2-daagse cruise naar Halong Bay en Lan Ha Bay op Calypso Cruises

went on this cruise in January 26 food was good The platies instructor didn't turn up in the morning. the boat its self was dated but in reasonable condition. the tour manager Tim that's T I M was a bit pushy for us to leave a review at the time and he was checking reviews as other people were uploading them

Great experience. Pleasant and friendly staff. Mr Tim went out of his way to ensure all our needs were met. Food was good and they accommodated vegetarian pax well. Activity was swimming and not kayaking but okay since it was so hot. Only down side was a hefty charge for byob that they didn’t mention until after the bottle was opened

Dislikes: * the boat from to the ship so old and low level. * the cruise Not 5 stars as we informed , it is not reaching even 3 stars. * The kitchen serving low quality poor cheap meals , tinny small portions while the cost for one night for 2pax was 260 USD. *The breakfast was so poor nothing proper to eat even a 2 stars hotel serving breakfast has more options and better than this poor breakfast ; for example: no even any salad , no healthy carbs “ just non healthy roast & fake croissant” even fresh milk…..etc. * The drinks are not included in the meals even for water you have to pay ‼️👎. *The time for check out is so early 9:30 Am and they shot down the AC directly exactly 9:30 the time for check out and has to leave the room ‼️. * We forgot important medicine injections in the refrigerator in our room the time we informed them in the boat they ask to charge Me us for a speed boat to bring it ‼️‼️, while it is mandatary daily medicin to use and we forgot it because for more than 24 hours we were depressed , uncomfortable, hungry , not happy because of their bad service and their careless actions. Finally: it a zero level service, so pricy and overcharge, we do not recommend it at all. Likes: * The room only with its balcony and the view of Ha long bay. * The Service from the travel agent ( BB Travel) we book from because the lady Sarah ‪”her mobile is +84 33 609 1306‬ “ She did as much as she could to we be happy, her service is outstanding “ special thank to her”

Dirty smells in dining area as toilet is close by. Food is bland . Wifi is shut most of the time. Staff is helpful but can't understand English.

Very unkind staff! You can clearly see that they are there to make money Prices are higher than on land and less service

When booking the cruise we were promised a "deluxe trip" on an exceptional ship with excellent food, the trip should lead to remote coves: In fact, we were picked up at our Hanoi hotel by minibus at the agreed time and taken to the transfer port in Halong Bay. Shortly after arrival we went to Calypso II with a small barge. The ship is clearly a little old. We were given a cabin in the 1. Assigned to the second floor above the engine room, a certain soundscape was therefore already pre-programmed even during the night. The cabin was actually large enough, even the bathroom with shower cubicle, however, there was still waste from previous guests under the bed, and in the bathroom then at night also cockroaches. The food was not at all in a "deluxe" category, a fixed menu was served at meals, and the food was cooked without any spices or herbs. Also on offer at breakfast poor quality. Several activities were offered during the cruise, accompanied by a Vietnamese tour guide with very poor English skills. For example, on 1 January Travel day also offered kayaking in Halong Bay. Here, however, the tour guide was strongly discouraged due to supposedly strong currents, so we used the alternatively offered ride on a gondola. The big disadvantage with the gondola ride was that the boat had only a very limited radius because of low tide, and the really imposing tunnels were not passable. In fact, however, many kayakers were traveling in the bay from other cruise ships. Afterwards, it was time to swim in the sea or in the jacuzzi on board. In February it was certainly too cold for swimming in the sea, the Jacuzzi on the upper deck was reasonably warm. Here, however, the tour guide felt it necessary to destroy the sublime mood in the uniquely beautiful surroundings of Halong Bay with excessively loud techno music. Another activity in the evening was "squid-fishing": with a primitive fishing line without bait you should catch squid, in which you should leave the fishing hook on the line up and down through the water: of course not a single guest has had such no success in fishing. Alternatively, there was karaoke on offer, but it was only used by an Indian tour group. The next morning a cave tour on CatBa Island was offered. Here, one was piloted through a rather unspectacular cave in a fast-track procedure. After that there was a 2nd at 09:30. Breakfast which was also of quality and choice rather lower average. Totally inappropriate was that already during breakfast was urged to clear the cabins. At every point of the trip, the impression was that one should complete the predetermined program as quickly as possible, and that one should then also be delivered back to Hanoi as early as possible on time. Overall, an outrageous rip-off that only finds its customers through the uniquely beautiful landscape in which the whole thing is pulled off.

Excellent time! We were so glad the waters were calm. The boat did not rock at all when we were on it. Lots of things packed in to 24 hrs. The food was tasty, rooms were clean, showers were great. On the sampan/kayak excursion we all opted to take kayaks and had a lot more fun deciding exactly where we wanted to go exploring the waters. Our youngest had her birthday on the boat and they had a special cake for her. We tried squid fishing, but were not lucky. Someone else did catch a squid while we were there. We enjoyed the cooking demo, but skipped both the karaoke and early morning Tai Chi lesson. The Cat Ba cave excursion was interesting, but rather quick.

The large jacuzzi on the top deck was a real highlight (and not found on all 4 star Halong Bay cruises). The room was gorgeous, with a private balcony and beautiful view from the shower overlooking the Bay. We were only a small group on the boat, which made for a nice personalized experience. The staff were very kind and helpful. The food was delicious, and they made a good effort to provide yummy non-meat alternatives for the pescatarian in our group. We enjoyed all the activities, especially the beautiful kayaking. We did a lot of research and were happy with our choice- all the cruise options are expensive by Vietnamese standards but a memorable experience and Calypso is a great choice for its price point! P.S. As others have mentioned, the 2-day trip is a 24-hour experience.. this is true for all Halong Bay cruises of that length. Also, it is true that there are a lot of boats in the Bay so you will not be alone out there during the trip! But again that is true for pretty much all the companies (and I believe there are meant to be fewer boats where we stayed in Lan Ha Bay than in the main Halong Bay, so perhaps better on this cruise than some others). Overall we still found it a very pleasant and peaceful experience.

Overall really disappointed with this tour. We booked the 2D1N tour thinking we’d be on the boat for near to 2 full days and a night. We were on the cruise for less than 24 hours. The price we paid for what we got was extortionate. The food was the worst part of the cruise. We were served multiple dishes of slop. I stated I did not like fish/seafood but they continued to serve me fish & seafood. They should consider ‘less is more’ and focus on quality over quantity. There were a couple of excursions to caves etc. but all overcrowded and underwhelming. My advice would be to either book a 5* cruise or avoid ha long bay completely and spend your money on upgrades elsewhere.

Arranged private transfer from Hanoi airport. Arrived at the wharf and got on a small boat that could accommodate around 40 people. The boat was a 40 minute ride out to the main boat. Room was comfortable and we had a private balcony. All meals were served in the dining room and all the courses in my picture were part of the tasting menu. The kayaking tour was great and the views were amazing. The pool was an oversized spa that was well utilised. It looks like they change the water in it each time between groups. Karaoke at night was fun.