More Irrawaddy Questions

You all have been very helpful with great reviews and good conversations on multiple threads that I have been reading and re-reading the past few days.

Do the boats move mostly at night (like European River Cruise) or during the day. It is hard to tell from the Itinerary...we are on Vantage.

Anyone out there been on the New Vantage ship...how was it? Do you have any pictures to share? Was there enough room on the sun deck during transit time...it looks very small from pictures.

Can we wear sturdy sandals (Keens) for excursions or should we plan on tennis shoes to provide more protection of toes.

In general How expensive are the drinks and laundry on the Vantage ships?

We will be at the Chatrium Hotel Yangon ....I have written but have not heard from them....will there be laundry service there?

There seems to be mixed opinions about the need for anti-malaria drugs on the board/forum. One of you said your were told "not to take them because of the side effects"...who suggested that? The CDC website is confusing me...Yangon and Mandalay are "low risk" but other other areas are moderate if <1000 feet. Also in early December much of the rain should be over. We did take Malarone when in Africa with no problems but try to avoid not needed medications. We will bring bug spray with deet. Is it too hot/humid/buggy to sleep with the slider open to the balcony?

Thanks for you help.

Good morning,

We sailed with Vantage on the Irrawaddy in 2012, so we can't answer about the new boat, but I'll give my insight on your other questions.

On the old Pandaw boats laundry was provided and was not expensive. Drinks were reasonably priced, as we remember.

The Chatrium is a very nice hotel and provided the standard hotel services. There was no self-serve laundry that I was aware of.

The boats only sailed during daylight hours because of navigation issues and were docked at night.

Yes, your Keens should be fine. I took both sandals and laced walking shoes. One thing to consider is that you will be taking off your shoes and socks in temples, and it's a pain to have to untie and retie laces.

We did take Malarone with no side effects as a precaution. I am not sure it was actually needed, as we did not notice any real mosquito problem. (We traveled in late October.) We did not need to use any bug repellant either. We also took the Hep A and B series of shots and made sure our DPT and typhoid shots were up to date. One other thing we took was a prescription for Cipro. We did not need it, but a fellow passenger became ill and took advantage of our medications.

Hope this helps. We loved our trip with Vantage. The itinerary was very well planned, and we felt very well cared for. It remains one of the highlights of our travel experiences.

Barb

Thanks, Barb great info.

Always travel with Cipro, a Z-pac, and Keflix. Never had to use them...when we were in Africa donated them to a clinic at the end of the safari!

I have googled electric outlets for Bangkok and Myanmar and it seems that those we use in Europe should be fine if the US ones don't work...true?

Sandals should be fine, but remember that your shoes will get muddy, and will be washed by the crew every night. Don't bring anything that will be ruined by the washing. And be sure to take the wipes they hand out to clean your feet after the temple visits!

Don't plan on leaving your windows open-too many bugs!

You may need the European 2 round pin adapters. Also, voltage is 220v, so be sure you won't also need a converter.

I second Atigator's remarks.

I wore slip on closed shoes because I hate walking dusty gritty streets in open-toed sandals. I don't enjoy bare-foot walking, but the pagoda and monastery experiences more than compensated for the minor irritation.

On Pandaw Katha we slept very well in October with the glass cabin doors open and the (heavy gauze) screen doors closed. Once the cabin light was extinguished no insects bothered us and we didn't need air-con.

We took the advice of our travel doctor re preventative medicine. We carried sanitary wipes and used them (frequently) whenever we couldn't wash our hands with soap.

The local fruits from markets were delicious but we were very careful to wash, wash and wash again then peel before we ate. We didn't accept offers of refreshments from locals.