Is luxury important in a cruise?

[SeaHound]

I am trying to select my first cruise and they are EXPENSIVE!!!! I am thinking if luxury is an important factor? For me diving begins from the time you are IN WATER and ends the time your are OUT OF WATER. So far I think a good diving cruise would be the one that takes you to the best dive sites. For you seasoned liveaboarders, how important is the "boat experience" for you?

 

[robint]

I am trying to select my first cruise and they are EXPENSIVE!!!! I am thinking if luxury is an important factor? For me diving begins from the time you are IN WATER and ends the time your are OUT OF WATER. So far I think a good diving cruise would be the one that takes you to the best dive sites. For you seasoned liveaboarders, how important is the "boat experience" for you?

are you talking about a cruise or a liveaboard??? they are whole different animals.

Liveaboards do range quite a bit in comfort levels and prices. You can do anything from communal bunkrooms and bathrooms(all Calif dive liveaboards, Blackbeards in Bahamas), to median level with basic private rooms and bathrooms(Nekton in Caribbean, Explorer Ventures in Caribbean, Big Blue and Eco Explorers in Palau/South Pacific), to the luxury (Peter Hughes worldwide, Aggressors worldwide, Mike Ball in Australia).

I have done several Calif liveaboards with the bunkbeds and also done the Eco Explorer in Palau and the Nekton in Bahamas. All were fantastic trips and I wanted for nothing. Fancy boats? Not hardly! Worst thing about the communal boats is sharing a couple of bathrooms with 30-40 other people!
All the boats I have been on met my needs outside of the diving - the biggest things for me were safety (all were exceptional in that respect), the beds comfy (yes), food was good and plentiful (yes), and that the crew and people onboard were fun (absolutely!). No problems for us. I have seen lots of trip reports here from people who have other "requirements" and complain about things I don't find important.

Would I do a luxury trip? Sure, if I could afford one and they were going somewhere that one of the other boats was not available. I don't need staff dressed in cute little outfits, or wood paneling and tv sets in my room. I don't need formal sitdown dinners with wine. I don't need a DM in the water with me to guide me around (Palau is the exception as all dives are drift and require a DM). What I need is great diving, safety, good food, a comfy place to sleep, and fun people I will want to be stuck on a boat with.

Just my 2 cents.

robin

 

[tstormdiver]

Robint hit the nail on the head. I have been on Blackbeard's twice, the Caribbean Explorer & the Cat Ppalu. Personally, I'm a pretty hard core diver. I get in every possible dive I can. None of the boats I've been on are terrible. Blackbeard's can be a bit crazy with so many people on such a tiny boat, but, for me, it's the overall experience I've had, not just the luxury. To some, I'm sure the luxury would be important. It's all in what you want for your vacation.

 

[Damselfish]

That's not really a question someone else can answer for you. I want lots of great diving AND what I consider a nice on-board experience, and I can get it, so I do. The boats that are often referred to as "luxury", I don't think of as luxury. I think of them as "normal." There would have to be special circumstances for me to even consider sharing a bathroom. I wouldn't go on something like Blackbeard's and don't even like the sound of Nekton, but they are exactly what some people want. And that's fine.

Part of what makes a boat higher end isn't the cosmetic/physical things, but rather fewer passengers, more space, and more service.

 

[ncchuck]

I've been on several liveaboards including the Nekton, Aggressor and Peter Hughes. I also did a private boat in Indonesia. All boats were okay but some are nicer than others. I personally would never choose a boat without private bathrooms. Prices pretty much reflect a couple of things. Number or passengers and private bathrooms. More passengers typically means lower prices and shared bathrooms always means lower prices. I agree than none of the boats are really luxurious. I've enjoyed the trips that included in water DM's much more than those that didn't. They just know where the critters hide.

 

[TSandM]

I think some of it depends on the length of the trip, too. I just finished a three day trip on a Southern California liveaboard -- bunk beds and shared bathrooms. It was quite all right for three days, but the difficulties of getting a proper shower would have begun to irritate me if it had been any longer than that, as would not being able to sit up all the way in my bunk.

 

[ptyx]

I think it's more a matter of comfort than luxury.

A dive cruise can be physically exhausting, and schedule is packed. Having a boat where you don't have to wait in line too long for showers, or can take a quick nap being sure nobody else will crash into the room and wake you up can make a difference at the end of the week.

 

[Rick Murchison]

What do you consider "luxury?"
Space? In general, more individual space, more $$$
Privacy? Ability to be alone? Again, more is more $$$
King sized beds & a private head? $$$
Good interior climate control? Generally, the more control you have, the more $$$
Speed & ride? Faster & smoother is more $$$
Quiet? The quieter your quarters, the more they cost.
Warm water down your wetsuit at the end of a dive? $$$
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For me, "luxury" is having as many dives as I can stand, a place to sleep, an available head, plenty to eat, good company and plenty of rum.
Blackbeards; Spree; Fling all the way
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If getting in a bunch of dives isn't as important as luxury on a budget, you can take a very economical cruise like this one and have your own stateroom, private head with shower, lots of entertainment, and eat your way across the sea, then tack on a dive when in port...

Rick

 

[Damselfish]

Length is a really good point. I might be more inclined to "rough it" for a short trip. Like, I love to go camping but we usually go about 4 nights at a time max. After that I'm happy to return to civilization.

As a matter of fact, I did do a "less luxurious" 3 night liveaboard once. While we did have a large cabin and private bath, there were more people on the boat, marginal food, no service, and very lacking in topside amenities. It was alright for a short trip but a week or more of that I wouldn't have been happy.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Length is a really good point. ...

HHHhhaaarrrr!
I suppose my point of view on "luxury" is a bit skewed... 20 years at sea off & on for months at a time on one of Uncle Sam's luxury liners will do that to ye.

Rick