Ha Long Bay in December: cool, dry, why reviews dip

December is a cool, dry month on Ha Long Bay, and a sound one for a cruise if you pack for cold evenings. Ten years of modelled weather give December days of 20.9°C, nights of 16.7°C and about four days with rain, and the sea averages 21.1°C, cold enough that a kayak is the likelier way onto the water. Its reviews sit below the yearly average, yet the two most recent Decembers came in level with or better than their own years.

The review figures below come from the 831 guest reviews posted in December, out of 13,074 dated reviews we hold for 76 boats, counted on 28 October 2026. Three boats whose full Google history we hold count only their 700 most recent reviews, so no single boat outweighs the rest. A review’s date is the day it went up, which can be weeks after the trip.

How cold is Ha Long Bay in December?

Mild in the afternoon, cold on deck after dark. The numbers are averages for December across 2016 to 2025 from ERA5 reanalysis, a model grid about 25 km wide that smooths extremes, so treat them as a typical December; they say nothing about your particular night.

December, 2016–2025	Average
Daytime high	20.9°C
Night-time low	16.7°C
Coldest night in the ten years	8.1°C
Rain in the month	19 mm (3 mm in the driest year, 68 mm in the wettest)
Days with 1 mm of rain or more	3.9
Sunshine	6.8 hours a day
Cloud cover	60%
Sea-surface temperature	21.1°C (four Decembers)

Guests mention the cold more often in December than across the year. Cold weather comes up in 12 December reviews once cold food is set aside, more than in any other month; January, next, has 9. One Athena Royal guest posting in early December 2023 found it too chilly to sit out on deck between stops and suggested indoor activities for the colder weeks. Another, posting at the end of December 2022 from La Regina Grand, said there was no hot water in the cold weather.

The catch is that cold lands on the very facilities you may be paying extra for. Another Athena Royal guest, posting on 28 December 2023, had looked forward to the big top-deck jacuzzi on a cold night and found it did not heat up. Three operators say their water is warmed: Ginger’s and Calista’s describe a heated pool, Calista’s open all year, and Nostalgia’s a heated jacuzzi on the sundeck. On any other boat, ask before you count on a warm soak.

Can you swim or kayak in December?

Kayak, yes. Swim, only if you are hardy. A sea at 21.1°C is a long way below the 28.3 to 31.8°C of a summer sea, and the December reviews say so. That is four degrees cooler than November, when the sea averages 25.1°C. A guest who took a three-day trip on Orchid Trendy at the end of December 2024 loved the kayaking and found the sea too cold to swim in.

Kayaking holds up well. It comes up in 9.6% of the 668 classified December reviews, about one in ten and far from rare. Our kayaking guide explains where each bay paddles.

Some boats give you warm water on board instead. A Stellar of the Seas guest posting on 26 December 2024 had good weather and used the pool, which the guest calls heated. A Mon Cheri guest posting on 14 December 2025 sat in the hot infinity pool in cold weather and counts it among the highlights. Ask the operator whether the pool is heated before you book.

Does it rain or get foggy in December?

Rain is rare. An average December brings 19 mm and fewer than four wet days in the ten-year record, which our weather by month sets beside the other eleven. The only December review in our set with a rain word has rose petals raining on arriving guests, and none mentions fog.

For haze, the nearest guide is the cloud figure. Cloud covers 60% of the sky on an average December day and the sun shows for 6.8 hours, which suggests plenty of flat, grey light. That is our reading of the cloud figure.

Storms are not a December problem on our wind record. One of the 50 gustiest days in ten years fell in December, on 28 December 2018 at 68.8 km/h, and the province’s rules for stopping boats in bad weather are set out in the weather guide.

Will it be crowded over Christmas and New Year?

Somewhat busier, by the guests’ own words, and more expensive. Crowd words appear in 3.9% of December text reviews against 2.3% for the year, and crowding as a subject in 7.9% of classified December reviews against 6.5%. The last eleven days of the month also carry the most reviews: 394 posted between the 21st and the 31st, against 189 in the first ten days and 248 in the middle ten, though a posting count is not a headcount.

What guests describe is the excursions. One Alisa Premier guest posting on 8 December 2025 found the outings a bit overcrowded and expected the same on any boat. Another on the same boat, posting on 30 December 2025, thought the visits could have been timed to dodge the worst of it. A Capella guest posting on New Year’s Eve 2024 praised the crew for reaching the popular sites before the big groups. Ask your seller what time the boat reaches the cave.

Expect a holiday surcharge on top of the fare. Of the 139 boats whose inclusions and exclusions we have extracted, 115 list a peak-season surcharge and 88 of those name Christmas. Renea’s terms pin it to 24 and 31 December. Listings written for this season, read on 15 October 2026, put a figure on it: $60 a person on 24 and 31 December for Peony, $45 for Orchid Classic, and 20% of the room rate for Halora Nova. Ask for the total in dollars for your night before you pay.

Why are December reviews worse than average?

