What I Want in a Halong Bay Cruise

When planning a trip to Vietnam, I heard too much information about Halong Bay cruises. I was inundated with information, so it became hard to know where to start. While I’d heard lots of good things about the Hanoi Backpackers Castaways cruises, it became clear to be that I would be expected to party the entire time, something I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to, especially since it costs extra after the initial investment of the tour.

Upon arriving in Hanoi, you’ll see hundreds of travel agents offering tours ranging in price from $99 for a one day tour and going up from there. On one hand, I didn’t want to pay more than I had to, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to stay in some dumpy old boat. I’d heard horror stories of people who booked with a company and been charged double or taken to a boat that didn’t resemble the ones from the brochures.

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In the end, we booked a three day, two night Halong Bay and Cat Ba tour with Dugong Sails, which picked us up and dropped us off from our hotel. And in one word, it was fine. The food was edible and we were taken to the listed excursions, the Surprising Cave and kayaking.

We were handed off to another company for the Cat Ba leg and returned to Dugong when it was time to go back to Hanoi, which I wish had been more clear, but otherwise I have no real complaints for $135. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect to pay under $100 for those luxurious cruises.

But on the other hand, if you’re just here to party, don’t bother with a nice tour. It may be hard to meet people in budget tours except for the party tours, though, so keep that in mind if you’re going solo. There are a few things you need to have a great time in Halong Bay.

Good Food

Since all meals are included on your tour, I hoped the food was good. Breakfasts are basic, mostly fruit and bread, but sufficient. Some meals I liked more than others, but most involved plenty of excess. I’m sure others in our group liked the food more than I did, but it depends on your preference. There was, however, plenty of food to be had.

Nice Rooms

I’ve spent a lot of time on boats in the last few years and my cabins have varied between small bunks crammed with four beds to larger rooms with twin beds and ensuite bathrooms and this one was the latter. Our room had two twin beds with plush comforters, an ensuite bathroom and air conditioning that turned on between 8 pm and 7 am. Other options included double beds, but the level of comfort was pretty standard.

Plenty of Activities

The bay itself is beautiful, but there’s more to it than just sitting on your boat in the open water. There are dozens of caves nearby, so your tour should include at least one, preferably the Surprising Cave. I’ve been told that the Dragon Cave is pretty hokey.

In terms of kayaking, either your boat will have kayaks or they will take you to a place that has them. Some boats only had 2, so you had to take turns, but we were brought to a floating village that rented them out. We were given lifejackets, shoddy paddles and cracked boats and told to be back in 40 minutes.

It wasn’t the best kayaking when we were dodging bigger boats, but it was a nice change of scenery. We were also taken to a “beach” that was manmade and covered with tourists, meaning there was no room to swim. Instead, we walked up to the lookout point.

Down Time

As with any tour, you want to make sure there is some time to actually relax. Thankfully, this tour gave us plenty of time to read on the top deck, which was the only place to cool off. Be sure to check the schedule of your potential tour operator before booking.

What do you look for in a Halong Bay cruise?