Review of Stellar of the Seas and Lan Ha Bay: The perfect combo for the family

First of all, the chance that I went to book the Stellar of the Seas ship is because I am looking for a 5-star luxury cruise departing from Tuan Chau Wharf, Quang Ninh because my sister's family is right in Ha Long and I live in Hanoi. Interior. I looked it up online and found this ship to be white, very beautiful, and has a large swimming pool for my 2 kids to play in, so I'm quite satisfied. After contacting Ha Long Cruise, it is known that the ship is visiting Lan Ha Bay and just passing through Ha Long Bay area, I was a bit surprised because I haven't heard much about this area. I continued to learn about Lan Ha Bay and was further explained by my friends that this is a more pristine area, less crowded and just as beautiful as Ha Long Bay. After looking at the specific schedule, I decided to book without hesitation.

The tour booking process was very quick, I was provided with program details as well as information about pick up time in Hanoi. On the day before the tour, the staff carefully called me to confirm the time and told me to bring some essential things to take away, especially at home with young children

On the day of departure, the bus picks up my house at 9:00. My house is the second pick-up point, one more pick-up point is that the car starts off at Tuan Chau wharf. In the car, there are 7 guests and 1 baby in the car sharing the same seat with me, with free water and wifi in the car. The bus stops for 15 minutes at Hai Duong and arrives at the station at 11:40.

The car picks up my house from Hanoi

The train's waiting room is spacious with many seats, air-conditioner and fan, clean toilets. Waiting time to board the train is a bit long (From 11:40 to 12:30) due to a group of guests arriving late. The staff also went to explain to the guests, so I think I can sympathize.

Waiting house at Tuan Chau Wharf

After that, my family was taken to the speedboat and took about 15 minutes to get on the big train. The first impression is that from afar, the ship is very splendid and luxurious. When I stepped on the train, being greeted by the staff made me feel like real VIPs ^^. We went straight to the 3rd floor of the restaurant area under the guidance of the staff to hear the introduction from the train manager. There are 3 stairs at the 2 ends of the train and in the middle of the train to avoid people having to wait for a long time when going upstairs.

The restaurant area is spacious, clean and has a dining table with beautiful knives, forks, glasses and bowls. The restaurant has large glass doors so it is very bright, airy and easy to enjoy the scenery. Outside the restaurant, in front of the ship is a super-wide four-season swimming pool. There are even sun loungers right next to it. My 2 kids kept reminding me that they wanted to jump down to play.

Four seasons swimming pool on board

After the guests had boarded, the manager and a few staff members representing the departments on the ship came up to greet the guests and introduce the detailed schedule for 2 days before we went down to check in.

Our group is on the 1st floor of the connecting room for convenient travel between 2 families and for 2 children to come and play together. In addition to all modern equipment such as TVs, bathtubs, lockers, the room also has safety equipment such as life jackets, emergency hammers, etc. The restroom is also very nice and clean. The room has a balcony and is quite soundproof.

Balcony from my room

Lunch starts at 13:30 according to a set menu prepared in advance. The food includes a variety of seafood dishes and is beautifully decorated. My sister and I were busy taking pictures all the time. My 2 kids eat well but only eat rice and soup.

The first attraction is at Frog Pond. My family does not swim but kayaks around. My baby is not afraid, but very interested, and my sister's baby is a bit shy, so it only takes about 20 minutes for my sister's house to come up.

After returning to the ship, I took advantage of the two children to go to the swimming pool on the deck to play in the water, by the way, to watch the sunset on the bay. I went in May, so the weather is not too hot, the sky is clear and blue, watching the sunset is not bad. The train also has a wine and fruit party at this time, so it is very suitable for sitting on the terrace to chat and admire the scenery. Downstairs there are a few guests playing golf at the mini golf course. No one in my family knows how to play, so I just stopped by for a while and then went straight up on the deck.

Mini golf course

Different from lunch, dinner is a BBQ buffet with a lot of choices from Vietnamese food to Asian food, u, and of course indispensable many fresh seafood dishes such as oysters, shrimp, squid, fish, .. The buffet is located next to the bar and swimming pool, so the feeling of enjoying dinner is very different and interesting.

Hearty and attractive BBQ buffet dinner

After the meal, our family rested a bit and let the two children go down to the first floor to fish for squid at the bottom of the boat. Although he couldn't catch any, he was still very happy. We returned to the room at 10am while other guests continued to fish for squid or went up to the terrace to order drinks and sip together.

On the second day, after having breakfast, we went to visit the Dark and Bright cave. Because the day before yesterday I tried kayaking and was a bit lazy after a day of many activities, so the next day we chose a bamboo boat to sit and relax. The landscape is very peaceful, fresh and airy. After nearly 1 hour of sightseeing, we returned to the ship to change, check out, then return to the restaurant to watch a cooking class and have lunch. Although spring rolls are quite familiar, I sat with 2 children to watch and participate in the package to let them experience. Lunch includes many local dishes, we are all full before leaving the train and getting on the bus back to Hanoi.

General assessment:

• In addition to modern facilities, the ship has many recreational activities that we rarely see in other ships such as mini golf, 4-season swimming pool.
• Although we were also given a drink voucher of 200,000, the price of the drink was a bit high compared to the market price. However, with this quality of service, I think the price is understandable.
• Rooms and facilities: 10/10
• Staff and service: 10/10
• Food: 10/10
• Schedule: 9/10

Above are my personal feelings about the 2 day 1 night trip on the Stellar of the seas. I hope you also have an enjoyable and memorable experience with family and friends. If you are determined to have a luxurious trip of a lifetime, choosing to go to Lan Ha Bay with Stellar of the seas will be a more reasonable choice ;).

See more: Stellar of the Seas . train information and schedule