Passenger Feedback

Paul

We just wanted to let you know that we had the most wonderful time on our 14 day Myanmar 600 mile "adventure" departing Yangon on 3 October.

This was our second Pandaw experience and we just loved it.

The service was perfect and all the crew were so friendly and couldn't do enough for us and our fellow travellers. Thin and Meo looked after us literally from dawn to "lights out" and were just charming. The food is spot on and we loved being able to be eat on the deck rather than in a formal dining room. The Burmese salads at lunch time were a particular highlight. We had a delicious Burmese chicken curry at one meal and the chef was kind enough to give me the recipe.

The shore excursions were very well organised and very interesting. Gigi, our guide, was a font of knowledge and very consultative and made sure we were all happy with the pace and what we were to see and do. I guess this was easy the first week as there were only 9 of us and mostly only 7 or 8 going ashore. It all helped that we all got along and no one was "difficult".

The day were were to disembark, news came through that there had been an incident at a hotel in Yangon involving an explosive device. Some of the passengers were more concerned than others about safety but I think we all appreciated the visit from your Mandalay representative, Dan, who came on board to explain what had happened and to calm any nerves.

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all the crew of the RV Katha Pandaw!

Kind regards

Elizabeth Lane and John McCallum

Hello Mr. Strachan,

I have arrived home in Australia after a wonderful Irrawady River cruise on Orient Pandaw.

The crew were exceptionable, so very friendly and helpful and it was a joy to spend time with them in their beautiful country.

The cruise could not be faulted, everything from service, food and friendliness and interesting shore excursions were so well planned and enjoyed by me and I am sure all on my departure.

Thank you and your crew, best wishes for the future, Gail Nielsen, Torquay Australia.

Dear Emily,

Just a personal note of thanks for all your help and info supplied whenever I/we needed it during our many months of prep for the Pyay to Kalay Pandaw cruise in August this year.

Many people from all over the world on board too agreed with us that you are a wonderful person to deal with because you always come back with answers quickly and answer even the most complicated or unusual queries, incl. the details supplied when we took a private car to Prome to catch Pandaw Katha from there..

You were with Pandaw right back to when my husband and I did the amazing “into the heart of Borneo” trip and every time we take another Pandaw cruise you are still there to answer our questions and that is why I wanted to email you today (as I am sorting out many hundreds of photos :) to say “ Many thanks, it is always a real pleasure to deal with you” and if Laos ever takes off we will be the first to book with you again.

Best regards

Su & David Warren

Hi Emily,

A quick note to say 'thank you' for all the help that you gave in re-organizing our Siem Reap end of the trip. It was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed Angkor Wat.
Once again we had a fabulous time on board the RV Pandaw Mekong. We are seriously looking at the next possible destination with Pandaw. It is just so relaxing and pleasant to cruise up/down a river and be pampered by the fabulous crew.

Another Burmese man this time - Neville - on a par with Daniel. He runs a tight ship and kept us entertained and well looked after.
I am sure I will be emailing you again soon.

Kind regards
S. Wade

Hi Alex

We were very delighted at all the Pandaw experience; as one retired naval officer, RN, wrote to me yesterday: “The Mekong Pandaw was, as I commented on a number of occasions, just superb - I cannot imagine how it could be improved. I spent some precious time on the sundeck at midnight contemplating my time in the South China sea under similar skies 49 years ago.”

Personally I couldn’t fault the service, apart from putting ice in the butter. The ship is superbly converted and Cynthia & I may come privately again, for I love PP.

Kind Regards & thanks for everything
Philip

Hello,

We recently spent a week on the RV Mekong from Saigon to Seam Reap, 15th to 22nd March 2014.
We really wanted to tell you that it was a most amazing experience, for all good reasons! From the minute we boarded the boat to our final farewell, we were made to feel really special. All the facilities were wonderful. The food was superb, the boat was spotless, and EVERY member of staff was professional and polite and warm towards the passengers.

We must also mention Mr Neville, the cruise director, who is a kind and patient man, but also quietly very efficient at his job. He is a credit to the company.

We of course filled in a feedback form, but if it is possible, please relay our gratitude again to all the crew.

Kind regards,

Anna and Mike Cox

Dear Mr. Strachan,

I have recently returned from a Jules Verne Angkor Wat and Mekong holiday. My wife and I were on your boat Mekong Pandaw from 15 to 22 March.

I wish to inform you that the time spent on the boat was absolutely brilliant. By any yardstick every aspect of the holiday and service ticked the excellant box. The  crew under Capt Nguy Nguc Thu were great providing an excellant service, effecient, helpful and always with a smile whether they were a seaman, cook or laundry girl. Cabins lovely, food great ,spotlessly clean and very relaxing when not on tour. Evening programmes of films and talks were spot on.

