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Asia Cruise ?

Moonglow

By Moonglow,
in Oceania Cruises

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Moonglow

Moonglow

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We are considering doing the Asia cruise, Bangkok to Bejing with a cruise tour add-on or a private tour in China. If anyone has done this cruise or the ships cruise tour can you comment on it. We have never sailed on Oceania and I know the reviews of the ships experiences are good but I am more interested in how you liked the ports with Oceania and the cruise as a whole. Thanks for any insight.

Carol

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digby

digby

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We did the Beijing to Hong Kong cruise a couple of years ago. It was one of the best cruises we had ever taken. The ship and ports were wonderful. We spent 5 days in Beijing and 2 days in Hong Kong on our own.

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doggylover

doggylover

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Hello All:

 

Here are my comments regarding the Feb. 29 cruise aboard the Nautica.

Comments today from Bangkok to Hanoi.

 

We went to Bangkok via our own air and arrived late the night of the 26th of Feb. We stayed at a very small hip hotel called Siam by Siam Design. The rate was 130.00 per night with breakfast. The rooms were very cool, cement glazed floors, very cool Spa, loads of Thai wood, steel, etc. Rooftop pool, small, free internet, nice breakfast. It was one block from the Jim Thompson house, one block to the skytrain snd a ten minute walk to three good shopping centers with loads of places to dine.

We took the skytrain to the pier and boarded the water taxi to all the major sights, Grand Palace, etc.

At the airport we hired a taxi outside and it was $14.00 to the hotel. We also hired a taxi to the pier in Bangkok which is located about 15 minutes outside the city., the cost was about 6.00 but we agreed to give the driver $15.00 because many of them did not know the pier area.

Most of the passengers stayed at the Peninsula or other waterfront hotels. The setting by the water is lovely and the hotels such as the Oriental are just beautiful .

The ship stayed in Bangkok for another day and half which will give you time to see additional sights or take one of the many tours offered by the cruise line.

 

 

We sailed on the Nautica the year prior from Istanbul to Singapore for 25 days . We found the service and food to be excellent but missed Pascal the head chef from the last cruise.

 

The ship sailed to Ko Samui for a day. We walked to town and found a car rental agency and hired a car and driver for the day for $45.00. He took us to all the major sights. If you are interested in his name please let me know. He is an excellent driver.

 

We then sailed for Ho Chin Minh City for two days. You can grab a taxi and head into town for a few dollars. You can walk to all the major sights or hire a pedi-cab driver to take you around to each sight. There are millions of motor bikes and very few lights to cross the streets so be careful. My husband did not want to see too many war sights so we also toured the art galleries. I also hired a van for Hoi An in Ho Chi Minh and arranged to be picked up at the pier which they state is DaNang. We did not dock in DaNang, we docked in Chan Mai which is quite a distance to DaNang and HoiAn. I gathered a small group to share the cost of the van . We had only one problem, there are three gates to the pier and our driver was at the outside third gate and we had some difficulty connecting. I think the driver has to pay off the security guard in order to enter the pier. This pier is so remote . So if you do your own tours be sure to have them state which gate .

We went over the mountains which is very scenic to HoiAn and also took the same road back. I would have the driver use the tunnel road one way and do the mt. road for the great views, but it can be nerve wrecking at times as you twist and turn.

HoiAn was interesting but not what I expected.

 

The next stop was Ha Long Bay. This area is very very beautiful. If you want to see the water puppet show at night you can grab a cab and go on our own to the city and pay about 16.00 . We did the tour of Ha Long Bay with the ship here for 74.00 per person which is not worth the cost. You can grab a cab and go onto the boat for about 10.00 per person for the same cruise. This tour is a must , very very lovely.

The following day we also went with the cruise line tour for the day to Hanoi. It is a 3 1/2 hour ride or longer each way. There were 11 buses and it was sad since our bus was old and the shocks were not good so we had 8 hours of bouncing around and banging. We also had a guide who knew zero about the country and most of the sights so we were unhappy with the tour at $189.00 per person for the day. Most of the people misssed the Ha Long Bay tour and opted for the overnight with the cruise line or made private arrangements. I found the Hanoi Hilton to be interesting and worth the trip

I would recommend to hire Thi -Smile Tours and make private arrangements for all the tours in Vietnam. If you can get up a small group

the cost will be moderate and you will see much more of the country. Vietnam is not an easy place to visit and the roads and conditions are not good. There were several passengers that hooked up on the cruise critic site or yahoo site and did all the tours together and were thrilled with the services in each country. I will continue writing more details tomorrow regarding this cruise.

