Swan Cruises Halong Bay

Swan offers 18 boutique cabins, all inspired by the traditional local culture & harmonious combination. Our cabins are designed and fitted to international standards, featuring a rich wooden décor with large ocean-view windows.

Deluxe Cabin

• Area: 18m2
• Number of cabins: 08
• Maximum capacity: 02 adults + 02 children
• Highlight facilities: Ocean-view window

All deluxe cabins are on the first deck, featuring en suite bathrooms and hot tubs. Passengers can also choose between double or twin beds, whichever is more convenient for their overnight stay in Bai Tu Long.

Cozy Deluxe Cabin for Overnight Stay

Suite Cabin

• Area: 18 - 22m2
• Maximum capacity: 03 adults + 01 child
• Number of cabins: 07 (04 Triple & 03 Double/Twin Cabins)
• Highlight facilities: Ocean-view window, Jacuzzi (only four cabins)

The Suite Cabins are located on the first and second floors with different options of double and triple rooms. Each suite of this class is equipped with an ensuite bathroom & hot tub, making it the most evocative for your budget vacation. 

Suite Balcony Cabin

• Area: 28m2
• Maximum capacity: 02 adults + 02 children
• Number of cabins: 03
• Highlight facilities: Private balcony, Jacuzzi

If you are a group of friends or a small family, this Suite Balcony is the most likely to suit your journey in Bai Tu Long. Located on the second deck, the cabin is the largest stateroom equipped with a private balcony and jacuzzi tub. 

Pretty Bai Tu Long From Suite Balcony Cabin

Despite being a budget cruise, Swan Cruise still provides nice and standard facilities for the guests, including:

Restaurant

Enjoy Vietnamese traditional food served by skillful chefs and thoughtful servers. With a capacity of 40 people, Swan will take you on a flavorful cuisine journey while cruising with the team. 

Bar

The bar is right next to the dining room so that passengers can choose the most suitable drinks for their meal on board.

Sundeck

The top deck is equipped with sun chairs or tea tables to facilitate tourists' trips while enjoying the magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay.

Deck 1 and Deck 2

The Sundeck

The Swan will head for Bai Tu Long Bay and stay in a beautiful seascape overnight. Passengers can enjoy kayaking and swimming in Cap La Island on the first day and discover Thien Canh Son Cave on the final day.

On the 3-day-2-night tour, passengers will spend the extra second day in Vung Vieng village to discover the life of local people before continuing the described itinerary above. 

A trip to the Stunning Thien Canh Son

Here are some exciting activities during the trip that you can try:

• Swimming and kayaking in the emerald water in the ambiance area of Cap La island is a great way to unwind.
• Join in the sunset party and cooking demonstration our skillful chef handles. This is the time that connects everyone on the cruise.
• Do a Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck in the morning. If you have a back problem, this session may help you.
• Tranquill trip in Vung Vieng fishing village (only available in the 3d2n tour). Here, you can learn about local people’s daily life and get close to them.
• Squid fishing: You should try this only in July - August (squid season in Bai Tu Long).

When booking with Swan, all of your meals onboard are included with Vietnamese and International breakfast, lunch, and dinner specified below:

• The 2-day-1-night includes: 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast
• The 3-day-2-night includes: 3 lunches, two dinners, 2 breakfast

After transferring to the cruise, the hospitable staff will offer all passengers welcome drinks. Two mineral water bottles and fresh fruit will also be provided for each cabin in advance. Other beverages and food orders than that will be served on individual orders and will be charged separately at the end of your journey.

Enjoy various kinds of wine at the bar

Initially, tourists will be picked up from their hotel in Hanoi and head to the highway to Halong Bay. After about 2,5 hours of driving, passengers are expected to be at Halong International Port at around 12.00 to finish check-in procedures and transfer to Swan Cruises by tender.

Transport from Hanoi

You can book the transfer services in the cruise package and be picked up by its shuttle bus with about 29 seats, all leather warped for a comfortable trip (Or you can book with BestPrice Travel’s luxury bus). The transportation will pick you up in the Hanoi Old Quarter at around 8.00 - 8.30 and get to Halong Cruise Port. 

