Sailing the Mekong

[franski]

We are looking at booking a trip to Vietnam & Cambodia in 2022.   We usually book Aquarium class, as we will head top side if we want to look at the scenery.  However, I am wondering if it might be worth moving up a deck for this cruise.  I struggle with extreme heat - and this cruise is pushing me to the edges of my comfort zone.  So, I anticipate that I might want to retire to the cabin to put my feet up if the heat gets to me.  If we are up a deck, I can still watch the scenery go by as I would have a French balcony.  

 

I am assuming that there will be lots to see as we sail by...  Is this a reasonable assumption??

 

Also, is there any value in port vs starboard side on the Mekong?  Or, is it the same as on many rivers - and it doesn't matter that much.

 

Any thought/comments/suggestions on this itinerary are greatly welcomed.

 

We are taking a leap of faith and booking as there is a great sale on, with a reduced deposit - and the deposit can be moved or held for a future cruise if we decide to cancel.

 

Fran

[gnome12]

20 minutes ago, franski said:

We are looking at booking a trip to Vietnam & Cambodia in 2022.   We usually book Aquarium class, as we will head top side if we want to look at the scenery.  However, I am wondering if it might be worth moving up a deck for this cruise.  I struggle with extreme heat - and this cruise is pushing me to the edges of my comfort zone.  So, I anticipate that I might want to retire to the cabin to put my feet up if the heat gets to me.  If we are up a deck, I can still watch the scenery go by as I would have a French balcony.  

 

I am assuming that there will be lots to see as we sail by...  Is this a reasonable assumption??

 

Also, is there any value in port vs starboard side on the Mekong?  Or, is it the same as on many rivers - and it doesn't matter that much.

 

Any thought/comments/suggestions on this itinerary are greatly welcomed.

 

We are taking a leap of faith and booking as there is a great sale on, with a reduced deposit - and the deposit can be moved or held for a future cruise if we decide to cancel.

 

Fran

There are no aquarium class cabins on either Ama or Avalon.

 

Ama uses the AmaDara which has only twin balcony cabins. I was in the cheapest cabin (no single supplement). I wasn't enamored of the cabin. I found that the twin balcony made for a very small balcony and an indoor sitting area that was really too small to do anything.

 

On the other hand, I sailed the Irawaddy with Avalon, and they have a similar ship on the Mekong. All cabins are large with huge sliding windows; their panorama cabins with beds facing the window. I spend some time in the room with the window open as wide as it could go (about 9 ft) with the screen closed to enjoy the breeze. They usually waive single supplement on a number of cabins in category B. They also have the advantage that they sail right to Saigon, instead of having to bus you a few hours into the city.

 

On both of these trips I took a fair bit of advantage of the top deck; there are shaded areas on both ships if you don't wish to sit in the sun.

 

Sailing on the Mekong is done during the day, never at night. I don't remember any preference as to side.

[gnome12]

By the way, the Avalon ship is much smaller, only 18 cabins.

[franski]

Thanks, gnome12.  

 

We are looking at doing this with Emerald - for a couple of reasons.  One is the price --> currently about $2k less than anyone else for a similar trip.  And that is before you take into account the fact that gratuities are included.  Second is that we get 2 nights in Halong Bay - on a boat.  Finally - they are only asking for $250/pp deposit - and they guarantee that.  We can move the deposit to another date, or keep it "on file" for another cruise if we decide to cancel.  Or - if the vaccination schedule here gets pushed back again, and we have to delay due to not having the  vaccine. And,  with the price difference, we can go to Hong Kong for a couple of days before.  That means we can get a direct flight - and have a couple of days to get over the jet lag before starting on the trip.  I think we should be able to get a regional flight to Hanoi to join the tour.     

 

The Emerald boat on the Mekong is roughly mid-sized from a passenger number standpoint --> 42 cabins.  They also sail right into Ho Chi Min city.   They do have 4 Aquarium class cabins - and I normally would book these - but think we will go up one deck to get the full window/french balcony.  If we sail during the day, I hope we will be able to see lots of interesting things in the country side.

 

Fran