Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards
If you are looking to compare Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards, this article includes the following tables to help you with this comparison:
- Basic booking details.
- Diving benefits.
- Boat benefits.
- Onboard food.
- Onboard drink.
- Cabin luxury.
- Onboard non-diving sports.
- Tech diver features.
The best way to dive anywhere in the world is by a scuba diving liveaboard. You can check the latest and best deals on liveaboards using the following window:
If you want to see all the information comparing Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards, this is contained in the following table. But if you prefer to see this broken down into separate tables, please scroll.
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Customer Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Customer Rating | is rated 'Superb' | is rated 'Superb' | is rated 'Fabulous' |
| SDE Lux Rating % | 63% | 52% | 77% |
| Flexible Booking | NO | NO | NO |
| Dietary Requirements | YES | YES | YES |
| Welcome cocktails | NO | NO | YES |
| Nitrox | YES | YES | YES |
| Gear Rental | YES | YES | YES |
| Dive Courses | YES | YES | YES |
| Dive deck | NO | NO | YES |
| Shaded dive area | NO | NO | YES |
| DIN Adapters | YES | YES | YES |
| Rinse hoses | NO | NO | YES |
| Length | 42m/138f | 35m/115f | 34m/112f |
| Max Guests/Cabins/Baths | 26/13/13 | 24/12/12 | 20/10/10 |
| Tenders for diving | YES | YES | YES |
| Airconditioned saloon | YES | YES | YES |
| Audio & entertainment | YES | YES | YES |
| Internet | YES | YES | YES |
| Vegan Options | YES | NO | NO |
| Vegetarian Options | YES | NO | YES |
| Meal Options | Full-board Option | Full-board Option | Full-board Option, Set Menu Dinner |
| Buffet style | YES | YES | YES |
| Fine cuisine | NO | NO | YES |
| Local food | YES | YES | YES |
| Western style food | YES | YES | YES |
| Snacks | NO | YES | YES |
| Bar | YES | NO | YES |
| Beer available | YES | YES | YES |
| Wine available | YES | YES | NO |
| Fine wines | NO | YES | YES |
| Free wine with dinner | YES | YES | NO |
| Free soft drinks | NO | NO | NO |
| Aircon Cabins | YES | YES | YES |
| Ensuite Cabins | YES | YES | YES |
| Cabin Balconies | NO | NO | YES |
| Daily housekeeping | NO | YES | YES |
| TV in cabin | NO | NO | NO |
| Family Cabins | NO | NO | NO |
| Fishing | NO | NO | NO |
| Jet skiing | NO | NO | NO |
| Kayaks | NO | NO | NO |
| Snorkel equipment | NO | NO | NO |
| Stand-up paddle boards | NO | NO | NO |
| Wakeboarding | NO | NO | NO |
| Water skiing | NO | NO | NO |
| Rebreather support | NO | YES | YES |
| Sidemount diving | NO | NO | YES |
| Tech diving | NO | NO | NO |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – basic booking details
The following table compares the basic booking details of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Customer Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Customer Rating | is rated 'Superb' | is rated 'Superb' | is rated 'Fabulous' |
| SDE Lux Rating % | 63% | 52% | 77% |
| Flexible Booking | NO | NO | NO |
| Dietary Requirements | YES | YES | YES |
| Welcome cocktails | NO | NO | YES |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – diving benefits
The following table compares the diving benefits of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Nitrox | YES | YES | YES |
| Gear Rental | YES | YES | YES |
| Dive Courses | YES | YES | YES |
| Dive deck | NO | NO | YES |
| Shaded dive area | NO | NO | YES |
| DIN Adapters | YES | YES | YES |
| Rinse hoses | NO | NO | YES |
| Private dive guide (DB) | YES | NO | YES |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – boat benefits
The following table compares the boat benefits of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Length | 42m/138f | 35m/115f | 34m/112f |
| Max Guests/Cabins/Baths | 26/13/13 | 24/12/12 | 20/10/10 |
| Tenders for diving | YES | YES | YES |
| Airconditioned saloon | YES | YES | YES |
| Audio & entertainment | YES | YES | YES |
| Internet | YES | YES | YES |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – onboard food
The following table compares the onboard food of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Vegan Options | YES | NO | NO |
| Vegetarian Options | YES | NO | YES |
| Meal Options | Full-board Option | Full-board Option | Full-board Option, Set Menu Dinner |
| Buffet style | YES | YES | YES |
| Fine cuisine | NO | NO | YES |
| Local food | YES | YES | YES |
| Western style food | YES | YES | YES |
| Snacks | NO | YES | YES |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – onboard drink
The following table compares the onboard drink of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Bar | YES | NO | YES |
| Beer available | YES | YES | YES |
| Wine available | YES | YES | NO |
| Fine wines | NO | YES | YES |
| Free wine with dinner | YES | YES | NO |
| Free soft drinks | NO | NO | NO |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – cabin luxury
The following table compares the cabin luxury of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Aircon Cabins | YES | YES | YES |
| Ensuite Cabins | YES | YES | YES |
