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travrealtor
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Ah, Zoom. Given the glowing press he receives we booked him many months before our trip. We were a group of six. Shortly after he fetched us he began his pattern of wife jokes. Funny--the first time. Sad the third. Zoom's plan late morning was for us to spend an hour on the roof of the Rex Hotel enjoying coffee. We explained that we had already spent an hour on the roof of the the Rex over drinks the evening before but a brief coffee stop would be ok. After 40 minutes we informed him the coffee stop was over. He was ok with that but seemed surprised that his clients, having booked a private tour, insisted on calling the shots. We then visited the magnificent post office, a ten minute stop. Zoom had planned 30 minutes. We compromised on 20 minutes. We had lunch at the table the Clinton's dined at. Zoom had planned an hour. Noodle soup takes no more than 30 minutes. Next was a zoom through the huge public market. I say "zoom" because he walked so fast there was little time to take photos in spite of the fact he regularly called out "take photos" "take photos!" We protested and he gave us free time. We ended the day with an enjoyable visit to the Recociliation Palace and a lacquerware factory. The following morning was our long awaited private cooking class. We were to accompany the chef selecting ingredients in the public market and the proceed to the kitchen where all would be cooked. We arrived at the market to meet the chef. We were greeted by a delightful young woman who was to guide us through the market. She was a guide, not the chef. And she was not alone. She had two other couples with her who were planning to enjoy her market tour and then participat in out "private" cooking class. My partner Fred quickly pointed out to Zoom "we booked a private cooking class." His response: "there are only a few more." When he saw the look on Fred's face after that response, he went into action. Lots of cell phone calls were made. A second chef instructor was recruited. And we had the private cooking class we had booked. Zoom is a good guide. His response to his internet fame was to go independent. Our experience with him was fine. But we had numrous private guides on this trip who were far better.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just returned from the land/cruise tour. Amazing in so many ways.

 

In Phnom Penh the La Marguerite and the Amalotus were docked next to each other for a few hours. We could walk across to visit the other ship. Aboard the Amalotus were the owners of Indochina Sails (a Vietnamese couple) and the owner of APT (an Australian). Here is how the three companies are interrelated:

 

Indochina Sails owns the La Marguerite and the Amalotus

APT owns 50% of Amawaterways

 

About 40% or so of the people on the cruise portion were from APT.

 

I'll post a few more details later.

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Shorex, I look forward to your further comments. We did the La Marguerite trip in very late November. Our APT group was also at least 40%. They were very nice people as individuals but as a group they were so loud in the dining room we, a group of six friends sailing together, couldn't carry on a normal conversation. They also "reserved" their tables on several nights in spite of the written policy of no table reservations. We thought the food offered on this cruise was very good, much better than we had anticipated. But we couldn't enjoy our meals because of the considerable noise in the dining room. Was that your experience?

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We're on the Amalotus right now. There is no noise issue in the dining room with rowdy groups. There are 40 Australians aboard - the rest mostly Nth Americans, and the Australians in no way dominate or annoy. We are not a 'group' as such. APT is just the company we all booked through. We didn't know anyone on board before this cruise. Unlike other cruises we have been on, there is not a lot of mixing between the two 'groups'.

 

There is no reserving of tables.

 

I'll post more fully on our return, but please don't be put off by one negative experience.

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use AMA air for this trip..my travel agent said its usually cheaper to do on own,,but price I was quoted,not firm..was MUCH cheaper than I could find. Hear they do offer transfers even if you book on own..but would just take taxi,I think.Ideas????I m booked on Dec.24th AMAlotus,so too early for me to get prices,but just wondering???:confused:

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Alexandra, We had reserved Hanoi Transfers from the airport, it was $18.00US...the guy was waiting with our name on a sign after we got our luggage so that worked well. (There was actually a ton of men waiting with signs!).

susan

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We've just returned from our marvelous adventure in S.E. Asia, including an excellent cruise on La Marguerite from Siem Reap to Saigon. I will post more observations later; but we are at present concerned with inquiring about the one element of our cruise that was far less than excellent - that is, the extremely noisy dining room, particularly at dinner.

 

On most evenings, it was simply impossible to converse with anyone other than the person on one's immediate left or right. The others at our usual table for six were pretty much hors de combat (or at least hors de conversation).

