Cozumel - Playa Mia opinions?

[starvenger]

OK so I'm looking at booking Playa Mia through Viator or Shore Excursioneer since they offer more options for this place vs the 1 DCL has listed.

Taxi seems like a slight saving for my family of 4 but really it's the convenience of not having to work around the bus schedule that drives me in that direction.

We are looking at the lunch option and maybe the unlimited drink option, but a quick look through TripAdvisor seems to indicate that the food is meh and the beach is actually rocky. I will note that I read the negative reviews first (to see if I can glean some true opinions among the sour grapes. Although the complaint about the food being "not Mexican enough" was kind of funny. But I digress.) then the middling reviews for what is usually a more balanced opinion.

So I guess the question I have is - are the negative reviews of the beach and/or food justified?

 

[mcd2745]

Yes. I was at Playa Mia (on a RCCL crusie) 4 days ago. The food was not good, and neither were the drinks, frankly. Drinks like margaritas are all pre-mixed (likely for days). After one, I stuck with the Dos Equis beer. The beach is a little rocky after you get into the water, but not bad really . My DW & DS went out snorkeling (I stayed back with DD who didn't want to go), and raved about it. They take you out on a boat to 2 separate reefs. Ultimately, I think you're better off grabbing a taxi, and paying just for access to the beach/pools (water slide was disappointing).

 

[Shea&Van]

Hi there,

We were there for Spring Break (early April). I'd give it a solid B-. It had a clean pool and changing rooms and my kids grealty enjoyed the little water play area, but they are 8, 6, and 3. We did try the beach and there were some rocky patches, but if you go out a little further it got better. Food was okay. I actually enjoyed the nachos whereas my traveling companions were not as pleased with their orders. What bothered me the most is that the place was jam-packed. And, it seemed like everyone smoked. As an asthmatic, it seemed the smell followed me everywhere. That was troublesome. People reserved blocks of chairs and multiple tables, so it was difficult to get a place to rest. However, for the price we paid, I thought it was decent. I'm sure if it wasn't Spring Break, I would have rated it higher. My sister reserved our passes and I think she did it thru Viator. It was MUCH cheaper than Disney. My 3-year-old was actually free thru them, so that made a big difference in our bottom line. Finding the bus to get here an adventure in itself. But, for the cost, it was okay. My kids loved it and that is really what I was concerned about!

Have a great cruise!

 

[starvenger]

The thing with Disney is that they offer only one option, and while this may suit some, it doesn't suit all. As noted, Viator offers Day Pass only, with food, drink and transport add ons, and that presents better value options if one is not intending to drink there.

@Shea&Van, wanted to know if you got the food option or bought a la carte?

Anyone know if Mr Sanchos is comparable for families (I have 5 & 8 yos)?

 

[JimmyV]

are the negative reviews of the beach and/or food justified?

Yes. These "all you can drink" beach break places are cookie cutter beach clubs that leave much to be desired. Pretty awful Americanized buffets, watered down drinks, and slow service to keep you from getting your money's worth. We gave up on them, and the last time we were in Cozumel, we took a private snorkeling trip booked independently. It was just our family. Or course, our tour meeting place turned out to be one of the beach clubs, and we were told that we could enjoy the facilities (a la carte) before and after our snorkeling trip, so we got to use the club for "free" so to speak. If you can find an option where you pay a la carte, I would look into that. While the price for the "all inclusives" might seem enticing, you really aren't getting much bang for your buck. We ended up going back to the ship to eat.

 

[Scillycruisers]

We went in Feb and had a great day. The beach / sea was fine - we went straight out to the inflatable obstacle course thing and spent ages out there, it was so much fun. The pools were fine though the kids stuff was a bit young for DS (8). The food was perfectly OK, we didn't expect it to be brilliant but had a reasonable lunch, I had a couple of beers DH doesn't drink so just stuck to water. The staff were friendly, the place was clean and we had a great day. We would happily go back all inclusive.

 

[starvenger]

Yes. These "all you can drink" beach break places are cookie cutter beach clubs that leave much to be desired. Pretty awful Americanized buffets, watered down drinks, and slow service to keep you from getting your money's worth. We gave up on them, and the last time we were in Cozumel, we took a private snorkeling trip booked independently. It was just our family. Or course, our tour meeting place turned out to be one of the beach clubs, and we were told that we could enjoy the facilities (a la carte) before and after our snorkeling trip, so we got to use the club for "free" so to speak. If you can find an option where you pay a la carte, I would look into that. While the price for the "all inclusives" might seem enticing, you really aren't getting much bang for your buck. We ended up going back to the ship to eat.

It's pretty much where I'm at with things. Kids are too small to go snorkeling, so really it is likely one of these resorts and getting as much due diligence done as I can.

 

[niccikatie]

Look into paradise beach! It's not an all inclusive so it can be as expensive or inexpensive as you'd like.

Here's my review from another thread:

We did Paradise Beach privately when we were in Cozumel on a Celebrity Cruise. It was fantastic! There were 8 of us - four adults, three 16/17 yo, and one 10 yo. We bought bracelets for the four kids and food/drinks the entire day and spent about $450.00 total for us all. For 8 the taxi from port was $30 each way - taxis were very easy to get both ways. It was fantastic! The service was great, beach was nice, pool was awesome, kids loved the inflatables and stand up paddle boarding. My DD wants to take DH there on our Panama Cruise later this year because she loved it so much.

ETA: The bathrooms were great, too. Very clean and an easy walk from the beach.

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com