HL-13 · Ha Long Bay
Sea Stars Cruise
Cabins 39
Launched 2023
From$168per person, two sharingread 6 Aug 2026A guide, not a quote — we confirm the live rate when you enquire.
Details →HL-21 · Ha Long Bay
Ambassador Cruise
Most cabins of 31 in this bay
Ambassador is the larger Ha Long boat of the company that also runs Ambassador Signature on Lan Ha, and its operator calls it Ambassador Cruise I. The booking page prices a double cabin from $335 for two people for one night, read on 8 October 2026. That is from $168 per person, two sharing, for a 30 m² room with a balcony or terrace.
What does Ambassador cost?
From $335 for a double for one night. Read from the operator’s booking page on 8 October 2026 for the one-night trip, priced per cabin for two guests: the Ambassador Deluxe from $335, the Ambassador Premium from $353 and the Ambassador Captain Suite from $426. The Presidential Suite is from $1,389.
Two things about that. The first is the basis. This is the company’s own booking page rather than the highest rate a listing happened to be showing, so the numbers are a price rather than a ceiling to negotiate down from. It does price by travel date, though. The $335 is the lowest Deluxe figure we saw on any October to December date we sampled; 15 October showed $360, and the flexible version of the same cabin is $386. The second is the gap near the top. $1,389 is more than four times the deluxe and about $695 a head, and the booking page prices nothing between $426 and it.
Which Ambassador cabin should you book?
The Deluxe, for most couples. The operator lists 18 Ambassador Deluxe cabins on the main deck and 23 Ambassador Premium cabins on the second and fourth decks, each 30 m², with three family connecting rooms in each grade. The Premium costs $18 more a night on the booking page for a higher deck and the same floor area.
| Cabin | Size (operator) | How many | One night, per cabin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Deluxe | 30 m² | 18 | from $335 |
| Ambassador Premium | 30 m² | 23 | from $353 |
| Ambassador Suite | 42 m² | 2 | on request |
| Ambassador Captain Suite | 45 m² | 2 | from $426 |
| Presidential Suite | 90 m² | 1 | from $1,389 |
The operator gives every cabin a balcony or a terrace. The single Presidential Suite is on the fourth deck. Above the cabins there are two sun decks with an outdoor jacuzzi pool, a piano lounge, and the Atelier de Beauté spa, where treatments are charged.
Where does Ambassador go?
The classic main-channel run. You check in at 11:00 in the Ambassador lounge on the first floor of Ha Long International Cruise Port at Bai Chay, and transfer to the ship at 12:20. At 14:15 you go into Luon Cave by bamboo boat or kayak, then Sung Sot Cave at 15:45, with time for the jacuzzi or spa before a cooking class, dinner on the sun deck and a live band. Next morning there is tai chi, Titop Island at 08:00 for the climb, a full breakfast, check-out at 09:30 and landing at 10:15.
The three-day trip puts you on the operator’s day boat, Sunshine Cruise, for the middle day: Trinh Nu and Trong caves at 09:30, lunch on board as you head towards Lan Ha, Ba Trai Dao at 13:00, a pearl farm at 13:45 and back aboard by 15:00. If the bay itself is undecided, the three are not interchangeable.
What is included, and what costs extra?
Meals, sights and one boat ride. The operator’s programme includes a breakfast, lunch, dinner and a light breakfast, two bottles of water a day, canapés, tai chi, the cooking demonstration, a bamboo-boat ride, entrance fees, on-board insurance, tax and service. Drinks, spa treatments, tips and the road from Hanoi are extra. So is kayaking; besthalongcruises.com quoted VND 460,000 a kayak in August 2026. The halongbaytours.com listing adds $50 a person a night on 24 and 31 December, and $30 over Lunar New Year and four public holidays; ask whether that applies to your booking. The operator runs its own shuttle bus from Hanoi, with water, wifi and USB charging. Our guide to what is not included lists the usual extras.
What happens if you cancel or the weather turns?
Read the rate before you click. The operator’s terms say cancellation rules depend on the rate type and are printed on the booking voucher; promotional and package rates are non-refundable, and a no-show always pays the full price. Its terms also refuse refunds for services you miss because of weather, so ask how the flexible rate treats a closed bay before you pay for it. The flexible Deluxe was $386 on the booking page, against $335 to $360 for the cheaper rate.
Who it suits
Travellers who want the classic Ha Long run from the main terminal, a 30 m² room with outside space at the entry price, and a price straight from the operator’s booking page. Put the full ship name and the itinerary length in the confirmation, since the company sells more than one boat under the Ambassador name.
Who should look elsewhere
Anyone whose dates are not fixed, unless they pay for the flexible rate, and anyone who wants kayaking thrown in. The best-value list has main-bay boats that include it, and the caves on this itinerary are not exclusive to Ambassador.
Where these facts come from
The pier, the times, both programmes, the cabin grades with their sizes and counts, the inclusions and the terms are from the operator’s pages on ambassadorcruise.com, read on 6 August 2026, and three agencies name the same pier. Prices are from the operator’s booking page, read on 8 October 2026; they change by travel date, so confirm yours on the quote.
Why people book Ambassador
Book it if
- You want to board at the main Bai Chay terminal, with the operator's own lounge on the first floor and check-in at 11:00
- You will book from the operator's own booking page, where a double is from $335 for one night, from $168 per person, two sharing
- You want a balcony or terrace whatever you pay; the operator gives one to every cabin, and the sun deck has a jacuzzi pool
The decisions either side of it
Sea Stars Cruisethe cheaper option−$0
Hull 2023 against 2018
39 cabins against 45
Calista Cruisethe step up+$2
Hull 2025 against 2018
38 cabins against 45
Chosen by price proximity within the same bay, computed from our dataset — not by commission. We add no booking fee to any of them.
