AMA Vietnam

We got in late also. I think we reached the hotel close to midnight but with the time change, we had no problem getting up at 7 and being at breakfast at 8. Whatever you ultimately decide I'm sure you will be happy with Hanoikids. You might ask them if you have the option of extending for a full day if you are up to it.

This is my first post/reply on CruiseCritic so forgive me if I'm not following the correct procedure. I noticed you said the balcony was 'standing room for two only' and I wondered if you knew whether or not that would be the same as for the Indochina Suite? We will be going in September. Thanks in advance.

Sydneygolfs - Welcome to CC. Your question was posed in an entirely correct manner. These message boards are excellent sources of information about all aspects of cruising.

We are booked in an Indochina suite on La Marguerite in late November. On this link there are photos and construction diagrams of the cabins on the ship:

http://www.greentrail-indochina.com/vietnam/Mekong_Detail_RV_La_Marguerite.html

When you click on the diagram next to the photo of the Indochina suite, you should get a larger view:

http://www.greentrail-indochina.com/vietnam/Mekong_RV_La_Marguerite/large/Indochina-suite.jpg

The balcony is on the upper right of the diagram. You will note that it is about 4.4 sq.m. or about 47 sq.ft. Unless you are fairly large, that should be easily enough room for two people. ;)

On the other hand, the balcony on the standard cabin is about 1.54 sq.m. or about 16.54 sq.ft., a significant difference, irrespective of one's size.

Cheers, Fred

I am only part way reading this board (up to the review and about 1/3 thru it) but though I would drop in and post.

We are booked on the AmaLotus for July 2012. We had booked several things for next year and when we saw this we decided to go with Cat C cabin, cheapest time of July and just do it. Cruise only. So we will be going early, staying over, and trying to visit some things on our own.

So, questions

1. Why is it cheaper in July? We were told on the phone by AMA that March - June is the hottest months. Sept is the wettest month. So not sure what the problem could be. Also noticed that the ferry that runs from the major airport in Cambodia up to Siem Reap doesn't run until July because of low water so worried about rather it is to low prior to that. Maybe someone else has gone during July and can answer.

2. Our cabin is 2 potholes on the Mekong deck. But it seems that it is the same size as all the cabins except suites. WE cruise a lot and usually get inside because we stay in our cabins very little. And the price for the next level is $400 more per person. We are going to be on a budget since we are booked on so many other trips so anyone else ever had the pothole cabins.

3. Any suggestions of what we should see in Cambodia on our own and in Vietnam? All new to us and we will definitely be picking up Frommers Books to see things to do. But does anyone have any experience with getting driver/guide and doing it on your own? We did that in China last year and it was wonderful. (and cheap)

4. Packing - did you pack a rain suit???? If so, does it need to be light weight due to heat. It is in the 90s in July she said.

5. Shoes - do your shoes just stay wet the entire trip?

6. Not sure how much everyone packed but in the first four pages, I noticed many people talking about having to do laundry. We have done many cruises that are 14 - 20 days and did laundry very little but that was packing outfits for daytime, outfits for night time along with formals. Plus multiple temperatures in the weather. So I am just wondering if night time dinner wear isn't needed (except capris and light shirts) and no formal wear needed or cold weather clothes - seems to me more clothes can be packed. (maybe we just are conservative packers lol but we only pack one duffle per person for all cruises rather it is 7 days or 20 days)

7. Is anyone else booking just the 7 day cruise? If so or have before, when did you fly in for CAmbodia? WE are having trouble with that and seem the big city to fly in is Phenom Phen (hope I spelled that right) and take a bus/ferry/plane/taxi/etc to get to Siem Reap. (we are trying to use AA miles and their afiliates) Also, what hotels and what cities would you stay at.

WE have the cruise on hold until Friday. We aren't able to book air for another 2 or 3 weeks. But want to be sure in the next two days that this is worth it. And it sounds like it is no matter what. And we want to figure out how much there is to see in Cambodia and afterwards in Saigon so we can decide how many days precruise and post cruise to do.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Debe

We are going on the Amalotus on July 02/2012, 7 days cruise only.

