skittl1321

We did the Chef's table on the Triumph (photos are in my review in the signature, though the menu is an old one) and I don't drink alcohol. It was still well worth the money. They had a large variety of soft drinks for me to choose from. I was impressed with their attention to detail, as when I told them I don't drink alcohol, they also made one dish with a different sauce when it was originally an alcohol reduction. That wasn't necessary for me, but may be important to some who abstain.

The food was phenomenal, though there was SO much of it (and drink- probably the water/coke was the problem) between two courses I had to go to the restroom, and being in the library, there really wasn't one nearby so it was quite the treck to find one!

They do not allow for you to take off vest as you should only looking from top. This is to protect the environment. We can get around this by ignore the attendance though we feel uncomfortable not following rules put up by facility. Otherwise, this is a beautiful area. And because of the entrance fee, it will filter out the crowd make for one relaxing day on beach.

We went to the desk to ask for snorkel vests and the guy there TOLD us it was optional. So we didn't ignore anyone.

You can scuba dive there too- so the "surface only to protect the environment" thing doesn't make sense- especially since snorkel vests can be deflated to allow for free diving.

We felt the park was uncrowded, but the snorkel area very crowded if you didn't swim far out. There were TONS of people snorkeling; people would bump into you and kick you.

What company are you diving with?

When we were looking it seemed like most morning dives were two tank and afternoons were one tank, but it depended on the op.

We liked diving in the morning, but picked an op that would get us between 8 and 9; we didn't want to get up too early on vacation!

Lockers by the dolphin swim area are free. They didn't require you do a swim, but I bet they get kinda crowded. I think the ones by snorkeling were just coin operated.

Snorkel vest is free if you leave an ID. There was a small charge for life jackets masks, or fins. Don't recall what but cheap. We didn't use fins or vests, but currents were enough weak swimmers might feel better with a vest.

There were signs that said vests were required, but when we asked they said it was optional.

Tons of fish and a few statues to see. We swam a but far out to get out of crowd, but plenty to see close in. We enjoyed it but will do money bar next time because entrance fee is so high.

Or will they possibly take a few people that may not necessarily be going to the same place..

Taxi's in Cozumel work like taxi's in the US. They don't wait to "load up". They'll take just you if you are a party of 1.

You are so right. Jack Daniels was $6.00 on Summit in January, & $8.50 on Silhouette last week. That's over a 40% increase!

The Bistro on 5 change is 40% too- $2 might not seem like much; but percentage wise that is a HUGE increase. (Where the other restaurants seem to have gone up about 11%, though it could be argued they were overpriced to begin with.)

We had hoped to try Qsine when we finally do a 'regular' cruise on Celebrity (after our Galapagos trip)- but I'm thinking it isn't going to be worth it for us. We could do a phenomenal excursion for that money instead.

It's been a few years, but when we went to Cane Garden Bay, the water was not clear, and the waves were rougher than our other stops. It wasn't a snorkel spot for us. We enjoyed snorkeling in Antigua and St. Thomas on that cruise.

Cozumel has some fabulous restaurants. You could go out to eat.

You could try Mega. It is a supermarket that has most everything you need.

I don't enjoy "Coke Light", but it will do when Diet Coke isn't available, which I think is every other country but the US. (Also note, if you want Coke- ask for Coca Cola or Coke Light. They give you weird looks when you ask for Coke. Most people will know what Diet Coke means though.)

However, if you want regular Mexican Coca Cola and not Coke Light; our Walmart stocks it as an imported product.

Don't worry too much- Cozumel can handle that crowd. It is not uncommon for twice as many ships to port there, including Allure.

I stayed there for a week in December. There is good snorkeling by the pier, a bit of a walk to Secrets. There was always loungers by the beach and chairs by the pool. The pools are not heated, but there were 2 of them to swim in, one had a basketball hoop and occasionally volleyball. You could take out kayaks or hobby cats.

The pizza was awful, but the other food good- both the buffet, as well as the hamburger/quesadilla/nachos bar. Drinks were easy to get from bartenders and poured strong. Kids can ask for smoothies too, not just the juice they offer.