Mostly because of when we count, and partly because of older Decembers. As posted, 52 of the 831 December reviews (6.3%) sit at one or two stars, against 587 of 13,074 (4.5%) across all months, which puts December second-weakest on that count, just behind March at 6.4%. The average rating is 4.65 against 4.73. December has no 2026 reviews yet, and 2026 has been a mild year; on the three complete years from 2023 to 2025 alone, December runs at 5.4%, a little better than the 5.6% for all months.

December posted in	Reviews	One or two stars	That whole year
2019	18	3 (16.7%)	4.9%
2022	40	7 (17.5%)	14.2%
2023	71	8 (11.3%)	9.4%
2024	241	15 (6.2%)	6.2%
2025	445	18 (4.0%)	4.8%

Four thinner Decembers (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020) add 16 reviews and one low score.

December 2024 and December 2025 together hold 686 of the 831 reviews and 33 of the 52 low scores, 4.8%, against 5.2% for all twelve months of those two years. The remaining 145 reviews, from 2016 to 2023, carry 19 low scores between them, and 2022 was a poor year overall, with 14.2% of all its reviews at one or two stars.

The late-month figures are harder to read. Thirty-one of the 52 low scores went up between the 21st and the 31st, 7.9% of that stretch’s 394 reviews, against 5.3% in the first ten days and 4.4% in the middle ten.

The subjects do shift. These rows count the 49 low December reviews with classified text against the 490 low reviews across the year. A subject counts once it is mentioned, praise or complaint alike.

Mentioned in a one or two star review	December	All year
The food	65.3%	57.3%
Getting there and back	22.4%	16.1%
Itinerary changed or cut	28.6%	32.7%

Reading the 52 low reviews themselves, seven describe cockroaches or bed bugs on board, six of them in the cabin, spread over six boats and posted between 2019 and 2025. Three describe a booked cruise that was cancelled before the trip began. One, posted on 16 December 2022, had the overnight part of the trip called off for weather. Forty-nine classified reviews is a small base, and the transfer row rests on 11 of them. Our guide to what guests complain about covers the year as a whole.

Which boats held up best in December?

The four boats we publish with the most December reviews all averaged 4.81 or better in the month, counted on 28 October 2026 in the reviews we count. All five in the table pass our ranking rule of at least 100 reviews spread over twelve months or more.

Boat	Bay	December reviews	December average	All-year average	From, two sharing
Stellar of the Seas	Lan Ha	144	5.00	4.99	$366 (read 28 Oct 2026)
Orchid Trendy	Lan Ha	104	4.94	4.92	$165 (read 28 Oct 2026)
Emeraude Classic	Ha Long	62	4.81	4.77	$118 (read 28 Oct 2026)
Alisa Premier	Ha Long	36	4.86	4.89	$155 (read 28 Oct 2026)
Renea	Bai Tu Long	16	4.81	4.78	$130 (read 28 Oct 2026)

Prices are per person for the cheapest cabin on a one-night trip, two sharing. Stellar of the Seas went through 144 December reviews without a low score, and its pool is the one a December guest calls heated. Alisa Premier and Emeraude Classic both sail the Ha Long side. Renea sails Bai Tu Long, on 16 December reviews, which is too few to say more than that it held up. The three bays compared will help you choose between them.

What should you ask before booking a December cruise?

Four questions, all by email so you have the answers in writing. First, is the pool or jacuzzi heated, and is there reliable hot water in the cabin? Second, what is the Christmas or New Year surcharge in dollars for your exact night, and is it already in the price you were quoted? Third, what time does the boat reach the main cave or beach, given that December guests name the excursions as the crowded part. Fourth, if the province stops boats sailing on your date, do you get a new date, a refund, or a partial one? Our cancellation policy guide shows how much the ordinary terms differ, and what is not included lists the other extras to check.

December cruise questions

Is December a good month for a Ha Long Bay cruise? Yes, if you are happy in a jumper on deck. Rain falls on fewer than four days in an average December, and only one of the 50 gustiest days in ten years fell in the month. Reviews posted in December 2024 and 2025 have one or two stars at 6.2% and 4.0%, against their years’ 6.2% and 4.8%. The weak December figure in our month by month comparison is pulled up by the Decembers of 2016 to 2023, when 19 of 145 reviews were low, and by December having no reviews yet from 2026.

What should I pack for December? Warm layers for the evening. Average December nights are 16.7°C, the coldest night in ten years reached 8.1°C, and on an open top deck after dinner it feels colder than that. A light waterproof is enough for rain at 19 mm in a typical month. Bring swimwear only if your boat confirms a heated pool or you are happy in a 21°C sea. January runs colder again, with 15.6°C nights and an 18.6°C sea; our January guide has the figures.

Should I book Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve on board? Only after you have the surcharge in writing. Most boats’ published exclusions list one for Christmas (88 of 139). On lines written for this season, read 15 October 2026, the dollar figures run from $30 to $100 an adult, and our Christmas and New Year guide lists each boat. Guests posting in the last days of December describe crowded excursions, and that stretch carries the month’s highest share of low scores, 7.9% of 394 reviews, though posting dates blur which trips those were.