Best Cruise Line for Asia???

[stacyb44]

Hi, I am new to the boards. I am very interested to know what cruise line and/or itinerary you think is best for an approximately two week cruise to Asia. I was looking at the Diamond Princess, but would like to get some advice before booking. Thanks in advance!

[stacyb44]

I know a lot of people on this board have been to Asia, and I have a hard time believing no one has an opinion on a cruise line that they have been on.

[seapenarth]

I know a lot of people on this board have been to Asia, and I have a hard time believing no one has an opinion on a cruise line that they have been on.

 

Seabourn. Singapore to Hong Kong including Thailand and Viet Nam. Magic :D

[Donna_In_India]

Hi - I think many of the people who have cruised to Asia have done so as part of a longer around the world type trip. Although I have not sailed to Asia yet, I have been on RCI, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, etc. I would say that in choosing a cruise line, the most important thing is the itinerary. You can then check the demographics of a particular line - some are geared to younger people, some older, some family - to help you decide which may be right for you. I have enjoyed all of my cruises - Celebrity has probably been my favorite line. Since I live in Asia, I have been waiting for cruises in this area. There are some other lines such as Star but after some research I found that this doesn't look like it compares to the others I mentioned. If you have any cruise lines that you are considering, try posting a question in those forums.

 

I was also looking at Asian cruises and the ones I liked included stops in Viet Nam and Cambodia and China. I have been to Singapore and Hong Kong so I'm not interested in those places. I also don't want the cruises that go to Japan. There don't really seem to be that many choices, so decide what you want to see.

 

It's also possible that many people who cruise Asia are foreigners who don't frequent these boards.

 

Happy Cruising!

[G.M.T.]

Hi, I am new to the boards. I am very interested to know what cruise line and/or itinerary you think is best for an approximately two week cruise to Asia. I was looking at the Diamond Princess, but would like to get some advice before booking. Thanks in advance!

Asia is a BIG BIG place, so it would be best to narrow down your options such as:

Northern Asia - China, Korea, Japan

 

Middle Asia - Hong Kong, Philippines, Sabah,

Brunei, Sinagpore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South China

 

Southern Asia - Singapore, Indonesia (Bali), Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma

 

Indian Sub-Continent - India, Sri Lanka, Maldives

 

Middle East (yes that is also Asia), Dubai, Oman, Read Sea.

 

You have two ways to go, pick a route and try and find the best match or pick a ship and try and find the best itinerary that fits. With a bit of luck both might fit.

 

Whatever you decide, have a good cruise.

 

Ron

[montelco]

I know a lot of people on this board have been to Asia, and I have a hard time believing no one has an opinion on a cruise line that they have been on.

It really depends what sort of experience you want. We loved the Strait of Malacca tour with the Superstarship Virgo which left from Singapore up to Phuket with stops at Penang, KL etc.

The Superstarship Gemini is smaller but can get right into the heart of places like Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It is older but quite cosy. The Virgo is more luxurious and everything including the gym and tips is included in cost. It has one floor dedicated to kids including their own pool.

 

The Sapphire Princess goes to some interesting places from Beijing to Hong Kong but is much bigger and has to berth a fair way out from places. You need to pay tips on top of your cruise fare which is about $11 a day plus pay for gym. Ship is beautiful, but it really wasn't our cup of tea with art auctions etc but some people love it.

 

So overall, you really do need to check what is available, what your budget is and when and where you want to go, but whichever ship you choose to cruise with, you will find Asia a fascinating place! Enjoy.

[simonv]

"The best" depends on your budget. Some can be happy on Princess while other want more upscale experience The best - Silversea or Seabourn might cost more than you want to spend. You need to be more specific.

[Jack1]

WE just booked the Ocean Princess for march 2010. Wanted the smaller ship feel rather than the larger experience of the Diamond Princess.

[realproperty]

I think a lot depends on your priorities: do you want to cruise or do you want to have good transportation and accommodation between cities that you want to see. The latter was our priority since we wanted to see Singapore, Hong Kong, Saigon, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Taipei and also spend a few days in Bankgkok and Beijing at the beginning and end. The itinerary was the priority, the ship was secondary. The Diamond Princess is very big and so some ports are a bit awkward for getting in and out of cities but we had full days in all of the ports regardless of the inconvenience of shuttles. As for the amenities aboard, Princess is Princess and is all things to all people--not too fancy, adequate food, boring middle of the road entertainment, great gym, good accommodation--a floating hotel that got us from A-B with a minimum of hassle. If on the other hand, you are looking for a cruise experience and the ports are secondary, then pick and choose based on your budget. By the way, our cruise was quite international in demography--apparently 37 different countries represented--quite an interesting change from what we have been used to, even on our European cruises.

