Just had to post a review of my recent liveaboard experience on the Cat Ppalu (June 14-20, 2014) with my son. Forgive the length, but there's much to say... and I assure you, it's ALL great.
My son (15) and I were PADI OW certified just over a year ago and had racked up about 25 dives since then through a few Mexico vacations and a couple of cruises. But there was something alluring about living on a dive-purposed boat and diving, basically non-stop, for a week. The Cat Ppalu lived up to every expectation I had, and then some. First of all, the land-based reservation folks were absolutely top-notch. I mostly dealt with a woman named Beth Oliviera from Blackbeard (they own/operate the Cat) who walked me through every step of the process. As a liveaboard newbie I had infinite questions, all of which she answered cheerfully, patiently, and as honestly I could imagine or hope for.
Once booked, email reminders and payment schedules made the process very smooth... we never hit a single roadblock along the way.
We arrived in Nassau and found the pre-paid shuttle van service right where it was supposed to be. Transportation to the boat -- through a service operated by "Mr. Wright" was perfect. We boarded a passenger van with a whole bunch of boy scouts that were sailing on one of the sloops, and all of our luggage followed behind in a cargo van. Mr. Wright's crew handled EVERYTHING. When we arrived at the pier (a 20 minute drive) we were checked in by very friendly staff who showed us where to find our boat (there were many boats docked at this particular marina). We did have to haul our luggage down two flights of stairs (no elevator... and no staff-assistance) and we rolled it along the pavement and wooden dock to the Cat. We met others waiting there on the dock, as boarding was temporarily delayed due to a minor mechanical issue that was being fixed (which, it seems, was fixed well since we had no issues while at sea). While maintenance was underway, we decided to go across the street to buy a few sundries we felt we needed to have (we were wrong, by the way).
Returning to the boat, we found that our luggage had been carried aboard by the crew and placed gently on the front trampolines for us to unpack. One of the crew (the cook, Megan) helped us carry our bags to our cabin for unpacking. All luggage was stowed in the marina office due to lack of space on the boat. NOTE: There is NO storage on the boat. No closets. No dressers. No drawers. No cabinets. NO storage. We piled all of our clothing on the floor under my tiny bunk in our tiny cabin. So tiny that only one of us could be in the cabin at a time for changing clothes. BUT... didn't matter. Good attitudes ruled the week!!! It was totally fun in every way. At night, we would prop our laptop on the sink (between the bunks) and watch movies we had pre-loaded. Totally fun father-son time.
All gear went immediately to the tank area for setup and storage in our personal bins under the tanks. The dive deck always stayed clear and orderly (thanks to the DM, Emma, who was rightfully OCD in this regard).
The diving was fantastic at every spot. I believe somewhere around 20 dives were offered throughout the week, Saturday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. Some of us chose to skip a dive here and there due to exhaustion, but we were reminded often that no dive was "mandatory" and we should not feel badly for choosing to nap instead. Additional snorkeling opportunities, eco-tours, and diving instruction were fabulous and a lot of fun. We went to see the "swimming pigs," "iguana island," and "Thunderball," along with a few other places like the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and another island I can't recall by name.
The food on the boat was extraordinarily great. What Megan was able to produce out of that tiny kitchen and from her tiny cold-storage boxes was truly astonishing to me. First dinner: A whole thanksgiving turkey. Last dinner: Beautifully marinated flank steak. And every lunch and dinner in between was a gift from the cook.
My son and I both got our PADI AOW cert on this trip as well. Kudos to our instructor, Emma, for making the process fun and informative. She was patient and... well... patient. Enough said.
The mechanic/engineer, Wade, was a great guy. A tough exterior, but he warmed up through the week. He did have a lot to manage, but did find a way to interact with the passengers a bit. He was very helpful in transportation and monitoring in the dinghy, he let my son help raise the sails (and taught him a few knots), and shared a refreshing beverage with us at a local bar after the final dive and docking back in Nassau on Thursday night.
Emma -- again -- was a top-notch first-mate and dive master. She gave all the dive briefings, helped us with our gear on-deck, served as the in-water guide for a few of the dives (including the drift dives and a few of the night dives) and basically managed everyone from the passenger side of the trip.
