Will a cruise compliment or crimp a FIRST TRIP?
 

We have yet to put one toe in Asia....so we are strategizing how best to coordinate our first trip. Initially we thought of it as a complicated trip and a CRUISE might make it easier to see several places (ie Shangai to Singapore as one example). You aren't constantly changing hotels or creating a complex routing of airports and trains. BUT I have read on the board that many of the highlights can't really be reached from cruise ports. Planning a first trip is very involved and we need to decide on this first factor.

Seeking thoughts on two options: A) Tentative cruise from Singapore/Shanghai, Hong Kong/Sinapore or Beijing/Singapore, adding on a 2-3 nights at each end, B) Fly to Singapore, use a tour company to help construct an itinerary, possibly include 3 night river cruise, and be closer to sights.

Very vague because we don't have an itinerary yet -- we're not sure which major cities are 'musts' for us yet. I would tentatively say it will only be a 2-3 week itinerary.

FWIW, we plan to use our miles to cover the airfare to/from. We have traveled extensively and generally are DIY types but might seek a tour company as part of this trip. We've been to S. Africa (independent), Australia (independent), S. America (cruise), Spain, England, parts of Europe, Mediterranean (cruise), Mexico, New Zealand, and tons of Caribbean islands..

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Many Asian cruise ports are far from main attractions: I.e. Bangkok

I see no point in doing a cruise. Pick an area to concentrate on and do it in a leisurely fashion. Yes, the planning is more involved, but you only have 2-3 weeks. You certainly won't see much if you only stop for a night or two at each of your Asian cruise ports.

I agree - a cruise is not a good way to even orient yourself to Asia. It's a huge, diverse continent. Start by deciding what part of the continent interests you most. For a first trip, I recommend locations in SE Asia: maybe Indonesia or Thailand/Cambodia for instance. China is enormous and the pollution problems are a barrier for many people. Japan is fascinating, but expensive.

SE Asia has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive (except for Singapore) and the people are so warm and welcoming.

This is a very easy part of the world to travel in independently. Do some reading, come back with where you want to go and we can help with the planning.

Have you considered a river cruise ? There are several companies that cruise the Mekong from Siem Reap to Saigon, usually 7 days with interesting sights along the way. You could add on a few days in both destinations, then fly to Danang for Hoi An.
We cruised with Pandaw a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have never taken a cruise. Too much time wasted on the boat, the boat doesn't go where I want to go, and it doesn't stay long enough anywhere.

Good that you mentioned the FF miles. I take advantage of the stopover and open-jaw options allowed with award tix. You can get 3 destinations.

For example fly to Beijing and spend time there as a stopover. Fly Beijing to Bangkok on the same ticket. Buy another ticket to fly Bangkok to Hong Kong to close the open jaw. Return home from Hong Kong on the award ticket.

To answer your question: crimp. It would not complement or compliment. Why fly 18000 miles to take a cruise?

I'll answer my own question: because you have cruised everywhere else and want something different. :)

No reason at all why you shouldn't DIY Asia, especially if you start in the southeast. Asia is a very big place, with only 2-3 weeks you need to pick one country, or two if they're smaller and close together. China, or Japan, or Thailand plus Laos, for instance.

I took one cruise a very long time ago, now I'm avoiding cruise ships until I'm too decrepit to travel any other way. Meanwhile, I try to stay out of ports when a cruise ship is due, because the horde will totally change its character (although that would be less of a problem in a big city).

With 2 or three weeks, I'd choose 2 countries, 3 locations and get a lot better feel for Asia. Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok all have easy access airports and lots of flights to other close destinations.

To make things really simple, I'd start and end in two of those above cities, and in the middle visit someplace like Siem Reap, Cambodia, an island in Thailand, or Luang Prabang, Laos. You'd do your transfers via air and I'd bet you would actually end up with more time on the ground and less time in lines and/or transit than you would trying to see things from a cruise ship.