Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Destinations > Asia > Asia
Reload this Page >

Halong Bay Cruise Recommendation

Halong Bay Cruise Recommendation

Old Jun 27, 2012, 12:37 pm
  #31  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
Is 194USD a good price to pay for a 2day/1night Halong Bay Cruise with Dragon Pearl? I'm traveling alone.
bthotugigem05 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2012, 12:23 pm
  #32  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 6,824
Originally Posted by PTravel
I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind, but my wife and I just returned from Vietnam where, among other things, we took a 3-day, 2-night cruise of Halong Bay. We were on Paradise Cruises, and recommend it highly -- great ambiance, friendly and helpful crew, comfortable boat, fun itinerary and, most of all, the beauty of Halong Bay is simply stunning. I'll do a complete trip report when we get back but, meanwhile, here's a photo we took. Our cruise boat was the brown and white one slightly left of center (it's bigger than it looks in this photo). If you want more information about Paradise, let me know:

We just returned from our 2-week Vietnam trip, which included a 3D/2N cruse on one of the Paradise Luxury boats. While I'll post a more detailed review of the entire trip in the TR forum once I get over jetlag, I thought I'd post a couple of substantive points here (in no particular order).

* Overall, we had a glorious, amazing time with the Paradise folks. A couple of minor quibbles here and there, but I would without hesitation recommend this company.

* Though Paradise has their own, private cruise terminal (^), we saw lots of other boats during our cruise. One thing that distinguishes Paradise from other lines is that all rooms the Paradise Luxury boats had private balconies. For regular rooms (I think they're called "Deluxe"), the balcony is narrow and small - enough for a thin table for two. We had a Terrace Suite, and our balcony - a platform at the bow-end of the ship - had room for the table for two as well as two chaise lounge chairs. For us, even though there were plenty of wonderful places for relaxing on the boat, having this private space was worth the price and then some. Others I imagine couldn't care less about the balcony. If you do, though, it seems to me Paradise is the best way to get balcony space at the low end.

* Food. The food ranged from terrific to, well, weird. Breakfast buffets were as you'd expect in SE Asia: something for everyone and then some. Big ^. Lunch on Day 1 was a Vietnamese buffet, which we enjoyed. Lunch on Day 2 was a set-menu served family style on the day boat (more on this below). Some dishes were better than others. Pretty much every edible animal was on the menu. If you're at all squeamish about things like razor clams and calamari, ask for the vegetarian option (my wife did, which was terrific). Dinners were set menus served course-by-course at your table. Hard to know how to describe the dinners, other than to say they weren't quite Vietnamese but not quite non-Vietnamese either. I would say it's what the Vietnamese think Westerners think is high-end food. Dinners included things like squid stuffed with pork and ostrich grilled two-ways. They weren't bad per se, but they were strange. We should have requested vegetarian. That said, we certainly didn't go hungry, and we had a lovely time at meals.

* Drinks. Yes, the drinks are expensive for Vietnam. No, they're not expensive by Western standards. At the low end were lame-but-acceptable wines for about $30 a bottle. $50 got you something decent. I would say these prices represented 300% markups over NYC retail, but then again it's Vietnam. Beers were about $4-5 each, and mixed drinks a couple bucks more. Again, expensive for Nam, but not horrendous IMO. Happy hours were a better deal, with a subset of drinks at half price and free canapes. We took advantage of this nightly . In retrospect, we should have brought a small bottle of cognac or some such after-dinner spirit for drinking on our balcony. (It was really too hot for red, and there was no place to store white.) If you're a drinker, this is what I recommend.

* Schedule. Something no one really tells you about these cruises is that "3D/2N" really means only 46 hours on the boat. Day 1 starts when you're picked up at your hotel in Hanoi at 8am. You get to Halong around noon-ish. Day 3 ends at 10am when you leave the boat for your trip back to Hanoi. So yes, two nights on the boat, but only one full day on the water. The so-called "2D/1N" cruises are an even worse deal. You're only on the boat for 22 hours, a good chunk of which is taken up with a couple of day-trips off of the boat that aren't that spectacular because all the boats on teh Bay (it seems) do the same trips at the same time. If there is any way at all to do the longer trip, I highly recommend doing so. This is true for almost all boats at Halong, so keep this in mind when deciding between the 3D2N and 2D1N cruises.

