Consider smaller ships for China cruises

[ccm1020]

As we are doing our first cruise to Asia. Singapore to Hong Kong We find that the big cruise ships can't get close to the city centers. There are 2 and 3 hour transfer to get anywhere in Ho-Chi Minh, Bangkok, and Hanoi. The ship stays two days but you have to book a tour that includes hotel and stay overnight to see everything. You may want to consider a smaller cruise ship and then you can get closer.

[paul929207]

We have sailed in that area on the Ocean Princess. She holds 680 passengers. In places like Shanghai and Hong Kong, we docked in downtown. The big ships were far away in the commercial port.

[Jack1]

we sailed on Ocean Princess couple years ago and to our disappointment, she did not dock in Bangkok or Saigon. She used someplace (sorry can't remember) where we had to travel a couple hours to get to these cities. So even though you are looking at smaller ships, doesn't mean they will automatically use the closer ports. I think it has to do with dollars and cents (perhaps)!

This past Feb we sailed Oceania's Nautica and she DID get to the cities mentioned in OP. Agree. It is better to dock in the cities and as close as possible.

[Keith1010]

In Hong Kong ships that are quite a bit larger than 600 passengers can dock downtown in Hong Kong. Same is not true in Shanghai although the port further out is about 45 minutes from downtown.

 

Keith

[Ashland]

And so the reason we have opted to do a land trip rather than our prefered cruise to Asia on this first trip there..

[Bowie MeMe]

It looks to me that most of the ships do the Asia ports as part of a world cruise or they do it in the time period that is NOT Alaska season. I wanted to go in October or September based on weather predicitions. I did not want to do Beijing in the winter time. Thus I am on the large Diamond Princess doing the commercial ports tour Bangkok to Beijing. I too would have liked a smaller ship but this time weather was the most important and with the savings afforded by larger ship pricing I am able to spend 12 days before the cruise with a private guide and car to see Beijing, Xi an, and Bangkok. Always the travel plans are governed by time/money/weather/ availabilty. You pay your money and choose the best of what you can book. NOW if money no problem I would hire a yacht and a captain/crew and would really HAVE IT MY WAY!