21 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

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VERY SAD BUT IMPORTANT TRIP UPDATE:

 

It is with great sorrow that I post this message. I am sitting in the airport on my way to Cozumel so will be offline until this evening after noon Central time.

 

I rec'd the following email from the owner of the Spree which is the boat we were using for our Cuba trip. I have not had much correspondence with him yet and hope to while I'm at the airport waiting on my next flight.

 

I will have refunds issued in the next day or so, please bear with me as the first day or so of a trip is the craziest but I am arriving early so will have a small window tomorrow to get this started and have my accountant start refunding money.

 

I have not checked to see if we can do a Keys Krawl with local dive ops because I have no idea if anyone wants to do this. Most will simply opt for a refund vs another trip to Cuba or Key West  or even apply the funds to another trip. After the refund you are welcome and encouraged to sign up for one of our other amazing trips. If you do sign up for either our  Magical Malivers trip in March 2017 or our Raja Ampat trip for Oct 2018 which we will being opening up in the next week or so for booking. (Hopefully sooner now that we have lost this iconic trip) I will do something extra special for THOSE ALREADY BOOKED ON THE CUBA TRIP for all the inconvenience. Let me figure this out but it will be a financial incentive to encourage you to consider these other trips.

 

I have also reached out to the other Cuba operator for availability during this time and/or rebooking the trip to another timeframe.

 

HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS OPTION?  Aggressor is more expensive and holds a few more people on the boat but is the only other option other than Avalon who I have also reached out too.

 

As soon as I hear from them I will let you know so we can perhaps see if there are any contingency plans. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF ANYONE IS UP FOR ANY OTHER CONTINGENCY PLANS OTHER THAN JUST A STRAIGHT REFUND.

 

Thank you, Kamala

 

Dear Kamala;

 

It is with mixed emotions and no small amount of sadness that Melanie and I need to tell you that we have accepted an unexpected offer to buy the Spree.  We received the offer this morning, the final inspection will take place on July 18, after which I will no longer be allowed use of the vessel.  This, as you know, is before your scheduled charters to Cuba, which are now cancelled.  We are sorry that we are unable to complete the charter we arranged with you and your clients, but the buyer has use for the Spree right away and once accepted, will no longer allow us to use it.

 

Kevin will, of course, refund your charter fees immediately.  

 

I apologize to all of you who were looking forward to your charter, and wish you the best.

 

Sincerely, 

Frank and Mel

 

Captain Frank Wasson

M/V Spree
 

 

 

 

CUBA, October 8-14, 2016 

Flexibility is the name of the game on these trips.  The M/V Spree has an excellent rapport with the Cuban government, with the United States Government, and the marinas at both locations.  As with any adventure travel, things happen and we all have to be flexible in our planning.  We could be diverted east or west or not allowed into port because the Navy is out on maneuvers or we could find new rules pop up overnight. Please be flexible. Due to the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, TRIP INSURANCE IS REQUIRED for this trip.

 

PRICING:

• October 8-14 = 8 spaces: $3650 p/p.
• Price includes cash discount. Please add 3% if paying via any non-cash form of payment.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• 4 Days of up to 3 dives per day except travel days
• Air fills, tanks and lead.  NO WEIGHT BELTS ARE INCLUDED - YOU MUST PROVIDE YOUR OWN
• 32% Nitrox - if you are Nitrox-certified
• All meals, snacks and beverages including sodas, beer and wine
• Group tour of National Aquarium, El Morro Castle, Old Havana, the Museum of the Revolution, and the National Hotel
• Personal Gear Lockers for your gear and LOTS of hanging space for your wetsuits/skins
• Welcome Beverage upon arrival & group orientation meeting after last group of divers arrive
• We provide sheets, blankets and pillows. NO TOWELS ARE INCLUDED - YOU MUST PROVIDE YOUR OWN 

NOT INCLUDED:

• Airfare to Key West(EYW).
• Transfers to/from the Marina
• Rental gear, instruction and retail charges
• Crew gratuities
• Trip cancellation insurance REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP
• Dive accident insurance REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP
• WEIGHT BELTS ARE NOT INCLUDED.  Lead is available but you must supply your own belt or weight integrated system.
• TOWELS ARE NOT INCLUDED. There is no washer/dryer on the boat, you must supply your own towel.