 

We are wondering whether this unpleasant phenomenon is due to the basic design of the dining room or rather may have been related to the presence of a large group of passengers from Oz who were on an APT tour and were exceptionally loud and raucous in all venues on the boat. It appears that, since APT is a part-owner of AMAwaterways, people on APT tours sometimes have a rather insensitive sense of entitlement. That dynamic was reported by several passengers on AMA cruises in Russia this past summer, as well.

 

In any event, I would invite (indeed, implore) responses on this matter from anyone who has recently cruised on La Marguerite or AmaLotus on a full boat. We intend fully to enthusiastically recommend the AMA Mekong River cruises to anyone who asks our opinion, but wish to have a better sense of the necessity to warn potential passengers of the likelihood of a dining room din. Our "Bible" on AMA Mekong River cruising, the wonderful review of 2Flt, does not mention dining room noise as a problem.

 

Please understand that we would not tell people not to take this cruise because of this issue; but we were delighted to be able to have dinner off the boat on the two evenings we were in Phnom Penh, simply to have a quiet, peaceful dinner experience.

 

BTW, we found the food offered at dinner on the boat to be quite good and did not choose to dine in town in PP because of the food offerings on the boat.

 

Thanking you in advance for your observations on this issue, Cheers, Fred

Freddie; we just got back from the same tour, including La Marguerite, I actually thought the "noise level" in the dining room was not a problem, and think it was actually a good thing. Our "full" boat of passengers was very congenial...everyone got along famously and I thought the enthusiasm of the conversations a positive swing. If I wanted "peaceful" or quiet dining my husband & I (empty nesters) would have stayed home ! We are seasoned travelers, including several other river cruises, of all the tours we've been on we would recommend AMA WATERWAYS above the rest. The tours were conducted in an organized and thorough fashion, the 1 criticism was that 1or2 of the guides did not speak English very well. The excursions were well thought out & wherever we went, our tour director Tony, was always there & ready to help. The dining rm. staff was FANTASTIC, FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL ! It was a treat to party with the ship's staff New Year's Eve, that would NEVER happen on a traditional (ocean liner) cruise. As for the food, I am a very picky eater & planned on eating NOTHING as I did in on our trip to China, however the kitchen was very accomodating & presented me with just about anything I asked for, everyday they made a fresh plate of french fries for me in case there was nothing else I liked. The omelets were delish & the soups were great! I have nothing to say about this trip except we were sorry it was over...I highly recommend AMA Waterways if you want a great mix of land & cruising...no gliches, absolutely SEAMLESS !

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I concur with leplap - the background sounds at dinner were just happy people having normal conversations. While I decided not to post a review (2Ft covered almost everything in her wonderful review), I would like to affirm what others on this itinerary have mentioned -- and toss in a few thoughts of my own.

 

Visas:

For Vietnam we used a "visa on arrival" service. It worked smoothly and is probably the least expensive and simplest method for obtaining visas. Our choice was myvietnamvisa.com, but there are other providers. Just be sure to get a multiple entry visa. Additionally, you retain possession of your passport during the process.

 

For Cambodia, we did nothing in advance. Thanh (aka Tony) collected our passports, visa photos (be sure to bring them), and $20 each. Voila.

 

An easy resource for passport/visa photos is onlinepassportphoto.com -- 6 passport/visa photos for $7.

 

Advance Planning:

We created and saved google maps for Hanoi, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Saigon. We pinned our hotels, tour stops and other city highlights, and probable restaurants. The process helped to create a mental picture of relative locations and distances.

 

Hanoi:

Recommend a visit to the prison (known during the Vietnam war as "Hanoi Hilton") and the War Museum in your spare time. (These are not included in the AMA tour.) We used Hanoi Kids for guides - they are fantastic. (Hanoikids.org) Reserve them well in advance, they are in high demand.

 

Recommended restaurants:

Madame Hien. http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/spot/4406/madame-hien-hanoi

http://verticale-hanoi.com/en/madame-hien

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d1644452-Reviews-Madame_Hien-Hanoi.html

 

Madame Hien is tucked away in a courtyard. It's a lovely oasis. We had lunch there twice. Get there by taxi or walking from Sofitel. Reservations recommended for dinner.

 

Green Tangerine. http://greentangerinehanoi.com/index.php?lang=en

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d808373-Reviews-Green_Tangerine-Hanoi.html

http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/vi/spot/203/green-tangerine-hanoi

 

Green Tangerine is a gem. My favorite restaurant in Hanoi.

