staying in iberostar : using onsite op vs other boutique op ?

[Carlos Diver]

You will enjoy the Ibersotar. I also recommend walking over to Albertos at least once for a sunset dinner.

 

[ReefHound]

Just checking the Dressel site, they do not list dive prices. Can anyone here who have recently used them post the rates they paid?

 

[Charles2]

Just checking the Dressel site, they do not list dive prices. Can anyone here who have recently used them post the rates they paid?

I bought a 10 two-tank package (20 dives) back in January for our trip in July. The price was $608 by paying before arrival. I think the prices may have gone up a little since then. Keep in mind that nitrox is free and included on all dives.

That comes out to $30.40 per dive including nitrox.

 

[jonhall]

Just checking the Dressel site, they do not list dive prices. Can anyone here who have recently used them post the rates they paid?

Have to contact them to get prices. They are very good with communications and your contact will be through their main office in Spain.

They will email you a list of their packages which I think are geared toward the location you are staying. Staying just north of PDC, we did the Gorilla package which included 11 dives, 2 being cenotes, 1 night, and 2 in Coz (which were the best of all dives.) Our total was $649 for package + $11 for hyperbaric chamber contribution + 2 for Coz Marine Park entrance fee = $662 - 20% discount for a total of $529.60. About $48/dive. On top of that I paid $130 less 20% discount for materials and processing for AOW (the course is free.). This was in November 2016.

 

[Coryjack70]

I stayed at iberostar this week. We dove in maroma first. 3 miles south of iberostar. I'm sure you could get someone to pick you up at their docks. We did the maroma dive with only three others. Not as nice as Cozumel but it's was a small group. I hated iberostar though. I won't go back to that resort

 

[ReefHound]

Have to contact them to get prices. They are very good with communications and your contact will be through their main office in Spain.

I'm aware of that and there's no good reason for it. This isn't 1995 where businesses are still trying to figure out that newfangled interwebs things. Anything they can post in an email they can post on a web page. I inherently distrust anyone that doesn't post prices. That's strike one right off the bat.

 

[jonhall]

I stayed at iberostar this week. We dove in maroma first. 3 miles south of iberostar. I'm sure you could get someone to pick you up at their docks. We did the maroma dive with only three others. Not as nice as Cozumel but it's was a small group. I hated iberostar though. I won't go back to that resort

Was that the Iberostar in Riviera Maya (just north of PDC)? That is probably the Dressel I dove with (we didn't stay there) because they picked us up at our resort. Did 3 of our 11 dives at the Punta Maroma site. The boat in Oct/Nov 2016 were always full. And you're so correct about it not being as nice as Coz!

 

[jonhall]

I'm aware of that and there's no good reason for it. This isn't 1995 where businesses are still trying to figure out that newfangled interwebs things. Anything they can post in an email they can post on a web page. I inherently distrust anyone that doesn't post prices. That's strike one right off the bat.

On the other hand, I usually contact a dive op anyway to verify their prices are current, so this, to me, was not a big deal. It's a plus in my book for a dive op that is prompt in getting back to me. BUT, yes I would prefer to see it on the site.

"Newfangled interwebs things". I like it!!!!

 

[ReefHound]

On the other hand, I usually contact a dive op anyway to verify their prices are current, so this, to me, was not a big deal. It's a plus in my book for a dive op that is prompt in getting back to me. BUT, yes I would prefer to see it on the site.

I often do as well but resent being forced into it. As fate would have it, we decided just last night to cancel our Fl Keys trip later this month due to Irma and redirect to Coz. I was really interested in trying Dressel and emailed this morning. No reply yet. Not surprising. And it's not reasonable to expect an instant reply to email from overseas. But that's precisely why such data needs to be posted. Websites don't have time zone lag or sleep or take off weekends and holidays. Today I was able to cancel all existing arrangements with airline, hotel, and diving. I was able to rebook flights, and book new hotel. Because I wanted to wrap it all up at once, I just booked diving with another Coz op (who I emailed and received reply within an hour). So the one-source overseas email cost them at least $500 revenue. No big deal. They will survive without us and we will survive without them.

 

[lionfish-eater]

Since no one has brought it up, and I understand that it would be inappropriate for any of the shop owners who participate in these threads to comment about another op, I will remind readers of the main complaint against them is that they don't use local DM's as has been the tradition in Cozumel and the law in Mexico. I read in the news that the "agency/union" (i don't remember which) that regulates and licences the DM's had a complaint against three operators that use foreign labor. Dressel is one of the three, I don't remember the other two. Maybe someone else does.

The other complaint about Iberostar was that they served shark in Tunisia.

Attention Shark Lovers – Why You Should Boycott Iberostar Hotels and Resorts

I stayed at the resort about 8 years ago and enjoyed it very much. We dove with Aldora and back then there was no problem with dock pick ups. The robes were nice to walk from the pier to our room after a twilight dive and we brought them back to the boat the next morning.