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A white multi-deck cruise boat with a golden dragon design on the bow, a registration number (QN 7777) and a partly legible name on the hull, seen from a high vantage point above dark green foliage on calm blue water.
A white multi-deck cruise boat with a golden dragon design on the bow, a registration number (QN 7777) and a partly legible name on the hull, seen from a high vantage point above dark green foliage on calm blue water.
A multi-deck white cruise ship with lit amber windows and the name 'Star Light' on its side sails on calm blue water at dusk in front of dark limestone karst hills, with a Vietnamese flag flying at the top.
A multi-deck white cruise ship with lit amber windows and the name 'Star Light' on its side sails on calm blue water at dusk in front of dark limestone karst hills, with a Vietnamese flag flying at the top.
Interior dining room of a boat with long white-clothed tables, red patterned chairs, dark wood floor, a potted plant, and windows showing green karst hills and water outside.
Interior dining room of a boat with long white-clothed tables, red patterned chairs, dark wood floor, a potted plant, and windows showing green karst hills and water outside.
Sun-lit sundeck of a cruise boat with lounge chairs, a shaded bar area and a mast with a camera, looking out over calm water toward limestone karst hills and another boat.
Sun-lit sundeck of a cruise boat with lounge chairs, a shaded bar area and a mast with a camera, looking out over calm water toward limestone karst hills and another boat.
Four colorful cocktails with orchid garnishes and straws stand on a dark bar counter, with a smiling woman in a red polo shirt blurred behind them.
Four colorful cocktails with orchid garnishes and straws stand on a dark bar counter, with a smiling woman in a red polo shirt blurred behind them.
A wood-paneled bathroom with a corner jacuzzi tub and a vessel sink, both filled with rose petals, plus a framed mirror, candle-style wall sconces, a shelf of towels, and a window showing pale water or sky; faint embossed lettering is on the tub's side.
A wood-paneled bathroom with a corner jacuzzi tub and a vessel sink, both filled with rose petals, plus a framed mirror, candle-style wall sconces, a shelf of towels, and a window showing pale water or sky; faint embossed lettering is on the tub's side.
A white multi-deck cruise boat sits on calm green-grey water in front of steep, forest-covered limestone karst islands under a pale sky.
A white multi-deck cruise boat sits on calm green-grey water in front of steep, forest-covered limestone karst islands under a pale sky.
A large white multi-deck cruise ship with a golden dragon design on the bow and a Vietnamese flag, with 'Starlight' lettering on its side, sits on dark green water in front of forested limestone islands under a partly cloudy sky.
A large white multi-deck cruise ship with a golden dragon design on the bow and a Vietnamese flag, with 'Starlight' lettering on its side, sits on dark green water in front of forested limestone islands under a partly cloudy sky.
A cabin with a double bed with striped white linen and a rust-colored runner, gold damask curtains, wooden armchairs, a polished wood floor, and a round carved 'Starlight' plaque on the wall above the headboard.
A cabin with a double bed with striped white linen and a rust-colored runner, gold damask curtains, wooden armchairs, a polished wood floor, and a round carved 'Starlight' plaque on the wall above the headboard.
A private balcony deck with dark wood flooring, white wicker loungers with rolled blue towels, a carved wooden screen, and a glass table with a fruit plate, overlooking calm water under a gray sky.
A private balcony deck with dark wood flooring, white wicker loungers with rolled blue towels, a carved wooden screen, and a glass table with a fruit plate, overlooking calm water under a gray sky.
A breakfast table on a white-railed deck holds orange juice, cups, fruit, a salad and a vase of purple orchids, with a calm bay and green forested hills blurred behind and an orange life ring at the lower right.
A breakfast table on a white-railed deck holds orange juice, cups, fruit, a salad and a vase of purple orchids, with a calm bay and green forested hills blurred behind and an orange life ring at the lower right.
A white corner jacuzzi tub filled with water and red rose petals sits in a wood-paneled bathroom, with a window beside it showing calm water and a white boat in the distance.
A white corner jacuzzi tub filled with water and red rose petals sits in a wood-paneled bathroom, with a window beside it showing calm water and a white boat in the distance.
An indoor restaurant with white-clothed tables, red damask-patterned wooden chairs, wine racks and bottle shelves, a framed painting, and a barrel-stave style ceiling over a dark wood floor.
An indoor restaurant with white-clothed tables, red damask-patterned wooden chairs, wine racks and bottle shelves, a framed painting, and a barrel-stave style ceiling over a dark wood floor.
A wooden deck at dusk with a dark table and wicker chairs beside a white railing, with the 'Starlight Halong Bay' name and red stars on the curved cabin wall and limestone islands over calm water in the background.
A wooden deck at dusk with a dark table and wicker chairs beside a white railing, with the 'Starlight Halong Bay' name and red stars on the curved cabin wall and limestone islands over calm water in the background.
HL-26 · Ha Long Bay

