Dan (00:34)
Welcome to Small Ship Cruise Talk. Today we are going to take you down the Mekong River on their beautiful ship, the AmaDara. We started our cruise in Siem Reap, Cambodia and ended in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. So we're really excited to tell you about our experience with AmaWaterways because this was a bucket list trip for us.
Mikkel (01:01)
Yes, indeed it was. And you can come along on our virtual journey, going to tell you about the Riches of the Mekong River Cruise, which is the Charms of the Mekong in reverse. So they're the same itinerary, just called different things. If you're going from Cambodia to Vietnam or Vietnam to Cambodia with AmaWaterways. You're going to discover what makes this experience so special in Southeast Asia.
You're going to learn about the fascinating destinations along the route. And we're going to give you practical planning advice to plan your own Mekong adventure, like what visas you need to get and the flights and what that experience of booking those flights was like. It was a doozy. And we're also going to help you understand the time of year - kind of peak season/off season - the food to expect, and also high level of extensions for this trip.
And in a future episode, we are going to do a little more of a deep dive into excursions from this cruise. So we're just going to mention some time, but then we'll deep dive in a future episode. So be sure you are following or subscribed to the show so you are notified when future episodes go live every Wednesday.
As Dan said, we chose this cruise because it was a bucket list adventure for us.
Dan (02:18)
When we were looking into this cruise, there was a lot of factors that we wanted to take into consideration. So we're gonna share those with you so you can understand if this cruise is right for you. Because there is some level of physical activity, but really for me, I thought the biggest thing to take into consideration was the weather. Because it is warm in Southeast Asia, and there's also a rainy season.
We went in August - technically the rainy season, but luckily we didn't see that much rain, but it was definitely hot.
Now the itinerary itself doesn't really have a lot of physical activity, but you still are going to be out in the elements and walking around towns and cities and visiting temples and doing some shopping. So you will be exposed to the elements. So make sure you ⁓ dress and pack accordingly.
Mikkel (03:07)
And we're going to share a little bit of a packing list later on in this episode. But it was a good point you made about the physical activity not being too strenuous, but the heat being a factor. We live in Florida, and we are used to Florida summers. And this was more hot, I would say, than an average day in Florida. And the difference is you're inside in air conditioning. So while the ship is certainly air conditioned, thankfully, outside when you're visiting all these places, it's very warm. So something to keep in mind, especially based on your own health. And then another factor I would say is that whereas Danube, Rhine, Moselle, river cruises (what have you) in Europe, you're docking at manmade, pretty docks to physically get off the ship. I would say the ports in the places along the Mekong were a little more rustic.
Dan (03:58)
How would you describe them? Right, because we tied off to a couple trees at a few ports and they just down and we just walked right into - the one port in particular was like we walked right into what looked like a temple with a courtyard and quite a few statues of the Buddha and you were right there and in the middle of a compound.
Mikkel (04:06)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. it was a little park. Uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah. Yeah.
Mikkel (04:25)
Yeah and the crew makes sure you're safe. So they're not going to put you in a position that the port is not safe to disembark. And they help you. They hold your arm or your hand if you need assistance getting off. But this is not a good cruise for somebody that is very much mobile-y challenged. So if you have a cane and you're very reliant on it, if you have a walker. I also want to note that there's no elevator on the Mekong River ship AmaWaterways.
There’s no room for it in the design. So definitely take that into consideration and know thyself as we always say. If you're a history buff and you like Southeast Asian is definitely not to miss.
Dan (05:04)
Let's talk about the ship itself: the Amadara. Beautiful. The furnishings and the decor really fit Southeast Asia. It’s an extension of where it cruises, that's for sure.
Mikkel (05:16)
And visually it looks very different than the European river cruise ships with any other cruise line we've been on. So it had those rich, warm wood finishes. The art was local to Vietnam. That was really cool. The ship is mostly staffed with Vietnamese people. It's behind the scenes in agreement that AmaWaterways has with its operation in that area. But the loveliest, sweetest crew.
