Tropical Escape: Phi Phi Islands by Speedboat from Phuket

A terrible boat tour

This boat tour we took in February was one of the worst tours we have ever taken. It was not a pleasant 12 hours from pick up to drop off. Let’s just say Gilligan and his shipmates likely had a better time being stranded on their tour than we had. I had done research and even contacted a few companies to ask questions about their boat tours and then picked a tour based on the responses. Which turned out to be lies! The boat left from a different location than I was told, the tour started almost an hour late, and the pier it left from was rundown with a nasty concrete toilet block. There were a lot of boats from different companies and for some reason they all loaded at the same time, and we were lined up in the hot sun to wait for our turn to get on a boat. There were a lot more people than the maximum number I was told (24 - there were more like 38!), in fact, the tour guide kept having to ask people to squeeze together on the benches and men to stop manspreading and close their legs. There was only one snorkelling stop (not three as the outline said), and that area didn’t have great visibility. Speaking of visibility, the seats in the boat were so far below the windows you couldn’t see out as we were speeding from island to island. What is the point of a boat trip when you can’t see the scenery? So the “pass bys” which were listed as photo opportunities were not! The buffet lunch only had a few selections and one was spaghetti. They couldn’t do a Thai noodle dish? Finally, the last stop which was promoted as “world famous Maya Bay, featured in the movie “The Beach”. Enjoy photoshoot or swimming and snorkelling.” was a huge bust as we were herded up and down stairs and along a boardwalk like cattle to see the beach where the signs said NO SWIMMING! I had read online that the beach had been closed for environmental reasons, so that mistake in their marketing should have made me think twice. Admittedly the beach was pretty, but there were hordes of people on it even though you can’t go in the water. And to top things off, as the boat pulled away from the dock a couple yelled that their friends weren’t back! The guide hadn’t done a head count! They were lucky they had friends onboard who let the guide know so the boat backed up to the dock. The couple were trying to make their way through the crowds as the guide yelled at them to hurry up. Then we had to wait as the mass of vans in the parking lot at the pier tried to get their passengers on board for the ride back to Patong. Not a good day.

via Tripadvisor

A terrible boat tour

This boat tour we took in February was one of the worst tours we have ever taken. It was not a pleasant 12 hours from pick up to drop off. Let’s just say Gilligan and his shipmates likely had a better time being stranded on their tour than we had. I had done research and even contacted a few companies to ask questions about their boat tours and then picked a tour based on the responses. Which turned out to be lies! The boat left from a different location than I was told, the tour started almost an hour late, and the pier it left from was rundown with a nasty concrete toilet block. There were a lot of boats from different companies and for some reason they all loaded at the same time, and we were lined up in the hot sun to wait for our turn to get on a boat. There were a lot more people than the maximum number I was told (24 - there were more like 38!), in fact, the tour guide kept having to ask people to squeeze together on the benches and men to stop manspreading and close their legs. There was only one snorkelling stop (not three as the outline said), and that area didn’t have great visibility. Speaking of visibility, the seats in the boat were so far below the windows you couldn’t see out as we were speeding from island to island. What is the point of a boat trip when you can’t see the scenery? So the “pass bys” which were listed as photo opportunities were not! The buffet lunch only had a few selections and one was spaghetti. They couldn’t do a Thai noodle dish? Finally, the last stop which was promoted as “world famous Maya Bay, featured in the movie “The Beach”. Enjoy photoshoot or swimming and snorkelling.” was a huge bust as we were herded up and down stairs and along a boardwalk like cattle to see the beach where the signs said NO SWIMMING! I had read online that the beach had been closed for environmental reasons, so that mistake in their marketing should have made me think twice. Admittedly the beach was pretty, but there were hordes of people on it even though you can’t go in the water. And to top things off, as the boat pulled away from the dock a couple yelled that their friends weren’t back! The guide hadn’t done a head count! They were lucky they had friends onboard who let the guide know so the boat backed up to the dock. The couple were trying to make their way through the crowds as the guide yelled at them to hurry up. Then we had to wait as the mass of vans in the parking lot at the pier tried to get their passengers on board for the ride back to Patong. Not a good day.

Response from the operator: Good afternoon, Thanks for your kind feedback, we will review all the process however Mayabay is now open but we will check all your details my our manager and would make sure this should not be the case at any way and our traveller should not feel uncomfortable at all time. Thanks for your kind feedback and we appreciate traveling with us. However we need to make sure our every traveler is happy if possible. regards

via Viator

Not what we expected…

This tour was more expensive than some of the other tour companies. We were willing to pay more because it was advertised as max 10 people for this tour. We were with around 30+ people crammed like sardines into a boat and the tour guide spoke Russian. We didn’t understand the entire tour as we only understand English. The tour started late and there was a lot of confusion at the Marina. The driver didn’t drop us off at our hotel till almost 8:00pm! Look around and pay less. Unfortunately, we didn’t get anything special by paying more.

via Viator

Great experience

Great experience. I had a blast and the people were very incredible. I would recommend it and do it again when I come back.

via Viator

Opportunity of a lifetime.

I was able to book this tour the day prior after having another tour cancel on me. I visited Thailand for the sole purpose of this excursion. Although it was monsoon season, I couldn’t be happier that I went. Aside from seeing the islands in person the staff that work for this company are an added bonus to this trip. I was on a boat with Jenny and another young lady whose name I cannot remember. The girls did a good job of ensuring our safety and we’re so sweet. They did a good job of dealing with some unruly passengers on our trips as well. I highly recommend this excursion.

via Tripadvisor