Cozumel/Mr. Sancho's Beach Resort-BEWARE!!

[kmer2]

We did not choose an excursion for the cruise of 11/08-11/15.

We decided to retreat to mr. Sancho's Beach Resort for a day of fun, and sun.

The cab ride there was straight forward, and even pleasant.

When attempting to leave, we were lied to, pressured, and even REJECTED by the cab drivers because we would not agree to pay a "premium" to get back to the ship. It should be noted that there are posted rates outside of this beach establishment, yet the cab drivers worked together, speaking spanish to each other to insure that we could not understand.

WEhen my ten year old son began to cry, I had to go inside to get the manager, who got me a cab, but i still had to pay more than the posted rates!

Please be aware that if you venture outside a "Disney sponsored excursion", that you are gambling that the locals will be honest, and alas, they are not, although I hope, and would like to believe that most are.

When the locals see us coming, they see dollar signs.

I reported this to Guest Services on the magic, and they in turn contacted the local authorities, but I am sure it was presented that we were just cheap, or unreasonable.

By the way, they did not spring the higher rates on us until we were already in the car, strapped in, and starting to pull out!

We had even queried the driver who delivered us to the beach as to the procedure for getting back, and he pointed to the sign with the pre-set price arrangements.

We will never go back to this beach resort, and I urge extreme caution to all that want to venture outside of "Disney excursions"!!


Kyle

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Sorry for your experience. Out of curiosity, what would have happened if you took the ride and then when you got back to the ship and your family was out of the car, you gave him the posted rate and nothing more. Worse case - they would call the police and then you can explain what happened. I know - sometimes it just isn't worth the hassle, but I hate when tourists are taken advantage of in a foreign country.

 

[kmer2]

Originally posted by BuzzBoyMom
Sorry for your experience. Out of curiosity, what would have happened if you took the ride and then when you got back to the ship and your family was out of the car, you gave him the posted rate and nothing more. Worse case - they would call the police and then you can explain what happened. I know - sometimes it just isn't worth the hassle, but I hate when tourists are taken advantage of in a foreign country.

 

[kmer2]

I honestly was way too uncomfortable to even think about that, but I wonder what the result would have been??

I was angry anyway, and being cautious, I was worried that when we arrived at the ship that they would ask for even more money!!

Anyway, I hope that everyone who travels on this wonderful ship has the time of their lives!!! We sure did! (except for this incident).


Kyle

 

[Gina]

I am very sorry you had this experience... usually the cab drivers stick to the posted rates, and I hope this was an isolated incident. I don't think I have heard of others like it.

But I urge you to change the title of your post, so as not to mislead new cruisers... this had nothing[/n] to do with Mr. Sancho's, which a truly wonderful place. In fact, most of the complaints I have heard have been from the Disney-sponsored excursion to Playa Sol, because of how unbelievably crowded it was there.

Be as mad as you want at the cab driver -- I certainly would have!!! -- but don't let the stink fall on Mr. Sancho's, huh?

-gina-

 

[vixenslc]

We too enjoyed Mr. Sancho's on our own while in Cozumel, we found the accomadations and staff to be great. We paid $5 per person to and from Mr. Sancho's using two different drivers. I can see how upseting this experience was for you but I do not believe that the establishment should be held to any blame for your misfortune. You stated that the manager got you another cab when you explained things to him, and since they were not providing transportation for you then they are not responsible for the taxi rate. I'm sorry you feel that only Disney excursions should be considered "safe". In four cruises we have never used a booked excursion and have found most people to be honest and the amount we spend is always less than the excursions for similiar experiences, plus we control where we go and the amount of time we spend in each destination. I hope your next travel experience is less troublesome.

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

We spent the day at Playa del Sol in Sept. and had no problems with crowds. Practically had the beach to ourselves. It was great!
Even after the Fiesta Party Boat came in, there was still plenty of room. Of course we were only 1 of the 2 ships in port that day.

Sorry, about the problems with the cabbies Kyle, we've been to Cozumel several times and have never had any problems. Even on our week stay. Hopeful, and unfortunately, this was an isolated incident.

 

[kmer2]

Gina,

They are employed by mr. sancho's, and have a working arrangement, according to the manager.

I was told by Guest services that they had prior reports of this activity there.

