Playa Uvas

[Jungle Jane]

I'm actually starting to worry about the beach. Some of the people who are going on this cruise with me also booked Uvas. They booked Uvas because I urged them to after reading reviews. I'm thinking that they may expect a white sandy beach to lay on. I don't want them to be dissapointed.

 

 

Josh, every time I see one of your posts that darn bug makes me jump!!!! LOL!

[jimbug]

Ooo, completely off-topic, but JoshGrrr, I see you thought Costa was your best cruise yet. Can I pick your brain about that cruise? I've been sooooo tempted to try Costa on more than one occasion but have always changed to another line based on a lot of negative reviews. However, I figure it's a Carnival Corp. product, it can't be *that* much different, right?

 

Before my HAL cruise in 2006, I was chatting with one of the retirees in Fort Lauderdale who works for Costa and meets the passengers at the airport to tell them where to catch the shuttle, etc. He insisted he thought Costa was the best (and it truly seemed it wasn't just because they were paying him) for their Italian food and service, not to mention their beautiful ships.

[JoshGrrrr]

Here is a link to a review I wrote shortly after the cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=326517

 

 

It's hard to say exactly what I liked about it. To me it seemed like Costa was more about letting adults have a good time. They didn't seem so obcessed with forcing the "family friendly" atmosphere. They weren't quite as PC either. You were actually told to boo people at the talent shows if they were bad. Some of the games in the lounges late at night seemed a little more risque than on Carnival cruises. Not raunchy by any means, but they didn't over censor everything either. They let adults be adults. It also seemed like the staff were real people instead of fake butt kissers who are only being nice to get a tip. I'm beginning to feel like a I'm cattle on Carnival cruises. The games are the same on every ship. The staff are friendly, but they seem very fake to me. On Costa the staff would actually hang out with guests. They would sit at the bar and have a drink with you. The servers would sometimes sit down beside us during a show and converse with us. The entire cruise seemed less forced and more like they just wanted to let us have fun in our own way. Toga night was a blast. Maybe it was just the cruise I was on, but it seemed more like a party. No one was drunk and showing out, but it seemed like everyone let go a little more.

 

After reading that review, feel free to ask any questions. I suggest you try them. Even if it isn't the perfect cruise, you will still have a good time. You may find a new favorite cruise line.

[lady in tx]

Sandysoldier--

 

Enjoyed reading your review. Glad to have read you had a great time! :)

[NCTribeFan]

Well, I just made my reservation for when we're in Cozumel! I'm so busy right now, that I just had to pick something and get it done! I'm sure we'll love it. The price is great, too.

 

Aside - I almost booked the Mediterranea for last December, but picked Miracle instead. Turns out they're the same class ship! I was more worried that a European ship would have just way too much cig smoke for us (we're both asthmatic). I do like the idea of Costa, though.

 

Our staff on Miracle was great and they appeared to (mostly) be genuinely friendly. I know butt-kissing "nice" when I see it and didn't see that on that ship. And now that I've sailed Carnival this many times, I'm going to stick with them until I reach Platinum. If I decide after that that the perks aren't worth remaining loyal, I'll branch out. Mostly, I've stuck with them because I love the itineraries and the prices.

[JoshGrrrr]

I'm not trying to talk you into trying Costa or anything, but it from what I've seen you get more exotic iteneraries and better prices from Costa. We went on a 7 day to Tortola, St. Maartin, Grand Caymen, and one other port that I can't remember right now for around $450 pp.

 

I could see cig smoke being a problem, but it wasn't for us. It was like any other ship. There are places you are allowed to smoke, and places you aren't. Everything is clearly labeled.

[Stircrzy]

I've taken several older people (early 70s to mid 80s) and they LOVED Playa Uvas.

 

We did our sightseeing early in the day and then headed to Uvas.

 

In January we intended to visit Uvas for lunch and then go to Chankanaab, but the old people vetoed that and insisted we stay the rest of our day at Uvas.

