We are going to Burma later this year on Voyager. We have a choice of two overnight excursions: Royal Mandalay or Temples of Bagan. I really hope someone has done both to compare; lacking that, looking for any feedback on either of the excursions. Both sound fantastic so we can't decide.

Marc

We are going with Azamara in April 2018 and I also want to know about Bagan. Azamara stays 3 days in Myanmar and offers an overnight to Bagan, so should I stay or should I go?? Anybody have some insight?
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Helen

Without knowing the specifics of each tour, I would chose Bagan. Mandalay is also fascinating but seeing all the pagodas in Bagan is amazing.

I am out of the office but will read the programs and comment. Inle Lake is the best thing by far to do in my opinion in Myanmar but that is not offered by the cruise lines. Bagan there are a ton of temples, one you can climb on, and two bigger ones. The balloon flight is magnificent in bagan to me the best thing in Bagan.

We did not spend much time in Manadalay but liked what I saw. There is one key Pagoda where you see a magnificent view and the sunset. That was pretty special.

If the option is three nights in Yangon then i think that is too long in Yangon and I would do either Bagan or Mandalay. Once you see the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon (also known as the Golden Pagoda) the main temple in Yangon (that is absolutely amazing) the other sights are pretty secondary. But I would not give up seeing Shwedagon temple for Bagan or Mandalay.

Will look at it all when I get in the office

No details on Bagan online.

Impossible really to select between the two. People who have been will probably have totally different opinions. Both offer different things.

Mandalay - The Teak Bridge is very neat - we went out on little boats and saw it from the water. We did not get a chance to go into the old Monastery and wished we had seen that. The "Top of Mandalay Hill" is the visit we made for sunset and we liked that a lot. Also a temple.

Bagan it is possible we were "templed out" by the time we got to Bagan so did not enjoy it as much as others would.

The key is the massive amount of Pagodas in Bagan. If you go to Bagan and can do the balloon flight DO IT. In Bagan there is a Pagoda you can climb on that has to be done in bare feet. The steps are very steep and high and concrete so rough on the feet. The two main temples are good. One is outside on concrete so hard on the feet. The other is inside on tile that helps a lot and is also good.

The best temple by far is the Shwedagon Temple in Yangon.

I might suggest looking at the cost to go to Inle Lake privately. The town of a 1000 pagodas fills the need for the pagoda count. You can fly between Yangon to Heho. It is a little bit more complicated doing your own thing of course but this was our favorite part of Myanmar.

Ngaire, thanks. The only way i could get description of Temples of Bagan was to look at Navigator 2017 World Cruise.

Do we need to book these far in advance or can we wait until closer or even onboard?

These excursions will probably sell out. We can add them now and get your space confirmed with no extra deposit and you can cancel up to final payment. No sense in waiting to add them later.

They have to get air and hotel bookings so doing it onboard is a big risk of not getting to go, if you want to do these I would not wait until you are onboard.

Thanks for the info, Ngaire. Always appreciate your insights. Maybe Marc will report when he gets back since I would still have time to re- work my plans if needed.
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Helen

Mandalay is the second biggest city - there are more flights into there, but the traffic is more of an issue. While I enjoyed them both, given the choice I would definitely choose Bagan for a much more immersive experience. The temples and pagodas are incredible, the markets and street activity seemed more authentic to me.

Most of the sights we saw while in Mandalay were not right in the city with the exception of the pagoda on top of Mandalay Hill and some workshops and of course that infamous jade market, but they wouldn't take you there.

The sunset at the temple in Mandalay was lovely and there were quite a number of younger monks interacting with the tourists - I read that they like to go there to practice their English. But the sunset in Bagan, either at the top of the pagoda you climb, or from the base of the temple, was really special - the sun sets over the plain of temples. Just spectacular.

And of course if you can do the ballooon ride that would be a must.

Review the topic covering our trip and you will gain more insight in order to make your decision. Also, if you can link to descriptions of the two excursions we could weigh in on exactly what you might be doing.

http://www.luxurycruisetalk.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/247478/1.html

Thanks, Leslie! So appreciate the well- travelled folks on LCT!
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Helen

Leslie, thanks; we booked Bagan today.