Hi Colleen — I knew I wanted to visit Cat Ba, so chose a Christina Cruise which would drop me there. My lodging and everything on Cat Ba had nothing to do with them, though — I handled that myself.

Hi Aubrey! Yes, I noticed a few other travelers continuing on, rather than returning to Hanoi. It's totally doable!

Looks like you had an amazing experience. Did you notice that any other travelers stayed behind instead of taking the transportation back to Hanoi. I would like to do the same "tour" but instead of returning to Hanoi, just continue on in my journey to Tam Coc.

Hi Sue! Thanks! For Ha Long Bay we used Christina Cruises. They were a great midrange option!

Hi Reynolds! Thanks for the kind words! Ha Long Bay is so amazing — you will love it, I'm sure! We booked our trip through our hotel (Four Seasons Hotel — not the fancy chain, just a small hotel in the old quarter in Hanoi), and then company was Christina Cruises. They were mid-range, and very satisfactory! Not over-the-top, but very nice and comfortable. We didn't shop around, but if you walk around the tourist area in the Old Quarter and ask a few different companies for prices you can bargain a bit and find a great price — especially if it's last minute and they need to fill some spots! Have a wonderful trip, and let me know how it goes!