There were 52 crew on board and 124 passengers. So that's approximately a two to one ratio, which is amazing for service. So there's about two passengers for every crew member.
Dan (05:55)
And when you think of the ship too, one thing I really want to note is it's a little shorter than a typical long cruise. Like when you're thinking European river cruises, it's a little short and stubby comparatively.
Mikkel (06:00)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it is. It kind of reminded me of the Douro River cruise ships being shorter.
Dan (06:10)
Right. Yeah.
So there's three decks. Each one of those decks has different categories of staterooms on them. So A, B, C. And your…
Mikkel (06:19)
…suites and luxury suites. So we were on deck three. And again, the ship is very small. So don't feel like if you're on deck one, it's going to take you more than two seconds to get up to deck three. And we were on deck three in a suite. It was gorgeous. There's only two luxury suites - we were not in one of those - that are a little bit bigger. And the only difference between the classes below suite level…
Dan (06:20)
Right. Right.
Mikkel (06:43)
So there's A, B, and C. So deck two cabins are A. Deck one cabins are B. And deck C cabins are on decks one and two, but towards the back of the ship. But we didn't sail at night, so hearing the engines shouldn't be a problem. And we've seen in AmaWaterways' online forum and such, people mentioned that they were in those rooms by the back of the ship, and they were very happy. And there is a little bit of a cost savings with those rooms in the category C.
The spa on board was such a highlight. A hot tip that you will be privy to because we are telling you and you're listening to Small Ship Cruise Talk podcast. As soon as you get on board, go to the front desk and book all of the spa treatments you want because they are so incredibly affordable. And they were phenomenal. I got a facial.
You got a treatment as well. We had massages and it was fantastic.
Dan (07:40)
I really can't say enough about the staff and the quality of service that we received. Just every day the level of professionalism, the level of service was so impressive. And we've cruised a lot and we've seen phenomenal service in many countries, but to me this was a definite
And the crew really, really great. They took so much time to get to know us and build that relationship.
Mikkel (08:05)
And that extends from everybody that was doing the spa treatments to the front desk people to the servers and the Cruise Director as well.
In terms of onboard amenities, in addition to the spa, they have the outdoor pool, which we loved being in. That is a lifesaver for cooling off. There were fans outside. The lounge outside was absolutely gorgeous. So the fans really helped.
And another thing was the bar outside.
We'll get into the food a bit momentarily, but there's also a gift shop that had some lovely gifts. They were local to the area and very affordable. They had beautiful robes. They also had some cute little wooden things that you could buy that were local crafts. And then they also had just things like if you run out of sunscreen, you could buy sunscreen there.
The food was probably the favorite of all time on any river cruise for us. Would you agree?
Dan (09:00)
I would.
From the soups in the morning at breakfast. The burger was phenomenal. And I think I ended up ordering it every day for lunch for the rest of the cruise. Also, they have a Chef's Table and we did experience that one night. The service was just so impeccable, and the food was top notch on this cruise.
Mikkel (09:21)
Another thing about the food that I loved was that they put out the plates, almost like in Japan, when you see the food before you eat it. So you would walk into the Mekong Restaurant, it was called, and you'd see the display of food. And if you're somebody who's like most people and you eat with your eyes first, that was kind of a nice little thing that other AmaWaterway ships don't have. Another thing that they don't have - well, they have burgers, but I want to say that
Mikkel (09:47)
the burgers on AmaWaterways in Europe are not as good as the ones on the AmaDara.
Dan said, it was outstanding. So if you're a meat eater, you're going to want to order this burger. And when word got and spread spread throughout the cruise guests was ordering the burgers.
Dan (09:59)
Hahaha
Dan (10:06)
Great.
Mikkel (10:07)
But there's like a little something for everyone. If you're not that adventurous, of course, the burger is going to be comforting for you if you eat meat. And if you are, they did have some Asian, you know, they had dim sum, they had noodle dishes, they had some curry one night. But they really accommodate both diets. So if you're not adventurous you could rest assured that there's going to be plenty for you to eat. And if you are adventurous, there's also going to be plenty for you to try.
