Capella Cruise Halong Bay: An honest review (2024)

All about Capella Cruise Halong Bay

What is Capella Cruise?

Capella Cruise is a luxury cruise in Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.

The Capella offers premium multi-night cruises, with 5* service, stylish rooms, fantastic food, and an itinerary that combines outdoor adventures and relaxation. The dream!

Where does Capella Cruise go?

Capella Cruise navigates the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay and neighbouring Lan Ha Bay, floating past limestone karsts, hidden bays and remote villages.

The exact itinerary depends on weather conditions as well as the length of your cruise, but typical stops include Viet Hai Village, Dark and Bright Cave, Ba Trai Dao beach and Trung Trang Cave.

How big is the Capella boat?

The boat is 68m long and has a capacity of 80 guests across 30 cabins, plus 45ish onboard staff.

How long is the cruise?

Capella Cruise has three options:

We did the 4D3N option.

On day one of your trip you check in at their port lounge at 11.30am, and it takes about 45 minutes to get to the boat.

On the final day of your cruise you leave the boat at 10.30am, returning back to land at around 11.15am.

What does Capella Cruise include?

Your booking on Capella Cruise includes:

Boat transfer from Halong Bay port to the boat
Three (delicious!) meals a day, mix of buffet and set menu
Pre-dinner snacks
Comfortable cabins with a bathtub and private balcony
On-board activities like kayaks, inflatable waterslide, cooking demonstration, movie nights with popcorn, and squid fishing
Sightseeing excursions like cave trips, village visits and beach stops
Access to all boat facilities like the swimming pool, fitness room, karaoke room and rooftop sundeck
Excellent service from a super friendly English-speaking crew

Your booking doesn’t include:

Transfer from Hanoi to Halong Bay (you can add on the Capella transfer when you book or book a private transfer)
Alcoholic beverages
Services at the beauty spa on the Capella

Does Capella Cruise have good reviews?

Absolutely, that’s why I booked it! Reviews are gospel to me, I’ll always do my research before locking in any travel plans.

You can click on the links below to read the reviews about Capella from previous customers:

How do you book Capella Cruise?

You can book Capella Cruise direct on their website >>

A detailed and honest review of Capella Cruise

Arrival to the cruise

After our private transfer to Halong Bay (which was terrible by the way, I do not recommend Viet Technology Travel, sub-par cars and dangerous driving!), we arrived at the Capella departure lounge for check in at 11.30am. We had our suitcases tagged and taken while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

We jumped on the small transfer boat at about 11.45am to set off for Capella, it was a pretty smooth ride and Tom (the cruise manager, a.k.a. Tom Cruise) used the time to explain the boat’s facilities and our cruise itinerary.

Once we arrived at the boat we got a welcome drink, received our wristband room key, and had a quick moment to check out our floating home before lunch was served.

Staying in the Sky Terrace

I stayed in the Sky Terrace Suite, which was A-MAAAZING. I would be stoked with this room in a normal hotel, let alone one with ever-changing Halong Bay views!

My bedroom had a king bed, a chair and table, a proper work desk, a couch at the end of the bed, and enough space to keep my suitcase out of the way.

The bathroom was spacious too, with this dreamy bathtub and some of the best bath views I’ve ever had on my travels.

And to top it all off, I had a huge balcony right at the back of the boat, overlooking the swimming pool and with more than enough space to soak up the sun or to sit under the shade and enjoy the views.

Staying in the Sky Suite

My parents stayed in the Sky Suite, just across the hall from me on the 3rd deck in a smaller (but still epic) room.

They had a king bed, chair and table, small desk, a balcony on the side of the ship with space for two chairs, and a bathroom with a bathtub too.

Other room types

There are a few other room types on the ship depending on what you’re looking for, and every single room has a bathtub as well as a private balcony.

The most affordable rooms are the Oasis Suites on the first floor, then the Harmony Suites on the second floor, then the Sky Suites (what my parents stayed in) on the third floor. All of these are 32m² with a similar layout, you just pay more to have a more elevated view.

The Sky Terrace Suite (my room) is bigger at 45m², with a much larger balcony.