Get there by taxi. Reservations recommended.

 

La Verticale. http://verticale-hanoi.com/en/la-verticale

http://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d1160066-Reviews-La_Verticale-Hanoi.html

http://www.travelandleisureasia.com/destinations/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi_foodanddrink/309650/la_verticale.html

 

More upscale. Get there by taxi. Reservations necessary.

 

Other notes to follow soon.

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Do we need more than 1 picture for Visa for Cambodia?

Given the dirt cheap price quoted by Shorex, order a dozen! Put them in your passport wallet and you will always have visa photos on-hand whenever you may need them. Better too many than not enough, and no scrambling for more.

 

Given the cost of the cruise and flights, what's a few more dollars to have a fistful of photos??

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Do we need more than 1 picture for Visa for Cambodia?

 

thank you

Donna

 

Yes, Tony asked for 2 per person. One was returned later. As FT mentioned, it's easy to get multiples.

 

Actually, once I had possession of the packet of six passport/visa photos, I scanned one for each of us into my computer. Now I can print out my own whenever we need more. We plan on having more adventures!

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We just got back from our Mekong cruise last week (on board from Jan 2 - 9), and I've submitted a review, but in the meantime, here are a few quick comments.

 

The audiovox equipment isn't the best. We ended up wasting a lot of time because individual boxes would suddenly go off with no explanation.

 

As someone noted already, about 40% of the guests were from Australia, about 50% were from the US, with the rest being Israelis and South Africans.

 

Because of the policy of keeping us all within the same color groups on excursions, the only opportunity to meet others was at meals or on the sun deck. (We were on the "green" team)

 

AMA and our cruise director handled everything on our entrance to Cambodia; it went very smoothly. We did have a small snag on our arrival in Vietnam, as AMA goofed and didn't have us down for a transfer from the Hanoi airport, but we were able to find the guy anyway.

 

In Phnom Penh, the Amalotus was moored next to La Marguerite, so I took the opportunity to explore the sister ship. Like Amalotus, the ship has beautiful woodworking and features. It's somewhat smaller, and while it looks like it has plenty of Wifi, I couldn't see any computer terminals. Amalotus had four terminals, though one stopped accessing the internet after the first day. People with Ipads had no trouble accessing the Wifi, but I couldn't get my Iphone to work.

 

I don't remember hearing any din or loud talking in the dining room, but then again, I have often been told I lack an "indoor voice," so perhaps I was a culprit.

 

People will naturally differ in their tastes for food. We were disappointed in many of the meals on board. Personally, I enjoyed the fish and soups the most and meat and desserts the least. We were very happy with the meals in the Sofitels. We didn't eat in restaurants that often, but here are my recommendations:

 

Hanoi: The Hanoi Press Club - just across the street from the Sofitel. Posh, elegant, all dark woods and hush, very good French food.

 

Siem Reap: Abacus. Not exactly a recommendation. If you go, make reservations. We didn't and were seated outside with the mosquitoes. We both ordered the entrecote, which was excellent, but then my father got food poisoning. AYOR

 

Saigon:

 

The Rex Hotel Roof Top Bar - supposedly one of the "1000 things to see before you die." It has beautiful views and somewhat overpriced, but good, drinks.

 

Vietnam House - about three blocks from the Rex Hotel. Fantastic Vietnamese food at very reasonable prices.

 

Augustin - one block from the Rex Hotel. Small, intimate, French restaurant. Very, very good.

 

One last piece of advice: Very few people on our tour brought enough $1s and $5 to handle the amount of tipping that was necessary. I would recommend bringing $100 in singles and $150 in fives; that way you'll have enough for tips and for the occasional shopping purchase.

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you mentioned snafu in airport with transfer prob..did you book air thru AMA or own? Still deciding about this,,if you did,,was price similar,,time good,,etc...?? What airline did you use?

 

Looking forward to whole review.

 

We used our local travel agent to book through AMA. When we arrived at Hanoi and found they didn't have us on their list, we had to sign something and then we contacted our travel agent to work out the issue.

 

When we were about to disembark for Saigon, the Cruise Director still had the same out-of-date list, but he promised to get in touch with the company, and sure enough, he had our transfer voucher for us when we met him at the Sofitel.

 

We flew with Cathay Pacific and, other than the fact that their seats in coach no longer recline (they slide forward and down), it was alright. My father handled all the financial details, so I don't know how much any of it cost.

