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Ha Long Bay Heritage Line Ginger feedback?
Still trying to find anyone who may have done an overnight on Ha Long Bay, and specifically used the Heritage Line? Looking at their Ginger ship. Thank you for any feedback.
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I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I did find a photo of the port and drummers that greeted us there. Back then we used our big cameras more often so not many here on my iPad. Still think it might be worth emailing the hotel concierge to see if they can company Tauck used to use for the overnight tour or Tauck. I see our photo was in 2018
There was a large terminal building where we all waited to board our ship, which was a small wooden ship, nice cabins.
Thanks British. You are always so prompt and helpful for everyone!
I was hoping for recent feedback from the Tauck crowd while waiting for the concierge to respond. This seems to be a Tauck-level cruising experience, so I figured it would be worth it to ask.
If you're going to fly all the way to Hanoi, I think Ha Long Bay is not to be missed. I can't offer any advice but I think you'll enjoy your time there.
Our flight arrangements didn't allow us to do an overnight but even just spending a day on the bay was worth while.
I hope you enjoy it. Please let us know how things go for you and how you felt about it.
I just realized I'm repeating my previous post, apologies for that. But hopefully I can catch someone else's attention.
Mike, it's partially due to your photos that I'm looking to do this! Thanks.
Hi, Wan! We did an overnight to Ha Long Bay which I 💯 recommend!! However, we did not take the Ginger; we went with Indochina Junk - sailing on their medium size boat (Dragon Pearl) which is a wooden junk boat. It’s definitely not luxurious like the Heritage Line boats, but we really enjoyed it. The scenery is amazing. We had reached out to the concierge at the Sofitel Metropole for recommendations. They recommended the Ginger and the Violet that was also in the Heritage Line. That line is definitely more luxurious than what we did. Since we were traveling with Tauck, I believe the concierge recommended something that would be on par with what you would expect as a Tauck traveler. (They did not mention Indochina Junk.) But we figured we were going to get luxury throughout the Tauck tour, so we were o.k with a more rustic experience for Ha Long Bay, especially because the price was right! 😉 Also our cruise went to Bai Tu Long - much less crowded than Ha Long Bay, so that figured into our decision. I think anything on Heritage Line would be great. I believe the Ginger goes to Lan Ha Bay (also less crowded than Ha Long Bay.) Our boat was much more basic but served our purposes. (And they gave us quite a spread of food at meals including much fresh seafood.) We did seriously look at the Ginger but ultimately we went with Indochina Junk which was more budget-friendly - but if you want a more upscale experience, go with the Ginger (I believe our travel book recommended Heritage Line, too.) Just don’t miss Ha Long Bay - it’s spectacular!! And a highlight of Viet Nam!
Before we went to Hanoi, I had contacted Indochina Junk. They had a smaller boat, named L'Amour, with only one bedroom and the price was not too bad. If you want a private experience, ask about that.
[Side note: The Vietnamese fried spring rolls are called chả giò and are excellent. When I served in Vietnam we used to order that and eat them with nước mắm, a sauce that you dipped the chả giò into before taking a bite. We always ate them with our hands (thumb and one finger, actually, but you can use chopsticks). Ask that they include that in your meal(s). I never found nước mắm in the US as good as I had in Vietnam.
I really enjoyed Vietnamese food. There was a pork dish with a lot of sauce served over a crispy rice vermicelli. And dishes with a soft rice vermicelli, and many others. They made a sweet and sour fish that was wonderful. Just on and on.
In the US they often cut the chả giò into smaller pieces so people can eat it with chopsticks but in Vietnam they were served uncut. They're just a round roll, maybe 3/4 of an inch in diameter and perhaps 3-4 inches long filled with ground pork and some vegtables. ]
Thanks for the feedback buonviaggio! That is very reassuring. We also considered Indochina Junk, on the Dragon Legend. We figured since we are saving a night in a hotel, might as well splurge. (Also it is a big birthday!)
Mike, I love the food primer. We are definitely looking forward to that!