Last updated on January 14, 2024
Finding a one night cruise turned out to be harder than I expected. I emailed lots of companies to be told that they were sold out. Other companies wouldn’t tell me about their hefty single supplement (I wasn’t sure if T would join) until I asked.
It might have been easier if I just wanted to go to Halong Bay but I’d set my mind on Bai Tu Long Bay. But I finally found options with Signature Cruise and Renea but I chose Signature because of slightly better reviews. I like the Indochina Junk option the most because there were more activities mentioned in the itinerary but it was about $80 more expensive and I wasn’t convinced it was worth the increase.
Halong Bay Tours was having a promotion for free transfer to and from Hanoi. They picked us up not too far from T’s home around 8:35 am and drove us first to a Pearl farm. This was a chance to see the process for creating cultured pearls, and of course to go shopping.
Next, we drove to the cruise ship port. After about 45-mins wait, Mr. Morning lead us to our boat. We had a welcome drink and checked in. Then we had free time until lunch.
After lunch we had another break before an optional activity to visit a floating fishing village and either get a boat ride or go kayaking.
At first, I wasn’t sure if T would join me but I was very happy she did on the cruise. Everyone else was in pairs and I chatted quite a lot with a French couple (practiced my stale French) from Réunion, but it was nice to have company on that tour.
On an outing go to a floating farming village the first day, T wanted to kayak but I was too nervous about doing it for the first time in an unknown place so we opted for a boat ride instead.
We took a rest after the boat adventure and ended up chatting so much that we forgot our plan to watch the sunset. By the time we went onto the deck of T he boat, it was already twilight. And almost time for dinner.
Dinner was quite delicious. It was a set menu with lots of courses and I was more than satisfied. Back in our room, we had tea and relaxed.
Day 2
I work up at 5:45am to join tai chi at 6:15. I did not look nearly as elegant as Mr. Morning but it was a nice warm up and I got to see the sunrise.
After tai chi, we relaxed for a short while before having a light breakfast. Well, the itinerary said might breakfast but it seemed quite full to me.
Fortified, we took off for a short hike to visit a cave and a white sand beach. The sand was incredibly fine and it was a beautiful location, although I still don’t like sand 😅.
We worked up just enough appetite to head back to the boat for brunch. First, we packed and checked out of our rooms before settling our bills, and checking out. That only left brunch as our last activity. There was a nice variety of food. Once satisfied, we could relax on the deck once more for the return journey to the port
At the port, we had to wait 45 mins for the bus once more. Interestingly, where we waited was owned by the same company as the boat. During our first wrist there, many of us felt obligated for purchase sometime; this time it was less so.
Signature Cruise
The cruise was lovely. It matched the itinerary perfectly and the food was delicious. While I don’t remember how many people were on the tour, it was relatively small (maybe 10-16 rooms?). The activities were fun although my one suggestion would be to have some entertainment on board. The only option in the evening after dinner was to go night fishing for squid.
Mr. Morning was very friendly and funny. I quite enjoy Vietnamese humor. The whole crew was very professional and I found that everything worked very smoothly. I wasn’t keen on our waits at the port but I also appreciate that the itinerary provided was followed precisely, with a bit of slack in the schedule so that we never felt rushed.
Back to Halong Bay
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site but that has been some recent controversy about over tourism in the area. Given that so much of fhe economy is dependent on tourism, balancing conservation and tourism seems to be a challenge. For example, Halong Bay is supposed to be plastic free but you can see a lot of plastic and debris in thhe water close to the port. This makes me conscious of ecotourism and responsible tourism.
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