Bus left late and the vehicle was different than the one I booked. No AC like promised and the driver had the most awful music on. Usually wouldn’t be bothered but for a 9 hour drive it was awful. For the money you pay you would expect better service and/or explanation.
The ride was okay! It was 5 hours, not 9 hours which was good! The van itself is small, and the driver squeezes 14 people in it, so if your at the back row then good luck, especially if your a bigger person.
But the driver was friendly, stopped of once, and got here quick!
I came one hour before the time and the van departed half an hour late. The driver changed the van and when I realized, the locals that arrived way after me filled the van and only when the van was full they told me to go inside. I got the worst seat at the back, shoulder to shoulder with 3 local guys and could barely move my legs. The other people got fine seats and I had to stay 4 hours in that uncomfortable seat in a horrible road. Only when a man left, I could go to his place.
I don't complain for the road, because it's not their fault, but the attitude of sending me to the worst seat, since I arrived first and probably payed way more
The train overall was great, but keep in mind they have some stupid rules about carrying deodorants and other liquids. I lost a lot of bottles because of that and would never have taken the train if I knew it in advance.
Very comfy and the train has AC. Security at the station is strict, they don’t allow you to bring aerosols or alcohol - I had two snake whiskeys (for souvenirs) taken off me unfortunately.
Really helpful and attentive. Was messaging Lee Na on wattsapp throughout and she was very helpful. we booked very late and were a big group of 11 and she made sure to get us all on the bus together and book us for private transfer. Thank you
Minivan arrived on time. But too many people were squeezed into one minivan. Some had to sit on a stool for 6 hours. The minivan left 35 minutes late. You felt like an animal in a cage that was far too small.
The bus left Luang Prabang 3.5 hours late and arrived in Vang Vieng 4 hours late. The bus service had more people packed in than seats available so we each had very little room and after picking up even more people on the route I ended up with a stranger sitting in my feet. The roads they drove down could barely even be called roads with us getting stuck multiple times but I guess that's not the bus's fault