Wifi is weak, but free in the lobby.

Beach is mostly nice, but can be a bit rocky, my husband prefered shoes. I didn't think they were necessary, and they weren't necessary in the water, IMO.

Do you actually NEED the room?

If not, I recommend you go to a beach club, many of which are reviewed on this board. I think most will need taxi's though.

Hotel beaches aren't really a big thing in Cozumel. Many of the best hotels don't have a very good beach, and the AI's that have beaches are really no different from the beach clubs, so there isn't much need for getting a room (and even some of their beaches aren't really that great. One thing that makes Cozumel such an incredible snorkeling/scuba destination is that the iron shore, rather than sandy beaches means more marine life/coral.).

Thanks for the info that is a significant difference. So can you insist that you get the current rate from the vendors? If not I guess we have to chalk it down to the cost of doing business within the constraints of the shopping areas.

 

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You can often bargain price, but not the exchange rate if it is a set price. Some places (like chankanaab use the current rate)

For most people it won't make that much of a difference. But if you plan to shop heavily, I prefer a credit card or even pesos.

Just out of curiosity....what is a good exchange rate.

 

Thanks

The current exchange rate is 1:13.14 on the markets. You'll get close to that if you use a credit card, because your bank charges very close to the current rate. You probably can't use a card from a vendor set up on a blanket on a street- but at a restaurant, it might be a wiser choice (check if yours charges a fee- some of ours do, some don't)

There will be a few shops that change their exchange rate daily to match the current one. Most places just do 1:10, which hasn't been near the rate in years; but it makes it really easy to figure out what you'll pay, since you can just move the decimal place on whatever they list.

Most taxis dont have meters they just quote fares ( ask in advance ) fares will be quoted in dollars unless you ask in fluent mexican spanish.

Taxis in Cozumel are not metered. Rates are set by the government, and your taxi driver should have a fare sheet (though they are sometimes reluctant to show them to you!) Rates are posted at the cruise port too.

If your day is planned, know what the rate is, and insist on paying it. Some drivers will try to charge you more. Just tell them you know the rate, and give them what is due (though do make sure you know the current rate!)

If you happen to have pesos, even if they quote in dollars, pesos are a better deal (you can even pay in a mix of pesos and dollars if you don't have enough pesos). Taxis exchange 10:1, not a good deal. But for a day cruiser, it isn't really worth getting pesos unless your bank exchanges without a fee or you happen to have a few.

Yes. Taxi's and most vendors exchange at 10:1, which isn't a very good rate, but easy to calculate and convenient. More established businesses will sometimes exchange at the actual rate. (I know a lot of scuba people will say not to tip a taxi driver if you use dollars, because the tip comes in the form of a bad exchange... but honestly taxi's aren't that pricey compared to other islands, so I still throw a buck or two in.)

For larger purchases, I like to use a credit card- have had no fraud problems in Mexico. Just check what the foreign transaction charge is before you decide which to use.

If you plan a shopping day and a water day, go shopping in Progresso. The Carribean waters of Cozumel are much nicer than the Gulf waters of Progresso.

If you plan something else on your non-shopping day, well, I guess it would depend what you want to do... (If you want to go see ruins- see them in Progresso- Uxmal is my recommendation, then shop in Cozumel.)

I bought a snorkel + mask set on amazon that worked just fine for me for a few cruises.

I think this one: http://www.amazon.com/U-S-Divers-Admiral-Silicone-Electric/dp/B001QBJRPQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397828678&sr=8-2&keywords=snorkel

When I started diving I realized the mask really was not a good fit for me. My new mask cost like $80...which is more than I would have wanted to spend to go snorkeling every few years.

But if you are just doing casual snorkeling, there isn't a lot of reason to get a super nice set. The Walmart ones will be fine for most people.

I like having my own snorkel, because I prefer a dry snorkel; but I don't really have a problem renting it, most places bleach them. I rent my regulators when I dive.

We did the Eco tour a few years ago and thought it was fabulous, one of our all time favorites.

