We have just finished our 3N/4D cruise with Stellar of the Seas and have had an AMAZING time. First we would say 1 night is definitely not enough. We’d recommend the 3 night but definitely 2 nights minimum. The boat is prepared beautifully on arrival and all the cabins are clean and comfortable with spectacular views from the balcony. If you can pay a little extra, it’s definitely worth going for the Senior or Presidential Suite! There is a wide variety of food and they are happy to swap any courses you don’t like. The trips are well organised and we went to see Viet Haì village on Cat Ba island and did kayaking through the “Dark & Bright” cave and lagoon, which was fun and all free by the cruise. But the best thing about this cruise is the people. Tracy was the cruise manager and she always greeted us with a smile and checked in on us a few times a day. We had some noisy neighbours one night and she was kind enough to upgrade us to a Senior suite, which was beautiful. She kept everything running very smoothly. Tiet (or Ting) was the tour guide and we often saw him around the boat when not on trips, and when doing the squid fishing at night. He was very knowledgeable and a genuinely nice person to talk to. We were very lucky to have Sam allocated to us as our butler and he was the best! He was very thoughtful and kind, and made up our room with flowers & a cake when we mentioned we were on our delayed honeymoon trip. He made us sandwiches after we got back late from the trip one day and was always there to help us at breakfast, lunch and dinner. He was excellent and really made our trip very very special! Thank you all so much x

We had noisy guests next door one night, but Tracy was very kind and upgraded us to a Suite.

This experience exceeded my expectations. I had previously traveled to Thailand and believed that I had seen all I needed to see in terms of Limestone and comparable nature that I almost did not book this. I know now how wrong I was to assume that because not only was the nature beyond what I could have ever envisioned, the staff made it worth every penny. Shout out to Thinh, Tracy and Helen who made my stay unforgettable and to Jay who captured my once in a lifetime drone photos. They were kind, considerate and provided above and beyond service - they were always so welcoming and warm. It was hard not to feel well taken care of the entire stay and I'm forever grateful to this team and the entire boat staff. I chose the 3day/2night package because I did not want to rush, and give myself enough time to participate in as many activity offerings as possible. I kayaked and paddle boarded several times in the bay, swam in the back of the ship in a pool designed to keep jelly fish at bay, awoke early to learn Tai Chi, made spring rolls, went squid fishing, rode on a local boat, did the Cat Ba excursion and celebrated milestones with travelers onboard. Sometimes as a solo traveler there as instances where you participate in a tour and worry about feeling alone or left out. While on this boat, I felt so welcomed and included by the staff that I will forever recommend not only shelling out the extra money for this nice ship and level of service, but also the length of time (3days/2nights) to get to know all these joyus individuals. Thinh the cruise director really was an absolute gem, he was so enthusiastic about sharing the history and geography and showing me how beautiful different parts of Ha Long Bay and beyond are. I spent a lot of time with Thinh because he was everywhere! He was up first thing in the morning teaching Tai Chi, helping with Kayaking/Paddle boarding, leading the excursions, and then ending the night with demonstrating squid fishing!

Booking this cruise has been one of the best decisions I've made! Sam has made my experience on Stellar of the Seas cruise so amazing. His attention to detail and attentiveness made the trip so amazing. He was constantly going above and beyond to help my friends and I out - from taking amazing photos for us to helping us eat some of the food - his service never ceased to amaze me. Sam left a huge impression on me and I hope I get to see him again when I book Stellar of the Seas cruise in the near future :) All the staff has made the experience so easy for me. Even before arriving, the staff had reached out to me through messages to arrange pick up and drop off and explaining all the options. Check-in was such a breeze and I loved that they had a detailed itinerary. Although I only stayed 2 days and 1 night, it was all I could ever ask for. The cruise was extremely clean and I loved the rooms we stayed in. The staff even arranged for the 4 of us to have connecting rooms. The food was amazing and different than anything I have ever tried (BBQ dinner at night was spectacular and the taro balls are so addicting to eat - I don't even like taro). The activities were great and I love that it is not overcrowded on the cruise. In general, everything is so professional and so clean. The staff here really make you feel so special and are so accommodating in many ways. This was so worth the money and I cannot wait to book this again! Thank you again Sam!

The staff are incredibly attentive and really friendly, they really do make this feel like a special experience. I would like to give a particular shout out to Kevin, Tracy and Thinh who were fantastic and looked after us for the 3 days - but it has to be said that all the staff were brilliant. We stayed 2 nights which I think is perfect, 1 is not enough I don’t think. take your time and enjoy it! A key difference with this boat and others is it is not overcrowded. It feels exclusive because they don’t take on too many guests at once. I researched a lot before doing a cruise in Ha Long Bay and I have no regrets that I chose Stellar, it was excellent.

nothing.