Starlight Cruise

2 days · 1 night · 3 days · 2 nights · 32 cabins · launched 2013 · Cross-checked 10 Oct 2026 ↓

from$219per person, two sharingcabin for two from $438, read 10 Oct 2026
Check availability
Older hull than 20 of 29

Every one of Starlight’s 32 cabins has a jacuzzi tub, the owner says, and that tub is the reason to pick this 58-metre Oriental Sails ship. It keeps to the old Ha Long loop out of Bai Chay: Sung Sot Cave and Titop Island on the first afternoon, Luon Cave by bamboo boat or kayak the next morning.

What are you booking on Starlight?

A large classic boat. Thirty-two cabins is a figure the owner’s site and two reseller listings agree on, and it sits above the median of 23 cabins across the 67 published boats we track (counted 10 October 2026). The owner gives the boat as 58 metres long and 11 wide. Three booking sites list the hull as steel, a point the owner never states. The owner’s history page dates the launch to 2013, which makes Starlight 13 years old this year; how old is your boat covers what that does and does not tell you.

Starlight is an Oriental Sails Co. ship, its history page says, and a 2016 post on the owner’s site lists the Oriental Sails boat in the same fleet. The owner lists a library, two lounges, a wine cellar, a gift shop, a spa and the restaurant, plus a sundeck bar it calls the Uranus Bar and a mini-golf course on the top deck. Its spa page describes a sauna and a steam room. It prints no treatment menu and no spa prices.

The owner’s cabin page says each cabin has a jacuzzi bathroom, and both itinerary pages repeat the bath-tub jacuzzi in their inclusions.

Do any Starlight cabins have a balcony?

Two do. Thirty of the 32 cabins have no balcony, and the cheaper two classes are the same size on different decks, so most of what the extra money buys is height.

Cabin Cabins Deck Size Balcony Per person, two sharing Cabin for two
Deluxe 12 First 22 m² No $219 $438
Executive 18 Second 22 m² No $239 $478
Suite 2 Third 50 m² Yes $269 $538

These are the owner’s undated published rates for the one-night trip, read on 10 October 2026. The owner prices per person; the cabin column is our doubling for two sharing. On this site that makes Starlight from $219 per person, two sharing.

A booking site prints much lower numbers. On 6 August 2026 halongbaytours.com listed the same three cabins at a maximum of $265, $280 and $290 a night for two, which puts the Deluxe at about $133 per person. The owner’s Deluxe figure is 1.65 times that. The owner’s table may simply be old, and we cannot tell you which price Starlight honours today. Get both quoted before you choose a seller.

The Deluxe and the Executive both measure 4.4 by 5 metres on the owner’s table. The Executive’s $40 per cabin buys the second deck and nothing else the table shows. The Suite is 5 by 10 metres on the third deck with its own balcony. With only two of them on the boat, ask for one at the moment you book, and treat a Deluxe as the fallback. What your cabin gets you compares cabin grades across the fleet.

Single travellers pay $289, $309 or $345 per person by class. An extra bed is $190 in the two smaller classes and $215 in the Suite.

What does the one-night Starlight trip look like, hour by hour?

The owner’s timetable starts with a pickup in Hanoi between 8:00 and 8:30, and that transfer is extra. You wait in a lounge in Bai Chay, at Ha Long International Cruise Port, and board between noon and 12:30. Lunch is at 13:15 while the boat sails out and anchors near Titop.

