Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, Doris Cruise

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Just finished a two night cruise on the Doris ship on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.  We really enjoyed this quick, unique cruise experience.  Since we live in Bangkok, the two hour flight to Hanoi was quick and inexpensive for the three day weekend (which I extended by two days).  Our hotel, The Golden Sun, arranged our transfer and we were met by the driver and taken to our hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.  It was chilly and rainy on our arrival but we went out to the Beer Street and had a nice bahn mi at Don Don for dinner.  Our cruise transfer arrived the next morning and we were driven about three hours to the port aboard a very comfortable small bus.  At the port, we boarded a small tender to run us out to the ship.  All arrangements were well tended to.  At the ship, our crew greeted us and welcomed us aboard.  We were served tea and the escorted to the dining room for a served lunch.  Lunch was multi-course and featured pork, chicken and seafood.  After lunch, we went our cabins.  The weather was still chilly, overcast and rainy.  The cabin was extravagantly large with a king sized bed, balcony and bathroom with soaking tub.  The afternoon was free for kayaking but we chose to stay onboard and relax in the large jacuzzi.  We made our way to restaurant at 5:15 for happy hour (buy two, get one free).  The weather finally cleared a bit and we were led to the outside deck to continue the happy hour before dinner.  We met people that went kayaking and said it was just a rainy and wet experience.  Dinner was buffet style and featured grilled seafood.  After dinner, there were activities including karaoke and squid fishing.

 

The morning dawned still overcast and rainy but we got up (skipping Tai Chi at 0630) and enjoyed breakfast.  There were rice and noodles and other expected staples on the buffet but the egg station was on point for fried, poached, scrambled or omelette.  After breakfast, we boarded a large day boat for our full day excursion.  Although the weather was poor, the stunning beauty of Ha Long Bay could not be concealed.  We picked up guests from two other ships and then began an hour and a half journey to Cat Ba island. On arrival, many opted to ride bikes to the village.  We decided to ride in an electric trolley.  The visit to the village gave us a look at the traditional way of life of the inhabitants of this large island.  After the visit, we returned to the day boat and had a nice served lunch.  Again, the menu was fish, shrimp, pork, chicken, rice and noodles.  We began underway back towards the main ship but stopped for kayaking (which we participated in) and swimming (which we did not).  By this time, the clouds were breaking up and we could really enjoy the splendor of the endless islands.  Arrival back at the Doris led to replay of the previous night happy hour and dinner buffet.  
 

The third, and final day, started with another outstanding breakfast before moving to a smaller launch to explore some caves.  By this day, the weather had cleared and the blue skies made for spectacular cruising through the islands.  We arrived at a floating platform where we transferred to rowboats with guides that took us through two of the cave systems.  Our group was fortunate to spot some monkeys.  After the cave excursion and more scenic cruising back to the Doris, we were served an early lunch, checked out of our rooms, settled our bar tabs and were moved to a tender back to the port.  There, our luxurious bus was waiting to return us to our hotel in Hanoi.

 

The entire cruise for two including the round trip transfer was $710.  Bar and spa charges added about another $150. We thought it was a very good value.  The line offers a one overnight cruise for significantly less and there are much lower cost cruise lines available.  We are very pleased that we chose this cruise and give it our recommendation.