Family-Friendly Halong Bay Cruises: What to Expect

Planning an unforgettable family adventure to the breathtaking Halong Bay? A family-friendly cruise must be the top priority. A family cruise offers more convenience and comfort, ensuring both entertainment and relaxation for every member of your family. Let's take a deep dive into family-friendly Halong Bay Cruises and discover how to evaluate and select the most suitable option for you.

Why Choose Family-Friendly Halong Bay Cruises?

It's not that difficult to find a good Halong cruise among the countless options out there. However, a good family-friendly cruise is truly necessary to make your family trip incredibly convenient and enjoyable.

Diverse Facilities for Families

Share the utmost privacy and fun with your loved one when choosing family or connecting rooms that can accommodate 3-6 people. Parents can easily keep an eye on the kids while enjoying their own space. Besides, onboard amenities like baby cots, child seats, playrooms, pools/jacuzzis, or massage rooms (extra fee) ensure comfort and entertainment for all ages.

Proper Activities for All Ages

Family-friendly cruises always have something to entertain every age group. A fun-filled beach excursion with swimming or sunbathing. An exciting kayaking or cave trip where you can admire stunning mountains and even encounter monkeys or fish like in a natural zoo or aquarium! That's not to mention fun activities onboard like cooking classes, squid fishing, or Tai Chi.

Welcoming Atmosphere for Socialization

A friendly and open environment is the best place to share interesting experiences in your family's discovery. A family-friendly cruise opens a fantastic opportunity for not only parents but also children to meet and make friends with each other.

How To Choose A Suitable Cruise For Your Family

Halong Bay doesn't have cruises exclusively for families. Therefore, when choosing the best cruise, consider the following important criteria.

Safety

Safety is a top priority for all travelers, especially families with children. Although safety facilities are a must for all cruises, families can select cruise ships with suitable features, such as rooms with balconies or not, activities requiring physical strength or not (kayaking or climbing), or babysitter service available or not, etc.

Amenities

Accommodations and amenities are key when selecting a cruise for your family. While many ships offer triple or family rooms or even a regular room with an extra bed, we highly recommend internal connecting rooms or dedicated family suites for optimal comfort and convenience. Generally, 4 and 5-star cruises provide more spacious accommodations than 3-star options, and new and luxury ships offer more modern amenities to entertain and cater to all ages.

Some cruises with amenities for reference:

Activities

Most family cruises offer similar onboard activities like cooking classes, squid fishing, watching movies, and practicing morning Taichi. As for offboard activities, choose the travel route matching your family's needs as follows:

• Halong Bay: More active exploration like mountain climbing, cave trekking, kayaking, and swimming
• Lan Ha Bay & Bai Tu Long Bay: More relaxing time and gentle activities like kayaking, swimming, bamboo boating, cycling, visiting fishing villages, etc.

Itinerary

While the 2-day/1-night itinerary is the most popular for experiencing Halong Bay's highlights, a 3-day/2-night cruise offers a more relaxed and interesting journey. The longer the itinerary, the deeper and less crowded the areas you can explore. Your family also has ample time to unwind, enjoy all the cruise's facilities, and truly indulge in the stunning scenery.

Food menu

Not all cruises provide a separate kid menu in advance. However, rest assured that all can prepare kid-friendly dishes for your littles, such as French fries, pasta, toast, plain rice, some chicken options, porridge, etc. Just make sure you inform dietary or special requests, Halong cruises surely prepare proper food for them.

Important notes for Halong family adventures

• Secure your booking early: Each cruise has limited family rooms, so book early to ensure your family space on your preferred cruise.
• Most cruise ships do not have babysitting services on board, so make sure your children are always kept an eye on during the tour. Don't hesitate to ask the crew for assistance if needed; they're usually happy to help.
• Onboard medical facilities are typically limited to first-aid and basic medicines, with no medical staff or services. Consult a doctor and bring your personal medications before traveling. Also, always inform crew staff of your health conditions before boarding and ask for immediate help if any issues arise.
• Essentials for the tour: Sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, swimsuits, and hats.
• Inform the cruise organizer of any special service or food requests like baby cots, child chairs, kids' food, etc.
• Itineraries may change due to weather, so be prepared