So what was your favorite Cozumel excursion?

[Flafun888]

Cozumel Bar Hop was a blast! What I didn't know when I booked...you will go to 4 amazing beaches. Wear swim suit & bring snorkel gear & 2 towels (one to dry off and one for your seat on the van if you are not dry before the next hop) if you wish to go into the ocean or snorkel. First stop has nice pool and fish pedi for a fee. Last stop has the best coconut shrimp I have ever had. Awesome adult tour. The van is new & clean with very good air conditioning. Your gear/beach bag/purse are safe left on the van. Tour guide is a sweetheart and speaks good english and spanish. Your first shot at each bar is free. You pay for all other food and drink.

 

Anyone do the bar hop and actually snorkel at any of the stops? If so, was there one that offered really nice snorkeling - better than what you'd see off the beach at other Coz spots? I heard the time is about 40 min at each bar, so wasn't planning on wearing/bringing swim or snorkel stuff and dealing with drying off and multiple towels each time. But if there was a spot that was particularly nice, that might definitely be worth it. :D

[Eliot Ness]

Tucan Sailing Adventure:

 

http://www.cozumelsailing.com/tucan.html

 

This is our all-time favorite excursion of all the ports we've been to. We've done it twice so far and will do it again if our time in port allows it.

 

2nd favorite in Cozumel is the Bar Hop bus; a great way to see the east side of the island. We've done that once and are scheduled again next month:

 

http://cozumelbarhop.com/

Edited January 18, 2017 by Eliot Ness

[no1volman]

We spent the day at Chankanaab Park and swam with the sea lions. Then we went scuba diving (my first time) with the dolphins and it was an absolutely incredible experience and one I will treasure forever.

 

 

 

How did you enjoy swimming with sea lions? I can't seem to find much detail about it.

 

 

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[Snooksi]

How did you enjoy swimming with sea lions? I can't seem to find much detail about it.

 

 

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If you combine it with something else, I think you'll be happy. If you just sign up for swimming with the sea lions, you will probably be disappointed. You don't actually swim with the sea lions. You basically just stand there while she talks about them and then everyone takes turns taking pictures with them...one with a hoop, one where he kisses you and one with him doing something else. There isn't any interaction other than taking the picture with the sea lion. We combined it with scuba diving with the dolphin and that was absolutely incredible and I would highly recommend. Chankanaab Park was a fun day and it's a beautiful facility/beach/bars/food. Anything you choose, allows you to spend the day at the park and see the free sea lion show (that was fun). Don't waste your money, though, if you are just signing up to swim with the sea lion only. It's a bit deceiving and you don't really swim with them. I would recommend combining that with something else. The pictures did turn out really cool but you have to buy them from the facility.

 

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

[TinkBellaMom]

Has anyone done the 3 reef snorkel in Cozumel Through RCCL?

 

Yes! We loved it. At some point they will send divers down with you and they take underwater photos. They take a zodiac back to shore and prepare the pictures. Very reasonably priced. The staff of the boat were very kind and informative to those who had never snorkels before. Scenery was beautiful.

[melnemac32]

If you combine it with something else, I think you'll be happy. If you just sign up for swimming with the sea lions, you will probably be disappointed. You don't actually swim with the sea lions. You basically just stand there while she talks about them and then everyone takes turns taking pictures with them...one with a hoop, one where he kisses you and one with him doing something else. There isn't any interaction other than taking the picture with the sea lion. We combined it with scuba diving with the dolphin and that was absolutely incredible and I would highly recommend. Chankanaab Park was a fun day and it's a beautiful facility/beach/bars/food. Anything you choose, allows you to spend the day at the park and see the free sea lion show (that was fun). Don't waste your money, though, if you are just signing up to swim with the sea lion only. It's a bit deceiving and you don't really swim with them. I would recommend combining that with something else. The pictures did turn out really cool but you have to buy them from the facility.

 

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

 

 

How about swimming with the mantee? Am I correct in thinking that if you pay the $59 to do that experience that your admission into the park is included?

[Snooksi]

How about swimming with the mantee? Am I correct in thinking that if you pay the $59 to do that experience that your admission into the park is included?

 

Yes, your admission into the park is included. I haven't swam with a manatee yet but we are doing that on our May cruise along with swimming with the dolphins (again, since that's what my grandson and kids want to do) and it also includes free lunch and drinks. We got a super deal on the excursion through the cruise line, which was great because I usually book all of my excursions with local vendors.

 

It's a beautiful park. Hope you enjoy!!

