Diamond Priness Bangkok to Beijing 4/16-4/30/10

[euleta2]

Is it true that the port is 2 hours from Bangkok? Can one buy same morning tickets for the highspeed train from port to Beijing? Thank you

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi!! Welcome to CC. :D

[gozzieboy]

2hours if the traffic is good. Last October it took us 2.75hrs in a private car. Get a bus from the terminal to Beijing. If you want any help or a guide for Beijing you can contact me on gozzieboy@hotmail.com

[jfgdbg]

On the Princess Roll Call board there is a thread titled " Bangkok to Alaska April 14 2010."

It has combined the two cruises of Bangkok to Beijing and Beijing to Whittier. It is very long but there is a lot of information. The people are all very friendly and knowledgeable. There are a lot of people doing just the Bangkok to Beijing cruise.

[goya]

Pataya is the port for Bangkok about 2,5h away, and Xingang from Beejing even more.

 

We hired a cap in Internet to get us there which was very good.

Because we didnt see many taxis there. It is quiet a long drive about 3h:eek:

[John Bull]

Pataya is the port for Bangkok about 2,5h away, and Xingang from Beejing even more.

 

We hired a cap in Internet to get us there which was very good.

Because we didnt see many taxis there. It is quiet a long drive about 3h:eek:

 

Guessing your port for Bangkok was actually Laem Chabang, about 1/2hr from Pattaya in one direction & 2 hrs from Bangkok in the other. When we were there in Jan the only taxis allowed on the rank were in a syndicate, with monopoly (in both senses of the word :D) prices. They were seeking 3400 baht one-way to Bangkok (brought down to about 2800 by bartering). Our car for the return, booked by our overnight hotel, was 1500 baht.

The berth is a long way from the port gate, which is miles from anywhere & there were no taxis outside the gate. Pre-booked taxis can access the port no problem. No train. The bus route is too far to walk from the port.

 

This info re Laem Chabang.

Though I thought Princess port elsewhere, much closer to Bangkok ???

 

John Bull

[greatam]

This info re Laem Chabang.

Though I thought Princess port elsewhere, much closer to Bangkok ???

 

John Bull

 

The larger ships dock at Laem Chabang. Too big to get into Bangkok.

 

And a taxi syndicate it is. Try crossing the border into Cambodia with a taxi-you just can't negotiate-can anyone say "anti-trust" LOL

[sandbug2]

Hello All-

 

We are booked on Diamond Princess for next April- but considering the discussion around the difficulties with getting into port are considering switching to the smaller Ocean Princess. Anyone have any info regarding whether or not this would be an advantage regarding ports of call? Is the Ocean Princess small enough to get to the ports wihich are closer to the cities?

 

Thanks in advance,

Sandy

[alidor]

Don't know about the Ocean Princess but we were on Azamara a few months ago and loved where the shipped docked. In Saigon, we were in town and some people walked to the main sights, about 2 miles away. A cab didn't take long at all.

 

In Bangkok,we docked at Klong Toey, 15 minutes by cab to the Shangri-la hotel where we stayed for one night. Again, I believe some people walked - a long walk - to the public transportation (subway?) but it was close enough to do that.

 

Both were excellent locations without having to spend hours in transit. We chose the cruise specifically for its itinerary and the fact that we could get close in. We especially liked that we spent 2 to 3 days in some ports which gave us the opportunity to do a lot more sightseeing.

[xiaokong]

Is it true that the port is 2 hours from Bangkok? Can one buy same morning tickets for the highspeed train from port to Beijing? Thank you

 

try to contact with this guy,konglin,mentioned here many times,he is a tour guide based in Beijing and drive a mini-van.

kung316@yahoo.com

or konglin316@hotmail.com

[John Bull]

Alidor has quoted a couple of prime examples where the smaller ships can have a big advantage, Ha Long Bay & Da Nang are others.

 

Saigon, it makes a big difference since ships are often scheduled for two days+ and the little 'uns sail up the river to port right in the city, whilst the apartment blocks have to berth at a port at the mouth of the river, a drive of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hrs depending on which port & the state of the traffic. Berthed in the city therefore saves a whole lot of time & money, & means you can have a day of sight-seeing, return to change, & go out again for the evening.

At 30,000 tonnes Ocean Princess is about on the limit to port in the city, there's a new bridge over the river just downstream of the city centre, and that's an extra limiting factor

 

If overniting at a port thats a couple of hours from the city, an overnight hotel gives you valuable extra day and evening time, and hotels/meals in the fae east are generally pretty cheap.

 

JB

[alidor]

Good point, John, about staying overnight in the city if you are docked far away. We were docked in town and we still stayed overnight one night. It just made the experience a little better to get up early, enjoy a breakfast outside and get an early start on your sightseeing/shopping. Just got to know the city just a little bit better by doing this.

[agentman]

Is there a cruise critic meeting scheduled on the diamomd princess on the 4/14/10 cruise yet?

