You can now scuba with Explorer Ventures in Indonesia!

[birdman27]

One question is whether Explorer Ventures will in time be more familiar with common travel problems facing customers traveling from the U.S. & Canada than a distant foreign operation. In the Caribbean, we're used to live-aboard boats mainly patronized by English-speaking North Americans; the farther off you travel, the less reliably true that is. Also odds of the U.S. dollar being accepted at vendors, and in some cases whipping out a credit card may not solve your problems.

Here's an example of why I'd consider a travel agent of similar to plan an Indonesian trip but not a Caribbean one.

1.) Bonaire. It used to have a departure tax, until that started getting included in airline tickets. No big deal; pocket cash in U.S. dollars and credit cards can solve problems like that, even if you didn't hear about it in advance. They wanted the $25 (last I checked) marine park fee paid in cash at your dive op.; that was a surprise and annoyance, but odds of having the cash in U.S. dollars to cover it was decent, and nowadays the U.S. dollar is the official currently. My credit card declined a charge at the grocery store (until I called & explained things to them later), but I paid cash and called the CC people later. Practically everybody speaks English.

2.) Now, let's say I'm someday blessed to go on a Raja Ampat or Komodo live-aboard trip. Uh-oh.

Which multi-flight option is the best trade-off between cost, comfort, reliability of flight schedule and baggage allowance?

Which hotel might I want to stay at a day so I can rest on arrival, and still make the boat if I'm a day late? Is one day a sufficient 'hedge' against flight delays/cancellations? I take my own gear; what are the odds it'll make it on time?

From Diversion Dive Travel Australia - Dive travel and diving vacations look at this:

"Departure taxes
Airport taxes on departure are levied at every Indonesian airport. These taxes need to be paid cash in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). The fees for domestic departures vary between IDR 11.000-40.000 per person. At international airports the departure tax is IDR 200.000 per person.

NOTE: There have been some changes in regards to departure taxes in Indonesia recently. For flight tickets issued after March 2015, all departure taxes are included in the ticket price. However, this information could not be officially confirmed yet for all carriers, so please continue to carry some Rupiah cash just in case."

I don't normally carry Rupiah in my wallet. I have no idea what the exchange rate is with the U.S. dollar. If it turns out I need to pay up, will they take a credit card? What are the odds I knew all the places to warn my card company I might make charges from? If I get home with a wad of unused Rupiah, how do I get that converted to U.S. dollars? How much walk-around Rupiah on the trip is enough? What does stuff cost topside over there? If I spend the night at a hotel and walk out to a local restaurant, what are the odds English is widely understood? Can I drink the water? Any major local taboos or odd laws I might inadvertently run afoul of?

These kinds of questions may seem trivial to the seasoned exotic traveler, but to those of us who've never been anywhere that wasn't pretty thoroughly Americanized, they're serious questions. And if we travel without good answers, they can have serious consequences.

Richard.

These are very good questions and the fact that you are thinking about them in advance already tells me that you are more prepared for world travel than most! As far as getting answers, you are well on your way! Forums like this can be very useful. I also found that Lonely Planet's essential guides were hugely helpful (eg the one for Indonesia). Exchange rates can easily be found via Google (just search 1USD in Xcurrency).

That being said, I will never deny that having someone else take care of it for you is easier! My recent trip to Fiji was a LDS trip that I didnt have to think about. However, for the DIY traveler, there are a ton of resources and I hope that anyone who wants to take it on can find those they need. There is a definite satisfaction to planning and executing a trip by yourself. And as Lorenzoid has said, for the most part, anywhere you want to go has already been visited by someone else and you can find info from them!

Good luck in planning and going on your dream Indonesia trip! It is certainly on my list as well.

 

[drrich2]

Someone in another thread mentioned the Blue Manta Explorer has the option for 10% single supplement, but the Raja Manta Explorer does not. From the website:

"Guaranteed Single Occupancy Supplement: Blue Manta Explorer departures are billed an additional 10% of the retail stateroom price and Raja Manta Explorer departures are billed an additional 90% of the retail stateroom price."

Good to know. Wonder why the difference?

Richard.

 

[charlier]

It seems many divers prefer to work with travel agents that represent many liveaboards. They help with flights and accomdations while in transit. Everyone has their own opinion or comfort level while traveling. For example, Divac, Divebooker, Explorer Ventures, Liveaboard.com, indonesianliveaboards.com, etc. assist divers for online bookings. These companies are not liveaboard partners, but assist divers worldwide. LoB operators use these web sites to promote their boats. I prefer to contact the liveaboard directly, but each to their own.

