Halong Bay Cruises?

[rdwinelvr]

Hi All - we'll be sailing HK - Singapore aboard HAL's Westerdam with a scheduled stop in Halong Bay on November 11 of this year.  We've been searching for a private or small group Halong Bay cruise and are overwhelmed by the amount of operators.  Does anyone have any good recommendations or experiences?   We're looking for something to accommodate 2-6 adults.

 

We often take excursions offered by the ships, but we've been on enough to suspect this would be a huge group of people.  We're willing to pay more to get a tailored or at least more in-depth experience.  

[G.M.T.]

Last year we used:

 

http://www.travelauthenticasia.com/

 

Had a junk for 10 persons (all from our roll call), so a private tour, had a great time, we said what we wanted to see, saw everything.

 

Contact ngoan.le@travelauthenticasia.com

 

Eccellant communications.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

[Miaminice]

Our number 1 in Vietnam is Anntours.com

 

[dabear]

On our 10/16/19 Azamara Quest cruise we are using Halong Bay tours for a private boat for our group of 10.

[rdwinelvr]

Thanks all - much appreciated! 😀

[leokevil007]

Last year, We used Stephen at My Way Travel , He helping us with our tours’ itineraries, to Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue,  Ho Chi Minh City and an overnight trip to Bangkok. All the tour guides provided to us by Stephen were fantastic! They didn’t delay us in any way, their
communication skills were excellent, we understood each other without hassle, and they were ready to go any length to satisfy us. Stephen catered for our meals, we had delicious meal all through the time we stayed.
When arranging a day in the Mekong Delta, go through Stephen, and be assured to get the best affordable service and wonderful top-notch tours. We had a very good time in Vietnam & Thailand, we were able to see so much in Vietnam. Stephen took us through the culture, food, history and the people in Vietnam. It’s honest to say that out of all tours we’ve had, the so far was the one we had with Stephen. He even went the extra mile to get us a registered phone number to use immediately we got to Saigon, and we used it till our tour was over; Stephen was just too incredible.

[dani negreanu]

On 7/17/2019 at 9:16 AM, G.M.T. said:

Last year we used:

 

http://www.travelauthenticasia.com/

 

Had a junk for 10 persons (all from our roll call), so a private tour, had a great time, we said what we wanted to see, saw everything.

 

Contact ngoan.le@travelauthenticasia.com

 

Eccellant communications.

 

 

 

Another vote for Travelauthenticasia 😀

[yoolykeme]

Do you want a private cruise closed off to your group, or want to join other people?

 

There are multiple price points for this, from $35pp - $200pp

 

I took Swan Cruises with my mom for like $70, and there were only 5 other people on the boat.

 

You should know that these junk cruises are mostly marketed to visitors in Hanoi who get picked up at their hotels, have a guide, and then get taken back to the hotel.  What this means is that you have to be smart about getting to the harbor from the ship, finding the appropriate office, and getting back to the hotel.

 

Getting to the harbor was easy enough.  There were cabs and Grab cars available.  

 

When you get to the harbor, there are multiple offices for all the different companies.  Problem is that no one speaks english, and you have to kinda work to fine the right office and the right group.  There are multiple junks departing at any given time.  Even when you find the right office, the person there might not speak english, and really, you will have the wait until the tour group from Hanoi gets in, and they will call you and then you join them.  Once you find them, it'll be fine.

 

Now, if your cruise ends at night, know that the harbor will be empty.  The tour group will get in their van and go back to the city, and you are there alone.  For some reason, no one was driving Grab at 7pm, and I had to wait for a cab for 30 mins to come around.

 

I don't mean to scare you, bc it isn't scary.  Just some logistical stuff to take into consideration

[Solent Richard]

On 7/17/2019 at 12:51 AM, rdwinelvr said:

Hi All - we'll be sailing HK - Singapore aboard HAL's Westerdam with a scheduled stop in Halong Bay on November 11 of this year.  We've been searching for a private or small group Halong Bay cruise and are overwhelmed by the amount of operators.  Does anyone have any good recommendations or experiences?   We're looking for something to accommodate 2-6 adults.

 

We often take excursions offered by the ships, but we've been on enough to suspect this would be a huge group of people.  We're willing to pay more to get a tailored or at least more in-depth experience.  

 

Good morning.

 

You may find my Halong Bay review of interest...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/12/09/a-far-eastern-trilogy-part-1-halong-bay/

 

The name of the operator is contained in the review.

 

My best advice is to make the most of your visit, it's a wonderful experience