[mtlcruiser10]

we did the rccl rapshody last january 2008 ship was just ok but we went for port of call a lot of vietnam we did , hong kong , halong bay (hanoi) , danang (hoian) ,nha trang , vung tau (saigon ), bangkok , cambodia , and singapore very nice and would go again any time . either the ship or the port of call is the choice and the time in the port as well is a factor i think

 

good luck in your search

p.s sorry for my english (we are french canadian )

[morrisg]

My wife and I will be doing a cruise on the Diamond Princess Feb.2009, leaving from Sydney to Bangkok.I would like some advice on getting transportation from ship in Bangkok to city and any recommendations on hotels.-------Jerry

[Bahama Kid]

We always pick a smaller ship - less than 60,000 tons. It's much nicer to dock at Ocean Terminal rather than the container dock in Hong Kong. Or, to dock practically in downtown Shanghai rather than miles away in the boondocks because the ship cannot make it under the bridges.

[doggylover]

We sailed on the Nautica , 24 days around Asia.with Oceania cruises because we like the small scale ships, 680 passengers, excellent service and food..

If I had the trip to do over I would fly early to Thailand, go to Ankor Wat, see Bangkok, and then board the ship. At the end I would stay longer in Beijing and fly to Xian. We only added on 5 days which was not enough time to do all of the above.

[camNaud]

We sailed in The Far East with Costa on The Allegra last year (Hong Kong, Manilla, Kota Kinabalu, Brunei, Singapore, Saigon, Da Nang, and Sanya). The ship was far from being the best cruising experience ever - however this was offset by the magnificent ports we visited.

 

The ship itself was older and smaller than previous ships we had sailed upon. The plus point of the smaller ship was the fact we were able to sail right up the Saigon River in to the heart of the city. The larger cruise ships have to dock as Vung Tua which is a 2 hour drive away from Saigon.

 

We were up on deck from first light (5 am) to experience the sights and sounds of Vietnam - the sail back down river later that day was also excellent - overall one the best cruising days we have enjoyed.

[Goldryder]

Thoroughly enjoyed Costa Allegra in the Far East last year, she is being replaced by Costa Romantica next year and is already running with Costa Classica now out there.

 

Classica had a few iffy moments when she first arrived but seems to have got into her stride now.

 

Both ships offer superb itineraries that do not break the bank. Older and smaller than Princess but less expensive too and Classica, Allegra & Romantica can all get up the Vung Tao river into the heart of Saigon, where Princess & RCI cannot...and that in itself is just one reason, I feel, for going with Costa to the region.

 

Even managed to convince my TA to go, he is off there next month aboard Allegra doing the same cruise I did last year :)

[Jade13]

We picked Azamara Quest after HAL pulled Rotterdam out of Asia. The itinerary is Hong Kong to Singapore or the reverse. They have two slightly different itineraries for next year. One has a stop in Cambodia and the other does not but the other one goes to Halong Bay in Vietnam and the one that goes to Cambodia doesn't go there. Both have overnights in the beginning and end of the cruise and in Bangkok.

[MVPinBoynton]

We also are doing the Azamara Quest to SE Asia in February. We have been on the Tahitian Princess, which is a sister ship to the Quest and loved it. A 30,000 ton ship will get into places the larger ones can't. We are also looking forward to what is supposed to be a more premium line at prices that are very reasonable right now.

[retiring soon]

HI! We did the 14 day RCI Legend of the Sea cruise from Shanghai to Singapore on April 24/09. The ship was a nice size so could dock at the Ocean Terminal in Hong Kong. We stopped at Xiamen, Sanya, HK (overnight), 3 places in Viet Nam, Laem Chabang (overnight), Cambodia & Singapore. It was an amazing cruise & I would do it again except for the long flight required to get there!!

We did a 14 day land trip before the cruise so got to see the China sights

too as I didn't think we'd ever go back.

~Jo~ :)