Anyone heard of "Passion Island"?

[ninthof10]

Has anyone been to Rum Point @ GC, if so, how does it compare to Passion Island?

 

We leave Easter Sunday. Any info would be appreciated!

[parrotthead]

Just back from Passion Island!

It is very pretty...think Corona commericals.:cool: There are no palm trees on the island since Wilma and a few buildings have not been rebuilt yet...but the bar and main papala (?) are up and running! There was still some shade because of other trees and small 'shelters' here and there. Also, two cabana type areas with several hammocks. The food was ok...not great just ok...but food is subjective, so others might have thought it was the best ever. The view is fantastic! Teh rum punch and passion punch are good ...very sweet tho...it is a pretty good walk from the beach/bar/main seating area to the restroom/changing room. Sand is white and the water is an amazing color of blue/green! The beach was sorta cluttered...some drink cups, straws, a few snack wrappers, etc...and watch out, there was a large peice of glass that was near the lounger chairs:eek: ..and Im sure there was more..the serve the coronas in glass bottles..so Id say to watch out for that. I'll try to post a picture (if I can figure out how)...sorry have to work on posting pic...cant get it to post...;)

Our 'tour guide', Alex, was wonderful...learned everyones name on the bus ride over there and was very funny.

[parrotthead]

Trying to post Passion Island pic...

[chris sea]

Just back from Passion Island!

It is very pretty...think Corona commericals.:cool: There are no palm trees on the island since Wilma and a few buildings have not been rebuilt yet...but the bar and main papala (?) are up and running! There was still some shade because of other trees and small 'shelters' here and there. Also, two cabana type areas with several hammocks. The food was ok...not great just ok...but food is subjective, so others might have thought it was the best ever. The view is fantastic! Teh rum punch and passion punch are good ...very sweet tho...it is a pretty good walk from the beach/bar/main seating area to the restroom/changing room. Sand is white and the water is an amazing color of blue/green! The beach was sorta cluttered...some drink cups, straws, a few snack wrappers, etc...and watch out, there was a large peice of glass that was near the lounger chairs:eek: ..and Im sure there was more..the serve the coronas in glass bottles..so Id say to watch out for that. I'll try to post a picture (if I can figure out how)...sorry have to work on posting pic...cant get it to post...;)

Our 'tour guide', Alex, was wonderful...learned everyones name on the bus ride over there and was very funny.

 

 

Really enjoyed your pictures. Sounds like it was more crowded when you were there.We were there in February Don't like to hear about glass on the beach.,Hope they clean it up before someone gets hurt.

[parrotthead]

Hi Chris...only saw one piece of glass...just figured there had to be more...all the bottles etc. Actually we were the first group there (about 50 people from our ship) then slowly the other 3 ship groups came in purs (Rci) at 9am...then the last trickling in about 11 I guess. IT didnt seem real crowded, but my guess is there were probably 150-200 (if you average 50 per ship)...didnt seem too bad, but it was very nice for the hour or hour and a half that our group was the only ones there...:cool:

[Cherlynn]

Am I assuming correctly that there isn't any reason to take our snorkeling gear on our Passion Island excursion? I've read all the threads I can find on this excursion and didn't see anyone mention snorkeling. Sounds like we maybe should have signed up for Paradise Beach instead. But our main reason for this cruise is to relax and maybe Passion Island will be better for just sitting back and having a drink or two. My only concern is if there is shade. The RCL website made it sound like they had those big beds on the beach. I burn at the drop of a hat and I'm alittle worried.

[caribbean dreams]

There is no snorkeling on Passion Island, it is just a sandy beach, there is lots of shade, palm trees, huts, the only place there is sun is right on the beach.

[richtersl]

There's definitely no snorkeling there. It's a nice beach and from what I can remember, it was also very clean. The rest rooms were the cleanest I had ever seen at any beach.

 

Here are a few pictures (pre-Hurricane Wilma):

 

 

There's some natural shade:

 

 

 

 

They also had a number of these palapas where you could sit and protect yourself from the sun:

 

 

I also burn at the drop of a hat and did fine there. It is a nice beach to just chill out and relax.

[Cherlynn]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I made the right choise after all. I feel much better now:) .

[Studly YP]

Awesome! If you are looking for a relaxing time then this is the place for you! There were four ships in port and only 70 or so people were on the island! Almost like it was our own slice of paradise!

