Vietnam Cambodia, Viking vs AMAWaterways and maybe Avalon -- quality of guides?

[Riverroad]

Ok, you twisted my arm. ;-) FORCED to stay at the Metropole! Got a better quote on the trip, thus rendering that plan irresistible. :D

 

You won't regret your decision!

[laverendrye]

I don't think anyone on this thread has actually travelled with Viking on their Mekong trip so perhaps my experiences might be helpful. I took the cruise in March/April 2012 and enjoyed it thoroughly. Some time ago I posted on a thread which briefly compared the Viking, Uniworld and AMA Mekong trips. You can find it here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=33478111#post33478111

 

Regarding guides, Viking provided two Vietnamese cruise director/guides for the entire trip. The 60-some passengers were split into two groups and stayed with their guide for the trip, but from time to time each guide gave on-board presentations to the entire ship. When we entered Cambodia, two Cambodian guides came aboard and stayed with us until we reached Siem Reap, when we then got two speicalist guides for the visits to the Angkor complex. They were all very good indeed, and the two Cambodian guides who were with us on board the ship gave a very poignant talk on their individual experiences during the Khmer Rouge nightmare--one related how he had been taken from his village at the age of six to be trained as a child killer. The French professor which some have referred to in this thread was not a guide but a lecturer who came aboard in Phnom Penh to give a talk on Cambodian political history up to the present. He is a long time resident of Cambodia with a detailed and intimate knowledge of the subject, and as he is not a Cambodian citizen he was able to talk frankly. It was a very interesting talk indeed.

 

I very much enjoyed my trip with Viking--as I mentioned in the other thread, the main diffference that I can see between it and AMA is in the ships, as they both use the same hotels--the Metropole in Hanoi and the Sofitel in Seam Reap are both very fine accommodation. The cabins do look a bit more spacious and well appointed on the AMA ships, and they do offer an overnight on a junk in Halong Bay. Quite frankly, I thought the morning cruise that we took was quite adequate, but perhaps had the weather been better I might have enjoyed a sunset and sunrise out in the bay. What we had from Viking in the evening was a traditional water-puppet show followed by a Vietnamese folklore show in a park very close to the hotel.

 

I hope this might be of help in choosing which line use. Whichever one, however, the sights and experiences will not soon be forgotten. A fantastic cruise!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I don't think anyone on this thread has actually travelled with Viking on their Mekong trip so perhaps my experiences might be helpful.

 

... on the AMA ships, and they do offer an overnight on a junk in Halong Bay. Quite frankly, I thought the morning cruise that we took was quite adequate, but perhaps had the weather been better I might have enjoyed a sunset and sunrise out in the bay.

 

Thanks for the link, I will read your review. I don't see a Halong Bay trip of any kind on the itinerary for the Viking trip in 2014, here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/mekong-hanoi-angkor-saigon-2014/itinerary.aspx

 

I will also study cabin size, which is a consideration. I'm sure all 3 trips would be great, AMA, Avalon or Viking.

 

Oh, and I guess Uniworld is in that river too!

[laverendrye]

Thanks for the link, I will read your review. I don't see a Halong Bay trip of any kind on the itinerary for the Viking trip in 2014, here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/mekong-hanoi-angkor-saigon-2014/itinerary.aspx

 

I will also study cabin size, which is a consideration. I'm sure all 3 trips would be great, AMA, Avalon or Viking.

 

Oh, and I guess Uniworld is in that river too!

 

As I mentioned in my early post, the Viking and Uniworld tours are very similar as they both use ships from Pandaw. Avalon also uses a Pandaw ship, but its itinerary is different as it starts in Bangkok and ends in Saigon, so no visit to Hanoi or Ha Long Bay. Their ship is similar to those used by Viking and Uniworld, but smaller with only 16 cabins--this sometimes permits the ship to cruise to begin in Siem Reap on Tonle Sap instead of having to take a 5 hour bus trip to the Mekong. However, the itinerary does note that low water on Tonle Sap may prevent this and it will be evaluated on a cruise by cruise basis. I think that Chinese hydro-electric projects on the upper Mekong are causing low water problems downstream.

 

For Viking, Ha Long Bay is an extension, either pre-cruise for those starting in Hanoi or post cruise for those starting in HCMC (Saigon).

 

I really can't comment on cabin size as I had a very compact but comfortable single cabin (98 sq ft) but that ship has gone back to Pandaw and all ships used by Viking, Uniworld and Avalon have only doubles. My sense from the websites is that the AMA ships have the larger and better appointed cabins, but I have no direct experience of them.

