Iris Cruise Halong Bay – What the Day Trip Includes and Costs
5.0· 8 reviews
Promising, not yet proven. The Iris is a 2023 ship with a live band, a large sundeck and a jacuzzi, and all 8 reviews on GetYourGuide give five stars; but 8 reviews is too few to rely on. If you want a sure thing, our day pick has thousands of reviews and costs $8 less on 7 October.
$51from, per person
checked 27 Sep 2026
on the water
BayHa LongCabinNo cabinPickupHanoi, Hanoi Opera HouseNightsNo night on board
Short answerThe Iris is an entertainment day cruise sold on GetYourGuide at $51 per person for a departure on 7 October. It leaves Ha Long International Cruise Port, serves a seafood buffet, visits Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island and ends with a live concert on deck at sunset. It has ★5, but from only 8 reviews, and the listing gives no clock times.
Two options. From Ha Long: check in at Ha Long International Cruise Port at 10:30. From Hanoi: a shared limousine from the Hanoi Opera House or Old Quarter hotels between 7:00 and 7:30; the option name also mentions an Indian lunch. The price shown, $51 per person, is the cheaper option for a departure on 7 October 2026, checked 27 September 2026; the calendar prices both for your date.
Welcome drink, cold towel and a towel for use on board
Electric cart between the port and the ship, both ways
Lunch: seafood buffet, or a set menu under 30 guests
Kayak or sampan boat at Luon Cave
Entry to the bay, Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island
Live band with a singer, a musician and a DJ
Afternoon snack party on the sundeck
English or Vietnamese-speaking guide, life jacket, insurance on board
Wi-Fi, which drops out further into the bay
Jacuzzi, in season
Not included
Drinks
Tips and personal expenses
Taxes and service charges, as the listing states
Holiday charge: 200,000 VND per adult on listed dates
Hanoi transfer, on the option from Ha Long
Bring IDA passport or ID card is required; a copy is accepted. Your own food and drinks are not allowed on board.
From the listing's stop lengths
The Iris Day Trip, Stop by Stop
The listing gives the length of each stop but no clock times, and marks the plan as for reference only. Only two times are fixed: pickup in Hanoi between 7:00 and 7:30, and check-in at the port at 10:30 for guests who start in Ha Long.
7:00Hanoi option: shared limousine from the Opera House or Old Quarter hotels, until 7:30
On the wayThree hours on the road with a 10-minute break
10:30Check-in at Ha Long International Cruise Port, electric cart to the ship
2.5 hWelcome drink and lunch while the ship cruises
30 minLuon Cave by kayak or sampan boat
45 minSung Sot Cave on foot
45 minTi Top Island: the walk to the viewpoint, or a swim
2.5 hSnack party and live concert on the sundeck at sunset
2.5 hHanoi option: limousine back to the city
Without clock times we estimate about 5 hours on the water out of 12 from Hanoi, based on the road and the port check-in. In the itinerary the Luon Cave stop is labelled optional with an extra fee, while the includes list names the kayak or sampan at Luon Cave; ask the operator which applies before you book.
The Iris is built as a floating stage. The sundeck holds more than a hundred guests and has an open stage with outdoor sound and lighting; in the late afternoon a singer, a musician and a DJ play while the ship cruises back at sunset. If you want a quiet deck, this is the wrong boat; if you want a party with the bay behind it, this is the point of it.
Lunch is a seafood buffet mixing local and international dishes, served in one of two restaurants. The listing is clear that a set menu replaces the buffet when fewer than 30 guests are on board, so on quiet days expect the set menu.
The outdoor jacuzzi on the second floor is open in season. The ship offers Wi-Fi, which the listing warns drops out further into the bay, and towels for use on board. The sightseeing is the classic loop: Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island, the same three stops as most day boats.
Who it suits
Groups of friends who want music and a party on deck
Travellers already staying in Ha Long: the port is in Bai Chay
Anyone happy to book on few reviews for a newer ship
The honest comparison
Iris or a Proven Day Cruise
Every one of the 8 reviews gives five stars, and the recent ones praise the new ship, the food and the singer. But 8 reviews say little about how the day runs across seasons, when the ship is full, or how the shared limousine copes with Hanoi traffic. Our rule is to lead with cruises that have many reviews, so the Iris is not our pick.
Our day pick costs $43 for the same date, $8 less, rates ★4.91 from 5,818 reviews and has its own buffet and jacuzzi option, from Tuan Chau Marina. If the live band is what draws you, the Iris is the only one here built around it.
“The service is over the top, and experience is unbeatable! I had an issue and they were able to fix it right away and get me a free beer that was supposed to…”
A day cruise ship on Ha Long Bay, launched in 2023 and built around entertainment: an open stage on the sundeck with outdoor sound and lighting, a live band with a singer, a musician and a DJ, two restaurants and an outdoor jacuzzi on the second floor. On GetYourGuide it is sold as a day trip from Ha Long International Cruise Port, with or without a Hanoi transfer.
where does the iris cruise depart from?
From Ha Long International Cruise Port, the Sun Group port in Bai Chay, not from Tuan Chau like most day boats. An electric cart takes you from the port to the ship and back, included in the price. Without a transfer you check in at the port at 10:30. With the Hanoi option, a shared limousine collects you between 7:00 and 7:30.
is pickup from hanoi included?
Only in the Hanoi option. The shared Dcar limousine picks up at the Hanoi Opera House or at hotels in the Old Quarter between 7:00 and 7:30, and the listing warns that a shared vehicle can mean delays. The option name also mentions an Indian lunch. Without that option you make your own way to Ha Long International Cruise Port for 10:30.
what is not included in the price?
Drinks, tips, personal expenses and, as the listing puts it, taxes and service charges; ask what that last item means for your date before you book. A holiday charge applies on 1 January, 5 to 14 February, 16 April, 30 April to 3 May, 2 to 5 September and 24, 25 and 31 December: 200,000 VND per adult, less for children.
is the iris cruise good for children?
Two paying adults can bring one child aged 0 to 1 free, sharing seats and meals; every other child needs a child ticket, with age counted by birth year. The holiday charge is 170,000 VND for children aged 5 to 11, 150,000 VND for 2 to 4 and 100,000 VND for infants. Life jackets are included in the price.
do you always get the seafood buffet?
No. The listing says a set menu is served instead of the buffet when there are fewer than 30 guests on board. The ship has two restaurants, and the buffet mixes local and international seafood dishes. You cannot bring your own food or drinks on board; drinks are sold on the ship.
can I cancel the iris cruise?
Yes, for free up to 24 hours before the start, with a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. If a storm warning is issued, the Quang Ninh port authority stops departure permits for tourist boats until the final bulletin and the cruise cannot sail. From late May to early November keep a spare day in your plans.
