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CRUISE SHIPS
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May15
Keen to sail away from Singapore on a Southeast Asia adventure,
but don’t knowwhich of the many ships to choose? Here are some
tips from travel writer and cruise specialist HEIDI SARNA.
A
cruise around Southeast Asia
is a convenient way to get an
overview of the region, especially
if you’re travelling with children,
elderly parents or out-of-towners. You
unpack once and your floating hotel hits the
highlights of several countries in the space
of anywhere from four to 14 days. On longer
itineraries, guest lecturers present talks
about the ports and culture of the particular
country, and local groups are brought on
board to perform – classical Thai dancers,
for example. Shorter cruises focus more on
fun and simply enjoying the ride, and the
average age of guests tends to be lower.
The hard part is figuring out the best
itinerary, as there are more ships exploring
the Orient than ever before. To help make
sense of the options, think of cruising in Asia
as falling into twomain areas: east and west.