I have never been on a cruise before but wanted to do a river cruise in Asia. I saw the other reviews about this ship and decided that I should give it a try. I was not disappointed! Everything about the cruise vastly exceeded my expectations: the room, the excursions, the guides, the food, and, most importantly, the staff.
I was expecting a smaller-sized room, but was pleasantly surprised to find a room that was relatively big, with plenty of space to put away clothes. The bathroom was very decently sized and the water pressure in the shower was excellent. Opening your door at any time of the day and looking at the Mekong River truly was awe-inspiring. Even though the rooms had exterior doors, the way the ship was laid out resulted in very little outside foot traffic and noise.
There were two excursions that were given on most days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. All were great and our leaders in Vietnam and Cambodia were friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Head counts were taken at all tours to make sure that all persons were accounted for! The tours were varied in nature and were all enjoyable. Having never been to either Cambodia or Vietnam before, I learned a lot at each tour. All of us soon got used to the post-excursion Pandaw regimen upon return to the ship: taking off your shoes to be cleaned by the Pandaw staff; given hand sanitizer; given a wonderfully-scented cold towel; and being given an ever-changing delicious cold beverage!
The cabin was excellent. It was relatively large, had plenty of room to put clothes away and had an excellent bathroom and shower. I really appreciated the nightly turn-down service where staff also left a summary of the next day's activities in your room.