[Kfoot]

Salsa, Salsa and Margarita excursion with Carnival. Unlimited Margarita was served at the venue while they teach you how to make 3 different authentic salsa. For those that don't drink alcohol, they had non alcoholic Margarita

[OUgal]

Paradise Beach. Been there 5 or 6 times now and always good.

 

Is Paradise Beach crowded?

 

 

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[JohninDC]

Paradise Beach club is HUGE - you can always find space/shade there. Great facilities, good food, drinks and service, nice beach & HUGE pool. $3 admission - if you are not interested in all-inclusive clubs it is great option for a PAYG beach club.

[poncho1973]

How about swimming with the mantee? Am I correct in thinking that if you pay the $59 to do that experience that your admission into the park is included?

 

We "swam" with the manatee. The reason for the quotes was that you aren't actually allowed to leave the underwater walking platform. You are about 3' deep in the water. The manatee swim up to you and you watch the trainers feed them. You can pet them and maybe hand them some lettuce (we weren't allowed to, but our dolphin trainer said that some people are allowed to) but you don't actually do any swimming with them.

[Cuizer2]

We "swam" with the manatee. The reason for the quotes was that you aren't actually allowed to leave the underwater walking platform. You are about 3' deep in the water. The manatee swim up to you and you watch the trainers feed them. You can pet them and maybe hand them some lettuce (we weren't allowed to, but our dolphin trainer said that some people are allowed to) but you don't actually do any swimming with them.

 

That is not true. I've done this three times and I have been able to swim with the manatees each time. I don't think you signed up for the swim with the manatees, but rather some other program which gave you a chance to visit with the manatees ...

 

 

[jayjoker2175]

We did the Discover Scuba as an excursion off Carnival. We loved it, you get a brief safety class from the instructor, he goes over everything you need to know, we put on gear, walked into water from beach, done a few tests to make sure everyone was comfortable and off we went up to 30' below surface, we got to see a lot of sea life while breathing underwater!!! it was way cool. The company that provided the excursion was Sand Dollar Sports in Cozumel. Would highly recommend. I used a GoPro while doing this dive and put together a video that can be seen here:

[jayjoker2175]

We did the Discover Scuba as an excursion off Carnival. We loved it, you get a brief safety class from the instructor, he goes over everything you need to know, we put on gear, walked into water from beach, done a few tests to make sure everyone was comfortable and off we went up to 30' below surface, we got to see a lot of sea life while breathing underwater!!! it was way cool. The company that provided the excursion was Sand Dollar Sports in Cozumel. Would highly recommend. I used a GoPro while doing this dive and put together a video that can be seen here:

[poncho1973]

That is not true. I've done this three times and I have been able to swim with the manatees each time. I don't think you signed up for the swim with the manatees, but rather some other program which gave you a chance to visit with the manatees ...

 

 

 

We thought we signed up for the dolphin & manatee swim.

 

I have gone back and looked up Royal's excursions and some of them say "manatee swim" and some say "manatee interaction" and we must have gotten the second option. So we either got less than we paid for or got something other than we intended. The dolphin part was awesome. We just thought the manatee part was a bit lame.

[MANDMTRAVEL]

Did you book this online or at the Island?

[Cuizer2]

Did you book this online or at the Island?

 

Who are you asking?

[sailawaybellaluna]

Any fans of Money Bar here? I'm planning to go on Saturday during my cruise, but I noticed no one mentioned it in 5 pages...:confused: Perhaps because it's not a proper excursion offered by the cruise line?

 

Anyway, would love your feedback! We're not huge drinkers, so the AI clubs don't really appeal to me. And we really were wanting to snorkel!

 

Otherwise, I'm finding lots of great suggestions in this thread! Thank you!

[davela2]

We chartered a private plane to Chichen Itza. Was an amazing experience

 

 

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[Snooksi]

We thought we signed up for the dolphin & manatee swim.

 

I have gone back and looked up Royal's excursions and some of them say "manatee swim" and some say "manatee interaction" and we must have gotten the second option. So we either got less than we paid for or got something other than we intended. The dolphin part was awesome. We just thought the manatee part was a bit lame.

 

I just went to Royal's site and looked it up too. It does say interact with the manatee. That's fine with us and my grandson just wants to swim with dolphins...the manatee interaction was just an added bonus. I do hope we get to feed the manatee some lettuce though, because that would be neat. It sounds like the "sea lion swim" my kids and I did last time. We didn't actually swim with the sea lion and only stood in the water while it interacted with the trainer. Then we did have pictures with the sea lion and were able to pet him but we didn't actually swim with him.