At 15:00 a guide takes you through Sung Sot Cave. From 16:00 you climb the steps to the Titop viewpoint, then swim off its beach. You are back aboard at 17:20 for happy hour, which runs until dinner on a buy-two, get-one-free basis. At 18:00 there is a cooking demonstration with the chef or mini-golf up top. Dinner runs from 19:00 to 21:00, and squid fishing or karaoke fill the hour after.

The second day starts early. Tai chi is at 6:30 and breakfast at 7:00. Between 8:00 and 9:00 you go into Luon Cave, either in a shared bamboo boat that a local boatman rows or in a kayak of your own. Cabins are handed back at 9:30 while the boat heads for Bai Chay bridge. Lunch comes at 10:50, which is very early, and you step off between 11:30 and 11:45. The owner puts you back at your Hanoi hotel around 16:30.

Is the three-day Starlight trip worth it?

Only if the middle day appeals, because the second night is only about a tenth cheaper. On 6 August 2026 halongbaytours.com listed the whole three-day trip at $500, $530 and $550 a cabin for two, so the extra night costs 89 to 90 per cent of that site’s one-night price. The owner’s three-day itinerary page prints only a headline, from $330 per person. An older post on the same site prices a different three-day route, through Bai Tu Long, at $919 to $1,219, with no date and no clear unit, so we do not use it. Ask for the cabin rate in writing.

The middle day is the reason to go. The boat moves to the east of the bay for a morning kayak to the Virgin Grotto, a short cave walk among stalactites. After lunch a tender takes you to a pearl farm near Cua Van at 14:00, then you swim at Soi Sim beach at 15:00. Happy hour on the sundeck runs from 17:00, and the second evening ends with squid fishing or a film on board. Two days or three days sets out what the extra night costs on boats that do publish both tables.

What is included on Starlight, and what is extra?

Meals in the timetable, the port lounge, a welcome drink, entrance fees, the cooking class, tai chi, the kayak or bamboo boat, and drinking water from dispensers in the corridors are all on the owner’s inclusions list. The one-night page also lists internet on board.

Your bill will have drinks, the road transfer from Hanoi, travel insurance and food for babies under six. A private dinner, served in the wine cellar, on deck or in your cabin, carries a service charge of $10 or $12 per person, depending on which of the owner’s pages you read. On 31 December the owner charges $30 per person for a compulsory gala dinner. What is not included covers the usual extras, and Hanoi to Ha Long the drive.

Who is Starlight for?

Couples who want a long soak after Titop, and who are happy on the classic Sung Sot and Titop route in Ha Long Bay. Families with small children do well on the owner’s terms: one child under six, counted by year of birth, sails free when sharing with two adults, and six to eleven pay 75 per cent. One booking site sets the free cut-off at four.

Who should look elsewhere?

Anyone who wants a balcony without paying for one of two suites. People over 80, or over 120 kg, should also read the owner’s own trip notes, which advise them against an overnight cruise. If you want a route that skips Sung Sot and Titop, the Lan Ha Bay boats are the place to start, and our luxury boats list the alternatives at this level.

What can’t we confirm about Starlight?

The owner’s website looks old. Its footer reads ©2016, the newest dated items we found on it are from 2019, and its price table has no effective date. The page header also says from $165 per person, a figure that matches no row in the table below it. Confirm your rate and departure in writing before you pay.

Nobody publishes the passenger capacity. The owner puts cabins on three decks under a sun deck and gives no total; two booking sites count four decks. One booking site also says the jacuzzis are in selected rooms only; if the tub is why you are booking, ask for it in writing for your cabin. We have no guest reviews on this page: the only Google listing under the name is an office in Hanoi, and we could not confirm it belongs to the boat. How we check explains why that matters to us.

Why people book Starlight

Book it if

  • You want a jacuzzi bath in the cabin on the classic Ha Long loop, and the owner says every one of the 32 cabins has one
  • You can book early enough to get one of the two 50 m² suites, the only cabins on board with a balcony
  • You are two adults with one child under six, who sails free on the owner's terms

The decisions either side of it

Catherine Cruisethe cheaper option−$14
Hull 2023 against 2013
39 cabins against 32
Athena Premium Cruisethe cheaper option−$24
41 cabins against 32

Chosen by price proximity within the same bay, computed from our dataset — not by commission. We add no booking fee to any of them.