Doggylover

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lahore

lahore

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We were on the same Beijing to HK as Digby and loved it too. A fabulous mixture of cultures with really great ports. We did everything independently so can't comment on Oceania's tours either land-based or ships' tours. We had a superb time and as a result the following year took Rome to Singapore, also fabulous.

 

Hi again Digby!

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Nana4x

Nana4x

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We are booked for 2009 Feb on the Bangkok to Bejing cruise aboard Nautica.

 

I have already been in correspondence with some one who sailed in 2008 and she has provided much valuable information.

 

We are looking for up to 3 couples to join us in sharing Private Tours for 5 days in Viet Nam.

The price in less then $600 and includes an overnight in Hanoi.

We will have a guide, driver one breakfast and four lunches.

 

If you are booked and wish to discuss sharing tours write to me at

info@thepurplesage.com

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Nana4x

Nana4x

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We were on the same Beijing to HK as Digby and loved it too. A fabulous mixture of cultures with really great ports. We did everything independently so can't comment on Oceania's tours either land-based or ships' tours. We had a superb time and as a result the following year took Rome to Singapore, also fabulous.

 

Hi Lahore,

 

If you have web sites for independent tour operators in these ports can you please share. I am just now starting to find out what is out there.

You can post to the board and or email me -- info@thepurplesage.com

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doggylover

doggylover

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Hong Kong to Beijing

 

The ship docked at the Star Ferry building in HK which is an ideal location.

The ferry system to HK and the outer islands are just steps away from the ferry building. All seniors can ride the ferry system free, there is a line to the left and is states seniors written on the ground as you enter the toll booth areas.

We spent two days touring the hK side and the Hollywood, SoHo area which is filled with great art galleries, and neat boutiques.

Since our dollar is weak everywhere the only place with good prices is in Vietnam if you like to shop.

Grab a window seat in the dining room aboard the Nautica in HK and you will enjoy the laser light show over the buildings and a view to remember.

You will love HK because of where the ship docks and the views. This was a real highlight of the cruise for us.

 

Taiwan

 

The ship pulls into Keelung. When you leave the port it is a ten minute walk to the train station and you can take the train into Tapei. (1 hr) The subway system connects to various sights in the city If you want to visit the museum which hold the most Chinese artifacts in all of Asia I would recommend to do this first thing as there is only 8 hours in this port. You can take a cab from the train station of take the subway and then a cab. We walked the city first for several hours and did other sights to include the 101 building which is the highest in the world. Time did not permit us to see the museum . The train is only 5.00 round trip and the subway is about a dollar. Many of the memorial sites are at no charge and it costs 14.00 each to take the elevator to the 101st floor of the 101 building. Very interesting and you can do an audio tour.

 

Kagoshina

 

We just loved Japan. Very interesting stop. Easy to see on your own. There is a sightseeing bus at the main train station area in town and for a day pass of5.00 you can go everywhere. We found the gardens to be beautiful.

The area is famous for it noodles dishes and we found a great spot about three blocks from the train station. Cabs run sabout 20.00 each way from the ship into town.

 

Nagasaki

Once again very easy to find your way around the area. You can walk to the streetcar line from the port and go to the Peace Park, Museum for the day.

 

The ship is docked close to other major sights.

 

Shanghai

There is massive construction in Shanghai . We hired a car and driver for the first day to take us around the city. W spent alot of time in traffic and it is best to take a cab to the sights that interest you. Cabs are very inexpensive but it takes time to move around to each area. We enjoyed the museum, the Yu Yuan Garden, the Buddah, Bund , Pearl Market and Jewish Quarters. You can walk to the Jewish Quarters from the ship. Give yourself ample time to return to the ship the second day because the cabs have to go around so many blocks to reach the pier. Shangahi has 15 million people and 8 million cars.

