Reputable resources for last minute liveaboard deals???

[Shasta_man]

The airfare to Palau is so high that you'd need a liveaboard discount to keep your total under control. You could go quite a few good places for the same total. The boats tend to cost around the same, it's just the airfare that is different.

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

Hi guys - we are dive travel wholesalers with offices in the south of France and northern California and we pretty well cover the world. We are happy to send you the most comprehensive listing of the world's top live-aboards, their schedules, rates, spaces and any last minute specials. Of course we represent all the major fleets and offer the same discounts available thru them, but we also represent many more options that may not be so easily accessible when you are looking for something special. I doubt whether we can match a rate of $1000 for a week in Palau - but we do have a 7nt trip to Scapa Flow for Sep 20-27 @ 700 euros and 2 week trip from Singapore to the South China Sea wreck diving Sep 29-Oct 12 @ 1925 euros. In some instances, last minute trips mean higher flight costs which remove some of the benefits of the discount. There are cheap offers in the Red Sea, the Maldives, and Philippines, but unless you know the boats, often the cheap is exactly what you get. We charter and represent a lot of boats all over the world and know the boats we use. We send many people to very special places so we maybe able to help you. Have a look at our website or drop me a mail and I will be happy to add you to our mailing list where we send out details of some pretty special deals now and again. I am also happy to send the 45 page listing of up to date availability that we currently send out to over 2500 dive travel specialists and agents around the world who use our services regularly for their clients. At your service. Best Dom

Dominick Macan
Dive Advice Travel
dom@diveadvice.com
www.diveadvice.com
Tel: +33 492 94 02 99 (France)
SKYPE: adventuredom

"In Partnership with Amazing Adventures Travel of Mill Valley, California"

 

[NW_DiverDude]

Thank you again Susie for the PM - almost had things worked out for the Fiji Siren next week but ran out of time to close the deal due to time differences and very limited flight options. So close!

If you wanted Fiji - the Siren Fleet have trips in your time frame (16-26 Sept or 27 Sept -04 Oct) their website states 30% off if booked by 31st August but I'm sure they would honour that now given there are a few spots remaining, you might even get a little more.... Siren Fleet Specials

---------- Post added September 6th, 2014 at 09:22 AM ----------

Thank you Dominick for your input. I have looked through your website on several occasions - nothing that is a fit so far. I will contact you to get on your mailing list however in case you do have something come up that fits both my schedule and my budget. When the deal to places like the South Pacific - like the deal I was able to get for Palau a couple years ago - is good enough, it makes up for the increased airfare when doing last minute trips.

I am still looking for something this month or next month (October) around Baja or the South Pacific - although I could be enticed to consider something in Asia if the airfare will not break the bank.

 

[Freewillow]

Good idea, last minute discount on liveboard, but don't you experienced that last minute flights are not easy to find at an acceptable rate?

 

[NW_DiverDude]

That is part of the game - kind of like a puzzle. Finding a great deal on a live aboard (like I did for Palau a couple years ago as noted below) PLUS getting airfare for a reasonable rate (which is possible for some locations if you think outside the box) is the challenge. The reward is you are so happy with getting to where you are going that the diving seems like it is that much better.

So, when I say thinking outside the box to find reasonable airfare, I mean doing things like the following:
Booking round trip airfare to a major hub that almost always has low fares then booking a separate round trip from that hub to you destination again at typically lower fares than if you book round trip from you home base airport (I have done this successfully when traveling to the South Pacific from Seattle or Portland by first booking a round trip to LAX then booking a round trip to Palau or Fiji)
and/or:
Choosing an alternate airport that is not too far away that offers better rates (car, bus, or train ride away)
and/or;
Booking one-way trips for specific legs of the journey to avoid the airline reservation system forcing you into dates and times that do not work for your schedule. Unlike days gone by, nowadays you can sometimes get one-way fares that are simply half the cost of round trip fares. I did this last year on a dive trip to Curacao and Aruba
and of course you can use ff miles if you have them to beat the potentially higher cost of last minute bookings

I suspect that other travelers have other tips as well.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

