A World of Diving Adventures

Call us today! 954.734.7111 or 800.327.9600

FAQs

Travel Planning

Please email info@allstarliveaboards.com with the flight changes, your trip date and vessel name so we can update your information. 

If you prefer to speak to a representative, our U.S. Reservations Office can take your call Monday thru Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST at (U.S. and Canada) 800.327.9600 or (Worldwide) 954.734.7111.

Domestic flight options in Indonesia include Air Asia, Citilink, Batik & Lion Air. When booking Batik/Lion Air you have to book it through www.nusatrip.com as Batik/Lion Air do not accept non-Indonesian credit cards via their website.

The liveaboard business is a service industry, and although the general public is seldom aware of it, gratuities are a major part of a crewmember’s salary. Few other recreational activities rely so heavily upon the professionals in charge for your enjoyment and safety. A gratuity of 15% is customary, but many leave more when they feel the service was outstanding. If you are disappointed with the service, you should inform the captain of your feelings right away so he may rectify the situation.

It is recommended that all passengers purchase travel protection to help protect you and your trip investment. It is also recommended that all divers have diving accident insurance. For more information and to purchase dive and travel insurance, visit the providers below:

Diveassure: For annual combination trip and dive accident insurance. It covers cancellation due to Covid.

Travelex: Travel protection for a single trip. You may choose the TRAVEL SELECT policy and select the optional ADVENTURE SPORTS COVERAGE upgrade which waives the policy exclusions for extreme sports such as scuba diving. Purchase of Travelex insurance must be more than 21 days from date of travel.

All travelers to Indonesia need a passport. It must be valid for at least 6 months from date of entry into Indonesia.

Jakarta is 12 hours ahead of New York City.
Raja Ampat is 14 hours ahead of New York City.
Komodo is 13 hours ahead of New York City.

We ask that all guests disembark after breakfast on the last day. If you have a flight later in the day, you can remain on board, but clear your cabin out and linger on the deck or in the salon until your transfer time.  If you have an early flight, they will get you off in time to catch it.

The Aurora team will pick you up at 10:00am if you are staying on island prior to boarding. If you are flying in directly on the day of boarding, we will pick you up at the airport and transfer you directly to the boat. We want all guests on board by 1:00pm at the latest.

Light clothing, bathing, suits, t-shirts and light windbreaker for cooler evenings. Walking and hiking shoes for land excursions and a sarong for women when visiting villages. Click here for a checklist.

Yes, there are arrival taxes but they are included in the price of your airline ticket.

We offer multiple itineraries with various lengths at Raja Ampat, plus Raja Ampat and Lembeh Strait, Raja Ampat and Banda Neira, Raja Ampat and Triton Bay, and Banda Sea and Triton Bay . To view itineraries, click here.

Dive liveaboard cruising is an appealing alternative to conventional land based dive vacations and larger cruise ships. We offer a richer travel experience – one that goes beyond the typical tourist sites. Aboard All Star Aurora you’ll get to experience delicious meals and great diving along with optional included shore excursions and eco adventures.

We recommend you travel with U.S. dollars and suggest you purchase some Indonesian Rupiah for payment of luggage surcharges and any incidentals.

Aurora will arrange transfers to and from the dock and airport only. Hotel transfers to the dock are not included but can be arranged for you.

It is best to check with the CDC when arranging your travel plans. Information can be found here.

A “Visa Upon Arrival” (VOA) is required.  The fee for VOA is Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) 500,000*, payable in cash.  It is advisable to have the money in IDR before traveling.  If you pay in dollars, the cost is  $35.00 USD and no change is given. Foreigners can apply for VOA at the Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) counter located before immigration check points in the airport’s arrival hall.

While the e-VOA website allows individuals to attempt to apply prior to arrival, the website is not consumer friendly and slow. We recommend applying upon arrival. 

*Subject to change.

Yes, we have a list of hotels that are convenient to the dock in each port of boarding. Most travelers plan to arrive at least a day early to acclimate to the time change and allow for any travel delays. Click here for a list of Indonesian hotels.

Policies

Individuals – More than 12 months from departure, a refund less 5% cancellation fee. Within 12 months of departure, no refund is issued unless the trip departs full, then a full refund less 5%.

For individuals, we require a deposit of 30% per person to confirm the space paid within ten (10) days. Full payment is due 4 months prior to departure. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover, personal check, money order and wire transfers.

For trips booked after January 1, 2023, the fees are included in the trip.  The fees include port tax, dive permits for the marine park, fuel surcharge, etc. These fees are payable on board when you check out. Consider paying in cash – USD$ (dollar), IDR (rupiah) or EUR€ (Euros). Credit card payments incur a fee.

The minimum age is 16 years and must be advanced diver with 50 dives logged prior to boarding.

Diving

Yes you can with a normal valve setup for both tanks. There would be an extra charge of $7.00 per day for the extra tank.

Yes, all dives are led by one of our instructors. Only in exceptional cases will buddy diving be done independently.

By all means, yes. There will always be a diving buddy for you. Many of our passengers come aboard as singles and it’s a great way to meet other likeminded adventure travelers who love to dive!

Yes, with prior arrangement, you can rent dive gear. For rentals rates, click here. Please request these items on your Trip Application. Payment is made while on board.

All dives are from our tenders and small groups of divers plan their dive with an instructor that is assigned to them.

Divers will have the opportunity to log up to 3 dives per day plus night dives during the cruise. No diving is offered on the first and last day.

