what happens if liveaboard sailing is cancelled?

[Parlem]

Hello!

I'm supposed to go on a BDE route from Dec 2nd, but it appears that there are only three other paid passengers on this particular trip. I'm told 10 divers are needed for the boat to sail. The company says it's still early (they seem to expect more bookings) and that they won't cancel the trip, no matter. But I find it had to believe that a large liveaboard will sail with only a handful of paying guests.

Based on your experience, what do liveaboard operators tend to do in the event of insufficient numbers? It's too late for me to change my travel plans, flights, etc.

I'd welcome any advice or tips based on your own experience. While I've been on a number of liveaboard trips before, I've never had to deal with this sort of problem. Fingers crossed!

TIA

 

[Edward3c]

Seems strange there are so few bookings for a popular run. Which boat are you on? We have an oversubscribed boat for the 9th Dec.

 

[Parlem]

Seems strange there are so few bookings for a popular run. Which boat are you on? We have an oversubscribed boat for the 9th Dec.

Let's just say it's a large boat out of Hurghada. Midrange price.

 

[ontdiver]

Events in the Middle East may be cooling enthusiasm for Red Sea LOBs, particularly in light of USS Carney's recent downing of multiple missiles off the coast of Yemen.

 

[ontdiver]

Trip insurance and the company's refund policy are also important considerations at this time.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Is there anything in their T&Cs related to that situation i.e. not enough bookings?
Ususally there are 3 options:
- Sorry, we have to cancel and we keep your deposit as we told you in our T&Cs
- Sorry, we have to cancel and we will refund your deposit
- Sorry, we have to cancel but our friends from boat XYZ will be happy to take you (provided you are happy to pay the difference of ... USD for the trip)
If i were in that situation, i would start looking for an alternative just in case, even if it not a LOB. So that other costs are not lost.
I don't think that trip insurance will be of any help, especially if you have booked all parts of the trip independently, but it may be worth have a look at these T&Cs as well.

 

[ontdiver]

Good point about T&Cs and looking for back up plan. Ideally, you want a refund rather than credit from the LOB because personal circumstances can change considerably over the course of a year.

 

[scubajasonr]

I think I have done 10 Red Sea liveaboards, and I think half of those have been rearranged in one way or another.

This summer we were on a boat which only had 8 divers, max number was 16, which was great. However before hand I did keep a close eye on other boats schedules, so if the trip was cancelled I could book on another boat.

The previous summer we had to change boat and itinerary due to a lack of bookings. I had booked direct with the Egyptian based company and they gave me the option of moving onto another of their boats, or a full refund.

I think this does happen fairly often, and one way or another they will try to get you on another boat.

 

[Parlem]

I think I have done 10 Red Sea liveaboards, and I think half of those have been rearranged in one way or another.

This summer we were on a boat which only had 8 divers, max number was 16, which was great. However before hand I did keep a close eye on other boats schedules, so if the trip was cancelled I could book on another boat.

The previous summer we had to change boat and itinerary due to a lack of bookings. I had booked direct with the Egyptian based company and they gave me the option of moving onto another of their boats, or a full refund.

I think this does happen fairly often, and one way or another they will try to get you on another boat.

Thank you, ScubaJason. That's reassuring. I have no reason to doubt that they will take care of me, one way or another. I was just curious about other people's experiences in similar situations. I know that they manage other boats scheduled to sail on the same day, so I suppose somehow I'll get to dive the Red Sea, though I might to be flexible about the route ...

 

[Parlem]

Is there anything in their T&Cs related to that situation i.e. not enough bookings?
Ususally there are 3 options:
- Sorry, we have to cancel and we keep your deposit as we told you in our T&Cs
- Sorry, we have to cancel and we will refund your deposit
- Sorry, we have to cancel but our friends from boat XYZ will be happy to take you (provided you are happy to pay the difference of ... USD for the trip)
If i were in that situation, i would start looking for an alternative just in case, even if it not a LOB. So that other costs are not lost.
I don't think that trip insurance will be of any help, especially if you have booked all parts of the trip independently, but it may be worth have a look at these T&Cs as well.

Hi!

The trip has been paid in full, so I would expect nothing short of a full refund. I just can't see any liveaboard operator cancelling a trip due to insufficient bookings AND keeping their clients' deposit ...