Our read
Ambassador is a big main-channel boat sold at the operator's own prices, which is firmer ground than a rate copied off a listing. Every cabin has outside space and the Deluxe is 30 m², so the entry room is a good one. Read the rate type before you pay, because the cheap ones cannot be refunded.
Choose your cabin
Ambassador Deluxe
30 m², private balcony.
30 m²Balcony ✓
In the room
Air ConditioningBottled WaterIn Room SafeHair DryerBathrobesBalcony
Ambassador Premium
30 m², private balcony.
30 m²Balcony ✓
Ambassador Captain Suite
45 m², double/twin, sea view, private balcony, on the upper deck.
45 m²Double/twinSea viewBalcony ✓Upper Deck
In the room
Air ConditioningBottled WaterIn Room SafeHair DryerBathtubBathrobesBalcony
Presidential Suite
90 m², double, sea view, private balcony, on the upper deck.
90 m²DoubleSea viewBalcony ✓Upper Deck
Ambassador Suite
42 m², double/twin, sea view, private balcony, on the upper deck.
42 m²Double/twinSea viewBalcony ✓Upper Deck
In the room
Air ConditioningBottled WaterIn Room SafeHair DryerBathtubBathrobesBalcony
Rates are the operator's published tariff per cabin (double occupancy unless marked).
What's in the fare — and what isn't
In the fare
- Cabin for the night
- Four meals (one-night trip)
- Two bottles of water a day
- Canapés
- Tai Chi and cooking demonstration
- Bamboo boat ride
- Onboard insurance
- Tax and service charge
- Entrance fees
Not in the fare
- Flights
- Visa
- Hotels
- Drinks
- Massage and spa
- Kayaking
- Extra bamboo boat rides
- Tips
From the operator's own published terms, read 6 Aug 2026.
Good to know
Who should look at something else
- Your dates might move; the operator's promotional and package rates are non-refundable and a no-show always pays in full
- You want kayaking in the fare; the operator lists it as an extra, and one agency quoted VND 460,000 a kayak, with one bamboo-boat ride included
- You want a long second morning; you leave the cabin at 9:30 and are ashore by 10:15
Boarding times and the operator's terms
The boat's own timings
- Check-in
- 11:00
- Transfer to the ship
- 12:20
- Check-out
- 09:30
- Disembark
- 10:15
Cancellation
Cancellation and amendment terms depend on the rate booked and are printed on your booking voucher. No-shows are always charged 100%.
Weather and port closure
The operator is not liable for weather disruption, and unused services are not refunded.
Hanoi transfer
The operator runs a shuttle bus between Hanoi and Ha Long, with water, Wi-Fi and USB charging on board.
Per the operator's own terms on ambassadorcruise.com, read 6 Aug 2026. Rates, group sizes and booking channels can change the terms; your booking confirmation is what applies.
Where it goes — 8 published stops
- Ha Long International Cruise Port
- Luon Cave
- Sung Sot Cave
- Titop Island
- Trinh Nu Cave
- Trong Cave
- Ba Trai Dao
- Pearl Farm
Stops as published across the sources we track. Operators reorder them with the tide and the weather, and the provincial authority can close a cave at short notice.
Is Ambassador Cruise worth it at $168 when Calista Cruise is $170?
On the figures we can check, Calista Cruise offers a hull 7 years newer for $2 more. Ambassador Cruise earns its place when that $2 is not there, or when a specific itinerary or departure pier decides it for you.
Which pier does Ambassador Cruise leave from?
Ha Long International Cruise Port. Drivers do occasionally go to the wrong harbour, so give the full name when you arrange your own transfer.
Before you book, read
- What your cabin gets you on a Ha Long boatThere is no such thing as the cabin size of a Ha Long boat. Most boats sell four to eleven grades of room at once, and the sources that seem to disagree about square metres are usually just describing different ones. What the grade buys, and what it does not, is the useful question.
- Best Ha Long Bay cruises by 8,065 guest reviewsThis ranking is built from the reviews we read ourselves, one boat at a time, and nothing else. No operator paid to be near the top. The boat that sits there is also the dearest of the boats we rank that carry a price, but second and third start at $165 and $168 a person, two sharing.
- Ha Long Bay in December: cool, dry, why reviews dipDecember on the bay means cool days, cold evenings on deck and very little rain. Its reviews look weak on the yearly chart, but the last two Decembers came in close to average, and its low scores mention cabins and cleanliness more often than usual.
Specifications · cross-checked 14 Oct 2026
Sheet HL-21- Cabins
- 45
- Launched
- 2018
- Hull
- Steel
- Bay
- Ha Long Bay
- Departs from
- Ha Long International Cruise Port
- Guests at capacity
- 100
- Decks
- 5
- Jacuzzi
- Yes
- Spa
- Yes
- Kayaking
- Yes
- Balcony
- Yes
Read for this boat: the operator's site, 3 independent listings. One dot per source, filled when that source publishes the figure. How we verify
Where this price sits in the bay
From$168
$100$150$200$250$300this boat
This boat · #17 of 28 priced on Ha Long BayThe other 27 priced boats · median $158
We add no booking fee. The figure we show is half the cheapest cabin for two on the rate table we read, dated the day we read it.
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