Turks & Caicos - Aggressor II cabin question

[lunula]

Hi all,

For our first liveaboard experience, I think we're going to give Turks & Caicos w/ Aggressor a try next May. We've done some cruise ship diving, but mainly we have done shore diving in Bonaire. I thought this might be a good first liveaboard experience.

My question is about the cabins. Looks like they have one "master suite" with a queen bed, but I think we might actually like the Deluxe room, even though it has bunk beds. My husband doesn't care about sleeping up top, but since we're used to a king @ home, a queen against a wall might squeeze too much (we're spoiled).

Is there any difference in the various Deluxe cabins in regards to general noise (engine noise, people walking above, next door neighbors, etc.) as well as which ones might be better for sea-sickness? I know on large cruise ships, it's normally recommended to get a cabin towards the middle of the ship, but not sure if that applies on a much smaller liveaboard? I suffer sea-sickness on dive boats only - totally fine on cruises (large & medium size), speed boats, etc. But I've gotten sick every single time I've been on a dive boat and the patch is out of the equation due to weird vision problems it causes. Would there be any different in a forward vs. middle cabin?

Thanks!

 

[jameseg]

I haven't been on that boat, but I've read that further back in the boat is generally better in terms of motion issues. As far as cabins, I usually review the cabin layout on the website and pick the one that is largest (there's usually incremental differences in cabin size in the same category because most boats aren't perfectly straight on the sides.

We never sleep in the top bunk when there is one, but it's hard to underestimate the usefulness of those as a storage area.

Enjoy T&C! My wife and I were there about 5 years ago on another liveaboard and loved the diving.
James

 

[KathyV]

I always say that liveaboards make diving easy but living uncomfortable!

I often get seasick on liveaboards during deep water crossings, but I have been on 2 T&C liveaboards and didn't get sick on either boat (Aggressor and Peter Hughes). The boat moves slowly along the chain of islands and I never felt sick.

Like you, I cannot wear the patch because of vision problems. I lose my near vision and cannot read; it's very nasty.

We were on the T&C Aggressor a few years ago and it was a great trip and I am sure that you will enjoy it, beautiful walls, abundant fish life, and sharks and rays on just about every dive.

We had one of the Deluxe Staterooms with a lower double bed and an upper single bunk. My husband slept on the top bunk and I had the bottom. The cabins are vey small and tight so be sure to pack light.

I got a look at the Master Suite with the Queen bed one day while it was being cleaned and I thought that it looked roomier and more comfortable and decided that it was a better choice if we were ever to do another trip. But I've never experienced true comfort on a liveaboard. Luckily you are so tired and relaxed after diving all day that falling asleep isn't usually a problem.

We were in a lower, centrally-located stateroom because it was supposed to be easier for seasickness, but I don't know if it really made much of a difference.

I try to eat very little on the day of departure, avoid alcohol, take the seasick pill before boarding, and stay topside in the fresh air while staring at the horizon to try and reduce the symptoms of motion sickness. We also try to get settled before leaving port. My husband takes our gear to the dive deck and gets everything organized and set up while I head to the stateroom to unpack our clothes and stuff.

Even the worst seasickness episodes I've had have never lasted too long (they just felt like an eternity!) by the next day I was always fine and I remained good throughout the rest of the trip.

I hope that you plan a few extra days in advance to enjoy Provo, it's a beautiful and fun place to visit and Grace Bay Beach is amazing!

Have a great time!

 

[lunula]

Good stuff to know - thanks to you both!

I'm hoping I won't have sea-sickness issues on a liveaboard, I was really quite surprised the first time I got on a dive boat and was so sick. I had to skip the 2nd dive and didn't learn my lesson the next day and the same thing happened. The third day, I took some OTC meds and though it wasn't perfect, I was at about 85% and didn't have to cancel the 2nd dive.

