Cruise to Asia - need feedback
 

Hello,
We are looking at cruises to Asia and this is one that we are currently reviewing. It's our first time to this region, we've been only to Japan before. We like the itinerary of this cruise, see below. We like that it ends in Singapore. We are planning to stay longer after the cruise and possibly fly to Cambodia for Ankor Wat.

Have anyone taken this/similar cruise before? Does it give us enough time in every port to see at least the main attractions? Any feedback is appreciated.
1. Hong Kong, China------
2 Hong Kong, China---6:00 pm
3 At Sea------
4 Ha Long, Vietnam 8:00 am2:00 pm
5 Chan May, Vietnam 8:00 am7:00 pm
6 At Sea------
7 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 8:00 am---
8 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam------
9 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam---2:00 pm
10 At Sea------
11 Laem Chabang, Thailand 8:00 am---
12 Laem Chabang, Thailand---6:00 pm
13 At Sea------
14Singapore, Singapore6:

They take you to Ha Long Bay but no time in Hanoi?

Last February hubby and I did a similar cruise. We went from Singapore to Hong Kong on a 14 NT cruise. We flew to Bangkok (love) then Cambodia for Angkor Wat (fabulous!!), then on to Singapore (love) to join the cruise.

Hong Kong can be done in a few days. I had been there three times prior before it became part of China. I liked it better before. It has really built up ( and I do mean up) and has more of a restrictive vibe now.

In Ha Long, there is not enough time to visit Hanoi on your cruise. We took a junk cruise through the islands in Ha Long Bay. It was OK, but foggy and disappointing.

Chan May is the port for Da Nang or Hue. Because we grew up during the Viet Nam war, we chose to visit Hue on a private tour. Full of history and I was not disappointed. Wish we could have also gone to Da Nang as several friends were stationed there, but as the cruise you are looking at, we only had one day in port.

We only had one day in Ho Chi Minh City. The locals still call it Saigon. I loved that city. Again, a private guide took us to all the places we wanted to visit. Your cruise would allow you to see more of the city and visit the Delta area. We actually ported in Phu May.

Laem Chabang is the port that many cruise lines use to visit Bangkok. We had already visited Bangkok for a few days prior to visiting Cambodia, so we did not take an overnight excursion to Bangkok. It was my least favorite stop, as you are limited to Pattaya and the surrounding area. You find a lot of lady boys and sexual stuff in the area. Not too interesting. We found things to do, but I found the other ports more interesting.

Singapore is fantastic. I had been there several times in the 1990's and it has really changed (for the better). Colorful, cultural and vibrant city. You would want to stay a few days after the cruise to really enjoy all the sights. It was once a British Crown Colony and some of the heritage still shines through.

Do note that Japan is totally different from your proposed cruise ports. Japan is much more reserve and orderly. Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam are a cacophony of sights, sounds, traffic and people. Truly an adventure.

What cruise line/ship are you looking at? Each line has their own vibe.

hi BarbAnn,
thank for taking time to reply. Your feedback is extremely helpful and gives me a feeling we may be on the right track.

The above itinerary is from Silversea, they have sailings on Nov 4 and Dec 7 2019. Not sure if it's the right season but hope they won't sail there if the weather is bad there.

The itinerary is the driving force for us. We were looking to start or end in Singapore (to spend more time there), visit Hong Kong and Vietnam. I also like the fact that they stay in some ports several days, that gives more options, like staying on shore overnight, taking longer 'day' trips, etc.

We haven't cruised with SS before yet cruised with Azamara, Oceania, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, etc.

I am not crazy about price level of Silversea and not sure if people are 'our crowd'.

Kiramoli: Did you decide to take the SS cruise? It sounds pretty good except for the Thailand stop and maybe the HaLong Bay stop. I'd love to hear about it if you do go.