Anyone heard of "Passion Island"?

[lgbteacher]

We are going to go via land- boat. Carrie says they have made repairs to the road and it is alot better.

Ken, When are you going? Hopefully before June 14. I would love to hear about the things they have added. We booked with Carrie this weekend and can't wait to get there. We are taking the Twister Boat hoping we have more time on the island.

[kenf333]

Ken, When are you going? Hopefully before June 14. I would love to hear about the things they have added. We booked with Carrie this weekend and can't wait to get there. We are taking the Twister Boat hoping we have more time on the island.

 

I fly in on the 12th and going to passion on the 13th, if I survive the day I will post a review that night or Saturday morning.

[caribbean crazy]

Ken,

 

How long does the land-boat commute take to Passion Island? It sounds like a nice place, but I know I won't be able to handle The Twister - sea-sickness for me....

 

Thanks!

[kenf333]

Ken,

 

How long does the land-boat commute take to Passion Island? It sounds like a nice place, but I know I won't be able to handle The Twister - sea-sickness for me....

 

Thanks!

 

She claims its now only 20-25 minutes from the downtown pier.

[jimpop]

We are going to go via land- boat. Carrie says they have made repairs to the road and it is alot better.

Was just there 4-23...the road is still quite bumpy for the last few miles...on the bus, it takes about 45 minutes to get to the island including the boat trip and it was quite rough on the road...they were grading an area of the road but their standards for a good road is much different than here...I grew up on a farm and dealt with country dirt roads for the first part of my life and I rarely had to travel a bumpy road like this one...Not to take away anything from the Island, we had a GREAT day there...we just vegged out under a palapa and ate guac and drank some passion island specials and enjoyed the great view of the ocean...Jimmy I attached a couple of photos that show the view from the beach....:)

[caribbean crazy]

Thanks - We are also thinking about Nochi Cocum (probably misspelled that) or maybe Paradise Beach. So many beaches so little time....

[zuzu320]

Was just there 4-23...the road is still quite bumpy for the last few miles...on the bus, it takes about 45 minutes to get to the island including the boat trip and it was quite rough on the road...they were grading an area of the road but their standards for a good road is much different than here...I grew up on a farm and dealt with country dirt roads for the first part of my life and I rarely had to travel a bumpy road like this one...Not to take away anything from the Island, we had a GREAT day there...we just vegged out under a palapa and ate guac and drank some passion island specials and enjoyed the great view of the ocean...Jimmy I attached a couple of photos that show the view from the beach....:)

 

:) You must have booked this through the ship. If you had booked this independently it would have taken 20 minutes max from the downtown pier or 30 minutes max from the international pier. When you book through the ship you have to wait for all the guests. When you book independently, like I did, you go by taxi or van. You don't wait on other guests. As far as the road being bumpy, I guess it is better in a taxi than the bus. I didn't think it was all that bad. Even if it was a bumpy ride it is worth it to get to Passion Island. As your picture shows, it's beautiful there. My DH and I loved it!

[CaribbeanKim]

Was just there 4-23...

 

...we just vegged out under a palapa and ate guac and drank some passion island specials and enjoyed the great view of the ocean...Jimmy I attached a couple of photos that show the view from the beach....:)

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Hi Jim,

I'm going there in a month on "The Twister Tour". I have a question about the open bar that you may be able to answer for me. Does the open bar serve alcoholic drinks such as pina coladas, rum punches, whiskies, etc. - or just sodas? If there's a "Cash Bar"...about how much are the drinks?

 

The beach looks absolutely gorgeous there...do you have any more pics? ;)

[mom2girls]

I'm going to be going on the Twister tour next month as well. I'm posting so I can keep up to date with this thread. :)

[crisrn2003]

We were at Passion Island around 4/18/08 and just loved it. I booked thru the website with Carrie and was extremely pleased with her correspondence. She was quick and answered all my questions.

We had been there in 2001 and enjoyed our trip then. Things have changed, mostly for the better, since then. When we got off the ship, we were looking for someone carrying a sign but did not see anyone. When we saw the Twister excursion sign, we asked there and were told to wait a few minutes. It was a very short time until we were taken to a taxi van. She discussed with us when we would like to return and then relayed that information to the driver who did return for us that afternoon.

The ride was a bit bumpy, but we were all excited and talking and looking around and really didn't pay alot of attention to it. My mom is prone to motion sickness and did fine with it.

Upon reaching the dock, our little group of 6 was assisted into a small-ish boat and ferried over to Passion Island. There was water spraying a bit and my 8 yr old dgtr loved putting her hand into it. We did not get life jackets but we didn't ask either. I'd grown up on a fishing boat and wasn't terribly concerned. The whole commute was probably about 30 minutes, but I wasn't looking at my watch much either.

Upon reaching the island, someone walked over to greet us at the dock and escort us farther into the island. He showed us a map of the island, explained the layout and welcomed us.

There are shopping huts, which I did not go into. There was someone set up closer to the dining area with a table only. He asked us a few times to buy his things, but he wasn't terribly pushy.

