Thoughts on Tres Pelicanos vs Aldora

[drrich2]

But I also don't like being rushed.

This keeps coming up and I suspect it's kind of a 'shades of grey' thing more than all or nothing. I stayed at Casa Mexica, and walked around to Tres Pelicanos for meet up. I get that heading to the pier for the Aldora boat is a bit different. And yes, some of the breakfast buffet food came out a little later. Never saw anyone run in the dive shop door stuffing food in their face, that I recall.

What is 'rushed?' On the one hand, I don't recall seeing anyone wolfing their food down and choking. On the other, it's maybe not practical to kick back and talk a whole lot, rarely taking a bite and eating very slowly. I think there's room to work a happy medium in, especially if you bring your camera and other 'take along' stuff down to breakfast with you, so when you're done proceed directly to meet your dive op., whoever it is.

If someone is reluctant to stay at Casa Mexicana for fear they won't have time to eat at the included breakfast buffet (at least without fear of choking, or having to stuff their pockets with food), I don't think they need to worry.

Anyone think differently on that?

 

[ReefHound]

What is 'rushed?' On the one hand, I don't recall seeing anyone wolfing their food down and choking. On the other, it's maybe not practical to kick back and talk a whole lot, rarely taking a bite and eating very slowly. I think there's room to work a happy medium in, especially if you bring your camera and other 'take along' stuff down to breakfast with you, so when you're done proceed directly to meet your dive op., whoever it is.

My first thought was how long could one possibly need to eat a banana and a piece of toast?

In my experience, having stayed at CM 4 or 5 times, the breakfast opens at 7 or within minutes, and something (i.e. fruit) is available even sooner. The pier or TP shop is literally 5 minutes max. So even if breakfast starts 5 minutes late and you nurse a cup of coffee 15 minutes, you have time. The key is have your stuff ready to go. I think you'd even have time to run back up to the room and go to the bathroom but not to start gathering up camera stuff and deciding what to put in the dry bag.

It seems unnecessarily silly to be at the dock at 7:30 when the boat passes back by at 8:00 but I would be there. At 7:30. Not 7:15 or 7:20 but 7:30. If the boat is early it can wait til 7:30 or catch me on the way back south.

One thing that is annoying with 3P, having dived with them 4 or 5 times, is eating breakfast "efficiently" to be there at 7:40 then sitting around til 8:00 or 8:15 while others are filling out paperwork or working out gear issues.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Way too much info....

My problem is coffee makes me poop about 20 min later. I need a little extra time between breakfast and diving.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

It's no secret that I enjoy Aldora. Not necessarily for the shop, but our favorite divemasters. They are the ones you interact with the most. Jorge, Shariff, and Dario just make the dive vacation for us. I enjoy the steel 120 tanks, even though I don't necessarily need them. A little extended time to stay deeper is nice when necessary.

As far as breakfast is concerned, we've never felt rushed. I can't eat a huge breakfast before I dive or the heartburn/reflux monster makes me miserable. Coffee and fruit are usually out by 10 til. There is time for a good breakfast, lots of juice, and a bathroom stop before heading to the pier. Even if you are 5 minutes late, it's really not a big deal. We have waited longer than that on several occasions. Also, CM will let you take a breakfast with you if you ask. We just grab several pears, bananas, and apples for the crew and walk to the pier. Sometimes my wife will head to El Coffee Cozumel for coffee and I'll meet her at the pier. She brings me a coffee...but she also brings Shariff an expresso. I'm afraid I know who the priority is.... It may take me 5 minutes to walk to the pier and I'm slow.

I also enjoy the cash discount.

It's not hard to find a great dive op on Cozumel, it just may take a while to find the dive op that works best for you.

@ggunn if you dont like being called Boomer, and your from Austin, how about Sooner!! Lol, I'm from West Texas and married into an OU family....

See y'all on the reefs!
Jay

 

[Streydog]

Aldora loads their tanks and equipment at the down town pier. Then the DM's and captains set up all the equipment prior to 7:30. I assume the reason they load up at the pier first then head to their Villa is for efficiency. I have seen them head to the Villa first to load up then return to the pier but that is not the norm. They do not always go to the Villa, only when divers on your boat are staying there.

As far as breakfast at Casa goes. I often stay at Suites Bahia and the only issue I have is I don't take the time to get an omelet made or use the waffle maker. I am at the buffet by 7 and have time to stop back by my room for 5 minutes or so then get to the pier.

If you are staying south none of this makes much of a difference. I have stayed at Hotel Cozumel where you can sit at the breakfast table until you see the boat coming to pick you up. I have also dove with 3 P's while staying there, I just waited by the street to be picked up.

