Anything to do in Cozumel besides Paradise Beach?

[MerryC]

Hey pharmerjenn! I was wondering where ya were, having put you down in my daytimer and all! Just wanted to mention that you were my 500th cruise critic mention in my daytimer and we had a HUGE celebration planned for you. Free food, drink, jet skis, parasail, banana boat and then we were gonna give you your own YACHT so you could come down and visit anytime you wanted!! Well, maybe next time! Glad you had a great vacation!!

 

(oh, forgot to mention that beach-side condo...) ;)

See my response (#24)to you that I evidently didn't hit the right key to respond.

[Cozumel_Tom]

MerryC...15 of you...thanx for the heads-up! You are in the daytimer, see ya soon!

[Denise&Paul STL]

Tom, please put me and my friend Ree down for a couple of your special drinks. We will be there on January 31, 2005. Looking forward to it -- Thanks!

 

What is the cost of the cab from the pier?

[CozSally]

From the Puerta Maya or International piers, it's $12 for up to four passengers to Paradise Beach. From Punta Langosta, $13.

[rusw1]

My friend and I did the Hideaway Beach Powerboats excursion through Carnival and it was a blast! You get to drive a powerboat (two to a boat, and the guides give you a quick tutorial) for about 40 minutes around to the other side of the island to a really nice and secluded beach. You stay at the beach for about an hour and half, there's beach volleyball, and buffet lunch plus the only people on the beach are those in your group. Then, you speed back in the boats for another 40 minutes. Speeding in the boat is the best part!

[austinmama]

I started going to Cozumel back in 1981 to go diving when I was 16, and have been back about 10 times. Boy, has it changed! But some places still have the old flavor, and I do like the changes to Chancanaab.

 

We now have the same routine every time we get there: Rent a car or jeep and head to Chancanaab before the crowds and excursions arrive. Stake out some nice beach loungers, rent snorkel and fins, and snorkel till we're worn out. Don't forget to dive down and touch the statue of Mary for good luck! Then take a right out of the park and drive around the tip of the island and around to the beautiful, wild side. Pass up all the gaudy beach spots and stop at Playa Bonita a little dive with cold beers, yummy nachos and burgers, and a friendly staff. It's never been crowded when we've been there, and the beach is beautiful (but don't try to swim, the currents are too strong!). Then drive on the road across the island that comes out in the town of San Miguel. There's a place on the plaza that serves wonderful coconut ice cream drizzeled with Kahlua! Consider doing a little shopping, but parking can be a hassle and we usually end up getting back on the ship early, for a dip in the pool when it's not crowded.

 

Most ports we like to book excursions but not Cozumel, since it's so easy to get around, and we like to just "hang out" when we're there. It's funny -- when we used to go in the 80s there were almost no ruins, just a few small piles of stone in the middle of the island... I can't help but wonder if some of them have been manufactured for tourism. But who cares as long as you're having fun!

[Carey on Cozumel]

Paradise Beach IS very pretty. And the food is good. But of course there are are other places to go as well. Just depends on what you want to do.

 

Since you're going to be on the island so long you could consider a private island tour with your own bilingual taxi driver. Or I'd go for this great sailing trip that heads up north with small groups to your own private beach. Use a search engine like www.msn.com or www.yahoo.com and search for the word "Cozumel". There are 6 or 7 comprehensive websites devoted to Cozumel travel in general and much of the information is also appropriate for cruiseship passengers. Some sites also have message boards where you can ask questions also.

[roddee]

Tom,

On our cruise in May 'us girls' visited PB while the guys went fishing. What a glorious day we had. The beach was beautiful, and without the crowds of Chankanab. (the food was great too! not to mention having a waiter serve you instead of waiting in line......) Now, my husband and I will be returning at the end of the month and we plan to spend the day there again. I mentioned what a great place it was, and since he didn't get to go last trip, he is looking forward to this relaxing day at the beach. Anxiously awaiting my lounge chair and umbrella,

Dee

[amamba]

Hi Tom!!! Can you put me down on these lists for March 2? I'll be there with my bf Tim and we are really looking forward to it!

 

Thanks!

Amanda

[karenh1127]

Tom...... Do you know anything about the Pirate Lobster Dinner Ship? It is a Carnival excursion but I was wondering if it can be booked from someone independent of Carnival?

[Cruisebride2005]

Its amazing that when you start a thread about something other than Paradise Beach on this board that people still post on the subject:-)

[jblair]

There will be a large group of us coming off the Mariner of the Seas on February 4th. I am a bit confused (which is quite typical of me) about why we need to get on your list? Please shed some light on this please! There will be 21 of us.