And Captain Sam... a real gem. He was absolutely in control of the vessel, displayed a real mastery of the water and the boat he was sailing, and displayed confidence at every turn. At the same time, he was warm, friendly, funny, and incredibly accommodating. He surveyed the group on the first day to learn what we were interested in doing during the week... and he tailored every day to what we wanted. On the final night back in Nassau, he joined a few of us at a local pub where he played darts with me and my son, introduced us to some local culture, and basically "hung out" with us. And when my son and I were ready to head back to the boat, he walked us back personally -- even though he wasn't finished at the bar and it would have been an easy 10 minute straight walk down the road. He walked us back (about 15 minutes) and then walked back to the bar. I thought that was very special.
When it was time to leave on Friday morning, the crew took all of our bags off the boat, loaded them onto a trolley, took them to the stairs, and THEY carried all the bags up to the top level for loading onto the shuttles back to the airport.
Let me say.... EMPHATICALLY... that these four amazing people earned every penny of a very generous tip. From start to finish, this was an incredible experience. Loved every minute of it.
So... every "good" must have its critiques... okay... maybe not EVERY good.... There's really nothing I can say that was bad about this trip. But if I had to "complain" about one thing I would say that the cabins were probably a bit smaller than I was expecting, without any storage at all. And the air conditioning (which there WAS) was mostly ineffective in the hot Bahamian summer heat. At some point in the middle of the night it balanced out and actually got cool enough to need the light blanket... but at "bedtime" it was hot as blazes in the rooms.
As anticipated, everything on a boat is always a bit damp. Lots of sweating. A lot of tetris maneuvers to get around people in the main dining area (the "house") of the boat. Fortunately, everyone showered regularly (ample fresh hot water all the time!) and was very respectful of space and time-of-day/night throughout the week. The bathrooms stayed VERY clean (thanks Wade!!!), and the whole place always felt (and smelled) clean throughout the week.
All in all, the entire experience gets two-thumbs-up, 5-stars, a 10 out of 10, or any other way you want to judge it. A fabulous week.
I'm happy to answer any questions or share anything else about the trip, but if you're looking for a great liveaboard experience that won't break the bank, the Cat Ppalu is definitely it.
Jeff
My son (15) and I were PADI OW certified just over a year ago and had racked up about 25 dives since then through a few Mexico vacations and a couple of cruises. But there was something alluring about living on a dive-purposed boat and diving, basically non-stop, for a week. The Cat Ppalu lived up to every expectation I had, and then some. First of all, the land-based reservation folks were absolutely top-notch. I mostly dealt with a woman named Beth Oliviera from Blackbeard (they own/operate the Cat) who walked me through every step of the process. As a liveaboard newbie I had infinite questions, all of which she answered cheerfully, patiently, and as honestly I could imagine or hope for.
Once booked, email reminders and payment schedules made the process very smooth... we never hit a single roadblock along the way.
We arrived in Nassau and found the pre-paid shuttle van service right where it was supposed to be. Transportation to the boat -- through a service operated by "Mr. Wright" was perfect. We boarded a passenger van with a whole bunch of boy scouts that were sailing on one of the sloops, and all of our luggage followed behind in a cargo van. Mr. Wright's crew handled EVERYTHING. When we arrived at the pier (a 20 minute drive) we were checked in by very friendly staff who showed us where to find our boat (there were many boats docked at this particular marina). We did have to haul our luggage down two flights of stairs (no elevator... and no staff-assistance) and we rolled it along the pavement and wooden dock to the Cat. We met others waiting there on the dock, as boarding was temporarily delayed due to a minor mechanical issue that was being fixed (which, it seems, was fixed well since we had no issues while at sea). While maintenance was underway, we decided to go across the street to buy a few sundries we felt we needed to have (we were wrong, by the way).
Returning to the boat, we found that our luggage had been carried aboard by the crew and placed gently on the front trampolines for us to unpack. One of the crew (the cook, Megan) helped us carry our bags to our cabin for unpacking. All luggage was stowed in the marina office due to lack of space on the boat. NOTE: There is NO storage on the boat. No closets. No dressers. No drawers. No cabinets. NO storage. We piled all of our clothing on the floor under my tiny bunk in our tiny cabin. So tiny that only one of us could be in the cabin at a time for changing clothes. BUT... didn't matter. Good attitudes ruled the week!!! It was totally fun in every way. At night, we would prop our laptop on the sink (between the bunks) and watch movies we had pre-loaded. Totally fun father-son time.
