Posted by
HH&T
18 yrs ago
We are looking for a cruise along Halong Bay. But there are so many choices available. Pls those who've been there, can u give us any recommendation? Also, should we take the tour of 3nights2nights or 2 days1night? Thanks!
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I have been on several. The Emeraud (?) is advertised as a luxury overnight cruise. Pleasant and you share the boat with other people, depending on the season / weather. Smaller boats are available, and no doubt some very luxurious small boats are also available - but I don't know about those.
If you want a day trip, that is easy. As for multi-day cruises I guess it depends on what they propose, and what interests you. It can be cold and rainy so pick your season well.
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I did the 2 day 1 night cruise, which turned out to be good because we got very drunk that night on the boat :) The people who did the next night went on half day hike and then stayed in a small Inn on one of the islands. I did the budget experience, which was still really good. I shopped around a number of small hotels and hostels to find the best price. I recommend this. I talked to a number of people in the van on the way and it seems we all paid a slightly different prices for the same thing. When we got to the dock we all stood around with many many people from different tours and they just basically mixed the tours together and threw us on one of the boats. Just a random type thing. In my case the boats were definitely not pre-reserved for specific groups.
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HH&T
18 yrs ago
Tks to both, we consider to stay at least one overnight, may be two nights.... with 2 chidren, 11 & 12 yrs old. Don't mind to share boat with others, any suggestion?
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Take one of the adventure tours from Hanoi, bus ride Hai Phong to cruising the crags, one night on the boat, a bit of a hike and a swim on a beach and one in small town hotel, food is supplied it's okay and cheap to supplement. Reasonable prices you'll have fun, wish we were going again.
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We went on the Dragon Pearl, you can google it. It has 18 cabins which were clean, had AC and own bath. The food was fine. We went for 2 days/1 night, but wished we'd gone for 3 days/2 nights.
I believe some of the ppl on the boat organized their trip thru Handspan. Ours was organized thru the hotel in Hanoi via Tropical Sails.
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I am not sure if things have changed dramatically or what since the above posts were written, but I cannot recommend this trip at all unless all you want is a booze cruise. The waters are no better than those in Hong Kong (ie, polluted). The kayaking is laughable. Avoid Cat Ba, it's just a big construction site. If you're budgeting, don't pay more than US$50 for the tour for 2 nights inclusive of EVERYTHING.
The number of people I saw scammed was truly remarkable (though I was lucky). I would avoid this and head to other places in Vietnam. Although the formations in the water are impressive, anyone who has spent a long time in Hong Kong will be underwhelmed - it's no different to a really, really long junk trip. The caves are impressive, but you will feel like cattle being herded.
The vast majority of people I met were disappointed with this trip.
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pvhaa
16 yrs ago
Halong Bay is big and majority of junks made only short circuit of around 10 km from the city. Choose a boat that itinerary runs though Vung Vieng fishing village or Ho Ba Ham Islet, Three Peach Beach....These areas remain entirely pristine, unspoiled and deserted by tourists.
Last month we book a small junk of Bhaya (www.bhayacruises.com) namely Bhaya Legend. A small junk just for two of us and we stayed for two nights. Well, I can compare this to nothing I have ever seen. The luxury trip comes with a price tag, of course, but the 2-day, 1-night cruise is well worth it.
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altro
16 yrs ago
Any latest update on this one ?
Am thinking to go to Hanoi + the Halong Bay cruise, in early October, pricey ?
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Enjoy a Halong bay cruise is one of the must-try activities when you visit Vietnam. Last year I booked Halong Paloma cruise through http://www.bestpricevn.com/Tour_Paloma-Cruise-2-days.html. And then without any worry, I and my family just felt free to participate in the cruise. The junk moved slowly on the water all the time except for sleeping time. Therefore, even in our meals, we still had chance to admire wonderful natural beauty. Besides, enjoying outside activities like kayaking, fishing was very interesting.
I though that you should not book 3 days- 2 nights cruise because 2 days - 1 night is enough!!!
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