We spent 3 days in Siem Reap in a great hotel visiting the Ankor site which was an amazing experience. We then boarded the Emerald Harmony for a 7 night cruise which only had 29 passengers out of a possible 84 due to the fact nobody from the USA or Canada could get to Siem Rep due to travel restrictions. The Harmony was a great ship with very helpful and friendly staff and crew. The Cruise Director Toby bent over backwards to make the cruise a great experience and our visits to the Killing Fields and the Genocide museum were a sobering experience. As we were cruising down the Mekong the Vietnam Government changed Visa rules and restricted travel into Vietnam which meant we could not dock in Saigon and went ashore and into our Saigon hotel via coach. Despite the changes we still completed all of the arranged excursions in Saigon including the tunnels. This holiday was a great experience made even better by all that the Cruise Director and the excursion guides did for us on the trip.. The Harmony was not allowed to take any more passengers after our trip and probably is still sitting somewhere on the Mekong River. I would recommend this trip to anybody. Read Less

Our introduction to Vietnam was interesting and educational with our tour to the Cu Chi’s tunnels and a visit to the city of Saigon followed the next day to transfer to our ship. Everything about this cruise was excellent. The slide down window turned our stateroom into our private balcony where we could enjoy life on the Mekong River as we sailed along. The dining experience was wonderful with an amazing variety of food and some good old stand byes for the less adventurous diners. The lounges allowed space for visiting and smaller cozy lounges were available to curl up with a book and a cup of tea or coffee. The entertainment brought on board with young people sharing the traditional dances of the region was excellent. It was good to hear that Emerald is supporting organizations helping disadvantaged youth. The excursions were very interesting showing history of the regions and daily life. Service throughout the ship was excellent from the front staff, the cruise director, our group leader, the spa staff, dining room servers, room attendants etc. We look forward to another adventure in the future with Emerald Waterways. Read Less

Southeast Asia is a culturally rich destination. The excursions were well selected to give us a very good encounter with the people in the small villages along the Mekong River, and to meet with them to learn about their daily lives. We were touched by the generosity and hospitality of the many people whom we met-although many have lived through very difficult times, they were happy to share their stories with us. The local guides were also very well chosen. Each of them were knowledgeable and able to explain the history that has shaped current life in their countries. Aboard the Harmony, the staff quickly learned our names, and called us by name. There are only about 75 guests on the boat, which was a really nice number to be a part of. The boat itself is quite new and very nicely decorated. We enjoyed the local entertainment on the beautiful upper deck under the stars. The food was excellent-always a nice selection of choices on the menu, and although the breakfasts and lunches are a mix of buffet and made to order, the buffet dishes were small and frequently changed out, so it felt very clean and tidy.my husband has a few food allergies, and the staff were very willing and able to accommodate his needs. Read Less

Having been on many of the European rivers with Emerald Waterways, we wanted to try somewhere a little different but keep to the brand we love and trust. Flights We flew with BA in premium economy, which was well worth it as we managed to sleep most of the night flight. Ho Chi Minh We stayed two nights in the Grand Hotel prior to the cruise, which was a great way of seeing the city. The street food excursion was the highlight of our stay. But just getting out and seeing the city was great. The ship The brand new ship was only on its third cruise but the crew felt like they had being doing it for years, they were so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The ship has similar features to the European ships such as the Horizon bar, the restaurant and the sun deck games area. But it feels like less people and less cabins which make the ship very spacious. We think the cabins are bigger too. Emerald know how to look after their guests and they get it right each time. Cabins Our cabin was bigger than we expected, obviously very new and we had a lovely stewardess who even wanted to pack for us when we left. Dining The restaurant had a buffet style centre like the European ships but each evening there was a la carte menu. For lunch, this ship also had a Burger lab at lunch time, where we could create our own burger, we had it once but with so much choice of local food on the buffet and a la carte menu, we only got round to doing it once. Excursions Daily excursions, like we had in Europe, are included. The ship anchors in the middle of the Mekong and small boats took us ashore. But in big cities we docked and walked off. HIghlights included the sailing through Ho Chi Minh City as we set sail. We also enjoyed the Phnom Penh tuk tuk ride. Entertainment Entertainment was early evening, before dinner. Which is great for us as we are not big late night drinkers. A lion dance came on one night and local dancers another. All good stuff. A third night we took a tuk tuk ride for an hour. After a day of excursions, we were happy to head to our cabin. Siem Reap At the end of the cruise we choice to take the 3 night Siem Reap excursion. Be warned, there is a 4 hour coach journey but we got to see a bit more of Cambodia. Well worth the trip as we got to see the Angkor temples over a couple of days. The hotel we stayed in was very nice, and it was central so we could get out and walk on our own. Summary Overall this has possibly been the best cruise we have done. Emerald seem to get it right everytime. Read Less