Insider tip - The Aqua Luna vs The Dukling - which is best?
Two Fishing Junks offering amazing views in Hong Kong
Me Jamie, your host, I am English and I have lived in Hong Kong for 53 years - I know the place.
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Insider tip - The Aqua Luna vs The Dukling - which is best?
Two Fishing Junks offering amazing views in Hong Kong
The Aqua Luna on the left, the Dukling on the right, a rare image of both of these Chinese fishing junks doing their thing in Victoria Harbour at the same time, all that was missing was them firing cannons at each other and preparing to board and seize the other vessel!
click on the image to enlarge
“Set sail on Hong Kong’s iconic red-sail Chinese junk boats with stunning panoramic views of the city.
Absorb Hong Kong’s history while enjoying the intoxicating harbour and skyline views on board Aqualuna. This ultimate Hong Kong experience is only complete while indulging in ultra hip cocktails and snacks while lounging in Aqualuna’s 1,500 square feet cabin and al fresco decks. Possibly the last Chinese junk to be painstakingly handcrafted in Hong Kong, Aqualuna was created using age old designs and traditional materials by an 80 year old local craftsman.
Also known as “Cheung Po Tsai” in Cantonese, aqualuna is named after the infamous Cheung Chau island pirate who used to terrorize these waters. Aqualuna regular sailings: 45-minutes sailings of Victoria Harbour are the ultimate Hong Kong experience. Visitors to Aqualuna not only get to sail on a Chinese junk but you can discover some of Hong Hong’s best-kept secret places. Offering 1,500 square feet of indoor and al fresco space, split across two wooden decks,Aqualuna’s full bar and cocktail lounge can accommodate up to 80 guests at a time for exclusive private cocktail cruises and dinners. Aqualuna offers a superb setting in which to host corporate and | or private functions and parties”
The Aqua Luna Fishing Junks
The blurb above is courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board who really like the Aqua Luna although I should add that there are NO secret places in Hong Kong in this social media day and age.
This is the text from my recent blog post about the Aqua Luna specifically with a few updates, have a read and also have a read of the Tripadvisor reviews, I do not in any shape or form think that the Aqua Luna is a tourist trap so to speak, it has a wide range of cruises you can take and many of them are just awesome particularly the ones that serve food. Please do review their website and their range of cruise offerings.
My absolute favourite is the Dim Sum Cruise., the Dim Sum on offer really hits the spot and the cruise to Stanley on the South side of Hong Kong Island is epic.
Hong Kong at night - what to do or Hong Kong by day for that matter!
The image above that I took of the Aqualuna is another one of my favourites, the planets aligned for sure.
I love the Aqualuna fishing junk, I have been on it many times since it first set sail in 2006 and gosh it makes for a glorious snapshot day or night as it sails around Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong with Hong Kong Island in the background.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board loves it as well, they like to stick groups of journalists and Tourism people from around the world on it ( a press junket it you will ) particularly at night time, it goes down a treat.
The Aqualuna does live up to all the hype and they have 2 vessels as they have greatly expanded their offerings and they do private charters as well.
Oh and did I mention they also own the Hutong Restaurant amongst others and it is rather splendid and the restaurant is located in a very convenient location close to Victoria Harbour in TST, Kowloon., They also own the Aqua Bar also with stunning views in a nearby commercial building close to Victoria Harbout
Over the years I have heard and read many comments about the Aqualuna along the lines that it is a tourist trap, over priced, over rated, the boat is not original but a replica and such and yes the 2 boats are replica’s but made in the traditional way to traditional specifications and I have been in Hong Kong for so long I remember when Victoria Harbour was full of fishing junks.
I do not agree with the negative assessments at all, I think it is a rather splendid way to pass the time and have a meal and a few drinks whilst admiring the skyline of Hong Kong Island (but note they have many experiences | itineraries) and yes, there are other Harbour Cruises and I have been on all of them and none of them are anywhere near as good as the Aqualuna 1 and 2
Do yourself a favour when in Hong Kong, book an Aqualuna cruise and experience a little piece of Hong Kong history and culture and yes, I prefer the night cruise to the day cruise……
Please note that the Aqua Group is NOT responsible for the underwhelming Symphony of Lights Laser Light Show which is on every night at 8pm that is and always has been organised by the Hong Kong Government, apparently they are working on a major revamp.
