1 night excursion over Santa Maria Cruise

DO not book this cruise. Liars all the way from the hotel to the boat staff. The rooms didnt have water, AC didnt work. Overpriced. Nails coming out of the wood work in the rooms. Charged for tea. Cruise didnt have lights or music as mentioned. The only cruise that was dark.

This maybe a One Star Cruise at most so please don't go by the ratings online. The rooms are tiny the Cruise rooms are crying for a renovation. Locks Lockers don't work, Food was a disappointment, the water in the bathroom or the Air Conditioning can stop anytime, the staff was clueless and uninterested, its just another routine day at work attitude, and the intension is more to just get done with the routine... the pictures online are an eyewash... the boat is old shabby and badly maintained... you wouldn't eat here if u entered the kitchen... the so cald activities onboard didn't exist, We cudnt wait to get back to the shore... The excursions and views of Halong bay were probably the only 2 good thing about the trip and they can easily be covered in a day trip aswell. Do not book with them or any other so cald 4star Cruise... Its got to be a 5 star cruise or a day trip...

A great experience. We had kayaking, beach, cooking class and cave visit. The crew was very friendly and we felt very comfortable. I don't like boats and I felt good at all times. Drink is paid for separately, but food is included. Very good food. It does not have many rooms and it is appreciated to live the experience with a small group of people.

BOAT FROM HELL: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! Do not be fooled by Santa Maria Cruises marketing tricks. We paid $150 EACH for one night on a ‘luxury’ cruise and it was a sham from start to finish. First of all, the boat is old. It’s rusty and all the fixtures and furnishings look decades old. Secondly, the boat is filthy. We walked in with crumbs and food all over the stairs, the windows had smears and there was a smell of stale food and cigarettes. You’ll soon realize why it smells of cigarettes because every single staff member smokes and they smoke everywhere on the boat especially inbetween serving you food! As you can see from the pics, everything was bad: food, service, the room, and the overall experience. It was hell on earth. We were told that we’d have a luxury bedroom but there was nothing luxurious about it. The lampshade was broken, there was no water for a shower or to flush the toilet. We couldn’t even enjoy the rooftop in the evening as the lights were broken and there was no atmosphere because all the other guests were miserable too. To add insult to injury, all you could hear along the bay is the laughter and music coming from all the other guests on cruises having a great old time. Worst of all, I hurt my foot on the floor because of a nail sticking up (pictured) and this is a serious health and safety risk. What happens if a child stood on that? This should not happen anywhere not least on a so called luxury cruise. Do you want to hear the worst part? The staff workers were sweating that much that droplets of sweat from their face and body were dripping onto the food as they were serving guests. Believe me, it was revolting. Also, our elderly parents could not eat the food, it was disgusting, they were given just one small bottle of water for free and that was it. We also had to pay $9 for 4x tea bags and hot water. The kind tour guide who was with us apologized for the state of the room, food and the overall service on the boat. He even refused to take a tip from us because he was that embarrassed by the quality we received. It’s a joke. When we contacted the company to complain, they pretended to care and said they’ll give us a part refund then never honored it. They expected us to collect the invoice from the hotel but the hotel was in on the scam too as they never helped or called us back. Please don’t give your money to this company. The state of the boat in the pic should be enough for you to know it’s terrible! If you look closely, you can see one of the staff preparing food beside a big pile of bins at the back of the boat. Seriously, stay way!

+3

We had a very nice two-day tour in Halong Bay. The crew on the ship is excellent and fulfills every wish. The food was great and very varied. The rooms are clean. Highly recommended!

We had a very good experience with Santa Maria Cruises. First of all, they were very supportive with the transfer - we requested the transfer one day earlier compared to our cruise start date as we wanted to stay one night in Ha Long and they were very responsive and offered us this option. The transportation offered exceed our expectations - it seemed like brand new, limousine type couch, with comfortable seating and facilities, as well as wi-fi. The next day, when we arrived at the Ha Long international port, we were greeted with Tin Tin's group and started our adventure. We were transported on the ship, where we were assigned the rooms and we were informed about the schedule for the day. The room was ok, in line with the photos we've seen before booking, with the basic necessities in terms of facilities. Food was amazing - quantity, quality and taste wise. Although the crew wasn't aware of specific dietary requirements (as we didn't tell them), they were swift in adapting to individual requests on the fly - that was very nice. Every meal had roughly 3 dishes + desert/fruits (all included in the price). The beverages had to be, on the other hand, paid for - information which was provided to us beforehand. In terms of excursions/activities - although raining, we started with visiting the Pearl Farm, where we practiced kayaking - this was fun! People were offered the choice to also remain on the boat, because of the weather. Next, we went on Titov Island, where we followed the stairs to the top, in order to take in the view of Ha Long Bay. Next day, we also visited the Suprise Cave, an interesting natural artifacts - one of the biggest and most interesting caves we've been into. In between, cooking class experience (spring rolls) and squid fishing (no luck in catching one, though). Tin Tin was our guide throughout the cruise. He's a really funny guy and he managed to make things very interesting for us, although the weather didn't necessarily was his friend (raining). Jokes, stories and information were the aces in his sleeves.

Good shuttle Service from Hanoi. The boarding procedure was adequate, without long waits. The boat is very nice, with a nice living room. Both the bedroom and bathroom have windows that allow you to enjoy a beautiful view. The bathroom is quite spacious to be on a boat, the shower has good pressure and the bathtub is absolutely pleasurable. The staff is excellent. We had an inconvenience because we forgot the passports on the boat and they took care of it. Special thanks to Anna. Food Service, without being bad, is not surprising either. While I expected more Asian flavors, I could find that there are many Western tourists who prefer not to risk trying the different. For this very reason, I don't think it should be something that lowers the score. The happy hour consisted of 2x1 in soft drinks and beers, it would be much better if it also included drinks. Good Price quality ratio.

+5

Trip was well organised. Good and friendly staf, delicious and fresh meal, good activities:kayaking, visiting cave, pearl farm. Guide Them was very profesional. Sang local authentical songs which are as UNESCO heritage. 10 points 😊

Beautiful cruise, good food and room clean and confortable. The tour leader Them is very funny and helpful.

It was great experience. The guy them was entertaining..we had fun at santa maria cruise halong bay Vietnam