So, when I say thinking outside the box to find reasonable airfare, I mean doing things like the following:
Booking round trip airfare to a major hub that almost always has low fares then booking a separate round trip from that hub to you destination again at typically lower fares than if you book round trip from you home base airport (I have done this successfully when traveling to the South Pacific from Seattle or Portland by first booking a round trip to LAX then booking a round trip to Palau or Fiji)
and/or:
Choosing an alternate airport that is not too far away that offers better rates (car, bus, or train ride away)
and/or;
Booking one-way trips for specific legs of the journey to avoid the airline reservation system forcing you into dates and times that do not work for your schedule. Unlike days gone by, nowadays you can sometimes get one-way fares that are simply half the cost of round trip fares. I did this last year on a dive trip to Curacao and Aruba
and of course you can use ff miles if you have them to beat the potentially higher cost of last minute bookings

I suspect that other travelers have other tips as well.

Did some of that, including booking separate set of ticket to a hub airport, then booking the ticket to the Bonaire(mainly because they didn't offer connecting service). Their airplane broke down and I was holed up in a motel for 3 days. I was able to shift my hotel stay by 3 days, but had to buy pay return ticket from the hub airport to my local one out of pocket since the rescheduled return flight from Bonaire was not a connecting flight. I actually won a RT ticket for the same flight on a raffle that took place on the flight, but I did not use the ticket since I still had to pay for wife's ticket and the tickets from my local airport, and did not want to experience the possibility of having that happen again.

There's always cheap flights with some really crazy layovers, but we can't sleep in the airport for 16 hours.

 

[gekodivebali]

As an agent for various liveaboards around Indonesia, trust me when I say that last minute specials on the most reputable boats are not mainstream. Most of the good boats have a few schedule several months in advance. Trying to fit in last minute divers ends up being a headache, even when they are willing to pay the normal price...

 

[Shasta_man]

Hmmm... one person's challenge is another person's pain in the ass.

For the places you are looking at going, the reputable liveaboard markets are relatively small and you can follow most or all of them yourself too. You can look at websites that list boats but consider that having them on the list doesn't automatically mean they know anything more about them than you do (which is nothing), other than they are on the list. Being on the list is not an automagic stamp of goodness. If they have been on the boat and tell you about a trip on it, that's good, but if it's just a link to the boat's website, then you know as much as they do. Set your values based on that and you won't be surprised.

Hands down winner of most bizarre response to "Hey, I loved my trip to Palau!" must go to "I have a great deal to Scapa Flow!" At 47 degree water temp, 5 foot viz and hella currents, that trip could be FREE and I'm not sure I'd take it let alone being diametrically opposed to your desired location.

 

[NW_DiverDude]

Thanks to everyone that contributed and participated in this thread. I am booked on a trip now and although I ended going back to one of the connections that I already had, and surprisingly not noted by anyone else here, I really do appreciate your input which will likely prove valuable on future trips.

As for nay-sayers about the unlikelihood of getting good deals, that is your opinion but since you sell travel it is not in your best interest to let the rest of know that we can in fact find heavily discounted liveaboard deals. I can assure other divers that as long as you can be flexible with when and where you go - and I do not mean undesirable locations in cold water - give it a try with the understanding that you will not always find something that works, but when you do - AWESOME. When I was on a 7 night live aboard in Palau (hardly an undesirable location by the way) less than 3 years ago, my cost was less than $1000 which was almost 60% off.

I was presented with 3 good opportunities as a result of this posting - one that came about just a bit too late to make happen due to the time difference and very limited air options (Fiji - thanks Susie, it almost worked out) - one had a really good price but the airfare on short notice was just too much (Palau) - lastly, and unfortunately too late for me since it came up the very next day after booking my upcoming trip, was a better than 50% discount for a live aboard in French Polynesia. The great news is that some other divers will get a chance to take advantage of the Palau and French Polynesia trips if they move quickly. Connect with Dom at Dive Advice Travel (contributor to this thread) for information.

Until next time - safe travels and amazing diving for all! Oh yea, the dive resource that was not mentioned by others that I have used successfully is Caradonna.

 

[tangfish]

Glad you found a great last minute trip, Diver Dude. I'm looking for the same now but following all the leads here so far hasn't provided a match. Maybe I'll do my own post and see if something comes up.

Thanks!