LAST MINUTE coz advice!

[topher]

Leaving for the OC Grand early tomorrow AM

any last-minute advice?

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response


Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?

Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
(town is far away....)

 

[Christi]

Leaving for the OC Grand early tomorrow AM

any last-minute advice?

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response


Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?

Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
(town is far away....)

any last-minute advice?
Relax and enjoy your vacation

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response
For reservations or last minute advice? I really hope you have made reservations for diving with someone, because high season is in full swing and many operators are fully booked.

Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?
If you get them out of the ATM here, you will get the real exchange rate. You'll just pay the standard withdrawal fee that your bank charges plus the 75¢ fee the banks here charge for ATM withdrawals. The current street rate here is 11.18, but the market rate is a little higher, which is what you should get from your bank when withdrawing.

Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
(town is far away....)
Yes, town is far away. All of the resorts in the south are all-inclusive, so unless you buy a daypass to go to the other resorts, you cannot "resort hop." It doesn't work that way.

Have fun and be safe, and don't party too much if you're diving...drinking and diving don't mix...Rx for the bends

 

[Carlos Danger]

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response
For reservations or last minute advice?
Have you tried calling them directly? If you arranged your trip though a travel company (ei: Funjet, etc.), go see their on-site travel rep about booking your diving for you as soon as you check-in. If you can't book with DWM, Dive Palancar is the on-site dive operator.

http://www.divepalancarcozumel.com/home_dp.php​

They have a shop at the other end of the resort near the pier. However, they tend to do large groups and are more expensive. I went with DWM when I stayed at the Grand, and I had no problems booking from the hotel after we arrived.

Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?
Forget about the Pesos! You don't need'em. Just take dollars and some credit cards.


Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
I wouldn't bother with going to any of the other resorts. They'll likely charge you for a daypass. Besides, you'll be at the one that everyone else wants to go to. I'd save your money for going into town.

The Grand is a great resort! Hope you get your diving sorted, and that you have a wonderful time.


Hope this helps

 

[humanFish]

Leaving for the OC Grand early tomorrow AM

any last-minute advice?

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response


Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?

Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
(town is far away....)

I dove with Dive Palancar when I stayed there and they did a good job. You are VERY close to the good spots there.

If you get pesos, get them from an ATM in Cozumel..never use the change booths.

Sure, going into town can be fun a couple times...but if you booked AI then you'll probably want to get your money's worth from the hotel. If you are single, you might not find the night life there too exciting..so you'll end up in town anyway.

As far as last minute advice...make sure you rent a car and drive around the island one day. Head into the little villages, go to the beaches, drink beer....there are lot's of places to stop and nice beaches to relax on. Ask the locals where the good food is, best snorkeling, etc.

You are going to have a great time! Let us know how it was when you get back!

 

[ggunn]

Leaving for the OC Grand early tomorrow AM

any last-minute advice?

I have emailed DWM twice and still no response


Pesos in an airport ATM? Or here in the states?

Anybody stay down by the OC grand and go to the other nearby resorts for drinks, etc.?
(town is far away....)

Just rubbing it in, eh? ;^)

As to pesos, there's no rush; dollars spend just as well on Cozumel. I advise getting a bunch of $1 bills for tips and such to get you to the hotel

 

[5615mike]

Leaving next Wed. for 10 days in Coz.. Go twice a year and never take pesos. I do get some when I get there but certainly no need to take any. They love american folding money!! Have a great time

 

[LandLocked89]

We typically exchange enough USD for pesos at one of the banks on the plaza to pay for gas for the rental car. We've found that there's less of a chance to get taken at the pump if we just use pesos. Other than that, USD usually works great everywhere else.

 

[ggunn]

We typically exchange enough USD for pesos at one of the banks on the plaza to pay for gas for the rental car. We've found that there's less of a chance to get taken at the pump if we just use pesos. Other than that, USD usually works great everywhere else.

A trick that is somewhat common at gas stations there where there is an attendant at a pump is for the attendant to reset the pump immediately after fueling your vehicle (so the amount doesn't show) and then tell you that the price was higher than it was, so keep an eye peeled.

That was tried on a friend and me once near Chichen-Itza by an hombre that didn't realize that I could see the numbers on the pump from where I was sitting. He told me what he wanted us to pay, I gave him what the pump had said, he said something cross in Spanish with the word "policia", I said "OK" and sat on the trunk. Bluff called. He shrugged and grinned, I shrugged and grinned, and we left. Nice try, though. ;^)

 

[LandLocked89]

We knew to watch for that one. What happened with us was when we paid with USD the attendant brought out his exchange calculator and messed with some numbers and wound up not giving us all of our change. So, we just avoid that whole thing by paying in pesos.

 

[ggunn]

We knew to watch for that one. What happened with us was when we paid with USD the attendant brought out his exchange calculator and messed with some numbers and wound up not giving us all of our change. So, we just avoid that whole thing by paying in pesos.

I guess it marks me as a geek, but I carry my HP-12C calculator just about everywhere, and I check their numbers.

Cheers,