Velar of the Sea Cruise

Everything! The staff were wonderful, special thanks to Hailey and Vinny the managers and Julie up in the restaurant. We travelled with two young children and everyone was genuinely kind and taking my baby for cuddles. What a wonderful cruise! Definitely stay 2 nights, the day trip on second day boat was adventure packed and Y was an energetic host! 10/10 stars, so happy we picked this cruise to go on. Clean rooms, comfortable bed and so much delicious food. Everything was cooked beautifully and the chefs presentations of the food were spectacular! You are taken via a smaller boat to the main cruise ship which takes 40 mins from main harbour. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, always eager to please. Honestly, we did not want to leave the ship. Hope to sail again with you all one day. Cảm ơn. The bus ride from Hanoi was simple with pick up from hotel and one stop at a tourist location for bathroom/snacks/souvenirs. Lee was fantastic on the bus ride, he was knowledgeable and explained how to care for the beautiful Ha Long bay as tourists on the way which was appreciated.

Very kind staff and amazing chefs. The dinner every day was trough the roof! The views were unforgettable, even on a rainy day it was comfortable and sitting on the terase sipping coctails was like in a movie. We highly reccommend!

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Le bateau est magnifique un des plus beau de la baie Et le personnels bien attentionnés Les sorties sont présentes et bien encadré Le buffet et la nourriture copieux et de très bonne qualités

Tout est parfait

Had a great experience with Velar of the Seas. The cruise was comfortable, the views were beautiful, and the overall experience was well organised. Special thanks to Ms.Hailey for her kind and attentive service throughout the trip. Highly recommended for a relaxing Halong Bay experience.

Great experience

Amazing experience overall, Hayley and Vinny were the real mvps. Provided us with amazing hospitality and all the crew on board were very professional and welcoming. Food was amazing and there wasn't anything we didn't enjoy for what we paid we feel very sarisfied and will definetly recommend it to anyone else.

Friendly staff great hospitality, nice rooms!

NA

Personnel top, chambre Premium exceptionnelle.

Les annonces au micro dans la chambres sont insupportables. Attention au repas.

The staff went out of there way too help with anything we wanted. The ship was so clean. The staff so friendly. We will be coming back for sure.

The staff were incredibly kind, attentive and helpful throughout our stay. They really made us feel welcome and did everything they could to make our experience special. The cruise was beautiful, comfortable and very well organized

Nothing

Thanks to Mr. Vinny and team for making our stay extremely comfortable. They looked into the needs of each and every person on board. The room that was provided to us had an awesome view. Food was also good. All in all everything was perfect. Thank u Velar of the sea team

Det var eneste ting som jeg opplevd, snille ansatte og en veldig hyggelig Menninger, som hjulpet meg når som helst. Jeg var fornøyd på toppen ☺️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Unforgettable 3-Day Experience! The entire ship’s crew was absolutely amazing—very friendly, kind, helpful, and always willing to assist. A special thank you to Venny, our tour guide, and his wonderful assistant Flora. I would also like to thank Christina, who was in the waiting area before the cruise started. She arranged everything for us, helped us with all the details, and even assisted us in organizing our upcoming trips. We spent 3 days on the cruise, and what I loved most was the variety of activities. We never felt bored for a moment! The lunch and dinner were also outstanding and truly special. It was an unforgettable experience, and I will definitely do it again. ❤️ Thank you to the entire crew, and especially Venny, Flora, and Christina. You made our trip even more special! ❤️

Nothing

El personal fue muy amable, especialmente Hailey.🙂

Todo perfecto.

الطاقم جميعهم لطفاء ومتعاونين

لا تستحق التجربة .. والاثاث قديم جداً ومتهالك ولا يستحق تصنيف 5 نجوم .. علماً انه عند وصولك للميناء سوف تأخذ مع جميع السكان في الكروز سفينة صغيرة وقديمة وبطيئة ولا يوجد فيها كراسي مريحه ولا تكييف جيد .. ثم ينتقل بكم عبر البحر لمدة تقريباً 45 دقيقه حتى توصل للكروز وكذلك في العودة .. متعبه جداً

Absolutamente todo. El personal es lo que más destacada , súper amable , educado y servicial. Las instalaciones y las habitaciones eran increíbles. Muy nuevo todo. Limpio y bien cuidado. La comida estaba muy buena , con muchas opciones. Sin duda , recomendamos este crucero.

Nada

Staff were amazing. Organised itinerary and very clear instructions. Cleanliness was good. Large rooms with great views.

Bateau magnifique. Nous avions une chambre de 70m2. Les grandes baies vitrées offrent une vue incroyable sur la baie d'halong.

