outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
Hi, everyone. I went to the Philippines for 3 weeks a little after mid April and did 50-something dives in the regions of Tubbataha, on a seafari from El Nido to Coron, and in the Puerto Galera Area. Please check back later for a trip report on the 4 day, 3 night dive seafari we did with Submariner Dive Center as well as our 6 night all-inclusive, full-board stay and dive at El Galleon and Asia Divers. I loved everything about our trip and feel that we made the right choices with operators and would highly recommend all 3 operators/resort to everyone! Thanks for your patience while I slowly churn out these trip reports...
Travel to and from
EVA Airlines, SFO to TPE to MNL. I arrived MNL at 11:30 AM and did not get to the customers counter until 1:15 PM. There were flights that were early and late that all landed at once and very few agents working. We waited for a terminal bus to transfer to T3 since we were immediately flying to PPS on Cebu Pacific. It took a while since they organize the buses by terminal and your urgency/flight time. They stack everyone’s luggage in a pile so if you have dive gear, it’s beneficial to be boarded towards the end when your bag can be towards the top. I kept my photo bag on the floor in front of me for obvious reasons.
The check-in line at Cebu Pacific was ridiculous. The web/mobile check in bag drop line was painfully slow even though it was significantly shorter. We did not get to the gate until 4:20! That’s 4 hours and 50 minutes gate to gate and that was even after them pulling us out of the line because the baggage cutoff was approaching. Between EVA and Cebu Pacific (along with many other carriers in Asia), there were no problems carrying camera equipment with me. My camera bag is an international sized rollerboard that was about 16 kg (limit is 7kg) and I also had a tote bag full of stuff. I had one checked bag with dive gear, clothing, toiletries, etc. at 23kg. EVA gives me 3 bags at 50lbs each for free and I also prepaid 30kg of baggage with Cebu Pacific just in case I needed to check in some extra weight. EVA asked me if my rollerboard was heavy and I was open and honest that it was. I opened it up for them and showed them what it was, then explained it was expensive and fragile camera gear. She gave me a tag and all was well. Cebu Pacific let me through without weighing it but at security, staff wanted to weigh it. I opened it up went through the motions again and they jotted notes on the clipboard, weighed it, acknowledged the weight then let me through without issue. This method has worked flawlessly for me throughout the Philippines and in Indonesia. We arrived PPS and it’s a small airport. Think Labuan Bajo in Indonesia; 3 carousels, no jetbridges, all stairs.
Accommodations pre and post-liveaboard
We stayed at Canvas Boutique Hotel for one night before pick up for our liveaboard and again after. It had good reviews on TripAdvisor and was reasonably priced with breakfast. Service was great and staff were all very friendly and helpful. It is conveniently located just a few minutes by car from the airport and they have a free transfer service. All you have to do is ask. Air-con in the room worked very well. Soap, body wash, shampoo were in refillable pumps which is eco friendly. The beds were comfortable (not super firm) and there were no mosquitos in the rooms. It’s very clean. The lobby is an open concept so the hallways and restaurant sometimes has mosquitos. For those that are sensitive, cover up or put on repellent. The pool and courtyard are very nice for lounging. The food was quite good. Multiple armed security guards packing a gun are at each entrance and exit. We felt very safe. They graciously granted us a late check out at 1PM both times.
Liveaboard Rendezvous
Before we left home, we were notified that they would pick us up between 2-4PM. Upon checking out of our hotel at 1PM, a late check out, the front desk let us know that Discovery Fleet had been in touch with them and that they would arrive at 2:30 to pick us up. We did not get picked up until 4:15 so we spent a lot of time sitting around. We were the last people to board. During previous liveaboards, we were taken in small groups or individual staterooms to do a quick orientation of the boat but due to them running behind schedule, we explored on our own to familiarize ourselves with the boat. I wish they had called to update us if they knew they would be late so that we could have lounged around in the pool or somewhere more comfortable instead of sitting at the lobby expecting them to show up at any time.
Liveaboard, General
32 max guests, 35 crew. It’s the largest liveaboard I have been on both in length/width as well as guest count. I’m happy to report that it was incredibly spacious and it did not feel like too many people which was something I was initially wondering about. The Discovery Palawan is a steel boat and is probably the largest liveaboard in the Tubbataha region. Because of this, they cannot moor and always has their engines on. There is no desalinator on board so they carry about 80 tons of water. Lower deck rooms are on central AC control and the upper deck has individual room controls. The lower deck room temperatures really varied. Blankets are duvet stlye so sometimes it would be too warm and when off, it would be a bit too cool. I often woke up in the middle of the night in our lower deck room from being too warm and sweating.
