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Review of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos Trip - March 18, 2012
With a few noted exceptions, this tour was outstanding and memorable. Our two tour directors did an exceptional job, and went above and beyond to ensure that individual guest needs were met. Given the rigorous itinerary and travel schedule, coupled with the large group size, I would recommend two guides for this tour. The local guides were also excellent, and I enjoyed their personal stories and knowledge of the immediate area.
With the exception of one, all the hotels were fabulous. The food throughout the trip was amazing and plentiful. The farewell dinner in Laos was A+ in every way, and was one of my most memorable activities on the trip. Tauck could not have planned this event better – it was outstanding and perfect.
The Mekong cruise to Phnom Penh was a disaster. There is no other way to describe it. The boat ride from the Victoria Can Tho Resort to Phnom Penh took 12 hours. As in previous tours, the “speedboat” broke down, and we were left without a contingency plan. I was shocked that Tauck would allow such a ride knowing the likelihood of these boats to fail and the lack of alternative transportation. Our guides had to manage the passengers and the luggage from the failed boat – this was an excruciating task and I felt very badly for them. The speedboats themselves were below Tauck standards. The boat toilets were inoperable and the evening bug situation was miserable as there was no shelter from them. When we finally arrived in Phnom Penh, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted. There was no positive take-away from this experience. Suggested Resolution: Travel only to Cai Be and Ving Long to see the floating markets and experience the Mekong, and return to Saigon for onward travel to Phnom Penh. This ensures a longer and more relaxed stay in Phnom Penh, and eliminates the potential for travel issues on the Mekong.
The Palais Juliana in Laos is a miserable hotel. It is wholly inconsistent with Tauck standards. I knew this before embarking on the trip, and had contacted Tauck to see if alternative accommodation arrangements could be made. I did not receive a response. With so many other large and suitable hotels in the vicinity, I was surprised and shocked that Tauck chose the Palais Juliana for the final trip accommodations. It was a huge let-down to an otherwise fantastic trip. There are no “amenities” at this hotel. Our room was dirty and we did not have hot water the first evening. I felt bad for our guides as the hotel choice was not their fault, but they had to manage guest complaints. There are many other fine hotels in Laos, so I am hopeful Tauck will make a change for upcoming trips.
Cambodia was my favorite country and Tauck planned a great itinerary to all of the notable locations. With the two noted exceptions, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and look forward to another Tauck adventure soon. I would very much recommend this trip to other travelers interested in the Southeast Asia region.
With the exception of one, all the hotels were fabulous. The food throughout the trip was amazing and plentiful. The farewell dinner in Laos was A+ in every way, and was one of my most memorable activities on the trip. Tauck could not have planned this event better – it was outstanding and perfect.
The Mekong cruise to Phnom Penh was a disaster. There is no other way to describe it. The boat ride from the Victoria Can Tho Resort to Phnom Penh took 12 hours. As in previous tours, the “speedboat” broke down, and we were left without a contingency plan. I was shocked that Tauck would allow such a ride knowing the likelihood of these boats to fail and the lack of alternative transportation. Our guides had to manage the passengers and the luggage from the failed boat – this was an excruciating task and I felt very badly for them. The speedboats themselves were below Tauck standards. The boat toilets were inoperable and the evening bug situation was miserable as there was no shelter from them. When we finally arrived in Phnom Penh, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted. There was no positive take-away from this experience. Suggested Resolution: Travel only to Cai Be and Ving Long to see the floating markets and experience the Mekong, and return to Saigon for onward travel to Phnom Penh. This ensures a longer and more relaxed stay in Phnom Penh, and eliminates the potential for travel issues on the Mekong.
The Palais Juliana in Laos is a miserable hotel. It is wholly inconsistent with Tauck standards. I knew this before embarking on the trip, and had contacted Tauck to see if alternative accommodation arrangements could be made. I did not receive a response. With so many other large and suitable hotels in the vicinity, I was surprised and shocked that Tauck chose the Palais Juliana for the final trip accommodations. It was a huge let-down to an otherwise fantastic trip. There are no “amenities” at this hotel. Our room was dirty and we did not have hot water the first evening. I felt bad for our guides as the hotel choice was not their fault, but they had to manage guest complaints. There are many other fine hotels in Laos, so I am hopeful Tauck will make a change for upcoming trips.
Cambodia was my favorite country and Tauck planned a great itinerary to all of the notable locations. With the two noted exceptions, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and look forward to another Tauck adventure soon. I would very much recommend this trip to other travelers interested in the Southeast Asia region.
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Comments
Thank you for the thorough review of your trip and we appreciate the feedback.
We have staff on the ground in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the next month or so to go over the entire program and to address the concerns you have noted. We are working on a solution for the speedboat and very much appreciate the suggestion of returning to Saigon. We will certainly take that into consideration. In addition we are also working on several other scenarios that would either eliminate or greatly reduce our boat time. We will also be reviewing all boat options while we are on the ground.