Very accommodating staff. Cruise manager, Vinny, helped us quite a bit and provided great suggestions. He also, made up for a slight delay in our return tender by refunding part of our payment.. The food was good. Good selection of activities. Well balanced schedule.

I suggest not having the announcement speaker right on top of the bed or even in the room..May be outside the room, in the hallway is good enough. Also suggest arranging Wifi for guests.. Even if it is paid, it would be helpful.

Wunderschönes Schiff mit toller Crew – leider vom Management auf Massenabfertigung und Hetze getrimm. Hervorragendes Personal: Das Team vor Ort und der Manager auf dem Schiff waren durchweg extrem freundlich, zuvorkommend und sehr bemüht. Tolle Erlebnisse & Highlights: Die Aktivitäten in den Buchten – insbesondere das Kajakfahren und das Bananaboot-Fahren zwischen den Felsen – waren ein absolutes Highlight und unvergesslich! Auch der Besuch im Dorf im Landesinneren war sehr interessant. Ausstattung & Verpflegung: Das Schiff selbst ist sehr schön, der Poolbereich lädt zum Entspannen ein und das Essen an Bord war wirklich gut. Interessante Einblicke: Die Perlenfarm an sich war sehenswert und informativ (wenn auch mit Verkaufsbereich).

Wo das Management dringend nachbessern muss (Kritik an die Betreiberfirma): Wir möchten betonen, dass unsere Kritik ausdrücklich nicht dem Serviceteam gilt, sondern dem kommerziellen Konzept der Betreibergesellschaft, das nicht zu einem Luxussegment passt: Permanenter Hektikdruck statt Erholung: Anstatt einer entspannten Urlaubsatmosphäre gab es einen spürbaren Druck von der Reiseleitung, die Gäste ständig durch das Programm zu treiben. Dauerhafte „Hurry up!“-Rufe und die Anweisung, sich immer weiter zu beeilen, weil das Boot gleich ablegt, sind bei einer Erholungsreise absolut inakzeptabel. Unflexible Organisation & abrupte Abläufe: Die Zeitabläufe wurden spontan und ohne Ankündigung geändert. Am Anreisetag gab es ab 07:30 Uhr kein Frühstück mehr, weil alle übereilt zum Ausflugsboot mussten. Am Abreisetag wurde uns mitten beim Frühstück (10:15 Uhr) mitgeteilt, dass wir in 3 Minuten von Bord gehen müssen – obwohl 10:30 Uhr ausgemacht war. Ständiger Verkaufsdruck: Bereits vor und sogar während des Abendessens wurden Zusatzleistungen wie Spa-Behandlungen aktiv beworben. Das stört die Atmosphäre beim Essen gewaltig. Kaffeefahrt-Charakter bei Ausflügen: Zwischen den tollen Aktivitäten gab es reine Verkaufsstopps (z. B. Austernfarm), was im Luxusbereich deplatziert wirkt. Unverhältnismäßige Getränkepreise: Ein Cocktail kostet umgerechnet rund 10 €. Für vietnamesische Verhältnisse – selbst auf einem Schiff – ist das deutlich überzogen. Die Konsequenz war, dass kaum Gäste etwas an der Bar bestellt haben. Die Hälfte des Preises wäre noch immer sehr rentabel und würde für eine viel belebtere Bar sorgen. Spärliche Grundversorgung: Bei den Ausflügen gab es lediglich eine kleine Flasche Wasser für den gesamten Tag.

Excellent rooms and very attentive staff!!!

The crew was very nice, beautiful boat and rooms

Очень понравился номер с балконом!

Tout Qualite des chambres et de la nourriture Qualite du personnel et des activités Honnêteté du personnel non intrusif Bref super

La mer est dégueulasse. Les vietnamiens devraient taper du point pour arrêter la pollution qui n'a rien à voir avec les croisieristes

Todo

Fantastyczna i bardzo pomocna załoga! Świetne jedzenie i niezapomniane widoki!

Wszystko było super!

Mega pomocna i otwarta załoga! Fantastyczne jedzenie i niezapomniane widoki! Kajuty czyste i przestronne.

Luxurious spacious ship

Everything

Nothing

The room size. Some of the staff were accommodating. Doing their best.

Clarify: they changed our ship to Celina of the Sea. There was construction going on. One of our rooms smelled like fish. We were 5 guests, but, only had 4 pillows. The floors were always slippery. (This is in the top 2 decks.) I paid for executive rooms at Velar, but, when we moved to Celina, were given a standard room. Our other friends room had a leak coming from bathroom above. The food wasnt good, but, they did make accommodations for my son with food allergies. They also announced everything in a built in speaker in every bedroom: time to eat, about to go kayaking. This starts at 6:45 am. And is said in 3 different languages.

