Palau Aggressor II - Save $1000 - Palau Now Open

[Blackcrusader]

Palau Now Open - With Restrictions
Palau Aggressor II - Save $1000
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Anything coming up for January to April 2022?​

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

I would suggest that might be a safer time to go as we hope there will be more flights operating. If indeed Palau does open as planned in September, and does not close again sooner after as recently happened for the Taiwan Bubble experiment, then hopefully they should have everything down pat by then. You can find a full list of all Palau liveaboard trips at Dive Advice Travel - Your Liveaboard Specialists - World's Finest Diving - Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice and although there are currently no specials being offered by Aggressor, as they still have so much space, I would suspect they will be offering specials thru agents over DEMA and towards the end of the year in order to boost occupancy. I would therefore suggest that you wait for awhile and see how this experiment turns out. FYI - although Solitude One is a top option in Palau,
and is currently showing trips for that period, there is a risk that she may not go to Palau this season if she is not allowed to enter from the Philippines where she currently is. We all want the world to open up again but canceling a trip due to new border restrictions or change in local policy/regulations, or cancellation of flights, becomes a lot more complicated once you have paid your money. Better to take advice and book it thru a well established professional who can guide you thru the process without any additional cost to you.

 

[aquabluegreg]

Anything coming up for January to April 2022?​

Looks like Dom has piggybacked on to the post. As he mentioned, the Aggressor deal is only good until mid-December Ocean Hunter is also running and taking reservations but I'm having a bit of difficulty getting a response from them in terms of the Pandemic Certified requirements. The air travel is a bit of an adventure as are most Asia destinations. Here's a typical itinerary from Denver:

Sample DEN-ROR trip, 24 hours 8:02 AM Denver International Airport (DEN)
Travel time: 2 hr 35 min 9:37 AM
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
UnitedEconomyBoeing 737UA 419 1 hr 3 min layover San Francisco (SFO)

10:40 AM San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Travel time: 5 hr 13 min 12:53 PM
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
UnitedEconomyBoeing 777UA 2380 1 hr 27 min layoverHonolulu (HNL)

2:20 PM Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Travel time: 7 hr 35 min 5:55 PM+1
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
UnitedBusiness ClassBoeing 777UA 201 4 hr 25 min layoverGuam (GUM)

10:20 PM+1 Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
Travel time: 2 hr 5 min 11:25 PM+1
Palau International Airport (ROR)
UnitedBusiness ClassBoeing 737UA 157

Dom mentioned some specials may be offered at DEMA but those are typically offered at the group level, although there are some deals for individual travelers. I personally am not going to DEMA this year in Vegas as it is still a bit too COVID risky for my taste. Regardless, all my partners have provided me with their offerings that will be available at the show. I also deal with Chris Lubba with Palau Dive Adventures and he does not plan to open until November or so simply because of the uncertain airline flights. We have been in business more than 10 years now, and have an established reputation growing on Trustpilot. We are typically around 7 days a week, days and nights. We have taken our hit like many in the travel biz but have been booking trips to the Socorros, Baja California, the Red Sea, the Maldives, Costa Rica, and open destinations in the Caribbean during the later course of the pandemic. It has been a challenge but we are alive and well and our diver buddies are in the water.

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

Interesting - there was no malice intended towards Aquablue as I perceive them also as professional in our industry but to put the record straight, Dive Advice was formed 15 year ago after 20 years in the industry, with offices in Europe and the US. My point was more that we are in unchartered waters and when my clients ask me about Palau opening in September, I caution them that this maybe optimistic and according to my knowledge, so far we have not had an official announcement from Palau Authorities and that we may still have a few hurdles to cross. I typically do not post things to challenge other agents, but I hope that I offer sound advice where it is pertinent. I hope this helps.