Bangkok

[wripro]

Anyone know where the Spirit docks in Bangkok? Is it close to city center? Thanks.

[Bruther]

The Spirit docks about twenty minutes by shuttle transfer to downtown.

There is not much in the immediate vicinity but the taxi's are responsible and the shuttle bus goes about every hour.

[wripro]

Thanks Bruther. At least she doesn't dock three hours away like most other cruise lines.

[Keith1010]

Thanks Bruther. At least she doesn't dock three hours away like most other cruise lines.

 

You are fortunate with the docking location. Others are 90 minutes away.

 

Having been in Bangkok just a few months ago, if you do not do an excursion and are on your own, be sure to study up on the city and know exactly where you want to go if you want to see things on your own.

 

Once in the city, try to avoid relying on multiple taxis to go place to place. Many operate scams. There is a great sky train, very easy to use. Another option is to see the city by river boat. Very interesting.

 

If you get stopped from locals out of the blue on the street avoid conersations as some are up to no good.

 

Very interesting people. One on hand the nice people are some of the friendliest and most polite people you will ever meet. At the same time, there are others to be careful interacting with; eg., the ones who stop you on the street.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Keith,

 

Thanks for all your info and help. We have already been to Bangkok, spent a week there, so have seen all the sights. We have two days there including an overnight on our cruise so will use the time to revisit some things, wander around, do some shopping (without which no trip is complete!!!!) etc. I just wanted to be sure we didn't dock 90 minutes or two hours away or I would have booked a hotel and spent the night. With only a 20 minute shuttle ride we can easily go back and forth.

[Keith1010]

wripro, you are very welcome. One of the advantage of the triplets is the ability to many times dock in downtown or close to downtown aresa. I know that the drive to Bangkok from the regular pier is uneventful but long, so it's great that you avoid that plus you also avoid the need for a hotel.

 

Enjoy!!

 

Keith

[wripro]

Keith.

 

This is one of the main reasons I primarily cruise with Seabourn. (The four other reasons are food, service, food and service.) I remember in St. Petersburg sailing past the regular pier for cruise ships about an hour away from the city and docking directly at the English Embankment, a few blocks from the Hermitage.

[Chairsin]

We were in Bankok on Seabourn almost two years ago and it took us more than 20 minutes to get from the dock to where the Seabourn shuttle dropped us -- which was a big enclosed city shopping mall (in the heart of a very uninteresting, congested part of the city).And yes, while the shopping was good ( instead of the shopping mall where they drop you which has all of the same designer stores you find everywhere, go to the Paragon Centre a few blocks away and on the top floor are some wonderful shops with reasonably priced handcrafts and antiques. There is also an outlet of Jim Thompson -- very high quality silk merchandise.) From the shuttle drop off it was another 1/2 hour taxi ride to get to the historic area. It is not the distances but the terrible traffic -- about the worst I have ever seen. And in our case the shuttle only ran every hour. We just missed one and had to wait for almost an hour. Also, the days we were there the bus AC was not working. But we are lucky that because of the ships small size we could sail so far up the river.

[Keith1010]

Charsin,

 

My wife and I really liked Jim Thompson. Shopping is usually a very small part of our cruises as we mostly take advantage of the sites at each port, but this store was an exception for us.

 

We first heard about it from a woman who we have cruised with as my wife admired her silk purses.

 

This was a store that was great for both of us. I bought ties and bow ties. Some very unique patterns. The bow ties work great for formal nights. My wife bought several purses and a few other items. The purses are beautiful and perfect for packing.

 

While we found other Jim Thompson stores in other parts of Thailand and in Singapore (store right on the Raffles Property) the Jim Thompson stores we saw in Bangkok had by far the most merchandise.

 

Very good quality items at reasonable prices; even with the USA dollar being what it is right now.

 

Keith

[Chairsin]

Keith,

I must say that we also rarely spend time shopping when we travel, however, on this trip it was a major activity. Between Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Hong Kong we singlehandedly impacted the GNP of Southeast Asia.

 

At Jim Thompson while I was selecting a few lovely little cosmetic and travel bags my husband was perusing the ties. He found them to be quite exquisite( he likes the way a heavy woven tie ties). However, in the end he decided not to purchase any since he had recently retired and things in Tucson tend to more casual than in Washington, D.C.( where we previously lived ). To this day all he talks about is the tie that got away!!!Excuse me for generalizing, but MEN! The one bright spot is that we will have to take that Seabourn trip again (now that will be one expensive tie).

 

BTW, we also like the Khai silk shops in Saigon (oops, Ho Chi Minn City)and Hanoi( where the price for identical items were slightly less expensive than in HM City).

[wripro]

Has anyone used the overhead transit system? Is there a station anywhere near where the shuttle drops you off? It's probably a much quicker and more efficient way of getting around than taxi. It did not exist yet the last time I was in Bangkok.

[Keith1010]

Has anyone used the overhead transit system? Is there a station anywhere near where the shuttle drops you off? It's probably a much quicker and more efficient way of getting around than taxi. It did not exist yet the last time I was in Bangkok.

