Cycad Cruise

A pool, a hot tub, a spa and a gym on a 24-cabin steel boat launched in 2025: that is Cycad, and it sails the quieter water of Bai Tu Long from the main terminal at Bai Chay.

What is on board Cycad?

Twenty-four cabins on a steel hull launched in 2025. The pool and the gym are in the fare, and so is the hot tub; one of the operator’s own photographs shows it lit up on a timber deck at dusk. Massage at the spa is charged, except in the ambassador suite, which comes with a 60-minute voucher.

The cabin sizes below come from listings. Eight Junior Balcony cabins are on the first deck, eight Executive Balcony cabins on the second, and there are two Ambassador Suites.

The step from the Sea View to the Junior Balcony is where the money goes furthest: 12 m² more floor and a door onto the water.

What does Cycad cost?

From about $148 each for two sharing. Read from a published table on 8 October 2026, per cabin for one night. The sea-view deluxe is $295 and takes two. The junior balcony is $370, the executive balcony $440. The family balcony sleeps four at $630. Above those, the ambassador suite is $650 for two and the presidential suite $1,105. All of these are the highest rates the listings published.

The family room is not the cheap route aboard: $630 across four people is about $158 each, against about $148 each for two sharing the sea-view deluxe, so the family cabin costs more per head than the cheapest double.

The presidential suite at $1,105 is nearly four times the cheapest cabin for 64 m², about three times the floor area. The ambassador suite at $650 is the better buy at the top: 46 m², a large terrace and a 60-minute massage voucher.

Where does Cycad go?

Into Bai Tu Long, the quieter bay to the north-east. You board at Ha Long International Cruise Port on the Bai Chay side; the operator’s welcome on board is at 12:45. At 15:00 the first afternoon takes you into the floating village at Vung Vieng by bamboo boat, and the boat spends the night around Cong Do, with traditional music after dinner. Next morning Thien Canh Son cave is at 08:00, you leave the cabin at 09:30, eat brunch on the way back and land at 11:00.

The three-day trip moves you onto a day boat at 09:00 on the middle day, to the Cap La area for Thay Cave, a swim and the beaches, with lunch aboard the day boat, back on Cycad at 14:30. There is less to see here than on the main Ha Long channel and that is the reason people choose it. If the bay is still open for you, the three are not the same trip.

What is extra?

Drinks, tips and the road from Hanoi. The operator sells its own shared shuttle at VND 750,000 a person each way from Hanoi, VND 850,000 from Noi Bai airport, or a private four-seat car at VND 3,000,000; children up to four ride free on a shared seat. A listing adds a surcharge of $40 a person a night on 24 and 31 December, Tet, 30 April, 1 May and the early-September holiday. Our guide to what is not included covers the usual extras.

Who it suits

Couples who want the quiet bay and a hot tub on a small ship, and who are comfortable being early. Against the rest of the recently launched boats and the best-value list, $295 for a double on a boat with a pool is a strong number.

Who should look elsewhere

Anyone who would rather sail with a crew that has several seasons behind it. The other boats in this bay include operators that have run Bai Tu Long for years.

Where these facts come from

The pier, the times, both programmes and the transfer prices are from the operator’s site, cycadcruise.com, read on 10 August 2026; two listings name the same port. The launch year is from two listings. Cabin sizes, counts, the pool, gym and hull are from listings read on 6 August 2026, and the rate table was read on 8 October 2026.