2020 Cruiser's Choice Awards by reviewers

17 July, 2019

"Not worth the money"

Ha Long bay is a must be in Vietnam, even if it is so touristy experience. We decided to go with overnight stay on boat to experience as much as possible. And the mission was accomplished however it is not worth its money. The bay is beautiful despite the pollution of the water. Floating rubbish and… MoreHa Long bay is a must be in Vietnam, even if it is so touristy experience. We decided to go with overnight stay on boat to experience as much as possible. And the mission was accomplished however it is not worth its money. The bay is beautiful despite the pollution of the water. Floating rubbish and lack of life is nowadays bay. Despite of this one of the “attraction” was fishing squids, although even our guy said there are no squids there. Swimming in the bay is at your risk - forget about crystal clear snorkeling. Attractions on the boat are none. Sunrise and sunset are spoiled by the presence of plenty of other boats anchoring. staff was ok, except the barman who was very rude and greedy - they even removed the free tea and coffee so guests had to buy water at the bar (one liter is not enough in temp of 40deg). Alcohol price is dearer than in the West. The same experience one can have on the much cheaper day cruise. Less

7 July, 2019

"Luxurious"

Staff were excellent, compared and matched, they were treated as like royalty. The boat was beautiful and clean, loved the old style. Very well organized tour, felt like I saw a lot of Halong but also had plenty of time to relax. Food was okay.

3 July, 2019

"Passable, but that is about it..."

I did my research, just as you are doing now and across the internet on a number of outlets you find reviewers speaking very highly of Indochina Sails (enough so need mind you that the company is able to command a premium in cabin price versus the rest of the market – I booked on their website). I… MoreI did my research, just as you are doing now and across the internet on a number of outlets you find reviewers speaking very highly of Indochina Sails (enough so need mind you that the company is able to command a premium in cabin price versus the rest of the market – I booked on their website). I believe there was some sort of additional value to be had by utilizing Indochina…so I booked the 1 Night Ha Long Bay cruise with the additional transfer to and from my hotel in Hanoi. But what I found, is that the premium does NOT add up…the cruise is acceptable, on an average boat, with a friendly, but lackluster crew and overall customer experience that does NOT align with their tagline "Luxury you deserve"

Transfer to Ha Long Bay
- Transfers are an additional $15 each way; driver was right on time to pick me up and to my surprise I was the only one on the van - comfortable start!

Arrival in Ha Long Bay
- There is a lounge designed to house arriving and departing guests while the boat is cleaned and the departing transfers arrive. Spent about 20 minutes here mildly uncomfortable given very minimal Aircon, a ginger tea is served

Cruise
- Arriving on the boat, it has…antique charm. I was graciously upgraded to a room one notch higher than the Suite I had booked. It ticked all the boxes required, clean bed and bathroom; however, initial thoughts were in line with looking older than the photos on the website
- Lunch was served, food was tasty but service was rushed. Throughout the trip, I found the food service staff and bartenders to be...on edge / not the warmest or most welcoming
- After lunch, we made our way to a cave not that far by, and then ushered off the boat to tour the inside of the cavern. Klein and his colleague spoke passable English and worked to explain some historical facts. Overall, they were personable and nice (this was the activity for the day)

"Cooking Class"
- On the itinerary, it was stated we would enjoy a fruit / vegetable carving class...none of that ever happened. On board, they stated we would witness a "cooking show", we then came to find out it was a spring roll making class. Which, fine...sounds good, but involves barely any work at all and did I actually learn anything? No. It was over in 5 minutes time.

Dinner
- Served buffet style, selection was varied and good. I enjoyed this part! The live music was also a plus.

Happy Hour
- You buy one, get one free! I joined a few others for some beverages, but when ordering with the bartenders, we found that they were quite busy with watching various sitcoms on their phones or simply struggled to understand which drink / how many we wanted. We got there eventually, but we further got the sense of their level of English (not a big deal, we are of course visitors in their country)

Day 2
- Before breakfast, they took us on another adventure to an island that you can hike up and then take a quick dip into the beach; it was nice! Lovely view from the top but the beach got crowded very quickly.
Departure
- I did not partake in breakfast as my stomach was feeling a tad uneasy, but we made it back to the original lounge about two hours after returning from the beach
- Checking out, this is also when I found out bottled water is extra :/
- It was roughly 45 – 60 minutes between arriving back in the hot lounge, to when the transport van was available to pick up us and begin our 2 + hour journey back to Hanoi; if started to annoy me a bit because originally the manager said 10 – 15 minutes, but then came over later and said just 20 minutes longer – that is not luxury any one deserves during holiday.

Overall, based on my experience and from other friends who were exploring Ha Long with other tour companies and I believe they found better values. In such a competitive market, there are newer ships and itineraries with more robust activities (such as actual cooking / carving classes, and kayaking and with no additional charge). Less

1 July, 2019

"A luxurious 24 hours on board!"

We thoroughly enjoyed our day & overnight trip around Halong Bay on board the Valentine.
It was an excellent five berth boat - and our meals (lunch, dinner & breakfast) were all fabulous! Our cabin was well equipped with an en suite (shower & bath), and Eric and his team were first class.
An experience we would be very happy to repeat!

29 June, 2019

"Amazing trip in Ha Long Bay"

We had a wonderful experience about Indochina Sails. We stayed overnight and the accommodations were very nice and we toured the caves, had a cooking demonstration, did squid fishing and hiked up to a lovely look out point. The staff, especially Thoa, was very nice and they did everything to make our trip special. Would highly recommend this boat!

23 May, 2019

"Great 2 Day 1 Night Tour on Indochine Cruise"

Great cruise - really nice cabins and especially bathrooms. The sundeck is huge and perfect for a bit of tai chi in the morning. Friendly staff and super interesting activities. Would definitely recommend.

12 May, 2019

"Amazing experience in Halong Bay"

We have been just for one night. but we definitely recommend the 2 night stay. Halong bay is so beautiful and calm, we can rest and have some fun. The room, a superior cabin was very comfortable, the staff is very professional and very friendly, always concern into offer the best customer experience possible. The food was really good as well.
We recommend this cruise. Amazing experience.