You guys are a bad influence

[GR8FUL]

Use ITA Matrix and search using a few local airports from you in Florida. Generally, if you use a hub, it is much cheaper. Use the open search function by stipulating a window of time and tell it a range of days you want to go for, e.g.: I want to look at a 1 month window starting August 8 (to September 8) and I am open to going for at least 10 nights up to 15 nights...search using "10-15" under the nights/days option. Include a few airport codes that are close to you...It will spit out some options on a calendar. Hover over the dates and it will pop up how much it is round trip based on how many nights you stay and which day you leave. Once you find the combo you want, click it, and it will take you to the airline and pricing options along with number of stops. Find what you like then book direct. That allows you to plan your trip and capture the best pricing that works for you. I always get my tickets to SE Asia this way, and for the dates that I need - not something that no one else wants.

Good luck and please let me know if you have any Q's!

Thanks for the info., I was not familiar with ITA Matrix. I'm playing around with it now & think this will be super-helpful in planning future trips--thanks again!

 

[Dan]

Is SE Asia that much better?

Definitely for me. I spent 1st 3 years diving in Caribbean (Utila, Cayman Brac, Bonaire). The 4th year (2008) I went to Komodo. Flight Houston-Denpasar-Labuan Bajo was ~$1000, a week liveaboard was ~ $1200.

I spent ~ $2500 for a week of diving in Utila with the promise of swimming with whalesharks, which turned out to be a bust. I got bitten badly with noseeum (sandflies) instead.

I got spoiled with Indonesia after the Komodo Trip and never wanted to go back to Caribbean. To date I’ve been to Komodo 3x, Raja Ampat 7x. The 8th times will be in January 2020. Other places that I dove in Indonesia include Alor, Ambon, Bali, Bunaken, Lembeh, Bangka, Maratua Atoll, WaKaToBi.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Definitely for me. I spent 1st 3 years diving in Caribbean (Utila, Cayman Brac, Bonaire). The 4th year I went to Komodo. Then I got spoiled with Indonesia and never wanted to go back to Caribbean.

So true, so true, changes your dive life and vacation schedule pretty much for good.

My recommendation is don't do it until you're sure you're ready to quit enjoying your diving in Caribbean.

 

[Dan]

My own experience on dive quality in order: Galapagos, Indonesia, Maldives, Red Sea. Caribbean is such a big drop off from there, I don't want to put them in the same sentence.

Mine is as follows:
Indonesia, Galápagos, Cocos, Socorro, Maldives, Palau, Red Sea, GBR, UAE/Oman, East Africa, then Caribbean.

 

[D_Fresh]

Wow, $600 round trip?!? That's a lot less expensive than I would have guessed! Wish I were more of a planner versus a "book a trip at the last-minute and go" type of traveler...I just priced Florida > Manilla round trip and it was about $1,600, but that's for leaving in the next two weeks.

Yeah, that's usually booking about 90 days in advance. I've noticed with Philippine Airlines (PAL) their prices are extremely high within 21 days, then tapering down out to 90 days away from travel, but then stay flat or actually go up a bit when looking further out....

...Airlines...