purposely missing the ship

We dock in Ha Long Bay from 8am to 9pm, we really want to see Hanoi but 4 hours each way and the stress on not making the ship is kind of stressing if it was one hour I would not care but 8 hours on the road is a bit much.

My though is to do one of 2 things, either do Hanoi and then take an evening train (i know it is a long train ride) and arrive in Da Nang at 10 the next morning and then meet up with the ship when it leaves

OR

Take a morning flight from Hanoi to Da Nang

Has anyone done this and is this even allowed?

Thoughts

We have not done this in Vietnam but we have done something similar on a different cruise. We informed the cruise line in writing of our intention to be away from the ship for a couple of days and meet back up at a different port. We had no problem doing that.

Yes, it's allowed.

By both cruise lines & the Vietnamese govt.

But the cheap visa provided by the ship is only good for both arrival & departure on the ship.

This is something I researched a few years ago so I may be out-of-date.

Throwing in an internal flight meant having to arrange a different tourist visa.

In theory at least, an overnite hotel also requires a personal visa, though a fellow-passenger who missed the last evening tender back to the (overniting) ship stayed the night in a Ha Long hotel.

There is also the risk (admittedly a low risk for Da Nang), that the ship may not port there as scheduled due to mechanical issues, weather, etc.

So you'll need a Plan B to get you to the next scheduled port.

We decided that the little extra time afforded just wasn't worth the combination of cost, complications & logistical risks. :(

Just one day in Halong Bay????

That's unusual - every cruise schedule I've come across overnites there & includes an afternoon & full day northbound or full day & morning southbound.

JB :)

I thought i would add that we did take a cruise that went to Ha Long Bay that offered a tour to Hanoi. We opted to do a tour of the Bay and in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We talked to people who did the tour to Hanoi and all of them said the trip there and back was horrible, crappy roads and not the greatest buses. However i don't recall anyone really wishing they hadn't gone but not sure if the trip was worth it or not.

On our cruise it was only 1 day in Ha Long Bay as well.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Enjoy your cruise.

I would stick to Ha Long Bay. It is wonderful, especially if you can take a boat away from the crowds.

Hanoi is worth more that part of a day. We stayed there about five nights and still had lots more we could have seen and done. The drive to Ha Long Bay and back we took was comfortable but it is still way too long for a day trip. We were on a two night cruise on the bay.

Flying to Da Nang may seem like a good idea but sometimes things go wrong. We were supposed to fly to Hue but our plane was diverted to Da Nang because of weather. The reverse is less likely but you never know. You would certainly need a back up plan.

The key is to speak with the folks on the ship after you board about what you want to do.

And yes you need a special visa. The ship can obtain this for you as ours does. There are different type of visas as JB mentioned.

Keith

I thought i would add that we did take a cruise that went to Ha Long Bay that offered a tour to Hanoi. We opted to do a tour of the Bay and in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We talked to people who did the tour to Hanoi and all of them said the trip there and back was horrible, crappy roads and not the greatest buses. However i don't recall anyone really wishing they hadn't gone but not sure if the trip was worth it or not.

 

On our cruise it was only 1 day in Ha Long Bay as well.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Enjoy your cruise.

My wife and I have done the trek to Hanoi on 2 different occasions. While I agree that Halong Bay is beautiful ---you will see a lot of it on your arrival and departure. Hanoi --IMHO--is a special visit to see the French Quarter--where Ho Chi Minh lived, the "Hanoi Hilton" and the old city Have lunch at the Mocha Cafe, etc.

My wife and I have done the trek to Hanoi on 2 different occasions. While I agree that Halong Bay is beautiful ---you will see a lot of it on your arrival and departure. Hanoi --IMHO--is a special visit to see the French Quarter--where Ho Chi Minh lived, the "Hanoi Hilton" and the old city Have lunch at the Mocha Cafe, etc.

That is exactly how we feel, I think we have decided to do the one way and meet back up with the ship in Da Nang. Just not sure if we fly or train it

so I finally got an answer from NCL about this, I got a message on my phone saying they would not allow me to intentionally miss the ship in Hanoi and rejoin in Da Nang. I have yet to call them back and discuss this but it seems like as of now we will not go to Hanoi, and we are very disappointed.

I do not understand how if it is allowed on other lines, why they won't do it, the message said something about tendering into Ha Long Bay and there not being customs and immigration there.

8 hours in a bus :o:o:confused::rolleyes:

8 hours in a bus :o:o:confused::rolleyes:

what does this mean?

8 hours in a bus :o:o:confused::rolleyes:

what does this mean?

Since Da Nang is 500 bumpy miles from Hanoi (over 12 hours by road) it probably refers to Ha Long Bay to Hanoi & back - about 3.5 hours each-way.

Which makes it uncomfortable for a two-day / one night stop' date=' and pretty ridiculous for a one-day excursion.

[b']JB[/b] :)