 

On our cruise we did see a very nice ship, the MV Jayavarman, from Heritage Line. If you want to go beyond the main-line cruise lines (Viking, Uniworld, Avalon, AMA) you might consider them. The ship berthed beside us, and some went aboard for a tour and were quite impressed. Bear in mind, however, that they only offer the cruise portion on the Mekong and Ha Long Bay and you would have to put together your own land program, Here's the website:

http://www.heritage-line.com/en

[ikesyd]

Just some more info on Heritage lines if anyone wants to consider them. We are booked on the RV Jahan(sister to Jayavarman) for September/October this year. It only has 26 cabins and all cabins have a private balcony, superior is 29m2, deluxe are 32 & 36m2. We booked through travel indochina and our trip is 12 days/11nights which includes pre stays in Siem Reap and post stay in Saigon. You can also just book the 8 day/7 night Mekong trip. We added on a trip to Hanoi & Halong Bay(3day/2night) cruise and extra night in Siem Reap, all booked through indochina.

Booked this boat as I wanted our own balcony, not pandow style and a small pool (to cool off in), also considered La Marguerite & a new company operating here in Australia Cruiseco Adventurer. At the time we were booking the other companies couldn't provide a quote as it was too far off(last September).

Will write a review of our trip when we return as I have not been able to find much info on the boats we are travelling on.

[Riverroad]

Just some more info on Heritage lines if anyone wants to consider them. We are booked on the RV Jahan(sister to Jayavarman) for September/October this year. It only has 26 cabins and all cabins have a private balcony, superior is 29m2, deluxe are 32 & 36m2. We booked through travel indochina and our trip is 12 days/11nights which includes pre stays in Siem Reap and post stay in Saigon. You can also just book the 8 day/7 night Mekong trip. We added on a trip to Hanoi & Halong Bay(3day/2night) cruise and extra night in Siem Reap, all booked through indochina.

Booked this boat as I wanted our own balcony, not pandow style and a small pool (to cool off in), also considered La Marguerite & a new company operating here in Australia Cruiseco Adventurer. At the time we were booking the other companies couldn't provide a quote as it was too far off(last September).

Will write a review of our trip when we return as I have not been able to find much info on the boats we are travelling on.

We were on the Jayavarman a few years ago. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in our cabin wasn't working and it was unbearable! Unless you're in South Florida in the summer, you have never experienced heat and humidity like you'll find on this trip. They knew there was a problem in our cabin because they immediately brought us a fan. All attempts to "fix" the a/c were to no avail. We were taking 3 showers a day just to try to cool off. While the balcony looks lovely, it's virtually useless as it's far too hot and humid to sit out. While we loved the trip, I would never recommend the Jayavarman to anyone.

[Riverroad]

As I mentioned in my early post, the Viking and Uniworld tours are very similar as they both use ships from Pandaw. Avalon also uses a Pandaw ship, but its itinerary is different as it starts in Bangkok and ends in Saigon, so no visit to Hanoi or Ha Long Bay. Their ship is similar to those used by Viking and Uniworld, but smaller with only 16 cabins--this sometimes permits the ship to cruise to begin in Siem Reap on Tonle Sap instead of having to take a 5 hour bus trip to the Mekong. However, the itinerary does note that low water on Tonle Sap may prevent this and it will be evaluated on a cruise by cruise basis. I think that Chinese hydro-electric projects on the upper Mekong are causing low water problems downstream.

http://www.heritage-line.com/en

 

The hydro-electric projects have nothing to do with low water levels in Tonle Sap Lake. The low-water season on Tonle Sap is from approximately January to September. If you are taking the Mekong cruise during those months, you will be bussed for about 5 hours from Kampong Cham to Siem Reap or reverse. The water rises after the rainy/monsoon season so the boats can make the entire trip.

[sdianem]

We chose AMA, having been on their Budapest to Prague trip, based on cabin and bed size as itineraries looked the same (but were actually not). The AMA info stated the cabin is about 210 square feet and Viking only has about 160 (or so?). However, the AMA bathroom is huge, the balcony is not usable as the air conditioner is installed on it, and a window seat which cannot comfortably be used and ours collapsed, take up part of that quoted space. However AMA does have "hotel style" beds while Viking did not.

Viking included a visit to the Hanoi Hilton and the tunnels in Saigon which AMA did not and multiple guests were upset about that.

Our trip was in December 2011 and possibly issues have been resolved due to customer feedback.

[twototravel]

We used VRC for our trip to China several years ago and based on that wonderful experience, we've booked VRC again for our Mekong trip in Sept 2013. We'll be on the RV Indochina. Instead of the Halong Bay pre-trip, we're doing 3 days in Bangkok. I've read several reviews on the VRC Mekong tour, and all have been positive. We can't wait.

[laverendrye]

The hydro-electric projects have nothing to do with low water levels in Tonle Sap Lake. The low-water season on Tonle Sap is from approximately January to September. If you are taking the Mekong cruise during those months, you will be bussed for about 5 hours from Kampong Cham to Siem Reap or reverse. The water rises after the rainy/monsoon season so the boats can make the entire trip.

