Scenic Treasures of the Mekong for Mobility Impared

[jazcat]

My husband, who is a Vietnam Vet with walking issues, very much wants to take a river cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia. I found the Scenic cruise which looks very nice, especially the elevators to all floors on the ship, but was concerned about the daily tours. 

 

Has anyone been on this or any similar SE Asia river cruises and are there options for someone who cannot walk fast or extremely far? We do private tours on our Oceania cruises, just so we don't hold up the rest of the group, but this doesn't look like it would be an option for a river cruise. 

 

I am searching through all the threads, CruiseCritic is a really great resource, but thought I would ask too in case someone had recent experience on this. All info on the line/ship would also be appreciated.

[Marjan1]

Friend recently returned from a Mekong cruise.  

 

He commented that, unlike in Europe, at many places the ship simply nudges into the river bank and it was a steep scramble up the dirt slope to the roadway.  

 

Suggest you check with which company you are considerng for more specific advice.  

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, jazcat said:

My husband, who is a Vietnam Vet with walking issues, very much wants to take a river cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia. I found the Scenic cruise which looks very nice, especially the elevators to all floors on the ship, but was concerned about the daily tours. 

 

Has anyone been on this or any similar SE Asia river cruises and are there options for someone who cannot walk fast or extremely far? We do private tours on our Oceania cruises, just so we don't hold up the rest of the group, but this doesn't look like it would be an option for a river cruise. 

 

I am searching through all the threads, CruiseCritic is a really great resource, but thought I would ask too in case someone had recent experience on this. All info on the line/ship would also be appreciated.

When I did the Irawaddy with Avalon I was using a cane for some assistance. There was always a crew member with an elbow available to give me (or anyone else) a hand going up steep banks. However, we only had 18 of a possible 36 passengers. 

 

As to tours, contact the tour company. One thing to note is there is a lot of taking off of shoes to enter temples. 

[Hoyaheel]

We leave on an Avalon Mekong cruise in 2 weeks! So excited. I have definitely read & seen photo & video of steep & potentially muddy riverbanks that must be climbed to access shore. Whether or not a crew member assisting would make the difference in being able to take that cruise should probably be considered, because I would think that could be the only option in some places....

[laverendrye]

I cruised the Mekong with Viking 7 years ago and can confirm that for many of the stops  there is no dock but only a steep mud bank with steps dug into them. At these stops the crew would muster up the bank to give a hand to the passengers. At one stop we transferred to a sampan to get to the villages. 

 

Ashore we were sometimes walking on dirt roads with uneven surfaces through the villages or transported by a variety of means including ox carts and pedicabs. There were often quiet a few steps to manage at temples and ruins such as Angkor Wat. 

 

I don’t want want to be discouraging but you should be aware of some of the physical challenges on this trip. 

[CJcruzer]

I agree with above posts...we did this with AMA waterways in 2011, and yes there were some muddy, steep, cut into the landscape slopes to access some of the river stops.