Maldives Travel Forum

Hi
I am considering a Maldives cruise, all inclusive.
It is in the Yasawa Princess ship.
Has someone been on it and/or are there small villages on these islands.
I wouldn't want to go on an island where there is only a hotel as i would prefer to walk around the village and have a beer or 2.
Has anyone any experience of such travel.
Thanks in advance for all replies
Bal

There are some reviews of trips aboard the Yasawa Princess at:-

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293953-i7445-k1881138-Yasawa_Princess_dive_boat-Maldives.html

There are small townships on many islands, but as to visiting a bar for a beeer or two, a coffee shop will likely be the best you can hope for. Being a Muslim country, bars are absent in the Maldives except for those permitted in tourist hotels and resorts.

NEVER GO BY "TROPICAL CRUISE".
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"!!!!