MEKONG MAJESTY - Downstream Cruise & Stay - AUD pricing!

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** ALL PRICES IN AUD **
Exclusive savings for you right here!
Twin share Junior Suite was $8330 - your exclusive price: $7,780*pp
Twin share Saigon Suite was $9125 - your exclusive price: $8,525*pp
Twin share Apsara Suite was $9465 - your exclusive price: $8,840*pp
Twin share Angkor Suite was $11700 - your exclusive price: $10,930*pp
Single Junior Suite was $13,120 - your exclusive price: $12,250*
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MEKONG MAJESTY - DOWNSTREAM Cruise & Stay package includes:
- One way transfer from Siem Reap airport to hotel
- 3 nights accommodation at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort Siem Reap (or similar) with daily breakfast
- 2 Days of entry to Angkor Temple historical site and complex
- Apsara cultural evening and welcome dinner
- Driver/Guide service throughout your stay in Cambodia pre-cruise
- Touring to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, Ta Phrohm, Banteay Srei including sunrise trip to Angkor Wat by tuktuk
- One local restaurant lunch in Siem Reap
- Farewell dinner at local restaurant
- Transfer from Siem Reap hotel to Campong Cham for embarkation on RV Mekong Princess
- 7 night Mekong River cruise downstream aboard the luxurious RV Mekong Princess from Campong Cham to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- All onboard meals provided by an expertly trained culinary team - buffet breakfast, buffet lunch, and seated multiple course dinner, including exclusive `Spa Cuisine` and French-Indochine inspired options
- Complimentary onboard organic coffee, herbal teas, mineral water, soft drinks, local beer and local spirits, and free flow select wines with dinner
- Series of cultural performances, educational talks, cooking classes and ships tour
- Welcome & Farewell shipboard receptions
- Local Entertainment on selected evening
- Complimentary Wireless internet in all public areas (speeds and reception may vary)
- Port charges and taxes
- Shipboard and shore excursion tips/gratuities (for cruise portion only - other tips for driver guides in land touring are paid directly and not included)
- A range of Complimentary Excursions - see in-depth day to day itinerary for cruise/tour below for touring options during cruise.
- Additional luxury inclusions supporting ship excursions such as: Shoe cleaning after excursions | Welcome drink following excursions | Individual VOX listening devices | Modern air-conditioned coach transfers by road
- One way transfer from port to hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
- 2 nights accommodation at the InterContinental Saigon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City (or similar) with breakfast
- Full day tour in Ho Chi Minh City including sights such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, the Rex Hotel, Saigon Opera House, City Hall, Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market with lunch at a local restaurant
- Day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels with entry and lunch at a local restaurant
- Farewell dinner on the Saigon Princess on the Saigon River
- One way transfer from Ho Chi Minh hotel to airport


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IN-DEPTH DAY TO DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival Siem Reap
Apon clearing passport control and customs, exit the terminal building where you will meet your local guide. You will be transferred to your hotel. Upon arrival at your hotel you will check-in and the balance of the day is at leisure. Your hotel is very central and your local guide will offer suggestions for your leisure time.
Evening: This evening you will be transferred to your APSARA CULTURAL EVENING AND WELCOME DINNER.
Meals: Dinner/Show

Day 2: Angkor Wat Tour
Breakfast: Included at hotel. Depart hotel to explore one of the most spectacular religious sites in the world. Its regarded as the pinnicle of the amazing Khmer Empire that flourished here around the 12 century.
FEATURED TEMPLES: Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei
NOTE: Order of temple visits may change due to local conditions.
Lunch: Included today at a local restaurant.
Dinner: This will be your own arrangement.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3: Angkor Thom Tour
Tour Starting Time: 04:45 AM
This morning you will depart the hotel by Tuk Tuk early to view the sun rise over the ‘peaks’ of Angkor Wat. A stunning experience and can be one of many highlights of your visit to Angkor Wat. After sunrise you will return to your hotel to freshen-up and enjoy breakfast.
Breakfast completed you will again depart hotel to continue your exploration of the Temples of Angkor Wat.

Today you will explore the spectacular remnants of Angkor Thom, The Royal. Prepare to be amazed! Built during the ‘peak’ of the Khmer Empire, this extraordinary complex of both Hindu and Buddhist monuments were once lost to the world, hidden under dense jungle.
Lunch: Your own arrangement.

