Passenger Feedback

My wife and myself readup on your company, the cruise, the boat and especially the country of Myanmar before selecting this cruise. We also had never contemplated a river cruise before.

Suffice to say, this trip was unbelievable, superb, great, professional, friendly etc etc. There are just not enough superlatives for Pandaw and the experience your crew and operation have given us.

Aung Aung Oo...Great Purser who I believe was the quiet achiever of this trip. I have no doubt that behind the scenes this man worked hard with his staff and arranged details with the locals at every port of call.

Daniel (Htin Gyi)...In all our years of travel this man was the best guide we have ever had. Caring, informative, professional, a great love for his country and a privelage to meet. This man is one in a million. Hang on to him.

All crew from Captain, Cabin attendant, maintenance crew were professional, caring and truly an honour to meet and get to know.

Food....Congratulations to Chef and his team and Waiting staff. Greatl and wonderful food and not once was the menu repeated. Well done.. Barman Jack....brilliant and nothing a problem.

What an experience. Our thanks to all involved.

Pandaw is in our conversation to all our family and friends.

Goodluck and best wishes to all at Pandaw and please pass on this email to all concerned.

Robert and Gayle Berg

We recently returned from the 7 day, classic Mekong cruise on the RV Mekong Pandaw. We wanted to express our thanks to the company and our deep admiration for the staff on the boat who made it truly superb. The boat was brilliant, the staff first rate and the food stunning.

Saroeung and Sokhom leading the team, Sophorn in the dining room, Head Chef Mr Narith and everyone else were simply excellent. Our son has severe food allergies and they all looked after him very well. Also Sreyhong was wonderful in the time she gave to teaching our daughter origami.

We would (and will) highly recommend travelling with Pandaw and we are already planning our next trip. Many thanks and congratulations on creating something terrific.

Paul Christensen

My husband and I just completed a week cruising the Irrawaddy from Bagan to Mingun/Mandalay on the Kindat Pandaw. We had an absolutely delightful experience. The boat was simply yet elegantly appointed. We had every convenience we could need or want. We met fascinating fellow travelers. Your staff and crew were stellar--the service was impeccable AND kind and friendly. We feel as though we experienced magical Myanmar in the best way possible.

I want to especially compliment our Purser, Bo Bo. He ensured that our travels were beyond our expectations. He took extra care with the older passengers, was always available when needed, and answered all of our questions. His demeanor was professional yet friendly. I hope he goes far with your company!

I would like to comment on the local guides that led our excursions. Unfortunately, their command of the English language was quite poor. All of the passengers (Americans, Brits, Canadians and Australians) had a lot of trouble understanding their comments. The guides were unable to put things into context, tell a compelling story, or even keep a group together, focused, and moving along. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent, everything about the boat and our cruising experience was a 5+. But I would rate our guides as a 2. They were kind and well-intentioned, just not very effective.

Finally, I have a merchandising suggestion for your company. The second to the last evening we were shown a film of the history of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. It was fascinating, and I would like to inquire as to the possibility of purchasing a copy for personal enjoyment. My husband and I would love to have a copy of the DVD to show our friends at home--I know it would spark interest for others to travel on one of your fleet. I think if you made it available for purchase in the small gift shop on the boat, you would sell one to at least half, if not more, of the passengers. You could make it available for purchase on the rest of your fleet as well. Watching it helped me put together the bits and pieces of history of both The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company AND the beautiful country of Burma in a meaningful way.

One last merchandising suggestion. I think you should sell postcards with a photo of the Kindat Pandaw (actually of all of your passenger boats.) I would have purchased a dozen or more to send home to friends and family (especially the grandkids.). I know my fellow passengers would agree. Think of the marketing that could do for future customers!

Lastly, thank you for your efforts in bringing the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company back to life. It is a wonderful accomplishment, one that helps preserve the beautiful country of Myanmar for future generations. Thank you also for the gift of the book of the history of the company.

We hope to travel again with you at another destination.

Kind regards,
Robyn Waters and Gary Springer
Cruise dates: September 26 through October 3rd, 2015

Hello Paul

I am writing to thankyou for a wonderful trip we recently had on the Mekong Pandaw upstream from Vietnam. We were a party of 4 couples and our trip left Saigon Saturday 5th September.

We had already been in Vietnam for a week or more travelling from Hanoi To Halong Bay, down to Hoi An and then a few days in Saigon. From the check in to final departure everything was of a very high standard. The bus to My Tho port was of high standard, so too the one to transfer us to Siem Reap. (the 5 hr journey most of us were not looking forward to at all, however it was very comfortable indeed)

I was impressed that the trip went ahead despite not full numbers, we started off with 28 and then 9 left us at Phnom Penh. One of these was John Lloyd? your SE Asian manager who was very helpful with tips and suggestions at each stop. A few of us took the opportunity to offer some suggestions so hope he is able to follow those through.