 

They're already asking if we're going the Uvas when we sail in October...

[stdatwmu]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up on here, but my girlfriend and I both had a great time at Playa Uvas on our day in Cozumel on the Norwegian Pearl. The worst part of the day was that we had to be back on the ship at 3:30pm and Playa Uvas opened at 10:00am, so we just didn't have enough time to relax as much as we wanted. Not that we didn't do our best to take advantage of the open bar in the little time we had. :cool:

 

We booked that AUV-1 package, which included a guided snorkel, guided clear kayak, towels, locker, lunch, and the open bar. A great deal for $60 a person, especially compared to the insane amount anything similar would have run on any excursion booked through the cruise line.

 

As soon as we stepped out of the taxi ($10 each way from where the ships dock) we were greeted by Carmen, and our names were even on the sign at the front desk welcoming us to Playa Uvas. Within a minute or two, Raul, our server, introduced himself and offered to bring us a drink (non-alcoholic before snorkeling, for obvious reasons!) or bottle of water while we got situated in chairs down next to the beach. He was great the entire day and took our lunch order when we arrived so that once we got back from the snorkeling/kayaking they had our lunch out to us pretty quickly. As everyone here says, the fajitas are absolutely delicious. I even ate the guacamole, and I hate guacamole, so yes the food is great! After that, Raul definitely made sure our drinks never ran dry until we left... the margaritas were some of the best I ever had (couldn't taste any alcohol, but trust me that there was plenty in there!) and he brought us a tequila shot as well. So, in short, the service from the wait staff was top-notch.

 

How about the location and the tours? Well, again, as has been noted the beach is a bit rocky... but that's nothing some water shoes couldn't handle. I do recommend you bring some along if you visit Playa Uvas. Once in the (warm!) water it was an easy walk out to get to the clear kayaks. My only complaint is about the kayaking, because we were told we were going to leave in a couple minutes but had to wait a rather long time (30 mins-ish) to have our quick safety/instruction briefing. But once in the kayaks it was a fun excursion even though I didn't see tons and tons through the boat, tho some of that is my own fault for not looking all that much. I was able to get some great photos with a waterproof/underwater camera while we were kayaking. Snorkeling was good, too, and the water was a good depth for a novice snorkeler. There weren't tons of fish in the water all the time, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

 

So overall, what did I think? Well I have to give Playa Uvas an A for an all-around fun experience, great service, and an unbeatable price. Check it out if you've got the time in Cozumel, and I think you'll come away impressed too.

 

One last thing... there's some pics of us with our waiter, of Playa Uvas, and while kayaking/snorkeling below.

[lady in tx]

stdatwmu- Enjoyed reading your review and thanks for posting the pics!!

 

I also wanted to let you know that Playa Uvas opens at 8:00 am not at 10:00!! ;)

[mizmhollan]

I must say that we were very disappointed in the Playa Uvas experience for which we paid a total of $90 (clear kayak tour plus lunch/drinks.) First of all, when we were arrived, we were told that we would be waiting for 20 minutes for the group we were joining to arrive. We were still waiting after over an hour. No one came to check on us, and finally I and another couple asked one of the staff wearing a "clear kayak" t-shirt what was going on. He said, "Five minutes more." The five minutes turned into another half hour of waiting. We had now been waiting for over an hour and a half. Again, no one came to speak to us about when our tour was taking place. The tour finally arrived, and it was another 25 minutes of waiting for them to be organized, and a mere 10 minutes of kayaking instruction. By the time the kayaks got in the water, it had been over 2 hours of waiting. This was totally unreasonable, especially since we had selected this tour so that we would be able to do something in addition to the kayaking with our time. When we finally got the kayaks in the water, they were scratched and difficult to see through. We were in the water for only 20 minutes (less than half of the 45 minute tour we paid for), during which we saw only one small school of fish that one of the guides fed and came up to the surface. We were given no information other than having pointed out a cave where the fresh and salt water mix. This was not a "guided" tour other than having the guides paddle alongside us and talk to each other about unrelated-to-tour topics. About halfway through, our guides kicked back in their kayaks and had a short siesta while we paddled around, seeing nothing. We were startled to find that we were heading back after such a short time. The guides quickly began getting equipment ready for the snorkeling group. As we got out, one of the guides asked if we liked the tour and we said we thought it wasn't worth the money as we were out for such a short time and saw next to nothing. He said, "Well, you should have gone on the snorkeling tour, then."