Edited by Joseph Mok
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We flew with Cathay Pacific and, other than the fact that their seats in coach no longer recline (they slide forward and down), it was alright.

Allow for a correction. In order to reduce the issue of reclining seatbacks "intruding" in the space of the passenger behind, modern seats are moving to the mechanism of having the seat pivot. In this method, the seat cushion moves forward which results in the seat back leaning back at an angle from its "upright position". There is recline, just not like traditional seats.

 

Most people tend to prefer this design, as it removes the seatbacks coming far back into the space of the row behind. Makes it easier for passengers in window/middle seats to get to the aisle, as well as the psychological effect of not having a seatback closer to your face.

 

Of course, there are the traditional non-reclining seats which can be found in the rows directly in front of exit row seats (cannot have reclining into a possible escape route).

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Allow for a correction. In order to reduce the issue of reclining seatbacks "intruding" in the space of the passenger behind, modern seats are moving to the mechanism of having the seat pivot. In this method, the seat cushion moves forward which results in the seat back leaning back at an angle from its "upright position". There is recline, just not like traditional seats.

 

Most people tend to prefer this design, as it removes the seatbacks coming far back into the space of the row behind. Makes it easier for passengers in window/middle seats to get to the aisle, as well as the psychological effect of not having a seatback closer to your face.

 

Of course, there are the traditional non-reclining seats which can be found in the rows directly in front of exit row seats (cannot have reclining into a possible escape route).

 

Unfortunately, that was not my experience. By having fixed seats, the airline was able to narrow the space between the rows to the point that getting out to the aisle was quite difficult.

 

Furthermore, when I attempted to sleep by moving the cushion down and forward, it put my head and neck at such an awkward angle that my neck was sore for days afterward.

Edited by Joseph Mok
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My point was that your statement that there was no recline was not correct. It gives the impression that the seat backs are upright at all times - ala Ryanair. Whether or not you found the recline provided to be comfortable is a separate, and valid, issue.

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We just got back from our Mekong cruise last week (on board from Jan 2 - 9), and I've submitted a review, but in the meantime, here are a few quick comments.

 

The audiovox equipment isn't the best. We ended up wasting a lot of time because individual boxes would suddenly go off with no explanation.

 

As someone noted already, about 40% of the guests were from Australia, about 50% were from the US, with the rest being Israelis and South Africans.

 

Because of the policy of keeping us all within the same color groups on excursions, the only opportunity to meet others was at meals or on the sun deck. (We were on the "green" team)

 

AMA and our cruise director handled everything on our entrance to Cambodia; it went very smoothly. We did have a small snag on our arrival in Vietnam, as AMA goofed and didn't have us down for a transfer from the Hanoi airport, but we were able to find the guy anyway.

 

In Phnom Penh, the Amalotus was moored next to La Marguerite, so I took the opportunity to explore the sister ship. Like Amalotus, the ship has beautiful woodworking and features. It's somewhat smaller, and while it looks like it has plenty of Wifi, I couldn't see any computer terminals. Amalotus had four terminals, though one stopped accessing the internet after the first day. People with Ipads had no trouble accessing the Wifi, but I couldn't get my Iphone to work.

 

I don't remember hearing any din or loud talking in the dining room, but then again, I have often been told I lack an "indoor voice," so perhaps I was a culprit.

 

People will naturally differ in their tastes for food. We were disappointed in many of the meals on board. Personally, I enjoyed the fish and soups the most and meat and desserts the least. We were very happy with the meals in the Sofitels. We didn't eat in restaurants that often, but here are my recommendations:

 

Hanoi: The Hanoi Press Club - just across the street from the Sofitel. Posh, elegant, all dark woods and hush, very good French food.

 

Siem Reap: Abacus. Not exactly a recommendation. If you go, make reservations. We didn't and were seated outside with the mosquitoes. We both ordered the entrecote, which was excellent, but then my father got food poisoning. AYOR

 

Saigon:

 

The Rex Hotel Roof Top Bar - supposedly one of the "1000 things to see before you die." It has beautiful views and somewhat overpriced, but good, drinks.

 

Vietnam House - about three blocks from the Rex Hotel. Fantastic Vietnamese food at very reasonable prices.

 

Augustin - one block from the Rex Hotel. Small, intimate, French restaurant. Very, very good.