One advantage of leaving from downtown, if all the divers on the boat are staying in town, is more diving sites are available. It's a nice change sometimes to dive your first dive far south then have the second dive at San Juan. Your SI is during the boat ride. Then you have a short boat ride back to town.

 

[deepsea21]

In my experience, having stayed at CM 4 or 5 times, the breakfast opens at 7 or within minutes, and something (i.e. fruit) is available even sooner. The pier or TP shop is literally 5 minutes max.

My experience as well. In December I stayed at the CM for 2 1/2 weeks and I can say that every day the breakfast buffet opened at 7AM and on some occasions a bit earlier. 30 min for breakfast + 5 Minutes to take care of any business in the room + 5 min to walk around the corner to 3P's shop = at the shop at 7:40AM. 30 minutes to eat breakfast was more than enough time for us. At 7AM the only people eating there are primarily divers. The mob that can slow down the buffet and service doesn't seem to hit until 8-9:30 AM. I guess some people like to sleep in on their vacations. Personally, I'll get more than enough sleep when I'm dead and buried. Never understood why people get up early to go to work and then sleep in when on vacation. I get up earlier when on vacation than I do going to work.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You people who can return to your rooms and head back out in 10 minutes, are you alone or with a spouse/S.O. who needs to use the bathroom as well? We need more than that.

 

[deepsea21]

As far as breakfast is concerned, we've never felt rushed. I can't eat a huge breakfast before I dive or the heartburn/reflux monster makes me miserable. Coffee and fruit are usually out by 10 til.

I maintain a steady course of taking a daily acid blocker year round as I get that nasty acid reflux without it. While on vacation in Mexico I add 2 Pepto pills in the AM and 2 in the PM because I'll eat about anything and everything on the island and am one who enjoys spicy foods. I eat a large breakfast with only 1 cup of coffee (coffee is VERY high in acid) and have never had a problem with acid reflux while diving. However, everyone is different.

 

[ggunn]

Okay, that was funny. I understand the frustration with having 10 fewer minutes for breakfast—been there done that—but that was funny.

The thing for me with rushing breakfast is that I want to return to my room to, uh, brush my teeth, before heading to the pier. Ten minutes makes a difference.

Thanks for acknowledging that my comment was meant in jest and not to be taken seriously.

 

[Trailboss123]

Many useful and interesting comments/feedback on the dive ops Tres P, Aldora - not as many about Blue XT Sea but then again I didn't really ask about them either. Curious to hear from people about Blue XT Sea.

I am not a big breakfast person, but I DO want to eat something before going out diving - banana, toast or oatmeal. But I also don't like being rushed. Unfortunately, it might be hard to stay somewhere like CM where breakfast starts at 7, and I don't know if the food is available right at 7 or a little after. Makes a difference, as you have to factor in walking a few minutes to the pier. My husband and I don't dawdle, but it'd be nice to have something closer to 6:45 so maybe we need to look into staying at the Villa Aldora. I guess we could get some bananas at Mega and just have a banana in the morning too..

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What works for you may not work for me, and I'm good with that. I don't mind coming up as a group as long as divers aren't banging into me or making my dives cut short significantly.

I probably shouldn't call myself out on this, but then again I don't care as I'm always learning and I'm not perfect. I've been diving a long time, but on a dive with Aldora last year, I checked my gear and psi (as I always do)....but then turned my air off. We got to the dive site, and guess what? I forgot to turn my air back on. Back flip into the water, down about 20ft when I realized this. Came shooting to the surface and motioned to the dive master - I think it was Dario - wow you should have seen him swim to me, fast as lightening! Turned on my air, I descended and all was good.

After the dive, he said that he was so sorry and that the boat captain was supposed to check everyone's tank before they got in the water. I said oh no, please don't say anything - it was my fault. My dive, my life, my breathing etc. - it was my fault.

We will probably book with Aldora, just wish we could get breakfast a little earlier, maybe Villa Escondida can have something for us by 7 or a little before.....

Concur that there was not a lot of feedback on Blue XT Sea, but I feel like your initial post in this thread did invite or open the door for people to opine. Also, your other related post on where to stay, invited people to sound off on Blue XT Sea
Casa Mexicana or Villa Escondida?

You will have a great trip and hopefully you got enough info between the 2 threads to make an educated decision on what will work best for you.
It just dawned on me that my comments in this thread were colored by your post in the other thread. I realize I was trying to give objective and combined feedback to both threads in this one.