We had purchased the $10 extra meal option and found this delicious. Our waiter was also attentive and concerned. However, I find it ridiculous to be charged $80 for a 20 minute kayak trip for which we had to wait over 2 hours. I was disappointed in the quality of the beach and felt that the facilities were much over-hyped in the advertisement (beach was rocky and water not very accessible.) Restrooms, recreational area, etc. were fine. "Free" drinks (part of the package) were okay, but very watered down.

We have traveled extensively and taken many types of tours - including much cheaper, informative and lengthier ones. We have never been so disappointed in the quality of an experience as we were with this one. It truly felt like a waste of money.

[nstr]

Uh oh - I better re think Uvas - my hubby will fume if we drop good money and have a not so good experience - thanks for sharing

[Stircrzy]

I must say that we were very disappointed in the Playa Uvas experience for which we paid a total of $90 (clear kayak tour plus lunch/drinks.) First of all, when we were arrived, we were told that we would be waiting for 20 minutes for the group we were joining to arrive. We were still waiting after over an hour. No one came to check on us, and finally I and another couple asked one of the staff wearing a "clear kayak" t-shirt what was going on. He said, "Five minutes more." The five minutes turned into another half hour of waiting. We had now been waiting for over an hour and a half. Again, no one came to speak to us about when our tour was taking place. The tour finally arrived, and it was another 25 minutes of waiting for them to be organized, and a mere 10 minutes of kayaking instruction. By the time the kayaks got in the water, it had been over 2 hours of waiting. This was totally unreasonable, especially since we had selected this tour so that we would be able to do something in addition to the kayaking with our time. When we finally got the kayaks in the water, they were scratched and difficult to see through. We were in the water for only 20 minutes (less than half of the 45 minute tour we paid for), during which we saw only one small school of fish that one of the guides fed and came up to the surface. We were given no information other than having pointed out a cave where the fresh and salt water mix. This was not a "guided" tour other than having the guides paddle alongside us and talk to each other about unrelated-to-tour topics. About halfway through, our guides kicked back in their kayaks and had a short siesta while we paddled around, seeing nothing. We were startled to find that we were heading back after such a short time. The guides quickly began getting equipment ready for the snorkeling group. As we got out, one of the guides asked if we liked the tour and we said we thought it wasn't worth the money as we were out for such a short time and saw next to nothing. He said, "Well, you should have gone on the snorkeling tour, then."

We had purchased the $10 extra meal option and found this delicious. Our waiter was also attentive and concerned. However, I find it ridiculous to be charged $80 for a 20 minute kayak trip for which we had to wait over 2 hours. I was disappointed in the quality of the beach and felt that the facilities were much over-hyped in the advertisement (beach was rocky and water not very accessible.) Restrooms, recreational area, etc. were fine. "Free" drinks (part of the package) were okay, but very watered down.

We have traveled extensively and taken many types of tours - including much cheaper, informative and lengthier ones. We have never been so disappointed in the quality of an experience as we were with this one. It truly felt like a waste of money.

 

Please contact Eduardo.

 

Your experience is an exception to what is usually a unique and wonderful experience at Playa Uvas. Although the rocky shoreline is well known, the experience with the guide and the wait for your kayak session is NOT the norm.

 

Please allow Eduardo a chance to make this right in some small way.

