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diamond74
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27-04-2008 09:18 AM
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Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
| I've just back from a Maldives surfary with the boat "TROPICAL CRUISE". Don't go TROPICAL CRUISE!!! The boat is a little old, slow and dirty trick. Our cabins were full of big black beatles. They were everywhere. Bathroom were little bad smelling, third-world style boxes. The boat was the last to leave in the morning and the first to go away from the spots. Everymorning the battery was out of charge and we could not move to go surf. We had to stop for 3 whole days in south Malè where flat, cause we had to waiting for the new captain, and while our friends on the other boats were surfing perfect waves in th north, we had to wait 3 days in a little port where maldivians used to burn trash all the day.
A lot of time lost because the vessel sail no more than 3 knots (not 9 knots as thei site says). The boat at 5:00 pm must stop in a port and this is not specified on contract or internet site: I was the first to leave the spots, while my friends were still surfing.
Interiors are falling down, beds are dirty flat prison styling put on some old and wet woods and we could not sleep anymore in cabins cause the big beatles in the beds; they were as big as a mobile telephone. Always raining in the cabins with the beds all wet and so our clothes. Fans do not work, lockers were broken.
generators are so noisy you get soon crazy. The internet site talks about silent generators, But I can simply say it is a true false thing. Imagine to have a crazy noise all the day. Around the upper generator, (an old motor from the 60's), all the gasoline tanks: just a little firing and the boat will be a bomb.
The owner of this tricky boat has many internet sites: ATTENTION! These site are just different copies of the same site and all them has the same owner, just to make runs this bad boat surfari on line. Examples:
http://www.tropicalcruise.co.uk/maldives/contacts.htm
http://www.coralislandtravels.com/maldives/contacts.htm
http://www.tropicalbreaks.co.uk/maldives/contacts.htm
NEVER GO TO MALDIVES BY "TROPICAL CRUISE"!!!!
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IT
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17-06-2008 06:57 PM
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Joined: 17 Jun 2008
Posts: 1
| I am hoping to do a cruise in Sept/Oct time. Did you book this yourself or was it part of a package. Have been looking at the official Maldives site. Does anyone recommend a particular safari boat?
IT
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rickos
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08-07-2008 06:59 AM
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Joined: 08 Jul 2008
Posts: 1
| There are plenty of surfari boats available in the maldives. Tropical cruises is at the cheap end of the market, but is ok if you dont mind roughing it a bit.The crew is great ,the food is great ,the surf is the same as everyone else is getting.The boat is probably a bit slower than the others ,but not as bad as 'diamond74' makes out. I did a trip a few weeks after him and had a great time.
Tropic X has a new boat coming on line using the same crew...might be an idea to contact them direct by email tofind out when. I believe it will be end of August.
I recon you need more than a week for the trip and if you want uncrowded surf find a boat that will do the outer atolls.What you pay for is usually what you end up with.
Rick
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