The staff was kind.

We spent more on this one night cruise than we did for a full week in Vietnam. Horribly overpriced. The boat wasn't in great shape. The rooms were worn, the food wasn't good, the activities were terrible, the rooms were not very clean. We splurged on a one night cruise thinking it would be the highlight of our 15 day trip and it was the worst part. Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay were also terribly polluted with trash. The beauty of the view is ruined by the constant view of surrounding ships leaving brown trails of their sewage dumps all around you. The activities and terribly exciting either. The main activity was the "cave" which consisted of a very short boat ride being rowed under a natural bridge and then back to the dock. Nothing to see. The kayaking activity was a boat ride to a "floating fishing village" which was really just a tourist dock advertising boat rides and a small fenced in area where you're allowed to kayak. The manager and the staff were all kind, so at least there was that. If you indicate that you had anything less than a great time they do corner you to try to persuade you to leave a good review. I can't say that any of the other cruises would have been any better due to the pollution of the bay, but I do think everyone should realize that you will pay a lot of money for this and not get a luxury experience. Spend your money elsewhere. We went to Ninh Binh, and found it to be fabulous. If I had a do-over, I'd skip the bay entirely.

Clean

Food can be bit better

La camera era molto ampia e pulita. Il bagno elegante e in generale ben arredato. Staff molto cordiale e disponibile, unica pecca è la difficoltà nel comunicare in inglese. Nota di merito per Tommy, molto cordiale, disponibile e sempre sorridente. :)

Troppa fretta nelle attività e nella gestione dei tempi, purtroppo la nave si muove solo una volta a/r per un escursione per il resto rimane ferma in rada. Cibo non eccezionale e prezzi con target prettamente turistico, non ai livelli del resto del Vietnam. Una delle attività del mattino era fissata per le ore 6.20 ma una volta arrivati stava già terminando dato che è iniziata alle 6.00.

Nice view from windows of the honeymoon suite. Large room. The minibus transfer from hotel to boat was very good. The chap doing the transfer was communicative, friendly, on time and approachable.

The pictured private deck and room size of the honeymoon suite was correctly pictured in the promotional material. What they don’t tell you is that when the boat is moving, the fumes from the engine make it impossible to sit out on the private deck which was located at the back of the boat. Not great for the high price paid. Windows were a bit dirty. Floor and furnishing were a bit rough around the edges and could be cleaner. Mini-fridge was dirty and hadn’t been cleaned. Our honeymoon suite’s sliding doors to our deck had broken locks. They did come and fix it quite quickly though it was a bit of a ‘Heath Robinson’ job with a screw which could have ripped a hole in your foot if not careful. Still, at least it locked then I guess. The thing is, the 5* rating of this cruise should ensure that these things are checked each and every time. It’s not good enough to rely on passengers themselves drawing attention to what’s wrong. Passengers just don’t want to spend what is a special trip having to complain about multiple things. It doesn’t make for a relaxing time. The activities were VERY rushed and jam-packed in. It felt like a Butlins’ compulsory activities jaunt. ‘Squid fishing’ was pretty non-existent in reality and consisted of being directed to some rods - no instruction; ‘cookery class’ was being shown how to put some ingredients into some rice paper and roll up to eat …; passengers were left to figure out how to turn on the karaoke machine themselves - there was no evening entertainment other than that; overpriced drinks; tip envelope left on everyone’s table at final brunch was tacky; being told to take money for tips for the boat cave rower when the overnight stay/2 day excursion was already costly was a bit much. The company should pay the rowers a decent rate in the first place.

Μου άρεσε η άψογη εξυπηρέτηση του προσωπικού, το φαγητό και γενικότερα, όλη η κρουαζιέρα.

Δεν έπιανε wifi στα δωμάτια.

Service

Ganz besonders die Tourleitung durch Tommy, der immer Ansprechpartner für alles war und stets kompetent geholfen hat

La qualité des chambres, le personnel adorable

Manque d’ambiance le soir, une fois le dîner passé pas de musique pas de sollicitation du personne pour un karaoké, pas de dans contrairement à d’autres bateaux

Great staff, well run tight itinerary, lots of drinks options, staff went off menu for my parter who is fussy and won’t touch seafood and it was great! Pool on the boat was fantastic with fantastic back drop views over the quieter Lan Ha bay.

Nothing, other than we wished we’d booked for 2 nights instead of 1 so we could enjoy the bay for longer!

