ReturnCruiser

You know, if there's a DVD player hooked up to the TV then there must be either composite or component jacks that would allow you to plug in an iPod or iPad that you have downloaded movies to. I've done it on larger cruise ships many times. Fred, do you know if you can access those jacks or if the tv screens are perhaps recessed into the wall?

As I recall, the LCD TV was attached to the wall on the AMALotus and the back/sides were accessible. I don't recall what type of connectors were present. There are different TV format standards (NTSC and PAL) and, while many laptop computers can play formats both via an internal screen, there may be issues when using an external monitor (e.g., LCD TV) attached to the computer. Perhaps someone who has tried this on either AMA ship can chime in.

Bob

and above poster said balcony only has table and chair,,,can you take a chair,,or get one,,,to replace table,,so 2 can sit??Also,re Hanoi Kids,,,did you take this tour with them AND one from AMA,,,how do I contact them...Re..tour operator mentioned,,,Zoom...same questions??Also,,you mentioned stomach bug,,did you take RX before?Seems most people get one,,Also,,can you keep balcony door open for fresh air,,or will mosquitos,or safety,,be a problem??Last,,on buses,,is emergency toilet onboard,,for those with digestive problems,,could be very uncomfortable??? Thanks in advance...

In November, the weather was too warm/humid to keep the balcony door open or sit out there for an extended period. AMA advised keeping balcony door closed due to bugs - largely fruit fly types. Although we had a single chair, we never used it for sitting. For brief times, we used the balcony to dry clothes via plastic hangers.

More info on the non-profit Hanoikids organization can be found at www.hanoikids.org.

On my tour, the buses did not have toilet facilities. In many cases, a regularly scheduled toilet stop occurred 60 to 90 minutes after the start of a bus trip or excursion.

Bob

FYI, a new AMALotus review is posted at http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=92115.

Bob

Greetings,

We are leaving Vietnam this morning, back to California. For the past two full days, we engaged Zoom for a Saigon city tour and a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tour assistance was great and, in particular for the city tour, helped us visit 12-14 stops in a single day that would have been difficult on our own. Moreover, we were able to expand our knowledge of life in Saigon from our conversations with Zoom.

On the AMALotus, we met another group that was interested in a Saigon tour and they were able to arrange city tour services from one of Zoom's colleagues after contacting Zoom via email from the AMALotus.

All in all, a great trip from start to finish.

Bob

Bob: Thanks for the up to date info. It has been very helpful. Very good tips!

 

Any idea how/where you got the bug? Was it on the ship, or from some meals on land? Would be good to know where to be extra careful w/the food.

 

Ed

It's not clear where the bug was picked up. The travelers I met and indicated the issue were pretty careful as well as myself. If there is a good thing, most recovered within 24 to 36 hours with some over the counter product assistance. I know this didn't hit everyone. My wife was fine during the trip (and may have taken more food risks) - but did pick up a cold (lots of moving between hot/humid and AC temperatures).

I met someone who took pro-biotics and was fine during the trip. A friend on the trip with us took daily Pepto Bismal tablets and did not have any bug reports. Of those affected, I don't know if they were on any preventive practices.

Bob

 

Thanks for the heads up Bob... we should be good for 1 and 2 (our Visa is embedded in our passport) but we will defiinitely check for #1 which we would never have known to do.

Hope you are having a wonderful cruise!

Susan

Tomorrow will be our last full day of cruising on the Mekong River. The day after tomorrow, we will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City for two full days of touring. The cruise portion has been great and fairly busy. Yesterday, we enjoyed having a full day of just relaxing on board after leaving Phnom Penh for Tan Chau.

Each of the river stops have been learning experiences. It is very clear that life is hard on the river and about 180 degrees from our daily experiences.

On the Amalotus, we have largely travelers from the US, UK and Australia. A few of us picked up a gastrointestinal bug which took about 24 hours to clear. While I have Azithromycin, I chose not to take it and popped a few Pepto Bismal tablets instead.