Choose your cabin

Deluxe Cabin12 of 32 cabins

22 m², on the first deck.

22 m²No balconyFirst deck
$4382D1N · per cabin · 2 guests
operator's published tariff3D2N $500 · per cabin, whole tripoperator tariffEnquire
Executive Cabin18 of 32 cabins

22 m², on the second deck.

22 m²No balconySecond deck
$4782D1N · per cabin · 2 guests
operator's published tariff3D2N $530 · per cabin, whole tripoperator tariffEnquire
Suite Cabin2 of 32 cabins

50 m², private balcony, on the third deck.

50 m²Balcony ✓Third deck
$5382D1N · per cabin · 2 guests
operator's published tariff3D2N $550 · per cabin, whole tripoperator tariffEnquire
Rates are the highest published fare per cabin we found (rack rate, double occupancy unless marked) — treat them as the ceiling, not the floor. Seen on one listing only; the operator publishes no rate card we can cite.

What's in the fare — and what isn't

In the fare

  • English-speaking guide3 sources“English speaking guide”
  • Welcome drink3 sources“Welcome drink”
  • Entrance & sightseeing fees2 sources“Entrance and Sightseeing Fees”
  • Bottled water in cabin1 source“02 complimentary bottles of water in the cabin.”
  • Cabin with A/C1 source“Luxury Cabins and Suites with A/C”
  • Cooking class1 source“01 Cooking class”
  • En-suite bathroom1 source“Spacious air-con Cabins and en-suite Bathrooms”
  • Kayaking1 source“Activities: Kayaking and swimming,…”

Not in the fare

  • Hanoi transfer3 sources“Shuttle bus Hanoi – Halong – Hanoi”
  • Tips & gratuities3 sources“Tips are welcomed!”
  • Airfare2 sources“Air Fare if any”
  • Peak-season surcharge2 sources“Surcharge for New Year and Christmas”
  • Spa & massage2 sources“Spa and massage services.”

Described differently across sources — read both

These items appear on both lists. Sometimes that is a real disagreement; sometimes the two sources are describing different things. We show what each actually said rather than pick one.

Drinks & beverages
Listed as included · 1 source

“Luxury accommodation with A/C, bathtub & shower, mini bar”

Listed as extra · 3 sources

“Drinks”

Meals on board
Listed as included · 2 sources

“Meals on-board”

Listed as extra · 2 sources

“Meals not mentioned in the program”

Travel insurance
Listed as included · 2 sources

“Insurance on-board”

Listed as extra · 1 source

“Travel Insurance”

Assembled from the 3 sources we read for this boat, grouped by what each line is about and counted by how many sources list it. Quotes are the sources' own wording. Nothing here replaces the confirmation you get in writing when you book.

Good to know

Who should look at something else
  • A balcony matters to you at the entry price; 30 of the 32 cabins have none
  • You decide on guest reviews; we have not collected any for this boat
  • You need a dated 2026 rate before you start; the owner's price table carries no date
What to ask before you pay
9
9 questions, each one tied to something this boat does not publish. Almost none of the cruise pages we surveyed tells you what to ask. Take this list to whoever quotes you.

The moneyWhere the spread hides

How much is the Hanoi transfer, and is it shared or private?
Our sources agree it is not in the fare, but none of them publishes the price. Ask for both options — the gap between a seat on a shared van and a private car is usually the biggest single add-on.
What is the single-occupancy supplement?
Not published by any source we read. Common on this coast and often +50% or more.
Child and infant rates?
Not published for this boat by any source we read — the child tables we found are the sellers’ own, identical across every boat they list. Ask for the age bands, not just the discount.

The logisticsThe mistakes that cost a morning

Confirm it is Ha Long International Cruise Port.
The piers serving these bays are roughly twenty minutes apart and drivers do occasionally go to the wrong one.
What time is check-in, and what time is cabin checkout?
No source we read publishes either for this boat. Confirm both when you book, especially if you have a flight on the last day.
Which stops does the 3 days · 2 nights add?
The route list we publish is the union across itineraries; no source says which legs the longer trip reaches. This is usually the reason to take it.

