Sea Stars Cruise

Sea Stars leaves from the Ha Long International Cruise Port, on the Bai Chay side, not from Tuan Chau Marina, and you check in at the Sea Stars Lounge in the first-floor lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel Ha Long Bay before 11:15. A driver who assumes the usual Tuan Chau run will make you late for a boat that boards at a quarter to twelve. Give them the hotel name; which harbour you leave from explains why.

On the halongbaytours.com listing read on 6 August 2026 the cheapest cabin for two, a Deluxe, was $335 for the night: from $168 per person, two sharing.

What are you booking?

A five-deck steel boat of 39 cabins, launched late in 2023 on four agencies’ account, on which every cabin has a private balcony or terrace. besthalongcruises.com puts her at 118 guests. The Aquarius Pool and the Gemini Gym on the first deck are in the fare. The Venus Spa, which has a sauna, is not. There is mini golf, a bar called Carina on the fifth deck, and wifi throughout the boat that the operator itself calls intermittent.

Which cabin should you book?

For two, the Deluxe or the Premium Executive: both are 30 m², and the Premium Executive sits higher, on the third and fourth decks, for $55 more. Prices are per cabin, the highest rate the halongbaytours.com listing showed for each grade on 6 August 2026; sizes are from the operator, counts from two agencies.

Each cabin takes two adults and a child under five; the President Suite takes four adults and two children. Captain Suite guests and above get a foot bath and the sauna included. Rates here move with season and agency, so get the total in a confirmation.

What does the fare include?

The cabin, a welcome drink, every meal on the programme (lunch, dinner, breakfast and brunch on the one-night trip), fruit, tea and water, the pool and gym, kayaking, snacks at happy hour, the cooking class, squid fishing, entrance fees, a guide, taxes and insurance. The road from Hanoi, drinks beyond the included ones, the minibar, karaoke, the spa and tips are extra. What is not included covers the rest.

What goes wrong with a Sea Stars booking?

Mostly the paperwork around the trip. One guest was billed at check-out for towels that had been used, which is the sort of line that turns a good trip sour in the last ten minutes; the same review rates the views and the day’s arrangements well. Another found no drinking water available without paying for it, waited for transport at both ends of the trip, and found the stops crowded. A honeymooning couple from Australia were told a few days before departure that the trip might be cancelled or moved, while they were partway round the Ha Giang loop and unable to replan. Their cruise went ahead and they gave it four stars. A separate guest says their booking was cancelled shortly before the date. If your dates cannot move, ask what happens to your booking if the sailing changes, and get the answer in the same email as the price.

Praise on the good reviews is specific in the way that makes it credible: a staff member named in full, fish and steak at dinner, a lunch buffet one guest praised for its fresh food. One otherwise happy guest found breakfast thin on choice, though the brunch that follows made up for it.

Where does Sea Stars go?

Around central Ha Long Bay, on the loop most boats from Bai Chay sail. Lunch is served as she passes the islets of Am Tich and Mat Quy. In the afternoon you kayak at the Tung Sau pearl farm, then walk through Sung Sot Cave. She spends the night at anchor near Lom Bo. Next morning is Titop island, for the climb to the viewpoint or the beach, and cabins are cleared between 08:45 and 09:30; you are ashore by eleven. The operator notes that weather and tides can change the order.

The two-night trip is the change we would make. A guest who took two nights says the one-night passengers looked rushed and never sat still. On the middle day a smaller boat takes you into Lan Ha Bay: a bicycle or electric cart to Viet Hai village, a kayak at Tai Queo cave and a swim at Ba Trai Dao beach. Two days or three weighs it, and the three-bay comparison is worth ten minutes if you have not settled on Ha Long itself yet.

Who it suits

Couples and small families buying a cabin outright, on two nights, who want a pool and a gym without paying suite money. She holds up on the best-value comparison for Ha Long Bay.

Who should look elsewhere

Anyone on rigid dates, and anyone who wants the whole cost known at the pier. The charges guests describe are small in money and large in irritation, and they all arrive at the end.

Where these facts come from

The pier, the lounge, the times, both programmes, the cabin sizes, the facilities and the inclusions come from seastarscruise.com, read on 10 August 2026; four agencies name the same pier. The launch, the hull and the cabin counts are from halongbaytours.com, halongbaycruises.com and besthalongcruises.com, read on 6 August 2026. Prices are from the halongbaytours.com listing of the same date and move with season, so confirm yours on the quote. Guest remarks are from reviews we collected.