Islands to Indochina Cruise on the Oceania Riviera
1/23/2024 to 2/15/2024

Page 1 – Pre-trip in Singapore
Page 2 – Embarkation; Ship
Page 3 - Cabin, Shows, Activities; Ports of Call: Muara, Brunei; Kota Kinabalu (Borneo), Malaysia
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Puerto Princesa, Philippines; Coron, Philippines; Manila, Philippines
Page 5 - Ports of Call: Hue (Chan May), Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand
Page 6 - Ports of Call: Saigon, Vietnam; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand
Page 7 - Post-trip in Bangkok, Thailandi Days 1 & 2
Page 8 - Post-trip in Bangkok, Thailand Days 3 & 4

Cabin

We loved our cabin on the Riviera. We were in cabin 11066, a very nice PH1 suite located on the port side just aft of the rear elevators/stairs. It was very convenient to walk up one flight of stairs for breakfast or lunch. At 420 sq. ft. it was so roomy. The cabins feature a queen-size Prestige Tranquility Bed, with 1,000-thread-count linens. Oceania does have the most comfortable cruise ship beds that we have ever slept on. The PH cabins had been totally changed making them feel roomier and looking more current. Below are photos from my 2021 review showing the old cabin.

Below is the new PH1 cabin. They took out walls near the loveseat and desk that used to be in the cabin. They also modified the drapes and walls between them giving the cabin a much better look.

There were lots of drawers and a large walk-in closet. It is the largest closet of any of the ships we have been on.

We really enjoyed the comfortable couch next to a small window in a corner of the room. It just had a nice cozy feeling to it.

I appreciated the many electric outlets, as well as USB A&C ports around the room, espcially next to each side of the bed.

The bathroom was quite large with a nice size walk in shower. Below are photos from my 2021 review showing the old cabin bathroom.

The old bathrooms had been totally gutted and made much more modern looking with lighter colors. By taking out the tub, it allowed for a much larger shower and more floor room.

I did like that there were two shower heads, with one being the rain shower type.

The veranda was very comfortable with two padded chairs and a table. I did like that instead of a glass wall, it had narrow horizontal bars along the outside. It was easy to see through, unlike the glass ones on some ships that can get quite dirty.

Since we were on deck 11, the veranda was totally covered but we had good views both fore and aft. The lifeboats did partially obstruct the downward view; but it was not a problem at all.

We had two awesome cabin attendants, but I only formally met the main one, Olha; since the assistant was always cleaning the rooms. She couldn’t help us enough and was very prompt in making up our room when we left it. I don’t know how they were able to maintain such happy and positive attitudes when they seemed to be working so hard all day long.

Being in a suite, we also had a butler, Sajeer. It is kind of a waste for us to have a butler, since we didn’t have much of a need for him. We didn’t need him to put up our clothes or bring us dinner from one of the restaurants. We also never used room service. But the one thing that he did do and one of the major benefits of a suite, is that he could get us additional specialty restaurant reservations.

Entertainment

Our Cruise Director was Paul Baya. He had a great personality and kept the before entertainment talks short and sweet, which I always appreciate.

Performers –

Andre King – This wonderful comedian from New Zealand did two shows, and I wish there had been more. He was so funny with great timing. His personality makes you like him immediately and he just pulls you in and keeps you laughing. He has a part of a set on his website (https://www.andreking.nz).

Bevin Addensall – He is an Australian singer who started his career at 12 years old on a television show called Young Talent Time. He was on the show for five years and then expanded into other musical areas. He had a good voice and was very popular with the audience. He did two shows.

Monique Lualhati – Now this was some singer! She is from the Philippines and was a finalist on X Factor and a runner up on the Voice of the Philippines. She was an excellent entertainer and had one of the best voices I have ever heard on a cruise. I hated that we missed her second show that was at 5:30 PM due to another deck party at 9:00 PM.