If it goes wrongNobody publishes this — get it in writing

What happens if the port closes for weather?
The provincial authority closes the port and every boat stays in. No source publishes this operator’s policy. Ask whether it is a refund or a date change, in writing.
Which cancellation ladder applies to your booking, and what deposit?
We found 7 different ladders across our sources for boats on this coast — free cancellation ends anywhere from 15 to 30 days out. It depends on who you book through, not on this boat. Get yours in writing before the deposit.
Is a cave closure refunded or substituted?
Caves close at short notice here. Substitution is normal; a refund is not. Worth knowing which you are agreeing to.
We do not host guest reviews yet, and we will not reprint a score we cannot audit. This list is what we would want in their place — take it to whoever quotes you, us included.
Boarding times and the cancellation ladder

The boat's own timings

No source we read publishes check-in or checkout times for Starlight Cruise. Ask when you book — on this coast checkout is usually between 09:30 and 11:00, and the difference decides whether you get a last morning on the water.

Cancellation — not a property of this boat

We checked every cancellation ladder in our sources. They differ by who you book through, not by which boat you sail: the same boat carries different terms on different listings. So we will not print one and call it Starlight Cruise's policy.

Across the 7 distinct ladders we found, free cancellation ends somewhere between 15 and 30 days before check-in. After that the fee climbs to 100%.

See the 7 ladders we found
  • More than 30 days ahead 0%30-11 days ahead 15%10-7 days ahead 30%Under 7 days 100%
  • More than 30 days ahead 0%29-15 days ahead 25%14-7 days ahead 50%6-3 days ahead 75%
  • More than 15 days ahead 0%15-10 days ahead 50%9-3 days ahead 75%
  • More than 15 days ahead 0%14-10 days ahead 50%9-4 days ahead 70%
  • More than 30 days ahead 0%30-7 days ahead 20%6-3 days ahead 50%Under 3 days 100%
  • More than 21 days ahead 0%7-20 days ahead 30%3-7 days ahead 50%
  • More than 30 days ahead 0%30-7 days ahead 10%6-3 days ahead 50%Under 3 days 100%

Get the ladder in writing from whoever quotes you, before you pay a deposit.

Where it goes — 4 published stops
  1. Ha Long International Cruise Port
  2. Sung Sot Cave
  3. Titop Island
  4. Luon Cave

Stops as published across the sources we track. Operators reorder them with the tide and the weather, and the provincial authority can close a cave at short notice.

Which pier does Starlight Cruise leave from?

Ha Long International Cruise Port. The piers serving these bays are roughly twenty minutes apart and drivers do occasionally go to the wrong one, so name it when you arrange your own transfer.

What do you not know about this boat?

No source we checked publishes: capacity. A further 7 figures rest on a single source. We would rather say that than fill the gap with a guess. If the operator sends us the figures we will publish them and date them.

Specifications · cross-checked 10 Oct 2026

Sheet HL-26
Corroborated · 3 figuresTwo or more of the sources we read publish it
Cabins ⓘ
32
Launched ⓘ
2013
Departs from ⓘ
Ha Long International Cruise Port
Single source · 7 figuresOnly one of the sources says so — confirm before you rely on it
Hull ⓘ
Steel
Bay ⓘ
Ha Long Bay
Decks ⓘ
4
Length overall ⓘ
58
Jacuzzi ⓘ
Yes
Spa ⓘ
Yes
Kayaking ⓘ
Yes
Unknown · 1 figureNobody publishes these, and we would rather say so than guess
Guests at capacity ⓘ
Not published

Read for this boat: operator, source-1, source-2 — one dot per source, filled when that many publish the figure. 7 figures rest on a single source — confirm before relying on them. How we verify

Where this price sits in the bay

From$219
half the cheapest cabin for two, read 10 Oct 2026
$100$150$200$250$300this boat
This boat · #21 of 22 priced on Ha Long BayThe other 21 priced boats · median $167

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.

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