 

I offered on another thread to bring you Twizzlers but haven't heard back from you. I can't imagine how many threads you have to respond to. Anyway, the offer is still good! Solita wants instant pudding. Ha!

 

Do you recommend renting a car? I guess if we get full coverage, why not? I would still like to know what you think.

 

We can't wait to meet you! Hey, how much are the wave runners and is the water 'typically' relatively calm?

 

Many thanks!

 

Joanie

[uncleelbie]

On your recommendation posted earlier in this thread my buddy and I have decided to rent a car and circle the island. Do you recommend we reserve the car before we leave on our vacation?

 

Also -- not sure what this list thingee is (like the previous poster) and am wondering who we need to be to get on it, what it means to be on the list, and finally...

 

as we tour the island in our rental car do you recommend we hit PB first or last?

 

Thanks! Look forward to meeting you! JR & Barry

[Cozumel_Tom]

roddee...Hey Dee, thanx for the compliments, we´ll see you soon!

 

amamba...you´re my first entry for March 2nd...see you on Spring Break!

 

karenh...I checked some other sources on the web for ya but one company (Olympus tours) has gone under and the other ones offer it at either 69 or 70 dollars. Seeing as this is only 5-6 bucks cheaper than Carnival, it´s probably worth booking thru your ship rather than risk something going wrong with an independent company. Now if it was 10 bucks less....!

 

Cruisebride...ya gotta keep it out of the title I guess... :)

 

jblair...sorry, I´ve been super busy over the holidays. You don´t need to be on any list to enter PB or to receive a cocktail in a hollowed-out pineapple. It´s just a joke that evolved over the last few months where people asked if PB served "pineapple drinks" and I responded that yes, when the pineapple boat had delivered sufficient quantities. Then folks started to "reserve" pineapples for their drinks, and thats how "the list" was born! You can just ask the waiter for a pineapple drink...we won´t ever (hopefully) run out of pineapples, so we really don´t need a pineapple reservation list! If you´ve got some time on your hands, read the previous pages going back a few months and see how it all evolved. Hope that helped!

 

Thanx for the offer of twizzlers, but I´ve still got loads...Chunky Soup on the other hand.... ;)

I´d recommend renting a car if you´re going to visit more than 2 places on the island, and if you have a designated driver. If you´re only going to visit one or two spots, it isn´t worth the aggro...take a cab!

The guys next door rent the jet-skis at $55USD/30 min. The water on this side is almost always calm, unless we have a Norther (cold front, Norte) blowing through which does happen in winter...keep your fingers crossed :) ! See ya soon!

 

jstockberger...that´s a tricky one. I´ve heard and read many conflicting experiences with car rental here in Coz. Some people reserve, and that reservation is not honoured. Some reserve and get a better price than renting it on the spot. I´ve heard the opposite as well. Maybe other readers can chip in with their experiences or search this forum for past posts on this subject. Whatever you do, GET INSURANCE! The rules are different here. You can easily get tossed in jail if you get in a crash and don´t have insurance.

I hope your pineapple question was answered above.

Logistically speaking, you should hit us 1st as we´re only about a 10 min. drive from your cruise ship pier (unless you´re docking downtown). From PB, you can continue on to the other side of the island where there are various beach bars to check out. Don´t miss Coconuts for a killer view and of course check out Cuco´s (one of the owners) family photo albums! He also has an iguana hanging out on the bar for more photo ops!

Hasta la vista guys!

[jblair]

Thanks for the reply! I could try and smuggle a couple cans of Chunky Soup for you without my DH knowing about it! Ha! What is your soup of choice?

 

The only other question I have for you is about trying to find out if there is a freshwater pool next door to you at that San Francisco place and if we can use it.

 

Thanks so much!

[Cozumel_Tom]

Surprise me on the soup! I answered you on another thread ´bout the pool, but I guess as long as you bought something there they would let you use it. They just changed management a few days ago so maybe they haven´t had time to develop a hate for us like the previous one! Thanx again!

[jblair]

I will smuggle a few small cans of the chunky soup for you. I can't imagine wanting soup when is hot out, but if you say so. I am going to bring some instant pudding for Solita and if you don't mind, I will leave it with you and she can retrieve it whenever she can.

 

I'll be creative on the types of soup and.......................put us on the list for about 15 pineapples on 2/4/05. That pineapple drink is calling my name...............Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooooanie!!

 

Hey, can you try and cool it with your neighbors until after 2/4/05 when we will be asking them to use their pool? lol After that, let her rip!