As suggested by other posts, bring lots of $1s and $5s. These come in handy, especially for Cambodia and village purchases.

All in all, this is a recommended trip. AMA was very organized throughout the tour.

Bob

We are at Tan Chou today, after passing through a VN Visa check on the river. AMA previously collected passports and handled this for passengers.

Visa issues caused problems during the trip for just a few of the 105 land/cruise passengers. The problems were: 1) A multiple VN Visa upon first entry or perhaps check at Hanoi airport departing for Siem Reap was marked "used" in error. This translated into a completed VN visit. This would cause a problem when entering VN from the Mekong River. So, you need to check when your passport is returned from a checkpoint and you are not leaving VN for the final time, that it is NOT marked "used." If so, you need to return to the security desk. 2) A single entry Visa was issued for VN instead of a multiple entry - even though the passenger recalled purchasing a multiple entry visa from CVS. 3) A looseleaf VN Visa somehow was not returned to the passenger after the security check in Hanoi, departing for Siem Reap. Thus, the passenger no longer had a VN Visa in possession.

All these issues can be resolved, but generally will cost the passport holder. #2 can be checked before you travel, #1 and #3 can be confirmed as you travel.

Bob

Clarification: I believe the gin bottle was transferred to the tour director for handling and NOT brought on the plane by the passenger.

Bob

As we were leaving Ha Long Bay, our tour director collected in a very large personalized zip lock bags all liquid containers by cabin. This included liquids (deet, etc) that were in large bottles. AMA arranged for the tour director to place all 100 or so bags in a larger bag and pass them through security without problem. This was a nice touch and avoided having to access and repack the check-in bags which would have taken a long time for everyone.

Free wine, beer and sodas are available on the AMALotus. Mixed drinks on the AMALotus are about $7.50 each. The wine is ok and you can purchase bottles as well. A fellow traveler picked up a gin bottle and was able to bring it on board.

Bob

AMA HQ in California today confirmed what ReturnCruiser was told in Cambodia. That is, the boats will resume embarkations on Tonle Sap Lake (just south of Siem Reap) as of next Monday, Nov. 14. The form letter indicating an itinerary change for our Nov. 28 cruise departure was sent to our friend, MrMojoRisin, in error by the UK sales rep. of AMA.

 

We are pleased that the itinerary is back to the scheduled one, although now we will have to look for our grilled spiders somewhere other than in Kampong Cham. A poster on TripAdvisor who appears to be quite familiar with Cambodia has advised me that even though the treat is the speciality of the region around Kampong Cham, it is readily available in many other towns. What a relief!

 

I certainly agree with Shorex that we appreciate ReturnCruiser's posts and the information included in them.

Our local tour guide mentioned that crickets, frog (all parts except stomach) and cobra snake meat are also tasty. Cobra snake blood is added to whiskey for an additional treat.

The day of the flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap was busy. We disembarked from the Halong Bay junk to motorcoach around 12noon. We then traveled to a private golf course about 90 minutes away for lunch. We had selected lunch from a menu during the previous day's drive and service was quick. We had over an hour for this stop. It took another 90 minutes or so to reach the airport. We were at the airport at 4 for a 5pm flight.

As you board the junk with carry-on luggage, your check-in luggage (unless you indicate that you must access it before departing to Siem Reap) is moved from Hanoi to Halong Bay (locked up on bus), and from Halong Bay back to Hanoi. We never accessed our check-in bags until we reached the Sofitel at Siem Reap. I believe you can access your check-in bag at the golf course, if needed.