Above all the staff were so courteous to each person and were very accommodating at each stop.

We did have an elderly lady on board with some mobility issues and your staff went out of their way to help her. Initially she had requested a main deck room with her travel agent, however these were fully booked out at her time of booking. The first morning she had not got up in time for the shore excursion and the staff were worried , as I stayed on board that morning I offered to go to her room with them to check. (She was ok just had found the flights of stairs too much and had slept in) At this stage there were 2 vacant rooms on the main deck and staff offered (after I told the passenger they were vacant) to move her downstairs, which they quickly did.

Throughout the rest of the trip, staff were exceptionally helpful to her. One young female Restuarant staff member would ensure she had enough from the buffet and always got a plate of fruit and sweets for her.

We were very impressed with all shore excursions and extremely well organised. The welcome drink and cold towels a very welcome return to "home". On another day, I stayed on the boat and "welcomed" everyone home by helping to hand out the cold towels, the passengers and staff thought it very funny!

I'm sorry I didn't get all the staff names accurately, but in particular the purser Sorone, the bar staff Monerak and S......?. The girls in the spa and our room staff ??? Linh. She also worked in the laundry and provided us with the fluffiest towels we had in 4 weeks of travel!!

The 2 guides from Vietnam ( Wun) n Cambodia ( Son ) had excellent English and a very good knowledge base. Son was exceptional In helping the elderly passenger rearrange her plans for Siem Reap and was very understanding when some of us checked what he was organising for this passenger.

May I offer some suggestions please (as mentioned to John)
# Can the price be quoted in Aussie $$ for the Australians as it makes it difficult when trying to convert to $ us.
# We were embarrassed when we went on some of the shore excursions especially to the schools, to be aware of the possibility of taking some school Items to donate to the teachers or the school.
# On a previous trip to Vietnam we took an extra suitcase full of suitable items to donate to an orphanage/school and would have been happy to do the same this time.
# We were very impressed with the staff that cut steps into the bank when we went ashore and all the staff were very aware of those passengers (I was one of them) that needed extra assistance when embarking/disembarking.
# The headsets we were provided with were a great idea.

We were very impressed with your company supporting the local library building and the other projects in other country's. All passengers in our group thought this cruise to be the best part of our holiday and will highly recommend your company to others. We will be looking at a trip to Burma in a few years with Pandaw and I wish you success and look forward to future cruise details.

Yours sincerely
Wendy Urquhart
Wagga Wagga
Australia.

Hi Tor

We arrived back home

By the way, if you happen to be in touch with Paul Strachan, you may want to mention that the passengers aboard the Angkor Pandaw drank to his good health at our final dinner together on Saturday last.

After I read his book, The Pandaw Story, gaining a full appreciation of all the trials and tribulations that he encounteredwhile developing Pandaw to what it is today, with all the garbage, heartache, and frustrations thrown at him from every direction in theprocess, one can only applaud Paul Strachan's superhuman persistence in creating what has to be a selection of some of the world's greatest travel experiences.

I couldn't let the opportunity pass to raise glasses to him. Everyone agreed noting that because I was the one with more Pandaw travel experience (6 voyages) than anyone on board and really the right person to lead the group in this way.

Douglas

Dear Miss Huong,

I just wanted to let you know that my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 10-day sojourn with the Pandaw Riverboat along the network of rivers which make up the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam. This was an exceptional way to visit a large number of interesting, but remote, Vietnamese villages where we could view traditional handicrafts (such as conical hat making), ancient religious and political sites, and some ethnic communities. We also had a good two days in Hanoi with the Pandaw serving as our "floating hotel". Our guides, Mr. Long and Mr. Tifo, were attentive and informative. I learned quite a lot from them, and found them delightful company.

The quality of the Pandaw experience is excellent. The boat itself is large, spotless, with good lounging areas that offer views of the passing river banks as well as delightful cocktail service. Our room was clean, quiet, and equipped with attached bathroom. Service on board was topnotch and Pandaw staff very comfortable to be with. Dining and meals were excellent, featuring a good range of western and Asian dishes, often in fusion fashion.

This was our second trip with Pandaw, and we would certainly consider another at some time in the future. I’m attaching a couple of pictures that might be of interest.

Regards,
Donald Huse

The Kalay Pandaw Nagaland trip was an amazing experience!

To travel to such a remote and fascinating place in the 5 star luxury of the Pandaw ship, eat gourmet food, and have the enthusiasm and professionalism of the crew, is an adventure not to miss! In this day and age of travel, to be one of the first visitors to an unspoiled area, with welcoming and friendly people is a trip that one only dreams of or reads of in books.

Way beyond any expectation that this world traveler could have imagined!

Kathy Heinecke
Bangkok