When a liveaboard trip is cancelled the day you arrive....

[Diving Dubai]

I'll put my 2bar in here. I for one fully believe @Erica Watson. I very much suspect this trip wasn't sold and that they were holding out for last minute bookings (fire sale)

The fact is, the Oman Aggressor will be an abject failure. While the diving here is great, you are never going to guarantee clear blue seas with great vis. Well maybe you have a good possibility in the summer, but then the air temps are going to be well over 100F at night with humidity at 80%+(The Aggressor's weather info on their site is BS).

Yes it' off the beaten track and for the most part has very little damage to the corals, but the conditions are inconsistent (right now the sea is 70F so very green with plankton) At $3000 plus for a 7 day trip plus air fares I can think of many better places that would have guaranteed vis and diving. It's a great place for off the beaten track adventure diving, not for vacation trips. We dive it because it's close and only requires a few hrs drive to get a boat.

I'm really looking forward to their Sept - Nov 2018 itinerary where they move the boat to the Musandam - where you get big currents - little drift diving because of very short walls and lots of depth for the down currents to scare you. I dive here all year and treat the place with a good deal of respect. Those of us who dive it regularly are somewhat unstable as we love washing machine currents. Vacation divers with guides who aren't experienced or sensibly don't want to fight currents or be tumbled may not enjoy the place.

The number of people who know the Musandam well, numbers less than 10 and none are working for Aggressor! It's going to be carnage.

 

[Altamira]

@richmonddiver. Your comments were not only not nice, they were mean and far from neutral. Perhaps you were not aware of how your comments might resonate with readers, so you might consider working on your communication skills. I think you will find the SB community is very capable in differentiating the truth tellers from the liars.

@Erica Watson. Your presentation of the events posted was very believable, and I can spot BS without hesitation, so good on you. Keep pushing.

 

[Erica Watson]

So I did go diving with a local group- and the water was very green and the visibility was horrid. I completely agree with you statement of going other places that have better vis, but mostly because I am a photographer. I made the most of the situation while there and I had an amazing time exploring Oman and UAE.

I'll put my 2bar in here. I for one fully believe @Erica Watson. I very much suspect this trip wasn't sold and that they were holding out for last minute bookings (fire sale)

The fact is, the Oman Aggressor will be an abject failure. While the diving here is great, you are never going to guarantee clear blue seas with great vis. Well maybe you have a good possibility in the summer, but then the air temps are going to be well over 100F at night with humidity at 80%+(The Aggressor's weather info on their site is BS).

Yes it' off the beaten track and for the most part has very little damage to the corals, but the conditions are inconsistent (right now the sea is 70F so very green with plankton) At $3000 plus for a 7 day trip plus air fares I can think of many better places that would have guaranteed vis and diving. It's a great place for off the beaten track adventure diving, not for vacation trips. We dive it because it's close and only requires a few hrs drive to get a boat.

I'm really looking forward to their Sept - Nov 2018 itinerary where they move the boat to the Musandam - where you get big currents - little drift diving because of very short walls and lots of depth for the down currents to scare you. I dive here all year and treat the place with a good deal of respect. Those of us who dive it regularly are somewhat unstable as we love washing machine currents. Vacation divers with guides who aren't experienced or sensibly don't want to fight currents or be tumbled may not enjoy the place.

The number of people who know the Musandam well, numbers less than 10 and none are working for Aggressor! It's going to be carnage.

 

[gcarter]

I am currently in the planning process for my first LOB. The provider has already been chosen, so this is not an immediate factor.

Having said that, it is one more nail in an already full coffin, to me. I see absolutely no reason to ever look at an Aggressor boat when there are so many other options available without the baggage.

One customer they will never acquire.

 

[Scared Silly]

I have a voucher awarded to me, a confirmation 7 days out that the trip is going and a phone call conversation cancelling it. That is it.
What I really want to know is has this happened to someone else and what is reasonable to ask Aggressor for.

Erica, while I gave you what Aggressor should have done. Can you tell us eaxactly what Aggressor has done. And was you have accepted so far. You mentioned they offered to let you stay on the boat but not not what you wanted to do. So what happened? Did you stay at hotel? if so who paid for it? What about meals? Did they pay for the local diving?

Regarding the a voucher for another trip. What exactly did they offer you with what terms? For instance, I would not have accepted a voucher for the same franchise. Does the voucher expire ? It should not. Can it be transferred to someone else? It should be.

