Saigontourist Travel Independent Exploration Celebrity Cruises Review

745: We left our cabin and headed to the meeting spot. As we were in the Retreat we were able to meet in the Retreat Lounge. Once in the lounge, we checked in & were given an orange sticker with the number "30" on it; we were instructed to place it on my clothes. Later on, we realized this number corresponded to the tour group & was an easy way to distinguish folks.

8:05: Our group was called and we were escorted off the ship by a Retreat ambassador. For Vietnam, everyone had to fill out a landing card, which was stamped by an officer as we left the ship.

8:09: We check in with Eddie, who tears the perforation on our excursion ticket; as the first on the bus we had free range of seats and picked seats in row 17 on the right hand side.

8:29: Eddie announces that we are missing 5 passengers.

8:30 The bus leaves the parking station & heads for the port gate. At the gate, two passengers hop off the free shuttle bus & join us. Possibly 2 of the 5 that were missing.

On the 90-minute drive, Eddie gives us a bit of history of the different districts & hands out a map of Ho Chi Minh City. He is very charismatic & answers questions from the bus passengers.

Overall liked the experience

• Needed more time to explore, ideally would like an itinerary that does an overnight in Vietnam to maximize. Otherwise, possible take a grab from the port.

• Air-conditioned bus with an energetic moderator (Eddie). Some of the seats had broken cup holders & armrests.

Tips:

• Sit on the right side going to Ho Chi Minh for good views & on the left heading to the ship to have a shady drive back.