30 Mar 2023
You see the photo shown for this Trip Advisor cruise? Looks pretty posh doesn't it? Well, this was not at all the boat we ended up on!
The "Pearl" line apparently operates two main cruises, the "Grand Pearl" and the "Wonderful Pearl." We were waiting for the boat while a "Wonderful Pearl" ship was docked and being loaded. This ship looked amazing; sleek, new, fancy! When we got the go-ahead to board we started off going into the "Wonderful Pearl" but only because the "Grand Pearl" was tied up alongside it, out of sight. After checking on Trip Advisor, I do see a "Luxury Dinner Cruise" on the Wonderful Pearl is available as a completely separate excursion.
What a difference! This was a tired looking, older, and smaller boat. The main dining area was set up with plain looking tables and chairs and a small buffet area. At first, the staff offered to seat us in a corner of this area but the thought of spending an entire river cruise there was depressing. We tried moving to a different table but it was still pretty sad. We finally had the thought of checking elsewhere on the boat and found an open table (out of about four) out on the deck at the forward end of the boat. Phew! If not for this our trip would have been miserable.
So, at least we had a great table with a great view. The cruise time was just fine and the views of the lit temples and city skyline were very good. That's about all I can say for the experience. The food was average to below-average. Not a lot of variety and not the best quality food. Not worth the almost $70 USD per person in my opinion. I would recommend (just from seeing the boat) the Wonderful Pearl cruise instead.