We have had several staff members and of course many guests stay at Palais Juliana and the overall feeling is the majority of people really enjoy the hotel. It provides them with a setting where they can relax and enjoy their surroundings. Laos is just opening up to tourism and we did visit many beautiful hotels but for various reasons they did not meet Tauck's high standards that's why we felt Juliana was our best choice. Again, given the concern that you have voiced, we will be conducting full inspection of the hotel as well as revisiting other options.
We are delighted that on the whole the trip was viewed as a very positive experience and we will do our utmost to make sure the trip lives up to everyone’s expectations.
Best,
Emily
1. "The Mekong cruise to Phnom Penh was a disaster. There is no other way to describe it." The itinerary now just vaguely says we will travel by "various modes of transportation". I would like details, please. I would like to make sure we will NOT be traveling on the "speed boat" used this year.
2. "The Palais Juliana in Laos is a miserable hotel. It is wholly inconsistent with Tauck standards." Is it possible for our group to get accommodations elsewhere, in a hotel more consistent with Tauck standards?
I do not plan to commit until Tauck has assured me these problems have been addressed.
Thanks again for the heads up!
Tommye
I have checked with Tauck.
They are using the speed boat going into Phnom Penh.
They are using the Palais Juliana in Luang Prabang.
Tauck does not allow tour participants to deviate from the itinerary.
What's up with that?
Should I cancel?
We are aware of the issues with the speedboat and have plans to make changes for later this year to either make the boat a much more pleasant experience or to eliminate it completely. It will be gone completely though by 2014.
We have several staff members traveling out to the area at the end of June. In the meantime we've decided to drive from Can Tho to Chau Doc and board the speedboat there rather than taking the speedboat all the way from Can Tho to Phnom Penh. This eliminates about 3 to 4 hours off the speedboat ride. We will also be reviewing all boat options while we are on the ground.
We will also looking into the possibility of taking our guests back to Saigon and fly from Saigon to Phnom Penh. This would completely eliminate the speedboat.
Regarding the hotel - we really haven't received a great deal of negative feedback and thus won't be changing the hotel for 2013. Several Tauck staff members and many guests stay at Palais Juliana and the overall feeling is the majority really enjoy the hotel. It provides them with a setting where they can relax and enjoy their surroundings. Laos is just opening up to tourism and we did visit many beautiful hotels but for various reasons – mostly they were too small to accommodate our groups or service did not meet the very high Tauck standard. We felt Juliana was our best choice.
Again, given your concern, we will be conducting a full inspection of the hotel as well as revisiting other options.
Again, thank you for your feedback and hope this helps,
Aaron
From my travel agent:
I have spoken with the agent at Tauck who participated in the tour. She said her trip was wonderful and she was very pleased with accommodations, guides, quality of food, etc.
She agreed that the boat ride of 8 hours was too long. The planning now is that it will be shortened. Tauck intends to move tour participants by road and this will take off about 3-4 hours on the river.
The operations manager plans to visit Viet Nam next month to review the situation and see if any other changes can be made. Perhaps they will be able to shorten it even further, but at this point I don't have any additional information.
No changes have been made to the hotel in Luang Prabang. Hotel gets mediocare reviews on Trip Advisor (middle of the pack of all hotels in the city).
Tommye
Here's the complete notice:
Enhancement #1: As described in our promotional literature, our normally featured
accommodations for the nights of Day 8 and 9 have been at the Victoria Can Tho Resort in Can
Tho, Vietnam. This stay in Can Tho was selected in part because it positioned our groups
conveniently for their boat ride along the Mekong River from Can Tho to Phnom
Penh,Cambodia, on Day 10. However, this riverboat ride was rather lengthy and time
consuming, resulting in a late afternoon arrival into Phnom Penh.
To reduce the duration of this riverboat ride by several hours, and allow your group to arrive in
Phnom Penh in time for lunch, we are instead shifting our accommodations for Nights 8 and 9
from the Victoria Can Tho Resort in Can Tho to the four-star Victoria Chau Doc Hotel in Chau
Doc, Vietnam. As indicated by their common name, both hotels are operated by Victoria Hotels
& Resorts, so your stay in Chau Doc will provide you with the same high levels of amenities and
service. And of course, the change in accommodations will also make for a shorter and more
enjoyable cruise to Phnom Penh and additional time to explore the city. (This change in hotels
also means that your group will visit a morning market near your hotel in Chau Doc on Day 9,
rather than visiting a similar market in Can Tho.)
Enhancement #2: The final two nights of your journey, as noted in our promotional literature,
normally feature accommodations at the Le Palais Juliana hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos.
However, due to availability issues and other concerns, we have decided to instead provide
accommodations for your group at the beautiful Luang Say Residence on Nights 14 and 15. A
member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, the Luang Say
Residence is set amid three-and-a-half acres of lush tropical gardens. We’re sure your time
there will be a fun and memorable part of your journey.
Thanks, Tauck, for addressing these issues. Finally.