Another word on schedule: A good chunk of the time it's expected you'll leave the main boat for excursions on their day boat, called the "Paradise Explorer," where passengers from all five Paradise boats are aggregated together. I think this is par for the course for most cruise companies, but you should know this is how things roll. Our schedule looked something like this:

Day 1
12pm -get on boat, have lunch while cruising
1:30pm-3pm - excursion on day boat to cave (we stayed on the main boat for this and was glad we did - had a lovely relaxing time)
4pm-5:30pm - second excursion, to beach and Island (see PTravel's photo for the view from the top of this island)
6:30pm - dinner, etc.

Day 2
10am - board day boat after breakfast (main boat goes back to port to pick up new people)
10am-12pm - bike ride on Cat Ba island through nature preserve
12pm-1pm - lunch on the day boat
2pm-4pm - swimming and kayaking in isolated lagoon
6pm - back to main boat for dinner

Day 3
10:30am - back to port after breakfast on board
Point is, you spend a lot of time not on the boat due to the scheduling logistics of having passengers on different time-frames. In the end, we were okay with this, but it's something you should know. Also, Day 2 activities were a lot more fun and substantive that Day 1. (Another reason to do a longer cruise!)

* Transportation. Be advised that the arranged ride from Hanoi to Halong (and vv) is something of a slog. It was cheap, at $35 pp r/t, but four hours in a van without a lot of room to move around -- and only one stop, at a touristy restaurant/store -- is nothing to write home about. In retrospect, we would have opted for a private car. It's another $100 or so, but we could have stopped when and where we wanted and it surely would have been more comfortable.

* Cost. Our terrace suite on the Paradise Luxury, for 3D/2N, with shared transfers to/from Hanoi cost a total of $1080, booked through Asia Tour Advisor. Was this expensive? I gather it was. Could we have done it more cheaply on another boat? Yes. (The quotes we had for the Bhaya were less.) Do we wish we had? Absolutely not. Our room was lovely and spacious (for a boat), balcony stunning, service top notch.

* Misc. Sadly, the bay is really polluted in places. I wouldn't swim in it, but others did without any complaints. But the views are absolutely stunning and well worth the trip. Also: While there are lots of boats plying the bay, it was only noticable really on Day 1, when the boat anchored for the cave/island day trips. Most of the time, the boats all spread out, so it didn't feel that claustrophobic.

* Final Note. There was one annoyance I feel bound to report. On the evening of day 1, the captain of our boat came to us to let us know that he had arranged for us to be "ugpraded" to a bigger, better suite on the Paradise Peak, their 'higher-end" boat. At first, I thought, wow, this is great. What self-respecting FTer would refuse an upgrade? But on further reflection, and some hesitation on his part, I wondered what was really going on. So before dinner, he arranged for my wife and I to take a quick boat ride over to the other ship to see the room. Long story short, I didn't see it as an upgrade at all. The suite was indeed bigger, and more luxurious, but in place of an outdoor balcony was an indoor, enclosed "breakfast nook." The boat did have other suites with outdoor balconies...but those, of course, were occupied and therefore unavailable to us. Since the entire point of our booking our suite was to have the larger outside space, I declined the upgrade. After a few unconfortable minutes where it wasn't clear whether we actually had a choice in the matter, the captain demurred and let us stay as is. So word to the wise: make sure to lay eyes on the goods before accepting "upgrades" which are really all about the Paradise people mis-booking, not their wanting to reward you with more space.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
as219 is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2012, 4:52 pm
  #33  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NJ/NYC
Programs: UA and HH
Posts: 4,346
Great report AS219! I'm looking forward to visiting Hanoi in July with my old man and sister and am looking forward to doing a junk boat cruise.
gbryan84 is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2012, 2:47 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai
Posts: 648
Originally Posted by bthotugigem05
Is 194USD a good price to pay for a 2day/1night Halong Bay Cruise with Dragon Pearl? I'm traveling alone.
I paid 125$ with phoenix, a very reliable company because they have a permanent crew (Paradise had a fatal accident - 5 killed in the beginning of October). We enjoied the trip very much and even our vegetarian request was perfectly fulfilled with excellent food.
A good contact is Juergen Eichhorn - a German guy in Hai Duong who sends his customers always with Phoenix and checks the boats himself on a regular basis.

