Passenger Feedback

Dear Pandaw Colleagues

We had an incredible time cruising to Nagaland last week. Thank you all so much. We will always cherish the memories of our week together. The crew was superb. Food and wine excellent and everybody was so accommodating, flexible and helpful.

We have just booked our next Pandaw on the Upper Irrawaddy from December 18-25th. So looking forward to the next cruise with you.

Thank you so much. Here are a couple of photos that I promised to send through.

Wishing you all the best,
Nadia & Stuart

I am writing to thank you all for making my recent cruise from Luang Prabang to Jinghong such an enjoyable and memorable experience.

As you know this was not my first Pandaw cruise and I loved it as usual. All the wonderful features that make a Pandaw cruise so special were well and truly in evidence while I was with you. The great food, the impeccable service from the bar and dining staff, the skillful abilities of the young sailors at clearing a path for us through the jungle followed by their supporting hands as we climbed up the often slippery and steep riverbanks was very much appreciated by all of us. The quality of the food is such that I never have to worry about stomach problems. Most of all the Pandaw ambience is so unique.

It was a pity that you had to leave us Saroeung. Bee did a great job but you were still missed. However, Brian said that you would soon be back.

What a fantastic river the Mekong is! Despite what I’d read about it, I was still amazed at the speed, the water level, the steepness of the mountains rising directly out of the river, the noise and turmoil we saw and felt was incredible. Captain Houmphanh you did a terrific job, even providing us with excitement along the way when we ran into the jungle one night. It was a true expedition.

We are all looking forward to hearing from Somphet about that little boy who had the sight problem. It will be great if we can help him.

As always, I’ve been very restless since I returned home, so much so that I’ve booked another cruise in Burma for a week next month!

So thanks again to you and all those friendly, smiling, professional people who make up the crew of Laos Pandaw.

Just want to say "Thanks for another great cruise/holiday with the Pandaw Family". Have done an Irrawaddy Cruise - September 2015 and now have experienced another great holiday on the Red River - Ha Long Bay.

Both cruises had differences and could not fault this cruise that we have just experienced. I went with my family and friends and they have never done a Pandaw cruise and it met their expectations too.

Just speaking for myself and Martin (and the others, being their first Pandaw experience), that we do like Pandaw and their offshore excursions into villages where there are not many or any other tourists. Another thing Pandaw did was interactive excursions, where they gave you 20,000 Dong and five Vietnamese words and we as a group of six people had to go through the market and speak Viet and buy fruit and vegetables and not spend all the money and the least spent the better. What fun. We got bananas instead of garlic! We got the other items right. The Village people loved it too. Lots of laughing. Martin, Anita and Greg went push bike riding on one of the tours and we others walked into the village. Dang the Barman, was an inspiration to Pandaw as he made great cocktails, has a great sense of humour and his English improved enormously by the end of the cruise by interacting with the Pandaw Family. Even a beach cocktail party and dancing on the last night was great fun and made it hard to leave the Pandaw Family.

The crew family on Pandaw were delightful once again, especially Monerak, Chui and Tam our housekeeper - but all the Pandaw family were exceptional.

Look forward to doing another cruise with Pandaw. Maybe the Mergui Archipelago next time.

Cheers
Narelle Richards

Last year I travelled on the Ayerawaddy (Irrawaddy) River in Myanmar on the Princess Panhwar. A very high bar was set on this trip by the vessel and her crew. I felt at the time it could not be matched let alone be exceeded. Well it turned out I was wrong !!

The RV Khabyoo Pandaw and the Chindwin River.

All my expectations of this cruise were filled to the highest degree by this ship and it’s ‘magnificent’ crew ( All of them). The food was of the highest order there was no way that you could complain about it. Hats off to two brilliant chefs. The entertainment other than the Shan Traditional Dancing Group which were a joy to behold was great ! Kuong The (if my spelling is correct) and Ronald our Guide on a couple of nights entertained us with impromptu performances on guitar and singing really beautiful Burmese songs. So idyllic, on the river at night, a beautiful breeze blowing off the river and listening to them. "Unforgettable". Their range of complimentary drinks is so good, plus endless tea, coffee and soft drinks, biscuits and Burmese confectionary. What more could you ask for.

I was upgraded from Main Deck to Upper Deck which I appreciated very much. The cabin was luxurious in all ways. Teak and Brass everywhere and such a comfortable bed and pillows.

It is such a beautiful river to cruise on, the upper reaches we traversed had mountains which were heavily forested, such a fast flowing river when you compare it with the Irrawaddy and whirlpools abound. Lovely little villages and towns.

The Burmese people though poor, always smile at you and when you greet them with Min-ga-la-ba return the compliment.

We visited two schools, the children sang for us beautifully and they and their teachers were very enthusiastic with the presents (books, pens, rulers, erasers etc..) that we gave them. I presented authentic Aboriginal Boomerangs to the Principals of both schools and through the Guide Ronald interpreting, explained how they were used for hunting. Unfortunately, on both occasions there was not enough room for me to demonstrate how to throw them.

I must add that there were only 10 passengers aboard the vessel which can carry 20 passengers. I think we were spoiled rotten!!

