Need help with Coz trip plan

[prosdog]

Any input would be appreciated. I've only been to Cozumel twice, once on a 1 day cruise stop and later on a short 4 night trip, so I'm a Cozumel novice. I've got enough miles on United to do 2 economy round trips to Cozumel from San Antonio, Texas in August. For some reason, unless I do either a 6 night or 8+ night trip, I can't get the lowest air reward fare. I've only got enough days off from work to do a max 7 night trip, so that means a 6 nighter is the only one possible for that fare. Unfortunately, all the dive+accommodation packages I'm finding on Expedia and Orbitz are for 4 or 7 nights. I've did the Hotel Cozumel/Dive Paradise 4 night package on my previous trip to Cozumel, something like that for 6 nights would be nice. I've got to do this trip cheap, my twins need braces this year.

Anyone know of a hotel+diving package for 6 nights? I'd prefer a hotel that includes breakfast and that has a kitchenette. Shore diving (I know shore diving in Cozumel isn't considered to be that great, but I like it) from the hotel and nitrox would be nice as well.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[jfcl01]

Pretty sure Blue Angel would make you a package customized to your desired length of stay. There aren't kitchenettes there; I like having a kitchenette too, but I never missed having one when I was at BA. The pros outweigh the cons. Also, their shore diving is probably about as good as you will get on the island.

 

[ggunn]

Any input would be appreciated. I've only been to Cozumel twice, once on a 1 day cruise stop and later on a short 4 night trip, so I'm a Cozumel novice. I've got enough miles on United to do 2 economy round trips to Cozumel from San Antonio, Texas in August. For some reason, unless I do either a 6 night or 8+ night trip, I can't get the lowest air reward fare. I've only got enough days off from work to do a max 7 night trip, so that means a 6 nighter is the only one possible for that fare. Unfortunately, all the dive+accommodation packages I'm finding on Expedia and Orbitz are for 4 or 7 nights. I've did the Hotel Cozumel/Dive Paradise 4 night package on my previous trip to Cozumel, something like that for 6 nights would be nice. I've got to do this trip cheap, my twins need braces this year.

Anyone know of a hotel+diving package for 6 nights? I'd prefer a hotel that includes breakfast and that has a kitchenette. Shore diving (I know shore diving in Cozumel isn't considered to be that great, but I like it) from the hotel and nitrox would be nice as well.

Thanks in advance for the help.

You might do better booking air, diving, and hotel separately. These days, hotel accommodations on Cozumel are very easy to arrange. With the possible exceptions of Spring Break and Carnaval, all but the smallest hotels have rooms available virtually all the time. Diving is easy to arrange as well; there are tons of great ops on the island. I would determine the best days to go, book the air, then deal with the hotel, etc.

 

[Dan G]

+1 for booking flight/ hotel / diving separately. Look at a hotel's website and many will show you package deals with certain dive ops. If those package deals don't suit your timeline, then just email the shop directly and ask then for a package for your specific dates. After you do this with a few different hotels and ops, you can just choose who you want to go with and where you want to stay.

Sometimes, when you book through a third party, such as a travel agency, there is little flexibility in your dives once you purchase. It can be harder to move your dives around with an op.

Don't let the searching stress you out. It can be part of the fun in anticipation of a trip.

 

[kendallpg]

I would call Al or Felix at Bay Adventures - 888-599-3483. They are the travel agency that does the Cozumel Invasion. I have used them to plan 2 other trips, 1 for my family and 1 for a group of guys. They have the ability to create custom packages with some of the hotels and dive ops on the island. The pricing that I got through them was as good or better than I got elsewhere and they do all of the planning for you so it takes the hassle off of you!

 

[DKB01]

Echo the suggestion for Al or Felix at Bay Adventures. They will make it happen for you.

DB

 

[mstevens]

We no longer stay in hotels on Cozumel, but we've ALWAYS arranged transportation, accommodation, diving, and meals (and everything else) separately. That way, we get exactly what we want and know exactly what each component costs. As others have pointed out, it's not difficult and a little research can pay big dividends.

Any time I've felt like shore diving from a hotel, I've been able to rent tanks from the on-site operator despite the fact that we've never used the on-site operator at any hotel for boat diving. Even if you end up staying at a hotel without an on-site operator (or at a rented house, B&B, etc.), I'm sure you can arrange to rent tanks from whichever operator you use for a bit of shore diving. However, if you're not staying at a waterfront hotel I'm really not convinced Cozumel shore diving is great enough to justify the hassle compared with topside activities.

The temptation to dive as much as possible is understandable. Despite that, I think there is a lot to be said for resting up in the afternoon and doing some things other than diving. It can also be great not to get back home hours before you have to hit work. If you can take off a day longer than your trip, you can be a lot fresher when it's time to hit the grind again.

Jeebus - braces for twins? I can see why you need to do this trip economically!

 

[Fin59]

Try pricing the hotel/car package on Orbitz so you can use the promo code and still get the $100 off. It usually comes out cheaper than booking the hotel by itself and you don't have to pick up the car if you don't want to. Booking diving with whatever shop you choose should be no problem.

 

[DandyDon]

And, you can ask your chose dive Op if they have a special with any hotels. Most can customize a 6 night dive package, or 5 day discount.

 

[cardzard]

To bad you have to go in August, otherwise you could join the SB Invasion and solve all the issues with 1 phone call.