 

Of course the water levels in Tonle Sap change dramatically with the seasons and have done so from time immemorial. However, the Chinese hydro-electric projects are now beginning to have an effect on the water levels of the Mekong downstream and those countries affected are becoming quite concerned.

 

http://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/east-asia-beat/mekong-09302012160353.html

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-26/china-hydropower-dams-in-mekong-river-give-shocks-to-60-million.html

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm rethinking even the idea of trying Siem Reap in February, after all these reports about the weather! Singapore in March will be bad enough, not sure I can handle an entire month of unremitting heat and humidity. Dates are not flexible.

 

Comments? According to wunderground Bangkok won't be much better, but Luang Prabang a bit better--anybody got experience with northern Thailand or Laos at this time of year? Maybe we should just stick to Hong Kong--at least it will be cool! Or opt for Bali--Feb. is one of their cool months.

 

For this trip, it's a matter of finding some places to explore before we spend our time in Singapore, which means February.

[Riverroad]

I'm rethinking even the idea of trying Siem Reap in February, after all these reports about the weather! Singapore in March will be bad enough, not sure I can handle an entire month of unremitting heat and humidity. Dates are not flexible.

 

Comments? According to wunderground Bangkok won't be much better, but Luang Prabang a bit better--anybody got experience with northern Thailand or Laos at this time of year? Maybe we should just stick to Hong Kong--at least it will be cool! Or opt for Bali--Feb. is one of their cool months.

 

For this trip, it's a matter of finding some places to explore before we spend our time in Singapore, which means February.

 

Personally, I would not go to Siem Reap in Feb. See my post #31. You're correct that Bangkok won't be any better. After our tour ended in Siem Reap, we decided to extend our trip in Hong Kong rather than Bangkok. Our flight was Siem Reap-Bangkok-Hong Kong. When we got off the plane in Bangkok, it was 106 degrees! We were so happy to be going on to Hong Kong where we had three days of 70-ish weather. Never been to Bali but if it's cool, that would be my choice. The Angkor temples are an extraordinary experience but the heat and humidity really tempered my enjoyment.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Personally, I would not go to Siem Reap in Feb. See my post #31. You're correct that Bangkok won't be any better. After our tour ended in Siem Reap, we decided to extend our trip in Hong Kong rather than Bangkok. Our flight was Siem Reap-Bangkok-Hong Kong. When we got off the plane in Bangkok, it was 106 degrees! We were so happy to be going on to Hong Kong where we had three days of 70-ish weather. Never been to Bali but if it's cool, that would be my choice. The Angkor temples are an extraordinary experience but the heat and humidity really tempered my enjoyment.

 

Thanks, yes I read your post and others on this subject. Oddly, February is part of the cool season in northern Thailand including Bangkok, but temps still sound really high to me. Looks like Luang Prabang might be quite a bit cooler at that time, but can't imagine going just there, and nowhere else. Of course, Hanoi will be cool, so could do Hong Kong-Hanoi-Luang Prabang then tough it out in Bangkok for a few days.

 

Bali will not be cool, but it would be relaxing and green I think, before going to sweltering Singapore.

[sugarbird]

My wife and I traveled on the Heritage line 2 years ago. The boat was new and the trip was wonderful!!!

April, May and June are the warmest months in Southeast Asia.Siem Reap can get up to 44 C in April.

The public schools are closed in some countries---like the Philippines-- during this period.

[retiredand happy]

Relaxationspecialist, I am a frequent reader of CC, but I never post. It is too late to give you advice, so I will only tell you that you made the right choices. My first riverboat cruise was on the AMA Lotus. I left on Christmas Day 2011. I spent an extra 2 nights at the same hotel you selected. I too thought it was expensive, but it was convenient and I was in the right place for the tour. The AMA Lotus was fairly new at the time and it is a beautiful ship. If they were experiencing growing pains at the time, they must have been taking pain pills because the service was great and the food was excellent. Our tour director was with us for the land and water portion of the trip. I can't think of a thing he could have done better to make the trip a first class experience. I needed to see a doctor in Phnom Penh. It was not an emergency, but it was a necessary visit for an eye infection. He insisted that he go with me to help me get the medical care I needed. The local guides were all top notch. They were locals that lived through their country's issues. The stories of their lives were riveting. The HaLong Bay cruise and overnight stay was great. The sights are spectacular. The junk was very nice and a good experience (rooms were small, food was good and service was very good). Bottom line, I have done a LOT of traveling and this was my favorite trip. I still look at the pictures and think of the fun I had (even on the ox cart and tuk tuk). You will remember this trip for a long time and you picked a good company and ship IMHO.