10 Best Halong Bay Cruises 2026: Real Prices and Honest Downsides

Last updated 27 September 2026 by the Ava Travel team in Hanoi. Prices checked the same day on our own booking pages. Ava Travel is a Hanoi travel agency that sells every cruise in this list, so each price below is Ava Travel’s own price per person.

The short answer, using Ava Travel’s own prices: for most first-time visitors the best Halong Bay cruise in 2026 is Peony Cruise on Lan Ha Bay, from $159 per person for 2 days 1 night. Families should look at Capella (from $225, a heated pool and an ocean slide), couples at Catherine (from $215, couple cabins only), and anyone on a tight budget at Annam Junk (from $102, a small wooden junk with no balconies). To compare only ships with a balcony on every cabin, see Halong Bay cruises with a private balcony; for a honeymoon, the best cruises for couples; and for quiet water, which Halong Bay cruise avoids the crowds. Travelling with older parents, or with anyone who finds stairs hard? See Halong Bay cruises for seniors: the four ships with a lift.

Ava Travel sells 98 cruises on Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, so this is not a list of ships we were paid to include. It is the ten we recommend most often when travellers ask us on WhatsApp which one to book, with the reason and the downside for each.

Quick comparison: the 10 best Halong Bay cruises for 2026

Prices are per person, two adults sharing a cabin, including all meals on board. They are the lowest high season price (October to April). From May to September most ships are cheaper, by up to about 25 percent, while a few such as Ambassador, Swan and Annam keep one price all year.

How we chose

Every ship here is one we sell and take bookings for, so we see the cabin plans, the real prices by date and what guests tell us afterwards. We picked one ship per type of traveller rather than ranking ten luxury boats against each other, because the right cruise for a family of five is the wrong one for a honeymoon. If you only want a luxury ship, see our 10 best luxury Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay cruises for 2026. For each ship we list the thing that makes it worth booking and the thing that might put you off. If a ship has no real downside, we have not looked hard enough.

1. Peony Cruise: best overall value

From $159 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Lan Ha Bay. 20 cabins, built 2018.

Peony is the ship we recommend when someone gives us no other brief than “a good first cruise at a fair price”. It sails Lan Ha Bay, which is quieter than the main Halong route, and for a 20-cabin boat the facilities are unusually complete: restaurant, bar, spa, jacuzzi pool and wifi. The balcony cabins are 28 sqm. Families do well here too, because the 56 sqm Family Deluxe is sold per room rather than per head. Cabin photos and the price for your date are on the Peony Cruise 2 days 1 night page.

Best for: first-time visitors, couples and families who want Lan Ha Bay without paying luxury prices.
Downside: the hull dates from 2018, so it is older than newer Lan Ha ships such as Azura or Lyra Grandeur. High season adds around 17 percent on couple cabins.

2. Capella Cruise: best for families with children

From $225 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Lan Ha Bay. 30 cabins, built 2020.

Capella has a heated swimming pool and a jacuzzi, and an ocean slide from the deck into the bay. That combination is what children remember. It also has a 48 sqm Harmony Family Suite for five people, which is rare on this route, and a 43 sqm Sky Family Suite for four.

Best for: families with children, groups of three to five sharing one cabin.
Downside: there are only a handful of four and five berth cabins on each sailing, so book early. High season adds about 18 percent. If you do not need the pool, its newer sister ship Lyra Grandeur (number 4) has the same cabin plan.

3. Catherine Cruise: best for couples and honeymoons

From $215 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Halong Bay. 39 cabins, built 2023.

Catherine is built for two. Every cabin takes two adults, there are no triple or family rooms, and the Indochine styling suits an anniversary or honeymoon. On board there is a restaurant, bar, spa, jacuzzi pool and sundeck. The best-value upgrade in our whole fleet is here: the 85 sqm Grand Suite costs only a little more than the 56 sqm Royal Suite. Prices also barely move in high season.

Best for: couples, honeymoons, anniversaries, December and January dates.
Downside: no family cabins and no child pricing. With 39 cabins it is not a small, intimate boat. For that, see Hera Grand or Orchid Premium.

