Emperor Harmoni
We traveled on the Emperor Harmoni in September/October for a dive trip to the Komodo National Park, and I would highly recommend this beautiful, well-kept, first class boat. We stayed in an upper deck double cabin, and it is by far the nicest cabin accommodation we have ever experienced. The whole boat is decorated tastefully, and the cabins are spotless. Wrap around windows let us enjoy a beautiful sunrise many mornings, and the deck behind us was very convenient for experiencing the gorgeous Komodo sunsets. Public areas were clean and well maintained, and the dive deck was well laid out for daily diving. The staff on the Harmoni were incredibly courteous, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. Great diver to guide ratio. The management team of Guillaume and Amy really worked hard to make sure everyone had a good time, and that the boat ran smoothly. Several excursions on land from the boat included a trip to an isolated beach at sunset for singing and drinks by the talented crew, a trip in Maumere to see the Watublapi weavers/village and of course the trip to see the Komodo dragons in the park. It was a special anniversary trip for my husband and myself, and when the staff found out, they planned a special dinner on the back deck for us, and gifted us with a bottle of wine, and some small gifts to help us remember our special day. I also have to talk about the incredibly hardworking staff. The dive team, Antos, Gustin and Danny, as well as the managers/divemasters were terrific. The dinghy drivers were helpful and polite. The cabin stewards, kitchen crew, and captain/engineers were all really high quality, friendly, and fun. We enjoyed getting to know them on our 9 day trip. Food was good, but I would comment that it would be fun to have more Indonesian food, and more spices. I think they could really shine if they cooked more of their food! The diving on this trip was particularly good in Komodo. Clean dive sites with copious small fish, lush, hard and soft corals, and some sharks. There were also plenty of manta rays! Currents were pretty strong, and can be a little tough for photographers, so that bears consideration. We also felt dive sites in the remote places were better than the ones close to Maumere. We are already thinking of a trip to RAJA AMPAT on this wonderful boat!