 

 

DISCOUNTS & DISCOUNT DISCLAIMER:

 

Hey gang we need you to look below if we have posted the codes or at the purple TAB called DISCOUNTS in the booking system (click on the link at the top of this topic and it will take you to the specific booking details for THIS trip or click on the blue box called BOOK NOW and it will take you to the full trip details in the new website/booking system.  Once there click on the trip you are interested in and READ THE DISCOUNT details under the purple tab called DISCOUNTS  to know what they are AND to get the code needed to get the discount. (WE ALSO TRY TO POST IT BELOW FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE)

 

You must use the code when you book as they are not retroactive after you sign up UNLESS otherwise stated like the buddy rebate etc.

 

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but the accounting expenses of manually trying to do the discount is far exceeding the discount amount making it very prohibitive to manage this way. So please be sure to use the discount code AT TIME OF INITIAL BOOKING. 

 

NOTE: The EBD or Early Booking Discounts can only be used as follows:

1. When paying in full

2. When you first sign up

3 By the deadline given. After that deadline they disappear and the code will not work. (So please leave a buffer if you need to xfer money or have questions.)

• Book and Pay in FULL by 04-15-16 for Early Bird Discount: $100 OFF (use COUPON CODE: CUBA100 at checkout)
• Book and Deposit or Pay in Full by 05-01-16 for Early Bird Discount: $50 OFF (use COUPON CODE: CUBA50 at checkout)
• Buddy Rebate: Get a $50 rebate for getting any NON-SD.com member to go and you both get a buddy credit. Rebate issued at the end of the trip, after both trip goers send their buddy diver credit request to trips@singledivers.com
• Earn (1) CHANCE to win $50 gift cert for anything SD.com sells including corporate sponsor merchandise or a future trip good until March 2017, by signing up on our Facebook Trip Event for this trip AND "LIKE" SingleDivers.com if you haven't already AND share the FB trip booking on your page or in another diving group to which you belong. Please email trips@singledivers.com with your full list of contest entries no later than Sept 30, 2016; Please reference CUBA50GC in the subject line.
• Cash Discount: Use our e-check option to pay for your trip and CASH DISCOUNTED PRICES will be applied at checkout.
• Active Duty Military Discount: $25 OFF if you are active duty military of any country that fights for freedom with the USA. Please email proof of active military service to admin@singledivers.com
• Member Rebate: File for your $25 member rebate within 30 days after the trip. You'll find the required form here.

SAVE $75 by submitting your Documents within 21 days of booking this trip. If booking within 45 days of the trip please submit your documents within 3 days. Otherwise the $75 document processing fee will be added to your final invoice.

 

 

Click here to book any package

*all prices per person, cash option requires selecting e-check at final checkout 
**cash price is the same as the cash price in the forums, new accounting regulations change the way the 3% non-cash convenience fee is applied.

 

 

VERY IMPORTANT LINKS:

• Click HERE for Full Trip Details in our New Booking System & Integrated Payment & Document Portal
• To see who is on this trip click HERE or check the 3rd post of this topic/thread.
• To see how to sign up and get regular trip updates click HERE or check the 2nd post of this topic/thread.

Edited by WreckWench, 02 July 2016 - 11:22 AM.

[WreckWench]

Welcome to the CUBA Trip Details and Booking/Sign Up thread/topic. Below you'll find the 5 easy steps for signing up for one of our trips and the link to our new booking system which will capture your booking requirements correctly. Since others can not see what you've signed up for in the new system we summarize who's going and what they are doing in the 3rd post of this topic. Just look below this post and you'll see it. Let us know if you need any help signing up via trips@singledivers.com or charlies@singledivers.com or kamala@singledivers.com. Otherwise come and join us diving in CUBA!...Hope to see you there!!!

How to Sign Up for A SingleDivers.com Trip in 5 Easy Steps:

Step 1. Register as a Premier Member:
A. Are you new and have not registered on the site yet? Then think of a fun screen name click HERE for ideas and then register HERE. Follow the prompts and choose the 'premier member' option or above in this process and you'll be done.

B. Currently a basic member? Then simply upgrade to premier by clicking on the MEMBERSHIP TAB along the top of the forums HERE and following the prompts for payment.

Step 2: Sign Up and Pay for the trip
We use a cutting edge e-commerce site developed especially for dive trips to book spots on our award winning dive vacations. You can sign up for either a double or single occupancy room (and sometimes other choices) and choose to pay the deposit or the full amount. If you choose to pay with your checking account you will receive a CASH DISCOUNT for paying with cash. Otherwise the price listed includes the credit card fees. (This is a change from our old system which priced trips at the next cash discount and you paid the cc fee if you used a credit card.). To find the lowest price look for all pricing marked in RED with the words CASH.  NOTE: The cash discount is applied at check out AFTER you choose the e-check option.