I can highly recommend the Pandaw Company if its ships, crews and voyages are anything like I experienced. I would have no hesitation travelling with this Company again. They are surely the greatest in what they offer!

Peter Covington - Thomas

I am a repeat Pandaw customer and was expecting high quality but this 7-night cruise on the Irrawaddy exceeded my expectations. Food, tours, guide, staff friendliness and kindness - all were just amazing. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and the sight-seeing was just fantastic. We saw villages and temples and markets and schools. We embarked in Bagan and spent 7 nights on the river, disembarking in Mandalay. To a woman and man (there were just 17 of us, with 21 staff!!) we were sad to leave the ship - we had all enjoyed ourselves so very much. Special mention of the ship's purser, who made sure everything ran smoothly, from beginning to end - Myo Naing - a champion !!! If you do just one Asian river cruise, make it Pandaw on the Irrawaddy. Myanmar is a beautiful country with gentle, kind and sweet people.

Kind regards,
Megan Rowe
Australia

Without a doubt, the highlight of my recent trip to Myanmar was the 7 night Mandalay to Pagan cruise on RV Kalaw Pandaw. An unforgettable experience. This cruise was an excellent way to see the highlights of Myanmar and I particularly enjoyed our tours around the many different temples around Pagan with our tour guide, Ko Brian, whose talks both ashore and on board were most interesting and informative.

I was travelling with a friend (mature travellers) and we were given the utmost care and attention by the crew both on board and on shore excursions. The chefs on board provided us with delicious meals (and pastries!) and I thank them for the special celebration cake they made for me during the cruise. The dining staff, Ko Salai Chit Tin and Ko Aung Kyaw Min were most attentive while we were on the upper deck.

All the crew were courteous, kind and helpful on board and when we were ashore during excursions. A particular thank you, however, to Purser, Ko Myo Naing; nothing was too difficult for him to arrange. And to U Naing Naing Win, who took great care of us during our excursions ashore and was always ready with a cool towel at the end of each outing. Please pass on my thanks to all the crew on RV Kalaw Pandaw and I hope to see them again one day on the Ayeyarwady River.

Regards
Jane, Canberra
Australia

Myanmar’s smiles can’t be suppressed, a lasting memory I will have from my first (and not last) trip to Myanmar is of an aching face at the end of the day – from smiling! The trip on the RV Kalaw from Bagan to Mandalay was everything I had dreamt it would be. The crew were exceptional, every one of them from the sailors who cleaned our shoes and helped us disembark and embark, the staff who manned the bar and served at the tables who were also ready with the Myanmar smile and a joke. A special thank you to Myo Naing the purser who went out of his way to make sure everyone had a wonderful holiday. Myo and three other crew took me and another passenger to their favorite tea house one afternoon, a great experience.

It was my birthday on board and I truly appreciated the cake, the entire crew singing happy birthday to me and my special present; it will be treasured always. Only negative I can think of was the 10-minute trip to a silk “factory” followed by over an hour in the retail outlet. In the factory there were 14 – 16 year girls working from 8am till 9pm five to six days a week. Our guide Brian was asked how old the girls were and he said 24. I did not believe this and asked through another crew member who questioned a girl and was told 14 – 16 years old. I understand that children often support families and this is a necessity in some countries, but I also understand that the silk industry is controlled by the “generals” and being forced to spend over an hour in a shop making purchases was unnecessary I thought. Perhaps we could have spent time in a local market as is done on other trips. The trips to the local pottery making village, lacquer-ware workshop and silver workshop were fine, although a lot of the silver jewellery in the shop was Indian not Burmese.

I was told that Pandaw cruises can be habit forming and I can understand why, I know I will be back. Your staff make the cruise so special, but then again so do all the Burmese people I had the opportunity to meet.

Thanks
Sally

What a fantastic cruise! A terrific way to see the sights of Myanmar and meet some really wonderful people.

The staff were so helpful they couldn’t do enough for you; the food was fantastic and the whole experience felt like stepping back in time when the value of personalised service was understood.

Putting on the special shore based event for Festival of light and allowing some of the local children to join in was just magical…. a memory to last forever. Then the farewell night was a real climax to the week.

Photo shows Group with our Guide (Ronald) on the last evening

Well done Pandaw Cruises you have something very, very special and we hope that you will go from strength to strength.

Kind regards
David and Liz Fothergill

I have just returned from a fabulous holiday on the Kalaw Pandaw Irrawaddy Cruise in Myanmar through the Just You Holiday Company. It was wonderful. The ship was so well run, clean and beautiful. The staff excelled in being helpful. They knew our names within a day, and remembered what we liked to drink and order for breakfast. When getting off and on the boat, they were there to put out a helping hand when the surrounding area was uneven, they always did this with good cheer. The service was overwhelming. The cabin staff were quick and thorough, the bar staff cheerful and ever ready. Shoes taken off on boarding were cleaned and returned to cabin quickly. Every single one of the crew was superb. Even when there was a huge storm and dining outside became impossible they quickly moved us into the bar area within minimum inconvenience.

They even gave us a round of applause and a song and dance at the end of the cruise. I among some other travelling companions were tearful when the cruise was ended. Thank you so much for a memorable holiday.

Best Regards.
VC