Cozumel On A Budget - How my family of 5 toured the entire island for under $100

[SoonerOne]

Great review and pictures! Thank you for taking the time to post, I wish more people would do this.:)

[rockbock]

Just to clarify..you said the chairs at the pool were free? I've read there is a $2.00 fee and that there is a minimum purchas requirement per person:confused: Does anyone else know anything about that?

 

My understanding was that the lounges surrounding the pool were rentals, but the ones that were IN the pool were for use by anybody. It's possible that I'm wrong though.

 

Nobody ever approached us to ask us if we wanted food or drinks. In fact, in the entire time we were there I never saw ANYBODY approached by a server. The guests who wanted food/drinks were walking up to the bar.

[nickimom]

Thank you for your GREAT review! We already know we will spend money for the Sea Trek Expedition - the one thing hubby wants to do, but your rental option is tempting! Might mention this one to the man! Thanks!

 

BTW, I will also be checking out that camera.

Tanya:D

[nw2this]

Great review. It's good to hear a different perspective. But you didn't mention the water toys and for my family the water toys are the main attraction.

 

We might still rent a car, it sounds cheaper than a taxi. How was parking at Paradise Beach?

[rockbock]

Great review. It's good to hear a different perspective. But you didn't mention the water toys and for my family the water toys are the main attraction.

 

We might still rent a car, it sounds cheaper than a taxi. How was parking at Paradise Beach?

 

You know, it's kind of funny...every time I see a post about people wanting a beach with water toys I wonder why anybody would pay $12pp to use them. But I guess maybe they are only popular in some parts of the US and some of you don't have access to them every summer.

 

We have a very large water park near my house. Aside from the pools, slides, etc., the water park makes use of an adjoining lake. They built a beach around it and one of the things that you can do in the lake is play with the water toys. They are a lot of fun, but since my kids had access to them for years as part of the $49.99 season pass to the water park, they just don't excite me or my kids...and especially for $12pp!!!

 

Parking was a breeze. There is a very nice free parking lot and very few spaces were taken on the day that we were there. I think most people arrived by taxi.

[Maryscooking]

Thanks for the trip report, loved the pics!

 

One thing though - are you sure it is legal to take food (specifically meats, cheeses, and fruit) off the ship in Cozumel?

 

I feel like I read a notice in my last cruise compass that said it was illegal. But I could be confusing it with a different place.

[DeeDee309]

Rockbock--I tried looking into rental cars & I cant figure out the pick up location. Did you book your car online? I tried but it doesnt allow me to purchase ALL the waivers & insurance which of course I want to do. We dont need any surprises at the end:o Also, did you have a map to follow or took your chance riding around? We looked into the Dune Buggy and its 99$ per person we have 4 people. I was happy to learn about the car as we can have "freetime" come and go as we please not the case with an excursion. Please advise on how you went about renting before you got there (sorry if I missed this somewhere along the post). :)

[preschool teacher]

renting a car might be in the cards for us..and hubby does not drink,,,,so good for me,,,,,,

[rockbock]

Thanks for the trip report, loved the pics!

 

One thing though - are you sure it is legal to take food (specifically meats, cheeses, and fruit) off the ship in Cozumel?

 

I feel like I read a notice in my last cruise compass that said it was illegal. But I could be confusing it with a different place.

 

The only time during the entire trip that we saw signs for, or were asked about, meat and produce, was during debarkation at Tampa.

[rockbock]

Rockbock--I tried looking into rental cars & I cant figure out the pick up location. Did you book your car online? I tried but it doesnt allow me to purchase ALL the waivers & insurance which of course I want to do. We dont need any surprises at the end:o Also, did you have a map to follow or took your chance riding around? We looked into the Dune Buggy and its 99$ per person we have 4 people. I was happy to learn about the car as we can have "freetime" come and go as we please not the case with an excursion. Please advise on how you went about renting before you got there (sorry if I missed this somewhere along the post). :)

 

I checked out most of the local car rental establishments. A few I discounted quickly because of price. I then looked very closely at Isis Rentadora and ACE, because they have low prices and very favorable reviews. Isis was the cheaper of the two and the price, including all insurances would range from $35 to $45, depending on the type of car. For a family of 5, we needed the $45 vehicle. The bad thing about Isis Rentadora was that it's located 4 miles from port, which requires a $7 taxi ride to get to the car. At the time of dropoff, free shuttle back to the port would be provided.

 

Since Isis wasn't exactly convenient, I looked into some of the more familiar global companies. We also thought they would be "safer" than a local establishment, but I didn't think the prices would be competitive. Budget and Avis didn't allow me to view the insurances online, but I called them. They were both going to cost between $60 and $70, inclusive of all insurances, for the cheapest sub-compact car with five seatbelts. I also learned that they both had deductibles ranging from 15% to 20% of the repair cost or market value of the car, in the event of a collision.

 

Alamo let me book the entire transaction online, including the insurances, and it was also the only company that let me pay for deductible protection. It was $10, but it protected me from having to pay anything at all towards the repairs in the event of a collision. The total cost was $53.??, inclusive of rental, insurances, and deductible protection.