Climbing Hells Gate and hiking on Bird Island were the highlights for us. Hells Gate was the first time I understood how a body of water that all runs together can be deemed an ocean and a sea. You can literally see the line that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Carribean Sea. Calm water on one side, and rough on the other (the boat going over both sides also demonstrates this!)

The lunch provided, though simple, was absolutely fabulous and authentic to what Antiguans eat. The island actually has very few "local food" restaurants, when you go there on vacation and ask for local food, they will tell you "on Sundays" or "go to a locals house". The fact that it is cooked by a neighbor and not a restaurant, says you are getting a local lunch.

I didn't care for the snorkeling. Having snorkeled and scubaed in other parts of the carribean, I didn't feel there was much to see. But swimming in the waters was a fun part of the day.

I also enjoyed boating around the island and learning about their history.

 

Just wondering if you can confirm that it is anything like this at Money Bar? I have always heard it was the same, now I just wonder.

That's basically what it looked like when we were at Money Bar.

Our day at Chankanaab, we saw a few more larger groups of fish than Money Bar, but also TONS more large groups of humans. The snorkeling was very crowded.

We also found the waves to be harder to fight at Chankanaab, then Money Bar- though the drift stronger at Money Bar.

For me though, the big thing was the price. If I wasn't going to Chankanaab for another reason, it isn't worth the price to snorkel. For two, I can pay half as much get a giant place of nachos and a few smoothie drinks at Money Bar!

(The visits were a year apart...)

Are you able to wear contacts? You may be able to get a trial set of dailies for your cruise.

I agree with going to the Money Bar. It's not really a bar- more of a restaurant that serves drinks. Snorkeling there is great (many boats use it as a stop as part of their 3-reef tour). Cheap taxi; free use of chairs- reasonably priced food and drinks (their menu is online).

If any of the girls are not good swimmers though it might not be idea.

If you want more of a beach day, and less snorkeling- Paradise Beach is only $3 entry per person. It is more if you want to use the inflatable toys.

Another recommendation for Money Bar in Cozumel. It's not really a "bar"- they serve food and drinks. You can use their property for snorkeling without any obligation though. They have chairs and tables on a sandy area, but not a real beach. But all it costs is the cost of a cab (then anything you want to buy- their prices are reasonable and their nachos are great).

Someone on scubaboards said that they had a cab stopped by a police officer and were required to be returned to the airport. Cabs are not allowed to pick up from the airport, and I guess depending on their mood they enforce it for those who walk out to the street.

The shared vans are easy to use though.

Ignore EVERYONE in the airport once you get passed customs and immigration and walk straight to the ticket window that has this sign: http://home.pcisys.net/~ronlee/Scuba/Cozumel/November2008/ShuttlePriceSmall.jpg

Everyone else (even with their fancy "tourist advisory" shirts) is a timeshare or rental car. Just say no thanks and move on!

We stayed for a week at the Sabor in December and loved it. Staying the week was better than a cruise.

The reef off of Money Bar is called Dzul-Ha. If you pay to go on a snorkeling boat (especially if it is just 1 stop!) make sure this is not the reef you are going to. You can take a cab and do it on your own much cheaper. There were TONS of snorkel boats that dropped people off, and I think they paid more than the $8 (for 4!) cab fare we paid to get there! Money Bar doesn't require you buy food or drinks to use their chairs or their (clean) restrooms, but it is a courteous thing to do for spending the day there. The prices are not expensive.

We LOVED our day at Money Bar- so much so it was what caused us to spend a week in Cozumel.

Snorkeling at Chankanaab National Park was also excellent- but for the entry price, you could probably do a boat snorkel trip. Though the park was not very crowded (and quite beautiful) the snorkel area was very crowded. We had to dodge people at times. Money Bar was not like that for us at all.

If you go on a boat snorkel- ask how deep the water was. When we were scuba diving on Paradise Reef there were like 50 people snorkeling above us. They were like 30 feet from the reef. While the visibility is great, the fish were down with us... I would want the reefs to be in the 15-20 foot range if I were snorkeling. I can't dive more than 8-10 feet...