[jfgdbg]

Is there a cruise critic meeting scheduled on the diamomd princess on the 4/14/10 cruise yet?

 

Go to the roll call section on the boards. There is a very active roll call for this cruise.

[j2ink]

Can one buy same morning tickets for the highspeed train from port to Beijing? Thank you

 

Sometimes the trains sell out, but you generally should be able to buy tickets the day you are traveling. A taxi ride to Tianjin station is about ¥175 (depending upon how well you can bargain) and takes about a half hour. The cost for a second class ticket on this train is ¥69 each, one way. An alternative, depending on your timing, is to take the bullet train from Tanggu Station. This station is closer to Xingang, but the trains to Beijing are less frequent. Tanggu station is about 10km from the port, and a taxi is about ¥25. The trains from both stations go to the Beijing south train station, where you will need to take another taxi to central Beijing.

 

If you don't speak Chinese, the first time you take the train, it may be a little stressful. Going to Tianjin station, the taxi drivers don't speak English, nor do the ticket sellers at the train station. And there are no English signs at the train station to indicate which line to get into for tickets (the bullet train has separate lines) or how to get to the trains. If you are lucky, you may find someone who speaks English who can help you if the need arises.

 

Overall, the train-taxi trip from Xingang Harbor to central Beijing probably will take you at least two hours, depending upon how long you wait for the train and the taxis. However, taking the train is really an interesting experience, traveling in a compartment that looks more like an airliner than a train, and speeding along at over 200 miles per hour.

 

Considering how long it takes to travel to and from the central city, you may want to stay in Beijing overnight, as one of the other posters recommended. The hotels are relatively inexpensive by western standards, and a four hour round-trip (six hours if you travel on the road) two or three days in a row wastes a huge amount of your limited time.

[cruiseri]

Took the same (great) trip last year on the Diamond.

 

****The ship docks maybe 2 hrs from Bangkok, about 1/2 hour before Pattaya if you're looking at a map. Don't remember what we paid, but four of us used a pre-arranged van service our Bangkok hotel to the boat. It was a very leisure ride and amazingly there was no traffic on a Saturday morning, actually took less than 2 hours but plan accordingly. I know that the Princess transfer busses didn't go right to the boat but stopped at an elephant camp near Pattaya and then get to the boat about 3 PM (so something to consider).

 

***From Tianjin to Bejing again a group of 10 of us pre-arranged for a van service to meet us at the pier and take us to our hotels in Bejing. Other than a detour (unmarked) around a road construction site in Tianjin it took maybe 2 1/2 hours to get to our hotel from the boat. Do note that even the Princess busses got lost getting around the detour. Even though it may have been a few bucks cheaper, while I did give taking the bullet train some consideration, the thought of transferring from a cab to the train and then to another cab in Bejing and with all our luggage in-toe seemed too much of a burden to undertake. Let me say we easily survived both van rides (Bangkok and Bejing) and actually got to see some of each cities country side and the hi-tech industry construction going on just outside of Tianjin.

[Klongmaster]

Hello All-

 

We are booked on Diamond Princess for next April- but considering the discussion around the difficulties with getting into port are considering switching to the smaller Ocean Princess. Anyone have any info regarding whether or not this would be an advantage regarding ports of call? Is the Ocean Princess small enough to get to the ports wihich are closer to the cities?

 

Thanks in advance,

Sandy

Sandy: Ocean Princess was scheduled to dock at Unithai Port which is closer to Bangkok and just at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. In reality, she docked at Laem Chabang every visit this season. Therefore you get no advantage swapping ships, for Thailand at least...

[cruiser_nana]

Yes, it takes 1.5 hours to get to bangkok. There is highspeed train from beijing to the port but don't get off at tianjin, you have to get off at tanggu which I think there is only 4 - 6 trains per day. You have to check your schedule.

[sandbug2]

Thanks Klongmaster!

[Miystic]

Hi Would you remember what line the train was on or where its final destination is. Do you remeber if there were taxi's available near the train station to go to port. We are sailing on Dec 5 Bangkok to Sydney (when I book)

Cheers

Gwen

[Miystic]

Sorry Cruiser Nana I did not read your message. You were refering to Bejing. Any suggestions for BAngkok.

Gwen

[John Bull]

Hi Would you remember what line the train was on or where its final destination is. Do you remeber if there were taxi's available near the train station to go to port. We are sailing on Dec 5 Bangkok to Sydney (when I book)

Cheers

Gwen

 

First things first,Gwen.

As per this thread there are at least 2 ports, hours apart, which serve Bangkok. So you'll need to find out & quote us which port.

And are you planning to spend a day or two, or even just an overnite, in Bangkok? In which case you'll need a hotel in the city - not airport or dock.

 

JB

[laughing husky]

Cruises still stopping in Bangkok ? with all the violence that is spreading all over the country?

[moseley]

Our trip isn't for 7 months but wondering what the cruise lines will have up their sleeves. I wouldn't mind doing Cambodia!

Lori