Verdure Lotus Classic Cruise in Halong Bay & Lan Ha Bay (2D1N)

Ha Long Bay is even more beautiful in person than in photos. The stunning limestone islands, peaceful waters, and incredible views made this one of the highlights of my trip to Vietnam. A special thank you to Cruise Manager Loi, whose professionalism, kindness, and attention to detail made the experience exceptional. He ensured everything ran smoothly and made all guests feel welcome throughout the journey. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Ha Long Bay!

A very ordinary cruise with not much to do. This is the best fit for a company trip and not advisable for the family stay. Though the view from the rooms is fantastic, the room condition is not up to mark. Food is decent enough with no provision of drinking water. Any extra curricular activities facility is missing on the boat. The only show piece was the swimming pool which was actually a bath tub. Overall, if you have a lower budget then this is a good place to stay else go for a better one with just a small spike in the budget.

A wonderful tour of HaLong Bay. Our cruise manager Aka Bruce Lee was so informative. He has a great wealth of knowledge about the island and excellent guide! Everything was explained in great detail of what we were doing and the plans. The food was so delicious and plentiful. The cabin was clean and comfortable. The island is full of tourists, even though this is meant to be a bit of a more quiet time. The water at the beach was lovely, but a bit disappointing to see the pollution in the water. Nevertheless, loved the experience. Loved learning to make fried spring rolls.

Disappointed with the activities on this cruise . It certainly wasn't worth spending 2 nights/3 days on Ha Long Bay. The dark light cave was just a tunnel we went through. The day out included an oyster farm, and visit to CatBa island. There was only one guide for around 30 guests. She had to deal with a broken bike chain, and getting someone who fell off his bike, to hospital, obviously taking up a lot of the time supposedly for guiding the group and giving us information about the area - we got none of that. While the guide helped the walking wounded, the group wandering round the village aimlessly, and inevitably we split up. We finally regrouped in dribs and drabs, at the historic mud house and had less than 30 minutes with a brief talk by one of the villagers. There was not enough time to see the area here, enjoy the fish pond, and get your feet tickled! There were several places to eat in the village. How remiss to have a (substantial) lunch back on the boat, when there were these options in the village. This would have been a much more authentic experience, and provided a good source of income to Cat Ba village. After so much food, we were then expected to swim, or kayak, off the tour boat. Not a good activity on a full stomach! Back on the main boat, the food was very well presented and I enjoyed learning how to make Vietnamese spring rolls. Tai Chi at 6am (only managed one early morning) was good, and all the staff were very friendly, professional, and clean. Happy hour cocktails went down well 😁🍹 Rooms and bathrooms were spacious, but no cushions for the balcony corner seat.

Our experience on this cruise was extremely disappointing. The company claims that the boat was first launched in 2018 and renovated in 2023, but based on its condition it honestly looks 30–40 years old. The boat appears to be very poorly maintained. Many parts look worn out and neglected, and there was a very strong smell of fuel from the engine throughout the boat, which made the environment unpleasant during the trip. The staff attitude was also very poor. They were unfriendly and the overall atmosphere on the boat felt uncomfortable rather than welcoming. The food was average at best and far below what you would expect from a cruise that advertises itself as a quality experience. Another disappointment was the bamboo boat excursion. The program said we would visit two caves, but in reality we were only taken through one very short tunnel-like cave, while the other one was apparently closed. This felt misleading. The room conditions were unacceptable. Our cabin had a strong smell similar to sewage and vomit. The bed was extremely hard — it honestly felt like sleeping on a table. At the end of the trip, a staff member approached us about a small blood stain on a towel and demanded that we pay for it. This was extremely uncomfortable and inappropriate. Small stains can happen for normal reasons (for example menstruation or a small cut), and it is unreasonable to treat guests this way. Overall, the cleanliness, maintenance, service, and customer treatment were far below expectations. What should have been a relaxing cruise turned into a very unpleasant experience. I would strongly advise future travelers to research other cruise options before booking this one.**

Our manager, Tom Cruise, was fun and very patient. A super good guide. We were treated like queens and kings. Our entertainment guide, Bruce Lee, did everything to make every night a fantastic experience. We were both danced and sung.

Very nice sheep and cabins. Stuff is welcoming and very nice and service oriented. Especially thanks to Peter - the cruise coordinator. He was magnificent.

Hoang and rest of the crew thank you so much for taking car of us during this adventure! It was a pleasure visiting bay with you

1. Cockroaches found in the room 2. Unprofessional staff who raise their voice at customers 3. Staff are not willing to adjust and change the schedule despite all customers requesting so, there is very little flexibility 4. Staff lack knowledge about the cruise 5. Activities are repeated (2N3D cruise) 6. Staff are very pushy in asking us to purchase drinks (coming to us repeatedly and asking, giving discounts) 7. No hot water on the 1st day

One of the worst Cruise services on Halong Bay! Pls ensure not to book ‘Le Journey Cruise’. The Boat is oldest in the lot and makes stepping sound all across. No music or fun activities in evening as was promised. Food is really Good BTW! The worst comes with their Manager. This guy called ‘Tim’ is a nightmare in name of hospitality industry. He misbehaves with most families- well of course till ur a westerner and he sees hope for $ tips. He fought with 3 of the Asian families and shouted at top of his voice. He literally didn’t take families for local sightings and left the boats. I wonder how this cheap fellow has managed to keep his job with such attitude. While all other Cruises were managing their guests professionally (making announcements, carrying flags for identification etc) ; this guy was behaving like he’s doing huge favor to us by taking us. Pls avoid Le Journey Cruise!