Almost Live - First Time Azamara to Southeast Asia

[hubofhockey]

6 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Great thread - thank you.  Interested to know why you didnt like White Night.  It seems to be a highlight of many cruises, and I have always enjoyed it.  

 

Great question and the answer deserves perspective.  There was a major accident on the roadways outside of Saigon, which caused my ride back from the Mekong Delta to be 3 hours.  Got back at 7:30 pm and probably was in a bad mood.  When we got to white night, it wasn't easy finding a table.  The food was okay and the entertainment was good, but our viewing location wasn't great.  After that, not much into dancing, so maybe it wasn't for me.  Also, it was our overnight in Saigon and I saw it as a lost opportunity to go out to a restaurant there.  

 

Robin, I don't have much of a Boston accent.  My college was in Atlanta and I worked a couple years in New Jersey after that and pronounce my "R"s well.  I'm originally from 45 miles outside of Boston (Providence) and the accents there are bad in another way.  I use Boston words and terms though.  

 

Booze cruise?  Maybe it is by Azamara standards, but it wasn't more than 10 years ago that I was on a Carnival cruise and saw 20 something kids losing their lunches sprawled out on an elevator floor and witnessed cat fights on deck.  I've seen it all, cruising with my kids as they grew up.  

 

I spoke with people at the Rijstaffel (Rice Table) last night and many went for the cheap Vietnam massages (about $17 an hour).  They said they were rough and painful in a no pain, no gain sort of way.  I hear Bangkok is as good or better for this and to ask for Swedish or Aromatherapy massage to prevent too much pain.  I wanted to see both Mekong Delta and Saigon, so we did the city tour yesterday on the Jeep, which I thought was pretty cool.  It was with Jeep Tours Saigon (also known as Jeep Tours at Night).  Price was $108 ($54 each) for a 1/2 day tour.  

 

Today is a sea day.  I have been doing boot camp and personal training on sea days as a means to help spend the OBC.  We're doing a Chef's Table tonight.  The Azamara "secret" is that it seems most know how to get a $1,000 plus in OBC.  For the future cruise, I think I am about $2,000 with $300 for booking on board, $300 AMEX Platinum benefit, and $1350 from an online TA (if you look hard enough, and know WHERE to look, those are easy enough to find).   After today, three days in Bangkok, an afternoon in Ko Samui, a sea day, and then overnight on the ship in Singapore, before we leave for Siem Reap.  It is getting hotter and hotter and this is shoulder season in Southeast Asia.  We've been very lucky with the weather.  In fact, it started to rain, but waited until after we disembarked from Saigon.  

[ellbon]

For the first time in years I did not get  into dancing on White Nights. I stopped dancing after about three songs. Saw one person  fall in Windows and either at White nights or earlier another guest fell and left the ship to have surgery. 

 

I knew crew who had good massages there. Or had good ones in port before. In the past I had one there and was fine.

 

the ships tour got back about 8 at night also.

 

The rice table was fun several weeks ago. Hope it was good last night.

 

 I was at pool both days it rained .. lasted minutes. The crew run fast and clean up everything .

 

[hubofhockey]

Rice Table was good, but not great.  The really good rice tables have spicy food that has a touch of sweetness.  This was just spicy.  Good thing there were sweet dipping sauces.  The event itself was fun.

 

There are people who really get into white night, including many we do things with.  If our next one has a choice of dinner in a city or white night, I probably would go for the restaurant, especially if it's a city like Saigon.  The great thing about our upcoming days in Bangkok is it's two nights.  We have the Azamazing evening one night and tomorrow we're going out to a funky fusion restaurant in Bangkok and then do a night Tuk Tuk Tour with another couple.  It should be a great night out.  

[hubofhockey]

Yesterday was a sea day and a good day to be on the ship.  At night, we did Chef's Table (French) and saw Ernest's one man show.  The Chef's Table was outstanding, in both dining and the company, many of whom were on the roll call.  The wine pairings were really good too.  Good putting names (or usernames) with faces.  