Martin Kaye – I was thrilled when I saw that Martin was performing. I saw him on a South America cruise in 2019 and loved his show. He is a very high energy pianist and singer. Definitely not your normal pianist. He is well known for playing Jerry Lee Lewis in the show Million Dollar Quartet. He rarely stops moving during the show. He plays standing up, standing on the chair and laying on his back on the piano. He is something watch. We were so glad he did two shows.

Production Shows –

Having seen these production shows on previous Oceania cruises, I only went to a couple of them. Since photos of any kind weren’t allowed during the production shows, I’m not able to include photos from the shows.

Lights, Camera Music! – It was described as “An elegant tribute to the greatest moments of the Hollywood movie musical.” I went to this show, and they had a good music selection. The singers and dancers did a good job.

What the World Needs Now – This show was music from Burt Bacharach. Because they had a Rock the Ship deck party at 9:00 PM, the show was on at 5:30 PM. I didn’t go to this one.

Broadway in Concert – This was a show with Broadway tunes that I didn’t go to.

World Beat – It was described as “a spectacular voyage through a world of music, rhythm and dance.” We went to this show and enjoyed the music selection, singers and dancers.

Activities

OLife Enrichment Speakers –

Dr. Sherry Hut – Now this was an excellent speaker. We saw all of her talks and enjoyed them immensely. She has quite a resume, but rather than trying to summarize it, I will put the one I found about her on Amazon, since she has written several books.

Sherry Hutt has been traveling the world for over twenty-five years, collecting stories of characters throughout history and taking pictures of the places where they lived.

While a judge, law professor, and federal prosecutor she trained archaeologists, law enforcement, and attorneys on heritage protection cases. From 2004 to 2014, she advised the Bush and Obama White Houses as head of a national repatriation program in Washington, DC. Author of books and articles on heritage law and economics, founder of an organization of preservation lawyers, she has been honored by scientific organizations.

She held a post-doctorate fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution, was a trustee of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, and testified in congress. She now writes stories for the enjoyment of travelers.

Her topics were:
Sultans of Brunei & English rajah of Sarawak
Manila – Founded by Spain, raised in Asia
Steel Butterfly and Sainted Madonna – Meet Imelda and Corazon
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City – Good Morning Vietnam
Travels of the Emerald Buddha
Wats of Cambodia
A day and a night in Bangkok

Dr. Lisa Caprio – She is an anesthesiologist that got interested in speaking about areas outside of traditional medicine. She spent a lot of time giving her opinions of life. She got into areas that were difficult to understand. The audience seemed glossy eyed at times. This was her first time as a speaker on a cruise. She is a nice person, but really needs to get more experience speaking in front of groups and making her talk more relevant and understandable for cruisers. We went to her first two talks, but had to pass on the third one.

Her topics were:
Where do you go when you go under
What do you mean that didn’t happen? Exploring the Mandela Effect
Do you see what I see? Mind bending optical illusions

Ports of Call

Muara, Brunei

After a day at sea, we were looking forward to touring a port that I had never been to before. We were originally supposed to arrive in port at 11:00 AM, but it had been changed to 1:00 PM. Fortunately, the ship was in port until 9:00 PM, so we weren’t worried about missing the ship.

About two hours away from Muara, we saw a massive amount of oil well platforms in the middle of the ocean. It looked like cities built on the water. Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world due to its large oil reserves.

We arrived at the port just before 1:00 PM but weren’t able to be cleared to leave the ship until about 1:15 PM. We were never asked for the e-arrival card. There were some singer/musicians on the dock welcoming us.

I booked a private tour for just Cathy and me through a company called Borneo Trekker (http://www.borneotrekker.com). Our guide for the day was Fuzy. She didn’t talk a lot unless we asked questions. But she did provide us with good information and took good care of us.

The driver, Azlan, filled in a lot of info for Fuzy.