Regarding domestic travel in Indonesia. One advantage using a travel agent (in this case an travel agent based in Indonesia), it is not uncommon for carriers to cancel flights airlines, change departure times at the last minute or last minute flight delays. A good travel agent tracks your flights and will automatically rebook your flights without a fee. That said, as a local, I usually book my flights without assistance.If I have three connections on funky domestic airlines, I will use a travel agent that is based in Bali.

 

[chillyinCanada]

For those of you concerned about Explorer Ventures ability to deal with bookings half a world away from the Caribbean, please note that the Carpe Diem company fleet in Maldives is an Explorer Ventures affiliate, similar to the Mantas (Black Manta is no longer a part of the Manta fleet despite having retained the name upon acquiring her in a sale from the Manta fleet company - prior to the joint venture with EV)

I book most of my trips through Liquid Diving Adventures (greg.carter@liquiddivingadventures.com) and have been very happy. There's a lot to be said for having an excellent working relationship with your booking agent, rather than random one-off experiences with individual boats/resorts, etc.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's less about being concerned about any company's ability to deal with bookings on liveaboards "half a world away" from their own locations than the bigger question of whether it even matters anymore in today's interconnected world where the company or their people are physically "located." Working through a website and email correspondence, the people you're dealing with could be halfway around the world or next door to you, and it generally would be completely transparent to you--you'll get the same helpful treatment, in English, from any reputable dive operator or their booking agent or, apparently in this case, joint venture partner.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Speaking of White Manta, here's a last-minute offer I received from their mailing list:


Hello Good Diving People,

We have a great opportunity for you to join us onboard either KM Raja Manta or KM Blue Manta with the following late cancellation offers;

KM Raja Manta; Please help find Replacement Divers for this Manado-Sambit-Sanglakki exploration 10D9N trip onboard KM Raja Manta

09th - 18th May 2017, 10 day/ 9 nights and 26-30 dives

Cabin & Discounted Trip price;

2 pax in En-suite (Double) Cabin, Upper Deck

NOW ONLY USD2400 per diver (original price USD3,000, saving USD600 each!)

2 pax in Non Ensuite (Twin Share) Cabin, Lower Deck

NOW ONLY USD2040 per diver (original price USD2,550, saving USD510 each!)

Plus Marine Park & Harbour fee, USD180 per person

Start Manado (MDC)

Finish; Berau (BEJ)

How to meet KM Raja Manta

Domestic flights are available from Bali with Lion Air , daily flights via Makassar/ Surabaya. From Jakarta you can fly direct with Garuda Indonesia International flights from Singapore direct with Silk Air. Or fly to Jakarta and catch early morning Domestic flight on to Manado.

How to get from Berau (BEJ)

Garuda, and Lion Air have morning flights back to Balikpapan which will allow you to meet connecting flights in the afternoon back to Jakarta or Singapore. Please note our earliest drop off on trip return day will be scheduled to meet Garuda Indonesia’s & Lion Air’s morning departures (GA693 ETD 10:45 & IW1381 ETD 10:30)

Trip Itinerary 10D9N; White Manta Diving - Manado, Sambit, Sangalaki & return


KM Blue Manta; Please help find Replacement Divers for this Ambon, Banda, Alor, Maumere 12D11N trip onboard KM Blue Manta

05th - 16th May 2017, 12 day/ 11 nights and 30-34 dives

Cabin & Discounted Trip price;

2 pax in En-suite (Combined Double/Twin) Cabin, Main Deck & 2 pax in En-Suite (Twin Share) Cabin Main Deck

NOW ONLY USD4,840 per diver (original price USD6,050, saving USD1210 each!)

Plus Marine Park & Harbour fee, USD250 per person

Start Ambon(AMQ)

Finish; Maumere (MOF)

How to meet KM Blue Manta

Lion Air have daily flights to Ambon from Bali via Makassar or Manado, Garuda Indonesia or Sriwijaya Air from Jakarta via Makassar to Ambon (flight time around 3 hours).

How to get from Maumere (MOF)

There are daily flights from Maumere to either Bali or Makassar Lion Air & KalStar (flight time around 2 hours)

Trip Itinerary 12D11N; White Manta Diving - Ambon-Banda-Alor-Maumere

For enquiries and current availability please contact info@whitemanta.com

Warmest regards,

White Manta Diving team

 

[Damselfish]

It's less about being concerned about any company's ability to deal with bookings on liveaboards "half a world away" from their own locations than the bigger question of whether it even matters anymore in today's interconnected world where the company or their people are physically "located." Working through a website and email correspondence, the people you're dealing with could be halfway around the world or next door to you, and it generally would be completely transparent to you--you'll get the same helpful treatment, in English, from any reputable dive operator or their booking agent or, apparently in this case, joint venture partner.