 

Seoul

The ship docks at Inchon which is a city of 2 1/2 million. (1 hour to Seoul) We started out to the train station but ended up spending the day in Inchon since it was the weekend and we thought Seoul would be a madhouse. Inchon has a chinatown area which they are renovating and is very charming. You can visit McArthur Park on this side and visit a little museum with the history of the city. You can walk underground to thousands of stores if you would like to shop. I heard the DMV was great and the place to visit.

 

Beijing

 

The ship docks at Tiajin . We made our own arrangement with AEBeijing Tours, DO NOT USE THIS TOUR OPERATOR. HE DOES NOT PROVIDE YOU WITH WHAT IS PROMISED.

The port is 3 hours from Beijing. He sent an old cab which did not hold all our luggage and we had to stuff part of it in the back with us. The guide was not interested in her job . After we arrived at the hotel we checked in and the guide came back to take us to the Forbidden City, etc. for the day.

At the end of the day I called Eric to tell him I was not happy with the guide.

I also told him he agreed to have a car or van to hold four passengers

because we planned on visiting the wall the second day with another couple., He said he never agreed to this even though I had his email with me stating he would provide a car for 4. He also told me I was responsible for paying for the guides entrance fees which was not true. I sent him at least five other couples who booked his services on board the cruise . We ended up having strong words between when I asked him to discount the tour price for failure to provide me with a decent guide, a larger car and refund for paying for the guides entrance fees to sights. He went ballastic and made very strong anti-semetic remarks . So I urge sanyone to be very careful of this tour company. A -stands for Anne and E for Eric. In addition the cab had a flat the second day and we wasted time while he tried to find places to get it fixed.

The sights are just great in Beijing. The wall is wonderful but go early as it is packed . The forbidden city, Tinamen Sq, Summer Palace and the new stadium are all great sights.

All the hotels can arrange a car and driver for about 100-130.00 for the day in Beijing.

We stayed at the Park Plaza, connected to the Regency Hotel. Great location. Great Hotel and just $150.00 per night.

You can grab a cab to the airport for $20.00. The new terminal is very efficient.

We stayed two nights but three would have been ideal. We flew Jal which

has great service and very efficient.

I became very ill aboard the plane and JAL did every possible thing to keep me comfortable.

This is a great cruise and very port intensive. If you are an independent traveler it is necessary to be well organized as there is logistics from the ports to the trains to the subways, etc. in many cities. Also, the cities and sights are very busy and the sheer numbers of people, cars, motorbikes can startle your senses. This is a great way to see many countries.

Many of the passengers went to Camboia prior to the cruise which they loved.

Hope this information helps others taking the cruise in 2009. If you have any questions I will be happy to assist you.

Doggylover

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  • 6 months later...
eabrams

eabrams

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We used laoli@tour-bejing.com for our transfer to Bejing

 

They also do transfers for Expedia

 

Very nice 8 seater vehicle , excellent driver and guide who were waiting for us at peir and arrived in Bejing in record time ........highly recomend

Hello, I read your message about a tour guide in Beijing, and I have sent an email to him. Can you recommend any other guides for us on the Bangkok to Beijing Oceania cruise?

 

Elaine EA43@aol.com

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eabrams

eabrams

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We were on the same Beijing to HK as Digby and loved it too. A fabulous mixture of cultures with really great ports. We did everything independently so can't comment on Oceania's tours either land-based or ships' tours. We had a superb time and as a result the following year took Rome to Singapore, also fabulous.

 

Hi again Digby!

We are interested in private guides on the same cruise you sailed on this 2/23/09. Please email me any information that would be of help.

 

Elaine A

EA43@aol.com

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  • 3 months later...
campladyivy

campladyivy

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We have already booked post crusie 2/27-3/23 on Nautica, tour with Odessey China Tours - they seem very efficient answering emails, etc and had good reveiws with Trip Advisor. 5 days beijing and Xian including air and all transfers, meals. There are 8 of us. Hope to see some of you on board. My name is Sandy

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  • 2 weeks later...
2kiwis

2kiwis

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Hello All:

 

 

The ship sailed to Ko Samui for a day. We walked to town and found a car rental agency and hired a car and driver for the day for $45.00. He took us to all the major sights. If you are interested in his name please let me know. He is an excellent driver.

 

 

We are doing this cruise 2010 and would be interested in your drivers name

Cheers

:):)

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  • 5 weeks later...

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