Phi Phi, Maya Bay & Khai Islands Tour

The organization was of course super, but the speedboat was too full/cramped and the timing of the individual sights was too tight. There was not enough time left at most of the places. Furthermore, the places were overcrowded, even though we were there in the off-season. Hopefully the pictures convey a good impression.

I'm Rachel, Tommy's daughter, and I am sharing this less as a complaint and more to give future travelers information I wish my father and I had before taking this Sea Star excursion. The destinations were beautiful, and crew members were attentive when passengers became ill. I believe the staff intended for everyone to have a good experience. However, several aspects left me deeply concerned about communication, preparation, hygiene, and passenger safety. Our most significant concern was the return trip aboard the speedboat identified by the number 999 (or, if incomplete, the only identifying sequence I recall seeing). Earlier in the day, I personally found the speedboat ride exciting and manageable, though I recognize that experience is subjective. By the hour-plus return trip, conditions were considerably rougher. Despite the potential intensity of speedboat travel in these conditions, we received no meaningful warning when booking, at check-in while signing the waiver, or when initially boarding the boat. It was only immediately before the intense return journey that our guide jokingly compared what we were about to experience to being in a "washing machine." For much of the ride back, the boat repeatedly went over waves and came down with tremendous force. The repeated impact felt to me like hitting hard walls of water, over and over and over again. I do not experience seasickness and did not become nauseated, but I spent roughly an hour and a half continuously bracing myself against the impacts and was physically sore the following day. My father, who tells me he has never experienced seasickness before, vomited repeatedly for much of the return trip while trying to alternate between holding a sickness bag and bracing himself. He was far from alone. I personally observed multiple passengers vomiting or visibly struggling. One woman who was under extreme distress appeared to repeatedly lose consciousness while her partner held her. The remaining passengers and I simply held tightly to whatever we could. As you can imagine, it's incredibly hard to helplessly endure the suffering of someone you love in a circumstance like that. I understand that no tour operator controls the ocean, and people respond differently to motion. My concern is not that the water became rough or that some passengers experienced seasickness. My concern is that passengers were given so little information beforehand about how physically intense this particular form of transportation could become in rougher conditions, leaving us without a meaningful opportunity to assess that risk before booking or boarding. Crew members did attend to passengers who were struggling. What I observed them provide were water, nausea mints, smelling salts and sickness bags. I cannot speak to anyone's medical qualifications because none were communicated to us. Given that one passenger appeared to be repeatedly losing consciousness or awareness, knowing who, if anyone, aboard was medically trained and what emergency procedures were available would have been reassuring and important information. I also found some of the response to passengers' distress uncomfortable. There was laughter and joking about how people were reacting. Crew members smiled and asked my father whether he was okay while he was actively vomiting. This may have been intended to keep the atmosphere light, but as his condition continued, it felt increasingly insensitive and disconnected from what he and other passengers were experiencing. I was terrified for my father and furious we weren't warned proactively that it could be like this, but once again, recognized there wasn't anything we could do at that point but hold on and get through it. I just kept wondering whether slowing down was possible. I am not qualified to say how that boat should have been operated under those conditions, so I will not claim that traveling differently would have been safer. As a passenger, however, I would have appreciated an explanation of why we needed to travel at that intensity, whether alternatives existed, and what precautions were being taken. There was also a hygiene concern specific to our experience aboard the boat. When drinking water was distributed in sealed cups you have to puncture with a straw, crew members who were simultaneously working around and tending to the boat handled the drinking straws with their bare hands, sometimes touching the ends passengers would put directly into our mouths. When we finally returned, I did not hear an acknowledgment or apology regarding what passengers had experienced. Instead, a tip container was passed around while our main guide, Mr. B, gave passengers a thumbs-up as we exited. I know this reflection is lengthy, but also want to go ahead and highlight concerns involving the broader Sea Star operation. When exchanging money, approximately $4 USD was deducted without the fee or exchange-rate calculation being explained beforehand. Travelers should also understand the physical demands involved in simply accessing the boats. We encountered steep ramps and uneven, moving floating/rubber pier surfaces without railings in many key areas. The excursion description identifies certain health conditions for which participation isn't recommended, but someone does not necessarily need to have a diagnosed mobility or medical condition to find these surfaces difficult to navigate. I recognize we're visitors in another country and that cultural and service norms differ. I also recognize that these employees are people earning a living and that many appeared to genuinely enjoy their work. I'm not writing this to attack them or demand compensation. I'm writing because people entrusting a tour company to take them onto the open ocean deserve enough information to make an informed decision. If you're considering a Sea Star speedboat excursion—particularly with older relatives, children, people prone to motion sickness or balance concerns, or anyone unfamiliar with high-speed travel in rough water—I would ask detailed questions about the potential intensity of the ride, the physical demands of accessing the boats, onboard medical and emergency support, and what alternatives exist if conditions become difficult. The islands were beautiful. I simply wish we had been given a fuller and more accurate understanding of what this excursion could physically involve before booking, so that we could have chosen an experience better suited to us—one that approached navigating the water with greater consideration for the physical impact of the journey, rather than simply getting us from one destination to the next.

Would highly recommend this excursion. Was well organised and we were greatly accommodated all day long with breakfast, snacks, drinks, lunch & fruit throughout the day. Everyone was so lovely and funny too. Was a great day out with so much to do. We loved all the cats on the first island. Swimming on the second. We opted to pay for a private longtail boat to see the lagoon and so glad we did as I have two girls who love Instagram and like to take thousands of pics, so meant we didn’t hold anyone else up or have anyone waiting. Staff really made this day as well as the beautiful surrounding. Would 100% recommend, really was value for money.

Very touristy trip. Scenery lovely Trip felt rushed! speed boat ride very uncomfortable and cramped. Sea polluted with fuel Wouldn't recommend. Sorry seastar.

The tour was very well organized, we were picked up on time from our hotel and all the boat trip was very well guided and organized. The guides were absolutely amazing, friendly and kind. We had a small motor problem with the boat on the way back and the boat conductor fixed the problem in no time. We felt safe and well accompanied.