Cozumel Excursions

[adirving]

Has anyone ever used an independent tour guide. If so, who and did you like or dislike.

[Oasis Of The Seas Expert]

I never have, but the main problem with that is that if something goes wrong the ship might not wait for you.

[matj2000]

I never have, but the main problem with that is that if something goes wrong the ship might not wait for you.

 

Really. Who told you that?

[KroozFoolz]

We have done the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour four times, and plan to go for the fifth next November. Great way to see the "wild" east side of the island.

 

There is a thread on the Cozumel port board (where this thread will probably be moved to) with lots of info on hiring a driver for the day.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=545681

 

This thread has been going since 2007 so it's rather long - you might want to start reading more toward the end.

Edited December 14, 2013 by KroozFoolz

[Oasis Of The Seas Expert]

Really. Who told you that?

I heard it on a ship. There were rumors going around for the rest of the cruise that someone was left behind. I do not know if those rumors were true, but I can definitely see that being possible.

[matj2000]

You are the expert....

[overthehillcruiser]

We pretty much do everything on our own and do not use ship excursions as they cost more for the same thing..The way I see it Cozumel is not that huge, and even if our cab would break down, I feel I can always get us back to the ship with no problem...Now if you should take the ferry to the mainland on your own, for example, and are late, most likely the ship will not wait long. Or say you take an independent boat tour that goes way out somewhere and it should break down, that could be a little risky. I know the harbor security boat guy in Roatan and he told me he takes stranded passengers to the ship quite often, and sometimes the captain will allow them onboard and sometimes not.As long as you watch your time, you should not have any problems....

[bvm5]

We have booked a dune buggy tour with Island Marketing should be fun. We will snorkel,tequila factory and lunch. Can't wait

[sailingawaysoon]

We always go to Mr. Sanchos. They aren't thru the ship, but fairly close to the port. It's around $55 a person for an all inclusive day. All the mexican food you can eat, from a buffet or menu (or both). All the drinks are included too. There's a swim up bar, the beautiful ocean, things for the kids to do and so much more. Check them out on trip advisor.

[Robinola]

Once I was The Last One on board after a wonderful day in St Maarten, they were not happy! I was totally LAST MINUTE! Yikes! Not a good feeling, and I won't do it again! When they are scheduled to leave, They Leave!!!!!!

[Chase101]

We had a person on our cruise last month organize The Cozumel Bar Hop Tour. We had 36 people from our ship and had a blast! They were very conscious of the time & were careful to make sure we got back with plenty of time to even get in a little shopping! It was a fun time for all!:D It was so beautiful on the other side of the island.

Barbara

[hasekmpp]

We will snorkel,tequila factory and lunch.

[Host Faith]

We have done the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour four times, and plan to go for the fifth next November. Great way to see the "wild" east side of the island.

 

There is a thread on the Cozumel port board (where this thread will probably be moved to) with lots of info on hiring a driver for the day.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=545681

 

This thread has been going since 2007 so it's rather long - you might want to start reading more toward the end.

 

We went with Toursplaza (the guide listed in the thread above) last year and had an awesome time. So much so hat we're booked with them again for our cruise next month. Check out my Liberty review, in my signature. I have details and photos of our day in Cozumel.

[mnolan770]

We always go to Mr. Sanchos. They aren't thru the ship, but fairly close to the port. It's around $55 a person for an all inclusive day. All the mexican food you can eat, from a buffet or menu (or both). All the drinks are included too. There's a swim up bar, the beautiful ocean, things for the kids to do and so much more. Check them out on trip advisor.

 

Just did this for the first time. Agree. Highly recommend this if you are just looking for a nice day at the beach. We were there with 5 ships in port and there were only about 20 people on the all-inclusive side. (You can go ala carte if you want. But it doesn't make sense. The food and drink prices are pretty high.)

[OCruisers]

We especially enjoy going to Passion Island. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[bighairtexan]

As a many times over FoHo (Former hopper) another vote for the cozumelbarhop.com ESPECIALLy when there are a zillion ships in port and you want to get the heck out of Dodge.