 

One last piece of advice: Very few people on our tour brought enough $1s and $5 to handle the amount of tipping that was necessary. I would recommend bringing $100 in singles and $150 in fives; that way you'll have enough for tips and for the occasional shopping purchase.

 

 

Is that amount per person or per couple?

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I keep hearing about Hanoi Kids. Do they do Hanoi, Siem Reap and Saigon tours. Because we are packaging a deal that included pick up in Hanoi, 5 or 6 days there with tours, flight to Cambodia, 1 or 2 days in Cambodia, drop off at Sofitel then after the river cruise pick up at the end, and 2 or 3 days in Saigon and drop off at airport. Also includes many meals, hotels, tours that we have picked, and a guide.

 

One stop shopping I like.

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Is that amount per person or per couple?

 

I tried to work out on the ship how much in tips I gave out. Here's my best guess per person (the number in the parentheses are AMA's recommended amounts; many people tipped higher):

 

Land Guides ($2 per day):

Hanoi/Ha Long Bay - 3 days: $6

Siem Reap - 3 days: $6

Ho Chi Minh City - 1 day: $2

 

River Guides ($3 per day):

Amalotus-Cambodia - 4 days: $12

Amalotus-Vietnam - 2 days: $6

 

Total Guides: $32

 

Bus/Boat Driver ($1 per full day)

Hanoi - 1 day: $1

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay - half day, but it's a long drive: $1

Ha Long Bay - 1 day: $1

Ha Long Bay to Hanoi Airport - half day, but it's a long drive: $1

Siem Reap - 2 days: $2

Siem Reap to Pred Kdam - 5.5 hour transfer: $1

Boat excursions from Amalotus - four days: $4

Phnom Penh - 1 day: $1

My Pho to Ho Chi Minh City - 1 day: $1

 

Total Drivers: $13

 

Local Guides ($1-2)

Hanoi Rickshaw: $2

Oxcart Ride: $2

Tan Chau trishaw ride: $2

 

Total Local Guides: $6

 

Ship's Crew ($10 per day): $80

 

Cruise Director ($2 per day): $28

 

Total tips at AMA recommended rates (per person): $159

 

If you put the crew's tip on your credit card, you need only bring $79 in cash, but remember, you will still need additional small bills for making purchases and for paying for tuk-tuks or taxis back to the hotel or ship.

 

As you can see from the daily tipping, simply bringing four $20s won't do you much good as so many of the tips are in very small amounts.

 

Hope that helps.

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I keep hearing about Hanoi Kids. Do they do Hanoi, Siem Reap and Saigon tours. Because we are packaging a deal that included pick up in Hanoi, 5 or 6 days there with tours, flight to Cambodia, 1 or 2 days in Cambodia, drop off at Sofitel then after the river cruise pick up at the end, and 2 or 3 days in Saigon and drop off at airport. Also includes many meals, hotels, tours that we have picked, and a guide.

 

One stop shopping I like.

 

They are strictly located in Hanoi. They are not all purpose guides (transfers, etc.) They meet you at your hotel at the designated time. You pay for all taxis, their admissions to museums, etc. and any lunches or beverage stops. There is no charge for their services, but they will accept small gifts. It's all explained on their website.

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I tried to work out on the ship how much in tips I gave out. Here's my best guess per person (the number in the parentheses are AMA's recommended amounts; many people tipped higher):

 

Land Guides ($2 per day):

Hanoi/Ha Long Bay - 3 days: $6

Siem Reap - 3 days: $6

Ho Chi Minh City - 1 day: $2

 

River Guides ($3 per day):

Amalotus-Cambodia - 4 days: $12

Amalotus-Vietnam - 2 days: $6

 

Total Guides: $32

 

Bus/Boat Driver ($1 per full day)

Hanoi - 1 day: $1

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay - half day, but it's a long drive: $1

Ha Long Bay - 1 day: $1

Ha Long Bay to Hanoi Airport - half day, but it's a long drive: $1

Siem Reap - 2 days: $2

Siem Reap to Pred Kdam - 5.5 hour transfer: $1

Boat excursions from Amalotus - four days: $4

Phnom Penh - 1 day: $1

My Pho to Ho Chi Minh City - 1 day: $1

 

Total Drivers: $13

 

Local Guides ($1-2)

Hanoi Rickshaw: $2

Oxcart Ride: $2

Tan Chau trishaw ride: $2

 

Total Local Guides: $6

 

Ship's Crew ($10 per day): $80

 

Cruise Director ($2 per day): $28

 

Total tips at AMA recommended rates (per person): $159

 

If you put the crew's tip on your credit card, you need only bring $79 in cash, but remember, you will still need additional small bills for making purchases and for paying for tuk-tuks or taxis back to the hotel or ship.

