southeastern

Has anyone done this tour? Would appreciate any comments if you have. Thank you and Happy Travels!

thursdaysd

Haven't done it, but took a look. Not enough time in Hanoi, which you can fix by arriving early, but also not enough time in Siem Reap, which you can't fix. I have no idea what you'll do on day 10, it only takes half a day to get fom PP to Chau Doc, going against the flow! I didn't find the delta very interesting, so it would be too much time there for me, but I'm not into cruising, so you might like it. That looks to be a very small boat, and there are no photos of it in the brochure I have.

Kathie

I saw the brochure as well. If I were going to do a Mekong Cruise, I'd do it in one of the boats that specialize in this cruise, like Pandaw, the Marguerite or the Javaraman.

aussiedreamer

My 2 cents ..... Just got off the Jahan boat. WOH we had a ball. 7 days Siem Reap to HCMC. I saw things that I will remember my whole life. First time for us doing any form of organised tour, enjoyed every second.

southeastern

Thank you for your responses. We have been to Siem Reap( amazing place!) before but want to see it again. Did it when we were in Thailand(6 did the extension so it was like a private tour). We are using frequent flyers to go and it was a huge hassle to get over there (giving up on Delta pts. to difficult to use) so it will be an inexpensive trip.my husband wasn't excited about going- seen one fish ,flower or floating market and you have seen them all is his attitude. I thought the cruise would be a break from the hussle of the cities. Ship doesn't matter, all we need is a bed. We are very lay back and food and lodging isn't a big issue like it is for many folks. I remember protesting the war and would like to see the area in person. We like small boats( refuse to do big cruise ships) and we like socializing with people at the end of the day. We usually travel with friends. I know most people like going it alone, but part of the fun is meeting others too. Have never had a bad group, actually always great groups. Like to unwind after before or after dinner and share travel tales. I'll try to post something when we return. The trip isn't until Christmas. Appreciate your responses and any suggestions of what we should not miss would be great. Happy Travels!

HappyTrvlr

I think that last year Viking used the Pandaw boats. Is that still the case? Beds are like built in bunks?
Many other companies are doing this river cruise route now so you have choices to compare, AmaWaterways and others.

southeastern

The name of the boat is the RV Tonle and it is 180 feet long and has 38 staterooms and 10 singles. From the pictures, it looks like bunk type with storage underneath. I'm sure they lease their boats. We picked this one because it fits our open dates and were able to use ff points. Folks on this site have always been so helpful and I have learned so much. You guys always come through! Again, any suggestions are helpful. Happy Travels.

southeastern

Checked on the RV Tonie and it is a Pandaw boat. Looks really cool on the Pandaw website.

dillon2some

My husband and I are thinking of booking a trip with Viking for 2013 on the RV Indochina; all trips in 2013 are on this ship instead of the RV Tonle. If anyone has gone on this ship we would love to read your comments. We are currently trying to decide which month to travel. Dec/Jan is much more expensive than the other months so those months are out. We are thinking maybe Sep or Oct. One thing we definitely want to avoid is to be in a low river situation and have to be diverted to a bus to get to our ship. Thanks!

thursdaysd

That's a Pandaw ship. See: http://www.pandaw.com/rv%20indochina...daw-c-102.html

HappyTrvlr

When we were researching a Mekong trip, we worried about not being able to have local foods at meals. I wrote to both Viking and AMAWaterways and was sent menus. There was a clear distinction and I chose AmaWaterways with Asian choices available at all meals for that reason over Viking's "some Asian influenced dishes".Perhaps Viking has changed as this was a year ago.

thursdaysd

The pictures on the Pandaw website show western cutlery. It also says that breakfast and lunch are outdoors. In the heat and humidity...

southeastern

We are from south Louisiana so heat and humidity are normal for us. Wouldn't know what to do if my hair didn't friz. I'm sure chopsticks will be available. I'm not at my best working with them so will appreciate the option.

thursdaysd

My point was that if there are no chopsticks visible, there is likely no Asian food to use them on.

