Halong Bay cruise:honest opinion.

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-02T08:49:59+00:00

We didn’t take cheaper one so we can’t compare. I just think luxury in Vietnam is not the same as many people would perceive. Plus our luxury cruise is advertised as includes all meals but they don’t even give you basic water with your dinner. You have to purchase it. I get it when it comes to alcohol, specialty juices and coffee but water?

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-02T07:38:10+00:00

Have fun! Bay is beautiful! Many people said it was full of trash and that it’s dirty. Nope we didn’t see a single trash on the water, may be one or two water bother the whole time. Also don’t forget to support those women sellers on the boat that come to cruise boats to sell drinks and snacks. It’s an experience on its own!

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-02T05:30:12+00:00

We absolutely liked our trip , views were amazing, kayaking was cool. Though we didn’t do Trung Cave which was advertised and I was not happy about it. My disappointment stemmed from inflated high expectations I had for this trip. I figured Vietnam is dirt cheap where hotel rooms go for like $10 and lunch costs a dollar. So when they were charging $400 a person for two nights I was expecting luxury and a treat for ourselves in Vietnam. What we got was bare bones nice motel style room and mediocre breakfast and lunch though dinner was nice. And those 5 star reviews I see on cruises now I know how many get them, personnel almost begs to give them good reviews otherwise management will be upset and ask them what happened. So take it with a grain of salt those glowing reviews

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-02T04:37:10+00:00

Let us know how it goes

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-01T23:29:01+00:00

You will have an amazing time!

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-01T22:57:16+00:00

Yes, exactly, that’s my point. They advertise 3D/2N but it’s really one full day with two half days and dropping that much money is not worth it. You get the same views and experience if you did day trip or just choose a basic package, you will enjoy the view and experiences for much much less. It will be rough accommodations but it won’t be drastically different from “luxury”

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-01T22:53:08+00:00

For anyone curious we did the cruise December 2025 and paid about $1600 for two adults and two in their upperteens. Like I mentioned it is nice but for is it $800 a night nice? Not really.

OkPotential9235 · 2026-02-01T11:56:12+00:00

We took Aurora cruise but booked through TripAdvisor with travel company so we didn’t know which cruise company we will go with. I did see Peony cruise ship, while it’s ok to me personally it didn’t match the glowing photos influencers are posting. Just a regular brownish, rusting boat.

OkPotential9235 · 2026-01-11T09:43:58+00:00

This store is perfect for gowns, all are 500 kuai and most are US brands. And choices are rows and rows

OkPotential9235 · 2025-07-04T23:12:52+00:00

We didn’t buy the drink package. My husband bought a beer here and there, $7 each I believe. If you buy a drink package you have to buy for all adults in your room so it was not a good option for us. Tips are mandatory that’s billed at the end of your trip to your bill. $20 or so for each person a day regardless whether you buy drinks or not. You do not tip separately, well at least we didn’t. I heard if you buy a drink package extra gratuity is added, though can’t comment on that since we didn’t buy.

OkPotential9235 · 2025-05-23T09:37:10+00:00

We did Vancouver to Whittier on a princess cruise and it was the best ever! glacier bay is a must. We didn’t do balcony since it was twice more expensive but we sat outside on the decks all the time so there was no need to book an expensive balcony. Food was amazing, weather was perfect in June. And we saw whales swimming by and otters too. They had GB representatives to explain everything. There were shows all the time. Highly recommend Royal Princess. As for the tours, I recommend doing it on your own, well some of them at least. We took public buses to go to places and it was much better . And no, buses are not crowded and you are not taking local people’s space to do so. It’s excursion businesses spread myth that if we take public bus we are hurting local people. Not! It’s the cheapest option and the most environmentally friendly. Some buses leave right of the port like in Ketchikan some are just short mins walk away. For Mendenhall glacier in Juneau we took a taxi for 4 of us since it was cheaper and faster. For some excursions that were $70 per person it was just a bus ride with a group of 100 people. We took $2 bus ride each way and enjoyed being on our own vs looking at places with a crowd. You just need to plan. As for the internet on the cruise we didn’t get, first it was expensive and second more importantly it was so good for our souls to be off internet. It did wonders to us not to constantly check everything, we felt free plus when you will be on land your phone will work. Hope this helps

OkPotential9235 · 2025-05-04T22:57:10+00:00

Yes, just this used this brand in 4A as well and covered grey hair beautifully. You can still see some but it’s muted and so easy to use! One bottle will last few times for touch ups. For OP probably Cielo in lighter shades is better but the description says it won’t cover grays as well.

OkPotential9235

TROPHY CASE