Has anybody used small companies for the Mekong cruises

[petlady7]

Hi , has anybody used any other companies besides the usual suspects ie. Viking , APT , AMA , namely small asian companies to cruise the Mekong from Siem Reap to Saigon please , looking to travel March 2017 for our 25th anniversary , we are in UK so it would be difficult to use american companies such as Vantage , we will be booking flights ourselves as we plan to fly to Bangkok and stay there a week or so prior and would like to then travel to Bali following the cruise and a few nights in Siem Reap too so would like to try to save on the cruise if possible by using a local company , any help would be much appreciated , thank you

[Floridiana]

No advice on a particular company but check out TripAdvisor. People used a variety of companies.

[Pudgesmom]

We'll be doing this trip with Abercrombie and Kent, starting in Bangkok and ending in Saigon. We'll be on the Haimark Princess, which is a new 24 person ship on that itinerary. Just the cruise portion can also be booked directly from Haimark.

 

It looks like a lovely ship and we're looking forward to our trip and the cruise.

[ikesyd]

We traveled on the Heritage Line RV Jahan in September 2014 from Saigon to Siem Reap & also on the Jasmine for Halong Bay in September 2013(broke my leg on this journey and had to cancel remainder of journey planned for the Mekong - so returned in 2014 to complete the Mekong!).Booked through a tour company here in Oz insider journeys, but our own itinerary. Flew into Saigon , stayed 3 nights at Renaissance, did our own tours then joined cruise(our hotel was pick up point). Jahan was excellent, crew wonderful, tours were excellent, had 42 passengers on board, mainly from Oz plus a couple from UK and a group from Norway.Stayed 3 nights in Siem Reap at Shinta Mani resort and did our own tours.Happy to answer any questions you may have.:)

[vada_9]

Was on the Heritage Line - Mekong Explorer/Jayavarman in 2010 when she was a new vessel. They now have the Jahan as well. Have been with Pandaw on Irrawaddy and Rajang. Saw their boats on the Mekong. With both companies we have had fairly small groups. Mixture of Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, French, Swiss and US. Each time we have combined an independant private tour before and after the cruise portion. There are many boats on the Mekong now. Most cruises tend to go to the same/similar villages.

[HDS]

We cruised with Pandaw on the Irrawaddy and enjoyed it enormously. They have boats on the Mekong.

[petlady7]

Thank you everybody for your time and information , I have a lot of research to do before I book , I think I would probably need to book fairly early as the boats are so small and do not want to miss out on the ship or company I prefer

[banditoo]

We will be on the Mekong Prestige II in a few weeks (Siem Reap to Saigon; they also go the other direction). I did quite a bit of research prior to booking and this one has good reviews. Was able to book directly with them online and they were very professional and quick to respond. I will report back after our cruise.

[vozzie]

Have cruised with both Pandaw and Heritage on the Mekong River.

Both exceptional experiences.

Probably vote for Heritage because of the better and larger cabins.

[banditoo]

Today we completed our 7 night cruise on Mekong Prestige II from Siem Reap to Saigon. It was fabulous! Boat was quite new, immaculate, rooms and bathrooms were modern and spacious, every room had private balcony and large sliding doors as well as french balcony window. Staff were so friendly and polite and couldn't do enough for us. The food was fabulous. The excursions were well done. We saw a lot of culture and had great experiences. We saw many of the other river boats of the other lines in passing or when docked. The Mekong Prestige boats were probably the nicest in my opinion, with large windows, private balconies, large sundeck and even a small pool on deck which was great for cooling down in the heat. We also saw the Mekong Prestige I which is slightly older but looked to be the same design. I was so pleased since when I priced out multiple lines, ththis was the best price. It was an amazing experience which I highly recommend.