Do I need to book trips cruising Hong Kong - Singapore

[djb472]

My husband and I are going on the Seabourn Ovation in January from Hong Kong to Singapore, ports of call are Halong Bay Vietnam, Da Nang Vietnam, Ho Chi Min City Vietnam (2days) Sihanoukville Cambodia, Ko Kood Thailand, Laem Chabang and Singapore, there's a huge list of tours and were not quite sure which trips are good and which ports we can just do on our own, we can only do half day trips because of my medical condition, if anyone has done this cruise could they please give their experiences of these ports. Thank you in advance for your advice and responses

[frantic36]

On 11/23/2018 at 1:16 AM, djb472 said:

My husband and I are going on the Seabourn Ovation in January from Hong Kong to Singapore, ports of call are Halong Bay Vietnam, Da Nang Vietnam, Ho Chi Min City Vietnam (2days) Sihanoukville Cambodia, Ko Kood Thailand, Laem Chabang and Singapore, there's a huge list of tours and were not quite sure which trips are good and which ports we can just do on our own, we can only do half day trips because of my medical condition, if anyone has done this cruise could they please give their experiences of these ports. Thank you in advance for your advice and responses

 

I have done this itinerary before on Seabourn's smaller ships, apart from Sihanoukville. I will be doing it again on Ovation but the reverse to you Singapore to Hong Kong.

 

From my research and mindful of your need for half day trips I can help with some port ideas. 

 

Halong Bay - the cruise around the bay in a junk to look at the limestone karsts. I will mention that last time we were there in December and it was foggy in the morning but had disappeared by late morning.

 

Da Nang - I have checked with Seabourn and we are docking at Tien Sa port which is much closer to Hoi An then Hue which is the much longer drive. There are taxis there and you can negotiate a tour to Hoi An or Marble Mountain which could be a half day trip. It is a closed shop re taxi prices. My guide can't come into the port I will have to go outside the gate, which is a short walk.

 

Ho Chi Minh - We are docked in the city centre so will get to experience the Saigon Slalom as it is called. The river is twisty and it is interesting seeing life on the river banks. Some of the tours ie Mekong River are long drives because of the distance and traffic. We enjoyed a cyclo tour and water puppet tour with Seabourn previously. I will mention I saw a nasty argument between a private  cyclo driver and another passenger re agreed fare. Even on Trip Advisor I have heard they can be quite aggressive.

 

Ko Kood is easy as that is the Seabourn sponsored beach party. I loved it last time we were there and just hope it is as good this time. It is a little wait of a couple of hours after they drop anchor. But this is to give them time to tender across and set up the bar, dining  and cooking stations. There are lots of loungers and they also bring the banana boat ride etc. The only money you will need is if you choose to buy a small souvenir or get a massage from the locals.

 

Laem Chabang - I haven't been there yet but from my reading on Seabourn there is a taxi desk in the port that has a list of fixed prices. I am planning to visit The Sanctuary of Truth Temple as it seems very interesting. The drive into Bangkok is very long, around 2 hours one way. Again this is partly due to traffic issues.

 

I hope this helps and isn't too long and too much information.

 

Julie

 

 

 

[djb472]

Thank you Julie 

[John Bull]

On 11/25/2018 at 11:17 PM, frantic36 said:

 

I have done this itinerary before on Seabourn's smaller ships, apart from Sihanoukville. I will be doing it again on Ovation but the reverse to you Singapore to Hong Kong.

 

From my research and mindful of your need for half day trips I can help with some port ideas. 

 

Halong Bay - the cruise around the bay in a junk to look at the limestone karsts. I will mention that last time we were there in December and it was foggy in the morning but had disappeared by late morning.

 

Da Nang - I have checked with Seabourn and we are docking at Tien Sa port which is much closer to Hoi An then Hue which is the much longer drive. There are taxis there and you can negotiate a tour to Hoi An or Marble Mountain which could be a half day trip. It is a closed shop re taxi prices. My guide can't come into the port I will have to go outside the gate, which is a short walk.

