When traveling Vietnam tour, most visitors choose to spend time on Halong bay. They book a cruise, admire the beauty of bay and enjoy the most peaceful moment on bay. However, they are confusing to choose 3days 2nights itinerary or 2days 1nights one. Here are comparison and some sharing that help visitor choose the right one.

Similarities in 2 itineraries
Time: Most cruise itineraries pick up visitors at around 8am in the morning on the first day then take about 3.5hours to 4 hours journey driving from hotels in Hanoi to Tuan Chau harbor. Embark visitors on cruise at around 12h30pm. Check in your cabin.
Main activities: In general, every cruise has the same itineraries on the first and the last day. After getting on board, the tour guide will inform you the itinerary and give you some safety guidance. Enjoy your lunch while cruising among the limestone islands of Halong Bay. In the afternoon, experiencing kayaking or swimming on the bay. Admire sunset moment on the sundeck. Have an excellent dinner on board to finish the first day. After that, you can join night squid fishing or just laze around.
On the following day, in the morning, all cruises have a Tai Chi class on the sundeck for visitors. The cruise continues sailing to explore the tryly marvelous landscape. The tour will keep on itinerary or end of services at around noon time depending on your chosen itinerary.

Differences between 2 itineraries
Depending on the difference in trip duration, a longer itinerary give you more relaxing time, explore more landscape, take part in more extra activities so that you have more experiences on the bay. Some cruise combines one night in hotel on Cat Ba Island with a night on the boat so that you will have chance to discover Cat Ba Island.
In short, depending on your interests, your time and your budget, you can choose an appropriate itinerary