Iberostar Cozumel dock fees!!!!!

[Mike]

Hmm.. $50 a month isn't much?

Multiply it times 15 piers and it's a lot of money.

 

[billindenver]

Yeah, it's one diver's tanks for a week and in comparison to what it cost to build that pier or maintain it....it's a drop in the bucket.

 

[pidgiepoo]

^^^ Spit on hands...hoist a black flag....and slit throats????? Egads I feel for those three "wanna-be" security guards on the IB dock.

 

[old gaffer]

No matter how you slice it in the end the cost will be passed along to the consumer that is just the way it works. Does not matter what business you are in and it can be masked in many ways but it will be passed along to the consumer. What is in question is who is going to have to be the one to do it. If the Iberostar were to hike their rates then the non-diver would be paying for something they are not using (though they would probably never know) but of course that is no different than the guy who does not drink alcoholic beverages is subsidizing the guy that does during there stays. If you like the resort and you are willing to pay what they charge for your vacation its all good. On the other hand if the Iberostar passes along the cost to the dive ops picking up there than ultimately they will raise there rates to make up for the increased cost of doing business.

My selfish fear is that all resorts will follow suit and eventually diving in Cozumel is going to become much more expensive (think the Caymans).

But make no mistake the cost will be passed along in some form to the consumer.

Gaffer

PS. (Thanks billindenver for responding to my pm!)

 

[billindenver]

No matter how you slice it in the end the cost will be passed along to the consumer that is just the way it works. Does not matter what business you are in and it can be masked in many ways but it will be passed along to the consumer. What is in question is who is going to have to be the one to do it. If the Iberostar were to hike their rates then the non-diver would be paying for something they are not using (though they would probably never know) but of course that is no different than the guy who does not drink alcoholic beverages is subsidizing the guy that does during there stays. If you like the resort and you are willing to pay what they charge for your vacation its all good. On the other hand if the Iberostar passes along the cost to the dive ops picking up there than ultimately they will raise there rates to make up for the increased cost of doing business.

My selfish fear is that all resorts will follow suit and eventually diving in Cozumel is going to become much more expensive (think the Caymans).

But make no mistake the cost will be passed along in some form to the consumer.

Gaffer

PS. (Thanks billindenver for responding to my pm!)

I agree. The consumer ultimately pays for everything they get and that is only fair. I've never expected that any of the dive ops just eat this charge...the client will always pay for it either in a per day fee for being picked up at that pier or a bump in dive pricing. The strange thing is that one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) of the well recommended (in here) dive ops is Dive with Martin and they are the first to take it as business, inform their client and move on. I have no doubt that other all inclusives will follow this dock fee route, but then others started charging dock fees some time ago and it took Iberostar a while to make the change. Eventually though, most will probably charge, but again....most of the masses dive with the onsite operation anyway so it only affects the few of us (like those on this board) who are particular about who we dive with. Most of us will not throw too big of a fit over an extra $20 a week to be picked up at our pier. The option is always there to stay in town and walk to the dive op pier or meet them at the marina. What will likely happen is the dive ops will charge the divers $3 a day to be picked up at that resort pier. Two divers for a week will cover the monthly charge and every diver after that is more profit for the dive ops. Nothing wrong with that.

No problem on the PM. Enjoy your trip and give us all a long report with pics when you return....or better yet, each day while you are there! Remember the pictures! Some of us are staring out the window at snow that has been on the ground since 2008....or so it seems anyway. This winter has been unbelievably cold, I can't remember what warm Colorado feels like....damn global warming.

 

[cvchief]

Is there plenty of free parking at the Caleta? Thinking about staying somewhere outside the 'pick up' zone.

 

[judydivescoz]

Cozumel has one of the largest dive op populations in the Caribbean. Just about any place I have been diving other than Cozumel, the hotel was a dive resort and thats who you dove with. That was the expectation when you booked the trip. Cozumel traditionally has offered almost endless variety with who you can dive with staying at almost any given resort. There are many great small company's that run only one boat that can be put out of business if resorts decide to charge a pier fee. It may sound like a small amount of money to some of you but $50. x a few resorts will greatly affect the operations of the small operators on the island. I would hate Cozumel to become a destination where only the big dive operators can survive.

 

[CozumelAntonio]

It may sound like a small amount of money to some of you but $50. x a few resorts will greatly affect the operations of the small operators on the island.

It certainly does add up Judy, and soon becomes a huge chunk:

2 divers at PR x 6 days= $24
5 divers at Wynd x 5 days=$75
2 divers at IB x 3 days=$50

and on and on turns into 1000's in a year, why should we raise our rates to EVERYONE to pay the dock fees of a few divers?? I don't think it's fair...

I would hate Cozumel to become a destination where only the big dive operators can survive.

I'm afraid one day it may be, we are seeing already what a corporate sized operator AW did at the Palace, they are able to fund many perks and economic incentives to lure the hotel into replacing the much smaller (and much better) operator, and forget that they have 15+ years in service at that location, big companies don't care about the human factor, only the bottom line, one day many will realize that savage capitalism is very harmful...

"We charge a fee because we own the pier and because we can" as I said before, economic rules and laws are what they are, but it doesn't mean it's right...

 

[MMM]

Is there plenty of free parking at the Caleta?

Yes indeed.

 

[Mike]

Yeah, it's one diver's tanks for a week and in comparison to what it cost to build that pier or maintain it....it's a drop in the bucket.

Shouldn't you be comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges instead of oranges to apples?

You're saying that the dollar amount is a drop in the bucket. To whom?

Sure the income of one divers weeks diving is a drop in the bucket to a small dive op, just like pier maintenance is a drop in the bucket to a resort company with $100 million dollars in income.

Let's keep the comparisons relevant. Cozumel's dive ops are almost exclusively made up of small mom and pop ops who aren't getting rich.

I think we are way off the track if anybody thinks this is about paying for pier maintenance. I think it's pretty clear what the motivations are.