Similian Live Aboard

[Chocolatemonkee]

Hey Everyone!
I have read some of the other postings regarding LA's in Thailand and was wondering if anyone could provide some clarification for me?

1. Suggestions for lower budget live aboard for mid to late January 2011? How do they differ from mid-range boats?
2. Is it better to book with a company that has their own boats or go through a "travel agent" style dive shop?
3. Is it possible to not pre-book trips and book a few days in advance? (Not exactly sure what day I'll be arriving as I have business before hand)

Any help will be appreciated!!

 

[aquamarin]

I'm biased since I work for a live-aboard company, so I'll refrain from answering question 1.

When it comes to question no 2, I may be shooting myself in the foot - BUT I'd go through an agent if I were you. There are a couple of them active on this board and I'm sure they'll get back to you with answers soon. Their advantage is that they have several boats to choose from and can therefore recommend different boats according to your wishes and requirements.

Some boats have space a few days in advance, some are already fully booked now. Most are sold out on some trips and have space on others. Again, an agent would be able to help you with that.

Not much help I'm afraid - but at least feedback

Karin

 

[Quero]

To add to Karin's excellent post :
1) The budget boats tend to have shared heads (toilet/shower facilities), though some of these also have a cabin or two or three with private heads. Also, a larger proportion of the mid-range boats as compared to budget boats have Nitrox available, though this has been changing quite quickly so that it's not hard to find a budget boat that offers Nitrox.

2) I agree with Karin that using an agent makes a lot of sense. Even the last-minute prices that sometimes become available a few days before trips are bookable through an agent. The advantage of using an agent is that s/he can quickly get availability figures for a few boats that would meet your needs rather than working it the way individuals usually do--deciding on one, sending an email, waiting for a reply, possibly finding out the boat is sold out or the cabin-type you want is no longer available, going back to decide on another one, etc. An agent saves you time + headaches and costs you no more than a direct booking.

3) It's possible that there will be last-minute availability in January, but you should be aware that this is high season, and some boats will most certainly be sold out--maybe the boat you would most like to be on will be one of the sold out ones. One way to work towards pre-booking if you don't know your exact dates is to figure out a date range in the middle of your stay and book that. You can arrive earlier and dive at the end of your stay or you can arrive later and dive at the beginning of your stay.

 

[stevenl]

1) IMO this question can really not be answered properly IMO. Some of the lower priced boats offer more than higher priced boats, so talking about value for money they are way better than their competition. But then you have to look at the whole experience on a boat, which entails so much more than just bathrooms en-suite yes or no or the size of a cabin.

2) An independent adviser will give more flexibility, hopefully an honest opinion plus more information about several boats. And the price is the same.

3) yes, that is possible. But take into account that in general the boats that offer best value for money will be the boats that will be sold out first. But you may come across a good last minute offer as well by not prebooking.

 

[HRScuba]

re. using an agent. Quero has booked a trip for Claire and I on the boat administered by Aquamarin. getting information and opinions from someone close to the many livaboards has been very valuable. i believe agents are in a position to get the most feedback about whose operation is professional and whose is not. then they put their reputation on the line by knowing that big mouth customers like me will tell all to scuba board.
initially i was very concerned about the distance involved in using an agent in Thailand when i am in the United States. the two ladies above have responded quicker and with more efficiency than the U.S. agents I've used for past trips.
Harvey