The next step up is La Suite de Capella, 57m² with lush furnishings inside for ultimate relaxation.

And finally, there’s the Owner Suite, the pinnacle of luxury in Halong Bay and totally worth the splurge for a special occasion. You’ll get 92m² of space, with a standalone bathtub, comfy indoor seating, and a huge balcony right at the front of the ship.

The food & drinks

One of the main reasons I chose the Capella was because of their dining reviews, food is one of my top priorities while travelling, so this can be make or break for me.

I’m stoked to say that the dining experiences onboard the Capella exceeded my (very high) expectations, not only from a taste perspective but in terms of visual presentation too. I mean, look at this plating!

Breakfast was buffet-style with breads, pastries, cereals, hot food like sausages, baked beans, eggs, noodles, fresh fruit, and a plated dish each morning too which varied, like French toast.

Lunch was a combo of buffet and set menu each day, with Vietnamese, other Asian and Western food on offer.

The buffet had a fantastic range of salads, seafood, stir fries, fried rice, sushi, sashimi, meat dishes, veggies, fresh fruit and desserts.

And on top of that (yes, seriously!) there were also two or three courses brought out to the table, like soup, bun cha, or this impressive-looking pineapple fried rice.

Dinner was a five course set menu, which changed each night depending on what itinerary you had booked. Each menu included two smaller appetisers, a soup, a hearty meat or seafood dish, and a dessert.

Here’s an example menu for you:

P.S. seabass with passionfruit sauce was an unexpectedly delicious pairing!

Other dishes we had were grilled cheese shrimps (10/10 honestly), salmon and avocado salad, hazelnut truffle soup, steak, octopus and pomelo salad (also an unexpected pairing), passionfruit sorbet, and a mango chili dessert cocktail.

The food was fresh, healthy, and plentiful, I literally cannot fault the chefs even a tiny bit. Five stars from me!

The only bad thing about the dining on Capella is that outside of the set meal times, your options are pretty limited. If you’re a snacker (hi, me too 🙋🏼‍♀️) you’ll want to bring some chips, crackers, chocolate etc. with you.

Breakfast is horrendously early for a holiday, as in 6.30am-7.30am, because the day trips start soon after that to avoid the big crowds and day trippers. I’m a late sleeper (and late riser) so 6.30am is literally like the middle of the night for me, my body cannot handle a full meal at that time so I actually skipped it on two days.

After you get back from the morning excursion lunch isn’t until 12.30-1pm-ish, so that’s a long wait between meals if you’re not used to it, or if you didn’t eat at all 🙃

After lunch there’s downtime on the ship and in the bay, then in the early evening there’s a happy hour at the lounge which has buy-two-get-one-free cocktails as well as free snacks, just a simple range of nuts, shrimp crackers and fruit.

There’s also a cooking demonstration (and competition!) to make deep fried spring rolls and then they serve them afterwards, so if you’re starving by this stage just use these to tide you over.

Dinner is at 7pm each night, and if you need something more later in the evening there’s free popcorn at the movie night!

Things to do on the ship

The ship itself is one of the best-equipped in the bay, with the following facilities on board:

Heated swimming pool and jacuzzi with magical views
Inflatable waterslide (the only one in Halong Bay on an overnight cruise, only day cruises have them)
Inflatable swimming pool behind the boat
Kayaks and paddleboards to use in the bay
Sundeck with loungers
Cigar and poker lounge
Karaoke lounge (inside and sound-proofed)
Small fitness room
Their website says mini golf course but I think that’s being a bit generous, it’s just a putting green with a couple of holes and no obstacles haha
Beauty spa (additional cost)
A range of activities run by the staff each day, including cooking demos, movie nights, tai chi sessions, squid fishing, a traditional tea ceremony, and a poker tournament

Excursions from the ship

Your excursions will depend on how many nights you’re on the ship and they’re dependent on weather conditions, but some common excursions include the following 👇🏼

Viet Hai Village

Choose from a bike rental or electric buggy for the gloriously beautiful 6km journey through immense landscapes to reach the village, where you can learn about local wine-making and farming techniques, visit a traditional village house, and get a fish foot massage.

