Is Asia safe to cruise to?

I became excited exploring the Asia boards and had decided to plan a trip....until I read the thread about the kidnapping at a marina resort in the Philippines. Are there areas to avoid/safer areas?

Safer than many other parts of the world.

So sad....I'm a NYer, so relatively fearless, but that kidnapping article scared me!

Like everywhere including the USA there are safe areas and some areas to avoid.

Most cruise ships have avoided Philippines over the years though.

Most go to other areas and where there are concerns some lines drop those areas.

Same as anywhere.

We love sailing Asia.

And Asia is a very large and diverse continent so don't let this issue scare you off. Should people not visit the USA because of problems in certain sections of Chicago?

Keith

I became excited exploring the Asia boards and had decided to plan a trip....until I read the thread about the kidnapping at a marina resort in the Philippines. Are there areas to avoid/safer areas?

Asia is a huge continent with lots of safe areas, too numerous to list. Many are much safer than the United States.

Most ships avoid the Philippines, for safety reasons.

However, we have cruised to Puerto Princesa before and it was fine. The place was rustic and beautiful - http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/2013/10/puerto-princesa-palawan-philippines.html

The advantage of going on a cruise ship is that you won't be staying overnight onshore.

So overall, I think it is very safe, to CRUISE in Asia. However, staying in some places may not be that safe.

Come, sail out of Singapore!

Popular Asian ports in Japan, China & Vietnam are relatively safe and on par with the Americas, travel & sightseeing with the usual urban street smarts and common sense cautions. The ship themselves are a relatively safe haven for the passengers & crews alike.

Stepping foot on dry land into the ports & beyond on tours, that will change the odds and expose one to more risks & unknown - think of the recent Thai bombing outside the temple, where many tourists visit on a daily basis (and, they still do & had returned, with increased law enforcement presence). There isn't much we can do against these "lone wolf" attacks with zero warnings & intel coming from the authorities - domestic threats here in the US are of equal concerns, yet we go about our daily lives ... don't we. If you see something, say something - and, get out of harm's way as best you can.

We just spend a week in South Korea (not cruising, but land-based) and visited 2 resort area - with fully armed military troops on the move in the border towns & villages on the countryside, doing patrol and directing road traffic, and, armoured tank/troop carrier columns rolling down city streets doing "routine" drills - right up to the 38th parallel or DMZ and the East Sea ... a little unnerving, but we felt safe enough to not hide in our hotel room. Local residents go about their every daily lives, business as usual - odd enough, we didn't see a heavy or militarized police presence in the shopping malls or in the subways (unlike NYC in the past week or so ...)

Plan & go with an open mind and get travel insurance - change plans, and, worst case situation, duck & cover.

As for those hostages, (from latest news feed:) authorities apparently knew where they are taken to & being held - one can pray that a solution can be worked out & they can come "home" to see their loved ones. Now, I don't have much faith in the Philippine police/SWAT team's proficiencies in doing hostage rescues, as they failed miserably not too long ago when a busload of H.K. tourists were taken - a non-violent ending is much preferred and better for all parties.

Great dialogue! Thanks MK and all others!

I became excited exploring the Asia boards and had decided to plan a trip....until I read the thread about the kidnapping at a marina resort in the Philippines. Are there areas to avoid/safer areas?

The incident in the Philippines was on the southern island of Mindinao, which has a large contingent of Muslim separatists. It doesn't mean that the entire country is unsafe.

I think that Asia in general is very safe, especially places like Korea, China, Japan and Singapore. All those countries have excellent law enforcement and rather low crime rates.

There are terrorist incidents in Indonesia and Philippines, as well as SW Asia, which is a totally different situation. Still, we were on a cruise that stopped in India, Oman and UAE. Oman and UAE are nothing like other countries in that region.

India is a relatively poor country and I am sure there are places there you should not be found, but we felt very safe in the four SW ports that we visited.

Singapore and Japan are safer than Oregon in the United States. I don't know about the other countries yet.

Hello all,

My long time dream was to visit Vietnam after working with Vietnamese people. My DH had to be persuaded big time. I started talking about cruising Asia so it would be safe and we not get sick with rare diseases... It took a while and he agreed. I then pushed my luck and stated we might never go back to Asia so we should do a pre-cruise. As we were doing a B2B: Hong Kong to Singapore & Singapore to Singapore (through Malaysia and Myanmar), we would see a lot in 28 days but I was afraid we would not have enough time in some of the big cities. My DH agreed in my planning of our pre-cruise of visiting Bangkong for 5 nights, flying to Siem Riep (3 nights), flying to Saigon (3 nights) and finally flying to Hong Kong (4 nights). Finally, I pushed my luck even more! I started talking about a post-cruise: Bali for 4 weeks. Remember, I told DH we would likely never go back to Asia so we had to see everything as much as possible. He again agreed...

