First Cozumel Trip - Suggestions/Tips Welcome

[agilulfo]

Unfortunately, there won't be any fights with insurance companies after the fact. If you have an accident in Mexico, settlement is arranged either on-the-spot or at the police station before either party is allowed to go anywhere other than to the hospital. And 9 times out of 10, the tourist is held responsible for an accident on police reports.

Ok. How about buying liability insurance but declining full coverage and use the credit card coverage for that? Would that work?

I'm always glad that I take the suit I expect to use and the next heavier one just in case. Suits don't weight that much and make great padding for luggage. You shouldn't need the 7 even for the cenotes unless you're very cold natured, but you will probly need more than in the channel.

That solves the problem then, since I only have 3mm and 7mm. It seems like what donnad did (renting a shortie) is the way to go for me.

The odds are certainly in your favor, but then trip insurance is cheap - at least with Travel Safe. I do have other reasons I always do it for international trips as described in the link below, but I have seen my group scramble for escape flights with a Cat-5 approaching. Half of them did not do the trip insurance and paid severely to leave.

I've read your thread regarding the hurricane. That must have been a traumatic experience. As you probably figured out by now, I am not really fond of insurance companies. Can you tell me what the insurance company did during that event?

if you stayed the last night in PDC, you could probly get an early start on the tour, arrange to leave your bags at the hotel

That's a good idea. I guess we can decide once we are there as we can always cancel the last night at our hotel if we decide to do what you suggested.

My primary reasons for taking it on all international trips are focused more on medical expenses and payment guarantees - no one ever expects or plans a problem but they happen

Does the insurance cover medical expenses related to diving accidents? We both have DAN but I've heard that sometimes it's hard to get chambers to accept it without paying in advance.

Since the hurricane situation has been fairly obvious by the end of Oct. in most years, I wouldn't say that trip insurance is a necessity in this case

That's what I was thinking.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok. How about buying liability insurance but declining full coverage and use the credit card coverage for that? Would that work?

Nope, not a plan I'd encourage. If you want to have an adventure vacation and not cover risks prudently, that's your call, but if you have damages to the rental vehicle only that your local insurance did not cover, you'd probly not be allowed to leave until paid. Do you have the US Consulates phone number? International Travel Information

That solves the problem then, since I only have 3mm and 7mm. It seems like what donnad did (renting a shortie) is the way to go for me.

Yeah a 3 and a 7 long jumpsuits covers a lot of possibilities. Take the 3 probly if you're not especially cold natured, rent a shorty to go over it if needed. I wore a 3 long over a 1 long in the Cenotes but thermal needs of different divers vary.

I've read your thread regarding the hurricane. That must have been a traumatic experience. As you probably figured out by now, I am not really fond of insurance companies. Can you tell me what the insurance company did during that event?

No mine was not bad at all. I had my cell phone on the North America plan with bonus minutes after 9pm, bypassed Mexican numbers and call my airline's US numbers to make my escape reservations, dived one more day before all the boats were pulled out of the water and left. When I got to Cancun airport, the lobby had huge lines of people wanting to get out, some of whom had slept on the floor there the night before, but I just checked my luggage and obtained my boarding pass. I even got to use the empty Elite line, felt like such a snob.

I didn't need the insurance company much. Their 24/7 line would have helped me make reservations but I am pretty resourceful there. They reimbursed me for lost days of non-refundable trip charges plus all extra expenses.

I don't know your age or trip costs. The premiums don't vary much by age, a little, but my example gave you an idea how cheap it is to insure against such. You can price the coverage at Buy Travel Insurance & Compare Travel Insurance Plans | TravelSafe and decide of course. I've made many trips without insurance and was lucky, but it is a prudent idea to consider it at least.

That's a good idea. I guess we can decide once we are there as we can always cancel the last night at our hotel if we decide to do what you suggested.

If you can without penalty, that might work well.

Does the insurance cover medical expenses related to diving accidents? We both have DAN but I've heard that sometimes it's hard to get chambers to accept it without paying in advance.

It does to an extent, it would probly cover your diving just fine and perhaps split any dive injury expenses with DAN, but I don't think you'd have any problem getting DAN coverage accepted. There was a temporary problem with one chain of chamber providers but that was long ago resolved. If DAN needs to advance payments, they will. It's good to have the Mexico number for DAN with you; one traveler did have some problems trying to call DAN from Coz recently but he didn't realize that you need a different number in Mexico. DAN's site also has travel preparation suggestions, but their Trip and Equipment insurance packages are not at all what I'd suggest. Do review their suggestions tho, and note the Mexico phone number. It's rare that I call them, but if I have a question - I do: DAN : DAN Medical Center : Travel Medicine/Preparation

That's what I was thinking.

Like I said, late Oct hurricanes are possible, coverage is cheap, but your call. Honestly, I should have canceled my trip before I left and filed my claims as the warning was in effect, but I was too eager to go.

 

[deborahdelamar]

Re car insurance: Most of the liability is the rentadora's responsibility and is included in the rental price. By "Mexican Insurance" we're talking about any physical damage the driver causes -- including a flat tire due to hitting a pothole -- you can buy 10% (standard) or 0% deductible.

DAN insurance is accepted in Coz. One of the DAN-affiliated chambers, the BMM aka SSS Recompression Chamber, also provides general & internal medical services -- doctors speak English. The other is officially only a chamber but is located within the Clinca San Miguel, which has a large ex-pat clientele.

 

[mitchsea]

This sounds like a very good plan. Did you feel like you had enough time to do both or was it a rush? At what time did you leave/return? Which Cenote site did you dive?