Dinner: Included at a local restaurant.

FEATURED TEMPLES:
South Gate Angkor Thom
Bayon Temple
Ta Prohm Temple

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: Siem Reap - Kampong Cham – Embark RV Mekong Princess Cruise
Breakfast at the hotel in Siem Reap. End of land service in Siem Reap.
Pick-up Time: from 07:00 AM
Transfer to the port in Kampong Cham by cruise company to embark RV Mekong Princess. (*Group transfer)

Meals: Breakfast

CRUISE ITINERARY:
Day 4: Kampong Cham / Embarkation
Early this morning, transfer by motor-coach from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham and embark the RV Mekong Princess for lunch. After enjoying the afternoon at leisure, enjoy a Welcome Reception and Cambodian Welcome Dinner on board. The ship sails to Angkor Ban and docks overnight.

Day 5: Angkor Ban - Phnom Penh
We start the day with a visit to the charming and authentic town of Angkor Ban. Here, we witness the daily life of the local people, starting with a visit to the pagoda with a special blessing ceremony for our guests by local monks, then we keep going on visiting to a local family`s home, to meet them and discuss their lifestyle. We continue through the village to the local school where we join the children in their classroom and experience what their typical school day is like. Ship sails to Phnom Penh and docks at the center port.
This afternoon, local cyclo drivers meet you for an exciting city tour of Phnom Penh. You begin your ride along the riverfront to the Royal Palace, where a leisurely walk takes you through the grounds, with opportunities to visit the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion. Upon crossing into the second section of the complex, you walk amongst enormous stupas and spirit houses, on the way to the famous Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, encrusted with more than 9,000 diamonds. Following a short break, your cyclos take you to the National Museum. Housing the largest pre-Angkorian and Angkorian holdings in Cambodia, the National Museum ends the morning tour with a comprehensive look at many of the artifacts excavated around the Angkor Archeological Area in Siem Reap, as well as other areas around the former Khmer Empire.

This evening before dinner, enjoying the entertainment onboard with a cultural performance including Apsara, Cambodia`s national dance, as well as several traditional folk dances. The ship docks in Phnom Penh overnight.

Day 6: Phnom Penh - Cambodia
This morning, private motor-coach take you on a scenic 45-minute drive from the ship, arriving at Choeung Ek, the killing fields depicted in the movie, and the center of the darkest days of Cambodian history. You may walk through the fields, visit the small museum and Memorial Stupa, and learn more about the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. On the return drive to Phnom Penh, a stop is made at Tuol Sleng (infamously known as S-21), which was converted by the Khmer Rouge from a large school to a prison and torture headquarters. The afternoon is free at leisure for your own exploration the charming city of Phnom Penh. The ship docks in Phnom Penh overnight.

Day 7: Border Crossing / Hong Ngu - Gieng Island
This morning we visit the local island village of Hong Ngu, not far from the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Hong Ngu produces a large number of the traditional, Khmer scarves exported to Cambodia. Woven in many homes around the village, here we have the opportunity to see the weaving process under several homes. Some villagers are also embroidery artists, displaying their art in and around the homes. The inhabitants of this area had only encountered one western visitor prior to the arrival of the RV Mekong Princess, they are especially friendly and welcoming. Guests will also visit the local temple dedicated to a unique religion founded in this area of Vietnam, Hoa Hoa.
In the afternoon, we board sampans that will take us into Gieng Island. After a short walk around the local sampan village, where hundreds of sampans are produced daily by local families, we take a canal drive to explore the untouched floating area with duck farms, monkey bridges, and tropical orchards along the riverside. We will try one of most popular local transportation named `xe loi` (motor trishaw) driving through this island to visit a Catholic Church, built around the same time as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon in the 1870s. The ship sails to Hoa An and anchors overnight.