 

a. To sign up from the forums:  Click on the purple BOOK NOW button across the top of the forums or click HERE.  Be sure you are logged in and then choose the trip you want by clicking on the name or the picture for full details. Then click on BOOK NOW when you are ready to add items to your shopping cart. To return to THIS THREAD/TOPIC in the forums simply click on the blue FORUM THREAD box. 

 

b. To sign up from the new website:  Click on www.singledivers.com then under TRIPS click on UPCOMING TRIPS. Be sure you are logged in and then choose the trip you want by clicking on the name or the picture for full details. Then click on BOOK NOW when you are ready to add items to your shopping cart. To return to THIS THREAD/TOPIC in the forums simply click on the blue FORUM THREAD box.

 

c. Choose either the trip dep or full amount and add to your shopping cart by clicking the radial dial next to the option you want, verifying the inventory is there below the item and then clicking ADD TO CART . You can also add any add-on's that you would like but they must be paid in full when added to your cart. ONLY the trip can be financed for free via our booking system.

 

d. Once you have added the trip pkg you want, chosen Deposit or Full trip amount, applied any discounts that apply to you, then clicked on ADD TO CART in the blue box, it will show you your cart and if something is not right click on the x to remove it. Once you are ready to pay click on CHECK OUT box under the summary of what your charges are so far. Review your cart and if its correct click on FINISH unless you wish to keep shopping.

 

e. Now proceed to the payment options. We accept MC or Visa as well as payments via a one time ACH payment from your checking account. NOTE: Cash discounts will be applied when you click on e-check and proceed to check out. 

HOW TO USE THE PAYMENT SYSTEM:

 

Please click HERE for step by step directions on how to pay for extras, make progress payments, or other trip related payments.

 

NOTE: You will be able to see your payments online 24/7 by clicking on MY TRIPS under Trips in the main menu and then clicking on MY PAYMENTS in the upper right.

 

 

Step 3: Post in the trip thread/topic that you are joining us:

Want to express intent in joining one of our trips? Ideally this is done in the trip details topic which is called a "thread" in the forums we use. In other words THIS TOPIC YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING. Let our volunteers help you learn the booking process if you have any questions as its critical to all of our 'back and forth' communications. (It can also be done via email and we'll "post" your intent for you in the trip topic/thread if you absolutely can't post it yourself.)

Want to let us know you just signed up to join us? Please post that you have signed up and are joining us. This helps to keep the thread/topic alive as well as encourage new members to ask questions that they may have. This also shows that the trip is alive and well and people are going on it. If you don't make a post we'll post for you to welcome you to the trip and to summarize what you have signed up for. We will THEN summarize all of this in the 3rd post of the trip topic/thread so everyone can see who is doing what!

Step 4: Trip Documents...Where to find them and what to fill out and why:
The trip documents are needed for rooming, diving, understanding your preferences, as well as helping us help you in the case of an emergency etc. They are required to be COMPLETED ONLINE as soon as you complete your order or within 21 days of signing up for a trip (the only exception is your airline info unless you already know what your flights are) or if you need more time we'll add a $75 document fee to your invoice. They must be returned within 3 days if you are signing up within 45 days of departure.  

 

To find the trip docs online (we no longer accept our old paper docs except for refunds, rebates, cc auth forms etc.) go to www.singledivers.com, click on MY TRIPS under Trips in the main menu and then click on the trip you want if you are signed up for more than one trip and it will tell you which docs need to be completed and which are finished. Click on the document name and it will open and fill it out. NOTE: Once you do your docs in our system once they will be resident you for the next time your travel with us to update and resubmit. You will need to upload some of the information we need but our *upload* tool is very easy to use. If all else fails you can email the docs that need to be uploaded to trips@singledivers.com or fax to 888-480-0906.

Step 5: ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS...
Its a two way street...here's how we tell each other what we need:
We use several tools to keep EVERYONE on a trip updated. They are vitally important for you to monitor and stay apprised of. They are as follows:

A. The "Welcome to the Trip" PM (private message) which is sent to as soon as you sign up for the trip. You can not receive these unless you are a Premier member or above. As soon as you either pay or show interest in the trip thread/topic we'll send you this PM. It has helpful info about signing up for the trip and will be used THROUGHOUT the pre-trip process to keep you updated on critical things regarding your trip with us.

