Passenger Feedback

The Pandaw Mekong experience was magnified by the quality of crew & people we met on the cruise. The Pandaw Mekong cruise provides a fantastic moving picture of village life along the river. Small children stand outside their homes on the river bank & jump up & down on the spot when you wave at them. A group of young Moslem girls on the riverbank, mimicking my wife's dance moves & star jumps as we cruise by. Twenty teenage boys playing a soccer game on a large field beside the river with no indication of a village nearby. Small islands with three or four homes, sharing the work in their crop fields. Men, in the fast-flowing river, placing fishing nets along overgrown banks. Huge lone buffalos standing in flooded fields beside the river. Whole villages on stilts. The happy children. Observing rural village market life. A remarkable experience I will never forget.

Again, I salute the crew for a great job completed with style & smiles, the Purser Saroun (stand-up comedian), Pandaw Mekong Captain Din Sotha (docking with great skill at Kratie floating wharf), & Mekong Cruise Director Ben Stead, just a good bloke.

Trevor & Sandy Johns

I cannot speak highly enough of the crew on RV Pandaw II; we were totally cosseted every inch of the way. They made our trip exceptional in so many ways. Each day was inspirational, in the way that they had all so carefully thought out things that would please us and Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations were just superb - from the cocktail party on the sandbank to the fireworks at midnight.

All Pandaw crew were first class, but Thu Ya Tun was outstanding. I would be most grateful if you would be able to arrange for him to receive a special mention. He was our waiter and a new member to the Pandaw team. Everyone just loved his happy, cheerful outlook on life, his excellent command of English and the way he looked after us all; remembering our names and pre-empting everything we needed. He was an absolute credit to the Pandaw team. I know that he will be earmarked him for promotion, like our Expedition Manager Leo, he's an exceptional young man.

May I take this opportunity to wish them good health, peace of mind and contentment in the year ahead.

Warmest wishes
Valerie and Steve

Embarkation was so easy...no queues, just boarded and taken care of. The cabin is all in teak as is the ship. Nice toiletries. My only complaint is that the water pressure for the shower is not that strong but plenty of hot water. Note: there is only one plug (European two pin round) so bring an adaptor if you have lots of things to recharge.

The food was excellent and inventive. Do try the Burmese breakfast though you can have eggs and bacon et al too. The hash brown potatoes are excellent! Lunch and dinner were 4 course meals, 3 main course selections: European, Burmese, and vegetarian. Bottled water always available, as much as you want.

Leo, the Pandaw Expedition Manager, was on our ship for half of the cruise. He was typical of the kind care and service that all the cruise staff gave to us. Nothing was too difficult. Endlessly helpful, which for me using a cane, was just perfect. Wifi is available on the Sun Deck. Download time varied according to where we were. While talking about the Sun Deck, I must tell you to try the nuts...excellent!

English is sometimes difficult to understand, but that is part of the fun. Take some warm clothing as it is cool in the morning as you near Mandalay. Have lots of Khat 1000 bills...about 60p. I changed $50 at the airport and still had left over Khat by the end of the cruise. They only accept NEW American dollars. Business is done in dollars, absolutely no need for Pounds.

They went out of their way to make Christmas and New Year’s Eve exciting and pleasurable...with gifts for all. This is a relaxing, easy, cruise. The ship holds a maximum of 48 people, but we had only 31, so lots of room. All the excursions were well organised and interesting. I highly rate this cruise and this cruise line.

The cruise itself and the timing in November were perfect. I think all the guests were pleased with the comfort of the "new" Laos Pandaw and its cabins. The crew was always extremely attentive and nice. The cruise director, the bar chef and the purser I found on very good form from the beginning and the captain was a real gem. He certainly knew his job and was always good spirited and (mostly always) relaxed, often funny. Compared with the Vietnam/Cambodia and the Burma cruises this one on the Upper Mekong was truly spectacular. The itinerary was well chosen, the BBQ on a river bank with folks from the above village and the floating of fire lanterns was a highlight. So, as a résumé, I really did like this cruise.

Thanks!

We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the Bagan to Mandalay cruise in 2015 we decided that we must go on another Pandaw cruise so the Classic Mekong Cruise was our choice.

From embarking to disembarking seven days later we had a magical time. The bedrooms are very comfortable with lovely hot showers. When we experienced trouble with the water on our last day it was quickly restored within 10 minutes.

The whole crew were both friendly and efficient and work closely as a team. On disembarking during the cruise even the Captain was out ensuring the passengers were assisted on any uneven ground. We were told that they feel like a family and this certainly showed in the service they offered. Once again the food was excellent with a great variety at breakfast and a constantly changing menu for lunch and dinner.

