We Loved Celebrity… But We’d Cruise Vietnam & Thailand Differently Now
Ha Long Bay PortHong Kong CountrySingapore CountryThailand CountryVietnam CountryAzamara Cruise LineKo Samui PortCelebrity Solstice Cruise Ship
Planning a Vietnam and Thailand cruise? After sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore aboard Celebrity Solstice, we’re looking back at what we would do differently — especially in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, the Cu Chi Tunnels, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An. We loved our Celebrity Solstice cruise, but knowing what we know now, we would seriously consider a smaller cruise ship for a Vietnam and Thailand itinerary. One of the biggest lessons we learned was how far some large-ship cruise ports can be from the cities you actually want to visit. In this Vietnam and Thailand cruise review, we share: Why Bangkok was the port where we lost the most time Why we would stay overnight in Bangkok next time Why we would spend more time at the Cu Chi Tunnels What we would change about our Ho Chi Minh City port day Why we would still choose our Ha Long Bay seaplane excursion again Our experience with Celebrity Private Journeys Why we wish we had experienced Hoi An at night Why we recommend 3 nights in Hong Kong before the cruise Why we recommend 3 nights in Singapore after the cruise How ship size and cruise-port location can affect a Southeast Asia cruise We also discuss the difference between large cruise ships docking farther from Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City and smaller luxury cruise ships that may be able to use closer ports such as Klong Toei in Bangkok or sail farther into Ho Chi Minh City. This is not about saying Celebrity Solstice was a bad choice. We had an incredible Vietnam and Thailand cruise. But if we booked this itinerary again, we would place much more importance on port location, transfer time and how many hours we could actually spend in each destination. Our itinerary included Hong Kong, Ha Long Bay, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, the Cu Chi Tunnels, Bangkok, Ko Samui and Singapore. We also have full videos from our original Vietnam and Thailand cruise covering each of these destinations. Watch our complete Vietnam & Thailand Cruise playlist to see the excursions, ports and experiences behind the lessons in this recap. If you are planning a Celebrity Solstice Vietnam and Thailand cruise — or comparing Celebrity, Windstar, Azamara or other smaller ships for Southeast Asia — we hope this helps you decide which type of ship and itinerary will work best for you. Which would you choose: a larger cruise ship with more onboard amenities, or a smaller ship that may get you closer to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City? Let us know in the comments. K&R Travel Journeys 0:00 Why We’d Choose a Smaller Ship Next Time 1:44 Check the Actual Cruise Ports Before You Book 3:07 Why We’d Use Private Tours Again 3:54 Ha Long Bay: One Decision We’d Make Again 4:19 The Seaplane Excursion — And Rob Needed Two Seats 5:41 Why We Returned to the Penthouse Suite 6:38 Da Nang, Golden Bridge & Hoi An 8:09 Cu Chi Tunnels: The Port Day We’d Redo 10:27 Bangkok: Where We Lost the Most Time 12:21 Our Biggest Regret — Not Staying Overnight in Bangkok 13:20 Ko Samui: The Port Day We Needed 14:15 Why We’d Spend More Time in Hong Kong & Singapore 15:41 What We’d Do Differently Next Time 16:26 The Most Important Cruise Planning Lesson 16:40 Larger Ship or Smaller Ship? 16:55 Watch Our Full Vietnam & Thailand Cruise Series #VietnamCruise #ThailandCruise #CelebritySolstice