Ba Trai Dao Beach

This secluded little sandy patch lets you enjoy the bay’s emerald water away from the crowds. We were the only people here when we went, a nice change from my last cruise where we were one boat of 15 at the same beach!

Trung Trang Cave

The biggest stalactite cave in Cat Ba National Park 😲

Dark & Bright Cave

Take a traditional rowboat through a low-ceiling cave, and keep an eye out for the critically endangered Cat Ba langur! This place gets BUSY really early but Capella always aims to be one of the first groups there, meaning you can get straight on the rowboat and enjoy the views without having to wait at the pier for an hour.

If weather impacts any of these excursions then the back ups are generally an oyster farm or fishing village

The excursions for Halong Bay cruises are pretty much standard across all the cruise companies, the important things to check are the timing (do you get there early enough to avoid the day cruises) and if the beach stops are private/remote or if they’re the main stops with loads of other boats.

The staff

The service level on the Capella was honestly outstanding, the staff are what really takes the cruise experience to the next level.

Every single staff member I spoke to was kind, friendly and helpful, most of the customer-facing staff are fluent in English so if you’re concerned about the language barrier there is no issue here, and they’re all keen to chat and share their experiences of growing up in Vietnam.

Special mention to Jojo, Timmy, Gin, Steven and Chris for answering my (many) questions about Halong Bay and northern Vietnam, Dylan and Max for their brilliant service in the restaurant, and Tom for keeping things running smoothly even when weather wasn’t on our side.

Sustainability on the Capella

Halong Bay is at a bit of a tipping point from a sustainable tourism perspective (more on that soon), so it was super important for me to find a cruise that had this as a priority within their business.

Capella Cruise has a bunch of eco-friendly programmes in place to protect the bay they call home, including finding sustainable alternatives for single use plastic, offering water refill stations onboard, doing monthly rubbish clean ups in the water, and implementing energy-reducing air con systems, amongst other things.

Halong Bay & Capella Cruise FAQs

When is the best time to visit Halong Bay?

It really depends on what you’re going for!

Weather-wise you’ll typically find the best conditions from March-May and September-November, but the good weather brings higher tourist numbers.

Summer (June-August) is hot and humid with a higher chance of disruptive weather, but that risk brings better deals (especially last minute ones) and fewer crowds.

Winter (December-February) is much cooler and more pleasant in terms of temperature, but it can be super foggy. Great for moody vibes, not great if you’re looking for the iconic emerald waters and blue skies you’ve seen in photos.

When is Halong Bay’s typhoon season?

June, July and August bring unpredictable weather to this part of Vietnam, and there is a risk of typhoons which can cause major damage.

We visited in late July 2024 and had no major weather issues, there was a bit of heavy rain on one evening which cancelled a cave trip for safety reasons, but apart from that we had blue skies and calm conditions.

However, at the time of writing (September 2024) Typhoon Yagi has just wreaked havoc in northern Vietnam, with dangerous seas, floods and road closures impacting locals and tourists alike. There have unfortunately been deaths from the storm, though from what’s been reported I believe these are mostly from landslides, flooding and road accidents in rural Vietnam rather than in Halong Bay itself.

The main weather risk in Halong Bay is that your cruise would get delayed or cancelled, or that the highway would close and you wouldn’t be able to make it between the bay and Hanoi, rather than an actual safety risk.

If you’re concerned about inclement weather then go in the calmer months (October-May to be safe), otherwise just make sure you have a good travel insurance policy that covers travel delays or cancellations due to weather issues, and keep on top of the local weather conditions during your trip.

Is Halong Bay or Lan Ha Bay better?

The Capella Cruise actually sails through both Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay, and these days many cruise companies use the term ‘Halong Bay’ to refer to the whole area, though many boats might take you through both bays.

Halong Bay is more recognised as a destination, but Lan Ha Bay has been building up a reputation as a less crowded option. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.

Lan Ha Bay has fewer boats but also covers a smaller area, so the density of boats is pretty similar. Don’t just book Lan Ha expecting to get a more remote and secluded experience, there’s no escaping other tourists when you visit this part of the world.

Can you do a day trip on Capella Cruise from Hanoi?