 

The rental company gave us a map, but there really aren't very many roads on the island. Once you get onto the main road, the same road circles the entire perimeter of the island. There are almost no cars on the road after you get a couple of miles away from the port. We only saw one gas station, but it is very close to the car rental offices (almost across the street).

[jmkieweg]

Great post~~lots of super info.

Thanks so much for sharing!

[GBCanadacruiser]

Have been to Cozumel several times, cruises and a land vacation. The people are warm, honest and hard working. Five people used the pool, chairs, washrooms etc for an hour and a half. The expectation was that the use of their facilities was in exchange for you purchasing drinks/food......

[H82seaUgo]

great review and pix!

 

i was so glad someone pointed this thread out to me. the ruins haven't changed too much in the 20 years since i've been there! lol.

 

and you'd be my new best friends with that bacardi bottle! :)

[cruiserguy11]

Thanks for taking the time to post. I loved the picture intense review. Saves me from reading 1000 words per...lol.

 

I wondered about how your son, (I assume your son) would keep his cast dry, then I saw in the one pic while in the pool he had it held up. Poor guy to have a broken paw while on vacation.

 

And I loved your idea of renting a car. Personally my wife and I love renting vehicles while in ports but haven't rented one in Mexico....yet. Thanks to your great instructions we'll do that next time. Oh, we did once rent a golf cart in Ensenada to drive the city. Never again ... very sceeery. :eek:

[rockbock]

I wondered about how your son, (I assume your son) would keep his cast dry, then I saw in the one pic while in the pool he had it held up. Poor guy to have a broken paw while on vacation.

 

That's my stepson. He wasn't wearing it in that pic, but we had a Xerosox for him. It's a rubber cover which you stretch over the cast, then you suck all the air out with a little device. You can swim and dive for up to 90 minutes at a time with it and no water leaks in. We first learned about these back in 2001, when my daughter was in a cast for the entire summer. This is, unfortunately, the third time we've had to get one of them, but they sure do work well. They also make waterproof casts now, but they cost about $200 over and above what the insurance will pay. The cover is only about $30.

[cruiserguy11]

So the yellow thing is the Xerosox? Great idea. I guess it beats the old days of taping a plastic bag around the cast. Oops, I'm aging myself. :)

[molole]

OP,

 

Thank you for the wonderful and informative review! Now I totally want to do the same thing! But I have a few questions and wonder if you could help out. :)

 

Can you share which company you reserved your rental car from? Is the $53 something the usual daily rate? Did you buy a map? Or just print out a google map? Most importantly how did you find the driving? Safe? (I heard horror stories about rogue cops stopping Americans for bogus reasons knowing we have no choice but to pay the fine or we will miss the ship. :mad:)

 

Thanks in advance!

[rockbock]

So the yellow thing is the Xerosox? Great idea. I guess it beats the old days of taping a plastic bag around the cast. Oops, I'm aging myself. :)

 

Nope...the cast was yellow. The Xerosox is blue, but he wasn't wearing it in the photo you were looking at.

[Royaltmom]

The great beach that you stopped at an played in the water was Chen Rio. My girlfriends and I have spent a week in February on Cozumel the last two years. While on the island, we fill a cooler and spend the day there. It is the best way to spend a day. Great review.

[rockbock]

OP,

 

Thank you for the wonderful and informative review! Now I totally want to do the same thing! But I have a few questions and wonder if you could help out. :)

 

Can you share which company you reserved your rental car from? Is the $53 something the usual daily rate? Did you buy a map? Or just print out a google map? Most importantly how did you find the driving? Safe? (I heard horror stories about rogue cops stopping Americans for bogus reasons knowing we have no choice but to pay the fine or we will miss the ship. :mad:)

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hey. Thanks for the feedback. If you read through my initial post and some of the subsequent posts, I've already answered every question you have. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[NOT2DIVAISH]

Amazing post and great pictures! I actually just booked Frank's Tours from your Grand Cayman review.

 

Nice to hear about your beach reviews. That beach was an option for me but after hearing your review I'll think again. Thanks!

[Traci1960]

I was surprised when I read in your post that you took food and beverages off the ship. Our last Carnival cruise (//10) that was NOT allowed. Our bags were searched, and we were given a water bottle AFTER we got off the ship?

[rockbock]

Our bags were searched and the food was NOT hidden in the bags. They didn't care.

 

The only time I saw any signs about food not being allowed was during debarkation.

[QTMichele]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. My DH and I went to Paradise Beach in 2007 - the water was horrible - very murky. My review reflected that, and I got slammed with "it was great while we were there" comments. I hope that our experience wasn't the norm, and I'm afraid to go again. The pool does look nice though, but I don't go to ports to go swim in a pool. ;) At any rate, we have another cruise coming up and will be stopping in Cozumel. I'm looking for inexpensive things to do for my extended family - most only want an easy beach day. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

OH... regarding the comment about taking food off the ship. I'm not sure what the laws are in every country, but in the US and many other countries you cannot take food off the ship. It's an agricultural issue (spread of fungi, pests, etc.) and can be very serious to local fauna.

[Life without whine]

what shop did you get the rum at?