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Anyone heard of "Passion Island"?


Donna42

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I would try once more.

I know before the storm passion island was rated great.

Just curious if it's re-opened and what type of condition it's in?

Has anyone been there recently?

I'll be Cozumel in about 2 weeks.

 

thanks,

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Can anyone tell me why you must be 7 years old to go to Passion Island. We have a 6 year old but the excursion listing says you must be 7???????

 

We went on a shore excursion from NCL and we had a snorkel stop first which would explain the age requirement on ours. Also, when you get to Passion Island, you have to wade in from the boat--about mid thigh deep.

Hope this helps. You should really consider the trip when you can. It's a slice of paradise.

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We went on a shore excursion from NCL and we had a snorkel stop first which would explain the age requirement on ours. Also, when you get to Passion Island, you have to wade in from the boat--about mid thigh deep.

Hope this helps. You should really consider the trip when you can. It's a slice of paradise.

 

Thanks so much for your input. We will do an NCL tour later this month:D

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:o Just visited Passion Island on January 29th and enjoyed the lovely beach.

 

I have visited the island twice before. Wilma devastated this region stripping the Palms Trees and miles of Mangroves of their greenery. The bus ride north to Passion Island was quite an eye opener. What remains are twig-like shrubs and topless or uprooted palms. The island people are working very hard to restore their island for visitors and are doing a wonderful job considering the devastation. Please know that the beach at Passion Island is lovely as usual with perhaps a larger-wider sandy beach. The colorful tiled bathrooms have been re-roofed and restored. They have moved the food to the large thatched hut that sits off the ground because the original kitchen and station is still under repair. The food was fantastic and the fabulous ice cold Coronas and libations flowed. There are scattered shade huts still under repair. The vendors have their tented huts set up down the beach selling lots of Mexican crafts also. Please go to Passion Island and help fuel the economy so the repairs and restoration can continue.

 

We will return to Passion Island again!

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Were there beach lounge chairs with umbrellas so that you can watch the ocean, but have some shade? Was it very crowded? Do you have to book this thru the ship or can you get there on your own?

Thanks for any info. Will be in Cozumel next week.

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Sharon,

It was not crowded the day we visited. There are lounge chairs on the beach in the sun....a few shaded areas under thatched umbrellas just off the beach. So yes, you can find shade. I believe you must book this excursion through your ship.

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Here is my review as promised! We were on Passion Island on February 1st. Another poster stated you have to wade in the water to get to the island...we didn't have to do that, the ferry pulled right up to the pier. First off, if there is anyone here who has ever been to Coco Cay through Royal Caribbean.....it's not like that. I personally was disappointed by Passion Island. I had really expected the "Corona commercial"...which, by the way, IS where they filmed that commercial, but they must've really done some work before the commercial was actually filmed! The water was FULL OF SEAWEED that twisted around your feet as the waves came in.....they had workers raking it out of the water into big piles on shore, which really took away from the abience of the shoreline......The lunch that is served is rather scarce....salad with no salad dressings, melon, rice, stale bread and chicken. Free open bar, which was nice. The beach was not crowded, which was a plus...maybe 100 people on the whole island that day for 7 cruise ships in port in Cozumel....not bad. They had some beach games going on for those interested. The hammock area is pitiful....no private hammocks....there are like 6-7 hammocks under a palapa, all crammed together....awful. Restrooms very nice.

Well...hope this was helpful...sorry it's not more positive, but I really was not too impressed. If you have individual questions, post them and I will try to get them answered promptly for those of you leaving for there soon.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Caro,

I've been reading all of the posts regarding Passion Island and am really interested in visiting there when we are on our cruise this March. My question is.....can we still get a tour from you on the pier after we dock as the only shore ex that NCL offers for Passion Island does not allow children under 7 to go and we will have our 1 year old grandson with us. There are 15 of us cruising together and at this point I don't know how many will want to go out to Passion Island. But wanted to get this question answered so we'd know if it was even something that we all could consider.

Apreciate your reply.

AJ

 

Jem - I have the absolute pleasure of working on Passion Island. So hopefully I can answer some parts of your question.

 

The tour is 5 hours long. It starts off with an air conditioned bus ride to Bahia Ciaga (15 miles north of your pier). The bus ride is approx. 35 minutes. Your guide will give you a tour of Cozumel, history of the island and info about your day on PI. The boat ride across the bay is approx. 15 minutes. You have the option to take a canoe but no one ever does since it is usually into a head wind and about a mile out to the island. Once you get to the island, you have a full 3 hours of beach time.

 

Included in the tour is a full Mexican buffet with: grilled mahi mahi fish, mayan barbque chicken, rice, salad, fresh veggies and tropical fruit, GREAT guacamole, real tortilla chips, pico de gallo salsa, habanero salsa and bread. Soft drinks include: Pepsi, Pepsi light, 7 up, Squirt and Orange. The water is purified, bottled and regulated by law. The ice is also. BOTH ARE 100% SAFE!!!!!! Open bar is also included: margaritas, Corona beer, tequilla, tequilla sunrise, passion island punch, rum, rum punch, and sex on the beach.

 

Activities on the beach include: vollyball, soccer, and a variety of fun ones including our infamous water balloon toss contest. There is no reef system and we don't rest snorkle gear but there are a variety of marine life there. Saw barracuda and spotted eagle ray a couple of weeks ago. NO portagese man of war or cabbage heads here! The island is gorgous to say the least. The beach has a gentle slope with no sharp rocks or pieces of coral to hurt your feet. We have nice restrooms, 4 different hammock areas, beach chairs and a seemingly endless supply of jaw dropping beautiful white sand beach. We do have showers but they are 50% salt water so you don't get super clean but do get the sand off. We have a variety of birds: rosette spoonbills, wood ducks, vultures, frigits or hangers, pelicans, swallows, flamingos during certain times of year, just to name a few.

 

There is no blaring music only music in the palapa restaraunt. We do have a small shopping area that offers t-shirts, silver, jewelry and other tourist type items. Also have a hair braiding and wrap area, temporary henna tattoos and massage area.

 

The kayaking is a seperate package. You get to Bahia Ciaga by bus and take a small boat to the kayaks. You kayak through the mangrove area for approx. 45 minutes and stay on the beach for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. All other facilities are offered except that it is a cash bar. Same goes for the jeep tour. They do some driving through the jungle along the way and have about 3 hours of beach time also. The island itself is privately owned and is a small cresent moon shaped piece of heaven! The tours leave at different times from the piers and the tours overlap. It never seems crowded on the beach or in the palapas. Locals can go but do pay the same price and it is on an availability basis depending on the crowd already on the island.

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We just returned from our cruise and really enjoyed our Jeep Adventure to Paradise. Solita, I have a question for you about the food. My son who has a peanut allergy developed hives while we were on the island after eating the chicken and some fruit. I had already asked about peanuts in the food, but possibly didn't get full information due to the language barrier. Now I am trying to figure out what gave him the hives, i.e., if there were peanuts or peanut butter somewhere in the chicken. (He has never had a problem with fruit before.) Thanks so much, Bookworm

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