The cabs park there, and I was told that they have a garage there.

Even so, the warning is not about the beautiful beach resort, but wcan, and probably does await travelers at the front gate to this establishment.

I hope that this can cause awareness so that others do not fall prey to this.

AT the very least, they allow these people to abuse their customers.

The choices for cab service in Cozumel may be small for all i know. I was told that this company has about 400 vehicles in their fleet, and they may be the only show in town, but I owned a restaurant/pub in Danbury, Ct. and can absolutely guarantee that the first time one of my clients was abused by a cab driver outside of my door, it would be the last time they would be called from my establishment.

They have responsibility in this issue.

I am sorry to disagree, and what makes it worse is that the beach was beautiful, but we will not remember that in years to come. Just my ten year old crying, my mother-in-law waiting in the hot sun for someone to drive us back, and being personally abused by the drivers who chasdtised me for travelling to their country and being too cheap to pay their wages!

Cheap had nothing to do with it. We would have paid a few dollars more for convenience, and tipped on top of that, but to be re-routed, and forced to pay twice as much to ride in a van, just because we were going home was too much.

If Mr. Sancho's had nothing to say, the manager would not have travelled outside with me, where he also gave us a hard time about paying the drivers wages. BUT..he did get us a cab.

kmer2

 

[kmer2]

Vixenslc,

I noticed that you said $5.00 per person, two cabs.

We were being forced to pay $15.00 per person, two vehicles, or $20.00 per person for the van!

It cost us $16.00 to get there. Total. We traveled in a small Nissan wagon.

The cab drivers are not hailed from this location, they have a garage there, and are posted there,waiting for tourists to leave.

You should also know that we paid $18.00 complete for our return trip, and there were 5 of us, so you can see p;lain as day that the traveling rate is different for everyone, based on what the cabbies think they can get away with!

Money is not the issue, because we tipped the fellow who drove us back $7.00 for the ride, so the only issue is their "bargaining tactics"

Even if the cabs had nothing to do with Mr. Sancho's, you still need them to get to this establishment, and back from.

We too enjoyed the restaurant, and service indoors, but the total experience involves the travel, and therefore, I do not see this as an inappropriate warning.

We had no troubles in Key West, or the Caymans, just Cozumel. You would think the locals would welcome us, wherever we went, as our family was spending money, and I am quite sure that most everyone else did as well.

Anyway, the point here is to let you know what we went through, and there was a family of 4 adults about 5 feet to our left who were having the same trouble, and they did not get the same results we did. They had to call the ship for assistance to get back.

Like it or not, this happened at Mr. Sancho's.

kmer2

 

[Grumbo]

Kmer2 I understand your frustration.
We were in Athens on a vacation and spoke to the bell hop about a restaurant. He told us about this "wonderful" place. You had to get a cab and he hailed a cab from across the street. They drove us to this restaurant. Unpriced menu with only mediocre food but full of tourists. A pair of young Americans at a neighbouring table spoke to us and asked if we had been brought by a cabbie who recommended the place. Turns out everyone in the place had been scammed here that way. We appreciated the heads up and just got prices before we ordered as there were no prices on the menu and it was unbelievably overpriced.
All the cabbies were sitting there waiting for their return fares and we watched the owner handing them money.
We couldn't understand what was being said (Its all Greek to me ) but we laugh about it now but at the time pee'd off to say the least.
Sally has the price list on this site for Cozumel cabs. The thread is http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=323139
Is this out of line with the prices?

Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[MarkLem]

Most everyone here has raved about the beach. Have not seen any feedback about the taxis, either good or bad.

 

[mcnuss]

We had no problems whatsoever with taxis in Cozumel. Sorry you had a bad experience, but now that it's over and you've warned people here what to watch out for, pls. let it go and let the good memories of your time at the beach overtake the bad.

I think perhaps you go too far, though, when you say "if you venture outside a "Disney sponsored excursion", that you are gambling that the locals will be honest, and alas, they are not".

I think you are painting with an overly broad brush considering how many people have taken cabs in COZ with no problems whatsoever. Disney sponsored excursions can be very nice, certainly, but they are also dreadfully overpriced. Disney would have charged for one person what the 3 of us spent on our entire day at the beach in COZ, inc. lunch, snacks, cabs, & souvenirs.