We are first flying to Bangkok , going to Hua Hin for 5 days then flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap 3 days before the cruise staying at the Sofitel,

then at the end of the cruise 5 more days at the Marriott in Saigon.

The cruise if reserved and paid the deposit, we are just waiting to be able to book ff flights from Montreal, we should be able to do that at the end of july.

We were in Bangkok last year at the same time in july and weather was fine,rain usually at the end of the afternoon but always clearing up after.

What date in july are you going??

We are going on the Amalotus on July 02/2012, 7 days cruise only.

We are first flying to Bangkok , going to Hua Hin for 5 days then flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap 3 days before the cruise staying at the Sofitel,

then at the end of the cruise 5 more days at the Marriott in Saigon.

The cruise if reserved and paid the deposit, we are just waiting to be able to book ff flights from Montreal, we should be able to do that at the end of july.

We were in Bangkok last year at the same time in july and weather was fine,rain usually at the end of the afternoon but always clearing up after.

What date in july are you going??

We are doing that same week. So guess we will be on the same cruise. Cool. We have never been to either place so hoping to go 3 or 4 days early and stay 3 or 4 days after. We also will be looking for FF mile tickets and that could determine when we go and come back. But we were thinking of flying into Phnom Penh (since American Airlines has flights with its partners that goes there) and maybe doing a tour for 3 days that includes the flight/hotel/points of interest and ends up in Siem Reap. Then do the cruise followed by staying after in Saigon or whatever is the most popular at the end of the cruise. But we are waiting for Frommers books to get at least some type of hint of what is the most important things to do.

Hubby still works so he can't be gone super long but we would like to be gone 14 or 15 days total. We had already booked a cruise with RCCL in May for Dubai - Singapore and will be gone 15 or so days so this will be a lot in a short period of time. But I have been begging for this River Cruise ever since someone told us about it over a year ago. And if it is a little rainy, we will suffer through it.

Anyway, we are on the Mekong Deck 003. Porthole cabin. I know there are only 6 of them and we have one. lol But, we don't mind if it is lower level and only portholes. We had to confirm by today so deposit is now paid and now the waiting game. I am already excited even though it is almost a year away. But we have alot to figure out before we decide on those airline dates.

Debe

Great to know someone else on this cruise, we have cabin 308 on Sadec (Sun Deck), it will be the first time we are able to go for more than 3 weeks, we have not booked any tours in advance but we will find a guide when we get to Siem Reap, we did this in Bangkok

( I found a lot of informations on Fodors.com)and it worked fine for us. My husband has been to Ho Chi Minh already on business , so he will be my guide. If you need to contact me you could use l_evelyne@hotmail.com

We have another long year to stay in touch and exchange info.

Evelyne

Is anyone sailing on the Dec. 20th cruise on the La Marguerite? Looking to connect with fellow passengers. Can anyone advise as to the excusion situation? we are doing AMA's land and river but can't really decipher if all the excursions are included, if so...are they ample or should we suplement with additonal excursions? I would appreciate any helpful hints...it's not our first river cruise but first time with AMA...lastly, the beverage ie: beer, wine, soda, spirits, seems to be a bit of a gray area. Can someone clear up weather or not these beverages are included? Thank you in advance and happy cruising ! leplap :p

We are on trip too and have been on one AMA cruise (Budapest to Prague) which was handled very well in terms of excursions, food, service. However, this boat is leased and some info is unknown or incorrect. We have read all the info on Cruise Critic (especially 2FLTravelers review). We also are doing the entire program and arriving in to Hanoi on December 17th or maybe the 16th (depends on flight situation - United or EVA). We are probably not extending beyond January 4th. Also doing only the excursions included - program sounds busy enough! . The included liquor is local brands only - if you want American brands (wine?) then it costs extra. As to the weather, I pulled up the forecast for all the places last December and, except for Hanoi and Ha Long, it will be in the 90s but with humidity the real feel elsewhere is probably at least 100! We were in Vietnam 4 years ago on a cruise and did not have any problems with weather in mid January being too hot or uncomfortable but then we are from Phoenix.

The Florida review answered all of my questions

This will be our 7th river boat trip and we have liked them all.

