Ha Long Bay
Highlights
Useful information on planning your Ha Long Bay cruise based on our experience.
Time of Visit: December 2024
Duration of Visit: Two Days, One Night
Description
Ha Long Bay cruise is a very popular tourist activity. With such high demand comes a mind blowing number of cruise ships to choose from. The process of choosing can be overwhelming.
This blog aims to help you narrow down your choices based on the many hours of research we did as we went through the process. This way, you can spend more time enjoying your precious holiday time instead of being bogged down with time consuming research and uncertainties.
When To Go
Weather-wise, between fall (November) and spring (March) is the ideal time period to do a Ha Long Bay cruise. This is the dry season which is comfortable and mostly clear. However, in the winter months (December and January), fog may occasionally roll in or have a cold spell. We lucked out as we did not experience either one. This time period is also the high tourist season and the cruise stop will definitely be crowded.
April and September are the shoulder months. April transitions to a wet, hot and oppressive weather while October transitions away from the miserable weather. Cruising during this time can still be enjoyable, especially in early April or in the latter part of October.
Definitely try to avoid May through September as it is muggy and rainy. Historically, precipitation is highest in August.
We use weatherspark.com to research historical weather conditions for our destinations.
How To Pick A Cruise Ship
We watched a lot of YouTube videos where vloggers show their cruise ship rooms, their experience, what they like and did not like. In the end, we narrowed it down to Peony Cruise and Amanda Cruise. We chose Amanda cruise because they are the only cruise ship that serves dinner on the open top deck, weather permitting.
During our cruise, we certainly saw a number of other cruise ships that look good on the outside – meaning not rusty and well kept. We also saw larger, modern looking cruise ships that look more like a yacht than a “junk” (traditional Vietnamese boat). We decided on the smaller cruise ship for a more intimate experience of knowing the crew and fellow passengers. Our cruise ship only had 25 guest cabins.
I want to add that there was a large group of senior Japanese people on our cruise, accompanied by their guide. We can only surmise that Amanda Cruise is one of the Japanese tour companies’ choices.
If you want to have more options, other than Peony and Amanda, make sure you read the reviews and look at the photos. Search in YouTube for more information about the cruise ship you are eyeing. We certainly saw some cruise ships that had peeling paint and were not well kept.
Duration
Ha Long Bay cruises are either 2D1N or 3D2N. We opted for the 2D1N as our plan was to do a Lan Ha Bay day tour from Cat Ba island. We were happy with the 2D1N cruise.
A 2D1N cruise is actually a 24 hour experience. We boarded just past noon and disembarked around 11 AM the following day. They need that two hour gap to prepare the ship for the next guests.
The activities are the same among cruise ships. It is just a matter of schedule, i.e., if its going to be done on day 1 or day 2. For Amanda Cruise, it was Titop Island and kayaking on day 1 and Surprise Cave on day 2. This was actually a good itinerary as we had the chance to dry off your kayaking clothes overnight.
Where to Book
We looked at booking directly with the cruise ship and through an on-line travel agency. We found that booking with Amanda and Peony directly was more expensive than with an on-line travel agency.
We booked through Ha Long Bay Tours. Paid about ⅓ deposit using a credit card and the rest was paid at their Hanoi office the day before the cruise. They provided a booking email confirmation. Their office is near the French Quarter.
You can certainly book a cruise with a tour agency when you get to Hanoi. Just bear in mind that cruises can be fully booked on the day that you want to do it.
What Is InCLuded In the Cruise?
Our cruise included hotel pick-up from Hanoi to Ha Long and return. We stayed in the French Quarter. It also included a stop at a pearl farm on the way to Ha Long.
On the cruise ship, meals were provided for lunch, dinner and breakfast the following day. Lunch and breakfast was buffet style and dinner was a set menu. There was also a cultural dance presentation on the ship’s top deck after dinner. Drinking water was provided during meals. There was no seating arrangement.
Drinks (soda and alcoholic) were not included. Credit card was accepted as payment for drinks and was charged in $US as the prices were in $.
Summary
A Ha Long Bay cruise is a one of a kind experience. It allows you to spend a night or two in a picturesque aquamarine bay dotted with towering limestone mountains.
There are literally hundreds of cruise ships to choose from and can be overwhelming. We watched many Youtube vlogs and eventually narrowed our choices to Amanda and Peony cruises. We went with Amanda and were happy with the experience.
Hopefully, the information we provided here saves you time and effort in planning your Ha Long Bay cruise.