Mermaid-2 liveaboard review

[fishfriend]

I was on this live aboard last December in the aftermath of the Bangkok airport closure. We had originally booked on the Black Manta and due to change in dates, I switched to Mermaid-2. While Black Manta was totally open to rescheduling due to BKK closing, Mermaid-2 did not finch. So we made many changes to our flights, lost a lot of money and landed ourselves in Phuket. The day of our departure on the live aboard, they serve us a very bad dinner in Royal Phawadee and the manager, I think her name is Barbara tells us that the A/C has not been working since the trip before. She says she will offer free beer instead. Some of us were upset for very obvious reasons. A couple had to miss a part of their live aboard to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang which she totally ignores and then tells them how to argue their case with the travel insurance in a very general note. Some of us complained that we don't drink and then she offers us free nitrox instead - IF WE WERE CERTIFIED. One of us was not, and she made money out of him by getting him certified.
We asked her to subtract an amount and refund as A/C is a major distinguishing factor in the class of live aboards and she wouldn't hear about it. You either go or you forfeit. Once we got the boat, there was lot of confusion. She wanted the DM/tour organizer to now only give Nitrox and not free beer. Obviously people were unhappy. I pity the DM and her other employees who have to put up with her.
Mermaid-2 otherwise had good DMs, decent food, and very good service but an EXTREMELY customer unfriendly management. ALso DMs did not take the night dives very seriously. Took us to a place which had nothing- only current.
O I wish I was in Black Manta ... Please book with Tjaart who works with Calypso Divers that run it in Phuket. Good rates, very responsive and very reasonable and helpful. I have a feeling food would have been better and the rest atleast the same level as Mermaid and we paid quite a bit MORE for Mermaid-2. I would never touch that company again unless they change their management.
More notes on diivng to follow ... Wanted to get this review out ...

 

[Kevrumbo]

Had the same thing happen to me in 2006 on Mermaid II; air conditioning was down (first cabin at the start of the hallway on the dive deck port side), so they offered me free nitrox. Slept with the cabin door & windows open and two electric fans to keep the air circulating. . .

 

[jkaterenchuk]

More notes on diivng to follow ... Wanted to get this review out ...

Do I have this right you went in Dec and your posting now and then saying you Wanted to get this review out. Sorry you had to rush it....up to the minute news like this is so hard to find these days.

Its too bad to see that maybe this operation has gone downhill. I took a trip with them about 4 years ago and everything was good. At that time the customers were mostly German and Swiss since I think the Manager was also from that part of the world. The service was good, the food good and the diving good. The only problem was the europeans wanted the doors closed during lunch as they were concerned about the wind blowing into their ears after a dive and the others wanted the doors open as the heat was unbearable with no air flow.

John

 

[Batfish]

I hear occasional aircon problems on Mermaid 2, but this season they have individual aircon in each cabin. We've booked (as an agent) many people on Mermaid 2 this season, the last ones just came back a few days ago from the last trip - experienced divers, had a great trip.. I have not had any complaints at all this year and Mermaid 2 will be one of the boats we continue to recommend for next season... As an agent, we listen to all sides of a story, and if a boat is underperforming, we can very easily remove it from our listing.. a lot of boats out there, and we don't want people coming back with complaints - if a boat is not good enough, we don't sell it.

 

[fishfriend]

exactly my point I have been postponing this review for so long that I had to get it out Well its good that you had a few laughs at my expense

Also I thought December 2008 was this season and they did not have individual aircons. Its also weird that until I brought it up that the 'occasional' aircon problem never came up in the boards.

When they are so unyielding with customer issues (especially one as huge as BKK closure), they better be PERFECT ALL the time. The Hin Daeng Hin Muang trip following our Similan live aboard was not full. Even then the couple who missed the previous trip were not offered a reschedule even though they could have made it.

 

[lord khram]

This wouldn't by any chance be anything to do with Mermaids in Pattaya would it??
Is it the same company, could you please enlighten me.

 

[Ringo]

No LK - not the same company.

 

[lord khram]

No LK - not the same company.

Thanks for that info.
Just thought the original post seemed like another case of the old Pattaya dive shop philosophy.
'We can treat you as we se fit, good or bad and under any circumstances NO REFUNDS'.
Maybe this practice is not exclusive to Pattaya dive shops as i first thought.

 

[Bowmouth]

I think one of Mermaids major problems is that they miss a professional "Operations Manager". Communications and understanding between office and boat-crew is poor (to say at best) and because their turn-around time between trips is short, things that should have been done are either not done properly or not done at all.