I've been on the Cayman Aggressor every year since 1990, with the
exception of 1996 when we tried the Little Cayman Diver II instead,
which resulted in my post "Top 10 Reasons NOT to dive the LCD II" :-)

So, the booking and "annual pilgrimmage" should be as routine as
Strike showing up in beer fests in ADEX, DEMA, and ... or every
occasion I can think of, right?

Not this time.


I had reserved Cabin #7 (#6 is my 2nd favorite across the hall from
it) -- the same one Crusty booked for the CAIV02NEDfest for himself
because I wasn't there.  :-))

It was cancelled while we were diving in Bali!!!

I got the first bid of news (not bad yet) when, upon setting foot
back to the USA for the first time in two weeks, I retrieved
(while at the LAX airport) a phone message at home from an
Aggressor agent (on April 22, while I was in trasit between
Singapore and Bali) that she was "concerned that I hadn't made
my final payment" and that I should phone the Aggressor office.


Nooooo problem!  So I phoned the Aggressor's office when I was
about to take off on the plane, from LAX to IAH.  During that
phone call, I learned that the agent was a "near newbie" (who
didn't know me), and what she said was that SHE had cancelled
the booking (which I made with another agent who knew me and
would NEVER have cancelled it without getting in touch with me
first, one way or another) because the "computer" (when things
screw up, they always blame it on da 'puter :-)))  had been
programmed to cancel it, at that late date for non-payment.  In
previous years the payment by my credit card had always been
automated to pay whenever payment was due.

NOW the crisis surfaced.   My cabin had been sold, and there was
only space for ONE left on the boat, in the cabin (I won't name
it <G>) that I wouldn't take even if it was free -- of course
there's also the slight problem of where Sue would sleep.  :-))

About that time, I had to put away my cell phone because the
plane was taking off.  It would give them 4 hours to see what
they could do during my flight to Houston, and we would resume
our crisis management while I was at IAH.   :-)

To make a long story shorter.  There were several SNAFUs by two
different agents, since my booking that led to the cancellation.


The news wasn't good when I got to Houston.  But I did learn
was that the ORIGINAL agent who booked it, and the booking
Supervisor, were both busy calling passengers to see if they
could work something out -- I imagine everyone would have booked
their FLIGHTs by then, as I was holding two ATL/GCM tickies
that would be the secondary problem to the cancellation.  Besides,
having someone willing to be "bumped off" 9 days from departure
date is not an easy problem to solve.

When we left IAH (to ATL), I was confronted with the unpleasant
prospects of doing a weeks diving in Grand Cayman, on land-based
operations there.

We got home shortly after midnight.  Sue lost the car key -- mine
was in the glove compartment, and so our LAST leg of the long
journey -- with me not having lied down on any bed for 48 hours
<G> -- was to get a locksmith at 10 pm at the ATL airport.  :-)
But I digress.



Between Houston and Choo Choo the next day, the Aggressor's
office must have issue sufficient bribes, together with a bit of
understanding from the fella who had booked MY cabin (only two
days prior), to give up his booking, so we were restored to the
original status, in the same Cabin #7.  :-)

I didn't ask for any details about HOW the Aggressor's office
managed.  :-)  I am sure they must done something like airlines
giving $$$ to passengers voluntarily bumped off an overbooked
plane.

This is no tall tale.  :-)   We were very glad that the problem
was very promptly resolved, at the expense of the Aggressor
Fleet.  I phoned Wayne Hasson, the CEO, to let him know both
the problem and (thanked) the heroic effort of the supervior
and agent who quickly rectified the cancellation situation,
which was not strictly an "error" on their part, but some faux
pas of the agents along the way, and the 'puter!   :-)   Wayne
must have gotten wind of the situation (and may have authorized
the "bumping bribes"), because he was gracious to acknowledge
that they may have to modify the "puter automatic cancellation"
with some kind of "manual safety catch" in future bookings.


Note to Strike, who very recently uttered, "before I cross
over to the dark side of old age",

That "dark side of old age" is worth $100 on any Aggressor
liveaboard booking, which I just learned  <G> -- but Strike will
have to wait 6 more years to qualify.   :-))))

ElPezNeuvo.