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Old 23-05-2017, 18:02   #1
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HALONG BAY CRUISES

My Family of 14 want to get together in Vietnam for Xmas/NY and part of the plan is a 2 or 3 day relaxing cruise in Halong Bay.

Prefer something private.....anyone with some experience doing this?

Thanks
Nick
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Old 23-05-2017, 19:49   #2
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

That's a fantastic place to visit and cruise for a few nights. Incredible. I can't remember which tour agency we booked through 2 years ago when we went, but there are so many charter boats plying the waters. Small ones just big enough for your family, huge ones the size of cruise ships, but by far the most popular are about 100 feet long with a capacity of about 20-30.

The kayak expeditions are great, trekking to the top of the mountains. But take my advice and don't swim in the water at the beaches they will drop you off at. Loaded with bilge oil and pollutants and your body comes out coated with light brown scum. I was also surprised at the almost complete lack of wildlife or even birds. Zero results with squid fishing. A few goats in the mountains, that's it. Write back please when you return as I'd love to hear your feedback.

Try SaigonTourist or SunshineTravel and try to work in a trip to Sapa if you can. However there are so many tour operators, so just check TripAdvisor for feedback.

PS - Make sure you go watch Kong: Skull Island before you go.
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Old 23-05-2017, 20:19   #3
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

We were there last year, used this company as in link below, very good, reasonably priced.
There are about 600 boats operating from Halong Bay, and virtually at any time there are 6 to 20 other tourist boats could be spotted from our boat. Kind of busy.
I did not go for a swim, but others did, did not see 'scum' but the water was not clean or clear.
I am sure that there are smaller boats for hire that take only your entourage. That time of year, will it a bit warm/humid then?

Halong Silversea Cruise | Official agency in Hanoi
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Old 23-05-2017, 21:29   #4
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

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Originally Posted by Pelagic View Post
My Family of 14 want to get together in Vietnam for Xmas/NY and part of the plan is a 2 or 3 day relaxing cruise in Halong Bay.

Prefer something private.....anyone with some experience doing this?

Thanks
Nick
Hi Pelagic.....We chose to go to Bai Tu Long Bay....less crowded and VERY scenic.

Bhaya Cruise is who we used.....we chose the higher end Classic Premium 4 star boat that was only half full, maybe 12-18 people. Don't take anything with less than 4 stars. You will pay twice as much, but it's definitely worth it.

We had a nice balcony room, great ac and decent food....not outstanding but quite good.

Enjoy....

Jerry
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Old 23-05-2017, 21:42   #5
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

Thanks All for the ideas.
My first time in Vietnam
I'm just starting my research and note the 3 to 4 hour Travel time between Hanoi and the Harbour.

From boarding, how long before you are into the scenery?

In 2015 they started a seaplane flight over the Bay from Hanoi.

Just wondering if they would do one way overflight then drop you off at boat and we could bus back after cruise?

Anyone considered that?
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Old 23-05-2017, 21:55   #6
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pelagic View Post
Thanks All for the ideas.
My first time in Vietnam
I'm just starting my research and note the 3 to 4 hour Travel time between Hanoi and the Harbour.

From boarding, how long before you are into the scenery?

In 2015 they started a seaplane flight over the Bay from Hanoi.

Just wondering if they would do one way overflight then drop you off at boat and we could bus back after cruise?

Anyone considered that?
We took a private car from Hanoi....there is a lunch stop along the way at this HUGE souvenir/restaurant place for a break.

First thing we had right after arriving on the boat was a seafood buffet lunch....very nice. I don't remember the exact sailing time, but the scenery wasn't far away...and man is it beautiful. You will love it.

Cheers
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Old 23-05-2017, 22:06   #7
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

Sorry but a family of 14 all on a single boat doesn't sound relaxing regardless of venue or scenery.
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Old 23-05-2017, 22:36   #8
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

I made the mistake of taking one of those small charter vans for that long ride from Hanoi to HLB, and my ass was in so much pain. It truly ceased to be funny. Swing a few more bucks for a luxury charter bus. Everything is cheaper in VN anyway.

Saleen411 made a good point about going 4 or 5 star, and it applies to hotels even more so.

I've been travelling to VN for more than a dozen years and lived there awhile also. My guideline is to subtract one "star" from any rating you see. In other words, a 4-star hotel is equivalent to a 3-star in America, etc. Prices and values are so wonderful in VN you won't pay much more anyway.

Don't travel during Sept/Oct or the Philippine monsoons will chase you out of the country (happened twice to me with mandatory evacuations of coastal towns). If you can delay your trip to Tet it will be crowded, more expensive, but fun as can be! Gotta love the Dragon dances!
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Old 24-05-2017, 08:49   #9
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

It's all been pretty well covered. Again- don't get in the water!

The seafood restaurants are great and inexpensive. More so if you get out of the tourist town.

As far as I'm concerned I don't like 4 star of 5 star hotels. OK, I like Erawan in BKK. But typically- and particularly in VN- I'll explain to the tour agency that I want a historical, colonial hotel. Yes, they tend to be a bit tired, but they still have that old Asia charm- the smell of wood and Asian spices embedded in the structure, hand-made food to order, and the friendliest staff which is more often than not all family.
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Old 24-05-2017, 09:13   #10
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

I don't recall a lot of smaller boats, because as mentioned, the typical HL cruise is on a 100 footer. They are nice and perhaps you'll enjoy having some other company around besides your family. I came across this photo on my laptop showing a typical interior. The various boats are all relatively nice like this. Generally they only turn on the generators (i.e. - your cabin air conditioning) at night, so during the day you're out and about.
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Old 24-05-2017, 09:16   #11
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Re: HALONG BAY CRUISES

I was there back in 2008 and my friends and I were determined to avoid the horrible experience others had described, being trapped on an awful boat with not enough food and a grumpy crew as they shuttle you around from one souvenir stand to another trying to squeeze out every last penny. It took some wrangling to arrange, but in the end we simply paid for passage to Cat Ba island without paying for the "tour", even though we were on the same boat as everyone else. They called us the "cheap cheap group" and didn't let us into the caves. We packed our own food which was the envy of the other guests. The scenery was the same for all of us, stunning.

Because of this arrangement we were able to leave the boat and spend a few days on Cat Ba island before catching a different boat home. We rented a little cabin on the beach (the farthest beach is nicest) and it was paradise. We swam in the ocean and it didn't seem dirty at all unlike the bay itself. The seafood restaurants there were amazing, and we rented motorcycles for practically nothing and explored the island. Once we were off the boat most of the tourists on Cat Ba were Vietnamese or Chinese.

My experience in Vietnam in general (as compared to Thailand which is more saturated with tourism) is that the tourist track is a single-file line full of hustlers but as soon as you take one step to the left or one step to the right you are off the path and surrounded by genuinely wonderful people who bend over backwards to get to know you and make you feel welcome. Our experience in Halong Bay was a perfect illustration of this.

In short, the boat tour has some appeal but we chose to maximize time on Cat Ba island instead and we were very very glad we did.
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