… and finally an insider tip relevant to booking an Aqua Luna Cruise, they have 2 major pick up sites, Pier No. 9 at Central Piers on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier No. 1 in Kowloon - you need to check which is the FIRST pick up point, I believe it is Pier No. 9 at Central Piers on Hong Kong Island - this is important as most of their cruises sell out and in order to get the best seats you need to be at the first pick up point at least 20 minutes before sailing which means if you are on Kowloon side you can simply take the Star Ferry (an epic and iconic ride) to Pier No.7 at Central Piers and walk for 2 minutes to Pier No. 9.
So in a nutshell as they have 2 boats you need to check when booking which is the first pick up point to snag the best seats as it is entirely possible that one of the boats will have TST Public Pier No. 1 as the first pick up point!
“Ｄukling — Hong Kong's last antique Chinese junk boat still regularly sailing
Now offering Victoria Harbour boat tours, Dukling is a traditional Chinese red-sail junk boat formerly used for fishing, with nearly 70 years of history. Since Hong Kong was mainly a fishing harbour in the old days, these Chinese junk boats are an indispensable part of Hong Kong's history. Therefore, Dukling — the oldest Chinese junk boat and the only original one still regularly sailing in Hong Kong — has naturally become the icon of Hong Kong.
Once a fishing boat, Dukling now sails across the renowned Victoria Harbour as a sightseeing cruise and provides boat tours to both tourists and Hong Kong locals. During the boat tour, not only can visitors enjoy the stunning views of the Victoria Harbour (especially during the Symphony of Lights night cruise), but they can also listen to the commentary to learn more about Hong Kong's history and fishermen culture.
Dukling also periodically hosts Cultural Journeys along the coast, a perfect family weekend getaway where parents and kids can experience the traditional fishermen culture together first-hand.”
The Dukling Fishing Junk
I absolutely agree that it is a Hong Kong Icon.
Unlike the Aqua Luna which is a replica, the Dukling is a real, traditional Chinese Fishing Junk which was built 70 years ago in 1955 and for me one of my iconic memories was seeing all the fishing junks in Hong Kong harbour on January 3rd 1972 the day after we arrived in Hong Kong, it was very special.
The owners lack the slick marketing skills of the Aqua Luna Company which also owns high end restaurants and bars but I always though the fact that it is a very old original traditional fishing boat must count for something.
The Dukling set sail in 1955 as a traditional fishing boat but sank in late 2014 in Aberdeen Harbour on the South side of Hong Kong Island, it was on the shallow sea bed for 3 months before being raised from the depths and made into a vessel again, I should point out that they skip this minor detail on their website (!) but is mentioned on their company bio on the Hong Kong Tourism Board website, go figure.
I imagine a few people might be a tad hesitant to go on a boat that previously sank! but at least it was a glorious sinking at the height of a typhoon with no injuries or loss of life.
I have been on it and it is fabulous and did not dwell on salty sea curses and such.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board loves to hire both boats to impress visiting VIP’s and rightly so, it is a lovely experience.
So there you go, plenty of information on both the Aqua Luna and the Dukling, two great attractions for you to consider when you are in Hong Kong, to me it does not matter if you do the cruise during the day or night, in fact the best experience would be to do both as the views are stunning…. something to consider if you can afford it! oh… and seriously you could opt to do the Aqua Luna during the day and the Dukling at night…..
My insider tip.
For me personally and I have sailed on both vessels quite a few times, the Aqua Luna shades it by a whisker over the Dukling, their boats are larger and more comfortable and they have a lot more sailing | cruise options, on the other hand, the Dukling is a genuine fishing junk and its history counts for a lot, no matter which option you choose you will have a great time!
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