Speaking of food, in terms of onboard entertainment, they had a fruit and vegetable cutting demonstration because Southeast Asian chefs know how to make the most gorgeous displays. They also had a tea making and drinking demo that was really interesting. They had traditional music and dance performances. So at night, they brought on some acts like they do in Europe, but they were local. So, some beautiful dancers, beautiful instruments, string instruments, I remember.
That was really cool. And then they also had kind of hour-long seminars, I would say, from the Cruise Director explaining life in Cambodia and life in Vietnam and just some overview of the history, very high level, and what life is like in each.
Dan (11:17)
About the itinerary itself. Now, we're not going to mention every stop we made. So we're just going to hit the highlights on this because that's always subject to change does a great job of really working with local communities and updating their itinerary. So like I said, we're just going to hit the highlights here.
The cruise itself started in Siem Reap. Now that's in Cambodia. On day one, we did an excursion to Angkor Wat and visited that complex.
Mikkel (11:47)
Yeah, and this was before we boarded, so this was the extension.
Dan (11:50)
Right. So a definite - like, you have to go see that. UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is truly what Siem Reap is known for.
Mikkel (11:58)
So other things to expect, of course, you start there. You start with a bang, you know, if you start in that area and do the pre-cruise extension. The reverse, you're going to Ha Long Bay if you do that extension in Vietnam. But, as you said, we started in Siem Reap. And then the hits just kept coming. We went to a silk weaving village in, I think pronounced Oknhatey. I'm probably pronouncing that wrong. But the silk weaving experience was really cool. And we got to spend our money on gorgeous silk scarves if we wanted to. We went to Angkor Ban.
That is an area that was not destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s with a horrible genocide that happened in Cambodia. But this village was not destroyed. So the very traditional wooden houses are there. And this is part of the amazing cultural immersion that we were able to experience. I mean, we never on our own would have been able to go into somebody's house to see how they live.
And that was really eye-opening and beautiful that they let us into their home like that. We also went to Oudong Wat, which is a gorgeous temple complex in the mountains, very close to Phonm Penh. And we were able to get a blessing by monks if you wanted to participate and experience really the peace of them chanting. What did you think of that experience? Because know more about Buddhism than I do.
Dan (13:20)
I thought it was a phenomenal experience that helped shape awareness of how the monks live and then kind of what their, maybe not necessarily their daily life, life as a monk looks like in Cambodia. But the ceremony itself was beautiful. It was the floor and two monks just chanted and then at some point were throwing petals on us for a blessing. And it was short but very moving.
Mikkel (13:46)
Mm-hmm. Very moving and it truly put us in the center of their culture and their religion in a very lovely way.
Dan (13:57)
Yeah, and very welcoming.
Mikkel (13:59)
Very welcoming. Yeah. We also went to Phonm Penh, to the city, but also were able to go to the Killing Fields, which was depressing and is also a very important piece of history to learn about. We did not know about the genocide before we went there, but it was so recent in the 1970s and so devastating to the country. So it's really a vital piece of their history to learn just as it's important to learn about World War II history when you are going to kind of significance. And also we had a great time walking around in the afternoon on our own. We got a great cocktail with an incredible view. We'll go into more detail in that future episode when we really deep dive into what we did day by day.
Our "day at sea," so to speak, our day on the river was our border crossing into Vietnam from Cambodia, which is the same if you do the opposite. But basically you're just enjoying the ship all day, which is often my favorite time on a cruise. The authorities come on and they check the ship and it's all very standard.
Not to worry when you see authorities come on board, but this is why those visas are important.
We also went to Sa Dec in Vietnam to a wet market, which was fascinating and definitely a must do with the guide to kind of explain how the people get their food and how they're coming by, you know, mostly motorcycle these days. Gone are the days of people really doing floating markets because roads have just made it possible to kind of eliminate that, which is sort of like a dying cultural thing.
You see some boats in the water and we did get to the wet market by boat. So that was really cool. And then we ended in Saigon or what's currently known as Ho Chi Minh City. So we disembarked in My Tho, and then we were bused into Ho Chi Minh City. There are a lot of bus rides on this cruise. They were fantastic about making sure we had, did they call them happy breaks on this trip to the bathroom?