[Cozumel_Tom]

Thanx for the soup! I wait till a cold front blows in and the temp dips into the 60´s...that´s cold for us!!

I have you in my daytimer, and I´ll try to be as neighbourly as possible for ya!

[gailc]

We will be in Cozumel on the Radiance of the Seas on March 25, 2005. Where is Carlo's n Charlies? We've been to Cozumel 1 time. We have been to Carlo's n Charlies many times in Aruba.

 

We do not do any water activities or go to the beach so I have been reading this topic looking for ideas. It sounds like it's safe to do an independent tour. Am I right?

 

Gail

[sj25]

roddee...Hey Dee, thanx for the compliments, we´ll see you soon!

 

amamba...you´re my first entry for March 2nd...see you on Spring Break!

 

karenh...I checked some other sources on the web for ya but one company (Olympus tours) has gone under and the other ones offer it at either 69 or 70 dollars. Seeing as this is only 5-6 bucks cheaper than Carnival, it´s probably worth booking thru your ship rather than risk something going wrong with an independent company. Now if it was 10 bucks less....!

 

Cruisebride...ya gotta keep it out of the title I guess... :)

 

jblair...sorry, I´ve been super busy over the holidays. You don´t need to be on any list to enter PB or to receive a cocktail in a hollowed-out pineapple. It´s just a joke that evolved over the last few months where people asked if PB served "pineapple drinks" and I responded that yes, when the pineapple boat had delivered sufficient quantities. Then folks started to "reserve" pineapples for their drinks, and thats how "the list" was born! You can just ask the waiter for a pineapple drink...we won´t ever (hopefully) run out of pineapples, so we really don´t need a pineapple reservation list! If you´ve got some time on your hands, read the previous pages going back a few months and see how it all evolved. Hope that helped!

 

Thanx for the offer of twizzlers, but I´ve still got loads...Chunky Soup on the other hand.... ;)

I´d recommend renting a car if you´re going to visit more than 2 places on the island, and if you have a designated driver. If you´re only going to visit one or two spots, it isn´t worth the aggro...take a cab!

The guys next door rent the jet-skis at $55USD/30 min. The water on this side is almost always calm, unless we have a Norther (cold front, Norte) blowing through which does happen in winter...keep your fingers crossed :) ! See ya soon!

 

jstockberger...that´s a tricky one. I´ve heard and read many conflicting experiences with car rental here in Coz. Some people reserve, and that reservation is not honoured. Some reserve and get a better price than renting it on the spot. I´ve heard the opposite as well. Maybe other readers can chip in with their experiences or search this forum for past posts on this subject. Whatever you do, GET INSURANCE! The rules are different here. You can easily get tossed in jail if you get in a crash and don´t have insurance.

I hope your pineapple question was answered above.

Logistically speaking, you should hit us 1st as we´re only about a 10 min. drive from your cruise ship pier (unless you´re docking downtown). From PB, you can continue on to the other side of the island where there are various beach bars to check out. Don´t miss Coconuts for a killer view and of course check out Cuco´s (one of the owners) family photo albums! He also has an iguana hanging out on the bar for more photo ops!

Hasta la vista guys!

 

Ok Tom we just got our ports changed and we will be there Oct. 27 hubby's birthday!

I wanted to know you said about the jet-skis at $55USD/30 min can one or two people ride them and do they charge $55 per peson or what

I have read so reviews about this beach and looking forward to be there.

[CozSally]

GailC: Independent tours are just fine in Cozumel. It's one of the safest places you'll ever have the good fortune to travel to.

 

Julie: The jetskis are $55 per hour, not per person. and two people can ride.

[jblair]

CosSally, from everything I read the jet skis are $55 for each HALF an hour. I like your information better, are you a local?

 

Thanks!

[CozSally]

I am a local and contrary to popular belief, I'm NOT perfect! Big mistake. It's $55 per HALF hour, you're right. Sorrrrrrry.

[jblair]

Hey, no big deal! That really would have been a great deal, but it's vacation, no worries!

[TXRoo]

Well, we are headed to Cozumel on the 9th of February. I can't wait! I have heard so many nice things about the island and Carey's website was especially informative!

 

We plan on renting a vehicle and going to Cozumel mini-golf, Paradise Beach (the hubby wants to rent a Hobie Cat) and then just driving around the island and taking in the sights, especially San Gervasio. We will probably have dinner at La Veranda(h?) and then go back to the ship.

 

Does this sound doable to those who live there?

 

Thanks!

TXRoo