PADI travel network??

[Becca65]

So, get these e-mails from time to time with deals through PADI on trips - one I just got is for several resorts in Bonaire, as a quick look they look like a good deal - wondering if anyone has ever taken any of these trips and how was it? I do notice you need to read the fine print - the e-mail shows a photo of the resort, the cost per person and a list of what you get for your money. One of these says you get "6 days of 1-tank boat dives + free Nitrox", another says 15% off all inclusive (so what does the advertised amount get you - a room but not your meals?) - doesn't say anything about dives. Another says 10 boat dives (4 free) - so you pay how much for the other 6? another says "second diver dives free" - so you pay how much for the 1st diver? Some of them require 4 people, others just 2.
So, like I said just wondering if anyone here has tried any of these trips and did they really save you money or would you have been better off just calling the resort on your own and making reservations that way? I know when we were planning a trip last year we had the travel agent give us a price on one of the "all inclusive" resorts - with air fare (I know you have to add air fair costs to the PADI deals) and the resort cost it would have been over $5000 for the two of us - these deals in the e-mail range from $556 to $1090 per person for a week...and some of them include a vehicle rental for the week as well.

 

[dmaziuk]

So, like I said just wondering if anyone here has tried any of these trips and did they really save you money or would you have been better off just calling the resort on your own and making reservations that way? I know when we were planning a trip last year we had the travel agent give us a price on one of the "all inclusive" resorts - with air fare (I know you have to add air fair costs to the PADI deals) and the resort cost it would have been over $5000 for the two of us - these deals in the e-mail range from $556 to $1090 per person for a week...and some of them include a vehicle rental for the week as well.

We haven't done any PADI deals but $1090 sounds like a resort cost we paid on Bonaire in April. They do offer $400/ea for 6 people sharing 3-brm condo and not diving, so... really hard to say without reading all of the small print and doing the real cost estimate.


Ours included 3 boat days and keys to the shed where all the tanks are. It didn't include the truck, nor rental gear -- once you add those, you're getting closer to $5K mark.

 

[RJP]

So, get these e-mails from time to time with deals through PADI on trips - one I just got is for several resorts in Bonaire, as a quick look they look like a good deal - wondering if anyone has ever taken any of these trips and how was it? I do notice you need to read the fine print - the e-mail shows a photo of the resort, the cost per person and a list of what you get for your money. One of these says you get "6 days of 1-tank boat dives + free Nitrox", another says 15% off all inclusive (so what does the advertised amount get you - a room but not your meals?) - doesn't say anything about dives. Another says 10 boat dives (4 free) - so you pay how much for the other 6? another says "second diver dives free" - so you pay how much for the 1st diver? Some of them require 4 people, others just 2.
So, like I said just wondering if anyone here has tried any of these trips and did they really save you money or would you have been better off just calling the resort on your own and making reservations that way? I know when we were planning a trip last year we had the travel agent give us a price on one of the "all inclusive" resorts - with air fare (I know you have to add air fair costs to the PADI deals) and the resort cost it would have been over $5000 for the two of us - these deals in the e-mail range from $556 to $1090 per person for a week...and some of them include a vehicle rental for the week as well.

I can't speak to specific PADI deals, but it is not uncommon for such organizations to access to better deals than you might get going direct to the hotel. When my buddy and I went to Bonaire back in December we paid several hundred dollars LESS for our dive/hotel/truck package by booking through Caradonna Dive Adventures than the
best deal we were quoted by the hotel directly.

I also like having someone who is on MY side "on my side" when booking a trip. If I have an issue, sure I can complain and try to get it sorted out... but a company that books hundreds of divers at a resort is going to have more leverage than little ol' me.

PS - guess who operates PADI's Travel Network

 

[drrich2]

Bonaire is great! I would suggest if you're fairly new to diving, and not well-traveled with a good comfort level driving around exotic locations yet, that you consider going with a group of some sort your 1st time. Bonaire is fairly sparsely populated, and even the capitol city isn't hard to drive around, but when you're new and don't understand many of the street signs, well, there's something to be said for learning the ropes with veterans.

Your rental truck will be stick shift unless you arrange in advance for an automatic, and the uncharge is substantial. The glory of Bonaire is shore diving, so you'll be driving up & down a road that hugs the west coast hitting shore dive sites most likely.

True AI (3 meals/day) in Bonaire is unusual. The Plaza has this option. Buddy Dive Resort can include breakfast buffet in the package price. Last time I was there, I ate supper at the resort restaurant nightly anyway, and had lunch from grocery store food.

Some find boat diving redundant in Bonaire; that's not entirely true, such as if you want to hit sites off Klein Bonaire (a little island nearby) or some coastal sites without shore access. And some people just like boat diving.

Richard.

 

[RJP]

The Plaza has this option.

Plaza is AI only, I believe. I've discussed with them that their website is unclear about this.