Dan (15:58)
Uh… that uh... yeah "If you have to use the happy room."
Mikkel (16:00)
The happy room, happy room for happy breaks. I just like seeing day to day living. We stopped at rest stops at gas stations like how you would in the United States if you were doing a road trip. So that was kind of fun. You could get a coffee. You could get snacks there. So they made sure that during these hours-long bus rides - and there are quite a few of them - that we were entertained enough but also able to just listen to a podcast if you had your headphones or go to sleep or whatever.
So I did want to call out that it is a lot of bus rides if you are not into the idea of that, but it's also just the nature of the beast with this kind of cruise to get to some of the main attractions from the river. You're going to be bused there. And the nice thing is, AmaWaterways seamlessly takes care of all of that.
So speaking of practicality of the buses and such, let's go into a little bit of practical planning tips.
Dan (16:51)
Great, you are going to need visas for both Cambodia and Vietnam. So just a heads up there, make sure you do your homework and make sure you apply for those with plenty of time.
Mikkel (16:55)
Yes. Yeah.
Dan (17:04)
It’s not expensive, but there is some paperwork involved.
Mikkel (17:06)
Yeah, expect it to be about $30 per person and you do need one for each country. And while AmaWaterways cannot book those for you - I'm guessing for legal reasons, but don't quote me on that - they guide you through the process on their website with step by step instructions. And it really was instrumental in making sure that we were filling things out correctly. Because when you fill out the government visa application on the appropriate websites, whether it's Cambodia or Vietnam, it's asking you things like the address of where your ship embarks. You don't know these things.
I went on the AmaWaterways site and was able to get that information and see screenshots of where it would ask this. So that was great. And then it's all digital. You just get notified digitally if it was accepted and whatnot.
And then the other thing is flights. That's a major one, right? So know before you go, flight route options. I would say the sooner you book this cruise, the better you are in terms of booking your flights ahead of time. If you have two months, let's say, it's not impossible. We actually did it on a very short turnaround time. Yeah. And also practically, it is a less expensive cruise than you would think. It's like, around $2,000, $2,500 per person depending on what itinerary you pick and when you go. But I will say that the flights could be just as expensive. Right?
Dan (18:30)
Right. And be prepared to spend 24 hours flying in travel time because we, I think it was three flights to get to Siem Reap.
Mikkel (18:36)
Totally. Mm-hmm.
And the other thing about the flights, speaking of location: You know how we say a cruise can be open jaw. So you start and end in two different locations. You're not flying round trip from the same place. You're flying multi-city. So this is another great reason to use a travel agent who can help you orchestrate all this. We have ours that we recommend in the show description, or you can, you know, call AmaWaterways to get that advice and what they think about that.
But it is something worth looking into and knowing that the flights are long. It's kind of an exhausting travel time to get there and back, but absolutely worth it. And it's, again, just a nature of having to get to Southeast Asia.
Dan (19:23)
I talked about it earlier but I'm gonna mention here again is the weather. Especially knowing what the weather is gonna be like in the months that you're going to be visiting these places. We went in August - we thought it was the perfect time because it wasn't quite as hot, everything was green, it was considered low season but it was also the rainy season and, like I said, we lucked out but that's the possibility we could have had a lot of rainy days.
Mikkel (19:47)
Yeah, we totally lucked out. But like you said, it's low season. So one of the things I loved was that there was practically nobody at the hotel that we booked.
We came in a couple of days earlier before the pre-cruise even started. And we used Marriott Points to stay at a Marriott hotel that was walkable to things. And it was almost empty. There was nobody there because it was the low season. And that actually plays into Angkor Wat, the number one attraction in Siem Reap.
It didn't feel that crowded when we got there. Later in the day it was very busy, but I'm sure it can get swamped.
