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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.

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 to remote sites that only a liveaboard can reach. Aboard All Star Infiniti you’ll get to experience an itinerary of delicious meals and great diving in one of the most biodiverse environments on earth.

It is required that all divers purchase diving accident insurance. Travel protection insurance is also recommended to help protect you and your trip investment. For more information and to purchase dive and travel insurance, visit the provider 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 the Philippines need a passport. U.S. and Canadian citizens may enter the Philippines for purposes of tourism without a visa if they present their passport, valid for at least six months after their date of entry into the Philippines, and a return ticket to the United States/Canada or an onward ticket to another country. Check with the Philippines Embassy for visa requirements if you are not a U.S. citizen.

The All Star Infiniti arrives near port during the night and anchors offshore. All passengers must be out of their cabins by 9:00am. Guests can relax in the salon or on the sun deck as they wait to be shuttled to the dock by tender. All Star Infiniti handles your ground transfer to the airport.

For flight planning, boarding begins at 11:00am. Guests must be onboard and checked in no later than 4:00pm.

The atmosphere on board the Infiniti is always relaxed and casual. You’ll spend your days in bathing suits and casual wear. Bring shorts or pants, T-shirts and a windbreaker. Also bring a pair of sandals, hat, sunscreen (reef-safe) and sunglasses. In winter, a sweatshirt or sweater is advisable. Click here for a checklist.

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.

All Star Infiniti operates 3 different itineraries.

  • The Tubbataha trip departs Puerto Princesa on an overnight transit to Tubbataha, a UNESCO World heritage site. Here you will explore the 2 atolls and Jessie Beazley reef. This is one of the world’s best diving destinations for its lush healthy coral and marine life.
  • The Visayas and Bohol itinerary takes in Moalboal with its steep walls, numerous fish species, reef sharks and macro-life, Pescador’s protected marine park with caverns, tunnels and swim-thrus, Sumilon or Cebu Island’s marine sanctuary, Apo Island reputed to be one of the best coral reef dives, Balicasag known for sardine balls and manta rays and Cabilao Island with its very steep coral reef.
  • Malapascua and Leyte trips showcase Monad Shoal and sure to please with thresher shark sightings, Gato Island a sea snake sanctuary with schools of fish, Leyte’s Sogod Bay with astounding corals and whale sharks and Panoan Island with black corals, deep canyons and steep walls plus whale sharks and rays.

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!

In case of a flight delay or cancellation, please let us know as soon as possible. We will try our best to delay our departure as long as it does not affect the schedule. We highly recommend arriving a day early and purchasing trip insurance in the event there are issues with your travel plans or you have to cancel. We will provide you a contact phone well in advance of your departure.

In the event you have delays in your travels please contact us as soon as possible. The U.S. Reservations Office can take your calls Monday thru Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST at 800.327.9600 (U.S. and Canada) or 954.734.7111. Outside of business hours you can contact the boat directly.

The only additional spending money is for onboard purchases. This can include sodas, alcohol or dive instruction or crew gratuity. Payment is accepted in cash – U.S. dollars, Euros or Philippine Peso (PhP). Credit cards are not accepted for onboard payments including crew gratuities.

Local ground transfers will be provided in Puerto Princesa to and from the airport or One Manalo Hotel to the boat. We provide transfer service at no extra charge to your local hotel (within 3 miles (5km) radius of the local airport) or the local airport.

We will request you complete our guest information form with all the relevant information once your booking is confirmed. In case of a flight delay or cancellation, please let us know as soon as possible. We will try our best to delay our departure as long as it does not affect the schedule.

  • Routes for Visayas and Bohol and Malapascua and Leyte:  Your arrival and departure airport will be Cebu Mactan International Airport(CEB). We will confirm the pickup and drop off time and location upon confirmation of the booking.
  • Routes for Tubbataha: Your arrival and departure airport will be Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS). We will confirm the pickup and drop off time and location upon confirmation of the booking/

 

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

For visits under 30 days, and for pleasure, no visa is required to visit Indonesia.

For visits under 30 days, and for pleasure, no visa is required to visit Indonesia.

We have a list of hotels that we can recommend in any of the departure points. Let us know what you want to do and see while you are in the Philippines and we’ll do our best to steer you in the right direction. Click here for hotels in the Philippines.

Policies

All deposits are forfeited unless space is resold. If space is resold a refund will be issued less a 5% administrative fee.

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.

The fees include port tax and dive permits for the marine park. These fees are payable on board when you check out. Consider paying in EUR€ (Euros) or USD$ (dollar). Credit card payments incur a fee.

Children are welcome onboard if they are scuba certified.   The minimum age is 12 years old. Children ages 12-15 must hold a minimum certification level of Junior Advanced Open Water in order to participate in dives. Children under the age of 15 must be under the supervision of a parent or guardian at ALL times. Our crew is most gracious and good with all ages however, the crew will not provide child care services or supervision at ANY time.

Diving

The Philippines typically offers excellent visibility and many reefs starting as shallow as 10 feet (3m). This makes for excellent snorkeling. Certain sites can have higher currents or unfavorable conditions for snorkeling.

It is required that all divers purchase diving accident insurance. Travel protection insurance is also recommended to help protect you and your trip investment. For more information and to purchase dive and travel insurance, visit the provider 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.