 

[jrabbit]

We went on our own to Playa San Francisco. Had no problemo's with the cabbies going or comming. I was riding in the front with the driver and he showed me pictures of his wife and kids, looking for a bigger tip. He was showing them to the wrong person. ALL of our money was in the back seat

Again, we didn't have any troubles with the cabs. Sorry that you did, and we all KNOW THAT IT CAN HAPPEN!!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

One piece of wisdom to glean from your experience...<blockquote><b>always agree on the price <i>before</i> you get into the cab. And make sure that price is for the entire party, not per-person. Even if the rates are posted, you must have the drive agree on the price with you <i>before</i> you get in the cab. This applies to all Caribbean and Mexican ports of call.</blockquote>

 

[Tluvs2talk]

This happened to my husband in Nassau. He was charged $5.00 for the ride over to Atlantis. When he was returning the cab driver charged him $15.00. He told him it should be $5.00, the cab driver started yelling and raising his fist so my hubby paid him. I was on the Ship at this time and hubby was alone in the cab. He was mad but decided it was useless to argue and to just pay the man. We have been to Nassau 5 times, this was a first. Point is bad stuff happens everywhere, but it won't stop us from taking cabs in Nassau or anywhere else.





Teri

 

[inkkognito]

That is awful! It's terrible to take advantage of someone who is has no alternative.
We took a cab to and from Chanakaab, and thankfully we only paid the posted rate each way. Actually, we paid a buck or two more on the return trip, but that is because we were dropped off at the far end of the shopping area rather than at the ships. The driver quoted the additional cost to us beforehand.
On the flipside, when we were getting a cab to go to the beach, we saw a family arguing with a cab driver and insisting that they be charged below the posted rates. The father of this family actually said to the driver, "You HAVE to take what I'm willing to pay!" After telling him no several times, the cab finally drove away (this occurred a short distance from where the cabs are lined up, not in the line itself).
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[mcnuss]

The father of this family actually said to the driver, "You HAVE to take what I'm willing to pay!"

Barb - this is a very interesting observation. When we were in Cozumel, I saw Americans behaving in just the way you describe. All too often, I hear comments like "You would think the locals would welcome us, wherever we went, as our family was spending money". That statement just rubs me the wrong way, and I am not trying to point fingers at the OP, I have seen it hundreds of times. I am not in any way condoning what happened to the OP, it is unconscionable, and I know that the tourism authorities in COZ and elsewhere work very hard to ensure that things like this don't happen. They do want the cruise ships' business, and don't want to see threads like this one proliferating and hurting the reputation of their locales. I suspect the majority of the locals are happy for the business the cruise ships bring, but I am equally sure that there are downsides that we as visitors do not see.

I am not sure how to avoid the situation that the OP ran into. There are bad apples everywhere; in my travels, I have been ripped off by cab drivers in many US cities, including on 9/11/01 in Pittsburgh where I got stranded. The cabbie in that instance charged me $40 for a $5 ride from the airport. I only realized this when I took that trip again about a year later.

 

[cjsmith]

This happens every where, even in the states. I took my mom and grandmother in NYC out to lunch and the cab driver had the nerve to take the very long way to our destination. I knew the city like the back of my hand from living and working there and had it out with him. I refused to pay what he wanted and told him to call the police so we could discuss the fact that he picked us up at the world trade center and went way uptown only to go back downtown to deliver us to the seaport. He then tried to pretend he didn't know where the seaport was. Let's just say he backed down very quickly when the word police came up.
This also happened to us in Brussels a couple of years ago, boy did we get ripped off coming from the train station to our hotel. It left such a bad taste in our mouth, not a good way to start our vacation there, but we got over it quickly so we could enjoy ourselves and have good memories.

 

[KimDisFan]

One other watchout is that the posted prices of for up to 4 people, if you are over 4, you will pay more. Then it will depend on the type of vehicle you get. We thought they were trying to rip us off, but the cabbies showed us the sign, felt a little embarrassed at that point.

 

[spencertaylor]

wow imagine that people in THEIR country talking in THEIR native tounge, I AM SURE IT WAS ONLY TO CONFUSE YOU.
I would stongly suggest to always check the price before getting into the car, if you dont like get the next cab.