Emerald’s 21 Day Grand Tour of Vietnam & Cambodia and Emerald stewarding levels for European cruises

[Banjo499]

We have been on two Emerald cruises, Amsterdam – Basel (really outstanding) and more recently Amsterdam – Budapest in September/October 2023 (enjoyable, but badly let down by a marked lack of Emerald bar and restaurant staff on two Emerald ships (we had to swap vessels due to low river levels); hence drinks and breakfast coffee refills were minimalistic every day).

 

We are looking at various river cruise providers to do a river cruise in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2025; this includes Emerald’s 21 Day Grand Tour of Vietnam & Cambodia.

 

We would be grateful for advice/recommendations on this tour:

 

• Recommended way to travel: Hanoi to Ho Chil Minh City or vice versa.
• The quality of the 2-day Halong Bay cruise ship (any photos or links would be helpful).
• Approximate breakdown of nationality of passengers of recent cruises.
• Ease of access of the onboard passenger laundry room and iron board. Yes I know - very sad!!
• Recommended DiscoverMORE trips for this trip.

 

Finally, for those who have done repeated Emerald cruises over recent years, have you noticed a reduction in Emerald staff in the bar and restaurant areas on European cruises? I am trying to gauge whether the paucity of staff on both ships on our last cruise (Sep/Oct 23) was a one off or whether Emerald has cut staff levels or have a difficulty recruiting.

 

Thank you.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Was your first Emerald cruise pre-Covid?  [not excusing Emerald, but that may help others understand what level of service you are measuring from]

[Banjo499]

The first cruise was just after Covid and the staff levels were excellent. We experienced two ships, due to the low water levels, on our recent October cruise and both ships had insufficient staff to serve, clear away and check whether glasses needed topping up.

 

The staff that were there were first class, very helpful, friendly and willing to go that extra yard. It was there was just not enough of them.

Edited November 23, 2023 by Banjo499

[Canal archive]

I suspect that Emerald as a sister company to Scenic are now employing their own staff as Scenic are and not using a contracting company (apart from CDs). Finding the quality of staff anywhere in Europe and the U.K. is evidently very difficult at the moment. Many found other employment which suited them better i.e. closer to home. Having friends in the hospitality industry they are tearing their hair out finding quality (underlined) staff. As one friend said making one wrong choice blights the whole ship, meaning his very upmarket hotels. The crème del a crème will rise to the top and hopefully inspire others but at the moment there’s just not enough of them. Time will tell in your case maybe the ship was undersubscribed so they crewed it with less staff and then suddenly it was filled and no time left to re staff who knows.

Loosing three restaurant staff due to one having to tooth troubles one Sunday evening on the Douro led to this everyone where so worried for the waiter, we were as far away from Porto the nearest available dentist as possible. We still had a new glass for each drink our table of six imbibed. 

 

 

[Banjo499]

Fully understand the recruitment issue as it effects the majority of  hospitality in UK.

 

By the by, the ship was virtually full with passengers which compounded the problem.

[franski]

Hi - Welcome to Cruise Critic!!  We did the 18 day cruise with Emerald (so we didn't get Hua or Hoi An as part of our itinerary).  We flew into Hanoi 3 days early to acclimate to the time change.  We flew non-stop Toronto to Tai Pei with EVA air and then onto Hanoi.  We splurged on Premium Economy and it was so worth it...  We planned a "down day" where we walked and enjoyed the area, and then a pre-booked tour to see some on the sights my DH was interested in - and that were not included with Emerald.

 

I was really looking forward to Ha Long Bay - but I was a bit underwhelmed.  It may have been due to the fact that it was a bit cooler than I had anticipated (we went mid-February) but the scenery was spectacular. If you are interested in kayaking or other activities, there seems to be lots to do.  We thought we would be able to swim in one of the coves, but it was too cool. 

 

We chose to start in Hanoi and cruise from HCMC over to Cambodia.  This way we only needed one entrance visa into Vietnam. The visa for Cambodia is taken care of on the ship - and the cost is just added to your ship board account.

 

The washing machines and dryers were a god send...  And very busy!!  You just had to be strategic (ie: get up early, or stay up later) to ensure you could get to use them.  Can't comment on the iron/ironing boards.  With steamy hot weather (it ran 37-39C every day once we hit HCMC) wrinkled clothing was not a concern. 

 

The passenger mix was primarily Canadian and American. You will have the same group along the way.  Our guide was with us in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, on the flight to and then in HCMC - and then on the boat.  He stayed with us until the Cambodian border. Then we had a new guide until we got off the boat in Cambodia - and then another in Siem Reap.  Each group (ours, the group that did the 21 day tour - and the group that just joined in HCMC) had their own guide and bus. 