 

We had awesome guides in Isaac and "Mike Tyson" who made the day great! Once we got there (30 minutes bus ride and 15 minute boat ride) and took a pic we were set free. The island had numerous hammocks, tables with chairs, and lounge chairs to relax on. The nice breeze we had made it amazing!

 

The water is clear blue! We took snorkle gear and ventured out. We were out about 100 yards and could still touch bottom. We saw a couple of fish and picked out several shells but that is about it. It was still great fun!

 

Lunch was great! We had Chicken, Fish, Rice, homemade salsa and guacamole (sp), tortilla chips, and vegetables. Excellent!

 

They have a few tent shops but I didn't go to them.

 

They day went so fast! Too fast! When we got back we still had an hour or so to shop before the last tender.

 

I would do it all over again in a heart beat!

[sunryz710]

That sounds great! What time did you get back?

[Studly YP]

We were back at the pier by around 4:00 pm or so.

[txwildflower2002]

What time did you leave the shp? Was this booked independant (with who?) or through the ship (which one?)? Thx!

[sunryz710]

I actually just looked at the times for The Triumph excursion and it looks like we will be back by 2pm.. the time is 9am to 2pm.

 

Can you tell me if the bottom of the ocean was rocky or sandy?

Was there any floating mats? Were the chairs ok?

 

The food, was it buffet style or can you order anything you wanted?

Was the food good? Can you ahve as many chipps and guacamole as you wanted?

 

How were the drinks? Were they good and was barservice fast.. were you able to get what you wanted?

 

I really appreciate you help.. I may opt to go this route instead of Paradise beach..

 

Thanks,

Dawn

[birdergal]

Thanks for the great review! I'm headed there in about 2 1/2 weeks. My daughter (age 23 - first cruise) wanted to do a beach excursion and it sounds like I picked a good one. Now I just pray that it doesn't rain!

[Studly YP]

Txwildflower2002- I think we left the ship around 10am. We booked through Royal Caribbean directly. It is a private island that only those on a cruise ship can use. I believe you will have to book directly with your cruise line.

 

Sunryz710- Bottem was sandy. No floating mats. Chairs were nice. Food was buffet style. Yes it was good and you could have as much as you wanted. They only offered water, soda, Corona, and rum punch. Unlimited drinks are included in the cost of the excursion. No bar servers walked around. They have one bar hut that you have to walk to but it is within 50 yards of everything. With only 70 people on the island it was pretty fast.

[birdergal]

They only offered water, soda, Corona, and rum punch. Unlimited drinks are included in the cost of the excursion.

 

According to the description put out by RCI for this excursion, drinks also include margaritas and and various mixed drinks. Did you find this not to be true?

[nick0danger]

We had mixed drinks and margaritas when we went. Love that place so nice.

[Studly YP]

Since I don't drink I was going off of what I heard and saw around me. Can't help much more than that.

[HarleyGirl]

Is booking through Carnival the only way to get to Passion Island or can you book through local tour companies? I will sail in November and noticed that while Passion Island is initially listed on their excursions page, once you try to book it, it is no longer listed. I called carnival and they told me that the reason it was not there was that they have not secured a contract with the tour operators for that far ahead yet and to check back later in the year. I know it is a popular tour and would like to go ahead and schedule it so that we don't miss out. Plus, booking with a local company would probably be a lot cheaper. If anyone knows of a good reputable local company providing trips to Passion Island, please post it on here!

[solita]

Sorry, the cruiseline is the only way to get there. But don´t worry about missing out...the tour never sells out.

[HarleyGirl]

Now I just have to hope that Carnival renews the contract they were referring to and will have the excursion to Passion Island when I go on my cruise.

[bishop35]

I am also interested in Passion Island. I found this web page http://www.playamayanews.com/article167.html. It doesn't say anything about booking it through the cruise line. It gives some contact information at the bottom of the page with a company called Island Adventures. I wonder if you could book Passion Island through them and save some money over the cruise line price?

[Calicruisefamily]

We are going in Dec and also want to book Passion Island. I would love to see a review from someone that has gone there or goes there in the next few months:rolleyes:

Voyager 12/16/06

Voyager 11/26/05

S.S. Azure Seas 11/90

[Calicruisefamily]

I am also interested in Passion Island. I found this web page http://www.playamayanews.com/article167.html. It doesn't say anything about booking it through the cruise line. It gives some contact information at the bottom of the page with a company called Island Adventures. I wonder if you could book Passion Island through them and save some money over the cruise line price?

 

 

Thanks for the Link to the review that sounds great.:)