Todo muy organizado, el staff muy amigable, siempre preocupados porque estés bien

Las habitaciones de muy buen tamaño y limpio

We booked the honey moon sweet with and extra bed for our child and the room was massive.

It was all great

We really liked the room we had. The food was very good. The ship manager really was great helping us when trip was completed. Over all had great time.

Elevator only was available for going up doors wouldn’t open going down it also always smells or rubbish. I didn’t like the choice of excursions as much as I did the last time I took a Halong Bay cruise. Really wanted see big cave again. I did more excursions on one night cruise then did on this 2 night.

The food was lovely and they were able to make adjustments to suit us. The rooms were lovely and clean, the AC was great. We did the 3 day 2 night trip and the day trip on the second day was excellent! Tommy was wonderful.

The WiFi was a bit patchy, but every cruise has the same issue and there isnt much you can do. The views are spectacular anyway. The check in process as you pull into the marina can be a little hectic, again, unavoidable, so brace for that - once you're on board it is excellent.

VELaR of the seas is a very comfortable ship with amazing staff who are friendly and will do what they can to make your stay memorable.

Like any ship, maintenance will be an area all ships needs to consider.

Friendly staff willing to help at all times. Quiet and comfortable room. Food was plenty and good. View amazing

Shower was average at best, difficult to use and water quite cold. Room cleanliness was not as good as expected with some amenities needing fixing/ upgrading

The floors in the room were squeaking while you walk and bathroom door as well. No Happy hours drinks available for beers when included happy hours drinks for some drinks only.

Bardzo dziękujemy za wspaniały pobyt, rejs wspaniały, statek cudowny, pokoje czyste, obsługa miła i bardzo pomocna, pomogą we wszystkich sprawach. Całość wycieczki wraz z dojazdem bardzo udany i warto swojej ceny. Polecamy gorąco My może kiedys wrócimy to popłyniemy na dłuższy rejs np. 3 dniowy.

Wszystko ok.

Awesome cruise! The views were absolutely stunning. Our room was comfy, big and clean, just a bit worn. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Food and drinks were great, and the cocktails were strong. The pool was heated, which was such a nice surprise. The massages felt overpriced for Vietnam, so we skipped them. The activities were fun, though the schedule felt a bit rushed. Still, I’d totally recommend it!

The schedule felt a bit rushed.

Lan Ha is beautiful. The honeymoon room was big, with a balcony and a hot tub. Mr. Li, who was responsible for our transport from Hanoi to Halong, was wonderful!

The tender boat that brings you to the actual ship is too small, does not at all feel like a luxury cruise. They had no reliable Wi-Fi, while we could pick up on the signal from other boats around us. So it can't be only due to "internet connection issues at sea". They have long announcements about activities directly broadcast into your room over speakers that you cannot turn off, so you will be woken up at 6 in the morning whether you want it or not. While the room was big, it had terrible lighting: you could either turn on the very bright, cold neon lights or a single small bedside lamp that did not provide nearly enough light to see anything. It would have been so easy to just install a few small lights for a cozy atmosphere. But details did not seem to matter at all to whoever designed this ship. The food was not good and also not enough. If you don't rush to the buffett as soon as it opens there will be nothing left, because refills are barely being done. French fries (and exclusively fried food for every meal) on a "luxury cruise" is also just a weird choice. Everybody needs to be at meals at the same time, so its crowded and loud in the dining room. Only the buffet and water is free, everything else needs to be paid extra. At some point they had a "happy hour". We misunderstood the Vietnamese waitress and thought it means we get 2 drinks for free. It didn't. During check out, instead of just not charging us for those drinks due to the misunderstanding (we ordered and paid for so many others), they agreed to forego one drink, but called the waitress to scold her in front of us and say that the payment will be deducted from her salary. So we ended up paying anyway of course. It is absolutely not acceptable to treat your employees like this and left us regretting that we had paid a single cent to this company.

Staff were very friendly. Nice big room and comfortable bed.

When booking we were told that boat had mini bar, in room safe, fitness room and bidet. On arrival to the room there was no mini bar or in room safe. When manager questioned he stated they had removed all fridges from rooms. The bidet was only for show and did not work and the “fitness room” was a treadmill and a couple of hand weights on deck 4. The boat is in need of freshen up with our bathroom vanity door broken off hinge and many holes in walls around boat filled with filler.

Beautiful scenery along the cruise.