[oldmedic]

I must say that we were very disappointed in the Playa Uvas experience for which we paid a total of $90 (clear kayak tour plus lunch/drinks.) First of all, when we were arrived, we were told that we would be waiting for 20 minutes for the group we were joining to arrive. We were still waiting after over an hour. No one came to check on us, and finally I and another couple asked one of the staff wearing a "clear kayak" t-shirt what was going on. He said, "Five minutes more." The five minutes turned into another half hour of waiting. We had now been waiting for over an hour and a half. Again, no one came to speak to us about when our tour was taking place. The tour finally arrived, and it was another 25 minutes of waiting for them to be organized, and a mere 10 minutes of kayaking instruction. By the time the kayaks got in the water, it had been over 2 hours of waiting. This was totally unreasonable, especially since we had selected this tour so that we would be able to do something in addition to the kayaking with our time. When we finally got the kayaks in the water, they were scratched and difficult to see through. We were in the water for only 20 minutes (less than half of the 45 minute tour we paid for), during which we saw only one small school of fish that one of the guides fed and came up to the surface. We were given no information other than having pointed out a cave where the fresh and salt water mix. This was not a "guided" tour other than having the guides paddle alongside us and talk to each other about unrelated-to-tour topics. About halfway through, our guides kicked back in their kayaks and had a short siesta while we paddled around, seeing nothing. We were startled to find that we were heading back after such a short time. The guides quickly began getting equipment ready for the snorkeling group. As we got out, one of the guides asked if we liked the tour and we said we thought it wasn't worth the money as we were out for such a short time and saw next to nothing. He said, "Well, you should have gone on the snorkeling tour, then."

We had purchased the $10 extra meal option and found this delicious. Our waiter was also attentive and concerned. However, I find it ridiculous to be charged $80 for a 20 minute kayak trip for which we had to wait over 2 hours. I was disappointed in the quality of the beach and felt that the facilities were much over-hyped in the advertisement (beach was rocky and water not very accessible.) Restrooms, recreational area, etc. were fine. "Free" drinks (part of the package) were okay, but very watered down.

We have traveled extensively and taken many types of tours - including much cheaper, informative and lengthier ones. We have never been so disappointed in the quality of an experience as we were with this one. It truly felt like a waste of money.

 

 

I am sorry you had a bad experience at playa uvas, we had such a good time and look forward to going back...i can assure you that our drinks were not watered down, and the tequilla was top shelf stuff... i do agree that the beach was rocky, but that is what we look for... snorkeling at a sand beach will never be close to what you can see compared to that which is near a rocky shoreline... again, sorry you did not have a good time, I hate to hear of any cruiser that doesn't have a good time...

[NCTribeFan]

I know this was addressed before, but with my 65-70 hr workweeks currently, I just don't have time to hunt it down and with the search function not available...

 

I booked the #3 package (snorkeling + lunch + drinks) for $39 pp. What do you folks think is a reasonable tip (I realize it will depend on how I feel about the service). I'd just like a general guideline so I can plan on how much cash to take.

 

Thanks.

[artseeker]

The 2 times that we've been there, the service was very good, therefore we left good tips! ;) Of course, if we hadn't received good service, we'd gone directly, and immediately, to Carmen or Eduardo, with the assurance that they would have solved any problem we had. But, $5.00 for the waiter, and $5.00 for the snorkell guide would be more than enough, for sure.:D

[oldmedic]

The 2 times that we've been there, the service was very good, therefore we left good tips! ;) Of course, if we hadn't received good service, we'd gone directly, and immediately, to Carmen or Eduardo, with the assurance that they would have solved any problem we had. But, $5.00 for the waiter, and $5.00 for the snorkell guide would be more than enough, for sure.:D

 

I agree... service was excellent... great people and one of the highlights of our last Cozumel visit!!!

[lady in tx]

I've been there 3 times and have enjoyed my stay at Playa Uvas. Great people, great service, delicious food and drinks, love the beach, and love to snorkel there!!!

Last time i was there i tipped our waiter 20 bucks and the guides 10 bucks.

