Fantasy Island Trip Report Oct 23-30-2010
- Thread starter Scubaschne
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Did he mention costs in the posts? I will have to go back and see if that was mentioned as a factor Is little Cayman cheaper as well?
For most of us, cost is an important factor. If cost was not a concern, he probably wouldn't have been at FI in the first place. It's reviews and rep as a low budget resort are widely known.
How do you interpret this statement?
I will be hard pressed to return to FI, and will most likely continue to go to Cozumel instead. I find I can dive there for about the same money, see more sea life and have a better resort/food experience.
OP
Scubaschne
Registered
For the record "he" is a "she" . Perhaps those that think I was unduly harsh on FI with MY impressions of MY recent week at FI will read Cajandiva's comments of her first 2 days at the resort and maybe will understand a little of what I was trying to say. Im glad she is already seeing improvements. These boards should be to share info, and not to have every word get dissected and/or misinterpreted when as I said, it was just my observations of a one week slice of RI.
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You can put that in your Sig area so it shows up on posts, or use your face as Avatar if you'd like. Sometimes when it's not obvious I will use "s/he" but lacking a better pronoun...
Anything said on a discussion board is subject to discussion of course. Some prefer no-comment blogging, but here we comment. Click Report on any out of line. That said, thanks for your personal report and I'm sorry it went so badly; really drives home the risk of going anywhere with management changes due.
Roatan is a long & expensive flight to have a crappy stay, although your profile doesn't say where you are but still probly true. I hope you got in on that ultra cheap fire sale that was offered by the outgoing managers, but still - probly didn't save enough for the experience. Weather is almost always a risk for outdoor activities like scuba and I've been blown out for several days each on many trips, but being blown out at a crappy resort makes the combination worse. I still travel in storm season, but then weather can happen other times too.
Hope your next trip is better.
OK,
As long as were into the "for the record" type things. I have never stayed at FI and never once suggested your post was harsh, undeserved or at all questionable reguarding FI. I appologize for the bad part of myself of not getting your name right. I just found it odd you you say you will visit Cozumel, Cayman and other places before visiting FI again. If I had your experience I likely never would visit FI again but would look into the many other options available. I also would not consider MOST places once I have been there. Fiji and Chuuk so far have been exceptions.
There are lower budget places everywhere, to put them in the same line as a destination just seemed odd.
I loved Chuuk Lagoon on the odysea, dove to my hearts content, Maybe it helped i know the owner/captain from my home port in Jacksonville Florida, who knows but they had doubles/O2/nitrox to my hearts content and as long as the ship planned to be anchored I could dive and deco as i pleased, had i chose to do one of the cheap land based operations from a panga boat and that was the only option then I likely would not return.
If we take airfare prices and hassles from the equation there are still few places to compare even with the slightly higher priced Roatan options.
As long as were into the "for the record" type things. I have never stayed at FI and never once suggested your post was harsh, undeserved or at all questionable reguarding FI. I appologize for the bad part of myself of not getting your name right. I just found it odd you you say you will visit Cozumel, Cayman and other places before visiting FI again. If I had your experience I likely never would visit FI again but would look into the many other options available. I also would not consider MOST places once I have been there. Fiji and Chuuk so far have been exceptions.
There are lower budget places everywhere, to put them in the same line as a destination just seemed odd.
I loved Chuuk Lagoon on the odysea, dove to my hearts content, Maybe it helped i know the owner/captain from my home port in Jacksonville Florida, who knows but they had doubles/O2/nitrox to my hearts content and as long as the ship planned to be anchored I could dive and deco as i pleased, had i chose to do one of the cheap land based operations from a panga boat and that was the only option then I likely would not return.
If we take airfare prices and hassles from the equation there are still few places to compare even with the slightly higher priced Roatan options.
And if I had wings, maybe I could take airfares from the equation. From Houston, airfare is commonly available to Coz for about $350 with taxes, and to Roatan for about $650. That $300 difference times a family of 4 puts Roatan at an immediate $1200 total disadvantage for me. Once you get there, Roatan is indeed a good value. Hard to find an AI with diving on Coz or elsewhere for what you can find on Roatan, even at the nicer places on Roatan. But that value has to be phenomenal to overcome the airfare.
Fantasy Island does it. For my family, non-diver wife and snorkeler kids age 12/10, next July I am quoted with a special at $2200. But now I hear all these bad things. So tell me who on Roatan can offer a "comparable deal" as one person put it? What would AKR or Cocoview quote?
I guess the fact that i have flown on FF Miles for so many years and not paid for a ticket anywhere vacation related may skew my take on it but the facts still remain, the OP paid the same to get to Roatan no matter where he stayed and did not mention the cost as a main issue in his post, that is one you have developed,, he chose what is known as a budget diver resort, often described as a dive camping trip and also knew of the management change.
As so often brought up by others, if he really wanted a great value at a known somewhat upper scale resort there is one just down the coast. Also, Can you suggest there is anywhere in Coz or Cayman that can have the same value when looked at as cost per dive? It should be quite simple to do at least 5 dives a day at a place like CCV, 25+ for a week stay, Is there anywhere on Cayman or Coz that can provide the same type of thing at similar costs even when we look at slightly higher airfare?
As so often brought up by others, if he really wanted a great value at a known somewhat upper scale resort there is one just down the coast. Also, Can you suggest there is anywhere in Coz or Cayman that can have the same value when looked at as cost per dive? It should be quite simple to do at least 5 dives a day at a place like CCV, 25+ for a week stay, Is there anywhere on Cayman or Coz that can provide the same type of thing at similar costs even when we look at slightly higher airfare?
If you have actually read my posts, THIS is the statement I was questioning
Comparing a few famous destinations with a single budget dive resort. Oranges to apples no matter how you slice it
OP
Scubaschne
Registered
Unfortunately Don, I wasn't on the cheap fire sale price, that started the week after we left I believe. Flights from California weren't cheap either, over $900.00, used to be less like most flights. I was meeting up with a dive friend and her dive club so timing and location were pre determined, so we got unlucky with hurricane and the last week before mgt change, luck of the draw. To those who feel I have blown off Roatan, all I said was that I would be hard pressed to return to FI, I never said I would never return to Roatan. I have found I can get a less expensive flight to Coz and stay for comparable $, I usally have been able to get good deals at Scuba Club, I have found the food to be very good, the diving very good, and the resort is well maintained. Yep, Little Cayman is more money, but they too have offered some good deals recently, and I very much enjoy diving there. Glad FI may be back on the road to providing a good dive/stay experience in the future. End of story.
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