The most common scams for a Halong Bay cruise

How to avoid scams and disappointments when booking Halong Bay cruises? To help you avoid being scammed in Halong Bay and unexpected situations, this article will tell you some risks you need to be aware of and how to deal with them.

The best way to explore and admire Halong Bay is to take a cruise to explore the bay. This is why nowadays, when coming to Vietnam, travelers always choose to take a cruise even if they have little time to spare.

As an expat who knows all the facts very well, I am very proud of my host country but I also want to share some good and bad experiences for international tourists.

I have been to Halong Bay several times since I lived here. Everything was different back then 15 years ago.

With the development of tourism and to better serve passengers, this type of visit has been transformed into modern night cruises.

To summarize, the best way to take a cruise is to research and book it online through travel agencies. For what? There are 3 reasons:

• You can trust reviews from previous passengers on reliable forums such as TripAdvisor or Vietnam Mag
• Booking in advance will help you avoid the situation that the cruise is sold out. Because you spend time researching and choosing your favorite cruise, you won’t want to use another one.
• Travel agencies work with tour operators and tour operators in Halong Bay to promote their sales business, that’s why they will have better prices to offer and the quality has remained very good.

First, let’s find out what cruise scams might be happening during your visit.

Most Common Halong Bay Cruise and Tour Scams

When you book a cruise online

The advantage of book a cruise in Halong Bay online is that you can shop for all demands: budget to luxury cruises, different programs, different tour points, etc. With just a few clicks on the website, you will easily see all the information you need, from cruise type, cabin size, amenities, to anything. Anytime, anywhere, so convenient!

BUT, the most common scam when booking a cruise online is fraudsters . There are more and more unscrupulous companies that look like the real thing. The same tricks happen with other services like accommodation, transportation, and day trips.

The reason I told you to look for a reliable agency is because there are hundreds of travel agents selling you services.

Not everyone can guarantee the advertised quality and satisfy you. Depending on many things such as the length of the cruise, the quality of their staff, how often the cruise maintains their facilities, etc… The quality of different cruises is different.

DO NOT choose prices that are too cheap as many Halong Bay cruise scams offer low-cost tours to tempt those traveling on a limited budget. In most cases, you will receive advertising emails and pop-ups for a super sale cruise in a while. If you are attracted by these promotions, you may be asked to deposit a sum of money to guarantee a visit.

As you know, when you buy cheap you buy twice. Be careful with poor quality and unsafe cruises (equipment, services, food, etc.), various additional costs will not be explicitly announced. Otherwise, the cheap prices you see might have hidden additional fees or charges, so cheap might become not cheap at all.

When you book an arrival cruise

Some tourists prefer to book travel services online, but others only believe in what they see and hear. This is why many tourists choose to book a cruise upon arrival.

Presumably, for some of you, it is unavoidably reliable to witness something directly rather than through an intermediary. Such a great idea if you decide to book a cruise upon arrival; However, there will also be downsides to this type of booking.

There is a popular scam circumstance that tourists usually have to face, especially the temptation to look into the eyes without seeking information . Imagine standing at the outlet and wondering which type of Halong cruise would be the best choice.

Suddenly a tout appears and offers you a surprisingly cheap price of $40 for a day cruise with a friendly smiling face, a gentle and enthusiastic introduction. You will be easily convinced, decide to pay $40 and take a cruise.

The cruise and the crew will serve you very warmly, many delicious dishes are arranged on the table and an itinerary is designed with interesting activities such as exploring caves, floating villages, kayaking on the bay, etc. Feel like an amazing trip with a low price, but ultimately it turns out to be the worst experience until you get charged extra for every service you used during the cruise.

The $40 trip you thought it would turn into a $340 trip in seconds. At that time, it’s difficult to explain to boaters because you used all their services and the touts who sold you the cruise at a low price have completely disappeared.

When your cruise cancellation occurs due to bad weather

Please understand that the weather is something we cannot control. To ensure the safety of passengers first, when weather conditions do not permit, cruises are all canceled due to the announcement from the Halong Bay administration.

You should read the cruise or agency’s cancellation policy very carefully to ensure you do not misunderstand the terms. Legitimate agencies or cruises will publish their policy on the website and this will be the basis for you to have complete information.

The correct policy that will be applied is to charge you for the service you used and refund you for those you did not use. For example, you used transportation, ate a meal, visited a cave then the storm comes, of course you just have to pay for what you use.

If the seller says you are being charged in full because the trip has already started or for any other reason, you may be scammed. I don’t want this situation to happen, so be careful where to put your trust. Like my previous advice: CHOOSE WISELY!