Night dives will be offered as often as possible. We travel during the evenings and there is no night dive on the first or last day.

All divers are required to carry a dive light and a safety sausage.

Yes, and it is included in the trip price.

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As unglamorous as it sounds it’s really fun for divers that enjoy finding the little things. Muck diving is usually done at the bottom of the ocean with a sand or sediment base where all of the small macro animals live and hide. This is heaven for macro photographers. Look for small shrimp, nudibranchs, juvenile crabs, frog fish and small octopi and many other camouflaged critters. It’s really important to keep fin action to a minimum as to not stir up the bottom.

Advanced open water (AOW) certification is required with at least 50 dives logged prior to arrival. AOW can be obtained on board with prior arrangements.

We dive with 80 CF (12L) tanks. 100 CF (15L) tanks are available. For more information on rental equipment and pricing, click here.

The tanks are equipped with yoke and DIN valves and we have adaptors available.

The sharks of Indonesia are exotic! Look for the wobbegong sharks in Raja Ampat and whale sharks, hammerheads and whitetips as well.

It is recommended that all passengers purchase travel protection to help protect you and your trip investment. It is also recommended that all divers have diving accident insurance. For more information and to purchase dive and travel insurance, visit the providers below:

Diveassure: For annual combination trip and dive accident insurance. It covers cancellation due to Covid.

Travelex: Travel protection for a single trip. You may choose the TRAVEL SELECT policy and select the optional ADVENTURE SPORTS COVERAGE upgrade which waives the policy exclusions for extreme sports such as scuba diving. Purchase of Travelex insurance must be more than 21 days from date of travel.

On Board

Smoking is permitted on the aft deck only. Please do not throw butts overboard, there is a receptacle for your use.

Motion sickness medication should be brought along in the event that we encounter rough seas. We want you to be comfortable. The boat will spend the night in calm anchorages and normally scuba diving will be done on the lee side of the islands. The best thing about a liveaboard diving vacation is that we can flex our schedule to go where the weather and conditions are best!

Depending on the area and itinerary, we offer islands visits to local villages, indigenous animal encounters (Birds of Paradise and bats in Raja Ampat, to name a few), snorkeling adventures, kayaking and island hikes to scenic overlooks.

English and Bahasa, an Indonesian language, are spoken. With a full boat charter, we will try to provide a dive guide that is able to speak your language. Advance notice required.

English is spoken in tourist destinations and on board.

If someone needs to get in contact with you because of a true emergency, they may contact our U.S. Reservations Office and we will relay the message. Keep in mind that the boat will be in remote areas and any interruption will cause missed diving so be sure this is a true emergency. The captain has a SAT phone that is enabled each day for an hour to receive important messages.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free are pretty easy to work with as well as allergies so let us know upon booking if you require special meals. Please remember that you are participating in an adventure travel vacation that is occurring in a remote part of the world. Many of the modern conveniences, brands and pre-packaged goods we use at home are not available in remote destinations. As such, many special requests that are very specific may be difficult to accommodate.

Finally, if you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or other special life event, please let us know. Our crew stands ready to assist you in making your special day something to remember.

We recommend you travel with U.S. dollars and suggest you purchase some Indonesian Rupiah for payment of luggage surcharges and any incidentals.

A continental breakfast is available before the first dive. After the first dive a full made to order breakfast is served. Lunch and dinner are served buffet style with entrŽe choices, vegetable, starch, salad and dessert. Snacks, fruit and treats are offered throughout the day as well.

No, we do not offer connectivity on board. You may use your cell phone data plan when in cell range. Be sure your cell provider has international service before you go.

Yes, for videos and DVDs only as we have no service for network channels.

We have one computer for guests to use for downloading files. A USB thumb drive works best for traveling.

Water, soft drinks, Nescafé and Bali coffee, tea, juices and sodas are included. Alcohol is available for purchase and ranges from approximately $4.00 – $5.00* USDE for beer, $8.00 – $9.00* USD for a cocktail and up to $50.00* USD for a bottle of wine. A variety of wines are available on board. Bring your own wine aboard if desired.

*Subject to change.

Yes, large items are $2.00* USD each and smaller items are $1.00* USD each.

*Subject to change.

A maximum of 18 guests in 9 private fully en-suite cabins.

The captain, cruise director and up to 16 Indonesian crew members are there to ensure you are well taken care of during your stay.

Outlets are all European with 2 round plugs, bring your own adaptors to use electronics from home. Devices should not be left unattended while charging in your cabin. Fireproof charging bags – Lipo [lithium polymer] Guard – are available for purchasing online or check with your local dive shop.

She is 131-foot (40 meter) long with a 30-foot (9 meter) beam. She has two levels for living space and over 3,000-square feet of sail!

Yes! The sun’s rays are very strong year-round so bring lotion, hats, sunglasses and UV clothing. We do offer a sun shade over the top deck when needed.

We highly recommend proper footwear for these eco adventures. Flip flops are not always suitable. We suggest water shoes or TEVA type sandals. Sneakers are fine but they will get wet!

Yes, we have an iPod docking station so bring your favorite tunes for everyone to enjoy.

Yes, we have water makers on board capable of keeping up with the consumption. Of course, we ask all guests to be conservative when showering.

Yes, feel free to bring a beach towel if you have room to pack one.

Yes, each cabin has its own climate controls.

Miscellaneous

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