They were good friends and it almost felt like Azlan was training Fuzy at times. They did a nice job for us and showed us a lot. The first place they took us was the Royal Regalia Museum. This museum displays the sultan’s heirlooms and regalia used during ceremonies and celebrations. We were glad we got there early, since we beat the ship tours that also arrived later.

We had to take our shoes off before entering the building. We would be doing that many times during this vacation. I was glad that I had easy on/off shoes. We entered into a large circular room, with a long chariot in one section. It was rather elegant.

There was also a gold canon used to celebrate the sultan’s 60th birthday.

In another section they had umbrellas along with spears and shields used during coronations.

Another room had a chariot used during the Sultan’s silver jubilee. Headless mannequins are shown representing the people who pulled the chariot through the streets.

We moved through the corridors with beautiful displays.

We then came to a very interesting display. We looked through the opening in the ornate doorway to see a miniature representation of the throne room in the royal residence. It was most impressive.

Close by were the outfits worn during the coronation.

There was a large room with awards and gifts received by the sultan. We were warned in the Currents about several things that are illegal to do in Brunei. One of them is to say negative things about the sultan.

There were several rooms and hallways that displayed many photos of the royal family. Those were of less interest to me than the elegant items on display including a replica of the throne for the sultan and his wife during the coronation.

As we were about to leave the museum, we saw a lot of people entering from one of the ship’s tour busses. It would be getting a lot more crowded soon.

On the way to our next destination, we drove by Istana Nurul Iman, the residence of the sultan. It is officially the largest royal residence in the world at 200,000 sq. meters or 2,152,782 sq. feet. The palace contains 1,788 rooms including 257 bathrooms. It also has a 110-car garage. It was completed in 1984 at a cost of $1.4 billion. It’s a big place. We were only able to get photos outside the gate since tourists aren’t allowed inside. I wished that we could have seen more of it.

We next went for a boat ride to see the water village. A third of the people living in Brunei live in houses on stilts in the water. We had a large boat for just the three of us.

As we left the dock, we could see some of the older stilt houses as well as some that looked very nice.

We saw a gorgeous gold-domed building on one side of the river. It was the back of the Sultan Mosque we would visit later.

As we continued the ride, we saw more stilt houses and close by was a lovely mosque.

We continued our ride until we pulled up to one of the stilt houses where we got out. It was large home. I liked the view of the beautiful bridge in the distance.

We entered through the kitchen and passed through a couple other rooms before getting to a large room where tables were set up for guests.

We were going to try some of the local snacks with tea. They were pretty good.

On the way back to the dock we saw more stilt homes. There were so many of them.

On the way to our next stop, we passed by a gilded fountain monument. It was built for the sultan in 2006 to celebrate his 60th birthday. Brunei is certainly all about the sultan.

We next went to the Sultan Mosque that we earlier saw during the boat ride. It is one of two national mosques in the country and is the national landmark. It is quite a sight with an artificial barge that was built to resemble one used by a 16th century Brunei sultan.

Behind the mosque was a nice government building.

Fuzy wasn’t sure that we would be able to enter the mosque since it was 5:00 PM. We hustled over to the entrance. She talked with the guard, and he said that we could look inside. We had to take off our shoes and put on a black outfit to enter. The guard was very nice to us and helpful.

We were only able to enter a small area near the door to take photos, since we weren’t Muslim. I was able to get a wide shot of the mosque.

The guard asked for my iPhone so that he could take some photos for me. I was pleased that he offered to do that. He was able to take a photo of the dome and some closer shots. We thanked him so much for his assistance.

We then headed to another mosque, the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. It is the other national mosque and is the largest in the country. We saw it out of the car window as we were driving toward it. That would be the best photo we would get of it.

We arrived and enjoyed the grounds, but it was already closed for the day for visitors. Oh well, at least we were able to see one of the national mosques.

They asked if we wanted to go to the other two places that were on their original itinerary, but we declined.

The tour included a meal. With the tour originally starting at 11:00 AM, the meal would have been lunch. But with a 1:00 PM start time, we had already had lunch and would have dinner instead. It was almost 6:00 PM, so we were ready to eat. Fuzy took us to a very nice-looking place.