http://www.aea.vn/travel_en.html
HKtraveller is offline  
Old Oct 31, 2012, 2:12 pm
  #35  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 6,824
Originally Posted by HKtraveller
I paid 125$ with phoenix, a very reliable company because they have a permanent crew (Paradise had a fatal accident - 5 killed in the beginning of October). We enjoied the trip very much and even our vegetarian request was perfectly fulfilled with excellent food.
A good contact is Juergen Eichhorn - a German guy in Hai Duong who sends his customers always with Phoenix and checks the boats himself on a regular basis.

http://www.aea.vn/travel_en.html
What's strange is that we did our Paradise cruise about a week after this accident happened. We were in transit to Vietnam when it occurred. On the boat, some other passengers mentioned an accident that had happened the week before, but until your post, I didn't know it involved Paradise. Frankly I'm glad we didn't know; it would have just made us nervous.

FWIW, we felt completely safe the entire time of our cruise.
as219 is offline  
Old Nov 1, 2012, 1:18 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai
Posts: 648
Originally Posted by as219
What's strange is that we did our Paradise cruise about a week after this accident happened. We were in transit to Vietnam when it occurred. On the boat, some other passengers mentioned an accident that had happened the week before, but until your post, I didn't know it involved Paradise. Frankly I'm glad we didn't know; it would have just made us nervous.

FWIW, we felt completely safe the entire time of our cruise.
When we were on the Phoenix cruise, I saw the extremely nice paradise ships and called Juergen to ask him how much they were. Only then I came to know what had happened and that Juergen avoids Paradise. His requirement is a permanent crew as frequent changes are a safety risk.
By the way the accident happened on the small feeder boat.
HKtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 5, 2012, 9:00 pm
  #37  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 1,431
I'm heading to Vietnam in January for a solo vacation and want to see Ha Long Bay. Are any of the tour companies/cruises better for a single (mid-20s) traveler? I have five days in Hanoi, how much time would you suggest devoting to Ha Long?
fs2k2isfun is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2012, 3:47 am
  #38  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: YVR
Programs: AE, MP, DL, AA, Accor Platinum (But aren't we all?)
Posts: 268
I was there in June and went with Aurora cruises as recommended by our hotel but it was probably more for older folks and we ended up having to party with ourselves as the other couples and ladies were significantly older.

However, my colleague (in her early 20's) went on a cruise as recommended by her hostel and she said it was quite a party. Check out this site and try to book through places of accommodation that cater to a younger crowd. You will probably more likely end up on a boat with people your own age.