Well, it was a trip of a lifetime. We NEVER felt afraid or in danger. We never got sick by eating different food in small local restaurants. My DH was in awe. We are so glad we did the pre-cruise. Siem Reap HAS to be seen. Three days is just the perfect amount of time. You might not know but Siem Reap is located in the middle of Cambodia and the port of call (Sihanoukville) is far away. You would need to fly and leave the ship for few days... As well, you can not visit Saigon for only a day, it would be a shame. Three days would be a minimum. And Hong Kong is a great city, I would suggest a minimum of 4 nights.

Our post-cruise in Bali was as exciting as our pre-cruise and our cruise. We spent a week in Ubud and it was magical. Dewa, a young man from Ubud, made all the difference by guiding/driving us around for 3-4 days...

Our Asian trip was outstanding. Totally different than Europe but as educational in a different way. Don't be afraid of travelling almost anywhere in the world. Just keep your smart, don't be out late at night and stay in busy area. Remember, crimes happen everywhere. Even when taking all precautions, bad things can happen anywhere. Freak accidents happen as well anywhere... You get the message... Don't let fear hold you back.

Our favorites were: 1-) Saigon 2-) Ubud (Bali) 3-) Siem Reap 4-) Myanmar 5-) Da Nang/ Nha Trand (Vietnam) 6-) Ko Samui 7-) Hong Kong (DW) and Singapore (DH)

Malaysia was not a country that delighted us.

I booked everything myself, hotels, flights & cruise. We stayed in basic but clean hotels in Bangkok, Siem Reap, Saigon and Ubud. It was by far way more interesting than the bigger hotels we stayed in Hong Kong, Singapore and Seminyak (Bali). Don't be afraid and push yourself...

We hope you visit Asia!

The Canadians!:D

We've done a land only tour in China...Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai and a recent (March) cruise from Singapore-Shanghai...porting in HCM (Saigon), Hong Kong, Xiamen and then spending a week post cruise in Shanghai...AMAZING wonderful Asia...Singapore in particular was probably the safest city we've ever been in.

Book Asia you'll be so glad you did !!!

I'm enchanted! But I'm also a solo female traveler. Perhaps if I share this thread with some friends I can convince them to join me. A dear friend LOVED Vietnam when traveling with her husband. It's what first got me interested. I hope this thread goes on forever! I love reading your comments and suggestions.

As a solo cruiser just take the ship's excursions. You won't be alone! One of my neighbors is a single woman. She travels with Overseas Adventure Travel all over the world. It's not a cruise line and I guess they don't have a singles supplement. She loved Laos (land trip).

For solo female travelers I would prefer an organized group tour for added safety.

Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and big cities in China would be good for first time travelers to Asia.

I'm enchanted! But I'm also a solo female traveler. Perhaps if I share this thread with some friends I can convince them to join me. A dear friend LOVED Vietnam when traveling with her husband. It's what first got me interested. I hope this thread goes on forever! I love reading your comments and suggestions.

Hello Mrobstad,

Even though you are a solo female traveler, I would not let this stop me from travelling. However, I understand that cruising alone can be very expensive as you still have to pay for double occupancy. If money is not an issue then cruising is the easiest way to experience Asia.

If you are on a budget (like almost all of us on this site), here are three of my suggestions

1-) Visit Vietnam with a small organized group. I have met a wonderful man from Da Nang/Hoi An that could help you out. I organized a tour for myself and a few others when we were on our cruise. It ended up that 47 cruisers used his services and his staff. When I found him, he was not on Tripadvisor and now he is #16/118. I am sure he would help you visiting all Vietnam (or a portion) by guiding you. Or you could join more expensive North American/European companies mentioned on ************* under "Escorted Tours". Your Vietnam holiday could be anywhere from 7 days to 30 days.

2-) Visit Bali. This is a very easy vacation to plan. It is very safe as well. Again, I can share with you the email of our driver Dewa if you wish. Just leave your email on a post... Bali's way of life will blow your socks off! The rice fields are a gift for the eyes. I just don't have the words to explain how wonderful our time in Bali was. Dewa became a dear friend to us. His passion for his country and his religion was addictive. Their community is really important for them and they are selfless people. Everyday, he would give us all he got; his passion for his work. So it was easy to become close friend. After 7 days, he drove us from Ubud to Seminyak (60 min). We thought, we would not see Dewa anymore. We were wrong! My DH became seriously ill and almost died! He spent 2 weeks at the international hospital. I emailed Dewa to let him know what was happening... Who did we see at the hospital? Dewa. He drove twice an hour away to visit DH. And he felt bad he could not come more often! We were blown away by his generosity and care.