The restaurant hadn’t even opened when we got there, but they were getting ready. We had the place to ourselves.

They had a very nice buffet. The staff explained what there was to eat, since we were not familiar with some of the items even though they looked great. We thoroughly enjoyed everything we had. It was a good restaurant.

On the way back to the ship it was already dark. Fuzy asked if she could show us one more thing that was on the way. She thought we would enjoy seeing the country’s 35-mile-long bridge. When we got to the viewing point, the illuminated bridge was a great photo to end a most enjoyable day.

Kota Kinabalu (Borneo), Malaysia

As we cruised into the port of Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, we were seeing more stilt houses. They must be popular in Malaysia.

The town itself looked pretty nice with some modern buildings.

As we got off the ship, everyone was given a very nice handmade necklace. One of the greeters was a lovely lady in a beautiful traditional outfit.

A band was playing local music with dancers showing their moves. It was a very nice welcome for us.

In looking at what was available to see from this port, the only thing that we had much interest in was the Mari Mari Cultural Village. The ship had a 6.5-hour tour that went there for $169. We booked a 4-hour tour directly through the center (https://marimariculturalvillage.com) for $40 each. I told people on our Cruise Critic roll call about the deal so they could share the tour with us. Because it wasn’t a ship provided tour, we would have to walk down the long pier to the gate to meet our van.

When we got to the gate, we met our driver, Radi, with our name on his sign.

We were surprised that we were the only ones on the van. Radi entertained us along the way telling us about Borneo. He was a pleasure. On the way to the village, we passed by the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. I liked the painted dome. This was the only other thing that was on the Oceania tour itinerary. So we missed seeing the interior.

It took less than 30 minutes to get to the village. When we arrived, Radi took us to an area to wait with our tour guide, Adib. He was an energetic young man who was anxious to show us about the village. We had to wait for a bit until others arrived in the group we would be going with. When the tour started Radi took us across a suspended bridge that was moving quite a bit. Not particularly enjoyable.

During the tour, we were taken to buildings/homes of different Borneo tribes. In most of the buildings we would learn about the particular tribe and shown some of the foods they made and ate. We would get to try them also. Most of the items we tried during the tour were pretty good.

The huts interiors were set up very nicely and looked quite comfortable.

Below is an example of foods that were displayed and were being prepared for us to taste.

One of the huts had a setting that was used for marriages. The guests took turns having their photos taken with the husbands in a traditional headdress. We had to do it too.

There were lots of locals performing rolls in traditional outfits. It did make the experience enjoyable.

In some of the huts we needed to climb up a log with slots cut out for stairs. It looked more challenging than it was. For those that couldn’t do it, there were stairs in the back of the huts.

We appreciated the signs in front of each hut that told us about the ethnic group that lived in them.

In one of the huts there was a section that could be jumped on, similar to a trampoline but with less flexibility. It is part of a game where the participants have to jump up to reach a reward.

The below video shows an example of how high one can jump if they know how to do it.

After we were shown how it was done, the girls got to try it. Then the boys. It was much more challenging to not fall down than I expected. I was glad that the natives were there to give everyone a helping hand and support.

In another hut they showed us how they grilled food in a palm frond. We then got to try it.

In another were able to try some weak rice wine. In another we got to try a stronger version.

In another hut they had an upstairs sleeping quarters and a cooking area.

The next hut was a long one with many rooms for lots of people.

After we toured the huts and learned about the different tribes, we went to the theater where we would get to see some traditional dancing. The place was packed with tourists. They did a very enjoyable show.

I also included a video.

After the show we walked back to the entrance to meet back up with Radi. On the way back to the ship, we saw another angle of the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. It is a pretty building.

It had been a nice tour and a good way to spend the day in a port without much to do.

Islands to Indochina Cruise on the Oceania Riviera 1/23/2024 to 2/15/2024