My husband and I enjoy cruising but we can’t always get reviews of the excursions in ports. Recently we cruised to Southeast Asia and I was unable to find reviews anywhere. So I am going to tell you about the excursions we did take.

Brunei

Excursion Name: Mangrove Cruise & visit To Water Village (PASS)

I had never heard much about Brunei when I signed up for this excursion. Thanks to a lecturer on our ship, we learned a great deal about the country before our adventure. The ruler, the 29th Sultan of Brunei has 5,000 cars (one a solid gold Rolls Royce), 3 wives and 12 children. Due to oil production, the country is one of the wealthiest in the world.

You would not know it by the look of the countryside. There is much poverty and little if any city planning here. Also, many things are illegal here, including homosexuality. I would not have gone to this country knowing that beforehand. Maybe if the sultan spent money on the people and not cars, it might be a nicer place.

Regarding the excursion, it was not worth the money or time. We visited a Water Village and cruised down a river looking for Proboscis monkeys. I chose the excursion due to the Mangrove Cruise to learn about the ecology of this wondrous flora. There wasn’t ONE word discussing the Mangroves. We did see Proboscis moneys from so far away, they were brown spots but I didn’t expect to see them up close, so that was not a problem, I was more interested in learning more about Mangroves. If I could have seen a review, I would have saved myself time and money. The water village was interesting but it was not worth the drive. The family was lovely and it was an eye opener to see how they live.

Borneo, Malaysia

Tribal Cultures & City Highlights (Definitely)

This was our favorite of all the excursions. At the Cultural Village of Mari Mari we were provided a guide who took us through villages of 5 ancient tribes, one a headhunter tribe. This was loved by everyone! We watched food and drink being prepared and given samples to try. We learned and watched demonstrations about their music, their clothing, their homes and their way of life. Our guide was amazing and even played an instrument for us.

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

St. Paul Underground River (I am torn. This was a great tour but it was a long ride to get there for a 30 minute tour. There might be better options without all the driving.)

Coron, Phillipines

A Day in Coron (Definitely)

Manila, Phillipines (Beware of pedicab drivers)

We did not do a ship excursion here, however, when we got off the boat we were surrounded by people wanting to provide pedicab tours. We passed up the group near the boat and walked to the gate of the city. There we asked one of the guides about the tour and we were told it would be $20/pedicab for two. There were four of us so I asked again and was told the cost would be $20 each pedicab. It was amazing. The driver stopped at each site and gave us an in-depth speech, which none of us could understand but we appreciated the effort. At the end, they told us it would be over $200. We intended on giving a good tip but we gave the original estimate of $20 each. It was a negative end to an otherwise lovely few hours.

Hue, Vietnam

Hue and the Perfume River – I would recommend a different excursion. The trip down the Perfume river was not relaxing at all. This was a home to a family in our case and they were selling their wares the entire time. (I bought some). We got on last so our seats were in the back middle so we didn’t see anything on the trip. Skip the river cruise. The Citadel tour was nice.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Relaxed Bicycling And Immersion in Mud – The bike ride was NOT relaxing. It was very uncomfortable and many of the roads had smelly trash but the stop at the end was lovely and the mud bath was interesting. The water park where the mud baths were in was the best part.

The Bike ride through rice fields and a stop at the end for wonderful dragon fruit and a rest. The home we stopped at was beautiful.

Saigon, Vietname

Highlights of Saigon – Meh…. It was interesting but if I had known more about it, I would have chosen to stay on the boat or do something else.

Good Morning Vietnam – Loved the history and presentation plus lunch at the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet Kong hid. The park is large with many examples and demonstrations through out. None of us were happy with the War Museum. It is powerful but very negative and a terrible way to end a nice day.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Highlights of Sihanoukville – Two temples and relaxation at a beachfront resort. This was okay. There might have been better excursions but it the temples were interesting. If you are into temples and want to meet a monk, it was an awesome opportunity. The resort area was crowded but we managed to find a restaurant to sit at for a Cambodian beer while we enjoyed the beach.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok In A Day – This excursion was a disaster for many reasons. There were a few highlights, the lunch was spectacular. The Emerald Buddha Temple was beyond belief but we had issues here. It was terribly crowded and hot as blazes so tempers were dangerously close to igniting. Because we were foreigners, the guards in front would not let me in with long capris on, despite being told I could. So I had to leave the group and our guide left the entire group to find me and reconcile my issue. (I was happy waiting outside but he would not hear of it.) That made everyone angry and then a gentleman was so angry he left our group, including his wife, to get on another bus. We had to wait for him for over an hour before hearing from him. The boat ride was nice but everyone was ruined by then and had difficulty enjoying the ride.

Overall, we had a wonderful time visiting parts of Asia, especially in the company of our good friends, Shelley and Len.

My Favorite excursions:

1. In Borneo – The Tribal Cultures
2. Coron – A day in Coron

My favorite activities

1. Mari Mari in Borneo
2. Snorkeling in Coron
3. Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam
4. Mud Baths in Vietnam
5. Our Thai lunch in Bangkok
6. Being blessed by a monk in Cambodia