Guests of Sunscape, Secrets & Residencias Reef

[BRT]

All this makes me just want to skip Cozumel all together. The only people loosing out are the tourists. Both the dive operators and the resort are just putting them in the middle... And from what i can see it is all because the dive ops don't want to go through the effort of getting passes for their customers. Anyone staying at Secrets is not going too worry about $2 being added to their dive bill.

Apparently you have not read the thread.

 

[RhodeDiver]

Apparently you have not read the thread.

I have read the thread. Just because someone says they don't want the tourists to pay this doesn't mean they mean that. The very first post she was complaining how she had to spend 4 hours getting the passes. I am bet if it was a quick process then her tune would be different.

I have spent over 2 hours of my time the past week just gathering the correct information needed to purchase vouchers and then another 2 hours actually purchasing them for my divers today. It's a ridiculous process.

 

[ReefHound]

No one will be servicing the 2 hotels (Secrets and Sunscape) - we are 100% united in this effort - but the RR HOA has made arrangements with Paradise beach for Reef Residencias guests ONLY so RR guests will not be affected, you'll just have to walk a tad bit further. Hotel guests iwill NOT be permitted to use the Paradise pier.

The ONLY way we will have an impact is to boycott the pier.

You're doing a great job rallying the troops and leading the charge but watch your step. You're surely upsetting some people and we don't want to see you suddenly have manufactured "tax issues" or "permit issues" with your business.

 

[kelemvor]

All this makes me just want to skip Cozumel all together. The only people loosing out are the tourists. Both the dive operators and the resort are just putting them in the middle... And from what i can see it is all because the dive ops don't want to go through the effort of getting passes for their customers. Anyone staying at Secrets is not going too worry about $2 being added to their dive bill.

You can still stay at the all inclusive resort and use the resort's dive operation. In fact, I have to wonder how many people stay at an AI and choose to treat it as a regular hotel instead of as an AI by going with a third party for parts of their trip. Personally, if I do an AI I want it to include everything. Unless there was some super compelling reason to do otherwise, I want to stay, eat, drink, and dive with the resort. Ideally I wouldn't have to leave the resort grounds for anything unless I decided to go see the rest of the island. If I'm treating it as a hotel, then I would not stay at an AI because I wouldn't want to pay AI prices.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I bet most people staying at these places share my opinion and therefore won't be affected one way or another.

Like you said, even if you wanted to go with a third party - $2/day is so insignificant to the total cost of a dive trip in Coz that it probably doesn't matter at all. In that way, it's a lot like the "Marine Park" fee.

All that really needs to happen here is the resorts need to streamline their processes for selling pier "tickets" to operations wishing to make use of their pier. Maybe they could sell a roll of tickets to each op to use each year, or they could consider charging the op a flat rate to access the pier for a given period of time. If the goal of the resort is to eliminate third party dive operations, they should just ban third parties outright unless there is a law against that in Mexico.

 

[ReefHound]

I have read the thread. Just because someone says they don't want the tourists to pay this doesn't mean they mean that. The very first post she was complaining how she had to spend 4 hours getting the passes. I am bet if it was a quick process then her tune would be different.

You think that's a reasonable effort to get pier access passes? Note it's not a one-time process. And if it sticks, other resorts may follow suit. But you're likely right that if it was a simple matter of guests being charged a few bucks per day to their room then the dive ops wouldn't care. I think they already said that. However, that's not how it works as of now and the reason it's being brought to the divers is that the dive ops are not going to jump through those hoops so the guests are not going to have an option of just paying a few bucks more.

 

[ReefHound]

Personally, if I do an AI I want it to include everything. Unless there was some super compelling reason to do otherwise, I want to stay, eat, drink, and dive with the resort. Ideally I wouldn't have to leave the resort grounds for anything unless I decided to go see the rest of the island. If I'm treating it as a hotel, then I would not stay at an AI because I wouldn't want to pay AI prices.

Most people staying at an AI eat and drink at the resort because that is included in the AI price. They are already paying for it so why not use it? Why eat and drink elsewhere and essentially pay twice. But that's not how diving works, at least in Coz. The diving is not a part of the AI price. By diving with an outside op, you are not forgoing a paid amenity and paying again.

 

[mcohen1021]

All this makes me just want to skip Cozumel all together.

Seriously... That's a little extreme... Just don't stay at Secrets - they suck anyways...

 

[kelemvor]

Most people staying at an AI eat and drink at the resort because that is included in the AI price. They are already paying for it so why not use it? Why eat and drink elsewhere and essentially pay twice. But that's not how diving works, at least in Coz. The diving is not a part of the AI price. By diving with an outside op, you are not forgoing a paid amenity and paying again.

That must depend on the resort. When I stayed at Hotel Cozumel, diving was included. I just checked, it's the same. They charge $1154.50ea for 2 people, that includes 7 nights in the room, unlimited food, unlimited drink (booze),5 Days of diving. I guess if the resort didn't include diving, then pricing off-site dive ops might be more attractive.

 

[ReefHound]

That must depend on the resort. When I stayed at Hotel Cozumel, diving was included. I just checked, it's the same. They charge $1154.50ea for 2 people, that includes 7 nights in the room, unlimited food, unlimited drink (booze),5 Days of diving. I guess if the resort didn't include diving, then pricing off-site dive ops might be more attractive.

That's a package put together using Hotel Cozumel and Dive Paradise. And you pay proportionally more for it than booking basic hotel AI that includes room, food, and drink.

If that's how you define "included" then most dive ops are AI as well, as pretty much anyone can arrange a package for you that includes resort, diving, and even rental car. In fact, you could view every vacation as 100% AI provided by your VISA or Mastercard.

 

[Christi]

You're doing a great job rallying the troops and leading the charge but watch your step. You're surely upsetting some people and we don't want to see you suddenly have manufactured "tax issues" or "permit issues" with your business.

I am not doing this alone