4. Lyra Grandeur: best new ship, with spa and sauna

From $245 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Lan Ha Bay. 33 cabins, built 2025.

Lyra Grandeur is one of the newest ships on Lan Ha Bay, with a sauna, a jacuzzi and a spa. It has nine cabin types, and its 64 sqm Duplex Family over two levels is the largest family room we sell. Lyra Grandeur launched in 2025; for the ten ships that started sailing in 2026, see new Halong Bay cruises 2026.

Best for: travellers who want a 2025 ship and wellness facilities.
Downside: family cabins rise steeply in December and January (the Duplex goes from about $1,070 to $1,300 per room).

5. Grand Pioneers: best big ship and widest cabin choice

From $213 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Halong Bay. 11 cabin types from 30 sqm to 150 sqm.

If you want a large ship with everything on board (restaurant, bar, spa, jacuzzi pool, sundeck, cooking class), Grand Pioneers is the one. It has more cabin grades than any other ship we sell, from 30 sqm Ocean Suites up to a 150 sqm Owner’s Suite. A large hull is also steadier on the water, which matters if anyone in your group gets seasick.

Best for: first-timers who want a big ship, groups, travellers worried about motion.
Downside: with eleven grades it is easy to pay for the wrong cabin. The 42 sqm Pearl Suite costs more than the 60 sqm Essence Suite because you pay for the fit-out, not the space. Send us your budget and we will narrow it to two options.

6. Hera Grand: best small ship at a mid price

From $126 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Halong Bay. 11 suites, built 2017.

Most ships on this route carry 20 to 60 cabins. Hera Grand has eleven, so there are around 20 to 30 guests on board, the sundeck never fills up and nobody queues for kayaks. The cheapest cabin is a 35 sqm Junior Suite, which is large for the price. There are two restaurants and two bars.

Best for: couples who want a quiet boat without paying for a boutique luxury ship.
Downside: it sails the busier Halong Bay route, not Lan Ha. The large Earth and Heaven Suites rise sharply in high season. Do not confuse it with Hera Classic Boutique, a different 19-cabin wooden junk from the same company.

7. Ambassador Cruise: best for Christmas and New Year dates

From $165 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Halong Bay. 46 cabins, built 2021.

Ambassador keeps the same price on every cabin all year. Most Halong ships raise prices by 15 to 40 percent in December and January, so if your dates fall over Christmas or New Year, Ambassador is often the better deal. Cabins start at 30 sqm. If you are choosing between this ship and the same company’s Lan Ha Bay ship, see Ambassador vs Ambassador Signature, compared on price, cabins and route.

Best for: high season travel, groups, travellers who like a livelier ship.
Downside: 46 cabins means a busy ship with meals in sittings, and spa treatments cost extra.

8. Dragon Legend: best itinerary on quiet Bai Tu Long Bay

From $220 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Bai Tu Long Bay. 24 cabins, sailing since 2014.

Bai Tu Long is the quieter water north-east of the main Halong route, and few operators are licensed for it. Dragon Legend‘s second morning is the reason to book it: a visit to Vung Vieng floating fishing village, sitting in a sampan rowed by a villager. Meals, entrance fees and kayaking are included.

Best for: travellers who want fewer boats around them and a real village visit.
Downside: one cabin type only and no balcony. If you want Bai Tu Long for less, Swan Cruise is from $135 and keeps the same price all year, but its cabins are small (18 to 28 sqm).

9. Orchid Premium: most private cruise on the bay

From $375 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Lan Ha Bay. 5 cabins.

Five cabins means around ten guests on board. The crew cooks for ten, the sundeck is effectively yours and activities can move when you are ready instead of running on a schedule. Cabins start at 45 sqm.

Best for: couples who want privacy above everything else.
Downside: roughly double the price of a 30-cabin ship on the same bay, no pool, and prices hold firm in December and January. Its larger sister, Orchid Cruise (14 cabins, from $220), is the better Orchid for families: its 72 sqm Family Suite is sold per room.

10. Annam Junk: best on a tight budget

From $102 per person at Ava Travel, 2 days 1 night. Halong Bay. 7 cabins, wooden junk built 2005.

