Atlantis Asian Cruise 2010

Any thoughts out there about these cruises? (Shanghai to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong to Singapore). The prices are quite high, and they are smaller ships. Don't know how welcoming they are of FODs at the Asian ports of call. Any comments?

Probably my #1 or #2 favorite Atlantis cruise of the 15 that I have done. Ship was smaller, so it's not the Freedom/Liberty partyboat. However, the ports were great, the crew one of the best I've ever sailed with, and the pax were fun.

We're already booked on the Northern Route for 2010.

Search the thread for the 2009 cruise for insight and reviews.

This years cruise was wonderful.

The size of the ship was perfect. Food good....but Prime C was fabulous.

The crew was fantastic...and it started with the Captain who told me the home office wants gay passengers...so thumbs up for Azamara.

No problems in any of the ports.

If it wasnt that I lived in Japan and had toured the area...I'd be booking the northern route for 2010.

Was I happy with the Hong Kong to Singapore trip...yes. Worth the money....yes.

Recommendation....go

Just back from the Atlantis Med cruise on Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity is the parent company of Azamara and the crew we had was great too.

Very accommodating and took care of any issues that came up.

Atlantis is Celebrity's/RCCL's biggest charter client and they will do almost anything to make Atlantis happy (except may moving a ship to Australia for one cruise) :)

This years cruise was wonderful.

The size of the ship was perfect. Food good....but Prime C was fabulous.

The crew was fantastic...and it started with the Captain who told me the home office wants gay passengers...so thumbs up for Azamara.

No problems in any of the ports.

If it wasnt that I lived in Japan and had toured the area...I'd be booking the northern route for 2010.

Was I happy with the Hong Kong to Singapore trip...yes. Worth the money....yes.

Recommendation....go

We weren't on this year's Asia sailing but had friends who were. Their feedback was that the ship was not as nice as they expected and that the ports of call were not that great. Their feedback made us decide not to do the 2010 Asia trip.

and I'm not discounting your friend's experience at all.

However, when they said the ports weren't that nice, I would wonder what their expectations were. They were exactly what one "should" expect from South East Asia ports, in that they are a mix of old, ancient, and very modern. most of which is side by side, with a mix of wealth and poverty.

Again, I've failed to enjoy some cruises that others have loved, so it's a compilation of a lot of factors, and I am not dismissing your friend's opinion at all. Just adding commentary if someone is thinking of this cruise for 2010, and maybe this will help their decision making process.

The ports for the Southern tour are:

Hong Kong

De Nang Vietnam

Saigon

Nha Trang (beach resort area in Viet Nam)

Bangkok

Koh Samui (Island of Thailand - beachy)

Singapore.

Viet Nam isn't exactly a built up tourist infrastructure, so if they didn't do organized tours, I could imagine their experience would be limited to walking around the port area, or getting a cab. However, we did the organized tours there and enjoyed the mix of natural beauty and the city.

Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore are bustling Modern Asian cities steeped in history and culture. To call them exotic (from a western point of view) would be an understatement. Plus, the nightlife in Bangkok, well, it goes without saying.

Everyone's mileage will vary.

Now, just a reminder that with a pax load of 684, this boat will not be like the Freedom/Navigator/Radiance boats with 2500+ boys. The boat isn't as big, the public spaces are fewer, and you will know the whole boat within 2 days.

However, if you've always wanted to tour Asia but were afraid to do it on your own, I'd recommend it. (Which is why we're doing the Northern route in 2010)

Hey Hotlanta

Thanks for the feedback about the Asia cruise! I have just booked and am really excited to visit Asia and cruise with Atlantis for the first time!!!!

If anyone else is going, hit me up. Would enjoy chatting before we meet on the boat :-)

I also just booked this cruise. I welcome some advice and recomendations from you past cruisers about hotels in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Thanks guys.

At this moment I am watching the Amazing race....this week in VietNam.

It is really cool to see the sights I experienced on the Asia cruise.......

Still a wonderful experience. The pitstop in Ho Chi man city....I stood on that exact spot on the lawn....so cool.

You will enjoy this trip...history, sights, sounds tastes smells.

so are these 2 cruises selling out quickly? If so, I'm hoping they do a larger ship next year.

I mean for 2011...

That could change, but the Northern cruise isn't selling nearly as well as the Southern.

I wouldn't hold back because of the size of the ship. It's really an advantage in this case. They can sail up rivers in places like Bangkok that larger ships just can't do. (20 minutes vs. 2 hours to the heart of Bangkok). Plus, if you read recent reviews of Azamara, they definitely have a great product.

It’s not cheap, especially with airfare, but we’re really looking forward to this trip.

Vance

We are going (celebrating 10th anniversary).

I believe that Atlantis had said that there are no plans for Asia cruise in 2011.

Tyler,

There are two parallel threads for this same sailing.

It might be best to combine them keeping Atlantis in the title.

Other thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=23240141

Posting parallel on other thread in case you monitor that one first.

Best,

Reuel