 

Ho Chi Minh - We are docked in the city centre so will get to experience the Saigon Slalom as it is called. The river is twisty and it is interesting seeing life on the river banks. Some of the tours ie Mekong River are long drives because of the distance and traffic. We enjoyed a cyclo tour and water puppet tour with Seabourn previously. I will mention I saw a nasty argument between a private  cyclo driver and another passenger re agreed fare. Even on Trip Advisor I have heard they can be quite aggressive.

 

Ko Kood is easy as that is the Seabourn sponsored beach party. I loved it last time we were there and just hope it is as good this time. It is a little wait of a couple of hours after they drop anchor. But this is to give them time to tender across and set up the bar, dining  and cooking stations. There are lots of loungers and they also bring the banana boat ride etc. The only money you will need is if you choose to buy a small souvenir or get a massage from the locals.

 

Laem Chabang - I haven't been there yet but from my reading on Seabourn there is a taxi desk in the port that has a list of fixed prices. I am planning to visit The Sanctuary of Truth Temple as it seems very interesting. The drive into Bangkok is very long, around 2 hours one way. Again this is partly due to traffic issues.

 

I hope this helps and isn't too long and too much information.

 

Julie

 

 

 

 

In the main I'll go along with Julie, but a few of my own comments.....

 

Halong Bay.

Don't miss the sail in / out.

Sailing amongst the karsts is like sailing on a watery moon landscape.

Eerie and atmospheric.

Unlike other places in the world, nearest equivalent we've seen is Phang Nga Bay in Phuket - check out google images for both. 

It's known for its mists -  but whereas mist can spoil sight-seeing in most places,  in Halong Bay we found that it added to the  eerieness.

To get lost amongst the karsts you do need at least a four-hour junk cruise because a 2 hour cruise offered by most cruise lines achieves little more than getting you across the open bay. 

-----------------------

 Da Nang. 

Big ships berth at Chan May, an hour north of Da Nang. More convenient for Hue, but makes Hoi An a 90 minute drive - that's twice as long as from your port which is close to Da Nang. 

Your port is also close to China Beach, Marble Mountain and the giant Buddha - they could be combined with Hoi An on a full-day excursion.

.

--------------------------

HCMC (most locals still call it Saigon)

Ships berth at Phu My, about 90 minutes from the city. But again the same plus for small ships like Azamara's is that they sail up the Saigon River and berth in the city - walkable to most sights

----------------------

Kee Kood

Sorry, can't help.

--------------------------

Laem Chabang

I've heard of Azmara ships berthing at the mouth of the Chao Prya River, just a 15 minute drive from the centre of Bangkok. But Laem Chabang is something over 90 minutes away (allow 2hrs 30 mins when returning for the sailaway, traffic can be notorious).

If you prefer DIY explorations rather than ship's tours, at most ports in SE Asia it's very easy and great value to negotiate on arrival -  but Laem Chabang is an exception. There are no public transport options, and taxis available in the port are controlled by a cartel that will screw as much as they can from those who arrive with no transport arranged.

So fix your transport (ship's tour or transfer, or a well-reviewed/recommended private operator via the internet) in advance.

And consider an overnite hotel in the city - avoids a double-dose of that journey from the port and gives you an evening in the city.

 

JB 

[frantic36]

Hi John, I agree the sail into Halong Bay with mists is quite special. It was lovely to experience the mists in the morning which disappeared as it got closer to lunch time. We were lucky last time as we had the longer junk tour to the caves coupled with some kayaking, so we got to experience both.

 

HCMC/Saigon on Seabourn the ship docks up river in the city. 

 

Laem Chabang - thank you for reinforcing my concerns re the taxi mafia. On another thread someone recommended  Pattaya taxi company they pre-booked and used. Based on your thoughts I will book them now.

 

http://pattaya4leisure.com/taxipattaya.html

 

djb472, I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

Julie

Edited December 6, 2018 by frantic36