This might gross some of you out but there are cockroaches on board. I don’t “do” cockroaches but rest assured, they are pretty small by Philippines standards (read: they aren’t large and don’t fly) and it is a known issue on board. They do spray (they sprayed 2 days before we arrived) but with everyone and their belongings as well as boxes of product going on and off the ship continuously, I can see how it can be difficult to eradicate completely. I found one in our room and the others that I saw were a few in the salon and one on the stairwell. Not terrible, but not great but I think it’s an important FYI.
There are no chaise lounges for napping and it is a challenge when you are wet. Your only solution is to change into something dry and nap in bed in your room, perfect the art of sleeping in a chair, or making a make-shift bed at the bar area with 2 chairs. It is something they are working on getting. The marine heads are very good and probably the best I’ve had on any liveaboard. The flush is strong and thorough. Water pressure in the shower was also decent though a hot shower was more challenging. My roomie skipped a dive and said if you shower when everyone else is diving and not showering, then the hot water is great.
The liveaboard is not a purpose-built liveaboard. More on that later. Muster station drill the first morning. The salon also doubles as a camera room with many power strips. Dining is not here.
The daily schedule is about as follows:
Wake up over PA system 6-6:15 AM
Light breakfast 6:30 AM
1st dive 7-7:15 AM
Heavy breakfast 8:30 AM
2nd dive 10:15-10:30 AM
Lunch 12 PM
3rd dive 1:45-2:15 PM
Snack 3 PM
4th dive 4:30-5:30 PM
Dinner 7 PM
Food/Dining
Really, really good food. I think it’s the best food I’ve had on a liveaboard. (I’ve been on 4 others before.) I filled my hollow legs thoroughly at every meal, to say the least! They try to cater it to whoever is on board. For light breakfast, there was a variety of fruit, cereal, juices, coffee, tea, toast, and in our sailing, Chinese congee. For heavy breakfast, all that still existed, plus an egg/omelet station and a full array of eastern and western options. Lunch and dinner always had a soup served at the table for you. It was some of the best soups I’ve had! Lunch and dinner is buffet styles and without fail, had multiple protein, seafood, or vegetarian options. There was always a salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions along with rice, noodles, and at least 2-3 meat options (chicken, beef, pork) as well as seafood (mussels, calamari, clams, fish, shrimp), and vegetables (mixed/sautéed). All meals are on the upper deck (covered). Across the way is a set of stairs up to the bar and smoking area.
Travel to and from
EVA Airlines, SFO to TPE to MNL. I arrived MNL at 11:30 AM and did not get to the customers counter until 1:15 PM. There were flights that were early and late that all landed at once and very few agents working. We waited for a terminal bus to transfer to T3 since we were immediately flying to PPS on Cebu Pacific. It took a while since they organize the buses by terminal and your urgency/flight time. They stack everyone’s luggage in a pile so if you have dive gear, it’s beneficial to be boarded towards the end when your bag can be towards the top. I kept my photo bag on the floor in front of me for obvious reasons.
The check-in line at Cebu Pacific was ridiculous. The web/mobile check in bag drop line was painfully slow even though it was significantly shorter. We did not get to the gate until 4:20! That’s 4 hours and 50 minutes gate to gate and that was even after them pulling us out of the line because the baggage cutoff was approaching. Between EVA and Cebu Pacific (along with many other carriers in Asia), there were no problems carrying camera equipment with me. My camera bag is an international sized rollerboard that was about 16 kg (limit is 7kg) and I also had a tote bag full of stuff. I had one checked bag with dive gear, clothing, toiletries, etc. at 23kg. EVA gives me 3 bags at 50lbs each for free and I also prepaid 30kg of baggage with Cebu Pacific just in case I needed to check in some extra weight. EVA asked me if my rollerboard was heavy and I was open and honest that it was. I opened it up for them and showed them what it was, then explained it was expensive and fragile camera gear. She gave me a tag and all was well. Cebu Pacific let me through without weighing it but at security, staff wanted to weigh it. I opened it up went through the motions again and they jotted notes on the clipboard, weighed it, acknowledged the weight then let me through without issue. This method has worked flawlessly for me throughout the Philippines and in Indonesia. We arrived PPS and it’s a small airport. Think Labuan Bajo in Indonesia; 3 carousels, no jetbridges, all stairs.
