Dancer Fleet to move Star Dancer to Thailand....to become "Thailand Aggressor"

[ewaiea]

I have just found out that Star Dancer will run her last trip in PNG on November 20, 2012. I'm booked in February so the company has graciously given me three options:

1. Stay booked on the boat and re-join it in Thailand in March, 2013.
2. Cancel my reservation with full refund
3. Re-book on a different boat within the Aggressor Fleet or Dancer Fleet

So the ball was really left in my court. I'm quite impressed by how much they've helped me out both with re-booking a new boat and helping me to rebook my airfare without penalty. I'm still waiting to hear whether they'll refund me the difference of the airfare (I chose the Wind Dancer in Cocos Island and the airfare is much cheaper in Feb 2013) - but I'm hopeful that all will work out and I can simply apply the refund to my charter or just get the refund back directly. Still waiting to hear but should know within a day or so.

So I'm looking forward to a trip to Cocos - I understand February is a bad weather month in Indonesia, the Island Dancer in Fiji is in dry dock....i've already went to Palau so my choices based on prime diving were either Cocos, Galapagos, Maldives or snorkeling with humpbacks in the Dominican Republic. I wanted to go DIVING so the whale thing is out. Galapagos is too pricey. Maldives - yeah, I considered it but Cocos just seemed to be calling to me so that's the one that won out.

Wish me luck! I understand there's some people already booked - if any scubaboarders want to join me let me know....maybe there might be a spot.

So if you want to dive Milne Bay on Star Dancer - you better get while the gettin's good.....because it'll be heading to Phuket after November.

 

[Shasta_man]

Argh!!!

 

[iDreamOfBubbles]

Ahhh, now there will only be two boats doing Milne Bay (Spirit of Nuigini and MV Chertan)?! Have fun in Cocos! Are you still going to try to get to Milne Bay at some point?

 

[ewaiea]

I'd like to get out that way. Honestly, the Kimbe Bay/Witu/Fathers Reef itinerary that I did in 2010 (which is still done by the Febrina in addition to South New Britain Dec-Mar) was a life changing dive trip. I honestly believe it will always have a special place in my heart - I may go back and do it on the Febrina sometime if they're still there.

I'm sure the Thailand Aggressor will be a great boat - the diving off Phuket (like in the Similan Islands) is supposed to be great. I just didn't want to risk the boat coming out of dry dock late AND going on its first charter in that area...I'd rather them be established in an area first.

But we'll see - I'm already brainstorming ideas for the next trip AFTER Cocos - somewhere in Indonesia would be good, or perhaps Fiji, or the Galapagos, somewhere in the caribbean....the list is endless! I love these kinds of trips - I'm a hopeless addict.