suggest places to go and things to see in each of the ports of call. Would you advise using the cruise line trips or have you used any private companies before who offer similar excursions but at a reduced cost than the cruise line? Any advice would be welcome. I would also add I do have reduced mobility (cant walk long distance without rest or stand for prolonged periods. Secondly what are the staterooms like for space? we have booked an accessible cabin with balcony.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance

 

Bluewezzie

I'll try and answer as best I can. First I would suggest going on Tripadvisor for each of the cities, tons of information on those forums. Things to do and see, trip reports from other people, itineraries etc.

Hong Kong:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294217-i1496-Hong_Kong.html

Ha Long Bay:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293923-i9984-Halong_Bay_Quang_Ninh_Province.html

Da Nang:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g298085-i10088-Da_Nang_Quang_Nam_Province.html

Ho Chi Minh:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293925-i8433-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

Bangkok:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293916-i3687-Bangkok.html

Singapore:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294262-i1747-Singapore.html

All the tours we did involved some form of walking. We only do private tours and enjoy food tours.

The other thing to know is the ports in Vietnam are industrial ports and pretty far from the cities stated. For Hong Kong you dock at Kai Tak cruise terminal, which has nothing around it to do or see, except the harbor of course. They did provide buses to Diamond Hill Mall where you can excess the MTR (trains) for public transport and buses. We did a Free Walking Tour our first day, which involved a lot of walking. The next day we went up to Victoria Park (The Peak), which was easy and great to do, over looks the city and skyline. Our last day we went to Landau Island to see the Big Buddha. The free walking tour we used: http://hkfreewalk.com/partnership/#

Hanoi/Ha Long Bay:

Ship tenders in Ha Long bay, Hanoi is like 3 hours one way. We stayed over night on a private junk with 7 other couples in Ha Long Bay. This was one of the high lights of our trip. We used indochinajunk: http://www.indochina-junk.com/

Da Nang:

You'll dock in a very industrial port, no way to walk out in our opinion as there is nothing around it to walk to. Da Nang is about 1 hour drive from the port. We did a food and walking tour with an expat, Shaun: http://danangfoodtour.com/

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh:

Again you dock at a very industrial port. We used the ship's tour to get into the city. The drive is about 90 minutes one way. They dropped us off and picked us up at end of the day. Here we did another food and walking tour with Vu: http://saigonstreeteats.com/

Bangkok:

You'll dock again in a very industrial port with nothing around it. The city is about 90 minutes to 2 hours one way. We stayed over night and a dinner cruise at night. Our tour company was: http://www.thaitourguide.com.

Our dinner cruise was provided by: http://www.loynava.com/

Singapore:

You'll dock at the Marina Bay Cruise Center. Not a place to walk from, it can be done, but it's quite a ways to get to anything. There is a MTR station which is about a 15 minute walk to excess the public transport and they did I think have some buses at the Cruise Terminal. We did a free walking tour which was pretty long, like 5 hours. We used: http://www.sneakpeeksingapore.com/register

All our tours and guides were great and I would highly recommend any of them. I am in the process of leaving them reviews on Tripadvisor. As I said before we only do private tours and not ship tours. The private tours are much more personal (smaller groups) and don't cost near as much as ship tours. Look up your ship's sailing on the Celebrity Connections Roll Call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=206

Here you can talk with others that will be on board your ship. You will find others that will post tours they are organizing be able to join them.

Hong Kong and Singapore have government tourist sites that are very helpful also.

Hong Kong: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/us/index.jsp

Singapore: http://www.yoursingapore.com/en.html

Our cabin was 9024, a 2B with balcony. Cabins are of a decent size with enough storage for a 2 week cruise.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Does anyone have any recommendations for private tours in Ho Chi Minh City?

 

Thank you so much

We have found that the best way to understand a culture is though food. We did food tours in Da Nang and Saigon. If interested let me know I'll send our guile info upon request,

Happy Planning,Capt. Ron

Do you recall which cruise terminal Celebrity uses in Hong Kong? The older Ocean Terminal or the new Kai Tak?

Kai Tak cruise terminal, very large and new. Built on the old airport runway of Kai Tak airport which has been moved to outside the city on Lantau island.

Web Site: http://www.kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk/

They offered free bus/shuttles to diamond mall which has a MTR station so that was nice. Go early as the shuttles leave when full in the morning starting at about 7:30am.

Capt. Ron

We are also using points. I contacted the hotel and upgraded the rooms for a fee. I will let you know what we think.

Sad to say we didn't stay at the Le Meriden so have no comment on the hotel. It's a big chain and am I'm sure it nice. Again, no comment as we didn't stay there.

Capt. Ron