Heritage Line Ginger Cruise

Heritage Line Ginger carries twelve suites on Lan Ha Bay, and every one of them has a private balcony and either a bathtub or a Jacuzzi. The entry class is 37 m². The two largest sit at the bow, named Blue Phoenix and White Crane, with their balconies facing forward.

Heritage Line, which also runs Violet in Bai Tu Long, says the current Ginger began sailing in June 2018, replacing an older boat of the same name that made its last cruise in February 2017. How old is your boat sets 2018 against the rest of the fleet.

What do you get for the money on Ginger?

Twelve suites in three classes, and the class you pick sets the deck you sleep on. The operator gives the split: six Junior Suites on the main deck, four Signature Suites on the upper deck and two Regent Suites at the bow. Junior and Signature share one 37 m² layout, with sliding glass doors that run floor to ceiling onto a balcony of about 5 m², a walk-in shower and a bathtub. Deck and decoration separate them. Downstairs gets dark-ink hand painting behind the bed, upstairs gets embroidered silk panels and a gold flower theme. The operator lists three of the twelve suites as twins, so ask early if you need two beds.

The two Regent Suites measure 50 m², with a bed two metres square, a double vanity and a large Jacuzzi in the bathroom. Regent is the one class the operator lists with a screen and film system. The Regent balcony is 6 m², a metre more than the others, so 12 of the extra 13 m² are indoors.

Outside the cabins, Ginger’s dining room is the part the operator leans on. Glass wraps nearly all the way round it, and an open kitchen sits inside where the chefs cook each dish to order and run the cooking class. The spa fills the whole stern, and its couple’s room has a steam bath the operator says is free to use. At the bow is a pool the operator describes as heated, with Jacuzzi jets and loungers round it. There is a library lounge with a boutique corner too, and Heritage Line puts the boat on three decks, Terrace, Upper and Main.

Will a summer sailing actually be on Ginger?

Not always. Heritage Line’s one-night rates page, read on 14 October 2026, says Ginger’s one-night sailings run on its sister ship Ylang from 1 August to 30 September 2026, and again from 18 July to 10 September 2027. Ginger has no two-night programme of its own; that one belongs to Ylang, and Ginger covers it only in periods the operator marks on its departure calendar.

If your dates touch the 2027 window, ask the seller which ship is named on your confirmation and get the answer in writing before you pay.

How does the one-night cruise run, hour by hour?

Heritage Line’s Welcome Lounge is at Kiosk 06, Tuan Chau Marina. It opens at 10:00, the operator asks you to be there by 11:25, and the speedboat leaves at 11:30 sharp for the 20-minute run to the ship. Embarkation is at 11:45. Arrive late and the operator’s embarkation guide says you may be refused boarding and charged in full, so allow for the two and a half hours from Hanoi. Which harbour you leave from has the details on Tuan Chau.

Lunch is served while Ginger heads into Lan Ha. She moors near Cat Ba, and the afternoon goes to Viet Hai, the village in a valley on Cat Ba Island that you ride round by bicycle. Back on board comes the hands-on cooking class, then dinner, with squid fishing and a film in the dining room after it.

Day two opens with tai chi on the sundeck and a light breakfast. Ginger then moves to Ao Ech, the lagoon Heritage Line calls Frog Lake, for a swim or a kayak. Brunch is served as the boat returns, and the speedboat lands you at Tuan Chau at about 11:00.

What does a night on Ginger cost?

From $423 per person, two sharing, on Heritage Line’s own rack rate for October to December and January to April, read on 14 October 2026. From May to September the same Junior Suite drops to $338 each. The operator’s 2026 rates per adult, sharing a suite:

For two people in a Junior Suite that is $846 in the cooler months, and the Signature costs $160 more per suite for the same 37 m² of floor. The 2027 sheet rises to $457 and $354 for the Junior Suite. A solo traveller pays 50% on top in the Junior and Signature Suites and 75% in a Regent. On 24 and 31 December there is a surcharge of $100 an adult. Agencies sell under the rack rate: halongbaytours.com listed the Junior Suite at $620 for two on 6 August 2026.

Of the 82 boats we hold a one-night cabin rate for, Ginger’s entry price is the highest. The middle of that set is $310 for two.

What is included, and what goes on the bill?

Heritage Line’s own inclusions list covers the suite, the meals in the programme, the excursions and an English-speaking guide on the boat and ashore. You also get a welcome drink on boarding, mineral water, tea and brewed coffee, Wi-Fi where the phone signal reaches, liability insurance, port fees and taxes, and free use of the facilities apart from spa treatments. The operator lists as extra: other drinks, tips for crew and guide, the Hanoi transfer, visas and the admission fee for Lan Ha Bay, which Heritage Line sets at $18 a person for the one-night cruise. It suggests tipping $16 a person for each full cruise day. Read what is not included before you compare quotes.

Who is Ginger right for?

Couples who want room to spread out, in our view. The entry suite here is 37 m² with a balcony and a bath, and the boat carries twelve suites, which leaves only ten of the 92 boats we publish with fewer cabins. The small boats category collects the others at that scale. People who travel for food get a kitchen they can watch and a cooking class at the same station, and the operator offers in-suite or balcony dining for an anniversary or a honeymoon; ask what that costs.

Who should look elsewhere

Families with small children. Heritage Line’s terms do not take children under five without special permission, and every suite is sold for two adults. Children from 5 to 11 sharing with two adults pay 50% of the per-person rate, and a third adult on an extra bed pays 70%. Anyone shopping on price should also look further: $423 a head is the top of the market, and the Lan Ha Bay page lists what else sails the same water.

What if you cancel, or the weather does?

Heritage Line’s terms for its Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long cruises let you cancel free more than 45 days out, then charge 20% to 31 days, 50% to 16 days and the full fare inside 15 days; date changes are free until 45 days. If the authorities cancel the cruise outright, announced by noon on the day, you get a full refund. If the overnight is cancelled but she can still sail for at least four hours, the refund is the fare less $100 a person. Our cancellation guide compares other boats.

Where these facts come from

The suites, decks, facilities, the lounge and times, the programme, the 2026 and 2027 rates, the inclusions and the cancellation, child and weather terms come from heritage-line.com, its ship booklet and its embarkation guide, read on 14 October 2026. The $620 agency price is from halongbaytours.com, read on 6 August 2026. The price rank is across the 82 boats on this site with a one-night cabin rate.