 

Ernest is a real entertainer beyond a cruise director.  The 9:45 pm show was packed and Ernest was great.  Enjoyed his rendition of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis and Billy Joel's New York State of Mind.  If you have a cruise scheduled on the Quest and this guy is your CD, you're doing okay.  He is performing on Saturday night, but we will be out late in Bangkok, which is where will be today, early this afternoon.  If Azamara gets this itinerary back on its schedule in 2022, I highly recommend booking it.  

 

Tonight is Azamazing Evening, so we only have a couple of hours this afternoon in Bangkok before we have to return for a quick dinner and then the event.  

[hubofhockey]

A couple of notes relating attire, at least for guys on this ship and this itinerary.  I brought a pair of jeans and had been deciding on whether to bring one or two.  I haven't worn them yet.  They may just be too heavy for this climate.  On board, I'm just not seeing them.  Again, maybe that relates to this very warm weather itinerary.

 

I also brought on one blue blazer/jacket and have only worn it to the Chef's Table.  One other gentleman was wearing a jacket and the rest button down shirts.  All looked good.  

[need2cruisesoon]

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

A couple of notes relating attire, at least for guys on this ship and this itinerary.  I brought a pair of jeans and had been deciding on whether to bring one or two.  I haven't worn them yet.  They may just be too heavy for this climate.  On board, I'm just not seeing them.  Again, maybe that relates to this very warm weather itinerary.

 

I also brought on one blue blazer/jacket and have only worn it to the Chef's Table.  One other gentleman was wearing a jacket and the rest button down shirts.  All looked good.  

 

Len good to hear from you again, glad you enjoyed the Chef's Table. Can you tell us the menu and some of the pairings?

 

What has the weather been like? I am assuming humid and thunder showers in the late afternoon?

 

Did you sport the new "brown Shoes" at the dinner?

 

Thanks for your updates and look forward to your next installments. 

 

Ron

Edited October 25, 2019 by need2cruisesoon

[hubofhockey]

2 hours ago, need2cruisesoon said:

 

Len good to hear from you again, glad you enjoyed the Chef's Table. Can you tell us the menu and some of the pairings?

 

What has the weather been like? I am assuming humid and thunder showers in the late afternoon?

 

Did you sport the new "brown Shoes" at the dinner?

 

Thanks for your updates and look forward to your next installments. 

 

Ron

 

The shoes are comfortable and wearing them at dinners.

 

Chef intoduced the menu and came back at the end to thank all.  The Sommelier ran the event, so the focus was on the wine, which was all very good.  They say the French menu for Chef's Table is the most popular.  It was very good.

 

Salad with green asparagus parfait & Bacarii Caviar

Beef Consomme with Carmelized Onions (guyere cheese)

Quenelle de Volaiklle

Pomegranite Rose Wine Granite (palate cleanser)

Choice of line caught Sea Bass or Filet of Beef aux herbes de Provence

Selection Cheeses

Fondant au Citron

 

Chef's Table wines:  

Veuve Cliquot, Yellow Label, Brut, Reims, France 

Chenin Blanc, Remy Pannier, Vouvray, Loire, France 2016

Pinot Noir, Domane Bouchard Pere & Fils, Pommard, Cote d'Or, France, 2015

Chateau Mont Redon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France 2014 (if ordering the Filet of beef aux herbes de Provence)

 

The wine with cheese was Port Wine, Taylor, Duoro Valley, Portugal (a red)

Dessert wine was Sauternes, Chateau Pinequ du Rey, Bordeaux, France 2013 (white dessert wine)

 

We've been lucky on the weather.  So far, the only rain was when we left port of Saigon two days ago.  That made good time for a nap.  Koh Samui has 50% chance of rain.  Bangkok weather looks to be hot and humid.

 

We get off ship at 1:45 pm and shuttle takes close to an hour with traffic to get downtown and we have to be back by 6 pm to prepare for Azamazing Evening.  That will give us a couple of free hours near the 11th largest shopping complex in the world, CentralWorld.  Tomorrow, we are in town with a day city tour, dinner at Indulge Fusion and Cocktails Restaurant, and then an evening Nightlights Tuk Tuk tour of Bangkok.  That's the big day.  Sunday is early tour of Railway and Floating Markets.  Monday is Koh Samui, which will be relaxing at the beach or near the pier if it's raining.  It's only 1/2 day and followed by a sea day and then a day in Singapore, overnight on the ship and then early morning to airport and flying to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat.  