Sylvia

hi Sylvia; it will be nice to chat during the planning stages...thank you for the information, it was very helpful. I knew it would be hot but I'm told it's the most beautiful in december. We've been to Egypt in August & it was no less than 103 deg. so that doesnt bother us. I heard that the wine/beverages are local and not good, but thank you for confirming that. Unfortunately we can't get to Hanoi a day early due to business obligations so there wont be much time there for us, but we'll be staying 1 extra day in Saigon..still not enough time I'm sure but we're happy to be going. We've done many cruises on the traditional ocean liners, Middle east, Baltic, Medit. Greece, South America, land only in the Czech republic and once on the Viking River cruise to China. We were trying to combine Thailand this trip as well but there's just not enough time so we'll have to go back ! We booked the Saigon deck...the B categories were filled so we had to take the A..on the waitlist for a B ! Which other river cruises have you taken besides prague? and also, so far I've read mostly positive reviews about the tour company and the boat...do you have anything you can add? I'd love to hear all about your experiences and hope we will keep in touch. I'm from NY but we have family in Az, so I'm aware of the heat situation, I'm sure you'll do fine. Stay cool, Leslie

Hi Leslie - we booked about a year ago and are in B cat. We went with Viking on their 2nd trip to China and it was the best ever. We have used them 4 times now - last time in November from Antwerp to Basel. When we were on the AMA trip the cruise director announced that they were going to SE Asia and and really got our interest up. The cruise ship we took from Hong Kong to Singapore did not allow us to see much of Vietnam - bus ride took up about 6 hours round trip to Hanoi. We also went to Egypt but it was in December 1994 and had to buy extra clothing to keep warm at night especially. This was a river boat trip too and our first which hooked us. Not a huge fan of traditional ocean liners but friends who are using Silversea are most enthusiatic about line so maybe in future... At any rate, we love the idea of spending Christmas and New Year's elsewhere so are looking forward to this. We are going to be gone for about two weeks and when we get back mid August I need to get serious about plane reservations and VISAs. Where does your family live in Arizona? We are in Cave Creek. Sylvia

Thank you Freddie for your help. I appreciate the great links giving details of the suites on La Marguerite. LOL...The balcony should be just fine! I'm not that large anymore! Just lost 39 lbs and am down to my 'wedding weight!" :) We're celebrating our 15th Anniversary on this trip the end of September and are hoping for decent weather.

Booking a full day tour with Hanoi kids before the trip starts. Has it been confirmed that HCM's body is shipped to Russia for maintenance each year?

Wondering if anyone else is going to be on this trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Mihn City.

It has taken me a little time to 'find' my way back to this board. The email alerts help!

Lorna,

Have you been monitoring this board?

Lorna,

 

Have you been monitoring this board?

Hi, Yes, I have. I did a riverboat cruise in Europe last month and really came back sick.Who would have guessed - after traveling to Egypt, Micronesia, Melanesia, etc., Europe was not kind to me. My doctor said that Cambodia and Vietnam was not the trip for me, so I had to cancel.:( But I have been lurking on the boards, as it sounds like such a great trip and I figure I can travel second-hand.You should have a GREAT time and I will be eager to hear about your trip.

Cheers and happy traveling,

Lorna

Lorna,

I am sorry that you had to cancel. Hope you are recovering. We were looking forward to meeting you since we have been on similar trips in the past. Last December we were on the Fram for the Shackleton Christmas trip. It wasn't as long as your cruise, but we still really enjoyed it.

Maybe some other time and trip.

Armand

Hi Everyone:

I see there are many of you booked on this cruise and some of you have preach read my review from our 2/11 trip for answers to many questions. I will happily answer any others you may have on this thread.

Thanks 2Fltravelers, we are booked on the Nov. 15th land/river cruise....just made final payment and received our Vietnam Visas...so starting to get excited! I plan to reread your review, and than I am sure I will have questions, which I am pleased to hear you are happy to answer:).

Susan

WE have been working on this trip for the entire weekend. Whew.