On this cruise, we were joined by three "New" regional managers, Ben, Andre and Leo. They immediately had to deal with a problem when one passenger appeared to have had a stroke. The decision was taken that the boat had to return to Phnom Penh for the passenger to receive medical care, and eventually being admitted to hospital. Everyone on the cruise thought the event was well handled and there was not one complaint that our schedule had to be re-organised. In fact, a 2 hour Tuc Tuc tour of Phnom Penh was quickly organised and this proved to be one of the highlights of the cruise. Maybe this could be considered for permanent inclusion on future cruises. My one criticism was our trip to a fish farm was not very enlightening. It consisted of a one-metre square opening where you could feed the fish and a large souvenir shop. We learned nothing of the farming process and the distribution of the full-grown fish.

I have to heap praise on our guide in Cambodia; Somthang. His detailed knowledge of the history and customs in Cambodia made all our visits extremely interesting. He lost 36 members of his family during the Pol Pot regime, spent much of his childhood in a work camp and he later served as a soldier during the communist war. Our trip to the Killing Fields was very poignant with his commentary. During all our trips his knowledge of local life and crafts was enlightening. He arranged for two Banyan trees to be planted at Wat Preah Angkoak. He even took photos of the passengers watering the new trees and emailed each individual photo having obtained our email addresses. In addition to all his knowledge he also had a great sense of humour which we all appreciated.

Please pass on our grateful thanks to all the crew for making our cruise truly memorable. It has now left us with a problem. Which Pandaw cruise shall we go on next?

Kind regards
Gordon and Christine Halliday

I was lucky to be on a Pandaw cruise in January. I sailed on the Pandaw Kalaw on the Irrawaddy River. I am writing to compliment you and your catering crew. The food was 5 star and varied. It was a pleasure to dine on the ship with such good staff waiting on us. They were enthusiastic and took pride in their work. Their attitude made dining a pleasurable experience. The cocktail waiter was superb and the various meals appealed to all tastes whether Asian or Western. Please would you congratulate your staff on my behalf. Their attentiveness to our needs made the trip wonderful in so many ways.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Robyn Georgina Ogdin
Australia

Pushing off from the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy, sipping on a graciously offered Singapore Sling, we read aloud, "Mandalay", by Rudyard Kipling. Comfy in those cushy wicker chairs, we realized that "where the Old Flotilla lay" referred to the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, whose steamers plied this very river's coffee-colored waters through then colonial Burma and that the Katha Pandaw, the finely finished steamer on which we were sailing, was designed and named after one of those earlier vessels.

Of the many means of getting from Mandalay to Pagan, the Katha Pandaw is by far one of the most elegant and genial, evoking the region's colorful past while offering all the creature comforts of modern-day travel. We best enjoyed watching the Myanmar scenery slide by the rails, especially at sunset, but also liked learning about local culture with a well-guided village walk.Food quality and variety issued forth from a small galley was deliciously impressive, and the entire staff, eager to please.

For our family's independent land-based exploration, the overnight journey from Mandalay to Pagan was the perfect complement - and certainly a highlight - of our Myanmar travels. Thank you Pandaw!

Sue Rock

We have just returned from our 10-day river cruise on the Irrawaddy (15-25 January 2016). It's the third Pandaw river cruise we have been on and it was fabulous in every way. From Jimmy (the purser) announcing "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, mingalaba, mingalaba" to the wonderful food, to the fascinating itinerary and visits to small, remote villages which were all superbly run by our guide Brian. The staff were amazing and thought of everything to make our trip even more special. It seemed like nothing was too much trouble for them and the beach party on a sandbank was one of many highlights. Our trip was perfect in every way and we will certainly do more.

Thank you so much
Angela O'Connell

We have just come back from our first trip to Myanmar and included in our Audley itinerary was the two-day trip from Bagan to near Mandalay. I then found I had downloaded Paul Strachan’s book about Pandaw and I just wanted to say thank you. We had the most wonderful time and even though the operation has now been running for many years, all on board including the guests seemed to experience a wonderful spirit of adventure culminating in us congregating around the upper deck. However, I do want to highlight the efforts of your spectacular crew when we landed at the pottery village.

I am now a Pandaw convert and hope to go on more trips when we can travel with you all again.

Many Thanks
Elissa Bayer

It is fifty years since I first wanted to see Vietnam, and I have now accomplished my long time wish. I chose Pandaw Cruises because your values are similar to mine, and I also wanted to avoid using the known tourist routes.

The boat is of the highest standard, and the crew were there to make sure we had everything we needed. The trips to the various villages were an experience, walking or cycling along the dykes to get to the village. There we met so many genuinely friendly people, only too eager to show their gardens, houses or meet their families. I felt privileged to be there. Our tour guides/translators were tremendous, they weren't just tour guides, We discussed the many facets of life in Vietnam and they also shared their family backgrounds with us. The ship crew were another cultural experience. Our mainly Cambodian crew were so attentive, friendly, fantastic cooks and again they were willing to tell us about themselves and their families and about their country.

Not everyone has a chance to witness a country the way I did, being respectful of the people and their way of life and I look forward to being a passenger on other Pandaw cruises.

Helena Tenne