Angor Wat-confused, would appreciate help from anyone with experience

[vandalayceo]

Have just booked cruise Diamond R/T Singapore Oct. 24-actually 2 back to backs.

 

Oct. 31 shows port of

 

"Shivanoukville Cambodia (for Angor Wat-WOW!!)- Arr 7:00am, Lv 4:00 pm."

 

When I check excursions available for this port they list Angor Wat as one of the points of interest, but clicking on available excursions shows nothing with Angor Wat-only 3 local tours.

 

Checking Google maps the distance is 566 km, est. over 7 hours one way!!

 

Checked Princess Asia Cruisetours section and nothing there either, so this is not an option

 

It's (sadly) obvious you cannot visit Angor Wat on this stop or cruise, so why does Princess advertise this port this way?I was going to call and ask but phones are shut down, and besides there is always someone here who seems to know what's going on.

 

Anyone taken a Princess Cruise with this port? Anyway to Angor Wat short of a chartered private jet?

 

Thanks.

[paul929207]

I believe that Princess offers an overnight tour to Anghor Wat. It may start and be listed for the prior port.

[Portas]

Have just booked cruise Diamond R/T Singapore Oct. 24-actually 2 back to backs.

 

Oct. 31 shows port of

 

"Shivanoukville Cambodia (for Angor Wat-WOW!!)- Arr 7:00am, Lv 4:00 pm."

 

When I check excursions available for this port they list Angor Wat as one of the points of interest, but clicking on available excursions shows nothing with Angor Wat-only 3 local tours.

 

Checking Google maps the distance is 566 km, est. over 7 hours one way!!

 

Checked Princess Asia Cruisetours section and nothing there either, so this is not an option

 

It's (sadly) obvious you cannot visit Angor Wat on this stop or cruise, so why does Princess advertise this port this way?I was going to call and ask but phones are shut down, and besides there is always someone here who seems to know what's going on.

 

Anyone taken a Princess Cruise with this port? Anyway to Angor Wat short of a chartered private jet?

 

Thanks.

Our neighbors did this Princess cruise just last year and they did "pay" to do the Angkor Wat trip as an excursion through Princess...yes, it was leaving the ship and flying to the area and returning. Quite costly...BUT...they so enjoyed it!!

[vandalayceo]

I believe that Princess offers an overnight tour to Anghor Wat. It may start and be listed for the prior port.

 

The previous port is Ho Chi Minh City 2 days previous, and does not offer any trip to Angor Wat as it is even further away.

[cruzsnooze]

This is not a day trip, you will have to be off the ship overnight. The port in Cambodia is at least a three hour ride into Phenom Phen . I went to the museum at the school where they held people prisoners during one the cruelest regimes. It was an eye opener.

[Richard in Panama]

Having taken 80 Princess world cruise guests on this trip . . . it is an amazing experience! Really a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list trip. It is a several day trip and involves several airline flights. We flew the Siem Riep a short distance from Anchor Wat and stayed overnight at a beautiful 5 STar hotel. At night they had a fantastic buffet and show around the pool just for us. [Hint: Walk next door and visit the Temple and talk to some of the monks. They are trying to learn English, shy, but very friendly. And if you can manage to get inside the temple . . .] After we checked into the hotel we went to the museum in town. The next day was spent totally at the various temple ruins including Anchor Wat. There is a LOT of walking over uneven terrain and it is HOT, so be forewarned. Afterward we flew to Bangkok and again stayed in a very nice hotel. We did a morning cruise on the river as the sun was rising, visited the Royal Palace and then flew back to meet the ship. Wonderful experience! Highly recommended.

 

There are companies who can help you do the trip on your own. It is not inexpensive. This is not recommended for people with serious medical issues. We had to leave one woman with a heart issue in a Bangkok hospital - the same one where the King was living and Bangkok has excellent medical care. The tour operator and the ship were wonderful. I would have hated for her to have been independently on her own.

 

 

Regards, Richard

[vandalayceo]

Having taken 80 Princess world cruise guests on this trip . . . it is an amazing experience! Really a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list trip. It is a several day trip and involves several airline flights. We flew the Siem Riep a short distance from Anchor Wat and stayed overnight at a beautiful 5 STar hotel. At night they had a fantastic buffet and show around the pool just for us. [Hint: Walk next door and visit the Temple and talk to some of the monks. They are trying to learn English, shy, but very friendly. And if you can manage to get inside the temple . . .] After we checked into the hotel we went to the museum in town. The next day was spent totally at the various temple ruins including Anchor Wat. There is a LOT of walking over uneven terrain and it is HOT, so be forewarned. Afterward we flew to Bangkok and again stayed in a very nice hotel. We did a morning cruise on the river as the sun was rising, visited the Royal Palace and then flew back to meet the ship. Wonderful experience! Highly recommended.

 

There are companies who can help you do the trip on your own. It is not inexpensive. This is not recommended for people with serious medical issues. We had to leave one woman with a heart issue in a Bangkok hospital - the same one where the King was living and Bangkok has excellent medical care. The tour operator and the ship were wonderful. I would have hated for her to have been independently on her own.