 

As you can see from the daily tipping, simply bringing four $20s won't do you much good as so many of the tips are in very small amounts.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Are any of these tips part of the land portion of the cruise??? I most definitely will be printing this off but we are not booked on the land portion of the trip - just the river cruise. We are doing the land portion with another company so we could design it on exactly what we wanted to see. I am sure a lot is the same but we did have some specific things we wanted to see that were not on the list so we thought this would be better. And we have more days scheduled versus the land portion offered thru AMA Waterways. (even though we are paying about the same price)

 

Thanks for all your information.

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Are any of these tips part of the land portion of the cruise??? I most definitely will be printing this off but we are not booked on the land portion of the trip - just the river cruise. We are doing the land portion with another company so we could design it on exactly what we wanted to see. I am sure a lot is the same but we did have some specific things we wanted to see that were not on the list so we thought this would be better. And we have more days scheduled versus the land portion offered thru AMA Waterways. (even though we are paying about the same price)

 

Thanks for all your information.

 

Yes, my father and I did all the land add-ons, both before and after the cruise. If you're only doing the river portion with AMA, that will accordingly reduce the recommended tipping (though you will need to judge for yourself how much you tip the land portion you book with another company).

 

Here are the numbers for just the river section:

 

National guides: $18

Boat/Bus Drivers: $6.50

Local guides: $6

Ship's crew: $80

Cruise Director: $16

 

Total: $126.50

 

Remember that most tuk-tuks or taxi rides will only run about $1-3, depending on the distance, so you should bring small bills to pay that. Also, after hard bargaining a purchase down to $4, do you want to pay with a twenty and hope for change? You can't have too many small bills.

Edited by Joseph Mok
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My wife and I recently returned from a river cruise on La Marguerite, along with the land stops in Saigon, Siem Reap and Saigon, and had a wonderful time. Among the best features were the tour director (Mr. Long) and a uniformly excellent bunch of tour guides, Bik (Hanoi), Mao (Siem Reap), Adam (Cambodia), Huong (Vietnam) and Thien (Saigon). They all spoke well, provided a wealth of information and had interesting personal stories. In addition, we had a nice group of fellow travelers. We also had a day and a half in Saigon with a private tour guide, “Zoom”, who had been mentioned a lot on this thread. He was OK but he wasn’t the outstanding guide that we had expected. He gave us the basic information but it felt “canned” at times. On some of the longer drives, he was quiet for a while, and, at times, he seemed to spend more time talking to the driver and checking his e-mail rather than talking to us. By the way, the driver, Mr. Hanh, was excellent and we had nice conversations with him while he drove us to dinner and then to the airport after Zoom had left. Regarding dinner, we found excellent French restaurants in all the cities which enhanced the experience.

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My wife and I recently returned from a river cruise on La Marguerite, along with the land stops in Saigon, Siem Reap and Saigon, and had a wonderful time. Among the best features were the tour director (Mr. Long) and a uniformly excellent bunch of tour guides, Bik (Hanoi), Mao (Siem Reap), Adam (Cambodia), Huong (Vietnam) and Thien (Saigon). They all spoke well, provided a wealth of information and had interesting personal stories. In addition, we had a nice group of fellow travelers. We also had a day and a half in Saigon with a private tour guide, “Zoom”, who had been mentioned a lot on this thread. He was OK but he wasn’t the outstanding guide that we had expected. He gave us the basic information but it felt “canned” at times. On some of the longer drives, he was quiet for a while, and, at times, he seemed to spend more time talking to the driver and checking his e-mail rather than talking to us. By the way, the driver, Mr. Hanh, was excellent and we had nice conversations with him while he drove us to dinner and then to the airport after Zoom had left. Regarding dinner, we found excellent French restaurants in all the cities which enhanced the experience.

 

It's nice to read that more and more posters have already taken this trip and had positive experiences. We also found wonderful restaurants in all the cities. However, by the time we arrived in Saigon, we were ready for some really good Italian (La Hostaria) and a great hamburger (rooftop bar at the Rex.)

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