Is Coronavirus keeping you from booking liveaboard/overseas trips this year?

[Dan]

Separately, not allowing people to reschedule doesn't seem to be reasonable since it would allow them to keep your money from the originally scheduled trip really for doing pretty much nothing (i'm thinking that boat maintenance is an ongoing cost that happens regardless)and then having to incur the same cost they would have now but at a future point.

Where did you get that information?

 

[outofofficebrb]

Where did you get that information?

I believe what he is trying to say is this, as an example: all guests can't make it to the liveaboard. The liveaboard isn't sailing and just sitting at port. The liveaboard is not rescheduling or refunding so they are keeping 100% of the money. If they aren't leaving port, a lot of their costs aren't actually "spent" in that moment. However, once things go back to some semblance of normal and trips start to resume, the costs are then "spent" or "incurred" when they actually sail again. So, in theory, there is not much of a delta in their bottom line.

This logic applies fine except what is likely is that the money that they (they meaning various ops, no one specific) accepted in exchange for the trip may have already been spent. They may be relying on a constant flow of income to support paying their regular/monthly expenses...Living paycheck to paycheck, if you will. By rescheduling, they are not getting any income because for a while, guests on their boat might all be reschedules. So, there are expenditures (fuel, food, labor) that continue but no income, or not at the normal/usual levels and if you "live paycheck to paycheck" in that sense, you are digging yourselves further into debt which is not viable....which leads to insolvency/bankruptcy and failure of a business.

 

[Darnold9999]

... and let’s not forget that parking a boat is far from free. Port fees, power and maintenance are not insignificant. Same for a resort. Even with no guests there are fixed expenses. Let’s all hope this resolved before we lose too many operators.

 

[mruseless]

That's my interpretation, that their business is not in the best shape. That they are using money coming in for future bookings to pay current expenses.

I spoke with my friend the dive shop owner, he is planning on contacting his insurance and credit card company. So we'll see if it goes anywhere.

Nautilus has improved their offer slightly. Latest is two 50% vouchers, but cannot be used on the same trip.

 

[Shasta_man]

My reference to cost was essentially as described by OutofOffice, that the boat does not go out at all for that trip so their cost during that time is less than if they ran the trip. However, as also pointed out, the cost of not going out is not zero and far from it. The passenger has a good reason for not going, and for some places, that decision has been made for them by the transport and government, but the boat company is equally dealing with an unprecedented problem that isn't their fault either.

The point of my previous comment, which wasn't stated well, was that there has to be happy medium somewhere between their keeping all the money and delivering no trip and giving all the money back. Both extremes of that screw somebody for a fault not their own.

However, an additional issue is wrapped up in this and that is the apparent fragile nature of these boat charters and our vested interest in keeping them afloat, pardon the pun. Essentially all businesses are under attack right now but even in good times, boat charters apparently have a tough time being profitable enough. (After years of hearing this, I would be so interested in some real numbers on costs vs revenue) Seems like the most used phrase at Aggressor must be "good for one year". That alone makes it very clear that indeed money from the future charters is paying for today's expenses. It's no revelation to say that can't be sustainable. It just gets blurry about where the line should be drawn for what should be the customers responsibility and what should be the business' responsibility.

 

[Centrals]

I am prepared to pay, budget flight only, to places that I want to go after this coming July. If the airline gone bust before that then so be it. But I am NOT going to pay anything in advance for LoB.

 

[tursiops]

But I am NOT going to pay anything in advance for LoB.

I hope you enjoy shore diving.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I am prepared to pay, budget flight only, to places that I want to go after this coming July. If the airline gone bust before that then so be it. But I am NOT going to pay anything in advance for LoB.

After reading all the issues people are facing I have decided that if I were to do a LOB as part of a trip I would fly in country first. Many LOB are now offering 50% off as they have lost many customers. I want to dive in Palau and other countries where there are direct flights from Taiwan. I would go for two weeks. I can see the schedule dates and vacancies, Fly in visit the operator and if I like what I see pay on my credit card which has travel insurance as part of booking. If I don't like what I see I just stay in hotels and dive from boat trips on land. For some locations not entirely possible.

A lot of the discount places I am sure are from pre paid clients who possibly never got a refund or where offered some kind of voucher towards another trip at a later date.

 

[Centrals]

Palau is nice.
Do they have enough divers to fill the Lob or even the day boat? Most of the best sites are miles away.
You should ask first before flying over there.
Good luck.
Republic of China could well be your only option!!! Any restriction in local travelling there?

 

[Blackcrusader]

Palau is nice.
Do they have enough divers to fill the Lob or even the day boat? Most of the best sites are miles away.
You should ask first before flying over there.
Good luck.
Republic of China could well be your only option!!! Any restriction in local travelling there?

I'm ROC citizen so no issue for me and no issue to travel to Palau we have direct flights. All non essential travel banned for time being but it's a 5 hour flight, 5 hours to Bali, 2 hours to Cebu or Manila, Okinawa 45 minutes can dive there too lol.
Taiwan has direct flights to many good dive spots in Asia.

All non residents are banned from Taiwan indefinitely since 18 March and no transits through airports as well.