Capella doesn’t run day trips in Halong Bay, they only offer overnight trips.

How do you get to Capella Cruise in Halong Bay?

You can book a transfer through Capella when you book your cruise (or after you’ve booked) which will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi in a premium van with other Capella guests, this costs 30USD per person one way or 46USD per person return.

If there’s two or more of you, or if you just want a quick and efficient trip, private transfers from Hanoi to Halong Bay are very affordable. We paid 54USD each way for an SUV for three of us so 108USD return, vs. 138USD if the three of us joined the group transfer.

P.S. Book your transfer (or any other Vietnam activity!) through Klook and use the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK to get 10% off.

Is there WiFi on Capella Cruise?

The ship does have WiFi access in some public areas, but the coverage is very poor and intermittent (and this is the same for most ships in Halong Bay based on the reviews I have read.

There is some 4G coverage depending on what SIM you use, but I’d recommend just switching your out-of-office on and enjoying some time off the grid.

*Capella superstars Gin & Jojo prepping the cooking demonstration*

Are kids allowed on Capella Cruise?

Capella Cruise allows children, on our first night we had two kids on the cruise, the second night there were five, and on the final night there were 10. There are kid-friendly facilities and activities, like the waterslide, inflatable pool, squid fishing, cooking demo and movie night.

Most of the kids were super chill, buttttt a couple of them were not super chill 🫠 running through the restaurant almost tripping over waiters, screaming from the deck for an hour while their parents were out kayaking, jumping into the pool splashing everyone sitting in the loungers, watching Netflix on full volume at the dinner table in a full restaurant. Honestlyyyy how do the parents think this is okay 🙃

This is the reality of travel though, kids have just as much right to explore the world as we adults do, and unless you book an adults-only experience, this is a risk. The Capella is a premium product and isn’t especially family-focused, so I’d say they probably have fewer kids on board than many other ships in the bay.

From what I can see, there are no overnight adults-only luxury cruises in Halong Bay. There are some party-focused cruises which are less likely to have kids on them but the noise of tantrums will be replaced by all-night karaoke, so it’s up to you which is worse.

If you have found an adults-only luxury cruise then please tell me, so I can update this!

Does Halong Bay look like it does on social media?

I would be doing you a disservice without bringing up the disparity between what you might have seen online and what the reality of Halong Bay is.

It’s beautiful, of course! The water is truly that emerald green, the cliffs really are that high, and it does feel like you’re sailing through remote islands in the Jurassic period.

But there are two things that will pull you out of that fantasy: trash in the water, and the sheer number of boats.

Halong Bay (and Lan Ha too) has a major pollution problem, and it’s really, really depressing to see. It’s not obvious throughout the whole bay, but you might see floating masses of rubbish stuck in a small inlet, or a stream of rubbish being taken by the current as you sail through the islands.

*Floating rubbish all through this little inlet*

The trash can be attributed to a number of things, including lack of waste infrastructure, unsustainable tourism growth, lack of education and plastic alternatives for local villages and fishermen, tourists behaving badly, and weather patterns that bring rubbish down the rivers that feed into the bay.

These problems plague many developing countries around the world, I saw the same thing while diving in Borneo, travelling in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives local islands.

As tourists there are a few things we can do to help, or at least to avoid adding to the problem:

Reduce single use plastic use as much as you can, especially while travelling in Southeast Asia where so much plastic ends up in the ocean
Choose cruise and tourism operators with sustainable travel policies
Participate in clean ups if you ever get the chance while travelling

*Yes, that’s trash floating in the background of this photo*

The other thing that kind of dulls the magic of Halong Bay is the number of boats, literally too many to count. Of course if you’re on a cruise then you’re part of the problem (as was I!) so I’m certainly not telling people not to go, but I think it’s important to know just so you can manage your expectations.

There were some moments on our cruise where we were the only boat in sight, but for a lot of it we were one of 20, 30, 40 that you could spot along the horizon.

Tourism brings huge benefit to the region too, Halong Bay is a major income source for the local economy and has created tens of thousands of job opportunities for locals who otherwise would be limited to rural work, so there’s a good side to all this too.

