VRC: Magnificent Mekong Trip Report, Sep 2013

My husband and I recently completed our Viking Magnificent Mekong river cruise. Our adventure began with a pre-trip to Bangkok, Thailand then we met up with the rest of our tour members (34 including us) in Ho Chi Minh City. Due to a computer glitch, our cruise dates were not completely booked. Good for us, but not for Viking. Consequently, we had only one Viking guide, Bob. He was with us from start to finish, both on land and during the cruise portion, along with several local guides during the tour.

All the hotels were very nice. In Bangkok we were at the Hilton Millennium. In Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap and Hanoi, we were in Sofitels, all top notch. We had opportunities to avail ourselves of the hotel services -- pools, bars, spas, etc. Daily excursions both on land and while cruising were as described in the itinerary. Although we encountered some rain, it didn't preclude us from doing anything with exception of visiting the orphanage that Viking supports since the access road was not paved and the bus would not have made it.

The cruise portion is of course the highlight of the trip. We had an unexpected surprise to be on a newer ship than advertised in the brochure, the RV Saigon Pandaw. The boat is fully decked out in teakwood. Cabins had double beds with build in storage, 2 nightstands, small desk and chair, small closet with safe, and a small bathroom with shower. Boat amenities included a movie room downstairs, a (really, really) small gift shop inside the hotel manager's office, a dining room, and a large sundeck that included the bar. A "drink of the day" was served nightly. Local beer and some alcohol was complimentary at the bar. At lunch and dinner in the dining room, wine and beer was included. If eating off the boat, all drinks were purchased, not included. The hotel manager was wonderful, as was everyone on his crew. We did find out that he is the only Viking employee; all the rest come with the leased boat. As a gift, everyone onboard received one of those reed Vietnamese-type hats. They are sold for $1 along the river in case you want more. Repeat Viking customers also received a special little gift and a special party on the sundeck.

Weather was hot and humid. I was especially bothered by the mosquitoes, but others were not. We did use DEET spray on our ankles and legs every day.

We only brought casual clothes, although some of our fellow tour mates brought nicer clothes for the evenings. I wore casual skirts or capri's throughout the trip and my husband wore either knee length shorts or pants with polo and t-shirts. When visiting the royal palaces and some temples, you can't show your knees or shoulders. Laundry services are available on the boat and at the hotels. Word to the wise, the boat is cheaper!

We only used US dollars (small, crisp bills) and a credit card throughout for our shopping. FYI - the ATMs in Cambodia dispurse US dollars. Plenty of opportunities to buy cheap (and not so cheap) gifts throughout the trip.

Came back with hundreds of pictures. You can view them at: www.peterandcathysphotos.shutterfly.com

This was a wonderful trip and if you've ever wanted to visit this area of the world, I highly recommend Viking. Although still in its infancy on the Mekong as opposed to the Yangtze, I think each trip will get better and better with some of the kinks being worked out.

We provided Viking some feedback. A couple of our suggestions were: 1 - on meals off the boat, have more buffets than set menus which would allow more variety; 2 - enforce only allowing fit people to take tour; we had two people on our trip that shouldn't have been allowed on the trip and were constantly having to have special accommodations made. I was also not happy with our Viking sales rep while booking the trip. Whenever I asked questions it seemed to be a bother and the person didn't seem to eager to help. My email was also blocked by that person after our package was sent so I couldn't respond back with questions, etc.

Very nice. Enjoyed your photos.

"Your e-mail was blocked " by the Viking customer service agent....boy if that is not the most bazaar type of customer service I have ever heard of!

Thank you so much for the great review! You are extremely complimentary of Viking and their efforts and I hope they pay close attention to your comments and suggestions. That Viking employee also needs to be sent back to "customer service" school to be reminded about the fact that without "customers" they don't have a job! JMHO :)

Nana541 - I was really surprised by the email blocking myself. Our experience booking our China trip with Viking was totally different.... Nonetheless, our trip was fantastic thanks to all the Viking folks in country.

