LH-13 · Lan Ha Bay
Aqua of the Seas Cruise
Cabins 32
Launched 2023
From$205per person, two sharingread 11 Aug 2026A guide, not a quote — we confirm the live rate when you enquire.
Details →LH-32 · Lan Ha Bay
Orchid Luxury Cruise
Cabin 36 m² · well above bay median of 30Newer hull than 37 of 37
The reason to pick Orchid Luxury is her route. The first afternoon goes by bamboo boat into Tien Ong Cave and round the floating fishing village at Cua Van, and the night is spent in the Tra Bau area of Lan Ha. She is a new fourteen-suite steel boat, and every suite comes with its own balcony and a bath with a view of the bay. Her Suite Balcony was $480 a night for two on the halongbaytours.com listing read on 6 August 2026, from $240 per person, two sharing.
Orchid Cruises, part of the Pelican group, sells four lines under nearly the same name: Classic, Trendy, Premium and this one. She was built in 2026 and is due to launch in October 2026. Get the name Luxury printed on your confirmation; a confirmation that says only Orchid does not tell you which boat you have bought.
Which suite should you book?
The Suite Balcony on the first deck, at 36 m². The Premium Suite Balcony on the second deck is the same size, one deck up, for $90 more a night. The Exclusive Suite, also on the second deck, is 45 m² with a round king bed. Families of four take two connected suites, 72 m² between them, on either deck. The boat has a jacuzzi and a sauna; massage costs extra. Wi-Fi is free and drops out at sea.
What does Orchid Luxury cost?
The halongbaytours.com sheet read on 6 August 2026 prices each cabin for two on the one-night trip: Suite Balcony $480, Premium Suite Balcony $570, Exclusive Suite $810. Per head, two sharing, that is $240, $285 and $405. The two-night trip is priced for the whole stay, at $900, $1,100 and $1,530. Any much lower quote under the Orchid name may belong to a sister boat, so check the boat name against the price.
The fare covers meals, an English-speaking guide, the cooking demonstration, tai chi, squid fishing, a welcome drink, insurance, sightseeing fees and VAT. Drinks, massage and the road from Hanoi are extra; the operator’s shared limousine is $45 a person for the round trip, collecting from the Old Quarter between 07:50 and 08:20. Card payments carry a surcharge.
Where does Orchid Luxury go?
From Tuan Chau through Ha Long and on into Lan Ha. Lunch is from 12:45. Between 14:45 and 16:15 a bamboo boat takes you into Tien Ong Cave and round Cua Van; our caves and islands guide describes both. She anchors for the night at Tra Bau. The next morning, from 08:00 to 09:00, you are at Ao Ech, the lagoon the operator calls Frog Pond. Cabins are cleared at 09:30 and you are back at Tuan Chau between 11:00 and 11:30.
The two-night trip adds a day boat to Viet Hai village by bicycle, with lunch on board, and Dark and Bright Cave in the afternoon. Ao Ech moves to the last morning.
Where do you board, and at what time?
At the Orchid lounge on Lot 32, Tuan Chau Marina. Check in between 11:00 and 11:30, and the speedboat takes you out at about noon. Which harbour you leave from explains why your driver needs the lot number.
The operator’s own terms, read on 14 October 2026, apply to every Orchid booking. For up to three rooms, cancelling 30 days or more ahead is free; from 29 to 15 days you lose 50%, from 14 to 7 days 70%, and inside a week the full fare. If the authorities stop the trip before you leave Hanoi you get a full refund.
Who it suits
Two people who want fourteen cabins, a balcony and a bath, and a first afternoon in Ha Long’s floating villages, and who will pay $480 for the room for a new boat. It is on the small boats list. If you have not decided between the bays yet, they differ more than the brochures suggest.
Who should look elsewhere
Anyone who books on what other guests have written. A boat launched in October 2026 has had no time to build a record, and the Orchid Classic boats offer the same suite layout at $330 a cabin on the same day’s listing, and have sailed since 2016.
Sources: orchidcruises.com (read 14 October 2026) and the halongbaytours.com listing read on 6 August 2026.
Why people book Orchid Luxury
Book it if
- You want a new fourteen-suite steel boat with a balcony and a bay-view bath in every suite, from $240 per person, two sharing, on a listing read on 6 August 2026
- You would like Tien Ong Cave and the floating village at Cua Van on the first afternoon, which the other Orchid boats do not visit
- Your confirmation names the boat as the Luxury, and not one of the other Orchid boats
The decisions either side of it
Aqua of the Seas Cruisethe cheaper option−$35
Hull 2023 against 2026
32 cabins against 14
Paradise Grand Cruisethe cheaper option−$42
Hull 2020 against 2026
Entry cabin 28 m² against 36 m²
39 cabins against 14
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
Orchid Luxury takes the Orchid layout, fourteen suites with balconies and baths, and puts it on a different route that starts in Ha Long's floating villages before crossing to Lan Ha. At $480 a cabin she is the dearer way to get that layout. Book her for the route, and make sure the confirmation says Luxury.