I just think that the bay (and the whole of Vietnam really) is currently going through the tricky process of finding the balance between the positives and negatives of tourism growth.

Is Halong Bay worth it?

I actually wrote a full post on whether Halong Bay is worth it or not after my last (disappointing) trip back in early 2020, so I’ll be updating that soon with my more recent, and more positive, experience.

It’s a tough question, and the answer really is that it totally depends on your travel priorities, your travel style, your timeframe and your budget.

The issues in Halong Bay in terms of trash in the water and the sheer number of boats are impossible to ignore, if these things are going to ruin your experience then you might want to reconsider your trip and go somewhere else instead.

If you can manage your expectations around those two things, I do think the insane scenery is worth it, provided you book a decent cruise.

Booking with any old boat could really hamper your experience, going only to touristy spots for excursions where you’re sharing the beach with a bunch of other boats, using loads of plastic without any thought of the environment, or with sub-par food and uncomfortable rooms. Believe me, I made this mistake the first time!

If you’ve got a bit of room in your budget, booking a top-rated boat like the Capella will make all the difference.

Private balconies with mind-blowing views, 5* dining, comfortable and luxurious rooms, an infinity pool and jacuzzi, and an inflatable waterslide and kayaks waiting for you to give them a go, combined with world-class service and a genuine commitment to sustainable tourism in Halong Bay, make the Capella Cruise one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had.

I hope this detailed Capella Cruise review for Halong Bay has helped you figure out if it’s the right cruise for you. If you have any questions about the cruise please let me know in the comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Safe travels!

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MY GO-TO TRAVEL PLANNING RESOURCES

Flights ✈️ I use Skyscanner to find the best flights for my trip and then I’ll always book direct with the airline to protect myself from having to deal with dodgy third parties if anything goes wrong.

Trains 🚂 If I’m travelling through Europe, I try to travel by train wherever possible! For an extended trip (2+ weeks) I’ll calculate if a Eurail Pass is worth it, or I’ll book point-to-point tickets through RailEurope or the local train operator.

Accommodation 🛎️ I book almost all of my accommodation through booking.com, they have a user-friendly website + app and many of their options are free cancellation, easily cancelled with a simple click of a button.

Activities 🗽I use GetYourGuide, Klook and Viator to look for activities in the places I visit, or I just Google ‘things to do in [city]’! P.S. If you book anything on Klook you can use the promocode FINDINGALEXXKLOOK to get 10% off

Travel cards 💳 I’m a Wise gal through and through, they’ve been my chosen travel card for more than five years now. You can easily top up your card from your bank account or through Apple Pay, convert your money to local currency, and spend money with minimal fees and the best exchange rates around.

Travel insurance 🩺 I use Cover-More NZ travel insurance for my own trips, I have a comprehensive policy and I’ve only had good experiences with them. Cover-More also has an Australian company, but if you’re from elsewhere then two popular insurance options for global travellers are SafetyWing (cheaper policy, lower coverage) and World Nomads (more expensive but significantly better coverage).

Luggage 💼 I travel with Samsonite Cosmolite suitcases, one 75cm check in bag and a 55cm carry on bag, and I absolutely adore them and will never travel with anything else! They are SUPER lightweight (2.8kg and 1.9kg respectively) so I have much more space for my actual stuff.

Camera gear 📸 I use a iPhone 15 Pro Max for phone photos/videos, and my camera kit includes a Lumix S9 (incredible lightweight full-frame camera, a game changer for travel creators!) with a 20-60mm lens, a Lumix G9 with an 8-18mm and 12-60mm lens, a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone and a GoPro Hero 10. I do all my writing and editing on my ASUS Zenbook 14, it’s lightweight but powerful enough for photo editing and intense blogging sessions.

Written by:

Alexx

Alexx is the human behind the keyboard and camera here at Finding Alexx. She’s a full-time solo traveller with a passion for finding bucket list experiences, unique stays that are worth writing home about, and those meals you’ll think about for the rest of your life. Having visited more than 60 countries (50 of them solo!), she shares super detailed itineraries and travel guides on the blog, as well as providing an authentic behind-the-scenes look at all her adventures (and misadventures) on Instagram.