Dragon Pearl – Definately recommended
We just came back from a 1 night 2 day cruise on the Dragon Pearl 1 (one of the Indochina Junk cruise boats). This boat was only launched a few months ago (May 2010). Absolutely no complaints. Food and service were excellent. Would definately recommend to anyone. No problems with any noise from the generator as i have read in reviews of some junks (and we were at the back of the boat). Very clean rooms. I have also read some complaints about drink prices on board the junks, but i thought they were very reasonably priced. Still far less than anything you would pay in Australia. Was happy with just the one night. Activites were fun and interesting. We had a cave all to ourselves as well as the swimming, kayaking and visit to the fish farm village. Believe it or not the company actually brought their own cave! They had buy some fisherman out first.
Beautiful boat, fantastic staff, amazing scenery
Overall, this was a fantastic opportunity to go off the beaten track to explore Halong Bay. You travel with a fleet of Red Dragon boats (maybe 4-5 Lagoon Explorer, etc.) but the fleet is the only one in sight. We took a 2D/1N journey. On the first day we anchored near and had the opportunity to kayak before dinner. Took a tour of the limestone caves.
Unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the beautifully prepared meals as we were recovering from a bout of food poisoning from the previous nights hotel stay. It looked beautiful and the other guests raved about it. The staff was so accommodating and helpful – offering us bread and other light food to help us recover.
The ship was very clean and the rooms were comfortable. However, I do agree with a previous poster about the noise however. We are a family of 4 (2adults, 2children) so we rented 2 cabins – one of which was near the generator and it was awfully loud. If possible, try to request a cabin further to the front of the boat away from the noise. Alternatively, try to book the front cabin which is larger (double and twin beds?) and has a fantastic view.
Overall, thumbs up!
Highlight of our Trip!
The Red Dragon Cruise was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. Halong Bay is just magical, and seeing it on a small boat (there were 8 of us total), in a secluded part of the bay (we didn’t see one other boat the entire time) really made the experience. The boat is beautiful, the food is amazing, the cabins are air conditioned and clean, and it doesn’t get much better than lying on a deck chair drinking a g&t, and watching the sunset over a limestone cliff. This cruise was a splurge for us; you could undoubtedly find a cheaper option; but Halong Bay is such a unique and wonderful experience, we wanted to make sure we made the most of it.
This is a fantastic experience
Halong Bay was amazing, and I was SO greatful that we did this cruise. The staff were great, the boat was very nice, the rooms were fantastic, the bathrooms had normal showers and toilets, plus a fantastic view of the bay and the islands. They had planned excursions to a fishing village, a tiny island with a beach and a cave, sea kayaking, and swimming in the lovely warm water.
My complaints:
1. I was so full from the yummy food. I have dietary restrictions that I thought would have made me stuck with very little variety, but I still got 9-10 courses with some meals. They did this with 1 hour notice of my dietary restrictions.
2. I was sad we only did 1 night. Two nights would have been better. This was easily the most relaxing part of our trip to Vietnam, with quiet and time to sit back and enjoy the weather and the water. We were all sad to leave the boat.
After reading about some junks where people were sad with the quality of the food, etc, I highly recommend this company and this boat. We were actually on the Red Dragon 2 – I am not sure how many boats they have.
Outstanding option for vegetarians
We took the overnight trip on Red Dragon 1 in early September on Halong Bay. The boat and crew were very good – friendly, relaxed and made the cruise a real pleasure. The meals were terrific and the accommodation clean and comfortable. The scenery on the bay was simply superb.
Red Dragon goes to more remote places – a cave, a bay, a fishing village – than the other mainstream cruises and as a result you are not surrounded by boats and people all the time. There were only two or three other boats in the vicinity and, of a possible ten passengers on our boat, we only had six. There was plenty of room and we had a terrific time. I highly recommend this touring company.
Worth the extra money!
If you talk to other travelers about Halong Bay, you’ll more than likely hear how beautiful it is and how you can get a slammin’ deal, but you’ll see tons of other boats during your trip. Yes, you can get great deals on a Halong Bay tour, but those boats will be surrounded by boats on all sides. My husband and I decided to spend the extra money for a 2 day/1 night Red Dragon Halong Bay trip because it’s route avoids other boats. It was most definitely worth the extra money. The staff was kind and helpful, the boat comfortable, the food delicious, the passengers limited to 5 berths, and we only saw one other boat the entire time. Some reviewers said they wished they had done the 3 day/2 night tour, but 2 day/1 night satisfied us. I know the $165 a person is outside some travelers budgets, but it’s worth saving your pennies before your travels to enable you to take a Red Dragon tour