Accommodations pre and post-liveaboard
We stayed at Canvas Boutique Hotel for one night before pick up for our liveaboard and again after. It had good reviews on TripAdvisor and was reasonably priced with breakfast. Service was great and staff were all very friendly and helpful. It is conveniently located just a few minutes by car from the airport and they have a free transfer service. All you have to do is ask. Air-con in the room worked very well. Soap, body wash, shampoo were in refillable pumps which is eco friendly. The beds were comfortable (not super firm) and there were no mosquitos in the rooms. It’s very clean. The lobby is an open concept so the hallways and restaurant sometimes has mosquitos. For those that are sensitive, cover up or put on repellent. The pool and courtyard are very nice for lounging. The food was quite good. Multiple armed security guards packing a gun are at each entrance and exit. We felt very safe. They graciously granted us a late check out at 1PM both times.
Liveaboard Rendezvous
Before we left home, we were notified that they would pick us up between 2-4PM. Upon checking out of our hotel at 1PM, a late check out, the front desk let us know that Discovery Fleet had been in touch with them and that they would arrive at 2:30 to pick us up. We did not get picked up until 4:15 so we spent a lot of time sitting around. We were the last people to board. During previous liveaboards, we were taken in small groups or individual staterooms to do a quick orientation of the boat but due to them running behind schedule, we explored on our own to familiarize ourselves with the boat. I wish they had called to update us if they knew they would be late so that we could have lounged around in the pool or somewhere more comfortable instead of sitting at the lobby expecting them to show up at any time.
Liveaboard, General
32 max guests, 35 crew. It’s the largest liveaboard I have been on both in length/width as well as guest count. I’m happy to report that it was incredibly spacious and it did not feel like too many people which was something I was initially wondering about. The Discovery Palawan is a steel boat and is probably the largest liveaboard in the Tubbataha region. Because of this, they cannot moor and always has their engines on. There is no desalinator on board so they carry about 80 tons of water. Lower deck rooms are on central AC control and the upper deck has individual room controls. The lower deck room temperatures really varied. Blankets are duvet stlye so sometimes it would be too warm and when off, it would be a bit too cool. I often woke up in the middle of the night in our lower deck room from being too warm and sweating.
This might gross some of you out but there are cockroaches on board. I don’t “do” cockroaches but rest assured, they are pretty small by Philippines standards (read: they aren’t large and don’t fly) and it is a known issue on board. They do spray (they sprayed 2 days before we arrived) but with everyone and their belongings as well as boxes of product going on and off the ship continuously, I can see how it can be difficult to eradicate completely. I found one in our room and the others that I saw were a few in the salon and one on the stairwell. Not terrible, but not great but I think it’s an important FYI.
There are no chaise lounges for napping and it is a challenge when you are wet. Your only solution is to change into something dry and nap in bed in your room, perfect the art of sleeping in a chair, or making a make-shift bed at the bar area with 2 chairs. It is something they are working on getting. The marine heads are very good and probably the best I’ve had on any liveaboard. The flush is strong and thorough. Water pressure in the shower was also decent though a hot shower was more challenging. My roomie skipped a dive and said if you shower when everyone else is diving and not showering, then the hot water is great.
The liveaboard is not a purpose-built liveaboard. More on that later. Muster station drill the first morning. The salon also doubles as a camera room with many power strips. Dining is not here.
The daily schedule is about as follows:
Wake up over PA system 6-6:15 AM
Light breakfast 6:30 AM
1st dive 7-7:15 AM
Heavy breakfast 8:30 AM
2nd dive 10:15-10:30 AM
Lunch 12 PM
3rd dive 1:45-2:15 PM
Snack 3 PM
4th dive 4:30-5:30 PM
Dinner 7 PM
Food/Dining
Really, really good food. I think it’s the best food I’ve had on a liveaboard. (I’ve been on 4 others before.) I filled my hollow legs thoroughly at every meal, to say the least! They try to cater it to whoever is on board. For light breakfast, there was a variety of fruit, cereal, juices, coffee, tea, toast, and in our sailing, Chinese congee. For heavy breakfast, all that still existed, plus an egg/omelet station and a full array of eastern and western options. Lunch and dinner always had a soup served at the table for you. It was some of the best soups I’ve had! Lunch and dinner is buffet styles and without fail, had multiple protein, seafood, or vegetarian options. There was always a salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions along with rice, noodles, and at least 2-3 meat options (chicken, beef, pork) as well as seafood (mussels, calamari, clams, fish, shrimp), and vegetables (mixed/sautéed). All meals are on the upper deck (covered). Across the way is a set of stairs up to the bar and smoking area.
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I will follow up with more photos at a later time. Here are some teasers below...