Dan (20:19)
Right. Yeah. And it was still hot. I mean, we got there at sunrise and we were still sweating as we were walking
Mikkel (20:21)
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Absolutely. And health preparations. You don't need anything of the such. We didn't get any. It wasn't on our radar. It's not like we're going to a malaria-ridden country or anything, so don't worry about that. You won't have motion sickness issues on this river, I would say, at all, right?
Very much likened any other river we've been on. There wasn't any winding bus rides, I can recall. They were just longer, the bus rides.
Dan (20:53)
Yeah, they were longer. Some of the roads were not the most comfortable. There were some bumps along the way, but overall it wasn't anything like being in Italy on a bus and winding through the mountains.
Mikkel (21:01)
No, yeah. Right. And overall, their highways are paved, and it's fine. It's not like you don't feel like, I'm in a third world country with dirt roads. Like I said, there's gas stations that are rest stop stations like you would experience on I-95 or I-4, where we are located, right?
Dan (21:23)
Yeah. Another thing, just like visiting any foreign country, your currency and your exchange rate. Understand what that is. If you're traveling with the US dollar the exchange rate is going to be pretty good. But it was very surprising how many people in Cambodia took the US dollar.
And there was a few times I went to the front desk to change higher bills to get US dollar bills so we could tip as we were out in country. Not the same for Vietnam. When we were in Ho Chi Minh City, I specifically remember trying to pay with a US dollar and it was like, "No thank you."
Mikkel (22:01)
"Your dollars are no good here." So they're on the Vietnamese dong and we didn't exchange any money because we were only there about two days, but we used our credit cards. So we just made sure wherever we were going took credit card before we ate there or got a massage there or decided to do the activity. Speaking of packing currency and those dollars.
What else to pack? So I'm going to start with reiterating that I would have gone to, in hindsight, I would have gone to the bank to get more US dollars for Cambodia. It felt like we were in Cambodia for most of the trip. And even if you do the reverse itinerary, you end up in more Cambodian ports. So those US dollars for sure. The clothing, we keep saying it's hot, hot, hot. We had a friend who had done this itinerary before tell us it was hot. And we were like, "Yeah, we know hot, no worries."
When we got back, we said, "You were not kidding." You step outside and you just start sweating through whatever you're wearing because your body is trying to regulate itself and your temperature. So, pack extra undies. For the ladies, pack extra sports bras or another bra. Don't forget your bathing suit because you can go on that pool if you're on on AmaWaterways. That's amazing. Also, any quick drying shirts, a cooling towel.
Mikkel (23:17)
I would say I would not have survived without my rechargeable handheld fan. I'll put all these things in the show notes for you. You're going to want your sunglasses, some sort of sun hat and sunscreen. What else am I forgetting that we packed?
Dan (23:29)
Mm-hmm.
We brought reusable water bottles, and then for me it was sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.
Mikkel (23:38)
Yeah. And they'll make sure you have water as well. But we like our reusable water bottles to be insulated, ours, so they keep things cold if it's supposed to be cold and hot if it's supposed to be hot. But definitely, cold water on this trip was vital. I would say leave anything fancy at home. This was actually a more casual cruise than were on with Rudi and Kristin, the owners of AmaWaterways. And Rudi was even wearing a fun patterned collared shirt to the Chef's Table. So that was fun, right?
Dan (24:10)
Yeah, definitely a casual or more of a casual cruise. I’m not a big fan of seeing bare feet lounge, but I think this it was acceptable.
Mikkel (24:18)
Okay, you're being funny though, right? Did you see a lot of people with bare feet? ⁓ okay, that's fine. I was like inside. No, I can see that on the outside because it's right next to the pool. But also in terms of packing, I would say pack less than more. Do not overpack for this cruise. You're going to regret it.
Dan (24:23)
Well, the outside lounge, but yeah. Right, yes.
Mikkel (24:39)
You're going to want to leave room for some souvenirs. So I bought silk scarves to bring home and that was cool.
You bought some beads, I think? Some Buddhist beads to bring home. So leave a little bit of room to bring those souvenirs home or pack an extra duffel bag or something that collapses that you can kind of check or bring on however you want to travel.