AMA seemed to arrange flight seating for couples so that you had adjoining seats. The flight was only about 75 minutes and the plane was not full. My wife and I had a three seat row to ourselves. The airline served a light meal during the flight. We arrived in Siem Reap about 6:30 (flight delayed a few minutes) and had a buffet dinner at the Sofitel. There were lots of buffet selections. AMA also hosted a second night fixed menu dinner at the Sofitel. Service was very slow that night for some reason and took almost 2.5 hours to get served all courses. On the third night in Siem Reap, we tried the AHA Bar and Restaurant - if you go there try the jasmine encrusted salmon - very tasty. There are many dining options in Siem Reap. We also had lunch at the Blue Pumpkin during our free afternoon.

When you depart the flight in Siem Reap, you claim your luggage and drop it at an AMA loading area that is near the spot that the AMA buses pick-up to take you to the Sofitel. Customs was handled by AMA (they collect your passports during the flight) and we didn't have to queue up at the customs counter. This was very convenient.

The Sofitel rooms at Siem Reap were very nice. Due to the luck of the draw, a travel partner was assigned a suite, with sitting room and full dressing room (equal to size of the room).

Bob

The bus ride was about 4.5 hours. One positive of the motorcoach trip was that we were able to see the houses, villages and life along the drive. It was obvious that life is hard for most residents. We could see that many raised houses (perhaps originally for protection from wildlife) are still only accessible by wading or via raised narrow planks. A few sections of the road were muddy and required reduced speeds. If we embarked at Siem Reap, these views would remain somewhat hidden. As to time of year, we understand that when the Mekong River is low, the river tours may be required to make the same adjustment as when the river is too high. This is par for the course when it comes to river cruising.

Robert

Greetings,

We're currently on the land portion of our AMALotus trip. We will board tomorrow at Kampong Cham instead of Siem Reap. I asked and was informed that the following AMA trips will leave from Siem Reap as the water levels will have receded to a safe point for the boats.

My understanding is that typically boarding in Siem Reap begins at 11:30am and the boat reaches the Kampong Cham area around 1pm. With the revised schedule, we board a motorcoach at 8:30am and will reach Kampong Cham around 1:30pm. This includes a stop along the way via the motorcoach.

In Hanoi, we tried the Green Tangerine and Verticale for dinner on our own. Both are recommended. We also had lunch at Quan An Ngon (#2 on Tripadvisor). We also used Hanoikids as tour guides. The club members were extremely helpful describing life in Hanoi, guiding us when crossing streets with heavy traffic, getting cabs, recommending lunch spots, purchasing entry tickets and negotiating lunch selections at local restaurants (particularly at Quan An Ngon).

Bob

Hello Bob: I shall be on La Marguerite the first week of November. I emailed a friend who is working temporarily in Ho Chi Minh City and this is was his reply:

 

"As far as the flooding is concerned it doesn’t seem to be too bad here in southern Vietnam, bad enough with several deaths but worse in Thailand and Cambodia. This is an abnormally high flood season but it should have reached its peak by the end of October and will diminish after that. Might make your boat trip up the river a bit slower! (I am going to be very interested in your river trip as this is the one I want to do in January.) If I find out anything else I will let you know."

 

I'm sure AMAWaterways has a Plan B - perhaps C & D too - and will work around whatever conditions prevail.

I agree. AMA has been in this business area for a while and likely has plans for tweaking the itinerary, as needed. We're looking forward to our Amalotus land/cruise trip which starts on November 1. We'll be experiencing similar weather during our respective trips. Have a great time.

Bob

Greetings,

How has/will the current rising Mekong River levels modify the AMA river portion of the tour? We're on a November trip and have been watching the weather. If we're understanding current news, it seems that evacuations have recently occurred in the southern Mekong area. Any information from recent travelers?

Bob

Hi Freddie,

 

We don't like heat either, so am glad to see that, just by luck, we chose the port side.

We are doing the land/cruise and are on the Amalotus on Nov 21st...I am thinking this is just before you. We have also booked Zoom for our free day, he definitely is enthusiastic!

Only 6 weeks to go:D!.