 

The overhead train is great. We actually took it to I believe the area that is near the shopping area that Chairsin has described from what I remember. The system was very easy to use. One of the better ones and in my opinion the best transportation available in Bangkok.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Thanks, Keith. We'll probably take the SB shuttle into town, then rely on the overhead train system for the rest.

[Chairsin]

Yes, the overhead rail system runs over the major road just in front of where you will be dropped by the Seabourn shuttle. We did not use it but it must be faster if it goes where you want and you have some baht.

[floridaphilly]

Hi Wripro,

Thanks for starting this thread. I guess it is not too soon to be thinking of the details for this trip. I'm on the Jan 3rd one which is sooner than yours. Does anyone else have any other good tips for shopping or transportation for the other ports. They would be Hanoi, Da Nang and Saigon. Are there any excursions that are outstanding and we should not miss.

Thanks

Phyllis

[Chairsin]

As I posted earlier, we rarely shop when we travel but this trip was the exception. Prices(two years ago) were great and overall quality was high. In Saigon, the shops along the main drag from the rex hotel toward the marketplace had wonderful items-- beautiful inlaid chopsticks, hand embrodiered silk purses( I was trying to decide between three lovely bags when finally my husband said for goodness sake dear buy all three -- they were $6 each!). As I said we also fell in love with Khai Silk -- one of the few shops that carried clothing that would fit us "amazon" people. I wear a womans size six and am 5'6" and most shops had me try on their super grande size only to find the fit was not right -- no such problem at Khai Silk.

 

Regarding tours, we found the trip to Hanoi worthwhile but very exhausting -- it is almost a three hour drive. Next time I go back, now that I have seen Hanoi, I would take one of the Halong Bay junk trips( definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world.)We are not big tour people so the only other tour we took was to Hue out of Da nang. That was a great tour(even in the rain) but many people went to Hoi An and loved that as well.

[wripro]

Hi Phyllis,

 

Nice to see your post. Please say hi to Ed, Mara and Harvey.

 

We plan to do private tours in all the Viet Nam ports. I like to be in control of where and when I go, especially in overnight situations. And with four of you it winds up cheaper as well.

[Keith1010]

Hi Wripro,

Thanks for starting this thread. I guess it is not too soon to be thinking of the details for this trip. I'm on the Jan 3rd one which is sooner than yours. Does anyone else have any other good tips for shopping or transportation for the other ports. They would be Hanoi, Da Nang and Saigon. Are there any excursions that are outstanding and we should not miss.

Thanks

Phyllis

 

Phyllis, you'll probably see the best buys for items in Vietnam. Saigon has lots of shops. You will find items of all sorts of quality and prices.

 

We visited most of the ports on your itinerary except Hanoi on a Crystal World Cruise earlier this year.

 

Lots to see in DaNang. You might want to consider the Ancient Hoi An excursion.

 

In Saigon, you should have lots of time to see the downtown sites and to also do shopping.

 

USA dollars will work well in Vietnam.

 

Are you on the 28 day voyage? If so, I see that includes Singapore. There is lots to see there. This is a city that with careful planning you can see sites on your own. They have an outstanding subway system. Very easy to use and one of the stops is adjacent to the cruise ship terminal. They have a wonderful Chinatown, lots of nice buildings in the main part of the city to see, even a little India. I think the voyage has one day here so much more to see than one could do in a day.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Keith,

 

I'm not sure about floridaphilly but I am on a 22 day voyage which begins in Singapore and ends in Shanghai. We'll be spending a few days in Singapore pre cruise and a few post in Shanghai, so plenty of time to sightsee even though we've been to Shanghai before. I'm very much looking forward to this trip.

[Keith1010]

wripro, we really enjoyed Singapore. It's very easy to get around (the subway was wonderful), and there is a lot to see there. Lots of interesting buildings in the main downtown area. A very safe place. And, of course very clean.

 

Keith

[Chairsin]

Something you may want to consider if you have not been there before. We flew into Singapore a few days before the cruise and then flew to Siem Reip to visit Angkor Wat/ect. We had arranged in advance for a two day private tour and stayed at L' Residence( much more charm than other Siem Reip hotels.) Our guide picked us up at the airport and drove us back the next day.We ended up seeing much more and with our own guide were able to spend more time at all of the ruins/temples. And as a bonus, in the end it ended costing less than half had we done it with Seabourn mid cruise( not to mention that we would have missed two days of the cruise!)

[wripro]

Keith,

 

I am very much looking forward to seeing Singapore and especially trying the street food from Hawker Centers.

[floridaphilly]

Thank you to all for sharing their experiences. Alas, but I am only on the 14 trip although we are adding extra days in both Singapore and Hong Kong. Are there any specific private guides to be recommended in Vietnam?

Phyllis

[wripro]

Phyllis,

 

Try Tony at TONY-ANN TOURS, email is tony@anntours.com. Tell him what your dates are and exactly what you want. He'll get back to you with an itinerary and cost.

[wripro]

Chairsin,

 

Thanks for your recommendation re: Angor Wat. I am seriously considering that if I can get away a couple of days earlier. As it is we will be gone over a month so still trying to work it all out.