Regarding has something like this happen to people before? My limited knowledge says no. However, there have been instances where boats have had catastrophic incidents like sinking and people have been in route. Again not sure what the LOB operators did for those passenger.

 

[Erica Watson]

Yes- They offered to let me stay on the boat, provide meals and a local dive group to take us out. I did not accept, I stayed at a hotel paid by me, paid for my own meals and my own diving/tours.
I have written to the VP of Aggressor to ask that i be allowed to use the voucher for another boat as they only offered to extend the one i had for the same boat on the phone call (no reply yet. I also tried calling first but there was no answer). The original voucher was awarded Feb 2017 with an expiration of January 2018 and the boat was not even in service until mid November 2017. I do not currently have a new/extended voucher in my hands. I am still waiting on that. The original voucher I believe is non transferable.

Erica, while I gave you what Aggressor should have done. Can you tell us eaxactly what Aggressor has done. And was you have accepted so far. You mentioned they offered to let you stay on the boat but not not what you wanted to do. So what happened? Did you stay at hotel? if so who paid for it? What about meals? Did they pay for the local diving?

Regarding the a voucher for another trip. What exactly did they offer you with what terms? For instance, I would not have accepted a voucher for the same franchise. Does the voucher expire ? It should not. Can it be transferred to someone else? It should be.

Regarding has something like this happen to people before? My limited knowledge says no. However, there have been instances where boats have had catastrophic incidents like sinking and people have been in route. Again not sure what the LOB operators did for those passenger.

 

[Erica Watson]

I actually love LOB- such an great way to see more remote areas. I did 12 days in Bali this spring and I cannot say enough amazing things about my experience, but that is for another post or private conversation - I don't want to derail the convo or promote another brand, its not the aim of the thread

I am currently in the planning process for my first LOB. The provider has already been chosen, so this is not an immediate factor.

Having said that, it is one more nail in an already full coffin, to me. I see absolutely no reason to ever look at an Aggressor boat when there are so many other options available without the baggage.

One customer they will never acquire.

 

[Lorenzoid]

So I did go diving with a local group- and the water was very green and the visibility was horrid. I completely agree with you statement of going other places that have better vis, but mostly because I am a photographer. I made the most of the situation while there and I had an amazing time exploring Oman and UAE.

Then the airfare wasn't entirely wasted. I suppose that's good and bad. You made the most of already being in the region, but it doesn't help your case for getting compensation for the airfare. From discussions focusing on the voucher, it sounds like you may have already accepted that you're SOL on compensation for airfare and incidentals.

As I said in a comment early in the thread, perhaps there are some risks associated with liveaboard/cruise travel that just can't be completely insured against. There are some risks we just have to accept if we want to use specific liveaboard/cruise/tour/whatever operators in expensive-to-reach locations.

 

[Erica Watson]

I am unwilling to accept to be SOL on anything until I hear back from them. This whole trip was planned solely around being on the LOB within the limited time frame they gave me and while S* happens, I am in a service industry and I believe in doing right by your customer. I have been/am trying to let them get back to me on this but I have yet to hear anything.

I think I focused on the voucher because it is the only thing I thought of after 20 hours of flying when the call came.

Then the airfare wasn't entirely wasted. I suppose that's good and bad. You made the most of already being in the region, but it doesn't help your case for getting compensation for the airfare. From discussions focusing on the voucher, it sounds like you may have already accepted that you're SOL on compensation for airfare and incidentals.

As I said in a comment early in the thread, perhaps there are some risks associated with liveaboard/cruise travel that just can't be completely insured against. There are some risks we just have to accept if we want to use specific liveaboard/cruise/tour/whatever operators in expensive-to-reach locations.

 

[Altamira]

Then the airfare wasn't entirely wasted. I suppose that's good and bad. You made the most of already being in the region, but it doesn't help your case for getting compensation for the airfare. From discussions focusing on the voucher, it sounds like you may have already accepted that you're SOL on compensation for airfare and incidentals.

As I said in a comment early in the thread, perhaps there are some risks associated with liveaboard/cruise travel that just can't be completely insured against. There are some risks we just have to accept if we want to use specific liveaboard/cruise/tour/whatever operators in expensive-to-reach locations.

Just because she made some lemonade from the lemons The Oman Aggressor gave her does not mean she should not be compensated for her airfare and out-of-pocket expenses. After all, she did not fly to Oman to make lemonade.