[aussie travel bird]

5 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

Yesterday was a sea day and a good day to be on the ship.  At night, we did Chef's Table (French) and saw Ernest's one man show.  The Chef's Table was outstanding, in both dining and the company, many of whom were on the roll call.  The wine pairings were really good too.  Good putting names (or usernames) with faces.  

 

Ernest is a real entertainer beyond a cruise director.  The 9:45 pm show was packed and Ernest was great.  Enjoyed his rendition of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis and Billy Joel's New York State of Mind.  If you have a cruise scheduled on the Quest and this guy is your CD, you're doing okay.  He is performing on Saturday night, but we will be out late in Bangkok, which is where will be today, early this afternoon.  If Azamara gets this itinerary back on its schedule in 2022, I highly recommend booking it.  

 

Tonight is Azamazing Evening, so we only have a couple of hours this afternoon in Bangkok before we have to return for a quick dinner and then the event.  

 

Agreed Ernest is a real entertainer beyond a cruise director. Ernest is extremely suited to his role, we've witnessed his rise from cast member, to Assistant Cruise Director to Cruise Director on Azamara and I couldn't think of a more talented, personable, all round nice guy for this role.  He's a great fit for Azamara and we did get a chance to have a chat when he re joined the ship in Hong Kong before leaving for the airport at the start of your cruise.  We too, are fortunate to have him for the longest of our single cruises the 24 night crossing Mumbai to Cape Town (December/January) and we can't wait.  Though we've seen his show a number of times we never tire or seeing it again.....We have seen 'Starlight Express' which he refers to here in Australia some years ago, though the show wasn't a huge success in USA but was a hit in Germany.

[ellbon]

You made it to his show! My table finish about 10:15  or so.  I really wanted to see it.

 

the floating market is fun. The train market..blows by you and you watch the vendor just move a few thing..it’s us who move fast.

 

now I know what you meant about the rice table. I found two dishes  spicy. Everything to Westernize for us.

 

i have per ordered many spicy noodles and a soup. Depends who cooks it. I had the spicy bean burger last night not as spicy as other times.

 

enjoy the city..I am going to a hotel for a much needed good nights sleep and pool and dinner.

 

both rain storms lasted about 15 minutes.

 

we were lucky.

 

robin

[hubofhockey]

The heat in Bangkok is incredible and it's raining tonight.  We're actually blowing off the Azamazing Evening.  We have an 8 to 5 pm tour, dinner in town, and then an evening tuk tuk tour and something had to give.  We were really looking forward to the evening until reality set in.  We did take the shuttle into town and just stayed at that incredible high rise mall.  Traffic was a killer and one hour each way, so we basically spent two hours there.  Tomorrow and Sunday are really key days on our vacation and we'll be ready.  We'll play Koh Samui by ear, depending on the weather.  We have 6 hours there and I'm thinking of getting one of the cheap Thai massages and maybe hanging out at a beach.  It's 8 pm in Bangkok now and it's time to rest.  

 

[excitedofharpenden]

I think that is wise. If it's the same Azamazing I've been to there where they bus you, it was very hot then too and outside so no aircon. Just fans. 

 

It was a nice venue, but just too hot for me. 

 

Phil 

[Grandma Cruising]

Maybe we were lucky with the weather, but if the one in the Ancient City Park, we loved it - it was our favourite!

[ellbon]

I heard good things about that event. Must be raining more near ship. I took an overnight at a hotel. It only rained while I had massage,.so about 7 to 8.  Had dinner outside.

 

the mall not far from my hotel,and I could water taxi there but  over malls. Been docked in HK  and we are docked at the mall in Singapore plus the mall of Asia.

 

i bet Len had a nice quiet dinner in Prime C or somewhere.