There was a massage hut available, but I did not want to be warm and sweaty with sunscreen and someone rubbing me. Other people took advantage of it though and seemed to enjoy.

We are a picky bunch of eaters. We did enjoy the chicken they had prepared, chips and salsa, fresh fruit including pineapple (so much different when it's fresh) and watermelon, fish, and cookies. They provide small cups for drinks. Perhaps having a larger cup of our own would have been helpful as we kept going back for refills (sodas only for me and kids and my father, alcoholic beverages for mom and hubby.)

The paddleboats were included in the price as was the volleyball, water trampoline, food mentioned above, drinks (although they did have a cash bar for the more "high end" liquors), the motorized vehicles for kids which are more like those bought for little kids and didn't work so well for my 8 yr old.

There were two Segways available to rent in 15 minutes spans of time. My family had always wanted to try these and for $8, we felt it was worth it. My 8 yr old, 14 yr old, and all adults enjoyed trying them. We explored for a bit, though there were restrictions on how far you could go.

There were not many people there on our day. We left at 1:15, as prearranged and there was a boat arriving when we got to the dock. We had to wait about 5 minutes for our cab but didn't find it a big deal.

Our driver let us off in town where we'd asked him without any problems.

My father swears he never wanted to leave and has already said he wants to return next April when we all go back. This was his paradise. We will be spending a bit longer next time. We came back early for a specific shopping trip.

We had a great experience. Hope you find this helpful!

[CaribbeanKim]

crisrn2003~

Thank you for the wonderful review! I think you have probably answered just about any question I could think of...except : are pina coladas available at the open bar or do you have to use the cash bar to get a frozen concoction? My DH will be okay drinking beer while we are there, but also loves CC & water. ;)

[crisrn2003]

Kim, sorry. Don't know about the drinks. Asked hubby and he thought they did frozen drinks at the open bar but didn't know for sure. I'm sure Carrie would be more than happy to tell you.

When I mentioned in my previous post there was a limitation on exploring, that was only when you were on the Segway. I wanted to make sure I mentioned that. There wasn't anything said about exploring by foot.

We didn't see the kids face painting, but there werent many kids there.

There was a photographer there taking photos for the Island, but I did not see her carrying any of them or where we would have purchased them. I would have liked to looked at them and possibly bought them, but didn't think about it until it was time to leave, and then it was too late to pursue it.

I did not get to the bathrooms (I have a huge bladder, lol), but my husband did. He said the mens room had hand painted porcelin sinks and tile on the floors and tile/stucco on the walls. There was a gentleman there each time he went in who was cleaning. He said it was amazingly clean. My son said there was a seperate set of walls which served as a changing area. He also advised there was a shower available there too.

I asked him if there was anything I missed telling. He just said "it was beautifiul....they just do such a great job there."

Just a side note, apparently they were heavily damaged by a hurricane. You can see this only in that the trees are young and shorter than older trees would be. The area looked much the same as when we were there in 2001 except now they've added the "extras." Before it was the hammocks, some palapas, the dining area, and of course the magnificent beach. It was wonderful then, now it's just been enhanced with more offerings and activites for those who want to be a bit busier.

[CaribbeanKim]

crisrn2003~

Thank you so much for your review and the answers you've provided. I think that Passion Island is the one port that I am looking forward to the most! I know I'm going to love Belize and Roatan...but I've always wanted to do "The Twister"!! I talk to Carrie several times a week, and she has recently sent me some fabulous photos of the beach. I have them on my desktop now so I can dream about it til I get there! ;)

[mom2girls]

Oh, I can't wait! It sounds like heaven!

[poobears]

Hi we just booked a cruise tonight. We will have one stop and that will be in Cozumel. I don't really see anything on the ship excursions I want to do but always wanted to go to Paradise beach and check it out.

 

The twister sounds like a cool way to get there (thank you sea bands LOL), we're in port from 8am-5pm. How soon would you return to ensure being back on time? Also I noticed you said you have to have 10 people for the twister. Does that mean if 10 people don't book thru them we can't do it since there are only 2 of us?

 

I'm a confused newbie :)

[kenf333]

Hi we just booked a cruise tonight. We will have one stop and that will be in Cozumel. I don't really see anything on the ship excursions I want to do but always wanted to go to Paradise beach and check it out.

 

The twister sounds like a cool way to get there (thank you sea bands LOL), we're in port from 8am-5pm. How soon would you return to ensure being back on time? Also I noticed you said you have to have 10 people for the twister. Does that mean if 10 people don't book thru them we can't do it since there are only 2 of us?

 

I'm a confused newbie :)

 

Some where in this thread I read that you dont have to have 10 people to do the twister anymore. Maybe Kim or someone that has booked it can clarify this.

[mom2girls]

Hi we just booked a cruise tonight. We will have one stop and that will be in Cozumel. I don't really see anything on the ship excursions I want to do but always wanted to go to Paradise beach and check it out.