B. The 1st & 3rd & 4th 'posts' in this trip thread (the first has the trip details in it) will contain summarized updates so you don't have to follow every post in the original trip thread. PLEASE monitor these for IMPORTANT UPDATES that affect your trip.

C. The Special Discussion Forums -(THIS MAY BE PHASED OUT in lieu of using the TRIP PM  & open forum topics....monitor the TRIP PM for all main updates. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY BACK TO THE TRIP PM AS EVERYONE GETS YOUR REPLY.) They are private forums that open up approx 30-60 days before a trip and they are FILLED WITH HELPFUL INFORMATION you need for your trip like how the transfer work, money/tipping issues, who's doing what extra tours or diving, etc. We also use these forums to discuss PRIVATE matters such as exchanging cell phone numbers so you can meet up at the airport together etc. ONLY members on the trip have access to these private trip discussion forums. Since they are password protected you will receive the special password for the private forum via the TRIP PM.

And that's it. If you need help feel free to email trips@singledivers.com or charlies@singledivers.com or kamala@singledivers.com and one of us will help you!

[WreckWench]

WHO'S GOING & AVAILABILITY UPDATE:

Booking Summary:
 

• Oct 8-14, 2016 = 14 spaces with: 11 spaces booked = 3 available.

SUMMARY OF WHO IS GOING:

  1. Kamala aka WreckWench
  2. Susan aka Resqdew
  3. Butch aka Cajun Diver
  4. Ilda aka Waterhorse
  5. Nick aka TwoWheelGuy
  6. Norman aka Photographic Mercenary
  7. Pup aka Neptuner aka The Scuba Cowboy & ENTERTAINER FOR THE TRIP!!!
  8. Bill aka grayfins

  9. Mary aka WisconsinFarmGirl

10. Michael aka Reef Junkie

11. Diane aka hinalea luahine

12.

13.

14.

 FULL!!
 
IN PROGRESS:
 
 
 
Booking Templates are now obsolete with our NEW BOOKING SYSTEM! You can now make Deposits, partial or full trip payments, purchase add-ons all on our NEW Home Page under the TRIPS Tab. (Plus you can REVIEW what you have purchased using TRIPS -> MY TRIPS and selecting specific trips you have booked from the dropdown list!)

[Sqbagal]

CUBA is OPEN for BOOKING!!

[dive_sail_etc]

CUBA is OPEN for BOOKING!!

Woot!!!

[Cajun Diver]

I'm in!  Payment sent and I'm working on the forms and travel arrangements

[Sqbagal]

Welcome to the Cuba trip, Ilda!

[Kimbuddha]

Wow, this sounds so interesting. Maybe not a good match for me. I'll be watching. You guys will have a blast.
I'm loooking forward to hearing more about the trip.

[Sqbagal]

WHO'S GOING has been updated.

 

Just a few spaces left!!! Don't wait and miss out!!

[Photographic Mercenary]

This is a bucket list trip for me. Been wanting to dive there since 1998. Almost made it for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hemingway. It will be great to get there before it gets exploited and ravaged. n

[scubasandra]

I think I am interested. It has been a while since I have been on one of Kamala's trips. Cuba has been on my bucket list too! What will the weather and water temps be like?

[dive_sail_etc]

I think I am interested. It has been a while since I have been on one of Kamala's trips. Cuba has been on my bucket list too! What will the weather and water temps be like?

Hello Sandra! The weather and water conditions for Cuba should be identical to the Keys - that would mean average daytime air temps in the upper 80's, water temps in the lower 80's and great viz thanks to the Gulf Stream sweeping through the Florida Straits. We still have a few spots lift, and hope you can join Kamala and the Scuba Krewe on this genuine Bucket List trip!

[Photographic Mercenary]

Sandra, Hurry up and join the trip. Dive Cuba before it gets over run by Hollywood parasites. They have had their first sighting of a Kardashian infestation. A blight from America that is hard to recover from. n

[scubasandra]

What time does the boat leave the marina? If my flight arrives at 6:51pn, how much wiggle room will I have?

[Sqbagal]

What time does the boat leave the marina? If my flight arrives at 6:51pn, how much wiggle room will I have?

From the DIVING & ITINERARY tab on the Booking Site HERE:

 

Saturday, Oct 8: Key West. The crew typically has dinner at the Hogfish Bar and Grill about 5:30 before boarding.  If you would like to join us, you will be more than welcome. Guests board vessel around 8 pm; welcome briefing, documents. We depart shortly thereafter.