Choose your cabin
Suite Balcony
36 m², private balcony, on the 1.
36 m²Balcony ✓1
Premium Suite Balcony
36 m², private balcony, on the 2.
36 m²Balcony ✓2
Exclusive Suite
45 m², king (round), private balcony, on the 2.
45 m²King (round)Balcony ✓2
Rates are the highest fare each listing published per cabin (rack rate, double occupancy unless marked) — treat them as the ceiling, not the floor.
What's in the fare — and what isn't
In the fare
- Cabin
- All meals on the programme
- Kayaking
- Cooking demonstration
- Tai Chi
- Swimming (weather permitting)
- Squid fishing
- English-speaking guide
- Onboard service fee
- Welcome drink
- Two bottles of water in the cabin
- Onboard insurance
- Sightseeing fees
- VAT
- Wi-Fi (unstable at sea)
Not in the fare
- Massage
- Drinks other than breakfast and cabin water
- Personal expenses
- Card payment surcharge
From the operator's own published terms, read 14 Oct 2026.
Good to know
Who should look at something else
- You want a boat with a guest record; Orchid Luxury launches in October 2026
- You are travelling alone; the operator prices each room for one or two, so a solo traveller pays the full cabin rate
- You want to swim on board; there is an outdoor jacuzzi and a sauna
Boarding times and the operator's terms
The boat's own timings
- Check-in, Orchid lounge (Lot 32, Tuan Chau Marina)
- 11:00–11:30
- Speedboat to the ship
- 11:45–12:00
- Lunch
- from 12:45
- Check-out (with brunch)
- 09:30–10:00
- Disembark, Tuan Chau Marina
- 11:00–11:30
- Back in Hanoi (if transfer booked)
- 14:30–15:00
Cancellation
Up to 3 rooms: 30 days or more before departure: free. 15–29 days: 50% of the fare. 7–14 days: 70%. 1–7 days: 100%. 4 or more rooms: free from 45 days; 30–44 days 50%; 14–29 days 70%; 1–14 days 100%. Whole-boat charters: free from 60 days; 45–59 days 25%; 30–45 days 50%; 1–30 days 100%. Bank fees are paid by the guest; no refund for no-shows.
Children
Bring a birth certificate for each child to show at check-in.
Single traveller
No separate supplement: rates are per room per night for single or double occupancy, so a solo guest pays the full cabin rate.
Weather and port closure
The authorities can postpone, shorten or cancel a trip. Cancelled before you leave Hanoi: full refund. After you reach Ha Long: services used (meals, transfer, day boat) are charged and the rest refunded. Shortened while on board: completed services are charged and the rest refunded.
Hanoi transfer
Not included in the fare. Shared limousine between the Hanoi Old Quarter and Tuan Chau port: US$45 per person return. Pick-up 07:50–08:20.
Per the operator's own terms on orchidcruises.com, read 14 Oct 2026. Rates, group sizes and booking channels can change the terms; your booking confirmation is what applies.
Which pier does Orchid Luxury Cruise leave from?
Tuan Chau Marina. Drivers do occasionally go to the wrong harbour, so give the full name when you arrange your own transfer.
Before you book, read
- Lan Ha Bay cruises: the biggest fleet, and whyForty-six of the 92 boats we publish sail Lan Ha, as many as the other two bays combined. It is the default now rather than the alternative, and the reason is in the stop lists rather than in the marketing.
- Cat Ba and Ha Long City, around your cruiseThe two towns people pair with a Ha Long cruise are Cat Ba and Ha Long City, and the fleet has nearly always chosen for you. Of the 92 boats we publish, 91 leave from the Ha Long City side. Only one boards at a Cat Ba pier. That decides where your spare hours go.
- Ha Long, Lan Ha or Bai Tu Long: which bay to bookThree names, one body of water, and a decision most people make by accident. What actually differs between them, from the itineraries of the 92 boats we publish.
Specifications · cross-checked 14 Oct 2026
Sheet LH-32- Cabins
- 14
- Launched
- 2026
- Hull
- Steel
- Bay
- Lan Ha Bay
- Departs from
- Tuan Chau Marina
- 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$240
$100$200$300$400this boat
This boat · #38 of 42 priced on Lan Ha BayThe other 41 priced boats · median $155
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.
Other boats on Lan Ha Bay
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From$198per person, two sharingread 8 Oct 2026A guide, not a quote — we confirm the live rate when you enquire.
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LH-15 · Lan Ha Bay
Lyra Grandeur Cruise
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