6 easy steps – How to choose the best Cruise for exploring Ha Long Bay?
Where is Ha Long Bay?
Ha Long Bay is located around 144km east of Hanoi. There are 1600 islands and islets- mostly inhabited – it is one of the most popular travel hots-post in Asia
Today, Ha long Bay also is one of the main tourist hotspots in Vietnam, receiving more than 6 million travelers each year, mostly on Cruise Boats
Ha Long Bay Cruise Tips: 6 key Steps
#1 Decide How long you want to go:
There are three types of cruise tours operating in Ha Long Bay:
Day trip cruise are short journeys created to give you a little taste of the feeling of navigating between forest of islands. You can book a day cruises with no overnight stay departing from Hanoi , Ha Long City or Cat Ba island Town.
In the limit, you can do a long day trip from Hanoi with half day cruise in the bay.
Overnight Cruises are more classic choices and allow some more time to relax and truly enjoy the scenery out in the water. Plus , you get to sleep on board and wake up with a sea view. 2D1N cruises last exactly 24 hours and with suit most traveler. Longer itineraries are recommended for people looking to unwind and explore more remote areas of the bay.
In 3D2N cruise, you are transferred from the main boat to a smaller one for the daily activities, returning to the main ship in the evening.
In a nutshell, how long you stay depends on how badly you need/want to relax and what your budget is. The longer you stay, the more chances you will have to navigate through areas far from crowds and to do more outdoor activities.
#2 Decide where exactly you want to go.
Although the whole area is mostly known as Ha Long Bay, there are in fact 3 different bays: Ha Long, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha Bay.
#3 Always double check what is included.
A common rule amongst cruise operators is that everything is included food, activities, etc – except for the drinks. Double check that. Read carefully the itinerary proposed by each company and check the daily activities they have. Also, some companies do not include in the price the transportation from Hanoi. Make sure you ask all the questions.
#4 Research the cruise boats.
This is key. You will notice there is a huge range of boats styles, sizes and quality standard to cater to all types of travelers. make sure you ask which boat you are going and do some research online before you pull your wallet. Does it look decent? How old is the boat? what are the reviews like?
The number of passengers it can hold is important. Remember you won’t be alone aboard. You will be eating and doing all the daily activities all together, so the number of people doing all that affects tremendously your experience. it is not more than 36 member should be good.
#5 Prepare your budget
A cruise in Ha Long Bay is not the time to suddenly go on a shoestring budget but you dont need to hurt your wallet either.
A quick search on the web will reveal stories of low quality food, poor accommodation and unwanted animals as your roommates. While you can endure a bad accommodation option for one night in land, while you’re out there in the sea things are different. Because you know, YOU’re In The Middle OF THE SEA. A “simple” food poisoning can turn into a nightmare aboard! Be Smart.
If you want to book with a Tour Agency in Vietnam, Rubicon Tours Vietnam is committed to providing the best service and reasonable price.
#6 Book Through the Right Place
There are so many tourist scams in Vietnam and people looking for cruise in Ha Long Bay are one of the best targets. Do not go walk in into any hole in the wall travel agency. It is better if you book the cruise from your Hotel or Rubicon Tours Vietnam (rubicontours.com)
Rubicon Tours Vietnam Official: 7th floor at No.27 Nguyen Trương To Street, Nikko Building, Ba Dinh District, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi capital, Vietnam.
