The Strand Cruise www.thestrandcruise.com, the latest and most luxurious ship to ply the Ayeyarwady River, takes to the water today for the start of its cruising season with a new menu of a la carte shore excursions that allows passengers truly to personalise their travel experience in mystical Myanmar.
The 28-cabin Strand Cruise operates three- and four-night itineraries between the ancient cities of Bagan and Mandalay. Each day, passengers are invited to participate in a specially curated itinerary of shore excursions that includes the highlights of a journey along the river, including the pagodas at Mingun and Sagaing, as well as the beautiful temple of Maha Aungmye Bonzan in Ava and the iconic U-Bein bridge.
The Strand Cruise will be the only operator on the Ayeyarwady River to offer an additional menu of a la carte shore excursions allowing passengers to tailor-make their schedule and opt to add or replace a particular visit. For example, they may have read or researched about a particular pagoda in Bagan that they would like to visit that is not within the regular Strand Cruise itinerary, such as the Thabyinnyu temple, which is the tallest in Bagan at 60 metres. Or they would like to see the riverside Lawkananda pagoda, with its relics of Buddha. Alternatively photography enthusiasts may wish to be taken to a particular spot, such as the Sagaing hill pagoda, the highest viewpoint in Sagaing.
Passengers can discuss their particular excursion with the on-board team, who will recommend the best time of day to make the trip according to the ship’s sailing schedule, and provide a car and driver/guide to escort them.
Launched in December 2015, The Strand Cruise is a reinvention of the legendary style of its sister property, the iconic Strand Yangon, and has been created complete with the latest on-board technology, such as individually controlled air conditioning, WI-FI from satellite communication and the international standard marine technology. The Strand name has been associated with luxury hospitality and a pioneering spirit in Myanmar for the past 115 years and its unsurpassed knowledge of the country has meant it has been able to not only construct a ship suitable for the Ayeyarwady, but also to secure moorings at private jetties close to landmarks along the river.
A three-night journey between Mandalay and Bagan on The Strand Cruise is priced from US$1,782 per person based on double occupancy, and the four-night journey between Bagan and Mandalay is priced from US$1,976 per person based on double occupancy. Rates quoted include all excursions and activities as described in the set itinerary, three meals during full sailing days, breakfast on day of disembarkation, soft drinks & local beer, house wine during meals, port charges, English speaking guides (alternative language guides can be provided on request subject to availability) and satellite WI-FI in all cabins and public areas.
SOURCE: The Strand Cruise