And then the other thing is we see a lot of people ask, and we got asked if we should bring different clothes for the temples.
It was actually surprising because we had been to Thailand in 2016, and they were really strict about women covering their shoulders and their knees, shorts for men covering your knees. But I didn't feel that as strongly. I brought a scarf that I had purchased in Thailand all those years ago that could be worn as a kind of wrap-around skirt to add over my shorts.
But I didn't feel like they were that strict except for one temple that they asked us to do that. Am I recalling correctly?
Dan (25:38)
Yeah, they definitely weren't as strict, but any religious - maybe it's a cathedral in Europe or a wat in Southeast Asia - just be respectful and make sure you go and understand what their customs are and how to behave and interact with the monks and staff in a culturally appropriate way.
Mikkel (25:58)
Yeah, and that being said, use your resources on the ship. So don't put a lot of pressure on yourself to research this beforehand, because all of the Vietnamese staff on board, including knowledge from Cambodia, they're so open to discussions. And they will tell you if they don't want to answer something. But there wasn't a single question we asked them about life in either country or about their personal lives that they weren't willing to answer.
Another interesting thing about this cruise in terms of food, and sorry to go back to this as an afterthought, but it is something that is very important, is your alcohol is included with lunch and dinner for AmaWaterways and most river cruises. But one of the amazing things about this cruise is that it was also included anytime.
So there was nothing like getting back to the ship after being so hot on shore - on land - and getting an ice cold beer. And I was so grateful that those beers were ice cold. So it's the local beer, it's the local gin, it's the local vodka and such, but it's totally fine and drinkable and mix-worthy. And that was a really, really nice surprise.
Dan (27:07)
As we wrap up, what are your final thoughts? Anything that stood out or was surprising? Like, what do you think?
Mikkel (27:14)
You know, you think of a bucket list trip and you hope that it lives up to the hype that you've given it in your head. And this trip really surpassed that. It was a big decision for us to go financially and time-wise at the time. And we went for it and it really blew us away.
Dan (27:34)
I would definitely echo that bucket list trip that lived up to everything I was hoping and delivered even more. One thing that surprised me was the river itself is so muddy. It's pretty much brown and the floating vegetation on the river that just grows while it's floating. Kind of like think of very big green tumbleweeds, but in the water and…
Mikkel (27:50)
yeah, mm-hmm. I was gonna say they're like lily pads almost.
Dan (28:01)
Yeah, but they were like bushes, like floating bushes.
Mikkel (28:03)
Yeah, and now it was only kind of towards Vietnam towards the end. And actually, the crew on board, they were able to tell us that they're not a native species. They're kind of invasive, this plant that is in there. But yeah, that was surprising because we haven't seen that on any other river. But the muddiness reminded me of the Garonne in France when you go to Bordeaux. So that felt familiar in that way, but also surprising, like you said.
Dan (28:22)
Mm, right. Yeah. I was expecting it but not quite like that.
Mikkel (28:30)
Yeah.
Dan (28:31)
And then also just, I would embrace the cultures, and the differences in cultures in those two countries, because they're going to embrace you. Even we experienced it in Vietnam. It was going as an American, we went to a Vietnam War History Museum and it's their side of the story and it was very eye-opening but very important to be open to what their side of the story is.
Mikkel (28:58)
That is a great tee off for our end of this episode, but to entice you to us a follow and subscribe because we are going to deep dive, as I said, at the top of the episode into those excursions. So going to the war museums, going to see the silk being woven, doing a ride with the ox, you know, seeing the women with the weaving baskets, the kind of the trays sorting out the sesame seeds. That was so cool.
Dan (29:20)
Mmm.
Dan (29:27)
Making friends with a giant rat.
Mikkel (29:29)
Oh! Making friends with a giant rat! Woo, cliffhanger. Let's leave it there. So we are going to talk about that in a couple of weeks in a future episode. Rats and all. The rats really are incredible. They have a very special purpose. And Dan even donates to this organization. He was so moved by it. So find out about that in our future episode. And thanks for cruising with us today on the Mekong River.