Booked the junior suite with private balcony for 3D2N and it was the best decision ever, worth every cent. The bed was perfect, the food incredible (and generous, you will need to waddle carefully from the table), my cabin had me squeeing with joy and sending photos to my jealous friends. One of the passengers had his birthday and they surprised him with a cake and song at dinner. I spent a night just sitting on deck looking at the night sky and photographing the boats. You can start the morning kayaking after breakfast (the water is quite calm and there’s loads of sea hawks, they do drone photography of you in the water) and go for a swim in the sea at the afternoon. The sunsets and sunrises are so beautiful. The trip to Cat Ba island includes a swim in one of the many beaches in the area, and at night you can have a bubble bath whilst looking out the window at the limestone islands. Stellar puts A LOT of effort into making your stay seamless, from pick up to drop off, leaving snacks (with hand written notes!) in your bedroom, good night letters, and multiple staff members working tirelessly to make the experience perfect. You get assigned a butler who ensures you don’t forget meals, answers any questions, handles your drinks etc and just problem solves everything. Mine was a wonderful young woman named Alice who couched me through pronouncing my favorite dishes in Vietnamese and how to drink coffee like a local. Our guide (his name escapes me, I’m so sorry!) answered our numerous questions about every single tree/bird/animal we saw. And on the final day James handled numerous people all leaving for different destinations all over Vietnam with aplomb (I would have screamed with frustration which is why I left the service and tourism industry). The level of service is insane, hats off to everyone.

breakfast is 06.45-08.15, and your probably thinking “I can skip that, it’s just breakfast, how good can it be anyway?”. Do NOT skip breakfast. Then go kayak.

We saw a lot of ships as we cruised around and it was obvious ours was one of the best. Great to have the pool. It was the team that made the trip special, more so than anything else. Sam looked after us during our time on the boat and he couldn’t do enough for us. Absolute sweetheart. We did an activity every day but the highlight was a hike and cave tour with James who is the ultimate professional. He knows how to be there when you need him but also give you your private time which is important when its a small tour. Really great guy. Final thing to note is it's astounding how organised everything is on the boat. When they say something happens at a certain time they mean it. That level of reliability takes all the stress out of travel. Well done to the team who were perfect.

The food was good but not 10/10, and I had a massage that removed a layer of skin from my back which still has not healed! That's the only reason for the 9/10 rating but I doubt there is a better cruise around.

We stayed 4 nights 5 days, which was long by the cruise standards. However, we loved every second of it. Our butler Robin (Tam) was exceptional. It didn't feel like we stayed too long as the crew and Tam made sure every day was a little bit different. The food was exceptional, beautiful welcome bbq the first night and we had a different set menu every night thereafter. You will never go hungry on this cruise. You can order free room service but I was so full from breakfast lunch and dinner I didn't need to. Our butler also brought us snacks after going out, sandwiches and cake! The room was so lovely and comfy, everything is thought of. The bed was huge, the patio at the back so great for relaxing. There are daily tours around the bay and to Cat Ba island, Tin the guide was so knowledgeable and showed us all the amazing parts of the island. The spa was excellent. Wifi was patchy but Robin helped my husband to get a good signal so he could do work. Overall, it was such an amazing 5 days. My husband and I are already talking about coming back.

Nothing!!!

This has to be the best Halong Bay cruise. I booked a senior suite for two nights and the room was perfect, with all the facilities anyone would need. The staff, in particular Peter my butler and Abby the customer services representative made sure that I had everything I needed at all times during my stay. They both went above and beyond to make me comfortable. I had a bad head cold during my visit and they really made sure that I was looked after! The food on board was amazing, especially the breakfast and the cocktails were excellent. I cannot recommend this cruise highly enough!

The mini golf course was under repair, but I don't think I would have used it anyway as I was travelling alone.

This was the first time we've ever been on a cruise. We decided to go with the 2 night 3 day option. Everyone gets a butler on the ship. Eddie was assigned to us as our butler, and he made it a truly enjoyable experience. His attention to detail created several romantic memories for my wife and I. He did a great job at sharing with us details about the food, culture, and environment. He knew we were going to Da Nang and a few other places after the cruise, so he sent us a list of recommendations on where to go and what to eat while we're there. The idea that he was looking to help us even beyond the cruise was truly amazing. Abby did a wonderful job at making sure our room accommodations were perfectly suited to our needs, which she truly excelled at it.

wifi, but was understandable that it wasn't available all the time

We had an incredible stay here in Halong Bay with Steller of the Seas! Jackie Chan was an incredible butler who was attentive, funny and enjoyable to have (amazing singer!) Jay was also incredible with the management of activities and so on. They organised an extremely lovely honeymoon congratulations for us (singing, cake, sparklers, a room upgrade, bed decorations and so on!) We would 1000% come back again, hopefully with our relatives. We truly enjoyed ourselves and had a brilliant honeymoon trip here. We’re happy we stayed for 2 nights and joined all the activities. For sure, we will get a Vietnamese ID to stay here

Absolutely nothing. All was perfect