Spirit-Hong Kong to Dubai

[English Voyager]

With ports of call predominantly in Vietnam,Thailand,and India,this looks a fabulous itinerary.
Does anyone have experience of this cruise?
I look forward to any comments.

[wynkys]

I am booked on the 2007 voyage and it will be my first time on Seabourn.
In 2004 I was on Silver Shadow Cairns to Singapore but the only common port visited was Ho Chi Minh City. We overnighted there and it made me want to see more of Vietnam. We cruised the length of the river from Vung Tau and berthed right downtown. We passed Seven Seas Voyager on the river and because of its size it had to berth some considerable distance out-another advantage of being on a small ship.
I last visited Colombo and Mumbai (then Bombay) fifty four years ago while travelling with my mother and grandparents on P&O's Stratheden to England and still have vivid memories of the beggars in Bombay surrounding the tour bus with (we were told) deliberately disfigured children seeking our sympathy and money.
It certainly is an interesting itinerary overall and I am eagerly looking forward to it.

Wayne

[lord of the seas]

I last visited Colombo and Mumbai (then Bombay) fifty four years ago while travelling with my mother and grandparents on P&O's Stratheden to England and still have vivid memories of the beggars in Bombay surrounding the tour bus with (we were told) deliberately disfigured children seeking our sympathy and money.


Wayne

Wayne,
It looks like they boarded the Stratheden with you.

I have just met them,they now ply their trade outside Harrods

[dd@sea]

English Voyager,
We were on the Spirit 3 years ago from Hong Kong to Mumbai. It was a wonderful trip, although it had to be stopped at Mumbai due to SARS and the Iraq War. We did a pre cruise stay in Hong Kong and enjoyed our stay there once again, with the exception of the outbreak of a 'bad flu' - which by our departure time was diagnosed as SARS.

Vietnam was delightful! All aspects. In Hanoi, we took the tour to the Tomb, the Gardens, the city and the 'Hanoi Hilton'. Crossing the street is truly a learning experience! Some took the plane from the docking station and others took the bus tour in. If you could have plane going and bus return that would be ideal - as the countryside is beautiful and the flavor transportation - motor scooters with live stock tied on etc - is most interesting. A vist to Hue, Hoi An, a private home and a school was a delight too. Da Nang was a good port to make a tour to China Beach etc.
Two days in Saigon - HCM, was perfect for touring the tunnels and a city tour.

In Bangkok, many went to Cambodial for an overnight excursion and raved about it. We chose to take a wonderful tour to River Kwai which included visits to: the old primitive, but interesting museum, the new outstanding museum, a speed boat ride up the river, the moving cementary to honor the fallen from the United kingdom and Australia, an elephant ride (what fun) at an Elephant Camp. A looooong day but truly enjoyable.

If one of your stops, allows you to see the Taj in Agra- definitely do it!

Weather was warm and humid but Seabourn's excellent service had bottled water everytime.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask. We loved it and of course Seabourn! Now we have a Seabourn scheduled from Dubai to Alexandria that will allow us to continue our adventure in that area.

[Sea-hawk]

We too did part of this cruise the year of SARS. Started in Singapore, ended in Hong Kong. It was one of the best vacations we've every had.

Having been to Bangkok, we opted for the side trip to Angkor Wat. Incredible.

The beach party at Ko Kood was just what the doctor ordered. Beautiful beach, with all the Seabourn trimmings.

Sailing up into Ho Chi Minh City and docking right in town was perfect. We had a private guide for both days and managed to see the tunnels, town and museum on one day and a Mekong delta tour, mostly by private boat through the smaller channels the second day.

We had a day in Danang, and again had a private car and guide and spent the morning in Hue. The drive was beautiful, along the coast and through quite a few towns. In the afternoon we made it to Hoi An. We actually liked it better than Hue. It was quaint, and not crowded. We purchased a few paintings, and also had some marble shipped home.

The afternoon cruising Ha Long Bay was magical. While most of our fellow cruisers lined the top deck, a few of us had caviar, champaign and enjoyed a special party around the hot tub on the bow of the ship.

Although Hanoi is a bit of a drive from the port, our guide planned a great day and we were able to see all that DD@sea described, but the highlight was that each of us were driven in one of those tri-wheeled vehicles around the winding narrow streets getting a street level view of life. Each street was named after what was sold there. (A whole street of shops that sell only silver, or bamboo baskets, or tin goods.) Try to see Uncle Ho. Got to admit, he looked a lot better than some of the other corpses we've seen like Mao, or Tito. By the way, we were offered(for a price) a ride back to the ship on a Russian helicopter to make for more time touring. There were a handful of people who did this and were not disappointed.

We ate a place called "Cha Ca La Vong". Cold rice noodles, chile, peanuts and the best fried fish cooked over a clay brazier on your table with fresh dill. One of the best meals we've ever had.

Hope this helps.

Sea-hawk.

[English Voyager]

dd@sea,and Sea-hawk,
thank you very much for all the helpful advice,and information.
We have in fact taken the plunge,and booked this cruise.
We now have to be patient until March 07!