We were able to book our front end of the trip tonight and it will be a couple weeks before we can work on the back end of the trip. (I am talking about flights)

We have emailed many tour companies to get prices on tours. We will fly into Hanoi On June 24th and plan to do the 25, 26, 27, 28 just in Hanoi. Part of that will be a junk boat at Ha Long bay. Did you do the junk boat? I need to reread the review now that we are doing more planning. Anyway, was there a luggage restriction? Do you go into a cave or two? If so how long are you in the cave as I do not do very well with caves and tunnels.

On June 29th we are flying from Hanoi to Siem Reap. We will have the June 30th and July 1st to visit whatever is there along with the Angkor Wat which we hear we should see.

At the end of the cruise, we will do July 9th and July 10th in Saigon leaving the 10th at night (hopefully) We have just ask the tour companies to give us a tour of whatever are the highlights in that time. (funny, we haven't read anywhere about having tours to things from the Vietnam War or maybe it is on the list and we don't recognize the name).

So, is there ANYTHING that we need to have on these tours? We are having them handle the hotels and air from Hanoi to Siem Reap also.

Please any suggestions you might have. Oh, and the junk boat, does it have private cabins? And this might be a stupid question but does the junk boat have western toilets? We where in China/Japan/South Korea last year and Asia bathrooms aren't to fun. (oh, and did I mention the overnight train ride from Beijing to Xian - we paid for a private car there for 12 hours with a great western bathroom. ON the return back to Beijing, we paid for a private car and ended up with a shared cabin for 4 but the agency got us all 4 beds. The problem is, no bathroom. So I had to walk down the hall and squat on a hole in the floor, Asian toilet, which wasn't so fun. lol And to top it off, sure enough I woke up in the middle of the night needing to go. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Sorry, got off on a rampage thinking about those toilets.

Any help, suggestions, etccccccc will be greatly appreciated. I need to get this all figured out so I can work on visas and another big trip between this one and the River cruise.

Thanks in advance.

sdianem

My husband and I are on the Dec. 20th as well...I have many of the same questions, hoping to get replies. We'll be on the Saigon Deck but hoping for a Category B to open up. We have been on many traditional cruises however, only 1 other river cruise to china with Viking...I am also concerned with the visa issues...typically we've been able to obtain the visas from the embassies in NYC, however I dont believe there is a vietnam or cambodian embassy in our city...I think I'm just trying to enjoy the rest of the summer before getting serious about the trip...maybe that's a bad idea :) if you have any experience with AMA I'd like to hear about it. Thank you, leslie P. (leplap)

sdianem

My husband and I are on the Dec. 20th as well...I have many of the same questions, hoping to get replies. We'll be on the Saigon Deck but hoping for a Category B to open up. We have been on many traditional cruises however, only 1 other river cruise to china with Viking...I am also concerned with the visa issues...typically we've been able to obtain the visas from the embassies in NYC, however I dont believe there is a vietnam or cambodian embassy in our city...I think I'm just trying to enjoy the rest of the summer before getting serious about the trip...maybe that's a bad idea :) if you have any experience with AMA I'd like to hear about it. Thank you, leslie P. (leplap)

P.S. sorry, did not realize you and I had already communicated ! I am still a bit of a novice on this board and how to navigate the "THREADS/POSTS" ... hope I can find you again once I sign out, have a great day, Leslie P.

Lorna,

 

I am sorry that you had to cancel. Hope you are recovering. We were looking forward to meeting you since we have been on similar trips in the past. Last December we were on the Fram for the Shackleton Christmas trip. It wasn't as long as your cruise, but we still really enjoyed it.

 

Maybe some other time and trip.

 

Armand

Thanks, Armand. Even tho I won't be able to do this trip, I hope that you will post when you get back and let us all know how the trip was. BTW, I read a review of the Shackleton Christmas trip and it sounded extraordinary! I think that you saw a lot more of that part of the world then I did. The Fram has excellent expedition leaders who really make the trip and give one a lot of insight into what they are seeing. That part of the world is incredible. And I think that Vietnam and Cambodia will be too. You will be going at just the right time - I have read where every river boat company there is, is planning on putting on a boat there next year. So it will be good to beat the crowds.

Have a great trip!