Booking.com website advertised a bar fridge and a safe in the room. There was no bar fridge and no safe in the room. The activites schedule was too rushed. It is actually a 2 half days and one night cruise. The guide's English was difficult to understand. Zero wifi for the full duration of the cruise (but this was not promised). Having only one drink (coffee) at the last brunch and having to pay for a second drink (orange juice) was really very stingy considering how expensive this cruise is.

The room is fabulous, we stayed in the velar executive suite.. Amazing views due to the large floor to ceiling windows.

The tender boat ride to the main cruise is long. Wish the main cruise is closer and there is more sail time on the main cruise .

Velar is an awesome cruise: very well organized- from pick ip to drop at hotel. Rooms are big with excellent facilities; chairs at the balcony help privacy with open landscape view. Food and the variety was utmost satifactory. I enjoyed Open buffet lunch in terms of variety and quality of food. We picked according to our taste (vegetables and sea food) set menu dinner. Other options were halal; vegeterian,… etc. Activities were very well organized : fishermens canoe paddled by a local lady through the cave was relaxing; allowing us to take beautiful pictures. Tai Chi class for early risers was another well arranged activity. Every activity has been announced in the room. Thanks to cruise manager and cruise staff for their outstanding help and enthusiasm. 2 day -1 night cruise experience narked into our minds and hearts.

Staff was lovely, efficient and kind

La baya di halong è meravigliosa quindi il soggiorno anche se non eccezionale è stato ripagato dalla vista

Ho trovato tutto molto disorganizzato e fatto con molta fretta(ti danno orari che non vengono rispettati:mio marito non è riuscito a fare la canoa per questo),il cibo era buono il buffet ma non ho gradito la cena alla carta, acqua calda non funzionante (ci è stato detto di dirlo ma credo che per il prezzo pagato non debbano esserci questi inconvenienti),gli extra carissimi e purtroppo un gruppo molto agitato che viaggiava con noi che un po' ha infastidito (ma questo non dipende da loro). Devo però fare i complimenti allo staff veramente gentili e disponibili.

Size of room and areas for views.

Slow tender to get to the boat and return needs to be factored in to the time you have on the ship.

Очень красивый корабль, все чисто, персонал внимательный.Вкусная и разнообразная еда.А самое главное очень красивая бухта

The staff is genuinely lovely and helpful. Special shoutout to Tommy, the manager. He was super friendly and always ready to help with a big smile on his face.

We were struggling to understand the English of some of the staff, though they were trying very hard.

The Bright Cave … prefer to go into the cave

Minden

We had a fantastic trip and our room was lovely with a great terrace but the highlight was the staff especially our host Tommy who was exceptional. He really looked after us and made our stay really special. Thank you

We booked our return transfer from Hanoi through the cruise and were picked up directly from our hotel. The bus was very comfortable, and the journey was smooth and enjoyable. Check-in was seamless, and we were then transferred to Velar of the Seas. The cruise itself was beautiful, and we were warmly welcomed by the staff. Tommy was an excellent manager and provided clear instructions and updates throughout the trip, which made everything very easy. He also was very helpful in attending to an issue with one member of our group and ensuring he was okay. The meals were beautiful, and the dining staff were friendly and always served with big smiles. Our favourite staff member was Vini, who made the dining experience extra special. We also booked their spa massages, which was really worth it. Overall, a fantastic experience and highly recommended!

Nothing

La comida

No recomiendo la experiencia . Muy caro para lo que es

Staff was hospitable and warm

The fact that they did not inform that they would charge extra 4% for credit card payment . This was informed last minute

Friendly staff especially manager Tommy Very knowledgeable

Towel is very small

Все классно организовано команда прям супер все четко без суеты

Great staff, great food

Las instalaciones y el personal.

Todo lo demas.. las excursiones dejan mucho que desear para ser un barco de esa categoría, me esperaba mucho mas. Bastante aburrido el dia que pase alli. Las comidas muy básicas, si no te das prisa te quedas sin nada y no reponen apenas . El desayuno es lo único que me gusto un poco mas. En general la comida apenas nada vietnamita y bastante mala.

Nice cruise and big rooms! The stuff was very kind nd polite and Tomy was very nice person!

Great, very attentive staff at all times. Things to do. Super rooms with big windows so had stunning views.

As per Vietnam generally, there is always relatively little for vegetarians that is tasty and filling. Try perhaps things with tofu or beans/lentils/ chickpeas.

James was a really good host

The rooms very supernice and the staff was kind!

Everything was super!

The room was clean and spacious, and the staff were very polite and well-behaved.

The food options were quite limited, especially considering many Indian guests were on board and there weren’t enough suitable choices. I had also requested a birthday cake a week in advance and received confirmation, but it was not provided on the day. This was a bit disappointing.