Ha Long Bay did not disappoint... - I travelled with a friend on this trip and received a complimentary upgrade from 4 star to 5 star option. I also paid the additional 50 US$ to get an outside balcony, which was well worth it. Again a long but safe minibus journey to get to Ha Long Bay, with the obligatory comfort stop at an Oyster/pearl Farm. This was really interesting and with a lovely practical and visual element to it. I bought a beautiful and reasonably priced yellow South Sea Pearl as a gift. A bit of a wait for the Hera Classic boat to be ready, but thats much better than rush, then a smooth sign in and on board to our cabin. cabin was great, functional and well appointed. We were on a 2 night/1 day cruise and the balcony was a must in the heat and humiidity. Safety briefing given we set sail and Ha Long Bay did not dissapoint at all. Even better than all the photos and anticipation. Yes, there are a lot of boats, day boats and overnighters, but it never once felt crowded or too much/commercialised. Great food, breakfast, lunch and dinner, was provided on board by attentive staff with the obligatory happy hour, options for karaoke or to just relax on sunbeds. Great trips off the boat to Ti-Toe Island and an optional swim, or climb the 400 steeep (not mispelt) steps to the observation platform for panoramic views. Sung So Caves were beautiful and a respite from the heat. Plus, the optional Kayaking or Bamboo Boat excursion. Overall, a great and busy 2 days and really good value for money. I am more than happy to recommend this professional and safe tour company, guide and experience.

Ha Long bay 🧳 a guest from Beijing - Amazing view, night in Ha Long bay is perfect , the cave is so big and fantastic, we tried fishing but bad luck this time 😅😅

Halong Bay Tour - The journey was so beautiful and the view was breath-taking. The service was wonderful - especially our tour guide Jack who spoke in clear and crisp English. Would recommend!

Great experience - We had a great time on this tour. The swimming and kayaking in the bay was very nice. The views are beautiful and it was peaceful. The room was clean and comfortable. Our tour guide, Sonny was very helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks for an amazing time :)

Wonderful experience - Wow had very nice 2 days! The crew was just lovely, food excellent, we had interesting activities on and off the boat. And our guide Jack Sparrow explained everything to us + he had very nice sense of humor (which was a cherry on top). All in all, wonderful experience!

Great Cruise - Great cruise with friendly people! A special thank you to Phuong our cruise manager and to Davis. Will surely recomment try is cruise

great trip, amazing team members - the views were breathtaking, cruise activities were a lot of fun, and the team members were extremely friendly and helpful. my family really enjoyed our stay :) special mention to Phuong (Jack) and David for being very welcoming to us!

1969 Islands - Very charming crew, Jack was very helpful and really funny. We had a lot of fun. Scenery was exceptional and food out of this world. Only negative is that our room was in lower deck next to power generator, that created quite a lot of noise.

Halong Bay is not all it appears on the advertising. You will be on one of a LOT of boats. - Booked by tour operator as part of a guided tour of Vietnam. I'd always thought it would be a lovely place to go, but it's not really. The water is not clear, too much rubbish around, and TOO MANY BOATS!!!! It is made to look like you'll be out in a clear and empty scenic area, when in fact there are hundreds of boats all out there. The one we were on is in serious need of refurbishment. The floor panel in front of the wash basin rocked when stood on. Others had problems with safety alarms falling from the walls, with staff saying it didn't matter! The lunch on arrival was very nice, but no drinks at all included and we were told not to bring our bottles of water on board, so we had no option but to buy! There was nowhere onboard to sit and relax when it rained. The only option was our room. We chose not to participate in the excursion to the Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave) due to the number of stairs involved, and when we could see how many people were on the island to do the climb we felt vindicated. There were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting to get beyond the dock to start the climb for the view. After that, there was a swim at a beach on offer. Another option declined. And, again, after seeing how many people swimming in such an enclosed space, a good idea not to participate. Dinner was quite an extensive menu which started with a very nice soup. Followed by too many seafood courses, with the prawns being in the shell, they were hard to peel, and a waste of time as very overcooked and mushy. The fish seemed to be all bones and scales on my plate. After dinner entertainment was Karoake on the top deck. Unfortunately, it always seems to bring out the worst singers, and out on the open water, I wondered what the occupants of the many other boats were thinking of the wailing. The breakfast next morning was ok, but extremely limited. Options for the morning were either a rowboat and kayak to a secluded bay. Being one of many boats, it was a crowded and not remarkable excursion. A buffet brunch was provided as we made our way back to port.

Won’t do it again - Ha Long Bay is beautiful but our experience in the cruise wasn’t great. Both the boat and the rooms didn’t look like the photos on the site, we saw several rats and roaches on board and I found a live beetle on my salad so no, it was not a good experience. The staff was the only thing I found positive.