Beware Kararu - Cheng Ho

[TheDiveCouple]

We were on Cheng Ho Nov 18-30, 2007 from Ambon to Sorong. As already reported, we also had a wonderful trip and agree with Nudiman's review. The boat does leak, but wasn't a problem for us. Hopefully, they will repair the leaks when in drydock next month. WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH KARARU IN ANY WAY!

 

[TheDiveCouple]

Bella,

Kerri and Hergen were the Cheng Ho trip directors. And since there are only 2 dive masters for 22 people, Kerri had to be a dive master all week instead of dealing with all the issues affecting the guests.

CritterHunter

Critter Hunter:
Respectfully, may we ask please, how many liveaboards have you been on.
I ask, because of the 15 different liveaboards we've been on, NO OTHER boats (except Kararu) had "trip directors" at all, not even one other boat. Cheng Ho had 2 (Hergen and Kerri). Both are also dive instructers. There was always a Manager type person remaining on the boat to handle issues. But most times, no divers were on the boat. They were diving. We only want to be fair to all concerned.

 

[TheDiveCouple]

Honestly, Cheng Ho installed a new hot water heater recently. The water was really very hot, actually too hot at times if not careful. No hot water is yesterday's news.
Gusti and Nyoman were both on our trip in November, so no worries on that count. Gusti is still onboard spotting critters as usual. Both are very good.

 

[CritterHunter]

Hi Frosty and The Dive Couple,

Glad there is a new water heater. BTW, we just got on the Kararu/Cheng Ho website and found that they have changed the 2 rooms in the crew quarters from a "Deluxe Twin" listing to single occupancy.

The website also states they're sending the boat to drydock "for complete renovation and up-grade of these cabins will be done in January."

There are four of us that dive at least one liveaboard every year since the mid 1990's. From the GBR to Micronesia, PNG, Caribbean, and around Asia, we try a new area every trip. Usually we do a couple weeks on a liveaboard and a week at a landbased resort - takes so long to get to these places we usually go for about a month each trip.

Moving on to '08 and the Solomon Islands and the Bilikiki liveaboard.

Have a great holiday everyone,

CritterHunter

 

[smokey braden]

critterhunter,
please look into something for me.
it is my understanding that there is a wreck called the uss john penn near the solomons.
if you get a chance to dive her, please tell me of your experience.
thank you,

 

[GoorglinGeorge]

There are other negative reviews not just one. Do a search on Cheng Ho.

 

[Zippsy]

There are other negative reviews not just one. Do a search on Cheng Ho.

I did that. I learned a lot about the ancient Chinese Admiral that I had not known already. I also googled "Cheng Ho" & Kararu and found more pertinent reviews. Half said beware of the ship and were signed by CritterHunter and the other half said there was no need to beware of the ship and were signed by TheDiveCouple.

I reckon there are good and bad ways to write a negative review. While CH should feel free to express her opinion anyway she likes, it doesn't mean her review was done in an acceptable way - at least IMHO. While I am happy that she took time to write a review, either positive of negative, it didn't think it sounded right to me. That same scathing article was posted on a quite a number of forums and it sounded more like it was written by someone getting vengeance rather than someone setting lower expectations for others by giving a fair review.

Maybe CH had too high expectations before going on the trip because of just reading the website or something. I know how people's expectations make a huge difference in how they eventually perceive a trip. I've seen customers coming off a ship after a weekend with a couple of them grumbling about the poor experience and all the others raving about it being the best trip of their lives. Prior expectations and experiences are the only way I can explain the vastly divergent views. If the people who were grumbling wrote a report like this one about the one trip, I would think the wrong message got advertised too.

 

[CritterHunter]

Zippsy, why don't you share what you would do if: You reserved and paid for a Deluxe Twin on Cheng Ho. When you arrived in Sorong, Kerri, the trip director met you and said she had to inform us that all of the Deluxe rooms, which are below deck, were all full and that you two were being put in a bunk bed in the restricted crew quarters area in the stern. The room is half the size of the Deluxe rooms on board, leaks, virtually no running water reaches it and the crew hangs out 24/7 outside your door smoking, playing their guitars all right above the ship's generator exhaust.

The result of weeks of post-trip communications with Bali Kararu management was that you received nothing but platitudes. BTW, a couple from Europe who had also paid for a Deluxe room and was put in the crew area also given lip service following the trip.

It's pretty easy to summarize: All that was necessary from Kararu was a simple 'we exceeded the boat's guest limit and overbooked the boat and weren't able to accommodate you in the category of room for which you paid (Deluxe) and we're reimbursing the difference between the Deluxe Twin and the bunk bed in the crew area of the boat.'

Zippsy, this has nothing to do with expectations, but is a breach of contract by Kararu.

I have glowing trip reports on every liveaboard we've ever been on over the years if you'd like a list: 2x Spoil Sport (GBR); Paradise Sport (PNG), Komodo Dancer, Star Dancer (Walindi), Odyssey (Truk), Aggressor II Galapagos, Sun Dancer (Belize), Turks & Caicos, etc.

 

[reubencahn]

NO OTHER boats (except Kararu) had "trip directors" at all, not even one other boat.

Bilikiki. Perhaps Naia also.

Zippsy, I don't see anything wrong with the way Critterhunter wrote the review. It is mostly factual and, to the extent it isn't, reflects her views of the boat and the conduct of management. I don't see a problem. So that anyone who wants can assess my bias, I did a trip on Kararu's Sea Safari two years ago and my experience in many ways mirrored CritterHunter's, from no hotwater, to non-functioning heads, to being dropped in dangerous currents, to equipment failures, to management that couldn't seem to care less about their guests. I posted a report here. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/general-asia/111136-trip-report-komodo-kararu-part-i.html http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/111137-trip-report-komodo-kararu-part-ii.html It is the only time I've posted a negative report on any destination or boat.

The truth is, I think there's great reluctance on the part of many divers to post negative revues no matter how much deserved. I know I thought very hard about posting the above report because I liked the trip directors and didn't want to harm them. But I decided to do so so that others wouldn't commit their hard earned money on a trip that would disappoint.

 

[Zippsy]

Zippsy, I don't see anything wrong with the way Critterhunter wrote the review. It is mostly factual and, to the extent it isn't, reflects her views of the boat and the conduct of management. I don't see a problem.

Let me quote myself with some emphasis as I think I might not have expressed myself properly:

I reckon there are good and bad ways to write a negative review. While CH should feel free to express her opinion anyway she likes, it doesn't mean her review was done in an acceptable way - at least IMHO. While I am happy that she took time to write a review, either positive of negative, it didn't think it sounded right to me. That same scathing article was posted on a quite a number of forums and it sounded more like it was written by someone getting vengeance rather than someone setting lower expectations for others by giving a fair review...

Reuben, how many other forums did you post that review? Also, although a quite negative review (which I appreciate), I notice that you also took time to temper the review and also point out the things that were good or acceptable on the boat. Maybe I am just too Asian but I would never post a "warning" so 100% negative on so many forums. It just looked to me like CH was trying to get even for getting short-changed.

CH, I hope this answers your questions to me too. I'm not as against you as I guess it appears. I respect your opinion but I just think it could have been expressed better.