 

Susan

We're on the 11/1 land/cruise tour on the Amalotus. We're staying an extra day at the end and booked Zoom as well for a city tour and a day trip to the tunnels. I'm not sure if we'll have time to post much information about the trip before you leave.

Bob

I read your cruise description and had a question about the AMA HCM city tour. I'm curious as to how much of the city tour was viewed from a motor coach versus an actual stop. Your description indicates an actual stop/interior visit at Reunification Palace and Emperor Jade Pagoda and lacquerware factory.The AMA city tour description states, "you will enjoy a city tour that explores famous landmarks, such as the former Presidential Palace, Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral; Cho Lon (China Town) and its famous Binh Tay market and Thien Hau pagoda." Were the other sites described by AMA more of a visual view from the bus? I ask as we're arranging a guide and wanted to more or less define an initial itinerary.

Thanks,

Bob

We leave four weeks from today for the 9/13 La Marguerite Hanoi to HCM. This will be our second time to Saigon, having previously visited during an Oceania cruise that allowed us two days in port. We absolutely loved that experience, and we are SO anxious to now be able to see Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and the ports and experiences in Cambodia. I've searched roll calls but haven't found anyone else on this sailing who has signed in to Cruise Critic.

We're on the Lotus, departing 11/1. Have a great trip. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

Bob

does AMA pick you up at the airport if you arrive a day early through their arrangements?

Thanks!

We are arriving early into Hanoi before the start of our AMA trip. We are staying at the Sofitel Metropole, same hotel used by AMA, to avoid the need to change hotels. We're told that arranging transportation on our own between the airport and hotel is not very difficult nor expensive. As an alternative, you can arrange airport pickup by the Sofitel in advance. I can't recall if AMA can arrange an early airport transport - I suspect so, but it is best to contact AMA.

Bob

We'll be on the AMA land/cruise itinerary in early November 2011. For the Halong Bay visit, do you take your only your carry-on luggage or do you take both luggage pieces on the junk? I've read the junk cabin is not large and seem to recall reading somewhere that travelers are asked just to take their carry-on bag with needed clothing/items.

Also, in regards to the 40lb limit, is this strongly monitored? What are the implications of exceeding this this limit? I can see leaving the US with a 40lb bag and, given that we're arriving early into Hanoi, making a few purchases that result in a 45lb bag. Is the penalty largely a possible additional luggage charge? Did anyone run into this?

When we took a Viking River Cruise to China, we were advised about luggage weight restrictions. However, it seemed that either the weight limit was applied to the entire group or wasn't closely monitored. We plan to stay within the suggested luggage weight limits, but also realize that this is a trip that will likely not be taken again.

Thanks.

Hi,

 

Would you mind elaborating on your extra day pre/post cruise with AMA. Do you mean an extra night in the applicable hotels and arranging tours on your own? I am considering going in a day early and perhaps staying an extra day but haven't really thought about the different options.

Thanks for your help,

Susan

We are arriving two nights before the start of our AMA tour. As our arrival into Hanoi is around 4pm on night #1, we thought one extra full day of city touring would be beneficial (we aren't likely to be traveling again in this area). Frankly, the non-AMA prices at the Sofitel are a bit less than the AMA pricing. However, we did not want to change hotels (or rooms) and added the two nights through AMA. When we've done an early arrival in the past, we've either toured on our own or arranged a private guide through the hotel concierge. FYI, the transfer between airport and Sofitel is, I'm told, very easy and can be done independently.

The post-cruise extra night is also via AMA's reservation with Sofitel. Again, we thought the best use of our time was to avoid having to change hotels or rooms. We are preparing a list of things we want to do/see for HCM city and will communicate with the hotel for the more distant areas we want to see (e.g., Cu Chi Tunnels).

Hope this helps.

Bob

We're signed up for the AMA Lotus land/cruise trip, starting November 1, 2011. We just arranged an extra day pre/post day with AMA and looking forward to this trip.

Bob and Betty