Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are not included in any cruise packages. In general, meals are included and in each cabin there are complimentary bottles of mineral water. Some cruise may offer free tea/ coffee in meals but other drinks will be charged.
If you are pregnant, we advise you to make a serious check-up with your doctor. If your doctor say you can go, you can. However if you are more than 32 weeks pregnant, we recommend you to hold off your trip as the cruise trip still requires some light activity such as climbing up and down or getting on and off board.
No, you don’t. When you make a booking with us, your cruise trip is already included entrance fees and sightseeing tickets, you don’t have to pay any additional fees.
Yes, you can. Most of cruises in Halong Bay will happily meet any of your special requests. However, please kindly be reminded that you should make note with us well in advance so we can have more time to prepare the most perfect meal for you and your family.
The distance from Hanoi to Halong Bay is around 175 km. Traveling by shuttle bus will takes around 4 hours and by private car it is 3.5 hours one way. The road from Hanoi to Halong may experience traffic jam so please allow extra time for that.
You are suggested to bring sunblock, sunglasses, insect repellents, wide brim hats, swimming suites, warm clothes in winter, and your original passport for check in. If you are travelling with young kids, candy, picture books, minigames, learning tools may be helpful.
Each cruise has their own policy regarding transfer: some cruises include transfer in their cost, others charge extra fee for transfer.
If you book the transfer by shuttle bus, you will only be picked up from your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter Area (and only some cruises offer pick up from the West Lake area such as Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake or Sheraton Hanoi). If you stay outside of these areas, you need to take a taxi on your own to our office or to the cruise office to get picked up. An alternative is to book a private transfer. (Popular hotels located outside of the Old Quarter include Lotte Hotel Center, JW Marriot, to name a few).
The answer depends on your budget and your time. If you have enough time and can afford the longer option, you are surely recommended to book 2 night cruise. Some of the listed reasons are as follows:
- You will have more time to spend on boat and feel less rushed about the road travel between Hanoi and Halong Bay. Many travelers who cite their only discomfort with taking a 2 day trip is that, they have to do 4 hour road trip on both first and second day of the trip.
- A 2 night trip will allow you to explore further parts of the Bay such as Lan Ha Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Cat Ba Island and experience different activities like swimming, kayaking, boat rowing, trekking (in Cat Ba National Park), etc. that a 1 night cruise cannot otherwise offer
Most cruises use a day boat on their second day program, which will be able to take you to the more secluded caves and beaches in Halong Bay. There will be longer time for kayaking and swimming as well.
During holiday such as Christmas, New Year and Tet, cruise space can fill out very quickly. We suggest you to book a cruise as far in advance as possible if you plan to travel during this time of the year.
The following cruises often organize exciting activiites for Tet so you may want to check them out: Glory Cruise, Indochina Sails, V'Spirit
It depends on which cruise you are looking at. All luxury cruises exclude the price of transfer service in their price: most, however, offer shuttle bus that picks you up and drop you off at your hotel for very reasonable cost. Some deluxe cruises and superior already include transfer in their price such as Glory Cruise or Phoenix Cruise.
Spa is an exclusive service and not offered by all cruises due to its luxury nature and limited space on board of most junks. Up to date there are 2 cruises that offer spa service on board: Au Co Cruise and Paradise Peak Cruise.
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