Worst Liveaboard Experience, Island Dancer, Fiji

[Cohugore]

My wife and I, as well as a small group of friends of ours recently spent time on the Dancer Fleet Island Dancer in Fiji. For the most part, the diving from this liveaboard was very good and we saw a lot of very healthy marine life. But, the Island Dancer boat was probably the worst quality liveaboard we have ever been on (and we have been on many). The boat is in great disrepair. The TV in the galley didn't even work. There were roaches in our rooms, the bathrooms were nasty and moldy. The air in our tanks tasted bad and made a few of the people sick! The food on board the boat was insulting. If we could have stopped at a McDonalds for each meal, then we would have received better food!
When we expressed our concerns to the crew, they just acted as if our concerns were normal and insignificant. I've been on Dancer and Aggressor boats previously, and this boat was not like any other we had been on. This was an expensive trip, and the quality of the trip was "low class". I would not recommend this boat to anyone who is looking for a quality liveaboard experience.

 

[Shasta_man]

Besides the stuff that was broken, how did the crew take care of the passengers with what they did have? Would you say they had just as little concern or did they do the best job they could?

 

[slingshot]

I'm sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience, and I'm glad that you have shared it with us. Could you provide some additional examples of the failings in the food, the boat, and the crew? Was safety compromised in any way? A trip to Fiji has been a dream of mine, and I've considered this boat, so I am very interested to hear additional details of your experience. At the same time you will find that many on the board, myself included, hold people whose first posts have been criticisms of dive outfits or experiences to a higher standard of proof, especially as I understand the organization, which has now joined with the Aggressor Fleet, to be well regarded in general, and I see that this is your first day on the board. So welcome to Scubaboard, I look forward to hearing more from you, and also perhaps a response from the Dancer Fleet.

 

[theduckguru]

Liveaboard, 3rd world destination, bad food, bad air, crew not impowered to make things right - have we heard this story before?

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I as well have looked at this boat for a trip to the region . Have you got any photos you can share ? A picture is worth a 1000 words , thanks

 

[shmuggy]

I was on the boat in August and they did a great job. Could this have been a relief crew? Do you remember any of the crew members names. What has the Aggressor Fleet said about this?

 

[Doubler]

Not the first time complaints about this boat have been raised. Food and boat in disrepair are one thing, bad tasting air that made divers sick is another.

 

[paschen]

I just returned from this trip.
I doubt it was a relief crew - we asked how long they had been on the boat - in some cases years, in others a little less than a year.
I didn't have any complaints about the food, with it being say 3.5 star quality, but the Americans on board didn't much care for it at all - constantly smothering everything in tobasco and ketchup. I didn't understand this, as the quality was excellent, the variety very wide, but it certainly wasn't what you would get in a $50 a plate restaurant.
I likewise had no problems with the air, and no-one complained about it.
Complaints were more with regard to the state of the boat, lack of Dancer/Agressor experience, lack of professionalism with staff etc.
I was ready to just go with the flow for this trip, and just chalk up all the little things to just "one of those things" until I started to pack, only to discover that rats had been in my room and ruined one of my bags (my day bag/cycling messenger bag) which is a huge problem for me as this is the first stage in an extended trip, which now sees me without a suitable day bag. I will just have to pick something up on the way, but this was water resistant, held all my tech gear perfectly and was incredibly cool (Basil bag). I also had to sleep in a room which I knew to have rats for one more night. Not the best night's sleep of my life.
I will say though, I went to see nudibranch and soft coral - these expectations were met and exceeded and my dive guide was outstanding.

 

[mathauck0814]

In my opinion, Fiji is best explored from the land-based resorts. You can see many of the same places that the liveaboards go to and have a longer trip for roughly the same cost. We did almost a month in Fiji in May for about the cost of a liveaboard. The diving is fantastic and the people and culture on land are worth seeing. Don't waste the opportunity on a boat. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[divengolf]

Glad that I booked on the Nai'a for 2013.

RATS!!!