Genesis Regal Cruise

Genesis Regal puts twenty suites on a 64-metre steel hull, and every one of them, the operator says, has its own sea-view balcony and a bathtub. Guests notice the space on the top deck, which one reviewer in December 2025 says they had mostly to themselves.

The boat has been sailing since 2019 and spends its night in Lan Ha Bay, south of the Ha Long anchorages, after leaving from Tuan Chau. Two sharing the smallest suite pay from $135 per person for one night, on a booking listing we read on 28 October 2026.

What are you booking on Genesis Regal?

A big cabin, first of all. The operator lists nine suite classes and gives the rooms 35 to 70 m², depending on class, with a bathtub in each. Around the cabins are two restaurants (one indoors, one out), two bars, a spa, and a small pool with a jacuzzi that the operator calls four-season.

Genesis Regal belongs to Premier Cruise Group, which also runs Majesty Prime, a 24-cabin boat, its operator says. Several suite names (Junior, Senior, Executive, Premium) appear on both boats. Make sure your confirmation says Genesis Regal.

Which suite should you book?

Book by deck first, then by size. The sizes, floors and beds below are the operator’s.

A guest who took a Regal Panorama suite in 2022 counted two of them, both at the back of the boat. Each connecting suite is two rooms joined by a door, one pair on each floor.

Upper-floor cabins away from the stern are the safer choice for light sleepers. A guest on the first floor in 2024 writes that the restaurant above made mornings loud. The 2022 Regal guest says the stern suites pick up engine noise and the bustle of people boarding the small boats, and a guest writing in January 2023 named rooms 101 and 102, at the back, as too loud to talk in while the boat was moving. Ask for a cabin number when you book.

What is the one thing to know before a three-day trip?

On the three-day trip, your second day is built around the one-night guests leaving and new ones arriving. The operator’s own timetable shows it. On day two the overnight guests are served lunch from 9.45, while the boat is heading back with its one-night passengers and docking at 10.15. New guests board at 12.30, and the excursion to Cat Ba does not leave until 12.45.

One couple who took the 3D2N in late 2025 were the only guests aboard for that lunch, with every course arriving at once and the crew busy preparing for the next group. A guest in December 2025 found the Cat Ba stop rushed and spent part of it in cafés hearing about souvenirs. If the island is why you want the second night, find out how long you will spend there. Our guide to two days or three weighs the extra night more generally.

How does the day run?

The times below are the operator’s, and it calls them approximate.

• 8.00 to 8.30. Shuttle pick-up in Hanoi, if you booked it.
• 11.30. Check-in at Tuan Chau Marina, in the operator’s Waiting Lounge No.19. The operator’s FAQ says a guest who turns up after 11.30 counts as a no-show, with no refund.
• 12.00. Speedboat out to the ship, lunch from 12.45.
• 14.30 to 16.00. Speedboat to the Dark & Bright Cave, then a rowing boat inside.
• 17.30. Sunset party on the roof bar, then dinner at 19.30 and squid fishing or a film. The ship anchors for the night near Tra Bau.
• 6.00. Tai chi on the roof at sunrise, breakfast at 6.30.
• 7.30. Kayaking at Ba Dinh or a visit to the Tra Bau floating houses.
• 9.30. Cabin check-out, then brunch on the way back. The ship reaches the wharf at 10.15 and the speedboat lands you at the marina by 11.00.
• 14.30 to 15.00. Back in Hanoi, if you took the shuttle.

On the three-day trip the extra day, from 12.45, adds bicycles through Viet Hai, a fishing village on Cat Ba covered in our Viet Hai guide, and a swim from 15.00 to 16.30 at Ba Trai Dao, which the operator’s pages also call Three Peaches Beach. You are back aboard at 16.45.

What will it cost you?

From $135 per person, two sharing, for one night. That is half the $270 a booking listing asked for a Junior suite when we read it on 28 October 2026. Its one-night rates per cabin run up through Senior $300, Executive $360 and Premium $390 to $480 for the Regal suite with its terrace. The two Family/Triple suites, which take three, are $420 and $450. Ask for a quote on the connecting suites.

Two nights are priced for the whole trip: $520 per cabin for the Junior suite and $910 for the Regal, on the same listing. The second night in a Junior suite costs $250, so it is barely cheaper than the first.

The operator’s exclusions are transfers, spa treatments, drinks, VAT and a bank charge for paying by card. Yet the pages we read on 10 October 2026 also advertise a free limousine bus “until the new announcement”, and a guest in November 2025 paid extra for the van according to the room booked. Get the transfer price in writing; in early 2026 halongbaytours.com quoted the shared shuttle at $30 a person for the round trip. A guest who booked through Agoda in 2022 says the boat added 4% at check-in for paying by card. Our list of what is usually not included shows how common these extras are.

What do guests say?

Guests often name the staff. In May 2026 a guest whose bag was taken by another passenger on the transfer bus writes that a staff member fetched it by scooter while the boat waited. A strict vegan in June 2026 says the kitchen took care over every meal, and another guest had dishes swapped for a no-seafood diet. Tell them about an allergy when you book. One 2022 guest was served their allergen twice.

Most guests who mention the food praise it; a guest on two nights in 2024 singled out the grilled prawns and the meals served in courses. The complaint that keeps coming back is food served cold, at the arrival lunch, the set courses or the breakfast buffet. A guest in a panorama suite in November 2025 also found some fixtures chipped or stained, a curtain where the bathroom door would be, and walls that squeaked while the boat moved. Our guide on how old your boat is explains what seven years on the water tends to mean.

Who is Genesis Regal for?

Couples and families who want space in the cabin, on a boat of twenty suites. Families of three should book a Family/Triple suite by name: a guest writing in January 2023 who asked for a room for three got a double with an extra bed at the foot. Groups of four can take a connecting suite, though you will need to ask for its price.

Look elsewhere if hot food served to the minute matters most to you, or if you want the newest fittings on the water. Other boats overnighting in the same waters are on our Lan Ha Bay list and in our Lan Ha Bay overview, and boats of a similar size are on the small boats list.

What is in the fare, and what if the boat cannot sail?

The operator’s fare covers meals, a welcome drink, tea, coffee and water in the cabin, filtered drinking water through the trip, the pool and jacuzzi, kayaks, an English-speaking guide, entrance fees and every activity on the timetable, along with a cake for a birthday or anniversary. The spa is extra. The operator’s terms say that if Genesis cannot run your cruise, it moves you to another Genesis boat or another operator’s cruise at its own cost.

Where these facts come from

The suites, sizes, floors and beds, the timetables, both programmes, the 64-metre length, the three decks, the pool and the inclusions and terms come from genesisregalcruise.com, read on 10 October 2026. Prices are from the halongbaytours.com listing read on 28 October 2026, the highest rate it published for each class, and move with season and promotions. Guest remarks are from Google reviews.