 

The staff was outstanding.  I cannot say enough about them.  This was our 17th river cruise (our 2nd with Emerald) and the service was top notch.  This was a bucket list trip for my DH - but I enjoyed it every bit as much as he did. I would do this trip again if the travel time wasn't so brutal.

 

On the way home, we had to stop somewhere between Siem Reap and Tai Pei (no direct flights to Tai Pei) so we went via Bangkok.  We stayed 3 nights there before heading home.

 

Sorry for the long post...  Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

Fran

 

 

[Banjo499]

Hi Fran,

 

Many thanks for your very helpful reply. We have booked. Vietnam and Cambodia - here we come!

 

Now just a matter of saving up our children's inheritance to pay for the trip. 😁

[franski]

On 11/25/2023 at 4:27 AM, Banjo499 said:

Hi Fran,

 

Many thanks for your very helpful reply. We have booked. Vietnam and Cambodia - here we come!

 

Now just a matter of saving up our children's inheritance to pay for the trip. 😁

I completely understand!!  We told our children we would help them with their first degree/diploma so they could graduate debt free.  Then - all bets are off.  We are spending their inheritance...  one trip at a time.

 

Fran

[LTC]

Hi Banjo499,

We did the 18 day Mekong cruise with Emerald in March and it was a fantastic experience. Out of 12 river cruises, the best one. franski did a great job answering your questions so I can't add anymore, however you asked about the DiscoverMore  excursions and we did Dinner in the Rice Field which was fantastic! Highly recommend it! 

[Banjo499]

Hi LTC,

Someone else on a different forum also strongly recommended the Dinner in the Rice Field. So with two recommendations, it looks like it is on our To Do list.

Thank you.

[franski]

On 12/4/2023 at 3:16 AM, Banjo499 said:

Hi LTC,

Someone else on a different forum also strongly recommended the Dinner in the Rice Field. So with two recommendations, it looks like it is on our To Do list.

Thank you.

We did that as well... and truly enjoyed it.

 

One thing that was not offered as part of the DiscoverMore program was the option to purchase tickets to see "A O" in HCMC.  An acrobatic show held just a stones throw away from the hotel. Our guide mentioned this as an opportunity - and most of our group purchased tickets.  When we got to the theatre, they took us on a tour of the facility - and then offered tea or a soft drink before the show.  During the tour, we sat briefly in the balcony while our guide explained about the production... and the seats were phenomenal.  I went right down to the ticket counter at the front and asked if there were any seats left in that area - they are called the "WOW" seats.  We lucked out!! There were 2 in the front row - so we paid the difference.  When we went in to get our tea, we discovered that WOW seats come with a glass of wine before the show... so a double bonus. 

 

If this is offered, it might be worth looking into...

 

Fran

[Banjo499]

Thank you Fran. I will add it to our list.

[jmc27]

Hi - we are booked on the Grand Tour in Jan def a bucket list for us!

we have received our final documents and it states that dress code for dinner is collared shirt and long trousers for men, is this correct? We thought it would be much more casual. TIA and Merry Christmas everyone.

[LTC]

9 hours ago, jmc27 said:

Hi - we are booked on the Grand Tour in Jan def a bucket list for us!

we have received our final documents and it states that dress code for dinner is collared shirt and long trousers for men, is this correct? We thought it would be much more casual. TIA and Merry Christmas everyone.

We were on the Emerald 18 day in March. I can't remember too many people wearing anything but very casual clothes for dinner. Many men just wore T-shirts and longer casual pants ie travel pants. There may have been a night or two, welcome and farewell dinner, where it was less casual. There were some nights when entertainment was on the boat and that took place on the sun deck, where even though it was before dinner, it was still very hot out and lots of people wore shorts and went to dinner like that. Merry Christmas! Enjoy your cruise, it will be fantastic!

[windsor26]

I am interested in the asian river cruise/s but need to convince my husband

Can you 'sell' me the best cruise you have done company and itinerary to assist my arguments   Thanks

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

I am interested in the asian river cruise/s but need to convince my husband

Can you 'sell' me the best cruise you have done company and itinerary to assist my arguments   Thanks

There are probably very few people who have done more than one company on the Mekong. That said, I have sailed the Mekong with Ama and the Irrawaddy with Avalon.

I much preferred the cabin on the Avalon; it is bigger, with a 14' wide glass wall of which 9' can be opened to the outside (with a screen to keep the bugs out). I also liked the bed that faced the window, sometimes when we were sailing I would sit up in bed reading, and glance up periodically to watch the scenery going by. The Ama cabin had the twin balconies, the real one of which just seemed to cut into the cabin and the French balcony just ended up as a small alcove not really good for anything. The Avalon ship was much smaller, a total of only 18 cabins.