[Stircrzy]

Found this new Uvas post last night:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=13986292#post13986292

 

Thought I'd move it over here!

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, 10:55 PM

tidecruiser vbmenu_register("postmenu_13986292", true);

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Apr 2002

Posts: 100

 

 

Playa UVAS/Snorkle/Kayak and Birthday

My family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teenagers 14 & 16) and another family of 3 (1 adult, 2 teenagers both 15) spent the day on March 21st at Playa UVAS (we were on the NCL Spirit). We booked the full day package which included the snorkel, kayak, lunch and of course unlimited drinks. We had a wonderful day. This was the highlight of our cruise for our friend, her daughter is paraplegic, but she wanted to snorkel and kayak. The guides (which I am sorry, I have forgotten their names at this point, I wished I had written them down for our pictures) were absolutely wonderful with all of us, but especially with our friends daughter.

Once we arrived, Carmen met us and introduced us to Keiko (spelling) our waiter for the day. He took us straight to the chairs they had reserved for us and asked if we would like any water or soft drinks.

We then started off with our snorkel, then after the snorkel, we went for the Kayak and upon finishing with the Kayak, Keiko told us he had a table reserved and our lunch was just about ready.

We had all chosen to have the Fajitas and they were great. Sitting on a Mexican beach, eating good Mexican food, couldn't get better.

After lunch the two ladies decided they "needed" massages on the beach. They were in heaven. Then out came Keiko with a Birthday Cake (it was my birthday that day and obviously I must have said something in my email with Eduardo at some point about being my Birthday). I was surprised and the cake was excellent!!!

Our only disappointment was that we had to leave at 3:30 to get back in time to catch the last tender to the ship. Which brings up the fact that there were 6 ships in port.

There were a lot of tour groups from the ships coming through, but we knew to expect that. I knew with so many ships in port, any beach we went to would be crowded, so the crowd didn't bother us.

I do want to say that being from Alabama I am partial to the Alabama and Florida Panhandle beaches with the sugar white sand and emerald water, so we knew not to expect that type of beach. We were also prepared for the tour groups coming through. So if you expect those two items, then you will have a great day!!

The snorkeling was good, we saw many fish, a sting ray, jelly fish (real close it stuck to my mask).

The kayaks though clear, didn't really provide much viewing but that was okay, because we had just snorkeled. We enjoyed just being out on the water and having fun. The most fun was watching my wife and our family friend trying to paddle!!

Again, I want to discuss how wonderful the staff was with the teenager in the wheelchair. They had to make several accommodations so that she could snorkel with the group, they did it happily and took very good care of her.

I can tell you, that we couldn't have asked for a better day and we considered the day a bargain for what we got!!!

Hopefully the next time I go, there will only be one ship in port so that there will be fewer groups and that would make it perfect!!!

If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

[NCTribeFan]

I see my cruise has an excursion listed "clear kayak and snorkel adventure" that costs $89 pp and is through Uvas!

 

Big difference in price, there! That's $60 more for two people. Sure, the ship excursion includes the transportation.

 

But you can book the same thing through Uvas that includes food, drinks, locker and beach towels for $59 each.

 

Is the taxi $10 per person each way or $10 per ride?

[jimbug]

The taxis to Uvas are approximately $10 per cab, not per person. Definitely book directly with Playa Uvas if you want to go there!

[NCTribeFan]

Thank you!

 

I've already booked. I was just astounded when I saw the price offered through the cruise line.

 

I hope there aren't a lot of people who book that excursion so they'll stay off MY beach! :p

[lady in tx]

If someone wouldn't mind...can ya'll post some pics of Playa Uvas?? I miss the ocean.....

[vacruizer]

Thank you!

 

I've already booked. I was just astounded when I saw the price offered through the cruise line.