Whitetip and grey reef sharks can be seen on most of the dives. In Malapascua divers can see thresher sharks. Depending on the itinerary, whale sharks and hammerheads are sighted frequently but as with nature, cannot be guaranteed.

Our tanks are fitted with yoke valves, however if you dive with a DIN regulator, let us know and we can have an adaptor added to your tank.

We have 80 CF (12L) tanks available for guests to use. 100 CF (15L) tanks are available for rent. We have a limited number of these on board so note this request on your Trip Application.

The Philippines are an archipelago of over 7,000 island located between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. The islands are within the area dubbed the Coral Triangle, considered to be the world’s most biodiverse marine environment. This area is home to over 500 species of coral and 3,000 species of fish. The diving can vary by itinerary but many of the sites are in areas with currents bringing in nutrient rich waters.

In Tubbataha you have the opportunity for big creature diving and the chance to see whale sharks, manta rays, hammerheads and large schools of trevallies and jacks.

The Visayas and Bohol itinerary takes in Moalboal with its steep walls, numerous fish species, reef sharks and macro-life, Pescador’s protected marine park with caverns, tunnels and swim-thrus, Sumilon or Cebu Island’s marine sanctuary, Apo Island reputed to be one of the best coral reef dives, Balicasag known for sardine balls and manta rays and Cabilao Island with its very steep coral reef.

Malapascua and Leyte trips showcase Monad Shoal and sure to please with thresher shark sightings, Gato Island a sea snake sanctuary with schools of fish, Leyte’s Sogod Bay with astounding corals and whale sharks and Panoan Island with black corals, deep canyons and steep walls plus whale sharks and rays. Contact us and we would be happy to share additional information.

We provide a full set as detailed here. Please request rental items on your Trip Application.

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Yes, it is available for a weekly fee. For information and pricing, click here.

Get nitrox certified while on board! After completing the course, students receive FREE Nitrox on the entire trip! For course details, click here. A Medical Form is required.

Night dives are prohibited in Tubbataha due to higher currents, profile of reefs and the remote nature of the marine park. There are typically between 2-3 night dives offered on our Visayas and Bohol, and Malapascua and Leyte itineraries, but these can be dependent on conditions.

Divers will have the opportunity to log up to 4 dives each full dive day.

There is at least one dive guide per every six (6) divers. The dives are guided and allow for 50 – 60 minutes of bottom time.

Due to high currents and diving from a tender, solo diving is not allowed.

Tubbataha is very warm diving and does not typically require a wetsuit. Water temperatures in Visayas and Bohol and Malapascua and Leyte are temperate. For your comfort, 3mm short wetsuits are free to use on board. Full 3mm wetsuits are also available, subject to limited availability. Please inquire in advance.

Guests can complete the advanced open water course, nitrox and select other specialties during their trip. You can find details here on the Dive Instruction page. Prior arrangements are recommended and a Medical Form is required for those taking a training course.

We suggest guests have an advanced open water certification or at least 30 dives logged. Be sure to bring your certification card (c-card) with you, we’ll need to see it.

Tubbataha:  AOW certified, 20+ dives
Typical diving is down by drift along reef walls. Current is usually strong and present in Tubbataha and thus drift diving is the norm. Divers go with the flow of the current and upon surfacing are picked up by the chase boat. Deep dives are available but recommended for Advanced Professional level divers only.

Malapascua and Leyte: OW certified, 10+ dives
Suitable for all divers, however thresher shark cleaning stations at Monad Shoal lay at 90-ft (25m) and therefore beyond beginner-level depths. AOW diver training is recommended.

Visayas and Bohol: OW certified, 20+ dives
Typically, mild current for drift dive.

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

If guests wish to dive, they must be certified prior to arrival. If a guest is not certified they may snorkel on select dive sites.

We do not have the ability to accommodate rebreathers.

Side mount diving is possible but with one tank only.

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, a private dive guide can be arranged with advance notice. The cost for the week is $300.00* USD and is paid on board.

*Subject to change.

On Board

Yes, beverage selections include soda, juice, water, tea and coffee. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased on board.

Yes, each cabin has its own climate controls.

All of the outlets onboard are universal outlets. Items can be recharged in your cabin or in the common areas. 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.

The Philippines typically offers excellent visibility and many reefs starting as shallow as 10 feet (3m). This makes for excellent snorkeling. Certain sites can have higher currents or unfavorable conditions for snorkeling.

The only additional spending money is for onboard purchases. This can include sodas, alcohol or dive instruction or crew gratuity. Payment is accepted in cash – U.S. dollars, Euros or Philippine Peso (PhP). Credit cards are not accepted for onboard payments including crew gratuities.

Smoking is allowed in designated areas.

No, we do not offer Wi-Fi or internet 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. We have satellite connection for emergencies only. Mobile phone signal strength varies throughout each cruise but is typically stronger when in close proximity to major islands, such as Cebu, Negros or Palawan. Tubbataha has no cell phone coverage. Tubbataha is very remote and therefore the only connectivity is while in port.

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.

The boat is equipped with a satellite phone that is only to be used for emergencies. If someone needs to get in contact with you because of a true emergency, contact our U.S. Reservations Office and we will relay the message. The U.S. Reservations Office can take your calls Monday thru Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST at 800.327.9600 (U.S. and Canada) or 954.734.7111.

Our staff is multi-lingual. The cruise director speaks English and other members of the crew may also speak English.

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!

Miscellaneous

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