Anyone heard of "Passion Island"?

[whdove88]

I enjoyed it when we went too! Think we will go back next time we cruise. I have done several of the beach clubs, they are ok but last time it was so crowded I couldn't relax. We enjoy a more quiet beach experience and PI is just so beautiful. Just dont expect loud music, toys, icebergs, jet skis, bodies & chairs everywhere,, just the simplicity of the ocean, the waves, clear blue water, the best ice cold coronas & a great lunch with scrumptious guacemole! Hey, I love the vendors, they r usually ran by kids and are fun! Personally, I love being stuck on an island! Relax! What's your hurry to get back ? :confused: You get back in time for plenty of shopping!:D

[minimartha]

I too have to say we really loved Passion Island. It is just beautiful and we were also on the beach by 10am. We also have visited other beaches in Cozumel. The time we went we had kids with us and they took the kids off on at the corner of the beach and did a pinata with them where they got Mexican candy and played games with them. I thought the buffet was wonderful and was WAY better than the buffet we got on our Jeep tour and/ beach excursion on another beach in March. I did not drink the last time we were there and my husband only had beer. We pulled our chairs right down to the beach and the attendents were there for anything we needed.

[bububr]

We had been to Passion Island prior to the hurricane a number of times. It was our favorite get away while in Cozumel.

 

We remembered the WHITE beaches, the warm clear water, the quite of the wind blowing through the indigineous pine trees......

 

There were simple changing rroms clean bathroom and showers, two bars, one on the beach, the other in the restaurant....open bar period, and the food stayed till you left. A few vendors that sold small trinkets and mexican handicrafts.

 

PI has been bought and sold three times since our last visit.

 

Many of the indigineous pines that gave the island its uniqueness we damaged or lost, they have been replaced with palms; landscaped to look like a resort.

 

Most if not all of the original facilities were damaged . THer remnents of the old restaurant can been seen with its bare roof which used to be thatched, and instead of fixing it, they opted to build a new cafeteria style restaurant. ....

 

The food is okay in my opinion, and the Guac....is still the best, but they close up early and all the employees take the boat back to the mainland with you. They used to run it till you were gone and they took a seperate boat back after they finished cleaning up.

 

No more 'OPEN' bar....not in reality. Prior to the hurricane there was a bar at the beach and one in the restaurant. It was OPEN bar. Shots of tequilla, mixed drinks, soft drinks, bottled water, beer.....what ever you heart desired. Now they have an 'open' bar with WATERED DOWN party drinks. Sex on the beach, margaritas, tequilla sunrise....pre mixed, mostly sugar, water and food coloring. I'd stick with the beer. although dissapointed I actually tried one of each drink and all I got were cavities in my teeth. The other bar is a 'CASH' bar. a shot of CHEAP tequilla is $4.00 to start, mixed drinks higher. For basically two shot of tequilla you can buy a bottle in town, or on the ship for less money.

 

There are no changing facilities, and I only saw one shower with really bad water pressure. The restrooms are clean with pretty tile, but cramped. You have to put your stuff on the floor if you are changing, there are no benches or hooks like there used to be.

 

TOURIST TRAP CRAP: what once were a few vendors hawking their wares has turned into a strip mall. Complete with Passion Island logo wear...hats, t-shirts, bags...if they didn't have it they will. THey were also selling cigars and cigarettes. A pack of Marlboro was $7.00 ( 4.75 on the ship ), not that I smoke but I was so dissapointed I had to check things out. Okay, you can get your nails done, have a massage, and the stuff they sell......well OVERPRICED CRAP. We went into town afterwards and I saw similar, if not the same stuff for less, and they were willing to barter even lower.....not happening on PI.

 

Overall: We paid a higher price this time for the same excursion we have done in the past.. While prices go up, this should have gone down with what we recieved compared to the past.....In our opinion the value of this excursion is NOT very good, and there are plenty of other beaches in Cozumel that are less expensive and have equal or better ammenities. However, We feel that there are no other beaches that equal PI's beauty.

 

You will recieved a reverse phychology speach, " buy you souvenirs here, best prices on the island....best and only prices on PI, but not better prices than Cozumel which you will shop later...don't buy anything.

 

(We have found we get the best souvenirs IN TOWN, One of our favorite restaurants and stops is at Panchos backyard which is in the center of a souvenir shopping center...which has MODERATE prices, but has EVERTHING. Its a 6.00 cab ride back to the ship and takes about ten minutes or about a half hour if you walk)

 

There are 2 senior frogs, one at the dock and one in town so make sure you know who is where if you meet there.