I see this arrangement as similar to Aggressor Fleet - people have had issues with them, but I haven't heard anyone argue there is no point to their existence - maybe because they've been doing just this for a long time? There has also been Peter Hughes, and his follow on DivEncounters (which seems to have disappeared?) And there are other boats that aren't part of one of these "groups" but have a US booking agent. Obviously they see benefits to the arrangements.

I think sometimes a US based agent/partner can provide better/more targeted promotion and service in the US, if that is what a boat is going for. Sure a boat can work at it and try to do a good job themselves - or they can choose to outsource it, which is kind of what this is. Even if a boat has a good website, I find they tend not to tell someone in the US everything they need/want to know, perhaps a cultural thing. Even though there's English speaking customer service people, it can still be easier to deal with someone in the US. Time zone issues can sometimes really drag out getting something done, a problem if you're a bit last minute. There can be more misunderstandings dealing with a rep on the other side of the planet, even if their English is pretty good it's still their 2nd/3rd/4th language. (Way better than my 2nd/3rd/4th language, but still.) Some places there are payment/credit card issues to deal with (like they don't take credit cards and want bank transfers, which most in the US aren't comfortable with or used to - they'll have to figure out how to do it and likely get charged for the privilege.) Heck, maybe your ISP decides to block that great website for months for mysterious reasons and you can't fill out the damn online forms. I have run into all these things, and with pretty well known boats/companies. For whatever reasons, some people will find it more convenient or get more warm fuzzies dealing with a US based agent than someone on the other side of the planet.

 

[tursiops]

@Lorenzoid
I've put together groups and chartered partial and full boats around the world, both directly and via US agents or outfits like Aggressor and Explorer Ventures. My wife and I have have gone on trips ourselves, not as part of a group, again directly with the boat and also through US agents/companies. And we have gone on group trips arranged by someone else, perhaps by a LDS, perhaps by an individual like myself who enjoys doing it and setting it up for a group of mostly friends and acquaintances. All of these approaches work, and all have their pros and cons. Although I enjoy the Google work and the planning and arranging, it is REALLY nice to just go on a trip and have someone else worry about all the details and to make things right if they begin to go astray.

It is ALWAYS easier to work through the US-based operations when putting together a group trip, if only for the payments. Bank transfers of large sums to foreign states can be problematic. And working with Explorer Ventures (multiple times, multiple places) has been a joy; never a glitch, always smooth, always cheerful.

As to DIY travel for self or a couple, I think it makes less difference, but having someone else make the arrangements and decisions is nice.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Damselfish, I guess it is indeed peace of mind for some people--and then there are things like the web site issue you mentioned, and arranging things at the last minute. Maybe I'm more comfortable dealing with people from all over the world, as I travel for business, have conference calls in which we have non-native-English speakers participating from two or three other countries, etc. I don't see the utility in someone in the US helping me deal with businesses in other countries that are all set up for dealing with foreigners like me. But I can appreciate how others may find it reassuring.

I just wire-transferred a deposit for a liveaboard this morning to a bank account in Fiji with just a few clicks of the mouse from my bank's web site. Heck, I could do it from the mobile banking app on my phone. Maybe the fear of bank transfers is an American thing. European friends of mine routinely send each other money by transferring from one account to another--they find it convenient. I kind of wish we made more use of it here, but I guess we have things like Paypal to fill the gap.

I know you're an experienced traveler, so I'm not really addressing these thoughts to you specifically. Just my thoughts.

tursiops, I am speaking only as one who books trips for himself and wife. We don't do anything complicated--book a resort or boat, plane tickets, a night or two in a hotel--all easy for a couple, thanks to the fact that so many others have done the exact same trip before and left their collective knowledge on sites like SB. Group bookings may very well involve additional complexity that a specialist booking agent can assist with. I can totally envision, for example, that booking 10 "day rooms" in a hotel may take more effort than a few clicks on a web site. I don't claim to know anything about group trips.

 

[Damselfish]

One thing to keep in mind about many popular boats and companies overseas - an awful lot of their US business is group trips. Some popular boats especially get booked up for years mostly by dive shops and other groups. (Perhaps there is a bit of a chicken and egg thing in this, where people go with groups because it's easier for them, and the companies make things easy for groups because that's where the business is coming from.)