Post Covid-19 Travel Discounts

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Peter Bomberg

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Location
Ottawa
I may be an optimist but my GF and I want to both support the dive industry, get a good deal and as soon as we are allowed get a break.

She wants to find a nice live-aboard (queen bed, great food, friendly staff, and good diving) in Asia which is offering a decent discount for trips taken as soon as the travel restrictions are removed (we live in Canada so we simply can't leave until flights resume) but realistically we figure Aug.

Any thoughts/suggestions, we really like the Arenui, but are looking for suggestions and while we love Indonesia we are open to all of Asia and beyond as long as it's warm and has great food.
 
Check with the Mermaid 1. You might see more discounts as it gets closer to then. They should be doing Komodo or Bali/Komodo together then.

Thanks they look nice and your right they seem to be discounting heavily for the upcoming trips and they have one that looks great in Sep (have to admit not as visually appealing as Damai or Aranui) but a decent discount makes it a very nice option, thank you for the tip.
 
Thanks they look nice and your right they seem to be discounting heavily for the upcoming trips and they have one that looks great in Sep (have to admit not as visually appealing as Damai or Aranui) but a decent discount makes it a very nice option, thank you for the tip.

You’re welcome! It’s one of my favorite boats ever and I have been on quite a few. I believe it is also @Dan ’s. While it doesn’t have the phinisi or wooden look and feel of the Damai and Arenui, it does have a steel hull which makes it great for open water or rough conditions. I was recently on the Mermaid 1 during a rough few days in the Banda Sea in October and where a lot of boats had to turn around or change their itineraries, we were able to endure it. You know it got bad when all the crew had to take something to curb the nausea, too!

Great crew and very comfortable boat.
 
Hi Peter, Amira is great, as are the MERMAID I + II, and you can see their full availability on our website Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

MERMAID I & II offer 20% discount from Bali when booked by June 30, while the AMIRA offers 50% and has space for a couple on their 10 night Komodo trip from Labuan Bajo to Bima for August 15-25.

Alternatively, if you want to go way off the beaten track, my favorite boat in Indo is the DEWI NUSANTARA that has several 11 night trips to Cenderawasih with the whale sharks, at 35% summer sale, perhaps the best one is Aug 15-26 which starts from Manokwari and ends in Sorong Raja Ampat.

Of course you can book these directly or thru whomever you please but as we can offer the AMIRA in Euros and the USD is so strong at the moment, I think by booking thru our California office we can maybe offer you a better rate than you might find elsewhere.

I would also recommend that you are covered by a COVID CLAUSE when you do book, as even August is coming up so fast that there are no guarantees that you will not be prevented to get there or that all restrictions will be lifted. We hope so but you need to cover yourself. Good luck and PM me if I can be of service. Best Dom
 
Hi Peter, Amira is great, as are the MERMAID I + II, and you can see their full availability on our website Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

MERMAID I & II offer 20% discount from Bali when booked by June 30, while the AMIRA offers 50% and has space for a couple on their 10 night Komodo trip from Labuan Bajo to Bima for August 15-25.

Alternatively, if you want to go way off the beaten track, my favorite boat in Indo is the DEWI NUSANTARA that has several 11 night trips to Cenderawasih with the whale sharks, at 35% summer sale, perhaps the best one is Aug 15-26 which starts from Manokwari and ends in Sorong Raja Ampat.

Of course you can book these directly or thru whomever you please but as we can offer the AMIRA in Euros and the USD is so strong at the moment, I think by booking thru our California office we can maybe offer you a better rate than you might find elsewhere.

I would also recommend that you are covered by a COVID CLAUSE when you do book, as even August is coming up so fast that there are no guarantees that you will not be prevented to get there or that all restrictions will be lifted. We hope so but you need to cover yourself. Good luck and PM me if I can be of service. Best Dom

Hi Dom,
That's good info! I'll contact you next time.

Still looking forward to be in Malpelo in July 2021.

How is Ferox doing with the Covid-19 situation?
 
Thanks Dan - I know Bruno, the owner of AMIRA, very well and I love his boat and the adventures they put together - always a good option. You may already know that Colombia is closed up until May 30 and we currently have clients joining the FEROX on May 31, so still awaiting word on exactly how we will work that out but Captain Tony is a good man and as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going - and we will work it out. Like everyone else, every boat in the world is having challenges on how they deal with this crisis, but on the whole I am proud of how most of them have stepped up to the plate and are working things out. Its not really fair to expect that boats refunds people's monies, but all the ones I have dealt with
are agreeing to re-schedule, and partly thanks to scubaboard, Nautilus stepped up to the plate and has agreed to 100% credit, albeit divided into 2 vouchers. Those vouchers are valid for 4 years and are fully transferable so it might even work out that Scubaboard can help people holding those vouchers, by asking those planning to book a Nautilus boat, to utilise one of those vouchers. It might be an idea to go through an agent to safeguard everyone, but not necessarily. We have been working hard rescheduling clients thru June and will probably be looking at July very shortly, but we ask our clients to be patient as the bar changes every day and borders open and close, and flights may or may not operate. We need to be understanding and compassionate with each other but above all, be patient and it will all work out.
 

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