Texasdiver2
Registered
Cozumel Trip Report
My wife and I have been diving for 14 years and have been to Cozumel a few times. My 16 year old grandson has been diving for two years and has never dove in the ocean. The three of us headed down to Cozumel for a long weekend in June 2015 to remedy that!
I found a $2400 package deal thru FunJet that departed DFW on a Thursday afternoon and returned on Monday afternoon. The package included airfare for 3 on Sun Country Air, a room at the all inclusive Cozumel Palace, and $750 USD in resort credits.
The airplane was a bit on the older side but was immaculate. The flight attendants were pleasant and we arrived in CZM on time about 2 ½ hours after we departed DFW. We claimed out checked luggage. As part of a FunJet package, we were allowed one free checked bag each. We proceeded through immigration and customs without any delay. I actually got the green light on the Stop/Go device that Mexican Customs uses to decide if you will be randomly searched. Green light meant that all of us could walk on through! We quickly bought tickets on the van that is the only transportation service from the airport into town (unless you hire a private car/limo). The van was very full but it is a short ride and we were the second stop.
The Cozumel Palace is about one mile south of the square in San Miguel. This was our first stay at the CP. I have not had a lot of experience with all inclusive hotels but I have read very lukewarm reviews of some all inclusives. We were very pleased with all aspects of the CP. The Hotel is waterfront, no beach except the patch of sand that they haul in. But they have ladders and entry points into the ocean for swimming and shore diving. There are very nice pools. The dining choices were varied. Breakfast was an elaborate buffet that was very good. Often buffets are mediocre and the food is not hot. This buffet was different with many choices, both healthy and not so healthy! Lunch was also a buffet and was equally good. At lunch, I believe you could also get a meal outside close to the pool. I never pursued this option so cant speak to the quality. At dinner, the buffet became an Italian restaurant. The food and service were very good. There were two other restaurants for dinner, one with a Mexican menu and one with an Asian menu. We ate at each one on different nights and both were very good and the service was always top notch. One could also eat outside at a buffet set up close to the pool. Our room was very nice and had plenty of room for the three of us. It had two queen size beds, a sitting area, a balcony with a hammock, and a mini-bar that was included, no extra charge. Finally, the staff was wonderful. Very friendly and very helpful, to a person!
The package included, as I mentioned, $750 USD in resort credits. This can be used for certain activities that the CP will book for you, or you can use the credit in their in-house spa, or they can be used for diving if you dive with the house dive op, Aqua Safari. We chose to spend our credits on diving. When you use the credits, you are responsible for a 16% tax/service charge that must be paid for in cash, meaning you cant pay it with resort credits. The hotel was very up front about this and mentioned it more than once so it was not a surprise. The three of us did a two tank dive on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The $750 resort credit covered all of that and I had about $35 left in resort credit. The tax/service charge on the dives was about $115 which was placed on my hotel bill. Naturally, the tips to the dive masters was in addition to this and was given in cash each day.
Normally my wife and I would seek out a dive op with fast boats, a minimum number of divers and a dive your computer philosophy. But with our grandson about to experience his first blue water dives, as well as deeper dives than he has experienced, we were very happy with AquaSafaris services. They have a couple of large boats. They take about 12 divers on the boat. They offered fruit and bottled water. The boat is comfortable but not fast. Took about 1 ¼ hour to get to the dive sites. The crew were friendly and worked hard to show us marine life. Two Dive Masters always went in the water with us, one led and one trailed. The mate was very courteous and helpful getting you in and out of the water. Dives lasted a set number of minutes which was announced in the dive briefing. The staff would ask each day if there were any preferences on places to go or things to see. One diver on the boat lost his Go-Pro camera just as he was coming back on-board and the two dive masters went down and searched about 10-15 minutes and retrieved it for him! We visited Tormentos, Palancar Bricks, Palancar Gardens, Santa Rosa Wall and two other sites. Water temp was in the 80s and vis was well over 100 feet. My wife and I had a wonderful time and our grandson was thoroughly blown away, both with the diving and the whole experience! There were always options to dive in the afternoon or evening but resort credits cannot be used for those dives, only the morning dives. The dive shop is on the first floor of the CP and is right at the dock. The Shop had rental equipment but not having the need, I did not rent. There were large sinks with fresh water spigots at the dive shop for rinsing your gear. There were also lockers at the shop where gear could be stored overnight. But, wet gear did not dry overnight in the lockers but they served well for fins, weights, and other gear that didnt have to dry. Locks are obtained, not at the dive shop, but at the front desk. If you choose to not dive with Aqua Safari, I saw a number of boats stop at the CP dock and pick up divers and it did not appear to be an issue.
We were very pleased with the entire operation at Cozumel Palace / Aqua Safari. We would return in a heartbeat!