We caught the 8:00 ferry across and a shuttle from "Hidden Worlds" Cenote Park picked us up (no charge!) right at the base of the ferry pier. We stayed at the Cenote Park until approx. 1:30 and then took the Collectivo bus to Tulum. 2 hours was plenty for us, you an get a guided tour or Tulum for a few Pesos but we just did without. Returned to Playa just in time for the 6:00 ferry back to Cozumel.
It was a REALLY full day but we would do it the same way again so as not to lose 2 days on the island.

The website for Hidden Worlds is :
Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park Yucatan Mexico Riviera Maya

 

[diveborg]

any ideas on "fine dining"?

Did you see the third paragraph in this post?

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/3670149-post3.html

 

[agilulfo]

if you have damages to the rental vehicle only that your local insurance did not cover, you'd probly not be allowed to leave until paid.

I am aware of that. The idea is to charge such damages to the card that was used to rent the car, the one that provides the full coverage, and then ask for a refund once in the US. That's what I have been doing for years, including in Bonaire. While I've never had a claim to test this system I've read enough about it to think that it works. A lot of people settled claims with their credit cards without a problem (especially American Express). I've also heard of many people having a hard time settling claims with foreign insurance companies once back in the US given that one must sue such companies in their own countries.

I had my cell phone on the North America plan with bonus minutes after 9pm

Do you mean the plan that most people have or is it a special kind of plan? I thought cell phone companies would charge extra for calls placed while out of the US.

I've made many trips without insurance and was lucky, but it is a prudent idea to consider it at least.

It is, but in the end, it's a matter of cost benefit analysis. If a trip costs $1,000 and the insurance is $50, after 20 trips without problems one has paid the cost of a full trip to the insurance company.

We caught the 8:00 ferry across and a shuttle from "Hidden Worlds" Cenote Park picked us up (no charge!) right at the base of the ferry pier. We stayed at the Cenote Park until approx. 1:30 and then took the Collectivo bus to Tulum. 2 hours was plenty for us, you an get a guided tour or Tulum for a few Pesos but we just did without. Returned to Playa just in time for the 6:00 ferry back to Cozumel.
It was a REALLY full day but we would do it the same way again so as not to lose 2 days on the island.

Thank you so much! I think it is very likely that we will do the same thing.

 

[LittleFish0505]

We have traveled to Cozumel five times and never rented a car. We just aren't comfortable driving in Cozumel. We paid a taxi around 100 USD for the island tour. Juan was our taxi driver. He was great, took us to all the spots, and both my husband and I could have a drink without having to worry about driving. I think the entire tour was 2 hours. We walked everywhere else or just got a taxi.

 

[DandyDon]

I am aware of that. The idea is to charge such damages to the card that was used to rent the car, the one that provides the full coverage, and then ask for a refund once in the US. That's what I have been doing for years, including in Bonaire. While I've never had a claim to test this system I've read enough about it to think that it works. A lot of people settled claims with their credit cards without a problem (especially American Express). I've also heard of many people having a hard time settling claims with foreign insurance companies once back in the US given that one must sue such companies in their own countries.

Yep, as along as you're prepared for that possibility and have enough of a card to do so, I suppose that could work well.

Do you mean the plan that most people have or is it a special kind of plan? I thought cell phone companies would charge extra for calls placed while out of the US.

That would depend on the cell phone company and plan. In the past, I would take mine just to use as an alarm clock in Coz as well as have for Houston layovers, but then I noticed that it rang while I was there trip before last?! :11: I didn't answer as I knew it'd be $1/min but then learned of Alltel's North American plan. For my next trip I changed to it for one month so I could have 400 anytime min, free MtoM, and 1,000 after 9 pm min even there, then changed back to my usual plan at the end of the month's billing cycle - which Alltel allows with no penalty. I really don't use my phone much usually, but try to allow for surprise needs, like that trip. Next trip, wow - 3 weeks from Saturday - it's getting here, I'll have my laptop to process pics shot as always plus my new Skype computer phone plan; I need to learn how that works for calling home on it.

It is, but in the end, it's a matter of cost benefit analysis. If a trip costs $1,000 and the insurance is $50, after 20 trips without problems one has paid the cost of a full trip to the insurance company.

Yep, true - and I've probably had 20 trips or so out of the US with only two small claims. I'm more concerned with the non-accidental medical expense needs well covered by my trip insurance and the other benefits of trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost luggage, etc are really incidental. You may have medical insurance that would reimburse you even there and a large benefit credit card to use if needed, and in the event of a severe enough need that required emergency transport back to the states - DAN's Travel Assist as part of your Dive Insurance could provide that. That part of DAN membership is the only part that covers a member for non-accident, non-diving medical evacuation, and they have to be called to handle the needs at their end, but it is an important benefit. Be sure you have DAN's Mexico phone number; one member recently had a problem trying to call the US number collect from Coz - didn't work.

We wanted to give you complete answers and help you have a good understanding, but it sounds like you got those questionable points covered. Have a good trip. ilot: I guess it's time for me to go over my plans in detail and post them for peer review here, as mine is more complicated: 8 days, 3 different hotels, 3 different operators, 2 cross country drives. 23 days, wow - it's finally getting here.

 

[ggunn]

any ideas on "fine dining"?

Pepe's
That place at the top of El Cantil
La Veranda
La Cocay

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Gordon. I enjoy the good food in Coz, but not into the fine dining - didn't have any suggestions other than the Quarter.