Aurora Cruise

Aurora is a Lan Ha Bay boat with 18 cabins by the owner’s count, and its owner puts the smallest cabin at 35 m². The grades run up to a 55 m² Suite with a bathtub and a 70 m² Family Connecting unit for six adults and a child. Every size on this page is the operator’s own figure, read on 10 October 2026, and every cabin has a private balcony or terrace.

Check-in is at a waiting lounge at No. 28A in Tuan Chau harbour, around 11:30. A small tender takes you out to Aurora where she lies at anchor, and brings you back before 11:00 the next morning. Three guests describe it; plan for two short boat rides with luggage; see which harbour you leave from.

What do you get on an Aurora overnight?

A busy programme. The owner’s two-day schedule fits kayaking and swimming at Tra Bau, a sunset happy hour, a spring-roll class, dinner, squid fishing and an early tai chi session into roughly 22 hours on board, before a bamboo-boat trip through Dark & Bright Cave on the second morning. One guest caught the first squid of their life and rates the morning tai chi as a highlight. The owner includes a herbal foot soak for one guest per cabin, and a Spanish guest in March noticed exactly that limit: one foot bath for a room of two. A vegetarian guest found plenty to eat.

Opinion on the food is split. A French guest gave three stars and called the meals poor in quality and quantity, while the German guest on the three-day trip rated the multi-course dinner very tasty.

More on this water: our Lan Ha Bay page and the other Lan Ha Bay cruises.

What does the two-day timetable look like?

The owner’s 2-day, 1-night schedule:

Time	Day 1
07:45	Old Quarter hotel pick-up, only if you booked the shuttle
11:30	Check in at the Tuan Chau lounge, then tender out
12:30	Welcome drink and safety briefing
13:20	Lunch as the boat heads into Lan Ha
15:30	Kayak and swim at Tra Bau
17:00	Sundeck happy hour (buy two drinks, third free)
18:00	Fresh spring-roll class with the chef
19:15	Dinner
21:30	Squid fishing, karaoke; Sky Bar and massage are charged

Time	Day 2
06:00	Tai chi on the sundeck; sunrise if you are up by 05:30
06:15	Tea, coffee and pastries
early	Bamboo boat through Dark & Bright Cave
07:45	Back on board, then check-out at 09:15
09:30	Brunch while sailing back
10:30	Tender to Tuan Chau; tour ends 11:00

Is the Aurora programme rushed?

Some guests think so. A guest in August 2026 who was given two connected rooms wrote that the advertised activities felt hurried to keep to the timetable, and found the rooms average. A Spanish guest in March felt pushed along too, even with time to spare, and wrote that drinking water was not included for them and cost $2 for each 33 cl bottle. The owner lists one free bottle per guest per day, and a German guest found free water in the room, so ask how many bottles your cabin gets. That German guest timed the kayaking at 40 minutes, found each activity a mass outing at stops shared with many other boats, and on day one felt they were paddling through floating rubbish.

The owner calls Aurora “new-generation”. A guest in August 2026 found her quite old and in need of maintenance, and said one night was enough; a guest in March found the Suite very well maintained and the boat very clean. Ask for recent photographs of your cabin grade, and see how old your boat is for questions to ask.

How big are the cabins, and what does Aurora cost?

The owner lists four grades from 35 m² to 70 m² over four decks, and the price is on request.

Grade (owner’s name)	Owner’s size	Cabins	Deck	Bathroom	Sleeps (owner)
Deluxe Balcony	35 m²	6	1st	shower	2 adults + 1 child
Executive Balcony	35 m²	6	2nd	shower	2 adults + 1 child
Suite	55 m²	6	1st and 2nd	bathtub	4 adults + children
Family Connecting	70 m²	2 pairs of Deluxe or Executive rooms	1st and 2nd	shower	6 adults + 1 child

That makes 18 cabins. Each Family Connecting unit is two 35 m² rooms with a door between them, and the August guest who had one describes exactly that. Every cabin has a private balcony or terrace; one guest in April had a huge day bed on the balcony.

When you enquire, ask for the cabin grade, the vessel name (the owner’s site shows an Aurora Cruise 1 and an Aurora Cruise 2) and a written total that states whether VAT is included. Our cruise cost guide has the fleet picture.

What is included, and what costs extra?

The owner’s two-day package includes four meals (seven on the three-day trip), a welcome drink, in-room tea, coffee and bottled water, kayaking and swimming at Tra Bau, the cave visit, the cooking class, Wi-Fi and sightseeing tickets. Excluded: the Hanoi shuttle, tips, VAT, massage and any further drinks. A guest in August called the drinks overpriced. See what is not included for the usual extras.

Children under five share their parents’ room free, five to six pay half, seven to ten pay 75%, and from eleven they pay the adult price. One room can take one child at those rates.

How does the three-day version work?

The second day leaves Aurora early. At 06:45 a transfer boat carries you across to Cat Ba for a 5 km bike ride to Viet Hai village, lunch is served on that transfer boat, and the afternoon is a swim at Ba Trai Dao beach before you rejoin Aurora around 15:00. The German guest who did it was moved onto another vessel for them while the two-day passengers stayed behind, yet counted the oyster farm, Viet Hai and swimming off the boat among the good parts, though the village struck them as very touristy. See two days or three.

Weather can end it early. A guest writing in July 2026 had a three-day cruise called off on the afternoon of day two by a storm alert. Get the weather and refund terms in writing before you pay (cancellation policies).

Who will get the most from Aurora?

Groups and families who value floor space, and anyone who wants the evening filled with something to do. A Suite for four, or a Family Connecting unit for a party of six, is where the owner’s numbers work hardest.

Who should look elsewhere?

Travellers who want a slow, empty schedule will find the timetable tight, and the small-boat list has quieter programmes. So will anyone who wants a long last morning: cabins are cleared at 09:15 and you are back at the lounge by 10:30.

Where these facts come from

The pier, timetables, both programmes, cabin grades and sizes, inclusions and child rates are from the owner’s site, auroracruise.vn, read on 10 October 2026; halongbaycruises.com names the same lounge and describes the connecting pairs inside the Deluxe and Executive counts. The owner describes a wooden boat. Guest detail comes from the Google listing for the Aurora lounge at Tuan Chau.