 

Another good option is a day pass to Nachi Cocom. A reasonable (like $55) all inclusive day w/ beach, pools, food and drink. They limit the passes they sell so it's never over-run when those same ZILLION ships are in port.

 

Lastly if you just want to play it by ear, and want a QUIET beach day, I'd take the taxi to Playa Palancar. It's not all inclusive but has a great restaurant, reasonably priced, and you park yourself at the beach and they wait on you. Great food and service. Because it's the last stop on the taxi route (so $20 for up to 4 or 5 ppl. instead of $15,) it's never overcrowded. And it's right on Palancar reef so you can pay a small fee to have a boat take you for a quickie ride to the reef if you don't want to snorkel from the shore (not that much to see if you snorkel from the beach).

[cruzn fun]

On our last trip to Cozumel we organized a group from our cruise to do the Cozumel Bar Hop. The other side of the island is beautiful, the staff is wonderful. Taking our friends next year. Can't wait. Cheers

[jty1220]

As a many times over FoHo (Former hopper) another vote for the cozumelbarhop.com ESPECIALLy when there are a zillion ships in port and you want to get the heck out of Dodge.

 

Another good option is a day pass to Nachi Cocom. A reasonable (like $55) all inclusive day w/ beach, pools, food and drink. They limit the passes they sell so it's never over-run when those same ZILLION ships are in port.

 

Lastly if you just want to play it by ear, and want a QUIET beach day, I'd take the taxi to Playa Palancar. It's not all inclusive but has a great restaurant, reasonably priced, and you park yourself at the beach and they wait on you. Great food and service. Because it's the last stop on the taxi route (so $20 for up to 4 or 5 ppl. instead of $15,) it's never overcrowded. And it's right on Palancar reef so you can pay a small fee to have a boat take you for a quickie ride to the reef if you don't want to snorkel from the shore (not that much to see if you snorkel from the beach).

 

That sounds great. We are looking for something low key. Is there only one restaurant at playa palancar?

 

Thanks

[skittl1321]

Our day in Cozumel we took a taxi to Money Bar on our own. My rule of thumb is if the attraction is less than a 2 hour drive from port, do it on my own. This means basically all of Cozumel.

 

We were just in cozumel for a week of scuba diving and multiple days we had a late start to wait for cruisers- they all got back to the ship with plenty of time. The operation was Scuba with Alison, and was fabulous.

[LenSanFirstCruise]

I have a question about Mr Sanchos.......If we book the AI at Mr Sanchos, I have read that the cabanas are "first come first serve". If we are lucky enough to get a cabana, is it ours for the entire day? When we leave it to go swimming or eat lunch, is it "up for grabs" for someone else to grab it? What about if we book the Romance pkg which includes the cabana, do the same rules apply? Is the cabana ours for the day even of we leave it to do an excursion, eat or swim? If anyone has had any experience with the Mr Sanchos cabanas please let us know.....Thanks

[2tsquared]

Has anyone ever used an independent tour guide. If so, who and did you like or dislike.

 

Based upon recommendations on TripAdvisor, we booked with Crescencio Lopez Tun while in Cozumel during our New Year's cruise. He met us right outside the pier (in his "Black Hat") and showed us to a squeaky clean, air conditioned van that can easily accommodate 8 or 9 adults. He also carries a cooler with cold water for everyone.

 

We toured the island for about 3 hours. Unfortunately, the day was not "typical" of the normally warm temperatures in the Caribbean. We were faced with chilly weather, rain and LOTS of wind. Cozumel had been receiving heavy rain from the northern Polar Vortex and many of the sites we would have visited were too wet to enjoy. Crescencio kept apologizing for the weather and really did his best to help us enjoy our short time in Cozumel.

 

Cres is an engaging personality who possesses a true desire to provide tours of "his" Cozumel. I have no hesitation in recommending him as a tour guide to others. We had booked as a private party of 2 adults. And, unlike so many other tour providers, Cres does not add additional people to "your tour."

 

He does not require a deposit. Or, in his words, "I trust you to be there just as I hope you trust me to be there, too".

 

Hope this provides the information you are seeking.

 

tt :)