 

we were told it was a long ride. Another cruise they had to cancel due to rain in Manila meanwhile we saw no rain when we were out. Matter of where you are and when.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hubofhockey]

Robin, I totally decomposed last night and did nothing.  It was Windows and early sleep around 9 pm, which explains now being up at 4 am.  This is a rugged itinerary if you do it a certain way.  Today is Bangkok tour from 8 to 5.  Dinner and drinks at Indulge Fusion & Cocktails from 5:45 pm to 7:00 and Expique Nightlights Tuk Tuk tour from 7 to 10:30 pm.  Tomorrow is 7 am to 2 pm Railway & Floating Markets.  I'll be good.  The only thing I would have done differently is split up today's activities into yesterday and today, but hindsight is 20/20.  We are going to Siem Reap for three days after the cruise and over a day will be a resort day, with a day and half at the temples.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hubofhockey]

I really wrote "decomposed" but meant decompressed.  On this cruise, I'm on the "younger" side. 😀

[Turangi!]

😅In the heat of SE Asia, decomposed seemed to be an appropriate malapropism!😅      

[need2cruisesoon]

On October 25, 2019 at 4:56 PM, hubofhockey said:

I really wrote "decomposed" but meant decompressed.  On this cruise, I'm on the "younger" side. 😀

 

I was starting to worry buddy.....

[hubofhockey]

Bangkok is very hot and humid in late August.  It's in the 90s, but weather.com says feels 10 degree warmer.  

 

As we are entering the home stretch of the cruise, I'll go through my impressions of Bangkok.

 

We signed up for two day tours with BKK Tours.  Yesterday's City tour was supposed to go from 8 to 4 pm and wind up in town so that we could get a drink before going out to Indulge Fusion & Cocktails.  The guide started wrapping up around 1:30 pm, so we had her drop us off at the ship.  Our tour today of the Railway and Floating Markets was supposed to be from 6:45 am to 2 pm return.  We returned slightly after 12 noon.  So what happened?  Our guide fell a bit short on expectations, often leaving us at sights and not walking through and explaining what we were seeing.  Seriously, I expected much better from a company with sterling TripAdvisor reviews.  Even this guide had good reviews.  You just never know.

 

What made Bangkok great for us was dinner out at Indulge and the Expique Nightlights Tuk Tuk Tour.  Bangkok lights up at night and it's a different city.  Just last week, a nice couple on the roll call decided to join us for dinner at Indulge and the nightlights tour.  Good company is great on tours like this and we had dined with this couple in Hong Kong.  In any case, out guide at night was fascinated.  His English was great as he had worked at Thai Airways and had been to the US multiple times.  He also runs an ice cream store during the day and guides as something he likes to do at night.  He guided both Tuk Tuk's and provided so much explanation and history.  In fact, he had been a Buddhist Monk for over four months.  He had stories to tell and was the perfect guide.  In retrospect, I wish we had done more with Expique, but you just roll with it.  

 

It's 3:25 pm and we are not leaving Bangkok.  Bangkok is different than the other ports in Southeast Asia in that it's definitely now third or second world.  People live well, dress well, and the city has the feel of a world class city.  The kids here are like American kids, glued to their iphones, taking selfies, and trying to look good.  The people here definitely have style.  It is no wonder that this is one, if not the biggest, countries for tourism in the world.

 

The people who went to the Azamazing Evening really enjoyed it.  I heard great things about it.  We're going out to Aqualina tonight.  To me, Prime C is much better and we are there two of our remaining nights.  Spent time on another thread discussing that you cannot get a canoli in Aqualina and their focus seems more on Northern Italian than the red sauce southern  Italian.  

 

Tonight is renowned Australian pianist Kym Purling at the Cabaret Lounge and Smooth Sensations again in the Living Room.  Purling it will be.  His resume is outstanding and has directed Broadway touring show music for Miss Saigon, 42nd Street, and Footloose.  That looks interesting.  Tomorrow, our port day in Ko Samui begins at noon and ends at 6 pm.  As luck would have it, the Patriots are playing Cleveland at 7:25 am (4:25 pm on Sunday from Foxboro) and will be on in the staterooms on ESPN 2.  Looks like I'll be waking up a little early.

