Seabourn Ovation - Gems of Southeast Asia: Singapore to Hong Kong

Where this cruise calls, day by day

10 ports and 5 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Singapore

   SingaporeDepart

   Singapore is the turnaround hub for most Southeast Asia itineraries, so for a lot of passengers it is embarkation day rather than a port call. Ships use either Marina Bay Cruise Centre, purpose-built for the largest hulls, or the older HarbourFront terminal next to VivoCity. What you get on arrival is an efficient, very hot city where the metro is fast and cheap and almost nothing worth seeing is more than half an hour away.

   • Gardens by the Bay - the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
   • Hawker lunch at Maxwell Food Centre or Lau Pa Sat
   • Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, then the shophouses of Little India
   • Singapore Botanic Gardens and its National Orchid Garden

   Getting ashore

   Docked. Marina Bay Cruise Centre is a 10-minute walk from Marina South Pier MRT and a short taxi from downtown; HarbourFront sits directly above its own MRT station.

   Best months

   Feb-Apr (driest); hot and humid year-round

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Ko Samui

   ThailandPort

   Ko Samui is a coconut-plantation island in the Gulf of Thailand that turned into a resort in the 1980s and never entirely lost the plot. Ships anchor off Nathon, the low-key west-coast town that serves as the island's administrative centre, and tender in. The good beaches - Chaweng, Lamai - are on the opposite side, so anything you do involves a drive across the island.

   • The Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai) on its causeway islet at the north-east corner
   • Wat Plai Laem and its multi-armed Guanyin statue
   • Na Muang waterfalls in the island's interior
   • Chaweng and Lamai beaches for a straightforward swim-and-lunch day

   Getting ashore

   Tender to Nathon Pier on the west coast; Chaweng and the main beaches are a 25-30 minute drive across the island.

   Best months

   Feb-Apr and Jun-Aug; Oct-Dec is the wettest stretch

4. Day 4

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

5. Day 5

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

6. Day 6

   Sihanoukville

   CambodiaPort

   Sihanoukville is Cambodia's deepwater port, and the cruise berth sits inside a working industrial zone you are not permitted to walk out of - ships run shuttles to the gate or into town. The city itself went through a chaotic casino building boom and is not the reason to come ashore. The draw is what is around it: hilltop temples, the beaches, and boats out to the offshore islands.

   • Wat Leu, the hilltop pagoda with the view over the bay
   • Ream National Park, mangrove boat trips and coastal forest east of town
   • Otres and Serendipity beaches for a straightforward beach day
   • A fast ferry across to Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port inside a restricted industrial zone; a shuttle takes you to the gate or downtown (about 10-15 minutes). Phnom Penh, at four hours each way, is not realistic on a port day.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (dry season)

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Ho Chi Minh City

   VietnamPort

   The berth is Phu My, an industrial terminal on the Thi Vai river roughly 80km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is nothing at the port itself, and the transfer eats a large part of the day, so this is a call you plan around rather than wander out of. The reward at the other end is Saigon at full volume - motorbikes six abreast, colonial facades, and a war history that the city presents without much softening.

   • The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace
   • Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office
   • Ben Thanh Market for food stalls and haggling
   • The Cu Chi Tunnels, north-west of the city and usually sold as a full-day alternative

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Phu My; Ho Chi Minh City is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by road, and the nearer town of Vung Tau is about 40 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Mar (dry season)

9. Day 9

   Ho Chi Minh City

   VietnamPort

   The berth is Phu My, an industrial terminal on the Thi Vai river roughly 80km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is nothing at the port itself, and the transfer eats a large part of the day, so this is a call you plan around rather than wander out of. The reward at the other end is Saigon at full volume - motorbikes six abreast, colonial facades, and a war history that the city presents without much softening.

   • The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace
   • Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office
   • Ben Thanh Market for food stalls and haggling
   • The Cu Chi Tunnels, north-west of the city and usually sold as a full-day alternative

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Phu My; Ho Chi Minh City is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by road, and the nearer town of Vung Tau is about 40 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Mar (dry season)

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11

    Da Nang

    VietnamPort

    Da Nang docks at Tien Sa, on the sheltered side of the Son Tra peninsula, and it is one of the better-placed ports in Vietnam - the city is 20 minutes away and two UNESCO sites are within reach. Most passengers skip Da Nang's beach high-rises entirely and head straight for Hoi An. The drive south passes the Marble Mountains, which are worth the stop if your tour includes one.

    • Hoi An Ancient Town - the tailor shops, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the lantern-lit lanes
    • The Marble Mountains and the caves and pagodas inside Thuy Son
    • The Lady Buddha statue at Linh Ung Pagoda on Son Tra, above the port
    • The Imperial Citadel at Hue, for those willing to spend the day driving

    Getting ashore

    Docked at Tien Sa Port; Da Nang city is about 20 minutes, Hoi An roughly an hour south, and Hue around 2.5 hours each way over the Hai Van pass.

    Best months

    Feb-May (dry, before the heat); Sep-Dec is the wet, storm-prone stretch

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13

    Ha Long Bay

    VietnamPort

    Ha Long Bay is the limestone karst seascape that appears on every Vietnam poster, and the approach through the islands is the best part of the call. Since Ha Long International Cruise Port opened at Bai Chay, ships berth alongside instead of anchoring out, which makes for a much easier morning. Ha Long City itself is a resort strip; the bay is the point.

    • A junk or day-boat cruise through the karsts of the bay
    • Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave on Bo Hon Island
    • The Ha Long Bay cable car and the Sun World complex above Bai Chay
    • Ti Top Island, for the viewpoint climb and a swim

    Getting ashore

    Docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port in Bai Chay, right in Ha Long City; Hanoi is 2-2.5 hours each way via the Hai Phong-Ha Long expressway.

    Best months

    Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr (clear air, mild); Jul-Sep brings typhoons

14. Day 14 · At sea

15. Day 15

    Hong Kong

    Hong KongArrive

    Hong Kong is one of the great arrivals in cruising if your ship berths at Ocean Terminal, which sits at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui with the whole Victoria Harbour skyline in front of it. The alternative, Kai Tak, was built on the runway of the old airport and is stranded on a peninsula with no rail link, so the day starts with a shuttle. Either way you get a dense, vertical, fast-moving city where the ferries and the metro do most of the work.

    • The Star Ferry across to Central, then the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak
    • The Tian Tan Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau, via the Ngong Ping cable car - a full-day commitment
    • Man Mo Temple and the antique shops of Hollywood Road
    • Wong Tai Sin Temple, or the street stalls of Temple Street after dark

    Getting ashore

    Docked. Ocean Terminal puts you directly in Tsim Sha Tsui on foot; from Kai Tak it is a 10-minute walk (or free shuttle bus) to Kai Tak MTR station, with free ship-day shuttles to the Star Ferry pier and the Peak Tram, and 15-20 minutes by taxi into town.

    Best months

    Oct-Dec (dry, clear); Mar-May is humid and hazy