Palace Pier Pick-up/Drop-off?

[MMM]

I too prefer the boat ride, having experienced both challenging boat rides and numbing taxi rides on Coz. I hope my "ratty truck" comment doesn't offend, but I'll stand by it! (not that I have a problem with ratty trucks, either).
Now it's down to choosing the Palace or Fiesta Americana. My wife likes the Palace (been 3x), and it is our anniversary, but I've always wanted to try the FA. Cost is not much of a consideration.*
*Goes for paying for a better operator vs cattle boats for "free" with the house shop (the AS guys were still cool and let me shore dive for free). Thanks again for the comments.

I have NEVER heard anyone say a bad word about the Palace. I think it is light years above the FA.

 

[deepsea21]

My experience is that driving to the caleta in the morning is easy. It is a PITA coming back when it is wall-to-wall taxis and cruise ship people and takes FOREVER. I would FAR rather be chilling on a boat if the conditions are not bucketing rain and howling wind. That is far from the norm. And FYI, Living Underwater handles your neoprene as well. They pick up first and the downtown pier (around 8 a.m.) and then El Cantil and the Palace around 8:10.

That is an interesting point - I've always been diving in the off-season in October or pre-season in December. While tourists staying on the island during those times is generally less, it seems as though the cruise ships are always full and always there. Yes, there is more traffic coming back north in the afternoon but that seldom seemed to impact my arrival time back in town around 12:30 PM. This is just a theory of mine but it seems as though the vast majority of ship tourists that rent cars and scooters and such circle the island in a counter-clockwise loop instead of a clockwise loop. That seems to create more traffic in the afternoon coming across the island back into town than coming up the island's west side from the south back into town. The police seem to know this as well as they tend to hide themselves on the road heading south before noon and then move to the road heading west across the island back into town in the afternoon. At least that has been my experience. They are sneaky too with their cop bikes hidden behind bushes with their radar guns and speed traps.. Which brings up another subject, it is my understanding a tourist is to be given a total of 2 courtesy warnings if caught for minor traffic violations before a fine is imposed in the state of Quintana Roo, not tickets and not a shakedown on the spot demanding a fine be paid. This article has some interesting comments...

This Can Get You Out of a Traffic Ticket When Visiting Cancun or the Riviera Maya