Dear twototravel,

Welcome home from your cruise! It sounds like overall you had wonderful time on your trip and we want to thank you for the suggestions and feedback you’ve offered. We did see, however, that you had some concnerns with the service you received prior to your cruise. The details you shared at the end of your post do not sound typical of our standards or practices, and for that we sincerely apologize. We’ve asked a member of our Customer Relations team to reach out to you and get an even better understanding of the situation you mention here. In the meantime, if you’d like to contact us directly, we’d be happy to hear from you at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

Very Best,

Viking Cruises

P.S. We really enjoyed seeing the Magnificent Mekong through your eyes! Thank you for sharing your photos with the Cruise Critic community.

My husband and I recently completed our Viking Magnificent Mekong river cruise. Our adventure began with a pre-trip to Bangkok, Thailand then we met up with the rest of our tour members (34 including us) in Ho Chi Minh City. Due to a computer glitch, our cruise dates were not completely booked. Good for us, but not for Viking. Consequently, we had only one Viking guide, Bob. He was with us from start to finish, both on land and during the cruise portion, along with several local guides during the tour.

 

All the hotels were very nice. In Bangkok we were at the Hilton Millennium. In Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap and Hanoi, we were in Sofitels, all top notch. We had opportunities to avail ourselves of the hotel services -- pools, bars, spas, etc. Daily excursions both on land and while cruising were as described in the itinerary. Although we encountered some rain, it didn't preclude us from doing anything with exception of visiting the orphanage that Viking supports since the access road was not paved and the bus would not have made it.

 

The cruise portion is of course the highlight of the trip. We had an unexpected surprise to be on a newer ship than advertised in the brochure, the RV Saigon Pandaw. The boat is fully decked out in teakwood. Cabins had double beds with build in storage, 2 nightstands, small desk and chair, small closet with safe, and a small bathroom with shower. Boat amenities included a movie room downstairs, a (really, really) small gift shop inside the hotel manager's office, a dining room, and a large sundeck that included the bar. A "drink of the day" was served nightly. Local beer and some alcohol was complimentary at the bar. At lunch and dinner in the dining room, wine and beer was included. If eating off the boat, all drinks were purchased, not included. The hotel manager was wonderful, as was everyone on his crew. We did find out that he is the only Viking employee; all the rest come with the leased boat. As a gift, everyone onboard received one of those reed Vietnamese-type hats. They are sold for $1 along the river in case you want more. Repeat Viking customers also received a special little gift and a special party on the sundeck.

 

Weather was hot and humid. I was especially bothered by the mosquitoes, but others were not. We did use DEET spray on our ankles and legs every day.

 

We only brought casual clothes, although some of our fellow tour mates brought nicer clothes for the evenings. I wore casual skirts or capri's throughout the trip and my husband wore either knee length shorts or pants with polo and t-shirts. When visiting the royal palaces and some temples, you can't show your knees or shoulders. Laundry services are available on the boat and at the hotels. Word to the wise, the boat is cheaper!

 

We only used US dollars (small, crisp bills) and a credit card throughout for our shopping. FYI - the ATMs in Cambodia dispurse US dollars. Plenty of opportunities to buy cheap (and not so cheap) gifts throughout the trip.

 

Came back with hundreds of pictures. You can view them at: www.peterandcathysphotos.shutterfly.com

 

This was a wonderful trip and if you've ever wanted to visit this area of the world, I highly recommend Viking. Although still in its infancy on the Mekong as opposed to the Yangtze, I think each trip will get better and better with some of the kinks being worked out.

 

We provided Viking some feedback. A couple of our suggestions were: 1 - on meals off the boat, have more buffets than set menus which would allow more variety; 2 - enforce only allowing fit people to take tour; we had two people on our trip that shouldn't have been allowed on the trip and were constantly having to have special accommodations made. I was also not happy with our Viking sales rep while booking the trip. Whenever I asked questions it seemed to be a bother and the person didn't seem to eager to help. My email was also blocked by that person after our package was sent so I couldn't respond back with questions, etc.

Did you have free time in Bangkok to explore on your own? What do you recommend doing with free time? Did you also do the Ha Long Bay extension?

This thread is over a year old and the OP (of the wonderful review) has not logged back onto Cruise Critic since about that same time....

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