Punta Sur Eco Jeep and Snorkel Tour with RCCL

[Tinkrbell]

Just got back from the Voyager. We took this excursion in Cozumel and I wanted to tell anyone interested that it was not at all how it was described. They took us to a horrible spot off of Beach Rd to snorkel. There was hardly anything to see here -- absolutely no reef and very few fish. :(:( We stayed there for 1 1/2 hours. Then we finally went to Punta Sur. We spent another hour looking at foul smelling crocodiles :eek: that were laying in the water, not even moving. We also saw a very small ruin. Very hot. No shade at all. When we finally got to the Punta Sur lighthouse. We had 30 MINUTES :mad::mad: to eat lunch, climb 133 stairs to the top of the lighthouse and back down, walk around the beach, visit the navigation musuem and shop in a few tents there. It was very pretty at the Punta Sur lighthouse area, however there was no way you could do anything in only 30 minutes! The drive in the jeeps to and from took one hour total. The tour was nothing as described in the RCCL explorations guide. Beware!!

[nanby]

I was on the Punta Sur Eco Tour during my Carnival Cruise and really enjoyed it. Although, everything you described was accurate, it all can be a matter of perspective. Our tour guide was fabulous. He had this friendly, welcoming personality and treated us like we were favored guests in his country and he wanted us to have a good time.

 

The tour guide explained that the snorkeling was changed because the seas were rough in the other location. Although the site was not spectacular, we enjoyed the snorkeling. At Punta Sur, our guide, riled up the crocodiles so they put on quite a show for us. He dangled his fanny pouch to the croc to get it to snap at it, and before you know it, that croc had it in its mouth clamped shut. These all happened in a second and I don't think he meant for the croc to take his fanny pouch. The ruin, was quite small, as you mentioned and was not worth taking this tour if this is what you wanted to see. At the lighthouse, my two daughter enjoyed climibing the lighthouse, while I just enjoyed the beautiful unspoiled scenery.

 

I think part of the reason we enjoyed this tour so much was that we hated our tour in Grand Caymans (Botswain Beach). There are many glowing recommendation of Botswain Beach on the Grand Cayman boards but we didn't like it at all. I think the moral to these two tales is that the tours can be different than what the brochures describe and expectations can play a role in you enjoyment.

 

That evening when we compared notes with our dinner mates, we felt ours was the more successful excursion. They did the ruins of Tulum and had to wait on a ferry for 45 minutes for another ship to arrive to fill up the tour. Consequently they had little time for shopping in Cozumel and didn't seem to enjoy their tour.

[Tinkrbell]

I felt as though the guides always told everyone that the seas were rough at Punta Sur and they had to change snorkeling locations. Once you get to Punta Sur anyone can see that the seas are always rough here and snorkeling would be impossible. I felt as though we were deceived from the start about the expectations from this tour. They never intended to take us snorkeling at Punta Sur. It was only a lure to get people to take the tour.