 

The twister sounds like a cool way to get there (thank you sea bands LOL), we're in port from 8am-5pm. How soon would you return to ensure being back on time? Also I noticed you said you have to have 10 people for the twister. Does that mean if 10 people don't book thru them we can't do it since there are only 2 of us?

 

I'm a confused newbie :)

 

I have booked this excursion. There are only 2 in our group. So, I'm pretty sure you'll be fine. Also, the beach the Twister goes to is Passion Island not Paradise Beach. I'm thinking that Passion Island won't be as crowded as Paradise Beach. But, you can get to Paradise Beach by taxi.

[poobears]

Thanks for the info. Sorry Passion Island is what I was thinking of not sure why I put down paradise beach. It was past my bedtime LOL

 

I'm going to contact her and get it scheduled. Sounds like a lot of fun.

[CaribbeanKim]

Some where in this thread I read that you dont have to have 10 people to do the twister anymore. Maybe Kim or someone that has booked it can clarify this.

*********************************************************

poobears~

At the time that I booked this tour through http://www.*****, it was only available for a group of 10-20 passengers and is an AI (all inclusive) package. Carnival was in the process of re-negotiating their contract with the island's owner, and the ship's still offer this tour on an individual basis (however, the tour through the ship is NOT all inclusive).

 

You could try contacting Carrie at tourcozumel(at)hotmail(dot)com and see if you can book through her...it's possible she has a group scheduled for that date that she can include you with. (Tell her that CaribbeanKim sent you) If not, log on to your reservations on the Carnival site and go to the section for planning your excursions. You can book the Twister from there.

 

mom2girls is correct...this tour goes to Passion Island, and should be a LOT less crowded than Paradise Beach. You can watch a couple of good video clips on YouTube by typing in "Passion Island, Cozumel" in the search box.I have discovered that YouTube is a really great tool when you are trying to decide which tour to take - it really helps to see other people's videos instead of just printed ads or websites. :)

 

mom2girls~

Did you book through Carrie, or did you go through the ship? You are going the week after I am!! I'll try to leave some spirits, sun and sand for you... ;)

[mom2girls]

I booked through Carrie! She's wonderful. If you have any questions she'll answer them ery quickly! Caribbean Kim: Yes, please leave some spirits, sun, and sand for me! LOL!

[poobears]

*********************************************************

poobears~

At the time that I booked this tour through http://www.*****, it was only available for a group of 10-20 passengers and is an AI (all inclusive) package. Carnival was in the process of re-negotiating their contract with the island's owner, and the ship's still offer this tour on an individual basis (however, the tour through the ship is NOT all inclusive).

 

You could try contacting Carrie at tourcozumel(at)hotmail(dot)com and see if you can book through her...it's possible she has a group scheduled for that date that she can include you with. (Tell her that CaribbeanKim sent you) If not, log on to your reservations on the Carnival site and go to the section for planning your excursions. You can book the Twister from there.

 

mom2girls is correct...this tour goes to Passion Island, and should be a LOT less crowded than Paradise Beach. You can watch a couple of good video clips on YouTube by typing in "Passion Island, Cozumel" in the search box.I have discovered that YouTube is a really great tool when you are trying to decide which tour to take - it really helps to see other people's videos instead of just printed ads or websites. :)

 

 

I did contact Carrie (who is awesome BTW) she said they no longer require a minimum of 10 people, that the website just hasnt' been updated yet. She was very helpful and I already have it booked and prepaid. We are all set.

 

In case anyone is wondering she did say if the weather was too bad to take the boat you would have the option of taking a cab or getting a refund. Which was one of my concerns.

 

Thank y'all for your help getting our first cruise planned. :D

[CarribbeanTina271]

Went to Passion Island back in March, The Island itself is beautiful and the folks on the island were very nice and were very helpful, showing around the island and whatnot..

The Food was very good and like others have said the guat was the best!! We had several servings of that alone with some chips, LOL

I am glad to hear that all the kinks are now worked and and it doesn't take near as long to get there, That is great news...

Hope everyone enjoys their trip!!

Tina

[kenf333]

I did contact Carrie (who is awesome BTW) she said they no longer require a minimum of 10 people, that the website just hasnt' been updated yet.

 

Yeah i knew I seen that somewhere.

[Al's_gal]

Carrie just emailed me today to share a picture of Passion Island. So excited to go there in five weeks!!!

 

In case anyone was still wondering, the drinks included in the open bar are: Tequila sunrise, Rum Punch, Margarita, Sex on the Beach, Passion Punch, Beer, Purified Water and Ice, and Soft Drinks.

[mom2girls]

Carrie just emailed me today to share a picture of Passion Island. So excited to go there in five weeks!!!

 

In case anyone was still wondering' date=' the drinks included in the open bar are: Tequila sunrise, Rum Punch, Margarita, Sex on the Beach, Passion Punch, Beer, Purified Water and Ice, and Soft Drinks.[/quote']

 

Since we're going the same day, I wonder why I didn't get the e-mail with the picture. <pout> Anyway, thanks for posting the drinks. They sound good to me.