 

I will bet if you only order the manatee swim or only order the sea lion swim without the dolphin swim included then it's an actual swim. We probably only get to interact with the manatee and sea lion if it's included with the dolphin swim. That's fine as long as the dolphin part is the actual swim, which it has to be considering Royal's description and what you stated previously.

 

Last time we were there, we also went scuba diving (private tour not through the ship) with the dolphin and that was an absolutely incredible experience and one I will treasure forever. I would have loved to have done that again in May, but you have to be 16 and my grandson is only 14. :(

[MANDMTRAVEL]

We took the non-RCL open Jeep tour and loved it!

As long as someone in your party can drive a stick, you are good to go.

 

Here is their Trip Advisor link:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d6609285-Reviews-Cozumel_Jeep_And_Snorkel_Tour-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

 

Read some reviews so you can see all that you get in this 5-6 hour tour.

One personal suggestion: skip the mid island ruins tour. It's not worth it. Spend that time at the beautiful beaches on the east side of the island.

 

How you book this tour? Online or when you got there?

[Cuizer2]

I just went to Royal's site and looked it up too. It does say interact with the manatee. That's fine with us and my grandson just wants to swim with dolphins...the manatee interaction was just an added bonus. I do hope we get to feed the manatee some lettuce though, because that would be neat. It sounds like the "sea lion swim" my kids and I did last time. We didn't actually swim with the sea lion and only stood in the water while it interacted with the trainer. Then we did have pictures with the sea lion and were able to pet him but we didn't actually swim with him.

 

I will bet if you only order the manatee swim or only order the sea lion swim without the dolphin swim included then it's an actual swim. We probably only get to interact with the manatee and sea lion if it's included with the dolphin swim. That's fine as long as the dolphin part is the actual swim, which it has to be considering Royal's description and what you stated previously.

 

Last time we were there, we also went scuba diving (private tour not through the ship) with the dolphin and that was an absolutely incredible experience and one I will treasure forever. I would have loved to have done that again in May, but you have to be 16 and my grandson is only 14. :(

 

I did the sea lion swim back in 2004. I stood in the water while the trainer had the sea lion do some tricks. I got to hold the sea lion once and got a kiss with the sea lion once. This was not an "add on", I actually paid separately to swim with the sea lion. The dolphin swim and manatee swim provides much more interaction with the animal than the sea lion swim does.

[poncho1973]

I just went to Royal's site and looked it up too. It does say interact with the manatee. That's fine with us and my grandson just wants to swim with dolphins...the manatee interaction was just an added bonus. I do hope we get to feed the manatee some lettuce though, because that would be neat. It sounds like the "sea lion swim" my kids and I did last time. We didn't actually swim with the sea lion and only stood in the water while it interacted with the trainer. Then we did have pictures with the sea lion and were able to pet him but we didn't actually swim with him.

 

I will bet if you only order the manatee swim or only order the sea lion swim without the dolphin swim included then it's an actual swim. We probably only get to interact with the manatee and sea lion if it's included with the dolphin swim. That's fine as long as the dolphin part is the actual swim, which it has to be considering Royal's description and what you stated previously.

 

Last time we were there, we also went scuba diving (private tour not through the ship) with the dolphin and that was an absolutely incredible experience and one I will treasure forever. I would have loved to have done that again in May, but you have to be 16 and my grandson is only 14. :(

 

So it seems like you have to pay attention if someone has specific wants.

 

The dolphin swim was actually fully involved. We did multiple tricks, swims, and the like. It was awesome.

 

The manatee interaction was a bit boring, but I wouldn't count it out. Like you said, it was a bonus.

 

For us, the sea lion thing was a show and a photo op. You could shake their flippers and get nuzzled.

[2BCruising]

Here's a vote for Money Bar! We had a fantastic time there. The snorkeling right off the beach (sort of speaking) was great. There's a short wall that separates the beach area from the water. There are two entrances into the water with stone-like steps. It can be quite slippery to walk in the water and there are hand rails to hold onto.

 

Once we were in the water, the fish were right there. Hubby and I easily spent two hours in the water. During our time in the water, we saw a few snorkel excursion boats drop anchor. We already knew we were in a great snorkeling area and had a better time on our own adventure.

 

I have posted many snorkeling pictures on my blog along with a picture of the taxi rates and locations.

 

 

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[chefmb]

I'm looking for some specific information about Chankanaab. Trying to decide whether to just take a taxi and pay to get into the park or go thru a private excursion company which includes entrance, beach chairs (but I think everyone can use all beach chairs), snorkeling equipment, and buffet lunch. Can anyone tell me the separate costs for snorkeling and lunch buffet? I can't find that information anywhere. Thanks!