Liveaboard, extra charges after full payments

[Corleone]

i have done a massive google and SB search and didn't find what im looking for.

as a new to liveaboards and i belive a lot of divers might be woundering the same, what are the extra costs that you have to pay once you are at the harbor? the reason why im asking this is due to a lot of extras that are not included within the puplished rates. even the most inclusive boats are not actually inclusive.

can we have some example of what people pay at the end/start of their journey.

cause i see things like insurance listed as ( mandatory ) and there are things like, harbor tax, marine park fees plus so many other. i mean, if i pay $ 1500 for a 7 night, how much should i pay at the end of the trip as extras?

 

[DiverGirl1972]

That depends on the operator and your destination. I've been on a couple of Aggressor trips and some things I've paid at the end of the trip are: Nitrox upgrade fees, marine park fees, anything purchased on their "shop" day (t-shirts, souvenirs, etc...) and of course, tips.

 

[Wookie]

And some all inclusive boats are indeed all inclusive, unless you tip or use trimix.

 

[tajkd]

There are some harbor fees, park fees, fuel surcharges, etc that come up occasionally but they don't amount to much normally. You usually know about the Nitrox up front so you can choose to get it or not. The one that always gets me is the tip. You'll need to have 10-15% of the total cost of the trip, many times in cash, and you need to reserve it for the end of your stay. That amount can be brutal and you need to include in any planning you do. I won't say whether its fair or not but many dive staff on live-aboard boats get their main pay from diver tips.

 

[KathyV]

We are preparing for our 13th livaboard trip, this one will be on the T&C aggressor. They recommend insurance but do not require it (we've decided to take some insurance.) The local government requires a $45 per person bed tax which is an extra fee and will be collected onboard at the end of the trip.

Everything else (food, diving, accomodations, and beverages - alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are included in the price of the trip. If you rent any equipment or take some courses they will cost extra. Of course tips and any boutique purchases are extra.

A livaboard can be a big investment, but if you figure out the cost per dive it is usually much-cheaper than a land-based operation and you get many more diving opportunities (and you know your costs in advance.)

We used the aggressor's $700 off per diver fall frenzy special to book this trip and it brought the price down nicely.

 

[JackConnick]

Many boats in foreign destinations have port fees and diving licenses that are not included. Local chamber fees, transfers and so forth may also be extra. Some charge extra for nitrox, some don't. Alcoholic beverages, store purchases and so forth are generally extra, but boats some include beer & wine - it varies. Make sure you compare apples and apples on competitive boats for all these sorts of charges. A cheap sounding trip may not be such a great deal after you add these things in.

We try to include as much of it as we can on our trips, as I agree, it's a PITA getting hit up for this stuff on the boat.

 

[drbill]

IMHO a good operator will post all fees up front so you know about them. Some frees may change over time so the actual amount may not be posted, but you can ask when you call or e-mail to make a reservation.

 

[RJP]

There should never be any surprises. Have done a multiple liveaboard trips, with all of the major operators, and have never had a charge come up that I wasn't aware of before booking the trip.

 

[cruiser]

I ask about extra costs at my dive shop when I book the trip through them. I want to know, in addition to the advertized price, all the "extras" so I have a more accurate cost for the trip. There's generally fuel surcharge, marine park daily fees, chamber fees (sometimes voluntary), and at least a 15% tip based on the price of a week on the liveaboard.

 

[shmuggy]

Some countries charge a departure tax and they usually require cash for it. I think all the others have been covered but usually extra costa are on the Internet. Galapagos charges a big fee when you arrive for example. Each place is different.