I checked their website and all the Deluxe cabins are the same size (8x7) and the Master cabin is 8x12. For Bonaire, we normally pack one large bag with the majority of our gear, and then each bring a backpack with our clothes and other items. Would there be enough room for a large suitcase? The one we use is hard-sided since we check it. Guess it doesn't matter that much if we use soft-sided, as it is mainly our BCs, wetsuits, fins, lights, etc. We pack our regs & masks in our backpacks.

 

[KeithG]

There is always a difference in noise between rooms on a LOB. We have not been on this one, so I have no idea.

The worst room is the one closest to the onboard generator as there is always a generator running, day and night. The boat will have 2 onboard generators so it is sometimes hard to get away from both.

Next to the galley can also be noisy. Next to the salon can be noisy if you have a late night party group. Near the engines can be noisy, but this is not an issue in T&C as the boat travels very little. We once had a room in the bow of a boat and the slap of the waves on the hull was a surprise.

Take ear plugs.

 

[diversteve]

Unless there's some reason you have to book on the Aggressor, look at the Turks/Caicos Explorer instead - especially given your space concerns.

since we're used to a king @ home, a queen against a wall might squeeze too much (we're spoiled).

I don't understand this at all since all the cabins on the Aggressor (and the Explorer for that matter) squeeze the bed against the wall. The difference being on the Aggressor, there's a bunk above your head - assuming you're both going to sleep in the bigger lower bunk - one of you will have to crawl over the other.

Contrast that to the rooms on the Explorer where most have nothing sizeable at the foot of the bed in addition to being open along one long side. Picture #4 here. Turks and Caicos Explorer Vessel - Explorer Ventures - I think this is a main deck room - they have a couple upstairs that are even bigger. The cabin shown with bunks is the less expensive lower deck option - I think there's 3-4 of those. You don't want those anyway because you're sharing that deck with the engine room and the compressor room. Explorer vents the compressor heat thru the wetsuit rack on the dive deck so your suit has a decent chance of drying out somewhat between dives - my t-shirts almost always did during lunch.

One other thing you might notice in the pictures - Big Windows. If you're at all concerned about being seasick, looking out of a small porthole at the waterline (every Aggressor cabin except the mster) can be unsettling.

One last thing I'd mention is there's an extra deck on the Explorer also - the flybridge is the roof of the premium cabins/wheelhouse. It's covered, has drinks in a frig and music if the salt air hasn't got to it. I even slept up there a couple nights - the benches are padded and fitted. Woke up to seagulls hovering 10' away squawking at me - it wasn't until the last day that I realized they were used to getting breakfast since the boat moors at the same protected sites most nights.

Downside to the Explorer - it's more of a solid sided boat so more wind affected. The biggest thing seems to be it swings at anchor. Ask the DM when the best time is to jump, sometimes the swing takes you from shallow water to over the wall so it saves a swim out to the reef. Also Don't try to catch it - if you miss it, it will be back in a few minutes. Most people can't anyway...

I have no doubt the Aggressor is a little nicer but we just go to dive our 25-27 dives/week - could care less about table service, fancy china etc. I like the flow of the Explorer - from our main deck room we walked past the kitchen and into the dining room. Next was the lounge with a big wraparound couch and the TV. Thru the double doors and you're on the dive deck, suit up and walk down a few stairs and fall in the water. I've been on liveaboards where all the cabins were below deck - by the end of the week the stairs become more noticeable - esp. when you left your computer/camera etc. on the desk the night b4.

Both ships do so much the same itinerary that it's not a factor. I swam towards a white hull once but realized as I got closer that it was the Aggressor - not my boat. Fortunately the current carried me back. We saw them about 5-6 times during the week often at the next mooring over so they were doing the same dives. Never saw their divers though u/w.

Oh and there's no hot-tub on the Explorer - I've read it's not a good idea anyway due to an imcreased DCS risk after diving.

 

[KeithG]

Unless there's some reason you have to book on the Aggressor, look at the Turks/Caicos Explorer instead - especially given your space concerns. I don't understand this at all since all the cabins on the Aggressor (and the Explorer for that matter) squeeze the bed against the wall. The difference being on the Aggressor, there's a bunk above your head - assuming you're both going to sleep in the bigger lower bunk - one of you will have to crawl over the other.

