My husband and I have just returned from the Irrawaddy cruise, Yangon to Mandalay, aboard RV Pandaw II. We have been fortunate enough to do a number of river cruises and this cruise was up there with the best.

The crew on Pandaw II were easily the best we have encountered on any cruise. All crew, from Captain, Purser, dining staff, housekeeping to the sailors, were friendly, well mannered, attentive and had the biggest smiles on “their dials”. Nothing was too much trouble. We were impressed with the way they all assisted each other and we enjoyed having them accompany us on the shore excursions. As all crew were excellent; we are loathe to name individuals, but would like to make special mention of Tun, the dining room manager. He is exceptional with his customer service, his anticipation of passenger requirements and his concern for all passengers with a never ceasing smile. He obviously sets the standard for the other crew under his supervison, showing his excellent leadership qualities.

The food on the cruise was excellent, with something for all tastes. Thank you to chef and his staff.

Other than the staff on Pandaw II, the other highlight of this cruise was the beautiful Burmese people, especially those in the small villages. It was so nice to walk around these villages to see all the smiles on the faces of the locals, especially the children. They are unspoilt by tourism and we applaud Pandaw for requesting passengers not to hand out gifts or lollies to the children. We felt like pied pipers in these villages, with all the children following us but expecting nothing from us.

Patrick, our guide, was excellent with great knowledge and sense of humour.

Thank you to all crew for making our holiday so special.

Dear Saroun

Wow....! Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the wonderful service on my recent trip on the MV Pandaw. Your knowledge, service, efficiency, helpfulness and humour was very much appreciated. It was really great to have some chats with you and learn more about your family, your life and your second family – Pandaw.

One of my highlights was visiting one of the local villages and dancing with the children. Such happy faces. The other highlight was visiting the schools and seeing the commitment of the teachers and the students that want to improve their future.

Our guides were all excellent. Lee is a true asset to Pandaw, very knowledgeable. Long was wonderful, funny, committed and was able to share true stories regarding the Killing Fields. It astounds me that I was able to see the smiling, happy faces considering what Cambodians have endured in the past. I hope life will improve for these wonderful people. I wish you and your family the very best.

As travel agents, we do get very well looked after on our educational trips, however, I believe all the guests onboard felt very special and looked after. I feel so confident to offer Cambodia and Vietnam to our clients as a truly enlightening experience.

The little touches such as bottles of water when leaving for day tours, cold face towels and cleaning of shoes were all exceptional. The fact that the staff were cutting out steps into the mud embankments was beyond belief. I don’t know of any other company/staff that would do this for their guests.

Every single staff member was wonderful. We all loved Pha, his smile was so genuine and always so polite. It was so relaxing to go to the Sun Deck and have a cocktail and chat with other guests. Housekeeping, kitchen staff, waiters, and all those behind the scenes were fabulous. I cant talk highly enough of them.

I have now come to believe that Cambodians are truly the most beautiful people. The locals in the villages that we visited were so happy to see us and regardless of the fact that they had so little, were always smiling and welcoming. The staff onboard MV Pandaw had smiles that were infectious and the hospitality was second to none.

I am hoping to travel to Cambodia again and bring my children with me for them to experience true happiness and humbleness of the Cambodian people.

As I mentioned to you, I would like to send some items (books, pens, pencils etc) that you can provide to some of the schools and villages that we visited. If this is possible, could you please advise the best address to send these to. I know you will ensure these go to the correct people that will appreciate the assistance.

It was great to meet you and your staff. Many thanks for making this trip truly memorable. I will never forget this special journey. Please pass my regards to your staff and if allowed, I would love to make contact with them so if you can pass on email addresses, phone numbers or facebook details, I would greatly appreciate this. I know you are very busy with the new destination Laos but if you have time, please send me an email.

Looking forward to seeing you again in the future.

Thanks and regards,
Vivienne Zaarour

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