The food on Ama was amazing. I'm usually a fairly picky eater (although I do enjoy Chinese food). I found that there was enough choice that I never once resorted to ordering chicken (my go to protein at home) from the always available menu; the daily choices were wonderful. The dinners on Avalon were fairly good, but definitely not in the same league as Ama; the lunch buffet on Avalon was a real drag; I rarely found anything that I really liked. One thing to note was we had only 18 passengers on Avalon; that likely affected the amount of choice available, but even with a full complement of 36 passengers I'm not sure how much more choice there would be.

The staff on both were very helpful, but I have to give a shout out to the crew on the Avalon. I had hurt a knee and so I was using a cane for excursions. In many locations we moored well below the level of the road above, and the crew had to cut stairs into the sand in each location. Whenever I left the ship, there was always someone there to give me assistance up the slope, and then again to help me back down again.

[Kristelle]

On 12/13/2023 at 7:34 PM, jmc27 said:

Hi - we are booked on the Grand Tour in Jan def a bucket list for us!

we have received our final documents and it states that dress code for dinner is collared shirt and long trousers for men, is this correct? We thought it would be much more casual. TIA and Merry Christmas everyone.

On our 2 week Europe river cruise  in September it was warm and shorts at dinner were not at all unusual, probably 1/4 of men on any given night other than the Captains gala dinners, 2 per cruise ( welcome and farewell ) 

Tshirts would be fine too. 

I also read beforehand that jeans at dinner were a no-no but reality said otherwise, not at all unusual to see jeans at dinner, men and women 

That was with Scenic but I expect other companies would be the same

[windsor26]

2 hours ago, gnome12 said:

There are probably very few people who have done more than one company on the Mekong. That said, I have sailed the Mekong with Ama and the Irrawaddy with Avalon.

I much preferred the cabin on the Avalon; it is bigger, with a 14' wide glass wall of which 9' can be opened to the outside (with a screen to keep the bugs out). I also liked the bed that faced the window, sometimes when we were sailing I would sit up in bed reading, and glance up periodically to watch the scenery going by. The Ama cabin had the twin balconies, the real one of which just seemed to cut into the cabin and the French balcony just ended up as a small alcove not really good for anything. The Avalon ship was much smaller, a total of only 18 cabins.

The food on Ama was amazing. I'm usually a fairly picky eater (although I do enjoy Chinese food). I found that there was enough choice that I never once resorted to ordering chicken (my go to protein at home) from the always available menu; the daily choices were wonderful. The dinners on Avalon were fairly good, but definitely not in the same league as Ama; the lunch buffet on Avalon was a real drag; I rarely found anything that I really liked. One thing to note was we had only 18 passengers on Avalon; that likely affected the amount of choice available, but even with a full complement of 36 passengers I'm not sure how much more choice there would be.

The staff on both were very helpful, but I have to give a shout out to the crew on the Avalon. I had hurt a knee and so I was using a cane for excursions. In many locations we moored well below the level of the road above, and the crew had to cut stairs into the sand in each location. Whenever I left the ship, there was always someone there to give me assistance up the slope, and then again to help me back down again.

Thank you that is exactly the information I need  are these the only 2 companies for Asian  cruises (although I understand they are the ones you took)

[gnome12]

7 hours ago, windsor26 said:

Thank you that is exactly the information I need  are these the only 2 companies for Asian  cruises (although I understand they are the ones you took)

I believe there are others. I’m pretty sure Scenic does the Mekong, but that is the only one I can think of. 

[Kristelle]

Scenic certainly does the Mekong - we are booked to go cruise with them next summer.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Kristelle
typo

[franski]

22 hours ago, windsor26 said:

Thank you that is exactly the information I need  are these the only 2 companies for Asian  cruises (although I understand they are the ones you took)

We did Vietnam & Cambodia with Emerald... and it was wonderful...

 

One thing that is different with Emerald is that the boat actually sails from Ho Chi Minh City.  Many (if not most) of the other lines bus you to My Tho for embarkation.  That part of the river - while not particularly scenic - is interesting as it is very much a working river. 

 

We loved our trip with Emerald.

 

Fran 

[windsor26]

24 minutes ago, franski said:

We did Vietnam & Cambodia with Emerald... and it was wonderful...

 

One thing that is different with Emerald is that the boat actually sails from Ho Chi Minh City.  Many (if not most) of the other lines bus you to My Tho for embarkation.  That part of the river - while not particularly scenic - is interesting as it is very much a working river. 

 

We loved our trip with Emerald.

 

Fran 

Thank you  All good information

[gnome12]

10 hours ago, franski said:

One thing that is different with Emerald is that the boat actually sails from Ho Chi Minh City.  Many (if not most) of the other lines bus you to My Tho for embarkation.  That part of the river - while not particularly scenic - is interesting as it is very much a working river.

Avalon also sails to HCMC. Ama does not.