If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
Hello folks,
some of you seem to know your way around Cairns, Australia pretty well so I hope you could help me plan my diving trip. I am considering spending some days Mike Ball's Supersport and Taka Dive's Taka II, recommended to me by a friend who has been on both. He did recommend the catamaran over the monohull because there is less risk of seasickness. Then there's the magnificent flight. OTOH, it does not go out to Osprey and does not pack as many dives. My wife (PADI OWD) and I (CMAS *) plan to arrive by plane on a Thursday afternoon at around 17h. That's OK since Supersport does not leave until 20h. Taka II even leaves the next day, on Friday, so all is well ... or isn't it? We would need to book a tour on one of these vessels in advance. But while Mike Ball charges 1717 AUD for the premium bunk on SuperSport my friend readily got this same bunk from one of the tour operators for 950 AUD by booking in Cairns only! I assume this must have been some Last Minute thing. He did recommend I do NOT book anything but fly in and shop around on the Esplanade (?) road which seems to be much like Khao San Road in that there are dozens of shops and also operators. Both Mike Ball and Taka Dive charge quite hefty prices for their trips and I would gladly economize where I can if I knew how. And all web offers I found repeat the same prices. So now what do I do? Flying in at 5pm does not seem to leave me a lot of time to look for bargains, at least on Supersport. Taka II could be more feasible. What do you experienced folks suggest, is there a chance of getting a last-minute bargain? What prospects of savings are there anyway considering the summer season is coming up? Thanks for any advice, Jochen Jochen Bink E-mail: jbinkATfoniD0Tnet |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 21:55:05 +0100, Jochen Bink wrote:
What do you experienced folks suggest, is there a chance of getting a last-minute bargain? Yes, there is a chance. I did it once with Rum Runner. I ended up paying about 2/3 of the normal price. However, I had plenty of time and there weren't many other trips with spaces on them. To see the best of the diving, you really want to get out to either the Coral Sea, the Ribbon reefs or both. The reefs nearer Cairns aren't really that good. There are more than just Mike Ball and Taka going further out though. At the end of the day it's a risk. You might get there and there be nothing decent leaving and you sound like you've got a fairly tight schedule. Jason -- http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Maldivian trip reports including Kuredu, Fesdu, Meedhupparu, Summer Island Village and Velidhu |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
"Jochen Bink" wrote in message
news But while Mike Ball charges 1717 AUD for the premium bunk on SuperSport my friend readily got this same bunk from one of the tour operators for 950 AUD by booking in Cairns only! I assume this must have been some Last Minute thing. He did recommend I do NOT book anything but fly in and shop around on the Esplanade (?) road which seems to be much like Khao San Road in that there are dozens of shops and also operators. Mike Ball charges Americans more than locals and I believe he extends that friendly policy to Japanese and selected Europeans. While I doubt you're an American (or if you were, you would have been endlessly teased as a child with that name), you may be one of the lucky few that Ball stiffs. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
Greg Mossman wrote:
Mike Ball charges Americans more than locals and I believe he extends that friendly policy to Japanese and selected Europeans. While I doubt you're an American (or if you were, you would have been endlessly teased as a child with that name), you may be one of the lucky few that Ball stiffs. Hey Greg, I left that bit out as I knew somebody would jump in and tell him. That's why he'd be better of going with Spirit of Freedom! Glad to hear you and your family are okay, hope those fires settle down soon. T. :-) -- "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S. Thompson. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
Jochen Bink pounded away at his keyboard
resulting in: :What do you experienced folks suggest, is there a chance of getting a :last-minute bargain? Yes there is. There is also a chance that all the spots will gone by the time you get there. Dan Bracuk If at first you don't succeed, you run the risk of failure. The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Cairns live-aboards, book locally or in advance?
Dan Bracuk wrote in message . ..
Jochen Bink pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :What do you experienced folks suggest, is there a chance of getting a :last-minute bargain? Yes there is. There is also a chance that all the spots will gone by the time you get there. Dan Bracuk In low season it's well worth the risk - or if you have loads of time. Wait and get a stand-by rate. Another way is to check out http://www.underwater.com.au - loads of operators offer significant discounts and you can even WIN a free 6 day 6 night liveaboard trip from Port Douglas. It's THE Scuba diving portal for Australia. Comprehensive information on dive shops, liveaboards, charter and day boats, accommodation, gear and more - community meeting place for divers and marine enthusiasts. See you underwater ..... Tim |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Great New Book from Tommy Volinchak, Tom Volinchak | Tom | Air travel | 2 | January 22nd, 2004 10:44 PM |
How far in advance can I book? | Leo Hamulczyk | Air travel | 3 | January 3rd, 2004 05:41 AM |