I live in North Carolina, but I certainly don't eat outside in the summer.

dillon2some

We took Viking to China several years ago which has a similar format to this trip. Breakfast and lunch were mostly European & American on the ship and lunch and dinners off the ship were local dishes. We even had some people complain about too much Chinese food, can you believe that???

HappyTrvlr

A friend told me that they ate sandwiches for lunch on their Viking China trip which horrified me. That is why I wrote both companies to check out their menus.

southeastern

We have sailed on Star Clipper sail boats and many of their meals were served in the cockpit. Their bar was also outside as well as inside and most folks did the out side bar to enjoy the weather. Personally, I love getting up in the morning and smelling the water, hearing the diesel engine purring along, hearing the waves as they lap at the bow of the boat and watching the world pass by. I also like seeing the scenery not through a window. Like using all of my senses. I'll probably spend most of the time up on deck. Hot, yes but it's part of enjoying the country. As I said, we are very easy, never have been horrified by a sandwich. I sure they served other food items too. I do understand that some folks simply don't like food from other countries and prefer what they are used to eating. We have traveled with a friend that always lost weight because she was so major picky about food, but she never complained. Just came back slimmer and happy about it. I think it depends on each individual as to what makes them happy and what they are looking for in a trip. Me, I'm just thrilled and happy to be there. Many people don't get the opportunity to travel so I feel blessed and am ok with a sandwich or two if that's what I'm given.

laverendrye

I did this trip recently and loved it. As others have mentioned, the RV Tonle and RV Indochina are Pandaw boats, leased by Viking. They are very similar, with the major difference that the Indochina is a bit newer and doesn't have single cabins as the Tonle (built 2002, I believe) does. All the cabins on the Indochina are on the upper decks, with outside entrances, while the Tonle has its single cabins on the lower deck with only portholes.

Viking provides the hotel manager aboard the ship, and two Vietnamese program directors/head guides, who join the tour at the beginning in either Hanoi or Saigon and stay with until the end. The tour is split into two groups of about 30 who stay together throughout the trip. However, especially aboard ship the groups mingle freely and one gets to know everyone on the tour.

The dining room is good, with an ample breakfast buffet and set lunch and dinner menus. There are three choices for the main course at each meal which also include vegetarian and Asian options in addition to a western style choice. Wine and beer are provided at lunch and dinner at no charge.

Most people tend to congregate on the sundeck (which has ample shade) which has an open bar (premium wines and spirits do cost). There is also an air-conditioned saloon bar which tends to be used mostly for evening movies (L'Amant, The Quiet American, The Killing Fields, and an Angkor documentrary were shown).

The cabins were comfortable enough and air-conditioned of course, and I heard few complaints about them.

Viking emphasizes that this is not a cruise for any one with mobility problems. On board, there are only stairs to get from one deck to another, and in many cases embarking and debarking is either into a smaller boat or across a small gangplank and often up many steps cut into mud embankments. The full crew is mustered on these occasions to help the passengers make their way safely.

Most nights, the ship is moored alongside and there was only once that I recall that it travelled at night (until about 10pm).

I'll continue this post later with my observations on the actual tour and sights. I found it first class in every respect.

laverendrye

I'll just add one footnote to the preceding regarding dining.

<<The pictures on the Pandaw website show western cutlery. It also says that breakfast and lunch are outdoors. In the heat and humidity...>>

This may be true for Pandaw cruises, and the dining room indeed has sliding doors. However the hotel operations on the boat are to Viking standards and the dining room is air-conditioned. I never once saw those doors opened.

The tables were set with western cutlery, but chopsticks were always available, even at breakfast, for those who wanted them.

In addition to the open bar (the Vietnamese and Cambodian beers are excellent), free hors d'oeuvres are provided every evening for happy hour. The daily cocktail (made with local gin, vodka, rum and whiskey of course) was usually pretty good for those who like that sort of thing.

During the cruise itself, all meals were provided on board, but there were opportunities in Phnom Penh for those who wished to dine out at their own expense.

southeastern

Laverndrye,
Wow! Thank you for posting. Please,please continue to post! Exactly what I'm excited about reading. Thank you!