Annam is the cheapest overnight cruise we sell. For about $102 each you get a night on the water with all meals, a cave visit, kayaking and a cooking class. Sung Sot Grotto is reached by rowing boat, which is the quietest way to arrive. A small wooden junk with a handful of guests is, in our view, a better night than the cheapest cabin on a crowded steel ship.

Best for: backpackers and budget travellers who still want to sleep on the bay.
Downside: a 20-year-old boat, no balconies, no spa, and the operator does not publish cabin sizes. Transfer from Hanoi is charged separately.

Also worth a look

• Calista Cruise (from $192, Halong Bay, built 2025, 38 cabins): one of the newest ships on the Halong route, with spa and jacuzzi pool.
• Ambassador Signature (from $167, Lan Ha Bay, built 2023, 39 cabins): a newer, larger ship for Lan Ha. Kayaking and Hanoi transfer are not in the fare.
• Elite of the Seas (from $350, Lan Ha Bay, built 2022): top-end fit-out and service, but cabins are only 23 to 28 sqm. You pay for finish, not space.

Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay?

Halong Bay is the classic route, with the most famous caves and the most boats. Lan Ha Bay, reached from Hai Phong, is quieter and is where most of the newer luxury ships now sail. Bai Tu Long Bay is the least crowded of the three, with few licensed operators. The scenery is similar limestone karsts in all three; the real difference is how many other boats you share it with. More detail in our guide to Halong Bay vs Lan Ha Bay, and our picks for that route in the 10 best Lan Ha Bay cruises.

Need halal food on board? See the 7 halal-friendly Halong Bay cruises, with what each ship promises in writing and real prices.

Comparing ships on more than price? See every ship’s price per night in Halong Bay cruise prices 2026, and cabin sizes, family, triple and connecting cabins in the Halong Bay cruise cabin guide, both from Ava Travel’s own booking tables.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Halong Bay cruise cost in 2026?

An overnight 2 days 1 night cruise costs from about $102 per person at Ava Travel on a basic wooden junk, $135 to $170 on a good mid-range ship, and $190 to $375 on a luxury ship, based on two adults sharing. High season (October to April) usually adds 10 to 40 percent, except on ships with flat pricing such as Ambassador and Swan. Full breakdown in how much a Halong Bay cruise costs.

Is 2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 nights better?

Two days one night is enough for most travellers: you get an afternoon, a sunset, a night and a morning on the water. Three days two nights adds a full day in quieter parts of the bay and suits travellers who want a slower pace. On most ships it costs a little under double the 2-day price.

Which Halong Bay cruise is best for families?

Capella Cruise, for its swimming pool, ocean slide and five-person family suite. For a larger family on a lower budget, Peony and Orchid Cruise both sell big family rooms per cabin rather than per person, so a family of four to six pays one room price.

What is included in the cruise price?

All meals on board, the cabin, and the activities in the itinerary, which usually include a cave visit and kayaking or a bamboo boat ride. Drinks, spa treatments and the transfer from Hanoi are usually extra, and a few ships (for example Ambassador Signature) also charge separately for kayaking. Each cruise page lists exactly what is and is not included.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Cruises can only be cancelled for weather by the local authority, not by the cruise company or by us. If that happens, we arrange another date or a refund in line with the cruise’s policy.

How far ahead should I book?

Two to four weeks is usually enough outside peak dates. For weekends, public holidays, Christmas, New Year and family cabins, book as early as you can, because small ships and family rooms sell out first. Where to book and how to check a company: how to book a Halong Bay cruise.

Booking with Ava Travel

Ava Travel is a small local agency in Hanoi. You choose your date and cabin on the cruise page and pay securely online at checkout, and we confirm your cabin and Hanoi pickup within one hour. If you are unsure which ship fits, message us on WhatsApp (+84 904 251 545) with your dates, group size and budget, and we will suggest two options. If the cruise is one night of a longer trip, we can plan the rest as a tailor-made Vietnam tour with your own guide and driver. Or compare all 98 ships on our Halong Bay cruise page, filtered by price, stars and bay.