Cheers,

Lorna

We got our Frommers Book in for Vietnam (which including Cambodia in it) and they have some great tour groups to get prices from. We have already talk to a few that will be putting tour together for us.

Right now, we are leaving on June 22, 2012, get there the 23rd of June into Hanoi. We will fly from Hanoi to Siem Reap June 29th, have three days more in Siem Reap, then get on the AmaLotus, end the cruise in Saigon and spend two more days in Saigon.

From what I could tell, Ha Long Bay is a number one pick of something to do on this trip. I even talk to my hair lady yesterday who is from Saigon and she said YOU HAVE TO DO THAT. (her sister has a jewerly store in Saigon and still lives there).

We have given them things we want to see, ask for suggestions on highlights of the area and one of the tour companies have put together a great schedule for us including hotels, air from Hanoi to Siem Reap, pick up and drop offs at airports and meeting place for the River cruise, and a lot of the restaurants but for sure not all. (I didn't realize that you have to meet at the Siem Reap Sofetel Angkor Hotel to get checked in and taken out to the river boat so the tour company takes care of getting you there also)

Anyway, we are still working with them to perfect the schedule, check pricing from other companies and go from there. This is all making me sooooooooooooooooo excited and I have many trips before this one. OH me.

Thank you, 2Fltravelers, for posting such an informative and detailed review of your Mekong cruise. I'm taking the same cruise next January. I was particularly interested in the private tours you organised for yourselves in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. I wondered if you could tell me how you went about finding a tour guide in Ho Chi Minh. I have the web site for Hanoikids and will most certainly get in touch with them regarding our free day in Hanoi. We're flying in the day before the trip starts and also having an extra day in Ho Chi Minh.

I also wondered if you could comment on another, slightly worrying, review I've read on this board posted by visaview which reads:

"Mekong River Cruise

The Mekong River is brown, its banks are littered with trash and hovels, the towns are dirty, and dusty and offer little. In the dry season they burn the rice fields, trash and most anything else, people who can afford them wear surgical masks because of the pollution and constant haze from smoke. The destinations along the river were a disappointment. Phnon Penh a worn down city trying to recover from its murderous past. The market places, while colorful enough, are dirty, smelly, and the last thing I would do is eat the food. We were on the river for 8 days and never saw a patch of blue sky. By the end of the cruise most guests had coughs and sore throats, almost all, including us encountered gastro disorders, vomiting, chills and diarrhea. Everyone or most everyone was happy to get off the river. There are the occasional guests who just can’t get enough of third world squalor. The ship was fine, the crews excellent, but the river and destinations were a huge disappointment."

Many thanks.

Hi Everyone:

 

I see there are many of you booked on this cruise and some of you have preach read my review from our 2/11 trip for answers to many questions. I will happily answer any others you may have on this thread.

StarJade - Could you show us where on this board you saw that review? I did a search for posts by "visaview" and found no posts whatever. Thanks. Fred

Oops, found it using "Advanced Search"; but it was too late to edit my post. The peculiar review appeared in posts on the "Other Cruise Lines" and "All River Cruise Roll Calls" boards.

StarJade - As you become more accustomed to CruiseCritic, you will note that there are sometimes dramatic extremes in reviews or comments regarding cruising experiences. Many of us discount the radical extremes, whether negative or positive. In this case, Visaview has only made three posts on CruiseCritic, two of which were the same rant that you quoted. A number of posters on the thread on the Roll Calls board made good responses to the clearly disgruntled poster, who never responded to any of the later comments or questions. It appears that some people are not remotely suited for travel anywhere other than in North America or Western Europe. One might be well advised to give this rant little consideration.

As for my partner & me, we are eagerly anticipating our 3-week adventure in Vietnam and Cambodia in November, a highlight of which will be the Mekong River cruise on La Marguerite. Frankly, we do not think it likely that we will meet any fellow passengers who are so ill-traveled or prejudiced that they do not understand the nature of the countries we will be visiting, since the sort of savvy travelers who choose destinations such as this normally go into the adventure with their eyes (and minds) open. In the unfortunate event that we do indeed come across any such persons, we will waste little of our precious travel time with them.

Cheers, Fred