Contrast that to the rooms on the Explorer where most have nothing sizeable at the foot of the bed in addition to being open along one long side. Picture #4 here. Turks and Caicos Explorer Vessel - Explorer Ventures - I think this is a main deck room - they have a couple upstairs that are even bigger. The cabin shown with bunks is the less expensive lower deck option - I think there's 3-4 of those. You don't want those anyway because you're sharing that deck with the engine room and the compressor room. Explorer vents the compressor heat thru the wetsuit rack on the dive deck so your suit has a decent chance of drying out somewhat between dives - my t-shirts almost always did during lunch.

One other thing you might notice in the pictures - Big Windows. If you're at all concerned about being seasick, looking out of a small porthole at the waterline (every Aggressor cabin except the mster) can be unsettling.

One last thing I'd mention is there's an extra deck on the Explorer also - the flybridge is the roof of the premium cabins/wheelhouse. It's covered, has drinks in a frig and music if the salt air hasn't got to it. I even slept up there a couple nights - the benches are padded and fitted. Woke up to seagulls hovering 10' away squawking at me - it wasn't until the last day that I realized they were used to getting breakfast since the boat moors at the same protected sites most nights.

Downside to the Explorer - it's more of a solid sided boat so more wind affected. The biggest thing seems to be it swings at anchor. Ask the DM when the best time is to jump, sometimes the swing takes you from shallow water to over the wall so it saves a swim out to the reef. Also Don't try to catch it - if you miss it, it will be back in a few minutes. Most people can't anyway...

I have no doubt the Aggressor is a little nicer but we just go to dive our 25-27 dives/week - could care less about table service, fancy china etc. I like the flow of the Explorer - from our main deck room we walked past the kitchen and into the dining room. Next was the lounge with a big wraparound couch and the TV. Thru the double doors and you're on the dive deck, suit up and walk down a few stairs and fall in the water. I've been on liveaboards where all the cabins were below deck - by the end of the week the stairs become more noticeable - esp. when you left your computer/camera etc. on the desk the night b4.

Both ships do so much the same itinerary that it's not a factor. I swam towards a white hull once but realized as I got closer that it was the Aggressor - not my boat. Fortunately the current carried me back. We saw them about 5-6 times during the week often at the next mooring over so they were doing the same dives. Never saw their divers though u/w.

Oh and there's no hot-tub on the Explorer - I've read it's not a good idea anyway due to an imcreased DCS risk after diving.

We also like the Explorer. My divebuddy does the booking and she wants a room with a window and not a port hole. So it is Explorer in T&C and Dancer in Belize (oops Aggressor #4 now).

On the link above, pics 7 & 8 are of room #2. It is on the upper level and is the full width of the boat. Lots of room. That is the one we book. Real quite unless some idiot cranks the sound way up in the salon.

If you ever saw the wrong hull underwater in T&C or Belize, then you are swimming too much, way too much.

 

[ppatin]

Is there any difference in the various Deluxe cabins in regards to general noise (engine noise, people walking above, next door neighbors, etc.) as well as which ones might be better for sea-sickness?

This probably varies based on the time of year, but I had zero sea-sickness issues on the T&C Aggressor and neither did anyone else that I know of on our trip. The boat usually stays on the sheltered, leeward side of the islands and there are no big crossings or passages that it had to make.

 

[ronscuba]

Not sure what bunk cabins on other liveaboards are like, but the aggressor bunk cabins are not fun.

The bottom bunk feels claustrophobic because there is not much room between the top and bottom bunk. Getting down from the top bunk you step on the sink vanity , or risk stepping on the person in the bottom bunk.

 

[rongoodman]

I have to say that at the ripe old age of 70 I've never had any problems climbing down from the top bunks. I've ended up in one on the last several trips.