My wife and I have been diving for 14 years and have been to Cozumel a few times. My 16 year old grandson has been diving for two years and has never dove in the ocean. The three of us headed down to Cozumel for a long weekend in June 2015 to remedy that!
I found a $2400 package deal thru FunJet that departed DFW on a Thursday afternoon and returned on Monday afternoon. The package included airfare for 3 on Sun Country Air, a room at the all inclusive Cozumel Palace, and $750 USD in resort credits.
The airplane was a bit on the older side but was immaculate. The flight attendants were pleasant and we arrived in CZM on time about 2 ½ hours after we departed DFW. We claimed out checked luggage. As part of a FunJet package, we were allowed one free checked bag each. We proceeded through immigration and customs without any delay. I actually got the green light on the Stop/Go device that Mexican Customs uses to decide if you will be randomly searched. Green light meant that all of us could walk on through! We quickly bought tickets on the van that is the only transportation service from the airport into town (unless you hire a private car/limo). The van was very full but it is a short ride and we were the second stop.
The Cozumel Palace is about one mile south of the square in San Miguel. This was our first stay at the CP. I have not had a lot of experience with all inclusive hotels but I have read very lukewarm reviews of some all inclusives. We were very pleased with all aspects of the CP. The Hotel is waterfront, no beach except the patch of sand that they haul in. But they have ladders and entry points into the ocean for swimming and shore diving. There are very nice pools. The dining choices were varied. Breakfast was an elaborate buffet that was very good. Often buffets are mediocre and the food is not hot. This buffet was different with many choices, both healthy and not so healthy! Lunch was also a buffet and was equally good. At lunch, I believe you could also get a meal outside close to the pool. I never pursued this option so cant speak to the quality. At dinner, the buffet became an Italian restaurant. The food and service were very good. There were two other restaurants for dinner, one with a Mexican menu and one with an Asian menu. We ate at each one on different nights and both were very good and the service was always top notch. One could also eat outside at a buffet set up close to the pool. Our room was very nice and had plenty of room for the three of us. It had two queen size beds, a sitting area, a balcony with a hammock, and a mini-bar that was included, no extra charge. Finally, the staff was wonderful. Very friendly and very helpful, to a person!
The package included, as I mentioned, $750 USD in resort credits. This can be used for certain activities that the CP will book for you, or you can use the credit in their in-house spa, or they can be used for diving if you dive with the house dive op, Aqua Safari. We chose to spend our credits on diving. When you use the credits, you are responsible for a 16% tax/service charge that must be paid for in cash, meaning you cant pay it with resort credits. The hotel was very up front about this and mentioned it more than once so it was not a surprise. The three of us did a two tank dive on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The $750 resort credit covered all of that and I had about $35 left in resort credit. The tax/service charge on the dives was about $115 which was placed on my hotel bill. Naturally, the tips to the dive masters was in addition to this and was given in cash each day.
Normally my wife and I would seek out a dive op with fast boats, a minimum number of divers and a dive your computer philosophy. But with our grandson about to experience his first blue water dives, as well as deeper dives than he has experienced, we were very happy with AquaSafaris services. They have a couple of large boats. They take about 12 divers on the boat. They offered fruit and bottled water. The boat is comfortable but not fast. Took about 1 ¼ hour to get to the dive sites. The crew were friendly and worked hard to show us marine life. Two Dive Masters always went in the water with us, one led and one trailed. The mate was very courteous and helpful getting you in and out of the water. Dives lasted a set number of minutes which was announced in the dive briefing. The staff would ask each day if there were any preferences on places to go or things to see. One diver on the boat lost his Go-Pro camera just as he was coming back on-board and the two dive masters went down and searched about 10-15 minutes and retrieved it for him! We visited Tormentos, Palancar Bricks, Palancar Gardens, Santa Rosa Wall and two other sites. Water temp was in the 80s and vis was well over 100 feet. My wife and I had a wonderful time and our grandson was thoroughly blown away, both with the diving and the whole experience! There were always options to dive in the afternoon or evening but resort credits cannot be used for those dives, only the morning dives. The dive shop is on the first floor of the CP and is right at the dock. The Shop had rental equipment but not having the need, I did not rent. There were large sinks with fresh water spigots at the dive shop for rinsing your gear. There were also lockers at the shop where gear could be stored overnight. But, wet gear did not dry overnight in the lockers but they served well for fins, weights, and other gear that didnt have to dry. Locks are obtained, not at the dive shop, but at the front desk. If you choose to not dive with Aqua Safari, I saw a number of boats stop at the CP dock and pick up divers and it did not appear to be an issue.
We were very pleased with the entire operation at Cozumel Palace / Aqua Safari. We would return in a heartbeat!