From Cruise Port

Tourists self-transfer to Halong Bay must appear before 11.30 to check in at Halong International Port and take a tender boat to the cruise. 

BestPrice's Overall Rating: 9.2/10

• Inspection date: October 2022
• BestPrice Travel inspector: Huan Nguyen, Dung Nguyen

After a 2d1n inspection tour on Swan Cruises, it is pretty easy to tell that trip is one of the most suitable cruises for budget travelers who want to visit a less touristy area of Halong Bay. With the routes in Bai Tu Long and the not-so-packed schedule, Swan will satisfy customers that want a peaceful experience.

Facilities & Amenities - BestPrice's Rating: 9.1/10

Swan Cruises seem well-maintained, the boat was launched in 2017, but the facilities are in excellent condition. The cabin was well-equipped with a classic wooden design. However, since this was a 3-star cruise, nothing was outstanding.

Pros

• Well-thought design, the cruise's decoration was cohesive with wooden-based furniture and a warm palette that created a cozy and elegant vibe. 
• Spacious restaurant, the dining area is vast, airy, and can hold up to 40 people.
• Beautiful sundeck with artificial grass, many sunbeds, and gorgeous painting on the wall.

Beautiful Sundeck 

Cons

• Deluxe cabins and suite cabins don't have a balcony.
• The cabin is not big.

Foods & Drinks - BestPrice's Rating: 8.7/10

The food & drinks on Swan Cruises are up to its 4-star standard. However, there is something that can be improved.

Pros

• A significant quantity of food. There are eight dishes for two people.
• Delicious seafood, the ingredient feel very fresh, and the dishes are cooked well.
• Varied cuisine around the world, you can have many choices from Asian to European foods.

The varied Set menu on board 

Cons

• The food quality was average. Only seafood and Vietnamese food are excellent.
• The vegetarian menu was a bit limited.
• Overpriced drinks are in the range of $7 for spirits, $1.50 for bottled water, and $2 for tea and coffee.

Activity & Itinerary - BestPrice's Rating: 9.0/10

Overall, the schedule of Swan Cruises for its 2d1n itinerary is pretty relaxing, with the two main activities being kayaking on Cap La island and Thien Canh Son visiting. It is no doubt suitable for travelers who want a peaceful holiday.

Pros

• Quieter and less tourist route in Bai Tu Long Bay helps you enjoy the spectacular bay.
• Joyful cooking class. You can make friends with other travelers while trying to make Vietnamese Spring roll.
• Chilling swimming and kayaking in the emerald water of Cap La island
• Enjoyable early Tai-chi session with breathtaking sunrise in Bai Tu Long and cool breeze, an amazing way to exercise and enjoy the bay view.
• There are many 30 - 60 minute breaks where you can relax.

Create Wonderful Experiences

Cons

• If you are active, this schedule may be a bit boring.
• You can not explore the bay much within a 2d1n tour.

Service - BestPrice’s rating: 9.7/10

• The service on Swan Cruises is excellent; all the staff is well-trained. Most of the crew is knowledgeable about Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. There is nothing to fault with the services on this budget ship. Everyone here is friendly, cautious, and attentive.
• Swan Cruises prioritizes safety above all else. They constantly review boat's boat’s internal standards and protocols to improve safety and security. All of the crew participated in safety classes and knew how to treat primary injuries.
• Customers who want something special for their journey can contact the manager, who is always open to themed party/ceremony requests.

Swan Cruise's review on Tripadvisor

• Number of reviews: 5523
• Excellent: 5013

Among the best budget cruises in Halong, Swan is adored by its worldwide passengers, as shown by almost 98 % of them giving Excellent and Very good reviews.

Generally, Swan Cruises on TripAdvisor is praised for its fantastic service, with many positive reviews about the great food, kind staff, and great guide.

It seems like the cruise has received good responses continuously from its customer. However, there are some complaints about scams, which means some people may book from unofficial sites at low prices. So be careful!