crgravitt
Registered
I sent this email to Wayne and Wayne at Aggressor and after a week haven't had a response so I think the easiest thing for me is to post the message I sent. Had they responded I would have edited to include that.
Good afternoon gentlemen. My husband and I have dreamed of going to Cuba, by hook or by crook, for at least ten years. We began diving in 2010 and began, in earnest, trying to find a way to get there. When relations opened we were thrilled and we couldn't believe our luck when the Aggressor Fleet offered a trip. We have been smitten with the Aggressor liveaboard since visiting Turks and Caicos and being treated to a week of amazing accommodations, food, diving, and care from Captain Amanda and her very capable crew. Suffice it to say, we booked as soon as we knew our schedule and could make the arrangements with your travel staff and joined the June 8, 2016 group. We were not part of the dive shop from Texas, just a random couple.
I will admit that I had low expectations for the Oceans for Youth portion to be held in Havana but knew it would give us a good day and a half to see the city if nothing else, then we'd move on to the diving. The Havana portion of the trip, including the accommodations, meals, tours, education, and entertainment were an absolute DELIGHT. Far better than I could have ever hoped for and I would re-do that part of the trip again any day. Dyan, the tour guide, and Dr. Baisre were key to the success of the Havana trip and the overall enjoyment we found.
Despite enjoying Havana, I was thrilled to move on to Jucaro to board the Jardines Aggressor on Saturday morning. The drive there was odd as we had a driver who spoke no English and only happened to have two guests who spoke Spanish and could translate for all of us. We had been told repeatedly that there would be a snack on the bus and lunch on the boat when we arrived. That morning we were told there were sandwiches for lunch and found those sandwiches were stored in an overhead bin on the bus - not in a cooler. The driver took us to a restaurant under a palapa with chickens running loose thru the restaurant and flies landing on every piece of food you could see. We were all more than a little confused and no one was interested in ordering food, plus there was the confusion of the sandwiches and the idea of a lunch on the boat. We all walked back to the bus and the driver eventually followed us. I suspect he was going to get a commission for bringing us to the restaurant and he was probably disappointed. It was our turn to be disappointed when we opened the sandwiches and saw bread, cheese, and the fattiest piece of ham I've ever seen. I refused to eat the meat but several people did.
About two days after boarding the boat, people start dropping like flies and "Immodium" became a hotter commodity than crack in Trenton. I don't know if it was the sandwiches or noro virus, but it spread thru the boat until 13 of the 16 guests had stomach issues. My husband missed a day of diving, I missed two and ended up at my own doctor because I was still suffering and was dehydrated 9 days after our return. We learned from the crew that 5 or so guests had been sick the week prior to our arrival. They also used up all the gastro meds in the enormous first aid kit so the only thing even close was TUMS.
Perhaps Turks and Caicos set some unrealistic expectations in my mind. I only buy Lexus because I have exceptional experiences with owning, driving and servicing them. I only stay at Hilton because they recognize my repeat business and the quality of the properties are consistently high. I only fly Delta. I'm not name dropping, I'm loyal. I anticipated that if the Aggressor name was on a franchise, it was a sure bet that I could expect top quality and value for the price. I don't think I've ever been this disillusioned.
Good afternoon gentlemen. My husband and I have dreamed of going to Cuba, by hook or by crook, for at least ten years. We began diving in 2010 and began, in earnest, trying to find a way to get there. When relations opened we were thrilled and we couldn't believe our luck when the Aggressor Fleet offered a trip. We have been smitten with the Aggressor liveaboard since visiting Turks and Caicos and being treated to a week of amazing accommodations, food, diving, and care from Captain Amanda and her very capable crew. Suffice it to say, we booked as soon as we knew our schedule and could make the arrangements with your travel staff and joined the June 8, 2016 group. We were not part of the dive shop from Texas, just a random couple.
I will admit that I had low expectations for the Oceans for Youth portion to be held in Havana but knew it would give us a good day and a half to see the city if nothing else, then we'd move on to the diving. The Havana portion of the trip, including the accommodations, meals, tours, education, and entertainment were an absolute DELIGHT. Far better than I could have ever hoped for and I would re-do that part of the trip again any day. Dyan, the tour guide, and Dr. Baisre were key to the success of the Havana trip and the overall enjoyment we found.
Despite enjoying Havana, I was thrilled to move on to Jucaro to board the Jardines Aggressor on Saturday morning. The drive there was odd as we had a driver who spoke no English and only happened to have two guests who spoke Spanish and could translate for all of us. We had been told repeatedly that there would be a snack on the bus and lunch on the boat when we arrived. That morning we were told there were sandwiches for lunch and found those sandwiches were stored in an overhead bin on the bus - not in a cooler. The driver took us to a restaurant under a palapa with chickens running loose thru the restaurant and flies landing on every piece of food you could see. We were all more than a little confused and no one was interested in ordering food, plus there was the confusion of the sandwiches and the idea of a lunch on the boat. We all walked back to the bus and the driver eventually followed us. I suspect he was going to get a commission for bringing us to the restaurant and he was probably disappointed. It was our turn to be disappointed when we opened the sandwiches and saw bread, cheese, and the fattiest piece of ham I've ever seen. I refused to eat the meat but several people did.
About two days after boarding the boat, people start dropping like flies and "Immodium" became a hotter commodity than crack in Trenton. I don't know if it was the sandwiches or noro virus, but it spread thru the boat until 13 of the 16 guests had stomach issues. My husband missed a day of diving, I missed two and ended up at my own doctor because I was still suffering and was dehydrated 9 days after our return. We learned from the crew that 5 or so guests had been sick the week prior to our arrival. They also used up all the gastro meds in the enormous first aid kit so the only thing even close was TUMS.
Perhaps Turks and Caicos set some unrealistic expectations in my mind. I only buy Lexus because I have exceptional experiences with owning, driving and servicing them. I only stay at Hilton because they recognize my repeat business and the quality of the properties are consistently high. I only fly Delta. I'm not name dropping, I'm loyal. I anticipated that if the Aggressor name was on a franchise, it was a sure bet that I could expect top quality and value for the price. I don't think I've ever been this disillusioned.