 

I hope there aren't a lot of people who book that excursion so they'll stay off MY beach! :p

 

There weren't too many people on the ship excursion on our trip - maybe 20 or so? But wait until you see the looks on the faces of the excursion people when they all get served a fruit plate after snorkeling and you're sitting there with a great big plate of yummy grilled fish or fajitas and all the drinks you want.:D

[Jungle Jane]

There weren't too many people on the ship excursion on our trip - maybe 20 or so? But wait until you see the looks on the faces of the excursion people when they all get served a fruit plate after snorkeling and you're sitting there with a great big plate of yummy grilled fish or fajitas and all the drinks you want.:D

 

LOL We didn't even get served a fruit plate-we were pointed in the direction of a table where some bananas and stuff were, when we went to look there were flies on everything. No thanks!

 

As I've said before, we went strictly for the snorkeling and clear kayaks and it was just me and DD, first time for both of us so we felt safer going with ship's tour. Next time I'm in Coz I won't book thru ship, and I won't go to Uvas again, only because "been there, done that" and I'll want to see what else there is to see in Coz.

 

We were so busy snorkeling and kayaking that I only have 1 pic of the beach, and it was on a Kodak water camera at the end of the roll so it's cut off at the bottom. The pic shows what I mean when I say that had I been going for the beach itself I would have been very disappointed:

 

But the underwater experience there was unbelievable, we were literally swimming within schools of fish like this:

 

And this is a very small conch compared to some we saw, but I could hold this one with one hand to take the pic:

[stdatwmu]

If someone wouldn't mind...can ya'll post some pics of Playa Uvas?? I miss the ocean.....

 

See below for my review from last month!

 

 

 

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up on here, but my girlfriend and I both had a great time at Playa Uvas on our day in Cozumel on the Norwegian Pearl. The worst part of the day was that we had to be back on the ship at 3:30pm and Playa Uvas opened at 10:00am, so we just didn't have enough time to relax as much as we wanted. Not that we didn't do our best to take advantage of the open bar in the little time we had. :cool:

 

We booked that AUV-1 package, which included a guided snorkel, guided clear kayak, towels, locker, lunch, and the open bar. A great deal for $60 a person, especially compared to the insane amount anything similar would have run on any excursion booked through the cruise line.

 

As soon as we stepped out of the taxi ($10 each way from where the ships dock) we were greeted by Carmen, and our names were even on the sign at the front desk welcoming us to Playa Uvas. Within a minute or two, Raul, our server, introduced himself and offered to bring us a drink (non-alcoholic before snorkeling, for obvious reasons!) or bottle of water while we got situated in chairs down next to the beach. He was great the entire day and took our lunch order when we arrived so that once we got back from the snorkeling/kayaking they had our lunch out to us pretty quickly. As everyone here says, the fajitas are absolutely delicious. I even ate the guacamole, and I hate guacamole, so yes the food is great! After that, Raul definitely made sure our drinks never ran dry until we left... the margaritas were some of the best I ever had (couldn't taste any alcohol, but trust me that there was plenty in there!) and he brought us a tequila shot as well. So, in short, the service from the wait staff was top-notch.

 

How about the location and the tours? Well, again, as has been noted the beach is a bit rocky... but that's nothing some water shoes couldn't handle. I do recommend you bring some along if you visit Playa Uvas. Once in the (warm!) water it was an easy walk out to get to the clear kayaks. My only complaint is about the kayaking, because we were told we were going to leave in a couple minutes but had to wait a rather long time (30 mins-ish) to have our quick safety/instruction briefing. But once in the kayaks it was a fun excursion even though I didn't see tons and tons through the boat, tho some of that is my own fault for not looking all that much. I was able to get some great photos with a waterproof/underwater camera while we were kayaking. Snorkeling was good, too, and the water was a good depth for a novice snorkeler. There weren't tons of fish in the water all the time, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

 

So overall, what did I think? Well I have to give Playa Uvas an A for an all-around fun experience, great service, and an unbeatable price. Check it out if you've got the time in Cozumel, and I think you'll come away impressed too.

 

One last thing... there's some pics of us with our waiter, of Playa Uvas, and while kayaking/snorkeling below.