 

All in all.....WE still love the beach and beautiful water. The white sand, but unfortunately with the new owners, what used to be Gilligans Island is now comparable to a CANCUN resort and over priced tourist trap. Its a shame that they can't replace the damaged pine trees with saplings instead on palms from the mainland.

 

We have a family reunion booked for January 08'. We had planned to do a group excursion to PI. After this visit we have cancelled our plans and changed them to a different beach.

 

While my opinion may seem very negative, it is because I have seen the change and not for the better in my opinion. For those who have never been and don't have a reference...I'm sure they might have a GREAT time.

 

Dave:eek:

[whdove88]

Thats so sad to hear. Thats not at all what it was like before the hurricanes. I havent been to P I since the big one. We were booked soon afterwards and saw the havoc of Coz & didnt get to go there. Went to PB since it got up the fastest, but over all the whole atmosphere of the island had to change due to the devestation. I guess they need the money so badly as they lost so much so quickly. At PB I was told by a silver vendor when I tried to negotiate a price that ,,,its silver lady, very rudely and abruptly. So it sounds like PI has become the same way. Not at all how it was before. It was such a pristine island. All the places now have jacked up prices and everything is just well, different. THe old COZ is GONE! oh well, Im sure its still beautiful ,cant change that!

[bububr]

Not sure if its a money issue, or just a sign of the times.

 

I know many American investors are buying up properties in the Caribbean and starting businesses...Unfortunately the more they do this the more the ports and atmospheres look and feel like South Florida, and the strain on your wallet feels the same also.

 

I'm actually surprised they haven stuck a Starbucks on PI yet....

 

Dave:eek:

[Pepperwood]

DW & I just got back from Coz, and we enjoyed Passion Island. If anything, we found our 3 hours on the island to be too short. Yes, there were photographers, we just smiled, they clicked, we didn't buy. Yes, there were vendors with over-priced stuff, we just didn't walk into their "shops". And more importantly, they weren't allowed to come down to the beach. We drank Coronas, so can't say whether the other drinks were watered down or not. The washrooms were incredibly clean. The buffet-style lunch was very good (the fish especially), and the guacamole was also great. All of the noisy beach activities for kids were at the north end of the beach, so we parked ourselves at the south end of the beach--about 200 yards away, and didn't hear a thing. We got there with three busloads of people, about 90 people, but at no time on the beach were we within 30 feet of anyone else unless we wanted to be. It was quiet, serene, idyllic, good food, free beer, no sense of harassment from anyone. They now do the info talk about the buffet and drinks on the bus or on the boat, so once you arrive, you just go and do whatever you want. This would be the beach break of all time if it was 2 hours longer.

[bububr]

We still think PI is one of the most beautiful beaches on Cozumel.

 

I was just comparing it to past visits, and while it is an excellent beach break, For some one like us who had been there prior to the new owners and hurricane, there was a significant noticable difference. Now difference can be bad or good depending on the perspective. For us to have PI turn tward the Tourist Trap road was not positive for us. However I was still able to get rid of some tan lines if you know what I mean, and the water was beautiful....But over all the atmosphere and the feeling was different, and not a good different from what we remember.

 

I think its still a good deal for those who are looking forward to PI and haven't been, but for a number of us that remember the old PI its no longer an excursion option based on time of excursion ( much shorter now ), and price ( more expensive now, for less ammenities ).

 

Dave:eek:

[pattieann]

We too had been to Passion Island pre Wilma and loved the place. It's too bad it had to change so much. My DH and I had thought about going back there on our June 16th cruise, but even though the

beach may still be pretty, I'd like to remember it the way it was. Change happens though. When our DS was small we used to go to Destin FL every year and the beaches and roads were so nice. When we went back a few years ago, you could hardly move, it was so crowded.

[Crichard]

We are going to Cozumel in a few weeks and where thinking about the Passion Island tour. Any comments or suggestions about this tour would be appreciated.

Thanks

Cathy

[kenf333]

We are going to Cozumel in a few weeks and where thinking about the Passion Island tour. Any comments or suggestions about this tour would be appreciated.

Thanks

Cathy

 

Here is a recent thread to help you along....:)

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=55918&page=20&highlight=passion+island

[beloum]

We are booked for the Passion Island for our Dec Legend cruise. We have not done it before, but my brother and wife loved it.

[luvmy2doxs]

We are going to Cozumel in a few weeks and where thinking about the Passion Island tour. Any comments or suggestions about this tour would be appreciated.

