jacalyker

The ship is similar to the ither Pandaw's. there is a sliding glass door on the inside, with a sliding teak door on the outside, then a public hallway before the railing. There is no veranda. We didnt miss not having a veranda, its such an intimate boat that we could co to the sitting area in the front, or middle, and enjoy our time

Gosh, sorry, the jet lag - - Phiem handles the North to South trips!

If anyone has questions about any aspect, and you think we can assist, don't be shy.

One final point - - nobody got sick. Avalon was very persistent about using disinfectants following every visit on tours, and prior to every meal. We were concerned about this, having read other reports, but everyone remained healthy!

I have very little to add at this point, given my and Barb's comments. We enjoyed the final few days, walking thru villages in the Mekong, attending a school session with kids, having some kids from an orphanage on board for a great performance, and finishing up in Saigon, which we really enjoyed

Bring bug soray, be ready to get sweaty, bring things for the kids (crayons, pencils, toothbrushes), footing can be tough but we had two guys in their 80s who were troopers, shopping is good in both places - we bought wood sculptures in cambodia that were stunning, gorgeous lacquerware in Saigon, coffee and teacups with local coffee and tea, a silk robe and ties, tailored clothing.

Great sights, very intense, in Camboda courtesy of Pol Pot, and terrible reminders of Vietnam days in Saigon. Great food, we were blessed with great people on the trip, excellent guides and Phiem, who handles the South to North trips. Outstanding!

I will continue my in depth comments later, but I wanted to respond to the question re meals. On land, typical incredible breakfast buffets at great hotels, and either lunch or dinner, sometimes both, are included and the choices are very good. On board, its great. The staff was from Myanamar. The regular menu was asian, typically 3 choices, plus old reliables like burger, steak or pasta if desired.

The food was classy, menus wre really good. Soups were great. One night, i asked if they could make some Tom KaKai soup. It was brought to me within 30 minutes, and they changed the menu the following day for lunch so everyone could enjoy the soup selection.

This is an intimate cruise, we only have 21 people as 4 couples apparently cancelled, and our group is terrific. We are extremely lucky. After today's tour, our guide took my wife and i shopping. I cant say enough!

Angkor Wat was terrific, where we spent half a day on a guided tour exploring followed by a visit to Angkor Thom, the land of 216 faces in the temples. After that, it was a great lunch, with the rest of the day on our own. Quite a few people went back for the sunsets and/or sunrises, though we opted out. I sort of regret our opting out, having heard that it was a great experience, but no biggie. Dinner was on our own, and Phiem recommended an excellent local restaurant, Khmer Kitchen, which we enjoyed, followed by shopping in the Night Market.

The following day was another half day tour to the Angkor Wat temples if Bayon and Bantay Sreai, which were also. Ok, i might be mixing up some names, but high quality tours, terrific sites where Tomb Raiders and Indiana Jones were filmed. A number of us went out to lunch on our own, with the afternoon free, and we had dinner at a really nice outdoor restaurant.

Folks, bring your bug spray to Cambodia, and keep an eye on your food and drink, unless you don't mind critters in your goodies. Unfortunately, i do, but thats life in This part of the world!

The following morning, while many went to sunrise at Angkor, we went to an art gallery, Theams House, which had some very unique items, mostly wood sculptures, that were gorgeous, and several will find a new home soon in our house! We then headed to the bus for our embarkation on the Avalon Angkor.

The boat is lovely, intimate is the right word. You are not going to find a grand staircase or a ballroom, however. There are only 16 cabins, so it took us about a half hour rather than 6 hours to reach the dock, and we will arrive in downtown Ho Chi Minh City next week, rather than 5-hour bus ride away. That alone us worth the price of admission.

Like the other Pandaw boats, its all teak, the bottom level 10 cabins from one end to the other; and the upper level with a small sitting area with 8 recliners up front, followed by 6 more cabins, then a bar and reception area with seating for at least 20, 25 people, or more, followed by a nice dining room that also doubles as a movie theater/briefing room. Like the Pandaw ships, there are no private balconies (no big deal). Also, no exercise room though there is an exercise bike on the top level, nor is there a massage room. We actually passed the AmaLotus and two bigger Pandaw ships, and remain really pleased with our choice

We boarded yesterday around noon, found our rooms, which are more than adequate in terms of size of room as well as bathroom, and had lunch. We relaxed all afternoon, enjoyed cocktail hour, dinner, and a movie describing the history of Angkor Wat. It was an excellent film that - suggestion - should have been sent out in DVD format prior to the cruise to create excitement.

We woke up this morning to the sound of little kids outside of our window on shore. I threw little packs of crayons to them, and immediately made friends. We went ashore and took oxcarts to our bus. They would prefer our cash, but school supplies make so much more sense. Their attitude and demeanor was priceless. We then went to the monastery at Udong, which is fabulous, with a short Q & A with a clergyman arranged by our guide.

We are very pleased with the tours, our guides, our accommodations, and the quality of the food as well as the menus. Drinks, alcoholic or otherwise, are free at all times unless you want imported liquor (no reason). We are fortunate to have a really really nice group of people from all over the world!

I tend to be picky, and have no complaints.

Before leaving on my Avalon trip (its only Day 3), i desperately searched high and low for a review. Unfortunately, since its a brand new tour on a brand new ship that only has 16 cabins, there were none. So, i thought i'd assist future travelers with some feedback during our journey.

Our adventure was supposed to start Sunday night/Monday morning via JFK. Due to Hurricane Sandy, i did not want to risk getting stranded at JFK for a matter of days. I notified Cathay Pacific that we would not be traveling, and grudgingly passed. To our amazement, the flight actually took off, which jeopardized any real shot at an insurance recovery, but safety was the priority, and i was ok with that.

Avalon came through, big time, hats off to them! Michelle, in their Traveler Services department, contacted Cathay, arranged for a refund, and put us on a flight to Bangkok within 48 hours! Ok, we missed out on the pre-trip Hanoi extension, but we had a great day in Bangkok, a total surprise, and, more importantly, we were back on the trip. Avalon tried to add on a private Hanoi trip, but couldn't finalize plans during the short window, so we decided to pass. We greatly appreciate our agent at cruise quick, and the people at Avalon for their incredible support.

The flights took forever, Ft Lauderdale to San Fran to Taipei to Bangkok, but the Bangkok Intercontinental was awesome. Since it was a rest day, after an incredible breakfast, we made our own plans via the concierge, had a great private tour with Num (085-0617444) who took us to the incredible Palace, the two great temples, the Flower Market, and a shopping expedition that resulted in some tailor-made dress shirts and pants!

Yesterday, we flew to Siem Reap, where we enjoyed a restful afternoon by the pool at the Victoria Angkor, a lovely hotel. We would have preferred an earlier flight but no big deal. We met the rest of the group, along with our leader Phiem, who is a terrific guy and will take great care of us. We had a nice private dinner/show at a local venue, and got ready for our trip to Angkor Wat, which was terrific.

After another great breakfast spread, we were off to Angkor Wat. Its really really really hot, sweating through our clothes, but an incredible destination, with solid tour guides. After around 4 hours, we had an excellent lunch, and have the rest of the day to ourselves. Tomorrow, its off to see some great temples, shopping, etc., and then its off to the boat.

I will keep those of you who care apprised, but we are thrilled we made it, and grateful to the team at Avalon!