3-) If you are going to fly so far away, then visit Vietnam (a tour) for 2 weeks and then Bali for another 2 weeks.

If you wait after others to fulfill your dreams, you might wait a long time!

Good luck. Again, if you need more info, leave your email address and I will reply personally to you.

The Canadians!:D

Hello all,

My long time dream was to visit Vietnam after working with Vietnamese people. My DH had to be persuaded big time. I started talking about cruising Asia so it would be safe and we not get sick with rare diseases... It took a while and he agreed. I then pushed my luck and stated we might never go back to Asia so we should do a pre-cruise. As we were doing a B2B: Hong Kong to Singapore & Singapore to Singapore (through Malaysia and Myanmar), we would see a lot in 28 days but I was afraid we would not have enough time in some of the big cities. My DH agreed in my planning of our pre-cruise of visiting Bangkong for 5 nights, flying to Siem Riep (3 nights), flying to Saigon (3 nights) and finally flying to Hong Kong (4 nights). Finally, I pushed my luck even more! I started talking about a post-cruise: Bali for 4 weeks. Remember, I told DH we would likely never go back to Asia so we had to see everything as much as possible. He again agreed...

 

Well, it was a trip of a lifetime. We NEVER felt afraid or in danger. We never got sick by eating different food in small local restaurants. My DH was in awe. We are so glad we did the pre-cruise. Siem Reap HAS to be seen. Three days is just the perfect amount of time. You might not know but Siem Reap is located in the middle of Cambodia and the port of call (Sihanoukville) is far away. You would need to fly and leave the ship for few days... As well, you can not visit Saigon for only a day, it would be a shame. Three days would be a minimum. And Hong Kong is a great city, I would suggest a minimum of 4 nights.

 

Our post-cruise in Bali was as exciting as our pre-cruise and our cruise. We spent a week in Ubud and it was magical. Dewa, a young man from Ubud, made all the difference by guiding/driving us around for 3-4 days...

 

Our Asian trip was outstanding. Totally different than Europe but as educational in a different way. Don't be afraid of travelling almost anywhere in the world. Just keep your smart, don't be out late at night and stay in busy area. Remember, crimes happen everywhere. Even when taking all precautions, bad things can happen anywhere. Freak accidents happen as well anywhere... You get the message... Don't let fear hold you back.

 

Our favorites were: 1-) Saigon 2-) Ubud (Bali) 3-) Siem Reap 4-) Myanmar 5-) Da Nang/ Nha Trand (Vietnam) 6-) Ko Samui 7-) Hong Kong (DW) and Singapore (DH)

Malaysia was not a country that delighted us.

 

I booked everything myself, hotels, flights & cruise. We stayed in basic but clean hotels in Bangkok, Siem Reap, Saigon and Ubud. It was by far way more interesting than the bigger hotels we stayed in Hong Kong, Singapore and Seminyak (Bali). Don't be afraid and push yourself...

 

We hope you visit Asia!

The Canadians!:D

Can you please adopt me?

I'm enchanted! But I'm also a solo female traveler. Perhaps if I share this thread with some friends I can convince them to join me. A dear friend LOVED Vietnam when traveling with her husband. It's what first got me interested. I hope this thread goes on forever! I love reading your comments and suggestions.

I am also a solo female traveler. In February of this year I did a cruise that started with three days in Angkor Wat (a long-time dream of mine) plus visited ports in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia before ending in Singapore. It was lovely. I traveled with a line where most excursions are included but I was fine doing things on my own as well.

Thanks cruisemom!

Singapore and Japan are safer than Oregon in the United States. I don't know about the other countries yet.

We've done a land only tour in China...Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai and a recent (March) cruise from Singapore-Shanghai...porting in HCM (Saigon), Hong Kong, Xiamen and then spending a week post cruise in Shanghai...AMAZING wonderful Asia...Singapore in particular was probably the safest city we've ever been in.

 

Book Asia you'll be so glad you did !!!

Thank you!! :)

Come visit Singapore. We are very modern and very safe.

Update - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/world/asia/philippines-kidnapping-video-canada-norway.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-1&action=click&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article

Apparently, based on video footage posted this Sunday online, the 3 (2 Canadians & 1 Norwegian) hostages taken along with a 4th. person shown, were being held & alive after being taken by armed Islamic men in masks and possibly tied to ransom negotiations.