All gear went immediately to the tank area for setup and storage in our personal bins under the tanks. The dive deck always stayed clear and orderly (thanks to the DM, Emma, who was rightfully OCD in this regard).
The diving was fantastic at every spot. I believe somewhere around 20 dives were offered throughout the week, Saturday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. Some of us chose to skip a dive here and there due to exhaustion, but we were reminded often that no dive was "mandatory" and we should not feel badly for choosing to nap instead. Additional snorkeling opportunities, eco-tours, and diving instruction were fabulous and a lot of fun. We went to see the "swimming pigs," "iguana island," and "Thunderball," along with a few other places like the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and another island I can't recall by name.
The food on the boat was extraordinarily great. What Megan was able to produce out of that tiny kitchen and from her tiny cold-storage boxes was truly astonishing to me. First dinner: A whole thanksgiving turkey. Last dinner: Beautifully marinated flank steak. And every lunch and dinner in between was a gift from the cook.
My son and I both got our PADI AOW cert on this trip as well. Kudos to our instructor, Emma, for making the process fun and informative. She was patient and... well... patient. Enough said.
The mechanic/engineer, Wade, was a great guy. A tough exterior, but he warmed up through the week. He did have a lot to manage, but did find a way to interact with the passengers a bit. He was very helpful in transportation and monitoring in the dinghy, he let my son help raise the sails (and taught him a few knots), and shared a refreshing beverage with us at a local bar after the final dive and docking back in Nassau on Thursday night.
Emma -- again -- was a top-notch first-mate and dive master. She gave all the dive briefings, helped us with our gear on-deck, served as the in-water guide for a few of the dives (including the drift dives and a few of the night dives) and basically managed everyone from the passenger side of the trip.
And Captain Sam... a real gem. He was absolutely in control of the vessel, displayed a real mastery of the water and the boat he was sailing, and displayed confidence at every turn. At the same time, he was warm, friendly, funny, and incredibly accommodating. He surveyed the group on the first day to learn what we were interested in doing during the week... and he tailored every day to what we wanted. On the final night back in Nassau, he joined a few of us at a local pub where he played darts with me and my son, introduced us to some local culture, and basically "hung out" with us. And when my son and I were ready to head back to the boat, he walked us back personally -- even though he wasn't finished at the bar and it would have been an easy 10 minute straight walk down the road. He walked us back (about 15 minutes) and then walked back to the bar. I thought that was very special.
When it was time to leave on Friday morning, the crew took all of our bags off the boat, loaded them onto a trolley, took them to the stairs, and THEY carried all the bags up to the top level for loading onto the shuttles back to the airport.
Let me say.... EMPHATICALLY... that these four amazing people earned every penny of a very generous tip. From start to finish, this was an incredible experience. Loved every minute of it.
So... every "good" must have its critiques... okay... maybe not EVERY good.... There's really nothing I can say that was bad about this trip. But if I had to "complain" about one thing I would say that the cabins were probably a bit smaller than I was expecting, without any storage at all. And the air conditioning (which there WAS) was mostly ineffective in the hot Bahamian summer heat. At some point in the middle of the night it balanced out and actually got cool enough to need the light blanket... but at "bedtime" it was hot as blazes in the rooms.
As anticipated, everything on a boat is always a bit damp. Lots of sweating. A lot of tetris maneuvers to get around people in the main dining area (the "house") of the boat. Fortunately, everyone showered regularly (ample fresh hot water all the time!) and was very respectful of space and time-of-day/night throughout the week. The bathrooms stayed VERY clean (thanks Wade!!!), and the whole place always felt (and smelled) clean throughout the week.
All in all, the entire experience gets two-thumbs-up, 5-stars, a 10 out of 10, or any other way you want to judge it. A fabulous week.
I'm happy to answer any questions or share anything else about the trip, but if you're looking for a great liveaboard experience that won't break the bank, the Cat Ppalu is definitely it.
Jeff
