Asian Cruise Newbie

[Kruzermum]

Hi there, I am just about to book a cruise departing Freemantle, Pert Australia to Asia. I have found this great site and decided to do some research. I am very concerned about the distances from Ports into some of the the City centres, they seem to be quite a hike! IN BKK we will be docking at Laem Chabang, it's miles from BKK city and we are only there for the day. Are there things to do here?

Also in KL, Malaysia we dock at Port Kelang.

And furthermore I read that Ho Chi Minh City docks are also miles from the city. Can anyone please help me. We only have a day in these places and I would like to have a positive experience in each city.

We are also travelling Malacca, Langkawi, Singapore, Koh Samui. So Iam quite excited.

Thanks in advance

[Keith1010]

In some of these cities I would look at doing the ships shore excursions.

 

For example, in Port Kelang, Malaysia you are indeed very far from the major city. I would go with an excursion through the ship. On our recent cruise a few people did this on their own and honestly several were terrified as the cars were very old and the drivers not very careful.

 

Singapore is a very easy city to do on your own. There is a subway adjacent to the cruise ship terminal. You can utllize the subway to go to a variety of places including seeing all of the various government and other building downtown, going to the shopping district, visiting little India or Chinatown, etc.

 

Our ship docked far from Ho Chi Minh City. We took a tour through the cruise line. Our cruise line also offered a shuttle bus to and from the city.

 

I would read up about each city, look at the excursions offered through the cruise line, talk to your TA if you are interested in a private tour.

 

Keith

[Tropic]

Keith made some good comments... As for Bangkok and alternative is Pattaya which is nearer the port, however, Bangkok is a wonderful city and if you haven't been there do take advantage if only for a day. It is about a 90 minute trip into the city, so you may want to consider using a ship's tour here if you have not experienced going out on your own. I don't think it would be wise to depend on something being at the port to meet your needs. If you want to travel independently there are references by others at various ports that you can make contact ahead of time. As for Ho Chi Mihn, you will have a similar time and distance, so just tour the area around Vung Tau which has some interesting sites of it's own and is on the ocean. Saigon is a big city with lots of growing pains and lots of motorcycles everywhere. It is fascinating, but not as tourist interesting as say Bangkok. Hope this helps some.

[wripro]

I would respectfully have to disagree with Tropic. For most people cruising through Southeast Asia this will be their only opportunity to see Saigon. Yes, it is a large city but so are Paris and Rome. Travel sometimes takes some discomfort and inconvenience but the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices. Even if it takes a couple of hours to get there don't miss out on seeing Saigon in favor of a small local town where you dock just because it takes some effort.

[Keith1010]

I would have to agree with wripro. We got to see Saigon earlier this year and are very glad that we had the opportunity to visit this city. It as about a one hour drive from the cruise ship terminal, (time can vary based on traffic) and we enjoyed seeing not only the historical sites but getting a birds eye view of what is driving a good deal of the economy. This is clearly a city that is part of the capitalism that is driving the local economy.

 

Keith

[Tropic]

While I don't disagree with either of the others about Saigon, I suspect that they spent little or no time in Vung Tau which is perhaps in some ways less of the "new" Saigon. There are some interesting sites in Vung Tau without the hassle of driving to Saigon which will more than likely be a 1 1/2 hr to 2 hr ride... it's one hour by hydrofoil (but that's a different story). Just trying to indicate that there are alternatives just like going to Bangkok. My only reason for suggesting Vung Tau is that it is a less hurried alternative and you will find many on this board who chose to stay close were pleased with their decision... there are reasonable alternatives in other words. I'd feel just as willing to make the trek to Saigon (but a Rome or Paris might be raising your expectations) and have done so myself... the same goes for Bangkok though I think I wouldn't miss Bangkok. Perhaps Wripro would like to be specific about the negatives of visiting Vung Tau. With just one day I would suggest using a tour group for Saigon as it is not the easiest to navigate on your own, the same would be said for Bangkok by the way. Some of the other ports will be like Vung Tau in the sense they are much smaller cities, but will provide wonderful experiences as well. Do enjoy your cruise this sounds like a great itinerary.

[wripro]

I did not mean to imply that were any negatives about visiting Vung Tau. I inferred that you were suggesting it because it required some effort to get to Saigon. Since so much of the history of our country and the war we fought there took place in Saigon I think it is a more worthwhile expenditure of time to visit there, no matter the inconvenience, than to visit Vung Tau, no matter what its charms may be.

[greatam]

I am in Vietnam/Cambodia 2-3 times per year for business. I sure wouldn't pass up going to Saigon in favor of Vung Tau, especially if this is a once in a lifetime trip.

 

As wripro posted, so much of USA "boomer" history is tied to Saigon, it would be a shame to miss what we all watched on TV in the late '60's-early '70's.

 

A ship tour probably won't show you much. I KNOW most of them do not take you to the "War Remnants Museum" nor do they show you where the American Embassy was-where the poignant pictures of helicopters lifting off the roof and leaving the Vietnamese behind were taken. And you are NOT supposed to take pictures of the American Embassy site. HOWEVER, if you go to the park across the street, by the third tree in from the Northern boundary of the Embassy, PERFECT place to get good pictures. You can just VISUALIZE those helicopters lifting off.

 

IF you don't take the ship tour, you have the added problem of transport into Saigon. IF there would be a severe traffic accident (happens almost every day), traffic can be even MORE nightmare than normally. So you really have to decide whether you want to take the ship tour and be super safe about not missing the ship OR take a private tour with that possibility. IF the ship's next port is DaNang/Nha Trang, I think I would get off the ship in Saigon and rejoin the ship up the coast. I sure wouldn't worry about missing the ship.

 

Same thing with the reverse itinerary. IF you REALLY want to see Vietnam, get off the ship and make your own way up and down the coast before you rejoin the ship.