Cozumel day trip recommendations

[taladay]

Hello CC! I just discovered your website a few weeks ago and have been feverishly reading reviews ever since. It makes the wait soooo much easier. Thank you all for the candid, friendly and constant (lol) input. Now it's my turn to pick your brains.

 

My family (7 adults 27-62) is going on the Carnival Dream next January and we are hoping for some tips on someone reputable to book day trips with. Snorkeling is a must for our group although the snuba thing looks fun too. We are looking at either spending a whole day at Chankanaab NP with a dolphin encounter or going by boat to some of the reefs. Cozumel-tours dot com seems to be the cheapest but has anyone used them recently? I see that traveling with Carnival but not paying for their excursions can be tricky but we should be able to get around that ok. Also, are we allowed to swim in the lagoon at Chankanaab?

 

Who do you book with for boat snorkel tours or dolphin swims?

[JohninDC]

My kids loved the dolphin swim at Chank several years ago, but it was not cheap! :(

 

We used Eagle Ray a couple of years ago a snokel trip and were VERY happy; snorkeling from the shore at the Money Bar for a while before heading to another beach club is another option.

 

http://www.moneybarbeachclub.com/

 

Good luck! :)

[SCcruiser123]

Just got back from a cruise and we went to the Money Bar in Cozumel. Nice area-good food, cervezas, beach massages and snorkeling. It was $18 for a van for the 8 of us from the port.

[Manatee2013]

We recently had a great day at Chankanaab. We did pay to do the dolphin "push, pull, swim" which was really fun and included petting the manatees, but you could enjoy the park without that. There is a pool, and kid friendly beach, sea lion show, and botanical gardens. I recommend walking down the beach to the left past the pool. The beach was less crowded and the restaurant down there (Bucaneros) delivered to the (free) beach chairs. I heard the snorkeling was great and you can rent gear at the various shacks down that way. If any of your family are divers, you can negotiate good prices on private dives. My husband went out alone with a guide and said it was amazing. They brought a camera and sold us the CD for $30. He went out the first time for $45 and the second for only $21, so for the dives and pics it was less than the ship sponsored dive excursion and we were able to enjoy the park and I could lounge on the beach with a drink right near where he was diving. The lockers were free and the facilities were clean. I can't compare it to anywhere else, but would definitely recommend it. Hope that helps!

[taladay]

Just got back from a cruise and we went to the Money Bar in Cozumel. Nice area-good food, cervezas, beach massages and snorkeling. It was $18 for a van for the 8 of us from the port.

 

That's a good tip - I didn't think about having vans available. We'll keep the Money Bar in mind as a backup plan. :)

[taladay]

Manatee2013, thank you for the review! It sounds like a fun place to spend the day with a little bit of everything available.

[Manatee2013]

taladay, you are welcome. I have posted a couple similar answers on other threads, because we had such a great day there. I don't remember it being offered as an excursion on it's own, so I am not sure people who are not doing the dolphin swim even consider it - and they should! Like I said, further down the beach it was not crowded at all, which I couldn't believe. Maybe we hit on a lucky day? Also, I didn't reply to your point about who to book dolphin swim through. You can book directly through the Chankanaab website or through the cruise, of course. When I researched it, the specific swim I wanted was about $5 more to book privately and that didn't include transportation, so we went with the excursion. I think they run deals, though, too, and I would have been very comfortable booking directly and getting there myself if it worked out to be a savings. They were very helpful via the online chat, etc. If I wasn't doing the dolphin swim, we probably would have just gotten a cab there and paid park admission directly. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[Colorado Kat]

Last spring, I did the dolphin "push-pull" and really enjoyed it. My friend, who cruises a lot, told me that the dolphins at Chakanaab were treated very well, and the place she would suggest as best in the Caribbean.

 

Just the extras at Chakanaab are wonderful. Nice beach, decent snorkeling, nice atmosphere.