I booked a solo trip on the AClass Legend ship, but was "upgraded" the day before I left to the Stellar ship. Not a big deal as it didn't cost me anything. I suspect they were trying to keep the ships as full as economically feasible given the shortage of tourists the last couple months. It worked to our benefit though as the ship was only half full both nights!
Pick up went smoothly and it took about 4 hours with a pit-stop in between. Once on board, lunch was served as we headed out to the bay. The food was plentiful the whole time, if not excessive, but very delicious and never the same. Having never been on any other cruise, I have no complaints about the cabins, even though it was small, but what do you expect on a ship?
The excursions were a mix of good and uneventful. On the 2 night tour, you have an additional day of activities, but honestly, I could have done without the activities themselves and just stayed on the ship relaxing. The Fishing Village included kayaking or a boat trip around the inlet. It was interesting to see, but very underwhelming and not worth the visit. We also visited a Pearl Farm, which was boring- you took a 15 minute tour on how they make pearls and then they put you in a showroom to get you to buy the pearls. Also not worth it in my opinion.
Back on the ship, there was quite a few hours of downtime each night, which is nice, but the drink prices are pretty steep for Vietnam ($7USD for a cocktail, $3USD for beer). Not a huge deal, but they add up quick. Especially since they charge for breakfast juices and any coffee / tea at dinners. I also was on a ship with a crowd that didn't really mingle, so there wasn't much for a "party" at night. Everyone kept to themselves and on their phones. Kind of a dull two nights as a solo traveller, but that of course isn't the ships fault.
Overall, I am glad that I booked this specific ship and I would recommend it to others. Everything was clean, staff very friendly, and I had a good experience.
I do want to note that Ha Long Bay is dirty, there is garbage everywhere. It's very sad to see all the oil residue and trash in the ocean and unfortunately I don't think it's from the tourists. There's also SOOO many boats, large and small, that there is just so much air pollution and noise all the time. I wish that these tour companies would start stepping up and making environmental changes to the way they operate otherwise this beautiful landscape is going to be wrecked.
We took a three day two night cruise on the A Class Stellar.
The sights of Ha-Long Bay are fabulous, but there are a number of watch-outs for the cruise itself.
We actually booked a different boat but were 'Upgraded' to the Stellar. It seems most people on the trip had the same experience. I have a theory on this - the Stellar is expensive. We had no choice but to upgrade as our original boat was allegedly 'under repair', so it was do that or don't do it at all.
You have to pay for every possible drink, even tea or coffee or plain water with meals is extra ($3 tea and $4 coffee). Yes, they tell you in the introduction that drinks are extra but any normal person would take that to be bar drinks. At breakfast you also pay $4 for a juice. None of this was really clear until we got the big bill at checkout.
As for the trip, three days it isn't. Day one starts around 12.30 and on day three you're back in the dock by around 10.00. You then spend an hour and a half on the boat doing a cooking class (why?) and eating a very early lunch so they can get you off the boat and load up the next lot of people. So really you're only looking at around a day and a half of actual Ha Long bay viewing.
Food on the boat was excellent but excessive. It would have been better to provide less food and include a drink. I don't eat fish and the crew were very good at providing alternatives.
Lunch on day one was served as soon as we got on the boat, which meant that you're stuck in the dining room while you cruise out for your first experience of the bay.
Trips out from the boat were great, but they will be the same as you get on other cruises.
Our room was comfortable and quiet, though the bathroom was a bit of a squeeze.
Overall, as you can probably tell, Ha Long Bay is a wonderful place well worth visiting and a must see for any traveller. Just be careful who you travel with and prepare to be ripped off for your drinks.