We particularly enjoyed the variety of activities on board and especially the twice daily visits to local schools, markets, villages, seeing local handicrafts,etc.Both interesting and educational and gave us a wonderful insight into life in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Of particular note I must mention  your local guide on the boat in Cambodia-Phalylao who had a marvellous relationship with the local people and children. and Neville Joseph who I believe was on his last tour is a marvel and warrants a 10 out of 10 for performance. You will have some task in replacing him, however we were delighted with his company and that of his lovely family. We do wish him well with his new project.

Thank you for a memorable holiday , you can be very proud of your boat and staff.

David & Pam Bainbridge
Crowthorne
Berks, UK

Our trip seems a lifetime ago: a 7 day cruise between Kampong Cham and the Mekong Delta in October 2014 was a perfect way to experience a bit more of Cambodia/cross into Vietnam. The ship, built in Scotland and modeled on the old steam-ships was fabulous, polished timber floors, stairs and brass fittings, tall funnel and the crew, captain through to laundry-maid, were dressed in crisp white uniforms: Our cabin boasted king-size bed, air-conditioning, plenty of hanging and storage space plus easy to use en-suite bathroom facility: We were on the middle deck, along from the dining room and the bar and snooker table were on the upper deck: There was a very generous open (free) bar policy in regard to local spirits and beers plus afternoon cocktails such as the delicious Mekong Sunset. Meal-times were a delight, offering a choice of either Western or local cuisine and there was an endless supply of fresh fruit and salads. Cruising the Mekong was a real experience, thick jungle, rice paddies and farming lands side by side and each day there were on-shore or floating village excursions on offer: Only disappointment was having to disembark by 8 a.m. (which meant a VERY early start) to catch the coach thru' to Ho Chi Minh City: we are considering doing a Pandaw Cruise along the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar in the not too distant future: I can't wait!!

The Road to Mandalay

Well, actually it was the road from Mandalay, but that’s not really important. Annie and I travelled with two other friends on the wonderful 10-day Golden Land cruise from Mandalay to Yangon in December 2014. There were only 15 guests aboard, which makes for a very special experience. In fact , our three Pandaw cruises (down the Mekong from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City, up and down the Rajang River in Borneo and now our Myanmar adventure) have all involved small numbers aboard, and we have always been spoiled and pampered!

The staff on board were outstanding, without exception. The standard of food on offer is amazing, with an Asian option always available (although as Pandaw’s clientele has broadened, the chilli zing has gone a little bit out of the food, but a word to the ever-efficient Chantelle and we were always asked whether we would like ‘spicy’).  We had an unfortunate accident with a shaft or a propeller or something that makes the boat go, and needed a tug to push us down river for 7 of the 10 days. While there was some apprehension about noise and disturbance, the tug seemed to leave its noise behind us, and really the only time we were aware of it was when we were moored for the night, when it was alongside the boat. The Ayeyrwaddy is treacherous and shallow in the dry season, with ever-changing sandbanks and sudden shoals, and we were often forced to go really slowly, with a deckhand up front using a long bamboo pole to check depth – this all added to the excitement and adventure.

The level of service on a Pandaw boat is always exemplary, and this trip was no exception. The bar staff and the wait staff could not have been more helpful, and there were a couple of people on board with dietary restrictions, who were looked after with every attention to detail.

The shore excursions were wonderful, and we were privileged to be involved in a number of very special experiences. Our guide San Lwin is without a doubt the very best person with whom to share Myanmar. His knowledge and experience are extraordinary, and he was responsible for transforming our trip from a typically wonderful Pandaw experience into the very best Pandaw experience. Because of him, and because Buddha was smiling on him and us, we were invited into a private home in Sale (or Salay), a house all the Pandaw passengers walk past on their tour of this lovely town with an array of beautiful colonial architecture. According to San, there hasn’t been an invitation to enter before. The lovely lady of the house showed us all over her magnificent mansion. What a magical moment! And another magical moment: in Danubyu, I think, while we were having our trishaw ride around the town, we passed a wedding in a large hall, and before we knew it, we were all invited in and asked to share the wedding feast with the guests – all because San asked if we could just take photos. We were also very privileged to experience a special elephant dance on the banks of the river after our wonderful day in Bagan.

As always, we were sad to leave. As return travellers with Pandaw, we always feel as though we are being greeted by family when we embark, and as though we are saying farewell to family when we disembark. Pandaw occupies a very special place in our lives, and we intend to return again and again … we are booked on the new Red River cruise in Vietnam in September, and we can’t wait!

Thank you Pandaw.

Denzil O’Brien and Annie Shepherd (December 2014)