IndexDay 1Day 2Day 3Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a popular tourist destination in Vietnam. As one of the most breathtaking travel destinations and a must-see place on my bucket list, I finally visited Halong Bay last week. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay For my Halong Bay Dream Cruise, I booked the 3 days - 2 nights tour package. The cost of the all-inclusive trip was $250 for meals, entry fees, lodging and hotel transfers. While there are cheap cruise options starting at $100 for a 3-day tour, I opted for a more expensive trip because I heard stories of how some cruise passengers didn't get food and had to share beds after booking a cheap cruise . After booking my trip to Hanoi airport, I headed to my hotel room for a night's rest. First day I left my hotel room around 8am for Tuan Chau port, where my cruise was supposed to depart from. I arrived at the port after about four hours and after checking in, the cruise staff offered me refreshments while we waited to board. I was anxious and excited because the Halong Bay Dream Cruise is something I had always wanted to experience. After about 15 minutes, the cruise staff welcomed everyone aboard. The boarding ceremony was an emotional experience involving traditional drums and flags. This was one of those first experiences for me and I found myself nodding along to the drum beats! After we were shown to our suites, we gathered for a safety briefing followed by an early lunch. I sat next to a South African honeymoon couple and interacted with them as we enjoyed our five-course meal. Overall, we were 30 passengers and 5 staff members, including the boat manager. Our first stop was at Sung Sot Cave in Bo-Hon Island. We all had to disembark from our boat onto smaller boats to explore the cave. Please note that I did not have to pay the entrance fee as all tour expenses are included when booking. Sung Sot Cave is a world-famous cave and is the most famous cave in Halong Bay. One of the cruise team members was our guide. The cave is a spectacular geographical site thanks to its formation and large limestones, stalagmites and stalactites. We spent about 30 minutes inside the cave, and although I wish we could have stayed a little longer, there were other tour groups in line. We returned to our cruise, relaxed and enjoyed some refreshments before changing into my swimsuit and kayaking. While other passengers opted for a boat ride to Soi Sim beach or chose to stay inside, the honeymoon couple and I opted for a kayak ride to the beach. It was fun and exciting and we spotted several monkeys playing with each other on the sandy beach. I love monkeys but I was too scared to get close to them, so I took some photos of them. When we returned to our cruise, it was late afternoon and after an hour of refreshments we were served dinner. I mingled with a few other passengers before heading to my room. One of the things I loved about this Halong Bay Dream Cruise was not only a relaxing, exploratory and learning tour for me, it was also an interactive place where I interacted with people from different.