Need to vent! Looking for opinions

[mjh]

7 months ago we booked our dream trip. Not to take place for another 6mnths. We chose this live-aboard because it takes a very limited number of people and you dive directly from the boat. This is by far the most expensive trip we would have every taken and justified the cost by it being unlimited diving, a unique experience with a sense of “exclusives” to it.

We have just been informed a mistake has been made and the vessel is full. We have already bought the airline tickets via their agency, and they have been sitting on our sizable deposit for 6mths. They have offered us a trip on another vessel that takes twice as many people and has us back to diving out of skiffs. We were dreaming about a once in a lifetime unique experience. While the other vessel is very nice and by any standard still an incredible journey we feel shorted.

For our trouble they have offered a 10% discount which seems trivial given our level of disappointment. They have been polite and we appreciate things happen but my first reaction was/is to just cancel the trip have them refund the charter and airfare since this is totally their fault, which they admit.

What would you do?

 

[DennisS]

If you're spending big bucks, get what you wanted. Don't settle for something else. I would be really upset if that was me. Why didn't they let you know six months ago the trip was full, now they're trying to send you second class to fill up another boat.

 

[usmc4x4]

It may not be the best option but can you go on the next trip? I would demand that the operator pay for any rescheduling fees with airlines etc. Either way I would be irate.

Post up the name of the operator if they refuse to work with you so that we can all know to avoid them. SB has POWER.

 

[Jinjer]

I don't blame you for being upset. It appears to me they were waiting to inform you of the boat being full until they were sure no one that was already booked would cancel. So if that is the case, and they couldn't even tell you that you were essentually on a wait list all this time, I don't think I would want to work with that operator in the future. I definitely would not settle for something less than what you planned.

Are there other operators in that area with similar offerings?

 

[*Floater*]

On principle I think I would just cancel and book something else with another operator. Also I would have a sneaking suspicion that the operator was able to get a higher price from someone else and therefore bumped me off on purpose, so I wouldn't want to give them my business. Even if it was a pure mistake, it would still bug me that they chose to cancel on me and not somebody else - like they thaught I would be easy to push onto a second rate cruise.

However, if you do go then just don't think about any of this and have a wonderful time.

 

[scubamickey]

I would want a much bigger discount than 10% if the total cost was significantly more than I would have paid on the boat using skiffs. You said you spent a lot more than you would have. So why settle for the same as you could have had for less?

It's easy for us to suggest you just cancel but you have been looking forward to your vacation and to cancel everything would probably make you even more depressed. I want to say you should cancel but I don't think I could give up my vacation at the last minute. Tough one.

Who is this liveaboard? I think we all need to know so that we can be aware of problems in the future.

 

[pir8]

Please disclose who the operator is. They really deserve no loalty from you since they obviously have shown none to you.

 

[Jinjer]

Yes, I definitely would like to know who the liveaboard is.

 

[Quero]

If it were me, I would get a refund and plan a different trip for this year's dive holiday. Otherwise, even if the replacement trip on the op's other boat were pretty good, I'd always be thinking it wasn't what I had been looking forward to and find fault with it. An entirely different trip (maybe land-based) would create a different set of expectations, and it would allow for the possibility of these new expectations being satisfied.

Additionally, I'd take up the offer of a discount, but I would insist that the discount be granted on a future sailing of the same boat you were bumped from. Moreover, I would bet that the operator pays more than 10% commission to agents, so a 20% discount (a typical agent commission) is more in line. I'd pay whatever penalties the airlines charge for changes, look for a less expensive dive vacation for which it might even be possibly to get a good last-minute booking deal, and save the rest of the money for the following year's trip (let it pick up some interest in a CD or something).

Then I'd go enjoy the new dive holiday to the fullest.

 

[pir8]

If it were me, I would get a refund and plan a different trip for this year's dive holiday. Otherwise, even if the replacement trip at a discount were pretty good, I'd always be thinking it wasn't what I had been looking forward to and find fault with it. An entirely different trip (maybe land-based) would create a different set of expectations, and it would allow for the possibility of these new expectations being satisfied.

Additionally, I'd take up the offer of a discount, but I would insist that the discount be granted on a future sailing of the same boat you were bumped from. Also, I would bet that the operator pays more than 10% commission to agents, so a 20% discount (a typical agent commission) is more in line. I'd pay whatever penalties the airlines charge for changes, look for a less expensive last-minute dive vacation for which you might even get a good deal, and save the rest of the money for the following year's trip (let it pick up some interest in a CD or something). Then I'd go enjoy the new dive holiday to the fullest.

Sounds like a good idea as any!