[ellbon]

On 10/26/2019 at 4:10 AM, hubofhockey said:

Robin, I totally decomposed last night and did nothing.  It was Windows and early sleep around 9 pm, which explains now being up at 4 am.  This is a rugged itinerary if you do it a certain way.  Today is Bangkok tour from 8 to 5.  Dinner and drinks at Indulge Fusion & Cocktails from 5:45 pm to 7:00 and Expique Nightlights Tuk Tuk tour from 7 to 10:30 pm.  Tomorrow is 7 am to 2 pm Railway & Floating Markets.  I'll be good.  The only thing I would have done differently is split up today's activities into yesterday and today, but hindsight is 20/20.  We are going to Siem Reap for three days after the cruise and over a day will be a resort day, with a day and half at the temples.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you staying at Raffles? Loved it there. 

 

I did the morning market and  train with lunch a few years ago.  Was rushed by guide to do included boat ride and he picked lunch in the middle of no where vs the action packed market.food was ok but no people or view.talk about kick back for guides.

 

last night sounds great . Good thing I only use trip advisor for hotels not tour companies.

[hubofhockey]

1 hour ago, ellbon said:

Are you staying at Raffles? Loved it there. 

 

I did the morning market and  train with lunch a few years ago.  Was rushed by guide to do included boat ride and he picked lunch in the middle of no where vs the action packed market.food was ok but no people or view.talk about kick back for guides.

 

last night sounds great . Good thing I only use trip advisor for hotels not tour companies.

 

Booked a new hotel in Siem Reap called Grand Venus with perfect Trip Advisor scores.  Looking forward to it.

 

I let BKK know about this guide cutting her tours short and rushing them.  BKK used to be a big Cruise Critic favored tour company and gets good Trip Advisor reviews.  I think this one wanted to get home to her newborn.  I'm sympathetic to that, but upset at the same time.

 

The ESPN feed in the room said Patriots are on at 7:25 am tomorrow, but I think the game starts at 3:25 am.  If I wake up, I'll watch the game and then take a nap.  Ko Samui has questionable weather tomorrow.  We may just hang out around the pier.

 

At Aqualina tonight was a pretty horrific dining experience.  We were in the far corner near the end, but the two tables next to us were both parties of six and, together, made it a party of 12.  It was a pub atmosphere, very loud and I couldn't even carry on a conversation.  The other side of the restaurant was practically empty.  The large tables also impacted service levels.  The hostess apologized to us and asked us if we wanted our dessert delivered to our room.  In any case, Prime C is a much higher quality dining venue than Aqualina.  Live and learn.   These complaints I have are small in terms of my overall enjoyment of this cruise.  I will end this post on a high note.  We departed Bangkok with the pilot boats leading us out on our (starboard side).  Seeing the Quest navigate through the river was interesting.  I headed up to the Sanctum pool, which is at the front of the ship and has amazing views leaving Bangkok.  We went under two large (one was really nice) suspension bridges and that view was the money shot.  There is not a better way to leave Bangkok.  

[ellbon]

4 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

 

Booked a new hotel in Siem Reap called Grand Venus with perfect Trip Advisor scores.  Looking forward to it.

 

I let BKK know about this guide cutting her tours short and rushing them.  BKK used to be a big Cruise Critic favored tour company and gets good Trip Advisor reviews.  I think this one wanted to get home to her newborn.  I'm sympathetic to that, but upset at the same time.

 

The ESPN feed in the room said Patriots are on at 7:25 am tomorrow, but I think the game starts at 3:25 am.  If I wake up, I'll watch the game and then take a nap.  Ko Samui has questionable weather tomorrow.  We may just hang out around the pier.

 

At Aqualina tonight was a pretty horrific dining experience.  We were in the far corner near the end, but the two tables next to us were both parties of six and, together, made it a party of 12.  It was a pub atmosphere, very loud and I couldn't even carry on a conversation.  The other side of the restaurant was practically empty.  The large tables also impacted service levels.  The hostess apologized to us and asked us if we wanted our dessert delivered to our room.  In any case, Prime C is a much higher quality dining venue than Aqualina.  Live and learn.   These complaints I have are small in terms of my overall enjoyment of this cruise.  I will end this post on a high note.  We departed Bangkok with the pilot boats leading us out on our (starboard side).  Seeing the Quest navigate through the river was interesting.  I headed up to the Sanctum pool, which is at the front of the ship and has amazing views leaving Bangkok.  We went under two large (one was really nice) suspension bridges and that view was the money shot.  There is not a better way to leave Bangkok.  