Day 8: Hoa An Village - Can Tho
This morning, continue excursion by boat to Hoa An village, where is untouched and well-known with flower growing and handmade craft. Our first stop at flower gardens where we will see many different kinds of flowers and learn how to grow and take care of them. Then, a short walking to a local house and chat with the host to see how they live and work in their daily life. After a short break, continue our excursion on motor cart to another village. We stop by at the conical hat-making and mat weaving families, have memorable time chatting with local family members and learning how to create products though hands-on experience. Enjoy your walk in the peaceful village with rice fields, fruit trees in between visiting few local families.
This afternoon, the ship sails through an area of the Mekong Delta barely touched by tourism to Can Tho city, the capital riverside city of Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Guests will take a short and orientated city tour with visiting to the Zihuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the welcome unicorn dances. Explore yourself on own around the charming city before having dinner onboard. The ship docks in Can Tho overnight.
*Onboard activity: Fruit Carvings & Tropical Fruits Demonstration by our Executive Chef.

Day 9: Can Tho
We begin our morning after breakfast aboard the sampans for a cruise through the fascinating Cai Rang floating market near Can Tho. The sampans will weave in and out of the many boats that sail into the market each morning to sell produce and other items the residents of the Mekong Delta need in their daily lives. As they weave through the market, there will be many opportunities for amazing photographs, while enjoying fresh fruit and the Vietnamese `anti-aging drink,` fresh coconut water. Before returning to the ship for breakfast, we stop at a local noodle factory, where we witness the amazing process of how they are made. The Princess sails and anchors near Ben Tre.
*Onboard activity: Lecture of Vietnam, the Past & Present by your local Vietnamese host.

Day 10: Ben Tre - Ho Chi Minh City
This morning, sampans take you through a channel lined with mangroves to visit a local coconut candy maker. After watching the candy-making process, walking through the village to visit an orchard where fruits native to Vietnam can be seen in various stages of maturity on the vine. After a fresh fruit tasting, you continue to a pier where you board small, local boats (two guests per boat) for a trip through the narrow creeks lined with Nipah palm before returning to the ship. The ship sails through the beautiful Bassac River to Ho Chi Minh City, where it docks overnight at Saigon Port. *Onboard activity: Cooking Class Demonstration by our Executive Chef.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon Port / Disembarkation
Breakfast: Onboard ship. Pick-up Time: 08:00 AM

After breakfast you will disembark the ship to board your coach which will take you to the start point for your guided walking tour through the heart of beautiful Saigon. Saigon was built by the French in 1850 and many of the beautiful French colonial building are still used today. You will visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, still in use today and much loved by the people of this beautiful city. Next you will walk in side the Central Post Office, still in use and is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful French colonial buildings. You will stroll down the tree lined, Dong Khoi Street, running through the heart of Saigon, the home for art gallery, cafes and restaurants stopping to view the stunning Opera House. Next you will view the very famous Rex Hotel which has one of the most famous roof top bars in Saigon. During the Vietnam war is was the home for US military officers, ‘coming into or out off country.’ Behind The Rex Hotel you will see the City Hall, built by the French in 1898. You will visit the Independence Palace also known as the Reunification Palace, designed by the famous Vietnamese architect Ngo Viet Thu. The palace was the former home of South Vietnams presidents during the Vietnam War.

Lunch at a local restaurant.
Next the War Remnants Museum telling the story of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese point of view.
On to the famous Ben Thanh Market where virtually everything and anything is sold. Traditional handicrafts, clothing and textiles, t-shirts and even the very interesting ‘vessel coffee,’ a fascinated and vibrant place!
Dinner: Your own arrangement/Your local guide will make suggestions for dinner.

Meals: Lunch

Day 12: Cu Chi Tunnels
Breakfast at the hotel. Tour Starting Time: 08:30 AM
Departing by luxury coach you will take a two hours drive through the city and countryside, northwest of Saigon, to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnel complex was originally constructed in 1948 as a means to hide resistance fighters, weapons and food from the French. The tunnel system also offered protection from French air operations and served as communications tunnels linking up villages in the area. Hospitals, kitchens and living quarters were also built into the tunnels.
The tunnels were expanded and used in the fight against the Americans and their allies during the Vietnam war. Your visit here will allow you to experience and understand the incredible hardship endured by Vietnamese soldiers who fought during these times of conflict. Lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch you will return to your hotel with the balance of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner: Your included Farewell Dinner will be served aboard the Saigon Princess River Cruise where you will dine as you cruise the Saigon River with the stunning Saigon Skyline as your backdrop. What a beautiful way to finish your journey along ‘The Mekong. After dinner transfer by coach back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Cruise

Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Check out of your luxury hotel and head to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast