sandancer

Does this apply to UK? Can't see anything in the small print to say it's confined to US but it seems a bit too good to be true!!

 

This has already been discussed in another thread and it seems that although it does not mention the UK, those that have tried to book it have been told it does not apply to UK citizens. Certainly the recent 123 was denied to the UK. I know this for sure as we booked onboard in Jan for our 2014 cruises and could not get anything other than the usual OBC for booking onboard. The future cruise consultant told us that the 123 offers did not apply to the UK.

The port is definately a good 2 hours from Saigon. We were there during Tet when traffic was lighter and it still took over 2 hours.

Your tour sounds exactly the same as ours. We arrived at the hotel(I think) at about 7.30pm. You will not believe those 2 markets. Make sure you breathe in as the train passes. You may have all of 4 inches between your chest and the train. As for the floating market, think M25 of the waterways!!! The best fun we've had for years.

No problem with the passport. We did a 2 day tour organised by someone on our rollcall. Tong was the tour operator. We stayed overnight at the Pathewan Princess hotel which was lovely although we were not there long enough to really enjoy it. We had vans which each took 4 couples and they were probably the best transport we used in the whole trip. We had a great guide. She really looked after us. Constantly handing out cold water and icy towels. It was very tiring but we packed a lot into those 2 days and enjoyed every minute.

Hi! Our cruise departs March 3 from Singapore. I'd like to book a full day Halong Bay cruise. I really don't know which operator is good, most companies departs from Hanoi. Can you give me some advice?

I booked our full day cruise with Buffalo Tours. We did not go to Hanoi. The guide met us at the tender port and took us by bus to the junk. We had a junk which took 32 but we were only 14 people so plenty of room. We paid $55 pp for the full day including a seafood lunch. Our guide was excellent and I have no problem with recommending this operator.

Thank you for your detailed observations, I will be getting on when you get off in Singapore. I am getting down to the small details....

 

We have a junk tour booked in Halong Bay on the second day we are there. The tour oporator wants us to meet on the tender pier at 7:30 AM. How long does the tender take? In other words, can you give me a rough estimate of how much time I need to get off the ship and tendered to shore? Thank you again.

We did an 8 hour junk cruise on the second day and it was one of the highlights of the whole cruise. The junk we used looked grim from the outside but the salon was beautiful. Seafood lunch was excellent. Bear in mind that drinks, even coffee, have to be paid for. Most of them cost $1 each. The wine was pricey we thought but then we not looking to drink wine. Many of the people we met afterwards said they wished they had done the cruise instead of taking the long drive to Hanoi. We were very glad we did the cruise.

I am still trying to find out whether it would be beneficial to arrive on the ship with passport/visa photos in hand, or, get the staff photo department to take them.

 

I am thinking about lines and, cost on the ship for a passport photo for our Viet-nam visa.

 

Anyone?????? :confused:

 

Thank you.

We took photos with us. We had an overnight so had the $70 visa. Filled in the forms, stapled the photos to them, handed them in to guest relations and the visa was in our passports when we got them back. No problem.

Thanks Emile. If the opportunity arises I will update you all via the rollcall once we have done a recce. You are right of course about different strokes and to be honest we are glass half full folk and not glass half empty. Our worst cruise was also Carnival and even then we still found things we liked about it. See you soon. Elaine and Lysle

I really wish I had not read that last comment. Joining Millie on Sunday and now my anticipation has become apprehension. Surely it can't be that bad.?

Have cruised solo since the death of my husband (50 years married) in l998.

 

I remember that the first cruise was the most difficult, emotionally for me,the night before, I cried and cried. However I did it, and now have no problem emotionally. I miss Jim very much but we travelled the world together and he certainly would not wish me to sit at home lost in depression.

 

I suggest that you look for roll call, go to the meet, that will mean you have faces you can relate to as you go around the ship. I also suggest that you ask for a large table for dinner for conversation.

 

Talk to strangers, I am sure you will find other females travelling alone, but if you go for a cocktail, you can if there is a spare seat ,join a couple - ask first if they mind of course

Keep your conversation light and cheerful, no one wants to listen to a" whining Millie".

 

Join a ship tour in a strange port, you will feel more comfortable this first time doing that.

 

I wish you well and hope that you will enjoy not just your first cruise but others to come.

 

Lynn

You may remember us from the Sapphire Princess Transpacific cruise, we certainly remember you. For the OP, if you go on a cruise with the same mindset as Lynn, you can be sure to enjoy it. We had a wonderful cruise. Although I am fortunate in that I have my DH to travel with, I am sure that cruising is without doubt the best way for a single person to travel. Elaine

Very happy to hear this as we are using Zoom for a 2day tour of HCMC in Feb. thanks

We rented a car from Dollar and when driving late at night got in the Sunpass Lane by mistake. Too late to change without causing an accident we went through without paying the toll. The toll was 75 cents. 6 weeks later we were charged $25 by Dollar for processing the payment of the 75c. Compared to the OP we got off lightly.

Hello Rosa. Unfortunately I can't help with this as I did not arrange the tour. The Jan 20th rollcall has been very active for some months and there have been tours arranged for just about every port. I suggest you post on the rollcall to see if anyone else wants to join you as I know our tour is now full. You may even find that someone else has another group going and are looking for others to join them.

We have booked with Drivers with Distinction (Deans company) and we are paying $50 for 6 of us for a half day. I think it would not have been much more for a full day but we do not dock until 1pm.

Thanks for the info Michael. We have planned a 2 day tour with Zoom in February staying overnight at the Rex Hotel. We know in advance that Zoom will not be with us for the full tour. On the second day we go to the Mekong Delta. Hopefully it will not be quite so tiring if we spread it out over 2 days.

Yeah, buy me an apple martini Mary and I'll agree to anything.

I knew I shouldn't have come back to this thread.:eek: I'm definitely going to reconsider the spa!!!:D I'll look at my husband's pictures when he comes back....he can run faster than I!!!:p

 

Mary

Sorry Mary, no can do. If I have to do it then so do you. Elaine

Sorry, I did not arrange the tour. Someone else on our cruise did the hard work. It took some time to arrange and was quite complicated I believe. I am happy to just be a participant and not the organiser on this tour. Suggest you google Komodo tours and see if that brings any results.

We are on an organised private tour with our rollcall. I"m beginning to get cold feet!!!

Contact SAS Transportation or All Star Transportation , about 15.00 a person , They both run continous shuttle buses

SAS no longer pick up or drop off at Miami airport.

We were very pleased with Zoom in Saigon and the Mekong Delta and would highly recommend. If you are not interested in shopping he will tailor your tour to your interests. As others have noted, his fellow guides and his driver are top notch.

I have been in touch with Zoom for the Saigon and Mekong Delta tour. We are very pleased with the tour and the cost. Only problem is that Zoom cannot be our guide as it is Tet and he will not be working. Anyone got any experience of booking with Zoom and then having one of the other guides do the tour?

After all the recommendations here and in other posts I have contacted Zoom for our Vietnam tours. Although it is a public holiday today and tomorrow I got a reply within hours. Has promised me full information on Tuesday. That is a very promising start.

We are doing this trip in reverse i.e. Singapore to Hong Kong. We are just starting to research ports. We are taking a 2 day, 1 night tour to Bangkok and staying overnight in a hotel. I suggest you check out the rollcalls for earlier cruises. I believe this itinerary starts later this year. There will be some tours planned and you may be able to get contact details for tour operators from them. You could also check TripAdvisor.com for tour suggestions.

Thanks, problem is now, how do we get round them all in 5 days???

Is the Cheesecake factory on the water taxi route?

Yes, on Las Olas. Just ask the pilot to let you off near Mangos. Don't know when you will be there but we were there when all those beautiful homes on the inland waterway were decorated for Christmas. Just stunning. We arrive on 9th Jan next year and are so sorry we will miss them this time round.