Thanks

Cathy

 

 

Cathy, we have been to Passion Island the last two times we cruised to Cozumel. The first time just my husband and I went and had a great relaxing time. That was right after the hurricane (01/06) and PI was beat up a bit but still beautiful. This past Janaury we went again with a group of 6 and we still had a wonderful time. Just relaxed on the beach and ate their wonderful food. There was no more than 100 people or so on the island. If your looking for alot of excitement, then PI is probably not the place.

 

There are some vendors but they never came down and bothered us on the beach. There are bathrooms on the beach and they are kept very clean so you can change before you go back to port. The food was the best I had ever had! The gucamole was to die for.

 

We would like to go again in January but we may try and do something different this time like snorkeling or something. But I highly recommend Passion Island! :o

[Crichard]

Thanks so much for the information. We were looking for a relaxing place. We were there in April and did the shopping and snorkling, so we just wanted to relax on a beach because we will be touring in our other ports of call. It sounds like the place we are looking for.

Cathy

[luvmy2doxs]

Here are just a couple of pictures I had of Passion Island, sorry I didn't have more of the island. I hope they come through OK, first time attaching pictures.

 

You only have to take a 15-20 minute bus ride from their pier to PI and then a little boat road over to the actual island. You will be coming up to it from the rear so don't be discouraged, the beach is on the opposite side.

[kimscruisin]

We went there last week, and it was beautiful. The best guacomole we have ever had. There is an open bar, and buffet. There is also a cash bar if you want something other than the open bar serves. Massages, beds, hammocks, chairs, volleyball all on the beach. No snorkeling or water skis. It is absolutely beautiful. We really enjoyed ourselves. Very laid back.

[Crichard]

Thanks for the additional information. If we have our own snorkle gear is there anything to see? We thought maybe we could look on our own. If there's nothing to see, we will leave the gear on the ship.

Cathy

[biguntx]

We will be there next Friday. This will be our 9th trip to Passion Island our first was in 1979.

 

The Corona beer commercials you see on US TV are taped there on the island.

 

What a beautiful place. Compares to anything in the Carrib...St. Thomas, Bahamas...etc.

 

Have a great time.

 

Partake in the local custom of "Shooting Tequilla" an interesting but in some cases a "experience you may not remember".

[luvmy2doxs]

We didn't take our snorkel gear to PI. I didn't really see a good place to snorkel and no one else did on either of our two trips there. I don't think it is the best place for snorkeling. Just relax, eat, drink and enjoy the sun.

[Calicruisefamily]

Passion Island is Great! Have a Corona and sit back and take it all in :rolleyes:

Kimberly :)

Monarch 11/07 Baja

Freedom 7/07 E/W Caribbean half/half B2B

Voyager 12/06 W. Caribbean

Voyager 11/05 E. Caribbean

S.S. Azure Seas 11/90 Baja

[fitchick1716]

I just got back from a trip to Cozumel on the Carnival Fantasy and I will tell you that Passion Island was FANTASTIC, in my opinion. I will write a longer review with pictures later this week but we really thought it was great. The only thing I didn't like is that we couldn't stay longer!!!

 

We had Alex as a guide and he was great! Wish I was still there...

[bububr]

the water is fairly shallow ( have to walk way out to get up to your neck ), and there are no waves because of the shallow water. Its almost like cococay in the bahamas.

 

Dave:eek:

[GeeBee1022]

Has anyone been on the Isla Passion excursion? Is the only/best way to book it through the cruise line? Is it a good way to spend a day at the beach in Cozumel? Thanks!

[luvmy2doxs]

We have spent the last 2 years at Passion Island and we loved it. It is a quiet relaxing day at the beach. The only way to book it is through the cruise ships. We never had more than 75-100 people on the island both times we went. Unfortunately you only stay for about 3 hours. But the food is to die for. No water sports available just beach, food, sun and drink.

[papermans]

We have been there many times and plan to return. It is a perfect beach and the facilities are very good. I agree the food is to die for. You will love it.:p

[Chicky2181]

I went there last year and had a blast. We booked through royal caribbean. It was the maiden voyage of our ship say they let use have the island to ourselves. All together there was only about 15 people.

 

It was beautiful. It had an open bar, great food, clean bathrooms and changing rooms, clean beach, and plenty beach chairs. Our guide even found me an inflatible raft to use for the day. There were a few stands selling local crafts and massages.

 

I totally recommend this excursion.