 

 

Regards, Richard

 

Richard,

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Just not clear is this a trip Princess organizes, or you have to do strictly on your own? If so how do you let the ship know you will be gone for 1 (more?) days and meeting up with them 1 or 2 ports later?

 

This cruise has 2 Thailand ports after Sihanouville, the next 2 days, then a day at sea and back to Singapore. Where is it likely to be able to rejoin the cruise?

 

I'm assuming you did this for a group, what do you think about a couple arranging all this themselves.

 

You say not inexpensive, can you give an approximate cost for a couple.

 

Thanks.

[Aussie Gal]

We were on a cruise in 2008 that offered Angkor Wat and the various other temples, flying from Saigon and returning to the ship in Bangkok. I think it was a 3/4 day trip. Friends of ours on the ship did do it.

 

We worked it out that we could do the whole trip and spend 8 days away from home (Australia) for half the cost of the cruise line's excursion. We did do it a couple of years ago and loved it. Cambodia is very cheap and Siem Reap has excellent accommodation.

 

What I am trying to say is that it is so much cheaper if you can organize it on your own but saying that, you do have to be able to go with the flow whereas with a ship's excursion you are looked after. There are some good operators out there who will organize everything for you but things can go wrong occasionally and that is why a lot of people prefer to take the ship's excursions.

 

If you want to leave the ship and return to it at a later date, you do have to let the cruiseline know before you leave on the cruise. If you have used a Travel Agent, then she/he will be the go between Princess and yourself. It is not hard to do but you have to organize everything before you leave home.

 

Jennie

[caribill]

I would suggest contacting Princess to ask if they will be offering the overnight(s) tour to Angkor Wat from any of the ports on the itinerary.

 

I suspect this far ahead shore excursions, including a possible Angkor Wat trip, are not available. They should be able to give you an idea of what this has cost in the past.

 

If you have the time, I suggest visiting Angkor Wat either before or after your cruise. When we did it, we flew to Angkor Wat (from Bangkok where we spent 5 days touring) before the cruise, spent two days there, and then flew to Singapore to start our cruise.

 

If you wish, I can give you the contact information for the very reasonably priced guide (who arranged a very good price at a decent hotel in Siem Reap) we used. Your major expense would be the flights to/from Siem Reap.

[BETELVE]

When I cruised the Diamond Sydney to Bangkok in February of 2010, Angkor Wat was offered as a two or three day away from the ship at $1500 single. For $400 round trip I flew to Siem Reap after the ship docked in Bangkok (lunch on the flight-was I surprised). I had previously arranged with the concierge at the hotel to have a certified guide and a driver pick me up at the airport-$50 and $30 a day. I stayed at the hotel closest to Angkor Wat and was handed a cool drink while someone went to the desk to check me in. My driver and guide then took me to see the sunset over Angkor Wat. The next morning my guide lead me through all of the main site temples as well as a remote temple 40 or 50 miles away. This for the entry price of $40 a day. As noted above, it is very hot and there is a lot of climbing to do, but at the end of the day I had seen the major sites and floated in the four foot deep pool at the hotel. The next morning my driver dropped me at the airport. I'm sure that you can do the same from Singapore after your cruise at much less expense than what the cruise line charges as well as having the benefit of missing the groups. I am a single woman in my 60's and took this trip alone. I highly recommend doing it this way.

[Richard in Panama]

Just not clear is this a trip Princess organizes, or you have to do strictly on your own?

 

Check and see if it is being offered as a shore excursion. If so, book on line. These kind of overnight trips are very popular and usually filled long before the ship actually sails, so don't wait to book on board. Once you know what Princess is offering you can check around, contact some of these folks who've done it independently, do your research, pay your money and take your choice. Princess tends to do everything first class and if that isn't your preference, you can probably find cheaper just do your research before hand. However you do it, it is well worth the trip. Cambodia is a wonderful country struggling to pull it together after the horrible experience of almost everyone (religious, medical, educational, government) being killed during the Khmer Rouge period. Young country, friendly, welcoming with these fantastic temples. You'll love it!

 

REgards, Richard

[caribill]

Princess tends to do everything first class and if that isn't your preference, you can probably find cheaper just do your research before hand. However you do it, it is well worth the trip.

 

I agree that Princess does it first class as I have seen that on any pre- or post-cruise Princess tour we have taken. And if I were to do this visit in the middle of the cruise, I would definitely do it with Princess who would deal with any problems such as delayed or cancelled airline flights.

 

The only disadvantage of doing via Princess (other than the cost) is that you are in a big group of people and there is no flexibility of schedule.

 

The experience we had doing it with one other couple pre-cruise meant great flexibility in timing with our guide so we could spend more time at some sites and less at others as we wished. There was no rushing just to meet a schedule. There is a big difference in having a good private guide for four people and having a good guide for a larger group.