If I had known you were at the topology I would of pop by. I was at pool bar during the bridge without phone.  but sat  in my spa tub  for the end ride.

 

not sure when you had dinner but I was in Aqualina around 8 and service was prefect. Lots of empty tables then near by.later saw Kim's show and the den.

 

i had several ToursByLocals young moms and no tour was cut short etc due to baby at home. Even had dinner with guides as the dad or nana was with baby.

 

still not read one thing on weather and still plan a beach day. Seems I keep missing rain. Besides anything beat cold NC in Nov.

[Sleep7]

Oh my! What an amazing itinerary you have.. a true adventure.

Thanks for taking us with you Hubofhockey!

[santrah]

Following this lovely trip and it is bringing back great memories of a similar itinerary we did on the Journey in 2016.  What is so good about Azamara is the actual port/docking points in the cities of Bankok and HCMC and their overnight stops/duration in port.  Personally for such an itinerary I wouldn't choose any other line,  we really fancy booking this again - so much to see and do on this route.  However there is nothing listed yet for the upcoming years??  Have I missed it somewhere?

 

If anyone else is looking at Bangkok Tours - I found Parry Happy Tours on Cruise Critic Port info and TA advisor reviews - we used her for two days in 2016 (her reviews are still superb!) for Ayutthaya Sunset tour and river cruise with a fantastic local dinner included and a full day tailor made tour around BKK including lunch and 'treats along the way!'  She is an amazing guide, great to listen too and so caring and genuine and well priced too. 

 

Loving reading your well balanced review 'hubofhockey' - thank you for taking the time out to post it.   

[Lookyboy]

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 7:13 PM, futian said:

 

 

I am very pleased to hear you have an excellent destination speaker on your cruise. It can make such a difference to a cruise.

 

Unfortunately we have had variable success with Azamara destination speakers.

 Last year on our 3 week South America cruise, the first speaker had to be shown the gangway after his first lecture!

The replacement speaker I think lasted 2 lectures before he also was shown the gangway!

 

And on our cruise just finished to Taiwan and the Philippines (a one-off itinerary that was unique for Azamara), there was NO destination speaker at all !!!

 

Having said that, we have always found Chuck to be excellent and he really does his homework.

We so miss Chuck and Helga lately.

[hubofhockey]

To give proper credit, our speaker has been Professor Robert Aalberts of Penn State.  

 

I try to be fair and evenhanded about all cruise lines and tour companies.  BKK gets enough positive reviews on TripAdvisor, but they will get a poor one from me. I am relieved that we booked the night experience with Expique.  Anyone visiting Bangkok should consider them.

 

As for cruise lines, I don't care if they are big or small. Each has a time and a place.  I do think Azamara is tough to beat for destinations, but I do suppose we were lucky to have the professor.  The great weather has been a big plus.  This is shoulder season in Southeast Asia.  

 

I did ask Fernando, the Future Cruise director about this itinerary and why it's not on the schedule the next couple of years.  He told me that they change the rotation around every couple of years because they have regulars who want to see new places and things.  They will always have a lot of the Med cruises, but they will be focusing on South Africa, Japan, and other areas which they have not focused on the last couple of years.  As others have said, it you can afford Azamara, wait for them (or even Oceania) for this itinerary.  The Celebrity M Class ships simply cannot port in Saigon or Bangkok and are 2 to 3 hours away.  For Ha Long Bay, overnights on junks are tough to do as well because of their port schedules.  This Azamara itinerary is outstanding.     

 

One of the toughest calls we made for this vacation was spending time in either Singapore or going to Siem Reap to Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples.  We have an overnight in Singapore and were either going to spend the next night at the Marina Bay Sands, a spectacular hotel in Singapore or fly out first thing on the 31st to Siem Reap.  We decided on Siem Reap because it's a once in a lifetime chance to see one of the truly amazing places in the world.  We have a full day guided tour with City Unscripted in Singapore on the 30th.  We'll be back in the evening to pack and enjoy Prime C before walking off the ship at 5:30 am on the 31st.