1 night excursion over Santa Maria Cruise

DO NOT BOOK this cruise.

DO not book this cruise. Liars all the way from the hotel to the boat staff. The rooms didnt have water, AC didnt work. Overpriced. Nails coming out of the wood work in the rooms. Charged for tea. Cruise didnt have lights or music as mentioned. The only cruise that was dark.

Response from the operator: Santamaria Cruises

via Tripadvisor

Its No 3 star or even close to a 4... its an old Shabby boat and nothing More...

This maybe a One Star Cruise at most so please don't go by the ratings online. The rooms are tiny the Cruise rooms are crying for a renovation. Locks Lockers don't work, Food was a disappointment, the water in the bathroom or the Air Conditioning can stop anytime, the staff was clueless and uninterested, its just another routine day at work attitude, and the intension is more to just get done with the routine... the pictures online are an eyewash... the boat is old shabby and badly maintained... you wouldn't eat here if u entered the kitchen... the so cald activities onboard didn't exist, We cudnt wait to get back to the shore... The excursions and views of Halong bay were probably the only 2 good thing about the trip and they can easily be covered in a day trip aswell. Do not book with them or any other so cald 4star Cruise... Its got to be a 5 star cruise or a day trip...

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Scam boat. The worst experience ever. Do not book!

BOAT FROM HELL: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! Do not be fooled by Santa Maria Cruises marketing tricks. We paid $150 EACH for one night on a ‘luxury’ cruise and it was a sham from start to finish. First of all, the boat is old. It’s rusty and all the fixtures and furnishings look decades old. Secondly, the boat is filthy. We walked in with crumbs and food all over the stairs, the windows had smears and there was a smell of stale food and cigarettes. You’ll soon realize why it smells of cigarettes because every single staff member smokes and they smoke everywhere on the boat especially inbetween serving you food! As you can see from the pics, everything was bad: food, service, the room, and the overall experience. It was hell on earth. We were told that we’d have a luxury bedroom but there was nothing luxurious about it. The lampshade was broken, there was no water for a shower or to flush the toilet. We couldn’t even enjoy the rooftop in the evening as the lights were broken and there was no atmosphere because all the other guests were miserable too. To add insult to injury, all you could hear along the bay is the laughter and music coming from all the other guests on cruises having a great old time. Worst of all, I hurt my foot on the floor because of a nail sticking up (pictured) and this is a serious health and safety risk. What happens if a child stood on that? This should not happen anywhere not least on a so called luxury cruise. Do you want to hear the worst part? The staff workers were sweating that much that droplets of sweat from their face and body were dripping onto the food as they were serving guests. Believe me, it was revolting. Also, our elderly parents could not eat the food, it was disgusting, they were given just one small bottle of water for free and that was it. We also had to pay $9 for 4x tea bags and hot water. The kind tour guide who was with us apologized for the state of the room, food and the overall service on the boat. He even refused to take a tip from us because he was that embarrassed by the quality we received. It’s a joke. When we contacted the company to complain, they pretended to care and said they’ll give us a part refund then never honored it. They expected us to collect the invoice from the hotel but the hotel was in on the scam too as they never helped or called us back. Please don’t give your money to this company. The state of the boat in the pic should be enough for you to know it’s terrible! If you look closely, you can see one of the staff preparing food beside a big pile of bins at the back of the boat. Seriously, stay way!

Response from the operator: they said not true. Traveler alway want to take money back. They try to put our tour guide high pressure.... They also ưant money back from there hotel in HaNoi. Please remove review.

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful experience, in an amazing UNESCO heritage landscape!

We had a very good experience with Santa Maria Cruises. First of all, they were very supportive with the transfer - we requested the transfer one day earlier compared to our cruise start date as we wanted to stay one night in Ha Long and they were very responsive and offered us this option. The transportation offered exceed our expectations - it seemed like brand new, limousine type couch, with comfortable seating and facilities, as well as wi-fi. The next day, when we arrived at the Ha Long international port, we were greeted with Tin Tin's group and started our adventure. We were transported on the ship, where we were assigned the rooms and we were informed about the schedule for the day. The room was ok, in line with the photos we've seen before booking, with the basic necessities in terms of facilities. Food was amazing - quantity, quality and taste wise. Although the crew wasn't aware of specific dietary requirements (as we didn't tell them), they were swift in adapting to individual requests on the fly - that was very nice. Every meal had roughly 3 dishes + desert/fruits (all included in the price). The beverages had to be, on the other hand, paid for - information which was provided to us beforehand. In terms of excursions/activities - although raining, we started with visiting the Pearl Farm, where we practiced kayaking - this was fun! People were offered the choice to also remain on the boat, because of the weather. Next, we went on Titov Island, where we followed the stairs to the top, in order to take in the view of Ha Long Bay. Next day, we also visited the Suprise Cave, an interesting natural artifacts - one of the biggest and most interesting caves we've been into. In between, cooking class experience (spring rolls) and squid fishing (no luck in catching one, though). Tin Tin was our guide throughout the cruise. He's a really funny guy and he managed to make things very interesting for us, although the weather didn't necessarily was his friend (raining). Jokes, stories and information were the aces in his sleeves.

via Tripadvisor

Perfect time

Trip was well organised. Good and friendly staf, delicious and fresh meal, good activities:kayaking, visiting cave, pearl farm. Guide Them was very profesional. Sang local authentical songs which are as UNESCO heritage. 10 points 😊

Response from the operator: Dear Sir/Ms, Having you on Santa Maria Cruises is our most honored and we are happy to be your chosen one in Halong Bay! We sincerely thank to you for taking time to give us a nice feedback and review Santa Maria Cruises. We always want to ensure that our guests are fully satisfied with our products and services. Your nice compliment on our service will be shared with all the team and this wonderful feedback will motivate us to strive harder for providing the best service for our guests. Thank you for your sharing. I am grateful that you choose to stay with us in Halong and we look forward to welcome you again. Warm regards, Anna Online Sales Executive Santa Maria Cruise

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