| Cabin Balconies | NO | NO | YES |
| Daily housekeeping | NO | YES | YES |
| TV in cabin | NO | NO | NO |
| Family Cabins | NO | NO | NO |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – onboard non-diving sports
The following table compares the onboard non-diving sports of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Fishing | NO | NO | NO |
| Jet skiing | NO | NO | NO |
| Kayaks | NO | NO | NO |
| Snorkel equipment | NO | NO | NO |
| Stand-up paddle boards | NO | NO | NO |
| Wakeboarding | NO | NO | NO |
| Water skiing | NO | NO | NO |
Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards – tech diver features
The following table compares the onboard tech diver features of Maldives Emperor Explorer vs Emperor Leo vs Amba Liveaboards:
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| Discover Liveaboard | Review: MV Emperor Explorer; Book: MV Emperor Explorer | Review: MV Emperor Leo; Book: MV Emperor Leo | Review: MV Amba; Book: MV Amba |
| Rebreather support | NO | YES | YES |
| Sidemount diving | NO | NO | YES |
| Tech diving | NO | NO | NO |
What is SDE Lux Rating %
The column headed “SDE Lux Rating %” is my own Liveaboard Luxury Rating which I’ve assigned to all liveaboards. To discover how the rating is calculated for your chosen liveaboard dive boat, click the liveaboard name link in the “Discover Liveaboard” column above (also this is explained in more detail below).
To help you to choose the right diving liveaboard for you, the “Scuba Diving Earth Liveaboard Luxury Rating” (SDE Lux Rating) means you can compare each liveaboard with other liveaboards on a like-for-like basis. This makes choosing the right liveaboard much easier.
The maximum rating for any liveaboard is 100%, and this rating is split between the 6 features listed below:
- Diver benefits: A higher ‘diver benefits‘ score means there are more features specifically for scuba divers. These include onboard nitrox, dive courses, gear rental etc.
- Liveaboard design features: The higher the ‘liveaboard design features‘ score, the more the dive boat has been designed with scuba divers in mind. This includes whether the dive boat was custom built for divers, if it has charging stations, outside showers etc.
- Cabin luxury: A high score in ‘cabin luxury‘ means the cabins on the liveaboard offer better features. These might include ensuite cabins, air-conditioning, daily housekeeping, seaviews, TVs etc.
- Onboard comfort: A high score in ‘onboard comfort‘ means there are more onboard features to make your dive trip feel more luxurious. These include what towels are provided on the liveaboard (always important for travelling light), complimentary toiletries, crew ratios etc.
- Food luxury: If you are a foodie then ‘food luxury‘ will be important to you, as a high score on this rating will mean there’s more on offer. These might include the type of food served onboard, the dietary requirements catered for, vegan food, vegetarian food, buffet style, fine dining etc.
- Drink luxury: If you like a drink in the evenings you may look for a higher score in ‘drink luxury‘ score, but this score also includes drinking water and soft drinks too.
The “SDE Luxury Rating Total” is calculated by adding the totals from each of the above features and benefits. The higher the SDE Luxury Rating, the more features and benefits the liveaboard has, which leads on nicely to how to use the SDE Luxury Rating.
How to use the SDE Luxury Rating score
When choosing the liveaboard dive boat for you, your decision is helped by customer scores, which is how the liveaboards in the above table are sorted in descending order.
If you are stuck choosing between two or three of these liveaboards, where each one has a high customer score out of 10 and that have itineraries you like, use the SDE Luxury Rating score to help narrow down your choice.
Think about it like using Booking.com when searching for the best hotel to stay at. Booking.com also use a customer score where each customer rates hotels out of 10. This is similar to the liveaboard customer rating, which is also rated out of 10.
But let’s say you only like to stay in hotels rated 9 and above on Booking.com, but you also want the hotel to have WIFI or parking, or to have a swimming pool etc. The features each hotel has is secondary to the score out of 10.
In the case of liveaboards, the SDE Lux Rating system can also be used as a secondary tool in the same way to help you determine which liveaboard offers the best features to suit you.
Each of the liveaboards linked-to from the above table will be individually scored. Which means that if cabin luxury is important to you, focus on this score to help you choose your liveaboard. But if diver benefits are your top priority, use this score first, and so on.
I hope you enjoyed this article about comparison of Maldives Carpe Novo vs Moonima vs Amba Liveaboards
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkelling or scuba diving (or specifically about comparison of Maldives Carpe Novo vs Moonima vs Amba Liveaboards), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba and scuba diving safety tips (and on snorkelling too) for you to read and learn about this fabulous sport.