http://www.vietnambackpackerhostels....f-ha-long-bay/

Originally Posted by fs2k2isfun
I'm heading to Vietnam in January for a solo vacation and want to see Ha Long Bay. Are any of the tour companies/cruises better for a single (mid-20s) traveler? I have five days in Hanoi, how much time would you suggest devoting to Ha Long?
SOLTATIO is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2012, 11:36 am
  #39  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Omaha
Posts: 1,674
fs2k2isfun, I didn't go alone, but I understand your concern. SOLTATIO has a good idea about checking places that cater to a younger crowd. However if that same company has a choice between quality, spend the extra for the higher quality. On my 3 day Halong Bay trip, we had to switch boats (due to the 2 day people leaving) and our second boat was much nicer and better food.
CrazyInteg is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2012, 7:08 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Programs: UA Gold 1mm, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 662
We did the 3D/2N cruise in Feb. of this year. We used indochina-junk company on the Prince IV. It carried 8 pax and was the highlight of our 5 tours in Vietnam. The cruise was continuous with no returning to shore and no transferring of boats. The service was outstanding as was the food. I don't know what we paid since it was in a package tour from Waterbuffalo tours. The website www.indochina-junk.com does not show a Prince IV but that is what we were on. I think maybe a local tour company might get a better price than you can get individually.
mgmsteven is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2012, 10:30 pm
  #41  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: YYZ
Posts: 123
We've chosen Paradise cruises as the one we're going to go with (in January). Is booking from their site the best way to make the reservation? Or is it cheaper through the hotel desk/travel agency?
travel_geek is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2012, 7:42 am
  #42  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 6,824
Originally Posted by travel_geek
We've chosen Paradise cruises as the one we're going to go with (in January). Is booking from their site the best way to make the reservation? Or is it cheaper through the hotel desk/travel agency?
Definitely cheaper to go through an agency. Not sure why this should be so, but it is.

We went with Ms. Minh at Asia Tour Advisor and were pleased. Although I've read some unpleasant things about them here and there, we found them patient with our questions and they delivered exactly as promised.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have about Paradise!
as219 is offline  
Old Nov 4, 2013, 11:50 am
  #43  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Nexus, GE
Posts: 2,119
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I'm in the process of planning a Vietnam trip right now.

We want to do a 3 day/2 night trip. I'm ideally looking at mid-range prices...something in the $150- low $200's range would be good. Lots of suggestions for super-luxurious trips. Having kayaking included is a must for me. Any suggestions? I'm a little worried that the majority of TripAdvisor reviews are fake.

I'm also seeming to find that it might be cheaper to book through an agency...sort of baffling that they can get a better price than going directly through the boats.

Thanks!
astroflyer is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2013, 9:12 am
  #44  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 6,824
Originally Posted by astroflyer
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I'm in the process of planning a Vietnam trip right now.

We want to do a 3 day/2 night trip. I'm ideally looking at mid-range prices...something in the $150- low $200's range would be good. Lots of suggestions for super-luxurious trips. Having kayaking included is a must for me. Any suggestions? I'm a little worried that the majority of TripAdvisor reviews are fake.

I'm also seeming to find that it might be cheaper to book through an agency...sort of baffling that they can get a better price than going directly through the boats.

Thanks!
I can't speak to the cheaper cruises, but it's definitely the case that going through an agency is the way to go price-wise. You save from 15-50%. It's weird, I agree, but I suspect that so few people book cruises independently that (a) the cruise lines prefer to farm out bookings to agencies rather than handle it in house and (b) it may be that cruise lines post inflated prices in order to make the actual prices -- the ones charged by agencies -- look more attractive. Who knows?

We booked through Asia Tour Advisor and were pleased with the experience all around. I woud recommend them without hesitation. Corresponding with them was strange given the 12-hour delays, and it was a bit unsettling sending off $1000 to a company I couldn't find much information about, but their prices were right, and I got them to put in unambiguous writing a number of important conditions we had for the trip (i.e., a suite with private terrace on a specific boat). I get the impression that the less you pay, the more likely you are at the last minute to be switched to another boat of the same class, which might or might not be acceptable to you. If you see a specific boat you like, and want to book that boat, I would try to get in writing precisely what you expect, in case there are problems.

P.S. Kayaking was one of the (many) highlights of our cruise. I found my way into secluded grotto and enjoyed some of the most profound silence I've ever experienced. The water isn't very inviting, but the scenery sure is!
as219 is offline  
Old Apr 23, 2014, 5:49 pm
  #45  
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BTV
Programs: AA EXP, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 484
Seems like Paradise Cruises is the favorite here. They're offering $400 pp for a double with a balcony. For those that booked with a travel agent, is this a good offer, or could I do better?
AirD0c is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.