Calypso Cruise
Launched in 2018, Calypso Cruise is a 4-star steel boat sailing the quieter Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island. Three decks and 20 cabins in a classic Oriental style (deep-brown wood), a restaurant, a bar, a sundeck and - the signature feature - an outdoor jacuzzi pool at the bow for up to 10 guests. The 55m × 10.5m hull carries up to ~50 passengers on the Dark & Bright Cave + Trung Trang Cave route.
Scored by our Halong cruise team, who spend their season on these waters. We rate each boat the way a returning guest would - cabins, dining, crew, itinerary and value - not the way a listing does.
Calypso is a sensible value play - a 2018 four-star steel boat working the calmer, prettier Lan Ha Bay rather than the crowded Halong core, with an outdoor jacuzzi pool at the bow and a Deluxe Balcony room from roughly $145 per guest. The cabins are a fair 20.5m2, but the online rate card lists only two 2-guest categories, so families needing a connecting room have to confirm it off-menu. It carries up to 50 guests across three stair-only decks, so it reads as comfortable rather than intimate or truly plush, and the quoted rates are indicative, with the final rate confirmed at booking.
Choose your suite
Deluxe Cabin
BEST VALUE
Deluxe Balcony
Prices are per cabin, all guests included in USD. Final price is confirmed on WhatsApp before any payment.
Cabin details - Cabins (20 cabins / 3 decks)
Note: a Deluxe Family Connecting appears in the boat's gallery but is not in the online rate card - confirm with the operator for family bookings.
Itinerary
Hanoi - Tuan Chau - Lan Ha Bay - Dark & Bright Cave
- Shuttle pickup at your Hanoi Old Quarter hotel ~08:00-08:30 (add-on), ~2.5h to Tuan Chau Harbor; tender to Calypso ~12:15, welcome drink + safety briefing + check-in; lunch cruising into Lan Ha Bay
- Afternoon: explore Dark & Bright Cave by kayak or bamboo boat; swim / sundeck jacuzzi pool; Happy Hour; hands-on cooking class + food decorating
- Evening: dinner onboard, then squid fishing, the bar or relax in your cabin
Cat Ba Island - Trung Trang Cave - Hanoi
- Sunrise Tai Chi on the sundeck, light breakfast
- ~20-min bus on Cat Ba from Gia Luan Pier to Trung Trang Cave, ~1h guided walk
- Back onboard for a shower, check out ~09:00-09:30; lunch; tender back to Tuan Chau ~11:30, disembark ~noon; transfer to Hanoi ~15:00
Meals
- 2D1N: lunch, dinner, breakfast + brunch. Welcome drink included
Activities
Dark & Bright Cave kayak / bamboo boat, Trung Trang Cave, bow jacuzzi pool, sundeck, cooking class + food decorating, morning Tai Chi, Happy Hour, squid fishing. (3D2N adds Viet Hai Village, Ba Trai Dao Island + Tai Queo Cave.)
What’s included
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Entrance + sightseeing tickets
- All onboard meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner + brunch)
- Accommodation in air-conditioned cabin
- Welcome drink + cold handkerchief
- Tai Chi class + cooking class
- Internet onboard
- Baby cot on request
- Pickup
- Hanoi Old Quarter hotel (shuttle add-on) → Tuan Chau Harbor
- Pickup window
- 08:00-08:30
- Drop-off
- ~15:00 Hanoi (last day)
- Children
- Under 6 stay free
- Ages 6-11
- 75% of adult fare
- Note
- Children <6 FOC (share everything with parents) but still pay a compulsory service + insurance fee of $5/child; a 2nd child sharing the parents' bed is $25. Children 6-11: 75% of adult rate. 2 children <11 in their own cabin = 80% of cabin rate. (final terms confirmed at booking)
- Weather
- Lan Ha Bay and the Cat Ba side are more sheltered than the Halong core, but kayaking, swimming and the sundeck jacuzzi are weather-dependent. Winter (Dec-Feb) is cool and misty.
We never take card payments on this site. Your booking is confirmed by a real person on WhatsApp, and the final price is agreed before you pay anything.
Ask us anything about this cruise
A real person replies within hours, 7am-10pm ICT - WhatsApp is fastest.
Yes - it's a 4-star steel boat (2018) on the quieter Lan Ha Bay / Cat Ba side, with an outdoor jacuzzi pool at the bow and a Deluxe Balcony room from about $145/guest. It sails the scenic Dark & Bright Cave and Trung Trang Cave route
The live rate card only lists the two 2-guest Deluxe categories; a Deluxe Family Connecting exists on the boat but isn't in the online rates, and a baby cot is on request - message us to confirm a family setup before booking
