Halong Bay Cruise Selection
We researched and debated for several days about how best to see Halong Bay. At one point, we almost decided to skip it altogether! First and foremost, we had to decide whether we wanted to do a cruise or visit on our own by staying on Cat Ba Island and exploring from there (cheaper option – see these blogs here and here). After some research and reviews of Cat Ba hotels, we decided that it wasn’t worth the effort (need to take a bus and boat to get to the island from Hanoi) to visit Halong Bay this way. So, our focus became cruises. Not only did we have to pick a cruise company, but we also had to pick whether we wanted a one-night, two-day cruise or two-nights, three-day cruise.
Every hotel in Hanoi seems to have their specific partnerships with cruise companies, so our hotel was selling Renea and Venezia cruises. We also had a recommendation from a friend for Peony Cruises that he had been on a month prior. Honestly all the cruises appear to be very similar, with practically the same itineraries. The only differences are bay destinations within Halong Bay.
- Renea Cruises visited Bai Tu Long Bay – both one-night and two-night cruises, both nights on the boat)
- Venezia Cruises visited Lan Ha Bay – both one-night and two-night cruises, but two-night cruises spent the second night on Cat Bay Island and not the boat (not of interest to us as we would rather sleep on the water)
- Peony Cruises visited Lan Ha Bay – both one-night and two-night cruises, both nights on the boat)
I’ll also note that we were looking at cruise lines in a higher price range because we did not want to end up stuck on a cheap, run down boat for the night(s) – some of the reviews we read sounded like nightmares! These three cruise lines were all around $150-160 per person for an upper level room on a one-night cruise. We found that they were cheaper to book through the hotel rather than online. Ultimately, we picked Peony Cruises because we knew someone who had been on it recently and only did one night to save money. We booked the cruise at the La Siesta Hotel down the street from us (again, each hotel has its own partnerships). In hindsight, two nights would have been nice to better enjoy being on the water. We felt it was a bit rushed since travel from Hanoi consumes 3 hours each day.
Peony Cruise (One-Night, Two-Days)
We were picked up from our hotel in Hanoi at 9 am in the nicest minibus/van we’ve traveled in so far in Southeast Asia. Only seven large captain seats and only four others on the bus with us, so the ride was very pleasant. It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one bathroom/snack stop (obviously designed to all Halong Bay transit buses) to arrive at the cruise dock area. Peony, Orchid, and Pelican are all operated as one company and have a shared waiting lounge at the dock. We waited about 30 minutes and then boarded the small transfer boat to take us to the Peony Cruise ship. We unloaded and filed into the dining area on the second floor, receiving a welcoming glass of watermelon juice. Our cruise manager, Amy, gave an enthusiastic introduction speech (with plenty of planted jokes) and then we checked into our rooms. We had booked an upper level room since these have better views, but we got extremely lucky with an end room, Room #207! We couldn’t believe it – the room was huge with a ginormous bathroom and balcony. Not to mention, landscape views with windows on two sides. This must be the honeymoon suite and we just lucked out (maybe because we booked so late?). Either way, we were thrilled.
Boarding the transport boat 
Lunch was buffet style in the dining room as we sailed out to Lan Ha Bay. Unfortunately, the weather was quite cloudy for our visit, but the views were still spectacular. The rock formations are as grand as people claim they are. After lunch we had about an hour to relax, and we did so in our room and private balcony. Then kayaking at 3 pm. We took the transfer boat over to the staged kayak floating dock (each cruise company appears to have their own, reasonably spaced out). Being right on the water provides a whole new perspective when enjoying the rock formations. We had about an hour to kayak and explore on our own. It was not too crowded on the water, so we could enjoy the majestic quiet of our surroundings. When we heard the horn of the boat, we knew it was time to head back. Upon dismounting from the kayaks, we actually observed one woman almost fall in and another man actually fall in. The staff didn’t really know what to do when the man went in, so two other guests helped pull him out. Fortunately, everyone was okay (so it was quite comical in the end, although probably not for that guy).
Our bathroom! 
Kayaking on the bay 
Dinner menu
After kayaking, we were given the option to go swimming off the back of the boat. Since the weather wasn’t great, we opted for relaxing in our amazing room instead. There was a spring roll cooking demonstration during happy hour before dinner. We went late but did get to sample the spring rolls with our expensive (even at happy hour) beers. Dinner followed at 7 pm in the dining room – duck breast as a starter, pumpkin soup, sea bass, steak, and a mango cake for dessert. It was surprisingly delicious! The activity after dinner was squid fishing off the back of the boat. We passed on this, instead enjoying our bottle of wine that we had brought onto the cruise, sitting on our balcony, and watching those below squid fish. One woman caught a small one and as another guest was trying to get it off her line, the squid bit him! The bay is very peaceful and calm at night, so took full advantage of our balcony for the night.
The next morning, we had the option of participating in morning tai chi at 6:15 am. Usually they hold it on the top deck, but it was drizzling and cold, so it was moved to the dining room. We aren’t morning people anyways, plus with no sunrise (clouds), we chose to sleep instead. A final activity for the cruise was a visit to the Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island. We are typically all for these types of adventures, but given our amazing room, we elected to pass on the cave visit and spend the morning reading on our balcony instead with a cup of coffee. And we were pleased with our decision. Check-out was at 9:45 am (after others had returned from the cave tour), followed by brunch at 10 am. Brunch was also buffet style, but this time, not very good. Plus, we had sailed back to the harbour by the time we were eating, so the amazing views were gone. By 11:15 am, we had boarded the transfer boat and were headed back to the dock and Hanoi. Overall, we had a great time on the cruise, but it is an overpriced experience. Our room made the entire trip even better! A three-day cruise could be worth it if you could spend all your time just enjoying the bay on the boat (based on descriptions and reviews, it appeared that some cruises make you get off the boat during the day).
